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Kevin Can F**k Himself (2021) s02e07 – The Problem
As is not uncommon for pay cable original programming, “Kevin Can F**k Himself” always ends with a teaser for the next episode. What’s coming up next week or just in general for the season; I think cable shows have been doing it for almost twenty years.
There’s not much original footage in the teaser for the next episode, the final “Kevin.” No hints for what’s to come, though there’s a throwaway line in this episode potentially introducing a whole new aspect to the show. Retroactively. Can’t wait.
But will it be a victory lap or a conclusion? This episode, which is almost entirely character development for Annie Murphy and Mary Hollis Inboden—separately, as opposed to their other big character development arcs—finishes the story to a certain degree. The show’s compartmentalized the character arcs enough next episode can have Annie Murphy waking up in the Rosebud Motel with a hangover and succeed.
The episode begins with Alex Bonifer on a bender, telling anyone who’ll listen to the wild story of his best friend’s wife who—with Bonifer’s sister’s help—tried to murder her husband. Murphy and Inboden had assumed Bonifer was safely in the drunk tank, tucked away so Murphy can go through with faking her death (she hasn’t told Inboden her reservations yet). Plus, Murphy’s got a big non-Bonifer problem: Candice Coke.
Copper Coke has discovered her girlfriend Inboden on some security cam footage before an assault and robbery (back in season one). That subplot will blow up for everyone, with Murphy needing help from odious husband Eric Petersen to ensure they don’t end up in jail. All Murphy’s got to do is convince Petersen he’s in danger of arrest; good thing he’s an amateur arsonist.
Once Murphy gets that ball rolling, Jamie Denbo tells her Bonifer’s out of jail, and the episode becomes a race to find him. Murphy’s looking for her own reasons while ostensibly doing it to help Inboden. Coke’s also looking for Bonifer, with more valiant motives; she just wants to help out her girlfriend.
Pretty much everyone gets a great scene together: Murphy and Inboden, obviously, but Murphy and Bonifer, Murphy and Denbo, Murphy and Coke, Inboden and Coke, Inboden and Denbo. Just lots of phenomenal acting as these characters can’t avoid collisions.
Meanwhile, Petersen’s hanging out at home with dad Brian Howe, thrilled to have his most able accomplice yet—Murphy.
It’s a great episode. Writing credit goes to director Craig DiGregorio in his superb debut. His directing of the performances is particularly good; both Inboden and Murphy hit new peaks here.
So, so good.
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Detective Comics (1937) #478
When Steve Englehart started his Detective run, he quickly settled on a fascist, macho narration style to describe Batman and his male perfection. When Hugo Strange showed up and proved to be just as cut, the two men complimented each other’s physiques and prowesses, with Strange’s evil assistant lady making fun of them.
At the time, I thought Englehart was self-aware.
Turns out he more likely was making fun of the lady for not knowing how to appreciate men appreciating men.
Englehart’s been off Detective two issues now, for some reason taking inker Terry Austin with him and leaving penciller Marshall Rogers with Dick Giordano to ink. Giordano’s an odd choice for Rogers, unless they wanted someone with the technical skill to turn Rogers’s pencils into inks without any personality or agency.
Len Wein’s writing now, and in Englehart’s fascist, macho style. This issue takes place the evening of Englehart’s last issue (which means the previous issue, a reprint with bookends, took place earlier in the same day). Batman’s pissed off because Silver St. Cloud left him, so he takes it out on some punks, beating the shit out of them like Frank Miller’s writing.
After going home—Wein’s got some weird narration details, but Batman deciding the one burglary was the only crime in Gotham for a night is something—Bruce Wayne gets mad at his parents’ portrait; if they hadn’t died, he wouldn’t have lost Silver!
Bruce Wayne yell whining, and breaking things is obnoxious.
Pretty soon, the cowl’s back on because there’s still the actual comic—there’s a new Clayface II. This one’s not a criminal but a scientist who tried to cure his congenital disabilities, which went wrong, of course, and left him a science supervillain. He occasionally has to turn people into protoplasm, blood lust a side effect of the procedure.
The Clayface II origin’s not great, but it’s so much better than Wein sorting through the Englehart refuse; it gets the comic to a barely tolerable but not terrible cliffhanger.
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Resident Alien (2019) s02e15 – Best of Enemies
There’s only one more episode this season, so I guess some of the subplot resolutions make more sense now. For some reason, I thought there were two more episodes. This episode does Capricorn for the first time, and it’s rather disappointing. One of the season’s subplots turns out to just be busywork for a couple of the supporting cast members.
Besides that failed scene, which comes right at the end, so it stands out, the episode’s successful. There’s nice character development for both Alan Tudyk and Sara Tomko. Tudyk’s got an unexpected partner while Tomko’s got an unwanted house guest; Alice Wetterlund detoxed at Tomko’s and has been hanging out with Gary Farmer all week. That Capricorn—Farmer, Tomko, Wetterlund—it’s all good.
The episode opens with another flashback, this time to New York City almost thirty years before, which sets up part of Tudyk’s adventure for the episode. He’s got an action episode, which “Alien” doesn’t often do, and he spends most of the episode in his alien form (or at least a significant portion of it), something else “Alien” hasn’t done for a while. It’s a special effects extravaganza, ably directed by Robert Duncan McNeill. I was happy to see McNeill’s name on the director credit, but it’s going to be hard to forget the bungled Capricorn going forward. It’s the first time I remember “Alien” getting tedious, other than when they do too much country rock for the montages.
Corey Reynolds and Elizabeth Bowen both get a little to do—at least one fantastic one-liner from Reynolds—but they’re mostly just treading water; Bowen’s worried because special guest star Terry O’Quinn disappeared, Reynolds is preoccupied with a potential romantic partner and mayor Levi Fiehler’s stress-induced insomnia. Fiehler’s upset because wife Meredith Garretson is lawyering against his resort plans, leading to various people talking about his childhood sleepwalking.
That childhood sleepwalking is almost indistinguishable from the alien abduction flashback details, which seems like the show’s making a big swing regarding Fiehler.
Or not, apparently. It’s just some filler; give the town supporting cast something to do while Wetterlund’s hiding out with Tomko and Farmer. Tomko’s ready for Wetterlund to go, Farmer wants to keep playing PS4 with her. Tudyk going on a dangerous adventure upends things.
There’s good acting from Tudyk, Tomko, Farmer, O’Quinn. Wetterlund doesn’t get much to do, mainly playing for laughs, including teaming up with Jenna Lamia for a scene or two.
Big things happen, nothing will ever be the same, and it’s no wonder the show got renewed for another season, based on the foreshadowing. As long as they can keep the saccharine out, it’ll be just fine.
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Kevin Can F**k Himself (2021) s02e06 – The Machine
The Machine is the best episode of the season so far, which is no small feat, and one of the three best “Kevin” episodes overall. It’s phenomenal; Kate Loveless and Jasmyne Peck have the writing credit; Anna Dokoza, of course, directs. The episode runs long, around forty-five minutes, and saves most of lead Annie Murphy’s story for the end. Until then, she’s around, but almost as an extension of Mary Hollis Inboden’s “moving out” story arc with girlfriend Candice Coke.
Of course, Inboden doesn’t know Coke’s living together invitation has to do with Coke getting video of Inboden seemingly about to commit felony assault (for Murphy). But Inboden’s taking too long with the move, her first time leaving the house, and her estranged brother Alex Bonifer. Inboden’s incredibly conscious of the momentous changes in store, while Murphy seems oblivious. Murphy’s back working at Raymond Lee’s diner, though their on-again-off-again affair will get them in trouble when they collide with some of Eric Petersen’s sitcom antics. Add Coke finally acting on the video, Bonifer and Jamie Denbo having a messier than expected (and mutually undesired) breakup over Petersen, and it’s another packed episode.
Petersen’s antics—usually with dad Brian Howe checking in on the subplot—happen from the living room couch, starting with terrorizing a local newspaper reporter. Throughout the episode, he’ll use his misfortune-causing powers, tying in for the ominous cliffhanger. It’s an outstanding work, complete with Murphy’s character arc picking up in the second act as she reacts to the people around her being more than names in the end titles of Petersen’s sitcom life.
Great acting from Inboden, Murphy, Petersen, Bonifer, and Denbo. Coke and Lee get more challenging material than usual and do well with it; Coke and Murphy’s antagonistic relationship seems ready to go off. “Kevin”’s heading into its final two episodes; this one kicks off the last act, showcasing everything exceptional about the show, whether the performances, the sublime commentary on television tropes, or just the writing in general. Bonifer and Denbo’s romance continues to be a season two high point. It’s such good work.
“Kevin”’s almost done, but it’s sure not slowing down as it approaches that finish.
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The Lion & the Eagle (2022) #4
First things first: writer Garth Ennis does, as usual, get some tears from me. Lion & the Eagle #4 isn’t what I’d expected, for better and worse, but the inevitable Ennis war comic cry arrives; very last minute this time; I’d been expecting the issue to be a constant tearjerker.
Ennis purposefully avoids the consistent dread, fear, and misery to get that final surprise. This issue opens with the British Colonel talking to his Indian major about things and realizing even passive racism is terrible, and he needs to stop perpetuating it. The scene’s a big swing and a big hit. It’s a great start, followed by orders to withdraw; the operation is a failure, and it is over. The troops will have to retreat on foot through the jungle, leaving behind the wounded, something the Colonel promised his doctor pal he’d never do.
Character names aren’t crucial in Lion & the Eagle, though names being important ends up being a plot point in the extended epilogue. Despite opening the series as a character study, Ennis has become comfortable pulling back the narrative distance to a long shot. There are still lots of names floating about. Reports, whether status or casualty, are the majority of the talking heads scenes.
The talking heads scenes are where artist PJ Holden loses the book. He leans into the efficiencies he’s been developing as bandaids throughout the series. Instead of expeditiously getting the comic through an otherwise slow scene here and there, the entire issue is bland talking head panels. Worse, Holden’s rushing through the faces and expressions. At one point, letterer Rob Steen assigns a balloon to the wrong person in a long shot, and his confusion’s wholly justified. Even in long shots, with the characters wearing very different outfits, Holden’s composition’s muddy.
Thank goodness for the script. The issue’s a whirlwind, with the Colonel realizing command means not being able to keep promises, which has all sorts of repercussions for his relationships. There’s a great flashback to him visiting his Indian major’s village, too. Ennis has got some fantastic moments throughout.
And the finale’s good. Ennis brings all the Colonel’s character development (i.e., realizing imperialism is bad, actually) together and loops around to the first issue. Sort of a “and what did we learn today,” but outstanding.
I’d been hoping Lion & the Eaglecould bring Ennis up to the next level. It’s unclear if Holden held it back or if Ennis just hasn’t gotten there yet. Based on how much character development he saved for the final issue, I’m guessing the latter, though the former sure doesn’t help.
Still, the comic’s going to be a superb single-sitting read.