If you don't start watching this show, a kind of... countdown will begin
SPOILERS Breaking Bad is my favorite television show of all time.
I know, colossal shock. But it's been my favorite show for several years now, long before it hit the zeitgeist and became everyone's favorite show, culminating in Sunday's finale raking in over 10 million viewers, unheard of ratings for a cable network. As much as I like to have been one of the people onboard before the show arrived on Netflix, that's what really gave Breaking Bad an audience. And as I posted after last year's midseason finale, Vince Gilligan and his team of writers had done so well after 54 episodes. However, many a series falters in its final stretch of episodes, as the writers occasionally struggle to deliver a fully satisfying conclusion. There's a reason why the ending of The Sopranos is so controversial, as is the polarizing ending of Lost. There's always that possibility that even the best team of writers (and with Breaking Bad, you're getting the very best) will overdo it in their attempt to deliver, give an ending fitting to the series but ends up alienating the core audience, or simply drop the ball and not stick the landing (case in point: the Dexter finale of a few weeks ago, or even the final season as a whole, which just plain sucked). So, even with only 8 episodes left, all the way down to Sunday night, that inevitable feeling was there that this might be the moment where Breaking Bad falters after years of success.
Thankfully, this wasn't the case. The last eight episodes of Breaking Bad may constitute the best final season in the history of television, and also reveals the show for what it always really was: a modern Shakespearean tragedy. Though I have some small issues with the very last episode, that Shakespearean structure generally makes up for them.
Give that Shakespeare idea a thought. There are 5 seasons in Breaking Bad, which may well constitute 5 Shakespeare acts. Act I establishes the characters and sets the wheels in motion for the tragedy to come. At the end of the first season, Walt, despite killing several adversaries and rejecting an opportunity to make an early exit from the meth game, is still a relatively sympathetic figure who we've come to know and root for up to that point. He's essentially an inverted Macbeth figure, as instead of a promise of future glory in kinghood, he's given a portent of doom in his inoperable lung cancer, driving him into a dark corner where he feels that the criminal life is the only escape. Act II pushes the story forward, as Walt slips deeper and deeper into darkness and his lies gradually grow larger, while his bad decisions begin to damage the lives of those around him. Jesse is first forced out of his family's lives, and then loses the love he found as a replacement in Jane. As Walt rises to a more prominent position in the meth world, his family life begins to crash to the bottom. Act III is the climax, where as a result of Walt's actions, Skyler becomes embroiled in his criminal life, Hank becomes a victim of his collateral damage, and he and Jesse are forced into a barely inescapable corner, where only yet another evil act can save them (to continue the Macbeth comparison, Gale acts as a sort of Banquo figure). Act IV begins the falling action, where Walt finally makes his true descent into evil by, as Macbeth does, conspiring to kill the king (in this case, Gus), but doing it by manipulating his closest ally. Act V, is the resolution, where all the remaining characters and conflicts come together to conclude the story, features Walt's realization of what he has become, as well as his self-actualization that his motives were far more selfish than he himself had wanted to believe.
However, I find that the Shakespeare comparison applies even more to this final half-season. Consider Act I beginning with Hank emerging from the bathroom, fresh from the revelation that his brother-in-law is the Heisenberg he's been searching for all along and move forward from there. And now, I'm going to get onto the analysis, episode-by-episode, after the jump. Again, FULL SPOILERS for the entire series may lie ahead.
Act I (The Establishment)
"Blood Money"
Me after 5 hours of Badger and Skinny Pete babbling about Star Trek... bitch.
I must say, I was expecting a far slower beginning to this final stretch than what we got. I thought Hank would go deeper into investigating his hunch on Walt over the first few episodes, culminating in Hank truly revealing himself to Walt around the halfway point. This is just how television usually does it, drawing it out and building suspense for the big reveal, so when it finally happens it feels like an earned shock to the system. However, this can also lead to some shows drawing it out unnecessarily for the big twist (case in point, the "twist" from season 6 of Dexter). So, having Hank and Walt's first confrontation occur at the end of the FIRST DAMN EPISODE made it an immensely satisfying beginning of the end. The rest of the episode (as much as I enjoyed Badger's Star Trek monologue) was exactly the pace I expected from the first four episodes, as Jesse's aimless remorse for his actions and Walt's attempts at future anonymity slowly setting things in motion. But when Hank closed the garage door, everything got cranked up to 11. "Tread lightly" may already be one of the most iconic closing lines to an episode of television, and that haunting last shot (this episode was wonderfully directed and acted by Bryan Cranston, by the way) perfectly whets the appetite for the events to come.
"Blood Money" gets a 9 out of 10.
"Buried"
As much as I'm excited for Better Call Saul, I want these guys' spinoff
"Buried" is probably the least of these last 8 installments, but that's more of an observation than an active criticism. It's a table setter, giving hints towards the lines of battle and alliances that will come to fruition in later episodes, while also providing the poetic battleground of the To'hajiilee reservation where Walt and Jesse first cooked in the pilot. It also reintroduces us to Todd, his uncle Jack, and the gang of unscrupulous Neo-Nazis that will ultimately serve as this final season's antagonists. Also, we get the amazing above shot of Huell and Kuby having a rest on Walt's giant $80,000,000 pile of money, the latest installment of "Walt hastily scrambling to protect his life/money", and that tantalizing last shot of Hank entering Jesse's interrogation room.
"Buried" gets an 8.5 out of 10.
Act II (The Building Tension)
"Confessions"
I'm putting laser pointers on the waiter next...
As Act II of this 8-episode tragedy begins, we get our first real classic episode of this final stretch. "Confessions" is a powerhouse, featuring one of Walt's most overtly evil moments of deception in the form of his spectacularly performative "confession" video. The scene where Hank and Marie watch the video features utterly breathtaking work by director Michael Slovis, as it becomes clear how far Walt is willing to go to shield himself from his enemies. The Schraders are completely and utterly shocked by how deeply their own family has screwed them over, and it's almost matched by the restaurant scene where (jovial waiter notwithstanding) family tensions come to a boil, and Marie even suggests Walt kill himself to spare his family pain. And then there's Jesse's begging for truth, as he simply asks Walt to stop bullshitting him, in the very last scene where these two will meet while still on the same terms. And that's due to his (long due) revelation about Walt's poisoning of Brock, leading him to abandon his exit from his old life in the pursuit of vengeance, with this season giving us a tantalizing cliffhanger for the third straight week as Jesse ragingly pours gasoline onto the White homestead. Whatever status quo this show had is all falling apart now.
"Confessions" gets a 9.5 out of 10.
"Rabid Dog"
Now, how do I dispatch my surrogate son and brother-in-law without killing them? Hmm...
More than anything, "Rabid Dog" is one of the best episodes for Aaron Paul. After watching Jesse be subdued, depressed, and generally devoid of all emotion for three episodes, here he is a volcano, filled with rage as he finally snaps on the realization that, to Walter White, he has never been more than a pawn, despite Walt's fatherly feelings for him. The episode is exquisitely structured, first showing us the events from Walt's perspective as Jesse has suddenly disappeared from the premises after dumping a tank of gasoline on the White home floor. Skyler and Marie both begin to ease into Lady Macbeth roles for their spouses, as Skyler suggests Walt could kill Jesse, while Marie is willing to do almost anything to allow Hank to bring Walt to justice. After showing Walt in the hotel, it abruptly cuts back to the cliffhanger, and brings the beginning of Jesse and Hank's alliance. In particular, the line "HE CAN'T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT!!" is so simultaneously riveting and heartbreaking, and may be the single best bit of acting Paul has delivered in the show's history. As Hank manipulates Jesse and Walt manipulates his son, there are few sympathetic characters left now. Jesse, damaged and vengeful as he is, is the only real character left worth rooting for at this point. Everyone else has their own agenda, their own plan, and they are more than willing to have deaths along the way. Hank was willing to sacrifice Jesse to catch Walt, going full Ahab, and Walt suddenly becomes more willing to allow Jesse to die at the hands of the Neo-Nazis. Jesse just wants Walt to get what he deserves.
"Rabid Dog" gets a 9 out of 10.
Act III (The Climax)
"To'hajiilee"
Dammit, I can't die! I've got a Cinnabon and a spinoff to manage!
Despite being the fourth-to-last episode of the series, "To'hajiilee" has many elements that would not have been out of place in a series finale. Hank successfully catches and arrests Walt, multiple different characters and plotlines converge on the titular location (with post-commercial break establishing shots echoing some from the opening of the pilot), and Walt gives himself up in a manner not unlike when Gus threw himself in the paths of the sniper back in season 4 (echoing Walt taking on the traits of his felled enemies). However, when Hank gives an overly self-congratulatory phone call to Marie following his success, coupled with Walt's earlier delivery of the money coordinates to Jack and the Neo-Nazis, you know that the show will continue. And continue it does, as the climax reaches the tension and imagery of a Leone film. Hank and Gomez's Mexican standoff with the Neo-Nazis promises to forever change the landscape of the series, and once again, this final season gives us a cliffhanger to have us chomping at the bit for an entire week. "To'hajiilee" is another all-time classic produced by this final season, and it represents some of the most nail-biting tension that Breaking Bad has ever had to offer.
"To'hajiilee" gets a 9.5 out of 10.
"Ozymandias"
Just a note: during this episode I briefly forgot I existed.
More than any episode in the history of Breaking Bad, "Ozymandias" came in with some pre-conceived hype and expectations. It features the return of Looper director Rian Johnson, who previously helmed the polarizing (beloved by me) season 3 episode "Fly, as well as the atmospheric (if a little less noteworthy) season 5 episode "Fifty-One". And then Vince Gilligan stated that he considered "Ozymandias" to be the best episode of the series, which gave it an enormously high bar. And well? It mostly pulls it off. "Ozymandias" is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best episode of this final stretch, and it's the full-blown climax of the series. Is it the best episode of the series? It might not be my absolute favorite (I still have a lot of love for "One Minute", "Face Off", and the aforementioned "Fly"), but it's definitely a top five all-time. As the picture above states, this is where Walt finally must accept the consequences of all of his heinous actions. Beginning with the death of Hank. Hank (and Dean Norris) is given a devastating and perfect final scene, where he refuses to beg Jack for his life, and tells Walt that for all of his brains and schemes, he can't stop a man like Jack from doing what he wants. And the cost of Walt believing he can talk or buy his way out of anything is nearly all of his money. Also, Jesse's life continues its downward spiral, as Walt coldly informs him of his role in Jane's demise, and he becomes Jack and Todd's slave meth cook, with Andrea and Brock's lives serving as his motivation. And then comes the destruction of Walt's ostensible series-long motivation: his family. Before we know it, he's abducting Holly, calling Skyler and absolving her of blame by leading the cops off her, and getting into a van headed for New Hampshire. In many ways, this is the end of Walter White's story, with the final two episodes serving as the epilogue.
"Ozymandias" gets a perfect 10.
Act IV (The Falling Action)
"Granite State"
Walter White is dead. Long live Heisenberg.
Walter White has dropped off the face of the earth, replaced with the nondescript and reclusive Mr. Lambert, who lives in a cabin in the woody boondocks of New Hampshire. "Granite State" represents a visual and emotional departure for the series, trading in the sand and cacti of the New Mexico deserts for the cold, icy snow landscape of New Hampshire (though it was probably actually filmed in northern New Mexico). As Shakespeare's final acts usually become simpler, shorter, and more pointed, so does the storytelling of Breaking Bad. "Granite State" is very much the "Brutus sees Caesar's ghost" episode of the season, as Walt finally comes to grips with how he's lost everything. Sure, he has that $10 million barrel of money, but what can he do with it? His family (exemplified by his phone call to Flynn that echoes an exchange from the first season: "Just die already") wants nothing of it, nothing that connects them to the now very public shame of Heisenberg. He can't really spend it, because he's mostly confined to his middle-of-nowhere cabin, lest he get caught. He can't entrust it to Ed, his vacuum cleaner-selling caretaker (cast perfectly with Robert Forster), as Ed points out that he would only be lying to himself to do that. All he can do is dole out small amounts of it to Ed to keep him alive, as well as paying him $10,000 to stay for an extra hour to receive some small vestige of human contact. And that represents the first sympathy I have felt for Walt in a long time. As much as he has dug his own grave, it doesn't make his fall any less heartbreaking. Walt is all set to give himself up and face the music (as Saul suggested earlier in his final appearance pre-Better Call Saul), when the Schwartzes appear on the bar television, telling Charlie Rose that he gave no contribution to Gray Matter, and that Walter White, the man they knew, is gone. And damn it, I got goosebumps as the theme started playing over the episode's close. Heisenberg now has nothing left to lose. Also, Jesse lost Andrea as his downward spiral of misery continues. Pre-finale, I wasn't sure what hope was left for him, other than my hope that he would get to kill Todd, that slimy, cold, emotionless robot. As the poster at the top says, the theme of this final season is "Remember My Name".
"Granite State" gets a 9.5 out of 10.
Act V (The Resolution)
"Felina"
Walt in the shadows, as Heisenberg ascends.
As I said above, series finales are a tricky thing to pull off. "Felina" has a title with three meanings. One is an obvious example presented within the episode itself: The Marty Robbins song "El Paso", which Walt listens to in the car in the opening, and hums while later assembling his death weapon. Another is that it is simply an anagram for "Finale". And the third and most vague is that it can also be read as "FeLiNa" or "Iron/Lithium/Sodium", which, as many have pointed out, can mean "Blood, Meth and Tears". It is, without a doubt, the perfect title to the series finale of Breaking Bad. But did "Felina" pull it off? Did it fulfill the hype and expectations that come with being one of the most beloved television series of all time?
With one major caveat, yes. Yes it did. "Felina" is a riveting conclusion, one that ties up almost every single loose end left on the series' chain (It does leave a few things to mystery, though, with the primary one being Walt's grudge against the Schwartzes over Gray Matter, but that doesn't matter all that much) and delivers us an emotional and surprisingly cathartic ending to the journey of Walter White. While one might argue that catharsis isn't the right emotion to be feeling at the end of this series, I feel that Walt's change in behavior in this episode justifies it.
As I said in the photo caption, "Felina" could best be described as "Heisenberg's Ascension". And by that, I mean it is the fulfillment of Walt's character arc. Originally, Walter White was merely a mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher. He felt cheated by life, missing out on success and fortune that the Schwartzes received at Gray Matter, working at a job that he is extremely overqualified for and teaching students who couldn't give less of a shit about chemistry (including one Jesse Pinkman), and also working a demeaning second job where he is consistently browbeaten and emasculated by his boss. Couple that with a stable and loving but unfulfilling home life and an also more-successful-than-him brother-in-law, and you've got a recipe for someone on the brink. His lung cancer is simply the final straw that let the beast out of its cage. As Walt finally says to Skyler in one of the key scenes of "Felina": "I did it for me. I liked it, I was good at it. I was alive." I mean, most of us got the idea that by the time Walt was threatening rival dealers to "stay out of my territory", that he was enjoying himself, but it was clearly so Walt could finally have something (namely, money and power) that he had always felt cheated out of before. But with this rebirth as a criminal came some unsavory additions to his personality. He became a man self-obsessed with posturing and stroking his ego (look to the performative douchebaggery from "Confessions" or the bravado-laden speech from the opening of "Say My Name", or even his memorable quotes: "I am the one who knocks." "I'm in the empire business." "Nothing stops this train. Nothing."), and the showiness of his Heisenberg persona and porkpie hat. What "Granite State" taught him is that his shaven head, his hat, and his bravado can ultimately lead to nothing if put in a position with nothing left to lose. So, in "Felina", Walt's entire MO has changed. He's now hiding in the shadows and background of every scene. The Heisenberg legend has preceded him, so he no longer has to impress his enemies. He simply has to quietly intimidate them, or manipulate them into believing he's far weaker than he is.
That caveat I mentioned earlier is that the one fault of "Felina" is its predictability. I myself called numerous things that ended up happening in the episode (Jesse strangling Todd with his chains, Lydia being the ricin victim). But at the same time, it may be one of its strongest selling points. Walt's plan goes off without a hitch, and everything works out so predictably as he's planned because of the way he goes about it. When Gretchen and Elliott arrive home, Walt's sitting there in the shadows, not even immediately noticeable in the frame. He casually strolls into their home, allowing them to startlingly discover his presence there. He uses Badger and Skinny Pete (in one final appearance) to threaten them in a very lackadaisical way. He simply goes back to his old house and casually greets his neighbor Carol (as shown in the flashforward from "Blood Money") instead of hastily approaching the house armed (as he did in the opening of "Rabid Dog"). When Lydia and Todd enter the coffee shop, he's just sitting there at the counter and THEY DON'T EVEN NOTICE HIM. Jack and the Neo-Nazis don't even register him as a threat because of his weak and unkempt appearance. Walt has never tried to remain unseen before, so when he appears before them, they're basically in shock, allowing him to get one over on them quite easily. Gilligan (who wrote and directed this last installment) has Skyler talk to Marie on the phone, not choosing to reveal Walt's presence in the room until after she hangs up, leading to the "I did it for me" line, and an emotional last scene where Walt sees Holly for the last time, and watches Flynn enter the house from afar. Walt does bad things in "Felina", much as he has done in other episodes, but unlike many of the other instances, his reasons are actually altruistic. It's not exactly a full redemption for the character, but it does allow us to root for him in this final Heisenberg plan.
There is one single moment of improvisation in Walt's entire plan, and that is his tackling of Jesse to save him from the M60's bullets. Walt was angry that Jack had seemingly teamed up with Jesse for personal gain, after promising to kill him. But when he sees what Jack and Todd have done to him, he immediately reverts to his old role as Jesse's father figure, and saves him. It's Walt's best moment of the finale, and even manages to allow Jesse to nod at Walt, maybe not forgiving him, but coming to an understanding. And thus, Jesse drives off into the night, unexpectedly re-energized by surviving what seemed to be a hopeless situation. And I can't argue that the closing scene is basically perfect, as Walt admires the meth lab equipment while waiting for his bullet wound to bleed out (the only thing that may have made it better is if Walt tried the product, and said something like "A+, Jesse"). And of course, "Baby Blue" by Badfinger is the perfect song to close the episode.
"Felina" is not the best episode of Breaking Bad (it certainly isn't "Ozymandias", nor maybe even "To'hajiilee" or "Confessions"), but it is an honorable, definitive, cathartic, and oddly, sort of happy conclusion to the series. It doesn't praise or condemn Walt for his actions in the episode or the series as a whole, but it does allow him some small semblance of closure.
"Felina" gets a 9.5 out of 10.
More than anything, the finale ensured that Breaking Bad's legacy will not be tarnished. Its 62 episodes is one of the greatest modern stories, and is an example of television at its best. There may never again be anything like it.
It's probably a surprise to no one I know that I'm a massive, massive fan of Breaking Bad, the cornerstone of AMC's original programming lineup, and quite simply, one of the finest television shows of all time. The rise (and most likely fall) of Walter White/Heisenberg, struggling and unsatisfied high school chemistry teacher turned cancer afflicted meth cooker turned sloppy, grandstanding, egotistical meth cooker turned perceived kingpin badass evil meth cooker/distributor/murderer/millionaire, is the finest documentation of the belated flowering of a man's darker desires and ambitions this side of Michael Corleone. On top of that, it's a crackerjack crime drama/black comedy, filled with breathtaking suspense, clever and often hilarious dark humor, heavy and intricate story, and well-drawn characters played by outstanding actors, led above all by the former Dr. Tim Whatley, Bryan Cranston. Throughout its 5 seasons on the air, it has consistently stayed a superior product (much like Walt's signature blue crystal) of television, and looks to continue all the way through the final ending coming next summer. But enough of my almost gushing here. On to my series analysis.
Breaking Bad started out strong, and hit the ground running. The first four seasons (along with the first four episodes of season 5) documented a year in the life of Walter White, starting at his fiftieth birthday, and ending shortly after reaching the age marker of fifty-one. In that one single year, Walter White transformed into a completely different and almost unrecognizable person. Spurred on initially by the cancer eating away at his lungs and putting a potential short fuse on his life, he seeks out the lowlife Jesse Pinkman, a former student of his, in order to learn the ways of the New Mexican meth trade, in which he intends to use all of his considerable skills in the field of chemistry, honed through a former life that he left behind to great regret, in order to financially secure the future of his wife, Skyler, his cerebral palsy-afflicted son, Walter Jr. (or Flynn), and later his baby daughter, while evading and contending with the ever-present threat of rivals (such as Crazy-8), psychotic drug lords (as was Tuco Salamanca and his crippled Tio), and of course his DEA brother-in-law, Hank Schrader, whose threat may be a tad too close for comfort. That was the general framework in which the first two seasons of Breaking Bad operated. It culminated in Jesse's brief rebuilding of his life (and his addiction to heroin) before he relapsed into squalor upon the death of his love interest Jane (which Walt was directly responsible for), and Skyler discovering (after great suspicion) Walt's true nature, and subsequently leaving him. Also, Walt and Jesse began to work (with the help of crooked lawyer Saul Goodman) under New Mexican drug kingpin Gus Fring. This put the series into phase two, which lasted seasons three and four. At the end is season two, Walt is undeniably already a rather vile human being, from his allowing of Jane's death, to his rather casual indifference for Jesse's problems that directly resulted from his machinations, as well as his criminal activity and clear deception of his family. Yet, you could still root for him here. Seasons three and four turned Walt clear-on into the darkness, as he completely eschewed his original motives for his drug operations in favor of a simple, primal desire, long hidden within by his deep-rooted dissatisfaction with how his life worked out, for power and notoriety. The moniker "Heisenberg", initially created to give Walt a shroud of enigma and mystery to keep druggies on edge, became a legend name used to strike fear in the hearts of his adversaries and keep the DEA at bay. His motives for meth cooking, originally to "provide for the family", became an ego trip, with his ultimate goal of season 3 being stability and security while continuing his operation, and his goal for season 4 being to fulfill his vision of himself, to vanquish the dark overlord suppressing him in Gus, to take away the danger and become the danger, "the one who knocks", who no criminal anywhere would mess with. And as Walt became more and more corrupt, Jesse arguably became more decent and morally grounded, with his killing of Gus' potential replacement for Walt, Gale, at the end of season 3 drastically reforming him, getting him clean for drugs and making him a underling for Mike (the spectacular Jonathan Banks). And while this was supposed to lead to Jesse replacing Walt at the head of Gus' meth operation, Walt's quick (but also sloppy, dangerous and drastic) actions preserved he and Jesse's alliance, and led to the death of Fring. However, it also probably cemented Walt's irredeemability as a character, backstabbing Jesse and proceeding to manipulate him simply to satisfy his lust for power. And this went even further in last week's episode, "Say My Name", leading to Walt directly murdering Mike for virtually no reason but his blind rage. Mike's death is undoubtedly the climax of season 5, as it pushes Walt one step further into the darkness, much as Jane's death in season 2 (which indirectly led to the plane crash in season 2's brilliantly misleading Pink Bear subplot), Walt's hasty killing of Gus' underlings and his role in Gale's murder in season 3, and his poisoning of Brock and manipulation of Hector and Jesse into killing Gus at the end of season 4. So, in the aforementioned "Say My Name", when Walt egotistically forces Gus' former competition Declan to speak his Heisenberg name, the moment of badassery and ego displayed is completely earned. As of tonight's episode, "Gliding Over All", the midseason cliffhanger of the two-part season 5, Vince Gilligan has pulled it off. Now he's got eight episodes left next year to close the deal. On to the review of that specific episode in question.
RIP Mike Ehrmantraut. Your death scene and half-measure speech shall be enshrined forever in TV history.
As I said above, "Say My Name" was the climax of this eight-episode mini-season. "Gliding Over All" was the denouement, and the provider of the hook to keep us anticipating until we get our eight-part finale next summer. It was not a roar of an episode, and there were better episodes of Breaking Bad this year (Any of the previous five, from "Hazard Pay" to "Say My Name" (which could technically be considered a two-parter with the prior "Buyout") in this amazing season would do). Yet, "Gliding Over All" felt like a classic episode of the series, as well as a sort of summation of the show up to this point. Many old plot points were reintroduced, such as the ricin cigarette, Walt and Jesse's old RV, Walt's hatted Heisenberg persona, and even Gale's idolization of Walt, mixed with the more recent developments of Mike's death, the investigation of Lydia and Madrigal, Jesse's money, Walt's new partnership with Todd, and Mike's legacy guys in jail. The highlight of the episode is undoubtedly the sequence in which all of Mike's underlings are systematically killed in a scheme orchestrated by Todd's uncle (apparently a hitman). This scene is heavily evocative of Michael Corleone's systematic removal of his nemeses in the Godfather films, a very appropriate choice considering the notable comparisons between the young don and our Heisenberg. Another thing to be noted is the greatly sped-up timeline in this episode. Midway through, Marie mentions to Skyler that Flynn and little Holly have been living with them for three months. That means that after it took four and a half seasons of the series to get through one year, three months pass in merely a few hours of the show, since Walt's 51st birthday in the aptly titled "Fifty-One". And considering the flashforward of "Live Free or Die", an episode next year titled "Fifty-Two" would be hardly surprising. At this point, we have to get from Walt, Skyler, Hank, and Marie, apparently healthy and happy with Walt supposedly out of the meth business (but most likely secretly still working with Todd and maybe Jesse, who was prepared for Walt to come and kill him when he brought him the money), to a bearded, haired Walt living under a New Hampshire alias purchasing guns once again from shady dealer Lawson on his 52nd birthday. There's somewhere still between six and nine months ahead before we get to that point, and many of the predictions I made around the time Gus got half his face blown off next year may still come to pass. Initially, Mike's death shocked me; I thought he was kept alive after season 4 in order to play a more direct role in Walt's demise. I now see that he was merely another catalyst for Walt's fall into deeper and darker straits. Rather, the cliffhanger, where Hank finds a poetry book signed by G.B. (Gale) to W.W. (recalling a conversation Walt and Hank had last season), along with appearances of the ricin, mentions of the RV, and Skyler and Walt's conversation over how much money will ever be enough, hints that the second half of season 5 will return more to Breaking Bad's original concerns. Walt's descent will remain the primary focus, yes, but the plot will be driven as a culmination to everything we've seen so far. Walt, Jesse, Hank, and Skyler will most likely take center stage for the final stretch. You've done 54 outstanding episodes of television, Mr. Gilligan. Only 8 more to go.
"Gliding Over All" gets a 9 out of 10.
The first half of season 5 gets a 10 out of 10.
So, as it turns out, while most of America's TV networks resorted to boring reruns this week, How I Met Your Mother decided to broadcast a New Years' episode, the first since the first season, if my memory serves me. And for the most part, "Tailgate" delivered, not as a particularly funny episode, but one heavy on nostalgia and inside jokes to previous seasons. By far, my favorite element of this episode was the unexpected resurrection of Ted and Barney's ambition to open a bar from the season 4 episode "Three Days of Snow". They even brought back Will Sasso as Doug, from the season 4 ep "The Fight", and named the bar "Puzzles", such as in the previous episode, as the name itself is puzzle, of course. However, before I really get into this one, I should recap how I've felt about the season at large. Unlike a large portion of the HIMYM fanbase, I am against the idea of Barney and Robin together. I seem to be the only one who remembers that a good portion of season 5 dealt with how Barney and Robin were absolutely wrong for each other, and how being together destroyed them and turned them into miserable saps of their former selves. Barney got fat, and Robin grew homely and unkempt. And yet, the writers seem intent on pushing them together constantly, if only because they need someone to be Barney's bride for that future wedding they've teased us about so much. As such, I like Kal Penn's character Kevin more than most people do. He's not the best guest character the show's ever had or anything, but he has good comedic timing and him and Robin make a pretty good pair. I liked his involvement with Barney and Ted's bar in "Tailgate", and think he's been a successful addition to the show. More than Zoey was last season, anyway. I was unopposed to Marshall tailgating at his father's gravesite, and thought the emotional arc of this episode worked, especially when Lily reconciled with her father, but overall, I think that a year is long enough for Marshall's recovery from his dad's death. His character arc has been about it for the better part of the last year, and now, I think it's time to move past it and onto him becoming a father himself. For me, however, the highlight of this episode was the return of Sandy Rivers. His sad, drunken antics were highly amusing, and I laughed my ass off, when Kevin went into the bathroom and Sandy said "You must be from the escort service. The scenario is 'high school wrestling match'" (Sandy bends over tub, I die laughing). Robin getting to go on New Year's was also a nice step forward for her character after the dark turn her story took in "Symphony of Illumination" (Have I mentioned that I LOVED that episode yet? Some hated it, but I dug the way Bays and Thomas played with the viewers' expectations there), and there was a hint to her brighter future ahead. So overall, How I Met Your Mother succeeded with a lighter episode than the previous ones, and kicked off 2012 in fine, if not perfect, form.
They finally f'in did it. Only one season too late.
So, I'm back. After an extremely long hiatus due to studies, I'm home for Christmas. So, I figured I'd make up for lost time, and write a review for the season finale of Dexter, and the season in general as well. First the season 6 recap.
To be perfectly honest, this season of Dexter was not as bad as many TV critics and fans made it out to be. It had its moments, particularly in the early part of the season, where the writing was about up to par with the usual standards. By far, the series' most interesting guest character this season was Brother Sam. I'll admit that I had some worries about Mos Def's acting ability, but dammit if he wasn't pretty good. Brother Sam worked better than either Doomsday Killer as a character, if only because his positive story provided the season with some much-needed perspective on religion. Sadly, after Brother Sam was killed off midseason, the writing took a nosedive. Since I haven't reviewed any episodes since the first, I've never had time to comment on the Ghost Gellar story, but I too was inclined to believe he wasn't real by the second or third episode. Edward James Olmos was wasted in a thankless, one-note role as the overtly fanatical religious professor, while Colin Hanks surprised me as being fairly good as the unsure, doubting Travis Marshall. However, they stuck to the gimmick of Ghost Gellar for far too long, dragging it out over NINE. FREAKIN'. EPISODES. They could have easily had the reveal be in the closing moments of "Sin of Omission", the eighth episode, or even better, had done it even earlier simply by having a scene of Travis talk to himself as the camera pans out, much like the closing moments of the season one episode "Shrink Wrap", in which Dexter's brother Brian/Rudy (who also returned this season, in a nice little guest spot as Dream Brian, the physical embodiment of Dexter's Dark Passenger) was revealed to be the Ice Truck Killer. But alas, no such luck, so instead, in possibly the series' worst episode "Get Gellar", we get the reveal, which is treated as a massively dramatic twist, when in reality, it was one that pretty much EVERYONE IN THE WORLD KNEW AT THIS POINT. Gellar was merely Travis' Dark Passenger, and once Travis realized that, his character took a ridiculous 180, suddenly becoming as insane as his Ghost Gellar, a homicidal maniac hellbent on bringing out the world's end. So, in the remaining three episodes, things arguably improved a little, but the story still took on some really absurd directions. Deb being in love with Dexter?! That's not only the sickest and most twisted thing I've ever heard (I call bullshit on the "they're not related by blood" thing, they lived together in the same house for DECADES, they're siblings, blood or not), but it's also just unbelievable in terms of the direction of the character of Debra thus far. Still, the story was fun and kept me engaged, though not quite as much as previous seasons. There was also the interesting subplots of Louis the intern, who seems a little too interested in Dexter and his connection to the Ice Truck Killer. And then there is Deb's conflict with LaGuerta over her throwing Captain Matthews under the bus. And as "Talk to the Hand" ended, Travis left Dex in a pool of fire, stranded in the Atlantic Ocean, as Travis' tableaus to end the world neared completion with the solar eclipse. And with that, the review of "This is the Way the World Ends"....
I must say, most of this finale of Dexter surprised in how laid-back, assured, self-contained, and low-key it was. There was no closure on the plot of Louis, so I'm assuming that that will play a part in what will almost definitely be a very different season of Dexter as opposed to its predecessors (I'll get to why in a minute). They also remained fairly unconcerned on the subplots of Quinn and Batista, and Deb and LaGuerta, which will probably continue into next season as well. The main problem with this episode, and the season as a whole, lied in the fact that, until the very final minute, is that NONE OF IT MATTERED AT ALL TO THE OVERARCHING NARRATIVE OF THE SERIES. In season 1, Dex discovered his past, met his brother, and was established as a character. In season 2, he fully embraced his nature, began to feel for Rita and the kids, defeated a powerful adversary in Doakes, and very barely evaded capture. In 3, he attempted to make a true friend and mold a successor, while preparing himself for marriage and the arrival of a son. In 4, he faced off against his most powerful adversary ever, while attempting to reconcile his killer side with his family man side, which failed completely, resulting in Rita's death. Season 5 had him deal with loss, then channel it by helping a similar lost soul find purpose in life, and found his own in the process. Season 6, while it attempted to wedge in some overarching themes of legacy and faith, failed to leave any lasting impact, mainly because, from an emotional perspective, Dexter ends in pretty much the same place he did before, wanting to be a good father to his son while still being able to kill. Travis' defeat at the exact moment of the eclipse was quite satisfying, and involving Harrison in the plot was certainly an interesting dramatic turn. Dexter's plan to nail Travis also worked well, thinking ahead of Travis in terms of his tranquilizer needles' effects, and while the climax was not as intense as Dexter's chase to Trinity in season 4, or his showdown with Lumen against Jordan Chase in season 5, or even as he was captured by the Skinner in season 3, it was still good to see Travis finally get his comeuppace. However, this is where the episode's logic faltered. Deb told Dexter to do a last sweep of Gellar's church, right? So why, in all hell, WOULD HE TAKE TRAVIS RIGHT TO THE SPOT WHERE DEB EXPECTED HIM TO BE? It was a serious character issue for me, and almost, almost ruined the ending. But thankfully, the moment of the ending was simply too magnanimous to be screwed up, despite the somewhat lazy logic that led to it. As Dexter finally Saran wraps Travis to his table, and stabs him as he does all his victims: we see Debra walk into the church, and, at long last, we get this:
Oh, God.
Although it was a full year late (the reveal easily could have happened in the season 5 finale "The Big One", when merely a curtain separated Deb from Lumen and Dexter as she talked to them with Chase's body over them), the reveal was everything it should have been. I may have had a few problems with the episode, but most of those are because of the season rather than the ep itself, and it did give the moment that Dexter fans have been waiting for. And now, with it behind us, season 7 will begin in a whole new light, hopefully setting up an explosive endgame for the final two seasons of the series. So, in conclusion, an mediocre episode becomes a good, not great one through a fantastic final shot. Be back in October for season 7.
It wasn't exactly a shock what the subject matter of this week's Entourage was, due to the shockwave nature of last week's ending. Nevertheless, the execution of this was better than I expected, though a few bits and pieces of "Whiz Kid" are tantalizingly lacking, particularly in regards to Ari. So, most of the episode dealt with the fallout from Carl Ertz's shocking suicide. They actually managed to make the aftermath both dramatic, as Turtle was traumatized from the sight of Carl's brains, and funny, when Scott was overly enthusiastic and undeterred to find out what actual brains looked like, no matter the morbidity of the situation. Vince and Turtle's presence at the scene, due to the cocaine, requires Vince to submit to a drug test, which worries him because he broke his sobriety (weed) to prove to himself that he wasn't an addict. They later confirm that it's still in his system, so Vince turns to none other than longtime ex-addict Billy Walsh for help. Have I mentioned yet how great it has been to have Rhys Coiro back full-time on the show? His presence recalls some of Entourage's greatest days, and combining with Scott Caan (who is now arguably the funniest character), they have somewhat revived the show's laugh factor. Anyway, Walsh's solution to Vince's problem may have been the most hilarious joke ever on the show, if weren't taken so seriously. And that joke was a fake penis, filled with clean urine so Vince would pass, worn over his real one. LOLOLOLOLOLOL. Just had to get that out. One thing this episode did really well is touch on why exactly Vince had been so different from E since leaving rehab, and that was because he felt like E was less his friend or manager, and more like a nag who was holding him back and questioning his every action. So, E didn't tell Vince what to do or not do, until he saw the fake, which made him zoom into overdrive. And at the end, we discover that Vince had used it anyway. This episode seemed to return Entourage to Vince's pre-drug days, and it seems like the second half of the season will focus exclusively on the end. As I said above, my pet peeve was Ari, who kinda just ran in circles, attempting to piss off his wife and losing Dana's trust in the process, made both women furious at him. I speculated last week whether Ari would end up with Dana. This episode made it clear that that WILL NOT happen, so it's looking like Mrs. Ari or bust. And she's nowhere near forgiving him, though I did like her referencing how he always walked out on her in counseling. Still, this episode didn't take any steps toward the end, but we don't quite know what those steps are yet, so only time will tell. A good-not-great episode, about on par with "Out With a Bang". Halfway through this season, only 4 left now.
Curb Your Enthusiasm this week portrayed Larry's arrival and life in New York, and unsurprisingly, it's pretty much the exact same life he had in LA, with all the random minutiae and bullshit with all the random people. And yet, the new setting breathes a little fresh air into a TV series that didn't really need any, but is welcome nonetheless. The absence of most of the supporting cast in the new setting, including Funkhouser, Lewis, and Leon, allows an episode with near-exclusive focus on the show's two main characters, Larry and Jeff. The plane sequence was mildly amusing at first, but quickly turned hilarious when Larry "saved" the stewardess from a drunken airline patron and was applauded emphatically by the people aboard, much like when he argued with Funkhouser in "Palestinian Chicken", and even managed to score a woman out of the deal, though Susie noticed his oversized shoelaces and assumed that was definitely the cause. This led to a funny dinner scene where Susie first split up the couples most likely to undermine him, and then blew the whole thing intentionally when Larry started having a fit. In addition, Larry displayed his penchant to grab his food when he sees it, offending the waiter, who later blew a deal Jeff had with Ricky Gervais (who I'll get to in a minute), as well as his decision to bring bread to a dinner party instead of wine. Due to the depleted supporting cast, much of the episode had him clashing with Susie, and it reached a head when they argued over the aisle seat in Gervais' play, leading to Jeff losing him. As for Gervais himself, he was funnier in action than in words (like that stupid scarf he was wearing), but kind of disappointed me, despite his character's somewhat douche-y nature and his ability to screw Larry out of money and a woman. That led to the conclusion, which may have been just as perfect as the ending to "Vow of Silence", when Larry, seeing Gervais and the woman being mugged, decided to actually be the hero, and used the rock-hard bread that he brought to the dinner party earlier to beat the guy into submission. I laughed hardest at this, and it sealed it as a good, if not classic, episode. In other news, Leon returns next week, and appears to follow Larry to NY to (surprise, surprise) mooch off him again.
So, after only an eight-week run (two hour premiere, six one-offs, two hour finale), the first of at least two seasons of Falling Skies has now come to an end, with a finale that was........not quite brilliant. Great moments, for sure, but not quite up to par with the last few preceding episodes. It had some rather glaring weaknesses, such as the continued mental instability of Weaver. At the end of "What Hides Beneath", I felt like they had wrapped up his story for the time being, yet they inexplicably brought it back in this episode, and let it take up a good portion of "Mutiny", the first hour of the finale. Couple that with too much focus on "Lt. Danner", a previously unseen character thrust into the spotlight as an overly loyal soldier to the clearly destabilizing Weaver, and the first hour of the finale was uneven and spotty at best, possibly the worst episode of the season. Also, hearing Porter was killed off but not seeing it onscreen was a little bit of a shortchange for the character, and most of the episode was spent retreading previously covered ground. Thankfully, the second half of the finale, "Eight Hours", was a far superior effort, if also a little inconsistent. It started off with a bang, with Scott being attacked by Rick on skitter-steroids, followed by Rick fleeing in an attempt to rejoin the skitters, with Tom in pursuit. Rick finally learned the hard truth about the skitters after revealing the secrets of the 2nd Mass, which led to mechs attacking the school. Thankfully, Scott and Ben had managed to discover a signal that set off pain in Ben, as well as completely bamboozling the mechs, allowing the 2nd Mass to win the day. We also saw the long-hinted romance between Tom and Anne come to fruition, and kudos to the writers for making it happen at a realistic pace. However, the finest moments of the finale came toward the end, after Pope gives Tom a rocket launcher and he finds Weaver in the crashed truck. The rocket damaging the alien ship was a surprisingly good bit of CG for a TV show, and was immensely satisfying to watch after seeing that tower hover over the series for the entire season. Then came the final minutes of the season, where a harnessed Karen spoke for the alien leaders, apparently willing to negotiate after being impressed by the level of resistance from the humans. The moment where Tom enters the ship, despite Weaver's protests, to save Ben was also a surprisingly poignant moment for this series, which has been more like B-movie sci-fi, a la Independence Day or War of the Worlds, to this point. The cliffhanger felt less like those and more like exec Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, only with a darker edge. I wasn't entirely pleased with the lack of closure, as it will now be almost be an entire year until the next episode airs, but it definitely was an intriguing way to go. Falling Skies returns Summer 2012, and despite my reservations with this show, it still feels like there is great potential under its surface.
The two true main characters are both in a rather strange place.
At the end of last season, both Ari and Vince were at rock bottom, separated from their beloved and a serious drug problem involved. Now, three episodes later, they're not quite as bad, but they're still in a dark, depressing, and weird place. The main thing that jumps out at me about this episode is the darkly ironic double meaning of the title. "One Last Shot", indeed, in the form of returning character film producer Carl Ertz. I vaguely remember him and Vince talking about the movie Danger Beach in season 5, until he revealed he was jerking him around just to secure Emile Hirsch from Adam Davies. So, Kim Coates returns as Ertz, and asks Vince for a second chance, only to flip out on him, clearly high off his ass. Ertz serves as a dark foil for what Vince could have been had he continued down the path of drugs, and his ending is frighteningly shocking, tearing down the barrier of how far Entourage will go. In other news, Turtle's tequila business is ending, as it appears Alex and Carlos screwed him in the end. Ah, well, Turtle's a good guy at heart, he'll bounce back. As for Drama and his Bananas, Andrew Dice Clay demands more money, forcing Phil to fire him and replace him with a really bad impersonation of Dice by Jamie Kennedy, serving as a nice satire of Hollywood damage control. E and Scott were basically there to bounce off Drama and Clay this week, but Ari is where the story gets potentially interesting. After a failed date with a young woman, he ends up hooking up with old flame Dana Gordon, making me wonder, for the first time, who Ari will end up with in the end. It is true that the separation ripped the heart out of every Entourage fan, but maybe Dana's ultimately a better fit for him, knowing full well who he is and accepting that. This was a refreshing episode, even if Ertz's bloody end was way dark, and was the best episode of the season so far. With 5 episodes to go, things on Entourage are looking truly interesting for the first time in years.
So, at long last. It ultimately took them half the season to give us a reason why Larry would go to New York. And in "Vow of Silence", it all unfolded in classic LD fashion, in yet another strong outing for Curb Your Enthusiasm. This was a landmark episode for the series, as it represented two major shifts, one seasonal, one forever. The forever, is, sadly, the death of Oscar, may he be remembered for his encounter with Wandering Bear, as well as for taking a nice munch on Larry's penis. RIP Oscar, you will be missed. Now, on to the rest of the review. As it turns out, Larry's journey to NYC is merely out of spite, brought on by desperately attempting to avoid doing charity work with his former Seinfeld director, portrayed by returning guest star Michael McKean, who may be remembered for his role in "The Bat Mitzvah" from season 6, where he told everyone Larry shoved a gerbil up his ass. In other news, Jeff and Susie will remain in the cast despite the move, as they were going to NY anyway because of Sammie's acceptance to Julliard. What I'm wondering is if this means we've seen the last of Leon. The last few episodes proved that this show can still be extremely funny without him (something they hadn't tried in 3 seasons), but JB Smoove is always wanted back. More screen time from Richard Lewis, as well as fun references to Pinkberry and the vow of silence jokes proves that the social assassin theme is still in full swing. Larry will be in New York now for the remainder of the season, where he will encounter, among others, Ricky Gervais and Michael J. Fox. This looks to be one of the show's best runs yet.
After the airing of "Sanctuary, Part 1" a few weeks back, due to the simultaneous airing of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage on HBO, I began to fall behind on Falling Skies. However, I'm going to begin catching up now, and will watch the season finale after it airs, and am now ready to review the two-part episode "Sanctuary". And it was definitely a successful two-part storyline, more so than the season premiere (mainly because this was crafted as a two-parter, and the first two episodes were different stories spliced together). This should have been the first two-part episode. Anyways, in Part 1, the sudden appearance of one of the leaders of the 7th Mass, Terry Clayton, led to the kids departing from the adults in an attempt to prevent them from being captured, so as soon as Ben returned, he was gone again. It's still not entirely clear whether Ben is OK, as he remembers his identity unlike Rick, but seems to be very halfhearted about being back, and the skitters continue to have a profound effect on their former hosts. However, the first big twists of the story came out the end of Part 1, when it was revealed that Clayton, in fact, was handing kids over to the skitters, in an attempt to make peace with them, and saw the 2nd Mass as a veritable gold mine. This, in turn, was followed by the return of Pope, who was forced to supply Clayton the location in order for his life. Then came Part 2, which brought with it some of the most action of the series thus far, along with some real stakes not quite present until this point. Once Mike discovered that Clayton was planning to trade the kids, he managed to get everyone out, at the cost of his life, thus killing off the first character we actually care about (as opposed to the doctor, who was a jackass). Pope's escape was welcome, as was him siding with Hal to fight against Clayton's men. Tom's plan to lead Clayton's men back to the eponymous sanctuary was well-thought out, only to be overwhelmed by Weaver's forces. Clayton's character ended up becoming a tragic figure, a symbol of how far humanity could fall in a harsh world. Pope being back can only be a good thing, while Mike's funeral was a strong capper to the episode, especially in regards to Rick's words to Ben. There's definitely still more to the skitters and those harnessed kids than meets the eye, and with the end of the season fast approaching, it's good to know that more Falling Skies is on its way next year.
"Sanctuary, Part 1" - 4/5 stars
"Sanctuary, Part 2" - 4.5/5 stars
The Masons make a shocking new discovery.
I decided, after watching "What Hides Beneath", that I would combine it with the review for "Sanctuary", leaving the review for the season finale standalone. "What Hides Beneath", in contrast to the sprawling nature of "Sanctuary" that let everyone get a little time in onscreen, was a episode centering on one of the shows most mysterious characters: Weaver. Will Patton is a great actor who should really be given his due here, as he goes from hopeful and confident to an emotional wreck with believable skill. We finally learn Weaver's origins in the war, and boy, are they dark. His reveal that he lost his wife and one daughter, then killed his second daughter while trying to remove her harness, was a dark path that this show had been unwilling to take thus far, and, coupled with Weaver's new motivation, made him a far more compelling character. Another interesting tidbit was Rick's assertion that the skitters "love" him and Ben, and will return to save them, showing where Rick's loyalties still lie and making Ben question his own. Karen finally returned as well, predictably harnessed, but from previews, it looks like she will have a pivotal role in the season finale. Other stuff includes Pope befriending Matt, and his find that by using skitter-modified bullets, mechs can be beaten, perfect for their counterstrike plan looming in the finale. However, by far, the best things about these episodes were both skitter-centric, and may be directly tied to each other. One is the fact that the skitters were discovered, through an autopsy by Anne, to have been beings mutated into skitters by harnesses, which may or may not be caused by the second new discovery, as Tom and Hal discovered in the second picture above. And that is that the skitters are actually henchmen to a completely different race of aliens. They look nothing like the Xenomorph-like skitters, being more like a hybrid of the heads of the aliens from Independence Day, merged with the head color and body structure of the Kaminoans from the Star Wars prequels. These aliens may have been the ones who harnessed the skitters, and the same thing may eventually happen to kids like Ben and Rick. And as Rick takes off during Pope's demonstration during the finale, Ben follows him. And on this note the set-up for the finale ends. All in all, a darker, quiet but compelling episode that perfectly sets up the events for the finale. I will have a review up for that tomorrow.
IDK Drama, that shirt looks pretty bisexual to me. Even with beasts.
After Entourage's weak and lazy start last week to its abbreviated final season, "Out With a Bang" felt way more like the Entourage of old. With an episode featuring Billy Walsh and Vince kicking around ideas for a film (starring DRAMA, no less), E once again playing the (complete BS) art of seduction with Sloan, and some great classic character interaction between the always-entertaining Ari and Lloyd, this should really have been the season premiere. When you think about it, "Home Sweet Home" wasn't even really that necessary. It could have been established in this episode that E broke up with Sloan, Vince left rehab and came up with a (lame) film idea for him that would end up working better for Drama, and Ari attempted to nose into the newfound love life of his estranged wife. They could have split the plot of this episode across the first two, using the expository parts of "Home Sweet Home" while cutting the excess fat. This episode also featured the return of William Fichtner's Phil Yagoda, as well as a guest appearance by Andrew Dice Clay as himself as Drama's cartoon costar. The one part of this episode that really pissed me off was E and Sloan. Them breaking up again at the start of this season was truly the last straw for me. Sloan has been jerking E's ass around for years, then after he proves his devotion to her, she asks him through Terrance (that old jackass, I better be seeing Malcolm McDowell before season's end) to sign a prenup, basically throws him out, and then has the shit to get back in bed with him? This pissed me off. That is, until the ending, when she told E that she was moving to New York. This isn't the best ending for the two of them, but I hope this is the final ending, as I don't think I can take much more. Not perfect, but a definite improvement on last week, and the first episode to take some real (albeit baby) steps toward the show's conclusion. Only six weeks to go, folks.
As I said last week, "Palestinian Chicken" was an all-time classic Curb episode, one where I could ignore the directionless movement that this eighth season is making, and just have fun. This week, I was a bit irritated, because while "The Smiley Face" was fairly funny, it was another episode that made me realize that, now 2/5 in, Curb Your Enthusiasm is currently spinning its wheels. It seems that in the aftermath of Larry's divorce from Cheryl, Mr. David ran out of decent story ideas, and decided to gun this season straight for the laughs, so while the show is still very funny, it lacks a strong story to support it. That said, "The Smiley Face" had plenty of merits. The focus on minutiae such as lying being shown through a high voice, or Larry "crapping where he eats" (Yeah, that chick was DEFINITELY NOT dating him for the money). As for the cabinet subplot involving Big Dog and Larry's old receptionist, Antoinette (seen for the first time since Season 6, way back in 2007), that got some laughs, including some oddly meta shark TV show references from Big Dog. Is it possible that this episode airing at the onset of Shark Week is just a coincidence? As for the character, I wasn't a particularly big fan of Big Dog, due to the fact that he quickly went from being a seemingly rational character to totally insane. Although Larry yelling is almost always funny. Overall, this episode was kind of a shambles, random ideas strung together, feeling similar in structure to Season 7's "The Hot Towel", only even more convoluted (coincidentally, they both were the 4th episode in that respective season). Only difference was, in Season 7, the Seinfeld reunion storyline was in full swing by now, giving each episode a sense of purpose beyond nonsensical topical humor. With almost half of Curb's possibly final season (again) over, I wonder when this season will attempt to even try a season-long arc. They managed to successfully launch Larry and Cheryl's separation storyline with only 4 episodes left in Season 6, so there's still time. We know we're headed to New York eventually, but when and why is more of a mystery. From next week's previews, it's likely that it won't happen for a few more episodes yet.
Oh, and no Leon again this week. But we did get some Richard Lewis.
I have only recently become a fan of Entourage, catching up on the show's first seven seasons on HBO GO over the last few months. Therefore, the differences in quality from season to season are less distinguishable to me than longtime fans. I wasn't the biggest fan of Season 1, loved Season 2, liked Season 3 well enough, kind of disliked Season 4, loved Season 5, liked the differences in Season 6, and maybe was the only person who enjoyed the darker direction in Season 7. And luckily, "Home Sweet Home" proves that the events of the Season 7 ender "Lose Yourself" won't go away so easily. In fact, things are actually worse than I thought they would be for our four friends. E broke up with Sloan, Ari's still separated from the missus (the separation scene last season was heartbreaking), and Vince is just getting out of rehab. Of all these developments, I'm a bit miffed with E and Sloan breaking up again, as I didn't think Terrance wanting a prenup was going to end it, I just thought it was cause some friction between him and Terrance that could possibly threaten the relationship, but I certainly didn't expect it to be over going into the premiere. We've also learned that E and Scott have taken down Murray, and now run the company. We get an appearance from Johnny Galecki, where the new status quo is established. In addition, Johnny's Bananas is apparently going well, while Billy seems to be getting back on his feet well enough, but this episode was honestly a little too empty. They set up a bunch of new storylines, but didn't provide enough closure on existing ones. Also, why is Vince cold-shouldering E? Does he honestly blame him for his drug addiction? Overall, this was a rather shaky start, and Ellin and crew better get their act together if they want this shortened final season to be a successful one.
Despite my high marks for the first two episodes of this eighth season, something felt a bit off about the both of them. They felt somewhat stagnant, and the plot wasn't going anywhere. And in this one, believe it or not, the plot STILL didn't go anywhere. And it didn't matter one iota, as LD and crew delivered a classic episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, the best since Season 7's "The Table Read". In the previews for the season, the cast and crew stated that the theme was "social assassin", and that became fully realized here, as Larry became a man who people would enlist to point out another person's character flaws or irritating ticks. And it was used for comedic gold here, as Larry told a friend's wife (the woman who played George's potentially pregnant love interest in the Season 3 Seinfeld episode, "The Fix-Up", no less) that saying "lol" was annoying, which, coupled with the woman's affair with another friend (played by Seinfeld alum Larry Miller, who guest starred as the sociopathic Doorman in Season 6), ruined a marriage. This was sprung with Larry's "assassination" of Susie, when he was blackmailed by her daughter Sammie into telling Susie that her "ahh" sound after taking a drink was annoying, which led to a mega-standoff on the golf course. This was coupled with the other plot of the Palestinian chicken restaurant, where Larry and recent born-again Jew Funkhouser raged over Larry's affiliation with the restaurant, as well as Funkhouser's stout Judaism. This led to a hilarious sequence where Larry was being cursed out by the woman he was having sex with, while Funkhouser was listening downstairs. Overall, this episode was hilarious, even without a Leon appearance, and was one of the best Curb episodes in a while
After the enjoyable but cringe-worthy premiere of the season, I was wondering if Curb Your Enthusiasm was so played out, that it would now have to resort to shock laughs to be funny. Thankfully, this was incorrect, as "The Safe House" managed to be relatively inoffensive, while delivering a hilarious and overall more satisfying episode than "The Divorce" did last week. The welcome return of Richard Lewis as Larry's lovelorn ex-alcoholic friend was as hilarious as always, with his new girlfriend who he is only dating for her ample chest. Lewis had one hilarious line involving Galileo's teloscope, and has always managed to be one of the many unsung heroes of the show. Funkhouser and Jeff were funny as usual, while J.B. Smoove continues to be the comedic lifeblood as Leon. However, despite Larry awkwardness and the amusing tale of his encounter with the women of the safe house, I still feel like this season has yet to find an identity. After the introduction in Season 1, the TV pitches in Season 2, the restaurant in Season 3, the Broadway show in Season 4, Lewis' kidney story in 5 (though that wasn't introduced until the 5th episode, so this may be premature), the adoption of the Blacks and Cheryl's separation from Larry in Season 6, and the Seinfeld reunion last season, Season 8 feels like its spinning its wheels without a connecting vein. Of course, this may not be an immediate concern, as we know Larry is going to New York some time this season, so let's wait and see. In the meantime, "The Safe House" was a very funny episode, and was a clear message that Curb Your Enthusiasm has plenty of laughs left in the tank.
The true mystery: Why is every chick in this turned on by Hal?
I must say, this was a pleasant surprise. "Silent Kill" was definitely the best episode of Falling Skies since the "Live and Learn" pilot, and resolved the main drive of the story thus far, that being Tom and Hal's goal of rescuing Ben. That Rick kid continues to be extremely creepy, and is definitely going to play some role in the future storyline. As for the captured skitter, he's still alive, but is being treated with even more extreme caution than before after the events of "Grace", and this is only amplified by the shocking death of Dr. Harris. This development allowed Moon Bloodgood's Anne to be given more backstory, and she officially took down her first skitter by demonstrating how knock out the captive at close range. And as stated in my caption above, WHY IS HAL, A 16-YEAR-OLD WHO MAY NOT EVEN TECHNICALLY BE LEGAL, GETTING ATTENTION FROM EVERY SINGLE WOMAN WITHIN TEN YEARS OF HIS AGE??!! Karen was his girlfriend, Lourdes had a crush on him, okay, yada yada. Karen's gone, and now Margaret's moving in? But she's gotta have at least 5-6 years on Hal, which wouldn't be weird if they were both adults. But Hal, for all his moments this week and his clever but risky plan, is still a kid, and it's just plain bizarre to see him get all this female attention. He's not the Alpha Male. But anyway, this was a remarkable episode, and as it turns out, despite all the reasons not to, I'm getting invested in Falling Skies. We're already halfway through the season, and I'm starting to care about these character's ultimate fates (What is strange, though, is that my favorite episodes so far both lacked my favorite character, Pope). When Ben reunited with his father and brothers, my eyes welled up.
Damn, Curb Your Enthusiasm has been gone a long time. The last episode, "Seinfeld", aired right before Thanksgiving 2009. It is now just after 4th of July 2011, and after nearly two years, everyone's favorite social assassin is back. Larry David returns with the first episode of this ten-part eighth (and again, possibly final) season, with an episode that's better than most of the previous season. Sure, a few episodes in Season 7 hit the mark (particularly "Vehicular Fellatio" and "The Table Read"), but it also had some of the worst episodes of the series (the overhyped "The Reunion" and "Officer Krupke", along with "The Bare Midriff", which contained a rather offensive joke to those of the Christian faith that may have been funny in context, but just took it a little too far). And the finale, "Seinfeld", did not live up to its potential as the final reunion of David's Seinfeld cast, with an amusing but mind-boggling cliffhanger ending. Luckily, "The Divorce" resolves that issue almost immediately before skipping ahead a year, as Larry is finalizing his divorce from Cheryl. While I'm a fan who thinks that they play off each other better when together than apart, there were at least a few divorce-related jokes that hit the nail on the hammer, particularly Funkhouser's revelation that he also wanted to divorce his life so him and Larry could be "two single dudes", as well as Jeff's wife Susie threatening that if her and Jeff ever got divorced, she would "take his balls" along with everything else. Other jokes that worked included Larry's discovery that his lawyer was not Jewish, only to switch to a Jewish lawyer that not only costs his friend (played by Entourage's Gary Cole) the LA Dodgers, but gives up Larry's house in his divorce, forcing him and Leon (the always hilarious JB Smoove) to relocate. This episode was so good, it's too bad that one joke just nearly ruined it, and that being a Girl Scout (who happened to be the daughter of the Dodgers owner) having her first period in Larry house, and him trying to help her insert a tampon through the bathroom door. This joke, like the Midriff joke, was just ridiculously offensive, and was too creepy to get even the most depraved shock laughs. Luckily, an amusing joke involving a tampon and Larry's face saved face for the original gag, and the Girl Scouts attempting to break down his door was funny. Overall, a solid start to the season, but that one joke was a tad too far.
We didn't have clickers, we used a device called a KNOB.
In "Grace", the fourth episode of Falling Skies, we learned a few new interesting tidbits about the skitters, such as that they sleep in a bat-like form, as well as that they psychologically condition the harness-wearing kids to not only use human weaponry so they can become human shields, but that they also brainwash the kids of their memories and apparently make them desire wearing the harnesses. This is all due to our favorite Prisoner of War, as the previous episode's title suggests. I also wonder what Pope's plans for the future are, as he just sort of runs off after rather humorously and dramatically kills the sleeping skitters. "Grace" was about on par with "Prisoner of War", and I still look forward to developments in the coming weeks.
The third episode of Falling Skies, "Prisoner of War", did feature some interesting new developments, such as a more in-depth explanation of how harnesses work, as well as a better look in general at the skitters themselves. Hal's girlfriend Karen was also captured, while Pope discovered his new calling as the 2nd Mass' smartass but lovable cook. Ben, Tom's son, was seen multiple times, but was never actually acquired for experimentation by the new doctor, played by Steven Weber. The doctor and Tom apparently had a history, as the doc abandoned Tom's wife Rebecca in the first waves of the invasion in order to fend for himself. By far, the most harrowing scene of the episode is when the harnessed kids were executed by a mech in front of Hal, showing that these skitters are a methodical, vindictive bunch who use similar tactics to the ultimate historical evil, the Nazis. This episode belongs to Noah Wyle, as he carries the story with his intense and heartfelt performance. However, one particular scene annoyed me, that being the episode's title's namesake. When Tom brings in that skitter as a prisoner, it is more than a little reminiscent of Will Smith in Independence Day. While this show has many brilliant moments, at times it feels a tiny bit too derivative. I was entertained by "Prisoner of War", but I would argue that it is not the best episode of Falling Skies. Though the cliffhanger definitely excited me, as the skitters seem to have some sort of telepathic connection with the captured kids. I look forward to next week.
Joffrey torments his anguished bride-to-be in this cliffhanger season finale
With me still reading George R. R. Martin's first novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, I did not know how the storylines throughout the first season would be resolved. "Fire and Blood" made me realize that, for the most part, they already were. "Baelor" actually wrapped up most of the season's stories, with this episode being more of a set-up man for the upcoming season 2, set to air next spring. Nevertheless, "Fire and Blood" was yet another exciting chapter in the ongoing epic TV series. All the characters were set up for their paths to come. Arya is leaving King's Landing with Night's Watch recruits, under the guise of a boy called "Ary". Sansa is trapped in a joyless and rather horrible life, still set to be wed to the ultimate a**hole King Joffrey, the virtual murderer of her father. Jon, despite originally planning to join his brother Robb and fight the Lannisters, is staying with the Night's Watch to face what horrors await them north of the Wall. Catelyn and Robb are still fighting Tywin's men, with Jaime in their possession. Tyrion is being sent to King's Landing to serve as Joffrey's new Hand. And Daenerys has lost both her son and husband to black magic, leaving her ready to use the powers of the NEWLY HATCHED DRAGONS (DUN DUN DUN!!!!!) to strike back against whatever enemies come her way. Until the final bits with Jon and Daenerys, this episode deserved a 4/5, but that last pivotal scene pushed it up half a star. Goodbye for now, Game of Thrones, can't wait to see you next April.
"Fire and Blood" - 4.5/5 Game of Thrones Season 1 - 4.75/5
