NEW SHOWS
Succession – “Mass in Time of War” (A-)
All the kids get together, diss each other, come close to revealing honest emotions, and then retreat to safety. Kendall’s speechifying about the moral imperative to join his side is a masterclass in bullshitting.
Curb Your Enthusiasm – “The Five-Foot Fence” (A-) / season premiere
As film critic Sean Fennessey tweeted, adding Albert Brooks to this ensemble is like putting KD on the Warriors. He’s just unreal, even though he’s somehow never appeared as a frenemy of Larry before. I still think the show needs to cut it closer to 28 minutes than pushing it to 45, but it’s still very funny.
What We Do in the Shadows – “The Portrait” (A-) / season finale
At first it seemed like this was written as a series finale, and I would have been OK with that (even though I know it’s already been renewed for a fourth season). But then a lot of crazy shit happened in the last two minutes, and I’m so excited to see where this show goes next, because it has so many possibilities.
OLD SHOWS
The Twilight Zone (Season 1) – “The Hitch-Hiker” (B+)
Appropriately spooky, even if I knew where it was going from the first line of dialogue. A similar premise was done much better in Season 3’s “Nothing in the Dark.”
BINGEING
The X-Files – Season 7 (B average)
Easily the weakest season of the show, with a checked-out David Duchovny and the series’ nadir (“First Person Shooter”). Still, there were some bright spots and a jaw-dropping finale.