NEW SHOWS
Game of Thrones – “The Last of the Starks” (B)
A lengthy breather, with a lot of clandestine meetings and secrets revealed, and then a rush through a shit-ton of plot in a short amount of time, dispatching a character for almost no apparent reason. The theme was about characters continuing to make the same mistakes over and over, but with so many murky intentions, that didn’t come across as clear as it should have.
Barry – “The Truth Has a Ring to It” (B+)
The acting showcase is the best in-class scene the show has ever done. But I’m a little worried that Fuches’ discovery is solely there to complicate the plot. His character arc is done, as great as Stephen Root has been. Keeping him on feels unnecessary, but we’ll see.
Veep – “Oslo” (A-)
The show blasts through so much plot, it can be a little whiplash-inducing. But it might be the funniest episode of the season, with one-liner after one-liner, and Anna Chlumsky doing some of her very best acting during her encounter with Dan and his new girlfriend: the doctor who performed her abortion.
Killing Eve – “Smell Ya Later” (A-)
It seems at first that the show is chickening out a bit by refusing to not make Eve as bad as Villanelle, but it doesn’t shy away from making her complicit in Villanelle’s crimes. While that climax isn’t as violent as one might expect, it doesn’t make it any less severe.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – “Cinco de Mayo” (A-)
Even when the show is directly commenting on how the heist concept is played out, they continue to find another way to top themselves, with another extremely convoluted episode paying off in extremely satisfying fashion.