Category Archives: Reviews

30
Aug

Summer TV Hangout 2014: Week 13

The Wire (Season 1) “Sentencing” (A) A satisfying finale for the viewer, but for the characters, the guilty pleas of most of the Barksdale crew are merely Pyrrhic victories for the detail. The montage at the end – showing that … Continue reading →

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23
Aug

Summer TV Hangout 2014: Week 12

The Wire (Season 1) “Cleaning Up” (B+) A good set-up episode that strives for greatness with its tragedy, but doesn’t quite get there. Blackadder (Season 4) “Major Star” (A-) The sharpest episode yet, even if the Chaplin references are a … Continue reading →

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20
Aug

The List: Top 10 ‘Simpsons’ Episodes (UPDATED)

UPDATE: With FXX set to air every single episode of The Simpsons in a 12-day marathon, I figured it was time to re-post and revise this Top 10 list, originally published in 2012. Well, really it’s just one minor change. … Continue reading →

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16
Aug

Summer TV Hangout 2014: Week 11

The Wire (Season 1) “The Hunt” (A-) I love it when serial dramas pick up exactly where the previous episode left off, with the chaos from the botched undercover buy extending in all directions. As excessive use of force by … Continue reading →

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9
Aug

Summer TV Hangout: Week 10

The Simpsons (Season 7) “Summer of 4 Ft. 2” (A) Subjectively, any character on The Simpsons could be your favorite. But objectively, it’s hard to think of a character that’s better than Lisa. She remains resilient, even while carrying a … Continue reading →

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2
Aug

Summer TV Hangout 2014: Week 9

The Wire (Season 1) “Game Day” (A) This show. The cold open took place all inside that gym, as Stringer and Avon pay $20,000 for a ju-co ringer for their Eastside-Westside game. And I almost forgot about the cops. And … Continue reading →

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26
Jul

Summer TV Hangout 2014: Week 8

The Simpsons (Season 7) “Homerpalooza” (B) An episode I loved as a kid, but don’t quite love so much now. Sure, there are great digs at Jostens (essential as someone who worked on the yearbook staff in high school) and … Continue reading →

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20
Jul

Summer TV Hangout 2014: Week 7

The Simpsons (Season 7) “Much Apu About Nothing” (A) Though it aired in 1997, this episode perfectly captures the ongoing immigration “debate” and the stupid rhetoric of “hard-working Americans.” The Wire (Season 1) “One Arrest” (A) Much like last week’s … Continue reading →

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12
Jul

Summer TV Hangout 2014: Week 6

The Wire (Season 1) “The Wire” (A) And the show just keeps getting better. This is essentially a perfect episode, from the long take that begins the episode to the development of the case and haunting final shot. Omar continues … Continue reading →

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8
Jul

Random Thoughts on Season Two of Orange is the New Black

Orange is the New Black got even better in its second season, which has now been out on Netflix for a month. Here are my thoughts from all 13 episodes. I wanted to linger more on Fig’s punishment, but that … Continue reading →

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