NEW SHOWS
Only Murders in the Building
“Persons of Interest” (B+) / season premiere
“Framed” (A)
The season premiere makes its mark as the most meta episode of television since It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s “The Gang Recycles Their Trash.” The addition of Michael Rapaport as an overly confident detective is perfect, and Amy Schumer’s knowing cameo as herself is on the right side of self-deprecating. Even more intriguing is Cara Delevingne as a queer art collective head who recruits (lures?) Mabel to express her simmering rage through art.
Stranger Things – Season 4, Part 2
“Papa” (B+)
“The Piggyback” (A-) / season finale
While I do think something is fundamentally broken with the streaming television model when two episodes take up more than four hours, the payoff was worth it. This is a show with big VFX and big emotions. While both can be exhausting at times, the effect is powerful.
REWATCH
Seinfeld – Season 8 (A- average)
My personal favorite season. With Larry David gone, the show was free to explore its more absurdist angles. The stories got more complex, but the laughs-per-minute ratio grew.