NEW SHOWS
Big Little Lies – “What Have They Done?” (B+) / season premiere
It has been two years, so I suppose some re-introductions are necessary. But the show will only get better and deeper as the season goes along. Meryl Streep of course kills it, but I was more impressed by Adam Scott, finally doing more than being a cuckold.
The Handmaid’s Tale – “God Bless the Child” (B)
Most of this episode is the best the show has been all season. But for some reasons all the scenes with Alexis Bledel and Clea DuVall fell extremely flat, holding it back from greatness.
A.P. Bio
“Ride the Ram” (B+)
“Kinda Sorta” (A-) / series finale
While the show never quite became something great, this was the most purely enjoyable watch of 2019. This pair of episodes is a fitting end, as Jack realizes the error of his ways and embraces Toledo, and especially his friendship with Durbin and relationship with Lynette. But his shift never feels out of character. I wish this could have lasted longer, but I’m glad we got these 26 delightful episodes.
OLD SHOWS
King of the Hill (Season 9) – “Ms. Wakefield” (A-)
A rare episode I’d never seen, this is an extremely dark but ultimately heartwarming Christmas episode. An elderly woman (guest star Marion Ross) comes to visit the Hill house. She used to live there, at least until her sister died. And now she refuses to leave until she does the same. It’s a pretty morbid premise, and shockingly everyone is against Hank, who finds the whole thing extremely disturbing. It’s still impressive how excellent this show remained to the end.