Channels and Networks
Recap: ‘The Serpent Queen’ Season 2 Begins With A Grand Tour
Blessedly, Season 2 of The Serpent Queen opens with a minutes-long recap of the first season. Episode 1, “Grand Tour”, is a reminder of two...
Recap: The Dance of the Dragons Begins In ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2, Episode 4
The excitement about House of the Dragon was never due to the quality of the novel it’s based on, Fire & Blood, a slightly dusty...
Recap: In ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2, Episode 3, War Is Closer And Sillier Than Ever
A misunderstanding. That’s what it all boils down to in House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 3 – a devastating civil war is about...
Recap: ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Continues To Pull No Punches in Episode 2
You know House of the Dragon is a grim show because in the Season 2 premiere a child got his head cut off. But you...
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2, Episode 1 Promises A Bloodbath Is Coming
House of the Dragon Season 2 begins with some reassurances. It’s still good, for a start. Episode 1, “A Son for a Son”, is actually...
Review: ‘Ren Faire’ Is Tailor Made For TikTok Virality
What’s interesting about HBO’s Ren Faire is what’s also interesting about Renaissance Festivals – they’re silly but taken wholly seriously and they’re full of compelling...
The Ending of ‘The Sympathizer’ Casts The Entire Show In A New Light
Throughout The Sympathizer, we’ve always known that The Captain would end up back in Vietnam, being interrogated by the people he has spent the entire...
Recap: The Captain Has Had Enough In ‘The Sympathizer’ Episode 6
If Episode 6 of The Sympathizer has a point, it’s that being a spy is a lot of work. The logistics are a nightmare. Once...
The General Has A Plan in The Sympathizer Episode 5
The Captain’s adventures in moviemaking in Episode 4 of The Sympathizer were, in a word, unsuccessful. But the deviation into outright parody was a somewhat...
The Captain Makes A Movie In The Sympathizer Episode 4
I imagine when The Captain left Vietnam, he didn’t imagine he’d find himself on a movie set. And yet that’s where he ends up in...
The Sympathizer Episode 3 Makes A Mess Of Murder
It’s no secret that Robert Downey Jr. has been a key selling point of The Sympathizer, and for those who tuned in specifically for his...
Nikki Glaser Roasts Herself In HBO Special ‘Someday You’ll Die’
Things are going pretty well for Nikki Glaser. She was once again the clear stand-out in The Roast of Tom Brady on Netflix, which shouldn’t...
Industry Season 2 Recap: Every Key Moment Explained
When it debuted in 2020, Industry was something of a surprise. It came out of the gates as another darkly funny workplace drama about a...
The Captain Is Caught Between Two Worlds In The Sympathizer Episode 2
The Captain clearly doesn’t want to be a spy anymore, which is easy enough to accept since the premiere of The Sympathizer never made clear...
‘Shogun’ Episode 9 Is The Best Hour Of Television You’ll See This Year
Episode 9 of Shogun, “Crimson Sky”, is an hour-long funeral march. Its outcome is, in many ways, inevitable, and we’re thoroughly prepared for it throughout. And...
HBO’s ‘The Sympathizer’ Is Not A True Story, But Is Based On Real History — And Maybe A Real Spy
The Sympathizer is based on real history and a fictional novel, so it’s no surprise that people are confused about whether or not it’s a true...
The Sympathizer’s Premiere Is Deliberately Ridiculous
The surface-level appeal of The Sympathizer is Robert Downey Jr., making his limited series debut while slathered in makeup and a hairpiece that makes him...
Shogun Episode 8 Gets The Pieces Into Place For A Spectacular Ending
Let me say this: The final two episodes of Shogun are truly exceptional. And they have Episode 8, “Abyss of Life”, to thank for that. The...