Apple TV+
‘Stick’ Finally Introduces Timothy Olyphant In Episode 8, And It Was Worth the Wait
I knew this already, but Stick is a nice reminder that nobody plays smug better than Timothy Olyphant. His character, Clark Ross, has been briefly...
‘Smoke’ Focuses On Michelle In Episode 3, Leaving Proper Examination Of Its Best Twist For Later
Jurnee Smollett is very good in Episode 3 of Smoke, which I think is important to point out, since I spent most of it being...
‘Murderbot’ Goes All-Action In Episode 9, And The Simplicity Helps It
Murderbot is a weird show. I’m pretty sure I’ve said that before, but it’s worth reiterating, since even this deep into the season – Episode 9 is the penultimate outing – I’m still not sure what works best about it.
‘The Buccaneers’ Season 2, Episode 3 Recap – The Truth Is Out, and So Is Nan
Love is a complicated thing, and The Buccaneers is struggling to keep track of it in Season 2.
‘Stick’ Episode 7 Recap – A Beautiful Examination Of Grief and Honesty (With Some Pacing Issues)
Grief isn't an emotion you feel; it's a prison you live inside. Sometimes it feels like home.
‘Murderbot’ Episode 8 Recap – An Invasion Of Privacy Suitably Shakes Things Up
The segment of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon that opens Episode 8 of Murderbot goes on for so long that I genuinely worried that it would constitute the entire 22-minute runtime.
‘Smoke’ Premiere (Episodes 1 & 2) Recap – Don’t Worry, It Gets A Lot Better
Apple TV+ tends to premiere new shows with multiple episodes at once, and nowhere has that strategy paid off more than in Smoke.
‘The Buccaneers’ Season 2, Episode 2 Recap – This Is Why Nobody Sends Letters Anymore
Sending letters is a nightmare, isn’t it? You never know who might read them, for one thing, and then there’s the not insignificant fact that they take ages to get where they’re going.
‘Stick’ Episode 6 Recap – Some Effective Emotional Turns Are Hampered By Too-Obvious Writing
I was very surprised by how suddenly Stick got good. But I wasn't entirely surprised to discover that Episode 6 takes a bit of a downturn.
‘Murderbot’ Episode 7 Recap – Things Are Getting Bloodier (And Arguably Better) Than Ever
You can make a lot of simple declarative statements about Episode 7 of Murderbot.
‘The Buccaneers’ Season 2, Episode 1 Recap – Apple TV+’s Gilded Age Drama Is Growing Up Fast
The tone of The Buccaneers is immediately different when Season 2 begins, and you can tell it’s going to stay that way.
‘Stick’ Episode 5 Recap – And Finally, Things Are Really Starting To Come Together
I get it now. Stick has been an incredibly mixed bag so far, with a derivative vibe, two-dimensional characters, and diminishing charms.
‘Echo Valley’ Review – Well-Acted Rural Thriller Takes Too Many Turns In the Wrong Direction
Echo Valley is one of those movies that start out as one thing and become something else. But it’s also a rarer type of movie...
‘Murderbot’ Episode 6 Recap – And This Is Where It All Comes Together
I’ve been cattily picking at Murderbot ever since it debuted, but in Episode 6, I felt like it was finally learning its lesson.
‘Stick’ Episode 4 Recap – Owen Wilson’s Charm Doesn’t Seem Enough to Sustain This Series
I caught myself thinking during Episode 4 that Stick has made a pretty fundamental miscalculation.
‘Murderbot’ Episode 5 Recap – A Misguided Focus On Comedy Undermines the Drama
Thus far, Murderbot has done a pretty good job of balancing its comedy with its drama. But it’s always a fine line.
‘Stick’ Premiere Recap – Apple TV+’s Sports Comedy Is A Comfortable Jaunt Through A Familiar Course
It’s impossible to talk about Stick without mentioning Ted Lasso, since the rubric for beloved sports comedies was defined by AFC Richmond’s adventures on Apple TV+.
‘Murderbot’ Episode 4 Recap – Confident and Conceptually Audacious
Murderbot still has the usual problems in Episode 4, namely being too rushed and clipped for its own good, but “Escape Velocity Protocol” brings everything together well despite those quibbles.