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‘The Franchise’ Episode 5 Breaks Eric For the Good Of China
I thought things couldn’t get much worse for Eric after he drove a golf cart onto the set of Centurios 2 in the previous episode,...
‘The Penguin’ Episode 7 Reveals The Horrifying Truth Of Oz’s Past
On the press tour for The Penguin, Colin Farrell responded to fans saying they had to come like the complex nature of Oz Cobb with...
‘The Franchise’ Takes A Mean-Spirited Turn In Episode 4
The superhero movie is, for better or worse, inextricable from the cameo. Recognizable actors showing up in costume either in the middle of a movie...
‘The Penguin’ Episode 6 Is Everything That’s Great About This Show
Not a great deal happens in Episode 6 of The Penguin, but it’s nonetheless the hour that best exemplifies everything great about the show. Colin...
‘The Franchise’ Goes Feminist In Episode 3
Nobody said The Franchise is a documentary, but Episode 3, “Scene 54: The Lilac Ghost”, has an ear to the ground of the biggest problem...
‘The Penguin’ Episode 5 Is A Reminder That This Show Is About Villains
If you’d forgotten that The Penguin was a show about villains, Episode 5, “Homecoming”, will dispel any illusions. And I’ll grant you that it’s an...
The Point of ‘The Franchise’ Becomes Clear In Episode 2
I wish I knew more about Tecto, the hero of the inevitably doomed superhero flick at the heart of The Franchise. There’s no way this...
Cristin Milioti Is Awards-Worthy In ‘The Penguin’ Episode 4
Oz Cobb has emerged as such a compelling character that you’d think The Penguin wouldn’t work without him, but Episode 4, “Cent’Anni”, barely features him and doesn’t...
‘Salem’s Lot’ (2024) Is A Toothless Remake
While I’m trying my best to avoid vampire puns, this long-shelved remake of Salem’s Lot doesn’t make it easy. Toothless. Anemic. Bloodless. These are all...
‘The Franchise’ Has A Needlessly Good Premiere
There’s a joke at the end of The Franchise’s premiere that sums the whole thing up. In it, Himesh Patel’s Daniel, the first AD of...
Ignorance Is Bliss In ‘The Penguin’ Episode 3
The Penguin is excellent in a way that doesn’t make much sense, and Episode 3, “Bliss”, exemplifies this in several interesting ways. It’s a Batman...
Recap: Underdogs Unite In ‘The Penguin’ Episode 2
Episode 2 of The Penguin, “Inside Man”, is as good as the premiere was, which got me thinking. Why? That isn’t a trick question. There...
‘Industry’ Season 3 Ends At Its Best – By Showing The Worst Of Everyone
Industry Season 3 was never heading to a happy ending, but even I didn’t expect one quite so cynical as this. Episode 8, “Infinite Largesse”,...
Recap: Pierpoint Is On The Ropes In ‘Industry’ Season 3, Episode 7
Things are not going well for anyone in Episode 7 of Industry Season 3. The “Useful Idiot” of the title is Eric, though the label...
Recap: ‘The Penguin’ Episode 1 Kick-Starts A Gripping Mob Drama
The Penguin is a sequel to The Batman, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s the furthest thing from a superhero show you could imagine....
Recap: ‘Industry’ Gets More Honest Than Ever in Season 3, Episode 6
In some hypothetical future where Marisa Abela wins an Emmy for her work on Industry, it’ll be for the show overall – but I think...
Recap: ‘Industry’ Season 3, Episode 5 Is An Enlightening Trip
Henry Muck might be insistent that he’s not a pervert in Episode 5 of Industry’s rather wonderful third season, but I, for one, beg to...
Recap: ‘Industry’ Season 3, Episode 4 Is A Disasterclass In Stress
I’d like to make it clear that I despise Rishi Ramdani and everything he stands for to a degree that causes me to physically bristle,...