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‘The Franchise’ Episode 5 Breaks Eric For the Good Of China

November 4 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

November 4 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

October 28 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

October 28 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

October 21 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

October 21 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

October 14 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

October 14 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

October 13 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

October 13 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

October 12 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

September 30 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

September 30 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

September 23 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

September 20 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

September 16 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

September 9 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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

September 2 2024, by Jonathon Wilson

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,...