Tonight’s episode of Ja’mie: Private School Girl has to shoulder the burden of being a second episode, moving the plot along while ensuring viewers who missed the pilot won’t miss any key details. It does a decent job, but it’s a step down from the premiere, spending a lot of its time laying out what…
Ridiculous twist aside, last week’s episode of Homeland at least gave the series an opportunity to return to what it clearly loves best: high-stakes spy shit (even if it as at the expense of realistic consequences for its protagonists). Unfortunately that opportunity was squandered in an episode that’s compromised my already waning faith in the…
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been demonstrating a gentle incline over the last four episodes, progressing step-by-step from “okay” to “good.” Unfortunately, “Girl in the Flower Dress” warrants an underwhelming shrug of one’s shoulders. The early scenes are promising, with Renshu Tseng (later known as “Scorch”) and Raina (the girl in the flower dress) demonstrating more…
Chris Lilley’s latest series sees him take on the role of Jamie – sorry, Ja’mie – King (she added the apostrophe in Grade Eight). Ja’mie first appeared in Lilley’s outstanding We Can Be Heroes, but anyone outside Australia might be unfamiliar with Lilley’s early work and a little puzzled at the notion of a thirty-nine…
This review is much later than usual. At least that delay gave me the opportunity to put the episode in the context of Alex Gansa’s recent interview (one I wouldn’t recommend reading – note the interviewer’s description of Carrie as “slutty”). Beforehand, my review would have touched on the beautiful, dreamy unreality of Carrie’s post-asylum…
“Eye Spy” is the strongest episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so far. It’s not without its problems, but it largely succeeds by avoiding the pitfalls that earlier episodes had recklessly tumbled into. The ensemble’s dynamic may not be all there yet, but that’s not necessarily a problem when the players are separated. The humour…
As a way to reintroduce Nicholas Brody into the series, dragging his grievously wounded body through a decrepit urban landscape is a memorable choice. The shots of Damian Lewis gasping for breath, his pale blue eyes surveying the concrete canopy are already ingrained in my memory. Brody’s storyline was great in some ways. The character…
“The Asset” wasn’t a spectacular episode, but it’s the first time Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has put together a consistently entertaining hour, and it’s enjoyable enough to keep me coming back. Much of the appeal of the episode came from focusing on three strong elements: Guest star David Conrad as a charming Maltese millionaire who anchored…
As with last week’s premiere, “Uh… Oo… Aw…” is a messy and not-exactly-great episode of television, but it’s to be commended for considering the ramifications of its characters’ actions with some degree of realism, rather than putting them at the mercy of plot contrivances. The episode wasn’t perfect, incorporating one of 24’s favourite clichés, the…
The main drawcards of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot were a charismatic lead performance from Clark Gregg and some appealing Joss Whedon banter. The sophomore episode pulls back considerably on both of these elements to its detriment, choosing instead to focus on a “the team pulls together” action-heavy storyline. The quality of the banter is…
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