The Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show's Intimate and Thorny Portrait Is Still Curated

It’s okay to start watching a reality television series with a healthy skepticism about what scenarios are based on fact. Who in their right mind would subject themselves to a Truman Show-esque setting where the world can see them fully, warts and all? Even in the early days of MTV’s The Real World, cameras were present, and specific edits were made to elevate drama or perhaps infer romantic liaisons more than they were for storyline purposes. I almost want to ask if people would be enthralled t

Euphoria Ending With Season Two Wouldn't Be The Worst Thing In The World

It is March 25th, and to say that most of the main cast of HBO’s hit show Euphoria is busy would be an understatement. Zendaya is coming off the first big hit of 2024, Dune Part II, Sydney Sweeney is riding high from the successes of Anyone But You and Immaculate, Hunter Schaffer had a supporting role in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and her first starring role in Cuckoo comes out in little over a month. Then there are Jacob Elordi’s roles in last year’s Saltburn and Pris

'Echo' Review: A Good Enough MCU Limited Series

If you haven’t heard yet, as has been said through most of the MCU transition from 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, things are in flux. Since the inclusion of Disney+ shows into its extensive canon, the universe has been pulled in multiple directions with more projects on the docket, resulting in uneven results on both big and small screens. Going into 2024, Marvel had to decide how to welcome those who felt the weight of the number of projects they had to follow. This is where the Marvel Spotlight ser

‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 3 review: War and the impulsiveness it creates

One thing I like that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters gets across is how this monster story ties into real-world implications – at least in the 1950s timeline, hitting a big point during “Secrets and Lies.” To think of enormous kaiju walking around the earth with the potential ability for massive amounts of destruction is terrifying. We’ve seen what happened in the current timeline with G-Day. That said, you can speak to the post-WW2 mindset of America. The improvements in the military, having new w

‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 2 review: Abandon ship!

There’s a reason why ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monster’ is doing a dual storyline with this particular pace. It’s all about uncovering the mystery surrounding the shadowy government entity and the gloriously dangerous monster they track. It’s to temper expectations from the audience that they will be swimming in a Godzilla-laden destructive path (hence, monsters in the title). But also approach things from a more ground-level perspective. In “Aftermath,” we get not only Endoswarmers presumably killing

‘The Curse’ episode 3 review: The ails of TikTok curses and the biases attached to "good" deeds

“I know your heart is in the right place, and I give you the benefit of the doubt.” Asher says it in his fight with Whitney at the end of “Questa Lane.” The tagline for The Curse could very well be “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” because no matter how “good” their intentions may be, Whitney and Asher are just unable to see themselves. Hell, they cannot see that Flipanthropy might not be the HGTV hit they are hoping for.

But don’t take that from me. The focus group gave enough e

‘The Curse’s second episode speaks to trying to belong in a place that doesn’t want you

There’s a busyness to the first episode of The Curse that keeps the uneasy nature of the show moving from a reality television perspective and a more personal aspect of these characters with blindspots. “Pressure’s Looking Good So Far” meets Whitney, Asher, and Dougie in limbo. HGTV hasn’t picked up Flipanthropy yet, and everyone has their own thing to conquer regarding the episode. Some aspects are more action-oriented (and intentionally hilarious), and others are inner turmoil. Writer Carrie K

‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ premiere is a story of hidden families and kaiju destruction

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has two things to balance as a show set within this ever-growing monsterverse. There is the Godzilla expectations where the iconic character and other kaiju (or MUTO) have to appear in some form. But in an episodic format, you must tinker with the right frequency. If the show is full of roars and massive destruction, it dilutes the human connections and minimizes their effect. On the other hand, if they rarely show up at all, it might seem a little ridiculous in a wor

‘The Curse’ premiere episode puts all those HGTV shows and their creators under intense bright lights

Those HGTV home renovation shows always bothered me. It’s not just them, either. There’s the fake altruistic feeling of Undercover Boss, where a CEO puts on a bad wig and cap to tell a worker who has been at the company for 15 years with no raise or promotion that they got two extra sick days and a coupon for Olive Garden. Here we have Showtime’s The Curse, which elects to veer into entertainingly absurd territory to fortify its satire.

The married couple of Asher and Whitney Seigel (Nathan Fie

‘Invincible’s second episode feels the tug of the many sub plots it has to service

“A Lesson For Your Next Life” established Invincible’s second-season core issue in how the world picks up the pieces after what Oni-Man has done. “In About Six Hours, I Lose My Virginity to a Fish” further investigates this within the characters of Mark and Debbie. Within that 40-minute timeframe, it also looks to introduce a few more subplots that are hit or miss in the whole scheme of the narrative. It can’t all focus on Mark and Debbie’s perspectives, even if they are the ones that work the b

‘Invincible’s second episode feels the tug of the many sub plots it has to service

“A Lesson For Your Next Life” established Invincible’s second-season core issue in how the world picks up the pieces after what Oni-Man has done. “In About Six Hours, I Lose My Virginity to a Fish” further investigates this within the characters of Mark and Debbie. Within that 40-minute timeframe, it also looks to introduce a few more subplots that are hit or miss in the whole scheme of the narrative. It can’t all focus on Mark and Debbie’s perspectives, even if they are the ones that work the b

‘Loki’ season finale is all about the change of a glorious purpose and legacy

Some of the biggest set pieces within the Marvel Cinematic Universe are predicated on sacrifice from specific characters naturally arriving at that point for the greater good. With Tony Stark, he was an egotistical, hotshot billionaire at the helm of his father’s arms company in the beginning. The visions Scarlet Witch enchants his mind during the Age of Ultron leads Tony to be on the opposite side of his friends in Captain America: Civil War. The love of Pepper and being a father figure to Pete

‘Invincible’s season two reentry sees the sins of the father and how they affect the son (and the world)

Omi-Man’s ultimate homicidal postal moment at the end of Invincible season one was always going to have immense ramifications extending beyond Mark a breath away from dying. What I appreciate from “A Lesson For Your Next Life” is that it approaches Where I Really Come From’s final moments from an extended range of levels. A key is not glossing over the extensive damage and deaths that occurred within the city of Chicago. Not only do they have to rebuild, but they live in fear that Omni-Man could

‘Loki’s season two penultimate episode finds it’s why at the end of time

We had a week to get over the shock of the timeline ultimately melting down in the last episode of Loki. In the spirit of Nick Fury, it’s time to put a team together. Let’s call them the Time Variance Authority Avengers. Loki’s worst fears have been realized at the beginning of “Science/Fiction” in that he’s all alone. In all actuality, that’s always been his main fear and the underlying reason he wants to save the TVA. To preserve that structure is to keep in place his friends and support syste

‘Loki’ episode four hones in on the usual MCU show cliffhanger with a literal big bang

Cautious: spoilers for ‘Loki’ episode four ahead. You’ve been warned.

If you’re reading this review, you’re aware of the tempo these Marvel shows go. Something big almost always happens at the end of episode four, and this season of Loki is no exception. I didn’t have the temporal loom exploding on my bingo card (I did have Victor Timely and O.B. being friends on it last week). I had two trains of thought regarding how everything ended up. At first, it was shock and amazement at that cliffhange

‘Loki’s third episode is revolving around a Timely introduction (and love triangle?)

The prior two episodes of Loki established the overall problem and then had the characters develop around it to a satisfying degree. In “1893,” the Temporal Loom is still about to explode, and O.B. is freaking out about it. Sylvie has already been found, and now the attention turns to Ravonna Renslayer, Ms. Minutes, and a potential Kang variant in the late 1800s in Chicago. The episode provides a fresh landscape for Loki, Mobius, and co. to play around in. The World Fair setting looks incredible

‘American Horror Story: Delicate’s’ part one finale stubs itself in trying to withhold too much for its own good

So, for all the American Horror Story: Delicate enthusiasts out there, let’s do a brief rundown going over some of the happenings before this part one finale. There’s Anna, an actress on the verge of superstardom and having her first child. But a wide range of weird things are going on in a world seemingly looking to make her choose between one or the other. She’s had a stillborn baby come back to life inside of her, and her husband isn’t privy to what’s going on and is close to a woman who look

‘Loki’s season two premiere joins the hands of time and everyone’s skin goes unharmed

The best way to classify Loki’s second season premiere, “Ouroboros,” is a reacquaintance of characters and a recontextualization of the threat at hand. The Multiverse saga and the looming threat of Kang the Conqueror have encapsulated the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although we did see him earlier this year in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ I feel this episode did somewhat of a better job stating how much of a threat he is to everything.

Not only is the Time Variance Authority (TVA) in dis

It’s ‘American Horror Story: Delicate’ episode three and everybody is acting suspect (of course they are)

Usually, when somebody goes to The Hamptons, it’s for a nice, luxurious getaway. Perhaps some much-needed relaxation and rubbing elbows with top stars and money-makers. That’s not the case for Anna in “When the Bough Breaks.” She has a husband she suspects of cheating with a co-worker and doesn’t act completely trustworthy. In the ride from the van, Dexter is hesitant when Anna presents the notion of trying for a baby again. A miscarriage is indeed challenging for both would-be parents. Dexter e

‘Ahsoka’s season finale tries to tie up loose ends and set high future story implications

“It’s time to move on.” Those four words Ahsoka says to Sabine at the end of the season finale, “The Jedi, The Witch, and The Warlord,” concisely summarize where we are in this universe. For most of this show, Ahsoka has been on an inner journey trying to reckon with leaving Anakin and perhaps unfairly blaming himself for what he became. The prequel trilogy will tell you that’s not the case.

It bled into her relationship with Sabine – Huyang points out what happened on Mandalore to Ezra when he

American Horror Story: Delicate’s second episode says it’s hard out here for an indie star

Becoming a mother is already challenging, besides worrying about budding stardom, a potentially shady husband, and weird women following your every move. Nothing feels like a storybook in Anna Alcott’s world. She cannot fully enjoy a possible award run after a runaway indie hit because, frankly, there is too much tugging at her sanity. The second episode of American Horror Story: Delicate, “Rockabye,” has more vibes, a foreboding setup, and camp. There are a couple of interesting developments an

‘Ahsoka’s penultimate episode is both a chess game and a reunion

Star Wars tells its story all over the timeline spectrum. We started with George Lucas’s original trilogy, then progressed backward with the prequels. So, you always have a foreboding feeling of seeing how things played out. We’ve already seen the newest trilogy of theatrical releases having The First Order supplant the fall of the Empire, and the absolute hubris someone like Senator Xiono exudes in dismissing Hera (or all clues that the New Republic can face another threat) is frustrating. Do y

‘American Horror Story: Delicate’ premiere deliberately paces out it’s pregnancy mystery

In the premiere episode from “Multiply Thy Pain,” the first episode from American Horror Story’s 12th season, Delicate cites the Genesis 3:16 bible verse when God cursed Eve after she ate an apple from the Tree of the Knowledge. Parents (hopefully) experience great joy and delight once a child is born, but the process women endure in welcoming the bundle of joy can be hell. Changes in body chemistry, overall pain, and intrusive medical procedures are some of the factors that make the process so

Tactical thinking and competing ambitions imbue Ahsoka’s ‘Far Far Away’ episode

‘Shadow Warrior’ didn’t necessarily end Ahsoka’s arc, but it provided her with a colossal lesson hanging over her head for the first half of this series. It began the process of forgiving herself for Anakin’s choices. Yes, she chose to leave the Jedi order (and thus her master), but everything resulting in his eventual turn to Darth Vader was set in stone anyway. His desire to save Padime opened him up to the manipulative ways of Sidious, and the order’s ridigness in allowing emotions like love
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