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Looking’s sixth episode, “Looking in the Mirror”, is a very pleasant surprise. There’s an energy and vitality in this half hour that had been missing from the show up until now. Maybe it’s because almost all the characters finally interact with one another, or maybe it’s because the editing and dialogue are paced less leisurely than usual. But a theme Looking has been exploring – going after what you want rather than what you should want – comes into focus and propels the stories forward in an exciting way.

With just two episodes left in the first season, “Haunted Houses” is the most straightforward instalment in the series so far. This sixth episode is the one that felt the most like a cop show, complete with with a nard-nosed police sergeant drilling his two detectives and demanding that Cohle hand over his gun and badge, and a hot tempered officer (Marty) beating two prisoners who were caught sleeping with his daughter. We find out exactly why Hart and Cohle had a falling out in 2002, and exactly why Marty’s marriage finally fell apart. “Haunted Houses” is the weakest of the bunch but don’t’ worry, next week is a vast improvement.

When Looking premiered five weeks ago it was purportedly the story of Patrick, Dom, and Agustín’s friendship. This bottle episode, following Patrick’s day-long date with Richie, posits that this burgeoning romance is actually the central relationship of the show. “Looking for the Future” shows the awkwardness and passion of new love and all of its flirting, disclosing, playing it cool, and wanting to spend every minute with the new person in your life.

“Looking for $220/Hour”, the fourth in Looking’s eight episode run, takes place during the Folsom Street Fair, an annual San Francisco BDSM and leather party. Patrick, Agustín, and Dom aren’t really part of that scene, but like much of the city, they use the fair as an excuse for some good old-fashioned Sunday day drinking. Aside from a few skimpy leather outfits, Looking doesn’t show much of the debaucherous celebration. Instead, the episode is structured around a trio of dates, even though the characters would never classify them as such

Well, “Looking at Your Browser History” sure gives more ammo to those who find this show boring. There are absolutely no crazy orgies, and even a bathhouse sex scene happens completely off screen. In fact, this episode veers almost completely away from sex and dating, concerning itself with the career and job anxieties of its main characters. Patrick is mortified (yet again) when the cute British guy he clumsily flirts with at a work party might become his new boss. Agustín unwisely insults his boss, a middle-aged artist who makes chair sculptures, and gets fired. Dom wants to poach a chef at Zuni Café for his not yet existent Portuguese chicken-centric restaurant, but has no money or investors to actually get his dream off the ground.

Girls, Season 3: Episode 5 – “Only Child” Written by Murray Miller Directed by Tricia Brock Airs Friday nights at 10 PM EST on HBO In “Only Child”, Murray Miller moves the season’s overall plot along and creates a lot of tension between the characters of Girls. While trying to save her “dead” book, Hannah (Lena …

If Patrick was a little awkward on his date last week, in this episode he takes his nervous, spazzy outbursts to cringe-inducing, questionably racist new lows. Remember Richie, the sexy Latin doorman Patrick brushed off on MUNI? Patrick decides to date him, but only as a “fuck buddy” instead of a potential “boyfriend”.

  Girls, Season 3, Episode 4, “Dead Inside” Written by Judd Apatow and Lena Dunham Directed by Jesse Peretz Airs Sundays at 10pm (EST) on HBO Like last week’s episode which focused mainly on Hannah’s  (Lena Dunham) 25th birthday party, “Dead Inside” takes another big moment in  her life and uses it as a lens …

True Detective, Season 1: Episode 3 – “The Locked Room” Written by Nick Pizzolatto Directed by Cary Fukunaga Airs Sunday nights at 9 on HBO Hart and Cohle finally uncover some solid leads and possible suspects in the investigation into Dora Lange’s murder. This week’s episode, the title of which refers to what Cohle dubs …

True Detective, Season 1: Episode 2 – “Seeing Things” Written by Nick Pizzolatto Directed by Cary Fukunaga Airs Sunday nights at 9 on HBO The series premiere of True Detective set up a very intriguing show, due several factors, including its switch between 2012 and 1995, its unique central characters, and the locale it was …

The first scene in the pilot of Looking is a clever fake-out. Two guys anonymously hooking up in a park is the most clichéd signifier of gay male sexuality out there. Here it is for the hundredth time – the awkward fumbling, the perfunctory kissing, the premature interruption. But it turns out that Patrick, the recipient of this sad outdoor handjob, has wandered into the woods as a sort of joke. He and his friends wonder if gay dudes still do stuff like that, and he decides to find out. The characters in HBO’s new half-hour are both self-conscious of the old stereotypes and confident enough to be unembarrassed when they occasionally fall into them.

Girls Season 3, Episode 3 “She Said OK” Written by Lena Dunham and Jennie Konner Directed by Jesse Peretz Airs Sundays at 10 PM ET on HBO In “She Said OK”, writers Lena Dunham and Jennie Konner slam on the brakes after the big Jessa-centric events of the last two episodes and put plot on the backburner. …

True Detective, Season 1: Episode 1 – “The Long Bright Dark” Written by Nick Pizzolatto Directed by Cary Fukunaga Airs Sunday nights at 9 on HBO – Midway through the 2013 TV fall season, seven new shows glamorizing serial killers were added by various networks, bringing the total to 20. HBO seems a little late …

Girls, Season 3, Episode 1, “Female Only” Written by Lena Dunham Directed by Lena Dunham Girls, Season 3, Episode 2, “Truth or Dare” Written by Jenni Konner Directed by Lena Dunham Airs Sundays at 10pm (EST) on HBO A common complaint from Girls viewers is that the protagonists are quite unsympathetic, especially its main character Hannah Horvath …

6. The Spoils of Babylon The Spoils of Babylon is an upcoming American comedy miniseries by Saturday Night Live veterans Andrew Steele and Matt Piedmont, directed by Piedmont (Casa de Mi Padre), and starring Tobey Maguire, Kristen Wiig, Tim Robbins, Jessica Alba, Val Kilmer, Haley Joel Osment, Michael Sheen, and Will Ferrell. It’s doubtful that any …

5. Orange is the New Black (Netflix) After the much-hyped release House of Cards and return of Arrested Development, Netflix released Orange is the New Black with little fanfare, seemingly unaware of just how great a series they had on their hands. Based on the true story of a white, privileged thirty-something who is sentenced …

The Newsroom, Season 2, Episode 9: “Election Night Part 2″ Written by Aaron Sorkin Directed by Alan Poul Airs Sundays at 10:00 PM ET on HBO While the first season of The Newsroom focused on the idea of a news organisation that eschewed ratings for journalism, a lot of the show’s forward momentum seemed to …

With the exposure of News Night’s major story of chemical weapons use by the American army turning out to be a complete fabrication last week, the team as a whole, and Will and Mackenzie in particular, face a long road ahead in rebuilding what they had before the Genoa report, despite the surprising vote of confidence from Leona Lansing. This week’s episode focuses on the aftermath of Leona’s unexpected decision on the news team, examining the toll the story takes on the emotional state and decision-making capabilities of various members of the team, in a well-done setup to the end of the season.

The possible story of illegal chemical weapons being used by the US against enemy combatants has been a looming issue over the ACN team over the second season of The Newsroom, particularly as the discussions with Rebecca Halliday and her team indicate a massive failure. The first signs of the breakdown became visible in the closing moments of last week’s episode, and this week explores the full scope of the fallout from the discovery of the story’s falsehood, delivering an episode that, while not necessarily divulging any new information, nonetheless is a fascinating one that leaves several characters in interesting places by the end.

True Blood, Season 6 – Episode 10: “Radioactive” Directed by Scott Winant Written by Kate Barnow Returns Summer 2014 to HBO Not too much longer than halfway into “Radioactive,” True Blood does a fast-forward in its timeline. For a series that usually picks up each new episode almost immediately after the previous episode, this shift seems …

The US military’s apparent use of chemical weapons has been a looming story over much of The Newsroom’s second season, with the story of the Genoa mission and its implications not escaping anyone who learned of the case. Previous episodes have indicated that something goes terribly wrong with the story, necessitating the presence of a high-priced lawyer to clean up the ensuing mess, casting a shadow of dread throughout the developments. The story comes to a head this week, with the ACN team going live with the news of Genoa as the final pieces click into place, leading to a compelling episode that explores the idea of bending small truths to get to a larger one.

If anyone sticks around after an episode of True Blood finishes to see the “inside the episode” segment, then you’ll have seen one of the powers-at-be talk about how “Life Matters” is one instance of True Blood taking time to feel something, which hasn’t really been the show’s style ever. This is a fast-moving story (to a fault, sometimes), so you wouldn’t have been wrong to have expected there not to be much done about Terry’s death in the wake of that event. How wrong you would have been, though. “Life Matters” has at its centerpiece Terry’s funeral, which drew out a whole range of reactions – some expected, some incredibly surprising.