“Resurrection” is a master class in handling the aftermath of an attack, as the episode never loses its intensity or urgency, even when pausing for heavy moments of character reflection or development.
“I Love You, Goodbye” would be a relatively flawless episode–emotional and beautiful and well-done–if it weren’t for one fatal flaw: The Originals’s insistence that death doesn’t mean one is permanently dead and gone. Seriously, the episode is borderline fantastic, and it expertly welds the happy moments with the tragic, until Rebekah insists, as Kol dies, that she will do anything to bring him back. And, looking at the show’s history (even in the episode itself, where someone is literally brought back from the dead), there’s almost no doubt that she will succeed.
After launching just before Christmas in Japan and Australia, Nintendo’s upgraded 3DS finally makes its way across the waters to Europe and North America. But are there enough improvements to justify trading in your old console? Read on to find out whether the New 3DS is worth your cold, hard cash, or if you’re better …
The 100 is no stranger to throwing heavy, morally-ambiguous situations at its characters and then watching them struggle with the decisions they’ve made; “Rubicon” gives Clarke perhaps her biggest ethical dilemma yet (even more so than mercy-killing Finn), and this is only the beginning of the war against the Mountain Men.
“Coup de Grâce” is not only an astonishingly well-done episode of The 100, but also a brilliant piece of television. While the show is naturally concerned with the flow of its story–and the various pieces of its story falling gracefully into place–The 100’s biggest concern lies with the characters and how being in this harsh, unforgiving landscape is transforming them. Some of them are broken by it, some of them adapt to survive, and some of them rise steadily to the challenge of living in such a dangerous, lawless place.
While not as eventful or informative as last week’s episode, “Sanctuary” is still a decent, but not particularly involving, episode of The Originals. To be honest, the episode feels a whole lot like filler, but there are still some gems to be found among the hour, especially in regards to character development and subtle shifts in power–a lot of new knowledge was shared between characters, if not with the audience.
Aside from some outright atrocious special effects, “Survival of the Fittest” is an excellent episode. The latter half of season two is rapidly moving in new directions, especially with the Sky People and Grounders alliance underway, as well as Jaha’s decision to blindly lead some of his people to a new place altogether; these are all really well-chosen storytelling moves, as the audience is learning more about the Grounders culture and the world all of these characters are currently inhabiting. All of these decisions make for some thoroughly-engrossing television.
While “Brotherhood of the Damned” isn’t The Originals at peak performance, it’s still a pretty solid and well-told hour. Though the spotlight is undeniably on Marcel for the majority of the episode, the most intense moments occur when the four Mikaelson brothers are forced into a mental trophy room together; season 2 has already proved unafraid to delve into the psychological struggles of being immortal and 1,000 years old, and “Brotherhood of the Damned” only furthers this theme.
“Remember Me” may be about the Sky People’s shaky peace treaty with the Grounders in plot, but in spirit, it’s wholeheartedly an episode about Clarke struggling with the grief of killing Finn, as well as the harsh decisions the leaders–particularly women–on this show have to make on a regular basis. As Abby notes, and as Clarke seems to realize, all of these leaders’ lives mirror one another; they have the same goals, they have to make the same decisions, and they have the same pressure put upon them to keep their people alive.
After such a seemingly-long winter hiatus, The Originals is finally back; unfortunately, the premiere is a decidedly weak opening in the wake of such an excellent midseason finale. The episode isn’t all bad–Cami and Elijah’s brief trivia match is a definite highlight–but the episode is bogged down by some unexpectedly cheap ploys and uncharacteristic character moments.
If last week’s season three premiere suggested the importance of legacy in Banshee, “Snakes and Whatnot” is the companion piece that shows how one’s legacy can be controlled by perception. It’s said that history is written by the victors, and several characters here–Rebecca, Chayton and Nola chief among them–want to make sure that they’re both taken seriously and come out on top.
Amid a full and explosive season three premiere that heavily features Chayton’s (Geno Segers) return to and influence on his Kinaho tribe, it’s a quiet exchange between father and daughter that sticks out
Whiplash Justin Hurwitz Varese Sarabande Birdman Antonio Sanchez Milan Records “I’d rather die drunk, broke at 34 and have people at a dinner table talk about me than live to be rich and sober at 90 and nobody remembered who I was.” That’s how jazz drumming prodigy Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) sums up art and, …
2014 has been yet another fantastic year for television, one that continued the nichification of the medium, with highly specific and underrepresented voices breaking through in every genre. There was a comedy explosion, particularly on cable, with dozens of new series presenting confident first seasons and several returning shows reaching new heights. The dramas didn’t disappoint either, with visionary creators bringing new life to familiar settings and taking greater risks with their returning series, deepening their worlds. Throughout the year, directors and cinematographers brought lush visuals, composers pushed the auditory envelope, and an astonishing number of actors gave fantastic, memorable performances. More than a few shows delivered spectacle on a weekly basis, while others went small, deriving incredible power out of stillness and self-reflection. Some series swept the audience up, week in and week out, and others built subtly, only showing their hand in their season’s final episodes. There truly was too much great television this year for any one person to see it all (95 separate series were nominated by our contributors!), so limiting the discussion to 10 or even 20 series would be ridiculous. Instead, here is Sound on Sight’s list of the 30 best series of what has been another wonderful year for television.
2014 has been yet another fantastic year for television, one that continued the nichification of the medium, with highly specific and underrepresented voices breaking through in every genre. There was a comedy explosion, particularly on cable, with dozens of new series presenting confident first seasons and several returning shows reaching new heights. The dramas didn’t disappoint either, with visionary creators bringing new life to familiar settings and taking greater risks with their returning series, deepening their worlds. Throughout the year, directors and cinematographers brought lush visuals, composers pushed the auditory envelope, and an astonishing number of actors gave fantastic, memorable performances. More than a few shows delivered spectacle on a weekly basis, while others went small, deriving incredible power out of stillness and self-reflection. Some series swept the audience up, week in and week out, and others built subtly, only showing their hand in their season’s final episodes. There truly was too much great television this year for any one person to see it all (95 separate series were nominated by our contributors!), so limiting the discussion to 10 or even 20 series would be ridiculous. Instead, here is Sound on Sight’s list of the 30 best series of what has been another wonderful year for television.
2014 has been yet another fantastic year for television, one that continued the nichification of the medium, with highly specific and underrepresented voices breaking through in every genre. There was a comedy explosion, particularly on cable, with dozens of new series presenting confident first seasons and several returning shows reaching new heights. The dramas didn’t …
The Originals may only be halfway through its sophomore season, but the show sure knows how to deliver a solid, and thoroughly entertaining, mid-season finale. Of course, it helps that the episode features both Elijah and Klaus cooing over a baby girl, as well as enough familial drama, surprise twists, and romantic encounters to keep fans satiated until January.
“The Brothers That Care Forgot” is one of the best episodes of the season, and not just because Rebekah and Hope make a rare appearance, though how many vampire dramas can beat the sight of an ancient vampire as handsome as Daniel Gillies cradling a newborn? Baby cuddling aside, the episode does an excellent job shifting the character dynamics around–several new teams are formed with surprising players.
Scandal has always excelled at finales, so it’s no surprise that “Where the Sun Don’t Shine” is just as fun, twist-y, and shocking as it’s predecessors. Also, it’s obvious from the opening sequence that all actors, and director Tony Goldwyn (Fitz)!, are bringing their A-game.
While “Chasing the Devil’s Tail” is by no means a bad episode, it’s not a particularly stunning one, either. Rather than significantly advance the plot, the episode mainly sets up future, and probably more eventful, episodes. Character relationships are deepened or fundamentally shifted, and several key players are moved into new, more dangerous locations.
“The Last Supper” is the most fun Scandal’s been in a long time. This is partly because next week is the winter finale, but it’s also because watching the main cast members team up to take down a big threat is always enjoyable. Season four has felt a little lost and directionless thus far, but “The Last Supper” gives the story the focus it’s been so desperately needing.
As per usual this season, “Wheel Inside the Wheel” is another episode stuffed with family drama, bloodshed, and some interesting new revelations, particularly with regard to Esther.
Finally, finally, Olivia and Co. seem to be heading down a warpath with Rowan. For far too long, he has had a God-like hand in controlling events–usually tragic–in their lives, and it’s about time the power trio of Olivia, Jake, and (in theory–though he’s definitely the weak link despite being, you know, President) Fitz stood up to B613.