Season 5

Louie returns Thursday for a fifth season of life lessons and awkward experiences. The loosely structured yet acclaimed FX comedy, given free reign by the network, comes back true to form while still finding the ability to surprise its audience anew. After a Season Four filled with some mini-arcs that missed the mark Season Five returns to the episode model of earlier years, deploying episodes and through lines in a seemingly random order that still finds a way to make perfect sense. The show doesn’t go as far as completely abandoning the abbreviated story arcs CK has come to rely on, but after a stretch of almost looking like a more traditional half hour cringe comedy Louie is back to its old ways.

We pick up not long after last week’s dramatic cliffhanger. Walt pulls up to his street and sees Jesse’s car parked in his driveway with the door open and his front door kicked in. With his .38 snubnosed revolver in his hand, Walt comes through his back hedge, cautiously enters the house, sees the gas …

Sons of Anarchy Season 5, Episode 13: “J’ai Obtenu Cette” Written by Kurt Sutter Directed by Kurt Sutter Airs Tuesdays at 10pm (ET) on FX Much like this season presented strong episodes next to the ones that fell short, SoA’s season five finale goes out with a little bit of mixed feelings. We’re left with …

Sons of Anarchy Season 5, Episode 1: “Sovereign“ Written by Kurt Sutter Directed by Paris Barclay Airs Tuesdays at 10pm ET on FX Jax (Charlie Hunnam) is at the gavel, vendettas are all around SAMCRO, the Niners are under the cold, hard reign of promising new villain Damon Pope (Harold Perrineau), and there’s a new …

  Mad Men, Season 5, Episode 13: “The Phantom” Written by Jonathan Igla & Matthew Weiner Directed by Matthew Weiner Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on AMC Having set such high standards, it’s disappointing to find that the season finale doesn’t live up to the same quality as previous episodes. ‘The Phantom’ isn’t necessarily a weak …

  Mad Men, Season 5, Episode 12: “Commissions and Fees” Written by Andre Jacquemetton & Maria Jacquemetton Directed by Chris Manley Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on AMC A major thematic arc this season has been the dissatisfaction of characters, derived from their constant efforts to achieve happiness; whatever “happiness” actually means. This has manifested itself …

Mad Men, Season 5, Episode 11: “The Other Woman” Written by Semi Chellas & Matthew Weiner Directed by Phil Abraham Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on AMC In an episode crammed with a sickening amount of sexism, ‘The Other Woman’ offers one of the most surprising, and moving, climaxes of this acclaimed fifth season. Former …

Mad Men, Season 5, Episode 10: “Christmas Waltz” Written by Victor Levin & Matthew Weiner Directed by Michael Uppendahl Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on AMC In typical Mad Men style, Prabhupada’s Hare Krishna Movement, formed nearing the end of 1966 in New York City, serves as the ideal backdrop to explore the idea of …

  Eureka Review, Season 5, Episodwe 5, “Jack of All Trades” Written by Jaime Paglia and Eric Wallace Directed by Jaime Paglia Airs Mondays at 9pm ET on SyFy This week’s Eureka provides laughs, body swapping, an emotional confession, a dark moment, a potential character departure and a marriage proposal.  That’s a lot of ups and downs for …

Mad Men, Season 5, Episode 9: “Dark Shadows” Written by Erin Levy Directed by Scott Hornbacher Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on AMC Mad Men has never been a show where plot twists and explosive action sequences reign supreme. Anyone who’s watched more than a season, knows that its main concern is character. Although the …

Eureka, Season 5, Episode 4, “Friendly Fire” Written by Amy Berg Directed by Mike Rohl Airs Mondays at 9pm ET on SyFy Things mostly get back to normal on Eureka as the main characters work together to resolve the case-of-the-week.  “Friendly Fire” has the perfect mix of sci-fi, drama, and comedy that has kept Eureka a …

      Eureka, Season 5, Episode 3, “Force Quit” Written by Terri Hughes Burton and Ron Milbauer Directed by Mike Rohl Airs Mondays at 9pm ET on SyFy The three-part arc that has found the Astraeus crew trapped in a virtual world comes to a predictable conclusion this week as the crew is rescued.  …

  Mad Men, Season 5, Episode 7: “At the Codfish Ball” Written by Jonathan Igla Directed by Michael Uppendahl Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on AMC It’s somewhat surprising that Mad Men hasn’t dealt with the following subject matter more overtly, but this week’s episode focuses on the confrontation between tradition and progress. Through the …

Eureka, Season 5, Episode 2, “The Real Thing” Written by Bruce Miller Directed by Michael Robison Airs Mondays at 9pm ET on SyFy After last week’s premiere focused entirely on the Astraeus crew and the virtual world in which they currently reside, “The Real Thing” brings some attention back to the real world.  The episode …

Mad Men, Season 5, Episode 6: “Far Away Places” Written by Semi Challes & Matthew Weiner Directed by Scott Hornbacher Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on AMC What do the characters in ‘Far Away Places’ do when confronted by their own problems? There is undoubtedly an implicit vulnerability in existence between them and a longing for …

Eureka, Season 5, Episode 1, “Lost” Written by Jaime Paglia Directed by Matthew Hastings Airs Mondays at 9pm ET on SyFy Eureka is usually a pretty light-hearted and whimsical show, but this week’s season premiere is definitely on the darker, more serious side. To recap last season, Global Dynamics spent a majority of the time preparing …

Mad Men, Season 5, Episode 5: “Signal 30” Written by Frank Pierson & Matthew Weiner Directed by John Slattery Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on AMC It was always going to be tough following up the brilliance of “Mystery Date”, however the teleplay produced for this episode is probably of even higher quality. Although more …

  Mad Men, Season 5, Episode 4: “Mystery Date” Written by Victor Levin & Matthew Weiner Directed by Matt Shakman Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on AMC Set against the tense landscape of Richard Speck’s, July 1966 rapes and killings, and the ever-present specter of the Vietnam War, ‘Mystery Date’ is without doubt the strongest …

Mad Men, Season 5, Episode 3: “Tea Leaves” Written by Erin Levy & Matthew Weiner Directed by Jon Hamm Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on AMC Insecurity is an affliction suffered by even the most intelligent and successful people. It’s hard-wired into the human condition. Often stemming from self-doubt, it offers both a believable and …

Mad Men, Season 5, Episodes 1 & 2: “A Little Kiss” Written by Matthew Weiner Directed by Jennifer Getzinger Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on AMC The feature-length season premiere of Mad Men rejoins us with Don and his team at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (SCDP), as writer/creator Matthew Weiner resumes the show’s exploration of …