It’s hard to come up with new TV update posts. I’m going to have to just number them soon. Anyway, here’s what’s been filling up my DVR.
Orphan Black- Season 2 on BBC America is off to a strong start. One of the surprise shows of last season remains mysterious, original and tense. Two episodes in and we already have a double cross and a few bodies as a result. Sarah’s little girl has been found, Alison is heading for a full on panic freakout and Cosima is trying her best to be sneaky with Dr. Leekie. There’s a lot of balls in the air now, I like the angle of bringing Art Bell into the conspiracy as you can only fend off cops in the know for so wrong. They won’t drag that bit out any more and be able to use the character well. The addition of a religious third party in the clone dance is this seasons biggest wrinkle. They’ve made some serious moves already so this season should be packed with reveals.
Parks and Recreation/Community- Both have finished their seasons and Community is back in great form. Short season, but that’s better than a long and boring one (season 4). Parks and Rec was good, but the finale was more of series finale. I thought I was watching the end of everything until the announcer said it would be back in the fall. They jump 3 years into the future which I guess they’ll continue with. The wrote themselves into a corner so it looks like a major shift was the only way forward.
Archer: Vice- Easily the worst season so far, but that’s still a complement. Since Archer has been so damn good, they went for a big thematic shift that I think worked pretty well. It wasn’t laugh out loud funny like last season, but I still liked it. There’s still plenty of great laughs and moments and I really liked the finale. I’d call it a successful experiment that has set up some great new material for next year.
Face/Off- I was right on the final 3 and Rashaad won which I’m super stoked about. He was a front runner right from the start, had only one misstep all season (same as Tyler who I would have been happy with winning too). Not much to say as Face Off is a tried and true winner for me. Comes back in July!
Mad Men- The final season has begun and it’s as Mad Men as ever. Opens with a “here’s where everyone is right now” episode and this weeks episode really dug down into Don’s current madness. He’s on a tight rope that will not stop shaking.
The Walking Dead- Finished strong. Great season from beginning to end. Low on stupidity which keeps the show on point. Rick is back in classic Rick shape and the gang is back together but in trouble. Odds are their captors will come to release they shouldn’t keep them all together in one spot.
Fargo- Really like it! It shares the same tone of the movie, but it’s a significantly different murder “mystery”. There are some similar characters but I think they’ll be able to differentiate themselves as they continue. Great cast and good writing so far. The reach of the crime(s) look to be much greater than the movie, there’s more moving parts in this one. The accents are much lighter on the TV show which seems a little weird.
The Amerians- Still great. Major turmoil at the homestead which is unearthing the KGB’s agents most rooted beliefs. They’ve kept a lot of themselves buried and it’s starting to come out. Massive personal conflicts are pushing Liz and Philip to the edge, it’s a major struggle for them to keep them fighting for their homeland. Fascinating stuff, I hope more and more people catch on now that the first season is easily available.