Reviews

I just watched the last ever episode of Preacher, and boy has it been an exciting ride, but all good things must come to an end, and the team behind the show have done a solid job sending it off in style. This episode maintains the high octane pace and visceral action that have come to define Preacher, with the extra edge of revealing the results of Jesse's battle with God with the threat of the apocalypse on the horizon. I haven't read the comics and I know its enthusiasts can have problems due to the differences between the characters in the show and the book and some concessions the show might have made in translating the source material. Even so, I can safely say that both casual and dedicated viewers will be pleasantly rewarded with this as a finale to both this season and the show in its entirety; every character is addressed and we see what will happen to them in the future, the main characters achieve their goals and, depending on how you see it, live happily ever after. By doing this, and a lot of people might not entirely agree with me, it plays it relatively safe - especially with the literally cataclysmic stakes being promised since the beginning of the season - and to not even have a single dire consequence for the protagonists or, confusingly, to see God Himself stand aside and do nothing while His 'great plan' goes down the toilet, or after Jesse starts beating him up - it is a little too sweet to swallow, personally. I still believe that this was an entertaining, satisfying end to the show, and I don't have any qualms ultimately with how it played out. I am just a sucker for a dark ending.

Now another show has reached its conclusion in the post-Thrones world, and I am forced to consider the quality of its final episode: how well it carries the original message of the show, wraps up each character arc, and leaves a final sense of what Preacher stood for and represented. This sounds like a much more serious statement than might befit a show such as this, and I am not disputing the categorization as a comedy, I only mean that any piece of media with an ongoing story should be expected, at the least, to provide a satisfying finale that makes sense in the context of the story and allows you to look back and view the entire duration of the story as one single entity. If you have heard about the colossal nightmare that was the final season and episode of Game of Thrones, then I'm sure you can understand why I might need to highlight the fundamental qualities of a good conclusion. There is no excuse, especially now, for putting less effort in, or trying to throw a curveball that shocks audiences, when there is plenty of proof now for vastly negative responses for lazy or 'shocking' finales.

I was relieved to hear a few months ago about Seth Rogen's condemnation of the eighth season of Game of Thrones, partly because it meant that he had faith in this final season of Preacher and would recognize the importance of the ending of the show. Going through the fourth season, I felt more and more confident due to the unhindered pace of the story moving on from the third season's finale and the entertaining new character dynamics, plus the burgeoning role of God and Jesus. There was plenty for each of the three protagonists to do and they had their own paths which were suggested to re-align by the end. There wasn't any random new element thrown into the mix or a new character - thankfully as there wouldn't have been a necessary amount of time to justify their addition. The pace is solid throughout and there's plenty of creative new set-pieces and dynamics. With my minor gripes with the finale having been said, overall I would say this was a fantastic season - not quite as good as my favourite, season 2, but definitely not the worst and a worthy wrap up of the series. It has my recommendation.

When I heard the initial buzz about Years and Years, a political near-future sci-fi series from Russell T Davies, I was interested... yet skeptical. The trailer gave a clear indication of the tone and vague implications about the plot, but it was hard to tell what the main story would be. At the end of the first episode, the dramatic final moments provided a doozy - a war story centred around a working class family in Manchester, nay, a World War III story. Then... it is barely mentioned again and the main characters are largely unchanged in the following episode. The main crux of the Years and Years story then revealed itself: jumps in the passage of time, with each episode focusing on a few years with (admittedly well-executed) montages dotted throughout. It's an interesting trope, no doubt, and a hopscotch journey through nearly two decades was obviously the original intention as befits the name Years and Years. There are some good storylines developed over the episodes, namely the rise of politician Vivienne Rook (whom also was indicated to have a greater physical presence by the trailers) and the demise of the banking system, but by committing to this idea the creators grasped a double-edged sword. Subplots just... end, or fall into obscurity between episodes. A character might be clearly heading in one direction, and then through some unseen event will completely turn heel. It wasn't a problem, honestly, during the first five episodes. There were new developments and compelling plot points or sci-fi inventions to replace what was left by the wayside, and the time left for something 'big' to still happen. Then I watched the finale, and discovered the somewhat disappointing truth, that there isn't. The 'big' thing was Danny's death two episodes prior, which didn't produce anything worthwhile besides a couple of scenes of grieving and Stephen's villainous transition, putting Viktor into an Erstwhile camp. Vivienne Rook is given no further focus, instead being absorbed into the already too prominent storyline of Viktor's immigration subplot with a brief moment of her exposure in the closing montage. Guess she wasn't that important after all. Stephen reaches the point of self-destruction, as made sense for his character, especially after the aforementioned villainous actions, he even has a gun, and then he just... doesn't. Even though people knew about his betrayal of Viktor, he doesn't face any consequences, he... moves to Spain and teaches English to kids! As the family reconvene at the end for the last time, basically nothing has changed with their relationships, despite a flurry of subsequent family disasters that would, should, have torn them apart, main characters have become practically irrelevant to the main story like Rosie, and the final scene is devoted to a sci-fi convention that jumps to a strangely out-of-place neon future room that only achieves preventing the death of one of the characters that we were told was going to die in the FIRST episode. If that wasn't bad enough, the tired and unconvincing result of the main storyline, Viktor and the Erstwhile sites, isn't particularly interesting and the actual sites don't seem that bad, it looks more like an army boot camp than anything. Then it's fine because the somehow avoid being shot multiple times and the glorious wonder of a dozen or so phones come to the rescue and they record the bad guys until they win and everything's fine - even though a plot element in an earlier episode established advanced CGI 'deepfakes' that could fake real footage. It kind of seems like they gave up on the story in the end, and what is it with writers and subverting the plot nowadays? I wasn't a Game of Thrones fan, but this certainly annoyed me. It's not smart, it's just jarring and destroys any relationship the viewer might have had with the character because they can't feel like they know them anymore.

With all this said, I didn't want to express a completely negative view. Years and Years is an extremely well-produced and, at least, unique show that has a lot of good moments with its realistic British dystopia, great performances from most of the cast, a powerful score and a balanced mix of comedy and drama. It makes bold choices about the near future, although maybe tempting fate with things like predicting a second term for Trump, and introduces various sci-fi and political changes to the world. It's fine for what it is, I think it could have been significantly better in its final two episodes, but it is actually perfect in tone and scope for the modern everyday audience. People who don't get as invested in television should catch this on an evening on the BBC, because it will prompt deep, important conversation about our real world and its tumultuous political environment. I'd even give a following series the benefit of the doubt... except Davies confessed that it will never happen because he doesn't want to answer the oh-so-epic 'Edith' question... plus what seems to be the real reason, how much it would cost to portray more than 15 years into the future. In his own words, 'Life would be so different that we'd need a different budget for it - it would be a different and very expensive show.' Wow. Not really though. He went on to comment, 'Let's be honest, the viewing figures aren't that good anyway.

Oh, well, Davies. Maybe next time.

Strange Angel is a show that has a lot to offer. It delves deeply into two interesting subjects and the worlds in which they exist: rocket science and religious philosophy. I do prefer the latter in this context, I find the featured supporting characters to be more interesting than those in the other main subplot - though it has had some great moments, they always seem to be talking about realistic science without regressing into technobabble, and it is well anchored around the likeable figure of Peter Mark Kendall's Richard Onsted. The most convincing strengths of the show are with its main cast, who each deliver fantastic performances despite first appearing like just more young, attractive actors, and they really sell the illusion that they are living in 1940s America. I can really respect a piece of media that goes the extra effort to create an authentic period piece; I don't know whether it is the work on the production side to hide all evidence of the modern world and find accurate accoutrements for the set design, or the fact that a lot of characters in a modern setting tend to be vapid and irritating. In any case, the setting pairs well with the characters and the plot. I wonder if Parsons and Onsted are based on real people, and if so to what extent the development of the rocketry project that we see actually happened. Thinking about it, it does seem convenient to the storytelling structure with its moments of struggle and victory, so I doubt the real thing was as 'cinematic'.

The descent of the protagonist Jack comes to a head over these climactic episodes, detailed by the increasing number of supernatural, satanic imagery that he has seen. I was looking forward to some kind of capitulation of this - not literally - but a visual allegory of Jack finding his source of evil, or madness, whichever. We do kind of see this but it is cut short by a rather dramatic cliffhanger to lead into the second season, a puzzling risk no doubt, but having finished the first I can understand the decision. I think the story is captivating and I'm certainly sold on more seasons, there was so much going on in these ten episodes that I'm sure the following developments would make great content. As such, while I was hoping for a 'rock bottom' moment for Jack, it will definitely come in time, and instead the focus in the finale falls on Jack's wife Susan, played by Bella Heathcote. I wondered at first if they would keep Susan on the wayside of the 'cult' subplot, or have the season arc being her falling out of love with Jack and dealing with her overbearing father. I was right with one of my predictions, as she does stand up to her father in one of the finale's best scenes, but I was also pleasantly surprised to see her character end up even more embroiled in the cult than Jack. Her journey of self-discovery has allowed for the show to make the best use of Greg Wise's Alfred Miller, who might have come across as a stereotypical 'cult leader' otherwise. I'm excited for a shifting of the character relationships following the final moments of the season, I'll certainly be going in with a bunch of questions, let's hope for intelligent and interesting answers.

Well, it has all come to a conclusive end, the story is wrapped up, the characters and subplots have been addressed and resolved in turn - we even get to see all the leads in advanced age prosthetics in the style of 'Six Feet Under'. However, I don't think its the question of whether they provided a satisfying end - they did, I think its whether this entire season was ultimately welcome. Something felt a little off going into the first episode of this season... I don't know what it was exactly, some of the characters started to feel 'flanderized', especially Gary and Kent, who were previously two of my favourite characters. The uncertainty of the future reflects in the story, as I believe was realised in the penultimate season finale, I noted that if Selina was to run again, it would be a decision made with delusion, and everyone to go along with her would be similarly fooling themselves. It's no secret that Selina isn't the best of people, and after everything with her mental state and her losing battle against the progressive facets of the new generation, I was hoping for a positive ending when Selina realises her out of her depth she is and either retires or takes another rejuvenating trip to the 'spa'. Anything otherwise would be a misguided justification for the endless amount of unsavory things that she has done or advocated over her career, and would be a particularly negative ending for the world in which Veep exists and for all those watching who wanted to see Selina get her comeuppance.

While the actual content of the finale was good, most of the jokes were solid and the character interactions made sense, I don't know if I can say the same for this season as a whole. Certainly the earlier episodes had some weak moments, which made me think it was overstaying its welcome a little, and if they were going to go beyond to an eighth season, I would have had major doubts about its potential. They did, to their credit, go all out on the finale, however, with various impressive set-pieces and twists in the tale to shake things up. I'm happy that for Selina to get what she wanted, she had to reach her lowest point yet by reaching out and teaming up with Jonah. Moreover, I think it's kind of anti-climactic for it to be a battle primarily between Selina and Senator Talbot, respectively representing being stuck in the past and embracing the future, and then they have Selina serve just one term and Talbot takes over for years afterwards anyway? Plus they kill her in the flash-forward after the six month increment and we don't see her again at all when they jump again, she's just dead, and we don't even see the fallout of her dealing with another presidency, or how she even felt about herself and her life in the aftermath of her victory. The final moments of Veep are looking back on Selina like she had a lot of memories and actions to be cherished, or that she was even a paragon, but from everything we know of Selina I felt that was a disservice to the tongue-in-cheek approach that Ianucci first conceived for her.

On the whole, I still think Veep is a great show, and I will definitely be including the final season in any future rewatch, but I can't help but wish there had been more consequences for the characters after seeing them all become pretty unlikeable in this last season. However, it was a perfect choice to end the final scene with Mike messing something up.

Men Of A Certain Age is a special show, there's no doubt about that. It clearly came from an important place in Ray Romano, and from co-creator Mike Royce. When you sit and watch Romano's Joe Tranelli at any point throughout the story, but especially in his moments of despair - you are watching a layered, believable, relatable character that is utterly convincing as a real person. The performances from Bakula and Braugher are spectacular, of course, also, but there were moments when I looked at Joe and thought I saw beyond, into Ray's soul, and you really can't help but feel attached to Joe and indeed the rest of the characters until the end of the show. This season they made the wise choice of combining the season-long subplots of Terry and Owen to make the most out of the car dealership set and its associated supporting characters. It must have taken a brunt of the budget to be able to maintain just for one of the three main characters, and Terry works well in the dynamic - clashing with Marcus and Owen Sr. but eventually becoming a solid part of the team, as he develops his chemistry with the other actors. Naturally I still think the scenes when all three of the main characters are together, taking a hike or sitting in the diner, are the best the show has to offer but this season proves once more over that each of them stand perfectly well on their own.

I was wondering how they were going to close up the stories of these characters and whether any loose ends would be left hanging - really I just wanted a sense of closure from this episode, and I think it definitely achieves that at least. It was clearly going to be a positive ending, I think that was always inevitable, but in what way I was not sure. I suppose it was a little bittersweet, showing that some things will never be exactly like you want them - with the car dealership and Owen's father, though its important that you keep trying and believe in what you're doing, which is the message that subplot leaves us with - and its never too late to make a change - as Terry decides to delve once more into the creative industry, but it is a new, more focused and mature Terry that makes that decision, and he finally finds a way to be comfortable with himself and his age. Finally, there was the matter of Joe and the senior tour gold qualifier. With this being the eventual goal from early in the first season, and the result being the catalyst of whether Joe dived in with both feet or fell back to gambling, I was most interested to see if they would give him the happy ending that, really, he deserved for being a good guy in the rut of his life. Of course, they do the fake-out loss, but the moment where hope resurfaces is especially poignant, and I didn't feel cheated - a lot built up to that moment, and I don't think I would have wanted it any other way.

All spoilers aside, you absolutely do not have to be a man, or a person of a certain age to enjoy this. I am twenty-one and I found each of the main scenarios to still be relatable and thoroughly interesting, regardless. The characters that are constructed and developed throughout the course of the programme are layered, complex, effectively real people - and you will follow them through their highs and their lows and ultimately, I think you will be a better person for it. I certainly won't be able to not see these characters whenever I next see Romano, Bakula or Braugher in a role, and I have a sneaking feeling that these same characters will always hold a special place in their minds as they do in ours.

I just finished the debut Netflix series, Huge in France, and I am pretty happy with what I've seen. The premise is that a French comedian, Gad, moves to America to reconnect with his son and finds that his fame doesn't translate there, but by the end of the story it becomes about much more. The character of Gad is interesting, and is played well by his real life counterpart, I wonder how fictionalized the events and the opinions were as it feels true to life - perhaps this really is what Gad experiences on a regular basis. I felt a semblance of the Curb your Enthusiasm style, and Gad really does refer to himself as the 'Seinfeld of France', but really I see this as more of an occasionally humorous drama with mature themes and characters in varying states of desperation. I mentioned in my last review of the first season of Barry how they subverted an initial trope or stereotype and actually made it add to the quality of the show, and Huge in France does this, but with the supporting characters rather than with the protagonist. Ordinarily I would have no interest in watching scenarios with self-obsessed models, actors and social influencers as featured characters, but though this is how each member of Gad's family started out, by the close of the season I definitely grew to like them, or at least to enjoy watching their misfortune. Brian, the 'optimistic assistant' was developed masterfully through each episode, with the payoff that he was more than he was letting on factoring back into the main story to get Gad back to France. I even liked Vivian's upper-class friends. But none of them deserve talking about as much as the enigma that is... Jason. Alan. Ross. After the first episode I was a little bemused that they were including a character such as this; he seemed quite over-the-top for the situation, and I was wondering if his gag would be him just edited into scenes of Netflix shows. Thankfully, that didn't stick around, and I was proven wrong just how well Jason did factor in with great comedy and without a doubt the darkest subplot of the programme. He is basically the punching bag of the world that this is set in and you really do go from hating to loving him (perhaps for the wrong reasons).

I thought the finale was a fitting end to the season, while still leaving room to develop a second if they choose to do so. Ultimately, I think it is a positive ending - though there are clearly a lot of things unsaid between Gad and his family, his performance throughout the episode proves that it wasn't really what he had been searching for. Really, he had been looking for himself, who he really was, and I believe he achieves this in the final scene. Whether that will mean he stays with the family, or stays and tries to compromise a way back into comedy (though after Jason this probably wouldn't pan out) or leaves the family to fully embrace comedy, we will have to wait and see. I would not be opposed to watching another season following Gad's comedy career in the US - it would even be quite satisfying to see his progression as a character go from his more amicable personality at the end of the first season to become vain and deluded once more as at the beginning. One of the best aspects of the show is exploring fame or popularity as a mysterious yet powerful force that can crush you underneath if you let it, so anything to prompt more discussion on that topic would be great. Eight episodes works well for the pacing, as does the episode length. I found each episode to be appropriately 'bite-sized' and dosed with enough moments of drama and levity to keep most anyone interested.

Season 2 of Future Man concludes in a satisfying way, detailing the trio's interrogation by show creator Seth Rogen in the far future for their 'time-crimes'. Like the first season, this is not the best episode, rather it takes place after the season-long storyline has reached its climax and been, presumably, resolved. As such, the preceding episode, The Brain Job, is the one I would award the honour of best episode. This finale only pales in comparison because it lacks the presence of the season's supporting cast and the rich future world that the writers had built up, but that isn't the fault of the episode, as the story moved on, and so it should. I really am impressed, however, with just how good the world and its characters was this season. I mentioned in my review of the first season that it would be necessary to stray away from the time travel aspect and develop the characters in a new, different scenario for the second season to really work - and this is exactly what happened. The alternate future, the 'NAG', the Mons, the separation of the main characters and the greater role of Haley Joel Osment's Stu Camillo all work and blend together to create a multi-faceted and interesting environment. Season 1 worked largely because of its elements of parody and its exploration of sci-fi and time travel tropes, but Season 2 has a genuinely unique story and world and has no need for parody. My favourite aspect of this was Stu Camillo, it was interesting to see the reasons for his development following the first season and through a great performance delivered a morally ambiguous character who you do feel for at certain points and he isn't just a blatantly evil antagonist.

What I can really appreciate about this episode is its treatment of the time travel concept, which was factored back in for the climax of this season. So many pieces of media flock to the use of time travel without much consideration for its rules, or even to keep it consistent. For instance, if one were to travel back to a place where they had already existed, they wouldn't just take over the body of their past self, they would exist independently from their counterpart. I don't even want to get into the 'butterfly effect' convention and how many stories make it not make sense. Future Man's writers, thankfully, clearly have a lot of knowledge about these sorts of things, and we get the payoff in this episode that a new timeline was being created each time they time travelled or something was changed. That means every timeline they abandoned still existed after they left it, and every alternate version of the characters and the duplicates thereof still existed and pursued their goals after we stopped following them. As a result, major time-space disaster. We have been watching our versions of the main characters seemingly succeed in a blundering, lucky manner, but the reality is that for every time they failed, that entire timeline remained irrevocably screwed. This is immensely satisfying to see as a fan of sci-fi. The drama and character moments that result in this episode feel natural, and Seth Rogen's appearance definitely adds to it rather than just feeling like a forced cameo.

Then, if the 'future execution' scenario wasn't enough, they subvert it yet again, and we get a new, intriguing glimpse into what is to come in Season 3. If they keep up the quality and the fast-paced nature of the story, I have no doubts that it will be well worth a watch, if not as great as the first two seasons have been.

I didn't know what I was expecting when I first stumbled upon G.B.H. I hadn't ever seen any of Alan Bleasdale's work, though my parents had said they were fans of his, probably because he hasn't produced any programmes since the 90s. As such, it was a delight to experience the gripping drama, intriguing characters and uncomfortable comedy. I decided to watch this out of all of his work first (I have started watching Scully since, which is hilarious) because I am familiar with Lindsay and Palin, granted only as comedians, but if anything that made me more invested to see both leads in a dramatic role. With that said, both of them do a terrific job with their respective characters: Lindsay's Michael Murray is utterly reprehensible at first, but his fall from grace over the course of the story shows the man in all his complexities and his guilt is left up to interpretation. Jim Nelson was a fitting hero to the piece, and I found every unusual aspect of his personality to be extremely interesting - the bridge phobia, the sleepwalking, the cupboards - all brilliantly portrayed by Palin. I was a little worried that the political climate, especially in the turbulent time of the early 90s, would dominate the storyline and alienate anyone who didn't already know a great deal about it, but happily that was not the case, this really is an exceptional drama in its own right, without having to rely on controversial real life allegories.

This episode was a great end to the story. I did feel that Jim was kept on holiday for a bit too long, it would have been good to see him back in the main story with the bulk of the supporting cast, but his determined return to form and his ensuing acceptance feels earned and justified. I came to realise, regardless, that the story of G.B.H. is more about Michael than anyone else, and this episode appoints its screen time appropriately by focusing mostly on him. In a convincing, emotional performance, Lindsay pulls off the climax of the story with aplomb, providing a great deal of shocking and poignant moments. Crucially, the subplot of Eileen's torture of Michael as a child and the long awaited reveal that Barbara is her sister has a very satisfying conclusion. The reveal of the actual incident surprised me, though they have been hinting at it earlier in the story. I respected mostly the unpredictable outcome of Barbara's decision: it would have seemed quite cliche for her to have a moment when she reveals herself and suddenly turns evil, so having her reassess her own feelings for her sister and choose Michael in the end really proves how good of a character she is.

The score and the cinematography complement the episode perfectly. The story really does feel complete as the final scene ends, which is exactly what a mini-series should try and achieve. I will most definitely be checking out the rest of Bleasdale's work, and G.B.H. is probably one of the best British dramas I have ever seen.

I really wanted to put this final episode off as long as possible, or at least until the air date for Season 4 is announced, but yesterday the conditions suited getting hyped up, without distractions, to finish the season. I first have to commend Sam Esmail for the quality of the show as a whole and specifically the consistency of it. There isn't one 'bad' episode that comes to mind and from the beginning of Season 2 they have been pushing a perfect 10/10 rating at several points. Season 3 has certainly kept up its game, with stand-out episodes like the 'one-shot' one and the one with Elliot and the young boy. The story has been progressing in a way that feels natural while simultaneously upping the stakes slowly to build to a climax. This season, this climax involves Elliot and Darlene trying to undo the original hack, against Whiterose and the Dark Army's mission to eliminate their enemies and move their projects to the Congo. To add to that there's the unresolved subplots of Angela's time-distorted sanity, Philip Price and E Corp's fallout with Whiterose, Dom's investigation versus her boss' manipulations, and the outcome of the fighting between Elliot and Mr. Robot. All in all, sounds like the makings for an incredible season finale, right? And they provided one... for the most part.

I'm not saying I disliked this episode - far from it. So I can talk about everything I loved, I'll get through my slight problems first to get it out of my mind. The way I see it, they shot themselves in the foot a bit, building everything up to such a huge extent that it literally turned into guns to peoples heads, screaming, crazy monologues, you name it. As such, the writers have forced us to actually fear for the lives of the main characters, especially since each of them end up in some state of capture in this episode. All that build-up, seemingly no way out, the chance for them to prove just how high the stakes actually were... and then they cop out with reasons that don't particularly make much sense. Dom is all but dead, yet Irving kills Santiago instead. Fine, but I don't believe Irving would hesitate for a second after Dom says she wouldn't work for him - you can even see that he's surprised that he even has to remind her that they could kill her entire family, I don't see why Irving wouldn't question her loyalty still, especially compared to Santiago's loyalty. Sure, they'd already made plans to bring her in by finding out about her family, but how did they know that Santiago would end up bringing her? I have more issue with Leon killing the other Dark Army agents and Grant killing himself instead of Darlene dying, however. In order for that to happen, it would have all had to be arranged beforehand by Whiterose, even though its pretty ridiculous at this point that she would trust Elliot - who clearly has nothing and was just trying to save the life of his sister - and yet not trust Grant enough, despite their being lovers, to fill him in on her intentions? Why has Leon been informed, but not the other Dark Army men there? She just lost about four good men when they wouldn't have needed to die after one word of clarification from Whiterose. Her being elusive and unpredictable in this episode literally only damages herself and loses her loyal men, just so the audience can think for a second that Darlene might actually die. I was also not a fan of the cheesy ending, complete with stereotypical pop song.

HOWEVER, with all that said, it doesn't detract from the undeniable quality of the episode on the technical side, nor how entertaining it is. There are plenty more great character moments and captivating pieces of dialogue than plot-holes. The performances are all great, especially from Bobby Cannavale as Irving, who has been one of the best aspects of this season, and Grace Gummer's Dom. I've been really blown away by the development of Angela in this season, her mental spiral has been perfectly paced and I love the concept of her becoming increasingly deluded that time is non-linear. I think that as an idea is something that is incredibly interesting, and quite unique given that media messes up normal, 'simple' time travel concepts. It completely makes sense, too, given, Angela's opinion of Whiterose, and the latter's clear opinion of time. Though we don't see any action or catalyst to leave some room for interpretation in this manner, and are instead given a vindication of Angela and Philip's relationship (I thought they wouldn't do it, but he literally says 'I am your father'), I can't help but see a missed opportunity. It's a little strange that Angela would instantly turn on Whiterose to help Philip, also.

In the grand scheme of things, I can't complain about this episode really, and certainly not the whole season. I have faith that Esmail knows what he is doing and has great things planned for Season 4, which I eagerly await the announcement of.

I must say how happy I am to have stumbled onto this series at random through aimless IMDb searching - I am a fan of each of the three main actors to some degree and they have a great chemistry together, it really does feel like they have been friends for years. Plus it makes sense given their level of recognisability is about the same: Ray Romano and Scott Bakula are both aging stars of classic TV shows, Everybody Loves Raymond and Quantum Leap / Enterprise and Andre Braugher would not become popular with this generation until the beginning of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Though the scenes with all three of them together do stand out in quality and provide a lot of the show's best comedy, I can't fault all of their individual storylines and associated supporting characters. Actually the structure of following the three of them alone and having them meet up briefly in nearly every episode works seamlessly and the tone manages to remain consistent, and I think the writers strike the perfect balance of light-hearted comedy and poignant emotions.

The Season 1 finale rounds off the season and each main storyline excellently, each event and decision absolutely made sense now that we have gotten to know and appreciate the characters. It was incredibly satisfying to see Owen Sr., who was largely an antagonist and the source of most of his son's despair, be the one to make reparations and realise what should actually matter to him. The finale actually seemed to show the three leads each at a different stage of identifying and fixing their problems, which worked better than if all three storylines had been building to a heavy, emotional climax in this episode. With Owen actually getting his relationships and career back on track, clearly he had the least to deal with. The person on the opposite end of the scale was, as it should be, Terry, who after skipping through life and the series with very little responsibility or worry, needs to reach this point of depression to realise that he has to change a great deal about his life for it all to improve. I didn't relish seeing him covered in faeces, but I could at least appreciate the symbolism. I have only just come into my twenties, so I am partially disconnected from the mid-life worries of the characters, but that doesn't mean that I can't understand their fears and their motivations - I am certain that each case we see in the show has happened in the real world, and watching this I feel better prepared for whatever comes. I love it when television attains that intrinsic value that can be applied to life and philosophy. Surely the greatest honour for a drama set in the real world would be to actually help someone in the real world! I can see the most relatable example of this might be found with Ray Romano's Joe, whom is stuck in a rut, one foot in his old life and the other looking for higher ground. Of course it has been coming for a few episodes now, but seeing Joe face the catalyst that he needed to finally commit to his dreams and escape from gambling was extremely gratifying, yet it didn't feel forced or rushed.

I would recommend this show without hesitation to anyone looking for that 'slice of life' feeling, a good mix of comedy and drama, and especially to anyone who has ever experienced these specific situations or has ever been remotely unhappy with their life. You'd never know, but maybe watching this could help. If not, it doesn't matter, it's still a well-crafted, entertaining programme.

The final episode of both the third season and the entire show revolves, as the title suggests, around Nora and the outcome of her decision in regards to the machine she has found in Australia.

The third season of The Leftovers has practically been the least accessible, most 'out there' season of the show, and due to this fact I have seen people claim online that the first two seasons are vastly superior. I can certainly understand why people say this - there's an implication of a lack of resources with the episode count dropping from ten to eight, there's also no new characters and the questions left at the end of the second season are not necessarily answered. On the other hand, it definitely feels like it was always the showrunner's intention for each season to have a distinct identity from one another, punctuated by different theme songs. In respect of the balance between the character drama and the more surreal elements of the show, I think devoting a lot of time to one storyline that calls into the question the nature of reality within the context is quite appropriate - but again, I can understand why people would not enjoy episodes like Kevin Sr.'s and Laurie's of this season as much as previous episodes. I can't even guess as to the significance of the middle-ages opening of Season 3 and the whole 'people turning into dogs' conspiracy, but I don't expect to initially until a full rewatch where I can test out my own theories.

I think this episode was a fitting, rather beautiful way to conclude the show. While it may have been nice to have some of the elements of Kevin's final episode, which of course heavily featured the alternate world or 'afterlife' first seen in 'International Assassin', the slow pacing and deep, emotional tone worked to realign and complete the story that needed to be completed - that it was secretly telling the whole time - of the love between Nora and Kevin. As such this episode is not without its emotional cruxes, and it serves to bring a happy ending to an otherwise devastating story, and though it has a lack of answers it justifies the lack of a need for them. The performances from all the actors involved are phenomenal, but of course the unstoppable Carrie Coon provides a performance for the ages.

'Leviathan Wakes', the tenth and final episode of the first season of the Expanse, details the escape from Eros by the Rocinante's crew and Holden and Miller, now united by their mutual predicament. Everything has been leading up to this since the show began, and it is... somewhat disappointing. I agree with wd-8's review that it appears that they might have run out of their budget by the time it came to film the finale: there are a couple of good set pieces, especially the arcade scene, but you can't help but feel a little cheated when the vast majority of the episode takes place either in narrow tunnels or in vaguely identical chambers full of sci-fi miscellania.

I have honestly enjoyed the first season, and I think there are a range of interesting characters - I really appreciate how diverse the casting is - and a story beginning to verge on fascinating, but my initial viewing of the first couple of episodes was years ago, and it has taken me quite a while to motivate myself to finish the first season. It didn't entirely capture my attention at first, and similarly in this episode I'm struggling to think of the good and bad points because not much really happened. I have heard plenty of good things about the book series, and from those same sources apparently it will take the show a little while to get to the really good stuff, which is absolutely fine, but I am a little apprehensive that the show has hung on to some (minor) trope-ish concepts and that it is a bit of a cookie-cutter, stupid sci-fi. For example, the inclusion of the little girl and Naomi stereotypically fawning over here was awful and nearly ruined the entire subplot. Another would be the uninspired resolution to last episodes cliffhanger - Miller and Holden being given an 'instant death' dose of radiation - in that they simply inject some nameless substance found right around the corner and it isn't mentioned again besides some gruesome sight gags. Now I can't fault the visuals or the acting at all, the show looks and feels beautiful, so whenever there is a slight hiccup in the storytelling it can't help but appear much worse. I have faith in those who are a fan of the property and claim that the later books and seasons are too good to miss, so I will be continuing into Season 2, but I am expecting a good deal of character development for the weaker characters, and for the stakes to be raised between the three opposing factions.

The conclusion of this (at this point) sixth and last season of Veep feels more appropriate as a finale than any other episodes of the show at this point. This season, though featuring most of the characters separated from one another and working in various settings, has to me emphasized the theme of repetition innate to the story and the message that the writers use as a reflection of our present world. It is no surprise that though they seem disparate, all the main characters remain on the same path - uniting them all together again by the final scene for another - arguably unfounded - stab at the presidency. Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, and this episode through flashbacks dating from all points of Meyer's career especially lends to this theory. I can't say if I completely believe that Meyer would be a good president if given another chance, but I think that must have been a wise intentional decision on the part of the writers. Of course, she has also been served her share of injustices. The season ends on a positive, hopeful note, with the subtle implication that it is all just the coping mechanism of a deluded woman - as such I think if Season 6 was the final one it would be a good ending, suggesting a potentially infinite loop of the characters trying to achieve some inconceivable challenge.

But I must remind myself that this is a comedy, not a dark politically-driven commentary, and on that front Veep has never really slipped up. The Iannucci dialogue is as sharp and punchy as ever and the separation of the characters didn't weaken the chemistry of the cast - much the opposite as guest stars and secondary characters got as much of a chance to share the spotlight, I particularly liked Paul Scheer's morning show producer and Usman Ally's Mohammed Al Jaffar. The birth and unapproved naming of Catherine and Marjorie's child serves as a good catalyst to close the season on and top a great reoccurring joke. While some of the flashback scenes were admittedly unnecessary in advancing the story, it was very entertaining to see the first meetings between characters such as Gary and Selina and an ironic introduction of a fresh-faced intern Jonah.

It will be a difficult wait for Season 7 now - I devoured all of the show in under two months since discovering it and there will definitely be a bit of a void left in its place until it returns.

I think I should mention how I came upon this show and what I have been expecting from it - I've been a little tired lately of watching an infinite dredge of programmes that only focus on a police department or a group of witty friends; I wanted something unique, different, with a regular content that you don't see every day. I had heard a few rumours being a fan of Twin Peaks that Northern Exposure boasted some surreal features of the same quality, which enticed my interest, coupled with the fact that it fulfilled my requirement of a different environment: a New York doctor gets forced to live and work in the relative wild of Cicely, Alaska.

I have enjoyed the first season a lot so far, for the most part. The characters are certainly endearing, I appreciate that they all have different opinions and personalities, and though the 'will they, won't they' trite with Joel and Maggie is somewhat embarrassing, the dialogue is at least well written. I can't say I haven't been excited for more of the surreal elements to come into play, though, and though we've had a handful of dream sequences and poignant moments, there hasn't been anything truly... weird. Until this finale.

'Aurora Borealis' definitely works as a finale to reward the watchers and garner interest in the second season. The aforementioned surreal elements are great and fit in well with the world set up so far. I can't even choose which storyline I like more between Joel encountering a fabled were-bigfoot-hobo-veteran and being fed by him only to be ridiculed by the entire town, or Bernard arriving in a trance to Cicely and meeting, almost becoming one with, Chris through the magic of the Northern Lights. The deep, layered dialogue and message serve to elevate some of the characters beyond their already complex personas to feel altogether like real people, inhabiting a world they find mysterious and fascinating. If this kind of content continues to feature, I'm sure the ride will be all the more entertaining following these characters as they learn and develop.

And boy, is that theme tune a bop.

First of all I'm glad this episode picks up some time after the actual plan has transpired, with Elliot having virtually no memory of the event - I can understand that some people might be upset that the finale is very much character drama rather than a climactic hacking episode, but I think that is more true to the show as we experience it through Elliot for the most part and can understand his madness and selective memories all the better.

As I mentioned character drama, I kind of have to mention the recent revelation of Elliot's true family - whom had been right in front of him the whole time - and the further reveal, that I confess I didn't foresee, that Mr. Robot has actually been dead the whole time, and Elliot has been doing whatever he has been doing as well in a strange split personality schism. This definitely raises some questions, such as why Darlene wasn't confused when she met back up with the real Elliot and he was acting completely differently to his 'Mr. Robot' persona; or, what was actually happening during the Steel Mountain hack - especially with Mr. Robot driving the car and, I swear, dialogue between him and Mobley and Romero. I don't think either are a bad story choice at all, but I do hope they take some time in Season 2 to explain some logic about Elliot's illness. If anything, the layered familiar relations between Darlene and Angela serves to make both of them more interesting - I have been a little dubious about liking Darlene, and though Angela's storyline has remained interesting, with a great payoff in this episode of her actually joining Evil Corp and providing a different, kind of nihilistic perspective of the events, I can say now that I am invested in both female leads. Maybe I'm still upset that Shaina was killed off so early.

I can't fault the episode at all in its presentation. The song choices and score work perfectly and there's a lot of subtext seen in the framing: changed now from showing Elliot at the side or in the far corner of the shot to having him in the centre of the screen after his memories start to come back and he becomes 'whole' again. The effort behind emptying out Times Square in Elliot's breakdown must have been immense, unless its all just visual effects. Still, it provides a great concluding scene to the season. I almost missed the after-credits scene revealing the interesting twist of some collusion between Evil Corp's CEO and the elusive Whiterose. I'm certainly not deterred at all from continuing into Season 2 - hopefully when the show starts to completely and totally come into its own. I have faith in Sam Esmail as a forward-thinking showrunner and Rami Malek plays a great crazy, unique character.

The debut series of Kidding, from creators Dave Holstein and Michel Gondry, concludes with an unexpected episode that diverges from the ending that I was expecting. From all the story beats and increasing darkness, I thought Jeff would set out for his ultimate self-destruction - having been left behind by his girlfriend after literally saving her life, fighting desperately to keep his identity as Mr. Pickles and suffering the breakdown that destroyed his Dad's office and slit the throat of Tara Lipinski. Everything was set up for his story to end with darkness and death, yet somehow he pulls through and arguably becomes stronger for it. I think the writing in this final episode communicated that Jeff was not ever completely the villain or the victim, and crucially that every person in this world can and does make mistakes. Many of Jeff's ideas would have been successful if he hadn't had Seb standing in his way - the Christmas speech proves this given the incomprehensible amount of children who show up for Jeff to listen to them; yes, Jeff still causes enough shock to get the show taken off the air but perhaps if his vision for his own show had been carried out as he wanted then that might not have been the case. I think, despite everything, even the closing cliffhanger of the season, that Jeff is ultimately better off having finally said all the things he needed to: he's closer than ever with Jill and his son - while realising that Peter is far from perfect, as well - and the people who truly love Mr. Pickles, most importantly I think he reaches an understanding with himself. He's still there, after the death of the show and the Pickles on Ice debacle, he's even still in Pickle Barrel Falls - but how does he get back up again?

As for the other characters, I really enjoyed seeing the culmination of their storylines in preparation for the next season. The performances all around are absolutely stellar, but I have to give special mention to the incomparable Catherine Keener who brings it every time she is on screen, and also Judy Greer who has thoroughly impressed me with her dramatic acting capabilities. Keener's character Deirdre has a beautiful monologue in this episode and raises some of the most important philosophical questions found in the show, and in life. Each of the characters except her are portrayed as various puppets from the Mr. Pickles programme, with Jeff aptly seen as the 'Oops' puppet in the final moments of this episode. The others might be controlled and influenced by external means and hidden desires, but is it not worse that Deirdre - after her entire life spent in shadow - does not even know what controls herself? Her storyline has boasted some of the show's most depressing moments, and it doesn't look like it will get any better for her family when the show returns. I loved the reunification of Jeff with his father. It was definitely earned and made sense for the episode, but it is so sad that all it took was for Seb to finally just listen. There wasn't much to go on in regards to Will, whose problems are still present, but it didn't detract from the episode and the time was better spent on the other characters. I did think the house was going to explode with all the kids inside at the end, though.

All in all Kidding does a masterful job of balancing melancholy with deep character drama, great storytelling and comedy. I don't agree with some of the other reviewers who have only focused on the comedy aspect - its not that important and the show is clearly much more than one genre in its execution. This is perhaps the role that Jim Carrey was born to play, its certainly the one I feel most attached to, more so than all of his film roles, and with the backing of an exceptional supporting cast and the genius of Michel Gondry I am expecting great things for the second season.