Summary: Chandler and Monica go to test their fertility and run into Janice. Ross helps Joey attempt to impress Charlie. Phoebe doesn't approve of Rachel getting a free massage from a corporation, but Phoebe is secretly working there and ends up having to massage Rachel.
The Good: This show continues to be carried by the character interactions. As stupid as the show gets, the cast does a good job and they have charm interacting with each other. Joey is funny at times with his excessive stupidity. Chandler and Monica do okay with the sad realization that they are unlikely to conceive. The Bad: All three storylines are awful. The Rachel/Phoebe story is by far the worst, and of course it's because of Phoebe. To suggest that Phoebe has principles and is to be admired for this is laughable because this is a character who has historically abandoned her principles and is generally a terrible person, lying, being rude, and making things all about herself. In this episode Phoebe even plays the friendship card to get what she wants by guilt-tripping Rachel out of getting a free massage, offering her nothing in return. That's pretty rich from someone who regularly trashes her friends. Plus, what kind of friend would be so unbelievably selfish as to screw Rachel out of a massage over basically nothing? And that too when she is working for the same damn company anyways! Phoebe continues to sink lower and lower with her selfish behaviour, and she hit a new low here. Monica and Chandler's story is also bad. Most of the jokes are immature jokes about masturbating to a cup which are childish and not at all funny. Janice also makes an appearance, but by this point she is a caricature and not funny anymore. Monica and Chandler's serious moment at the end is hurt by the lack of meaningful build-up, and the silly jokes that Chandler makes. Joey is unbelievably stupid in almost every scene in this episode. Joey is narrow-minded and oblivious, he is not a complete moron like the show seems to suggest in this episode. Having him mistake left and right is a step too far. Best Moment: As stupid as it was, Joey mistaking left and right was the funniest moment due to how unexpected it was. But that's less about how good this joke was and more about how unfunny the rest of the episode was. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: After a couple good episodes, we are back to insufferable television. All three storylines here did not work and there was very little humour. Phoebe continues to be atrocious. Another awful episode this season. Score: 35
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Summary: Joey holds a secret soap opera party and tries to get the others to go to a play. Rachel discovers this and ends up leaking the information tot he others who end up going. Chandler doesn't get the message and gets stuck at the play. Ross meets Charlie, a fellow professor, and has insecurities asking her out when he learns she has only dated Nobel Prize winners.
The Good: This was a fun episode. The soap opera plot is really creative and lots of great jokes are thrown out as the plot unfolds. Joey's excuse for waking up early is immediately suspicious, and there's a really funny moment when Rachel exposes his secret plan by playing the answering machine. Joey's interactions with Rachel are a lot of fun in this episode. I enjoyed him revealing all of his other plans and then telling Rachel that she's the worst of the bunch when it comes to behaving around stars. Rachel faking sick is also really funny, and that joke has a hilarious pay-off with Joey flashing everyone. The party itself is decent fun. Rachel continues to grapple with her feelings, and Ross has an iffy conflict (see: The Bad), but it makes good use of Phoebe who gets to be a good friend for once. The ending twist with Joey connecting with Charlie is a genuine surprise and a good moment. Chandler getting left alone at the play was really funny, and it hearkened back to the Chandler of old getting caught up in awkward, hilarious situations. The episode ends with a terrific pay-off as Chandler abandons Monica and Phoebe to extract vengeance. The Bad: Ross acts like a clown with Charlie on a number of occasions. His attempt to leave without the other professor completely lacked subtlety and made him look like an idiot, and his insecurity after hearing Charlie dates only smart people made sense but was far too ridiculous. Surely he understands that her dating smart guys in the past doesn't mean that she will only date smart guys now. Monica is way out of character throughout the episode as she fawns over the soap opera stars. Rachel was always the one fawning, not Monica. It's hard to believe that her actions do not create serious issues in her marriage with Chandler. Best Moment: Joey flashing everyone after Monica tells him to take off his robe, expecting him to be dressed for a party like Rachel. Naturally, he wasn't. And the funniest part in retrospect is Joey briefly hitting on Charlie as he walks out, made better by the fact that they actually hook up at the end of the episode. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This felt more like an early "Friends" episode. A fun plot that incorporates everyone, some good humour, and a decent new guest star. There are still some problems, but I enjoyed this. Score: 67 Summary: Mando does a bounty to get information on the remaining Mandalorians. He is reunited with the Armourer and Paz Viszla. He learns he needs to learn to wield the darksaber. He reveals that he took of his helmet and is exiled. Mando returns to Tatooine and finds Peli, who he helps finish rebuilding an N-1 Starfighter which Mando uses. Fennec arrives at Peli's and offers Mando a job, Mando agrees to it but he will visit Grogu first.
The Good: This episode was packed with fun "Star Wars" moments and references. Of course we get to see Mando return in his full glory, and it is nice to get a full episode with him. Currently, Mando is a far better character than Boba, so I had much more fun watching his story than I have had watching any of Boba's. We get many more references littered about from the N-1 starfighter flying through the same canyon from "The Phantom Menace", to the return of the two New Republic officers from "The Mandalorian" and to a passing mention of fathiers and Mando's use of the term "wizard". This episode does well to appease many "Star Wars" fans by reminding us that this is all a connected universe. It was also nice to see Peli once more, and the ship-building storyline was decent fun. I enjoyed the opening sequence. It was very reminiscent of the first episode of "The Mandalorian" by putting Mando into the bounty hunting business, although this time he is doing it for a greater purpose. Still, it was a strong way to reintroduce the character, and set up the idea that he is not used to the darksaber and that it is weighing him down. Mando being exiled was a big moment which seemingly sets up his next story: redemption for taking off his helmet. I would love to see the show take this story in a different direction, but if this is all that's in Mando's future, at least it was set up well. I enjoyed the scenes with The Watch for what they were: tons of exposition and set up for "The Mandalorian" season 3. I enjoyed little world-building things like the existence of a commercial flight system in this universe. And I chuckled at Mando trying to get weapons on board the flight for religious reasons. The Bad: This episode does nothing to fix my problem with this show. I do not care about Boba's story right now, and spending an entire episode with Mando only furthers the issue. Evidently, even the writers don't think that Boba's story is compelling enough because they had to bring back Mando for a whole episode to pad out more time in what has so far been a bland, shallow, and poorly outlined plot. While the quality of this episode is solid, it does not fit in the overall Boba Fett story and is jarring. I was very annoyed with season 2 of "The Mandalorian" dedicating far too much time to setting up other TV shows, and I have that same criticism here. Instead of fleshing out Boba's story further, this episode exists almost solely to set up for "The Mandalorian" season 3, which should not happen in a series that should be all about Boba Fett. By doing this, the show is actively admitting to us that Boba's story is not important and is almost filler when compared to Mando's far more interesting story. I wish there was more focus on how Mando feels without Grogu. What we got was good (see: Best Moment), but it needed to be a more central aspect of the episode. As for the specifics of the episode itself, I had a few problems. Mando collected a bounty for information on the Mandalorians, but I have to wonder how that one guy even knew where they were anyways. Furthermore, it would have been nice to get some more context on what the plan is for The Watch now that most of them are dead. I struggled to connect with the plight of the Armourer when all of her dialogue felt so robotic and packed with exposition rather than substance. I also did not like the fight between Mando and Paz. Sure, it fits with the Mandalorian roots, but I could not connect at all with the emotions behind either character. I was left unsure with why Paz would want to kill Mando for the darksaber, and why Mando would accept his challenge. Plus, why did they take off their jetpacks? That suggested to me that this was going to be a fight to the death (if they fall, there's no saving them!), but then they just stop the fight prematurely. There was too much emphasis on the spectacle, and some of the details that were needed for emotional engagement were glossed over. From a technical standpoint, I was impressed by the oner in this episode when Mando went to collect the bounty, but I have to ask what the purpose of it was. This oner didn't add to the scene at all and it feels entirely unnecessary. The scene would have landed better with closer shots of the characters so we could have a better feel of the tension and emotion. With such wide shots to accommodate the oner, the scenes fell flat. The oner feels like it was only there for the sake of being there because of the spectacle. In that regard, it perfectly sums up the biggest problem of these "Star Wars" TV shows so far: they are all spectacle. There emphasis is always on the flashiness and cool stuff like Easter Eggs and visual effects, but we aren't getting enough substance to justify the spectacle, in fact the spectacle often gets in the way of the substance. It's a major problem that needs to be corrected. The Unknown: Will we be following Mando more this season? Or will we follow Boba and only see him after he visits Grogu. I really do not have much to say about this episode. Its place in the overall series feels weird and there isn't a whole lot to discuss. Best Moment: Mando seeing the young kid seated in front of him and thinking about Grogu. The show did a great job of making us feel how much mando misses him despite us not being able to see his face. The outline of Grogu's head subtly appearing in the wrapping of Mando's gift for him was a fantastic touch. Character of the Episode: Mando. Conclusion: This was flawed but decent entertainment and it would feel right at home as the season 3 premiere of "The Mandalorian". But seeing that this is "The Book of Boba Fett", this felt out of place and did not fit in with the rest of the story being told. It's an alright episode, but it has to be brought down because of its questionable placement in this show. Score: 56 Summary: Flashbacks show Boba find Fennec and save her by taking her to a mod artist. Together, they reclaim the Slave I from Jabba's Palace. Boba extracts vengeance on the Kintan Striders and goes to the Sarlacc Pit but doesn't find his armour. In the present, Boba recruits Krrsantan by offering him a job. He meets with Jabba's captains and they come to an agreement: Boba will fight the Pyke syndicate alone and allow the captains to continue to profit, and the captains must remain neutral.
The Good: There were broad strokes of good entertainment throughout the episode. It's fun to watch the heist storyline. It's a simple "Star Wars" story and it is adequate entertainment. Likewise, I enjoyed the ending dealings as they give us a little taste of the politics that this show had promised to dive into. I also liked the idea introduced that Boba's time with the Tuskens has caused him to appreciate some human elements such as loyalty. The mod artist sequence was pretty neat to see. It's an interesting new corner of the universe to introduce and the existence of mod artists makes sense in this world. The Bad: This was such an empty episode. There was nothing here that sucked me in, no drama, no emotion, no character development. This is just an empty husk that answered questions that nobody really cared about in the most predictable ways possible without anything interesting going on. The flashbacks were a colossal disappointment. I have to question the people who wrote this story because it is completely unimaginative. What we needed to know was how Fennec survived, why she's working with Boba, and how Boba got his ship back. And we received the most boring and predictable story possible to answer these questions, a story that was utterly devoid of any tension, drama, or emotion. Let's start with the Slave I. Did we really need to know how Boba got it back? It seems so obvious that he would return to Jabba's Palace and take it and that is exactly what happened. There was nothing at all interesting about this story and I found myself deeply underwhelmed. As for Boba saving Fennec, I was similarly underwhelmed. Apparently he saved her because he needed somebody capable to helps teal the Slave I. But couldn't he have quite literally hired anyone else to help steal the ship? After all, Boba was successful with just one other person, couldn't he have hired at least a few thugs and been successful? So his motivation to save Fennec is incredibly weak. Furthermore, Fennec had an awful episode. We know nothing about the character and this was a prime chance to connect us with her and understand her better. And we get... nothing. She decides to join Boba because, well, just because! Her motivations and goals are never outlined and it seems like she only joins him because the plot needed her to. We are presented no credible character reason for Fennec to join with Boba, and that is just atrocious writing. Their relationship is still a blank slate even after a flashback dedicated to the origin of their relationship. I really have to question the decision-making behind not developing this relationship at all, especially considering how little I care about both characters right now. Seeing them look at each other after a "big" reveal is all that we get and it actively pisses me off because that is such lacklustre, nonexistent storytelling that belongs more in a cheesy Bollywood drama than in a high-budget TV show. Where is the substance in this show? I am struggling to see any reasons for it to exist to begin with. I would say that the heart of the show so far is in Boba and his relationship with the Tuskens. The only scene that worked for me in the last episode is Boba seeing the destroyed ruins of the village. But this episode makes me question that as well because we see Boba extract revenge on the Kintan Striders and kill them all in a single scene with zero build-up that lasted about 30 seconds. What the hell? What kind of storytelling is this?! There is no emotion, no suspense, no character development, no sense of satisfaction at all. I am convinced that reading a summary of this scene would offer more quality than what we actually got. This was easily the most engaging story in the entire show (not much of a compliment) and it was treated as a total afterthought. Boba and Fennec's mission to the Sarlacc pit is more awful television. We get it, seismic charges are cool, but we've seen them so many times by now and it offers nothing to see one go off again. Again, the characters are not defined so seeing them struggle through this experience together offers nothing at all. I have no idea what their dynamic is, so I don't even get any fun character interactions from them. Furthermore, the entire basis of this plot is idiotic. Boba lost his armour to the Jawas! And surely he should know this because he was conscious when they took it from him! That's a massive oversight, and it is totally ridiculous for Boba to think that his armour is still in the Sarlacc pit. This episode proves why answering questions is never as good as telling a good story. This episode dedicates itself to tying up loose ends and it fails to tell anything even resembling a story. I would rather have never gotten these answers if this is how they were going to be given to us. I am angered by the cliffhanger of the episode. While the ending is seemingly a neat reveal that Mando will return in this season (see: The Unknown), I absolutely despise this decision. This show was supposed to be about Boba ruling in Tatooine, and now it looks like the big climax is just going to be a cameo from Mando. Seriously? Is that really the entire point of this show? Fanservice? I feel like an idiot for expecting something more from Disney, who seem to be incapable of taking risks and telling new stories ever since the poor reception of "The Last Jedi", and instead what we are getting are these awful, uninspired waste-of-time TV shows that only appeal to a small subset of "Star Wars" fans who want nothing but fanservice from their stories. If you are someone who is satisfied by that, then I'm glad that you can find something to enjoy in this show. But for me, this is devoid of anything that I look for in a TV show. Boba claims to Fennec that he was double-crossed and left for dead like her. That is such an absurd statement. In "Return of the Jedi", Luke's group killed everyone and Boba fell into the Sarlacc pit of his own accord and anyone with a brain would expect him to be dead. So how was he double-crossed in any way? A Gonk droid died in this episode. That's just rubbing salt in the wound of an already terrible episode. The Unknown: What exactly does the bacta tank do? Is Boba going to contact Mando to help him? It was a nice little moment to play the Mandalorian theme at the end of the episode to suggest this. Best Moment: The dealings with the captains. Character of the Episode: Boba. Nobody else stands out at all. Conclusion: This was such a flat experience. Production-wise it is fine, but there is absolutely nothing underneath the surface and it was difficult to engage in this episode in any way. The writing was infuriating, character development non-existent, and I finished this episode with absolutely zero reasons to tune in to the next one. I'll still watch it for completion's sake, but I'm no longer even interested in anything that this show has to offer. Score: 37 Summary: Rachel has a dream about kissing Joey after helping him with his soap opera scenes and realizes that she may have a crush on Drake. Chandler and Ross spend a weekend at a hotel in Vermont and start stealing things. Phoebe sets up outside Monica's restaurant to play guitar, but Monica wants her to stop.
The Good: The opening scene has amusing moments, like Joey with the pineapple and Rachel's incident in the men's room. Rachel's story in this episode is decent and it's a funny bit of writing to have Rachel develop a crush on Joey's character rather than Joey himself. Chandler and Ross do well in their plot. There are some weak moments, but the hotel story has enough clever ideas and laughs to work well enough. The Bad: This episode doesn't do great at getting laughs. Rachel's story has hardly any laughs. Ross feels much more stupid than he should be in this episode with the maple candy and the salt. Monica and Phoebe's story is absolutely terrible. Phoebe remains really awful in most episodes. Monica politely and reasonably asks her to play somewhere else, but rather than explain her side to Monica, Phoebe attacks her cooking abilities and restaurant ruthlessly, and Monica responds by viciously attacking Phoebe's musical abilities. These are serious attacks that can damage a friendship and should not be used in a sitcom story. Both characters look awful after this episode. Best Moment: Ross giving Chandler an exaggerated clap after he figures out the stealing rule. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was decent stuff outside of the bad Monica/Phoebe story. This certainly isn't one of the weakest episodes of the season, but it's still a long way from being good. Score: 50 Summary: Everyone decides to pitch in and buy tons of lottery tickets, intending to split the winnings between themselves. Chandler waits to hear back on if he has a new job.
The Good: This was a lot of fun. I always love episodes that see the six friends all together because it always makes for really funny and entertaining viewing. With everyone together, the interactions are a blast and it's easier for the characters to bounce off of each other. I wish that more episodes had all of the characters together like this instead of only reuniting everyone for just one or two scenes. Using this format made a marked improvement over other episodes in this season. The interactions were written well, and there were times where the show really got me to laugh hard, reminiscent of the excellent comedy of season 1-5 "Friends". Lots of ideas here were well executed like Joey not telling Monica his wish, Ross being so firmly against the idea of wasting money on a lottery, and Phoebe taking to calling Ross "daddy" (see: Best Moment). I thought the episode ended nicely with Chandler getting the job and Joey revealing that he had secretly wished for him to get the job. The Bad: This episode was so good for so long, but it loses a lot of its quality by needlessly shoving in a conflict in an utterly ridiculous way. This episode seemingly tried a similar format to "The One where Underdog Gets Away" from season 1 by having the friends all argue before making up afterwards. But where that episode created a credible situation for an argument, this episode sacrifices the credibility of the characters to make this conflict happen. Monica is annoying and an awful friend for sneakily getting lottery tickets for herself, and Chandler siding with her is even worse. Just as bad is Phoebe who is self-centered and annoying in how she handles the problem, and the lack of a genuine apology for dropping the lottery tickets does not suit her character at all. This needless conflict does not add much and makes many characters look worse, hurting this episode's quality. Best Moment: Ross explains that he wants Rachel to call him "daddy" to help with Emma's first words, but Phoebe decides to call Ross "daddy" instead. Lisa Kudrow handles the scene superbly, and it only gets funnier as Ross tries to match Phoebe by committing to the role, only to give up. This is a fantastic moment that utilizes Phoebe correctly as a caring friend who likes doing some harmless teasing. It's been a long time since we have seen this side of Phoebe. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This episode has a great premise and some fantastic interactions, but it does get brought down by the needless, tedious conflict that emerges. Still, it's a funny, enjoyable, and at times terrific episode that is the strongest of season 9 so far. Score: 68 Summary: Ross and Chandler prank each other online by spreading lies, which escalates into Ross holding a fake memorial service for himself. Joey doesn't want to share Hugsy with Emma. Phoebe enlists Monica in keeping her away from Mike.
The Good: Some interactions here are decent. Phoebe and Monica have an okay story and there is some humour in Mike getting someone to keep him away from Phoebe too. Chandler and Ross pranking each other has some funny aspects. The Bad: It is hard to say much good about this episode. Where to begin? Ross and Chandler's pranks cross a line and are really absurd. Chandler should know better than to endanger Ross' career with these statements on his profile, and Ross is really immature every step of the way which makes him look awful. Stuff like this can permanently damage relationships, and it was hard to buy into their sappy moment of friendship at the end of the episode when they are saying such dangerous things about each other which clearly are not in good spirits. The fake memorial service is an awful idea and it's a complete sell-out of the character of Ross. Ross used to be one of the most likeable and relatable characters in the show, but now he is a total self-absorbed, geeky, annoying asshole in most episodes. Without David Schwimmer's performance, I would not be able to stand him at all. Episodes like this prove that Ross is not a good character anymore. It has been evident all season long, but this really is the icing on the cake. Ross being so upset about people not caring he's dead getting to the point that he holds a fake memorial is terrible. Even worse is that he didn't even seem to call his parents to spare them of the heartbreak! And the ultimate moment of awfulness comes when he reveals himself to be alive to Kori, expecting that she might actually give him a shot. And instead of being reprimanded from how obviously sick this fake memorial service is, all he cares about is that Kori did have a crush on him. That is such unrealistic garbage that makes Ross feel like an unlikeable caricature that deserves nothing from anyone. What terrible character writing. Then we get to Joey's plot which is useless, unfunny filler. Joey is funny when he is shown to be narrow-minded, he is not funny when he is shown to be unrealistically childish. The episode doesn't come to any real conclusion and the entire joke is just Joey taking a stuffed animal away from a baby and not being the bigger person. I fail to see any comedy in this. Phoebe's story doesn't work either. Again, Mike being so flat makes it impossible to care, and Monica is more irritating than anything else in her role before she unfathomably has a change in heart and tells Phoebe to get back with Mike. What a trainwreck. Best Moment: Chandler hitting on Kori only he be reminded by Monica that he's married. Chandler replies "don't mind him, he's in a really bad mood". Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: What a bad episode. Right when I think season 9 might be improving towards the end of the season we get such an awful stinker of an episode. This is one of the worst episodes of the entire show, and further fuel to the fire that is my feeling that season 9 is going to end up as one of the worst seasons of a good TV show I have ever seen. Score: 30 Summary: Chandler and Monica both borrow money from Joey without telling each other and Joey tells Chandler that Monica borrowed it for a boob job. Mike moves in with Phoebe but they realize that they have contrasting opinions on marriage. Rachel baby-proofs Joey's apartment.
The Good: Phoebe has a good conflict to deal with here when she learns that Mike doesn't want to get married. She has to discover more about herself and how she feels about it before finally calling things off at the end of the episode. Ross is utilized well here when Phoebe goes to him for advice. The odd joke throughout the episode works, like Rachel not really carrying the couch, Joey struggling with the baby-proofing, and Ross trying to tell Phoebe how bad marriage is. The Bad: The Chandler/Monica story is atrocious. Their relationship has always been written so poorly that it's sometimes hard to understand how they are still together. The fact that they ask Joey in secret to borrow money is an awful development that should shake their trust in each other. The worst part is Chandler talking Monica out of borrowing money only to ask Joey for money anyways, a totally perplexing decision. Even stupider is Joey telling Chandler that Monica is getting a boob job. What did he think would happen? The scenes between Chandler and Monica after that are painful, and the miscommunication is unrealistic. Why didn't Chandler tell Monica forthright what he heard from Joey? And why didn't Monica try talking to Chandler first before jumping to conclusions that he is getting nervous about her being pregnant? And why on Earth did they have these discussions in front of Rachel? Everything about this story is awful. Phoebe's story could potentially have been emotional and tragic, but unfortunately it actually falls flat. Phoebe was written well, but the problem is Mike who is still a cardboard cut-out of a character. All of the stories involving Mike have failed because I hardly know him so I am entirely unable to connect with him. The break-up scene fails to have any impact because of my complete disconnect with anything involving Mike. Ross and his divorce names is a really cheap joke and it isn't funny. Best Moment: Joey struggling to deal with the baby-proofing. Character of the Episode: Phoebe. She wasn't particularly funny but at least she was written well. Conclusion: This episode gave Phoebe a good conflict, but Mike, the awful Chandler/Monica story, and some poor jokes really drag this down. After a pretty good episode, it's back to the standard fare of mediocrity. Score: 42 Summary: Phoebe and Ross almost get mugged and Ross learns that Phoebe used to mug people when she was younger, and Phoebe realizes that she actually mugged Ross. Chandler works as an intern and notices an age gap between him and the other interns. Joey gets an audition with the famous Leonard Hayes.
The Good: All 3 storylines delivered this time. Phoebe's history gets explored in an interesting way in this episode, and the reveal that she mugged Ross in the past is pretty funny. It's sensible that Ross would be upset and that Phoebe would be a little bit happy that she now has a deep-rooted connection to one of her friends since she has always been the outsider. Joey's story is also quite good. I've always liked stories that involve Joey acting because the writers can sometimes get creative with them. That happens here as we get to see Joey's hilarious acting ability while holding in his piss, aided by a lovely cameo from Jeff Goldblum who gives a memorable performance as the snobby famous actor. Chandler's story is decent too as we finally see him get a new job and do a good job now that he's finally doing something he's passionate for. The Bad: The biggest issue is that there isn't a whole lot of laughs in these stories. They are written about as well as early "Friends" episodes, but they don't capture the same level of comedy. Best Moment: Joey relaxing and accidentally peeing all over Leonard was great. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This was a surprisingly good episode. In a season full of stinkers, I'm impressed that the writers managed to create an episode with 3 good stories that were not painful to watch. The laughs were lacking a little bit, but overall I definitely enjoyed this. Score: 66 Summary: Joey and Phoebe set Rachel and Ross up on terrible first dates to hopefully get them back together. Chandler and Monica watch over Emma but a problem arises when they need to have sex the same night due to Monica's ovulation cycle.
The Good: Joey and Chandler do their best to salvage the humour in this episode. A lot of their jokes are cheap, but here and there we get some funny jokes and one-liners. The blind dates have their moments too, like Ross' interactions with the waiter. The highlight is definitely the Joey/Phoebe story. Their interactions are still loads of fun because this is a pairing that the writers still understand pretty well, and it is funny to see their ill-conceived plan fall apart by the episode's end. The Bad: The characters still aren't written great. Joey is unbelievably stupid a lot of the time (like thinking Joey is his family name), Chandler is becoming increasingly dorkier and less funny with every passing episode, and Phoebe's joking schemes rub me the wrong way considering how awful the character has been to her friends in the past. This biggest writing disaster in this episode was Monica, who was terrible. Monica's motherly instincts and total organization are essential to her character, so it is a shocker to think that she would agree to have sex in another room instead of watching over Emma. That's completely not in character. And funnily enough, Monica losing track of what day it is also doesn't fit her character at all, so the very premise of this story doesn't quite work. Rachel's blind date with Steve had huge potential for comedy and the performance is pretty good, but he is written as a completely unbelievable loser and the joke goes way too far to be funny at all. Best Moment: Rachel and Ross piecing together Phoebe and Joey's plan while they watch from the outside thinking how smart they are. Great comedic timing in that moment. Character of the Episode: Joey. He's been carrying this show for a while now. Conclusion: Another day, another poor season 9 outing, though this one was at least watchable and made me laugh more than previous episodes. Still, it's a subpar effort and I expect more from a show with the reputation of "Friends". Score: 55 Summary: Flashbacks show Boba go to collect money from the Pyke syndicate, but they do not pay because they partnered with the Kintan Striders. Boba returns to the village to discover that it was annihilated by the Striders. In the present, Boba resolves an issue where a gang stole water from a water-monger. Boba pays off the water-monger and hires the gang for his own protection. Boba is attacked at night by Krrsantan and he is eventually apprehended. Boba figures that the twins sent him. The next day, the twins meet with Boba and inform him that they are leaving because Tatooine has been claimed by a syndicate via a deal organized by the mayor. Boba goes to visit the mayor but they don't find him and the majordomo runs away. The gang chase him down and learn that the mayor is meeting with the Pyke syndicate. The Pykes arrive on Tatooine.
The Good: This episode is mostly set-up and it does an okay job. Boba seeing the village destroyed was a strong moment that sets up something of a revenge story for Boba as he is now all prepared to battle the Pykes for control over Mos Espa. Boba with the rancor was a nice little scene. It's nice to see Boba accepting the challenge of taming it as he is aware that the image of him riding a rancor would do wonders in terms of getting people to accept him as an important leader. I thought that the resolution to the water monger plot was clever. I'm thankful that it wasn't a mission-of-the-week storyline and that is was resolved rapidly while revealing a little more about Boba's leadership style. The Bad: This show is proving to be incapable of the deep political introspection and exploration that it needs in order to really thrive. Politics can work really well in television, but they need to be explored thoroughly to be worthwhile, else it becomes tedious, and the simplicity makes it feel unrewarding and unsatisfying. "The Book of Boba Fett" is far too simplistic right now and it doesn't seem to be making any specific messages on the political state of the world, nor is it really exploring the character of Boba Fett in any particularly interesting ways. We get hints of deeper storytelling in every episode, but the show never has the courage to go further than surface-level. This makes the political environment a real chore to sit through because we are not getting rewarded with deeper levels of storytelling. Furthermore, I'm annoyed that the show is ignoring a lot of the smaller details in leading. Including little things for Boba to worry about would go a long way in making this world feel more realistic and memorable. Unfortunately, all we get to see is the bigger picture with the main plot of Boba fighting to survive against people after his power. Even when there is mention of little things (the availability of water in Mos Espa, the lack of work available for the general public), it is glossed over and the show immediately moves on without offering any further world-building. I was confused by the twins exiting the story so quickly. They were completely unspectacular and boring in the last episode, and their sudden departure makes their inclusion utterly perplexing. Why spend so much time building up to them only for them to leave without doing anything of note? Now we seem to be building up to the Pyke syndicate instead, and I find myself confused by all the time that was wasted on the twins when we could have been building a better story. This time could have been used to flesh out the world, explore further politics and build up the Pykes even more. The production of this episode was notably worse and it disappointed me a lot. The CGI looked really bad. The twins and the rancor did not look like they existed in their environments and it put me off a lot. I would have preferred something physical like in the original "Star Wars" trilogy instead of this awful-looking CGI. Additionally, the speeder chase was awful. Calling it a "speeder" chase would not be accurate because the vehicles looked so out of place in this universe, and they traveled so slowly that I can't fathom an actual use for them. I've been very disappointed with this show's style of storytelling. The build-up of mystery, intrigue and suspense has been practically non-existent. Questions are answered as soon as they are brought up and exposition is often used to tell us plot developments instead of letting these developments unfold naturally. For proof, just take a look at "The Unknown" in this review. In almost every other show, I usually have lots of questions and ponderings, but with this episode every question I had was immediately resolved, leaving me with almost nothing to really think on for future episodes. The storytelling is basic, lacking in drama, and unsatisfying. The Unknown: Will the Kintan Striders come back in a future episode? How will Boba prepare for the impending war? Best Moment: Boba seeing the carnage after the Tusken village was destroyed. The music was impressive and while it wasn't a huge emotional moment by any means, I understood the story and sympathized with Boba. Character of the Episode: Boba. Conclusion: This episode hugely disappointed me. It was shallow and filled with missed opportunities and flat, uninspired storytelling. "The Book of Boba Fett" is currently utilizing none of its potential and it's looking to be another boring, uninspired Disney TV show, wasting its high budget. Score: 46 Summary: Ross tries to find a girl to go out with to get back at Rachel. This eventually leads to a fight between them. Monica goes to a piano event with Phoebe and sings but doesn't realize that the audience can see through her shirt. Joey goes to get his eyebrows done.
The Good: Once again, the cast and their interactions do their best to make this watchable. Everyone has some good lines and good jokes to salvage some poorly written storylines. I was amused by Joey's antics as he got his eyebrows done, Chandler gets so many one-liners so some of them are bound to land, and Rachel is at her awkward best while trying to fake being sick with Gavin before the whole charade falls apart. The Bad: But much of this episode is bad. The Ross and Rachel storyline has become unbelievably frustrating. Ross trying to find other girls to get back at Rachel makes him look awful, and the way he angrily goes after Rachel is awful character development. Their argument at the end of the episode tries to evoke the same emotions from their big argument in season 3 but it fails miserably, failing to capture any of that same tragic feeling. Where both characters are sympathetic and understandable in season 3, they are anything but right now. Ross behaves like a crazed lunatic who has learned nothing from his past, while Rachel proves to be not much better. Their argument is so forced and it's hard to believe that they both wouldn't just tell each other about their feelings at this point. It's so poorly written. The other two storylines are inconsequential filler. Joey getting his eyebrows done is the kind of nonsense gimmick storyline that proves that "Friends" is running out of ideas. As is Monica having a see-through shirt, a story that is light on laughs and continues to make Phoebe look like the worst friend ever. Best Moment: Joey identifying himself as "Chandler Bing" to save the Tribbiani name some embarrassment. Perfectly in-character and funny. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: The interactions are still good, but they struggle to mask the poor writing and aimless storytelling. Again, this is a poor effort from a show that has been a real chore to watch this season. Score: 47 Summary: In flashbacks, Boba Fett trains with the Tusken Raiders and earns their respect. They are attacked by a train and many are killed. Boba goes to a nearby outpost and fights some people and takes their speeders. He teaches the Tuskens how to use them and they destroy the train with them. Boba learns that the people are spice-runners and he negotiates a deal with them. In the present, Boba learns that the mayor sent the assassins and he confronts him. Boba returns to Garsa's and learns that Jabba's cousins, the twins, have arrived to lay claim to Jabba's throne.
The Good: As a standalone story, this is pretty good. It's an enjoyable arc to watch Boba and the Tuskens mutually gain respect for each other and help each other out. It's nice to see Boba learn how to fight through hardships, and it was amusing seeing the Tuskens attempt to learn how to use speeders. I liked seeing Boba negotiate with the spice runners. The suggestion is that he learned how to lead a criminal operation through his interactions with a crime syndicate while learning from the Tuskens. I'm curious to learn more of what he picked up from his past. I enjoyed the little bits of world-building we were given. The spice runners going through the dune sea is sensible in this universe, and I really liked the inclusion of the magical lizard that the Tusken Raiders use to find the branch to use for their weapon. Overall, this episode is enjoyable enough but I am short on things to talk about, which is evidence of how simplistic of an episode this is. The Tuskens story is simple fun and the action is nicely directed. The spice runners' train is a cool new piece of Star Wars technology. The scenes in the present are fine enough story progression as Boba works with the mysterious mayor and meets the twins, who are likely to be his main enemies. The Bad: While the simplistic nature of the show is still fun, I am left wanting more. The first episode promised more character work, complexity, and intrigue and yet we hardly got any of that in this second episode. That made the entire episode feel flat and it never sucked me in all the way because I was given very little substance to latch onto. The scenes in the flashback ended up being frustrating. Unlike the first episode, these scenes revealed little about the character of Boba, and I thought that this story was almost entirely unnecessary. The scenes went for far too long, and I am much less interested watching this story of Tusken Raiders fighting a train than I am watching the story of Boba leading a criminal operation. The opening sequence with the assassin did not impress me. Evidently, he was not afraid to die at Boba's hands, so why on Earth would the threat of a rancor make him reveal who sent him? That is very inconsistent, and it reeks of the writers shoehorning a way to get him to release information at a time when it should not happen. I continue to be disappointed by "Star Wars" TV shows because of how fanservice-heavy they are. I get the sense that the entire thought process behind this scene was to call back to the rancor from "Return of the Jedi". The Unknown: Did the mayor send the assassin? If it wasn't him, then who was it? And why would the assassin lie about it? How will Boba handle the hutts? Best Moment: Boba negotiating with the spice runners. Character of the Episode: Boba. Conclusion: This was your standard "Star Wars" fare. Some simple character work, a mission-of-the-week style story, and some completely safe storytelling. Last week promised a more complex show, but this episode returns to Disney's realm of safe, predictable, and uninspired. It's nothing special. Score: 56 Summary: Geralt takes Ciri to Kaer Morhen where she trains to become stronger. Yennefer has lost her powers and is captured by Fringilla. They are both captured by the elves, led by Francesca, and the three of them encounter a witch who offers them a deal. Francesca and Fringilla work together and Fringilla offers Cintra to the elves. Yennefer returns to Aretuza having lost her power but she isn't trusted so she escapes with prisoner Cahir. Cahir returns to Cintra while Yennefer saves Jaskier in Redania from Rience who is after Ciri. Geralt learns that Ciri is likely responsible for bringign new monsters into the world and he investigates a toppled monolith with Istredd. Geralt returns to Ciri and takes her to Melitele's Temple where he finds Yennefer. Yennefer makes a connection with Ciri and portals away with her when Rience attacks. Geralt fights them off and tracks down Ciri. Yennefer is tempted to sacrifice Ciri to the witch to get her powers back but is unable to do it. The witch is revealed to be Voleth Meir, a monster, and she is freed and possesses Ciri. Voleth Meir tries to kill the witchers but they fight back and Geralt and Yennefer are able to free Ciri. Fringilla and Francesca continue their alliance until Francesca's baby is suddenly killed. The elves seek vengeance by attacking Redania. The mages inform the kings about Ciri and they decide to go after her. Emhyr arrives in Cintra and is revealed to be Ciri's father Duny.
The Good: Geralt and Ciri's relationship was the core of this season and I thought that it was really well done. Henry Cavill is still the best part about this show and I completely bought into his passion to protect Ciri and act as a father figure for her. Meanwhile Ciri's respect for Geralt is completely understandable as he is the only one still alive that cares and protects for her. Both characters genuinely care for each other and the reasons are plain to see. I became more and more emotionally invested in this pairing as the season went on. The world building was much better than in season 1. Season 1 was rushed and convoluted, and I never felt the world of "The Witcher" pop out and grip me in the way that places like Westeros and Middle Earth have done in "Game of Thrones" and "Lord of the Rings" respectively. Thankfully, season 2 has addressed this and there has been far more world-building to make this world feel more real. World-building is a must in the fantasy genre, and I'm glad that more time was dedicated to it. Redania, Kaer Morhen, Cintra, Aretuza, Melitele's Temple, and all of the other various locations felt more fleshed out and recognizable, and I am more well-versed with the norms of this world and the people within it. There was also a lot more history and lore revealed to us in this season, which I always welcome. This season had great production value. It looks far better than season 1, and a big reason for the improved world-building comes from the improved set design and the increased amount of epic sweeping "Lord of the Rings" style establishing shots. I think that the season also nailed its dream sequences. There were several of these and they were all creepy, suspenseful and mysterious. Sure they were sometimes frustrating, but there's no denying that the production of these sequences added so much to scenes that could have been flat had they been directed in a static, predictable way. The storylines earlier in the season were fun and engaging to watch even if they did not lead to a satisfying pay-off. Yennefer losing her powers was an intriguing development, and while it didn't get explored to the extent that it could have, I enjoyed seeing Yennefer contend with not having her powers, forcing her to be resourceful and feel frustration at having now become just a normal person once again. Ciri's training is a joy to watch and her grit and determination is admirable, making you root for the character. And she is not simply perfect. She struggles and fails throughout the season, and her abilities and resolve are tested in every challenge she faces. It was great to see her slowly win over the respect of Geralt, Yennefer, and all of the witchers. Jaskier's return was welcome, and we had some nice moments when he first came back. The one storyline I really want to single out is actually Geralt and Ciri's visit to Nivellen's place in the first episode, "A Grain of Truth". This was quite easily the best episode of the season because of this stand-alone story. This isn't a plot-heavy episode but it explores the relationship between Geralt and Ciri really nicely, and both characters shine with the spotlight firmly on them. Then you add on Nivellen who is a fascinating grey character that allows "The Witcher" to explore some surprisingly thought-provoking and mature themes which I did not expect from the show at all. The ambiguity of Nivellen's past is a joy to uncover, and to learn of the awful things that this sweet man has allowed to happen under his watch is a real gut-punch. Plus there is a compelling mystery surrounding the bruxa, who is brought to life with so many terrifying ticks and movements, making it the show's best and most memorable monster so far. The Bad: Most of what I liked about this season came in the first half of the season, and that is because the final few episodes completely bungled all of the set-up and storytelling. I've read that "Blood of Elves", the book that this season is based on, is a slower paced, character-driven story with little action. And that slow paced storytelling is what we needed to invest in the characters and world during this season. But evidently, the creators thought that people wouldn't care for a season without much action, so the end of the season sees Voleth Meir forcefully inserted into this narrative, distracting from the story and characters to include some empty "dramatic" action sequences to prevent the casual audience from being bored. We spent so much time building these characters and their relationships, but Voleth Meir makes much of this a moot point by stealing the spotlight from the emotional narrative in the final two episodes. This gives the end of season 2 a really unsatisfying feeling because we didn't see the character arcs completed with the level of emotion we needed. It also doesn't help that the writing in these last two episodes was pretty terrible, and you can find more specifics in my episode-by-episode reviews. Also contributing to the lack of a satisfying emotional conclusion to the season is how rushed the season felt. The story moved forward too rapidly and there were far too many storylines shoved into this 8 episode run. An extra 2-3 episodes would have helped this season a lot by giving these storylines time to breathe. As the show is right now, so many of the side stories uninterest me because they weren't given time to develop and hook me in. I don't care about Rience because I hardly know him, the kings haven't received enough screentime for me to care, Francesca was never given enough time to grow into a complete character, Yennefer's relationship with Ciri did not get adequate time to grow and make me buy into it, etc. All of these are examples of storylines that fell flat because they were squeezed into an overstuffed season and not given the time to make me care. I was only really interested in the Geralt/Ciri stuff, and that didn't even get very much screentime because so much time was spent on these various other poorly realized characters and their rushed storylines. The fact that the season feels so rushed makes Voleth Meir's inclusion even more questionable. How much important story build-up and character development was cut to include this unnecessary, boring villain? This season doesn't do a whole lot of things badly, but these two main points are devastating to the overall quality of the story, leaving me feeling extremely disappointed with this season because we should have gotten a far better story. Another criticism I have is on the decision to release all eight episodes at once, encouraging people to binge the show thoughtlessly. For shows like "Stranger Things" which is very simple and easy to watch, this works well. But for a complex and lore-heavy show like "The Witcher", this decision to encourage binging is perplexing. For a fantasy narrative, you need to have time between episodes to ponder the story and the world, letting the new concepts we learn sink in. But when the show is binged, it encourages the viewer to ignore all of the world-building, themes, and deeper storytelling, and to simply watch the show for its action and fun, only appreciating the deeper elements of the show on a surface level. I do not agree with this approach at all, and I firmly believe that releasing episodes of this show weekly is a far better approach than to drop the entire season at once. This show is based on a fantasy book series. And you never read fantasy books in a single day, it's always bit by bit over time so that it doesn't feel overwhelming. Releasing the entire season at once is a big way that this show fails to capture the feeling of its source material. Best Episodes: E01 A Grain of Truth: This stand-alone experience ended up being the best episode of the season. An intriguing and mysterious story about a man that grapples with themes of morality and what makes people into monsters. The best content we have got from "The Witcher" so far. E04 Redanian Intelligence: The set up done in this episode is good and exciting to follow and it feels like the season is building up to something exciting. Yennefer, Geralt, and Ciri continue to develop well, while we also get a good mini-arc of two elves who meet their end in this episode. Worst Episodes: E07 Voleth Meir: An episode that feels rushed and uninspired, ending with a woeful action sequence that is forced, poorly written, and entirely unsatisfying. E08 Family: A season finale that focuses too much on monster fighting and too little on making us care about what is going on. This was a dull, flat experience. Character of the Season: Ciri. Freya Allan puts in a great performance this season and she has much more to work with this time. Conclusion: Going into this season, I had expectations that the show would learn and improve from season 1, which was tonally awkward, confusing, and filled with sloppy dialogue, writing, and acting. Season 2 corrected these flaws, and early on it looked like it was building up to something great. Characters were developing, storylines were getting introduced, and I was getting more invested in the narrative with each passing episode. But the ending of this season flopped. The last two episodes introduced a random new villain and abandoned much of what made the first six episodes interesting, leaving us with a poorly written and unsatisfying mess to end what should have been a triumphant season that pushed the narrative of "The Witcher" forwards in interesting ways. Instead what we got was a villain forcibly inserted in the story, a lack of satisfying character arcs, and yet again, the feeling that this season's entire purpose was to set up the next one. Even though this corrected the flaws from season 1, new cracks emerged that led to this season feeling just as flawed as the first, even if I did enjoy it a bit more overall. I'll once again be going into season 3 with the expectation that "The Witcher" will improve and learn from its mistakes, but this time I will be more skeptical. The source material is solid, it just needs to be put to the screen in a compelling way. And after two seasons, "The Witcher" still hasn't found out how to do that. Summary: Ciri, possessed by Voleth Meir, starts killing witchers in Kaer Morhen. Yennefer and Geralt try to stop her and wake the witchers. Vesemir wants to kill her but Geralt resists the idea. Eventually Voleth Meir is removed from Ciri, and Yennefer's powers are restored. The elves murder babies in Redania out of vengeance. Cahir and Fringilla frame it as their own doing, but Emhyr arrives and reveals it was his order. He is revealed to be Duny. The elves capture Istredd who tells them of Ciri. The mages reveal information about Ciri to the kings.
The Good: Geralt trying to save Ciri does some basic storytelling well. It solidifies his meaningful relationship with her and also how important she has become to the witcher community. Much of the rest of the episode is set up for next season, and that much is done well. The Emhyr twist was a great moment to end the season. The Bad: But much of this was pretty bad. Voleth Meir feels like such a useless character to introduce. Instead of developing the characters and their relationships, this final episode is all about defeating her and it is woefully dull. Voleth Meir isn't interesting at all, and it's obvious that Ciri won't die so there is a lack of tension. I'm disappointed that proper storytelling was forsaken to provide more empty action. Voleth Meir's possession of Ciri doesn't even make sense. I have no clue how she did this or what's stopping her from possessing others. Yennefer's sacrifice of slitting her wrists could have been effective but I had absolutely no idea what that was even accomplishing. Then she somehow got her magic back, confusing me further. For much of this episode, I was left scratching my head at all of the events that were transpiring. Jaskier had a terrible episode. I enjoyed him in previous episodes, but now all he does is deliver bad jokes during serious situations, which feel completely out of place. Was it really worth saving Ciri at the expense of so many witchers? I find it hard to believe that everyone praised Geralt for his actions. Yennefer becoming trusted by everyone so quickly did not feel earn. Her story has been rushed. The set-up with so many characters coming after Ciri feels hollow because we hardly know these people. I don't care that the elves are killing babies (a gross over-reaction if I've ever seen one), I don't care about Rience and Lydia because I know nothing about them, I don't care about Dijkstra because all we have seen from him is that he's weird, and I don't care for the council of mages because they are all shallow and uninteresting. As a final quibble, how the hell is the witcher lab still functional after being destroyed two times? The Unknown: How does Voleth Meir's possession work? Whoa re the wild hunt? What are their goals? Why did Istredd tell the elves about Ciri? Is Jaskier working for Dijkstra? He alluded to a bard working for him? What will happen to Cahir and Fringilla now that they have been apprehended? Best Moment: The reveal that Emhyr is actually Duny was a nicely executed twist. Character of the Episode: Geralt. Conclusion: This was poorly written and disappointing. When season 2 needed to ramp up and become more emotionally engaging, it completely failed and instead opted for rushed new developments and by-the-numbers storytelling by creating an unnecessary new villain. This needed to be much better. For my thoughts on season 2 as a whole, click here. Score: 45 Summary: Yennefer and Ciri head to Cintr and Yennefer helps her control her magic. Geralt saves Jaskier and they go after Ciri with Yarpen's group. Triss tells Tissaia about Ciri and she tells Vilgefortz. Dara informs Dijkstra about Ciri and then leaves his service. Francesca's baby winds up dead soon after. Ciri realizes Yennefer's intentions and they are attacked by Cintrans. Geralt's group saves them but Voleth Meir, the witch, is woken and she possesses Ciri. Fringilla is being pushed by both the elves and Nilfgaard. She kills many high-ranking generals and threatens Cahir.
The Good: Fringilla's conflict in this episode is the best she's had to work with so far. The episode does a great job of conveying how she is torn between Nilfgaard and the elves, and with both sides not cooperating as she would have liked, it's sensible for her to try to seek an escape in Aretuza. But true to form, the scummy arrogance of the mages removes any chance of Fringilla returning, and she goes back to Cintra with more resolve than ever in a chilling scene (see: Best Moment). Geralt and Jaskier's reunion is welcome and it is nice to see them back together with their bond intact. Jaskier is good at injecting levity in between the suspenseful storylines so his presence works really well here. The Bad: Everything involving Tissaia and Vilgefortz is melodramatic and devoid of emotion. I'm not a fan of how many moving pieces are being introduced that are targeting Ciri. All of them are half-baked and uninteresting; I would prefer a single focused story instead of this messiness. I did not like the ending action sequence at all. Ciri screams, and then somehow a bunch of Cintrans instantly teleport to her location within seconds. This is not only completely unfeasible, but it is directed and paced so poorly that it took me out of the scene. Then of course we have a Geralt ex machina as he just so happens to teleport right to Ciri's location and fight of the Cintrans (of which there was only a handful - where are the rest of them????). This scene was awfully written and that destroyed any chance of it working. I also didn't feel the impact of Yennefer's betrayal at all. We needed Ciri to spend more time with her and grow to trust her in order for this betrayal to really sting. And we needed more ways for Yennefer to really connect with Ciri to understand her emotions better. A single scene of Ciri learning to use magic is nowhere near enough to sell this story. The Unknown: What happened to Lydia when she tried to use the mutagen? Who killed Francesca's baby? What is Fringilla's plan? Did Voleth Meir just possess Ciri? How? Also how was she freed? By Francesca? Why did she need to do dealings with Francesca, Fringilla, and Yennefer to escape? Is Yennefer's magic going to return now? How were Ciri and Yennefer able to read each other's minds? Best Moment: Fringilla appearing during the generals' dinner and ruthlessly murdering all of them while establishing her dominance to Cahir. This was an excellent moment for the character after she spent much of the episode feeling lost. Character of the Episode: Fringilla. Conclusion: This was decent progression for most of the episode, but this late in the season we need something more emotional and engaging. Then add on an awful, sloppily written ending sequence and this is easily the season's weakest effort yet. Score: 49 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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