Summary: Flashbacks show Locke being contacted by Richard at various moments in his life, from birth to his teenage years. On the island, Locke continues to search for Jacob's cabin with Hurley and Ben. He eventually finds it after some dreams and finds Christian and Claire in the cabin. He's told that he has to move the island. Keamy returns to the freighter in a rage and gets the secondary protocol against Captain Gault's orders. Keamy makes plans to return to the island to kill everyone. Gault helps Sayid escape on the freighter's zodiac raft so he can ferry people from the beach back to the freighter. Keamy orders Franks to take him back and when Frank refuses he murders the doctor and Gault. Frank takes Keamy back to the island but drops a sat phone to the beach camp while he flies over it.
The Good: This episode is all about destiny, and Locke accepting it. The flashbacks do a terrific job of showing us how the island has been calling for Locke since the very moment he was born. His birth was a miracle itself, and then in one of the episode's most chilling moments we see Richard watching Locke's birth from outside the hospital room (see: The Unknown). The flashbacks continue to show fantastic moments like these as destiny seems to call Locke, but Locke's desire to be somebody else (don't tell me what I can't do) impedes his progress in fascinating ways. His rejection of science camp because he wants to be "cool" is a good example and literally features his "don't tell me what I can't do", but it was Richard's childhood visit that I thought was the most well executed example. Richard lays out a very curious test for Locke (again, see: The Unknown) and Locke has to pick something that already belongs to him. While I'm not sure what the correct option was, it's telling that Locke picks up the knife, not something that already belongs to him, but something he wants to belong to him. Locke has been running away from destiny his entire life, but now on the island, he has finally embraced it. The island storyline with Locke is really compelling. Locke is his usual eccentric self on the journey to Jacob's cabin, taking orders from the island through his dreams, similarly to back in "Deus Ex Machina". He's a man on a mission, ready to accept his destiny. But right next to him is somebody who exists as a chilling warning to Locke that destiny may not be as glorious as it may seem. For the entire episode Ben seems much more subdued than usual, only making smug comments here and there. It's clear that Alex's death has shaken him to his core and he feels betrayed by what he thought was his own destiny. Now here Ben is looking at Locke as he takes orders from dreams, manipulates others, and follows what he believes is his destiny, and Ben can't help but see himself in Locke. Hence Ben delivers his warning that destiny "is a fickle bitch". It's an ominous warning to us that Locke may not find what he wants in his mission to save the island. The episode builds nicely to its ending moments as Locke finally enters the cabin and prepares to meet with Jacob. Instead we get a very unexpected reveal as Christian is the one waiting in the cabin for Locke and it's Christian who gives the orders (once again, see: The Unknown). The scene is brilliantly shot, and just like in "The Man Behind the Curtain", it is a spooky and intense experience. Plus we also get a lovely little scene as Hurley and Ben share a chocolate bar while waiting. The freighter storyline is also really effective and has a number of really strong developments and conflicts. Keamy seems to be taking the mantle as this season's main villain, and he's really entertaining to watch. Watching the power dynamic shift on the freighter is intense, and it culminates in a great final scene as Keamy murders both the doctor and Gault to get back to the island. Additionally, It's evident that it's Keamy, not Gault, who is Widmore's main man, and Keamy's desire to "torch the island" offers us some more insight on Widmore's motives (again, see: The Unknown). The scenes on the freighter were really strong and served as a perfect B-story that furthered the plot in an interesting way. The Bad: Nothing I'd call bad. This was a consistent episode with no major flaws. The Unknown: There are so many fascinating questions raised by this episode. This was easily one of the best mystery-building episodes of the whole series. In "The Man Behind the Curtain", you could chalk up Richard's same appearance in the past as poor make-up. But here Richard appears at Locke's birth looking exactly the same as he is now. Does he not age? How is this possible? Why is Richard scouting Locke anyways? What is it about Locke that makes him so special? Was Locke having visions about the smoke monster as a child? Why? What was Richard's test about? Which item was the correct answer? Why was it important for Locke to answer correctly? We learn that Horace is the one who built the cabin, so it is not that old. Why is this significant? If it's a normal cabin, how is it capable of moving? Is that Jacob's doing? How old is Jacob? He must have only been living on the island for a short time if he lives in a cabin that was built during the Dharma Initiative days. Why is he treated like a deity? Who is Christian? He says he can speak for Jacob. Is he one of Jacob's people? How does that work? Does Jacob resurrect dead people? Have all the visions of dead people in previous episodes been Jacob's doing? Why is Claire in the cabin too? Is she dead as well? Why is she happy to be there with Christian? If Jacob isn't in the cabin right now, then where has he gone? Does Jacob go to other places too? Could Jacob possibly be the smoke monster? It would explain how Ben was able to summon it if it was Jacob. I don't want to go too far into theorizing, but there are so many fascinating possibilities about Jacob after this episode. Ben confirms that wiping out the Dharma Initiative wasn't his decision. Does this mean it was Widmore's decision? Could this be why Ben has a major conflict with him? Because he's a ruthless mass murderer? What exactly is the secondary protocol? Why does Widmore want to murder everyone on the island? Keamy says that Widmore knows where Ben will be going. How does he know this? Where is Ben going? Is it the cabin? What is the device that Keamy has attached to his arm? Abbadon's appearance was one of the episode's most fascinating moments. Who is this man? Who is he working for? Ben? Widmore? Or somebody else? Did he somehow know about Flight 815? Did he send Locke to a walkabout knowing that it would take him to the island? Does he know that he will meet Locke again? Abaddon mentions that he had a miracle too. What was it? Best Moment: The cabin sequence. A dramatic and intense scene as Locke finally confronts his destiny. Character of the Episode: Locke Conclusion: This was a hugely effective episode that accomplished everything that it set out to do. There was a lot of set-up here, and many of the biggest mysteries were deepened by this episode. Add on a terrific central story surrounding Locke finally realizing his destiny and we have a terrific episode, one of the season's best. Score: 80
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Summary: In flashforwards, Jack and Kate have moved in together and are happy. However, Jack meets with a guilty Hurley and has a vision of his father that prompts him to leave her instead of marrying her like he had planned. On the island, Jack gets appendicitis and Juliet operates on him to save him. Juliet is clear to Kate that Jack loves her. Jin and Sun go with Charlotte and Daniel to The Staff for medical supplies. Jin ensures with Charlotte that Sun will be taken off the island. Sawyer, Claire and Miles head back to the beach, but Claire walks off with Christian along the way, leaving Aaron behind.
The Good: The flashforwards told an excellent story. The Kate and Jack love story has been developing since the very first episode, and here we finally see it at its peak in the flashforwards with the two of them living together. It's a nice moment that pays off of seasons worth of interactions, and I did feel something seeing them together, even if their chemistry has been a weaker aspect of the show. Because of the longevity of the storyline, I bought into them living together happily. But of course it doesn't last, and we know beforehand that it doesn't last because of what we saw back in "Through the Looking Glass". The story is packed with a tragic sense of foreboding because we know that Jack will eventually leave her and fall victim to his regret of not staying on the island. The question that intrigues us throughout this episode is what happens to Jack that makes him give up his happy life with Kate? The answer is quite grim. After a visit with an insane Hurley (see: The Unknown), you can evidently see that Jack is shaken up by what he said and we see some hints of Jack's guilt popping up. But Jack being Jack, is stubborn and ignores his emotions, opting to push ahead with Kate by proposing to her. The episode does really well to connect us with Jack in this sequence. We understand his guilt, but we can also admire his courage as he does his absolute best to keep things moving with Kate. It's not until Jack gets visited by a literal ghost of the past (see: Best Moment) that he finally realizes that he can't go through with his dream life with Kate. It's a sad realization, and the fight between Jack and Kate is heartbreaking to watch. A lovely detail is how Jack is unable to let go of the idea of Kate doing a favour for Sawyer and latches onto it aggressively to kick off the fight with Kate to lead to their break-up. It's so in-character for Jack to become obsessive like this when he's aggravated, and a lack of trust has been something that we've seen from him in his relationship with Sarah. The writers have grasped the essence of Jack's character tremendously well. The island story has some smaller things that I liked a lot. Rose being confused about Jack's sickness is a logical development, and I like seeing the minor characters speculating about the powers of the island for once. The tense sequence with Keamy almost finding Sawyer, Claire and Miles was pretty good and establishes that he's still a big threat and that the smoke monster did not wipe them all out. The Jin and Sun subplot was pretty good as well, and I can't help but wonder if Jin choosing to save Sun over himself is why Jin ultimately ends up dying. The Bad: The island story is pretty weak. Obviously Jack is not going to be killed by appendicitis so there is no suspense at all. The main purpose of this episode is to resolve the love triangle with Jack, Kate and Juliet, a storyline which ended up being woefully unnecessary. The island plot of this episode highlights how the writers have failed to come up with a compelling storyline for Jack's camp this season. There hasn't been any plot progression at all and all of the interesting things have happened at Locke's camp, on the freighter, or in flashforwards. The Unknown: Is Hurley crazy in the mental institution? It's very possible that the island is somehow sending him these visions. Or, more interestingly, are they just a manifestation of his guilt? If that's the case, then how did Hurley know that Jack would be getting a visitor too? Or was the vision of Christian another manifestation of guilt rather than a legitimate vision? What was the favour that Kate did for Sawyer? Why did Sawyer choose to stay on the island? How did Jack save Kate? Why did Christian take Claire with him? What is he going to do with her? Why is he on the island anyways? What are his goals? Is Claire walking off with Christian the reason why she didn't get saved? Best Moment: Christian appearing to Jack in the flashforwards was a fantastic moment. The atmosphere of the scene was isolating and frightening, and that made Christian's sudden appearance feel every bit like a horrifying reminder to us as it would to Jack. The best part of the scene is how it's shot in a way that makes it unclear if this is all in Jack's head or not. The other doctor was calling his name, so maybe it was never Christian that called for Jack, but his coworker. Regardless, the entire ordeal leaves Jack incredibly shaken, and Matthew Fox does a fantastic job of portraying how big of an effect this moment had on Jack. Character of the Episode: Jack. Conclusion: Jack's camp has been the least compelling location to focus on this season, and that trend continues with this episode. Luckily, the character story is excellent and the character writing makes every scene enjoyable, so the episode is still really good. But the lack of momentum in the island story prevents this from being as good as it could have been. Score: 68 Summary: Tommy prepares to betray Kimber but the plan is leaked by Grace who runs away. Kimber’s men show up and there is a standoff. Freddie is freed and brought back to Birmingham. Tommy kills Kimber. Danny dies in the chaos. Campbell resigns from his position.
The Good: There was some good drama throughout this episode and that makes it watchable. The Bad: Unfortunately every pay-off here was really weak and underwhelming. This episode proved to me that “Peaky Blinders” is an uninspired, emotionally empty and utterly underwhelming TV show. This episode was technically well done but the story was terrible. The whole season was spent with Tommy carefully working through gang conflicts to end up on top. And yet the pay-off for this season is that Tommy gets lucky enough to shoot Kimber in the head so that he wins. This was unbelievably anticlimactic as Tommy himself does nothing to earn this and he faces no consequences for not identifying that Grace was working against him. If there are no consequences, I have no reason to care. The climax was woefully empty emotionally too. Freddie’s return has no resonance because he isn’t even supposed to be on good terms with these people, Danny’s death is empty because I hardly know who he is, and Ada’s intervention has no impact because of how utterly stupid and illogical is. Furthermore, it makes no sense for Kimber to lead his own men and risk his life. Even sillier is how Kimber is shot and nobody does anything. Surely taking him out isn’t that easy! Anyone can do that! It’s also unbelievable that everybody did not start firing when the first shot was fired. The whole climax was just awfully written. Campbell’s story was really bad too. The character has become a real nothing of a villain who abuses women and is a manipulative bad guy who doesn’t have morals. This is a far cry from the morally complex man that I was hopeful we would get back in the first episode. The ending cliffhanger is laughably bad and gives me no incentive to keep watching. As a final note, the ending was very tonally confused, but there is more detail of that in my review of season 1 which will be linked below. The Unknown: Will Tommy go find Grace? Is Grace dead? I strongly doubt it. I wonder where the gunshot came from though. Best Moment: It’s tough to find a moment I fully enjoyed. I’ll go with Tommy’s time in the bar before Kimber’s men show up. Character of the Episode: Tommy. Conclusion: This episode failed. I may be a bit harsh on my score of this episode but it is indicative of how this episode killed my interest in this show. This pay-off was disappointing and poorly written, and it was abundantly clear that there is nothing in this show that I was ever emotionally invested in. I just didn’t care about what was happening. Season 1 was a big disappointment and I will not be watching more. For more thoughts on season 1, click here for my review of it. Score: 42 Summary: The Shelbys turn on Tommy. Tommy deals with Byrne from the IRA and enlists Grace and the police to help him with them. The plan goes awry and Grace ends up murdering the two IRA men. Grace discovers the location of the guns and leaks it to Campbell. Tommy and Grace hook up. Campbell discovers this. Tommy’s father returns to town. Arthur spends time with him and gives him money but he leaves with it. Arthur tries to kill himself but fails.
The Good: Arthur’s an idiot for falling for his father’s trick but the story is done well on paper. The dealings with the IRA are the best parts of the episode for sure and are the most tense and exciting that the show has ever been. The stand-off scene is great television with plenty of storylines converging. Seeing Tommy snap was shot very well and his horrific murder was difficult to watch. There was a really poignant moment of directing as Grace sang her song while every on-screen character was suffering. The Bad: Arthur’s story is hurt because we don’t know why he accepted his father’s return and why he was waiting for him. Not giving us context for this removed all emotion from that storyline. His suicide attempt was only there for shock value and had no emotional weight. Tommy is an idiot for not suspecting Grace by now. He has every reason to be suspicious of her yet he ignores it because he’s in love, a boring and uninspired cliche. The love triangle set up with Tommy, Grace and Campbell doesn’t interest me at all and I’m not excited for it. The Tommy/Grace relationship feels rushed and I don’t buy into their love at all. I had to roll my eyes at how quickly the Shelbys forgave Tommy. He comforted Arthur one time and suddenly nobody has any problems with him. That’s not how people think! I find it hard to believe that Tommy isn’t trying harder to find out how Campbell found the guns. The Unknown: Will Arthur be punished for his mistake? Will the Shelbys learn that he gave up the location of the guns? Will Tommy learn about Grace? How will he react? What does Campbell intend to do now that he knows about Tommy and Grace? Where is the one remaining machine gun? Best Moment: The tense standoff between Tommy and the IRA. Character of the Episode: Tommy. Conclusion: This episode had a great sequence with the IRA but overall I don’t think that it did much good for the direction of the show as a whole. With such little emotional investment, the climax of this season has been disappointing so far. Score: 56 Summary: During a Shelby meeting, the Lee family steals their money. Tommy makes peace with the Lees by allying with them against Billy Kimber. The alliance is sealed when Tommy marries John to one of the Lees. Tommy gives Stanley Chapman, Freddie’s superior, to Campbell. Freddie returns for the wedding but he is sold out and captured by Campbell.
The Good: Campbell’s threat was a superb scene. It did a great job of illustrating how desperate Tommy’s current position is and sets up his motives for the rest of the episode. Even though his family doesn’t know, we know that Tommy is doing what’s best for the family. The family meeting at the start of the episode was fun and helped show us the dynamic between these characters. We need more scenes like this. The Bad: Again, this episode had little heart to it. John’s storyline gives us no real insight into the character and simply provides another scenario for Tommy to resolve. Tommy himself isn’t given any depth by the show either. All we get to see is how smart he is and that’s not enough to make me care. The Freddie story is the centerpiece of the episode but there’s not much to it. I’m not invested in the character so I really don’t care what happens to him. The Unknown: How will the show follow up on Tommy kissing Grace? Is there a romance starting there? What is Grace and Campbell’s history? Did Tommy actually give up Freddie? I imagine it was probably Grace who did it. Best Moment: Campbell threatening Tommy’s family. Character of the Episode: Tommy. Conclusion: This might have been a better episode had the characters been better defined throughout the show. But the characters are weak, therefore the story ends up falling flat. Score: 55 Summary: Grace kills a man from the IRA. Freddie refuses to leave with Ada and comes into conflict with Tommy. Tommy takes Grace to the races and the Peaky Blinders route the Lee family. Tommy makes another deal with Kimber. Kimber tries to have Grace but Tommy stops him.
The Good: This show still has a really strong core. The scenes are well written and well produced, the plot is fun to watch and the dealings that Tommy has with various other groups are always enjoyable. The scenes with Kimber are very well written and engaging, and I like how they are used to shed more light on the relationship between Tommy and Grace. The Freddie story is heating up nicely and I’m interested to see where it goes. I really like how the show handles PTSD, and the scenes with Tommy and Arthur suffering from PTSD were really well done. The Bad: The show is flat emotionally. The plot is moving rapidly with lots of interesting situations popping up, and I think that it will go somewhere exciting. But at the moment it feels like a lot of set-up without enough of an emotional core to be anything more. I don’t really have any specific scenes to comment on because nothing really stands out as good or bad. Every scene is just another solid scene that pushes forward the plot. The show is lacking depth. The Unknown: What will Tommy do with Freddie? Best Moment: Tommy’s war dream. Character of the Episode: Tommy. Conclusion: This was more of the same. Another technically impressive episode that doesn’t have much heart. Score: 58 Summary: Tommy fights the Lee family after getting a horse from them but it gets sick after the races and Tommy puts it down. Billy Kimber goes to Tommy after he fixed a race, but they make a deal to fight the Lee family. Tommy makes a deal with Campbell to return the guns if Campbell helps him and lets him do his business. Ada is pregnant and Freddie offers to marry her against Tommy’s wishes.
The Good: This is a very well written show. The plot developments here are sensible, and it’s immensely satisfying how the multiple storylines play into each other. For example, the Lee family story ends up being the way that Tommy diffuses the situation with Billy Kimber (which was also brought up as a problem last episode). The plot has been written very consistently so far with several dramatic twists and turns. I like that a lot. The side characters came off better in this episode. Pol, Ada and Freddie were given more to do in this episode. The Bad: This was another very plot-heavy episode without a whole lot of heart to it. I enjoyed what was on-screen but I’m not invested in the story or characters just yet. Most of this episode’s thrills felt very two-dimensional. The Unknown: What’s Tommy’s plan for working with Kimber? I imagine that being his ally isn’t enough for Tommy. How will Tommy deal with Freddie choosing to stay? Will Campbell still honour the deal with Tommy once he discovers that Freddie is still around? Best Moment: Tommy making the deal with Campbell is a lot of fun. Scenes like these help us appreciate Tommy’s intelligence. Character of the Episode: Tommy. Conclusion: This episode had more fun plot developments and continued to slowly get me invested in the characters. However, the show is still lacking heart. Score: 60 Summary: Tommy is leader of the Peaky Blinders in 1919 Birmingham. His men accidentally steal a crate full of guns and Tommy plans to use this to his advantage. An inspector, Campbell, is sent to Birmingham to find the guns and he plants Grace in the Peaky Blinders’ bar. Tommy fakes the death of Danny, a friend from the war.
The Good: The show conveys the historical period really well and I was very impressed by the production of the show. The sets look accurate, the costumes are brilliant and the atmosphere captures the early 1900s feel. I also really liked the dialogue, and I appreciate that the showrunners didn’t shy away from using heavy British accents in the show to accurately convey the time period. Tommy is proving to be an intelligent main character, which is always a good hook. I’m interested to see more from him. I’m also very intrigued by the competition between Tommy and Campbell since they both seem to be in an intense chess match with each other. I didn’t see the Grace twist coming and I’m excited to see where the show goes with this plot thread. The Bad: Otherwise, this was a bit of a flat pilot. The first half hour was really dull because the show started to have major plot moments before we even got acquainted with the characters and the world. These moments had minimal impact on me because I didn’t know the characters or the world well enough for these reveals to have any meaning. I wish that the plot had started to develop after we were appropriately introduced to the characters, the rules, and the gang organization in this world. I don’t even think that the show explained who the Peaky Blinders are, which is a misstep for viewers who don’t already have an idea of what the show is about. Pilots are meant to hook the audience and unfortunately this one didn’t do a very good job. The episode also drags on a bit with its hour-long runtime. The Unknown: I’m not sure how to feel about these side characters yet. What’s going on with Ada and Freddie? Is this fling important? What’s wrong with Danny? What happened to him during the war? What are Campbell’s plans for Grace? What are Tommy’s plans for the guns? Best Moment: Campbell’s speech upon meeting the Birmingham police force. It wasn’t a terrific moment by any means but it gave us a great idea of what this character is about while allowing Sam Neill a good performance to connect to the audience. Character of the Episode: Campbell. Conclusion: The concept of this show intrigues me and I want to see more, but I think that this pilot could have done much better to hook the viewer. Score: 61 Summary: The Peaky Blinders are a gang operating in early 1900s Birmingham after the war. Tommy is the leader and he starts making deals to rise up in the ranks after his men accidentally steal a crate full of Lewis machine guns. Inspector Campbell comes to Birmingham to retrieve the guns. He has a spy, Grace, infiltrate the Peaky Blinders. Grace and Tommy grow close. Tommy makes deals with Campbell and reveals he has the guns. He also allies with Billy Kimber to fight the Lee family. However he marries his brother John to the Lees and plans to betray Kimber. Tommy ends up in conflict with the IRA and Grace kills their men. Tommy and Grace fall in love and Campbell finds out. Grace leaks Tommy's plan to Billy Kimber and leaves. The Shelbys fight Kimber's men and Tommy kills him. The Peaky Blinders end up legally owning a betting ring. Grace leaves Birmingham but Campbell confronts her with a gun and a gunshot is heard.
The Good: This is another political show that came out at a time when political shows were at the height of popularity. I'm a big fan of the historical political genre so the concept of this show was right up my alley. The highlight of the show for me was watching Tommy manage the Peaky Blinders with the intention of rising up the ranks. His constant dealings with other gangs and the many betrayals and twists were always engaging to watch and the plot and dialogue was written very well. This show had a good grip on politics. Tommy himself wasn't a great character by any means but he was enjoyable to watch and he worked overall as a viewpoint for the story. The production of this show was also very good. The costumes and sets were perfectly done to encapsulate the feel of post WW1 England. I was also pleased that the show committed to the entire cast having hard English accents, making the time period feel more authentic. The technical aspects of the show were also really well done. The directing was good, the soundtrack was good, the acting was good (if unspectacular), the dialogue was good, the editing was good, etcetera. The team making the show did a very good job and that should be commended. The early parts of the show were the most fascinating to watch. In these episodes the show was still finding its feet and establishing its identity, so the issues the show would have with characters and emotional investment were not a worry yet. As such, it was easy to invest in the storylines with the hope that things would come together to make you care by the end of the season. With that optimism in mind, I found it very exciting to learn more about the factions in this world that would become key players as the season goes on. The Bad: As fun as the politics are, they have been overdone lately. With other shows like "Boardwalk Empire", "House of Cards" and "Game of Thrones" flourishing, it was always going to be difficult for yet another political thriller to shine. And "Peaky Blinders" fails to differentiate itself from these other shows in any meaningful ways. Outside of the setting, there is nothing unique about this show and there is nothing that makes it stand out. While watching these six episodes I always felt like I was watching a show devoid of heart and emotion. This show seemed to exist purely to capitalize on current trends to make money, and the characters and story were phoned in. There was no heart or message or point to this TV show, and I fail to see any reason for it to even exist. The characters were truly god awful. Tommy was the best character and yet he's nothing special. He's just yet another smart and badass character with a heart of gold and a traumatic past. I've seen this so many times before. And every side character is terrible. John is defined solely by the fact that he's a drunk that has kids, there is literally nothing else to him. And he's one of the main side characters! Arthur is just the dumb, aggressive archetype and it's every bit as boring as it sounds. Freddie is an empty character with no real traits or emotional connection, and his relationship with Ada is completely hollow. Ada herself is just the badass girl archetype who, again, completely lacks depth. And then there's Polly who is played by a decent actress but her role in the story is just perplexing to me. I don't know what motivates her or what her moral compass is, and she adds nothing to the show or its plot. She's the most wasted character on the show because she's hardly developed and nothing is done with her. The most significant characters other that Tommy are Grace and Campbell, and unfortunately they are the weakest links in this already weak cast of characters. Grace ended up being a boring trope through and through, and I was disappointed to get no depth to her whatsoever. She started off as an intriguing spy with a dark past, and she ended up becoming a generic love interest for Tommy, sparking a really bad love triangle story that bored me to tears. Campbell was a spectacular disappointment. Sam Neill gave what was the best performance on the show, and yet he was wasted with such a bad character. Campbell had potential with his introduction. He seemed smart, moral, and determined, and I was excited to see him go up against Tommy. I hoped for something similar to the Light vs L rivalry from "Death Note" which was always gripping to watch. Instead what we got was pathetic. Their conflict isn't focused on very much until the last few episodes in which Campbell devolves into a generic bad guy who is mean to women, despicable, and has no sense of morality. The show massacres the character in its final 3 episodes and turns a potentially interesting villain into a complete flop of a character. I was incredibly disappointed by this decision, and it single-handedly convinced me to drop the show, especially seeing how bland everything else was. The blandness of the story is evidenced perfectly in the climax. Nothing that happened was set up adequately, there was no depth to the storytelling whatsoever, the writing was abysmal, and I never once got emotionally invested into the storylines that were being explored. It amazes me how poorly the final act of this season was executed, and I found the decision to fixate on the love triangle rather than the gang politics to be perplexing. Furthermore, I have to scratch my head at how the show built up to this climax. It relied so heavily on us caring about the Shelby family as a whole, but nothing about this entire season ever suggested that the show was trying to make us care about them. I couldn't even remember the names of half of the characters fighting beside Tommy! The climax came and the show unfairly wanted us to invest emotionally despite putting in none of the leg work. The most blatant example of this is how the main emotional beat of the season finale was the death of Danny. I hardly even knew who Danny was and I did not care one bit that he died. How on Earth can that be the emotional core of season finale when the show puts in no effort to make us care about Danny or his relationship with other characters? I'll never be able to understand the decision-making that went on backstage. Best Episodes: E01 Episode 1: The first episode was where the show peaked and it wasn't anythign special. I was intrigued after watching it and the show hadn't disappointed me yet. Worst Episodes: E04 Episode 4: This episode had a story to tell with Freddie and Ada, but where it failed is that I never even came close to caring about what happened. E05 Episode 5: This episode had the best sequence of the show with the IRA standoff, but it's problematic because it took the show in a bad direction that led to me dropping it. E06 Episode 6: The season finale was a mess of an episode that failed to satisfy me in any way. Character of the Season: Tommy. Conclusion: I had originally planned to write more about this show but I honestly could not bring myself to do it. This ended up being a disappointingly empty show that was devoid of any meaning or reason for existence, and that’s why I don’t have the passion to write any more about it. The characters were awful, the writing gradually got worse, and I hated the direction that the story went. I got absolutely nothing out of the six hours I invested into this, and there is no way that I'll be investing any more time into this show. Is it a well produced show? Yeah. Is there a good premise? Yeah. But the story is the most important part and this story was s***. If you don't mind turning your brain off while watching television then you will probably enjoy this a lot more than I did. But if you're somebody who cares about watching a compelling story, then stay far away from "Peaky Blinders". Summary: In flashforwards, Ben wakes up in the Sahara Desert. He tracks down Sayid who has buried Nadia who was killed in an accident. Ben gives Sayid a chance to avenge Nadia's death, claiming Widmore's men murdered her. Sayid joins up with Ben. Ben visits Widmore and tells him he will kill Penny. On the island, the doctor from the freighter washes up dead. Jack learns from Daniel that they have no plans to rescue them. Keamy's men attack the barracks and destroy several buildings, killing most of Locke's camp. Alex is brought as a hostage, and while negotiating, Ben lets her die. Ben summons the smoke monster and it attacks Keamy's men while everyone escapes. Sawyer, Claire and Miles decide to return to Jack's camp. Locke and Ben take Hurley with them to find the cabin.
The Good: The attack on the barracks provided excellent drama and gave this episode a surge of momentum. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire 45 minutes while this confrontation happened and I was very compelled by it. "Lost" typically doesn't do large scale shoot-outs or action sequences so this felt like a huge deal when it happened. I was really impressed with a lot of the details. The characters all felt like themselves in how they handled this situation. Locke felt like a confused leader struggling to figure out what to do, Hurley was simply caught in this storm, Sawyer got to be the most heroic one but was also determined to give up Ben, while Ben was his usual manipulative self. The character dynamics elevated this far higher than it would have been otherwise. A lot of scenes were done superbly well in this episode. I got a good laugh when Ben immediately produced a shotgun from his piano seat after hearing about code 14J (he always is in control!), and I thought that the scene did a great job of rapidly raising the suspense. Ben's negotiation with Keamy was terrific and had some excellent dialogue. Seeing Ben gamble with Alex's life only to ultimately get her killed was tragic and shocking. It's a genuine surprise and it does a brilliant job of establishing Keamy's ruthlessness and how unforgivable Ben's obsession with being in control is, despite how entertaining it is to watch him. Ben chose to risk the life of his daughter for the sake of keeping his own agency in his war against Widmore, and now he faces the consequences. Having Ben take a moment to mourn for Alex while the smoke monster murders Keamy's men was brutally affecting and was a highlight of the episode. The smoke monster's attack itself was a thrilling surprise that raised the stakes hugely while also bringing up some more huge questions about Ben (see: The Unknown) The flashforwards were really excellent. So many fascinating questions are raised by this story (see: The Unknown), which makes it really compelling to watch. Plus, we get a lot of answers as we get to see what happened to Sayid that made him work for Ben. While this story is a bit absent emotionally (see: The Bad), it's still very good television and I was thoroughly entertained in every scene. The best part of these flashforwards is certainly that final moment between Ben and Widmore. This rivalry has been built up patiently for the entire season so it felt huge to finally see these two talking to each other. Their dynamic is fascinating, the scene is well written and acted, and I'm left with so many questions that I'm really excited to explore for the rest of the series. The episode has a few other nice moments. The misdirection with Locke, Sawyer and Hurley playing Risk was pretty funny and cleverly done. I liked how Jack outsmarted Daniel by recruiting Bernard to translate the morse code, and the confirmation that Widmore's men were never going to rescue anyone is a big moment for Jack's storyline. The Bad: This episode has a number of flaws. The biggest issue for me is how packed with content this is. Season 4 was shortened by the writer's strike, and I think that this episode was possibly hurt the most. There's so much going on in this episode that it's difficult to really get swept up in the drama in the way that "Lost" does in its best episodes. This episode is doing way too many things. We have the climactic action sequence at the barracks, Ben's character story that highlights his relationship with Widmore and the death of Alex, Sayid's reasoning for joining up with Ben in the flashforward story, and whatever is happening at Jack's camp. It's too much to cram into one episode and some of the storylines feel flat as a result. The biggest casualties are Jack and Sayid's storyline. Jack's camp has felt like an afterthought the entire season as nothing important has happened there since Sayid and Desmond left. Sayid's flashforward story has some very real emotion to it because we learn here that Nadia's dead. But the episode is unable to connect us enough with Sayid because it's trying too hard to tell Ben's story, so the effect that Nadia's death has on Sayid is lost in the shuffle. As exciting as the barracks action sequence is, there are some moments that made me roll my eyes. Sawyer should never have made it to Claire's house while under all that fire, especially considering how quickly and efficiently the mercenaries murdered the other people near Sawyer. The rocket launcher used on Claire's house was also ridiculous since Ben could easily have been in there. Furthermore, Claire's survival feels awfully convenient. I also find it impossible to believe that Sawyer made it back while carrying Claire without being shot. Also, I'm annoyed that Locke and Ben refuse to open the door to let Sawyer in, but are willing to open the door for Miles. How did that inconsistency ever make it past the writers? Couldn't they just tell Miles to come in through the window Hurley just broke anyways?! These details took away from the experience. A final weak moment of writing is when Ben and Locke demand that they need Hurley to find the cabin. Yet when it's time for them to go, they follow Ben's direction instead of Hurley's. Moments like these are so out of character for "Lost" which is usually so good at avoiding clumsy dialogue and writing like this. The Unknown: So many fascinating questions. How did the doctor die? Why? And when? Will we see this happening in a later episode? What is Ben doing in the Sahara desert? How did he get there? It seems like he just woke up there and didn't actually go there. He was wearing a Dharma coat and had a cut on his arm. Where did that come from? Ben explains to Sayid that he took Desmond's boat to get off the island. That sounds like an obvious lie to me. Did his escape from the island send him to the desert? Furthermore, Ben asks for the year when he gets to a hotel. Did he time travel? The show seems to be going in a pretty crazy direction. Why did Widmore kill Nadia? Is this even true? Who knows if Ben is lying about this? Although the evidence does point to him being honest about this. Does Widmore have an agenda against the Oceanic Six? Why? What does he hope to accomplish? I presume that Widmore was the economist mentioned in "The Economist". Why is Ben killing his men? What does he hope to accomplish by doing this? What rules is Ben talking about when he says "he changed the rules"? Was there some sort of agreement between Ben and Widmore before they engaged in this rivalry? Why can't Ben kill Widmore? Is that another rule? Why is Widmore getting nightmares? Widmore mentions that everything Ben has, he took from him. Was Widmore the former leader of the others? What is his history with the island? I'm excited to learn more about this relationship. How did Ben summon the monster? How is he connected to it? Why did Ben have all that soot on him when he emerged from the secret room? Is Jack getting sick? Is there a reason for this? Could the island be punishing him for trying to leave? Best Moment: Ben and Widmore's conversation at the end of the episode was packed with fascinating details. Every line was engaging to watch, and we're given plenty to think upon after this interaction. A brilliantly executed scene. Character of the Episode: Ben. Conclusion: This was a really strange episode. On one hand, this was some of the best stuff of the entire season, but on the other hand, there were several things that could have been done much better. In the end, this is great but not quite amazing like it has the potential to be. Score: 70 Summary: In flashbacks, Michael tries to kill himself after Walt hates him for what he did. Michael can't seem to kill himself and encounters Tom. Tom recruits him to go on Widmore's freighter as a spy to kill everyone on board. Michael eventually tries to blow up a bomb he was given but it's a dud. Ben calls, disguising himself as Walt and tells Michael he won't kill innocents. He tells Michael to give him information on the people on the boat. On the island, Sayid confronts Michael for more information. Once he learns Michael works for Ben, he turns him in to Captain Gault. Rousseau, Karl and Alex are sent to the temple but they are ambushed on the way and Karl and Rousseau are killed.
The Good: Michael's flashbacks are excellent, and example of "Lost" at its best. Seeing his suicidal state early in the episode is pretty sad, and it's rough to see how his guilt is still consuming him (visions of Libby) and how his relationship with Walt has entirely deteriorated. Michael sacrificed everything for Walt and it was all for nothing. I don't think anyone can defend what Michael did, but the show still makes it very easy to sympathize with him and relate to him. His personal story throughout the episode is superb watch and it does well to highlight the intricacies within Michael. Michael is a man looking to die, but he still cares for the wellbeing who were left on the island. Not because he's a good and caring person, but because he doesn't want more deaths on his already guilty conscience. This is proof that Michael is by no means a good person, and not shying away from this makes this episode a much richer experience. Everything he does is for selfish motives, and it leads up to an outstanding moment as Michael decides to blow up the freighter in spite of the innocent lives on it, proving that he has not changed. The bombing sequence is spectacular. Michael's guilt manifests through another vision of Libby, but he decides to go through with it anyways. Michael has learned nothing from murdering Ana Lucia and Libby, and even now he is willing to sacrifice lives to get what he wants, regardless of how bad he feels. And once the bomb doesn't go off, Michael is once again left with the weight of his actions on his shoulders and he has to live with it. I have to applaud "Lost" for portraying Michael in such a negative way to explore morality in a way that the show hasn't attempted with any other character. Then following this, Michael received a call from Ben who naturally was playing mind games with Michael all along and had no intent of blowing up the freighter. Ben says that he didn't expect Michael to actually try to blow up the freighter, but knowing him that's probably another lie. This whole thing was likely orchestrated by Ben to manipulate Michael into being a loyal spy for him. And Michael's never-ending guilt makes him extremely susceptible to Ben. Ben plays on Michael's weaknesses throughout this conversation, through ways like tricking him into thinking he's Walt and forcing Michael to own up to what he did to Ana Lucia and Libby. Ben even goes as far as to suggest that he never sacrifices innocents (a stone-cold lie) just to make Michael feel worse about himself, and then follows it up by claiming that Michael is now one of the good guys. It's Michael's inherent selfishness that makes Ben's claim feel really hollow. After all he has done and what he was about to do to the freighter, how can Michael ever be one of the good guys? It's fitting that he breaks down right after because deep down he knows that no matter what he does, he will not be one of the good guys. It's why he doesn't object to Sayid's claims to Captain Gault and it's why he went on this suicide mission on the freighter to begin with. Michael's story allows for a lot of fun cameos. Seeing Tom again is wonderful, and it's a lot of fun to watch Michael interact with him. It makes perfect sense for Michael to try to kill him without hesitation at first. I really like that Tom gives us a contrasting explanation for the Flight 815 wreckage. Who actually put that wreckage in the trench? (see: The Unknown) Michael's time on the freighter had some good scenes too. It's nice to see Naomi and Minkowski again, and we got an ominous moment as Keamy and his mercenaries practiced shooting while on the boat. I really liked Sayid's decision to turn Michael in. We know that he wants nothing to do with Ben, so the moment he hears that Michael is working for Ben, he turns him in without hesitation. Sayid, the man of action, is always so compelling to watch. The Bad: Unfortunately this episode loses a lot of points for that awful final scene. Rousseau and Alex reunited last season and since then they have done absolutely nothing. There's been no character work done here, and we don't even get to understand the relationship they have with each other. These characters got lost in the shuffle. And now Rousseau and Karl die in the most unsatisfying ways possible. It happens so suddenly and feels incredibly anticlimactic. Rousseau dying is especially criminal since she's been a key character for so long. I can't believe that she was given such a sloppy death. Furthermore, the scene was poorly directed, making me feel confused by what I was watching the entire time. The Alex/Rousseau/Karl storyline ended up being a spectacular failure. As much as I loved Tom's role in this episode, his presence makes no sense. After Michael left, we know that the others had communications disruptions and were unable to contact the mainland. Furthermore, they were also unable to return to the island if they left. And yet, Tom was somehow able to go off island and return in this time period at some point. This is a definite plot hole. The Unknown: Was Michael's vision of Libby just a manifestation of his guilt, or is there magical island stuff involved here? Furthermore, why isn't the island letting him die? How does this even happen? Why? What role is Michael supposed to play that the island needs him to live? What is this temple that Ben speaks of? I believe it was mentioned once before. What is over there? Was Widmore the one who actually planted the fake Flight 815 plane? Ben produced more evidence than Widmore did, but I wouldn't put it past Ben to fake this. Who is the real villain here? Knowing how "Lost" operates, I wouldn't be surprised if it was both of them. How did Widmore suddenly find the coordinates of the island? Could this have something to do with Penny locating the high levels of electromagnetism at the end of season 2? Who killed Karl and Rousseau? Was this a trap set up by Ben? Or was it something else? Could it be Keamy and his men? Best Moment: Ben's phone call to Michael. Harold Perrineau does a tremendous job of showing Michael's inner turmoil in response to everything that Ben says. Character of the Episode: Michael. Conclusion: Michael has to be one of the most unique characters on the show right now, so it isn't any surprise that an episode centered on him will be excellent. There are flaws here, but for the most part this is another classic "Lost" episode. Score: 78 Summary: Aethelwulf is defeated and he retreats. Ecbert renounces his crown to Aethelwulf and stays behind while the others leave. The Vikings attack Ecbert’s villa and capture him. Bjorn agrees to let Ecbert die his own way and in exchange the Vikings are granted land to farm. Ecbert kills himself. Tanaruz kills Helga. Ivar wants to lead raids and kills Sigurd in a heated argument.
The Good: Linus Roache puts in a really good performance here, and he pretty much saves the episode. His farewells to his family were surprisingly touching, and I did feel something when Ecbert died. I like that Ecbert, much like Ragnar, got to play one last con on his way out since his word means nothing now that Aethelwulf is the real king. The Bad: The show is still pretty boring. The conflicts that have risen up in the wake of Ragnar’s death have all been shallow and uninteresting and that remains true to this episode. Floki’s confusion is a horrible story because we’re given no context for why he feels this way. Helga’s death is a perfectly stupid end to the horribel Tanaruz storyline. The moment has no impact because the storyline leading up to Helga’s death is atrocious. Furthermore, her last words are useless and fall under every trope you can think of. Ecbert’s story is still problematic. For one, the show throws all logic out the window by having Ecbert fluently speak with the sons of Ragnar somehow (a perfect example of how little care is put into this show now). But more importantly, it’s unfathomable to me how Bjorn is fine with killing Ecbert with him being the only person who can verify that the deal to give the Vikings land was actually made. With Ecbert dead, it would be really easy for the Englishmen to go against the decree that was made and attack the Vikings anyways. Sigurd’s death was a real shock but it had no emotional impact at all. For one I hardly knew anything about Sigurd. I didn’t even know he loved to play music until this scene! The show has done a laughably poor job of developing the sons of Ragnar so that this moment can mean something. The Unknown: Who is the new character introduced at the end? What happens in the wake of Sigurd’s death? I really don’t care to get any of these questions answered honestly. I’m done with this show. Best Moment: Ecbert’s death. Character of the Episode: Ecbert. Conclusion: This season finale was just like every other episode since Ragnar died. It was simple, boring, and gave me no reason at all to care about what was happening. After watching how pitiful these last 5 episodes were without Ragnar, I’m done with the show. There is no reason to keep watching, and I have no reason to think that the show will improve from here. For more thoughts on why I’m dropping the show and for my overall thoughts on season 4, click here for my review of season 4. Score: 51 Summary: Egil attacks Kattegat but is defeated. Egil reveals that Harald sent him. In England, Harald kills Vik. Ellisif tries to kill him but Halfdan kills her. Aethelwulf leads an army to fight the Vikings. Ivar convinces Bjorn to tactically scout the battlefield. The Vikings position themselves in an advantageous position and prepare to battle Aethelwulf.
The Good: The one thing that this show still does well is action. The battle sequences in this episode were really good. I especially liked the twist that the Repton attack was all part of Ivar’s plan. The reveal was really well done, and was the only moment in this episode that invested me in the drama. The Bad: There are way too many scenes with the Englishmen in this episode. It’s harder to invest in the Vikings’ storyline when we spend such little time with them. Instead we get our time wasted with boring scenes in Wessex. The show is a melodramatic mess right now. Every storyline is flat and simplistic and provides nothing more than cheap thrills. Helga’s story remains perplexing and stupid. The Harald thing feels right out of a soap opera, just with some gratuitous violence when Vik and Ellisif die. The attack of Kattegat is difficult to invest in and has no emotional stakes whatsoever. The Torvi death fake-out was an incredibly cheap moment that highlights how desperate the show is to try to keep its audience watching with Ragnar gone. The Unknown: Is Lagertha going to fight Harald now? How will she respond when he returns? Who will win the ending battle? I noticed that the Vikings are standing in the mud. Was that another intentional tactical play made by Ivar? Best Moment: The reveal that Ivar intended for Aethelwulf’s army to go for Repton. This is why we need more scenes with Ivar, but the show hasn’t focused nearly enough on him. Character of the Episode: Ivar. Conclusion: This episode had some fun action, but the storytelling continues to be flat and uninspired. This is another weak and disappointing episode. Score: 52 Summary: Bjorn declares he will lead the army. Ubbe marries Margrethe but agrees to share her with Hvitserk. Harald meets his princess again but finds she has married someone else. Aethelwulf confronts Ecbert about being a bad father and king. The great army arrives in England and defeats Aelle’s forces. Aelle is killed via blood eagle by Bjorn.
The Good: The scene between Ecbert and Aethelwulf was really good, and the acting on display here stole the show. I like the idea of Ecbert facing up to his mistakes, becoming overcome with doubt after living such a self-absorbed life. It parallels how Ragnar drastically changed as he got older. Seeing Aelle die brutally was always going to be satisfying, and the final visual of Aelle’s body hung up over Ragnar’s grave was excellent. The Bad: This was incredibly rushed. I was so disappointed to get nothing from the great army. We didn’t see what went in to assemble this huge host or any of the deals that had to be made with the Earls and Kings to get them together. Furthermore, Ragnar was not well-liked when he died, so surely there would be resistance to avenging him. But the show ignores these ideas and lazily spawns a massive host of Vikings without even giving us a sense of how many there are. Worse is how the show is handling the sons of Ragnar. These are the characters that should be fleshed out in the wake of Ragnar’s death to keep us invested in the show. Instead they are hardly developed and given no time in this episode. All we see from them is a terrible storyline where Ubbe decides to share Margrethe in Hvitserk, and Bjorn and Ivar arguing in a storyline that felt like an afterthought. The invasion of England also sucked. We don’t even see the invasion from the perspective of the Vikings, so I felt like an outsider as they extracted their revenge. Cutting the battle out was a terrible choice, and it made Aelle’s death fall flat emotionally. There should have been so much more to Aelle’s fall, but instead it was rushed. I was also perplexed by the directing as we never got to see any shots that compared the scale of both armies, making it difficult for me to understand how badly outmatched Aelle was. Harald’s storyline is bad. It's been so long since his introduction that I no longer care about him at all. His story bored me, and the character is entirely unengaging. The sacrifice scene was also underwhelming. It’s nothing new for the show, and meaningless brutality is not a replacement for storytelling. The Unknown: Is Lagerthe okay with Astrid and Bjorn having sex? Why? Will the great army be able to overcome Wessex? Best Moment: The final visual of Aelle’s dead body. Character of the Episode: Ecbert. Conclusion: This episode was rushed and disappointing. The show has failed to build its characters after Ragnar’s death, and the emotional payoff of the Vikings getting revenge was non-existent. This episode has made me want to stop the show after season 4 if this is all we are going to get. Score: 44 Summary: Rollo goes back to Paris. Bjorn returns to Kattegat and stops Ivar and Ubbe from seeking vengeance on Lagertha. Harald and Halfdan meet Egil and plot with him. The Vikings assemble an army to go to England. Judith warns Aelle to prepare for the impending attack.
The Good: Rollo being sent back to Paris was fine television, and I’m curious to see what’s next for him. Ecbert’s scene with Alfred was pretty good, mostly thanks to Linus Roache. Ivar and Floki’s relationship is fun to see and their interactions were the highlight of the episode. The Bad: Much of this episode was really weak. The best scenes were mostly flat, and there was not much emotion here. The character conflicts are simplistic and melodramatic. Bjorn’s problems with Torvi are not interesting to watch, and the final scene when he goes to Astrid made me roll my eyes. I’m tired of “Vikings” being so melodramatic. Ivar and Ubbe looking for revenge on Lagertha is probably the best storyline, but it has a stupid ending with Bjorn returning with conveniently perfect timing and somehow stopping Ubbe and Ivar with one line of dialogue. What a weak resolution. Bjorn’s arrival destroyed all of the tension that had been built up. Ivar tried to kill Sigurd in this episode, and surely this should be a much bigger deal than it was treated as. Again, the dialogue in this episode is terrible. Without Travis Fimmel’s acting talents, the poor dialogue is more noticeable than ever and it detracts from every single scene. The Unknown: What is Egil going to do? Will Harald and Halfdan ever have something of significance to do? Best Moment: Floki showing Ivar the chariot. Character of the Episode: Ivar. Conclusion: This was a flat transitional episode with weak character work and conflicts. The show is already suffering from Ragnar’s absence. Score: 47 Summary: Ivar declares he will kill Lagertha. Bjorn’s group raids in Spain on the way to the Mediterranean. Helga kidnaps a child and wants to adopt her. The sons of Ragnar learn of their father’s death.
The Good: It’s far too late, but at least Lagertha acknowledges how Kattegat has no defenses and does something about it. I really liked Ivar’s challenge for Lagertha. Despite being a cripple, Ivar is an imposing threat, and the Seer confirming that Lagertha will be killed by a son of Ragnar only adds to the tension of this story. The Mediterranean raid is classic “Vikings” with plenty of violence. It’s still really good television to see the protagonists of this story murdering innocents. The style of the show is still superb. The temple sequence with Floki, the ending sequence and Lagertha seeing Ragnar were really nicely shot scenes. The Bad: The new direction with Floki and Helga is really bad. Are we seriously supposed to believe that Floki respects the Islam religion? That is nothing like the Floki we know. Also what happened to his story of becoming the next Seer? This new storyline feels right out of nowhere and is inconsistent with Floki’s character. Helga’s story is even worse. Apparently she waits for 10 years before telling Floki she wants another child. He initially refuses and instead of continuing to convince him, she decides to kidnap a muslim child who doesn’t even speak their language? What the hell? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve seen in this show so far. Lagertha and Astrid are a terrible couple. Astrid is a shallow character and it feels like this relationship only exists for the sake of having gay characters in the show. I’m not sure if I’m missing something about Islam, but will they all seriously continue praying if the leader gets decapitated in the temple? Not one person freaks out? Really? The ending sequence with the avatar of Odin appearing was well shot, but the show got too cute with this idea. Whenever the show outright acknowledges the existence of gods it feels out of place and cheesy. This is one of those cases; the scene is too much. The Unknown: How will Aethelwulf prepare for the impending invasion? Will Floki appreciate Islam? Is the show setting up for Harald and Halfdan to turn against Floki and Helga? Which son of Ragnar will kill Lagertha? When will it happen? Was the guy at the end the reincarnation of Odin or somebody else? Best Moment: The Mediterranean raid. The Ivar/Lagertha scene is close, but the show’s poor dialogue brings it down. Character of the Episode: Lagertha. Conclusion: This episode had a pretty equal mix of good and bad. It’s an okay episode in the end. Score: 57 Summary: Ragnar tells Ivar he must seek vengeance on Aelle and Ecbert. Ivar is sent home. Ragnar is taken to Aelle in a cage. Aelle tortures Ragnar. Ecbert walks in secret to witness Ragnar’s death. Ragnar gives a final speech and is killed by being thrown into a snake pit. Ivar returns to Kattegat with news of Ragnar’s death and learns of Aslaug’s death.
The Good: Ragnar’s death has finally arrived and it was handled superbly. The episode was directed magnificently, with excellent editing, cinematography, music and acting. This was a superbly presented episode. Emotionally, it delivered too. Ragnar’s final scene with Ivar was really good, and the reveal that Ragnar still wants revenge on Ecbert is fascinating. Ragnar views Ecbert as a friend still (why else comfort him with knowledge of Athelstan choosing the Christian god), but even then he can’t forgive what happened to his settlement. Having Ecbert witness Ragnar’s death was a fantastic choice and added to the power of the moment. You can feel Ecbert’s sorrow as he watches his friend die, but Ragnar’s look sends another message to us. Once again, Ragnar is a few steps ahead of his opposition, a fitting final bit of triumph for the character as he dies. I also really enjoyed how this episode treated Ragnar’s faith. He has always had visions beyond that of his peers, and it manifests here when he admits to not believing in the existence of any god. The hallucination of the seer was a brilliant scene with a lot of layers to it. It also added complexity to Ragnar’s final speech as he says words that he no longer believes to ensure that he will be avenged. The character writing for Ragnar in these last five episodes has been terrific. His death was really powerful. Ragnar’s eye (nice parallel to Odin with Ragnar’s one eye being shut) glowed bright blue as it did back in the early seasons, adding that extra bit of emotion as he closed his eyes for the final time. It’s also lovely to see Ragnar becoming a martyr in death, a nice callback to him never understanding what a martyr was when talking with Athelstan. I wonder if he has figured it out now. The Bad: The final few scenes of the episode feel out of place. It is important to build for the future, but this was Ragnar’s episode and it should have ended with his death. Ecbert walking all the way to Ragnar’s execution is entirely unbelievable. There’s no way this would have happened. However, Ecbert’s presence did add a lot more emotion to Ragnar’s death, so it doesn’t bother me much. Again, this is a dialogue-heavy episode so there are a few cheesy lines. The Unknown: Who is the one-eyed guy heading to Kattegat? What will happen now with the sons of Ragnar seeking revenge for both of their parents? Best Moment: Ragnar’s speech and death. Character of the Episode: Ragnar obviously. He had a magnificent death. Conclusion: This was the best episode of the show and I doubt it will ever be topped. Ragnar’s death was handled perfectly and respectfully, getting the most emotion and depth out of the character’s final days. I’m uncertain about the future of this show without Ragnar, but I have to say, Ragnar’s final arc was brilliantly executed and provided the best television of the entire series. Score: 73 Summary: Lagertha kills Aslaug and takes over Kattegat. Sigurd and Ubbe find out and are angry. Ragnar and Ivar are apprehended and Ragnar is caged. Ecbert returns and he spends the night talking with Ragnar. In the end Ragnar convinces Ecbert to give him over to Aelle and to let Ivar go.
The Good: This was all about the relationship between Ragnar and Ecbert and it was brilliant. Their scenes together were the best the show has ever done. These two have such a fascinating relationship. They are the only ones of their respective people who are capable of seeing past the blidn norms of their religion and asking questions, so they have this respect and admiration for each other that they can share with nobody else. And yet Ecbert did betray Ragnar so they are still bitter enemies. The love/hate relationship that they have is unlike any you will see on television and it is explored beautifully in this episode. Spending a whole episode on them talking about things was unexpectedly powerful, and it was a rare dialogue-filled episode that I thought was written decently well. But what really made this work were the performances from Travis Fimmel and Linus Roache. Both characters look so old and weathered down as they have aged, and they add so much to every moment. It is fascinating to see two men past their prime reflecting on their life, their beliefs and their future. These interactions had a spark that you don’t often see in television. I believed that Ragnar still cared about Ecbert despite his actions, and I believed that Ecbert did not wish to kill Ragnar. The emotion was there for this episode. I also really liked Ragnar meeting Alfred and immediately knowing he was Athelstan’s son. Aethelwulf telling Ragnar he doesn’t like him was a hilarious callback to when Ragnar told Aethelwulf the same thing in season 3. The Bad: Lagertha killing Aslaug was a surprise, but it completely fell flat. I explained in the last episode why this storyline hasn’t worked, and the flaws continue into this episode. Sigurd and Ubbe are boring characters so far so I don’t care about their revenge. Again, “Vikings” is not a show with great dialogue so there are bound to be several sloppy lines in an episode as dialogue-heavy as this one. The Unknown: Will Ubbe and Sigurd still seek revenge? What happens now with Lagertha in power? What was the point of Magnus if he’s not Ragnar’s son? Will Ragnar’s plan work out or will Ivar and the others seek vengeance on Ecbert anyways? Why didn’t Ragnar tell Ecbert about Athelstan picking the Christian god before he died? Will this be the end of Ragnar? Best Moment: Ecbert and Ragnar talking about the ridiculous nature of Valhalla and Heaven, and then the conversation turning to Athelstan. The scenes were beautifully written and acted. There is a ton of analysis you could do on these interactions that I unfortunately do not have time to do in this review. Character of the Episode: Ragnar and Ecbert both. Conclusion: This was a great episode, one of the show’s finest. The Lagertha story was still awful which brings this down, but everything in Wessex was terrific, easily the best television this show has produced so far. Ragnar’s death feels inevitable now so all of his scenes are packed with emotion. I’m excited to see how the show sends off its best character. Score: 68 Summary: Ragnar and Ivar wash up in England. They kill the remaining raiders and go to Ecbert’s villa on foot. Bjorn’s group makes it to Rollo and Bjorn asks for safe passage. They are imprisoned at first but Rollo lets them pass and chooses to go with them. Lagertha attacks Kattegat.
The Good: This half season has been the Ragnar-Ivar show. Their storyline in this episode is outstanding, and their interactions are a blast to watch. In just three episodes, these two have one of the best relationships of the entire show. They have a really funny dynamic and their banter is really nicely written. It’s also great to see Ragnar come around on the son he once tried to kill, accepting that Ivar is the son that is most like him. This is the kind of relationship I’ve wanted to see from Ragnar/Bjorn for a long time. Meaningful storytelling mixed with fun familial banter. Rollo’s return is an exciting development, and it’s interesting to see him interact with his former friends. It should be fun to see what happens now that Rollo has joined up with the Vikings on their journey. The Bad: Lagertha’s sudden hate for Aslaug feels so forced and unbelievable. I’m not enjoying this storyline at all. I hate seeing Lagertha attack Kattegat. If she wants to rule these people, why is she killing them? Furthermore, does she think they will just accept her now? These people were happy under Aslaug’s rule and killing them would turn them against her. Lagertha was ruling almost 20 years ago and Kattegat has expanded substantially. Hardly anybody will remember her. Furthermore, how does Lagertha launch a surprise attack? Does Kattegat have no defenses? Was it really only Ubbe and Sigurd that Lagertha had to worry about? That’s bad writing. The deterioration of Rollo's relationship with Gisla was bad. The dialogue was atrocious, there was no emotion, and it was very rushed. The Unknown: What will Ecbert do when he meets Ragnar again? What will Ragnar’s fate be? What will come of the showdown between Lagertha and Aslaug. Will the Vikings accept Rollo in this journey? Best Moment: Ragnar telling Ivar he is special and admitting that he was wrong. Character of the Episode: Ragnar and Ivar, they were a single unit in this episode. Conclusion: The scenes in England were some of the best that the show has ever done, but their effect was dampened by the weaknesses everywhere else. That being said, this is still a solid episode. Score: 63 Summary: Ragnar is not loved anymore so he has to bribe people to join him on his raid. Harald and Halfdan arrive to join Bjorn. Lagertha comes to Kattegat and tells Aslaug she plans to overthrow her. Ragnar and Ivar go on the raid but their ships are capsized in a storm.
The Good: As usual, Ragnar’s story is the best part of the episode. It’s great to see him come to terms with being despised by everyone, and it’s sad to see him turn to bribes to get what he wants. Seeing him give away his buried treasure is quite sad, and it suggests to us, like his comments to Floki in the last episode, that he either knows he’s not going to Valhalla or he no longer believes in it. Ragnar also has an excellent scene with Aslaug as he expresses gratitude and tries to do what he can to atone for his poor treatment of her. Ivar is a compelling character with a lot of nuances. On one hand, it’s easy to support a determined cripple, but on the other hand, he’s also a bit of a psychopath. Add in a crippling fear of water that makes him seem like just a scared child, and he’s a surprisingly complicated character. The storm sequence was really nicely shot and was a good spectacle. The Bad: Obviously Ragnar and Ivar aren’t dead so the cliffhanger ending doesn’t work. Ragnar’s farewell to Bjorn felt shockingly empty. The show has consistently let down this relationship, and it couldn’t even get much emotion out of what’s probably their last scene together. I’m not a fan of Sigurd, the character is annoying and petty, and we’re given no reason to like him. Margrethe suddenly backpedals as a character. She was manipulative last episode but now she’s just a scared cliche of a character. The Lagertha/Aslaug story is awful. Why is Lagertha suddenly so hateful of her? Where did this come from? Why is she suddenly so determined to get Kattegat back after something like 15-20 years? And why on Earth would she telegraph her plans to Aslaug? This story didn’t get much time but it still managed to have a boatload of stupidity. The Unknown: Will Ragnar and Ivar survive? (yes) How is Lagertha planning to depose Aslaug? Why was Aslaug bleeding in the storm scene? Best Moment: Ragnar’s gratitude for Aslaug. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: Once again, the Ragnar and Ivar scenes are great but everything else is really weak. Score: 56 Summary: Ragnar announces his intention to return to England and gets few supporters. He says goodbyes to Floki and Lagertha. Ivar gets his brothers to let him sleep with Margrethe, a slave girl they have been sharing, but he is incapable of having sex. Ivar agrees to go with Ragnar to England.
The Good: Ragnar’s farewells are brilliant. His farewell to Floki is especially poignant with Ragnar admitting he is unsure if he will go to Valhalla. Ragnar saying “I love you to FlokI” was a sweet moment, and Floki’s sheer joy was powerful. The farewell to Lagertha was also terrific. They were able to reflect on the past and move forward with their lives, both of them imagining what it could have been between them. These scenes work especially well because it feels likely that Ragnar will not return from England. Ivar was the standout of this episode. His struggles as a cripple were unique and I thought that the show neatly captured the insecurities that Ivar would feel in his situation. The final scene between Ragnar and Ivar was good, and I’m excited to see them go to England together. The Bad: Not explaining what Ragnar did over the last ten years was extremely disappointing. I don’t think the show is going to tell us, and this is a big mistake. Ragnar’s character arc has been badly disrupted by this timeskip. This episode is put together strangely. It’s painfully slow paced and has far too many short scenes, making it feel jarring. This is a rare time where I’m disappointed with the show’s editing. The Unknown: Where did Ragnar go? Why did he try to hang himself? What is Lagertha planning? Is Astrid her lover? That’s a really awkward development. Will Margrethe tell others about Ivar? How will he react? Best Moment: Ragnar and Floki’s farewell. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: This episode had some really good moments surrounding Ragnar and Ivar, but the poor editing and slow pacing brought this down. Add on the perplexing decision to not tell us where Ragnar has been, and this episode is somewhat disappointing even with the good scenes. Score: 55 Summary: Flashbacks show Jin getting a panda for one of Mr. Paik's business associates who recently became a father. Flashforwards show Sun give birth to Ji Yeon off the island. She visits Jin's grave. On the island, Sun learns from Kate that Daniel and Charlotte aren't trustworthy and decides to go to Locke's camp. Juliet tries to stop her and tells Jin about her affair. Jin forgives her, Sun forgives Juliet and she decides to stay at Jack's camp. On the freighter, Sayid and Desmond meet the captain who tells them the freighter belongs to Widmore and that Ben is responsible for the fake flight 815 wreckage. Sayid and Desmond discover that Michael is Ben's spy.
The Good: This episode was defined by its two big twists. The first, and most meaningful, was the reveal that Jin is likely dead. The entire episode is structured around this twist reveal and it works pretty well even if it does feel a bit cheap (see: The Bad). Learning that Jin has died was a heartbreaking moment, especially coming right after a sweet moment of reconciliation between Jin and Sun on the island. Yunjin Kim does a magnificent job in this scene, and it is a suitably depressing moment. I also think that this reveal was a smart decision for the show. Because we know Jin is possibly going to die, all of his actions on the island will now become far more interesting to follow. This is a necessary move for characters like Sun and Jin who don't seem to have much direction at the moment, and if done well, this storyline could have impact similar to Charlie's story in season 3. Sun and Jin's island story was pretty good too. Sun's infidelity was a bombshell waiting to drop and I'm pleased to see that it came up here. More impressively, I was happy with how logically it was resolved. Jin has grown a lot as a person, so seeing him forgive Sun so quickly was both a pleasant surprise and a logical decision. While a bit cheesy, I did like the scene with Jin and Bernard as it nicely framed Jin's decision to stay with Sun and love her despite what she did. Jin's forgiveness also makes the aforementioned twist all the more heartbreaking. The second big twist came from the freighter storyline. The scenes on the freighter were the highlight of the episode for me as they were packed full of intrigue and mystery. Almost every scene had something strange going on and it was really engaging to watch and try to puzzle out what's really going on. I enjoyed the introduction to the captain, and it was so refreshing to see somebody say things as they are instead of needlessly lying or keeping secrets. The scenes on the freighter not only raised questions, but they also gave us some good answers, slowly tying together what's going on. Now all we need is to check in with Widmore and learn his motives and I think that we will have a pretty good picture of why this freighter is here and what the intentions of the crew are. The reveal that Ben was responsible for faking the flight 815 crash was a great dramatic moment, and it raises plenty of questions (see: The Unknown). But of course the defining moment was the reveal that Michael was the spy on board the freighter. The moment was executed superbly well and is a very exciting twist. The Bad: This episode had one major flaw and several smaller flaws. The biggest issue came with Jin's flashbacks. I understand why these are in the episode: they mislead us so that the twist at the end can be a real surprise. But, the way they are implemented makes them feel incredibly cheap and deceptive. The flashbacks serve no purpose from a character perspective and exist exclusively to deceive us. Is it really worth filming over 5 minutes of television for the sole reason of deception? It feels like wasted time and is unnecessarily manipulative. I don't hate this as much as most people, but it is annoying that the episode went out of its way to deceive us in a way that doesn't provide any natural storytelling. A lot of small things in this episode bothered me. I've grown weary of the constant questioning of if Daniel and Charlotte are here to save everyone. We already know that their primary goal is to find Ben and we know Widmore owns the boat and he's looking for the island. Since we already have the answers, it's frustrating to watch the other characters play catch up and continually ask these questions we already have answers to. It gets dull. Sun's decision to go with Locke makes no sense. Surely she wouldn't want to go away from the only two doctors on the island? Furthermore, the only basis for this decision is because Juliet keeps lying, something that only bothers Sun when she hears about Juliet's inexplicable lie about The Tempest from the previous episode. Don't get me wrong, I love it when a show has continuity and when previous actions influence future events. But the issue here is that the events to lead Sun to her choice are nonsensical, so it feels like the show went out of its way to write bad stories to try to justify Sun's decision here. Juliet has literally no reason to lie anymore, so for the show to keep having her lie as a plot device is frustrating. Another decision that is explained poorly is Rose's choice to go with Jack despite wanting to stay on the island. I'm sorry but the reason being Locke is a murderer is laughable, especially since everyone was killing the others last season. Hell, Jack literally tried to kill Locke in the season premiere! I appreciate that the writers are at least explaining Rose's decision, but they can do much better than this. Now I have a few very minor nitpicks. Sun's birth story is pretty dull because we've seen so many births and it's obvious that she isn't going to die. Michael's return has potential to be spoiled because Harold Perrineau's name has been in the credits since the first episode of this season. Surely he should have been omitted from the credits to preserve the surprise. Lastly, my immersion gets broken with how empty the freighter is. Was the budget low or something? There should be more extras on the freighter playing crewmen. The Unknown: Was Sun able to give birth safely because she left the island? Did the others never test taking their pregnant women off island to give birth? Why has the freighter been sabotaged? Is this Michael's doing? Is there any significance to the lima beans? Why does Michael warn Sayid and Desmond to not trust the captain? Is the captain essentially just Widmore's puppet? Was Ben actually responsible for the flight 815 wreckage or is this a lie? Why did he fake the crash? How did he pull this off? Where did he get the bodies? How does Ben communicate with Michael? With comms down it must be hard for Michael to be given orders. Did they work out what to do beforehand? How did Ben recruit Michael anyways? What is he doing going back to the island? What happened to Walt? Why did Regina kill herself? Is it really this strange cabin fever or is it something else? Where did Frank go with the helicopter? Who went with him? We don't see Keamy after Frank leaves, did he go to the island? Is Jin actually dead? Or was he just left behind on the island with everyone else? Hurley seems to suggest that Jin is dead, but maybe they are faking that he died when the plane crashed. If Jin does die, how does it happen? Best Moment: Sun crying at Jin's grave was really sad. Character of the Episode: Sun. Conclusion: This was a flawed episode, but there's a lot to love about it. The two twists are very impactful, and the continued mystery of the freighter remains a really compelling storyline. I'm excited to see what's to come in the second half of this season. Score: 66 Summary: Ragnar and Rollo go into battle against each other. Rollo’s forces are victorious and Ragnar has to retreat. Rollo’s victory is celebrated in Paris. 10 years pass, and Bjorn and Floki prepare to go to the Mediterranean. News arrives about what happened to the Wessex settlement and the sons of Ragnar discuss it and their father. Ragnar left after his defeat in Paris. He returns at the end of the episode.
The Good: The build in the opening minutes was outstanding. It was really suspenseful and made me really excited for the upcoming battle. The action sequence was terrific, and there were many great moments. Rollo’s speech, Bjorn firing the arrow at Rollo and Ragnar and Rollo’s overly dramatic (yet fitting and satisfying) showdown were highlights. This worked really well as a spectacle to end this half season. I also really liked Charles’ scene. His character arc was quietly building up to this ruthless decision, and it was tremendously satisfying to see him kill off the remaining uninteresting Paris characters. Rollo’s return to Paris was another fantastic moment. This is the glory Rollo has been working towards his entire life, and it’s great to see him finally achieve it. Surprisingly, I don’t entirely hate the timeskip. It was needed to age up Ragnar’s sons so that they can become compelling characters. It was nice to introduce them by seeing what they all think of Ragnar. Bjorn preparing for his trip to the Mediterranean was exciting, and I’m looking forward to this storyline. Ragnar’s return was a really well acted scene. The Bad: The action sequence had issues. Focusing on just the one boat was smart, but the battle seemed to end after just one boat was taken. That’s very unrealistic and it feels like the Vikings didn’t even try. It was unsatisfying that after all of this build-up, there wasn’t really a decisive victor in the battle. The timeskip has some big issues. Bjorn never learned that his daughter died. We never got to see the aftermath of Ragnar’s defeat or how his people reacted. It also interrupts Ragnar’s character arc to skip over his key decision to leave after his defeat. Also, did nobody ever ask about the settlement in the ten or so years since they left England? Did nobody visit it? That’s highly unbelievable. The Unknown: Where did Ragnar go for all of those years? How has he changed? Why is he returning now? What has happened to Lagertha, Ecbert and Rollo during the timeskip? Who else will go with Bjorn to the Mediterranean? Best Moment: Ragnar and Rollo fighting it out on the ship. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Rollo is a close second. Conclusion: This was a really strong episode. The action and the timeskip had issues, but overall the story still worked and the episode was entertaining with some unexpected twists and turns. The first half of season 4 was mixed, like every other season. This was probably the slowest 10 episodes of “Vikings” yet. Everything surrounding Ragnar worked pretty well, but the other storylines were problematic, especially Wessex and Paris which had far too many terrible scenes. The end of this half-season promises a change in the show, which I’m excited to see, but it was a rocky road to get here. Score: 65 Summary: Harald and Halfdan murder a Frank family. Lagertha loses her baby. The Vikings make it close to Paris and enter the water. Torvi kills Erlendur. Ecbert is crowned King of Wessex and Mercia and breaks his alliance with Aelle. Sigurd finds that Siggy has died.
The Good: The raid on the farm was excellent. Harald and Halfdan haven’t done much since their introduction, but this was a good use for them, showing us that they aren’t like Ragnar and are pure Vikings at heart. The raid was brutal and horrific, even if we didn’t see exactly what happened to the family, only the aftermath. It’s the kind of stuff I expected to see from a show like “Vikings”. With so much time being spent in Wessex and Paris, it’s been surprisingly rare to see Vikings plundering and pillaging lately. The production value on this show remains excellent. It was especially noticeable in this episode with Alfred’s arrival in Rome and the parallels between Alfred and Ecbert. The Pope was a great presence, and with a clever little detail, he was portrayed by the same actor who plays the seer. The religions in this show aren’t so different after all. Lagertha losing her baby was fittingly sad and a good scene. Rollo being disgruntled at not being able to have sex with Gisla while she’s pregnant was hilarious. The Bad: Charles sleeping with Therese feels so random. I’m not pleased that the Paris politics are continuing. The Wessex storyline is good but it lacks heart and emotion as usual. The biggest failing of this episode was Erlendur’s storyline. I haven’t mentioned it in a while because it was never worth mentioning and it is resolved here in a fittingly awful way. Nobody cares when he dies, which is inconsistent (usually there is a trial). The situation of his death is stupid too. He knows he has no friends, so why does he try to directly kill Bjorn? Surely he knows he will be executed for that. He is blackmailing Torvi, but surely he knows that Torvi could just as easily kill him instead of Bjorn. And that’s exactly what happens! The idea of this storyline is stupid, it’s played for shock value, has no heart at all because Erlendur is a bad character and in the end it had no bearing on the show at all. What a trainwreck of a storyline. The Unknown: What is the significance of meeting the Pope? What are these visions of Aslaug telling Floki? Who will win the upcoming battle, the Vikings or the Franks? Who will die? Best Moment: Bjorn and Ragnar sharing a moment with Lagertha after she loses another baby. Character of the Episode: Lagertha. Conclusion: This episode had some solid scenes and it set up the midseason finale well enough, but the woeful Erlendur storyline drags it down. Score: 58 Summary: Ragnar decides they will carry their boats to the other side of the forts. Yidu threatens to give away Ragnar’s secret so he kills her. Odo’s death is ordered by Charles and Roland kills him. Rollo takes his position. Kwenthrith learns of Ecbert taking her crown and tries to kill him. Judith kills her. Aslaug learns Harbard is cheating and confronts him. Harbard leaves.
The Good: Seeing Yidu, Kwenthrith and Odo die in one episode was very satisfying to me because I hated all three of them and they were useless characters. Their deaths will only be a good thing for the future of the show. I liked Ragnar’s boat plan a lot. It was clearly not predetermined, furthering the story of Ragnar not being himself this season. It also shows us that Ragnar still has a brilliant brain even when he is at his worst. The Bad: All three deaths fell flat in terms of the story. Yidu was a pointless character in the end. Her potential was never fully explored, she felt out of place, her relationship with Ragnar went nowhere, and now she is dead. What a waste of time. Kwenthrith’s death had more purpose but its execution was sloppy and Judith killing her had no impact since Judith is a poorly conceptualized character. Odo’s death was at least satisfying, but I didn’t care enough about the Paris storyline to feel anything from it. It still fell flat. Aslaug as a character has suddenly got really bad. She was pretty flat before but now she is a caricature of her former self and is utterly unengaging to watch. It would have been nice to see more details on how the Vikings set up the system to move the boats. Instead the idea is glossed over and the show simply tells us that they just did it. The Unknown: Is Floki with Ragnar now after Ragnar saved him? Will Ragnar’s boat plan work? What will Torvi do about Erlendur’s intent to kill Bjorn? What is going on with Harbard? Is he a god or just a guy? His return this season was nowhere near as good as last season. Best Moment: Ecbert telling Kwenthrith that she will no longer be the queen of Mercia. Character of the Episode: Ecbert. Conclusion: This episode was a disappointment. It had 3 big deaths but none of them had any impact at all. Score: 48 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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