Summary: Nancy and Jonathan go to kill the monster and Steve arrives at the wrong time. They work together and hurt the monster. Joyce and Hopper work with the lab people to get into the upside down but have to give away El's location. The lab people go to get El but she kills them, summoning the monster. The monster kills Dr. Brenner and El is able to kill it but vanishes afterwards. Hopper and Joyce find Will and Hopper uses CPR to bring him to life. After everything goes back to normal but there is something different about Will.
The Good: This episode was a season finale and felt like it, making it more enjoyable though there are problems. I'll dive into the Nancy/Jonathan/Steve storyline first. I enjoyed most of it, but not all (see: The Bad). I thought it was very tense to watch them fight the monster and it felt like a season finale storyline. I really liked that they decided to have Steve there as it added some unpredictability and managed to help close out his storyline this season. I enjoyed Hopper's flashbacks too. They were effective at adding some emotions and created good parallels with Hopper's conflicts in the present, particularly the CPR scene. Though they may seem unnecessary, they served their purpose think and they were easily the most emotional parts of this entire series. The school assault was pretty good too. It was tense and I wasn't sure how the kids would get free, and the inclusion of the monster was also very welcome and enjoyable. There was tons of action and I particularly enjoyed the scene where the kids armed the slingshot to fight the monster. It was comedic and tense at the same time, which made it quite an unusual success. Mike and El's scenes were also harmless, though not particularly good. It was a decent story. Meanwhile Dustin was as excellent as always. The reunion with Will was good too. It was a strong emotional ending to the story of season 1 and definitely capped off the season in a strong way. I loved seeing the kids playing Dungeons and Dragons again and it was a very good moment to include. The Bad: I had a number of problems with this though that really detracted from my enjoyment. The Monster was completely different from what we have seen before in terms of his behaviour which is really annoying. The scenes with Jonathan, Nancy and Steve were fun but incredibly ridiculous. The monster has to go through the ceiling dramatically for his first entrance, but then he just magically teleports into the room somehow the next scene. How did the monster know about the trap and leave the first time? How did it not know the second time? How do bullets do no damage but a spiked baseball bat somehow does? Why didn't the monster instantly attack Jonathan like it did with Barb or Will? The monster never travelled far, this was established. So why did it instantly go to the school? All of these are inconsistencies that annoyed me about this episode and took away from the climactic excitement. I didn't like the deaths of the lab people either. It was too sudden and anticlimactic. I also don't like that Dr. Brenner just stood there and got killed by the monster. El killing all the people in cold blood was pretty gruesome and it should have been treated as a much bigger deal. The other kids especially should have been grossed out by it and should have at least acknowledged that they just witnessed several people die. Then of course there is the usual complaint. The ending was easy to predict and went to a very predictable happy ending that I saw coming since the beginning of the show pretty much. El's possible death was a bit of a twist, but it didn't surprise me, I pretty much just went "oh okay so that's where the story decided to go". I wasn't a fan of the sequel bait ending either. This show has been fairly enjoyable but I have no interest in seeing another. This show came at the right time and captured some magic in being an 80s throwback show. But that magic most likely won't be there in a second season, and then we will be left with a subpar, generic television show. The Unknown: A couple things that build to season 2. Is El really dead? I doubt it honestly. Hopper was putting Eggos in whatever that box was so I feel he somehow came in contact with El. How did she survive though? Where did she go? What is wrong with Will? What will be the effects of the tendril that Will had in his mouth? I assume he only survived because he was recently put in. Why did the monster do the tendril thing? What did it accomplish? It killed some people to eat, but what was the point of the tendril? Why did it choose to do this to Will? Best Moment: Probably the death of El and the kids trying to fight the monster. That scene was exciting and fun and delivered a decent amount of emotion too. Character of the Episode: Dustin didn't do a whole lot this episode, so it will go to El for delivering big time in the finale. Conclusion: This was decent, yet flawed and unspectacular. This show has been very ordinary all the way through and never threatened to be anything special. And I highly doubt season 2 will be any better. This episode highlights how I feel about the entire season as a whole. Exciting but honestly just ordinary and forgettable. I will review season 2 once it's out but I won't have my expectations very high. Who knows, maybe I'll be surprised? Overall, I honestly think I was a little but generous with my scores this season and that is because this show did have a unique effect with its 80s theme. Doubtlessly, this episode and all the other ones would have received much lower scores if this was just an ordinary TV show. But the 80s theme added some life to this and made it decent, when it could have been a real flub. Season 2 runs the risk of being a flub though so I will hope that it can find a new way to be enjoyable. Score: 63
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Summary: Nora and Matt say their goodbyes and Nora goes into the machine, but may have had second thoughts. It's unclear. Several years later, Kevin meets Nora in Australia and claims that he hardly knew her and asks her to a dance. Nora demands the truth and Kevin tells her that he has come to Australia ever since she was gone to look for her and he finally found her. Nora tells him that she went through the machine to the other world but changed her mind and came back upon seeing that her kids have moved on.
The Good: This was a spectacular finale. The storytelling in this season has been absolutely stellar, and the show has earned the right to end of on whatever note it pleases, so long as it has that same stellar storytelling. This finale may have been extremely unconventional, but it had tons of the aforementioned stellar storytelling, making for a tremendously satisfying finale, which ends the series on the perfect high note. The episode opened up on a high note too. We got to see what happened to Nora after we last saw her and Matt back in "Certified" and I thought it was well done. We got a little more intrigue with the machine and then we finally got to see it and how it worked, which was pretty nice. But better than that was the amazing final scene between Matt and Nora. I seriously thought it may have been the best thing in the episode because it was just so emotionally powerful and satisfying in every single way. Nothing can feel more real than Matt's final speech saying how he's afraid of his future and if he's going to die. It was the perfect swan song for his character and made the news of his death very poignant. Additionally, I loved the mad libs obituary for Nora, it was a wonderful lighthearted character moment to conclude the relationship between Matt and Nora. I was initially worried that the opening 10 minutes may overshadow the rest of the episode but thankfully that wasn't the case, and the rest of this episode was just as powerful and enjoyable. This entire episode centered around the Kevin and Nora getting back together, and the slow-paced storytelling made the entire plot feel so much for satisfying than it had any right to be. The Kevin/Nora story hasn't been bad throughout the show, but it certainly wasn't one of the series' highlights until now. Everything came together beautifully in this episode to make me buy into their relationship; the music, acting, symbolism, storytelling, dialogue and more delivered on the highest possible level. Each characters' stories were also tremendously powerful moments. Kevin explaining how he had to search all of Australia during his vacation year after year because he just couldn't believe Nora was gone was incredibly emotional. There were so many different feelings during the duration of that speech which made it something truly special. I went from feeling sad about what Kevin was doing, hopeful for his relationship and genuinely happy hearing his excitement at finally seeing Nora. This scene actually broke the trend that showing is better than telling, because seeing Kevin say his story here was absolutely incredible. Also, for once the lack of the brilliant music score actually aided the scene a ton and helped us really feel for Kevin. And of course Justin Theroux absolutely killed it in the scene and in the entire episode as a whole. He has played Kevin so well that it's clear that something is off when we see Kevin for the first time in this episode because the subtle touches of Kevin's character that we have grown accustomed to are different. On the other hand, Nora's story delivered just as poignant of a viewing experience. The best aspect is that we don't know if she's telling the truth and there are hints placed throughout the episode which suggest both possibilities. I will lean towards Nora lying, but the storytelling is strong enough for it to also work the other way too. But then again it doesn't matter if Nora was lying or telling the truth. What matters is that Kevin believes it and that she believes it. This show has never been about providing concrete answers, but always about what the characters believe in and I'm thrilled that this final episode continued the trend and brought it up to a new level. I'm so happy that Nora's story led to such a brilliant story being told. The ending scene was also spectacular and ended on a perfect visual with the birds returning. I wouldn't pick any other way to conclude this series. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Was Nora lying or not? I'm sure the goat and the necklaces made for some kind of symbolism but it went over my head. What did it mean? Best Moment: It's a toss up between Matt, Kevin and Nora's stories. In the end I will lean towards Nora's. Character of the Episode: Nora. Conclusion: What a spectacular finale. This finale totally captured the essence of the show and delivered something really special to send it off. As for the season overall, it was incredible. There were a few small problems, but overall the emotions and storytelling reached a new level this season. Every episode regularly delivered huge emotional impact and each episode felt memorable in its own way. This is absolutely one of the best seasons of television I have ever seen if not the best, capped off with what I think is the best series finale of all time. Score: 84 The Leftover S03E07 The Most Powerful Man in the World (And His Identical Twin Brother) Review9/22/2017 Summary: Kevin returns to the afterlife world and contacts Evie and one of Grace's kids quickly. However, he is two people, the president and his identical twin brother, an assassin. He has to call Christopher Sunday but is constantly road blocked as he is the president and expected to agree to a plan to blow up the entire world on the day of the anniversary. He is able to contact Christopher Sunday as the assassin but is told there will be no flood. Kevin follows through with blowing up the afterlife and returns to the real world where the flood never happened.
The Good: This was another outstanding episode, my favourite of the season so far which is saying quite a lot. It was wonderful to go back to the afterlife. The last 2 episodes that the afterlife was featured were spectacular and this episode continued to explore what made the afterlife so fascinating earlier. Though of course it couldn't meet the sheer splendour of "International Assassin", it still featured all of the uniqueness that made that episode so wonderful while also adding some unique twists to make it its own thing. The greatest of these twists I think was the idea to have 2 different Kevins in the world which allowed for wonderful storytelling in addition to a uniquely engaging plot line. Speaking of the plot line, I really enjoyed following it as much, if not more, than in "International Assassin". It was gripping to see Kevin trying to desperately contact Christopher Sunday and it was very fun to see him constantly switching between 2 different versions of himself. Additionally, the mystery of what the Deathcon plan was and why assassin Kevin was needed was intriguing and added another layer of interest to the episode. It also gave us a memorable final visual when the afterlife world was destroyed by the missile assault. I also really liked the storytelling and thematic exploration behind Patti's plot to destroy the afterlife world. It's very true that this entire season has been about waiting for something to happen when nothing does happen, and I'm happy to see that this episode played a pivotal role in continuing that theme. It's an interesting take to see somebody making something happen just because people want something - anything - to happen. The ending also did a good job of continuing that theory when Kevin Sr. has to face the fact that the flood didn't happen. It was a good examination of what happens when your entire purpose in life is stripped away. All Kevin Sr. can afford to say is "now what", since his entire purpose is gone and he has nothing left. Now he will need to find something else to help him move on, as his faith hasn't led him anywhere in the end. The best part of the episode was definitely when Kevin met Kevin though (see: Best Moment). It was great to see Justin Theroux steal the show playing 2 different versions of himself and their interactions were great as we could see how they were the same and yet slightly different; 2 versions of the same man. Patti's presence also added to the scene and Ann Dowd was spectacular as always and I was overjoyed to see her return for an episode. It was also great to see Dean, Meg and Evie again in their brief roles. The penis scanner was hilarious. There were always a lot of allusions to Justin Theroux's largeness and it was toyed in a brilliant way in this episode. The Bad: The only thing would be that this wasn't as good as "International Assassin". That doesn't take away anything from the genius of this episode though. The Unknown: So was David Burton a fake then? He does appear again but he says that God was a pick-up line so maybe he really wasn't God. I loved the titular reference to the scene where David told Matt that Jesus had an identical twin brother. Evie didn't seem to be aware that she was dead unlike Christopher Sunday. How does that work? Is it because she is in denial that she died? So she projected the idea that her family was killed in a drone strike instead of her? Best Moment: Kevin reading the storybook was incredible. It reminded me of the scene from "The Prodigal Son Returns" when Kevin had to read the bible verse to eulogize Patti. It was a great scene that let Kevin learn more about himself and how he needs to fix his ways and to reconcile with Nora. But is it too late now? Who knows, but Kevin must realize he needs to find her again t repair his screw-up. The scene highlighted this wel and the acting by both Kevins was something really special. Character of the Episode: Kevin of course. Justin Theroux absolutely killed it in this episode. Conclusion: What a brilliant episode. It wasn't quite on the same level as "International Assassin" but that's a really high standard and this came damn close. This created its own unique story, gave it an emotional connection, explored the season's themes in a new way and provided a spectacular bang for the series' penultimate episode. It really doesn't get much better than this. Score: 82 Summary: A day before the anniversary, Laurie goes to see Nora in Australia with Matt. She is still looking into the people of the machine and decides to go into it herself. Matt stays with her as Laurie goes to meet Kevin and the others. She agrees to let John and Kevin Sr. do what they want with Kevin and says goodbye. She goes scuba diving and possibly commits suicide.
The Good: This was more outstanding stuff from the show with several emotional moments as expected. The opening scene was very good at getting us into Laurie's mindset for the episode. It's been a while since she has been a primary focal point so it was very important to get us to understand her character and sympathize with her. The opening scene accomplishes this by showing us how the Departure affected her and nearly drove her to suicide. Additionally, we also got some closure to a storyline which has been going since the first minute of this show. It was really great to see Sam's mom return and I'm glad that we got to see another heartfelt scene, this time from her. I also enjoyed how the scene ties in with Laurie's arc as it shows how broken and lost she was after the Departure. And hearing all these stories about other people's problems couldn't have possibly helped in any way. The rest of the episode held up more than well too. Laurie's overall story was very powerful and just as enjoyable as any of the other character stories this season. The whole topic of this episode was suicide, and we got a magnificent story about Laurie and how she was ultimately driven to a possible suicide once she realizes she has no purpose left in the world. But of course the most satisfying aspect of this was how Laurie was resigned to giving her life away but she still has some possible reasons to keep fighting in John and her kids. That's why I say possible suicide because her final conversation with her kids could very well have changed her mind. We may find out what Laurie's fate is in the next episode, or we may never find out. Either way it's still a beautiful storyline, which is the most important part of this, though there is still a significant flaw (see: The Bad). I appreciated the format of this episode too. With just 3 episodes left, it would be expected that the show picks up the pace and delivers more excitement. But The Leftovers has shown tremendous restraint and instead of going overboard, it has delivered an episode just filled with conversations and is honestly the better for it. Each of these conversations though slow, delivered a purpose and made for compelling storylines and several emotional scenes. Laurie's scenes with Nora helped build up the suicide themes, brought some early closure to Matt and Nora's storylines and also gave Laurie a proper reason to start saying her goodbyes. And that's what all the other conversations equated to: heartfelt goodbyes, with the highlight being the excellent scene between Laurie and Kevin (see: Best Moment). But the Kevin/Laurie scene wasn't the only great thing in this episode. Another highlight was the amazing beach ball speech from Nora. It was powerful and also helped show Nora's grief and displeasure with what she has been doing as her job, and of course tied in beautifully with Laurie too. And it also was a lovely visual seeing Matt staying with Nora afterwards, having given up his faith for his family at last. The previous scenes between these three characters were good as well. We got some quality interactions revealing lots about the characters and there was some nice foreshadowing with the scuba diving and also some good comedy. Other impactful scenes include: Laurie and John talking about what they are doing, Kevin Sr. explaining his goals, the Bible scene where everyone picks an apostle, and of course the beautiful ending phone call between Laurie and her kids. There were a few small things I liked too. We got an answer for what submarine guy was doing: saving the world from Godzilla coming from an underwater volcano. Honestly with this show being what it is, nothing would seem more fitting with the show's themes. I also got a good laugh from Kevin Sr. taking care of the cop by knocking him out with a shovel. I wonder what his future will be if he survives past the anniversary. The Bad: There was one critical flaw in this though preventing this from being next level excellent. And that problem is that either way we go, Laurie's fate isn't satisfying. If she is truly dead, then she won't have that perfect suicide because she talked to her kids before going underwater. And also Laurie has been a character who is the most hopeful in the series. She has always come back from the brink, but if she ultimately ends up dying, there is a certain depressing quality of her fate. But of course if she's alive it would feel like a cop-out and this episode would feel kind of pointless and not as satisfying. It's a lose-lose situation. The Unknown: Is Laurie dead? We may never know. Is Nora going to go into the machine? Will she die too? Will we even see her again? Is Kevin going to die again? All these questions seem to be about characters dying now. Will he make contact with Grace's kids and Evie in the afterlife? Is Kevin Sr.'s flood on the way? A storm was rolling in when Laurie went scuba diving. Best Moment: Kevin and Laurie's scene was very poignant. John and Laurie haven't seen the same development as Kevin and Laurie so I'm happy that the latter was given the primary focus. The scene was very emotional and it was great to see the 2 of them reminiscing and laughing and sharing truths about things they never told each other. The most powerful of which being Laurie talking about her unborn baby. But the real tearjerker was the ending when Laurie gives Kevin the "Don't forget me" lighter which she has treasured so much. Now it's Kevin who wouldn't want to forget her. Very good and emotional storytelling. Character of the Episode: Laurie for her wonderful arc. Though Nora was a show-stealer too as always. Conclusion: A wonderful episode which is one of the most powerful so far. This could have been something special, but unfortunately the one flaw is keeping it from ascending too high. But other than that, this was superb as expected from this brilliant show. Score: 79 Summary: A man blows up a nuke in a submarine somewhere. Matt is going to Australia with John and Michael to bring Kevin back to Miracle for the seventh anniversary. Laurie joins in and doesn't see eye to eye with Matt's faith. On the plane there, the group is forced to land in Tasmania and have to take a boat with a lion worshipping orgy in it. Matt runs into a guy who calls himself God and also throws another man overboard. Matt confronts him and after a conversation, is freed from his faith. God is eaten by a lion.
The Good: Well The Leftovers continued its hot streak in a big way with this episode. This entire episode took the weirdness of this show and took it to a whole other level and yet it still works remarkably well. If anything, the story is better with the weirdness than it is without. It's impressive that such a weird episode was able to be so brilliant, exciting and beautiful. The episode even opens on a completely weird note. We see a man strip down naked in a submarine, steal a key from a man and then blow up a nuke. It's such a strange moment and instantly gets you into the tone of the episode with a stupid amount of weirdness. But since the scene is in "The Good" it obviously worked for me and I can't even explain why. I'm not sure why the man did it (see: The Unknown) but I am definitely interested to find out more. Matt's overall story is what carried this episode. It starts off like one of the classic Matt episodes, where he clings to his faith while everything starts going wrong. But ten the episode takes a turn for the better as some interesting developments, including an orgy and a man who calls himself God, occurred, increasing my interest in the episode. In the en this was very different from the other Matt episodes, since it wasn't about Matt sticking to his faith, but rather him letting go of it. He has given so much and now after an incredible scene where he talks to God (see: Best Moment), he finally realizes that everything h has done could very well have been for nothing and then he lets go of it all. This all culminates in that fantastic ending scene where God is devoured by a lion an Matt just turns o the camera and says "that's the guy I was telling you about", which could be taken as him talking about David Burton himself, or about God as he has preached about him for years. Overall this was a pleasing storyline chronicling a major change in an important character and giving him some much needed closure. The Matt vs Laurie conflict was very good too. It was a good look at faith vs nihilism which was the main driving point of this episode. And surprisingly nihilism won over this time, which is rare in television and this new look at the conflict feels very original and enjoyable. I loved the arguments regarding Kevin too because it's easy to understand where both characters are coming from judging by their past experiences with him. And now, the major elephant in the room: God. Most of this will be in The Unknown, but I was very happy with this storyline overall. David Burton has been a presence in the past and it's good to get a little bit more about him even though e are unlikely to get any proper closure about who he was and what happened to him. I enjoyed his vagueness and his stories about the Bible and Jesus were not only hilarious, but also served to properly start breaking Matt's faith in that amazing conversation scene. The lion orgy was also hilariously weird. It also served to show that different people believe different thins and that while this whole Frasier thing sounds ridiculous to us and the characters, who's to say that it's less believable than Matt's mission. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Was David Burton really God or was he just spewing garbage? Did he really cause the Sudden Departure? Did he really "save" Matt? Or was it just another hoax? How did he become God if he is God? What powers did he have? Will Matt still go after Kevin? It does sound like he's just given up on that though. Why did the man blow up the nuke? Was it over some stupid belief just like everything else this season? Best Moment: Matt speaks to God. That scene was just beautifully done overall. Matt came in believing that David Burton wasn't God, but here was his opportunity to finally get some answers for what he had put all his faith into. And the answers, as it seems to be the trend this season, were disappointing. Burton says "I did it because I could" regarding the Departure and totally exposes that Matt has done everything for himself an it is powerful and also correct stuff. And Matt knows it so we see him snap and completely lose his spirit as he begins to realize that everything he has done was for nothing. But it's not enough as Matt frees Burton hoping for one final chance to get some satisfaction and confirmation of the greatness of the almighty. And yet with the snap of a finger it all comes crashing down as Matt realizes with that excellent look on his face that everything he has invested in has been a disappointment. It's great storytelling that is not only engaging but also tense. For a minute I was genuinely unsure about what Burton would do and the snap of his fingers was a wonderful "climax". Character of the Episode: Matt obviously because his character took such a drastic turn in this episode. Conclusion: Another amazing episode for this show. This was so unique and original and told a really great story that properly closed out Matt's character arc. I'm really enjoying this season so far as every episode seems to have at least a few emotional scenes and this was no exception. Score: 78 Summary: Ross goes with Rachel to help her do laundry for the first time. Joey recruits Monica to help split up a couple because he wants to be with the girl in the relationship. Chandler and Phoebe accompany each other as they both have to break up their relationships.
The Good: This was another spectacular episode. Each of the three plot lines were set up expertly and believably which added to my immersion to the episode, but also all three of them delivered tons of laughs and had me engaged and consistently chuckling whilst watching. Chandler's energy was hilarious, Ross and Rachel's awkward "date" was clever and worked on almost every level, and Joey and Monica breaking apart the couple was unique and even more impressively, believable for both characters to ultimately decide to do it. And not only was the story good, but the laughs were awesome and each storyline built up the big laughs so wonderfully with several small comic moments which built up to absolutely hilarious jokes. The Bad: I suppose the aggressive laundry woman was quite over-the-top and not as funny as she was intended to be. I also can't really buy Rachel kissing Ross yet as the moment didn't feel earned. Best Moment: Ross walking into the laundry machine door after standing with that dopey look on his face following Rachel's kiss was hilarious and was the perfect example of a scene getting funnier as it went on. Character of the Episode: Chandler and Ross have been the MVPs for this show so far, but I'll edge this one out to Chandler who was uniquely hilarious in his overly energetic role. Conclusion: Another awesome episode, which is the best, and funniest, yet. The show's writing and sense of humour has only gotten better and more impressive as its went on. Score: 80 Summary: The Hawkins Lab people go to Mike's house and the kids flee with El before reuniting with Lucas. They go into hiding and are contacted by Hopper, Joyce, Nancy and Jonathan who are working together now. The group goes to the school to make a "bathtub" for El to contact those in the upside down. Barb is dead but Willis alive. Hopper and Joyce go to the gate but are caught by guards. Will is attacked by the monster.
The Good: This was a very strong episode, which is probably the best episode of the show so far. The most impressive thing was definitely the fast pace and overall tension. The opening sequence for one was absolutely thrilling and fun, even though it was pretty obvious that the group would escape in the end. I assumed that the tension would drop a bit, but with the rapid plot developments and everybody finally working together, the tension continued to persist through several scenes including the wonderful scene where El goes into the bathtub. Speaking of that scene, I really enjoyed that storyline. It made sense and had good continuity from the previous scenes that we have scene with El in the lab. I was happy to get some confirmation on the standings of both Will and Barb before the expected rescue mission in the finale. There were also some nice moments between El and Joyce as the former panicked at returning to the upside down and the latter used her motherly instincts to comfort El. I enjoyed seeing the full cast coming together at last. Though I have some reservations (see: The Bad), I'm happy to see everybody finally working together before the final endgame because it gives us some fresh and interesting character interactions before everything goes down, including some excellent scenes between Joyce/El and Nancy/Mike. Steve's redemption arc continues and I'm happy about that. I thought it would have stopped in the last episode, but I'm glad they are continuing even if it does feel a bit out of place in this episode where so much is happening in other scenes. Dustin remains the greatest thing about this show. He was good in the first few episodes but he has really stood out in he past couple episodes, showing great intelligence and being genuinely funny. His late night conversation with Mr. Clark was very well done and hilarious, and it continues to make me believe that Mr. Clark will be doing something important in the finale. I was pleasantly surprised to see the bullies story actually have some consequences and it felt like a very natural step to bring Hopper and Joyce to El. So I retract that complaint about the story from last episode having no consequences. I'll reluctantly put the make up between Mike, El and Lucas in the good. It was a sweet moment but it really didn't quite feel satisfying because all characters didn't really do much in particular to make it feel like they should have logically made up. But then I remember that these are just kids so I suppose it's logical that they would make up so easily, even though it wasn't exactly satisfying on an emotional level. The Bad: The usual complaints still stand. Even though this was exciting, it didn't have me quite on the edge of my seat because I always felt like I knew what was going to come next. And since most of this episode was impactful due to its energy and tension, it doesn't succeed as well as it would on paper because of the show's predictability. The cliffhangers did nothing for me. It's obvious Will isn't dead and Joyce and Hopper will obviously still go through the gate in some way. It felt like 2 cliffhangers for the sake of cliffhangers going into the finale. Nancy and Jonathan haven't really accomplished anything so far. Hopper and Joyce practically have the same pieces they do only the adults are actually going to do something. Hopefully Jonathan and Nancy will do something, but so far their storyline feels pretty much pointless. The Unknown: Is Will dead? Probably not. But I wonder how he will escape alive from the monster. Are Hopper and Joyce captured now? How will they escape? Or will they end up working with the lab people by volunteering to go through the gate? We had that one scene a couple episodes ago where the one man went into the gate which means it wouldn't feel implausible. What are Jonathan and Nancy going to do? It feels like they don't have much of a role here. Same with Steve, so surely they will do something. Best Moment: Probably Nancy and Mike's short talk. It was nice to get a proper relationship scene that feels real. It was also hilarious hearing Mike attempt to say he didn't like El, but Nancy clearly wasn't buying it. Character of the Episode: Dustin, who remains the real MVP of this show. Conclusion: This was a very good and enjoyable episode to set up the finale. It succeeded because I was enjoying it all the way through and I am looking forward to see the story wrap up. Score: 66 Summary: Rachel freaks out about not making money and brings down Phoebe and Monica. Ross, Chandler and Joey go to see a hockey game, but Ross is out of it because it's the anniversary of his first time having sex.
The Good: This was an excellent episode of comedy with loads of laughs. All 6 friends had hilarious moments throughout the episode and I was engaged throughout as 2 very simple and enjoyable plotlines were on display. All 6 of the characters are now well defined and factored into their respective stories in a funny and organic way. Rachel's panic, Monica's uptightness, Phoebe's weirdness, Ross' awkwardness, Chandler's sarcasm and Joey's slow mind each added to the story and there were tons of moments where I almost fell apart while laughing. The hockey game story was excellently edited for its time and the hospital lady led to some really good moments. I also loved Ross' continued sadness which made Chandler and Joey's lines that much funnier. The other story wasn't quite as funny but it was still enjoyable and the three girls had very good lines. Rachel's character arc also progressed in her attempt to be more independent and it was a nice development for her as she realizes that she is in th same boat with her friends despite them being more experienced with life. The Bad: There were still a couple poorly written lines and jokes, but other than that this was superb. Best Moment: Probably any scene with the hospital lady. It's tough to choose in this episode. Character of the Episode: I'll go with Chandler but all three of the guys were show stealers in this episode. Conclusion: A very strong and enjoyable episode of television. If Friends can keep this quality, the show can be something really special. Score: 78 Summary: Lucas and Mike don't see eye to eye and split up. Mike and Dustin find El when she saves them from the bullies. Lucas goes to Hawkins Lab and sees several vehicles heading out to find El. Nancy escapes from the monster and becomes closer to Jonathan. Steve is upset and gets into a fight with Jonathan. Jonathan accidentally hits a cop and is taken to the police station. Hopper and Joyce go to meet Terry Ives about her missing daughter and figure out who El is. Flashbacks reveal that El opened the gate.
The Good: This was more solid stuff as expected from this show. The season is picking up nicely as it nears its conclusion. The opening sequence was well done but it had some flaws (see: The Bad). I'm thankful that we weren't left with the cliffhanger throughout the episode and that we got to resume right where we left off. I was very happy with Nancy's reaction though. It was good to see her so afraid after what happened and Jonathan is likeable as he is very kind and caring towards her. I love that Nancy pieced together the blood after staying awake all night. After all why wouldn't she if she was thinking about it all night? It would come up at some point and I'm glad that the show acknowledged it. I enjoyed seeing Hopper and Joyce together. Their story was pretty simple but I enjoyed seeing them piecing together that El exists and I'm excited to see how they will factor into the other storylines with the kids and teenagers. Terry Ives not being able to talk felt clichéd but it was a good way to explain how she lost the lawsuit against Hawkins Lab. I'm glad that the show thought through that much. The kid storyline had some good moments in it. Most of which were from Dustin who is extremely likeable. I've enjoyed Dustin more than the other kids since the beginning but he really shined in this episode as he was not only the voice of reason, but also very funny and consistently entertaining. While the other kids are fighting, Dustin remains the moral compass who ensures that we remain engaged in the storyline. The writers have done excellently with the kids which I think is the show's biggest accomplishment. I enjoyed El's storyline for the most part too but it also had flaws (see: The Bad). I enjoyed the flashbacks though they were pretty slow. They explained a lot about the gate and felt very exciting and intriguing throughout. This storyline was decent enough. The Bad: There were several small problems though as usual. The clichéd and predictable nature of the show is still here. The ending of the last episode was pretty surprising and I thought it would lead to something special, but it was just misleading as Nancy is alright and the story continues to feel painfully average and unspectacular. I hated the bullies storyline a lot. It was stupid that they were so threatening and I didn't like how apparently one of them was able to go around and surround Dustin and Mike. It was pretty unbelievable but even worse was that they made Mike jump into the quarry. He would have died! It's incredibly stupid that they would go to such lengths and really took me out of the moment. What makes less sense is how El saved Mike. She arrived in time to see him jump which means she should have been able to prevent him from jumping at all but it was just done for dramatic effect. Also she broke the kid's arm, shouldn't that have consequences? But it really doesn't look like it will. I didn't like how easy it was for El to rob the store. It was pretty stupidly simple and I'm disappointed that it had no consequences. Also shouldn't the Hawkins Lab people be more aware and prepared for something like this so they can quickly get El back? It seemed to take them forever to finally start heading out. The Unknown: Mr. Clark is getting more screen time than expected. Surely he will factor into the story somewhere down the line. The question is how will he factor into the story? What happened to Terry? How did the Hawkins Lab people take her child? How did she get special powers? Best Moment: Probably Dustin talking to Mike after they talked to Lucas. He's just so likeable, logical and entertaining and it feels refreshing in this show. Character of the Episode: Dustin. Conclusion: This was more solid, yet still flawed stuff. The story is picking up as it heads to the finale and I'm sure it will be a satisfying but unspectacular finale. This show is, as I've been saying since episode 1, very ordinary but still easy to enjoy. Score: 62 Summary: The kids figure out that Will is in another dimension and try to figure out how to get into it. They attempt to locate a portal, but their attempts are subverted by El. Lucas gets in a fight with Dustin and Mike and leaves and El runs away. Nancy and Jonathan go hunting for the monster and Nancy finds a portal to the other dimension where she sees the monster. Lonnie returns to see Joyce only for the money and tries to shut down her efforts to contact Will. Hopper continues to investigate Hawkins Lab but they are aware of him and attempt to monitor his movements.
The Good: This was a much stronger effort and it is my favourite episode since the pilot. Hopper's investigation was very fun as usual but I think this was the best episode of it. The opening sequence was very tense and while it was cliché at times like with Hopper taking care of the guards, I did enjoy it a lot more because there was a lot of suspense and we weren't sure how much Hopper would uncover about the lab. I also loved the scene with Hopper hunting for the wiretap, it was the smartest that show has been with this investigation and it was nice to see some thought put into the show and the characters. The kid storyline was superb in this episode with some real conflict and plot progression. I really love their interactions which remain as fun and special as ever. The conflict and fight at the end also felt earned since we have seen some hostilities forming between the trio ever since Eleven was introduced and the writers did an excellent job of staging this scene to feel like the big breaking point between all of the friends. The best thing about that scene was how everyone's motivations felt real. Lucas wants to find Will and is angry at El's betrayal, Mike is upset that Lucas has been so hostile towards El and Dustin is just trying to keep everything calm. But better than this is El's motivation to prevent them from finding the portal. She knows it will take them to Hawkins Lab and she is afraid of going back there. After seeing so many flashbacks of her former life it's completely believable that she has been traumatized by her past and her tears and panic at the end feel very real and felt like an organic next step in the story. I will applaud the writers for doing a great job with the kids storyline which has been the most consistently well written so far. The Nancy/Jonathan story was very good in this episode too. It makes sense that they wouldn't be too fond of each other considering who they are, and I'm very glad to see that they didn't just split up after their argument. Though they may not be friends, they only have each other in the hunt for Barb and Will, which makes it realistic for them to stick together. The final scene was also very tense and exciting and it's good to see the monster for the first time. I'm also surprised to see that Nancy has entered the other dimension and I wonder if she is gone now too (see: The Unknown). I liked the scene between Steve and Nancy too. It's nice to see that Steve isn't being painted as just some stupid and selfish teenager but actually a somewhat decent guy. The Bad: The usual of course. The show is too clichéd still despite a few surprising developments which make it less predictable. Lonnie's return was tedious and felt mostly pointless. It didn't further any storylines, wasn't interesting and was overall just a pointless roadblock which would prevent Jonathan from talking to Joyce about the monster before the plot wants it to happen. The final scene was tense and exciting but had some major issues. The monster just taking the dead prey and ignoring both Nancy and Jonathan was really dumb and didn't seem to make any sense. We need a better idea of why the monster attacks people soon. I didn't like that Nancy just stupidly went into the mysterious hole without getting Jonathan. Surely she would want to tell him where she is going in case something bad happens. And it was beyond ridiculous that Jonathan didn't hear Nancy calling him over but heard her getting attacked. The Unknown: A couple questions. Why does the monster kill? How does it enter the regular world at will? Why was it not interested in Nancy and Jonathan at first? Why did the Hawkins Lab leave Hopper alive and on his own? Are they watching him? Do they have a special plan for him? What else will Hopper tell Joyce and will they work together now? Will Lonnie come back later in the story? Best Moment: The big scene between the kids where they fought at the end was tense and wonderful. A perfect culmination for tons of build up. Character of the Episode: Tough to choose in this episode. In the end I will pick Eleven over Hopper by a hair because I thought the story had built so well to that climax and El was the standout in that scene. Hopper wasn't quite as impressive. Conclusion: This was much better. The writing and storytelling improved quite a bit and made for a really enjoyable episode. This is a much brighter sign for the final 3 episodes which can hopefully live up to expectations. Score: 65 Summary: Will's funeral is to be held but Joyce doesn't believe that it is his body. Joyce encounters Will at home. Nancy talks to the police about Barb and they predict that she just ran away. She breaks up with Steve. She goes to Jonathan for help and they discover the monster in a picture of Barb. Hopper continues his investigation and discovers that Will's body is fake. He goes to enter Hawkins Lab. El contacts Will and proves to the other kids that he is alive.
The Good: I enjoyed parts of this. The plot developments continue to be paced really well and the show really does a good job of timing when a big scene happens. There never seems to be an entire episode of build up and an ending climax, rather we have slow scenes which build up to another exciting scene or reveal just a few minutes away. It makes the show easily enjoyable and it is fun to watch this show despite its predictability and simplicity (see: The Bad as usual for this). Joyce and Jonathan's conflict was good. It's easy to understand their grief and their fight was well den and I'm very glad that they instantly forgave each other. That's what real people in grief do: they fight but will reconcile easily because they need each other. Hopper's investigation was once again simple but it was the easiest storyline to enjoy. It's easy to root for Hopper as he is entering waters out of his depth but he is fighting hard for justice and truth. The Bad: There were quite a few problems with this episode though that heavily detracted from my enjoyment. First of all, the usual complaints: the show remains clichéd and predictable. Every scene has predictable and repetitive story beats which get old quickly. One again, I do understand the novelty of a show like this, but it's getting less fascinating to see an 80s show after four episodes. It makes me wonder if this show would have been better as just a movie instead. Regarding the movie point, it does feel like a tory suited for a movie. This entire episode was simplistic but also extremely filler. The plot has hardly progressed and we are literally at the exact same point at the end of this episode as we were in the previous episode, making this feel pointless. There wasn't even any good character development and I didn't feel at all satisfied after this episode. For an 8 episode show, a filler episode like this is pretty much unacceptable and it makes me wonder if the show would have been better if it was just compressed into a movie. It's not like the characters or plot were so complex that they needed several episodes to develop. There were several storytelling flaws too that I will need to list off. It didn't look like Nancy got a good look at the monster in the forest, but apparently she did which was very awkward. I didn't particularly care for her storylines with Steve and her mother either. They were unemotional and pretty typical for an average TV show, not a good one. I didn't like her scenes with Jonathan either. The acting, dialogue and storytelling was very off and I just didn't enjoy them together. The clichéd nature of the final scene with them uncovering the picture of the monster was also pretty stupid overall and completely took me out of the scene. I wasn't a fan of the kids story either. The scenes with El were played for laughs but they were pretty unrealistic and hard to believe for me. I also didn't like that El could just conveniently contact Will and didn't choose to do it at an earlier time or even tell any of the other kids that she could do it. It felt unbelievable and even her social issues can't quite explain that much. Also, without any kind of wedge between the kid characters, that makes the entire plot point of Will's fake body pointless since it had no effect on the story. Hopper was already looking into Hawkins Lab, Joyce never believed he was dead and Jonathan was already grieving so what was the point overall? Without any effect on the kid storyline it gives us absolutely nothing. The Unknown: How can El contact Will in the other dimension and broadcast it to the radio? What happened to the man who went into the weird place with the slime? Is he dead? Is that place the entry point to the other dimension? How did it get there? Was it from experiments? What effects does it have on the human world? Is it why the monster can seemingly go through dimensions at will? How did Will make himself visible to Joyce through the wall? Best Moment: Honestly it was Joyce talking to Will because that scene was decently written and had some proper emotion. Character of the Episode: Hopper for being the most likeable and consistently enjoyable throughout. Conclusion: This was disappointing. This show was never great or even threatening great, but this episode was sloppy and pointless. Hopefully the storytelling improves in the upcoming episodes because this was quite a bit below par. Score: 53 Summary: Monica dates a new guy named Alan and is reluctant to show him to her friends. But when she does they all love him. Phoebe keeps getting bonuses from her bank and feels guilty about it. Chandler starts smoking again.
The Good: This was another very good episode. There were more funny moments in this episode, though the episode did border on too over-the-top at times (see: The Bad). The highlights was definitely the Chandler smoking storyline. There were loads of great gags and it let Chandler give some really great lines throughout the episode. I particularly liked the scenes with Chandler smoking in his office and Chandler making the friends argue amongst themselves. The Alan story did give off some nice laughs too and there was a good use of irony with it. Lastly, I enjoyed Phoebe's story as it gives her some good development so we can begin to understand her more. Plus it was fun to see a lot of "bad" luck going her way, culminating with the big laugh with the titular thumb. The overall dialogue through the storylines was superb. The Bad: Alan was a little unbelievable. It's really implausible that all of the friends would like him more than Monica and though it was funny, I still couldn't properly buy into it and enjoy the storyline. The laughs did feel a little less in that story too and it was honestly probably the worst we have seen from the show so far. Best Moment: Chandler starting an argument between the friends. Hilarious and smart storytelling with very satisfying laughs. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: Another really good episode, though the Alan stuff wasn't very enjoyable. Score: 69 Summary: Mike and the other boys plan to go looking for Will after school with El. Joyce sets up lights in her house and manages to make contact with Will and has a run in with the monster. Jonathan is exposed as a pervert. Nancy investigates Barb's disappearance. Hopper turns his eyes to Hawkins Lab to find Will but his investigation is turned on its head when he finds Will's dead body in the quarry.
The Good: Like the last 2 episodes, this was perfectly fun and enjoyable television. El wandering around the house was a small scene but really good. I enjoyed seen her get flashbacks so we can slowly start piecing together her past, but the best part for me was how real it felt. Some of El's dialogue does seem a little forced, but her exploring a new environment felt very real. It was refreshing to see some character work being done and it really helps the show get more scenes that let it take a break from the rapid revealing of plot developments. Joyce's storyline was the most engaging in this episode. It was easy to understand her motivations as she looked for her son in her own house, and it was equally believable that others would think she's crazy. It was very exciting to see Joyce finally get into contact with Will and the brief monster scenes were quite tense and exciting. I look forward to seeing where the storyline goes from here. Hopper's investigation was simple but still very fun. Hopper is a fun character even if he is a bit of a stereotype and I really enjoyed him Steve Gomezing his way into the Hawkins Lab to continue his investigation. I get the sense that he's not going to give up on Hawkins Lab just yet and that makes this another story I'm interested to keep following. The ending twist was definitely a good one. This show has felt largely by-the-numbers so far, so it's good to see that there are a few twists and turns in the story to keep it exciting. There are many places the story can go now (see: The Unknown), which should add a welcome sense of excitement and intrigue to the story. The kids' storyline was fine but unspectacular. Not much to say about the story, but I definitely did enjoy all of the moments where the personalities of the kids came against each other. It lets each of them stand out amongst the others. I particularly enjoy Dustin. The rest of the things that I mentioned as good in previous episodes remain true. This show knows what it is and consistently succeeds at accomplishing what it attempts to accomplish. The Bad: I don't want to sound repetitive but of course this episode had the same problems as the rest. Too predictable, too clichéd, too simple. More specifically, there were a few scenes I didn't like. It felt dumb that Jonathan just hung up all of his pictures for one, it felt like another dumb thing for him to do that led to his camera being destroyed. At least he will presumably start developing something of a relationship with Nancy soon judging on how the story is progressing with both of their storylines. I didn't like that Joyce didn't inquire more from Holly. She is desperate so surely she would want to know if someone else can not only validate her sanity, but also perhaps offer some more insight on how to contact Will. It also felt a little dumb that both Joyce and Karen would lose track of Holly and not notice the blinking lights at all. There were a lot of small scenes that did kind of push the limits of realism as well like the bullies and Joyce getting all of the Christmas lights. It would take a while to get through all of them, but there were several small things that just didn't seem very well thought out. The Unknown: Lots of questions again. Is Barb dead now? I don't see how she would survive whatever happened to her in the opening scene. What about the monster? How does it travel between dimensions? Are there more than 1 like I suggested last time? How is Will escaping it? Is it in the main dimension now for good or did it go back? What is going on in Hawkins Laboratory? The newspaper clearly reports Dr. Brenner taking El. Will Hopper learn about this? How will he? What was in the forest with Nancy? It didn't seem like the monster. Perhaps another character? How is Will able to control the electricity so precisely? How does he know how to contact the main dimension anyways? How about that ending? Is that really Will or is it a fake set there by Hawkins Lab as a cover-up? Could it be that Will's spirit is alive but needs to be put back into his body? Or is he actually dead and the monster killed him? Best Moment: Tough to pick as always because nothing really stands up. I'll pick the ending reveal because it does make the plot much more exciting going forwards. Character of the Episode: Joyce for her performance and the overall engagement in her story. Conclusion: This was more solid stuff with familiar praises and complaints. I do think this was a bit better than the last episode and hopefully the ending can make the rest of the season more exciting. Score: 63 Summary: Mike decides to hide El (Eleven) in his house when she tells him about the dangerous people after her. El tells him and the others that she has seen Will and he's hiding. Nancy goes to Steve's party with Barb. She and Steve have sex and when Barb goes outside by herself she is attacked by the monster. Joyce comes into contact with Will through the phone.
The Good: This was more solid and enjoyable stuff for the most part. We had some major developments regarding Will's disappearance. Joyce has come into contact with him in a very mysterious scene (see: The Unknown) and she has also provided a lot more insight on this apparent other dimension where I assume Will is hiding. The fact that El has seen Will is also very interesting and raises a lot of questions about her too (again see: The Unknown). Aside from that, this was more of the same. The kid characters remain very likeable and fun. They each have distinct personalities and when they come into conflict with each other, they all raise very valid arguments. I'm glad to see kids portrayed like actual kids instead of as adults only incredibly stupid. They have probably been the strongest part of this show so far and I am always engaged when they are on screen. I liked several small scenes too. Joyce's desperation when facing her boss felt very real and I really loved how she tried to use her missing son to get what she wants. It was a nice little bit of humour and realism in the show. El and Mike getting to know each other was also very good. It's nice seeing kids being kids and trying to show off to one another and to have some good fun. Once more, kudos to the writers for portraying kids properly and to the child actors who have done an incredible job so far. The 80s atmosphere remains very good. There are loads of 80s references which are very fun to spot and they also help with the continued setting development. The Bad: Some things didn't work for me however. I didn't like the Nancy storyline. I was never engaged and I can't be bothered to care about the characters involved. They are very shallow and stereotypical and honestly bore me. Though I do like the development that Barb has been taken by the monster as it should give these characters something more interesting to do, I was annoyed at how unemotional that entire scene felt. I felt nothing when Nancy chose to stay with Steve since that was inevitable and I felt nothing for Barb even though she was sitting all sad and alone. I wish more character work had been done to make me care more for these storylines. I also didn't like that Jonathan was conveniently there taking pictures of Barb. I don't understand what his motivation was to go take pictures of the forest and it doesn't make sense to me how it would help him find Will. Even worse, I don't see why he would stop to take pictures of the party instead of doing what he came there to do. It felt ridiculous that he would just sit around taking pictures. It's really creepy and also odd that the tone didn't seem to focus on how creepy it was. Overall, it felt like a flawed and forced development for the sake of getting a character in a position for him to do something convenient to the plot (see: The Unknown). The characters remain shallow and the story is clichéd and mostly predictable. As I stated that was part of the allure of the show, but it still prevents it from hitting the next level. The good thing about this is that it shows excellent self-awareness from the creator and the writers. They know what this show is and so they won't damage it by reaching too high. It's not a bad thing for the show to settle on the level of good instead of shooting for great, but it will explain why my scores won't be extremely high for this show despite all that it does right. The Unknown: Plenty of questions. Who are the people going after Eleven and what did they do to her in the past? Why did they lock her up? Is she even real? Could she be an artificial human? Or perhaps an experiment for whatever powers she has? How did she escape? She also saw Will in this other dimension apparently? How? When did she go there? Does she have an ability to travel there? Do the government people? Was she sent into that mysterious hole or whatever that is being hidden? Why is Will hiding? Where is he hiding exactly? How can he talk to Joyce? How did he get the phone? What was with that scene anyways? How did Will or the monster or whatever turn on the electronics from the other dimension? How did the monster apparently just phase through the wall like that? Also what is with the flickering lights? Does that signify when the monster is around? Did Barb's blood attract the monster? How did she end up in the other dimension? How was the monster just conveniently right there? Is there more than one monster? How will Jonathan taking pictures factor into the main plot? Surely it's not all for nothing especially considering how he had to do many illogical things to get into the position he was in. I get the feeling that his pictures will be revealed to someone else at some point for some conflict. Best Moment: Nothing has stood out so far. I'll go with Mike showing El his house. It was a lovely reminder that these 2 are still just kids despite their roles in the story and it was the best character work the show has done so far honestly. Character of the Episode: I will go with Mike for thinking logically with what to do with El and coming to a logical conclusion. Conclusion: This was more of the same stuff, but there were more specific flaws this time around. This show remains enjoyable of course and it's easy to understand why so many love it. For me though, the show doesn't offer enough emotions and character storytelling to really hit that next level. Score: 61 Summary: A mysterious monster of some sort is loose in the town of Hawkins. Will Byers encounters it and goes missing. The Hawkins police chief, Hopper starts to investigate. Will's friends Mike, Lucas and Dustin go looking for him themselves. They discover a mysterious girl who is on the run from a government group.
The Good: This was a very easy episode of television to enjoy. The plot was simple and easy to follow, the characters well-defined right off the bat and the premise very interesting. In a world filled with complex TV shows this can feel like a breath of fresh air for some. The one big thing this show accomplishes is in its setting. The 80s timeline is recreated perfectly with lots of brilliant touches like the dungeons and dragons game, the phone, the references to comic books and more. The tone is conveyed so brilliantly that it's easy to get caught up in the world and to just enjoy what you're seeing. The simplistic plotline also pays off in this way because it closely resembles the kind of story that would be used back in the 80s. This kind of retro TV show is rare to find and because of that it has seen massive success. I definitely have to applaud the creators for making a show that so perfectly gives the target audience something they never even knew they wanted. I also heavily enjoyed the pacing of this show. It manages to feel like a TV show with its pacing while also moving fast enough to feel like a movie. This is a wonderful blend of 2 different types of pacing that makes the show very enjoyable. Honestly without the quick pacing that also allows the scenes to breathe, this episode probably wouldn't be anywhere near as fun. I also liked the kid characters in the show, which is a rare treat. They weren't annoying and were rather energetic and fun in a very good way. It's a rare gem to find likeable kid characters and hopefully they remain this way. They appear to be the main characters so if they become annoying, the show will become much worse by default. The opening sequence was phenomenal too. It was very chilling and tense to see whatever the heck that monster was in glimpses. Will running away from it was also genuinely tense and had me engaged right from the start. The scene was very good at getting me right into the show and intrigued for the duration of the episode. The Bad: There were some problems though. The show is simplistic but that does make it feel a touch predictable. The episode was already riddled with clichés like the mysterious girl with magic powers, the existence of an evil monster, the drunk and aggressive cop who is smarter than he looks, etc. This does take me out of the experience a little to have lots of crutches in the story. The characters are likeable but very stereotypical. There isn't a single interesting character and I feel like I already know everything about all of the characters. I'm solely invested for the story and the characters just feel like they are there to amplify the story. That prevents the show from reaching the next level of emotional engagement. It's fun to watch but it won't be memorable or even something I'll want to watch again. It just seems like another show which I will enjoy watching scene-by-scene, but it won't ever exceed expectations. The Unknown: Several questions from this episode. What was that monster that attacked Will? Where did Will go? Is he still alive? With this show being what it is, I assume he's still alive. Who is the mysterious girl? Why is she called Eleven? What is with her powers? Why do the government people want her? What were they doing with her? What was that slime in the hallway? What secrets is Hawkins hiding? What was that thing that Hopper saw in the shed? Was it where the monster took Will? What was with the phone call? Who was it that was talking to Joyce? Best Moment: The opening sequence was excellent and instantly engaging. Character of the Episode: Nobody really stood out. I will pick Hopper for providing the best lines. Conclusion: If you're looking for something special, my first impressions say you won't find it here. What you will probably find is a perfectly fine TV show that will be enjoyable enough to watch. There isn't much wrong with this show and I did enjoy it but it does seem completely ordinary. Score: 66 Summary: Ross' lesbian ex-wife tells him that she is pregnant with his child and that she and her lover Susan want him to be involved in the life of the child. Monica is overly stressed because she is dreading her parents coming to her place for dinner. Rachel has to return her engagement ring to her ex-fiancé Barry.
The Good: This was much better. The pilot episode didn't have a great pace as the plot was slowly progressed and the characters were introduced through witty, filler scenes without much purpose. This episode improved on that by having a purpose with 3 distinct plot lines revolving around 3 of the 6 characters to help us get more acquainted to them. Ross in particular was impressive and funny as he dealt with his ridiculous situation with is ex-wife Carol. Though the plot was simplistic in its structure, it worked and helped us understand a little more about how Ross normally behaves. Most of the laughs came from Ross as well. Monica on the other hand stood out because we got to see her relationship with her parents in comparison to Ross. It allows us to relate to her even though she seems to be the most serious of the 6 characters. Rachel's story was also interesting and the use of the kid in the dentist room was smart and allowed a rather serious scene to have some good laughs. Overall these 3 storylines were written very well and delivered funny moments as well as good character development. A great improvement over the first episode. The other 3 characters were used sparingly, but very well and provided laughs whenever necessary. The Bad: The dialogue was still a little bit choppy at times and some of the jokes weren't as funny as I think they were intended to be. On that note, the jokes were good, but they weren't memorable or drop-dead hilarious. It was just for chuckles instead of good belly-laughs. That isn't a flaw but it does prevent the episode from reaching a really high score. Best Moment: Ross in the doctor's office got the most laughs out of me. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: A much better episode that improved on the writing and characters. Though there weren't any memorable laughs, this was still a fun episode to watch. Score: 70 Summary: Rachel bails last minute from her wedding and goes to her high school friend Monica for help. She is encouraged by Monica's friends to become independent. Monica herself has found a new relationship with a man named Paul. Her brother Ross is dealing with a divorce which happened because his wife was a lesbian.
The Good: This was very good and quite enjoyable. The show is quick to introduce its characters and lets us understand everything about them in just a few quick early scenes. The laughs are also intelligently placed through the use of smart and funny dialogue between the characters. It's definitely a unique idea to base a show off of 6 people just living their lives and talking about stuff without very much plot. It's interesting and at times can make for some really good moments. The Bad: However there were some problems. This show is very reliant on dialogue so if some lines aren't very well put together, it shows. There were a couple poor lines that really weren't as funny as intended like "stay out of my freezer" and just the entire spoon analogy thing in general. I felt it didn't click very well. Another fault is that the show doesn't have very much excitement in the overall story. This can be improved once we get to know the characters better but the laughs just aren't as good as they perhaps should be. Best Moment: I really liked the scenes in the café because the dialogue there was genuinely funny a lot of the time. Character of the Episode: I would go with Rachel for this one. Conclusion: A strong episode overall with a couple funny moments, but there does feel like something is missing. If some of the flaws can be ironed out as this show starts to get going, there is serious potential for a great comedy series. Score: 63 Summary: Nora and Kevin arrive in Australia. Nora goes to meet with the doctors in charge of the machine. She passes their tests except the last one so they don't accept her. Kevin imagines Evie's face on an innocent woman and confronts her. He calls Laurie who shows Kevin his mistake. Kevin returns home to Nora and tries to talk to her but they both end up in a fight and go their separate ways. Kevin Sr. finds Kevin.
The Good: I enjoyed this episode quite a bit as I seem to do with every single instalment on this show. The standout storyline here was definitely Kevin imagining Evie's face onto someone else. This story was effective because we genuinely didn't know if Evie was there or not since we technically didn't see her die with the rest of the GR. And Kevin is usually a trustworthy source so it let me believe at times that Evie may actually be there. However I really like the twist that Kevin is imagining her as a result of his own issues with Nora and his family. It fits the character and created a really moving scene when Kevin realized that he had imagined Evie's existence. I also liked how Laurie pretty much read right into Kevin and why he imagined Evie. It definitely feels like she was bang on about why Kevin went to Australia and how he wants to escape. We know from the first two episodes that Kevin and Nora are both broken and we get further exploration of that here. Now on Nora's side, her story isn't as moving or exciting but it still delivers. We can really see that Nora may have actually considered going into the machine because, like Kevin, she wants to escape her life and she isn't happy. The scenes with the doctors were also quite interesting as we got to learn more about the machine and also got some answers regarding the man who killed himself in the previous episode. These two storylines ended up culminating in a very good ending scene. We get to see the steps it takes to get to that huge fight scene in the episode from the airport to the hotel and it makes it feel real that Kevin and Nora would end up splitting up. We see lots of conflict begin with a simple thing: a lack of communication. Nora doesn't tell Kevin much of anything and hides the smuggling of money from him, Kevin never told Nora about his afterlife experience and more occur to sow the seeds of their break up. That way by the end of the episode, the split feels earned and not forced. It also helps that the scene was beautifully shot and the music score was brilliant, though I did have some problems with it (see: The Bad). I liked a few other small things too. I enjoyed being able to see more between John and Laurie. I was also happy with seeing the man who desperately needed to go to Antarctica. It adds more realism to the world to show us that there are more people than just Kevin Sr. with crazy ideas to save the world. The Bad: There were a few flaws though that bring down the score of this episode. First of all, I didn't feel the emotion I should have felt when Kevin and Nora broke up. I think I have to blame this on the fact that we didn't see them together and happy for long enough. Honestly the story where Nora ran away from Kevin in the previous season really hurts their break up scene here because we have learned that these 2 aren't exactly a great couple. By showing us so much conflict and not enough happiness between these 2, it makes a split seem inevitable. Because of this, when the happened it felt more like "this was a long time coming" instead of "oh no this is tragic", which is what I think they were going for. I'm not saying the scene was poor, as it definitely did affect me but I just think it wasn't as powerful as it should be. When compared to the other emotional scenes like Grace's story in the last episode, this scene honestly falls short. The timeline inconsistencies continue to annoy in this episode. We learn that Kevin never told Nora about his trip to the afterlife. Why? Why would he tell Matt instead of Nora who he swore to tell everything to? We desperately needed some context here. It also came as a surprise to me that Nora doesn't know about Kevin's experiences which it really shouldn't have been. The Unknown: Just a couple odd questions. Is the Antarctica guy possibly legit? Unlikely. Why did Nora fail the test? What is the right answer to the question? Is there no right answer? The other guy who was turned down said the opposite of what Nora did. It's left me rather confused and I hope to get some clarity in the final few episodes. Will Kevin and Nora eventually get back together? Or are they done for good now? Best Moment: I will honestly say Kevin realizing Evie isn't Evie was the best moment. I just thought the last scene was a little underwhelming because of the massive standards set by this show. Character of the Episode: I'll say Kevin for his Evie storyline which was excellent. Justin Theroux killed it in the role as always. Conclusion: This was another very strong episode. Though there were some bad things, I think the good stuff definitely outweighed it and still made this good television. But this is a little disappointing as it feels like this should have been great television but it didn't quite reach that level. But overall, this episode is another win for The Leftovers. Score: 68 Summary: Kevin Sr. is in Australia trying to learn aboriginal songs to stop an apocalyptic flood that he believes is coming on the 14th. He goes to visit Christopher Sunday who has the final song he needs but he accidentally kills him and is left abandoned in the wilderness. He makes it to the house of Grace, who finds him unconscious. Grace admits to Kevin Sr. that she killed a police chief named Kevin because she found a page of Kevin's book which was in Kevin Sr.'s hand. She thinks she is crazy but Kevin Sr. tells her she just had the wrong Kevin.
The Good: This was another bold and ambitious episode from a show which is becoming known for taking risks. And like all the other risks that The Leftovers has taken, this one paid off in spades, providing yet another amazing episode. This episode reminded me of the Matt episodes from season 1 and 2 where we see a character try to accomplish something but get screwed over consistently. This episode did the same thing to Kevin Sr. but with a bit of a notable change: the addition of a lot of humour. Several scenes which were played out in this episode were packed with humour to provide laughs as we watch terrible things happen to Kevin Sr. Kevin Sr. was also great in this episode. Scott Glenn was great as well and brought a good desperation to the role. Though Kevin Sr.'s quest seems ridiculous to us, what is important is that he believes in its importance and is dedicated to his faith. In this way he is no different from Matt following signs which makes him likeable even if we are very unsure if his mission will actually succeed. And like with Matt, we feel sympathies when Kevin Sr. is treated terribly by the world and is left in a brutal situation all alone in Australia. Things like the snake, the man throwing Kevin Sr. out of the ambulance and the destruction of the tapes elicit our sympathy for Kevin Sr. on his journey. Speaking of the tapes, I think they did a great job of humanizing Kevin Sr. on his mission. Even though the tape was essential for his mission, it still held a special spot in his heart because it was a reminder of his family. And so the loss of the tape was essentially Kevin Sr. losing everything dear to him, making it a much more poignant moment. I like the contrast between Kevin Sr.'s mission and the opening scene of the season. I knew that there would be some parallels throughout the season and we have some already. I wonder if Kevin Sr. will end up facing the same disappointment as the woman from the season opening scene after the 14th. Or well technically in Australia the 15th. Lastly, I really loved the final scenes with Grace at her ranch. It was comical seeing Kevin Sr. pass out over and over again, and it was also nice to get answers quickly about the mysterious final scene in the previous episode. It's nice to see answers being dished out as quickly as the questions in this season and it leads to a lot of satisfaction in the long run. But the best thing about the final stretch in this episode was definitely grace telling her story to Kevin Sr. (see: Best Moment). The scene was a wonderful monologue which managed to top another great monologue in this episode which was Kevin Sr. telling his story to Christopher Sunday. The Bad: Nothing as such. However I do feel that some people won't be happy to spend an entire episode with a side character like Kevin Sr. with only a handful of episodes left this season. The Unknown: A bunch of questions again. I wonder how many will be answered next episode this time? Will there be an actual flood? Or is Kevin Sr. actually crazy? Is there something genuine that Kevin Sr. has to do or is he just a confused man looking for a purpose? It seems that the God's Tongue drug actually connected Kevin Sr. to the afterlife. What else does it do? How is it created? What was with the man who killed himself? What did he mean when he asked that question about killing a baby to cure cancer? he said he wasn't taken. Could he have been referring to the machine that Nora was looking into in the last episode? Why are the people near Grace's house building a boat? They seemed confused by the idea of a flood. Best Moment: Grace telling her story to Kevin Sr. was devastating and emotional. It's impressive that after three seasons The Leftovers can still provide totally new departure stories that really affect us. This time we get to hear the heartfelt story that Grace lost her kids after the departure because she didn't even think to look for them and then she ultimately killed an innocent man by thinking that he would come back. It's a sad look at how assumptions can completely change lives. Character of the Episode: Kevin Sr. of course. Conclusion: Another excellent episode of The Leftovers. Though this one may be more polarizing as it's a bottle episode focused on a side character, it still provided the same emotions that the show has excelled in providing and I loved it. This season is doing a great job so far and it has earned my faith that the show will end on a high note. If anything, the emotional scenes have only gotten better since last season. Score: 78 Summary: The pillar man in Miracle had a heart attack and died but his wife is trying to pass it off as a departure. Nora doesn't buy it and proves that he died and didn't depart. Nora's job takes her to St Louis where she meets Mark Linn-Baker who says he found a way to transport people to the place where the departed went in Australia. Nora plans to expose him as a fraud and heads to Australia with Kevin. Before leaving, she goes to see Lily who has now been taken by Christine.
The Good: I really enjoyed this episode and it was a major improvement over the last one. I really liked the exploration of the pillar man's death. It felt very real that someone would die and that people would want to pass it off as a departure, so the storyline fit right in with the world. But more than that, it allowed for some excellent development of Nora's character, who received a heck of a lot in this episode. But to start, this storyline demonstrated how hardened Nora has become and demonstrates how she is entirely against people running frauds for attention. She herself received lot of attention after her tragedy and doesn't feel that others should get this same attention over nothing. These views are also totally at odds with Matt's. Matt, who has now lost Mary, has still managed to keep his intense faith and just keeps trying to serve that. But more than that, he sides with the pillar man's wife because Matt wants somebody who was devoted to something to be rewarded in the way that he wasn't. It's great storytelling and the fundamental difference between the two characters were on display through an electric conversation early in the episode. I also really liked that the most pressing questions we had last episode (minus the ending) were answered. Those questions being the ones about Nora and Erika. I'll start by talking about Nora's cast. It was a small detail in the previous episode but became a big one here as it really highlighted a lot of Nora's pain which comes from the attention she is given regarding her lost family. The scene with Erika was a real highlight (see: Best Moment) and gave off a fantastic emotional response and made us feel lots of sympathy for Nora. The cast, a small detail in "The Book of Kevin" has provided the most poignant scene in this season thus far. Another fantastic storyline in this episode was the Lily story. We got our answer for what happened to Lily and it's honestly quite heartbreaking and makes a lot of Nora's pain easy to understand. She had her child but had to give it away because it wasn't hers and the child's real mom wanted her back. And Nora, who knows the pain of losing her child, sympathetically gave Lily back to her real mother. But the story is more than that. Lily gave Nora hope in the world and she was literally the very thing that made Nora reconsider going for a fresh start instead of giving up on life. And now that she's gone Nora feels empty, just like before. It makes her admission to Tommy that she wished he never left Lily for her that much more powerful as it shows that she is a broken woman who wished she never tried to fix herself. This leads me to my next point, which is Kevin and Nora's relationship in this episode. They both seem to be happy together but it's clear that as individuals none of them have gotten over their pain. Though I didn't get a chance to mention it in my review of "The Book of Kevin", Kevin is also just as broken and upset as Nora. These 2 episode make it clear that these 2 haven't let go of their baggage and are barely keeping themselves together in this world. And now they are both heading out to Australia, a much-needed escape from their current lives. And I'm very excited to see what's going to happen in Australia. The Mark Linn-Baker storyline was excellent as well. I loved the use of the Perfect Strangers theme in the opening of the episode, which was funny and unique. As for Mark himself, he had a very good scene with Nora. I'm glad that he wasn't just used as a flashy plot device to get Nora to learn about this program to send people to where the departed went. He received some character development and even got our sympathies when we learned that he went through something similar to Nora. The Bad: Though it was good to see Erika again, her scene did leave me with some questions that took away a little from the episode. Where does she live? Why is she staying separate from her family? Have Nora and her made up now? Are they friends? What is their relationship? It seems that the timeskip has caused these problematic questions and it would have been more clear had we seen what happened to Erika during the timeskip. I also remain confused by John's claims that Evie is still alive. Erika says they buried her so surely John should know that she is actually gone if he got the chance to bury her. The Unknown: Though we got some answers, we also got a lot more questions to deal with. Surely Matt's nosebleed wasn't just a coincidence. I suspect that his cancer has returned. Was there any significance in pillar man's stuff? I remember he went to the hotel wit Virgil's help so is there any significance with that plot point? Does Mark Linn-Baker's machine actually work or is Nora right in assuming it's just an incinerator? Is Nora interested in using the machine herself to be with her kids? Or is she just that against frauds that she is willing to go to Australia to expose it as a fraud? What was the significance of the many things that didn't work for Nora? I'm sure there is some kind of symbolism there but I just can't figure it out. What is going to happen in Australia? Apparently it will leave Nora all alone. Could it be that she takes the machine and what we saw in the future was Nora in a world where the departed are and that Kevin is going to find her? It's definitely an option. Perhaps Nora will be alone because her family has moved on without her. The ending sequence was very interesting. So many questions. What time frame does that take place in? Is it in he future? Why is Kevin Sr. there and why is he on crutches? Was that police chief some other form of Kevin? How did the girls know about Kevin and his ability to resurrect? Was the police chief Kevin in the future somehow? Even though they look different their mannerisms were similar. Could the ending scene be depicting Kevin's future n this episode in contrast to last episode depicting Nora's? So many questions with that scene. Best Moment: The Nora and Erika scene was wonderfully emotional. It was powerful to hear Nora talk about why she had her cast. She went to get tattoos of her kids names because she loved them, but she was reminded of their departure and had it covered up. And yet the thing that was covering it up only reminded her of it so she broke her arm to get a cast to cover it. It's really sad stuff but it feels very real as it examines the lengths people will go to, in order to escape their pain. There was also a wonderful connection to the pains of losing a loved one as Erika tells Nora that he feels he pain still because she lacks closure, whereas Erika managed to get her closure. Character of the Episode: Nora was the focal character and Carrie Coon was stunning in the role as always. She gets it for this episode. Conclusion: This episode had a lot of different storylines all connected together by the central character Nora. This approach to the episode worked insanely well and allowed us to sympathize a ton with Nora. In addition it provided a lot of the thematic exploration that this show has become known to explore. A wonderful episode that proves that last episode's weak elements were just from the sudden timeskip and that everything from here until the finale will be the same storytelling that we can expect from The Leftovers. Score: 76 Summary: A drone sends a missile to the GR in the Miracle Visitors Centre and kills all of them. A timeskip goes 3 years into the future where everything in Jarden is under control again. Tommy and Kevin are both working as cops. Jill is gone to college. Mary had a boy. John is working as a psychic with help rom is wife Laurie. Matt has written a book about Kevin which Kevin is pissed off about. At the end of the scene there is a flash-forward to an older Nora who goes by the name Sarah.
The Good: There was a lot to like about this and several scenes felt like classic The Leftovers. First of all, The Leftovers once again wowed us by opening the season with a scene showing something completely different. Like last season's cavewoman sequence, this one didn't impact the plot as a whole but presented a theme for the season and also showed us an engaging story in the span of a few minutes. This time around the focus was on a woman and her family awaiting the end of the world via flood, but it never comes to pass. This explores the idea of devoting yourself to faith and giving everything for it, but to no avail. This will likely be explored a lot this season as the 7th anniversary of the departure is coming up and we will probably get to see the world bracing for something to happen, and yet the most likely outcome will be that nothing happens. And I'm very excited to see this story get told even if it does feel a little telegraphed early on. I liked the change in pace from the timeskip, but not the whole thing (see: The Bad) as it will surely allow for the show to reinvent itself once more. It was good to see the changes in Jarden after the disaster from "I Live Here Now". If we are going to stay in Jarden this season too, it is good to see some change come to the town so it still feels like a fresh new setting. Dean's return was very welcome and enjoyable. It's good to get some closure on an unresolved storyline from season 1. We got some confirmation that there was nothing wrong with the dogs and that Dean was just crazy all along as expected. I loved the conversation between Dean and Kevin too. We initially take him a bit seriously since it hasn't been confirmed that he's crazy yet, and the tension amps up slowly as Dean prepares to make his big reveal... the reveal that dogs are take human form. It's so ridiculous and makes for a great laugh as the viewers realized we were fooled into thinking that this man is actually sane. I enjoyed a lot of the other developments too. John becoming a psychic was a nice bit of irony after his beliefs in season 2, but it does fit his character after he literally witnessed Kevin coming back to life. I'm not sure how I feel about him being with Laurie (see: The Bad) but I do think their operation together makes a lot of sense. It also shows how easy it could be to be a psychic and to con people, making it more possible that the psychics we have seen before weren't genuine. I also liked the idea behind Matt making a book about Kevin. It fits what we know about his character to want to write a book about what Kevin experienced, and it also sets up an easy conflict with Kevin who will obviously be against being treated as the second coming of Jesus. The Bad: This episode seems to have suffered from the shortened season and there were quite a few things that didn't deliver. I didn't like the destruction of the GR. It's not made clear who sent the order to destroy them, which made me a little confused when Kevin and Tommy were talking about it. It also removes the emotional effect this would have on someone like John since we don't know what he knows about the death of his daughter, and instead he seems to be hanging onto an implausible thread that Evie may still be alive. I also didn't like that an entire storyline was just destroyed in the opening moments of this episode. Meg's story became a huge focus in the previous few episodes and it feels a little cheap to just end thestory so suddenly. The timeskip also caused a lot of flaws. We don't know what happened to Erika, John and Michael after they realized Evie was dead, which should have been the main focus because of the emotions it would explore. We also don't know what happened to Erika which takes away from her split with John since we don't actually get to see it happen. I also would have liked to see more on Michael and why he chose to stay with his father instead of going to wherever his mother went. It's also odd to see John and Laurie together and we can't care about their relationship since we don't know why they are together or what they see in each other. The final flaw I had was also with the timeskip: we didn't get to see what characters were told information. For example it is implied that Matt knows about Kevin's return to life but we aren't told who else knows about this. Kevin resurrecting is a big deal and so we should know which characters are aware that he came back to life. It seemed that Laurie didn't know Kevin came back, but it's still not clear. This lack of information does take away from a lot of the character dialogue scenes. The Unknown: We got quite a few questions as always, though there were less in this premiere than usual. What will happen on the 7th anniversary? It seems likely that nothing will happen but it's possible that I'm wrong about that. What happened to Lily? Why does Nora have a cast? Where is Kevin Sr. and what is he doing in Australia? What did Matt put in Kevin's book? That ending scene was huge. What did we see there? Was that Nora in the future? Why is she living alone in the countryside? What happened between her and Kevin? Was there another departure? Did it happen on the 7th anniversary. Do dogpeople really exist? With this show you never know... Best Moment: I will go with the standout opening sequence. Wonderful storytelling and themes. Character of the Episode: I will go with Dean for returning and closing his storyline. Conclusion: This was a decent premiere, but it had some rare flaws that we aren't used to seeing in The Leftovers. However, I do think that these flaws only happened because the season was shortened to 8 episode instead of 10, and that if there was more time we may have gotten more clarity on what happened before the timeskip. Score: 61 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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