The Vampire Diaries - "Pictures of You" - Review

“Pictures of You” is a busy episode. That’s not to say it’s a bad episode but there’s quite a lot going on, and in the end it's simply too much for the episode to deal with. The show seems poised for the final stretch of episodes where shit looks like it's going to blow up in a fashion that only The Vampire Diaries is capable, but until we see the way this play out, much of what we see in "Pictures of You" will remain a messy set of exposition. Now a good portion of it this delectably fun in that Vampire Diaries kind of way, but the excessive number of stories (a few of which aren't very good) does make for an episode that comes off as if it’s trying to get in every idea it has with no room for a nice logical order.

The messiest of  stretch of the episode takes place in the middle. The episode gets away with most of this by having it mostly go down at the senior prom (dances and parties have always been a nice central location for this series, but the lack of scheming and lack of sense of dread do retract from some of the enjoyment of these scenes). There are a number of isolated little plots occurring simultaneously and each of them largely in their own right gets in a wonderful little slice. But taken together, it’s just way too much for a single episode to be trying to tackle.

If there’s a throughline to all this though, it’s emotionless Elena (who needs a better name because it doesn't do justice to describing her) and the episode does a really fabulous job of mapping out this new version of Elena’s relationship with all of the characters at this point in time. The episode obviously reaffirms her standing with characters like Damon, Steffen, and Rebekah that we already knew about, and these are well done (Rebekah and Elena are a surprisingly good pairing and they have a sort of odd couple banter). But what’s far more interesting is seeing how this new Elena acts around characters we’ve yet to see her with such as Matt and Bonnie. Yea, on the face she’s simply a total bitch to all of them (but in a wonderfully fun way), but all the interactions are specific to the characters she’s with. 

While this is all entertaining, there’s a fair amount else to keep up with. Elijah makes Rebekah spend one day acting like a human (i.e. not using her vampire powers) in order to get the cure from him. Bonnie has weird visions of Jeremy courtesy of Silas. Damon and Steffen try to pry some emotions out of Elena (although it's hard to care when they're going to be stopping the most fun to watch part of the show right now), while simultaneously contending with Silas. Caroline continues to be moody about Tyler’s absence (then he shows up because, hey, prom!). Rebekah spends most of the episode trying to win over Matt who is still being cold towards her. And because the episode didn’t have enough going on as is: April makes an appearance to remind us that she exists.  

Emotionless Elena as always is a total delight and I could watch Nina Dobrev do this all day. A number of her actions push the character forward into darker territory that it’s really nice to see the show broach; she takes the initiative to try to kill Bonnie, all smartly to stop Silas and Damon and Steffen simultaenously, although she fails because that would be too many dead main characters of late. But it’s what the show has been hinting is possible with this character’s new direction, and it’s the most exciting thing to happen in the episode. 

Or there’s the other contender for most exciting moment: the twist where Silas steals the cure from Elijah. Now this twist could have been dealt with better. There could have been stronger suggestions as to Silas’s scheming, but it’s still a cool moment.

The twist doesn't entirely work though because of everything the episode does with Rebekah. We can tell something is up because Rebekah has just had the lovely scene where Matt finally gives her the compliment she’s been seeking that she would make a good human. And the crosscutting with Klaus and Caroline also undermines and confuses the moment. But the twist is still an exciting moment that could have proven better if the show figured out what it wants to do with silas and brought him to the forefront of the story.

But otherwise, the Rebekkah storyline is really affecting. Claire Holt provides shades of bittersweet sadness to this character. The Rebekah-Matt scenes are really sweet and sad, and this pairing works really well. The choice between not using her vampire powers and saving April is also an excellent moment. The murkier the show makes the moral lines, the better it typically tends to be. In the moment, we almost can understand the decision not to save April and yet by choosing it despite it being the “right choice”, Rebekah will be forced to give up everything she wants. 

Not everyone is making the "right choice" though. Steffen is falling for Elena again even though he knows it’s just not worth it anymore. Damon, more smartly, has largely fallen out of loving her. The whole task to get her emotions back is almost out of a paternalistic sense of duty (which is sort of problematic even if it’s easy to understand where it’s coming from). 

Bonnie is also just making horrible life decisions in a way Bonnie seems to almost always weirdly do on this show. She meets the “real” Silas, who looks like some deformed old man (okay, then?), but she also appears to have joined his cause. Because … reasons … I’m not quite sure actually. I had always assumed Silas was lying about the magic getting out of hand, but that doesn’t look to be the case. 

We don’t know much about Silas beyond the fact that he’s hugely powerful and has this grand plan to unleash dead supernatural forces. The balance between concerns for emotionless Elena, the cure, and Silas are a fair amount of story to balance and while this is a mostly fun; it’s a slightly all over the place, hopscotching from story to story with a lack of direction. It doesn’t help that the show is continuing to push the exit of Klaus from the show for the new series The Originals (Katherine sends him a letter mentioning some witch who has it out for him in New Orleans). Not a standout episode but not a bad episode; just a middling effort. 

Stray Observations:

-Candice Accola has proven herself a great actress, but this funk they’ve got her in over Tyler just isn’t a pleasant note to keep her repeating. It's not interesting and the show always stops in its tracks when we find Caroline complaining about Tyler. This is a stronger character than what we've seen of her lately. 

-“Nice dress” “I stole it”

-“Princess Grace of Monaco hot” – The scale by which pretty much all hotness should be measured.

-As a Cure fan, I can dig the shows continuing references even if they seem kind of arbitrary and surface level.

-“Hindsight is an even bigger bitch than you”

-Silas as Steffen was a great twist and played well by Paul Wesley.

-Damon and Steffen plan to use fear to coax emotions out of Elena. The writers almost come off as if their scared to allow particular story threads to reach their inevitable conclusion. Elena becomes a vampire but they never take that development to its logical conclusion, but in stead mull around in stories about sire-bonding and finding a cure that undermine anything interesting about this change in Elena. And now they're immediately trying to get her back to status quo even though that totally defeats the point of ridding Elena of her emotions.

Grade: B-

"Rebel Without A Cause" - Film Review

James Dean is Rebel Without A Cause. Most people can’t remember many of the specifics about the film but if you mention the title, odds are that they’re going to have at least cursory knowledge that Dean starred in it.

That’s probably not a coincidence; Dean is the best and most memorable part of the film. There are some clichéd and questionable things going on in the film and yet it mostly doesn’t matter because Dean is so good. Dean’s character troubled teen Jim Stark is described as “sincere” by a number of characters throughout the film and it’s an apt way to describe Dean’s performance. He’s not a traditional actor; sometimes he appears to be ad-libbing and he nervously mumbles a number of lines. But there’s an utterly intense, raw power to Dean’s performance that it makes up for weaker elements in the film.

The moments everyone remembers still pack the punch. When Dean yells, “You’re tearing me apart,” he sells the hell out of the moment and the ending has a kinetic fervor that makes it deeply affecting.

The acting is largely very good. Natalie Wood is given some amorphous material but she finds the sadness underneath her character Judy. Sal Mineo’s Plato is one of best tragic figures in all of film; he’s a kid whose hero-worshipping of Jim borders on infatuation and when he feels abandon he overreacts and brings about his own demise.   

However, much of the narrative is forced and stretches at the seams. Characters act in illogical and contradictory ways depending on what the story is asking of them. The first half of the film and the second half of the film feel like they’re two separate entities, and the tragic midway break is largely overlooked despite a character dying (pretty gruesomely in fact – even more troubling is Judy quickly getting over the guy’s death since they were technically dating). 

The film is also thematically inconsistent; oh sure there’s something in there about teen angst but the film seems so uncertain as to what it wants to say about the subject. 

There’s some intriguing subtext underneath it all if you look carefully. Plato is clearly gay and in love with Jim which makes his interactions and death all the more complicated. Judy’s father has either sexually assaulted her or come very close to it, and she’s not entirely adverse to the idea. The film doesn’t play up these aspects but they tinge everything we’re watching, making the youthful malaise something even more inexplicably painful and dark. 

This was the last film Dean starred in before his death in a car crash in 1955. Dean had only starred in three films, but he reached an iconic status after the release of Rebel, and it’s not difficult to see why. Dean has a quality about him that makes you stop and take notice; there’s a gravitation to his screen presence. 

Rebel Without A Cause is a problematic film, but parts of it taken by themselves have an energy that carries them and makes them still rather intriguing, sad and occasionally powerful.   

Grade: B

Mad Men - "Collaborators" - Review

Back in season five, Jon Hamm directed his first episode of television, “Tea Leaves”. Whether it was Hamm’s direction, the writing for the episode, or both, “Tea Leaves” was a weaker episode in the fifth season, which on the whole was one of the strongest seasons of Mad Men. “Collaborators” is the second episode Hamm has directed, and, once again, perhaps its Hamm’s direction or perhaps it’s the content of this episode, but “Collaborators” is a real step down from last week’s premiere “The Doorway”.

It’s not all bad because this is Mad Men, and it’s the top prestige drama on television so invariably there are moments that are strikingly lyrical and bitingly funny. But on the whole, the episode suffers from gluttony. There is simply too much going on in this episode. “The Doorway” could get away with its wealth of stories because it had an extra hour to tell those stories, but with the standard episodic length here again, the episode has trouble telling all of its stories (which I hope I'm not overstating; it could be more overstuffed, but the stories are balanced a little awkwardly). 

Initially the episode looks like it’s going to be an episode where we learn some more information about Don’s past, which I wouldn’t protest against because episodes featuring flashbacks have been this series strength since season one’s “The Hobo Code”. But the flashbacks are almost an afterthought, acting solely as bookends. It adds in a tinsy bit more backstory relating to the mysterious figure Uncle Mac and Don's time growing up in a brothel, but we probably could have guessed what the deal was with that portion of Don’s life was. It might have been justified if there were a few more flashbacks, but otherwise it’s one more element of story that strains the episode's storytelling abilities. The episode is trying to reach this poeticness utilizing the bookends but it just doesn’t reach it (the flashbacks just aren’t as interesting as the writers seem to believe). 

What the episode really is about is paralleling Don and Pete. Pete has been slowly falling into bad habits that are turning him into a sort of young Don Draper (though with much, much less charm). He hits on a neighbor’s wife Brenda (Collette Wolfe) (like Don is) and invites her to the city to “give her tickets”. They sleep together, but it all turns disastrously quickly. She tells her husband who beats her horrifically. Rather than letting Pete get away with his adultery, the show doesn’t let him keep his success like Don has been with neighbor Sylvia. This provides the episode with its best moment when the superb Alison Brie as Trudy scolds Pete. She’s not upset with his indiscretions (heck that was why she let him have the apartment) but his idioticness in choosing the neighbor’s wife. She tells Pete not to come home until she tells him to. 

Where Pete is failing to be successful with his affairs, Don is, as always, too good at his infidelity. He hates it and Sylvia is still doubtful of it. She particularly begins to doubt the whole affair after Meghan confides in her about a miscarriage. It shakes her whole worldview, and when fate conspires so that she and Don end up alone at dinner, she’s quickly won over by Don’s commanding (but honestly pretty awful) argument that “You want to feel shitty right up to the moment where I take your dress off” (that was disgusting. I was uncomfortable throughout that scene).

Another thing the episode does well, in a way Mad Men has always been good, is taking a character (in this case Sylvia) that is essentially a plot device and giving them enough of their own story time that they become humanized. Sylvia likes sleeping with Don (because: holy shit, have you see Jon Hamm’s body!), but she also doesn’t want to be a home wrecker and she sympathizes with Meghan and hates herself for wedging Don’s relationship with her.  

If this were all the story this episode featured, it would be pretty compelling because much of this is very good. But we get more story time with other characters as well. The creepy Jaguar guy, Herb, hits on Joan, who denies his advances. Hey, I love Christina Hendricks as much as the next guy but it’s one scene we could do without and we only get it to establish the presence of this character again (although: Hendricks knocks it out of the park). Then Herb demands the ad agency sell his partners on the idea of more local ad space (as opposed to a national campaign). Pete, “yes man” that he is, acquiesces to this, but Don realizes it’s an awful idea. Don kills the idea in the pitch meeting; he “sells” it to the other Jaguar clients but he purposely does a terrible job (he's enthusastic about it to a fault). It’s a really funny scene and it brings together Pete and Don’ts stories in a nice way. Pete’s no good at being Don, and Don hates that he’s good at being this persona he keeps adopting. 

Meanwhile Peggy gets more story time that is awkwardly fitted into the episode. Elisabeth Moss is a fantastic actress and I like this new more confident version of Peggy, but the story mostly comes off as an excuse to check in with this character. Stan (in another of his late night phone calls) lets it slip that the head of Heinz Beans, Raymond, is feuding with the head of Heinz Ketchup, Tim, a much younger guy who’s had everything handed to him (sound like Don and Pete, huh?). Peggy tells her boss, also named Tim, offhand about this and regrets it because Tim wants to go ahead to and steal the displeased client away from Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. This plot appears to be more about setting up future story than about actually going anywhere. Peggy and Don may soon be in conflict over an account and that’s a story that could potentially be fascinating.   

Don sits outside the door of his apartment at episode’s end, unable to enter. Inside is his wife, a woman he doesn’t want to see because she reminds him of all his failures. Don never had a mother and his mother figures (such as his aunt seen in flashbacks) were pretty lousy. Don has projected his motherly needs onto the woman he’s in relationships with. Meghan tells Don about the miscarriage and he’s suddenly like a child again. All he wants to do is please her (especially considering he's feeling bad for sleeping with Sylvia). He tells her he’d do whatever she wanted to do. “Don’t you have your own room?” the prostitute tells Don in the flashback. No. Don doesn’t. Pete does though, but it’s off alone in the city. He had everything and he fucked it up and lost it. Don should have everything he wants … and yet he doesn’t.   

It’s a slightly overcrowded episode and some of this feels forced (the appearance of Herb and the Heinz people each feel awkwardly placed and don't completely rub up with the affair plots entirely well) but it’s not without its moments. May be this is just the curse of Jon Hamm directing (although: this is much better than "Tea Leaves"). 

Stray Observations:

 -The title of this episode (like most Med Men episode titles) is rife for deconstruction. Of course it refers to the appeasement of Hitler by France and England which is paralleled to what Pete was trying to do with Herb. But it also speaks to the "collaboration" between Trudy and Pete in pretending their marriage was still the happy little enterprise it looked to be on the surface. There's also Don's "collaboration" with Sylvia in their affair. 

-"I thought there was no smoking" "I found out the maid does"

-Peggy is awful at pep talks. But then again her heart was totally not in that. If she were Don (and a man), she wouldn't feel the need to do that and she definitely wouldn't be given advice like that by her secretary. 

-Pete was so awkward at making sexual advances on Brenda in the apartment.
-Don essentially pays off Sylvia at one point, which is deeply unsettling.
-If it hadn't been a miscarriage, Meghan says she'd have gotten an abortion. Although he upbringing would have her raising kids at some point in the future.
-Once again: Alison Brie was excellent. I got chills. 

Grade: B

How I Became a Better Film Watcher by Watching More Television

I had always loved films but starting in college I had far less time to watch them. Not only that but there was much less easily accessible film content in the college setting. Television became an alternative to films largely out of convenience.

However, I was watching television shows at a great time to be watching television. In the wake of The Sopranos, television had the creative ambitions to match and occasionally outsize its prestigious film cousin. This coupled with easier ways to watch this content through online streaming services, and I suddenly found myself much less interested in films and watching a lot more television shows. 

I caught up on Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Battlestar Galactica, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I was left wanting more. 

But eventually I felt like I was neglecting watching movies and so I decided to jump back in began watching films. But my experiences with television watching had actually proven really useful. Watching and analyzing television, you’re constantly assessing a show’s aims and whether they’re succeeding at them. 

Movies and television are different mediums with different goals, but they’re both playing around with similar structural concerns on the whole. You’re constantly much more aware of whether an episode of television does its job well or not. If its structure is out of whack, it’s much more noticeable because it stands out from well-crafted episodes. But in turn that made me stop and wonder what makes a well-structured episode and why do certain episodes prove good at achieving what they set out to do.  

It might seem odd to say so, but watching television made me a better movie watcher.  Once I got back into viewing films, my paucity of film viewing made me lap up every film I had been neglecting to get around to. I became re-obsessed with the medium that had made me such a pop culture devotee. But I was also much more hypercritical of it and that made me get more out of my experience.  

Oddly enough, now film watching is pulling a similar awareness on my writing and my viewing of television. Writing television reviews can get repetitive and sometimes it’s like grasping at straws to find some new angle to take on a show. But writing about films reminded me that the most important thing is to tackle what does or doesn’t work in the simplest and most direct terms. Just tackle what’s there. 

Our understanding and awareness towards other mediums can help make us better viewers of content, and we don’t have to treat films and television as mutually exclusive. They both are good at different things and though films are typically seen as the better of the two; films just can’t match tv shows for their ability to form a bond, develop characters, and build up its story. Television has the time to do that. Film doesn’t, but films also can usually get away with a spectacle that television simply can’t and certain stories just don’t warrant the large amounts of screentime television requires.  

Neither is better. They’re just different. And until I understood that and the things they’re trying to accomplish I couldn’t truly appreciate or properly analyze either. Granted, I’m a long way from being really good at this whole reviewing thing, but I’m working on it and using television to understand film and vice versa, and is a good place to start.

How I Met Your Mother - "Romeward Bound" - Review

Ted asks Barney something towards the end of “Romeward Bound” that I’ve been asking for weeks now. Why is he still acting like the womanizer he’s been for ages when he’s soon to be married? Yea, Robin might be cool with it, but it’s still bothersome.

The show has had Barney continue to ogle at women even as his bachelor days are supposed to be essentially over. It’s frustrating to see him continue this way. At first just because it didn’t add up with where his character was at anymore, but now it looks as if the writers want to use this detail to form a conflict between Ted and Barney... which is ... strange (to say the least).

Ted’s lingering affection for Robin isn’t the most interesting longstanding plot element; it’s been played out until that beaten up horse resembled little of its original self or charm. It keeps being utilized to diminishing returns. It remains to be seen just how exactly Robin fits into the whole picture of Ted meeting the mother, and after eight seasons playing the same note over and over of Ted’s weirdly obsessive feelings towards his ex just isn’t all that enjoyable to watch. 

The rest of the content for the Ted-Barney story is very filler-y. Ted’s fawning for a woman he describes as “redonkulous” who turns out (in a meh twist that’s crafted to bring Robin into the picture) to be Barney and Robin’s wedding planner. It’s all rather lightweight and there’s a lot of questionable objectifying going on that the show keeps just on the side of not offensive (though we still could have done without it; there are far, far better ways to do stories without having to objectify women). (Although I have to admit that Robin’s enthusiasm for discovering what’s underneath the coat is played wonderfully by Colbie Smulders)  

Marshall and Lily’s story is more original but it features a lot of rehashed jokes (Marshall using lawyer speak to misdirect, cuts to imagined futures) and twists that pile up to the point where their devoid of value. However, I’m intrigued by the decision to uproot two of the five main characters to Italy. It’s not a decision that exactly works within the medium of television but it’s a bold one (perhaps the boldest the show has done in about three seasons depending on where they go with it). 

This was an ultra-lite episode; it was mildly amusing but not all that funny, which is a nice way to describe this season as a whole. It’s usually doing things that are oh that’s pleasant I suppose but you usually forget most of what happened soon after you’ve finished the episode.  

Grade: C+

Game of Thrones - "Walk of Punishment" - Review

These reviews I’ve been writing have been way too long and I’ve been trying to figure out a better way to approach them, and then it dawned upon me while talking about the reviews with my friend Eric Luby (Yea, I listen to my readers’ thoughts, people, so if you have anything you want to tell me or suggest, go right ahead). I realized that theme is largely not a good way to write about these reviews; instead, since Game of Thrones is largely built around characters and not theme, it makes sense to do these reviews with that in mind. I intend to lovingly adopt the “power ranking” model that Grantland does for its Mad Men reviews; this seems fitting since the overarching theme of Game of Thrones is power and who is winning or losing at the “game of thrones” is one of the key aspects of the show. For those of you unfamiliar with power rankings, this is how it goes: I’ll rank who is or isn’t in the best position of power in the latest episode. There are 10 ranks to be filled and I’ll try to cover as much as I can through the lens of characters and their rising or falling of power and fortunes (or just how good the material for the episode was for them). It’s won’t all be serious though; sometimes I’ll get a bit cheeky with it (this is a good episode to do that with too, but more on that below). Most of all, remember, it's pretty arbitrary and meant as a fun way to tackle examining the episode.

1) Dany – After being put into the middle of one of the most God-forsaken stories in all of television history (as far as I’m concerned: Qarth never happened), we’re reminded why Dany was such a great character to follow in the first place as well as just how phenomenal of an actress Emilia Clarke is. Clarke is largely reacting to things here and yet she communicates so much with so very little. Jorah and Ser Barristan argue over the proper course of action, but neither of them is in control in this situation: Dany is. Dany is young and she’s idealistic, but underneath it all she hides an inner power. She takes charge and purchases all 8000 plus Unsullied soldiers. The price is one of her dragons, but the lack of concern Dany gives off has got to leave you wondering what she’s up to (she’s definitely got a trick up her sleeve). If anything this demonstrates how smooth of an operator Dany is. The fact she doesn’t claw off this slave trader’s face takes all the willpower as is, but then the fact she plays the situation to get exactly what she wanted: well, damn grrrl. 

2) Littlefinger – Littlefinger doesn’t do anything especially memorable in “Walk of Punishment” but he does weasel his way once more to an even stronger position of power. Varys may mock his titles, but titles can be much more than a claim on paper, they can be gateways to real power. Peter Baelish intends to marry Lyssa Arryn (aka Catelynn’s batshit crazy sister we met way back in season one). Lyssa has been holding up is the Eryie with her sickly son Robin, keeping the Vale out of the war. Littlefinger may not have armies or money, but he’s an exceedingly clever individual and not one to be trifled with. 

3) Mance Rayder – “I’m going to light the biggest fire the North has ever seen,” Mance growls and by the old gods and the new, we can tell he’s not fucking around. The action north of the Wall is finally starting to pick up to a pace where events feel like they are going somewhere as opposed to just stalling slightly for chronological reasons. This is something that’s true of the episode as a whole; there’s much more focus and there’s a lot less jumping around. Some stories are put on hold but those that aren’t take up the majority of the episode and land some memorable moments. Mance’s plan is finally in action: Tormund Giantsbane (Mance’s second-in-command) is going to climb the Wall, along with Jon, and route Castle Black. 

4) Brynden “Blackfish” Tully – After a slew of awkward character introductions, the show sticks the landing for the awesome Blackfish, Catelynn’s uncle, and Edmure, her mostly useless brother. Edmure is kind of pathetic (his failure to accept chain of command cost them the chance to stop the Lannisters from getting back to King’s Landing). He fails to light the funeral pyre, not once but three times, and the Blackfish has to step up all epically and show him how to get shit done. The scene provides a lot of laughs, but it also perfectly establishes just who these two new characters are.

5) Poderick Payne – Well, damn. Who knew Poderick, Tyrion’s squire, had the way with the ladies? Tyrion’s thanks for Poderick saving his life at the Battle of the Blackwater is to buy him a gaggle of willing courtesans. We cut to Poderick with a skip in his step, returning Tyrion’s gold; he pleased the prostitutes so much that they refused to accept his gold. Now I know this is almost a throwaway joke, but it’s a really funny one and though it’s not exactly the best way to further develop this character, it’s just too funny not to be amusing. This is on the whole a very funny episode (while simultaneously, in that Game of Thrones way, being a very grim episode).

6) Theon’s Rescuer – Well, Theon is getting his comeuppance for his actions at Winterfell. Not only is Theon tortured but he’s nearly raped before being saved by this newly appeared nameless savior. I dislike Theon as much as everyone else probably does right now, but there are some things that even I can’t tolerate occurring to a character and rape is one of them. Who is this mysterious figure and what’s he aiming at? He claims to work for Yara, but Yara wasn’t where he claimed she was. 

7) Melisandre – Though her and Stannis's appearance is probably far too brief, it does a very good job of showing the increasing hold Melisandre has over Stannis. Melsandre has this way about her where even when she essentially has no power, she has all the power. She has taken an even stronger hold over Stannis who just wants her to have his babies. She insists that someone with his same blood needs to be sacrificed, but keeps it mysteriously unspoken as to who that might be.

8) Hotpie – Sometimes the best way to play the “game of thrones” is to get out while you can. Though this is Arya’s story (and I’d much rather follow Arya who is played by a better actor and who is just all around a more interesting character), you can’t help but feel a little sad about Hotpie’s decision to settle down and become the baker his name always suggested he was destined to be. Much of this is far more touching then it has any right to be and it’s carried mainly by the actors who have sold much of this relationship when the writing just didn’t make the friendships of Arya, Gendry and Hotpie any more than a plot device. Now who wants a wolf cookie?

9) Tyrion – Tyrion was nominally the main character last season, but now he’s no longer the most powerful individual he was.  Not only did he not get title to Casterly Rock, but he’s been left with the unpleasant duty of being Master of Coin, a job that formerly belonged to Littlefinger, who seemed to make money appear magically. He’s not pleased by this task nor should he be; it’s one more added injury to insult for saving the King’s Landing from Stannis’s siege (the Kingdom is seriously in debt and Tyrion has been given the job because it's pretty much an impossible task).

10) Jaimie – Technically if this list were truly just a list about power and the positions of power people are in, Jaimie wouldn’t be on the list, but the fact is that there’s no way I can not mention the fate of Jaimie. Jaimie is a character that we know little about if we’re to be honest. Much of our ability to like him is being sold by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s (whose name is ripe for copy and pasting and never actually learning how to pronounce) performance; he’s a very charming guy and he captures the biting, good-humored wit Jaimie uses as a defense mechanism. It helps that were finally getting development moments such as Jaimie’s decision to save Brienne from being raped. It’s a great moment and it provides just enough humanizing to make Jaimie’s hand getting cutoff be as truly awful as it is. It's a holy shit! moment in a way that this series pulls off like few others. And then we cut to credits left wanting more!

Not Ranked/Other Thoughts:

Tywin - If I really was being honest Tywin would be number one pretty much every episode (he's the most powerful person in the Seven Kingdoms), but since he doesn't do much here, I'll be polite and leave my hero worshipping of Charles Dance to this here dangling participle section until he does something major.

Sam – The Crow’s return to Crastor who continues to be an absolute asshole, and Gilly has a son (a problem since Crastor offers sons up as sacrifices to the White Walkers). The tension crackles wonderfully in these scenes.

Cersei – The small council scene is really funny. Littlefinger pushes ahead to the first seat with flourish; Cersei moves a chair so she’s at her father’s right hand side. And Tyrion, finding this all absurd, drags a chair to the opposite head of the table. 

Varys – HE RETURNS! (Though with very little to do)

Davos – Still locked away in the dungeons of Dragonstone. 

Missandei – Dany takes the former servant of the slavemaster as a gift. 

Bran – Is missing once again but presumably is still trudging ever on towards the Wall.

Catelynn - Michelle Fairly is a great, great actress but there's got to be more to do with her than moody monologues where she regrets her past actions. 

On the whole this is the best episode of the season. It’s was at times fun and at times thrilling, moved forward with purpose, and utilized the characters well without coming off as if the writers and editors were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of story they need to tell. 

Grade: A-

The Office - “Stairmageddon” - Review

“Stairmageddon” suffers from a number of problems that many episodes this season have suffered from. For starters, it’s got way too much going on and the storylines that are the stronger ones don’t get the amount of screen time they deserve.

Pam and Jim’s struggling marriage is a storyline that I can get behind. It’s a well-acted, well-written story about two of the series best characters who have long been at the heart of the story. When the show does a story like this it pushes back the veneer of absurd antics and goes spine-tingingly deep. 

By contrast, I have no clue what the hell is going on with Dwight. Seriously. There were multiple moments where it begs all plausibility. Why is this happening? Why is no one preventing this? It was flippantly bizarre. Dwight gives Stanley bull tranquilizer and carries him out of the building for a paper sale. If it were just filler, well, that would be problematic as is, but it’s just so utterly weird and the show seems to accept it at face value. 

Andy’s subplot is equally unnecessary if much more logical. But it’s just not very funny (I at least laughed at a number of moments in Dwight’s story in spite of myself) and repeating story we've already seen from this character. 

It was a messy episode that privileged stories that the episode could have done without while giving mere slivers of the material this show is still nailing. 

While it’s an episode not without its moments (i.e. Kevin brags about keeping Oscar’s secret, the security guard could care less about Dwight absconding with Stanley, and almost everything with Jim and Pam), it’s an episode that’s far too hit or miss. 

Grade: C+