Travelers returns, but this time on Netflix with a ten episode season that dropped all at once. As Mac's team debriefs the "secondaries," we learn that the Director has finally revealed itself to the authorities in the guise of the FBI. FBI Director Stevens and Agent Yates join the narrative, and a new traveler overwrites Simon's host. Episode Grade: A-
In the first bonus episode, Dave and Wayne discuss the just concluded Series 11 of Doctor Who starring the new Doctor Jodie Whittaker. We agree that all three companions are highly likable and performed admirably, but none were really developed by new showrunner Chris Chibnall. Wayne doesn't like fewer episodes and the elimination of the Christmas episode, while Dave finds some of the stories boring. Series/Season Grade: B-
Hugh discovers a long dead body inside the basement's brick wall while searching for the source of the water damage. Mr. Dudley explains to Hugh why he and his wife refuse to stay at Hill House after dark, and Olivia experiences terrible nightmares. Episode Grade: B+
The Crain family gathers for Nellie's funeral, but pent up feelings bubble to the surface as the children challenge their father about their mother's death. Unexplained events continue to occur, and the case for supernatural rather than psychological explanations gathers steam. And Kevin has some 'splainin to do. Episode Grade: Dave A- Wayne A
Nell's history with The Bent-Neck Lady is explored, and the reality of this specter's importance is finally revealed. Adult Nell's happiness is short lived after we witness her courtship and marriage to Arthur, but it is her final return to Hill House that leads to the series' most heartbreaking moment. Episode Grade: A-
The episode's title does not belie the fact that this is a Luke centric episode that focuses primarily on his adult struggles with addiction and his fractured relationship with older brother Steven. Through his youthful eyes we observe the genesis of the "Floating Man" after he appears one night as young Luke sleeps. Later this image transforms itself into a haunting vision of his dead mother Olivia. Episode Grade: Dave B Wayne B+
Using the "blood money" from Steven's book royalties, Theo earns her PhD and now helps young children overcome any number of traumas. As children in Hill House, the twins find a hidden sub-basement that doesn't appear on any plans, and Theo finds evidence that the house once provided a safe haven for bootleggers to conduct their business. Olivia begins exhibiting behaviors that indicate all may not be well with the Crain family matriarch. Episode Grade: A
The focus shifts to Shirley's experiences as a child and the impact the death of her kittens has on her ability to cope with death. After she finds five seemingly abandoned kittens in an out building, her attempts at replacing their mother fail through no fault of hers. However, it's her mother's handling of the situation that raises a number of red flags. Are there supernatural forces at work in the house, or is there plausible explanation for the banging pipes and the dogs the Mr. Dudley denie...
Moving out of our science fiction and fantasy comfort zone, we take a look at the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House . In this pilot episode we meet the five Crain children as the story alternates between their present lives as adults and the horrifying experiences they weathered as children at Hill House. Something to do with their mother causes their father to usher them out of the house in the middle of the night, but it's the dark figures the family's youngest, the twins Luke a...
Primeval pays homage to the great director Alfred Hitchcock as a flock of prehistoric aerial predators plague the town prompting Nick and Claudia to work together more closely than ever before. Surprisingly, Helen comes to Claudia's aid, but it's the season finale that drops the biggest bombshell when we realize that not only are there portals that lead to the future, but one of the members of the team has been erased from the current timeline. Episode Grade: Dave 105 B 106 A – Wayne 105 A 106 A...
Against her will, Lester's men bring Helen Cutter back from the past to explain what she's been doing and why she chose not to return. Though she manages to escape custody and return to her chosen time, it's the fate of Connor's friends that reminds viewers and team members of the dangers they face on a daily basis. Some further discussion about the direction of Doctor Who and the many changes wrought by showrunner Chris Chibnall. Episode Grade: Dave 103 B- 104 B Wayne 103 B 104 B+...
A tear in the fabric of the space/time continuum allows creatures from Earth's distant past to find their way into the present. A scientific team led by Professor Nick Cutter and assisted by reptile expert Abby Maitland, tracker Stephen Hart, Home Office representative Claudia Brown, and graduate student Connor Temple investigate these dinosaurs and try to prevent them from wreaking havoc on unsuspecting individuals. However, the most intriguing element centers on the fact that the anomaly allow...
An 11 episode fan produced web series completes the five year mission of the Starship Enterprise under the command of James T. Kirk and adheres as closely as possible to the details of the original series. In a call back to S02E02 "Who Mourns For Adonais?" the crew is faced with a rapidly aged Apollo who claims he no longer craves human adulation. Episode Grade: B
Dave takes a look at the long awaited second season of the Cinemax horror series Outcast . Not unlike Dark , the Robert Kirkman based series features an ominous and mysterious evil presence, perhaps even the Devil. Outcast returned to US audiences in July after airing internationally in 2017.
We return to complete the discussion of the season finale of the German Netflix series Dark. Perhaps the most intriguing questions center around the identity of Future Girl and her compatriots, and whether or not Noah and Bartosz are one and the same. Krista and Fred bring up some great points in Listener Feedback, and now the urge to resist season two spoilers is being challenged. Episode Grade: A+
Charlotte begins putting the pieces of the puzzle together, and a 1953 newspaper photograph forces her to accept that something remarkable is taking place in Winden. Noah's influence becomes clearer, but his true identity remains a mystery. 1953 Helge and 2019 Jonas cross paths in 1986, and the season's final scene opens a window to yet another time. Or does it? Episode Grade: A+
Though much still remains unexplained, the pieces to the time travel puzzle in Winden begin falling into place. A young Alexander defends his future wife as she's terrorized by Ulrich and Katharina, but leaves himself open to Hannah's extortion thirty three years later. Though there are a number of bombshells dropped in the episode, none resonate more than the appearance of an older Claudia. Episode Grade: A
2019 Ulrich finds himself in 1953, and after meeting his father and grandmother on their way into Winden, he later tracks down a young Helge intending to prevent Mikkel's disappearance. The Stranger and 1986 Tannhaus discuss time travel and its inherent issues, but fundamentally, The Stranger wants to know whether or not the past can be altered. Episode Grade: A
After meeting with The Stranger in 1986, Jonas decides against attempting to return Mikkel to 2019. Helge's involvement with Noah and the missing children becomes clearer, and Ulrich reopens the investigation into Mads' 1986 disappearance. Dave recommends the 2004 time travel film Primer while Wayne offers up another historical podcast. Episode Grade: A
While the Nielsen family struggles to cope with Mikkel's disappearance, Ulrich's dogged search for the truth reveals a stunning result. Armed with the map left by his father and items sent to him by The Stranger, Jonas enters the cave and finds himself in 1986 coming face to face with his mother as a teenager. As the mysteries continue to unfold, Tronte and Peter are clearly up to something related to the cave and its time portals. Episode Grade: A
The Stranger reveals some truths to Jonas who must now decide how to proceed with this new knowledge and his father's map of the caves. Uncomfortable connections are also brought to light as Mikkel begins his new life in 1986. And while we've routinely questioned the Ulrich/Hannah relationship, learning the genesis of her obsession with him sheds light on her 2019 persona. Episode Grade: A
The Winden family mysteries continue to ramp up, but it's the introduction of Noah that alters the central focus. Is this the man to whom Helge refers when he says "he must stop," and does Noah have anything to do with the missing boys? And what is it that has Peter Doppler so spooked? Nevertheless, while couples all around them seem to be having their relationship troubles, Magnus and Franziska take theirs to a new level. Episode Grade: A
Mikkel finds himself in 1986, and after meeting his grandmother and parents in their younger forms, he's finally taken in by kindly nurse Ines Kahnwald. In an episode that further establishes the interrelationships that exist in the small town of Winden, the nuclear power plant looms in the background causing us to question whether it is responsible for the deaths of the cows and birds. Dark Netflix Episode Grade: A
As the search for the missing Mikkel gathers momentum, the mysteries surrounding Erik, Mads and the recently discovered dead teenager only complicate the situation. On the other hand, it now becomes abundantly clear that we're dealing with time travel on some level, and when Mikkel finds himself in 1986, The Stranger's notation "When is Mikkel?" begins to make sense. Dark Netflix. Episode Grade: A
"Secrets," the pilot episode of the German Netflix series Dark introduces four families, the small town of Winden, and the dark past that no one seems to want to talk about. Already renewed for a second season, the series combines elements of science fiction, horror, and the supernatural to weave a fascinating tale. Episode Grade: A
As the world's technology develops at a lightning pace, science fiction television continues to explore both the benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence. Is it inevitable that those mankind creates will eventually rebel against the creators? Series like Battlestar Galactica , Humans , Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles , Westworld , and Dollhouse intelligently explore these complex ideas as the reality looms just around the corner....
The newest science fiction creation from the mind of Mickey Fisher ( Extant ), Reverie explores the rapidly developing world of virtual reality and both the problems and benefits inherent in this technology. Starring Sarah Shahi ( Person of Interest ), Dennis Haysbert ( 24 ), and Sendhil Ramamurthy ( Heroes ), the pilot examines what happens when users of the Reverie software program become trapped inside the program. Episode Grade: Dave B- Wayne B...
In the series finale, Echo and Paul return to the Dollhouse so that Topher can attempt to put things right and gain some semblance of redemption for his role in the present apocalypse. Priya and Anthony resolve their differences and set out to remake the world after Topher's pulse bomb returns the Dumbshows and Butchers to their original selves. Is the ending hopeful? That's up to the viewer to decide. Episode Grade: A+
Echo makes a final attempt to bring down the Rossum Corporation despite Boyd and Clyde's efforts to further a plan whose end game still appears rather murky. Episode highlights also include Anthony and Priya putting aside their personal aspirations to enter the fray, and Paul Ballard and Mellie enjoying a brief moment together before a jarring decision takes hold. Episode Grade: Dave A+ . Wayne A
Through a series of flashbacks, we learn the backstory of Caroline's relationship with Bennett Halverson (Summer Glau), and their attempt to bring down the Dollhouse. However, in arguably the series' biggest reveal, the identity of the "man behind the curtain" finally becomes known. Episode Grade: A
