The German Netflix production Dark returns for a second season with glimpses of 1921 and the early days of the Winden caves and its time portals. Teenaged Jonas navigates life in 2053 with a band of holocaust survivors, and his adult self returns to his childhood home for a confrontation with his mother. We still don't learn what happened to Winden, but it's clear that Adam, Noah, both Jonas's, and elder Claudia have their own agendas which may or may not operate at cross purposes. Episode Grade...
Jun 28, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 301
In the season one finale, Eliot becomes Fillory's High King and crowns Quentin, Alice, and Margo, but Team Brakebills must still find a way to kill The Beast whose identity has finally been revealed. Though Julia temporarily joins the quest to stop Martin Chatwin, the revelation about her encounter with Reynard the Fox sends the story in a new direction. Episode Grade: A
Jun 21, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 298
Our Lady Underground meets Julia and Team Beowulf while the Brakebills Five heads to Neitherlands and an eventual trip to Fillory. Quentin gets left behind, re-establishes his relationship with Julia, and the two employ time travel to follow Jane Chatwin to Fillory. Episode Grade: A-
Jun 14, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 296
As the showdown with The Beast draws closer, Team Brakebills hones their battle magic skills with help from some unlikely places. Kady and Julia continue to work together with Richard's group, but Julia's religious experience may change her approach. Episode Grade: Dave A- Wayne B+
Jun 07, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 294
Patron and frequent feedback contributor Fred from the Netherlands submitted a list of ten films and television series, and we take a look and comment on each. There were some surprises, most notably the 2008 film Doomsday, and in the end, there is something for everybody.
Jun 04, 2019•48 min•Ep. 293
When Penny travels to Neitherland and is unable to find his way back, he "inceptions" Quentin, who enlists Alice's help to show him the way home. Kady and Julia cross paths once again, and this time work together on a time magic project meant to give Richard the opportunity to rewrite part of his tragic history. Episode Grade: Dave A Wayne A-
May 31, 2019•55 min•Ep. 291
Quentin learns a shocking truth about Christopher Plover and his connection to The Beast. Julia comes face to face with the consequences of her magical actions and takes another step in her education. Episode Grade: A-
May 24, 2019•58 min•Ep. 289
Quentin, Alice, Penny, and Kady travel to Brakebills South to study with Professor Mayakovsky whose unusual teaching methods draws the best out of his students. However, Kady receives the news of her mother's death and leaves Penny behind. Meanwhile, Eliot begins a relationship with a Brakebill's graduate, but the arrival of The Beast puts Brakebills on high alert. Episode grades: 107 Dave A- Wayne A 108 A-
May 17, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 287
Margo and Eliot host The Trials for the first year students, but more than just magic is at stake. Though Julia and Kady learn they have a common connection, Marina again enters the picture with disastrous effects. Episode Grade: A-
May 10, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 286
Julia continues to spiral out of control, and Quentin finally has a chance to re-establish a connection with his father who suffers from brain cancer. Penny travels to a dimension that appears to be Fillory and comes face to face with The Beast. Episode Grade: B+
May 03, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 284
Julia and Marina carry out a cooperative spell that the former thinks will only mess with Quentin after a perceived betrayal, but the hedge witch leader has another purpose in mind. In the end, Marina recovers her memories from her time at Brakebills, and Julia is once again left out in the cold. Episode Grade: Dave C+ Wayne C
Apr 26, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 282
While Penny discovers his powers extend far beyond his psychic abilities, and Alice learns she can bend light, poor Quentin remains undetermined. Julia confronts Quentin about his failure to convince the teachers at Brakebills to give her another shot, but her real challenge involves learning to separate her personal life from her studies with Marina and Pete. Episode Grade: Dave B+ Wayne B
Apr 19, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 279
Game of Thrones returns for its eighth and final season, and the Iron Throne has never had its true successor closer to claiming the prize of the Seven Kingdoms. Jon and Dany arrive in Winterfell, but it's Samwell who holds the single most important piece of information. Can Sansa get over her dislike and distrust of Dany? Who will ultimately sit on the Iron Throne?
Apr 17, 2019•17 min•Ep. 280
In the aftermath of The Beast's attack at Brakebills, Quentin and Alice struggle with the impact their roles in the event cause. Julia passes her first test with Pete and his small cadre of magicians, but it's the mystery surrounding Kady and Pete that raises new questions. Episode Grade: Dave A- Wayne B
Apr 12, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 276
On the eve of his Yale graduate school interview, Quentin discovers that his obsession with magic and the Fillory novels may provide a new, exciting life direction. As he enters Brakebills University, Julia chooses another magical path after Brakebills rejects her as a candidate. Episode Grade: B+
Apr 05, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 268
As part of our attempt to give back to our Patreon supporters, Fred from the Netherlands joins us for a discussion of Hemlock Grove's second episode from its first season, "The Angel." Roman and Peter's friendship continues to develop as the gypsy reveals his darkest secret while Brooke Bluebells's killer remains a mystery. Letha claims an angel impregnated her, but Olivia has other things on her mind.
Mar 29, 2019•50 min•Ep. 265
As we wait for the announcement of Dark 's season two return date, the leaked script page and trailer, that may or may not be official, will have to keep us occupied for now.
Mar 22, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 263
In the season finale, Steven finally learns the truth about the events the night his mother died, but the Crain family must deal with yet another loss. While the ending can certainly be considered upbeat, perhaps even happy, the mysteries surrounding Hill House remain leaving open the possibility the narrative could be revisited. It just won't happen next year. Episode Grade: Dave A- Wayne B+ Series Grade: A-
Mar 15, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 262
The truth about the Red Room's purpose begins to unfold, but it's Olivia's act at the surprise tea party that reveals the depths to which she's fallen. How much influence does Poppy Hill exert over Olivia and her final act? And what is the reality about Luke's friend Abigail? Pick of the Week - Dave: DC Universe's Doom Patrol - Wayne: The Umbrella Academy Episode Grade: Dave A Wayne A-
Mar 08, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 260
Shirley and Steven come face to face with the realization that the family's mental issues stem from their brief tenure at Hill House despite their best efforts to ignore its impact. Parallel car rides reveal hidden secrets, and supernatural events continue to plague and confound the Crain children. Tip of the Week: Dave - Download the Henry James novella The Turn of the Screw and Wayne - the podcast Mobituaries w/Mo Rocca. Episode Grade: A-...
Mar 01, 2019•48 min•Ep. 257
In the season and series finale, MacLaren's team must deal not only with David's death, but the continued and escalated danger 001 now poses as he jumps bodies en route to his final destination. Having abandoned this timeline designated Ver 1, the Director's abdication gives the team a chance to plot their individual moves. But it's MacLaren's jump to the past that sets into motion a new timeline and another chance for the Director to save the human race from extinction. Episode Grade: A...
Feb 22, 2019•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 255
The Faction sets off nuclear blasts in Shanghai and Moscow, but with the help of Trevor and the team, David disarms the one planted inside the archive in which he’s trapped. Unfortunately, he receives a lethal dose of radiation, and the waiting game begins. Kathryn tells Grant their marriage is over, and it appears that 001 might still be in play. Tip of the Week - Wayne: Russian Doll & Bird Box - Dave: 2036 Origin Unknown . Episode Grade: A
Feb 15, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 251
Christopher Heyerdahl guest stars as a serial killer turned traveler sent by the Director to prevent a civilization ending event by convinces physicists that their pioneering work will lead to disaster. Dawn and the Faction capture an archivist in their pursuit of a secret archive that provides the Director with periodic updates. Dave's Tip of the Week is the Netflix series Sex Education starring Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield while Wayne checks in with another Netflix series The Bodyguard...
Feb 08, 2019•59 min•Ep. 249
The team defies the Director when it finds and executes a temporary cure for Trevor's aphasia which has essentially rendered him useless on missions. Kathryn puts Grant to the ultimate test, and he fails miserably. In this episode's Tip of the Week, Wayne sings the praises of The Punisher Season 2, and Dave offers up The Discovery of Witches . Episode Grade: B+
Feb 01, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 247
The Faction makes a play to capture historians after the most recent update, and though Dawn professes to want the same thing as the Director's traveler teams, her methods are questionable at best. Trevor constructs a Black Box that enables the team to "see" Hall's last moments and details that lead them to the kidnapped historians. Dave's Tip of the Week is the French series Transfers ( Transferts ), and Wayne returns to the series finale of The Almighty Johnsons. Episode Grade: A-...
Jan 25, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 243
When a young messenger becomes corrupted after preventing an accident at a nuclear power plant, Grace and the team are brought in to fix the problem. However, once they discover the Director has sent an AI with an emerging consciousness through the messenger, the final solution raises other concerns. Episode Grade: B+
Jan 18, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 235
Another group of Faction members kidnap 001, but there's an ironic twist to this abduction as they tell the reluctant traveler that he's to be the leader of the rebellion against the Director. Mac's team receives an order from the Director to give Ilsa Internet access, and the secondaries continue to question the changes they each see in their significant others. Episode Grade: A-
Jan 11, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 233
In lieu of the traditional Christmas Day special, Chris Chibnall and the BBC treat fans to a New Year's Day special titled "Resolution." In arguably the strongest Series 11 episode, The Doctor and Fam face off against the Daleks in a story that begins in the 9th century and later features the return of Ryan's father. Since Doctor Who is not expected to return until early 2020, this appears to be the only offering we'll receive in 2019. Episode Grade: A-
Jan 09, 2019•11 min•Ep. 232
The Director orders Philip to kill Aleksander, but when he's unable to carry out the mission, MacLaren steps in with devastating effects. Baby Jeff enters the foster system, and Carly must now re-evaluate her connection. Episode Grade: B-
Jan 04, 2019•59 min•Ep. 230
While the Secondaries meet to discuss the kidnapping and the feelings that something's not quite right, MacLaren must accept the fact that the real FBI will be looking over his shoulder. After the latest Historian update, Philip begins seeing alternate timelines, and the public at large sees travelers in the same arena as aliens. We also bring back the Spoiler Zone for those who have binged the entire season. Episode Grade: B+
Dec 28, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 227
