TV Review: The Dropout Episodes 1, 2, and 3 (dir by Michael Showalter)

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

On Thursday, I binged the first three episodes of Hulu’s The Dropout.

The Dropout is Hulu’s miniseries about the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes (played by Amanda Seyfried), the enigmatic Stanford dropout who founded Theranos and became a billionaire before she turned 30. She promised that Theranos would revolutionize both the way that blood was tested and the world of health care in general. She was known for black turtlenecks, her deep (and possibly fake) voice, and her habit of not blinking. Of course, as common sense should have made obvious to just about anyone, it turned out that Elizabeth Holmes was lying about the blood testing machinery that her company was marketing. She and her business partner and former lover, Sunny Balwani (played, in The Dropout, by Lost‘s Naveen Andrews) were eventually charged with defrauding their investors. At trial, Holmes argues that her intentions were good and that she was trapped in an abusive relationship with Balwani. While Balwani’s trial is scheduled to being later this month, Elizabeth had already been convicted and currently await sentencing. Theranos, of course, no longer exists.

After the first three episodes, I would say that I’m cautiously optimistic. Seyfried and Andrews seem to be perfectly cast as Elizabeth and Sunny and the story itself is an interesting one. The miniseries format seems like a good one for director Michael Showalter’s trademark mix of dark comedy and drama. Much as with Showalter’s The Eyes of Tammy Faye, there were a few moments that felt a bit too cartoonish, most of which involved William H. Macy as Elizabeth’s former neighbor and eventual business rival but, for the most part, the first three episodes managed to establish and maintain a consistent tone. Before she lowers her voice and dons her black turtleneck, Elizabeth comes across as being socially awkward but likable. It’s only towards the end of the 3rd episode that we really start to see her as being the villainous figure that she eventually began. The first 3 episodes are like an origin story.

Of course, the fact that it took 3 hours to tell her origin story is one reason why I’m cautious in my optimism. Streaming services are currently full of miniseries that all take stories that should be interesting but then drag them out to such a length that it’s hard not to eventually lose interest. (If you need an example of what I’m talking about, go check out Netflix’s Inventing Anna.) The Dropout‘s first three episodes were well-done but it’s still hard not to feel that the story told in those three hours could have just as easily been told in 20 minutes, without denying the viewer anything that they needed to know to understand Elizabeth and Sunny. There are five more episodes to go. Can the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos remain interesting for 8 hours? I’m hopeful but I’m not totally sure.

With all that in mind, I’m recommending The Dropout, on the basis of the first three episodes. But remember …. I was originally pretty enthusiastic about Pam & Tommy as well.

The TSL’s Grindhouse: The Scary on Sixty-First (dir by Dasha Nekrasova)

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Now streaming on Shudder, The Scary of Sixty-First is a weird little movie.

Two friends who don’t really seem to like each other that much, Noelle (Madeline Quinn) and Addie (Betsey Brown), move into a fully furnished Manhattan apartment. The apartment, they are told, has been uninhabited for a few years. The realtor asks them not to play the piano. One of the mattresses is stained with blood. Hidden amongst the surprisingly ornate furniture are mystical books and mysterious cards. It’s kind of a creepy place but it’s also in Manhattan and it’s affordable.

Addie, we’re told, has a history of mental instability and a difficult relationship with her family. (Noelle, at one point, refers to Addie’s father as being a pedophile.) Addie also has an idiot boyfriend named Gary (Mark Rapaport, who also produced the film). Gary may be a little bit slow but he has his standards and when Addie starts to speak in a strange voice and ask him to take part in some truly perverse role play, he freaks out.

Meanwhile, Noelle meets a mysterious person who is only referred to as being The Girl (played by the film’s director, Dasha Nekrasova). The Girl is hooked on speed and conspiracy theories. The Girl explains that Noelle and Addie’s apartment was once used by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The Girl says that she’s investigating their crimes but her investigation mostly seems to consist of watching YouTube videos and walking around New York. Within hours of meeting each other, Noelle and the Girl are lovers but when The Girl tries to demonstrate why Epstein couldn’t possibly have hanged himself, Noelle appears to deliberately hesitate before saving the Girl’s life. Later, as they walk around New York, the Girl spots a woman who she claims is Ghislaine Maxwell.

As for Addie, she’s having nightmares and when she’s not dreaming, she’s sleepwalking and doing even more. She’s also becoming obsessed with the British Royal Family. She’s especially interested in Prince Andrew….

“Epstein didn’t kill himself,” as the saying goes and one reason why people are still saying that years after Jeffrey Epstein’s death is because it’s obvious that, whether he killed himself or not, he still took a lot of secrets with him to the grave. I’m a student of conspiracy theories but I wouldn’t call myself a believer. I tend to assume that most of what happens in the world is due to random fate as opposed to the unseen hand of some secret organization. That said, I totally accept that there’s a very good chance that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered on the orders of the rich and powerful people who he previously flew to his private island. One reason why The Scary of Sixty-First works is because, as bizarre as the film gets, it’s still dealing with a conspiracy theory that even most skeptics find to be plausible.

And indeed, it’s a bizarre film, one that plays out like a filmed dream. Little about the film makes sense and, at the end of it, you’re still left with a lot of unanswered questions but then again, that’s a feeling that will be familiar to anyone who has ever gone down a conspiracy rabbit hole. Are Noelle and Addie truly being possessed by evil auras of Epstein and Maxwell or are they just allowing their own paranoia to drive them mad? Much like a dream, the answers are there but they’re hidden. It’s a film that many people will find to be distasteful but, at its best, it captures the speed-fueled logic of the modern conspiracy theorist. It’s a jolt of psychosis captured on a film. The apartment becomes a metaphor for both the sins of the past and the uncertainty of the present.

Understandably, many will find the film to be distasteful and it often is. But, at the same time, The Scary on Sixty-First captures the atmosphere and the paranoia of our current cultural moment. After all, Epstein didn’t kill himself.

Music Video of the Day: Redlight by Swedish House Mafia and Sting (2022, dir by ????)

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Before clicking on play, please be aware that this video features flashing lights and comes with an epilepsy warning. If you watch, enjoy!

You don’t have to put on the red light,
Those days over
You don’t have to sell your body to the night
You don’t have to wear that dress to night
Those days are over
You don’t have to put on the Redlight
Those days are over
You don’t have to put on the Redlight
Those days are over
You don’t have to put on the Redlight
Those days are over
You don’t have to put on the Redlight
Those days are over
You don’t have to put on the Redlight
Those days are over
You don’t have to put on the Redlight

Film Review: The Weekend Away (dir by Kim Farrant)

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

“First time in Croatia?” asks handsome taxi driver Zain (Ziad Bakri).

As soon as Beth (Leighton Meester) answers in the affirmative, we know that she’s in trouble. If you’ve seen enough thrillers, you know that any trip to another country is going to lead to trouble. Beth may think that she’s just going to be spending a week or two with her wild best friend, Kate (Christina Wolfe), but we know that something bad is going to down. And the minute that Kate insists that Beth dress up and go to a club with her, we know that someone is going to end up missing.

The next morning, Beth wakes up with a hangover, a cluttered villa, and an absent best friend. Where is Kate? Kate and Beth were supposed to go on bicycle tour but now, Kate is nowhere to be found! More than one person suggests that maybe she didn’t want to do the whole cycling thing. I don’t blame her. You go, Kate! Don’t let your friend guilt you into doing something that lame!

However, Beth starts to have flashbacks to the night at the bar. It turns out that Beth is almost as much of a lightweight as I am when it comes to drinking because a glass of wine has totally wrecked her memory. When Kate’s landlord mentions that Kate brought two men back to the villa with them, Beth starts to think that something terrible has happened to Kate! The police soon agree with her but they think that Beth is the culprit!

Teaming up with Zain, Beth starts to investigate on her own. Her husband (Luke Norris) is not happy to learn that, while he’s in London with their baby, his wife is running around Croatia with a sensitive and widowed taxi driver, Needless to say, it soon turns out that just about everyone involved has a secret that they’re trying to hide.

The Weekend Away is the latest Netflix original thriller. It starts out on a good note, with Kate and Beth catching up on their lives in Croatia. Leighton Meester and Christina Wolfe are convincing as old friends who have followed different life paths and Croatia itself looks both inviting and ominous at the same time. Unfortunately, once Kate disappears, the film gets a bit uneven and some of the characters do some things that don’t really make sense and the actors themselves sometimes seem to be struggling to find a way to make their dialogue sound credible. The film starts with a lot of promise but the mystery itself turn out to not be as interesting as one might hope. That’s my long-winded way of saying that you’ll figure out what happened long before anyone else in the film does.

Again, it’s an uneven film but I do like to focus on the positive so I will say that the film was nice to look at. The scenes in the club were well-directed and captured both the chaos and the fun of discovering an exciting city for the first time. Leighton Meester and Christina Wolfe were convincing as friends and Luke Norris kept you guessing as Beth’s husband. It’s the Netflix equivalent of fast food. It’s the type of film that you enjoy for what it is and then you forget about it a few hours later.

Music Video of the Day: King of a Tragedy by Isak Danielson (2022, dir by Kalle Möller)

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This is an enjoyably atmospheric music video. It makes me want to read a paperback epic about intrigue in a royal court.

Enjoy!

I wanna burn in the fire below
I wanna dance with the devil you know
take me to heaven and don’t let me go
I am the king of a tragedy

Waking up to hear the siren
you’re the poison in my blood
I could do without the violence
god knows I’m not that tough

I keep loosing all my virtues ’
i’m a magnet to your pain
Waking up to hear the siren

I wanna burn in the fire below
I wanna dance with the devil you know
take me to heaven and don’t let me go
I am the king of a tragedy
king of a tragedy

I wanna surrender and sacrifice
the fear that I feel when I look in your eyes
Please take me to heaven before I die
I am the king of a tragedy
king of a tragedy

Every word you say is fragile
It’s like a walk on broken glass
I’m like a deer, so scared of your headlights
you got your right foot hard on the gas
can we stay right here forever
you make it hard to run away
Every word you say is fragile

I wanna burn in the fire below
I wanna dance with the devil you know
Take me to heaven and don’t let me go
I am the king of a tragedy
king of a tragedy

I wanna surrender and sacrifice
the fear that I feel when I look in your eyes
Please take me to heaven before I die
I am the king of a tragedy
king of a tragedy

ooohh I wanna see what it feels like
to run into your headlights
oooh you know me I’m craving the spotlight

I wanna burn in the fire below
I wanna dance with the devil you know
Take me to heaven and don’t let me go
I am the king of a tragedy
king of a tragedy

I wanna surrender and sacrifice
the fear that I feel when I look in your eyes
Please take me to heaven before I die
I am the king of a tragedy
king of a tragedy

TV Review: Pam & Tommy “Destroyer of Worlds” (dir by Lake Bell)

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

After two blissfully Rand-free episodes of Pam & Tommy, Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen) returned to dominate this week’s episode. As soon as things opened with a close-up of Rand looking like someone had just run over his favorite pet, I groaned very loudly. Rand is such an unlikable character and the show insists on trying to make us feel sorry for this loser. Even if Seth Rogen wasn’t both miscast and intent on giving the worst performance of his career in the role, Rand would make Pam & Tommy difficult to watch.

Rand (or Reed or whatever his name is supposed to be) was basically upset because he wasn’t making any money off of the Pam and Tommy sex tape. Instead, the bootleggers were making all the money. Rand/Reed also got upset because cocaine addict Uncle Miltie (Nick Offerman) turned out to be a bad business partner. Meanwhile, Butchie (Andrew “Dice” Clay, acting up a storm with little to show for it) wanted his money and demanded that Reed/Rand turn into a debt collector. “I AM THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS!” a frustrated Rand declared as he collected a debt and seriously, what the heck? (Folks, I gave up cursing for Lent. Just go with me here.) The episode’s best moment was when Rand tried to blackmail Tommy and Tommy reacted by setting the money on fire while Randy Reed watched. What made this scene so great was that Tommy called Reedy Rand a loser. Again, I got the feeling that we were supposed to feel bad for Rand but …. eh. Who cares? Rand is a loser and the mullet isn’t making him look any better.

If the highlight of the episode was Tommy setting that money on fire while taunting Rand, the show’s second best moment was Pam appearing on The Tonight Show and having to deal with a series of disrespectful and infuriatingly sexist questions from Jay Leno. The actor playing Leno essentially played him as being the devil, which was kind of amusing. Watching the scenes with Leno acting like a member of the Spanish Inquisition, I found myself thinking about how Ken Russell probably could have done something amazing with this material. The scene ended with Pam having to talk Tommy out of beating up Jay Leno, which again was kind of amusing. Just imagine if Tommy had stormed onto the Tonight Show set and thrown a punch while Jay was introducing Hugh Grant. That would have been classic television.

As the Tonight Show debacle indicated, the release of Barb Wire was overshadowed by Pam and Tommy’s court case against Penthouse. The judge ruled that the 1st Amendment gave Penthouse the right to publish still from the tape. Tommy was too stupid to realize that the judge had ruled against him. Pam responded with a monologue about how the judge was actually saying that it was okay to exploit her because she wore a swimsuit on Baywatch and she also previously appeared in Playboy. Pam had a point but, as so often happens on this show, that point was somewhat negated by the fact that the real-life Pamela Anderson never signed off on having her life dramatized in Pam & Tommy and, as a result, the show is itself a bit exploitive.

The show also continues to feel a bit pointless, despite Lily James’s frequently excellent performance as Pam. Again, it’s hard not to wonder why exactly this story demands the limited series treatment as opposed to the 90-minute movie treatment. Indeed, by stretching thing out over 8 hours, Pam & Tommy just reminds us of how superficial this story really is.

One final note: early on in the episode, Butchie is shocked to discover that there’s a new coffee company in Seattle that’s called Starbucks. I’ve noticed this is a joke that’s popped up in a lot of movies about the 90s and it feels rather lazy. They should have made an AOL joke instead.

Music Video of the Day: Lost Track by HAIM (2022, dir by Paul Thomas Anderson)

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

At some point, in the future, it will be realized that Paul Thomas Anderson’s Haim videos constitute some of the best short films of the decade. It’s the perfect collaboration between a group of artists. This is their latest and video and you better enjoy!

[Verse 1]
Tryin’ to get on top
But it’s never easy
Mastered my own luck
But it wasn’t easy
I’m tryin’ to feel alright
Around all these people
I try, but I’m just numb
This time

[Chorus]
Deepest cut that I can’t feel
Found a grip on the steering wheel
I know a piece’s stuck
You can sit down if you don’t mind me standin’ up (Mind me standin’ up)
I know I was too good to pass (Too good to pass)
So me and you caused a chain reaction (Chain reaction)
I’ll take the smallest crumb
But I’ll never get back what I lost track of

[Verse 2]
Laugh when I’m still cryin’
Yeah, you know the deal
Burn but it’s still fine (Huh)
Yeah, you know the deal
Can’t redeem my love
That’s such a steal
But you can’t say I’m not tryin’
This time

[Outro]
I’ll never get back what I lost track
I’ll never get back what I lost track
I’ll never get back what I lost track
I’ll never get back but I’ve lost track

TV Review: The Walking Dead 11.10 “New Haunts” (dir by Jon Amiel)

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Wow, life sure is fun as a member of The Commonwealth!

I just hope those Alexandrians don’t screw everything up!

Actually, we already know that life is not as perfect in The Commonwealth as the community’s leaders claim. And we know that eventually, there will be a conflict between the Alexandrians and The Commonwealth, with Daryl apparently on the side of The Commonwealth. We know all of that but, at the same time, it’s hard not to be impressed by the effort the Commonwealth put into giving everyone a happy Halloween.

Costumes? You bet.

Haunted houses full of real walkers? Okay, that seems hella dangerous but then again, it’s still better than anything Rick ever did for Halloween.

A masquerade ball? Oh Hell yes!

The Commonwealth understand that importance of tradition as a way to tie a community together. By putting on a traditional holiday, the Commonwealth allows its citizens to feel as if everything can somehow be normal once again. There’s something to be said for that. When the whole world is collapsing around you, it’s important to have some sliver of normalcy to hang onto. That’s one thing that I don’t think Rick Grimes every truly understood and I’m not sure that Maggie gets it either. It is, however, something that I think that Daryl understands.

Daryl obviously enjoyed Halloween with the Commonwealth. He also enjoyed training with Mercer, even if he did disagree with some of Mercer’s decisions. Mercer and Daryl are kindred souls and watching the two of them together, one could see how Daryl could potentially be drawn to choose the Commonwealth over the Alexandrians. At the same time, Mercer’s attempts to keep Daryl and Rosita separated showed that Mercer understood that the best way to win Daryl’s loyalty was to isolate him. In many ways, Daryl is still looking for a replacement for Merle and Mercer seems to fit the bill.

Meanwhile, Carol discovered that Elijah is closer to death than he’s admitted and that he probably won’t live long enough to receive the operation that he’s been promised. Whether or not Carol is going to keep that a secret is an open question. I have a hard time imagining that Carol won’t tell Elijah. Knowing Carol, there’s always a chance she might take every doctor in the Commonwealth hostage and kill one every hour until they operate on Elijah. I could see the idea forming in Carol’s head as the Commonwealth doctor explained to her that Elijah was too far down on the list. I imagine that, at some point, Carol will discover that the Commonwealth leaders get preferential treatment under the Commonwealth medical system and that will probably drive her over the edge. That’s just my prediction.

There is definitely a caste system in the Commonwealth and, as we discovered at the Masquerade Ball, not all of the citizens of The Commonwealth are as happy as they initially seem. Then again, the same can be said of every community that’s sprung up in the world of The Walking Dead and that includes the Alexandrians. If anything, the collapse of society has made the world even more hierarchal than it was before. In many ways, of course, humanity continues to be in denial, even during the apocalypse. Regardless of class, wealth, or power, everyone’s story reaches the same ending. Everyone dies and everyone ends up as one of the Walking Dead.

Anyway, New Haunts was a nicely-done episode that allowed us a chance to see a bit more of life in the Commonwealth. Right now, it looks like a nice way to live but I’m sure that will change over the upcoming few weeks.

Happy Halloween!

Music Video of the Day: Tegan and Sara — Monday Monday Monday (2002, dir by Christopher Mills)

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

It is Monday, isn’t it?

Good luck!

“This week or last week
I don’t really care about it anymore
I write myself this later
I tell myself you let me go

Without me
What’s wrong with you?
Monday Monday Monday
Monday Monday Monday
Monday Monday Monday
Monday Monday Monday

Your house or mine
I don’t really care about it anymore
I close my eyes
I, I make myself unhappy so you’ll go

Without me
What’s wrong with you
Monday Monday Monday
Monday Monday Monday
Monday Monday Monday
Monday Monday Monday

Oh, and I
I say damn your mood swings
Damn your mood swings
Oh, and I
I say damn your mood swings
Damn your mood swings

I’m calling out
I don’t really care for your city anymore
I spend the night
I lay awake and miss you when you go

Without me
What’s wrong with you
Monday Monday Monday
Monday Monday Monday
Monday Monday Monday
Monday Monday Monday

Oh, and I
I say damn your mood swings
Oh, and I
I say damn your mood swings
Damn your mood swings
Oh, and I
I say damn your mood swings
Damn your mood swings
Oh, and I
I say damn your mood swings
Damn your mood swings”

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 2/20/22 — 2/26/22

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, I devoted a good deal of time to watching the news. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been horrifying to watch unfold. At the same time, the bravery of the people of Ukraine has also been inspiring to witness.

Here’s a few thoughts on everything else that I watched this week:

Allo Allo (Sunday Night, PBS)

While the Germans continued to search for the stolen gold, Rene reluctantly went through with marrying Edith, despite the fact that he’s really in love with Yvette. Of course, Rene already was married to Edith but, because everyone in the village was convinced that Rene was actually his twin brother (who, coincidentally, was also named Rene), it was believed that Edith was a widow. Alphonse even proposed marriage to her and Rene was forced to go through with the second marriage despite the fact that he wasn’t particularly happy with his first. Got all that?

Meanwhile, Herr Flick sent Helga to try to distract Rene so that …. well, I’m not sure why Herr Flick did that. I assume that it probably had something to do with recovering the stolen gold. To be honest, it’s hard to keep track of everyone’s individual motivations. The important thing is that Crabtree showed up and spoke in his mangled version of French. Plus, LeClerc showed up, wearing a wet suit and announced, “It is I, LeClerc.”

It made me laugh. That’s the important thing.

The Amazing Race (Wednesday Night, ABC)

I wrote about the latest leg of the race here! This was actually probably one of the best episodes in the history of The Amazing Race, with each of the four remaining teams revealing a bit about themselves and their dynamic. I now like all four of the teams, even Kim & Penn. I’m thankful that this week’s episode was a non-elimination leg and, as a result, Ryan and Dusty are still in the Race. The finale is next week! I am currently rooting for Cayla and Raquel because they remind me of myself and Erin.

Celebrity Big Bother (Paramount Plus and CBS)

It’s over! I wrote about the final few days of Celebrity Big Brother at the Big Brother Blog! This was a tough season to watch and I have to admit that there were a few times when I really resented the fact that it existed at all. In the end, the jury showed zero enthusiasm as they named Meisha the season’s winner. Todrick Hall pretty much ruined his reputation so that he could be the runner up. It was not a pleasant season to watch. Hopefully, this will be the final installment of Celebrity Big Brother.

Friends (Weeknights, Channel 33)

I watched an episode on Tuesday night. Rachel was dating Bruce Willis. Ross was dating Bruce Willis’s daughter. Chaos ensued. Ross discovered that Bruce was just as neurotic and nerdy as he was, which was kind of a nice touch. That said, I do feel like Friends always went a little bit overboard with the celebrity guest stars.

I Survived A Serial Killer (Friday Afternoon, A&E)

I have mixed feelings about this show. On the one hand, it’s great that the people being interview survived. On the other hand, it’s kind of disturbing that “serial killer” is one of those terms that apparently brings in the viewers. I’m as guilty as anyone, of course. I mean, I ended up watching three episodes of this show on Friday! It’s just that I worry that we sometimes give serial killers so much attention that we turn them into celebrities. Serial killers are losers and they should be treated like losers. Consider someone like The BTK Killer, who coined his own nickname. He craved attention and he’s still getting it, even though he’s currently sitting in prison.

Law & Order (Thursday Night, NBC)

12 years after initially being canceled, Law & Order is back for its 21st season! Returning are Anthony Anderson (on the law side) and Sam Waterston (on the order side). Camyrn Manheim is the new precinct captain. Jeffrey Donavon is Anderson’s partner. Hugh Dancy and Odelya Halevi are the new assistant DAs.

The first episode of this revival was a bit uneven. It dealt with the murder of a famous singer (played by Norm Lewis) who was obviously meant to serve as a stand-in for Bill Cosby. The singer had been convicted of rape but his sentence was overturned on a technicality. He was gunned down outside of his New York townhouse. Even though he was literally shot in the crotch, it took Anderson and Donavon a while to figure out that the murder was related to his crimes.

Anyway, it turned out that one of his victims was the murderer but Donavon resorted to unethical means to get a confession from her and Dancy, being one of those annoyingly idealistic types, didn’t want to use evidence that he considered to be tainted. Previous cast member Carey Lowell returned in the role of Jamie Ross but it was a bit of an unsatisfying return because the episode never fully committed to whether or not she knew about the murder in advance or not.

(It was also a bit strange since it had been previously established that Jamie Ross left the DA’s office, became a defense attorney, and was then appointed to a judgeship. Yet, on this episode of Law & Order, she was once again working for the District Attorney’s office. No one mentioned anything about her being a former judge, either. Obviously, it was a continuity error but I still hope the show tries to come up with an in-universe explanation at some point.)

The main problem with the episode was that each of the new characters were basically only given one personality trait. Donavon was always angry. Dancy was always conflicted. There wasn’t much nuance to either one of them and it was easy to get annoyed with both characters. Meanwhile, poor Odelya Halevi wasn’t really given any personality at all. Hopefully, next week’s episode will be a bit better.

The Love Boat (Sunday Afternoon, MeTV)

Taking a cruise on The Love Boat: David Doyle, Jack Gilford, Matthew Laborteaux, Charles Siebert, Connie Stevens, and Nancy Walker! Okay, so it wasn’t exactly the greatest group of guest stars but still, I always enjoy seeing episodes of this silly, old show. It’s all just so pleasantly superficial.

Murderville (Netflix)

On this Netflix show, Will Arnett is Detective Terry Seattle, a tough homicide detective who investigates a different murder every episode. Each episode also features a new celebrity partner. Because Seattle isn’t good at his job, it falls on the celeb to solve the murder. The fun of the show is that it’s largely improvised, so the celeb has to think on their feet while trying not to laugh at the increasingly ludicrous details of each case. Some celebs are better at this than others.

I watched two episodes on Sunday morning. Seattle’s first partner was Conan O’Brien. His second partner was football player Marshawn Lynch. Conan correctly guessed the murderer. Marshawn didn’t. Conan obviously has more experience with improv than Marshawn but Marshawn’s lack of experience mixed with his own enthusiasm made him a bit more exciting to watch.

I enjoyed those first two episodes so much that, a few hours later, I decided to kill some time by watching the next two. Kumail Nanjiani, to be honest, has gotten a bit too self-important lately but he was still fun to watch in his episode. The fact that he kept laughing just added to the fun. Annie Murphy, meanwhile, was brilliant. I loved the fact that, instead of really paying attention to everything that was going on, she just made up clues. Both Kumail and Annie correctly guessed who the murderer was. Kumail, especially, did a good job. I got the feeling that Annie’s guess was a bit more random but I would probably have done the exact same thing if I had found myself in her situation. She guessed correctly and that is what was truly important.

I watched the final two episodes on Tuesday. Sharon Stone and Ken Jeong were the final two guest stars and they were both good in their individual ways. Stone, being a dramatic actress, tried to give a fairly straight performance, regardless of how strange things got. Jeong, on the other hand, could not stop laughing and that was actually pretty endearing. Fortunately, with Jeong’s help, Seattle was able to figure out who murdered his former partner and hopefully, Seattle will now be able to move on with his life.

With all that in mind, here are my Murderville rankings:

Annie Murphy
Kumail Nanjiani
Marshawn Lynch
Conan O’Brien
Ken Jeong
Sharon Stone

All six of them did a pretty good job. So did Terry, eventually.

The Office (All Week, Comedy Central and Freeform)

I watched three episodes on Monday afternoon: The Injury, Michael’s Birthday, and The Convict. All three of them were classics. The Convict features one of my favorite scenes, in which Michael Scott attempted to transform himself into “Prison Mike.” Then, on Tuesday, I caught the Golden Ticket episode on Freeform. That’s always been one of my favorites, even if it does involve Michael trying to frame Dwight for coming up with a really terrible promotion. Indeed, this episode featured Michael being a terrible boss and I’m a little surprised that Dwight was so forgiving. That said, “Shoe La La” sounded like it had potential.

Open All Hours (Sunday Night, PBS)

The existential horror of working for Arkwright continued for poor Granville. As usual, the episode ended with Arkwright talking to himself. What a depressing show!

Pam & Tommy (Hulu)

I wrote about the latest episode of Pam & Tommy here! This week’s episode wasn’t that bad but the show itself continues to feel a bit pointless. There’s two more episodes left and I really can’t imagine what could possibly be left to say about these people.

Seinfeld (Weeknights, Channel 33)

I watched two episodes on Tuesday night. In one episode, George lost his keys in a pothole, Kramer adopted a highway, and Elaine moved into a janitor’s closet so she could order food from a restaurant that didn’t deliver to her actual address. (I hope the duck was worth it!) The second episode featured George freaking out over an oven fire and tossing an old woman with a walker out of his way as he ran from the apartment. George survived the fire but he was still nearly killed by an angry clown afterwards. The main theme of these two episodes appeared to be that New York was a dangerous place to live.

Silk Stalkings (Tubi)

On Saturday afternoon, I returned to my Silk Stalkings binge. The episode that I watched featured a woman who called herself Diana, The Huntress. She would pick up men and then execute them. She would also frequently call up a radio station and discuss her crimes. Fortunately, Chris and Rita were on the case! It was sordid and enjoyable, as episodes of Silk Stalkings tend to be.

Talking Dead (Sunday Night, AMC)

The return of The Walking Dead also meant the return of Talking Dead! Unfortunately, Talking Dead was kind of boring this week. Chris Hardwicke was as goofy and enthusiastic as ever but this show is just not as much fun when the guests aren’t actually sitting on the couch and dealing with the reactions of a live studio audience. Without an audience, the energy just feels off.

Twin Peaks (DVD)

Because Thursday was Twin Peaks day, I binge watched the first season of David Lynch’s classic series. Needless to say, it holds up like a wonderful dream. Watching the first season with the knowledge that Bobby Briggs was going to eventually grow up to be one of the good guys added a whole new layer to the show. Unfortunately, the scenes with the young and rebellious Audrey now feel incredibly sad.