There are two different moments in Better Call Saul’s second season in which a character defends Jimmy McGill to his brother Chuck while knowing that Jimmy i in the wrong. First, it’s Kim Wexler insisting that Jimmy did not alter the address of Chuck’s Mesa Verde documents, and then in the finale, it’s Chuck’s assistant Ernie claiming that he called Jimmy to help Chuck after his accident. In neither case is the audience actually told that the defending character knows what Jimmy is up to, but based solely on how well the characters are defined, we know that they’re aware. Beyond that, we understand why they lie. As sneaky as Jimmy is, and however unfair or illegal his methods, we know where he’s coming from, we like him, and it’s not at all surprising that the characters in the show feel the same way.

Like Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul is sometimes subtle but rarely ambiguous. Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, and the whole team of writers, directors, and editors are masters at getting complex characterizations across in the most direct (and often visual) ways. They use color, and montages, and careful scene construction to establish the tone of the show and the motivations of the characters.

Continue reading Better Call Saul Season 2 Review →

One of the most notable things about  Hulu’s miniseries 11.22.63 is that, despite having never read the book that it is based on, I can still tell that it is exceptionally true to its source material. Author Stephen King has a very distinct narrative style, predicated on introducing a clever idea and then letting it take him wherever he deems the most interesting. His best stories live in the moment, guided only by the faint and distant light of a Macguffin device. The problem he tends to have is that, when it comes time to actually catch up with his Macguffin, he doesn’t quite know what to do with it.

This is the case with 11.22.63. It’s a story about time travel with a unique set of “rules:” one can only go back to a particular date in 1960, whatever changes you make apply to the world when you return to the future, and re-entering the past wipes your previous changes. Also, when somebody tries to make changes to the past that will significantly alter the course of history, “the past,” a vaguely-defined mystical force, will fight back and try to stop it. It’s a fantastic and relatively unique take on time-travel, adding an almost video-game like element to the goal Jake Epping (James Franco) takes on: at any time, he can “wipe” his progress by returning to the future and starting over.

Continue reading 11.22.63 Review →

The Walking Dead finale has set off a wave of fury across the internet, with fans swearing off (and at) the show and its writers. This isn’t the first time Scott Gimple and company have pissed off their fanbase; in a series fueled by tragedy and character deaths, fans are bound to get angry (or start riots) from time to time. However, for the second time this season, the fan outrage isn’t because of a character loss, but because the writers are lying or withholding information from their audience to boost ratings.

Like with Glenn’s magical dumpster escape, the finale’s manipulation comes from the way that the camera is situated rather than anything organic. It would be one thing if we weren’t seeing Negan bash somebody’s skull in because the characters themselves didn’t see it, or because the episode ended before that moment. But the characters DO see it, and the scene transpires. The director and showrunner simply decide not to show us.

Continue reading The Walking Dead Season 6 Finale Review →

(This review is based on a pre-air screening of the Preacher pilot at Wondercon. The AMC series will premiere on May 22nd 2016)

When’s the last time you saw a truly great pilot? They’re notoriously difficult to create. The writer is typically tasked with clearly defining the entire cast, setting up the show’s premise, and giving the audience an idea of what to expect on a week-to-week basis. On this last count, the pilot of AMC’s new series Preacher fails. Without reading the comic series on which it is based, it is nearly impossible to know what the show is really even about, let alone where it will be years down the road.

But the truth is, after seeing the pilot, I don’t give a good goddamn where it plans to go. Preacher’s first episode is hilarious,  breathlessly paced, and far more concerned with character than plot or premise. The narrative has barely begun by the episode’s end, yet the pilot never gets dull for even a moment.

So what’s it about? An invisible force from outer space is possessing preachers and Continue reading Preacher Review →

Netflix’s documentary mini-series Making A Murderer has sparked a large debate, online and in the real world, over whether or not Steven Avery is guilty of the murder of Teresa Halbach. There’s a strong argument for either case: Avery has a rough history and a wealth of physical evidence against him, but there’s also very strong reason to believe that said evidence was tampered with by a police department with a strong motive to frame him. The documentary also chooses to ignore some character-debilitating evidence that has since come to light, but such evidence is not as damning as many would like to believe. No matter how much people argue around the water cooler, it’s likely that we’ll never know for sure whether Avery is guilty of Teresa Halbach’s murder.

But what many seem to miss is that, in a way, Avery’s guilt is beside the point. Making A Murderer is far more significant for its damning indictment of the United States justice system. Not only are the basic tenants of law frequently upended or ignored, but the inherent bias AGAINST the defendant, who is supposed to be “innocent until proven guilty,” is shocking and abhorrent.

Continue reading Making A Murderer Review →