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Cardinal (2017)
Good show
Watched all series to date and just started watching the final series. Some of these types of shows can be a a bit slow and I was expecting the worst for this final series but quality and pacing is very good. It's on terestrial TV (BBC) in the UK which is great - usually decent cop shows are on streaming channels. Great stuff.
EDIT: voice qaulity is poor. Maybe I'm going deaf or the background music is too loud.
Better Call Saul: Something Unforgivable (2020)
Better Call...
...Lalo. I mean what a guy - forget Saul, Lalo is THE man. The last 15 minutes of this show were predictable - and like the previous couple of episodes, why do guns make that much difference to a show? Ok, so its the threat rather than the blood and guts (I hope); I think the last series now writes itself. Lalo, presumed dead, goes back up north to commence his revenge. I'ts going to be a nail-biter. And the sublot - for a subplot it certainly will be - is the downfall of Howard. And do you know what - this doesn't interest me in the slightest. If it is relevant at all its who decides Kim's fate - Lalo or, is it even possible, Howard. You will know who I am rooting for from this classic film quote.... "I will carry out great vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I take vengeance on them." Amen.
Better Call Saul: Bagman (2020)
Just for a second, I thought Jimmy was going to roll the car...
Predictable up to the point Jimmy was driving with the bags and he turned his phone on - driving fast - singing - not looking at the road - I thought NO - DON'T ROLL THE CAR. He didn't and the show followed its predictable (and great) path. Liked the fuel cap gadget's return. Think they should have made this an extended episode to complete it. Its a shame the guns had to come out to earn this show top marks - but guess if they came out every week there'd be a reduced impact. PS. much prefer the weekly format to binge watching.
Better Call Saul: Dedicado a Max (2020)
One of the quieter episodes of BCS
If you thought BCS was slow, this was probably the quietest episode we've seen for a while. It lacked the usual tension delivered by one of either Mike, Fring or Nacho. I can barely watch Kim who seems to be becoming more and more irrelevant as the series continues. Jimmy is doing his usual stuff - always fun to see what crazy ideas he comes up but without any relevance to the background drug story is not very exciting. The episode was saved by Hank+side-kick. Looking forward to catching up with the malevolent Lalo next week.
Better Call Saul: Breathe (2018)
The best parts of this show are without Jimmy
Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing but the scenes WITHOUT Jimmy are the highlights of this show at present. The scenes with Mike, Guss, Kim, Nacho, even Howard and not forgetting the twins, are all fantastic. But the Neff job interview I found predictable and tedious. Guess it's all about Jimmy working out where his talents are best directed. As was the case with BB, it's the ultra-violent drugs backdrop, lurking in the background, which occassionaly break out and grab you by the throat, that makes this such an intense watch.
Better Call Saul: Sabrosito (2017)
I wouldn't call it thrilling - threatening and captivating yes...
Well all the "good" characters came away from this episode with a smile on their faces. In fact, come to think of it, NOBODY came out of this episode WITHOUT a smile. Even Mike - well it wasn't an outward smile - but he was pretty chuffed with himself that he fixed that door. The characters on the drugs side are all pretty scary - all their scenes have a threatening air hanging over them; except Fring who is too nice - witness the scene when he apologises to his staff - the counter-point being his comment that "a bullet to the head" of Salamanca would be too easy. But that is a peer criminal he's talking about.
So - great pacing - but this is SLOW TV - you'll I'll love it or hate it. My final thought is for Kim - why oh why get involved in Jimmy's illegal plan to steal/swap/some-other-dodgy-plan to get at that tape. You just know its her that's going to suffer in the end. 9/10
Sneaky Pete: Mr. Success (2017)
This is good but is it a one trick pony?
The previous reviewer said "Please just focus on the main subject, enough of side story." and "but we need more suspense and twists." I think these contradict each other. You need the side stories to keep the interest up. Perhaps this episode tried TOO HARD to keep its audience engaged, what with the kidnap, money stealing, antique clock - all good stuff - all put in to show how sneaky Pete (and his "family") are. Will this get tired quite quickly? I don't know. But Pete is a "nice guy" - at least I think/hope he is - and Cranston -of-course- makes a great villain. Like all TV shows these days, they amble along at a snail's pace and I wonder how long it'll take Pete to find out how much cash (if any) is actually in the safe.... 8/10 Promising.
Breaking Bad: Say My Name (2012)
And then there were...
...two. Knowing this is the final season this episode surely defines the beginning of the end for our anti-hero. I suppose you could say that it took way too long for Hank to check out Mike's weak lawyer but that's just being harsh to the writers. The story now, I guess, is whether Jesse or Todd takes over the mantle of co-cooker; will they fight it out themselves or, more likely, will Mr White dictate who continues the process. The Skyler/family arc took a back seat in this episode and its becoming a bit tired. I can well imagine his children never appearing again (except at Mr Whites funeral ASSUMING that's where it must end?). As for Skyler, I cannot see any way back for her. What do I mean? I mean she'll never again help Walter. Perhaps she'll be part of his demise at the end? I hope not. A classic episode with a classic ending. The only thing that surprises me is why it got such a low average score on IMDb. Perhaps Things Can Only Get Better? 10/10.
Breaking Bad: No Más (2010)
Walt - its all your fault
I've just watched S3E1 and its got me creased up in stitches. The gym scene is a pure classic. Walt - yes its all your fault - and the pressure is immense. Bryan Cranston, with trademark beard introduced in this episode, looks like he's about to implode and I doubt we'll ever see him smile again after this. Great editing and writing to start the series. If things weren't bad enough he's been kicked out of his own house - a bit surprised he didn't put up any opposition to this - and this is a great contradiction to his other life. I guess Skyler laid all the facts down straight and just when he was about to come clean she didn't want to know. Poor Walt. Or not.
The Walking Dead: Them (2015)
One word: filler
I'm giving this episode 5 out of 10. This is probably generous. I didn't like the Governor plot; Terminus was OK and Atlanta was acceptable. But it feels a bit aimless at present. Time for mass cull I suggest. There does seem to be WAY too many people in the cast list at present. I think this needs a major trim. I know the more people they have the more story-lines that can be dreamt up. But it needs a reboot - its doing OK for Series 5 but needs a restart. This episode was a time for reminiscing about Tyreese and Beth. **** reminiscing I say. Episode "Them" was a filler. Nothing more, nothing less and totally forgettable, apart from that last 10seconds.
The Walking Dead: Self Help (2014)
I now prefer Episodes with Beth
The decision to hive off this group hasn't worked for me. There are 2 parts to the group. First we have Maggie and Glenn. Does anybody care for these two? A settled couple in this show goes against the grain. I'm sure this won't last for long. Either one (or both) are heading for trouble - sooner rather than later I hope.
The only other question is whether we've seen the end of the Eugene plot. Was he fatally injured? Let's hope so. Abraham and Rosita could still be of interest though. But let's hope there's a big change soon with this group. Amen. Oh, and yes, after seeing this episode I am now rooting for Beth big time.
Star Trek: Voyager: Bliss (1999)
Better than average...
This episode is a better than average Voyager episode. There are 3 main characters (plus a little bit of the Doctor). Seven of Nine and Naomi Wildman have to save the day. These are 2 of my least favourite characters but there's very little sentimentality in this episode. W. Morgan Sheppard makes an interesting appearance as a friendly alien and does a good job. So what makes this episode better than average? I think its one of those episodes where the outcome comes down to one individual who can save everybody. This is not a new idea. So when all of the crew apart from Seven of Nine (who isn't desperate to get to Earth) and Wildman (isn't bothered about Earth because she wasn't born there) cannot help, it comes down to Wildman (who is the only conscious crew member at this point) to find and revive Seven of Nine and start the escape. Its also fun at the start to see Seven struggling with the crew who are duped into thinking that the worm hole is the way home. This leads to Seven erecting various force fields and shooting various crew members (not killing them). This is always a fun idea and works well. The denouement is, as is usual with these fixed length single episodes, predictable and a little dull, but its still a fun episode.