What I’m Watching: Legion

Legion: Season 2, Episode 8 “Chapter 16” (B+)

This episode didn’t provide all that much clarity, but that’s hardly the purpose of this show these days. It was intriguing to see the narrator explain Plato’s allegory of the cave towards the end of the episode, using cell phones as a modern impediment to being able to truly see the world. On a show like this, one that rarely features a phone call, much less a smartphone, it feels a bit strange, but there’s very little on this show that doesn’t feel strange. It was cool to see David trying to figure out a way to enlist the help of those around him in finding Farouk’s body when he knew that they were susceptible to having their minds infiltrated by Farouk, and therefore he opted to plant the ideas within their mind to be followed and executed much later. Unfortunately, Oliver helped Farouk establish a link to this season’s most absent player, Melanie, who is now under his sway and took Clark out just as he was about to do what David had asked of him. Ptonomy, trapped within some mind, was able to take control of one of the mustachioed female robots and communicate with David, while Syd built up a lot of aggression towards David for not fully reading her in because of what her future self had said. I really don’t know what comes next and if they’re as close to Farouk’s body as he seems to think, and I’m curious if the unsupervised Lenny’s departure via motorcycle will come into play in any helpful way soon.

What I’m Watching: House of Cards

House of Cards: Season 2, Episode 3 “Chapter 16” (B+)

Now that he’s in a much more public position, Frank is taking very direct steps to continue holding his power, and he’s going to risk seriously alienating those people he opts to punish for crossing him. Fortunately, he also knows how to make allies and ensure that things go his way. That quorum stunt reminded me of a late episode of “The West Wing” where Matt Santos and the other Democrats all hid inside the White House in order to trick the Republicans into leaving. Having the Republicans pick their best actors to be dragged in under protest was an extra step, but nothing ever seems too theatrical for Frank. This episode had some familiar guest stars, including Benito Martinez from “The Shield” as Hector Mendoza and Sam Page of “Mad Men” and “Desperate Housewives” as Connor Ellis, the candidate who impressed Claire with his attention to detail and extensive research into her accent and history. This show is doing a great job of spotlighting its minor characters like Christina and Jackie. Lucas’ search for the truth is definitely going to get him into trouble, but he’s actually doing pretty well at the moment thanks to the enthusiasm of Jimmi Simpson’s eccentric conspiracy theorist. Rachel’s attempt to have a life also isn’t likely to work out well for her, and I just hope Doug doesn’t get ahead of himself and have her killed. If I had to define Frank as either a doormat or a matador, I’d definitely go with the latter just like he did.

What I’m Watching: Eastbound & Down

Eastbound & Down: Season 3, Episode 3 “Chapter 16” (B+)

After the shenanigans that dominated the back half of last week’s episode, it’s good to return to normal, or at least as normal as things on this show can ever be. The return of Matthew McConaughey’s Texas was hardly as positive a thing as it was the last time around, since he decided to bring with him Kenny’s new nemesis, Russian pitcher Ivan. Kenny’s articulation of his lack of desire to visit Russia because they’ve been enemies forever was marvelously inaccurate, and I loved his reaction to Ivan’s serious questioning of whether he was talking about a tomato or a tomato. Telling him he had to scale a wall or murder a rat was typical foolishness, and it seems that Ivan’s style and skill may just force Kenny out of the game again, as he buckled under the pressure to deliver when everyone was chanting his name. His college class speech was rather pathetic and poorly-received, and certainly not a high point for the incomparable Kenny Powers. The best speech of the episode actually came from Stevie, whose arrival in Myrtle Beach was met with hostility from Shane and the usual demeaning behavior from Kenny. With Maria by his side, Stevie may be in better shape, and he did a good job of baby-proofing Toby’s room, even if Kenny was less than impressed. Having your best friend apparently choke to death while you’re both doing drugs is never a good thing, and it seems that having Toby around may be the least of Kenny’s problems in the weeks to come.