What I’m Watching: Conversations with Friends

Conversations with Friends: Season 1, Episode 7 (B+)

Bobbi has in a way become the center of the universe for this show, though she’s also trying not to insert herself too much into a place where she doesn’t feel welcome, taking some distance from Frances even if she’s forgiven her. Nick asking about Bobbi made sense since he’s clearly worried that she might tell Melissa, and Bobbi is also withholding in her friendship, not asking Frances if she can rent her spare room when that was an obvious option from the start which Frances quickly offered. It was good to see them connect on a friendly level, laughing about the point of a penis during sex with a man. Asking Bobbi if she minded him coming over when she wasn’t there was an important step in the repair of their relationship, though running into Melissa nearly threatened it since Bobbi didn’t like how Frances immediately slipped into uncomfortable mode for understandable reasons. The time that Frances and Nick spent together was passionate and intense, and I wouldn’t have thought that Nick’s next suggestion would have been to tell Melissa, but it does track that, as Bobbi said, he must be getting serious about her and wants to find a way to make her a permanent and legitimate part of his life. It’s possible Melissa might be open to it because it will explain Nick’s distance, but I’m not sure it’s going to come off that way, at least at first, even if she’s been the one who’s had affairs in the past.

What I’m Watching: Pieces of Her (Penultimate Episode)

Pieces of Her: Season 1, Episode 7 (B+)

We didn’t get to see much more of Jane’s time with Nick aside from one very important moment where she found the audio evidence that Jasper conspired with him so that he could be put in charge of the company. Whether or not Jasper knew that Nick planned to kill his father isn’t as relevant since he was still willing to break the law and cover his tracks, which explains the leverage that Jane has over him and why she went straight into witness protection after her prison sentence without staying to mourn the loss of her dead brother with her only living relative. It was disorienting to see Andy waking up without knowing where she was and to get to know her surroundings through her experiences as a child when she was living there. Nick coming to visit her in the forest and pretending to be her imaginary friend didn’t feel all that predatory, but the fact that he kept in touch and wanted to be a part of her life explains his sudden interest in being reunited with her. We saw Jane go see Eli in the present but don’t have much context for what happened next, and Charlie is presumably dead or being held prisoner after that car crash that brought Andy to where she currently is. I’m not sure how much time the season finale will spend in the past or whether it will be solely set in the present, but I can’t imagine that all these characters survive and have a happy ending.

What I’m Watching: The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window

The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window: Season 1, Episode 7 (C-)

For a show that often restarts from scratch whenever something new is revealed, a lot happened in this episode in terms of discoveries, though it’s hard to know if any of them are actually real. There were a few more indications that this is supposed to be a humorous parody, like how Anna developed a “cottage industry” of putting people’s dogs into masterpieces before she started getting burnt out and Douglas’ absurd sentiment that he didn’t want to tell her that Buell had been found criminally insane after he killed his entire family with a claw hammer because she never would have wanted to hire him. I kept seeing him and thinking he was suspicious, but I didn’t realize until I looked him up that he was played by Cameron Britton, a terrific actor who has portrayed a criminally insane man – on “Mindhunter” – as well as someone falsely accused of criminal activity in “Manhunt: Deadly Games.” It seems obvious that Buell is the killer, but every episode has suggested new suspects before pivoting completely away from them. Whether or not she’s innocent, she has to process her wild imagination that allows her to convert actions like stabbing a painting of someone into memories of actually killing a person. I imagine that Neil did come over with a gun to threaten her to stay away, but who knows at this point? While I understand that this is supposed to be a parody, it’s falling very flat and has only one episode left to redeem itself.

What I’m Watching: A Teacher

A Teacher: Season 1, Episode 7 (B-)

This show is starting to feel like “Normal People” in terms of the scope of this relationship, moving forward a good bit of time to get to Eric being in college and Claire about to be released from jail. I know that Eric misses her, but so do we, and having an entire episode without her at all was a letdown. I suppose there wouldn’t have been any reason to see her being miserable in jail, and it will be far more interesting to see what life is like once she’s out and struggling to get back to normal with every single person she sees knowing what she did. I was surprised that Eric talked about it and answered the questions of his prying buddies, but it’s also hard for him to find anyone who doesn’t know about it. In contrast to her equally great turn as an RA who didn’t even know the name of the resident she wanted to sleep with in “S#!&house,” Dylan Gelula here played someone who at first praised Eric as a legend for having had sex with his teacher and then apologized to him, only to have him respond in an unfortunate and regrettable way to her request to take it slow. He was extremely unhappy about the special disciplinary lapdance he got when he pledged but that’s because it once again mocks the seriousness of the connection he felt to Claire as a person rather than just as his teacher. I’m sure that they’ll see each other again soon, and I’m very intrigued to see what happens when they do.

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 7 (B+)

It can be agonizing watching Connell and Marianne interact since it’s so clear that Connell often says the wrong thing, and in this case that meant that how he conveyed something was misinterpreted and ended their relationship. That’s very unfortunate, and Marianne says so much every time she looks at him that he clearly doesn’t understand. The sight of her smoking and talking about the role play she does with her new boyfriend because they need the fantasy indicated that she’s become a different kind of person, someone who doesn’t value intimacy in the same way she did before because it’s with someone other than Connell. Telling Connell that she didn’t need that with him and would have done anything he wanted provoked a reaction less strong than it should have in him, and right now they’re both in relationships that aren’t nearly as fulfilling. Showing up drunk and bloody because he only knew Marianne’s phone number by heart was disruptive enough, and responding sharply to the way Jamie classified his assailant, not him, made his feelings about her new boyfriend very obvious. Marianne did not appreciate that, and the fact that he too was dating someone showed her once again that he’d rather she be miserable without him even if they legitimately couldn’t be together at the moment. This show is great at haunting final scenes, since the choice Connell made now is Helen and there’s little indication that Marianne will warm to the idea of rekindling their romance even when this relationship inevitably ends.

What I’m Watching: Unbelievable (Penultimate Episode)

Unbelievable: Season 1, Episode 7 (B+)

I really didn’t know how it was that Marie was going to be validated and convinced that what she experienced did indeed happen, and this episode masterfully confirmed it both for her and for the important authorities with two smartly edited scenes. I hadn’t thought about how the rapist took photos of each of his victims and would have surely saved those, and, to his own detriment, also photographed the licenses of the victims so that he knew who they were and would be able to find them if they ever went to the police to talk about what happened. Presenting that incredible breakthrough of an unknown additional victim at the same time as Marie was finally being acknowledged by the warm therapist played by Brooke Smith was extremely effective, and I’m sure she’ll be surprised to hear from the police department. I’d hope that the detectives who demeaned her and convinced her that she was lying will at least be confronted about what they did, though that’s likely not going to happen. Grace and Karen playing gin which Karen distracted her opponent with a story was a nice moment, and Karen got the full glory of the arrest with Taggart there to support her since Grace apparently doesn’t do that part of it. Curtis seemed genuinely shocked about what his brother did, but Chris doesn’t seem to be denying much, and the evidence speaks for itself. I’m very intrigued to see how this all wraps up in the finale.

What I’m Watching: The Affair

The Affair: Season 5, Episode 7 (C+)

There was a moment during this episode where I thought that all of this was for something – when Whitney asked her father about his affair with Allison and why he did it. Their visit back to Montauk was saddled with other unnecessary drama, like their unfortunate visit to shop for a wedding dress where they were made to feel like terrible people for not being able to afford the absurd price tags, enabling Whitney to have a therapeutic moment of rage directed towards one of the employees. Helen not being present for any of this and then Whitney trying on her wedding dress felt wrong in a lot of ways, and the run-in with Luisa suddenly got him thinking about Joanie, the daughter he hadn’t bothered to check in with for years until the day that she and her father happened to be moving to Vermont. That was the obvious moment to transition to half an episode devoted to the adult Joanie, who naturally would take the information she learned about Ben’s apparent role in her mother’s death and go full undercover to learn more about him. Tony Plana, best known for supporting roles on “Ugly Betty” and “The Punisher,” was a good fit to play the older Ben, who initially seemed innocent enough until he revealed that he knew she was Joanie. Confessing to having killed Allison seemed rather blunt and unrealistic, but things took a turn for the much less believable when Joanie did return to have the police arrest him, only to have him concoct a crazy story about her being a patient of his. None of this needed to happen, and certainly not to demonstrate that Joanie’s response to being physically threatened would be to urge her assailant to hold her down even more forcefully. I’m not impressed.

What I’m Watching: The Affair

The Affair: Season 4, Episode 7 (B)

It’s definitely true that out of all the characters on this show, Helen is pretty much the most interesting. Maura Tierney is also the only performer to earn any Emmy attention during the show’s run, and she often gets the best material. I did feel for the first ten or fifteen minutes of this episode, as I have for some of this season thus far, that she was just around to be angry about everything and judgmental towards everyone. Fortunately, that changed as the episode went on and she got to gawk at Sierra’s complete lack of self-awareness, talking about Helen’s perfect life and revealing rather unsubtly that she had slept with a married man whose wife she really liked. Arriving into hippie territory took a more dramatic turn when Helen became the guru after she started talking about having had four kids and demonstrating that she had more life experience than anyone else in the room. Sleeping with Sierra was almost a footnote, since her experience in the sensory deprivation tank, one which was sure to go poorly, sent her rushing home and into Vic’s arms, hardly the ending I would have expected. Noah also found himself in a parental role after a terrible driving session with Trevor, helping to set Anton on the right path and away from enlistment by offering to take him to see the school he wanted to attend. With just three episodes left in this season, it makes sense that we’re getting to the point where the season-long mystery, albeit the one that’s been most in the background as compared with previous plot points, is becoming current, as Cole showed up in Chicago to drive Noah and Anton around in frantic search of the missing Alison.

What I’m Watching: Humans

Humans: Season 3, Episode 7 (B+)

I had been wondering if the Synth who sleeps was going to be another version of someone we knew, and it seems I was sort of right, with someone who looked a whole lot like Odi showing up to rescue Niska and responding to that name with a clever reply. What was on display here more than in any other episode is an exploration of what it means to have achieved consciousness and to believe in something. Anatole was driven so much by the fact that he believed he had come into being for a purpose, something that Max immediately moved to dispel, describing his awakening as nothing more than a side effect. Watching Max kill Anatole after their blow-for-blow combat was difficult since he’s always been such an advocate for peace, but clearly Anatole had gone too far, nearly beating Leo to death before the calm, still-likeable Stanley stepped in to keep him away from the violence. I’d like to think that both Stanley and Sam are capable of following Max and Mia and making sure that the Synths aren’t all subject to the brutal solution expressed by Neil about “product recall.” Lord Dryden letting Mia go was an interesting development, especially considering the commission’s next steps. Audrey identifying herself as a journalist to Mattie suggests that she might soon break the story, something that could be extremely impactful yet is unlikely to achieve any positive effect aside from making the Hawkins family a target of rage from the fear-mongering public.

What I’m Watching: The End of the F***ing World

The End of the F***ing World: Season 1, Episode 7 (B+)

Alyssa definitely switched into a whole new mode of dependence that we haven’t seen from her at all as soon as she arrived at her father’s home. I was worried that her being enamored with him would prompt James to revive his killer instinct, but instead it seems to have done the opposite, as he couldn’t even kill the dog that her father ran over at the end of the episode. James throwing knives with Alyssa’s dad was about the most normal thing that they did together, and his description of him as not quite an adult was very spot-on. Things went downhill very fast when he got confronted at the bar by the mother of his other child, whose existence was enough to burst the bubble completely for Alyssa, and his immediate running-over of the dog irreversibly sealed the deal. James’ father was in continued denial about what his son could be capable of, and Alyssa’s mother just wanted to blame James for corrupting her little girl. Eunice did not appreciate Teri’s joke about dragging the investigation out for a few days so that James could turn eighteen, and the roles have really reversed in that dynamic. Eunice has become completely sympathetic to the plight of Alyssa and James, giving them more credit than their rebellious retreat deserves, and Teri’s eagerness to send them to prison made Eunice not want to be around her, even when she suggested they share a hotel room. Now that Alyssa and James’ faces are out there on the news for all to see, I’m very curious to see what happens in the season finale.

What I’m Watching: Mindhunter

Mindhunter: Season 1, Episode 7 (B+)

This was an intriguing if disturbing episode, with Holden employing unusual tactics to coerce their latest uncooperative interviewee to open up about his motivations. He was more than happy to boast about some of the things he did but none of the details, and it was only when Holden showed up with a pair of women’s shoes that they got him to start really talking. Referencing Kemper and the fact that they would believe anything suggests that they shouldn’t put as much stock in what their number one subject told them, and also shows that their study isn’t flying quite as under the radar as perhaps they had hoped. The most interesting part of this episode was how it showed the home lives of our two FBI agents, with Bill reacting badly to his wife’s response to his son finding a photo of a murder victim in his office and Holden being very sentimental with Hannah before she tried something new that didn’t go exactly as planned. I’ve read that people believe Holden has sociopathic tendencies of his own, and the way he looked at those shoes suggested that he couldn’t escape the world that he now lives in while he was in that moment of intimacy. Sharing a true moment from his childhood also got Bill upset since it made him vulnerable when he really shouldn’t have been. Wendy doesn’t seem to approve either, and she’s hitched herself to this wagon and needs to commit fully now. On a lighter note, Bill’s revenge on the guy who refused to move out of the middle sweet was entertaining.

What I’m Watching: Humans

Humans: Season 2, Episode 7 (B+)

Okay, so I know that AMC actually aired the eighth and final episode of this season right after the seventh, but I’d prefer to stretch this show out longer, especially since this hour was really good. It’s hard to decipher who the good guys and who the bad guys are when the one at the top is actually Dr. Morrow, whose feelings about synths come from a much more personal place and who isn’t intent on making the sentient ones suffer the same way as some of her colleagues are. After Hester nearly intimidated Mattie into cooperation by force at the start of the episode, she showed a cool, calculating demeanor when she didn’t let herself be talked down by a surprisingly adept Pete and instead killed both the doctor and Pete. I’ll admit that Pete’s death caught me off-guard since I hadn’t imagined that he would be killed and certainly not like this, and the most intense part of it was seeing Karen sob with such sadness and then reveal no trace of any emotion just seconds later. The devastation that Leo and Anita felt when all of the freed synths collapsed behind them after they had been broken out was poignant, and it’s easy to forget that they too can be simply switched off with a mere touch or click. As they are immersing themselves fully into the battle, Niska is deciding that she doesn’t want to be a part of it anymore, preferring instead to spend time with her girlfriend, someone who makes her feel human. The news that Renie isn’t really a synth probably shouldn’t be too surprising, and it’s just the latest interesting comment about what kind of behavior passes for normal in this new world.

What I’m Watching: The Affair

The Affair: Season 3, Episode 7 (B-)

I wasn’t too fond of this episode, mainly because it didn’t really take us anywhere, dwelling on one major event with Noah at Helen’s apartment and flashing back a good deal to the past without confirming what really happened in the present. Helen’s version of events showed just how much she’s still in love with Noah and doesn’t want to let him go, giving him medicine and other coddling even though he was being pretty grumpy and horrible. She didn’t seem to care that Vic was furious about it, and it’s no wonder he started packing his things. Whitney was typically unkind when she showed up, but it’s not as if Noah didn’t deserve it. The way he saw things, however, was so completely different. Maura Tierney continues to be the best performer on this show, playing Helen so differently in his take, waving medicine bottles at him seductively and powerfully enchanting him with her intense care. Vic was much more than frustrated, telling Noah to get out as soon as Helen wasn’t within earshot. And Whitney’s adult boyfriend completely clocked Noah without being provoked at all, which is definitely different than what we were led to believe happened. I think that we have to accept that, even if it’s not his fault, Noah is no longer a reliable narrator (if he ever was) since he’s clearly hallucinating and seeing his tormentor Gunther when he’s not there. It’s also not totally obvious that Gunther is the one trying to kill him even if he did threaten to follow him after he got out, and I’m not honestly sure what clarity we can expect over the course of the rest of the season.

What I’m Watching: Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey: Season 6, Episode 7 (B+)

We’re so close to the end of the show with just two big hours to go, and it’s high time for heightened drama to make it feel like we’re getting somewhere. There were only two truly bad developments, the first of which was the death of Charlie Rogers. Watching the car racing was a thrilling activity, and the emotion Mary felt when she thought that Henry was the one who had been hurt made it clear that she has strong feelings for him. Unfortunately, that sense of attachment made her want to distance herself from him, and I suspect that he won’t stop pursuing her since it’s evident that he’s the first person to really entice her since Matthew. Before we get to Edith’s good news, it’s worth mentioning the misery of Thomas, who no longer has his secretive friendship with Andy since his illiteracy is out in the open and who can’t seem to find support anywhere beyond attempted kindness from the likes of Andy and Baxter. I do hope he ends up okay. In more celebratory news, Bertie made a lovely proposal to Edith, and he even agreed to take Marigold with them without knowing the real reason for Edith’s request. She’s due some happiness, and I can’t imagine she wouldn’t accept. It was thoroughly satisfying to see Mrs. Hughes exact her revenge on Carson in a way that really showed him that he shouldn’t be so hard on her and unappreciative. Molesley being asked to be a teacher was a tremendously wonderful occasion, and Mrs. Patmore’s successful bed and breakfast opening was a great event to go with it. And Violet sure has a strange way of showing her anger, by going on a cruise and getting her family a puppy.

What I’m Watching: The Affair

The Affair: Season 2, Episode 7 (B+)

A lot of time has passed since last we saw these characters, but as I mentioned last week, not having the perspectives overlap but instead cover different events is enabling the show to tell much more of a story. Starting with Alison showed just how much of a background player she is in Noah’s success story. Talking to a gossip columnist about the fact that Noah isn’t actually divorced was an unfortunate mistake, and Noah not being furious about it was about the one good thing he did this entire episode. Getting ready to fly on Thanksgiving and inviting his publicist to spend the holiday with them after he showed up late and forgot to pick up the turkey were hardly kind gestures, and his willingness to go along with the rumors that the book is based on her was especially upsetting to her. The way that they remembered events differently is a superb way of bringing the show’s different perspectives up and emphasizing the power of how a situation is perceived. Even though their night ended bitterly, Alison and Noah’s Thanksgiving did result in one quick coupling and wasn’t as vicious as the Lockhart dinner. Cole got very angry about the book, and his mother’s confirmation of their brutal family history was a miserable revelation. Going to see Luisa in the city was a high point, and they’ve obviously come a long way from her dating Scotty. The future bombshell that Cole and Luisa have a baby together is big news, and at the rate this show is going, I suspect we’ll learn much more about that very soon.

What I’m Watching: Doll and Em (Season Premiere)

Doll and Em: Season 2, Episode 1 “Episode 7” (B+)

I didn’t remember loving this show even though it was good, and I’m not sure I even noticed that it was renewed for a second season, which debuted a few months ago in England and now airs here in the U.S. The recap at the start painted a very strong picture of the show, explaining how the relationship between two friends got immensely more complicated when the big movie star had the budding actress serve as her assistant and the two frequently butted heads as Dolly threatened to upstage Em on more than a few occasions and Em overcompensated by trying to quash her spirit. Seeing them on equal footing, constantly discussing how they’re in a better place, makes this a more confident and enjoyable show. I enjoyed their directionless pitch for a play to an unknown third party who ended up being none other than Harvey Weinstein in a perfect brief cameo, and the fact that they really just talked to themselves the whole time. The end of the episode showed that bliss doesn’t last forever as Em appears to have been offered a role without her partner in crime that will nix the possibility of doing the play they’ve worked on together. Having them coast for too long would probably have gotten old, but it was nice to see some non-awkward happiness even just for a little bit. This is another short season, but I’m excited to watch this comedy each week and see these two navigate their relationship.

What I’m Watching: Humans

Humans: Season 1, Episode 7 (B+)

What a rollercoaster of an episode this was, with nearly all the Synths in one place save for one very crucial player who unfortunately didn’t have the same destiny in mind for her fellow creations. The revelation that Karen was one of them but not one of them means that they obviously resented her, and the programming that she had which prevented her from killing herself was her primary motivation in turning the rest of them in to Danny and his team. That all came after plenty of discussion among the Hawkins family and their cybernetic guests about how similar they are and what their real goals are. I never knew how funny Niska could be, responding to Sophie with “Has your face always been like that” and then questioning why everyone keeps telling her to be nice. Playing with dolls with Sophie was an especially great scene. Laura and Joe seeing the footage of her attacking the fight club changed their minds about her, but they didn’t even have time to process it all before the SWAT team burst in. George’s death at Karen’s hands is almost inconsequential, and it seems clear that the Hawkins family, Mattie and Laura in particular, was always much more central to this story. Odi sharing a pleasant memory with George as he lay dying was a fitting way to go out, and who knows what will become of poor Odi, who will likely be recycled and decommissioned, fated for total and complete obscurity.

What I’m Watching: Episodes

Episodes: Season 4, Episode 7 (B)

This wasn’t the best episode this show has produced, mainly because its storylines weren’t as wild and hilarious as they usually are. Every show needs an installment or two to regroup, and I think this episode brought things to an appropriate head for its two main threads. Sean’s frustration with Matt not caring about reading their script brought up a problem that would otherwise never have come up, which presented itself in a far more direct and inescapable way than when Morning cursed out Sean and Beverly for not considering her for their show. Matt assuming that they wanted him and eagerly inviting them over for a celebratory meal with his mostly deaf mother was only made more awkward by the fact that neither of them spoke up to shut down his excitement before it was too late, and blaming it on Helen was a foolish tactic. I’m a bit disappointed that she seems to have become such an oblivious character, one whose great successes in life are diminished by her inability to perceive the intensity level at which she operates. Carol is not a particularly great communicator, but she’s not really at fault here. The moment in this episode that I enjoyed most was when Beverly commented on returning to the LeBlanc residence, prompting considerable confusion from Matt and an astonished expression of “I’ll wait” from Beverly. LeBlanc really has done an incredible job of crafting a self-centered version of himself who has absolutely no concept of what’s going on in the world unless it relates directly to him at that express moment.

What I’m Watching: The Affair

The Affair: Season 1, Episode 7 (A-)

This show caught me off guard by having its characters put all their cards on the table just seven episodes into its first season. That’s doubly true for Noah, since he had the situation all figured out, with money borrowed from a friend and his life back in the city seemingly idyllic. But that’s the crucial and fascinating thing about this show: Noah and Allison are equals, both married and complicit, neither a better person than the other. What was just as interesting as the ways in which their secrets were spilled was how each spouse reacted. Helen guessed right away that it was Allison, and was furious both at his infidelity and his reasoning that it wasn’t a big deal. Cole, on the other hand, didn’t care to know who it was and seemed to want to forget about it entirely, and when he did find out Noah’s identity, he seemed disappointed and flummoxed rather than enraged. Cole’s mother also seemed ready to let it go as long as her son didn’t find out, and expressed judgment rather than fury. It was incredibly bold – and stupid – for Allison to go into Helen’s shop, and Helen’s reaction was one of uncertainty, seemingly indicating that it came before Noah’s spontaneous confession. While all the secrecy was going on, it was easy to return to normal life, and Noah’s family managed to head back to the city pretty quickly. But now that it’s all out in the open, nothing will be the same and it’s going to be tough to put the pieces back together. While regrettable for our characters, it will definitely make this show immensely watchable.