What I’m Watching: The Handmaid’s Tale (Season Finale)

The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 5, Episode 10 “Safe” (B+)

This was a strong finale, one that upsets all the balances of power that we were seeing formed before this. Joseph came out ahead, deciding that protecting June and appeasing Nick weren’t top priorities, and instead seemingly catering to his new wife’s needs by having Janine arrested following her understandable outburst when Naomi expressed her happiness that her friend Janine was back in the house with her. That’s major growth on Janine’s part which came as a part of the distress she felt after hearing that June had been hurt, and Lydia is realizing that, like Serena, she has no power in a society for whose creation she long clamored. June being targeted so directly and having her arm run over in a violent way was startling because it happened outside of Gilead, and the bigger consequence was that Luke ended up killing the driver. The train loading scene reminded me of back in season one with Emily being unable to fly to Canada but still felt somewhat gentler, and Luke staying behind to face the consequences for what he did so that June could be free felt like an important swap that will motivate her to get back to him. All the action helped the final moment come as a surprise, with June so delighted to hear another baby crying only to then see that it was Serena, and that casual diaper question was an unexpectedly lighthearted note on which to end the season. This show continues to be very good, and I’m eagerly anticipating a very intense final season.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Yvonne Strahovski as Serena

Pilot Review: Safe

Safe (Netflix)
Premiered May 10

Michael C. Hall is an incredible actor who first became known for his role in the ensemble of “Six Feet Under,” and then got to anchor his own show as the undisputed lead and title character of “Dexter.” The successful Showtime serial killer drama went off the air in 2013, and Hall hasn’t appeared on television, aside from a one-episode guest spot as John F. Kennedy on “The Crown,” since. Now, he’s back with his first Netflix show, sporting a British accent that I did not expect to hear. Hall’s strengths on his first two big TV series were to get at the heart of a character who had many secrets and presented a different, more normal exterior to the world. The same is definitely true of Tom as far as the secrets are concerned, though it seems that he’s not the one keeping most of them and that almost everyone around him is hiding something. I go into shows not knowing what they’re about, and watching this pilot didn’t provide my with any quality or answers. It doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be, and I’m surprised that a show starring Hall made it to air with such an unspecific and flimsy premise. The only other cast member I recognized was Marc Warren, who plays Pete, from his much-despised arc on “The Good Wife” as Kalinda’s ex-husband. I won’t be back to find out more about what this show’s title means and why its characters exist - this one fell completely flat.

How will it work as a series? Pete’s daughter is still missing, and now he has reason to suspect that his best friend may have been involved. There are plenty of other messes surrounding him, but not one of them has demonstrated itself to be worthwhile of focus just yet, making this entire setup unappealing.
How long will it last? I still don’t understand why a show with Hall, who fans love from “Dexter,” hasn’t been promoted more intensively by Netflix, with its Thursday launch hardly an endorsement. The reviews seem to be decent, far more so than I expected, and so I guess a second season is possible though hardly likely in my opinion.

Pilot grade: C

Round Two: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 1, Episode 2 “Safe” (B+)

I’m pleased to report that this second installment was just as involving as the first, if not more, and solidified that this show is going to be great. I thought we might have a slow burn reveal of what happened with Marius getting mixed up with Vince, but instead it all played out over the course of just this one episode, with Marius and his brother presenting a terrific con that was actually being run on their big whale. Vince made a tremendous show of force by alternating between blanks and a real gun to execute the partner that they had set up to con him at the poker table, and, earning his name, the future Sneaky Pete ran rather than stick around to find out what Marius had planned for him. It seems that his arrest for armed robbery may have been what landed him behind bars, and now his latest con, to help his brother out of a tight spot, has been discovered. The secrecy and deceit I enjoyed most in this hour was finding out that Audrey was the one who hired someone to tail her alleged grandson, and that she knew that he might have been honest with her about going out to White Plains because he suspected that she was on to him. I knew as soon as I found out that this show was created by Graham Yost that Margo Martindale, who took home a well-deserved Emmy for “Justified,” had to have a great role with a dark side that she put on full display when she threatened Persikof’s mother. I couldn’t figure out where I knew Lance, Julia’s ex, from, and it turns out he’s played by none other than “Justified” cast member Jacob Pitts. I don’t know that we need to see him again, but it was great to see such a ferocious side of Julia, so fantastically portrayed by Marin Ireland.