Thursday, July 25, 2024
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Presumed Innocent 1.8: The Killer
Well, in the thoroughly superb season 1 finale of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+, we find out who killed Carolyn.
And that's not the person who killed Carolyn in the novel and the movie!
And I won't tell you who either is, in case you haven't read the novel, seen the movie, or the series, even after the Spoiler advisory below.
[Spoilers ahead ... ]
It wasn't Tommy Molto, even though he loved Carolyn too, and she rejected him. He gave a great summation of the prosecution's case to the jury, but Rusty's in his own defence was even better, and carried the day. All in all, one of the best courtroom scenes I've ever seen on screen,
It was also something to learn that Rusty staged the murder scene -- tied up Carolyn's body -- to protect whom he thought was the murderer.
Hats off to everyone who created this series for telling a story much like the book and the movie, but with some very different parts and angles, all sharp and intriguing. There wasn't a single acting performance that wasn't powerful in all kinds of ways, and I can't wait to see where all of this goes in the second season.
See also Presumed Innocent 1.1-1.2: Presumed Excellent, And So Far Is ... 1.3: Sterling Performances ... 1.4: Under Fingernails ... 1.6: Tommy Molto ... 1.7: The Poker
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Presumed Innocent 1.7: The Poker
[Spoilers ahead ... ]
First, let me say that I'm glad we find out in the first few minutes of episode 1.7 of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+ that Horgan and is alive and well. In fact, so well, that we see him back in court with a pacemaker in his heart as Rusty takes the stand.
Which, of course, is the last thing a defendant in a murder case is supposed to do, and Molto has a field day with Rusty, winning the rarely given praise of Nico. But Molto's satisfaction is short-lived. He returns home, finds his apartment has been ransacked, and a fire poker with the charming note attached, "G0 FUCK YOURSELF".
What does this tell us? Well, Molto didn't write the note in all caps himself. Someone put it there on the poker. That poker, presumably, is the poker that was used to bludgeon and kill Carolyn. I didn't see any blood on it, but that could have cleaned off.
I see two possibilities. One, Molto is the killer, he cleaned and hid the poker in his home, and someone found it -- after ransaking the place -- and left it and the note. Who could that person be?
Well, the other possibility is that the murderer in the book and the movie, angry about what Molto had put Rusty through in court, left the poker with the note in Molto's home. I guess this is the more likely explanation, but then why was the home ransacked?
We'll find out the answer next week. And I'm glad there'll be another season of this superb drama.
See also Presumed Innocent 1.1-1.2: Presumed Excellent, And So Far Is ... 1.3: Sterling Performances ... 1.4: Under Fingernails ... 1.6: Tommy Molto
Monday, July 15, 2024
Criminal Minds: Evolution 17.7: Jill Gideon
Episode 17.7 of Criminal Minds: Evolution on Paramount Plus expanded the retrieval of earlier Criminal Minds players with the introduction of Jason Gideon's wife Jill.
[Spoilers ahead ... ]
Wow! Jill's played by Felicity Huffman, and she not only was married to Jason -- killed nearly 10 years ago (off-camera) by an unsub -- but had some kind of important relationship to Rossi, who tells Emily he doesn't want Jill brought into the BAU's current investigation into the various Stars. (As far as I can recall, she didn't actually appear in the first few seasons in which Jason was on the show.)
Of course, Emily ignores Rossi's plea -- she's back in charge of the BAU, so no one in the BAU can tell her what to do, including Rossi -- and we get some great scenes as Emily knocks on Jill's door, and is something less than warmly received. Again, as in last week's episode, it was fun to hear Emily go over all the missing BAU members, when Jill asks her what's happening at the BAU. Once again, I was most interested in what Emily had to say about Spencer, characterizing his absence as "on sabbatical". That's certainly better than dead -- which we know isn't the case for Spencer -- or even left in a huff.
Moving on to other characters, I just want to also say that Tyler should be made a member of the BAU already. No need to keep him in the vestibule of being a consultant any more.
And as for the plot of this episode and its violence -- the specific kind of depraved violence featured in this episode -- I found it suitably revolting, as I usually do. But that's not why I watch this fascinating series.
See also Criminal Minds: Evolution 17.1-17-.2 The Elusive Profile ... 17.3: "BAU Gate" ... 17.4: Progress ... 17.6: Gideon, Morgan, Hotch
And see also Criminal Minds: Evolution 16.1-16.4: Outstanding! ... 16.5: Assessment of What Could Have Happened at the End ... 16.6-16.8: Better Than Ever on Paramount Plus ... 16.9: Elias Voit and David Rossi ... 16.10: Gold Star
===
Some reviews of episodes from earlier seasons:
Criminal Minds in Sixth Season Premiere ... Criminal Minds 6.2: The Meaning of J. J. Leaving ... Criminal Minds 6.3: Proust, Twain, Travanti ... Tyra on Criminal Minds 6.13 ...Criminal Minds 6. 17: Prentiss Farewell Part I ... Criminal Minds 6.18: Farewell Emily ... Criminal Minds 6.19: Fight Club Redux Plus ... Criminal Minds 6.20: Emily's Ghost ... Criminal Minds 6.21: The Tweeting Killer ... Criminal Minds 6.22: Psycho and a Half ... Criminal Minds 6.23: The Good Lie ... Criminal Minds Season 6 Finale
Criminal Minds 5.22 and the Dark Side of New New Media
Criminal Minds 5.22 and the Dark Side of New New Media
Friday, July 12, 2024
Presumed Innocent 1.6: Tommy Molto
Well, episode 1.6 of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+ had a shocking ending which I won't tell you about until the end of this review, in which I want to talk about something else.
I think there's a good chance Tommy Molto murdered Carolyn in this excellent version of Presumed Innocent. We saw previously that she said she didn't want to work with him on any more cases. And in episode 1.6 we learn that she formally told Human Resources that she didn't want to work with Tommy because he was "ick"y.
Now, again, I know who killed Carolyn in the novel and the movie. It wasn't Tommy. But I've already seen some differences between those and this TV series, and I can see why Carolyn would see some "ick" in Tommy. Does that mean he killed her? No, but it certainly makes him a good suspect.
[Spoilers ahead ... ]
Now for the shocker: Rusty's lead attorney, former DA Horgan, collapses in the courtroom. I think Horgan is a great character, and Bill Camp's doing a fine job portraying him, so I certainly hope he survives. If he doesn't, Mya's an excellent attorney, she can take over, but she doesn't have the gravitas that Horgan has as the former DA.
I recall Horgan in the novel or the movie, so I have no idea how he'll fare in the TV series, but I sure hope -- for Rusty's sake and the audience's -- that we haven't see the last of him.
See also Presumed Innocent 1.1-1.2: Presumed Excellent, And So Far Is ... 1.3: Sterling Performances ... 1.4: Under Fingernails
The Lazarus Project 2.5: The Status of Dr. Gray
The Lazarus Project 2.5 was all about Dr. Gray. And she indeed deserves at least one episode of focus, being such a crucial character.
[Spoilers ahead .... ]
We already know she's building an old-fashioned H. G. Wellsian time machine. And Wes wants to kill her before the machine becomes fully operational. She sends Janet and Ross back to do the job. But there's a lot more to this than meets the eye.
First, Robin seems to be a Gray supporter. Good, Wes is clearly the villain in this second season, and Robin is the only one who can have at least some control over her.
Next, there are, of course, two versions of Janet in play here. The younger one who's sent back with Ross to kill Kitty Gray, and does. And the older one who comes to know and respect and really care about Gray. This older Janet knows that stopping her younger self from killing Gray will upset too many apple carts, but it's unclear if she can bring herself to stopping her younger self from doing the deed. And we never find out what the older Janet would have done, because Wes sends the younger Janet back to kill Gray earlier than she was killed in the original reality (if it makes senses in this kind of time travel story to talk about an original reality).
I will say, again, that I think Gray (played by Zoe Telford) is a wonderful character. Especially because, as we find out in this episode, her motive in inventing a time machine is true love.
See you back here next week with another review.
See also The Lazarus Project season 2.1: Shades of Gray ... 2.2: Shag in the Alley ... 2.3: The Plane Outside the Loop ... 2.4: 2018
And see also The Lazarus Project season 1: Time Travel Done Superbly Right
"Paul Levinson's It's Real Life is a page-turning exploration into that multiverse known as rock and roll. But it is much more than a marvelous adventure narrated by a master storyteller...it is also an exquisite meditation on the very nature of alternate history."
Sunday, July 7, 2024
Criminal Minds: Evolution 17.6: Gideon, Morgan, Hotch
The best part of the excellent episode 17.6 of Criminal Minds on Paramount Plus is the conversation between J. J. and Emily in Emily's apartment, both stoned.
[Spoilers ahead ... ]
Emily asks J. J. to think about everyone who has come and gone at the BAU since she and J. J. met -- "Gideon, Morgan, Hotch". Why did she pick those three? Well, Gideon was the first head of the unit we met, all those years ago. Hotchner was there the longest. And Morgan I don't think was ever head, but he was a major player.
But I wonder why Emily didn't include Spencer in her reminisce. It would have been easy to add a fourth name. I'm pretty sure I heard someone mention Spencer's name earlier this season, but the stoned conversation in Emily's apartment would have been a good time to say it again.
Spencer was on the show for 324 episodes, from 2005 through 2020. Showrunner Erica Messer says scheduling conflicts kept Matthew Gray Gubler from coming back for the first season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, and this may be the case for the second season, but his desk remains, as is the possibility that he'll be back in some future episode or season (see Screen Rant for more).
With a serial killer like Voit behind bars but still very dangerous, and the big reveal at the end of 17.6 that the BAU's historic leaders may be North Star, related in some way to Gold Star, the BAU could certainly use every bit of Spencer's brain power it can get.
See also Criminal Minds: Evolution 17.1-17-.2 The Elusive Profile ... 17.3: "BAU Gate" ... 17.4: Progress
And see also Criminal Minds: Evolution 16.1-16.4: Outstanding! ... 16.5: Assessment of What Could Have Happened at the End ... 16.6-16.8: Better Than Ever on Paramount Plus ... 16.9: Elias Voit and David Rossi ... 16.10: Gold Star
===
Some reviews of episodes from earlier seasons:
Criminal Minds in Sixth Season Premiere ... Criminal Minds 6.2: The Meaning of J. J. Leaving ... Criminal Minds 6.3: Proust, Twain, Travanti ... Tyra on Criminal Minds 6.13 ...Criminal Minds 6. 17: Prentiss Farewell Part I ... Criminal Minds 6.18: Farewell Emily ... Criminal Minds 6.19: Fight Club Redux Plus ... Criminal Minds 6.20: Emily's Ghost ... Criminal Minds 6.21: The Tweeting Killer ... Criminal Minds 6.22: Psycho and a Half ... Criminal Minds 6.23: The Good Lie ... Criminal Minds Season 6 Finale
Criminal Minds 5.22 and the Dark Side of New New Media
Criminal Minds 5.22 and the Dark Side of New New Media
Thursday, July 4, 2024
The Lazarus Project 2.4: 2018
An excellent little pocket of an episode 2.4 of The Lazarus Project, in which just about everything takes place in
[Spoilers ahead ,,, ]
2018. Even though our band of heroes were trying to get back to 2012 to meet Dr. Kitty Gray, the inventor of the true time machine.
My favorite delightful drama in the 2018 pocket are the two Georges and two Sarahs, one of each knowing what's going on, the other not, mixing and matching at the corner of true romance. I've thought throughout both seasons of this series that their true love story and its time travel tributions would in and of itself have made for a compelling time travel television series.
As it is, The Lazarus Project has many other riveting stories to tell. Rebrov is an excellent character in any stage of his education about the complexities of time travel, and he pulls some significant triggers -- literally -- in episode 2.4. Of course, when time travel loops are involved, death isn't what it is in our off-screen world, in which as far as we know there is not a way to redo anything, certainly not life and death.
Since this second season is the final season, I can't help wondering who will live happily ever after at the end. I'm hoping that George and Sarah, Rebrov and Janet (and Becky), and Archie and Zhang will go on to live and prosper, but that's probably too much to hope for.
See also The Lazarus Project season 2.1: Shades of Gray ... 2.2: Shag in the Alley ... 2.3: The Plane Outside the Loop
And see also The Lazarus Project season 1: Time Travel Done Superbly Right
"Paul Levinson's It's Real Life is a page-turning exploration into that multiverse known as rock and roll. But it is much more than a marvelous adventure narrated by a master storyteller...it is also an exquisite meditation on the very nature of alternate history."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
