The curated portfolio of film journalist Joe Lipsett
Each week Joe (@bstolemyremote) and Terry (@gaylydreadful) discuss the most recent episode of FX’s American Horror Story, alternating between our respective sites – gaylydreadful.com and queerhorrormovies.com.
Miss a recap? Check them out here: Episode 1 / Episode 2 / Episode 3
Episode 9.04 “True Killers”: Mr. Jingles closes in on the one who got away as the counselors rally to escape Camp Redwood.
Courtesy of FX
I was initially skeptical of ‘The I of the Storm,’ the third episode of Justified‘s second season. It seemed as though things were going to play out like just another stand-alone episode with the Bennett family nowhere in sight. And then somewhere between the hijacking of the bus full of Oxycontin and Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) driving down the road with a man hanging out of his truck, I realized that this episode had caught me completely by surprise. This was one of those episodes that starts off so-so but is secretly laying groundwork for future conflict.
Let’s break it down… [Read more…]
Courtesy of ABC
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to recap ABC’s Revenge the day after The CW’s Ringer. The two shows share a number of similarities: both feature main characters pretending to be someone they’re not (Emily VanCamp’s Emily and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Bridget), both feature the tortured lives of the impossibly rich, and both feature all sorts of narrative twists and turns. The problem, however, is not that they are similar, but that Revenge is so damned good at what it does. So even when Ringer seems to be making progress (as I felt it did with this week’s episode), along comes Revenge to remind me of everything that Ringer is missing.
Everyone’s favourite anti-heroine returned this week, but the seams in Emily Thorne’s plan are beginning to unravel as unplanned players begin making power moves. Let’s break it down… [Read more…]
Courtesy of The CW
Ringer is the television equivalent of a dysfunctional relationship: one week they’re taking you to the opera in your pretty red gown, the next they’re vandalizing your giant narcissistic glamour shot with the word ‘Bitch.’ Last week was a televisual crapfest that made me question everything I knew and loved; this week the show was back in top form. It’s just about enough whiplash to make you forget all the pseudonyms on the show, but I much prefer this Ringer.
Let’s break it down. Readers Beware: Redheads ahoy. [Read more…]
Courtesy of CBC
With just a few more episodes left in the series, Being Erica finally addressed some sticky issues regarding time travel and hinted at some of the rules of what the whole “doctor” process entails.
Despite addressing the larger mythology questions of the series, this episode had some major missteps. Being Erica has been one of my favourite shows of all time, but I feel this current season has been struggling to live up to the kind of quality I’ve seen in previous seasons in terms of character motivation and narrative cohesion.
Courtesy of Showtime
What a difference of a week makes: in the space of a single episode, Homeland once again completely changes directions. Although this week’s episode ‘The Weekend’ was less taunt than previous weeks when we focused on interrogations and polygraphs, there was a ridiculous amount of progress made for the conspiracy fans, in addition to an obscene amount of character development. Characters were making moves – both sexual and emotional – and the results were incredibly engrossing.
Let’s break it down…(Major spoilers ahead) [Read more…]