My Review of American Horror Story: Delicate - Little Gold Man

 

Written by Halley Feiffer 

Directed by Jennifer Lynch 

Siobhan (to Anna): "Congratulations. Go get that high road, baby."

After last week's episode, I was hoping this would have a bit more bite to it and it kind of ... didn't.  Awards season really came and went and speaking of the latter, the timing of Anna going into labour certainly worked out. Just not for her.

Of course this was another episode where the strangest of things was happening to Anna, people kept warning her that she was in danger and she made no effort to try and prepare herself. The Oscars stuff fell surprisingly flat with Anna predictably winning for The Auteur after she effectively sold her baby to Siobhan.

Speaking of Siobhan, we're eight episodes in and the most interesting thing happened with her here and funnily, it didn't involve Anna. Instead, it involved a trip back in time where she had a similar relationship to Mia Farrow that she had with Anna in the present day. The movie she worked with Mia will not shock in the slightest. After all this season has largely been riffing off that movie in particular.

When Anna wasn't selling her baby to Siobhan and going into labour, she made an effort to try and seek out Ms. Preacher after the latter disrupted Virginia's funeral. Not that much came out of it as Preacher ended up being taken away by the women.

Fortunately, Anna's confrontation with Cora fared a bit better. Cora revealed as Anna's stalker but not actually involved with the women and Dr Hill was a bit surprising. Cora being Dex's mistress was a tad disappointing but of course, Dex had to be a cheater. This season definitely hasn't portrayed any of the male characters positively.

Anyways with Oscar wins, more crazy hallucinations and Siobhan and the women circling in on Anna, I'm definitely ready for this season to wrap up. I do have a feeling though the ending might quite deliver as it should do. I hope I'm wrong.

- In the opening flashback we saw Mia Farrow, Frank Sinatra, Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate. Mia was filming Rosemary's Baby.

- The Academy Awards presenter who gave Anna her win was Hamish Linklater. He's the husband of series alumni Lily Rabe, who the show needs to get back next season.

- Anna hallucinated seeing black skin on her legs as well as both Babette and her mother at the Oscars.

- No Ivy, Sonia, Nicolette, Talia or Kamal in this episode.

- Crass of Dex being the one to get Cora the apartment next door as well as giving her access to spy on him and Anna.

- Chronology: 1967 Manhattan in flashbacks and 2024 in the present day. Anna's thirty weeks pregnant.

Little Gold Man did feel like a step down after the brilliant previous episode. Overall, I'm not confident this season will be a fan favourite, even in retrospect and I worry the finale will be a letdown. I hope that's not the case.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Mary & George: "War"

 

Written by D.C. Moore And Laura Grace

Directed by Florian Cossen 

King James (to George): "An old fool's lust blinded me, but now I see. You're the traitor."

It's been seven episodes but I went the slow path and chose to watch this on a weekly basis. I think that was a good decision. This finale certainly brought things to a fiery ending for both George and King James.

Their relationship had effectively soured between episodes with James in isolation in the woods and George getting a bit too big for his boots and acting like the King himself. That of course would backfire on him here. Sadly for George, not everyone shared his ambition.

Trying to get Charles married to the Spanish Princess came to a screeching halt this week and George only made the situation worse. He pretty much exaggerated to Charles why the marriage wouldn't go ahead and he effectively declared war on Spain in the King's. Of course, Mary tried to step in to save the monster she created but it was definitely a case of too little and too late.

George would no longer listen to her and her attempts to manipulate the King were initially countered by George fucking him in the woods. Then word of war with Spain got out and whatever hold George had on the King was gone in an instant. James had quite the wake up call. He even stripped George of his titles but before he could put his lover to death, things went badly for the King.

Yes, George proved that power always meant more than any loyalty to the King. George didn't hold back on killing King James and he almost got away with it. Given the amount of lives that George ruined in his mother's (and his own) quest for power, there's a suitable irony in his death coming a very unexpected person. 

As for Mary, she didn't quite suffer as much as the King or her son, but it's clear that Sandie's death affected more than she wanted to admit, along with knowing that George had a part in it. That and her inability to get the King back on side and her son's demise. Whatever she achieved definitely came with a hefty price overall.

- Sir Francis Bacon was missing his nose and had the stench of death. Mary saw that as enough reason not to kill him.

- George's second child was born shortly before his own demise while him and Charles were likened to brothers.

- George had flashbacks of various men and women he fucked over the years during this episode.

- Chronology: The series ended with 1628, marking George's death.

War marked a very strong ending for the series. Throughout these seven episodes, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Galitzine and Tony Curran delivered with their performances and didn't put a foot wrong. I had a great time with this show.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Venom (2018)

Written by Jeff Pinkner And Scott Rosenberg And Kelly Marcel

Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Eddie: "All right, fine, I'm sorry. So, what do you want to do now?"

Venom: "The way I see it, we can do whatever we want."

With the MCU having their way with everyone's favourite Web slinger and Tom Holland proving successful in that role, of course Sony weren't going to sit back and let the rest of the IP do nothing. This line of thinking has been a blessing and a curse for them.

With Sony garnering success with Miles Morales in the Spiderverse movies, for live action,  the idea was to play around with some of Peter Parker's known villains turned antiheroes for ideas. Starting with one of his biggest rivals made sense.

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) was a smart mouth journalist who rubbed people up the wrong way but seemed to have the charm to fall back on. He also had a loving girlfriend named Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) but when Eddie pissed off the wrong guy aka, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), his relationship with Anne soon ended.

Eddie's mistrust of Drake however ended up being justified as the latter had found an alien parasite from space and he wasted no time callously using unwitting subjects to experiment on with it. One of the parasites named Venom attached itself to Eddie when Drake's scientist Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate) let him investigate the Life Foundation. Needless to say, this was where the movie picked up.

Eddie's symbiotic relationship with Venom definitely provided a source of comedy, battle of wits, a team up with Anne and her new man, Dr Dan Lewis (Reid Scott) and of course, the wrath of a very annoyed Drake. Oh and when Eddie wasn't trying to calm Venom's almost insatiable appetite, there was also another parasite named Riot that took control of Drake with similar results.

While this movie certainly has the entertainment factor, it's the big battle where things went off the rails. Carlton Drake isn't particularly intimidating to begin and his possession of Riot isn't as well thought out as it could've been. The fights between Venom and Riot alone are surprisingly rushed in a rather flat third act. 

On the plus side, once the big fight was dealt with, Eddie managed to get back into Anne's good grace and strike a compromise with his new best friend. We even got a scene where the pair help snarky convenience store owner, Mrs Chen (Peggy Lu) from getting robbed without killing. 

- Mid credit scene had Eddie make a prison visit to serial killer Cletus Kassady (Woody Harrelson) who promised "Carnage".

- Post credit sequence was a long clip for Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse. 

- Stan Lee had a brief cameo near the end of the movie, walking g a dog and talking to Eddie.

- John Jameson (Chris O'Hara) appeared at the start of the movie to introduce the symbiote into things.

- Standout music: Enimem's Venom and Pusha T's No Problem.

- Chronology: There's a six month time jump during the movie.

Venom definitely has an entertaining factor that for the most along with a lively lead performance from Tom Hardy does carry this movie more than it should. The third act is a letdown with Riot being a poor counter villain and the love story with Anne does feel a tad tacked on. Saying that, the fun factor does outweigh logic gaps and certain creative choices.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Scoop (2024)

 

Written by Peter Moffat And Geoff Bussetil

Directed by Philip Martin

Prince Andrew: "If I do an interview, the question is, why you?"

Sam: "With respect, you know how people see you."

Prince Andrew: "Spell it out."

Sam: "Randy Andy."

After six seasons of The Crown, I guess Netflix's appetite for Royal Family wasn't sated enough. So, came this movie where the public downfall (but not really) for Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) came to the forefront.

If the poster was anything to go by, you'd almost think that BBC newsreader Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson) was going to be the central figure of this movie or even the disgraced Andrew himself. Nope, instead the film quickly established that TV producer Sam McAllister (Billie Piper) was really the main character of this piece.

Sam's a single mother and a determined career woman. When she's not getting the interviews and stories that others aren't, she's confiding in her mother, Netta (Amanda Redman) about her worries while also noticing that her son Lucas (Zach Colton) has a crush on a girl a class above him. However the main emphasis for Sam here of course was her job.

A job that she's great at but at the same time, her determination rubbed certain co-workers like Freddy (Jordan Kouame) the wrong way. Saying that with a contact like Jae (Connor Swindells) in New York, Sam soon realised that the story between Prince Andrew and his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein (Colin Wells) was going to hit the fan.

Sam's determining got her a meeting with Andrew's private secretary Amanda Thirsk (Keeley Hawes) and once, Epstein's home had been raided, Sam had the upper hand in getting Andrew into agreeing with the BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis. Needless to say, an interview that wouldn't benefit the grubby Prince either.

There's a masterclass of acting between Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell during the big interview itself. An interview that undid whatever good will Andrew had with the public while also redefining both McAllister and Maitlis's careers. Both women really exposed a monster in quite a public fashion.

- The movie was based on McAllister's book, Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews. 

- Amazon will have their own counter to this movie with upcoming miniseries A Very Royal Scandal. Emily Maitlis will be an executive producer for that.

- Billie Piper's wig for playing Sam McAllister cost over £11,000, which was ludicrous.

- Chronology: Started in 2010, New York with the majority of the film in 2019 and the interview taking place on November 16th.

Scoop delivered some strong performances from all four leads but if I'm honest, it's Billie Piper who well and truly delivered the most. It's her central performance that does anchor the whole thing long before the big moment appeared.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Doctor Who - Varada Sethu Confirmed For Season 2 (Series 15)

Well, it only took three months to confirm something that arguably should've been revealed earlier but we're finally here nonetheless.

Joining the 15th Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) in their second season/Series 15 of Doctor Who will be Andor actress Varada Sethu and she will be a regular for the second season. Yes, with the first season focus on one companion, the second season will have an additional member to the TARDIS. 

Earlier this year, it seemed like Varada Sethu's casting was an indicator that Millie Gibson had been axed from the series or that her role as Ruby would be greatly reduced. According the press release from the BBC, it appears that she will still be a regular for the 2025 series. 

As of now, details are still being kept under wraps as to who exactly Varada Sethu is playing but executive producer and showrunner Russell T. Davies has made it clear that the stakes will be higher for the next season.

I have to admit that it does feel a bit odd talking about Season 2 (Series 15) when we're exactly four weeks away from Season 1 (Series 14) airing but that's how crazily ahead this production has gotten. To add to the craziness, they're now filming the Season 2 finale. In an Instagram post, Russell T. Davies labeled the new TARDIS dynamic as "The Three Who Rule" and if that isn't an episode title for Season 2, it'll be a missed opportunity. 

While we're talking about the next season, what can be revealed? In terms of writers, Russell did point out that there would be more new ones while in terms of directors, you've got Alex Pillai (Christmas 2024), as well as Amanda Brotchie, Peter Hoar and Ben A. Williams for now.

In terms of guest actors for the second season, both Nicola Coughlan and Joel Fry were confirmed months ago for the Christmas 2024 special. Within Season 2 (Series 15), you'll have Jemma Redgrave, Ruth Madeley Alexander Devrient reprising their UNIT roles of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Shirley Anne Bingham and Colonel Christofer Ibrahim as well as Michelle Greenidge, Angela Wynter and Anita Dobson as Carla Sunday, Cherry Sunday and Mrs Flood while other guest actors include Jonah Hauer-King, Lewis Cornay and Blake Patrick Anderson.

We've got some truly exciting times ahead for the show in the next two seasons. I'll post more announcements as they come in.

Doctor Who airs Saturdays on BBC1/iPlayer/Disney+ from May 11th.

My Review of Fellow Travelers: "Make It Easy"

 

Written by Anya Leta And Jack Solomon And Ron Nyswaner 

Directed by Uta Briesewitz 

Hawk (to Kimberly, re Tim): "He wasn't my friend. He was the man I loved."

Oh, wow. Eight episodes and I made it to the finale and what an absolute stunning piece of television. It's been a hell of a journey but now the story has ended for both Hawk and Tim.

Interestingly, we went back to the 1950s for some of this episode. Hawk and Lucy were married, mostly happy and the latter was expecting Jackson. Tim on the other hand, just got out of the army and yes, he reunited with Hawk.

Tim's time in the army not only made him want go move into social work, but the sexual dynamic between Tim and Hawk took a turn. Tim even got to top Hawk during a scene that had a jab at Tim drinking milk. Of course though, happy reunion wasn't going to stay on the cards.

Mary, who had disappeared a few episodes back returned to warn Tim about being an inconvenience to Hawk. Her words ended up being true but before Tim could do anything about them, Jackson was born and that kind of nixed that confrontation.

In 1986 though, Tim was getting closer to death and Hawk wanted to be with him for his final moments. There was a lovely scene with Tim and Lucy as the latter realised how much Tim meant to Hawk. I got why Lucy wanted to properly meet Tim and it certainly gave her the sense yo leave Hawk for good without any bitterness for her husband.

As for Hawk and Tim, their last scenes were some of the best we've had in the entire miniseries. Tim however did make Nawk step aside while both him and Marcus along with several other protestors made one last stand in order to bring awareness to the AIDS crisis.

The last scene with the memorial broke me a little. I knew Tim was going to be dead but watching Hawk breakdown at Tim's "beyond measure" memorial flag and admitting to Kimberly that Tim was the man he loved. Yes, I did cry at that scene but what a beautiful final moment. 

- Both McCarthy and Cohn's deaths were covered in this episode. Cohn's flag had "Coward. Bully. Victim."

- Jerome admitted to Marcus that he was positive. Frankie wasn't sad when Cohn's death was announced.

- Standout music: Johnny Mathis I Look At You and Arthur Russell's Love Is Overtaking Me.

- Chronology: 1957, 1986, 1987, 1996, 2012 throughout the episode.

Make It Easy made for a gut wrenching, absolutely beautiful finale to a poignant miniseries. I've enjoyed this from start to finish and the love the series has gotten was justified. Sublime performances from Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey but everyone was fantastic to watch along with the quality in writing and directing. Everyone should be proud of this production. 

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Fellow Travelers: "White Nights"

 

Written by Brandon K. Hines And Ron Nyswaner 

Directed by Destiny Ekaragha 

Tim (to Hawk): "Everything we said last night. Everything we've been through. What is wrong with me?"

The penultimate episode and another big time jump. We trade a groovy decade for one with flairs and one of the biggest protests to happen for the queer community. We also had another awkward reunion between Hawk and Tim.

Since the last time the two of the clapped eyes on each other, things have changed for the pair. Tim spent time in prison, came out to his family, moved to San Francisco with Marcus and Frankie and worked with the latter as a social worker. However in spite of those positive changes, he was still drawn into Hawk's orbit yet again.

As for Hawk, his marriage was barely hanging on, he somewhat wrecked Kimberly's (Brittany Raymond) baby shower and Jackson died between episodes due to a heroin overdose. That, along with the excessive drinking and drug use, Hawk seemed to be hellbent on killing himself. 

Going to Fire Island on Hawk's beck and call certainly turned out to be a mixed experience for Tim. Sure, he made some new friends like Rafael (Carlos Gonzalez-Vio) and also clashed a bit with Hawk's new boytoy/dealer, Craig (Morgan Lever). Though not as bad Craig clashed with Hawk when he dared to bring up Jackson at the worst time.

Yes, this episode had Tim realising that he needed to completely break away from Hawk while in 1986, Hawk was by Tim's after the latter's latest setback in the hospital. Then there was the Lucy and Kimberly scenes where the latter did all the work in figuring out for herself that her father was gay.

As for the Marcus and Frankie storyline, there was the origin of how Jerome came into their lives. The backdrop of Harvey Milk's death and the protest that followed at the Elephant Walk Bar was a great way of bringing these three characters together. 

- Not too surprising that Hawk preferred the term "homosexual" while Tim and everyone else preferred "gay". 

- Plenty of talk of the meat rack on Fire Island while in San Francisco we had Cleve Jones (Augustus Oicle) also talk about Milk being murdered  y Dan White.

- Standout music: Dan Hartmann's Relight My Fire, David Bowie's Boys Keep Swinging and Sylvester's You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).

- Chronology: 1979, Fire Island, San Francisco and Washington. 1986 San Francisco. 

I loved White Nights. Two very important plots in regards to gay politics and culture and both done so well too. It was nice to see more focus on Marcus and Frankie as well as what seemed to be the end of Hawk and Tim yet again.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: Delicate - Ave Hestia

 

Written by Halley Feiffer 

Directed by Jennifer Lynch

Ivy (to Adeline): "Motherhood is always a blessing."

Why is that the one episode that doesn't feature Anna Victoria Alcott turned out to be the best episode of the season? I'm not kidding. Not only was this episode much needed but it made wonder what this season might have been had we had a different protagonist all along.

The episode opened up a very long time ago with Ivy giving birth in an abandoned shed. Well, technically she had to cut her own stomach open in order to give birth to two very familiar characters. The connection these characters have won't shock but it does work beautifully here.

The connection being that Sonia Shawcross and Adeline Harding are actually sisters and Ivy was revealed to be their mother. Adeline being the odd one out as she tired of giving birth to demon babies and defected for a normal life. That meant being married to Dex and running a feminist vegan restaurant named Ave Hestia.

Even these bouts of normalcy didn't stop doing some after hours magic and it certainly explained her reluctance to have children with Dex. Unfortunately, abandoning her coven came with consequences as not only did both Sonia and Ivy come for her, but so did Nicolette and Talia. Needless to say, things didn't end well for Adeline this episode.

As a protagonist, I found Adeline far more interesting in this one episode than Anna has been in the previous six. This brand of magic does seem more in line with Satanism and while Dex might be an innocent in this, his father certainly wasn't.

Virginia was right all along when she said that Dex Sr was in league with Satanism. I mean, we watched him knock out his own wife while witches drained her blood and he fucked one of them. Even Dex Jr got his memories wiped when he walked in on the ritual. Why did it take so freaking long for the show to get to the more exciting stuff?

- Adeline was able to perfect an American accent, something which both Ivy and Sonia couldn't do. Cara Delevingne's Irish accent was surprisingly decent for the most part.

- Talia sold her soul to join the witches and birthed multiple kids during her business trips.

- I had to laugh at Dex admitting he was a rubbish painter. I'm assuming his parents knew about Adeline than Dex himself did.

- Anna's Super Fan (does that character even have a name?) appeared at the drug store where Adeline bought a pregnancy test. 

- Anna, Siobhan, Dr Hill, Ms Preacher and Kamal were all absent from this episode.

- Chronology: 42 AD Western Europe, 1243 Galway, Ireland and 2013 Brooklyn, New York.

Ave Hestia finally gave this season a much needed shot in the arm. Nothing against Emma Roberts but Annabelle Dexter-Jones did an absolutely fantastic job here as Adeline and Sonia and this story finally got interesting to watch. It shouldn't have taken this long but I'm glad this episode delivered big time.

Rating: 9 out of 10