Children's games pose a lethal threat to desperate adults.
Squid Game
All three seasons are now streaming on Netflix.
In similar fashion to how Season 2 picked up the moment after Season 1 concluded, the third season picks up in the moments after Season 2's halt.
Quickly rising to the top of the Netflix worldwide chart, the outrageous, brutal, and addictive nine-episode South Korean first season caught everyone by surprise during the global pandemic in 2021. The first episode was never matched for its audacity, but several of the children's game were outsized and staged in a spectacular manner throughout the season, filled with endless bloodshed and pious sermonizing that eventually outflanked the narrative.
The ninth episode reached too far, in my opinion, flaming out in such a way that I never watched the seven episodes in Season 2. I know how Season 3 begins, so I'll watch all six episodes before updating this post further. In the meantime, have fun killing and betraying people!
Ironheart
The first three episodes are now streaming on Disney Plus. The remaining three episodes will debut next week.
Elevating Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) supporting player Riri to the starring role in a limited series held potential three years ago, at least as an opportunity to make something more of the creative possibilities that were largely squandered by the film, in part due to the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman and the subsequent attempts to retool the sequel to justify its existence without its leading character.
Certainly, Dominique Thorne is a spirited performer, but the challenges inherent in the series speak more to the premise that any individual character in Marvel comic books is sufficiently dynamic on their own to justify their existence in a spin-off series. The show begins with Riri in less than heroic circumstances, scamming her way through college until she's expelled, and then returning to her hometown of Chicago under less than honorable circumstances.
Insisting repeatedly that she built herself an Iron Man suit solely because she could, Riri deals with her mother by slamming doors and avoiding answering questions. She joins up with a criminal gang headed by Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos). Other than Parker, the other gang members are intentionally annoying and have yet to demonstrate their criminal aptitude; they appear to be petulant, cocky teens.
Parker is a different story, since he's played by Anthony Ramos, an actor who is able to bring depth to the role and suggest that something more is going on beneath the surface. The first three episodes are "alright," but rarely rise to the level of "compelling" or "fascinating" material, hitting familiar beats and in the usual Marvel manner.
If you're a devoted Marvel fan, please enjoy. If you're not, there are better new shows to watch.
Butchers of L.A.
The first episode is now streaming on Sundance Now and is also now streaming on AMC+, as well as Sundance TV. Two subsequent episodes will debut on subsequent Thursdays.
Since I grew up in suburban Los Angeles during the 1960s and 70s, I thought I was entirely familiar with the notorious "Freeway Killer," but it turns out I was only partially informed. David Harvey's Butchers of L.A. devotes its first episode to setting up the cultural and societal norms that existed in the late 60s and what, exactly, made the area so inviting for young gay people.
Then it takes a turn to explore a pattern of hitchhikers who were gruesomely murdered and disposed of in ordinary trash bags. The documentary is told in a familiar, straightforward manner -- talking heads, archival photos, drone footage of the locations in the modern day -- which fits the material with respect. The talking heads include a family member of a victim, and representatives members of the media, law enforcement, and district attorney's office, adding up to a disturbing portrait that will only get worse in succeeding episodes.
The Bear
All four seasons are now streaming on Hulu.
The first season was a blitzkrieg that blazed its way into my soul, which eased the path for the second season to ease into my heart. The third season reached for greater ambitions, stumbling somewhat with its narrative and slower pace.
I have not yet fully digested Season 4. It's a true pleasure to spend more time with this cantankerous group of people, who are nonetheless lovable, for all their evident imperfections. The theme that jumped out at me this time around is regret, as it seems that everyone, especially Chef Carm, is sorry for things they have done or said or failed to do. And I can relate to that, definitely.
This season, though, I have been more conscious that creator, director, and frequent writer Christopher Storer loves to show cameras into faces in extreme close-ups, making more episodes a chore to watch because that perspective distracts from the dialogue or overall visual point. Also, I'm not sure if I really need even more celebrities showing up for guest spots, chiefly so they can vehemently argue and continually curse with the core cast members.
Even so, I'm an addict, and I love the show. Give me the weekend to absorb it into my pores and I'll be ready for more, I promise.
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