iZombie S01E08 Review: Dead Air

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Another great episode of iZombie has the show reminding us of Veronica Mars more than ever—and that’s a good thing. “Dead Air,” written by Aiyana White and directed by Zetna Fuentes, is full of sex, pop culture references, and humor, and ends with a juicy cliffhanger.

As implied in the previous episode, Major has been beaten up again, this time while in jail for breaking into Julien “Candyman” Dupont’s car. Ravi (Rahul Kohli) and Peyton (Aly Michalka) meet for the first time while waiting for Major’s release, and Ravi believes he and Peyton shared a “moment.” Looks like the two of them are gonna go on a date—no thanks to Liv (Rose McIver), who spends the episode giving everyone unwanted psychological advice. She’s tasted the brain of a murdered radio sex-advice-show host who can’t keep her opinions on people’s mental states and motivations to herself, and she seriously gets on everyone’s nerves—especially Ravi’s. Continue reading

Supernatural S10E21 Recap: Dark Dynasty

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ps Rowena Cas Charlie Supernatural Duck DynastyThe 21st episode of Season 10 of Supernatural, “Dark Dynasty,” lives up to its name. Heed our warning—“Dark Dynasty” is full of gore, lies, and heartbreak. On the fun side, we get a cool literary reference and new monster lore. Not that it makes up for the extremely distressing ending. We don’t normally warn about spoilers because if something is called a “recap” the spoiler aspect is pretty much implied, but here we will warn you: watch the episode, have yourself a good cry, then come back and read this recap.

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iZombie S01E07 Review: Maternity Liv

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HandsomeMajorLillywhiteIt looks as if iZombie has been renewed by the CW for a second season. Good news for viewers—the show grows more interesting every week.

We continue to see Major striking out on his own in his attempt to find the lost kids. He follows the “Candyman” (ex-drug dealer, now zombie lackey, Julien dupont) to a tanning salon, and breaks into his car, where he finds (along with hair dye and hot sauce) a Tupperware container of brains. This is a big turning point in the story, as Major has stepped onto the real trail of what’s happening in zombie-infested Seattle. Sadly, the episode concludes with Major in jail for the car break-in, and with some tough guys put in the cell with him specifically as punishment by the police. They are irritated that Major, having gotten no help with the missing kid situation from the law, has now joined with a reporter, who with Major’s help gets Babineaux on tape saying that the police are likely to keep dragging their feet. Continue reading

Game of Thrones S05E04 Recap: Sons of the Harpy

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Sandsnakes Game of Thrones Sons of the Harpy

In “Sons of the Harpy,” Game of Thrones reminds us that power can be attained, or lost, in different ways. Cersei Lannister builds alliances, Melisandre tries to use persuasion, and Jorah Mormont uses brute force. Characters like Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are still struggling with how to consolidate power in order to meet the diverse and oppositional forces at work in their domains. “Sons of the Harpy” shows us some interesting personal connections at work, but emphasizes the role of political influence.

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Supernatural S10E20 Recap: Angel Heart

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Claire sword Supernatural Angel HeartIn “Angel Heart,” Supernatural gives us a stand-alone episode that ties up some loose ends from Season 10. It’s fun to see the Winchester brothers helping out Cas. Dean can benefit from helping a friend in order to tone down the murderous impulses of the Mark. It also gives Sam the chance to get out of his head and away from his own Mark-related obsession. When we see that Claire Novak’s mother Amelia is being held captive by a supernatural creature, “Angel Heart” reminds us that there are still lots of monsters to hunt in the world of Supernatural.

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iZombie S01E06 Review: Virtual Reality Bites

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We were alarmed to see Major on the slab at the morgue. I guess we have grown attached to his character.

We were alarmed to see Major on the slab at the morgue. I guess we have grown attached to his character.

In “Virtual Reality Bites,” Episode 6 of iZombie, Liv picks up some hacker proficiency and sort of gets to go on a date. Babineaux is unwittingly almost murdered by Blaine’s brain chef, and Major collects more clues to the disappearance of two shelter kids. Oh, and Ravi gets to flex his gamer skillz in pursuit of a killer.

The show is beginning to hit its stride as the disparate storylines have all started to come together. Blaine is established as a very bad zombie with a thriving brain business and a host of minions. Major has now taken on a role beyond Liv’s handsome ex-fiancé, devoting himself to finding the kids that have gone missing from Helton Shelter. And Babineaux is settling into a routine of using Liv as his de facto partner—maybe the recent revelation that zombieism has permeated the upper ranks of the Seattle Police Department provides a clue as to why no one seems to care that Clive doesn’t have a partner and that a pasty-faced young assistant medical examiner is usually present during his interrogations.

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Game of Thrones S05E03 Recap: High Sparrow

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Arya Needle Game of Thrones High Sparrow

Game of Thrones sometimes gives us explosive conflict that takes our breath away. Other times it shows us the slow process of building influence and establishing a position, similar to a game of chess. “High Sparrow” has the feel a chess game, as many of our characters have charted new paths in the ever-changing landscape of Game of Thrones.

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