Tag: TV Review

The Last of Us – “Convergence” | REVIEW

Bella Ramsey in THE LAST OF US: CONVERGENCE — PHOTO: Liane Hentscher / HBO.

This is a recap and review of the seventh and final episode of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1 (and the episode itself, of course), but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

In the seventh and final episode of the second season — titled Convergencee — Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) and Jesse (played by Young Mazino) search the streets of Seattle for Tommy (played by Gabriel Luna. However, when Ellie sees something in the distance, she parts ways with her friend. Convergence was written by Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and directed by Nina Lopez-Corrado (Supernatural; Mayor of Kingstown).

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The Last of Us – “The Price” | REVIEW

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in THE LAST OF US: THE PRICE — PHOTO: Liane Hentscher / HBO.

This is a recap and review of the sixth episode of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1 (and the episode itself, of course), but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

In the sixth and penultimate episode of the second season — titled The Price — we get multiple flashbacks to various birthdays, as we see how the Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) dynamic and relationship changed over the years in Jackson. The Price was written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl), Halley Gross, and Neil Druckmann, and directed by Neil Druckmann, the co-creator of the games.

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The Last of Us – “Feel Her Love” | REVIEW

Ellie (Bella Ramsey) explores the body of an infected in THE LAST OF US: FEEL HER LOVE — PHOTO: Liane Hentscher / HBO.

This is a recap and review of the fifth episode of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1 (and the episode itself, of course), but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

In the fifth episode of the second season — titled Feel Her Love — Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) and Dina (played by Isabela Merced) opt to move through a warehouse that WLF soldiers are strangely leaving unguarded. Meanwhile, WLF Sergeant Elise Park (played by Hettienne Park) reveals why she had to lock her own soldiers inside of an infected zone. Feel Her Love was written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and directed by Stephen Williams (Lost; Westworld).

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The Last of Us – “Day One” | REVIEW

Bella Ramsey as ‘Ellie’ playing a guitar in The Last of Us: Day One — PHOTO: HBO/Liane Hentscher.

This is a recap and review of the fourth episode of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1 (and the episode itself, of course), but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

In the fourth episode of the second season — titled Day One — Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) and Dina (played by Isabela Merced) explore Seattle, deepen their connection, and search for the W.L.F. crew that killed Joel. Elsewhere, we experience how far W.L.F. leader Isaac (played by Jeffrey Wright) is willing to go to fight back against the religious Seraphites. The Path was written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and directed by Kate Herron (Loki: Season 1).

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The Last of Us – “The Path” | REVIEW

Bella Ramsey in THE LAST OF US: THE PATH — PHOTO: HBO.

This is a recap and review of the third episode of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1 (and the episode itself, of course), but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

In the third episode of the second season — titled The Path — we get a three-month time jump, as the Jackson settlement and its wounded — including Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) — recover in the wake of the tragedy in last week’s episode. However, when Dina (played by Isabela Merced) reveals a secret to Ellie, it sets in motion an appeal to gather up a crew to hunt down those who wronged them and killed Joel. The Path was written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and directed by Peter Hoar (The Last of Us: Long, Long Time).

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Black Mirror – Season 7 (2025) | REVIEW

Paul Giamatti in BLACK MIRROR: EULOGY — PHOTO: NETFLIX (Still image from trailers).

Like any season of Black Mirror, the hugely popular British anthology series based around the dangerous rapid development of technology and its influence on humanity, the recently released seventh season has both highs and lows. When I sat down to watch it and jotted down my initial reactions to each and every episode, I was met with, among other things, a solid sequel to one of the series’ most famous episodes, but also one of the most moving episodes of television/streaming I’ve seen all year. Below you’ll find my initial reaction to every episode of the seventh season of Black Mirror.

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The Last of Us – “Through the Valley” | REVIEW

Bella Ramsey in THE LAST OF US: THROUGH THE VALLEY — PHOTO: Liane Hentscher/HBO.

This is a recap and review of the second episode of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1 (and the episode itself, of course), but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

In the second episode of the second season — titled Through the Valley (for reasons that I’ll get to in just a moment) — the Jackson settlement gets attacked by a horde of infected. Meanwhile, Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Dina (played by Isabela Merced) run into someone in need of saving, and, elsewhere, Jesse (played by Young Mazino) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) explore Eugene’s secret hideout. Through the Valley was written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and directed by Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones, The Menu).

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The Last of Us – “Future Days” | REVIEW

Bella Ramsey with her back to the camera in THE LAST OF US: Future Days — Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.

This is a recap and review of the premiere of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1, but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

The wait is finally over. It’s been more than 2 years since the release of the season finale of the first season of HBO’s adaptation of the beloved and critically acclaimed video game series known as The Last of Us, the two parts of which are my favorite video games ever made. Now, the second season premiere has been released on Max around the world, and the showrunners are now officially no longer adapting the first game, but rather the highly discussed, more complex, and much longer second game (click here to read my spoiler-filled thoughts on The Last of Us: Part II). How did the season premiere live up to the excellent games and the strong first season? Well, let’s have a closer look.

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Adolescence (2025) | REVIEW

Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in ADOLESCENCE — PHOTO: NETFLIX (Still image from trailers).

Series created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham.

Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham’s Adolescence tells the story of a 13-year-old boy, Jamie (played by Owen Cooper), who is shockingly arrested in his family home on suspicion of the murder of a female classmate. When Jamie is questioned at the police station, he repeatedly insists that he is innocent, while his father, Eddie (played by Stephen Graham), is at his side. Later, a child psychiatrist seeks to evaluate the young boy, and the police start to ask questions at Jamie’s school.

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Families Like Ours (2024) | REVIEW

Paprika Steen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas in Thomas Vinterberg’s FAMILIES LIKE OURS — PHOTO: Per Arnesen/TV2.

Series created by Thomas Vinterberg.

Dogme95 co-founder Thomas Vinterberg has had quite the career. He burst onto the scene with his sophomore effort, the Cannes-darling and Danish classic The Celebration, and, though he struggled in the early 2000s overseas, he rebuilt his career on home soil with Submarine and The Hunt, the latter of which was a particular international success critically and with awards bodies. In the mid-to-late 2010s, he took another stab at filmmaking overseas with Far From the Madding Crowd and Kursk (with the Danish drama The Commune sandwiched in between the two). Then, at the very beginning of the 2020s, his binge-drinking dramedy Another Round took him to new heights as he not only accepted an Oscar and a BAFTA for the picture but also became the first-ever Danish filmmaker to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards. Now, he has turned to TV, as he has crafted a television series about the calamitous potential of climate change that works as an eye-opener and much more. For me, it’s been one of the most interesting shows of 2024.

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