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She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 2 (Disney+): Yet again, Disney+ should have given a two-episode release for a show because this episode feels like a continuation of the pilot. References to The Eternals and a throwaway reference to Wolverine aside, this episode does what the pilot should have. It sets up Jennifer Walters’ professional conflict and inner conflict, while also possibly setting up what she will be dealing with as She-Hulk. This episode does a lot more for pushing forward the plot into an interesting space over the first one and would probably be a better jumping on point for audiences than the real first episode.
House of the Dragon Episode 2 (HBOMax): The show is not bad, and it does feel like its predecessor, however the problem with this show compared to the original is that the stakes do not feel as big. At the end of the day, that’s just a problem inherent to prequels in general, but while Game of Thrones spent a good amount of time introducing a ton of interesting and layered characters across many houses all vying for power, House of the Dragon is more about the internal power struggles of House Targaryen that will inevitably lead to the events of Game of Thrones. Episode two continues this because, despite the audience knowing there is a much wider world out there, the scope of the story feels too laser focused, especially considering where House Targaryen is at the start of the original series.
Harley Quinn Episodes 5 and 6 (HBOMax): The subplot with the mayoral election is wrapped up in a surprising way in episode five that barely features the title character as it takes place while Harley and Poison Ivy are off with Swamp Thing in episode 4. Joker’s appearance throughout the episode is used to great comedic effect and Alan Tudyk’s performance is great. The sixth episode continues an exploration into Harley as a character with another introduction of a classic Batman villain. Her fight with Batgirl is great and the exploration of her relationships with other people outside of Poison Ivy helps to move the show along.
Me Time (Netflix): Not to pile on too much to this movie that is currently sitting pretty at 8% positive on Rotten Tomatoes, but the movie is basically unwatchable. Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart have zero chemistry, the jokes are not funny, and the plot is nonsensical. When people talk about Netflix greenlighting expensive properties with big names that ultimately end up being subpar quality, this movie is basically the poster child for that problem.
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The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Extended Edition (HBOMax): In case the three-hour cut of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King was not enough for you, watch the four-hour cut of these movies. As one watches these movies, it is apparent just how much narrative storytelling for features has changed. The way that Fellowship tells its story relies on the viewer to know what’s going on and trusts that the viewer can keep track of what’s happening. Contrast that to now where another three-hour movie in recent history has a title character explicitly say, “we are just bringing back everyone who died in the snap to right now” just in case the audience forgot what happened in the last hour and a half. The effects hold up really well and make for a fun experience going into Amazon’s The Rings of Power coming this Friday.
