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Moon Knight Episode 2 (Disney+): With the introduction of Layla, it feels like Steven Grant is kind of a vestigial organ to this show. Making Grant into an expert in ancient Egypt feels like an extra step to keep his continued presence on the show justified when all most people tuning in really care about is watching the adventures of Marc Spector. That said, the idea of showing Steven and Marc reflected in mirrors does present for interesting acting performances by Oscar Isaac and allows for some unique visuals. The introduction of a Moon Knight for when the body is occupied by Steven Grant is a fun idea and it is interesting that Steven has books about Asgardian mythology in his apartment when his body is an avatar for the Egyptian moon god Khonshu and Thor is going to be facing off with a certain God-Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder in July.
The Dropout Finale (Hulu): The Dropout wraps up in a satisfying way by finally offering some kind of an explanation of why Elizabeth did what she did. By the end of the show, it seems that she has deluded herself into thinking that everything being done at Theranos was truly for the greater good. At the same time, as the show goes on, she does seem to be actively involved to the point that she is turning on Sonny and trying to make him take the fall for it. The show also feels sort of like it is trying to reach the end but could have used one more episode to flesh it out, so this episode is breathless in its pacing.
The Girl from Plainville Episode 4 (Hulu): One of the most interesting things The Girl from Plainville does is show Michelle’s warped sense of reality and then juxtaposes it with what is really happening in the world. This episode highlights Michelle’s relationship with her friend Susie and how that fell apart through Michelle’s own obsessive behavior. The show’s illustration of text message conversations is also an interesting and unique method because, rather than having the texts appear on the screen, they are performed as a dialogue between the two texting characters. This allows for the show to add greater gravitas behind the worlds being texted by adding that more personal layer to the conversations. Like it or not, texting in the modern world has the same impact as conversations so by illustrating it this way, it showcases her actions so they appear as callus as they are.
You May Have Missed:
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (HBOMax): With Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore hitting theaters this Thursday, it is probably fitting to go back and revisit the prior entries in the Wizarding World prequel franchise. The Crimes of Grindelwald feels like a partially necessary pile of exposition that is semi-required to understand what else is coming later. It is a lengthy exercise to retcon Creedence from being who he is in the first movie to a long-lost brother of Dumbledore. It also has an incredibly anti-climactic ending, a story that introduces a bunch of extravagant but annoyingly self-contained ideas, and character changes that are borderline nonsensical.
This Week’s New Theatrical Releases:
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore-Rated PG-13. Opens on preview night 4/14. Stars Jude Law, Eddie Redmayne, Mads Mikkelsen, and Dan Fogler. This movie is the third movie in the Fantastic Beasts pentalogy and a distant prequel to the popular Harry Potter movies.
Dual-Rated R. Opens on preview night 4/14. Stars Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, and Jesse Eisenberg. Following its premiere at Sundance, Dual is the story of a woman who is diagnosed with a terminal illness who decides to have a clone of herself made to take over her life. This plan is shifted when she miraculously recovers and is forced to fight her clone to the death.
Father Stu-Rated R. Opens on preview night 4/14. Stars Mark Wahlberg, Jacki Weaver, and Mel Gibson. Father Stu is a biopic about a boxer who gives up the life to be a catholic priest while also grappling with a debilitating disease.
