TV
Reviews of TV series available on Netflix UK, Amazon Prime and other video on-demand services.
UK VOD review: Boardwalk Empire Season 5, Episode 7 (Friendless Child)
October 25, 2014 | Neil BrazierNucky (Steve Buscemi) finally comes face to face with Charlie Luciano (Vincent Piazza) and Meyer Lansky (Anatol Yusef) this week, on a train track illuminated by headlights. Staring down the barrel of a gun, Nucky faces his biggest challenge yet. … Read More
The spooky true tales behind American Horror Story
October 25, 2014 | Alice SlaterWe pick apart the true events behind one of TV’s spookiest series.
Peppered with intertextuality drawn from both fact and fiction, American Horror Story is an anthology series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, the chaps responsible for the … Read More
Sky TV review: The Knick Episode 2
October 23, 2014 | Philip W BaylesThe first episode of The Knick ended with shots of the newly electrified hospital bathed in artificial light; a sure (and somewhat obvious) sign of turn-of-the-century optimism if ever there was one. But as the second episode, “Mr Paris Shoes”, … Read More
UK TV review: The Strain Season 1, Episode 6
October 22, 2014 | David FarnorWeakness and evolution are the two driving forces behind The Strain: the weakness of human biology and the evolution of the species to superior, deadly monsters. It’s that process of alienation, literally making other people alien, that gives the series … Read More
UK TV review: The Leftovers Episode 6 (Guest)
October 21, 2014 | David FarnorStruggling along through the mystery’s haze of uncertainty, sometimes tempted to tune out altogether, at other times haunted by the guilt of contemplating doing so, The Leftovers isn’t exactly an easy watch. But with Episode 6, The Leftovers has done … Read More
Netflix UK TV review: American Horror Story: Freak Show Episode 1 (spoiler-free)
October 21, 2014 | Alice SlaterAs a new-fangled little gadget called “television” sweeps 1950s America, circuses and their respective sideshows are on the verge of a steep decline. American Horror Story: Freak Show explores the consequences of the struggle between the old world and the … Read More
UK VOD review: The Walking Dead Season 5, Episode 2
October 20, 2014 | Neil BrazierAnd breathe.
Inevitably, after the high tension of Episode 1, things were always going to calm down for the next. Don’t get too comfortable, though, as the chills of last week do return and we’re not totally devoid of danger, … Read More
Netflix UK TV review: Gotham Episode 2 (spoiler-free)
October 20, 2014 | Amon WarmannWhile marginally better than its pilot, Gotham continues to experience some growing pains in its second episode, curiously titled Selina Kyle.
We say curiously titled, as the titular character doesn’t become the episode’s focus until the final 15 minutes. Even … Read More
UK review: Sons of Anarchy Season 7, Episode 6 (and where to watch it online)
October 20, 2014 | Chris BryantAs we reach the mid-way point of the final season, the term “cliffhanger” is a useful one. Every story – Gemma, Juice, Jax’s war with everyone – ends the episode with only one step left to take. And, as it … Read More
NOW TV review: Boardwalk Empire Season 5, Episode 6 (Devil You Know)
October 19, 2014 | Neil BrazierBoardwalk Empire’s fifth and final season inevitably meant that things had to end; after all, it was tagged with the phrase “All Empires Must Fall”. In Devil You Know, two empires do. The end of the series has become more … Read More