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⭐8/10 I hate to bury good, thoughtful reviews with another season of Bake Off, but that's politics for you. This was one of Jess's favorite seasons and she wanted to share it with me.  I've got news for you Jess! Old seasons aren't as good! The recording footage looks worse, the hosts aren't as funny (very subjective), and Paul Hollywood hasn't nailed his Hollywood persona/ look yet. Also he's sometimes kinda legit mean! There's at least more diversity of flavour here with lots of brown people bringing unique and cultural ideas.  Still, it's the ultimate comfort show for a reason and something I always want to turn on. Another wonderful cast of characters, one where I'm sad every time to see someone go. 

⭐8/10 This was going to be the season where I was going to say that's enough, I can take a break now. It took a long while to get through because my heart wasn't into it in the same way. It was a repeat location from the previous season, and it became clear pretty quickly that the winner would be a guy that's pretty insufferable.  Still, by the end the show had it's hooks back in! First off, I'll begrudgingly admit that the winner was one of the best contestants in the show's history, everything he touched turning to gold. His total lack of empathy and true caveman mindset propelled him, and he did some gnarly things to survive that I have to respect in some ways. But what intrigued me more is that he spent his final weeks on his own constantly reflecting on this, basically coming to terms with the fact that he's not likeable and has huge regrets with the way he treated his loved ones. I love this aspect of the show so much, that people spend so ...

⭐9/10 I have been blissfully unaware of the discourse around this show this time around, but I still get the impression that not everyone is happy with this season.  I think staying away from the discourse helps because while I admit that this show has some flaws, I think it's held to an impossibility high standard and for a modern fantasy TV show, I think it's still essentially unmatched (it's only competition being others in this universe). The action looks absolutely incredible with lots of dragons and gritty sword fights, still plenty of court intrigue, deep, complex characters, well-written dialogue and great costumes. I think this is the gold standard of fantasy TV, and if it came out before Thrones I think it would be a revelation. I was hard on season 2, but I think this season fixes most of those mistakes and I also think I have a sunnier view of that season in retrospect.  This season starts with one of the series's best episodes and has a crazy ru...

⭐ 7.5/10 Relatively low score, similar to how I felt about the first season, but that doesn't take away from my awe at this project. The amount of work to Truman-show somebody like this is crazy, the amount of planning and expense alone, only in the age of billion-dollar tech companies making TV could this happen. The idea is the same as the first season, some dude is hired as an intern at a hot sauce company, goes on their company retreat, but doesn't realize everyone else is an actor. They put him in a million awkward or high-pressure situations and we watch as he figures things out. I think this setup is worse than the first season, since jury duty is more self contained, and I can see that guy actually believing what he is experiencing is real. Anthony in this season literally expresses a bunch of times "this feels like a movie or something", which they laugh about in the end but I think is an indictment. If that was me I would be searching for cameras everywhere...

⭐ 10/10 This is still basically the only kids show we watch, and this final season was tremendous. The same still holds, I love the animation and the voice acting and the compact episodes, but there were a couple episodes here that have become trademark episodes in this house. There is one about contractors (tradies) who come to build a pond in their backyard, while the girls spy on them. We had contractors in our house at the time we saw this and Ezra was obsessed with the episode, we watched it every night for probably a month and I still never got tired of it. Seeing everyday things through the imagination of kids is the power of this show, but weaving in intrigue for the parents is always present. There is another one about their aunt coming to visit, and its clear she doesn't come very often. The reason for this broke my heart, something relatable to many adults in our life, my heart just aches thinking about how Bluey's mom explains to the kids why its hard for her to vi...

⭐ 9/10 All the positives of my last 3 season reviews are still here, this show continues to be great. I like how this season slows down a bit, at least in the second half, as we get to Lazarus and the lead in to Holy week (timely). The thought of this show really slowing down in season 5, covering only a couple days, is very exciting. As Gandalf says, the board is set, the pieces are moving. They have set up so so many characters, and finally seeing dominoes fall is very satisfying. This show did have an arc in the middle, actually dead center of the entire series, where there is a moment that does not happen in the Bible but has massive implications. This led to good conversations with our Bible study, I don't want to spoil what happens but I can't say I was a fan. However, as the show has moved on from that point I understand the choice, and its playing a direct role in getting one of the disciples to his key moment. I've probably said it before, but I love how this show...

⭐ 9.5/10 This is everything good TV should be. 30 minute episodes, week to week, beautiful to look at, fun, full of great characters and dialog and action and emotion. From the first 5 minutes I was in love, as it literally takes a dump on the stoicism I associate with what Game of Thrones became (mainly House of the Dragon). It embraces the nastiness of Westeros, all from the view of an actually good person! They are so so rare in this world, and it is refreshing to have one, and that they didn't warp this story to try to squeeze it into the contours of the other shows. We have all the classic medieval story beats, a tourney with jousting, but also conspiracy, royals misbehaving. Aside from that we also have a lone wolf and cub story, a trope that has been used a million times in things I love but is done so well here. Dunk is loveable and kind and noble, Egg is fun and sweet but also has a secret. The Targs are pathetic and annoying except the one who isn't. The guy running ...

⭐ 9/10 My 3 season binge meant that I got to watch this fourth season weekly for most of it, and I forgot how exciting it is to have ongoing shows to look forward to every week, specifically Sunday night. This and Knight of the Seven Kingdoms were such a treat. With this show specifically I forgot how much I love a multi-season show. If I have to pick between movies or TV I will go movies 90% of the time, but with something like this you are really rewarded for the tens of hours you spend with these characters. Seeing how they evolve, and even how the show evolves over time, is something that is basically impossible to do in movies. Speaking of evolution, this show continues to amaze. The first season is a bunch of kids at an internship trying to score this soul-sucking job. Season two we move higher up in the company, the rot on the trading floor trickling down from the board rooms above it. Season 3 we keep going up, the upper-upper class and their relationship with the media and fi...

⭐9.5/10 Our latest offering from the Thronesverse, and while the dialogue around Westeros has been pretty negative for pretty much the last decade, I was pretty optimistic about this show. I loved the short story collection they are based on and thought it would offer some levity and charm to a series that has been a little over-serious and grim for most people's tastes.  I will still admit I didn't expect to love this show quite as much as I did. I think it was pretty much perfect. It was funnier than the books, going for some pretty outrageous visual gags, but otherwise it was pretty true to the source. The writing, as in most Thrones adaptations, was consistently sublime, getting the voice of the universe just right. I think this is the result of closely following a wonderful writer with a strong voice, and if a story sticks close to George, it usually succeeds.  Dunk is a character in this universe that we all need, someone who is just and kind and easy to chee...

⭐9/10 Starting our watch of my new favorite show in earnest, though we skipped a few seasons to start because we've heard first few are a little rough.  This show and this season are absolutely awesome. It takes place in Patagonia, and I actually had a bit of familiarity with survival tactics in this area because I read The Wager which is a survival story that takes place there. It's a beautiful, harsh location, and one of the best features of this show is that it's nice to look at.  We get a terrific cast of characters from nature hippies to mountain men, each one having their own strengths and weaknesses. I love the contrast that we get every season, especially in age, where young people have more energy and can recover better, but don't have that experience or knowledge that the vets have. This is a American show with American contestants, but I do wish there were a few people from different cultures who might bring something different. One of the most st...

⭐ 9.5/10 This is a show that I hear about almost every week from one of my favourite podcasts because they have loved it from day one. I heard it described as Succession + Euphoria, and while I love Succession I haven't seen Euphoria because it looks like sex and drugs and no real substance. Well this show certainly has that, but a whole lot of substance as well. I started the first season over a year ago, and it took a while to get through that season, but at some point it finds its rhythm and I could not stop watching. I didn't even have time to review previous seasons because I was burning through them, and it all felt like one big story. Season 3 has a huge ending, and is clearly the closing of a chapter for the show, so before I start 4 I figured I should reflect. Season 1 is about a bunch of new grads starting what is basically an internship at Pierpoint, a massive financial institution in London. If they do a good job and pass the final interview they will secure full t...

⭐6/10 Had a tough time with this one. It should be the perfect show for me because it's about therapists and broken people and healing from loss and all, and initially I was completely sold! That opening scene killed me and I was fully on board, and that feeling lasted a few episodes.  By the end, I was just waiting for this show to be done. The one trend in modern TV that I despise is constant therapy talk, characters sitting across from each other and pouring out their hearts, revealing their past traumas by just talking about it. The therapist in me thinks that communication is awesome and they key to healing, but the TV watcher in me thinks that this makes for very uninteresting viewing. My rule of thumb is that in stories, characters should not apologize by simply issuing an apology. I mean it comes down to the basics of writing: I want to be shown that someone is sorry, not be told. There are like thirty apologies per episode and it drives me nuts. I get that ther...

⭐ 10/10 I watched this entire series with a knot in my stomach. From the very first moments something unthinkable happens and a family is left in turmoil. I hate to pull the dad card so early in my dad journey, but as a father there was so much here that wrecked me. All of it is impossible to imagine, but the family reactions and the long lasting fallout is so painful, and I thought Stephen Graham was phenomenal, my favourite performance of the show. His short but bulky stature, his hard accent, pitbull eyes, all while being completely helpless, dragged along in a current with no control, an incredible performance by someone who created and wrote the show as well. Each episode is a single take, which aside from being flashy, really immerses you. We have to sit through the grief of the family, or the awkwardness of these conversations. Early in the first episode there is a drive to the police station where we have to watch this boy reckon with what is coming for him, and even if you k...

⭐ 9.5/10 Okay hear me out - I despise every character in this show. We follow Maia, who is the manager for Tallulah, an influencer. Their friend group also includes Charlie, a stylist for influencers, and Alani, who is the daughter of a famous movie producer who doesn't do anything. We watch as Maia tries to score jobs for Tallulah, and see the lengths they will go to for success. Sounds awful right? The catch is that this show is razor sharp, hilarious, and knowingly critical of these people without making you hate them. Its an incredible balance I don't think I have encountered before. This show is created and written and sometimes directed by Rachel Sennott, who also plays Maia, and I am convinced she is a genius. The writing is so sharp, its portrayal of these people completely open and honest. They are vulgar and cruel but for some reason you want them to succeed in this vulgar and cruel industry. It feels completely modern, a show that wouldn't have made sense even 5...

⭐ 7.5/10 Better Call Saul was methodical, and for two and a half seasons it drove me insane. So obsessed with process, how things actually move from point A to B, that I thought the story was completely neglected. That show ends with an incredible couple of seasons, and you could probably argue its because of this slow back story laying the foundation that it ends so powerfully. One season into Pluribus, its hard to know if I can count on the same thing. The setup for this show is great, and 2 episodes in I was enthralled. The show didn't release anything before hand, so no spoilers here, but there is an apocalyptic scenario in episode one that reminded me a ton of Last Of Us, but weirdly even more creepy and unknown. Episode two the ball starts rolling, but it never really accelerates. We watch Carol try to cope in this world, and even fight back, but its so meticulous. It mirrors the loneliness of her new life, sure sure, its just not that compelling. Every time there was a hint...

⭐7.5/10 Tim Robinson has that unique quality where everything he says is funny to me. Just look at that face - in fact he's already funny before he says anything. I am a huge fan and will always check out his stuff.  Many of my thoughts are similar to Tim's. I love ITYSL, but also only laugh at around half the skits, and am stoneface silent at the other half. But the funny half really hits! I cry-laugh at half the jokes. I'm not sure there are higher highs in comedy for me.   I thought this show was actually kinda the opposite where it is consistently funny, but only moderately. It is safer throughout, and so while there are fewer bits where I'm just waiting for it to end, I'm also less likely to be curled up and unable to breathe.  This show is about Tim Robinson discovering a vast conspiracy about a chair company, but it really plays out as a parody of some espionage thriller. I thought that especially the early episodes were the best where it seems li...

⭐ 9/10 Honestly a lot of these episodes I'm across the room doing something else while my son is distracted, but there were a couple episodes that really stood out. This show is about parents and kids being playful and imaginative, its funny and not over stimulating, and my son loves it, so its perfect. He also knows that his allotment is exactly 3 episodes, which is around 20 minutes, so its a perfect length to calm him down or give us time to do a chore. In season 1 there was an episode about the dad taking the kids to get takeout food, the food taking longer than expected, the kids getting into trouble because of how curious they are, and the dad ending up embracing it. That was the best episode, the one that made me tear up, the one I think about all the time. In this season there is an episode that had me and Jess completely crying, called Baby Race. It's the mom recounting when Bluey was growing up, how proud she was of certain milestones, but how easy it was to try to ru...

⭐ 8/10 I rewatched ITYSL season 1 recently, and while I have hilarious memories of that show I would say the hit rate is actually probably like 40%. This is true of Friendship as well, which is similar to this in a lot of ways. Some moments where I laugh as hard as I ever have, but then the rest is just absurdity. It feels like him and Nathan Fielder are moving in similar directions, but with Fielder tackling modern loneliness and Robinson always embodying this intense male rage across his shows. The setup for this show is great, and I love the conspiracy thriller aspects. There were several episodes where I felt completely lost, but then he has a conversation with his daughter about Wendy's new Carvers line of sandwiches and I was dying laughing again. This felt all over the map, but the best moments were all little ITYSL sketches. He's got a way of saying things in a way no human ever would, and its those little jolts that kept me going. I also love how everyone in the show ...

⭐ 7/10 The first season of this show was background noise for me, and even though I tried to watch this with Jess I would often be on my phone. There are some funny parts, and the actors are charismatic, but this is like the Netflix equivalent of a CW teen show. Really corny stuff, cookie cutter setups, conflict that could be resolved by just talking. Pretty insane the amount of money Netflix throws at this though, filming all over LA, using music from all the biggest recent artists in the openings, renting the Academy museum for a ridiculous engagement party finale. I can't believe it. Again the CW feel of this can't be understated. Every time there is a good emotional scene of two people finally hashing it out they have to play soft slow music with lyrics in the background. It's so distracting, and it made me so upset, felt like they don't trust their viewers to be able to pay attention for an entire episode so they gotta underscore these important scenes that might ...

⭐5/10 We watched the movie last year and I loved it, but I thought the show didn't even come close. That's super disappointing because it's the same people who made it, and I love that crew, but man, I thought this show was painfully unfunny sometimes.  It's a show about classical vampires living in modern New York, and they are centuries old and so have all these spooky qualities and antiquated beliefs, and it's filmed as a mocumentary as they go about their day to day. Again, same premise as the movie, but that really worked for me and this didn't. I guess I didn't hate it. I managed to finish the season. I still believe in this idea, and there were funny moments, like the stuff around the Baron. I also loved the set design and costumes, and thought this was the perfect casual spooky watch. But in the end, I just didn't laugh much so it's hard to give it any kind of endorsement. I think the primary issue is that I simply don't find ...