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With the coronavirus having everyone dive into TV shows they may have missed or slept-on over the years, it can be easy to forget that we're at least getting the springtime new television slate hitting us over the head daily. Not saying you can't get your catch-up binge on, but remember: there's plenty fire dropping that has never aired before.
This week, there's only one HBO show on this list! HBO ain't lacking, but this one's a doozy if you take the time. Elsewhere on the dial, we've got Better Call Saul doing God-level storytelling, Better Things hitting us with that raw reality, and Briarpatch delivering on the promises made during its premiere. Exciting time to really pay attention to these new stories.
You know the routine; a simple stroll gives you a look at the best on your screens this week; plan accordingly.
‘Better Call Saul’ - “Dedicado a Max” (Season 5, Episode 5)
Where to Watch: AMC
Largely a transitional episode, “Dedicado a Max,” moves narrative pieces around the chessboard in a way so clever that you barely see the moves at all, creating an episode that’s just downright pleasurable to watch.
Having fully been enlisted by Kim (Rhea Seehorn) to help Mesa Verde holdout Evertt Acker (Barry Corbin), Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) takes to the assignment like a duck to water. The Breaking Bad universe has never met a good montage it didn’t like, but what’s presented here is a series of thrilling grift after grift, as Jimmy comes up with one equally absurd con after another to delay construction crews from fully digging into Acker’s land. The actual whys and wherefores of each scheme are better left unspoiled, but the result is among one of the show’s finest sequences.
I’ve found the Jimmy/Kim side of the show to be a little bit more exciting over the last few episodes as Mike (Jonathan Banks) deals with the emotional fallout from Season 4. But that flipped this week as Mike begins his recovery in Mexico, leading up to a powerhouse final scene between Gus (Giancarlo Esposito). Since we saw the relationship between the two characters in Breaking Bad, fans have long wondered why these two characters were drawn together. While we got some of that in previous seasons, the final bits of “Dedicado a Max” finally address this topic, yielding a powerful and emotional blow that feels like years of pay-off I didn’t even know I needed. Of course, Eagle-eyed Breaking Bad fans will recognize the ‘Max’ part of this week’s episode title and can draw their own conclusions from there.
We’re officially over the halfway mark of this penultimate season. If Breaking Bad’s history has proven anything, we’re just a few moments away from Better Call Saul fully Thelma and Louise-ing itself off a cliff—and I cannot wait for the drop. —William Goodman
The Plot Against America – “Part 1”
Where to Watch: HBO
Leave it to HBO to make a brutally compelling miniseries about America turning into a fascist nation. Based on Philip Roth’s 2004 alternative history novel, The Plot Against America takes place post-Great Depression and shows a world in which Franklin D. Roosevelt loses the 1940 election to famed aviator and Nazi sympathizer Charles Lindbergh. Under his presidential rule, the country devolves into a fascist regime predicated on xenophobia and anti-Semitism. The novel was published more than a decade prior to the 2016 election but now serves as a prescient look into how power can transform into oppression if under the wrong hands.
The miniseries’ protagonists are the Levins, a Jewish family living in suburban Newark, New Jersey. There’s Herman Levin (Morgan Specter), his wife Bess (Zoe Kazan), their two sons Philip (Azhy Robertson) and Sandy (Caleb Malis), and their nephew Alvin (Anthony Boyle). We see some tension between Herman and Alvin, primarily directed towards Alvin’s lack of direction in life. Finally, there’s Evelyn (Winona Ryder), Bess’s sister who is involved with a married man.
The series takes place after the Great Depression as American citizens start to get back on their feet. We see the Levin family slowly moving upwards socioeconomically—Herman is on the brim of a promotion and considers moving his family to a more affluent neighborhood. But as the family gets a taste of upward mobility, they also get a glimpse of the anti-Semitism that’s propagating outside of their neighborhood. They drive past a German Biergarten and receive threats from their car, a foreshadowing of how such oppressive forces will infiltrate their lives in the near future. Alvin attempts to take the vigilante route and beat up the men at the Biergarten with his friends. Tension is brewing prior to the election and a sense of powerlessness is either forcing these characters to withdraw or take matters into their own hands.
The first episode starts prior to the election and establishes how the characters consider Lindbergh more an ignorant nuisance than a full threat. Their collective frustration towards his anti-Semitic remarks is muddled with admiration for him as an American hero. We see Hermann withdrawing into his bubble by regularly listening to radio programs that unequivocally blast Lindbergh. We even see Sandy staying up late at night drawing a portrait of Lindbergh. It very similarly mirrors how we, as a nation, didn’t take Trump seriously until it was too late. As the miniseries progresses, it may be cringeworthy not due to lack of quality storytelling but because of its accurate parallels to the world we live in today and the possible foretelling of the future we may have. —Andie Park
'Briarpatch' - “The Most Sinful Mf-er Alive” (Season 1, Episode 6)
Where to Watch: USA Network
After its compelling season premiere, I was curious to see how creator Andy Greenwald and the rest of the writers would continue to flesh out the world of Saint Disgrace, nee San Bonifacio. Through Episode 6, it’s safe to say the madcap energy that made its pilot so compelling and fresh in the mirco has continued throughout—even if the overall show itself is charting familiar ground in the macro.
Briarpatch reminds me of a Texas-fried version of Justified: unsavory characters lingering around its edges, a protagonist with a fiery temper, and even a suited villain operating almost exclusively out of an RV camper. But more than those elements, it nails what Justified did so well: it’s just plain fun to watch these characters interact and hang out with one another. Furthermore, I’m deeply invested in the interpersonal dynamics of each of the various characters and genuinely enjoy watching them all interact and collide with one another.
The show has also done an excellent job of pacing itself. Without giving too much away for those who want to catch up: the central mystery is still unsolved, but there’s been a clear progression made on a week-to-week basis; the new side journeys that pop up along the way never feel like they detract, rather, they enhance and enrich the experience. Case in point: this week’s episode—“The Most Sinful Mf-er Alive”—features a near episode-long action sequence that manages to combine moving character beats, dark comedic moments, and the man formerly known as Stan Rizzo (Jay R. Ferguson) deliver a brutal beatdown. Combine those elements with a delightfully unhinged Alan Cummings performance, a side of Kim Dickens we’ve never seen before, and Rosario Dawson’s continued excellent and, well, you’ve got yourself one hell of a recipe. Time to chow down. —William Goodwin
'Better Things' - "DNA" (Season 4, Episode 4)
Where to Watch: Hulu
The amazing Pamela Adlon does a great job of mixing real life into her dynamic series Better Things; I kind of wish more people understood the brilliance of the series. Take this week's episode "DNA" for example; while most shows would examine the #MeToo movement with a tale set in the modern world, Adlon instead takes a look at it from a different side; a dirty old man making wild jokes about women during a card game with his female peers. There are times where you can see how fucked up things have been over the years, enlightening folks on how fucked things have been through the ages. We accomplish the same thing without hanging onto darker moments for too long. It's genius work.
The rest of the episode features Sam forcing(!) her mother to give up her spit for a DNA test, Sam facing the sad reality of her hands just being messed up for the rest of her life, and she teams with her daughters to capture an owl who finds its way into their home. The major hilarious moment is Pepper, Duke's friend, getting a bit of her finger ripped from her hand...and their dog eating it. Unexpected insanity like this is real life, not the real life that makes up "fun" moments in sitcoms, but the times when you have to react in a split second to something that might make you laugh while you need to be serious. All of this leads to a real AF argument between Sam and her oldest daughter, Max, where Sam holds nothing back. THIS SHIT HAPPENS, and not too many shows highlight how deep real family issues and arguments can get. Realest show on television? Quite possibly. —khal