Image via Complex
In a week that featured us sharing what we learned in London about No Time to Die, the fun we had watching Birds of Prey, and giving you a look at the best films NOT nominated for Oscars at the 92nd Academy Awards, it's kind of wild that there's still dope content to talk about. We might be stuck in the doldrums of February, but there are some (uncut) gems out there waiting to be discovered. No, we won't be talking about Uncut Gems in this post.
Actually, this feature won't even talk about movies; it's an all-TV party over here. From the latest in Larry David's solid Season 10 to Cynthia Erivo going in on The Outsider to USA's new Rosario Dawson-led series Briarpatch, we've got the TV you should've been checking for covered.
You know what to do; follow along for our reasons WHY you should be up on these shows, then get up on these shows. Simple.
'Curb Your Enthusiasm' - "Artificial Fruit" (Season 10, Episode 3)
Where to Watch: HBO Now
While Episode 2 wasn't bad, it didn't have the pizazz of the Season 10 premiere, which can make me nervous when devouring Curb week to week. That said, this week's "Artificial Fruit" felt like classic Larry. The title wasn't some wild pun; most of the insanity surrounded people biting into artificial fruits and thus fucking their teeth up. That, coupled with Larry's sweater—which was definitely fire, but as it was a gift from Cheryl, he didn't want to see it anymore—alongside him trying to get people to try his dry AF scones and the death of a waiter's family member turned into a perfectly-constructed mess of an episode. It feels like what I loved about sitcoms back in the day, but all kinds of vulgar and real. Loads of wit, and solidly integrated to the arcs being built since the premiere. Larry's operating on Jordan (wearing the 4-5) level; you love to see it. —khal
'The Outsider - "Tear Drinker" (Season 1, Episode 5))
Where to Watch: HBO Now
After four previous episodes of enacting suspense and emotional density, this week’s episode was just…fine. The fifth episode, “Tear Drinker,” centers on everyone on the edge of losing their minds. The episode begins with a flash-forward to a man killed in a police shootout. Later the episode, we get a hint of his involvement in the storyline—the camera zooms in on his neck, sharing the same horrific wound that we’ve seen on Jack. We then flash back to the present moment, where the unnamed man enters the Hofstetter family’s now deserted house, cleaning it meticulously and setting clothes on Heath’s bed. After infiltrating the house days later, Holly notes that whoever did such an act did so out of remorse, a possibility that the man was involved in implicating Heath in his murder conviction.
The unknown supernatural creature is continually tormenting Jack, forcing him to take a step further by camping out in the woods and dragging deer carcasses—possibly to provide sacrifice? Or possibly to provide routine meals. Either way, Jack is clearly now the vessel for strengthening the supernatural creature as it crawls into the lives of others. To make things even more ominous, he doesn’t want to hold Tamika’s baby at her baby shower, out of fear that something bad might (and likely will) happen to it, causing Tamika extreme distress.
Speaking of distress, we see strip club owner Claude Bolton acting antsy at the club. From the previous episode, it’s noted that Terry Maitland’s dopplegänger scratched Claude’s hand, suggesting that whatever murderous virus that infected Terry is now transferred to Claude. On the other side of town, the creature pays a visit to Ralph’s wife, Jeannie, who gets the hunch that some creepy figure is following her around. He finally confronts her in the dead of night, knowing that she’s the only one who can possibly convince Ralph to drop the investigation.
At this point, the case rests on Holly’s shoulders to carry through to success. She’s the one miraculously tracking enough leads and keep an open enough mind to factor the supernatural as a cause of the murders. Hopefully, we’ll get to see Ralph and Holly truly team up and come together on a common lead that will hold more answers to the chain of murders involved. It seems like they would be a force to be reckoned with—it’s just a matter of time that we get to see it unfold. —Andie Park
'Briarpatch' - "First Time in Saint Disgrace" (Season 1, Episode 1)
Where to Watch: USA Network
“There’s always a dead girl.”
Whether it’s Twin Peaks or The Outsider, television’s long storied relationship with dead kids, hard-boiled detectives, and all the other hallmarks of crime fiction shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, the genre itself has existed for roughly two centuries, making it one of the culture’s most storied narratives. With the ever-expanding need for content, it’s not shocking that we’ve seen in an influx of these kinds of shows. Sure, true crime as a genre is often inherently dour—but it doesn’t have to feel that way at every single turn. This is why, almost right out of the gate, Briarpatch impressed me with just how it’s deciding to present its own specific version of a well-worn tale.
Based on the Ross Thomas novel of the same name, Briarpatch's biggest strength is realizing that for as intense as these crime mysteries often are, not every single second has to be as depressing as an episode of The Leftovers. Based on the strength of the pilot, you’d be hard-pressed to realize that this showrunner Andy Greenwald’s first show. As a former television critic himself (RIP Grantland), Greenwald has spent plenty of time analyzing what does and doesn’t work when it comes to television, smartly applying those lessons to his own work as evidenced by the pilot. From the moment it opens, Briarpatch avoids the well-worn color palette of shows like True Detective, instead opting (quite literally!) to explode with color and vibrancy thanks to the stunning direction of Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The Bad Batch). That tone extends to the Texas town of Saint Disgrace and its denizens, quickly evoking feelings of Twin Peaks, in its appreciation of both the local food and defined characters.
As investigator Allegra Dill, actor Rosario Dawson seems to relish the chance to dig into Greenwald’s material. Fantastic as she is, I think most viewers will rightfully lap up the appearance of the man formally known as Stan Rizzo, as actor Jay R. Ferguson threatens to steal the show with his portrayal of local big-wig Jake Spivey. It’s Spivey who provides the dead quote from the top, a winking nod to the audience’s understanding of the kind of show Briarpatch is. Acknowledging that you’re driving into the skid only goes so far. Fortunately, Greenwald knows that you can’t stray too far from a template people know and love. But Briarpatch’s strength is understanding to be just different enough without breaking the mold. It’s familiar, yet refreshing. In that sense, it’s not unlike a cool beer on a hot Saint Disgrace day. —William Goodman