Television Review | The Cutprice Guignol

March 11, 2018

Why Jessica Jones Season Two Doesn’t (Quite) Work

I didn’t write about the first season of Jessica Jones. There were lots of reasons for that, but the biggest one was because the show felt so personal to me: as I wrote about Lady Bird a few weeks ago, it’s hard to really take a critical look at something that feels as though it’s so tied up in you as a person. And that’s a compliment to the show. It’s hard to think of the last time a run of episodes felt so gallingly specific, to the point where I just can’t take a look at the show on it’s strengths and weaknesses because it felt like jamming a finger into some raw part of my own brain and sloshing it back and forth a bit.

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February 8, 2018

American Crime Story S2E4: House by the Lake

Well, after a week like last week, there’s always going to be a drop-off.

And that’s not to say that this week’s ACS: Versace outing, House by the Lake, is a bad one, by any means. But after last week’s total blinder of an episode, whatever comes next is going to feel less fully-formed by comparison.

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January 27, 2018

Riverdale S2E11: The Wrestler

I just want to get it out there right now that it was announced this week that Riverdale are doing a musical episode based on the Carrie stage adaptation, and frankly, if the producers are just going to straight lift ideas from my blog I at least deserve some credit. I see you, Riverdale. I see you seeing me.

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January 20, 2018

Riverdale Recaps S2E10: Blackboard Jungle

Some might say I’ve taken on too many shows to recap this year. Those people would be right, but they would also be fuckheads about it so let’s ignore them.

If you’ve been following my other recaps (currently, I’m recapping Vikings, American Crime Story, and the novel version of Carrie as well as doing a series of secret TV recaps you can access by supporting me on Patreon), you’ll know that, in the last few weeks, one of my favourite shows has taken a major turn for the worst. Vikings, which used to be my precious baby show that I recommended to everyone while basically bellowing the praises of, has turned into a steaming mire of boredom, sex, and contrived rape plots in the last month or so, and it’s a damn shame to be so let down with a show. And I think in some ways, Riverdale has benefited from the fact that one of the shows I write about week to week is so fucking boring.

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January 18, 2018

American Crime Story Recaps S2E1: The Man Who Would Be Vogue

So, you know that I’m clinically incapable of saying no to a Ryan Murphy show. I watched Glee. I watched The Glee Project. I watched Nip/Tuck. I watched Scream Queens. I watched so much American Horror Story – God, so much American Horror Story. And I have been disappointing and delighted by each and every one, in various percentages. But every time a new one comes along, no matter how bad that last one might have been, I have to dive into it, whether I like it or not: I have a perfect run so far, and I’m not going to ruin that now. Even if it means sitting through another season of AHS, God help my immortal soul.

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January 5, 2018

Black Mirror Season Four: From Worst to Best

Well, a new season of Black Mirror out, and a new excuse for us to spend the next two weeks shooting fearful glances at our phones and wondering if they somehow contain the lost souls of that weird hamster you owned as a child. I just finished up the season, and I have some heavy opinions, and I’ll bet you do to (so share them with me in the comments below). Spoilers ahoy!

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December 31, 2017

The Best TV Shows of 2017

So, it’s that time of the year once more. I may not have been the most positive I’ve ever been about TV this year – between the outright awfulness of Doctor Who, to the sproadic weirdness of Vikings, to the who-the-fuck-knows-seriously of American Horror Story, I seem to have spent a lot of time exasperated with the small screen. But I still love my TV, we’re closing out on 2017 and for once, I feel like being a little positive. So let’s take a look at my ten best shows of the year!

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December 17, 2017

The Worst TV of 2017

Ah, another year gone by, another myriad of awful shows to whine about when I could just turn off the TV and get some bloody fresh air for a change. If you’re wondering why there are no movies on this list, my worst-of list for the world of cinema will be up on No But Listen later this week! But for now, let’s focus on the disappointments of the small screen, and count down the worst shows of the year.

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December 14, 2017

Vikings Recaps S5E4: The Plan

Ugh. Honestly, I want to come in here all guns blazing and ready to write a killer review for this week’s episode, The Plan, but right now my head is mince from The Last Jedi and honestly I’m having a hard time thinking about anything other than that despite the fact I already vomited up three thousand words on it today.

So sorry if this comes across as a little disjointed. But then, that could just be the fault of the episode – The Plan, for all it promisingly set up, was a spectacular mess of the highest order. Good thing they’ve got some great direction and performances to keep it clinging together, but it’s threatening to bust at the seams under the weight of it’s own story any minute now.

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November 10, 2017

Riverdale Recaps: When a Stranger Calls

Hey, now this is more like it!

After last week’s Veronica-heavy, slightly dismal outing, Riverdale is storming back with a brilliant, spooky, slippery episode that might as well have been made for me. On to the review!

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Category: Television Review