Hey Alan just a quick note - I think when you wrote "Up All Night" in your Poker Face recap, you meant to write the title of episode 2 "The Night Shift". As in, "my that's some insane key art for NBC's The Night Shift".
Haven't read the Poker Face part yet because I have to catch up, but my feelings about Harley are basically - even if the entirety of the DCCU crumbles, I won't care as long as I get to keep this show, and if it goes I revolt. (Though to be fair, I am bummed that it doesn't look like we're getting another season of Peacemaker anytime soon.)
I think we're likely to get another season of Peacemaker if John Cena remains available for it, but I really doubt Gunn would be very involved in the production (although I'm sure he'd pick whoever replaced him and have input on the contours for a S2). Replacing Gunn would be a shame but considering he's now running a studio and (apparently) writing multiple film scripts, this is probably the way.
This is the moment in the play that the trapdoor has been rigged for, and after the deadly incident they'd be extra-careful to arrange it correctly, so it never occurred to me that it could be anything other than her dramatic finale, as scripted, before which she was able to achieve an exceptional level of truth in her acting.
To which I'll add that after such an enjoyable episode overall, I really needed another couple of minutes at the end to wrap things up clearly (as they usually do, and as I think this genre demands). I felt as if the story had been told at just a bit less than its proper length. Do Peacock shows have to fit a Procrustean timing requirement?
I wholeheartedly agree on both points. There is NO WAY the mat wouldn't be under the trapdoor this time, if only for insurance/potentially being sued reasons for the theater. Even if the mat isn't there, she's gonna get a concussion and some serious bruising, maybe break a bone or three. The fall doesn't seem far enough to secure death - Ava/Jameela Jamil's death seemed to occur more from breaking her neck on the edge of the trap door space than just because of a fall. I highly doubt Kathleen is committing suicide.
Also bizarre to not wrap things up when the show is on a streaming service. There should be no "we have to air this other show by second X" limitations - I wonder why they couldn't wrap it up a bit.
Harley and Ivy discovering that one of Bane's likes was "later seasons of The Office." and Bane later saying he was going to go home and watch the episode where Jim goes to Orlando to meet Robert California was one of the biggest laughs I've had recently. My reaction to those things was pretty much the same as Harley's.
Thank you so much for the full review and blurb here about the Harley Quinn episode. Although I don't watch the show, I gave this special a watch and it was as hilarious as you said. Even without any more context other than your review, I easily followed it and got the motivations of the characters. The interstitials with couples were funny too.
Thanks for the Harley Quinn/Batman episode recommendation. I had not followed the show and was surprised at how funny and irreverent it was. Wonderful echoes of Batman the Animated Series. The animated DC world from Batman the Animated series forward has always been my favorite comic book universe - particularly when they play with their own tropes as they did so well in that episode.
Without spoiling anything, The Last of Us certainly looks like it cost an average of $10m per episode. From what I've seen reported, the series has an army of production designers and you can see that in every carefully dressed set. The Walking Dead had some impressive set pieces in specific episodes but would then spend long swaths of eps in the countryside, avoiding the need to dress all that post-civilization destruction. The Last of Us wallows in those bleak urban and suburban settings, it really is immersed in it. The look of "Kansas City" is just incredible.
For comparison, season 1 of The Walking Dead reportedly averaged nearly $3.5m per episode, which was allegedly a big reason why Darabont was fired. Season 2 was roughly $2.5m per. The Road, a film The Last of Us repeatedly reminds me of, cost $25m to make.
This is the first episode of Poker Face I didn't enjoy. I think it was just too silly for me, with Lyonne in the refrigerator, outside the window, etc.
I loved the Harley episode and thought episode 4 of The Last of Us was just okay. But like you said it’s really a setup for episode 5.
I can’t comment on Poker Face as I am still catching up. I watched episode 5 only to realize a new episode was up. I guess I should stop complaining about that 4 episode dump but I don’t have that much time to watch TV so I am having trouble keeping up.
I too wasn't quite sure what they were trying to show with the ending sequence of Poker Face. It felt a little like going out with a bang, but the fact that she goes thru the trap door that killed their victim makes it a little more like a possible suicide to me?
Hey Alan just a quick note - I think when you wrote "Up All Night" in your Poker Face recap, you meant to write the title of episode 2 "The Night Shift". As in, "my that's some insane key art for NBC's The Night Shift".
Haven't read the Poker Face part yet because I have to catch up, but my feelings about Harley are basically - even if the entirety of the DCCU crumbles, I won't care as long as I get to keep this show, and if it goes I revolt. (Though to be fair, I am bummed that it doesn't look like we're getting another season of Peacemaker anytime soon.)
I think we're likely to get another season of Peacemaker if John Cena remains available for it, but I really doubt Gunn would be very involved in the production (although I'm sure he'd pick whoever replaced him and have input on the contours for a S2). Replacing Gunn would be a shame but considering he's now running a studio and (apparently) writing multiple film scripts, this is probably the way.
Would it still feel like Peacemaker without him? Based on Alan's post it sounds like most of these characters will live elsewhere in the verse. :/
This is the moment in the play that the trapdoor has been rigged for, and after the deadly incident they'd be extra-careful to arrange it correctly, so it never occurred to me that it could be anything other than her dramatic finale, as scripted, before which she was able to achieve an exceptional level of truth in her acting.
To which I'll add that after such an enjoyable episode overall, I really needed another couple of minutes at the end to wrap things up clearly (as they usually do, and as I think this genre demands). I felt as if the story had been told at just a bit less than its proper length. Do Peacock shows have to fit a Procrustean timing requirement?
I wholeheartedly agree on both points. There is NO WAY the mat wouldn't be under the trapdoor this time, if only for insurance/potentially being sued reasons for the theater. Even if the mat isn't there, she's gonna get a concussion and some serious bruising, maybe break a bone or three. The fall doesn't seem far enough to secure death - Ava/Jameela Jamil's death seemed to occur more from breaking her neck on the edge of the trap door space than just because of a fall. I highly doubt Kathleen is committing suicide.
Also bizarre to not wrap things up when the show is on a streaming service. There should be no "we have to air this other show by second X" limitations - I wonder why they couldn't wrap it up a bit.
Harley and Ivy discovering that one of Bane's likes was "later seasons of The Office." and Bane later saying he was going to go home and watch the episode where Jim goes to Orlando to meet Robert California was one of the biggest laughs I've had recently. My reaction to those things was pretty much the same as Harley's.
Thank you so much for the full review and blurb here about the Harley Quinn episode. Although I don't watch the show, I gave this special a watch and it was as hilarious as you said. Even without any more context other than your review, I easily followed it and got the motivations of the characters. The interstitials with couples were funny too.
Thanks for the Harley Quinn/Batman episode recommendation. I had not followed the show and was surprised at how funny and irreverent it was. Wonderful echoes of Batman the Animated Series. The animated DC world from Batman the Animated series forward has always been my favorite comic book universe - particularly when they play with their own tropes as they did so well in that episode.
Without spoiling anything, The Last of Us certainly looks like it cost an average of $10m per episode. From what I've seen reported, the series has an army of production designers and you can see that in every carefully dressed set. The Walking Dead had some impressive set pieces in specific episodes but would then spend long swaths of eps in the countryside, avoiding the need to dress all that post-civilization destruction. The Last of Us wallows in those bleak urban and suburban settings, it really is immersed in it. The look of "Kansas City" is just incredible.
For comparison, season 1 of The Walking Dead reportedly averaged nearly $3.5m per episode, which was allegedly a big reason why Darabont was fired. Season 2 was roughly $2.5m per. The Road, a film The Last of Us repeatedly reminds me of, cost $25m to make.
This is the first episode of Poker Face I didn't enjoy. I think it was just too silly for me, with Lyonne in the refrigerator, outside the window, etc.
I loved the Harley episode and thought episode 4 of The Last of Us was just okay. But like you said it’s really a setup for episode 5.
I can’t comment on Poker Face as I am still catching up. I watched episode 5 only to realize a new episode was up. I guess I should stop complaining about that 4 episode dump but I don’t have that much time to watch TV so I am having trouble keeping up.
I too wasn't quite sure what they were trying to show with the ending sequence of Poker Face. It felt a little like going out with a bang, but the fact that she goes thru the trap door that killed their victim makes it a little more like a possible suicide to me?