Parks And Rec (Season 1)

Parks And Recreation is one of my favorite comedies of all time. It's heartwarming and well-plotted with a strong cast of characters. However, I'll be the first to admit that Season 1 is absolutely horrendous.

The storyline of Parks And Recreation is fairly simple. Leslie Knope is trying to turn a giant pit in the middle of her town Pawnee into a common park, as requested by her new friend Ann. Ann's boyfriend Andy broke his leg falling into the pit, but has been using it as an excuse to lie around and slack off. The storyline is fine, though the general story doesn't have much plot progression, with pretty much zero progress being made on "The Pit" by the end of the season.

The main problem with Season 1 of Parks And Rec is that it tries to emulate the tone of The Office, but completely and utterly fails. It's not edgy or biting, it's just bland. The sympathetic qualities of characters like Leslie Knope and Andy Dwyer are pretty much nonexistent, so they aren't fun to watch. Leslie's feelings for her colleague Mark isn't compelling at all, and Andy pretending to have a cast so he can stay at home isn't fun to watch either. 

The humor is lackluster as well, completely lacking moments that made me laugh. There are a few solid scenes like Leslie's introductory scene and the finale's cliffhanger, but they just felt like the exception rather than the rule. There are no notable episodes this season either, nothing really worth talking about throughout. I will give credit where credit is due, however, "Rock Show" is a solid finale with some funny moments and solid set-up for Season 2, but it just felt too little too late at this point.

Season 1 of Parks And Recreation is boring, at least when it isn't thoroughly awful at some points. It feels like the antithesis of everything the series ended up becoming. Dark, drab, and dull.

1/5 Stars

Spaced: The Whole Series

Spaced was Edgar Wright's claim to fame, and it was an excellent first impression. It may have had a bit of a slow start in Season 1, but at its peak, Spaced was uniquely edited, smartly written, and incredibly genuine.

Spaced has a simple but funny premise. Tim and Daisy, despite just meeting, decide to pretend to be a couple so they can rent a cheap flat. Both Tim and Daisy are great characters, well-acted and with strong motivations. They have a great chemistry with each other that makes you root for them to be together, and the rest of the cast is also a lot of fun to watch. By the end of the show, you really get the feeling that everyone in the show's cast are great friends.

Spaced is packed to the brim with pop culture references, far before this type of humor was even popular. And despite many shows nowadays that try and fail to incorporate pop culture, Spaced does it flawlessly, and you need a genuine understanding of where these references come from to understand some of the jokes. There's also a lot of Edgar Wright's unique style of editing that really comes into its own in the second season, which allows for tons of hilarious and creative sequences that feel unlike any other sitcom. Despite the wackiness and pop culture references, however, Spaced is grounded by the genuine chemistry between all of the characters, which allows for some emotional moments near the season's end.

However, I think Spaced did have a fairly slow start, especially in Season 1. It took a while for the show to find its footing and you could tell that Edgar Wright was limiting himself that season. There were also a few jokes that didn't age the best, and I think the show ended just as it was getting genuinely amazing. I think a third season could have explored all of the potential Spaced had, but as a result, it ended up being an above average comedy with a strong second season.

There were also a bunch of strong episodes in Spaced, especially in Season 2:

Ends: A satisfying finale for Season 1 that wrapped everything up fairly well. I especially liked the verbal argument between Tim and Daisy that intercut with Mortal Kombat footage.

Help: An absolutely madcap and fast-paced episode of the series that showed Spaced at its absolute best. There were a whole bunch of entertaining plot threads that weaved in and out as Tim tried to retrieve his drawing, packing in tons of humor and giving the whole cast a chance to shine.

Gone: The most iconic episode of the show, Gone is one of the most unique and inventive episodes of TV pretty much ever. The simple premise of Tim and Daisy trying to get home was mined for so much comedic potential, culminating in that glorious finger gun sequence. The whole episode feels like a predecessor for Shaun Of The Dead.

Leaves: A heartwarming and sweet ending for the show that wraps everything up really well. Everyone gets a satisfying and well-deserved resolution, and the final scene leaves Tim and Daisy's relationship off on an ambiguous note. Did they end up together? I like to think they did.

Overall, Spaced ended up being an incredibly unique and inventive comedy with strong humor, a likable cast, and a lot of humor. You'd just need to get through that slow initial season first.

Season 1: 2/5 Stars

Season 2: 5/5 Stars

3.5/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Help

The Office (UK): The Whole Series

The original UK version of The Office went in a far different and darker direction than its US successor, managing to carve a name for itself with its uncompromising bleakness and brutality, while still being incredibly hilarious at times.

Just like the US version, The Office has a main cast of four: The boss David Brent, the suck-up Gareth, the secretary Dawn, and Tim who hates his job and has a crush on Dawn. The first season is about David Brent facing redundancies and being forced to fire someone, while the second season introduces a merger that culminates in Brent being fired himself and Tim being rejected by Dawn. There's also a Christmas special that actually ends the series on a happier note, while still being fairly true to the characters.

In general, this series has a darker and more grounded tone. The characters are jerks, and rarely have good things happen to them. Brent doesn't have as many sympathetic qualities as Michael Scott, he's just a genuinely incompetent boss. You may think that this makes the show too bleak to watch, but Ricky Gervais manages to imbue the show with just enough levity and comedy to make it worth watching anyway. The cringe comedy is absolutely hard to watch at times, but it can be funny to see just how deep a hole Brent digs himself into every episode. My biggest gripe with the series is how short it was, as it isn't able to flesh out the characters as much as the US version, but I still think it differentiates itself enough from said US version to make it worth watching nonetheless.

And despite its only 14 episodes, The Office UK has a bunch of particularly notable ones:

Training: Easily the most iconic episode of the show. David Brent trying to upstage the training seminar is probably the best instance of cringe comedy in the series, as the sheer lengths he goes to do so are just hilarious to watch. Tim and Dawn also have a strong subplot that brings their relationship to the forefront.

Interview: A heartbreaking finale for the series that's excellent for just how grim it is, while still feeling like a necessary part of the story. Brent begging for his job is brutal and hard to watch for sure, but you can't say that he didn't deserve it at least a bit. Similarly, Tim's rejection from Dawn was perfectly executed and probably the best scene in the whole show.

Christmas Special: Personally, I don't think this episode should have been a two-parter, but it does a great job of giving all of the characters the ending they deserve. Tim and Dawn finally end up together, and Brent finally ends up with someone. It may be a bit too happy for the show, but it's also incredibly satisfying. Easily one of the best Christmas specials ever made.

The UK version of The Office lacks the depth and high points of the US version, but its bleak tone helps its differentiate itself, along with a strong cast and some of the best cringe comedy ever written.

4/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Interview

Aggretsuko (Season 1-3)

Aggretsuko was the first anime I've ever watched, mostly due to its intriguing premise and unique animation style. Three seasons later and with a fourth to come (seemingly, at least), Aggretsuko ended up becoming one of the most unique and memorable slice of life anime I've seen.

Season 1: The first season of Aggretsuko is about Retsuko, who's stuck at a dead-end job with a boss who hates her guts, so she copes by screaming heavy metal in private. Her character arc revolves around her false belief that getting married will help her leave her job, which she eventually realizes is wrong. There are also her colleagues Fenneko and Haida, the latter of which has a crush on Retsuko, along with her new friends Gori and Washimi. I love this cast, every character has a nice amount of depth and they have fun interactions with each other. My favorite is Fenneko, whose dry wit is a joy to watch every time she's on screen, though I also find Retsuko to be an excellently empathetic and relatable protagonist. There's also a lot of strong relatable humor for those in a position similar to Retsuko's. It's a solid first season that doesn't have any major high points, but tells a solid story incredibly well.

Season 2: This season feels like it takes a step back for every step forward it takes as well. The first half of Season 2 is great, with the annoying Anai serving as a great source of conflict and Retsuko's parental issues resulting in some of the most painfully relatable moments in the show. The second half is a bit weaker, however, as while Retsuko's boyfriend of the season Tadano is likable, the finale just feels like end of the first season all over again. There are tons of great episodes and character moments throughout Season 2, but it doesn't seem to do anything to surpass Season 1.

Season 3: Season 3 is the season I've been waiting for since the first, with tons of big status quo changes and character developments. Haida gets a lot of focus as his feelings for Retsuko are fully explored, and while the idea of Retsuko being in a band isn't as relatable as the last two seasons, it's a great usage for her musical talent that hasn't been utilized that much in the first two seasons. The final two episodes in particular are tense and dramatic by the show's standards, and change things up a lot, even if some of the plot developments aren't executed as gracefully as they should be. There are also a ton of strong new characters with their own amount of depth as well, even if it means characters like Fenneko end up getting shafted.

Throughout these three seasons, there are a lot of strong episodes in Aggretsuko:

The Duel: Retsuko's titular rap duel with her boss is a lot of fun to watch, and the entire cast ends up getting brought together in the same location. It's a fun and cathartic episode that's easily the highest point of Season 1.

The Dream Ends: A strong finale that ends Retsuko's current relationship on a predictable yet touching note. I like that she gets to have a heart-to-heart with her boss, and the big cliffhanger with Haida confessing his feelings left me desperate to find out what happened next.

Time To Grow Up: This episode physically pained me to watch at times. Retsuko's dynamic with her mom was relatable and uncomfortable, but also incredibly funny as well. A stellar episode to start the season with.

United Front: The Anai subplot ends on a satisfying note with a fun episode that utilizes the entire office cast very well. The side character Kabae got a surprising amount of depth here as well that was definitely welcome.

She's Dreaming: This episode was absolutely stuffed with plot, and was probably the highlight of Season 2. Retsuko's golf game with her boss was a lot of fun, and the numerous big twists at the episode's end did a great job of setting up for the admittedly underwhelming finale.

An Urchin In The Desert: This was Retsuko's first live performance, and wow, what a stunner. That final line that name-dropped the show's title was just chill-inducing.

When You Count To Ten: Easily the best episode of the show so far, this finale was intense from start to finish, with the scene of the fan being surprisingly violent and realistic for Aggretsuko. I think some of the plot elements got a bit butchered during the dub, especially in regards to Haida, but it was still incredibly satisfying and powerful to see Retsuko and Haida finally communicate and vent to each other.

Overall, I've really been enjoying Aggretsuko so far. Even with some odd plot decisions at times, the anime boasts strong characters, creative animation, and tons of strong relatable humor.

3/5 Stars for Season 1

3/5 Stars for Season 2

4/5 Stars for Season 3 

Fringe (Season 1)

Season 1 of Fringe is a well-crafted first season for the show with a strong cast, some intriguing mysteries, and an intricate structure, even if it comes at the cost of a slow start.

Fringe is about the titular Fringe Division, composed of Olivia, Peter, Walter, and Astrid, who are tasked with dealing with odd occurrences known as The Pattern. Throughout the season, there are plenty of mysteries and plot threads, like the criminal David Robert Jones, the mysterious corporation Massive Dynamics, and Olivia's connection with her dead ex John Scott. All of these threads weave in and out through the course of the season, with plenty of mythology episodes that pay them off, especially the stellar finale. It's like the X-Files in that aspect, but pretty much every thread actually matters this time. 

The cast of characters is also excellent. Right from the start, they have a strong dynamic that carries the show even through the duller monster-of-the-week episode. Everyone has well-defined relationship to each other, and pretty much the whole cast is likable, from the skeptical Peter, to the quirky Walter, to the intense Phillip Broyles, to the manipulative Jones. The only character I didn't like was Sanford Harris, the obstructive bureaucrat who appeared in the second half of the season and dragged down the show pretty much every time he appeared.

This first season of Fringe did have some issues however, as the more monster-of-the-week episodes were far less compelling than the mythology episodes that actually furthered the plot, raised questions, and tied up loose ends. In addition, some storylines like the John Scott connection were not all that compelling, with a subplot about Peter's shady past being dropped completely. The first half of the season was also very slow, as it took until Episode 10 for the myriad of seemingly disconnected plot threads to be weaved together. I also find many of the cases to be a bit overly gory and terrifying, though some of them are fascinating.

Season 1 of Fringe had a lot of strong episodes, however, especially in its second half:

Safe: This was the first episode that showed me just how excellent and well-crafted this show could be. Tons of questions were answered and weaved together incredibly well. There was a tense cliffhanger about Olivia's abduction, and the focus on a bank heist added a lot of fun moments to the episode.

Ability: Similarly to Safe, Ability delivered a lot of interesting answers such as the reasoning behind Olivia's wire tap, what ZFT is, and whatever happened to Jones after he escaped prison. The case-of-the-week is also terrifying, but in a very good way. The reveal about Olivia's cortexiphan was a fascinating addition to the series.

Bad Dreams: This episode took a unique concept about Olivia seeing murders in her dreams and executed it very well, while also adding in a ton of neat cortexiphan lore for good measure.

The Road Not Taken: Another fun case involving pyrokinesis culminating in one of the most satisfying moments in the season, with Harris's painful death. This episode also introduces alternate realities and ends with a buttload of cliffhangers for the finale.

There's More Than One Of Everything: The season finale absolutely blew me away with the amount of ground it managed to cover. It was slow and tense while managing to resolve a ton of major mysteries that raised the scope of the entire series. The alternate universe reveal was great, but what really surprised me was the reveal that Peter is technically dead. I like how the episode allows you to piece together what truly happened with Peter rather than telling you directly. 

Overall, Season 1 of Fringe was an incredibly satisfying and well-crafted debut season for the show with some strong characters and a compelling mythology. It may suffer from a slow start, weak standalones, and shaky storylines, just stick with it and I promise you will be immensely rewarded.

3/5 Stars

The Office (Season 7)

A general improvement over Season 7 works as a beautiful farewell to Michael Scott. One that could've been one of the show's best seasons if they had just stopped there.

Focusing almost entirely on Michael Scott's departure, Season 7 can be split into thirds fairly easily. The first ten episodes have Michael play off some other character in the cast, whether it's Toby during Counseling, his ex-girlfriends during Sex Ed, or Oscar during China. I think it's a great way to reflect on how much he has affected many of the side characters throughout the show. Once Holly arrives in the midseason finale, however, the season becomes amazing.

At this point, Season 7 packs in tons of callbacks and references to past moments in the show. David Brent appears in one episode, we get to see the full version of Threat Level Midnight, Michael finally calls out Todd Packer, and we see the final Dundies ever held. It all builds up to the amazing farewell episode that has Michael say his goodbyes to everyone in the cast. It's the perfect end to the show, or at least, it should have been.

Sadly, once Michael leaves, Season 7 has four more episodes about the office looking for a replacement, and they are not good. It feels like the writing just took a massive step-down, even lower than Season 6, and without Michael, The Office just lacks its energy. The season (or even the series) should have ended with Michael leaving, but these tacked-on last four episodes drag the season down as a whole.

I'm not writing a full review for Seasons 8 & 9, but they weren't great. Season 9 had some good episodes and an excellent last bunch of episodes, but Season 8 was an unfunny slog. I'm not a fan of Robert California or Andy's portrayal, and the lack of Michael Scott removes a lot of the show's energy.

Despite this weak ending, Season 7 does have a lot of strong episodes, especially around the middle:

China: This episode was just plain funny. Michael's dynamic with Oscar always leads to some embarrassment, but the conflict between the two of them was particularly humorous this time around. The subplots about Dwight and Andy were also pretty fun.

Threat Level Midnight: Easily one of the show's best episodes, I adore the home film vibe of Michael Scott's magnum opus of a film. It's consistently hilarious and packs in tons of cute details that demand rewatching. I also highly recommend watching the full version on YouTube.

Garage Sale: The titular garage sale is a fun and cute storyline for most of the episode that contains some fun character interactions, but the real highlight is the beautiful and heartwarming proposal that ends the episode.

Goodbye, Michael: I already mentioned why I love this episode so much. Michael's goodbyes are sweet and every character gets a time to shine. It's funny, sad, and heart-warming in equal measures. A perfect goodbye to one of the best TV characters of all time.

When its focusing on saying goodbye to Michael Scott, Season 7 of The Office is pretty much perfect, with tons of heartwarming callbacks and funny moments. However, the season does also suffer from a slow start, tacked-on ending, and the awful decision to keep the show running after Michael leaves.

3.5/5 Stars

My ranking of the seasons (including 8 & 9) would be:

1. Season 3: One of the best comedy seasons ever. Pretty much every episode is iconic in its own way, and the main storyline about the merger is easily the show's most compelling.
2. Season 2: Season 2 is The Office at its absolute purest. It focuses squarely on the slice of life elements, but makes up for that small scale with consistently great comedy and characterization.
3. Season 4: While it loses a bit of steam after the Writer's Strike, Season 4 still has so many iconic episodes that it's hard to rank it any lower than this.
4. Season 5: A very uneven season with episode quality ranging from super high highs to horribly low lows, but the high points are soaring and the Michael Scott Paper Company arc is fantastic.
5. Season 7: While not super consistent, Season 7 is at its best when it focuses on giving a satisfying farewell to Michael Scott, and it does that excellently.
6. Season 1: Though the pilot is just a poor man's The Office UK, the rest of the season is actually fairly solid and Season 1 otherwise mostly suffers from its short length.
7. Season 6: I'm not a fan from this one. It has its few highlights like the wedding, but the whole Sabre storyline is lacking in stakes and Scott's Tots is my least favorite episode of the show.
8. Season 9: Don't get me wrong, most of this season is still bad, but there were some good episodes here or there, and the final stretch did a great job at bringing the show to a somewhat schmaltzy close.
9. Season 8: This season is awful, one of my least favorites ever. There's not a single good episode, Robert California drives me up the wall, and all of the characters (especially Andy) have basically been ruined.

And my ranking The Office's season finales is:

1. Casino Night: Still one of my favorite finales ever. The premise is fun, every character gets time to shine, and Jim's confession to Pam is an absolutely perfect scene of television.
2. Finale: Perhaps a bit too grandiose for the show's premise, but Finale is a satisfying, emotional, and heartwarming farewell to the entire case of The Office, including Michael Scott.
3. Goodbye, Toby: Goodbye, Toby uses its double-length runtime to stuff itself full with cliffhangers and plot twists. It's as shameless of a sitcom season finale as it gets and I love that about it.
4. The Job: It's predictable that Michael wouldn't get the job, but the show knew this and tossed in a bunch of other curveballs that really made this episode a joy to watch on first viewing.
5. Company Picnic: Probably a bit low-key coming off the Michael Scott Paper Company arc, but that big cliffhanger at the end is worth it alone.
6. Whistleblower: It suffers from the lack of stakes that most of Season 6 has, but Whistleblower is still an above average episode on its own, and I like the promise of Holly's return.
7. Free Family Portrait Studio: This finale resolves all of Season 8's subplots in the most unremarkable and dull way possible. David Wallace coming back and saving Dunder-Mifflin should feel big, but it doesn't. All of this finale is just meh.
8. Hot Girl: Really just suffers from being part of Season 1. All that really happens is that Jim gets a girlfriend, but it's also not like the rest of the season was really building to anything anyway.
9. Search Committee: Creed as boss will always be hilarious, but Search Committee is drawn out, lacks any sort of resolution, and suffers from the misguided decision to continue the show after Michael had left.

Favorite Episode: Casino Night

The Office (Season 6)

Coming after the relatively strong Seasons 4 & 5, Season 6 of The Office felt like a massive step-down. It's more uncomfortable than funny, and the overall story just feels stateless at times.

Season 6 does have a more well-defined plot than most seasons of The Office, pretty much entirely focused on Dunder-Mifflin going out of business and having to be sold to another company called Sabre. Despite this otherwise interesting premise, however, the season feels stakesless. It never feels like the company is in danger, or that Sabre is causing any major chances. Even worse, Sabre actively detracts from the comedy, as the moments involving them just feel less funny. As a result, Season 6 can feel like an utter slog to sit through, especially in its second half after the buyout happens.

There are also a few other subplots that fare a bit better. Jim and Pam's wedding is definitely the best part of the season, but it ends fairly early on in the season. There's also storyline about Jim becoming assistant manager, which feels like it was built up to in the last few seasons. However, Dwight's unsympathetic behavior during this subplot makes it fairly lackluster as well. I'd also be remiss not to mention Scott's Tots, which is not an episode I particularly enjoy watching. It's heavy on the cringe, and light on the comedy, with both Michael and Jim going through some awful and embarrassing experiences. There's a reason why there's a subreddit about how hard this episode is to watch.

I also think the season ends on a pretty lackluster note. There's a fairly interesting storyline about Sabre having a scandal, but it lacks consequences or stakes, meaning that the season finale feels fairly uneventful. No one got fired, Sabre didn't face any backlash that stuck, it just felt like a waste of potential.

Despite my many issues with the season, there were some solid episodes:

Gossip: The general gossip storyline was a lot of fun on its own, but the parkour cold open alone was worth the price of admission.

Niagra: Jim and Pam's wedding was easily the best part of the season. It was heart-warming and sweet, culminating in that iconic dance down the aisle. I thought it was pretty much perfect.

Happy Hour: This episode was just plain funny throughout. Date Mike was a lot of fun to watch, the warehouse workers had some highlights, and just seeing the cast let loose during Happy Hour added some levity to an otherwise drab season.

Season 6 was a massive step down in quality for the series. The storylines were uninteresting and lacked stakes, the cringe comedy lacked humor, and Sabre seemed to just drag the show down. There were some good episodes, but overall, Season 6 was easily one of the show's worst seasons so far.

2/5 Stars

The Office (Season 5)

Coming after the relatively darker Season 4, Season 5 of The Office is arguably the lightest and most comedic to date. This results in probably the show's funniest season, even if it means it's slightly light on plot at times.

Season 5 has a strong start and a strong end, at least when plot is concerned. The first few episodes are about Michael and Holly's relationship, but it sadly ends way too quickly. From then on, the season doesn't have much in the way of plot until Episode 19, which introduces the amazing Michael Scott Paper Company arc, in which Michael leaves Dunder-Mifflin to form his own paper company. This arc is one of the best in the whole show, fleshing out pretty much the entire cast and adding a great sense of conflict and propulsion, even if it doesn't impact the show all that much.

Despite the lack of direction at times, the comedy is pretty top-notch throughout the season, reaching its height in the iconic fire drill scene, which I will elaborate on further later. The tone is also a lot lighter, for the most part, and there are some great moments of character development, especially during the penultimate episode which is pretty much just one long dance off. This season also introduces Erin, who is definitely one of the best new characters the show introduced in its second half. Her optimism and naivety leads to a lot of great humor.

As expected, Season 5 has a lot of really great episodes, but here are the absolute best:

Weight Loss: An absolutely excellent season premiere that follows up on the plot points of the previous season finale, with more fun moments for Holly and a very heart-warming proposal for Jim and Pam. The main storyline of everyone's attempts at losing weight is also very funny.

The Duel: The conflict between Dwight and Andy over Angela reaches an excellent resolution during this episode, which is packed with the comedy you'd expect from pitting these two characters up against each other. There's also a cute subplot as Michael tries to figure out what he does so right as a boss.

Stress Relief: This episode has the best cold open out of any episode ever. That fire drill sequence is one of the greatest comedic sequences ever put to film. It's frantic, it's hectic, and it's gutbustingly hilarious. As funny as the rest of the episode is, it can never manage to top this brilliant sequence.

Broke: The resolution of the Michael Scott Paper Company arc is funny and very satisfying, as Michael Scott himself gets one of his most badass moments yet. I think it wraps up the conflict a bit too cleanly, but it doesn't take away just how much I enjoy this episode.

Despite its aimless plot and slow middles section, Season 5 is yet another strong season for The Office, taking a much lighter and comedic tone, and packing in one of the show's best arcs.

4/5 Stars

The Office (Season 4)

Season 4 of The Office aired during the Writer's Strike, meaning that it had a truncated length compared to the other seasons. Despite this, however, I don't feel like the strike negatively impacted this season at all. As a matter of fact, Season 4 is still one of The Office's best.

Season 4 takes a much darker tone than the last two, exploring the dysfunctional relationships of many of its characters, particularly Michael and Dwight. Michael's slow falling out with Jan is the most compelling part of the season and gives the first half of Season 4 a tragic sense of energy. Dwight losing Angela to Andy is also sad, and gives him a great amount of sympathy.

The first half of Season 4 is pretty great, for the most part. It has a great blend of comedic, dramatic, and cringe-worthy episodes scattered throughout, culminating in an amazing double-whammy of strong episodes in the middle of the season. The second half is a bit weaker, however. Losing Jan left the season feeling a bit directionless and some characters like Toby and Michael start to make some really iffy decisions that feel uncomfortable more for the sake of it. The first few episodes are also a bit strange, as the season starts with a series of four consecutive double-length episodes that could have easily been shortened or split into two separate episodes.

Despite my gripes, Season 4 was still a solid season with some of the best episodes in the show, many of which are listed below:

Local Ad: A simple but effective premise of Michael Scott trying to make an ad. I'm a huge fan of these types of filmmaking episodes and The Office executed it really well, packing in tons of cute and funny character interactions. I also like how Michael's ad was actually competent, a surprising subversion of the show's usual endings.

The Deposition: The titular deposition works as an analysis of Michael and Jan's dysfunctional relationship. Their entire past is explored, culminating in a realization in the audience that these two just don't belong together. Yet, Michael and Jan try to make it work anyway. There's still a lot of humor as well.

Dinner Party: This episode is iconic and for a very good reason. The cringe comedy is cranked up to 11 and pretty much every joke lands. Every character is brought together as Michael and Jan's faux-happy relationship slowly falls apart until it hits its brutal conclusion, which is simultaneously devastating, uncomfortable, and hilarious.

Goodbye, Toby: Despite the Writer's Strike, the writers behind The Office managed to end the season on a strong note. Goodbye, Toby is stuffed with comedic moments, big twists, huge status quo shifts, and a general feeling of finality. Toby's departure was a lot of fun, Holly's debut is great, and the cliffhangers are exciting.

Overall, Season 4 is a great time in spite of its truncated length and myriad flaws, taking a darker turn after the lighter Season 3 and packing in some of the show's best episodes to date.

4/5 Stars

K-On (Season 2 + Movie)

Season 1 of K-On was pretty good, but had some issues that needed fixing. Season 2 of K-On, however, was pretty much perfect, helping the show become one of my favorite anime of all time.

Season 2 may seem like it doesn't have as much of a story as the first, as it's not as focused on the titular club or the character arcs. Instead, Season 2 has a more melancholic plot as it takes place during everyone's senior years. So instead of trying to get into a concert, the K-On band needs to apply to college, figure out what they want to do with their life, and say goodbye to the high school. Azusa is the highlight of the season, as she is a grade under everyone else, meaning that she has to cope with saying goodbye to all of her great friends. As a result, Season 2 of K-On is a surprisingly deep and affecting season that resonated with me more than any show I've ever seen (it helped that I watched it during my own senior year).

Right from the start, you can feel a chance of direction. The mood is more bittersweet, the pace slows down, and the episodes linger on the small details more. You can tell that K-On isn't just about being cute anymore, it's become a full-on coming-of-age story, and as the season progresses and we get closer and closer to graduation, the tone only becomes far more melancholic. Not to say that the show is humorless, though. Season 2 of K-On is still stuffed with the cute character interactions that made the first season so great, and the comedy took a step-up as well, with certain episodes leaving me doubled over in laughter.

Season 2 even managed to fix most of the issues with the first season. Rather than 12 episodes for two years, this season is 24 episodes for a single senior year. As a result, the pace is much slower, but I think it works for the show. Suwako's character is much more likable this time around, to the point where one of her moments in the finale made me tear up, and the aggressively cutesy stuff (outside of an admittedly funny maid cafe sequence) is pretty much gone. K-On is still adorable, but it feels more natural this time.

The final batch of episodes is especially great, as we get the last and biggest school festival of the show and the heart-breaking graduation. I particularly like the penultimate episode, as the cast doesn't have school, yet they decide to go anyway just to say goodbye to the place. It's melancholic and affecting throughout. There are also several great OVAs, one of which sets up for the movie, which is excellent on its own. Despite its seemingly gimmick premise (K-On characters go to London), K-On: The Movie is a beautiful and well-crafted film that makes the show even better by existing.

There are a lot of strong episodes throughout Season 2 of K-On, but these are some of the most notable:

Staying Behind: This is the first of several episodes that focus on Azusa's own group of junior friends, but it's probably the best because of just how strong their dynamic is. I feel like Azusa, Ui, and Jun could head a show on their own and it would be just as compelling.

Tea Party: This one was a ton of fun, focusing on Mio's fan club and fleshing out the school's past a bit. I love how the first half of Tea Party is a bit of a whodunit about who's been following Mio, and Megumi was a super interesting character. I also like that Nodoka got a lot of focus here, she's always been one of the most neglected characters of the series.

Teacher: This was the episode that saved Suwako as a character, as we finally get to meet her original band. The moment where Suwako finally lets loose is incredibly memorable, and the amount of depth she gets throughout the episode is great. There are also a lot of funny hijinks near the start of the episode involving the K-On members themselves.

Summer Festival: The K-On club goes on a bunch of trips throughout the series but this was definitely one of the sweetest. The final scene where everyone sits under the stars and plans to join the next summer festival was definitely one of the anime's best scenes. I also like how this episode introduces the running gag of Mugi wanting to try Yakisoba.

Summer Training: Easily the funniest episode in the show, Mugi's storyline about wanting to be slapped is so funny and gave her some much needed depth. The subplot about strawberry cake feels also Seinfeld-ian in its simplicity, but weaves together with the main plot near the end in the finest (and most iconic) comedic moment of the show in which Mugi steals Mio's strawberry.

Leading Role: I already mentioned this episode's funny maid cafe sequence, but I especially adore the first half as Mio and Ritsu have to pull a role-reversal and emulate each other's personalities. It's a lot of fun to watch and one of the best episodes for the duo.

Romeo And Juliet: The last few episodes were building up to the titular performance, and it was a lot of fun to watch. The school festival as a whole was one of the best streaks of episodes in the show, and Romeo And Juliet did a good job of leading up to...

Yet Another School Festival: ...utter perfection. This episode was pretty much one long concert that felt like a curtain call to the characters we know and love. Packed with the show's most iconic songs and tons of heartwarming moments, all culminating in an utter tearjerker of a final scene which is one of the few scenes of anything that made me genuinely cry. Seeing these characters accept the fact that they're going to have to say goodbye is nothing short of devastating.

After School: I already mentioned why I love this episode so much. There isn't much of an overarching story to this one, it's just the K-On band spending their last day of school walking around one final time. It's probably the most downright depressing of the final few episodes, even if the group is having fun, there's a compelling sense that things are ending soon. It's the best example of the melancholy that elevates K-On her being just a simple slice of life anime.

Graduation Ceremony: And in case last episode wasn't emotional enough, this finale was just as impactful if not moreso. The subplot of the present for Suwako led to some fun hijinks that culminated in a moment that left me absolutely broken, not to mention the beautiful final goodbye song for Asuka. The melancholic tone that was prevalent throughout the season was cranked up to 11 and did a perfect job of emulating what it feels like to graduate.

K-On The Movie: As mentioned before, this movie is excellent. The animation quality manages to be even better, and the otherwise goofy and entertaining hijinks in London are grounded with a heartwarming subplot that explores new sides to the finale. My favorite moment is when K-On holds one last concert in their homeroom just for old time's sake.

Season 2 of K-On means a lot to me and did a great job of improving on the first and elevating K-ON as a series. The comedy, tone, animation, character, and drama was all just excellent on all fronts, culminating in an emotional final batch of episodes that perfectly captures the feeling of graduating high school.

5/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Yet Another School Festival

K-On (Season 1)

K-On is one of my favorite shows of all time, and definitely my favorite anime as well, and despite its cute humor and charming characters, the first season does still have a few growing pains.

Unlike Season 2 of K-On, the first season has a fairly well-defined plot. Yui, Ritsu, Mio, and Mugi form a light music band and spend the season practicing so they can play in concerts in front of the school. Halfway through, Azusa (who is a grade under the others) joins the club as well and has to get used to their unique way of doing things. Each character here is likable and well-defined, each containing their own motivations and character arc, with Yui and Mio being the highlights here. Yui is immature and lacks a drive, so throughout the season she learns to take things more seriously. Mio has crippling stage fright, which she slowly overcomes throughout the season. The animation is great and the music is catchy and light, perfectly fitting the show.

I think many people think that K-On is a show about nothing, but that's not really true. Each episode has its own story and conflict, the characters have motivations, and even the quiet moments feel like they're there to strengthen the character relationships. And even when there isn't much of a plot, the calming vibe and atmosphere just hooks you in regardless. However, despite my praises, Season 1 of K-On does have some issues. Firstly, the pacing is insanely fast, as this 12-episode season takes place over the course of a whopping two school years, meaning that the characters improve their playing fairly quickly. The other issue is the club advisor Suwako, who isn't a super likable character this season. Her costume-schtick gets repetitive fast, and leads to some more... gimmicky attempts at cutesiness. Stuff like "Moe moe kyun" and the Mio's infamous accident that feel noticeably unfitting compared to the rest of the show.

After episode 12, there are also two OVAs that I actually thought were excellent and some of the best episodes yet. They slow down the pace a bit and experiment, feeling like the crew behind the show were becoming far more confident in their craft. The animation has also noticeably improved as well.

Some of the highlights of this first season include:

Light Music: The final episode of the season brings the characters full circle and resolves the story in a satisfying manner. The second year of high school ends with a scene that calls back to the first season in the pilot as Yui finally realizes her flaws. All of the cast gets time to shine, even characters like Ui and Suwako, and the final concert is a stellar way to end the season.

Winter Days: This OVA is still one of the show's best episodes despite its lack of plot. It's an oddly atmospheric episode for the show, packed with quiet moments as each character is going about their day during winter break. The storylines interweave with each other and reach satisfying resolutions, and the background music is particularly excellent.

Overall, Season 1 of K-On is a good start for the anime with strong characters and great animation, even if it still has some kinks to iron out.

3/5 Stars

The Office (Season 3)

Season 3 is The Office at its absolute finest, and arguably one of the greatest seasons of any comedy ever. It's honestly astonishing just how consistently amazing Season 3 is, stuffed to the brim with great episodes and high points aplenty. The character work and comedy is just excellent.

Unlike Seasons 1 & 2, Season 3 of The Office is far more story-driven. There's the merger between the Scranton and Stamford offices, Jim's new relationship with Karen, Michael's shaky relationship with Jan, Phyllis's wedding, and Andy's rivalry with Dwight. All of these plotlines weave throughout the season, all being resolved in a fairly satisfying manner by the finale. The sheer amount of storylines here allows for a blisteringly fast pace, where it never feels like there's a dull moment.

Season 3 boasts a large amount of new characters, many of whom are a lot of fun to watch. The highlights are Andy and Karen, however. Karen works as a great girlfriend for Jim, and her love triangle with him and Pam is compelling to watch. Andy is also a highlight as well, as his annoying and jerkish personality leads to a lot of funny situations and a great set-up for a character arc. All of the returning characters get a lot of strong moments of character development of their own, pretty much continuing where Season 2 left off. My biggest issue with Season 3 is that it lacks the slice-of-life feel of Season 2, but that's hardly a problem when the episodes are this good.

Speaking of which, as I mentioned before, it's truly impressive how many iconic, well-crafted, and notable episodes this season has, meaning that the usual list is going to be much longer than usual:

Branch Closing/The Merger: These episodes chronicle the titular merger between the Scranton and Stamford offices, and they're a lot of fun to watch. The former episode has a sense of dread as the Scranton office is scared they'll close down, but once the merger occurs, there are a ton of funny and fittingly cringy moments as Michael struggles to impress the new arrivals.

The Conflict: Prison Mike! This episode, directed by none other than Ricky Gervais himself, goes back to the uncomfortable feeling of the first two seasons and is stuffed with cringe comedy that is so awkward you can't help but laugh hysterically.

The Return: Probably my favorite episode of the season, The Return has to like whether it's the titular return of Oscar (who left in the season premiere) or Dwight working at a Staples, but the real highlight is Andy's hysterical mental breakdown that's still one of the funniest moments in the whole show.

Business School: This has always been one of my favorites. The main plotline of the titular school gives Michael a lot of sympathy, and culminates in a very heartwarming and affecting moment as he goes to see Pam's art gallery. The subplot about the bat in the office adds most of the comedy, and is a hilarious nod to the director's origins (Buffy).

The Negotiation: This episode gets off to a big start as Roy tries to attack Jim only for Dwight to save him with the use of pepper spray. The entire rest of this episode deals with the consequences, and explores Jim's relationships with both Pam and Dwight. Thankfully, Michael's funny negotiation storyline does a great job at adding some much needed levity.

Safety Training: It's honestly glorious to see just how much Michael and Dwight get mental health wrong, and their haphazard attempts at pulling a stunt to advocate for it is a lot of fun to watch, at least until the episode gets surprisingly deep and shows just how tragic of a character Michael Scott really is.

Beach Games: This episode could have felt gimmicky and cartoonish, but the titular games are a lot of fun to watch and do a great job of setting up for the finale. Pam speaking up was an especially memorable and iconic moment.

The Job: This entire double-length finale is built on the titular job, as you're left constantly guessing who's going to end up with it. It's packed with twists, misdirects, and surprises, culminating in the long-awaited moment where Jim and Pam finally get together. It's more subtle compared to the Season 2 finale, but definitely satisfying.

Overall, Season 3 is an absolute gem of a season and The Office at the height of its power. Pretty much every single episode is top-notch, the plot is compelling, and the comedy is consistently strong.

5/5 Stars

Master Of None (Seasons 1 & 2)

Master Of None is a slice of life comedy headed by Aziz Ansari, packed with creative episode premises, charming humor, social commentary, and plenty of heart.

In the grand scheme of things, Master Of None doesn't have much of a plot. The main character Dev is a struggling actor who has his own life to lead. Each season follows Dev as he tries to secure his big break, while also dealing with his feelings for whoever is the love interest for the season. Despite the obvious focus on Dev, there's a really solid cast of characters. Dev's friends Arnold and Denise are both entertaining to watch on their own, but the real star of the show are his parents. Aziz Ansari casted his own parents in the role of his characters' parents, and they are absolutely hilarious and adorable to watch. They just exude that wholesome parent energy that makes them perfect for the role.

Master Of None's biggest strength is probably its variety and willingness to experiment, especially in the show's second season. Aziz Ansari is willing to take risks, ranging from a double-length homage to romantic comedies, to a black-and-white Italian-esque film, to an episode that only portrays Dev's mornings with his new girlfriend, to an episode that focuses on and fleshes out an entirely new cast. Even with this heavy variety, Master Of None manages to stay consistently funny and well-written, and the writing feels thoughtful and genuine. Despite its name, Master Of None feels like a jack of all trades that actually manages to be a master of some of them.

There are a lot of noteworthy and memorable episodes, but some of my favorites include:

Mornings: This was one of the episodes I mentioned and a highlight of Season 1. This entire episode managed to chronicle Dev's relationship with his girlfriend Rachel only by showing their mornings, from when they wake up to when they head to work. It's a creative concept executed very well, packed with fun humor up until their relationship starts to show its cracks.

The Thief/Le Nozze: Season 2 starts with what feels like a two-parter about Dev's time in Italy. The first episode, The Thief, is a homage to classic, black-and-white Italian films and is a joy to watch. Le Nozze is more character-driven but feels like a funny and heartwarming love letter to everything that makes Italy so great. An heartwarming couple of episodes that demonstrate a love for the country.

First Date: This episode was just hysterical, jumping between around half-a-dozen of Dev's first dates. The similarities and differences led to a lot of funny moments throughout the episode, culminating in the hilarious sequence where Dev spends one of his first dates jamming to Scatman in the car.

Thanksgiving: Denise gets an entire episode to herself, and it manages to be one of the, if not the finest episode in the whole show. Her coming-out story is beautifully and heart-wrenching presented while still managing to keep the same humor that the show is known for. It's easily one of the most realistic representations of coming out in TV history.

Amarsi un Po: Easily the longest episode in the series by around twenty minutes, Amarsi un Po feels like its own movie. It's a romantic comedy about Dev dealing with his feelings for Francesca, packed with plenty of sweet humor, beautiful cinematography, and a memorable final scene in a helicopter where all of the emotions from the past season come to the forefront.

Overall, Master Of None was a strong slice of life comedy that may be lacking in plot, but manages to more than make up for it in creativity, humor, and heart.

4/5 for Season 1

5/5 for Season 2

4.5/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Thanksgiving

Gravity Falls (Season 2)

Season 2 of Gravity Falls was overall a massive improvement on the first, keeping the same strong humor and characters that made it great while bumping up the mythology and serialization to turn Gravity Falls from a solid show into a truly excellent one.

Since Season 2 is pretty much divided into two halves, I'll be talking about Seasons 2A & 2B separately:

Season 2A: This half of the season was pretty much perfect. The overall storyline of Dipper trying to figure out who the author is along with Grunkle Stan's portal progresses at a solid pace throughout, all culminating in the outstanding midseason finale. There are also a lot of fun standalone episodes as well, so it never feels like this half of the season is overwhelmed with plot. Side characters like Wendy and Pacifica get more of a focus, as they get to join Dipper and Mabel on their adventures. Soos even gets a bunch of episodes for himself, which is always a fun time. It's a well-paced, enjoyable, and satisfying first half of the season.

Season 2B: This is where Season 2 gets a bit shakier. Unlike the first half, Season 2B does have plenty of issues. Characters like Wendy and Pacifica ended up getting sidelined until the finale, pretty much every episode had some plot importance, there were several frustrating character decisions, and the humor was overall not as solid. This is probably due to the arrival of Stan's brother Ford who lacked many comedic moments and was mostly there to provide exposition and forcing the plot along. Regardless, there were still some strong episodes, Bill Cypher was an amazing final villain, and the final quadrilogy was a phenomenal way to end the series. It's just a shame this half of the season couldn't be as good as the first.

Now for the most notable episodes of the season:

Into The Bunker: One of the scariest episodes of the show, packing in some truly terrifying imagery while still allowing for plenty of fun adventures. I also liked that they actually resolved the romantic subplot between Dipper and Wendy, which I just found annoying in Season 1.

Society Of The Blind Eye: The titular society was a genius way of explaining one of the biggest mysteries of the first season, and I'm genuinely surprised at how much they fleshed out Old Man McGucket, who was mostly just a comic relief in Season 1. It's also impressive how important the memory gun became throughout the rest of the season.

Northwest Mansion Mystery: Pacifica's strong character arc throughout Season 2A comes to a satisfying conclusion as she finally turns against her parents in what's probably the show's scariest episode. Some points genuinely left me wondering how Disney even let this episode aired. I also really like the ending cliffhanger which sets up the midseason finale perfectly.

Not What He Seems: Easily Gravity Falls' best half hour, Not What He Seems brings the entire show to a head as Dipper and Mabel finally learn about the basement portal. There's a strong sense of tension throughout that feels so different from the show's usual fare, and the many plot twists, stunning visuals, and mind-boggling ending made this is an absolutely standout episode of the show.

A Tale Of Two Stans: While I'm not a big fan of Ford as a character, his first appearance was executed really well. The flashback to Stan's backstory explained so much, and touched upon pretty much every previous moment in the show. It really goes to show just how planned out Gravity Falls was from the very beginning.

Weirdmaggedon: After a fairly shaky second half of the season, Gravity Falls ended on an excellent four-part finale, juggling pretty much everything that made the show great. Every side character returned, every Chekhov's Gun was shot, and the finale was packed with the twists, humor, and surreal imagery you'd come to expect from the show. The final battle with Bill Cypher was exciting and satisfying, and the final few minutes wrapped everything really well while ending on a bittersweet yet memorable note.

Overall, Season 2 was definitely in an improvement on the first by keeping what made the show great while improving on the things that didn't. The plot was far more complex, the payoffs more numerous, and the stakes much higher. While the second half of the season was a drop in quality, the first half was the best Gravity Falls had ever been, and the show manages to still end on a high note.

5/5 for Season 2A

3/5 for Season 2B

4/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Not What He Seems

Gravity Falls (Season 1)

The first season of Gravity Falls works as a strong, humorous comedy. There is definitely a bit of an overarching story here, but the main priority of this season is the humor, so it's a good thing that they pull it off so well.

Gravity Falls has a fairly simple premise. Dipper and Mabel go to spend the summer with their uncle, Grunkle Stan. During their stay, they run into all sorts of monsters and weird paranormal events, while also dealing with the evil Lil Gideon who wants to take Grunkle Stan's store, the Mystery Shack. There's also a mystery about a mysterious book Dipper found and uses to learn about the aforementioned monsters, along with a bunch of romantic subplots that I did not find all that interesting.

The whole season has this fun kid-friendly Twin Peaks vibe. Many of the paranormal-events-of-the-week are a lot of fun, ranging from ghosts, to time travel, to pinball tables, to a body-swapping carpet. The titular Gravity Falls is a well-defined town with its own group of diverse locals, most of which having their own quirky personalities and appear frequently throughout the show. It makes the town really feel like an actual rural town with a small population that you slowly get to know throughout the season.

The plot is fairly basic, as there aren't many episodes that actually progress the overall myth arc about Gideon and the books. There's a light continuity here, but most of Gravity Falls' episodes are fairly standalone, meaning that there are plenty of weak episodes this season. However, in general, I think the humor was consistently strong and carried even the weaker moments. Bill Hirsch has this unique and witty style of comedy that feels like it's on full display throughout the show, leading to tons of hilarious episodes. The overall story also does a great job of converging in the last two episodes, which resolve most of the mysteries and even reference plenty of previously-thought standalone episodes.

The first season was most consistently solid, but there were plenty of fun and notable episodes:

The Time Traveler's Pig: A fun and creative time travel story that pits Dipper and Mabel against a lose-lose situation, and despite all the goofy hijinks and the introduction of Waddles, the ending hits some surprisingly emotional notes for this point in the show.

Boss Mabel: This episode was just plain funny from start to finish. Mabel was easily my favorite character, and she got a chance to shine throughout as Boss Mabel's focal point. In general, it just feels like the writing was sharper than usual and most of the jokes managed to land for me.

Bottomless Pit: I'm a bit fan of vignette episodes like this, and Bottomless Pit managed to meet my lofty expectations. All of the three (four?) vignettes were entertaining, well-paced, and unique, and this episode was overall just another chance to let the comedy truly shine through.

Dreamscapers: Easily the season's best episode and it's not even close. Bill Cypher is a wonderfully entertaining antagonist, and the sheer amount of referenced plot threads, resolved mysteries, creative and surreal visuals, and fun visuals make me feel like I was watching Gravity Falls at its peak performance. Not to mention the excellent cliffhanger.

Gideon Rises: I won't lie, coming after such a visually unique episode, the more grounded Gideon Rises did feel a bit underwhelming. However, it was also a strong finale with a satisfying defeat for its titular villain, and a surprising ending that answered as many questions as it ended up raising.

Overall, Season 1 of Gravity Falls was a strong start to the series. Despite being slightly light on plot, the season was stuffed with excellent humor, likable characters, and a very well-done ending.

3/5 Stars

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most influential, divisive, and discussed anime ever made, and for good reason, boasting striking animation, strong action scenes, deep themes, fleshed-out characters, tons of plot twists, and a lot of emotion and drama. It's easily one of the most unique and thought-provoking series I've ever seen, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't totally enjoy it.

The main story of NGE is incredibly complicated, but to put it simply, there are these monsters called Angels that are trying to attack the Earth and cause its destruction (also known as the Third Impact). A government agency called NERV is tasked with destroying these Angels, usually using their mechs (called Evas). The pilot of the mechs have to be 14-year-old kids, meaning that Shinji, Asuka, and Rei have to deal with the pressure of saving the world along with their own teenage angst.

Right from the start, you can tell that the show is trying to deconstruct the mecha genre. The fight scenes are terrifying and can cause serious damage, characters deal with the trauma of such violence, and the emotional immaturity of these 14-year-olds end up resulting in tragedy near the end of the series. It's a compelling form of conflict that leaves you on-edge throughout the whole show. But despite that, there are still tons of moments of humor, so it's not relentlessly depressing. 

The characters are excellent, all containing their own backstory and baggage that they need to deal with. It's hard to even pick my favorite, as they're all so good. Shinji is a great audience surrogate who can be painfully relatable at times, Asuka embues the show with tons of energy, Rei is fascinating and gives some badass monologues at times, and watching Misato try to piece together the mysteries and secrets of NERV is endlessly compelling. The first half of NGE is fairly standard mecha fare, but the second half is packed with devastating twists, emotional moments, and creative imagery.

As the series nears its end, NGE leans more into psychology and character drama rather than mecha action. If you're not into this kind of stuff, then the show might end up losing you with its trippy mind screw sequences, long shots, and clip shows. But for me, this drama packs some of the highlights of the whole series. There are so many moments of introspective, symbolic imagery, and multi-faceted character moments that if I were to go in-depth on all of them, this review would be longer than my ten Friends reviews combined. My only gripe in this aspect would be that I do think Shinji gets a bit too many character studies that all seem to cover similar ground, as this technically occurs in episodes 4, 12, 19, 25, 26, and arguably 14.

The biggest controversy in NGE is probably its ending, between the more psychologically-driven original ending and the more closure-heavy movie ending. I actually prefer the TV ending, as it ends NGE on a surprisingly happy and life-affirming note as Shinji finally makes a breakthrough in regards to his mental state. Despite its low budget, there are tons of unique shots and creative imagery that I'm doubtful I'd ever forget. End Of Evangelion, the movie ending, took me a while to fully appreciate, as its nihilistic tone and plot directions (especially regarding Shinji). However, I eventually grew to admire it as well for its stunning visuals, great character development for Asuka, emotional moments, its powerful ending, and for providing the closure that the TV end couldn't.

Neon Genesis Evangelion has tons of strong episodes and standout moments, but these are some of my favorite of the bunch:

Mind, Matching, Moment: Arguably the most fun episode in the series, Asuka and Shinji get a ton of comedic moments as they grow to get along with each other, all culminating in the stunning final dance battle.

Life and Death Decisions: The final sequence where Shinji loses control of his Eva was probably the heaviest moment in the series for me. It's so intense, bloody, and relentless, and it feels like the point at which his relationship with his father, Gendo, reaches a head.

A Man's Battle: Probably my favorite episode, A Man's Battle is a slow, brutal build up to Shinji's reluctant return to the mech, culminating in one of the strongest fights in the show. It's tense, dramatic, and ends on a stunning sequence as everyone finally sees Eva-01 for the monster that it really is.

Staying Human: This entire episode is devoted to watching Asuka's mental state decline and it's hard to watch. There are tons of uncomfortable and brutal moments like the elevator scene and the mind rape. We finally learn Asuka's backstory, and it's probably the worst out of the entire cast. A great episode to watch if you want to get depressed super quickly.

Tears: The constant plot twists that this episode packs are insane, from Rei's shocking sacrifice, to Ritsuko's breakdown, to the final reveal of what Rei really is. It's fast-paced, constantly surprising, and overall one of the best episodes of the show.

The Last Cometh: Despite only appearing in this episode, Kaworu makes a strong impression with his oddly kind personality that only leads to a heart-breaking betrayal. The final battle with Kaworu, the final Angel, is climactic and tense, all culminating in one of the show's staple leave-the-camera-running moments.

The Beast That Shouted "I" At The Heart Of The World: I already wrote about how much I loved this finale. Despite the low budget, the showrunners packed in tons of unique imagery like the scribble sequences, the breakthrough scene, the AU sequence, and the final moment of Congratulations. I think this episode resonates even more now that mental health is given more of an importance, and I feel it's truly ahead of its time given that this episode was made in the 90s. Although, in all honesty, if you're expecting plot resolution or didn't know about what these episodes entail ahead of time, you will definitely be somewhat disappointed.

Overall, I loved Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's easily one of the most thought-provoking, depressing, and unique shows I've seen. Even with its ending issues, NGE left me thinking about it for days after I had finished it.

5/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: A Man's Battle

The Owl House (Season 1)

The Owl House is a fairly new Disney Channel series that just started very recently. Despite a fairly slow first half, I think Season 1 of The Owl House managed to grow into a gutsy, funny, creative, and thoroughly entertaining animated series that has a lot of room to grow even more in the future.

The main storyline of The Owl House is fairly simple, in that an average girl named Luz gets whisked away to a magical world full of witches, monsters, etc. Despite its isekai-ish premise, The Owl House quickly differentiates itself with a unique magic system, and a world far more complex than your usual fantasy world, with tons of mythology, politics, and unique species and character interactions. The Boiling Isles feels like its own fully fleshed-out world, even if it ends up coming at the cost of the show's pacing. Season 1 of The Owl House is packed with plot threads that appear and disappear throughout the season. I think most of them do a good job of getting resolved by the end, but at the cost of characters getting written out of certain episodes just because there's too much to deal with. The first half of the season is especially shaky, as it takes a while to set up all of the character dynamics and elements of the show's world.

Despite these issues, the second half of this season was absolutely excellent, packed to the brim with tons of excellent episodes that balance comedy, drama, and heart incredibly well. This is thanks to the strong and well-written characters that even managed to carry some of the weaker earlier episodes. The best character is probably Amity Blight, who has one of my favorite iterations of the bully-becomes-friend character arc I've seen. Frankly, some of my favorite episodes are the ones focused around Amity. It's also worth noting the sheer gutsiness of having the main characters in a Disney show be LGBT, and I can't wait to see Amity and Luz's relationship evolve further in Season 2. Other highlights include Luz, who is a likable and quirky protagonist, and the consistently hilarious King, courtesy of Bill Hirsch.

The second half of Season 1 is pretty much a nonstop streak of excellent episodes, the best of which include:

Understanding Willow: A pretty big stepping-stone in Amity's character arc, as we finally learn why her relationship with Willow is so strained. Both of these characters are fleshed out a lot, and the creative dream visuals make this a visually stunning episode as well.

Enchanting Grom Fright: This episode was mostly a buildup to the third act, but what a third act it was. That dance fight was stunning, and it still wasn't even the best-animated moment in the show. The reveal that Amity has feelings for Luz is shocking and exciting, and it even ends on a mysterious twist about Luz's mom that hasn't even been resolved yet.

Agony Of A Witch: Up until this point, The Owl House has been fairly light-hearted for the most part, but Agony Of A Witch is just intense. So many near deaths, shocking twists, and heartwrenching twists that serves as the dramatic height of the season. And that's not to mention the astonishing fight between Eda and Lilith which boasts some of the best animation I've seen all year.

Young Blood, Old Souls: While not every character gets their time to shine here (*cough* Amity *cough*), this is a strong finale that brings back the focus to the core trio. There are some pretty neat twists like Luz burning the portal and Lilith becoming good, all leading to an interesting new status quo for Season 2.

Overall, the first season of The Owl House may have had a slow start packed with tons of set-up and maybe too many plot points, but the second half does an excellent job of paying off a lot of those plot points and playing around with the show's creative location, setting up for what should be an even better Season 2.

3/5 Stars

The Mandalorian (Season 2)

Coming after the really strong Season 1 of The Mandalorian, I was expecting something great from its successor. More action, higher stakes, a faster pace, and maybe some returning characters from other entries in the Star Wars franchise. Well, we definitely got that.

The main storyline of Season 2 is that Mando (I'm still calling him that) needs to find a home for The Child (also known as Baby Yoda also known as Grogu). The season has him travel the galaxy, meeting tons of new and old characters alike while also trying to prevent Grogu from falling into the hands of Moss Gideon, who wants to use his blood for his own nefarious plans.

In terms of positives, Season 2 definitely ups the action and fanservice to insane degrees. Boba Fett, Bo Katan, Ahsoka, and Luke make appearances this season, all having amazing moments of their own while (mostly) not overshadowing the core storyline of Mando and Grogu. I especially liked Boba Fett's role, as I really felt they redeemed the character after his underwhelming portrayal in the original trilogy. The action is also top-notch, as the season packs in tons of crazy shootouts, chases, and fights. The best setpiece this season was probably the shootout during The Tragedy, which really gives Boba Fett and Fennec Shard some serious moments to shine. There are also a bunch of interesting and clever additions to the lore, with my favorite being the reveal that Mando's clan is a bit of a cult.

However, despite all of this style and fanservice, I felt like Season 2 lacked the substance that the first season had. Season 1 didn't have any returning characters at all, and despite its slow middle, it told a more nuanced story about the morally gray members of the Star Wars canon. That same nuance appears in some episodes this season, particularly The Believer, but for the most part, it seems to veer more towards the "good vs evil" perspective that we know the franchise for. I also felt the ending was a bit weaker compared to the phenomenal Redemption from Season 1, with Luke's cameo feeling fairly out of place in such an otherwise small scale story, and the final scene just ending really abruptly in general.

Despite my gripes, I can definitely say that I had a blast going through Season 2, and the show kept me guessing episode after episode what could happen next. There were also plenty of high points throughout the season:

The Heiress: I adored this episode. Bo Katan's appearance was awesome, and the fast pace was welcome after a fairly slow start to the season. There were plenty of neat plot twists like the aforementioned cult reveal and Ahsoka's namedropping, along with some fun and exciting action scattered throughout. It was a lean, tight episode that felt perfectly paced and thought-out.

The Tragedy: Boba Fett's return was everything I could have hoped it would be. He absolutely killed it in the fight scenes, and for once, I feel like I got a genuine sense of his personality. Not to mention the plot twists felt like season finale-material, and Robert Rodriguez's directorial style made this episode one of the most distinct in the series.

The Believer: I think this might have been the best episode in the series to date, despite not being one of the "big cameo" episodes. It's easily the most nuanced in the series, challenging Mando's ideals in some really interesting ways. Bill Burr's character had a lot of depth and development compared to his first appearance, Mando having to take off his helmet was a great moment, the action was fantastic throughout, and we finally got the return of one of the franchise's coolest sound effects: The Seismic Charge.

The Rescue: Despite my many gripes with this episode, I can't deny my sheer shock at actually seeing Luke again, albeit in a shoddy CGI form. The final battle between Mando and Gideon was also really great and tense, even if it was a bit short.

Overall, the fast pace, constant excitement, crazy action, and bucketloads of fanservice made Season 2 of The Mandalorian an absolute joy to watch. However, I think I still preferred Season 1, as it felt a lot more nuanced and satisfying. Still, a must-watch for fans of Star Wars.

4/5 Stars

The Office (Season 2)

Season 2 of The Office is the season where the series became what it is today. The quality jump from the first season is absolutely astonishing right from the very first episode, and leads to one of the most consistently strong seasons I've ever seen from a comedic series.

This season continues where the first one left off. Michael is still trying to make his workers like him, while also having an odd on-and-off-relationship with his boss, Jan. Jim has a girlfriend, but he still has feelings for Pam, who's finally starting to go forward with her wedding, and Dwight is starting a secret relationship with his colleague Angela. There's also the threat of downsizing, but that's resolved super early on in the season. Like Season 1, most of these plot threads are in the background of most of the episodes, but there's a stronger continuity and a season finale where everything manages to tie together fairly well. Outside of this, however, the majority of the season is still focusing on silly office hijinks.

Most, if not all, of this season's storylines are pretty much entirely original from the UK version, which helps give it a much stronger sense of identity. It's much more earnest than the UK series, with Michael Scott being a more sympathetic character, in particular. His attempts at trying to be a well-liked boss make him more endearing than David Brent, and Steve Carrell plays him nearly perfectly. This season also introduces a fairly tragic aspect to his character, seen most clearly when he has to fire someone in his office. He spends the whole episode devastated about the prospect and it shows that even though he's not a great boss, you can't deny that he cares about his work. This combination of tragedy and comedy works wonders for the show's staple cringe comedy.

The other characters also get a lot more to do. Jim and Pam's will-they-won't-they relationship is more gripping than ever, and it's devastating to see Jim slowly lose faith as the wedding approaches. The minor office workers get a lot more focus and characterization as well, especially the accountants, Oscar, Angela, and Kevin. The episode quality is far more consistent as well, with my least favorite episode (The Carpet) still being really good. At its best, we get the season finale Casino Night, which is still one of my favorite episodes ever made. The camerawork is also a lot better in this season. Every shift and pan feels deliberate to make the documentary nature of the show feel more credible, and the camerawork even gets more shaky whenever the show gets dramatic. The whole production feels like the show at the peak of its craft.

Being one of the series' best seasons, there are a lot of notable episodes:

The Dundies: A strong season premiere that hits the ground running right off the bat. The whole premise of an office awards ceremony is excellent, and was hilariously executed. We also get the first Jim and Pam kiss to end the episode off on a big note.

The Client: This was the episode with Threat Level Midnight, which is just a hilarious subplot in its own right. This is also the start of Michael and Jan, easily one of the strangest romantic subplots in the series.

Christmas Party: The Office's Christmas episodes were always outstanding and this is one of the best. Michael's gift swap game is an absolute masterclass in hilarious cringe comedy, and the subplot with Jim's present for Pam did a great job added some heart to the proceedings.

Booze Cruise: Serving as the midpoint of the season, this episode could have been a season finale on its own. The hijinks on the cruise were amazing on their own, but what really made this episode was Roy re-proposing to Pam, Jim breaking up with his girlfriend, and Michael learning about Jim's feelings.

The Injury: This episode was just plain bonkers. Michael burning his foot on a George-Foreman grill is the type of thing you just don't make up, and Dwight's concussion/accidental friendship with Pam is so bizarre you can't help but love it. Even with how crazy the series gets, this was still one of its strangest episodes.

Casino Night: What an amazing finale. The titular casino night was a lot of fun, and it gave the whole ensemble something to do. Michael's love triangle was great, but the real highlight was Jim's painfully realistic and phenomenally acted confession of love to Pam, along with that excellent cliffhanger. This is still one of my favorite episodes ever made for bringing every storyline together and for balancing comedy and drama incredibly well.

Overall, Season 2 of The Office is a massive improvement over the first as the show finally starts to carve out its own identity. The writing, characterization, and production are all improved drastically to create one of the strongest seasons of the whole series.

5/5 Stars 

The Office (Season 1)

The first season of The Office is infamously different than all of the other seasons of the show, as it's far more based off of its UK counterpart. It's darker, more satirical, and the characters are far less sympathetic. Sadly, I don't think it pulls it off all that well most of the time.

There isn't much of a story to the first season of The Office. It's just an episodic series about a bunch of normal people working in a normal office. There's the boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell), the "assistant" Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), there's Jim Halpert (John Krakinski), and the secretary Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer). Jim hates his job and spends most of his time pranking Dwight, when he's not fawning over Pam in spite of the fact that she's engaged. For most of the show, Michael Scott is the main focus as the boss, and while he's an endearing and fleshed-out character in the later seasons, in Season 1, he's just kind of annoying. They tried to make Michael Scott more like David Brent, but it doesn't really play to Steve Carrell's strengths.

There are only six episodes in this season and most of them are fairly average. The mockumentary style is well-executed, the acting is good, and the show gets laughs out of me fairly frequently, but it's rarely anything spectacular. This is probably because for most of this season, it really does feel like the show runners are trying to emulate the UK version of the show, to the point where the pilot episode is a beat-for-beat recreation of the UK pilot. The UK version of the pilot is great and all, but they copy it so blatantly to the point where it feels like an inferior version. The season finale also retreads the same "Hot Girl" storyline that the UK series had as well. It's a big shame, because this season is at its best when it's allowed to try something new, which isn't more evident outside of the second episode of the season:

Diversity Day: This is easily the strongest episode of the season, mostly because it tries to do something new. Michael Scott is way more endearing here because it's made clear that his intentions are just even if he ends up accidentally offending everyone. The jokes are sharp and the entire cast is utilized incredibly well. There's a reason this is cited as one of the show's finest moments.

Overall, Season 1 could be a great first season if they just stopped copying the UK series. Instead, it feels like a poor-man's version of the show, with not enough strong episodes to make it stand out as a good season, even with the great cast and production values.

2/5 Stars

Toradora

Toradora is probably one of the best romantic comedies I have ever seen and definitely one of the best anime I've seen to date. It has strong characters, tons of emotional moments, and it leaves you thinking by the end of it all.

The story of Toradora is simple but effective. Taiga and Ryuuji are two high school students who learn they have crushes on each other's friends, Minori and Kitamura. They spend the bulk of the series trying to help each other ask their crushes out, only to slowly develop feelings for each other. There's also a model named Ami who slowly develops a friendship with the rest of the main cast and even tries to help Taiga and Ryuuji realize their feelings for each other. I think it's a really charming story executed incredibly well, particularly because of how slow and gradually the development between Taiga and Ryuuji is. Their feelings for each other never feel rushed or forced, rather it's easily one of the most natural love stories I've ever seen. By the second episode, I was absolutely sold on the couple and was rooting for them to get together.

Probably the strongest aspect of Toradora are the characters. The whole cast is incredibly multi-faceted and go through a lot of development throughout the course of the show. Taiga and Ryuuji are particularly strong characters, and I loved seeing Taiga slowly become more emotionally mature as the show goes on. I also think their dynamic with each other is great and really sells their romance. Minori is another highlight, a character who's far more tragic than she initially lets on. There are also a lot of great side characters, helping Class 2C feel like a fully-fledged homeroom. One of my favorite characters was Ryuuji's mom Yasuko, who seems like the comic relief for most of the show until the last few episodes when you realize there's a lot more to her than it initially seems. Despite her ditzy exterior, she has a lot of regrets and is really doing her best to support Ryuugi and prevent him from making the same mistakes.

The story also does a great job of never outright telling you how the characters feel or why they do what they do, allowing for a lot of subtext. Taiga, in particular, makes a lot of impulsive decisions and looking into the reasoning why she makes them is fascinating. Add in a somewhat ambiguous ending and you get a show that people are still talking about years after it's ended. However, I also think the show goes a bit too far with this sometimes, as it took me a while to understand why the events of the finale ended up happening. The animation is also strong with striking character designs, and the background music is downright beautiful at times. My biggest gripe is the fact that some of the episodes gets a bit too melodramatic at points, particularly the one where the characters get lost in a cave. I also think the usage of a post-credits scene to resolve the story in the final episode is a bit of a jerk move for those who aren't aware of it. I feel for everyone who thought Ryuuji and Taiga didn't end up together.

Here are a bunch of Toradora episodes that I thought was notable:

Osashi High School Culture Festival: A strong three-parter that focused on Taiga's issues surrounding her family. The reveal that Ryuuji was wrong about her father is a serious gut punch and does a lot to make you feel more sympathetic of her. Thankfully, the ending is really sweet and memorable.

One Step Forward: I thought Sumire was an excellent and multi-faceted side character, who got a great focus in this episode, which feels like the culmination of Taiga's feelings for Kitamura. The classroom fight is devastating to watch, but it's also one of the most beautifully animated scenes in the whole show.

Christmas Eve Party: Easily the best episode in the show, Taiga's moment of realizing that she loves Ryuuji is heart-breaking and is also beautifully done. Minori's decision to reject Ryuuji so he ends up with Taiga is also incredibly memorable. Despite the sad ending, there are also a lot of really fun Christmas shenanigans to light the mood throughout the episode.

Confession: A close second to my favorite episode of the show, Ryuuji and Taiga finally getting together was an incredibly satisfying moment and it was done really well. I thought their decision to run away from home together was incredibly intriguing too. This was also the episode that made me love Yasuko's character.

Toradora!: A strong and emotional ending that took me a while to truly understand, but now I think I get it. Taiga saw how quickly Ryuuji mended things with his family and realized that she's not mature enough yet to date him, so she leaves to do the same thing. Once she returns in the post-credits scene, they're both ready to truly begin their relationship. Aside from the buttload of subtext, there are tons of emotional and memorable moments, and that final post-credits scene really is amazing.

Toradora is an excellent rom com anime with great characters, strong animation, and a lot of subtext that leaves you thinking about it long after it's done. While some plot decisions feel a bit odd at times, the whole series feels really well-thought out and purposeful.

4/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Christmas Eve Party

The Mandalorian (Season 1)

The first season of The Mandalorian was a strong first outing for the series. It proved to people that a live-action Star Wars TV series could work, packing in creative visuals, thrilling action, and pure Star Wars cheese.

The Mandalorian has a very simplistic story, but it's also very effective. On one of his missions, the Mandalorian (who we'll just call Mando) learns he has to give a child of Yoda's species (who we'll call The Child) to the empire. Most of the season sees Mando flying around the galaxy to evade bounty hunters and empire soldiers who want the child back. It's a simple premise, but it's incredibly well-executed.

In some of my earlier reviews, I mentioned how TV shows nowadays can visually resemble movies, but The Mandalorian takes that to another level. The production values are astonishing, utilizing amazing practical and visual effects to create a world that fits in perfectly well with all of the other Star Wars movies. Given how shoddy the CGI can look in sci-fi shows, what The Mandalorian is able to pull off is genuinely impressive. There are tons of really sweet action scenes from Mando chasing down a Sandcrawler in Episode 2. to a thrilling prison escape in Episode 6. The backing score is also amazing, helping to give a tone that feels incredibly un-Star Wars.

And that's probably the strongest aspect of The Mandalorian. It does a great job at letting you look at the Star Wars universe through a different lens. Iconic Star Wars aliens like Jawas and Pit Droids return, but are utilized in a way that makes them feel fresh. There's a lot of world-building that helps the Star Wars universe feel lived in. The cast is also really strong, all of the characters are unique and have a good dynamic with each other, made even stronger when they unite in the last two episodes. Pedro Pascal is great as Mando, managing to convey lots of emotion without even taking off his helmet. 

My biggest gripe for the season is in terms of its pacing, as it doesn't really seem to know whether or not it wants to be a more serial or episodic show. The first three episodes seem to hint at some greater plot, but then the pacing slows to a crawl as we get three planet-of-the-week episodes in a row. The last two episodes return to the overall story, but it feels like they're almost overstuffed. Maybe this wouldn't be as concerning if the season wasn't eight episodes, but for a while, it felt like they weren't going to be able to get to everything by the end of the season.

Regardless, there are still a bunch of really notable episodes:

The Child: The experimental first half of this episode is probably some of the best Star Wars ever produced, completely lacking in dialogue and stuffed to the brim with beautiful cinematography, creative cinematography, and a creative use of the Sandcrawler. If any episode warmed me up on the series, it's definitely this one. 

The Sin: Despite how much I liked The Child, I think this is the episode that warmed most people onto the series, being a character-driven outing that focuses on Mando deciding what he wants to do with The Child. I think Pedro Pascal really proves his acting chops here, as you can always tell what Mando is thinking even with his helmet on. The final chase scene at the end is also great and feels like season finale material.

The Reckoning: This was a pretty fantastic set-up for the season finale, a fun "getting the band together" sort of episode that brings together a lot of disparate plot points from previous episodes, sets up force healing in a neat tie-in to Rise Of Skywalker, and ends on a gutwrenching cliffhanger.

Redemption: I'm still stunned at how much ground this finale managed to cover without feeling too overly packed. We get tons of great character moments, some of the best action in the season, a lot of huge revelations about Mando and the rest of his clan, and an incredibly intriguing cliffhanger. Moff Gideon is a great and terrifying villain, and Taika Watiti did a great job at keeping this more intense episode light and humorous. Easily one of the best Star Wars films Disney put out to date.

Overall, The Mandalorian had a really strong start, with amazing production values and tons of great Star Wars goodness. Even if the pacing was a bit off, the story has a solid base and the finale was awesome. I think this show has a lot of room to grow into one of the best sci-fi TV series of all time.

4/5 Stars

The Queen's Gambit

The Queen's Gambit is a seven-episode-long Netflix miniseries that garnered a lot of buzz. I don't watch many miniseries, but I decided to check this one out, and it's really good.

The story of The Queen's Gambit is about Beth (Anya Taylor-Joy) who, upon being sent to an orphanage at age 9, gains a knack for chess. The series chronicles her rise from unknown to one of the best chess players in the world. Along the way, she makes friends with a lot of fellow chess players like Townes (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), Harry (Harry Beltik), and Benny (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), all of which are super likeable side characters who play off of each other really well.

The Queen's Gambit does a great job of telling a solid story really well. There's hardly a low point in the series, with every episode being consistently well-made and fun to watch. The acting is strong across the board, especially Taylor-Joy in the lead, and the cast has a great chemistry with each other. The depiction of chess is shockingly accurate and the series does a great job of making chess fun to watch. The dialogue is strong, the set design evokes the 60s era without being cartoonishly 60s, the cinematography is well-done, and the score is very pleasing to listen to. The production values across the board are just astounding, and make The Queen's Gambit feel more like a full-on movie than a TV show.

However, that's probably my only main gripe with the miniseries, the fact that it feels more like an elongated movie. It even follows a fairly predictable third-act structure with a backstory pilot episode, the protagonist losing against the antagonist halfway through the show, the darkest hour penultimate episode, and the triumphant third act in the finale. I think the characters are likable enough to justify a seven-episode-long miniseries, but I also think it could have worked just as well as a movie.

Despite the fairly consistent quality of the show, there are a bunch of particularly strong episodes:

Exchanges: This 68-minute-long beast could have been a movie on its own. Seeing Beth adjust to her new home and slowly start to get into chess is fun to watch, and her adoptive mother has a strong character arc where she learns to accept her role as a mother. It's a heartwarming episode that was a joy to sit through.

End Game: This was a super heartwarming and satisfying finale that manages to tie up the story completely. Even if it was predictable, the way in which Beth defeated Borgov was triumphant and just plain awesome, and I loved seeing all of the cast return to be by her side when all's said and done. The return of Jolene also did a great job of bringing the series full circle to Beth's humble orphanage beginnings (or should I say openings?).

Overall, The Queen's Gambit is a strong miniseries with great performances, writing, and production values. While it can be a bit predictable at times, the great characters and engrossing depiction of chess makes it an enjoyable watch from start to finish.

4.5/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: End Game

Mr Robot (Season 4)

I'm going to be honest. I didn't really like Season 4 of Mr Robot. It's still as well-filmed and acted as the show has always been, but the pacing is really wonky and the season contains a lot of plot directions that didn't sit all that well for me. 

Frankly, the first two thirds of Season 4 were really good. I like the Christmas vibe it had going for it and the story of the final confrontation with the Dark Army was compelling. There were tons of experimental episodes that stood out with some of the best in the series, and I also really liked seeing Mr Robot as the narrator this time. Angela and Tyrell's deaths, while frustrating, were really well-executed, and the middle of the season was top-notch. I feel like having most of the season take place on the same day led to some odd pacing, but it was overall a novel idea.

It's not until the episode "410 Gone" where the cracks started to show. While it was a great episode, it felt odd having to say goodbye to the side characters when there were three episodes left. I thought Dom or Leon would return for the finale, but the finale was entirely focused on Elliot. Then I arrived at "eXit" and it introduces a "parallel universe". I didn't like this plot point because I didn't want Mr Robot to go hard sci-fi. I thought it was too grounded to do that. Still, I saw the last two episodes, and while it was revealed that there were no parallel universes, what I got was even worse.

"Hello, Elliot" was one of the most underwhelming finales I have ever seen and it felt like a low point for not just the season but Mr Robot as a whole. I like the idea of an ambiguous and psychological finale but it didn't feel like they went all the way, settling for some pretty rote "parallel universe" shenanigans. And then there's the plot twist, the reveal that Elliot was also a split personality called 'The Mastermind" and he locked his real self away in the "parallel universe utopia", so the show ends with Elliot stepping back and letting his real self take the wheel. Sure it makes sense, but it's ridiculously convoluted, and the more I think about it, the worse it ends up being.

This finale just felt like an insult to the audience. The character we've been following the whole time, a character who's one of the best depictions of mental illness out there, a character who breaks the fourth wall and talks to the viewer, isn't even real in his own universe. If that's really so, then why am I supposed to care about anything that happened in the last four seasons? On top of that, most of the other cast members are shafted, and the lingering questions still aren't answered. I understand why people would like the finale as it definitely has a degree of emotional punch, but for me, this was a massive disappointment.

Thankfully, there are still a bunch of really good episodes that helped the first two thirds of the season remain strong:

402 Payment Required: I like the low-key nature of this episode. The focus on Elliot and Darlene each dealing with their mother's death in their own ways is great. We also get the first mention of the Deus Group, along with the twist that Elliot has another split personality. 

405 Method Not Allowed: Believe it or not, I didn't realize this episode was entirely silent until almost halfway in, and it made the whole thing so much more enjoyable. The heist was a lot of fun, culminating in the show's greatest action scene; A chase through the streets of New York City that's both intense and a hell of a fun time.

407 Proxy Authentication Required: Damn it, Vera! I'm supposed to hate you but all of your episodes are so good! This episode feels more like a play than an episode of a TV show, with five acts and everything. It has a bit of a slow build, but it remains tense throughout, culminating in a genuinely devastating final third.

409 Conflict: This episode is just satisfying. Seeing the Deus Group fall apart, Price outwit Whiterose, and the Dark Army nearly being slaughtered is amazing. Price was especially brutal during this episode, definitely his best moment in the show.

Overall, there are a lot of good episodes and the production is as top-notch as usual, but the ending just completely drops the ball for me, dragging down not just this season but the entire show. Maybe if they stuck the landing, this would be one of my favorite shows of all time, but now it's just a mess.

3/5 Stars

My ranking of Mr Robot's seasons would be:

1. Season 3: Easily the peak of the series. Meant to payoff everything Season 2 set up, Season 3 starts at 11 and continuously gets better from there. Nearly every episode is fantastic.
2. Season 1: What a great starter season. Season 1 of Mr Robot tells a great self-contained story with confident pacing and direction and a phenomenal triple-whammy at the very ending.
3. Season 2: While slow and aimless at times, Season 2 has a lot of great episodes especially around the middle, and most of it is made better by the payoffs in Season 3. 
4. Season 4: There's a lot of great episodes and moments in Season 4, but the bizarre pacing and the ending that just didn't work for me at all really dragged it down.

And my ranking of Mr Robot's finales would be:

1. shutdown -r (Season 3): I love this episode so much. It's so small-scale in premise, cramming the cast together into a farm for most of its runtime, but Shutdown manages to resolve all of the show's major storylines in dramatic and satisfying fashion.
2. eps1.9_zer0-day.avi (Season 1): While more of a denouement coming off of the last two episodes, Zero Day still manages to surprise by completely subverting everything the season was building towards.
3. eps2.9_pyth0n.p7z (Season 2): Python is a bit of a messy finale that tosses a ridiculous amount of plot twists and cliffhangers at you as possible. It's not super satisfying, but it is very surprising.
4. Hello, Elliot (Season 4): Yeah, I've ranted enough about the series finale. I didn't like it.

Favorite Episode: eps3.4_runtime-err0r.r00