​I’ve made no secret of the fact that I am a huge fan of Jordan Peele’s brand-new iteration of The Twilight Zone and my love for this series, stems from the simple fact that it is downright brilliant. For the two hours series premiere provided the audience with a pair of thoughtful and powerful tales, the kind that were grounded in uncomfortable reality when it comes to our world and how mankind currently operates. And the sheer brilliance of these opening stories left me anxious in the right kind of way to see exactly where this series was going to take us with its no-holds barred social commentary in the weeks to come, meaning that I was flat out counting down the days and the minutes until the next episode.

Thankfully my long and torturous wait came to an end yesterday, since the new TZ premiered a brand new episode in its regular Thursday time slot and well, ‘Replay’, was absolutely and utterly worth the wait, simply due to the fact that this particular tale, was filled to the brim with a devastating and stunning take on our world. For in this story, we came to meet a woman named Nina who was celebrating quite the important and bittersweet day. Because on this day, she was seeing her son, Dorian, off to college, where he hoped to study film so he could change the world with his work. But, a chance encounter with a violent police officer named Lasky, brings the trip to a terrifying halt. But not all hope is lost, for a camcorder that Nina’s father once owned, has the power to alter time, and hitting the rewind button will transport her and her son away from trouble, and the only question facing Nina now, is whether or not she can use that rewind button, to change what appears to be a dim and ugly fate for her beloved son…

So, when it comes to that plot, there’s no point in beating around the bush, because this one, lays it on pretty darn thick when it comes to its message about racism being alive and well in America, and while that statement makes it seem as though I am about to lambaste this story for holding nothing back in pointing this out, that is simply not the case. In fact, I praise this episode for not sugarcoating a single thing, and that it took the time to point out that sometimes, kindness and understanding don’t help the situation when it comes to racist idiots like Lasky. They will hate, and they will do what they must to satiate their ridiculous fears and the anger that burns within and well, that made this episode extremely uncomfortable to watch when all is said and done. Because the icy and remorseless nature that this man exhibited when it came to his interactions with Dorian and Nina, were a little too real at times.

Yet, what’s equally impressive about this tale, is that it had plenty more fascinating moments to accompany its powerful commentary. For this tale also served as a parable about the importance of facing our past, and making peace with it, since there was no progress or hope for Nina until she finally took the time to return home and make amends with yesterday, allowing for her to have the strength to face a potentially dismal future, and the episode did also offer up quite the intriguing answer on how we could possibly put an end to the wanton bigotry that seems to be making a comeback in America. For it took unity from the group of people standing outside of Dorian’s school, and one hell of a dressing down from Nina, to get Lasky to back down at last, and while it may seem too easy and almost silly to know that unity and truth might be the answer to what ails us, it’s the only answer I’ve seen popular media offer up at this point, and all of that might serve, as quite the positive start.
​
But what matters more about this particular tale, is that it is inherently clear that it wanted everyone who watched it, to understand what it means to be Black in America, and that’s quite the sobering message for this episode to provide us with, especially when one considers the gravity of the ending of this devastating story. If anything, this was hands down some of the smartest and boldest television I’ve seen in years, and this one definitely gave me great pause after it came to an end, because of the powerful experience that it provided me with, and well, this was the kind of story that leaves one speechless to a certain extent because, there’s no silver lining that I can offer here as a writer. I can only point out that this story was ugly, and angry and uncomfortable and that’s what great television does, it moves us, it leaves us thinking and that’s definitely ‘mission accomplished’ when it comes to this episode and I do hope that this series continues to expose us to the parts of the world that so many people don’t like to think about or talk about much, because it’s high time we start discussing the fact that things are not always rosy in our world, in order to kickstart a little change. Until next time. 

​I have to admit, that my re-watch of the classic police serial CHiPs has continually surprised me. Because every single episode in the titular first season of this saga, have worked to provide me (and likely audiences in ’77 and ’78) with some outright unique storytelling since it’s clear this series figured out early on how to balance action and adventure and drama, all while providing the audience with depth when it comes to its stories, its characters and well, everything really. Yet, of the many things this series accomplished in season one, what matters most is that it always finds a way to keep the stories supremely lighthearted and fun since it is good old-fashioned family entertainment. Which brings me back to how this show continually surprises me, because the next episode, ‘One Two Many’, did something that I didn’t think CHiPs was even remotely capable of, since this story embraced a touch of darkness.
 
For in this tale, our Creep of the Week was an individual like no other, since we quickly came to learn that a dude who looks just like Jon Baker, felt the need to pretend to be a CHP officer, to the point where he made himself a replica uniform and he souped up his bike to make it look like it belonged to the Highway Patrol as well and what made this storyline so dark, is what this ‘officer’ did while he was ‘on duty’. Because this nutjob, would pull over women that he was attracted to, and he quickly crossed the line with every single one of them, terrifying them to the point where one caused an accident and really, the most chilling moment when it comes to this particular plot thread, is when a woman he pulled over, fought back. For things got violent between the fake officer and his victim and this was downright scary since I certainly didn’t have a clue as to what he was going to do when confronted for his aggressive actions and it’s a wonderful thing that Ponch and Jon showed up when they did and scared him off.
 
But what matters more when it comes to this storyline, is what I made mention of a moment ago, in that, he looked like Jon, and this imposter’s behavior prompted some complaints to find their way to the Sarge, making Jon look bad in every way imaginable and the capture of this COTW was hands down the most satisfying one to date, since this guy got exactly what was coming to him. Yet, what’s equally as surprising is that the bleak nature of this tale wasn’t exclusive to the imposter storyline. There was also a dude that straight up hated cops for Ponch and Jon and the Sarge to contend with, and his garbage attitude put lives in danger and he was remorseless when confronted about his rotten behavior, and he even tried to goad Getrear into a physical altercation and really the only plus to come out of that plot line, is that we were able to learn just how much of a calculated badass the Sarge really is.
 
However, while that’s a lot of ugly to find in a show such as this, thankfully there were some laughs to be found, and all of that was accomplished by way of a bit of a crisis for Ponch. Because his mobile home had a nasty breakdown, the point where he had no power or water pressure, which meant, he needed a place to stay and Jon was of course nice enough to invite him to stay at his condo, with disastrous results. Which was ironic since at first, it seemed like things were going to work out just fine, but Frank’s proclivity to keep a messy place started to get to Jon, as did the fact that Ponch couldn’t sleep properly without blasting music in the middle of the night and all of this led to some pretty darn hilarious moments, such as the little riff-off between the two in front of everyone at the station and this was definitely a welcome change of pace from the Maniac ‘Cop’ that was roaming the streets.
 
If anything, I’m still quite impressed with this episode when all is said and done, simply due to the darker storylines present here. Because all of that speaks to the versatility of this show and now, I’ve got to stay on my toes as I continue this re-watch since the series will likely make another attempt to surprise me with a vastly different type of tale somewhere down the line again. But all surprise aside, I tip my cap to this tale for handling the ugly stuff in proper and intelligent fashion and this Creep of the Week still sticks out in my mind since he was just so incredibly remorseless and twisted and I guess if I have any complaint about this episode, it’s that it would have been satisfying to find out exactly how his sentencing went. But, minor complaint. Because this was a damn good episode and I cannot wait to see more like it in the days to come. Until next time. 

​If there’s one thing cinema and television tend to gloss over in stories that feature a specific career field, it’s the bad days so to speak. Those days where employees are forced to handle duties they simply don’t like or are asked to perform tasks that are outside of their job scope or are outright boring when all is said and done. Which makes sense really. After all, we’re here to be entertained above all else, so why bear witness to a character being forced to do something seemingly mundane. Which is why, I am continuing to find a newfound appreciation for the police serial classic, CHiPs. Because this particular series was willing to tell those kinds of stories since it knew how to balance action and the mundane as was evidenced in the next episode of the series, ‘Aweigh We Go’.
 
For in this particular tale, Ponch and Jon were taken off of their standard patrol duties and asked by the Sarge to head up north and help out at a weigh station up there thanks to a brand new threat emerging in the area, since our Creeps of the Week were swiping the loads of semi-trucks that stopped at nearby restaurants and the hope was that our heroic duo could bring these scumbags down. But, before they did (because Ponch and Jon always get the bad guy), they spent a lot of time doing menial tasks, and learning the weigh station officer trade and really, this was a bold decision storytelling wise. For this stuff should be considered boring, but the story was able to sell the importance of having a fresh set of eyes take a look at something critical and it also helps, that there was plenty of action and adventure, to break up the slower stuff, present in this episode.
 
After all, Ponch and Jon were forced to chase down a couple of arrogant racers who thought they could outrun the dynamic duo, and spoiler alert, they couldn’t. Plus, the final chase sequence involving the Creeps of the Week ended up being one hell of a ride since the bad guys ended up blowing out a tire, and by immediately bringing their rig to a stop so that it didn’t fly off of a bridge, they accidentally endangered some lives. Because other people also slammed on their brakes near the bridge and one car almost went over the drop right next to the bridge, leaving a mother and daughter suspended and trapped, allowing for Ponch and Jon to spring into action, and man this was one tense rescue, one filled with danger and panic and the realism here truly kept my attention and it was an added bonus that they were able to rescue both of the passengers.
 
However, if there’s one thing I’ve come to expect when it comes to season one of CHiPs, there should be something funny or fun to enjoy throughout the story as well and thankfully that was present here too. For after a high-speed chase ended with a boat flying into a salon early on in the story, Ponch found himself inspired to buy that boat and enjoy his time off on the water. But Sergeant Getrear happened to have the same idea in mind and bought the boat first, allowing for a strange agreement to come into play, wherein Frank, Jon and Joe would each pay for the boat and share in its wonder, and it was just hilarious to discover that the Sarge is always in charge since he bossed the guys around when it comes to getting their ship ready for the water and of course, you can’t go wrong with that ending, wherein we learned that Frank didn’t have a clue how to patch holes on the old girl, which meant the inaugural voyage of the newly commissioned Joe and Friends ended with her on the bottom of the sea.
 
If anything, this episode and everything that it had to offer, has me wondering something now when it comes to my re-watch of this series in that, is it really as cheesy and as 70s as I remember it to be? I mean sure, it has that washed out look of the era and the styles are definitely of the times as well. But I expected way more 70s tropes to be present in this first season, and those have only come up a couple of times now, and instead, I’m finding engrossing stories that are filled to the brim with everything I ever loved about the series. Which quite frankly, is a compliment and a testament to this series because if this is really what I’m in for with these Retro Recaps, that means I’m getting six seasons of wholesome and fun entertainment and you just can’t go wrong with that. Until next time. 

We’ve come a point now with American Gods, where I am truly expecting every episode to dive deep into the human condition and examine everything and anything about us and what flat out makes us tick because the show has done such a magnificent job of diving into such matters this season. Which quite frankly, is a wonderful thing if you ask me since a series such as this could instead focus on the fantastical since it features powerful Gods that can accomplish anything. But, I digress, because it’s the social commentary that we are here to talk about today. Because not only did the series take the time to live up to its new standard by digging into it once again last night, it also managed to surprise the audience along the way.
 
For initially, ‘The Ways of the Dead’ really seemed as though it was going to dive into a grand exploration on the nature of death, and everything that comes with it. Which meant this episode should have explored our fear of it, our desperate attempts to escape it and how we deal with it when it comes to our doorstep and to the show’s credit, some of those elements were examined over the course of the hour. But in reality, this particular episode went to some vastly different places, instead truly taking the time to examine the savagery of man, and how sometimes for us, we embrace the worst parts of us in order to find a sense of justice or peace in this world and all of these elements made this particular tale quite the compelling watch.
 
However, before we get too deep into a discussion about the animalistic behavior the masters of this planet exhibit, let’s talk about the examination of death present here, since it seamlessly wove its way into the true subject matter of this story and really, what first caught my eye when it comes to the nature of death, was Sweeney and Laura’s journey in this tale. For they eventually found their way to the Big Easy, wherein Laura asked her Leprechaun friend to finally take her to the legendary Baron Samedi to save her from the clutches of death and well, what we saw here was everything I made mention of a moment ago. Because Laura was desperate to escape the void and feared going back there and was willing to steer clear of it at just about any cost and well, the decision to come to Samedi’s place ended up being quite costly. 

​But, more on that in a moment as well, because we need to talk about how this episode pivoted into a commentary on our savagery, and all of that was accomplished back in Cairo. For it was here that we were privy to the history of this small town, one that is ugly to say the least since the legend of Froggy James was put on display here, a tale that revolves around an African American man who once made eyes at a pretty Caucasian girl long ago, and for his moment of admiration, he was brutally murdered and his body was treated to great indignity, much to the delight of the townspeople and the point of this tale, was to remind all of us of how far we haven’t come in regard to how we treat our fellow man and how we tend to embrace our violent tendencies whenever necessary, and that was quite the poignant place to go, and it didn’t stop there.
 
Because this particular tale also became quite philosophical and with good reason. For there was a rhyme and a reason to providing us with such an angry and discombobulated story and that relates to the title of this episode. For ‘The Ways of the Dead’ is directly referring to humanity itself, for, as Mr. Ibis put so eloquently, and I paraphrase, we spend more time dead than we do alive. Which means the ways of the dead, are that of those who are fortunate enough to not yet be in the ground, and they are disappointing ways indeed, filled with fear and insecurity and a hunger for validation, as was demonstrated by Laura’s decision to once again turn her back on Shadow and spend a night with the Baron in carnal fashion and well, more and more, this series continues to give us pause and make us reflect upon what we’ve just seen, making this episode as brilliant as any other.
 
Yet, what continues to impress me about this series, is that it still doesn’t offer a single answer in regard to what it presents to the audience. It just makes us uncomfortable and puts our flaws in front of us in the raw in order to have us discuss such matters in platforms such as this and more. But, all philosophy aside, I’m fairly certain there’s a grand plan in place as to why we are receiving these powerful messages, one that goes outside of merely educating the audience, in that…it would seem that Shadow needs to learn more about the world he’s shunned, in order to potentially save it. For the upcoming war could be ugly, and costly to more than just the Gods, and perhaps figuring out how to turn a flawed creature such as man, into a beacon of hope, could in turn be spread to the Gods, saving countless lives, since they are…created in our image. Until next time.

Of the many new shows that arrived on the television landscape last year, only one continues to stand out in my mind as one of the absolute best of that particular crop; Killing Eve. Because this unique spy drama took every single trope found within the genre, and outright turned them on their heads, all while providing us with a slow burning and fascinating tale that featured all kinds of impressive twists and turns and quality character development and it’s one that I’ve been anxiously awaiting to see return to the airwaves, since the season one finale, ‘God, I’m Tired’, left us with so many brilliantly unresolved plot points.
 
For we were no closer to learning anything about the Twelve and Eve’s big chance to bring Villanelle in ended in disaster since you know, she freakin’ stabbed her and well, that lovely cliffhanger is what left me hungry for more and thankfully, the long and painful wait that we’ve all experienced when it comes to this dynamic series finally came to an end last night, since the season two premiere, ‘Do You Know How to Dispose of a Body?’, plunged us right back into this magnificent world. And rather than toy with a time jump, or waste any time with a grand setup and reintroduction to these dynamic characters, the show dove right back into where we left off, picking up a mere thirty seconds later from the end of the finale, with Eve and Villanelle on the run from the Twelve’s lackeys and it also didn’t take that long, for the series to continue to shatter every last cliché that comes with this genre.
 
Because normally, when a villain is on the run in a spy story, our hero starts a relentless pursuit. But here, the whole experience in Villanelle’s apartment left Eve quite rattled, and she was happy to return home, and keep a low profile while processing everything she’s experienced to date, and work to keep her mind calm when it comes to the fact that Villanelle may come for her. But try as she might, finding that calm and sense of normalcy was simply impossible for Eve, and she wasn’t herself until Carolyn brought her back into action in the hopes of getting her input on where Villanelle is, and what her next move might be and well, this was a wonderful place for the show to go storytelling wise. Simply because, it reminded us of Eve’s humanity, and how bravery can be a scary thing, and kudos to the series for showing us a rattled heroine, instead of the same old, same old, and it was equally as wonderful to see her energized to be back on the case and back at British Intelligence.
 
Yet, the series wasn’t quite done with flipping spy drama tropes upside down since Villanelle’s story was equally as unique. For normally, the bad guy has a safe haven to go to in these tales, a place to recoup and regroup so that they can continue their evil machinations. But for Villanelle, there was no safe house to go, just the hospital, wherein she had to use her usual charms to keep her identity a secret with the Twelve on the hunt for her and what made this part of the episode such a delight to watch, is the sheer fact that Villanelle was also humanized and vulnerable for the first time ever on the show, since she was forced to take a minute to heal, and she even bonded with her roommate, a young man who was badly disfigured after an accident that made him an orphan. If anything, the only part of this story that could be considered of the norm, is that Villanelle did take the time to regroup and plan her next moves and well, that would indeed be Eve’s worst fear (or dream, potentially) come to life in that, she’s headed for London to find her obsession and that’s where this one leaves us, with our talented assassin, on the road to follow her heart.
 
In the end however, this really ended up being quite the incredible season premiere to say the least. For the decision to pick up right where we left off immediately drew me back into the story and more importantly, everything that made this series a delight to watch last year was present here. Eve is as quirky as ever; Villanelle can still scare you with her ability to turn off her humanity on a moment’s notice in order to get the job done and the black humor that leaves the audience laughing heartily was present here as well and I couldn’t be happier. Because it means season two has already found its stride, and it can only grow from here, and I will definitely be on my couch, and ready to go to watch this one, because I have to learn more about the Twelve and see what will happen between Eve and Villanelle, which means, I’ll be counting down the minutes until next week’s episode, in order to get my fix when it comes to this phenomenal series. Until then.  

I’ve made it no secret that I’ve found myself suffering from a touch of superhero burnout, especially when it comes to superhero television shows, because these particular types of stories, simply aren’t doing it for me anymore. For starters, there’s simply too many of them, and this saturation of the market is leading to repetitive storytelling, complete with massive story arcs that are being dragged out to the point where there are filler episodes that waste precious minutes on unimportant stories and worst of all, they’re all trying too hard to tackle social issues in our world because what they wish to say feels forced and over the top at times.
 
Which is why, I was so supremely impressed with Freeform/Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger when it premiered last year. Because this particular series introduced us to relatable superheroes, the kind with flaws and fears and great odds to overcome and it’s brief ten episode run allowed for no moment to be wasted on screen and most importantly, it tackled important issues plaguing our world in intelligent and organic fashion, making this series a welcome breath of fresh air. And its solid finale left me ready for more when it comes to this tale, and Thursday Night, my long wait to enjoy more of this dynamic series came to an end by way of a two hour season premiere event that brought us a pair of quality episodes that proudly continued the magnificent storytelling traditions that season one established.
 
For ‘Restless Energy’ and ‘White Lines’ dove into some magnificent concepts, the kind that keep a series about a young man who can teleport and a young woman who can create energy-based knives out of thin air grounded in reality and the first thing that caught me off guard in the right way when it comes to this season two premiere, is the sheer fact that our heroes weren’t suddenly all over the city stopping crime and feeling fulfilled in their lives, there were consequences to be dealt with when it comes to their actions from last season, and consequences to be found in this pair of stories as well. For the road to becoming a hero isn’t quick or easy, and both Tandy and Tyrone stumbled as they worked to make the world a better place, since their plans often backfired or escalated a particular situation and it was downright fascinating to see their best intentions be foiled by the fear and confusion of others. 

​But what matters the most when it comes to this series, is its quality character development and the challenges Tandy and Tyrone faced in these two tales, helped bring that all-important element to the forefront of the story. In fact, I really loved how their fortunes were reversed in this premiere since it provided them with new challenges to overcome since the once socially active Tyrone was now restricted to a world devoid of human contact and the once isolated Tandy was back in the world again, struggling with its injustices and how others suffered from an inability to forge a better life for themselves and seeing these two try and adjust to new lives was fascinating in its own right. But seeing them grapple with their newfound calling to help others as heroes is what made this part of the story so compelling since they are dying to do more for the world but are unsure as to how to make that happen.
 
However, there are some new threats growing behind the scenes in the city of New Orleans that will help Tandy and Tyrone find their heroic path going forward and I must admit, I’m quite curious at this point as to who exactly is working to kidnap women across the city, and why for that matter because that’s a disturbing prospect indeed, especially since these parties took the time to pump Mikayla full of heroin before dumping her off on a hospital. And of course, this dynamic duo also came to discover that their good friend, Detective Brigid O’Reilly, has a doppelganger that is willing to go the extra mile to get what it wants, and what that is exactly, remains a mystery. But considering that this being is likely Mayhem come to life on the small screen, the name alone should clue us in to what Brigid 2.0 wants and no good can come from that.
 
If anything, this was a solid season two premiere. For it did a fine job reminding us of just how wonderful our heroes truly are since they harbor a desire to see a better world, and it also tackled some real world topics in respectful and intelligent fashion since domestic violence and human trafficking are rarely discussed in fiction, much less a television series in this vein and of course, it did a fine job setting up the rest of season two since we now know, there are some new monsters roaming about The Big Easy and the performances from everyone were simply outstanding and I love that these new challenges are about to give everyone the purpose they desperately need and well, I need more. I need to know how this is going to end, and how our heroes will defeat these new threats. Which means I will be happily dedicating my time to this dynamic series in the weeks to come. Until next time.  

There are a great many reasons to like Star Trek as a whole, since the franchise has always offered us a look at a world where mankind has truly evolved to become an outright better species, one that believes in the value of life, and is willing to sacrifice everything in order to ensure the safety of others since we’ve seen Starfleet crew after Starfleet crew put their lives on the line to save countless worlds and untold lives. But alas, that kind of nobility hasn’t quite been available to the characters of Star Trek: Discovery just yet since their missions have led them in different directions over the past couple of years.
 
But at long last, a chance to risk it all and put lives on the line finally arrived on this particular series since last night’s episode of the show, ‘Through the Valley of Shadows’, put Michael and Spock and Captain Pike specifically, within harm’s way all in the name of the greater good, and the end result of the situations they found themselves in, led to quite the epic tale, one that quite frankly left me on the edge of my seat with its perfect balance of fan service, danger and heroism and really the storyline that I want to talk about first, is the one involving Captain Christopher Pike. Because his journey in this tale, managed to provide us with all of those elements.
 
For a new signal brought the U.S.S. Discovery to the Klingon planet of Boreth, where Ash and L’Rell left their son to grow safely, away from the drama of the Empire and this place mattered for several reasons, but the most important one, is that this planet is home to a vast abundance of Time Crystals. Something that Pike firmly believed would help the crew accomplish their mission in sending the Sphere’s data deep into the future, and he insisted on beaming down in the hope he could retrieve one. Which surprisingly, he could, but for quite the price. For in order to bring one of these crystals back to the ship, Pike would need to see a potential future for himself, one that could be prevented if he were to leave the crystal on Boreth and well…he saw his unfortunate fate, and stood by the mission regardless and was gifted the crystal, and the knowledge of his sorrowful future. 

While Christopher dealt with that, and a tense reunion between L’Rell and Ash, Commander Michael Burnham was on a mission of her own, one grounded in revenge. Because she was not good with Leland ruining the reunion between her and her mother and she was privy to a strange aberration in Section 31’s deployment logs that gave her a potential opportunity at bringing down Leland and Control. But all she found was terror and deception on her mission, one that thankfully Spock accompanied her on. For everything was a trap laid by Control to assimilate Burnham into Control’s new collective (because let’s be honest, there’s no better phrase to attach to that), and this ugly encounter prompted both Spock and Burnham to realize that perhaps she is the real X factor in this fight and keeping her out of Control’s waiting arms, may be the key to defeating it.
 
Yet while it was supremely cool to meet the son of Voq and L’Rell and see the great man he’s become, and see Burnham and Pike stand tall in the face of adversity, this one ended on quite the sour note. For Control is amassing a fleet of Section 31 ships to capture Discovery and the valuable knowledge stored within her databanks, prompting Pike and Burnham to agree that the time has come to ask for Enterprise’s help in evacuating the U.S.S. Discovery before the crew scuttles her, setting the stage for a grand showdown next week and my goodness, did I thoroughly enjoy this episode, for so many reasons. For starters, I’m a sucker for any Trek episode where the odds are against the crew, because it brings out the best in them, and the deck was unfairly stacked in this one and everyone performed admirably.
 
However, Anson Mount’s powerhouse performance in this tale is what stands out the most, because the nobility that Pike expressed when faced with an awful fate reminds us that he is one of Starfleet’s finest, and a good man through and through and that, combined with Burnham’s newfound resolve, just makes for an episode that speaks to what this franchise stands for, and man, I really cannot wait for next week’s story. Because this is it, the beginning of the showdown we’ve all been waiting for, and this crew seems ready to make incredible sacrifices to ensure a future where the galaxy and its many living species thrive, thanks to the brave leadership exhibited by Pike and Burnham here and well, I cannot wait to see how this crew will stand up to Control and save billions of lives in the weeks to come. Until next time.      

​When it comes to these Retro Recaps of CHiPs, I couldn’t help but notice that we’ve spent a lot of time discussing the wonder and nature of ‘firsts’ on this series, and with good reason. Because it’s inherently clear now that the middle of season one is when the series truly began to find its stride, since the stories are suddenly full of depth and character development and characters that are integral to the future of the show. And as I continue my journey through Ponch and Jon’s first year together on the road, it just so happens that I was privy to another first, since the next episode in this magnificent series, ‘Name Your Price’, was really the first time I’d seen the show simply let loose and have as much fun as possible.
 
In fact, even the Creeps of the Week were a joy to watch this time around, simply because their plan and their failures were so unique and magnificent, respectively. Because this time around, we were introduced to a pair of crafty ladies who figured out creative ways to steal Rolls Royce’s to sell on the black market, and despite Ponch and Jon’s best efforts to capture them early on in the episode, they always managed to get away, even going so far as to ditch one of the cars at a car wash in order to leave no trace of their fingerprints and of course, to flat out escape. But of course, they cannot hide from California’s finest forever and in a tense chase sequence, Ponch and Jon were eventually able to bring them down and the twists and the turns here, alongside some quality performances from our villains really were a delight to watch through and through.
 
But the fun didn’t end there. For Ponch and Jon’s adventures on the road were equally as entertaining and magical in their own right since they were so lighthearted. I mean, you really can’t go wrong with watching Ponch and Jon and Grossman and ‘Bear’ work to get some chickens off the highway, especially when Jon is able to school everyone on how to get it done. Plus, it was great to see Ponch get star struck when meeting his favorite soap stars during a traffic stop, and see him play the hero in the midst of an accident since he was able to help a diabetic hang on after said crash by way of the junk food he keeps handy in his bike. And it was equally as neat to watch them deal with a Great Dane that felt the need to sleep where ever he wants because all of that just made for good ol’ fashioned family entertainment and believe or not, there was more fun to be found.
 
Because the centerpiece of the smiles in this tale, came forth from the fact that Ponch received two tickets to a game show that shared the namesake of this tale, and Frank was beyond excited for an opportunity to go on this show and potentially get his hands upon riches untold. So much in fact that he actually took the time to train for this opportunity, and had Jon come along with him to various home goods dealers around town to guess their product’s prices so that he was one-hundred percent ready if he was selected to be a contestant, and of course, he was, and of course, he lost. But what made this sequence so much fun to watch was that we finally saw Ponch and Jon out of the uniform and going about their daily lives, and while we’ve seen snippets of that before, this is the first time it really felt natural on the show, and of course, it’s always a delight to see hilarious shenanigans involving Ponch.
 
If anything, this episode really was quite the special treat. For this particular tale just felt natural and organic and it really is a sign of how quickly this series is coming together, and the humor really was top notch, and for proof, look no further than the perfectly timed line from the pastor about how ‘the Lord taketh away’ as one of the thieves swiped a beautiful Rolls at a funeral in the opening moments of this episode, and really, this was just good old fashioned fun and it’s got me hungry for more. For this is the stuff that I fell in love with all those years ago, and clearly, it’s time for me to get another fix of these wonderful adventures. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to hit the highway with Ponch and Jon once again and lose myself in the silliness of this series. Until next time. 

If there’s one element that’s supremely polarizing when it comes to film and television, it’s the remake. Because there are so many people out there, that firmly believe a classic should remain untouched in every sense of the word in order to allow for audiences everywhere to enjoy the tale in question in its purest form, and on the flip side to that, there are others that welcome a do-over for classic tales in order to keep the story going and give other creatives a chance to offer their perspective on the story's meaning and message. If anything, I am a firm believer that technically, both sides to this argument are right, for vastly different reasons. For there are stories out there that transcend time and are just fine staying in their original form. But there are other ones out there that almost require an update, due to the fact that they feel dated and out of place in the modern era and one such story that meets that criteria is The Twilight Zone classic, ‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet’.
 
In fact, this iconic story is so encapsulated and limited by the era in which it was originally released, that it actually managed to receive a remake in 1983 when it was featured as the finale segment in Twilight Zone: The Movie, and the facelift it received in the 80s allowed for quite the terrifying upgrade for the gremlin hanging out on the wing of a commercial airliner. Yet, despite that ‘facelift’, the story still feels dated after all of these years for one reason and one reason alone; we no longer believe in monsters. Gone are the days of gremlins and boogeymen and things that go bump in the night. Instead, those monsters have been replaced by conspiracy theories and misinformation that make us ponder upon new horrific possibilities when it comes to what lurks behind the scenes in our world and this paradigm shift in our beliefs allowed for Jordan Peele’s new iteration of The Twilight Zone to update this story by way of its second episode, ‘Nightmare at 30,000 Feet’, and let me say it now, this refreshed version of this iconic tale is downright brilliant when all is said and done.
 
Because this iteration of this classic tale, fits the times perfectly, in large part due to the fact that our main character, Justin Sanderson, is a product of our modern era. For Justin is an investigative reporter who has seen horrors untold, and it’s inherently clear he’s suffering from PTSD early on in this episode and is untrusting of mankind due to what he’s seen in his travels and let’s be honest; that makes him supremely relatable. Because we too have seen some volatile things in our world in the past fifteen years and the consistent infighting in America and the threat of violence hanging over our heads has left us all of us rattled like Justin and the brilliance of this episode doesn’t there. For once Justin boards his flight, he happens to find an MP3 player in the front of his seat that just so happens to have a podcast downloaded onto it, and this ‘special episode’ revolves around the flight he is on and how it disappeared without a trace while it soared over the Atlantic, putting Justin in a strange position since now he’s racing against the clock to save his own flight from doom, and this where the show’s biting commentary comes into play.
 
Because there is nothing to back up or prove what Justin is hearing, but the perfect blend of coincidental moments he runs into on the plane, helps to lend credence to the podcast’s content in his mind, and the parallels to that simply cannot be ignored. For Justin’s immediate need to believe everything he heard on this podcast as gospel, speaks volumes to the birth of the new monsters in our society that I made mention of a moment ago, since there are plenty of people out there who see conspiracy theories and ramblings and movements grounded in fantasy, as fact, and believe they are now experts on a particular topic and push their wild agendas in the belief that they are making the world a better place when in fact, their ‘beliefs’ are doing the opposite. And in many ways that’s what we witness as Justin tries to save the plane from disappearing, and his panicked quest for salvation also reminds us that the only real monsters in the world are people and when they’re properly enabled to cause trouble, they’re happy to do so, as evidenced in the closing moments of this story.
 
Yet, what’s equally as impressive is that there some lingering ambiguity when it comes to the overall storyline, because we never really know if the Podcast is real, or a figment of Justin’s imagination, drummed up to give him purpose and a story since we know he’s not well and desperate for a story, and it also makes one wonder if his buddy, the only man who believed him, is real or not, and the mysterious air hanging over this story, only lends credence to the sheer darkness present here. In fact, that’s what truly impressed me about this episode, in that, it had no problem going to the darkest and bleakest of places, or showing us what people are like when they are pushed to edge and the fact that it didn’t sugarcoat the story in the slightest, both commentary and structure wise, is a bold and dynamic move that lets us know that this iteration of the series isn’t messing around and I couldn’t be happier to know now, that this series is going to hold nothing back in the weeks to come. Until next time. 

​Each of us have a handful of television shows and movies that we hold near and dear to our hearts because they moved us in ways, we never thought possible. These are the stories that stayed in our minds long after they came to a close, for they took us on quite the roller coaster ride both emotionally and mentally and one such series that always did that for me when I was growing up, was The Twilight Zone. For Rod Serling’s classic is that rare story that truly managed to encapsulate and examine the human condition in every single way imaginable, and its legacy has been felt for decades in pop culture since its powerful and dynamic stories have influenced countless artists and viewers. 
 
In fact, the draw of this particular series, and the sheer power that it exudes prompted two revivals of the series after the original went off the air in 1964, with mixed results. For while the mid 1980s revival of the series offered up some unique stories here and there, and had some incredible names attached to it, these tales lacked the punch and intellectual potency of its predecessor, making it nothing more than mere entertainment and the 2002 revival, while a touch more daring in its storytelling commentary wise, never found the right formula to say what it needed to say and draw in an audience at the same time, and the end result was a single season order. But, after languishing about, the series has finally found a new creative mind to resurrect it from the void of creative stagnancy and cancellation. For Jordan Peele’s iteration of the series arrived on CBS All Access last night with a two-episode premiere and well, I have to admit that I was blown away by the sheer genius that came forth from the first tale in this series, ‘The Comedian’.
 
For this particular tale wasted no time in immersing us in a parable about the power and the dangers of fame and we were introduced to these concepts by way of an awful comedian named Samir Wassan, who receives some fascinating advice from a legendary comic in that, in order for him to be successful, he needs to be more open with his audience so they too can enjoy ownership of the joke. But of course, there’s one catch when it comes to said advice in that, what he offers up to the crowd, disappears forever. But the incredible success he enjoys motivates him to continue on this path, and he removes bad people from the world by incorporating them into his act, but it doesn’t take long before the fame goes right to his head, prompting Samir to use his comedy to exact revenge when necessary and therein lies the lesson when it comes to fame since this story reminds us that it can be quite the intoxicating ride, one that is oft abused when a person feels invincible.
 
However, let’s be honest. That would be too easy a message to send when it comes to a series such as this, and it is one we’ve seen time and time again. Which is why this particular premiere had more to offer us than just that. For in many ways this particular tale also served as a powerful commentary on social media, and how it can propel us to fame and notoriety when we say the right inflammatory things upon it, and that was expressed by way of Samir’s salty act since he dragged people through the mud before sacrificing them to whatever void awaited them and as is the case on social media, the more vitriol and rhetoric that poured into his act, the more the audience reacted to it, hungry to hear what he had to say next, and of course Samir was more than happy to continue to stoke the flames in order to enjoy the sheer thrill and rush of being the hottest comic around.
 
Yet, the story’s ending is what truly made this tale worthwhile, because it perhaps offered up a solution to the world’s conundrum when it comes to rhetoric related matters in that, it took a touch of self-awareness and conscience on Samir’s part to put an end to the madness, and while that’s easier said than done, it’s an answer none the less. But, all thoughtful plotlines aside, let’s be honest, this is a hell of way to bring The Twilight Zone back to life. For this featured the kind of commentary we’ve come to know and love when it comes to this series, and it featured grounded and dynamic characters and incredible performances. In fact, we need to take a moment and recognize Kumail Nanjiani for his breathtaking portrayal of Samir since he gave this character stunning depth and really, when all is said and done, I’m hooked. This was just a wonderful premiere to this new revival, and I cannot wait to see what brilliant wonders await us in the weeks to come. Until next time.