Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two finale of ‘Tehran’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say, that season two of Tehran on Apple TV+, has been nothing short of a masterclass story regarding the dangers of committing to revenge. Because at every single turn, Tamar’s desire to make General Mohammadi pay the ultimate price for harming her family, has brought forth chaos and suffering for everyone involved. To the point where lives have been lost and damaged beyond repair and what’s truly amazing about this series, is that it still has a little more to say about revenge, as evidenced by how the season two finale of this phenomenal and dynamic series played out, since ‘Blood Funeral’ asked Tamar quite the pertinent and powerful question.
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In that, there comes a point in our quest for revenge where we are faced with a simple decision. Specifically, are we willing to truly go all the way and scorch what little earth is left to have our peace or are we willing to let the damage that’s been done, serve as the penance we so desperately seek? For when we catch up with Tamar and her friends in this tale, the Mossad was ready to close the books on this mess and move onto new plans. For there were too many mistakes surrounding this mission, and innocent blood had been shed, so it was simply best to move on and hope for a better opportunity to bring the nuclear program to its knees.

But that wasn’t good enough for Tamar. For she had come this far, had been within striking distance of the man that caused her so much pain and well… she decided that the Mossad needed to go all in and finish this at Peyman’s forthcoming funeral. A move that Marjan agreed with, to the point where she disobeyed orders and worked to make this happen… with Faraz’s help and advice no less. The latter of which was handled in private, since he was worried that the Mossad would have cold feet about this matter and it was, he who advised Tamar to keep that fire within burning and finish the mission at all costs and she most certainly did.

For his concerns were justified since the mission was called off while Tamar was working her way toward the general. A move that forced her and Faraz to improvise to achieve their mutual goal and more. Which for Faraz, involved enacting a little payback on Marjan since he saw her actions as both humiliating and dangerous… since she would forever have leverage above him. Which is why he enlisted Nahid’s help in ending her while he used a backup plan to handle the bigger matter at hand. One that involved finally getting the cloned, explosive phone into the hands of the General. Allowing for Tamar to be the last person he ever heard before being blown to bits. Putting an end to his reign and giving Tamar the satisfaction, she craved. 
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However, while it was fascinating to see Tamar finish her mission at a great cost, none of those actions speak to a deeper message regarding revenge. Since that was simply a ‘yes’ to the 'scorched earth' part of the question posed, but the show was ready to provide us with something more in its closing moments. For her and Milad’s attempt to escape Tehran, was met with violence, from the Mossad most likely. The kind that cost Milad his life and taught Tamar the lesson inherent. In that, while we might be prepared to do what we must to have our revenge, in doing so… we rarely think about the consequences of our revenge, which are vast. For it will cost us everything when we fully commit to it.

As evidenced by how Tamar had nothing left in this tale. Just the clothes on her back and once again, she is trapped behind enemy lines at a far more dangerous time. For now, an assault on the top boss of the IRGC will be met with terrifying results, the kind that Faraz might not even be able to protect her from. Which means there is clearly more story to be told in this series, the kind that could explore what a spy would need to do to survive in a hostile environment, upon being cut off support wise, and hopefully we get a season three announcement for this show soon. So, we can enjoy more of this incredible and intelligent spy drama, one that keeps us on our toes and wows us every step of the way, with its amazing writing and desire to reshape the spy genre. Until next time.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 303 of ‘The Orville: New Horizons’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say, that mankind has quite the complicated relationship with the reality and the concept of death. Largely because this is something… we outright fear, and understandably so. For the thought of losing a loved one to the end is terrifying, as is reaching our own end. For there is a harsh finality that accompanies death, and the thought that everything just ends for us and that we leave behind a void... is incredibly unsettling, as are the unknown aspects of what awaits us beyond. Because we haven’t a clue if there is an afterlife after all or if a burst of hyperactive brain activity and silence are await us when we draw our last breaths.
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But at the same time… we also celebrate and revere death. For knowing that we have a finite time on this Earth, serves as powerful fuel. The kind that reminds us that the clock is ticking, so we should go out there and seize the day and get what we’re worth and enjoy every single moment we can, and build stunning memories along the way, and hopefully leave our mark on this world. So that we are remembered fondly by others for ages after we depart into that unknown. If anything, our complicated relationship with death does beg quite the important question… in that, what kind of species would we become if the fear was removed from the equation, and we properly understood death?

Because that could… change a great deal about our world, and how we conduct ourselves and our lives. Not to mention, coming to learn if there is or isn’t an afterlife would change things as well. But how exactly would we better come to understand death? Since there is of course, no way to really explore its trappings without actually dying. An act from which there is no return. But it just so happens that the next episode of The Orville: New Horizons takes the time to ponder upon just that. For ‘Mortality Paradox’ is a tale that offers up a wild method for potentially exploring the power and gravity of death and how we might better understand it, and it accomplished that feat by way of a unique plot.

Wherein the crew of the Orville dropped by Narran 1 to investigate how a dead world had come to life out of the blue and well, what the away team found was stunning to say the least. For this world played by no rules and kept putting the team in dangerous situations, the kind that brought them close to the brink of death and well, it turned out that they were being subjected to a unique experiment. One conducted by the time shifting species they encountered in ‘Mad Idolatry’. For they were no longer able to die and had lost sight of its meaning and decided to live vicariously through the away team to understand its power and gravity again. A move that speaks volumes to the possibility that virtual reality and metaverses… could in fact allow for us to explore the nature of death in a safe environment and perhaps come to understand it and no longer fear it and change our world in the process.
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But at the same time… the show asks an equally pertinent counter question to that solution. In that, should we take the time to try and understand death? Because to do so, could in fact… make us as complacent as those very beings. Since a finite answer denotes finite behavior, where we would know the endgame and what it entails and would live our lives according to that. Which means that the message inherent here from this tale, is that it is up to the individual to really examine what death means to them. So that we find our own purpose from it and act accordingly and that is… perhaps the best perspective one can offer on such matters. Since our worries about death have been with us from the beginning and will likely persist long into the future.

However, what’s truly amazing about this wildly philosophical tale, is that it handled this powerful exploration, in a supremely relaxed and entertaining manner. A feat that it accomplished by offering up a little surprise mystery involving Talla and the visitor, alongside some wild and crazy scenarios for the crew to handle regarding that exploration of death. Plus, that ending, and its musings were also quite welcome, since it helped to put a great deal into perspective for the audience and we’d be remiss to not point out… that it was amazing to see a call back come into play and really, in the end, this is just… another brilliant episode from an already brilliant show. Because it takes serious work to make a topic this serious palatable and entertaining, but this show pulled it off no problem and once again left us curious… as to what other corners of the human condition this series is going to explore in the weeks to come. Until next time.  

Please enjoy a sneak peek of episode two of Becoming Elizabeth,  which will air on STARZ on June 19, 2022.
 
If the embedded clip below doesn’t work, click here to view it.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Seven of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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What happens when the Enterprise is asked to help a few colonists and their ships on the edge of Federation Space? Of course, they rush out to help. Pike is indeed the Boy Scout of the Federation and he’ll do whatever he must, to help those in need. Dr. Aspen has implored the help of the crew as best they can, which isn’t a hard sell. Starfleet has been running aid missions to these colonists for years, and they’re short on food and water and so much more. The crew is all too eager to help, except when they arrive, it’s to a debris field. Dr. Aspen suggests that this is the work of the The Serene Squall, a powerful pirate ship. With the Colonists not having much, they were likely taken to be sold as slaves in non-Federation space.

The crew immediately follows, knowing that communication with the Federation is limited, and even more so if they continue. It’s what they have to do to ensure the safety of those in need. They end up in an asteroid field, and then a laser trap. They have to shoot the right asteroid in order to break the ever-enclosing field of deadly space lasers. Spock makes a guess and they end up shooting the right one, but it’s a lucky guess. Shortly after, they come into contact with The Serene Squall and Pike beams aboard it with La’an and a few others. Only while they were beaming to that ship, pirates were beaming onto theirs. Una manages to lock the ship in time, but they get captured. All except for Chapel, Spock, and Dr. Aspen.

Let it be said that I never trusted Dr. Aspen. There was just something off about them, and I was right. When Spock and Chapel end up in Engineering, so they can send a distress signal to Starfleet, Aspen unlocks the ship and reveals themselves to be Angel, Captain of The Serene Squall. They wanted the Enterprise for one very specific reason, Spock. What does Spock have to do with all this? Well, he is engaged to T’Pring, and she just so happens to run a rehabilitation facility for troubled Vulcans. Angel is looking for a specific prisoner of T’Pring’s. They are going to use Spock as leverage to do so.

To let this prisoner go would cost T’Pring everything, her reputation, her job, her everything. Spock understands this and tries to talk her out of showing up to the coordinates Angel gives her, but she doesn’t listen and shows up anyway. Angel has been using emotion against the Enterprise this entire time, even going so far as to manipulate Spock into believing their husband had been killed by pirates. Instead, the man they love has been in T’Pring’s facility this entire time.
 
Will T’Pring give Angel what they want to save Spock’s life? She almost does, but Spock’s quick thinking saves the day, so to speak. He tells T’Pring that he’s been having an affair with Christine Chapel, and to prove it they even share a convincing kiss. T’Pring breaks their bond and promptly leaves. Angel is shocked and furious and has no time to act as they lose control over the Enterprise.

That’s right, Pike and Una staged a mutiny on The Serene Squall, and then managed to get control of the Enterprise from there. Angel beams out before they can get captured, but the Enterprise is back in Pike’s hands and the crew of The Serene Squall is in their custody now. While Angel is still at large, at least the person she was looking for isn’t free. Who were they after? None other than Spock’s half-brother, Sybok of course! With so many twists, this episode delivered a fantastic new element and possible new enemies for the Enterprise and her crew. Surely, this won’t come back to haunt them, at all.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Five of ‘The Ipcress File’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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When we last settled in to discuss the fascinating and wondrous AMC+ series, The Ipcress File, we talked at length about how… the show outright surprised us. For this grand homage to the spy drama of yore, completely and utterly changed gears. In part by taking our heroes down quite the dark path, one that put them in the midst of a genuinely dangerous situation. One set up by the Americans no less, making them appear to be the villain of this story after all, and to top it all off… Harry Palmer was taking the fall for everything and it really appeared as though he was going to endure genuine harm, thanks to the revenge that others wanted to impart upon him.

If anything, that particular tale… more or less left the audience unsure of where this story was going to go and well, it just so happens, that the next episode in this phenomenal series, continued to push us into unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory. A feat it accomplished in part, by putting Major Dalby in quite the dark place. Because the fallout of the failure of his mission, combined with the fact that the woman he saved was ready to go back to Russia to save her brother from being persecuted by the government… pushed him to do bad things. Such as make a deal with his Russian counterpart to offer up British Intelligence in exchange for keeping that dear brother safe and well… that wasn’t the only shocking and ugly storyline present here.

For Harry as it turned out, was deemed to be… an asset of sorts. For President John F. Kennedy’s order to end the nuclear testing program in the United States of America… motivated the shame shady men that kidnapped Harry to begin with, to make him a clone of Professor Dawson mentally, so he could do their bidding. Which brought him to an undisclosed location where he was brutally subjected to the same torture and mind control methods that corrupted the good professor, at the hands of Chinese operatives no less, and well… it doesn’t get much more hopeless than that. Since good was corrupted and a hero was in an enemy’s hands, leaving all of us to wonder just how dark this story was going to get.

But thankfully… there were bright spots to be found in this tale, courtesy of Jean and Harry, ironically. Because the return of a rattled Professor Dawson, pushed Jean to learn everything she could about IPCRESS and in doing so, she was able to break Dawson out of his funk and begin to get answers about what the hell is going on with this program. As for Harry, well… he simply refused to let this mind control process turn him into a mindless thug, and he went the extra mile to harm himself to keep the hypnosis from taking hold and for his efforts, he was able to maintain his own mind and escape at just the right moment. A move that outright shocked him… since he came to learn he was in England all along. 

Which of course, raises more questions than answers about the program and its reach, but what matters more… is that this episode took us on a stunning ride. One that both defied classic and modern tropes when it comes to the spy drama. Because you rarely see heroes fall in this manner and go to such lengths to keep another person safe. Not to mention, we simply haven’t a clue who can be trusted at this point, outside of Jean and Harry, since everyone else has some kind of agenda, and that’s bold. As is the revelation that bad forces are operating in England under the nose of Dalby’s unit and MI6 for that matter as well and really, in the end, all this incredibly bold episode does, is leave us counting down the minutes to what should be an unconventional and amazing season finale. Until next time.  

Please enjoy this exclusive clip and episode description for tonight’s brand-new episode of Brat Loves Judy on WE tv!
 
Brat Loves Judy​ - Thursday, June 16 at 9 PM ET/8 PM CT
Brat and Judy head to New Orleans to be honored in the Sidewalk Steppers Ball. Meanwhile, when an out of the box marketing ploy for Kaleidoscope has an unexpected response, Brat and Judy decide to treat it as a sign that it’s time to have a baby.
 
Brat and Judy plan a wedding of the century, but the rush towards the date 2-22-22 unveils unresolved relationship issues. The power couple faces major hurdles from having a baby to exploding their careers as they navigate married life.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘This Is Going to Hurt’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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When work is getting us down or outright stressing us out, we know deep down, that we need something in our lives to help us cope with that. Which is why people turn to their personal time. Because having a hobby that brings one joy, absolutely helps to deal with that stress. As does spending time with our partner or our family. Because they know us better than anyone else and know what will lift our spirts and that’s precisely why they get a phone call or a dinner invitation when work just plain sucks. But what’s fascinating and unfortunate about our world, is that not everyone has those escapes. For some people just work and go home, or their home life and family life are strained in some form or fashion. Which begs the question… how then do people without those escapes, cope when work is beating them down?
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Which is a supremely important question. One that Adam Kay was forced to face in this week’s episode of This Is Going to Hurt on AMC+. For when we catch up with Adam in this tale, work is pushing him to the limit. Because not only is he still haunted by the incident in the operating room, and the paperwork he needs to turn in regarding the incident, but a big wig visit from the Ministry of Health, has the ward in utter chaos. As do the repairs currently happening and well… that leads to us bearing witness to another low point for Adam. Where tears are shed, especially when his favorite antagonizing patient, Mrs. Winnicka, passes away, and where scares are to be found when Shruti comes to discover one of her patients is being abused by a controlling and angry husband who doesn’t understand boundaries or respect.

So, when one takes into account that Adam’s relationship is in limbo since Harry didn’t say yes to last week’s marriage proposal, and that Adam’s mother reacts terribly to the truth about her son’s sexuality and relationship with a man… it quickly becomes obvious, that Adam has no positive outlets in his life at the moment. Yes, Harry’s love helps and sustains him, but that strain is there and well… this brilliant presentation of Adam’s life, is what leads to the answer to the question. In that, if we don’t have that outlet in the slightest to heal our minds when we come home from a devastating day at work… we have to create that outlet. Which is, no easy task. Because that means we have to forge positivity when none exists and that too… put Adam in a tough place mentally, because he simply didn’t know where to start. 

But one of the reasons he wept deeply over Mrs. Winnicka’s passing… was because she gave him sound advice on how to build that safe space. Which involves, simply not overthinking it. For good engenders good and Adam took that advice to heart and found a way to make up with his mother and find some semblance of common ground in doing so. Plus, he was able to finally show affection and desire toward Harry to the point where Harry came to realize that Adam was indeed the man he wanted to marry. Not to mention, this also motivated Adam to do the impossible at work and make it a more comfortable place, by injecting a little humanity into what he does in a day and well… this really did make for some incredible storytelling. Since it allowed for Adam to grow right before our eyes and find peace at a time when chaos is indeed surrounding him.

Not to mention, this was quite inspirational in nature. Since there are plenty of folks out there, in Adam’s situation and are unsure of how to find peace when all they know is chaos at work, making this a poignant and helpful episode as well. One that really just helped us to understand Adam the man over anything else and that is important. Because a story this grand and this sweeping, and this powerful for that matter… is nothing without understanding what all of these moments mean to the people going through them and in a way, this was also a fine palate cleanser. Because the past two episodes were indeed heavy and heartbreaking for certain and it was nice to feel a touch of relief, and we should enjoy it while it lasts. After all, that complaint isn’t resolved, and Erika’s family is clearly out for blood and that will undoubtedly bring forth more strife. But thankfully, Adam now has a way to deal with the hell that will bring… courtesy of the wise decision he made to fight for what matters most in life, our loved ones. Until next time.

Please enjoy this bonus sneak peek from the season finale of Rat in the Kitchen, which will air on TBS tonight!

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Five of ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

Wow, just wow. This episode was a lot darker than the others in so many ways. Ben and Leia are safely on a transport back to Jabiim, where they will hopefully be able to get Leia back to Alderaan soon. Except, Third Sister is now the Grand Inquisitor, and she’s been tracking them through Leia’s droid Lola. Vader orders them to go to Jabiim immediately. He’s done waiting and playing this little game of cat and mouse. Obi-Wan will pay for what he’s done. The Grand Inquisitor is there to help see to it that justice is served. That justice just so happens to be slightly different than what Vader is really planning.

Lola has begun to lock the base down, ensuring they can’t leave, even if they wanted to, unbeknownst to everyone else. Leia is the one who crawls up into the vents to try and solve whatever problem has locked them in, while the others prepare for the impending invasion by the Empire. The Grand Inquisitor is ruthless and wastes no time attacking the base. Their cannons start to break through when Ben calls for a chat with her. He’s stalling, they all know it, especially the Grand Inquisitor. Obi-Wan is just a means to her end, and she’s more than happy to exploit him in any way she can. After all, Vader is the reason she’s even here.

Ben is right in sussing Reva out. She was just a Youngling when everything happened. She thought Anakin and the Stormtroopers were there to help them, protect them from the danger. Except that they weren’t. They killed everyone; Reva only survived because she played dead. She then spent the rest of her life plotting her own revenge and using any means necessary, including kidnapping Leia to get to Obi-Wan. She’s not here to make friends with him, or get his help, or anything of the sort. She’s merely using him to get close enough to Vader to kill him. It’s a tactic that is hard thought out.

​Sadly, there is no reasoning with her. She cuts the door open and it’s a mad dog fight to keep the Stormtroopers out as long as they can. Many are wounded, and sadly, Tala gives her life trying to save everyone. Her sacrifice isn’t in vain, however. While Leia is still trying to get the hanger door open, Ben gives himself up. He surrenders to Reva, knowing full well Vader will soon be joining them. Ben is crafty, he’s not bringing Vader down to him, he’s bringing Vader down to Reva. She has the Troopers bring him back inside while they wait for Vader. Everything goes according to Ben’s plan, and he easily escapes.

Leia frees Lola from her evil programming and gets the hanger door open, just in time. Everyone boards the transport right as Vader arrives. In his rage he halts the massive ship with the Force. In an even more impressive stunt, he yanks the ship to the ground and pulls it to pieces. Thankfully, it’s the smaller ship everyone is in and that takes off seconds later, much to Vader’s dismay. Reva chooses that moment to attack, only to lose spectacularly.
 
She is beyond out matched and doesn’t stand a chance against Vader. He mimics his previous move and stabs her with her own saber. At least he remembered her from the Jedi Temple. They leave her to die, except that’s not on her list of things to do, just yet. Instead, she finds the transmitter from Ben that got left behind. It’s damaged, but enough of Bail’s message gets through that she now knows about Luke. Has she put together the pieces? Guess we have to find out in the finale, next week.

​Please enjoy this exclusive clip from the season finale of Rat in the Kitchen, which will air on TBS tomorrow, 6/16/22!