After that Ricky Gervais show, Netflix continues their perfect run of working with the hottest, most relevant comedians of the Bush era.

That air of confident, firm denial got Riker out of any number of paternity suits.

But what’s surprising about the moment isn’t that he’s willing to throw Gamora off the cliff - that’s cackling supervillainy 101. What’s surprising, and adds shades to his character, is that it’s a heartbreaking sacrifice for him. 

Avengers: In the Future, Every Ultron Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes.

I think the whole Thanos-Gamora-Nebula family dynamic qualifies as character work, however effective you think it was. Thanos’s most affecting act of villainy isn’t really the snap - it’s being an abusive jerk of a father who has a chance to do better but throws it away (literally, and off a cliff) because of his…

The problem is that Ultron works far better as an idea - Tony Stark’s broken, bitter robot son! - than he ever does in the execution. He’s never given a moment of pure menace that isn’t immediately undermined by some weak joke.

Counterpoint: seasons three and four of Sherlock. When franchises decide that all their fans want is banter and character work, everyone suffers.

another character who Herzog refers to as “Dr. Pershing” comes into the room, and the Mandalorian points his blaster at the newcomer, leading to a brief standoff

You know your villain is dull when he’s not even the most interesting Ronan who goes around accusing people.

It’s like they took that giant clunky CGI dewback that lumbers through the Mos Eisley establishing shot, and made a whole movie of that.

“Every element of an intellectual property exists together in a delicate balance. As a franchise, you need to understand that balance and pander to all potential customers, from the tiny child to the jaded thirtysomething.”

This is a good comparison, and probably speaks to the difficulty of trying to come to a satisfying ending on shows that build their reputations by rejecting that kind of narrative simplicity. Both BSG and Game of Thrones built universes where the idea of a conclusive ending is always the first delusion to be banished -…

For meta points, you should have included a sixth series finale at the end of the list, but made a really messy half-assed job of it.

Tagline: Who Would Jesus Do?

“We’ve heard the fans asking: Where has Hawkeye been all this time? Well, the answer may shock you, as we adapt the classic storyline ‘Demon In a Crusty Sock’.”

someone has to beat that big dumb purple guy

They were dancing in the streets down in Little Meereen!

Sloppy work, though, reputation-wise. If Tywin had organised the explosion, you just know he would have had some Westerosi equivalent of a Dutch communist lined up to take the blame.

Blaming her for Brexit in general? No. Blaming her for the particular flavour of hell the nation is now facing? Absolutely. There were many choices she made or refused to make over the past three years that have led Britain to this point. I agree that of course she’s not solely to blame, but it’s worth repeating that…

She actively campaigned for the job she has since shat the bed at. She began by setting mutually contradictory red lines, then refusing to acknowledge those contradictions. She further refused to set realistic expectations of what could be achieved in negotiations, coddling the hard right wing of her party whose…