The #MeToo movement is still going strong, historic numbers of women are up for election this fall (and voting and protesting across the country), and between Crazy Rich Asians and Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, the stereotypically “female” genre of the rom-com is back with a vengeance. American pop…
It’s been a long season, but we’ve made it at last to the final. Brendan, James, and John remain, promising a study in contrasts for the final three bakes. What will take the day: Brendan’s consistency and precision, James’ flexibility and flavors, or John’s creativity and innovation? All three have acquitted…
It’s been a long road to the semi-finals. Each of the four bakers remaining has won Star Baker, and each has been up for elimination. The competition is fierce and they all know one small mistake is all it takes to send them home. The theme this episode is patisserie, or fine French pastry, and that means there’s…
The quarterfinal is here and for the first, and only, time in The Great British Baking Show history, the theme for the antepenultimate round is biscuits! Usually burned off earlier in the competition, it’s exciting to see the humble biscuit reserved for this more competitive stage and considering the challenges the…
After a tumultuous few episodes, The Great British Baking Show returns to its typical approach with “Sweet Dough,” for better and worse. The episode begins with a brief refresher, catching viewers up on the non-elimination in “Pudding,” and the high stakes the bakers face this episode: two contestants will be going…
From one series first to another, The Great British Baking Show is ramping up and delivering one hell of a mid-season run. First Ryan had his remarkable turnaround in “Pies,” going from barely escaping elimination in “Desserts” to Star Baker one week later. The very next episode, in another Baking Show first, no one…
The Great British Baking Show doesn’t do drama. It’s not interested in last minute saves and surprise turnarounds, in emotional twists and turns and challenges that set the bakers up for failure. That’s one of the show’s chief pleasures, its low-stress, high-empathy emphasis on process, hard work, and the satisfaction…
It’s been a warm and inviting season thus far, but something has been just a little off with The Great British Baking Show. There’s been a bit of a remove between the hosts, Mel and Sue, and the bakers, and while some of the challenges have worked like gangbusters, others have been underwhelming. This may be airing as…
The scent of fruit, pastry cream, and innuendo is in the air- it’s tart week at The Great British Baking Show! Mel and Sue barely have time to lampshade the pastry puns they won’t be deploying this episode before we’re off to the races, with the bakers back in the tent and ready to get to work. For the signature…
America is a stressful, chaotic cyclone of despair and trauma right now. Thankfully, for those in need of some respite to recover and recharge (before getting back out there), The Great British Baking Show is back in all its Mel-and-Sue, picturesque-British-countryside, biggest-problem-today-is-a-bagel glory. This new…
Ahh, the inner saboteur. We all have one, and she’s a bitch.
Asia learned a hard lesson in “The Last Ball on Earth”: the pride of helping the rest of the queens execute their visions is nothing next to the dread of elimination, or the shame of presenting a look you can’t stand behind to one of your childhood favorites (in Asia’s case, Tisha Campbell Martin). That lesson is…
What does a comedy owe its audience? Ultimately, comedies are judged on whether they make people laugh, but what happens when those laughs come at the expense of character and canon? At the expense of viewers’ common sense? After five strong seasons, Veep has struggled this year, unable to build up the momentum and…
Selina Meyer was a terrible president. She had no clear agenda, she dithered over what should have been easy decisions, and every significant accomplishment or morally sound choice she made was driven by self-interest. Veep may have started with Selina as a well-intentioned but powerless figurehead, but as soon as she…
When Selina agreed in “Justice” to attend Gary’s fortieth birthday party back home in Alabama, the idea was a tantalizing one: a full episode centered on Gary and his background, with Selina stranded among Walshes and unable to escape. Whether the writers would follow through on that idea and actually show the party…
Veep may be Selina Meyer’s story, but over the past few seasons, Jonah Ryan has risen through the ensemble to become arguably the show’s second lead. As real world politics have grown increasingly absurd, the notion of the incompetent and odious Jonah not only surviving, but thriving in D.C. has become depressingly…
In a rather impressive display of shooting the remnants of her career in the foot (figuratively, unlike Jonah’s hilarious, literal mishap in “Camp David”), Selina returns to global politics in “Qatar” and manages to not only sacrifice any goodwill she may have earned for herself in “Georgia,” but also burn bridges…
Poor Selina. She may be a terrible person and an even worse mother, but when Selina spends “Chicklet” lovingly reminiscing about her father, only to discover lies and betrayal hiding behind each memory, it’s hard not to feel for her. It’s impressive that six seasons in, Veep can still prompt such sympathy for its…
Selina has spent the season searching for what the next phase of her life will be. “Omaha” and “Library” showed her rocky attempts at championing the increasingly nebulous Meyer Fund; Selina is clearly not suited to charity work. “Georgia” gave her another path to pursue, becoming involved in international politics…
