On that first read, The Forest Again destroyed me completely. I was a mess.

It also started the dreadful trend of splitting final installment into two films (although imo it's justified in HP case, to be fair).

Yeah, I read it more as father-daughter myself (especially as the film feigns towards that a few times then rebuffs it firmly).

I thought before it cuts to Quill that it would take the shape of his mother, but *that* was better.

It's as if the first episode and this aren't the same one. It's also as if those metacritic score is based on only the first four episodes sent out as preview, not including this sixth one.

Now that we're bringing it up… what race is your imaginary daughter?

I agree that the story is a little worse than usual (maybe losing Brian creates a need for story that doesn't rely on boisterous group dynamics more than usual), but F. Gary Gray is a better action director than James Wan so I still prefer this over the last one.

I like Colin Sweeney but I was kinda terrified before watching by how far the no-rating version of him on All Access would be pushed. Thankfully, not much. That paper clip talk is some wonderful cringe, but wouldn't be out of place much on network TGW.

I feel like if the grade up there is A or (even A-), there would probably not be all these complaints about "why review two episodes for the whole season" stuff though. (And advanced episodes are sent out for exactly this kind of article anyway)

But these days advanced episodes are sent out to critics to generate buzz for a new season, for exactly this kind of article though.

Both Iggy and Dowd like it, so I'll probably see this. (Dowd gives this version 3.5/5 on letterboxd, and based on his past letterboxd-entries-to-actual-reviews, that would likely translate to a B+ which is even higher than I.V.'s.)

Dowd gives this version 3.5/5 on letterboxd, and based on his past letterboxd-entries-to-actual-reviews, that would likely translate to B+ which is even higher than I.V.'s.

Even in superhero films, X-Men The Last Stand got there before Marvel.

I actually find his a very nail-biting episode. It reminds me of the tight, everyone-running, race-against-time episodes The Good Wife does a few times per season, like the one where they get Cary off jail. Elsbeth is even more on fire than usual here.

During the first season if you feel it's losing you, skip to the 13th episode then the season finale first (but there are still some crucial ones during it, with probably a few lists out there for essential episodes if you want to go back).

I liked but didn't love BR, maybe because I've read the book previously and it's one of my favorites.

Huh, whereas this is my favorite of Kore-eda's last three films (and I find that second "draggy bottle episode" half full of poignancy). He still directs with an unhurried and soothing touch, which can get unwieldly and long-winded a bit in the past. I feel this time, his characters have stronger tempers and sharper…

Sympathetic to you because although I find that stretch still watchable, it was the show struggling to find itself. If the third episode of the season with the introduction of Spike and Drucilla ("School Hard") still hasn't sucked you in, you can essentially get the very pared-down arc of the season with episode 13,…

He's trolling the Buffy articles and hasn't actually watched anything…

He's trolling the Buffy articles and hasn't actually watched anything.