Season 1, Episode 6 – Luke Cage puts an unconventional spin on a tired story of dirty cops and organized crime and livens up the entire genre in “Suckas Need Bodyguards.” With a compelling narrative structure and motivation for every character, the series’ sixth episode continues the show’s hot streak and proves that it’s found its feet.
Dana Leigh Brand
Season 5, Episode 5 – “Just to Get a Rep” is everything that Luke Cage should be. The plot picks up, characters find motivation, and the show embraces its very distinctive 1970’s style. It even ties solidly into the Marvel Universe at large while still remaining a personal story about Luke, Harlem, and the cultural heritage entrusted to Harlem’s citizens.
Season 1, Episode 3 – By episode three, Luke Cage is still moving slowly but with a lot of action and a little bit of intrigue it has room to take its time. In “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?” Luke decides to stand up for the neighborhood while the cops work on taking down Cottonmouth.
Season 1, Episode 2 – Luke Cage finds just enough plot in its second episode to get the ball rolling on a larger story for the season. “Code of the Streets” fleshes out the characters and provides them with motivation while gently pointing the largely atmospheric aesthetics of the show in a more narrative direction.
Season 1, Episode 2 – Luke Cage starts off with a plodding mood piece that’s more aesthetic than narrative. But it’s so pretty and just plain cool that it’s plenty of hook to keep watching even without major intrigue or plot points. “Moment of Truth” does just enough set up work to hint at future story and keep you interested.
Season 1, Episode 2 – Tackling rape, gendered stereotypes, and objectification, “The Interim” weaves together the personal stories of multiple characters with accurate baseball culture and a realistic portrayal of the media circus that would surround Ginny.
Season 4, Episode 2 – Agents of SHIELD‘s “Meet the New Boss” makes a strong case that the series may have rediscovered its former glory. The episode weaves multiple plots together, leaves room for emotionally resonant character growth, sets up the season’s plots, and features plenty of action.
Season 1, Episode 1 – Imagining the struggles of the first female pitcher in Major League Baseball, the “Pilot” episode of Pitch tackles sports, gender, and business with ease. This single episode has all the elements of a good sports story while promising a longer narrative to come.
Season 1, Episode 1 – Against all odds, precedent, and common sense Agents of SHIELD‘s fourth season starts off legitimately awesome. Every series regular sets up a personal conflict and the much touted Ghost Rider has depth instead of just being a gimmick.
Person of Interest‘s series finale is the best of all possible endings, staying true to the emotional, philosophical, and technical heart of the show’s five seasons.
Person of Interest runs probabilities in its penultimate episode. A spy caper, an action/adventure, and a mystery plot all come to a head in “.exe” leading up to the series finale.
Person of Interest seamlessly weaves a high-stakes mystery with some old faces. Shaw, John, and Fusco work their case while Harold and the Machine discuss scientific ethics. The episode hits just the right mix of cheese and smarts to make it an ideal example of what this show can do.
Person of Interest belabors the point with its sci-fi ethics lectures to push Harold to the brink. As a narrative turn just before the ultimate climax, it works but feels heavy-handed.
Person of Interest works on cleaning up dangling plot threads this week in “Sotto Voce.” A case of the week turns into a tangle of series mythology, gang wars, and character development situations.
A double dose of Person of Interest provides two equally good sci-fi philosophy lessons. “QSO” explores the nature of free will and intelligence, while “Reassortment” looks at population dynamics and the ethics of following unethical orders. It’s deep, but it’s fun while it does it.
Person of Interest takes on a fun fluffy case where the gang lets their hair down. Meanwhile, all the plot pieces move into position for the rest of the season.
Person of Interest takes a mundane case of the week and interweaves it with every plotline that the season is juggling in “ShotSeeker.” Mafia, mystery, and warring artificial intelligences all mix together to create an enjoyable, relevant cocktail.
Agents of SHIELD‘s two-part season finale provides a fitting and fulfilling resolution to a messy season. Individually, each episode stands well, but they’re both sullied by what came before.
Shaw is back on Person of Interest in an appropriately action-packed, torture-filled psychological thriller of an episode. It’s absolute perfection.
The Machine sets John on a collision course with his old CIA boss as Person of Interest delivers a quality case of the week without forgetting its ultimate goals.
“Emancipation” effectively cleans up a messy season of Agents of SHIELD to provide the season finale a foundation to work with. It does the job well, but suffers from the fact that it has to do the job at all.
Person of Interest uses a glitch in the Machine to contemplate human nature when she turns against her allies. This show just gave a disembodied artificial intelligence her own character-focused episode and it was glorious.
Person of Interest begins its fifth and final season where it left off, complete with its usual doses of action, adventure, and the ethical implications of technology. All in all, a promising start without shifting the series’ paradigm too drastically.
Agents of SHIELD‘s “Failed Experiments” suffers from a patchy plot and overdramatic plot devices but shines when it comes to character and exploring the moral philosophy of a superpowered world.
Agents of SHIELD remembers it has a whole universe to play with in “The Singularity.” The episode weaves a season arc, a spy mystery, and a character piece into a seamlessly entertaining ride.
Agents of SHIELD rights the ship this week by letting cast chemistry reignite on multiple fronts. Tedious plot lines reach their dramatic endpoints and set up new, dynamic, and interesting conflict for the remainder of the season.
This season is just not what it should be. There have been a few episodes where I thought, “yes! Now we’re going to get down to it!” But “Paradise Lost”, while passable and actually useful, overall fell short.
Agents of SHIELD fails to impress with “Spacetime,” a flashy exercise in stylistics that does nothing for the season’s plot.
When this show is at its best it functions like mortar for the whole fictional universe. It’s the glue that holds all the pieces together. This episode was some hardcore industrial strength adhesive.
D’you ever watch something and think “I know exactly where this is going because they already greenlit a spinoff pilot”? That’s how Agents Of SHIELD‘s “Parting Shot” feels.
