Josh Hornbeck

FIRST THOUGHTS:
This was a fantastic season - masterful even up through the last three episodes. I loved the way the show takes the things that we’ve loved about Ted - his goofy charm, his relentless positivity, his constant pop culture references - and shows this season that it’s a mask for other issues that eventually need to be addressed. Everyone gets some lovely arcs in the show, and most of the character beats are nicely threaded throughout the season. But three episodes from the finale, you can feel the plot wheels begin to kick into gear a bit too mechanistically - at least, more so than we’ve seen during the rest of the season - and characters being making choices for the sake of the plot rather than genuinely motivated by the plot. It all gets turned around by the finale, but there were two really rough episodes after a string of one brilliant episode after another. And some of the forced romantic tension by the finale felt out of character for a show that’s always been so honest. Still, it’s a great show, and I hope they’re able to end it on a high note.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
It’s a bit of an anti-climactic season after the last season’s overarching storyline. I appreciated getting some nice character beats and closure for all of our characters, and it certainly showed that the series didn’t need the procedural elements to make the show work. But there were way too many misdirects and cliffhangers that turned out to be nothing, all of which makes for some really unsatisfying storytelling. And much of this feels more like a coda to the last season - and probably could have been told in two or three episodes that still would have gotten us to the same place emotionally and story-wise. Still, there were some lovely moments for all of the characters and I don’t begrudge the writers wanting to spend a little more time with the cast and hanging out in this world. And I genuinely like the way they resolve the show’s central dilemma. I think I just wish the season felt more essential.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
There’s a lot that I really like about the second season of this show, and I think the overall story improves upon the first season, but there are some major flaws as well. I have serious issues with the rewrite of the narrative (ignoring major character beats and plot points) at the beginning of the season because it’s more convenient for the direction they want to take the series. The climaxes of both major narratives (the cliffhanger of season one and the narrative of season two) are anticlimactic and end up wasting much of the supporting cast. And characters behave in ways that are wholly unbelievable just so the writers can get us to the next plot point. That said, there is a more coherent story this season that is, on the whole, more compelling, and I appreciated the exploration of guilt and trauma - as shallowly as it’s all handled. It isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s fun.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
There’s a lot to like here - a pretty solid cast, a nice reimagining of some classic superheroes, some attempts to dig into the psychological consequences of the lives these characters lead… But like so many attempts to “legitimize” comic book stories, it needlessly emphasizes the dark and the more brutal side of the narrative in an effort to appear more gritty or grown up. The endless cliffhangers get a little tiresome, but I like a lot of the story beats, I just wish they would have actually finished the story this season.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
I didn’t expect to love this show as much as I did - though with Iannucci at the helm, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Even as a work of science fiction, it’s incredibly honest (and deeply pessimistic) about human nature and behavior in some very funny and deeply disturbing ways. Even though it was made before the pandemic, there are some incredibly prescient elements that make this quite the cathartic watch. The cast is fantastic, the world-building is excellent and subtle, and the social satire spot-on. I can’t wait for the next season.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
This show is always so much fun to watch. I appreciate the fact that it’s stopped taking itself very seriously and is willing to just have fun with some of the goofy concepts the writers can out the characters into. It does leave the seasons feeling a bit disjointed and blunts the emotional impact the show seems to be going for, but it’s still an effective show. It’s nice to see them continue to refresh the cast and bring in new characters to round things out, and I appreciate the idea that love is what can truly save the day. It’s silly and sentimental, but we’re in a time where that’s not a bad thing. Fun show.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
Very fun, charming, and delightful little series. I know it belongs in the same world as WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, but it doesn’t quite measure up to the depth and quality. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely on the sillier and lighter end of things. I enjoy the different ways our intrepid “heroes” continue to find themselves out of their depth each week. It may not be my favorite series, but it’s definitely one that I’m eager to catch as soon as it airs.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
I’m always a sucker for a musical, and give me an entire series that’s a musical, and you’ve practically tailor-made something that I’m guaranteed to love. There are lots of great call outs to the classic musicals and some gentle parodies of the tropes. And I appreciate the ways in which the series explores the unrealistic expectations we have for our romantic partners based on our socialization. There’s also something Shakespearean about the ending and the call to community that I find lovely. It does think it’s a little too clever at times, which can be grating, but I’m willing to overlook it because I do love all the singing and dancing. There’s a part of me that hopes this is the only season it gets - it has a perfect ending. But if they’re able to continue telling a story with as much warmth and heart as this season, I’ll be curious to see where it goes.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
Without a doubt, my favorite season out of this final batch of Marvel Netflix shows. The series continues to dig into these questions of trauma and coming back from abuse, and how that abuse can shape your perspective on the world. I love the dichotomy this season sets up between Jessica’s and Trish’s different approaches to heroism, both rooted in their trauma, but one born out of a sense of rage and anger, and the other out of a desire for justice. It sets up some really compelling conversations that aren’t often addressed within superhero shows. This “ends justifying the means” tactic that many heroes take is rarely called out, so it’s nice y try to see it explored so fully (and with nearly every character) here. I also liked the season’s villain and the ways in which his misogyny is set up as a compelling counterbalance to Jessica’s narrative arc. It’s a really strong season.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
I grew up watching THE MUPPET SHOW, but this is the first time I’ve really spent any time working my way through the seasons with any kind of rhyme or reason. There are definitely some things that haven’t aged well - the casual racism and sexism that finds its way in from time to time - but it’s been lovely to see how much of it still holds up. The wordplay, the banter, the surreal moments of zaniness… it can all be so delightful. And when Henson and company bring in some of the other performing troupes, it’s really lovely.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
It’s better than the show’s other seasons, but unfortunately, that’s not saying much. This season’s ongoing narrative was much more compelling than any of the other storylines they’ve found, but their attempts to go darker and wrestle with ethical dilemmas were halfhearted at best. Just because you have your characters talk about how bad they feel doing ethically dubious things for the greater good, that doesn’t mean you’re suddenly wrestling with weightier issues than your average STAR TREK show. The fact that the show’s writers seem to be on the side of the ethically dubious choices is tiresome, and the constant lionizing of the straight white male captain is tedious. Again, the narrative is much more interesting the the rest of the series thus far, but that’s a very low bar.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
I’ve loved so much of this series, but this is the first season that really felt as if the writers weren’t fully in control of the narrative. Even though it has a larger scope and bigger set pieces, the character arcs and storylines feel a bit more haphazard and scattered. The season finale is fantastic and does bring things together in a much more satisfying manner than it appeared to be heading, but it doesn’t make up for the seasons scattershot approach. It’s still gorgeously shot and the performances continue to be delightful - and it was nice to see the show begins to explore racism.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
Hands down the worst season so far. I appreciate the show’s constant movement toward redemption for its villains - it’s the show’s major strength. But the story pods are so disjointed and, at times, just plain goofy, that it’s hard to take anything that happened on the show this season seriously. I know they were operating under more difficult COVID protocols, but they didn’t find compelling ways to counter missing cast members, narrative holes, and bad special effects.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
It has a bit of that juvenile, grim for the sake of being grim, bloody nonsense about it. It’s not bad, it just revels in how grotesque it can be at times. When it works, it’s a compelling story of grief and loss, of examining your own history and family legacy. But all too often it’s content to wallow in the blood and extremity for the sake of extremity.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
Really messy season. I like the continued exploration of grief and missed connections and the consequences of our actions. But the two main plot lines never really find a good balance and there are good chunks of the season where in which the main plot was completely missing from the show. But what really frustrated me about the season was the underlying sexism baked into so much of the narrative, constantly disempowering the female characters and especially making DAREDEVIL’s Karen, a really compelling and complicated character on that show, into a needy and lovesick hanger on. There are compelling moments in this season, but some serious flaws.

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this series - from existential and philosophical musings of its comic book characters, to the mind-numbing bureaucratic fascism of the Time Variance Authority - this was an utterly charming, delightful, and playful series that still allowed itself to delve into weightier issues of choice, free will, and destiny. The performances are fantastic, and the main cast all have terrific chemistry together. It’s a really meaty and heartbreaking arc for Loki, and the supporting cast all get to do more interesting work than I would have first expected. And I was honestly impressed that the season was about to wrap things up in such a way that met the needs of the genre conventions (world building, setting up sequels/new entries in the Marvel universe) while still grounding the final conflict in the characters and their journeys. Hands down my favorite of the Disney+ MCU shows so far.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
Such a fantastic first season. What a painfully honest and brutally funny show. I love the way the series explores the challenges of relationships, parenthood, and being the adult child of emotionally distant parents - all with so much honesty and so much warmth and humor. I also love the way the show explores time and memory - the use of flashbacks here are just brilliant. This is a fantastic series - I can’t wait to dive into the second season.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
Really strong end to the series. It manages to tie up all the story threads without making everything too neat and tidy. And there’s a real sense of consequence here - so many of these action/adventure shows let our heroes be invincible and here there’s a weight and gravity to the rebellion. I love some of the new corners of the Star Wars universe they explore here, and some of the visuals are really gorgeous. It’s a really neat series - maybe my favorite Star Wars story other than the original trilogy. And this was such a fitting end.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
I never would have expected to enjoy this series as much as I have. The second part of season five has been really exceptional - though I do think it all probably would have worked better as one longer season. Still, the emotional arc of the family dynamic is especially strong this season. Sure, you can see they don’t have a huge budget for the all-out big spectacle you can sense they were hoping to have at the end, but it it still managed to hit all the right notes. Again, so much more fun, and so much more emotionally resonant than I expected.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
On the whole, I really liked this season a lot. I think that by having Batwoman’s alter-ego this season be a Black woman, it’s allowed for some much richer stories about police brutality and the struggles of BIPOC individuals in society. I always enjoy it when these shows let more people in on the secret and join the team - there’s always something so forced about the secret identity aspect of these stories onscreen, so there were some great moments this season. Like so many of the shows this year, the ending felt really rushed, like we skipped over some really important plot points to get to the final. But still, it’s a lot of fun with some more substance than I expected.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
It’s more earnest and cheesy than I typically like my sci-fi, and the procedural aspect of the series has wearied me the longer the show has gone on, but I’m kind of surprised that I still enjoy it as much as I do. This season was an improvement of the previous one’s fumblings, and I appreciate the ideas that we’re all tied together. It’s a nice message in such an individualistic society. Still, it’s a little too self-serious without having the production quality, writing, our performances to back up the ponderousness.

It’s intriguing to see how tricky it is for this series to keep toeing the line between heartfelt drama and “keep ‘em guessing mystery.” The big reveals start to get tedious the longer the series goes on, and it gets exhausting to be introduced to new and more interesting characters, only to have them sidelined by the main family characters. Instead of opening up the world of the show, it causes everything to feel restricted and much too predetermined. That said, this season had some nice story beats - especially in exploring issues of race in ways they hadn’t before. It’s definitely an improvement over the last two seasons. I’m glad they’re choosing to end this next year - I don’t think it’s smart to keep this going much longer.

FIRST THOUGHTS:
Fun overall season. I like the way the stakes kept getting raised for the family throughout the season. You can feel the effects of shooting with COVID restrictions - especially in some of the special effects - but this has been a factor in nearly all of the CW superhero shows this season. It was nice to get closure for everyone - though you can feel the writers rushing to get everything wrapped up. Still, lots of fun and exactly what I want from my CW superhero shows.