Read on for a selection of my criticism.
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Freed from the curse that started it, Wynonna Earp became a meditation on heroism
When Wynonna Earp (Melanie Scrofano) returns to her hometown of Purgatory in the pilot episode of her eponymous show, it’s not a happy homecoming. No one except her sister Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley) is happy to see her, and her own aunt asks her to leave town, telling her she’s “as broken as they come.” Read more at the AV Club
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The Best TV Performances of 2021
It says something about Charlotte Nicdao’s work in Mythic Quest that so much about Poppy is perfectly crafted to generate audience sympathy, and yet the vast majority of the time, you want to throw up your hands in disgust at her actions. She’s a natural foil to Rob McElhenney’s vain Ian, and anyone watching the show is keenly aware of the gender and racial disparities in the gaming world that make her so unusual as a figure in power. Read more at the AV Club
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What Happened, Brittany Murphy? tries but fails to shed light on a troubled star
Coming fast on the heels of a series of documentaries examining the life of Britney Spears, the new two-part HBO Max docuseries What Happened, Brittany Murphy? touches on some similar themes: a troubled star, a controlling man, and of course, the absolutely unforgiving era of early 2000s gossip blogs. Read more at the AV Club
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When The Magicians finally grew up, it left its most compelling narrative behind
In the first moments of its pilot, The Magicians established what one of its deepest pleasures was going to be. The camera pans over a gray and gloomy city scene, with piles of old snow on the ground, a chilly wind blowing, and people bustling about. The focus lands on a nondescript, graffittied metal door of the kind found on countless city streets, and then suddenly the door swings open to reveal a golden-tinged, idyllic-looking pasture. It’s drastically different from what we’ve just seen: lovely and warm, and totally impossible. A man strides through; the door shuts. Magic is real—it’s just hidden unless you’re special enough to know how to look for it. Read more at the AV Club
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Recaps, Recaps, Recaps