August, 2021
August 3rd, 2021, 5:06 p.m. - Boring and uneven
33. Hot Stew (Fiona Mozley)
Up next: Black Buck (Mateo Askaripour)
August 9th, 2021, 8:22 p.m. - "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?"
34. Black Buck (Mateo Askaripour)
Up next: Such a Quiet Place (Megan Miranda)
August 14th, 2021, 1:19 p.m. - But why did [redacted] think [redacted] was the killer?
35. Such a Quiet Place (Megan Miranda)
Up next: False Witness (Karin Slaughter)
August 15th, 2021, 11:33 a.m. - "Oh, no, you're a villain!"
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "The Good Ones"; "The Lake House": I think they handled the current climate well with the first episode, but it was interesting that Rosa was the one who made the biggest change in response to George Floyd's murder and the protests, rather than the two Black men on the show. It'll be tough for the show to balance its usual brand of comedy with current events, but I'm optimistic that it'll work. If nothing else, I'll get to take high Rosa and her awesome laugh away from this season. Rating: 4 bags of chips in the chipionship
August 20th, 2021, 8:05 p.m. - I knew this would be good when there was a twist on page 17
36. False Witness (Karin Slaughter)
Up next: True Story (Kate Reed Petty)
August 21st, 2021, 1:11 p.m. - "Do you have a bucket list?" "Well, yeah, but it's only one item." "Great. Whatever it is, we're doing it." "Live to be 110." "Come on!" "I thought I found a loophole!"
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "Blue Flu"; "Balancing": Is the series going to end with the 99th precinct getting defunded? That would be bizarre. Anyway, I want to see Holt and Rosa hang out more. Rating: 4 digital phallus portraits
August 27th, 2021, 8:19 p.m. - He said/she said
37. True Story (Kate Reed Petty)
Up next: Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir)
August 28th, 2021, 2:47 p.m. - "Slurp slurp"
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "PB&J"; "The Set Up": I'm not really a fan of spin-offs, but I would watch the crap out of a Doug Judy/Trudy Judy spin-off. Make it happen, Peacock! Rating: 4 matching outfits featuring tigers and toucans
Nothing happens and nothing gets resolved. A waste of my time.
This was a little different than what I expected, but not in a bad way. I think it could have used a tiny more polishing, but the cleverness in its satirical elements is perfect.
There are too many characters, the first half is really slow, and the mystery was impossible to solve. Swing and a miss.
One of Slaughter's best. Her two main characters are complex and both flawed and sympathetic. It gets a little bonkers toward the end, but at least it's an entertaining kind of bonkers.
I like how Petty played with the narrative (and then, in the end, it turns out the whole thing was a narrative trick). I felt like there should have been more in the back half, and more focus on Alice, especially compared to Nick, but it mostly worked.