Fran Hoepfner: Oprah is present … Gayle is terrified.
– Morgan Baila: They’re inquiring about Katy’s space tunes: “Are you going to hum anything?”
– F.H.: I didn’t realize Lauren Sánchez is an aviator…
– Rebecca Alter: She’ll make them go “ah, ah, ah” as she soars through the sky, sky, sky.
– Justin Curto: “The hatch has been sealed.
Without a doubt, the standout sensation of this season is none other than Ilaria, affectionately known as Baby, the youngest child of Alec and Hilaria. This little one is truly legendary: She’s mostly bald, loves to explore, and always seems to create a mess wherever she goes. It may appear that she quietly commands the household, as adults and siblings bend to her whims as she navigates from room to room, seemingly with unlimited access to their Hamptons mansion. However, it’s important to note that Baby is not yet ready for a full television season. At this stage, she can’t express herself in clear sentences, and while a show centered around a baby could have an eccentric vintage charm reminiscent of pre-WWII Disney shorts, it might not align with the tastes of Discovery+ viewers.
Spare a few minutes to ponder over the characteristics of this particular period – its paradoxes, triumphs, and instances that left you exclaiming, “Hold on a second: Hilaria secretly got a dog and hid it from Alec for two whole days by locking it in her bathroom?
Reminded by our previous encounter, “Interlude III” from last season was set around the millennium when Eli and Aimee-Leigh faced criticism for exploiting the Y2K hysteria by marketing survival kits via the church. The consequences were significant: protests, dwindling congregation size, and a hostile reaction from Peter, Eli’s brother-in-law (portrayed by Steve Zahn), who lost a considerable amount investing in those kits and subsequently formed a group of doomsday preppers. This episode offered much to analyze about Eli and Aimee-Leigh, who viewed Y2K more as a financial opportunity than a genuine threat. While Peter may have appeared antagonistic during season 3, he certainly had valid reasons for his actions, as his corruption was intertwined with theirs.
In “Future Days,” the opening episode of our second season, though set five years after the initial events, it’s clear from the start that the past will be a significant factor. The first scene sets this tone, but the second really drives the point home. As I converse with Ellie, a heavy moment unfolds in Salt Lake City, where the survivors of the Firefly massacre I had orchestrated are laying their dead to rest and trying to make sense of what transpired. Could it be true that the tales circulating about the stranger who plowed through our community were searching for a girl immune to Cordyceps? With everything we’ve lost, does it even matter now, given that we must navigate our future without the organization that had been our lifeline and without all those dear to us who are no longer here?
This week’s episode features three connected storylines: a dreamlike sequence, the current events, and Margaret’s retelling of the Battle of the Yé’iitsoh, fought by the twin heroes Monster Slayer and Born For Water. As Margaret’s account intertwines with Joe’s personal struggle against the monster and his inner exploration, Joe sometimes embodies the twins and at other times, the monster. Last week, invoking the same myth, Joe shared with Margaret his worry that he had transgressed the emotional boundary between the two. However, what distinguishes the Hero Twins from a monster, and Joe from an ordinary man?
In this performance, Sherman faced off against Chelsea (portrayed by Jon Hamm, replacing Rick), so there’s a possibility that she might be depicting Cheryl Hines as well. RFK Jr. discusses the idea of removing fluoride from the drinking water. “Fluoride?” Chelsea inquires, sounding puzzled. “What’s that?” However, Wood is renowned for her distinctive front teeth, which are unaffected by fluoride. Incidentally, it was enjoyable to see Alex Moffat reprise his role as Eric Trump once more.
The episode featuring the return of Hamm last night was one of the standout episodes this season, primarily due to his familiarity with the show. Both the cast and audience are accustomed to him, and he always knows how to deliver when he’s on screen. Hamm’s monologue drew upon his history with the show, referencing some of his previous appearances: “A cameo might seem insignificant, but it truly adds that extra touch, transforming a decent sketch into something slightly better than average, or when a monologue is drifting aimlessly, and it needs a burst of energy—enter Kieran Culkin.” It was a clever move, and I found myself eagerly anticipating his appearance. The episode effectively utilized Hamm’s comedic talents, from his roles as a gay dad/kidnapper alongside Bowen Yang to a dim-witted cop. For the most part, each sketch held up well.
The parody of The White Lotus lacked in humor but compensated with its polished digital aesthetic and brief appearances from past SNL cast members. The Weekend Update segment could have benefited from some trimming. However, the sketches that featured Hamm more prominently, such as the “Medication Ad” and “New Parents,” while not perfect, were far from failures.
The end of season three suggests the potential for these girls’ rescue in future seasons, but regardless, there are still untold stories through flashbacks. Lyle shared with the Los Angeles Times, “The girls have undergone significant changes, whether for good or ill, during their time out there, mainly due to their youth. They were already quite pliable, and they’ve evolved into entirely different individuals. Witnessing these people reacclimating to a world that is now foreign to them in many ways promises rich storytelling and an opportunity to explore their characters more deeply.
Across various genres such as the initial Rambo movie “First Blood” and Westerns like “Billy Two Hats”, director Kotcheff found himself at the helm. His journey in the entertainment industry began on Canadian public television broadcasting, later transitioning to the U.K. in 1958. In the UK, he was instrumental in producing the popular British anthology drama “Armchair Theatre” during its peak. The British comedy “Tiara Tahiti” marked his debut in cinema and ignited his career as a director. Following several television films, Kotcheff’s first feature film, “Wake in Fright”, from 1971, made its way to Cannes. This movie, representing Australia, was critically acclaimed and contributed significantly to the emergence of the Australian New Wave movement.