Top of the Lake — Part II (#1.2)
The second episode of this mini-series ends with a whimper, and the story didn't progress as much as I would have hoped, but it still succeeds on account of the weird, unsettling vibe of this location and its inhabitants. The culture of the town is honestly a little frightening — full of primitive, might-makes-right machismo and emotionally disconnected souls — but still mostly realistic. I remain very excited to see where the story goes.
Grade: B-
Seinfeld — Male Unbonding (#1.4)
The heart of this episode is a very good comic conceit about how friendships lack the mechanism for ending that you find in romantic relationships: the breakup. The writing doesn't go anywhere all that interesting with the idea, unfortunately. Kramer's make-your-own-pizza enterprise provides a laugh or two, but there's still not enough rhythm to the comedy and the writing — something underscored by the fact that Elaine doesn't even show up (in person or in dialogue) until the last scene.
Grade: C
Orange Is the New Black — Ching Chong Chang (#3.6)
Some nice moments, but this season remains rather directionless and just moderately engaging. The cast remains very appeals, but the writing isn't giving them enough substance. It's almost as if the show is too attached to the ensemble and too concerned with giving each character a moment, at the expense of the episode as a whole. The most notable story arc this season concerns the privatization of the prison, but that puts the focus on the less interesting characters. I don't think this show needs high drama in order to succeed; just more shape. Still, it's nice to see another periphery character (Chong) take center stage. And I remain, as even, ready for Poussey to be paroled and get her own spinoff.
Grade: C+
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