No differently than the season or, for that matter, series as a whole, "Orca Shrugged," this week's episode of Sons of Anarchy, was a somewhat mixed bag, offering up much in the way of satisfying resolution, yet not being without a couple moments that stood out as feeling forced.
Among the select few who've never played a single Silent Hill game, you'll find me. I might have for a short period that one night I stayed over at my sister's place when she was dating a video-game obsessed man-child, but my memory that far back's so spotty that I could've been playing anything.
Due to not having played the series before, I had no preconceived notions about what the resulting film adaptation would, or should be prior to the day I was introduced to it by some friends. Without any bias influencing me one way or the other, I found myself quite impressed by Silent Hill, at least visually speaking.
Once more, Dexter seems determined to tackle the issue of whether its protagonist, Dexter Morgan, is beyond saving or if he's capable of undoing the damage done by that earliest of his memories, being found inside a shipping crate sitting in a pool of his mother's blood.
Star Trek fans are, suffice it to say, a pretty rabid bunch. So it comes as no surprise that with Star Trek Into the Darkness, a sequel to J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot of the series, due out in May 17th of next year, they're prepared to pounce on any and all news, no matter how tiny.
Of all the recent comedy actors who've become their own brand, of sorts, Jack Black is by far my least favorite. Yes, I put him below Adam Sandler, mostly on account of pretending his more recent movies just don't exist. During my teenage years, I loved Tenacious D, but now that I've grown up his shtick has become tiresome. In nearly every performance of his, he comes across as simply trying way too hard. Given the right role, though, Black's shtick can be made to work. Look at his bit role on Community or his starring role in The School of Rock, for example. If he's not the focus, or if the writer is successfully able to reign his shtick in, it really can work.
Thus far this season, my main complaint has been that Sons of Anarchy felt as if it was at a standstill, with a number of its storylines turning cyclically and never reaching (or so much as nearing) a resolution. More than a couple times I found myself wondering out loud where this or that would go and if it would happen anytime soon. It's apparent Sutter likes the slow burn, letting his characters stay as long over the heat as the meat my dad grills. But, by the time he's taken them out of the fire they're virtually unrecognizable; blackened char more akin to hockey pucks that my dad has the gall to call hamburgers.
With The 2nd Law, Muse goes in a variety of directions and not all of them good, resulting in a mess of a record, but one that still manages to impress listeners in spite of its shortcomings.
When talking about my favorite shows, it's Dexter that comes first to mind after the heavy-hitters of Six Feet Under and Breaking Bad, both of which are beyond pale. I still remember how I first got wind of the show. My teacher in 12th grade AP English brought it up in casual conversation one day and I made a personal note to look it up when I got home. Same as when a professor of mine would recommend to the class that they watch this or that. From my experiences, few people ever even give those a second thought let alone write them down for future reference, but the media whore in me drinks them all up like they're Eli's milkshake and I'm Daniel Plainview.
Earlier this month, I expressed optimism with regards to Taken 2 and the further sequels that seemed, at the time, a distinct possibility. That was before the reviews started pouring in with the common theme being that this sequel was a monumental step down from the original.
Last night's episode of Sons of Anarchy, titled "Laying Pipe," was a game changer. That much is certain. What isn't certain is whether or not the change it's prepared to usher in will benefit the show in the long run. Or, for that matter, what this means for its faithful following.
