For Paid Subscribers (TV)

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Only the paid subscriber shall pass…

The Makanai: Cooking For the Maiko House (2023)

Rebecca Deniston
·
September 9, 2023
The Makanai: Cooking For the Maiko House (2023)

There’s definitely no shortage of Asian dramas on Netflix, and I finally got to see The Makanai: Cooking For the Maiko House, a lovely Japanese series about finding one’s niche where it’s least expected.

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Maxton Hall, Episode 1 (Trying Something New)

Rebecca Deniston
·
May 10, 2024
Maxton Hall, Episode 1 (Trying Something New)

Yep, we’re trying something new in more ways than one. I was thinking it might be fun to do occasional episode-by-episode recaps and reviews of certain TV shows if something looks interesting, with maybe some predictions for upcoming episodes. This time the show is

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Maxton Hall, Episode 2 (Stuck In the Middle)

Rebecca Deniston
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May 17, 2024
Maxton Hall, Episode 2 (Stuck In the Middle)

When we last left Ruby Bell and James Beaufort, the two of them were reluctantly thrown together on pain of, well, pain because James decided to be stupid and hire exotic dancers to crash Ruby’s carefully-planned school welcome party. We can all guess what happens next in the second episode,

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Maxton Hall, Episode 3 (Why Am I Here?)

Rebecca Deniston
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May 24, 2024
Maxton Hall, Episode 3 (Why Am I Here?)

When we last left James and Ruby, they were racing off to London to look at Beaufort’s flagship store, presumably to take pictures for the fundraiser poster. Well, they not only take pictures, but have a blast modeling Victorian costume. Just as things get romantic, James’s parents bust in and basically call Ruby trash, so long story short, Ruby makes a beeline for the tube and goes home by herself.

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Maxton Hall, Episode 4 (Rock, Meet Hard Place)

Rebecca Deniston
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May 31, 2024
Maxton Hall, Episode 4 (Rock, Meet Hard Place)

James and Ruby had quite the moment at the end of the last episode, didn’t they? What could have turned traumatic ended up being pretty blissful, but naturally there will be fallout in the fourth episode, not to mention some shifting alliances. “The Moment of Truth” is where a lot of stuff gets ready to hit the fan for both good and not good.

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Maxton Hall, Episode 5 (Dangit, Mortimer)

Rebecca Deniston
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June 7, 2024
Maxton Hall, Episode 5 (Dangit, Mortimer)

Yep. The stuff is hitting the fan now. James and Ruby want to be together, and come Hades or high water they’re gonna make it happen. Daddy Mortimer has other things to say about that, although it’s not clear what he can do beyond throwing optical daggers and using his big voice. He’ll try, though, of course, and it will have far-reaching repercussions in Episode Five, “In the Eye of the Storm.”

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Maxton Hall, Episode 6 (Oxford Calling)

Rebecca Deniston
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June 14, 2024
Maxton Hall, Episode 6 (Oxford Calling)

James and Ruby have rooms on opposite sides of the hall at Oxford, so that means something will happen. It’s inevitable, right? Of course it is. The big question is, though, will we be left with a cliffhanger or a payoff? Episode Six, also known as “A Piece of Happiness,” is the last installment in Season One of

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Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 1

Rebecca Deniston
·
August 5, 2024
Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 1

Everyone knows the Batman universe is a well-trodden universe. Do we really need another trip to Gotham City? Sure, why not? Amazon Prime’s new series, Batman: Caped Crusader just dropped, and I’m interested to peruse and maybe dissect each episode. We’ll see how it goes, right?

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Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 2

Rebecca Deniston
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August 12, 2024
Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 2

Yvonne Francis, Gotham’s most famous actress, has mysteriously disappeared. No one has seen her since she came home one night from a date with Bruce Wayne, who dropped her at her house and promptly left. She’s got an early day on the set of her newest movie, after all, and needs her beauty sleep. Yvonne, however, doesn’t make it to her front door before she’s spirited away.

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Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 3

Rebecca Deniston
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August 19, 2024
Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 3

It was only a matter of time before Selena Kyle, better known as Catwoman showed up in Batman: Caped Crusader, and while she’s been known to be an evil seductress cracking a whip, in this case she’s a jewel thief. A cat burglar, as it were. And she’s played by Christina Ricci, which is a nice bonus because we all know Ricci excels at dark and mysterious.

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Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 4

August 26, 2024
Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 4

When corruption is rife, it’s probably easy to get trigger-happy. It’s only a matter of time before an ally gets pinned as a villain, and that’s what Episode Four, “Night of the Hunters,” is all about. Even though Batman has done a service for Gotham City in the past, the mayor is still suspicious of him because he moves in the shadows and all of that mysterious stuff.

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Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 5

Rebecca Deniston
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September 2, 2024
Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 5

Our last episode of Caped Crusader was a misstep. This one goes into full-on rake-stepping.

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Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 6

Rebecca Deniston
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September 9, 2024
Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 6

A new villain has appeared in Gotham, but he’s a bit out of the ordinary. He’s chivalrous. He has a soft spot for the manners and styles of the upper class. He’s got sticky fingers. He’s able to get himself in and out of tight situations easily.

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Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 7

Rebecca Deniston
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September 16, 2024
Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 7

It’s time for the spotlight to move to Commissioner Gordon, who’s been butting heads with Barbara lately because he thinks she’s too lenient. He sees her latest client as a murderer. She sees someone who took a life because of extenuating circumstances.

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Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 8

Rebecca Deniston
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September 23, 2024
Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 8

In our eighth episode, “Nocturne,” a carnival has come to Gotham City to help drum up poll numbers for Harvey Dent, who’s running for mayor. Mr. Dent has chosen to man the dunk tank, where any Gothamite has a shot at, well, taking a shot at him. The turnout is huge and people seem really excited, especially the kids.

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Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 9

Rebecca Deniston
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September 30, 2024
Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 9

Those who saw Episode Eight know Harvey Dent got hit in the face with acid. That’s not really a spoiler because Dent becoming Two-Face is obviously canon in Batman lore, but how he gets there seems to be a little nebulous, not to mention the way the character goes after his injuries.

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Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 10

Rebecca Deniston
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October 7, 2024
Batman: Caped Crusader, Episode 10

I can’t believe I finished Caped Crusader’s Season One. It’s definitely better than I thought it was going to be and I like that Episode Ten teases a second season. That’s a good thing, because I’m going to miss these recaps.

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Dune: Prophecy (Episode 1)

Rebecca Deniston
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November 18, 2024
Dune: Prophecy (Episode 1)

“Victory is celebrated in light, but it is won in darkness.” That’s how HBO Max’s new series, Dune: Prophecy begins. How it ends, on the other hand, may get a little messy when all is said and done, but as we all know, such are life and politics.

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Dune: Prophecy (Episode 2)

Rebecca Deniston
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November 25, 2024
Dune: Prophecy (Episode 2)

Yes, there will be spoilers, as usual.

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Dune: Prophecy (Episode 3)

Rebecca Deniston
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December 2, 2024
Dune: Prophecy (Episode 3)

What’s a series nowadays without at least one origin story? Prophecy already weaves the present day with the past, but Episode Three, “Sisterhood Above All” really leans into giving us more detail about how Mothers Valya and Tula joined the Bene Gesserit.

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Dune: Prophecy (Episode 4)

Rebecca Deniston
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December 9, 2024
Dune: Prophecy (Episode 4)

It seems like every series nowadays has at least one episode in which the story’s trajectory shifts or corrects itself, and “Twice Born,” Episode Four of Dune: Prophecy seems to do just that. Not as well as it could, but it does it. We also get whispers of what lies ahead on Villeneueve’s Arrakis for the Atreides and Harkonnen clans, with sounds of thumpers and glimpses of sand worms.

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Dune: Prophecy (Episode 5)

Rebecca Deniston
·
December 16, 2024
Dune: Prophecy (Episode 5)

Shifting alliances. Exposed plots. One episode to go. Where will Dune: Prophecy end up? Who knows, but the trajectory established in “Twice Born” is starting to come to fruition in Episode Five, “In Blood, Truth.”

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Dune: Prophecy (Episode 6)

Rebecca Deniston
·
December 23, 2024
Dune: Prophecy (Episode 6)

We have come to “The High-Handed Enemy,” the final episode of Dune: Prophecy’s Season One, and I feel mixed. Did the series wind up effectively? Well…

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