Survivor shakes up the obvious vote when paranoia rears its head. by Jeremy Fogelman
As we shake our heads and wonder at what might have been, we ask the question: Why did Chanelle lose and get voted out? Poor Chanelle was already in a poor position, being someone we saw last week get awkwardly avoided by multiple people. She was already in a bad position and had made a few mistakes, but she didn’t really manage to improve her situation this week at all.
The real danger to Chanelle was the silent (except to us) fury of the scorned Mike, who had gotten a vote from her when she said otherwise -- it’s absurdly personal of him, especially considering he voted for her in that same tribal council! But outside of Chanelle, whose social game isn’t great, Mike has a really good social game.
We see early on Mike mentioning that he’s found the role of the wise older friend who is also more than willing to learn from the youngsters -- after a nice little scene where Omar teaches him about Islam, Mike tells us that “we all ain’t that different” which is certainly true, but amusingly put.
So Chanelle was already considered the least trustworthy and thus the target, but then Romeo almost ruined his own game with his paranoia -- some panic was warranted as he was the next target, but he really did make it too obvious about his politicking. Thus it seemed that Romeo was next, and Chanelle was maybe playing it correctly by doing nothing, until Mike heard the plan -- he was so hellbent on voting out his former ally that he utilized his social game to switch the targets back. And thus we’ve lost another female contestant.
Otherwise we get interesting play and chat from various people -- Omar continues to be the dude in the shadows, which puts him in a very powerful position if he can stay that way. Maryanne got emotional a lot, both to us about feeling not worth the same, but also cleverly, manipulating Omar into stepping out of the immunity challenge to get more rice for the tribe. She also made Jeff laugh by screaming loudly as she dove into the water.
Drea is also playing a low key, impressive game, managing to gather four advantages of various sorts -- the “red handed” literal paint twist was great, leading to Tori actually realizing that Drea was up to something. It’s a new twist that actually works, even if the Knowledge is Power advantage is still way too powerful.
And of course, Jonathan continues to dominate at challenges, even if he lost to Tori who is apparently the new immunity challenge beast? A pretty good episode for Tori after a much worse start to the season for her. We also see steady, considered play from Hai, and not much from Rocks or Lindsay -- although there were bits at least of each one.
At this point we do have a decent number of interesting players and pretty good ones too, with an episode that I wasn’t sure how I wanted it to go -- it’s usually a good sign about the editing and pace of the episode. It’s been a pretty good season so far, even if in a lot of ways it does feel really similar to season 41 -- hopefully things really get nuts in the episodes ahead.
Next time on Survivor, more dudes than women, two people will win immunity and two people will go home.
Marking its third consecutive year ranked or tied as the season's No. 1 entertainment network Adults 18-49, ABC celebrates summer with a strong lineup of new and returning series and specials that revels in love, competition, dogs, games and, of course, Martha Stewart.
NEW SPECIALS:
ABC is gearing up for a night of specials, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25. Kicking off the night, Martha Stewart, known for turning everyday living into an art form, is ready to part ways with pieces from her vast collection of furniture, art and housewares in a new one-hour special, "The Great American Tag Sale with Martha Stewart." Continuing the night, Rob Riggle and Joe Tessitore team up to host "The American Rescue Dog Show," the preeminent dog competition featuring rescued companions as they strut their fluff, competing for a slew of "best in" titles while stealing America's hearts.
NEW SERIES:
On THURSDAY, JULY 7, "Generation Gap," from producers Jimmy Kimmel, Mark Burnett and hosted by Kelly Ripa, makes its long-awaited debut.
The premiere of ABC's larger-than-life competition series "The Final Straw" joins a stacked lineup of game shows, SUNDAY, JULY 10.
The highly anticipated competition series "Claim to Fame," hosted by Kevin and Frankie Jonas and featuring relatives of celebrities, launches MONDAY, JULY 11.
RETURNING SERIES:
Fan-favorite game shows make their return: "Press Your Luck" on THURSDAY, JULY 7, with "Celebrity Family Feud" and "The $100,000 Pyramid" on SUNDAY, JULY 10.
As previously announced, Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia begin their journey to find love on "The Bachelorette," MONDAY, JULY 11.
RENEWALS:
This season's No. 1 new unscripted series in Total Viewers, "Judge Steve Harvey," has been renewed for season two. "Bachelor in Paradise," which ranked as the No. 1 show in both its Monday and Tuesday time slots last summer with Adults 18-49, has been picked up for season eight. Premiere dates for the new seasons to be announced at a later date.
SCHEDULE:
Airdates are as follows (all times listed are Eastern/Pacific). New shows/specials are in bold.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25
8:00-9:00 p.m. "The Great American Tag Sale with Martha Stewart"
9:00-10:00 p.m. "The Final Straw" (series premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m. "The $100,000 Pyramid"
MONDAY, JULY 11
8:00-10:01 p.m. "The Bachelorette"
10:01-11:00 p.m. "Claim to Fame" (series premiere)
Information on the series/specials below.
THE $100,000 PYRAMID
Michael Strahan is back as host of "The $100,000 Pyramid," the timeless word-association game in which two celebrities and their partners face off in a race against the clock to make it to the winner's circle and take home $100,000.
THE AMERICAN RESCUE DOG SHOW
"The American Rescue Dog Show" is the preeminent dog competition featuring rescued companions as they strut their fluff, competing for a slew of "best in" titles while stealing America's hearts. These prized pups may be cute, but the competition is fierce. In the two-hour special, rescued dogs from all across the country will compete in seven categories including Best In Underbite, Best In Snoring, Best In Belly Rubs and more. A $10,000 donation to a local animal welfare organization will be made in honor of the winning dog in each category, and each category winner will have the chance to be named the Best In Rescue with an additional $100,000 donation being made in their honor. This comedic and heartfelt take on the world of competitive dog shows is a celebration of rescued dogs and the joy they bring to our lives. Dynamic duo Rob Riggle and Joe Tessitore host America's cutest competition special with ESPN's Monica McNutt serving as sideline correspondent. Dog-loving celebrity guest judges, who will be announced at a later date, will also make special appearances.
THE BACHELORETTE
After unwaveringly supporting each other through a devastating dual breakup in the season 26 finale of "The Bachelor," fan favorites and fierce women Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia stand by each other's side yet again as they set out on a journey to find love. The two co-star on the upcoming season 19 of "The Bachelorette," with Jesse Palmer returning as host.
BACHELOR IN PARADISE
Breakout fan favorites from "The Bachelor" franchise are back and ready for a second (or third) chance at finding love. They may have left their respective seasons brokenhearted, but now they have the opportunity to travel to a romantic paradise in hopes of turning a potential summer fling into the real thing.
CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD
Hosted by the highly popular stand-up comedian, actor, author and Emmy(R) Award winner Steve Harvey, "Celebrity Family Feud" has celebrities along with their families go head-to-head in a contest to name the most popular responses to survey-type questions posed to 100 people for a chance to win money for a charity of their choice.
CLAIM TO FAME
Co-hosted by siblings Kevin and Frankie Jonas, this new series challenges 12 celebrity relatives to step outside their famous family member's shadow and live together under one roof, concealing their identity and lineage in the quest for their own fame and fortune. They will compete in challenges, form alliances and play DNA detective in hopes of avoiding elimination and winning the coveted $100,000 prize, and staking their own "Claim to Fame"!
THE FINAL STRAW
The newest show to join ABC's unscripted lineup is the larger-than-life physical comedy game show, "The Final Straw." The stakes are high as four teams of colorful contestants face off to combat tremendous tipping towers. Each life-sized themed tower is chock full of various objects ranging from basketballs to small kitchen appliances as contestants try to successfully pull items from the stack without tipping it over in order to earn prizes. If the tower falls, the team is eliminated and the last team standing will compete against The Mega Stack, an epic battle of physics where the odds are literally stacked against them, in hopes of winning a life-changing grand prize.
GENERATION GAP
Kelly Ripa hosts the new comedy quiz game show from Emmy(R) Award-winning producers Jimmy Kimmel and Mark Burnett. "Generation Gap" pairs teams of grandparents and grandkids, challenging them to answer questions about pop culture from each other's generations.
THE GREAT AMERICAN TAG SALE WITH MARTHA STEWART
Martha Stewart, known for turning everyday living into an art form, is ready to part ways with pieces from her vast collection of furniture, art and housewares in this new one-hour special. Over the years, Martha has amassed an assortment of items that ranges from fine art to knickknacks. During the special, she will regale viewers with fond memories of how these beloved items were acquired and offer expert advice on how to execute a successful tag sale. Alongside her team of event planners, Martha will host a series of tag sale events including an exclusive cocktail party for celebrities and neighbors to preview the sale.
JUDGE STEVE HARVEY
Steve Harvey serves as the judge, jury and star of "Judge Steve Harvey," the one-hour unscripted courtroom comedy series. Real-life people with real-life conflicts present their case in his television courtroom, ranging from family disputes, unpaid bets, sour friendships and everything in between. With the help of Nancy, his trusted bailiff by trade, Steve plays by his own rules, basing his courtroom on his own life experiences and some good old common sense.
PRESS YOUR LUCK
Hosted by Elizabeth Banks, "Press Your Luck" is a game of wits, strategy and even higher stakes as contestants try to avoid the iconic and devilish WHAMMY for a chance at life-changing cash and prizes. During each game of "Press Your Luck," three contestants compete against each other answering questions to earn spins on the Big Board. Contestants then use their spins to win cash and prizes while trying to avoid the WHAMMY, who could take all of their winnings and leave them with nothing. The winning contestant moves on to the bonus round to face the WHAMMY in a final battle for the chance to win $1 million.
Looking to beat the Summer heat? The CW Network has announced Summer 2022 premiere dates for returning scripted favorites CORONER, ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO, IN THE DARK, WELLINGTON PARANORMAL and DEVILS, as well as the alternative series MYSTERIES DECODED.
The Canadian investigative procedural CORONER returns with its season four U.S. premiere on Thursday, June 2 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT) following an original episode of The CW’s hit series WALKER (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT).
The season four premiere of the science fiction drama ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO airs Monday, June 6 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT) followed by the fourth season premiere of IN THE DARK (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT).
The supernatural comedy WELLINGTON PARANORMAL returns for its third season with back-to-back original episodes on Wednesday, June 22 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT) following an original episode of The CW’s hit series THE FLASH (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT).
The season two premiere of international financial conspiracy thriller DEVILS airs Thursday, June 30 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT) followed by an original episode of CORONER (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT).
New episodes of MYSTERIES DECODED debut on Wednesday, July 6 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT) followed by an original episode of WELLINGTON PARANORMAL (9:00-9:30pm ET/PT).
The following is The CW’s Summer 2022 premiere schedule for returning series. All times ET/PT:
Dual has two Karen Gillans for the price of one in this dark sci-fi satire. by Jeremy Fogelman
Cast: Karen Gillan, Beulah Koale, Theo James, Aaron Paul Rating: ★★
In 2019 the movie The Art of Self-Defense was released by director/writer Riley Stearns, a super-dry, very particular sort of black comedy. It definitely worked for me, but I could easily tell that it was not the sort of thing everyone would like. In that movie, the characters have a very matter-of-fact way of talking, even about uncomfortable, awkward, or emotional moments -- even if they will show emotionality in other, more silent scenes. So I had certain expectations about this one.
Dual is the next film from Riley Stearns, who also writes and directs in his own quirky style. The movie takes place in the not so distant future where most things are the same, except for one particular little twist: cloning of people is entirely possible and actually quite common. We start the movie watching a man fight in a death match against himself, although we don’t know much else -- and soon things begin to make sense.
Karen Gillan stars as Sarah, a woman in a sort of decline -- she ignores calls from her mother (Maija Paunio) and feels distant from her boyfriend Peter (Beulah Koale). She’s basically drifting through life aimlessly, and it seems like there’s nothing much for her -- until she gets sick and is informed she has a fatal disease. The sort of vague, hyper-unique disease that means she’ll be perfectly fine for a few months and then suddenly die.
But this means Sarah is the perfect candidate for a replacement, a clone of her that can be used as a salve for her family and friends that would miss her. Of course, the new clone wouldn’t have her memories, which means that the Double would need to follow Sarah around and learn everything about her. So far so good (and odd), and Sarah introduces her double to her mother and boyfriend.
Unfortunately things don’t go so well in multiple ways, primarily that Sarah makes a miraculous recovery -- and the law says that only one copy of one person can exist, so in a year Sarah and her double must fight to the death. It’s a patently absurd premise, presenting a world where life is interchangeable, but it leads into the next phase of the movie -- training.
Sarah starts an entertaining training regime to survive with local dual trainer Trent (Aaron Paul), who definitely understands the assignment. Everything spirals in increasingly chaotic ways, until you begin to wonder if anyone will get out of it happy. The movie, like Stearns last movie, is very dark and has the same sort of offbeat, odd dialogue humor.
Just like The Art of Self-Defense, I found Dual to be engaging and funny, even if the underlying theme and message is a bit ridiculous and feels a bit thin from a satirical perspective. Karen Gillan completely manages the absurd dialogue and speaking style with ease, and does great work to show the differentiation between the two versions of Sarah.
I can’t say that this will work for everyone, even though I quite liked it -- I’d say that if you liked the director’s last movie, this one will also be up your alley. If you didn’t like it or aren’t into dark comedies, I don’t think this one will work -- but if you’re curious, I think it’s worth a shot to see whether or not you can appreciate this particular unusual film.
Dual has a run time of 1 hour 35 minutes and is rated R for violent content, some sexual content, language and graphic nudity.
Survivor double packs its merge episode with a redo of the controversial time travel twist. by Jeremy Fogelman
As our Delorean comes to a stop and we save ourselves from being erased in a photo, we ask our perennial query: Why did Lydia lose and get voted out? In this case, it seemed that it was a matter of people not trusting the right people, but also other people having the right trust in people.
Coming into the tribal, it seemed clear that Omar had at least raised the possibility of targeting Lydia instead of Jonathan or Maryanne by successfully painting her as someone untrustworthy -- and all because he and Jonathan were such close allies. It helped that Omar was both completely safe and had no vote, making him seem more like someone entirely harmless and without the ability to get a target back on him.
Lydia’s only clear mistakes were with Chanelle, although she wasn’t the only one. She was awkward and cagey enough that Chanelle noticed, but then again, everyone in that majority alliance attempt was awkward multiple times when Chanelle was around. It certainly made for awkward television, if shades of The Office -- although Lydia does trust Omar enough to tell him that maybe Maryanne is the target.
And Maryanne and Jonathan were both on the Taku tribe with Omar, which certainly could’ve been a dangerous move. So it’s a shame to see someone else interesting go home, and Lydia was a fun character -- but that’s sort of the situation we’re in with this “great cast” season.
The episode started with a recap of all of the various and sundry advantages gained, none of which have been utilized yet -- so you know that things are really going to get nuts soon enough. We also had a cavalcade of great bonding moments between people, like Romeo calling out how much he respects Hai for being completely comfortable with himself, Lydia and Maryanne bonding about their Gen-Z connection, or Mike and Jonathan about preconceived notions about being physically intimidating.
The time travel twist of Season 41 returned, but with another twist on the twist -- this time Jeff actually tells the “winning” tribe that they’d be giving power to the person exiled -- and they picked Rocksroy despite that. I get that, but we did hear at least one person correctly predict what Rocks might be able to do.
Watching Rocks thrive out on his own was fun, as was hearing his various phrases like “Holy moly!”, “Jiminy Christmas”, and “Yippie Ki Yay” -- pretty hilarious. But it was honestly hard to believe that Rocks would do anything other than save himself and reverse time. The “cons” of the pros and cons of the time travel twist are still not strong enough to justify doing anything but breaking that hourglass.
Still, the ensuing scramble did lead to a pretty fun series of strategic tomfoolery, including the quite impressive run from Omar -- it’s a great addition to a potential winning resume, if he can make it that far. Similarly we have other strong strategic players, even if it’s not always so clear -- I did like Maryanne’s new take on it: A problem is a shield in the future. Only issue is that being clever paints a target on her back, which she doesn’t need. So definitely a lot of interesting possibilities in the future in what was a fairly entertaining episode, even if I hope they seriously reconsider this twist in the future, no pun intended.
Next time on Survivor, someone is creating chaos, people are scurrying and paranoid.
‘Survivor’ makes it a bit clear who’s heading home in another fun episode. by Jeremy Fogelman
On the latest episode of Survivor, as everyone shouts out secret phrases, we wonder: Why did Daniel lose and get voted out? The simple answer, of course, is that he made many mistakes, some more serious than others.
This latest episode saw Hai initiate a “hey, what about his shoulder?” routine to target Daniel as the latter was out failing at spearfishing. What was not mentioned is that swimming leisurely searching for fish is hardly the same as the very intense swimming in the challenges. But as Daniel was already persona non grata in his tribe, everyone was already ready to assume the worst about him.
Daniel’s shoulder dislocation was of course not a mistake nor his fault, but it didn’t help matters as he had to keep sitting out of challenges. He played hard and at first, reasonably smartly -- but the dude kept making errors, like literally losing Mike’s idol. After his problematic performance with Chanelle when he proclaimed he didn’t want to go to rocks, he had lost his only ally -- and thus was left without anyone willing to trust in him.
Honestly I would’ve been far more surprised if they didn’t vote out Daniel -- the only possible reason to keep him is that he could be seen as a goat, or someone that couldn’t possibly win the game -- but although his tribe felt that way, maybe the others could? So after they made fun of Daniel, I felt like it was inevitable.
Elsewhere on the tribe, we hear a backstory from Lydia about struggling with body image but feeling much better about herself and her Survivor journey. She also made a safe call about protecting her vote, but if she had risked it, and Rocksroy still hadn’t, she’d get an extra vote. But that’s a tricky thing to consider.
The other backstory was from Romeo, who mentioned about his mom sacrificing to help her kids achieve their dreams in America -- and because he’s a pageant coach, women in general and Drea in particular are ideal allies for him. At least it does seem that way for now, although who can say how long that will last.
But we also get a few potential lighting fires of drama to come, one is Tori explicitly telling us that she’s ready and willing to turn on her tribe as soon as possible. The other is how Maryanne is annoying Jonathan and Lindsay enough to be a target, while Omar believes she’s a critical ally and thus wants to keep her. There’s definitely some interesting clashes that might happen here.
At this point in the season I feel like we’ve gotten a pretty good handle on most of the players and their characters, enough to begin to start rooting for people. Maybe. There’s no obvious early leader like Shan here, but some interesting people anyway. Definitely been enjoying this season so far, I think the Survivor team has been hitting it out of the park with their casting this last two seasons. Even the less “adept” players are still fun to watch.
Next time on Survivor, drop your buffs, and it’s chaos.
‘Survivor’ sends someone out after people talk a little too much. by Jeremy Fogelman
As we look back at a particularly chaotic episode, we ask the question: Why did Swati lose and get voted out? The simple answer is that she played a bit too hard and got noticed by another good player, mainly Romeo.
Although I think that’s true, it’s also true that it was down to a bunch of cascading dominos, one of which was Swati’s mistake -- which is telling Tori that Drea was targeting her, because she wanted to get the target on Drea instead. It’s not a terrible idea, but it relies on the premise that Tori would keep that to herself, which she didn’t -- she also managed to keep her heavy annoyance with Rocksroy to herself and the confessionals and got useful information from him while telling him about Swati’s reveal.
Going through all of these people and back and forth, it is revealed that Swati was playing the “young, shy, unassuming girl” game and telling everyone she was their number one. It’s theoretically a good game, except that she pushed too hard, too early -- if she had simply allowed Rocks or Tori to get voted out (as they were the easy targets) I think she could’ve lasted much longer in the game. Or even to the end, as that was sort of how Erika won Season 41.
So we say goodbye to a smart, pretty decent player, but one that was a little too careless with her plans. It’s a shame that we’ve lost two interesting people these last two weeks that weren’t simply screwing things up, but at least Swati is more the author of her own demise -- makes a better tale if she ever returns.
As for Tori, I was a bit concerned about her mentioning her therapy work and that Rocks was acting like a narcissist -- if she’s saying he has a narcissistic personality disorder, that’s pretty specific and unreasonable. If not, she’s being irresponsible from a professional perspective -- but then again, I can see how she might simply have been trying to simply add color to her confessional by making it personal about her unique perspective.
As for the other tribes, we get a little bit with Taku with a weirdly troubling backstory from Jonathan but also some acknowledgement that he is aware he is a physical shield for others on his tribe. I wonder how things will blow up when it becomes a liability to keep him around -- I mean the dude is called “Goliath” and “Thor” by people on the other tribes after helping Taku dominate two challenges in a row.
Otherwise we have another “obvious tribe loss” edit situation here, where we focus nearly entirely on the tribe that’s going to lose. Although it’s useful to get information about what’s going on, I feel like it’s an easy pattern to notice, so I hope the show shakes things up as we move forward. Can Taku even lose at this point? A tribe swap is likely inevitable, considering that only Taku hasn’t lost anyone.
As for our friends back on Vati, Daniel acknowledges to us that both he messed up and Chanelle is refusing to admit her role in things. Both true, of course, but because of Daniel’s frenetic behavior last time, people are clearly less interested in listening to him -- we do see Mike agree to switch to Hai and Lydia instead, which certainly does not bode well for Daniel.
Altogether a messy but entertaining episode -- I prefer watching people lose because they’re playing too hard then by twists and circumstances, so I can’t be mad about that, even if I’ll miss another interesting player.
Next time on Survivor, more fights and more potential problems.
Survivor showcases a great physical performance and a lot of terrible strategic ones. by Jeremy Fogelman
It was a ridiculous series of unforced errors that answered the perennial question: Why did Jenny lose and get voted out? Unfortunately despite clearly being smart and good at puzzles (she certainly helped with that triangle one), both she and Lydia were on the “not strong” part of the targets. But it was also about a very specific split team and a mistake made in multiple places.
I don’t really think Jenny made a particular mistake, at least that we saw, so instead we need to look at the bizarre situation where she was betrayed by an ally.
After Jonathan absolutely destroyed the challenge, Omar and Chanelle get sent to the risk your vote island -- and both give excellent, correct reasons to protect their vote -- and then both switch at the last minute and lose it! Chanelle should’ve realized how precarious her position was and protected herself -- that would’ve been enough to protect her alliance.
As for noted superfan and paranoid Daniel, he had quite a few “epic fails” -- he dropped Mike’s idol for one, and spiraled out of control when it came down to the unprecedented “two votes left” situation at the tribal council. Hai immediately had a stronger position since Daniel was saying he didn’t want to go to rocks -- but if he had a stronger reason other than uncertainty, we didn’t hear it.
Daniel kept throwing Chanelle under the bus to make himself seem less of a strategic thinker, which she correctly pointed out -- and of course, he eventually backed down and voted out Jenny. So Daniel leaves this episode in a pretty bad social position, and poor Jenny is the victim -- although if Chanelle had not lost her vote, likely Lydia would’ve been voted out instead.
So two firsts for the episode, one that was Jeff skipping half a challenge due to safety reasons and the other where it was literally down to two people with votes. But that made the episode both exciting and frustrating, because I don’t really like watching people make errors when they shouldn’t have to -- everyone makes mistakes, especially as the game continues and people get hungrier.
But at this early stage of the game, it’s less enjoyable and forgivable. Still, there are plenty of interesting players left in the game, even if it’s likely Vati may be permanently damaged. Curious to see how these people will act after this terrible situation.
Next time on Survivor, even more arguments seem to arise.
Survivor humanizes our cast further to really make sure we hurt more when they get voted out. by Jeremy Fogelman
This week on Survivor, we ask the question of questions: Why did Marya lose and get voted out?
As per usual in this early part of the game, people are looking for any port in a storm and any weak link to vote out. On the previous losing tribe Ika, things go back and forth a lot as they consider who to target -- at first Drea confirms an alliance with Rocksroy and Romeo, but then mentions her extra vote to Tori and Swati for a ladies’ alliance, and then the latter notes that Drea is charismatic and possesses power in the game -- so she turns the potential vote, Tori, who figured she was already doomed.
So on Taku, Marya unfortunately fell under the umbrella of “not great at challenges” even if she didn’t specifically screw anything up. Jonathan and Lindsay are both highly athletic, while Omar and Daniel are both reasonably strong and have very tight relationships with Jonathan. Omar connected to his tribe by disclosing his Muslim faith and he seemed to be a firm “easy ally”. So we hear Jonathan as the main point of narration, discussing his JT/Stephen style alliance with Omar, but also how well he connects with everyone else.
And the only one he isn’t really connected to is Marya, and the only positive vote in her direction is from Omar, who does say he trusts Marya more than Maryanne -- but thinks Maryanne has the drive to keep the tribe in a successful direction. Since this is only the first loss for their tribe, it’s not like it’s a losing streak they have to be particularly concerned about, just reversing a bad trend.
So ultimately although Maryanne was clearly annoying people to some extent, she was also entertaining them -- a pretty vital part of the isolated and often boring island life. Maryanne was also a pretty funny part of the episode as they was a lot of discussion about her “love life” and her crush on recently exited Zach. So Marya was not great in challenges and not solid enough socially, despite opening up about her tragic backstory -- so that became an unfortunately easy vote, and with Maryanne’s extra vote, a sure thing.
As for the other tribes, there’s only a bit from Romeo and his strategic mind, planning on voting Tori out in the future -- but Vati is a different story. We get a lot from everyone, Jenny narrates finding hermit crabs, Channelle discusses becoming a provider, and Hai goes through a more difficult time feeling guilty about eating meat (giving us the episode title of “Good and Guilty”).
The funniest part though is the little adventure with Mike, who has found the pretty fun three way phrase challenge idol that was introduced last season. He discloses the idol to his top ally Jenny, but also to Daniel to create more of a bond -- except that Mike initially forgets where he buried the advantage, leading to Daniel being unable to hold back laughter.
It’s a lot of great setup for the rest of the season, and I hope to see the other two phrases unveiled too. It’s a legitimately great cast so far, with no duds I can think of -- maybe I’m not specifically rooting for everyone, but I have too many possible winners to narrow it down. That’s definitely a great sign for the season. No terrible twists so far either.
Next time on Survivor, Maryanne got bait and switched, Mike’s idol is missing, something is done that has never done before, which sounds ominous.
Survivor 42 starts off a new season with a new cast of delightful weirdos to cheer for. by Jeremy Fogelman
As the sun rises on a new season of Survivor, we get our first glimpse of the ragtag set of players that are striving for that big prize. As per usual with most recent seasons, it’s quite a diverse cast of characters, with a common thread that many of these people are fans and sometimes superfans. And so we start with the ending, which is the simple question of:
As per usual, the first few episodes are tricky in terms of getting voted out, because even the smallest of grievances can easily explode in your face to make you an easy target, because everyone is looking for easy targets at the start. So although Zach successfully connected with Romeo, and to a lesser extent, with fellow youngsters Swati and Tori, none of those three were willing to rock the boat enough to try and change the vote.
And Tori was already willing to point fingers, so that wasn’t so difficult -- Romeo had his “older folks” alliance with Rocksroy and Drea, Drea had to be dissuaded from her quest against Rocksroy (who himself was a bit of that annoying “leader” type), and Swati explicitly targeted Zach. Zach didn’t make things any easier with his exhausted immunity performance, where he seemed to be “giving up” (although it’s likely he was just unable to move much) and couldn’t defeat the puzzle as fast as the other two teams.
So adios to our skinny boy superfan Zach, who is representative of one particular type of superfan, but at least he was clearly just glad for the experience. Similarly we get pleasant vibes from Jackson, who shares his own fascinating backstory about reconnecting with his anti-trans father over his mother’s passing, and Maryanne, who is so immediately excited that Jeff Probst does need to point it out.
Unfortunately Jackson does get medically evacuated because of a recently disclosed lithium withdrawal issue, leaving his tribe mates Lindsay and Maryanne in tears (with the latter literally crying out loud). As for Maryanne, she’s a self-acknowledged “weirdo” with a clear emotional connection to everyone -- for her it could go either very well or very poorly.
In terms of the rest of the gang, we get a little from everyone here and there. Of note are a few people that give some narration for us. Omar gives us some color, talking about being a secret predator, and Jenny saves her tribe from getting their triangle challenge wrong. Superfan Daniel dislocates his shoulder but continues to “shoulder” through the challenge and seems to be getting along swimmingly with his tribe. And others get little moments to shine too.
In terms of the twists, we get the classic “risk or protect your vote” idea which had mixed results last season, and a revamped 'Sweaty vs Savvy' that heavily pushed players towards the puzzle (which they both got -- 51 triangles exactly!). The dice roll for your life still hasn’t done much except ensure Zach’s departure, so that’s also a bit of a question mark for now. All well and good but the new twist, the shared amulet trap, now that’s a fascinating twist -- there are really so many possible ways that can go. I think it’s one of the better ones in a while.
All in all, a pretty fun new cast and an entertaining episode -- I can see that some players will immediately become divisive and others favorites, but I’m not hitching my wagon to anyone yet. I know how that one goes. But it’s great to see more Survivor with people that really want to play and win.
Next time on Survivor, here’s Maryanne, Tori wants Drea out, and David wants Mike out?
Fresh is a gruesome metaphor for dating that tips entirely in a disturbing way by Jeremy Fogelman
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jojo T. Gibbs, Andrea Bang, Dayo Okeniyi, Charlotte Le Bon Rating: ★★
Body horror is a particularly complicated thing to review, because it has that odd note that strikes some people as disgusting to the point of being unable to watch further, but others as a radical, daring take that pushes the envelope in positive, artful ways. In the realm of horror movies, it can be a crutch to make things worse when there’s an iffy script, so the real challenge is how to balance it effectively with the underlying message.
Fresh comes from director Mimi Cave and writer Lauryn Kahn, in Cave’s first feature film. Here we follow city gal Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who is suffering from terrible online date after online date, with all manner of typical microaggressions and problematic behaviors along the way. She confides her frustration to her black best friend Mollie (Jojo T. Gibbes), who ends up having a decent storyline in the film.
After it seems like nothing will work, Noa is randomly approached by a handsome stranger in the grocery store, a man named Steve (Sebastian Stan) -- and his lines aren’t the worst, even if being approached like this in public is rarely, if ever, appreciated. Noa is charmed despite herself, falling into a quick, whirlwind romance with the mysterious Steve, and it’s all very rom-com for the first thirty minutes or so, but this is a mirage.
Steve convinces Noa to come away with him for a weekend at his remote fancy cabin, far away from the boring old things like good or working cell phone service. The creepy vibes rise and rise until we’re simply in an actual horror movie, one that is absolutely disgusting and troublesome. The specifics may be easy to guess (the marketing of the film makes it pretty easy to figure out, and I certainly got it without much help), but then we’re in the “how do we get out of this?” part of the movie.
Noa is imprisoned for unsavory reasons in the cabin, with only another girl through the wall for company (Andrea Bang), while back home Mollie is suspicious and tries to figure out what’s going on with her friend. Noa decides to try a new charm offensive, and maybe convince Steve (or whatever his real name is) that he could spare her long enough to escape or something else.
The movie delves lightly into body horror, sparing us from the truly gruesome moments by use of related or metaphorical imagery, with an underlying message about the nature of terrible dates for women -- that is ultimately the point of it all, underneath the bizarre trappings. The two lead performances are quite good, with Daisy Edgar-Jones able to show all of the emotions between lies and truth in the midst of her terror.
Sebastian Stan is also really good, starting in a more family friendly charming mode before shifting into a more off-putting, deranged manner with ease (reminds me more of his roles in I, Tonya or Pam & Tommy). The other side roles aren’t quite as interestingly written, but at least they provide a bit more than the standard horror movie cliches.
As a horror movie it isn’t that bloody, but it’s particularly wince-inducing at times, so it’s best to consider it as one -- as a horror/thriller though, it’s an interesting one, even if it does get a bit long in the tooth at times. I feel like it will hit a lot of people pretty hard, in the right sorts of ways.
Fresh has a run time of 1 hour 54 minutes and is rated R for strong and disturbing violent content, some bloody images,
language throughout, some sexual content and brief graphic nudity. Fresh is streaming exclusively on Hulu.
Bite Me attempts to combine a rom-com with an unsubtle metaphor by Jeremy Fogelman
Cast: Naomi McDougall Jones, Christian Coulson, Naomi Grossman, Annie Golden Rating: ★
It’s funny that I was recently thinking about how common rom-com movies are without any originality when this movie comes along, which is theoretically very original -- even if the underlying unoriginal concept is simply a “two different types attract” tale that happens to be about a very odd, based on the real world, concept.
Bite Me comes from director Meredith Edwards and writer Naomi McDougall Jones, who also stars in the movie as Sarah, a so-called “real life vampire”. These unusual folk are not supernatural nor do they claim to be, they are based on a real set of people who believe that they require regular blood drinking to maintain their “energy” or similar concepts that are not medically validated.
Sarah is a particularly strident, self-assured version of this sort, but her annoyances really come out when fellow local vampire Stacz (Antino Crowley-Kamenwati) outs himself on a reality show about “freaks”. Suddenly everyone is staring at Sarah as she walks down the street as a “freak” although I don't know how they’d know -- her green hair? Her tribal tattoo on her face? None of those things mean “vampire”, but part of the problem that this movie has is an issue with its metaphor.
We run into some other vamps, including also annoying Chrissy (Naomi Grossman) and hijab-wearing Lily (Mahira Kakkar), who all commiserate how absolutely hard it is to be vampires with their questionable “medical” condition. Lily talks about how it’s unfair not to treat her as a Muslim simply because she’s a vampire, even though it is absolutely not permitted -- a blood infusion, that’s a different matter, but all these people are feeding off of each other because it’s all about “energy”.
This is all well and good (if internally inconsistent in its logic) but the real story comes when the IRS has decided to audit their “church” because, well, it’s not a real religious organization! And nothing the movie manages is able to convince otherwise, not the tiny amount of congregants (fewer than twenty) or the fact that they claim it’s a medical condition and not a religion (Lily claims to be a Muslim, after all).
Sparks of a sort fly when Sarah meets IRS agent James (Christian Coulson), a sort of charming British dude, who is legitimately intrigued by Sarah and her bizarre lifestyle. The two start a sort of odd "will they won’t they" of a kind, which is pushed back by her vampy friends that claim that a “mundane” (eye roll) and a vampire can never be a couple. James has a kind of nerdy, pleasant energy, and Sarah eventually becomes a bit more layered and considered.
Ultimately it all comes to a stupendously stupid confrontation where they seem to simply be saying, hey, we’re all freaks one way or another, aren’t we? So why judge? Well, I don’t judge the vampires’ fake psychosomatic condition nor their ill-considered fake religion because they don’t seem to be hurting anyone. And I worry that their metaphor might be so broad as to be considered offensive in some ways.
My issues with the story and metaphor aside, the movie is competently made -- there is an indie feeling to some of the acting, some of which are so over the top as to be parodic, or so muted as to feel forgettable. But from a visual and editing perspective, it isn’t poorly made -- it’s really the underlying odd story that I really doubt anyone will truly enjoy.
Bite Me has a run time of 1 hour 23 minutes and is not rated.
The Contrast has big aspirations but has trouble reaching any of them by Jeremy Fogelman
Cast: Joy Villa, Lee Donoghue, Jermain Hollman, Deanna Rashell Rating: ★
Adapting old stories is always a bit of a big swing, regardless of who is swinging and what they are swinging at. If the story is well known, it likely has been adapted many times prior and perhaps with beloved examples. If it’s an unknown or obscure tale, there’s pressure on the adapting creative to tell the tale properly while still understanding that current social mores and morality may have rendered the original version unplayable now. It’s a tough tightrope to walk, even more so if you don’t realize the tightrope is there at all.
The Contrast comes from writer Chris Johnson and directors Sean Dube and Presley Paras, based on a play by the same name by Royall Tyler from 1787. When I saw this movie I didn’t realize it was based on a play. If I had I would’ve understood some of the decisions better, which I’ll get to. We follow primarily Maria (Joy Villa) as she’s headed to a little B&B in the middle of the countryside for her small wedding. Her intended husband is odd hipster Dimple (Lee Donoghue) and indeed that name is from the original play -- although it’s his last name so I don’t know why the movie changed that.
Maria has arrived with her two friends, Charlee (Deanna Rashell), who is one of those “flirty” girls, and Jenny (Thanh Ta), who is one of those “snarky” girls. Maria is not particularly enthused about marrying Dimple, mainly doing it because he has money and her dad (Lance E. Nichols) wants it that way -- this is a weird angle that’s never fully explained, because it’s attempting to adapt the play where Maria was required to marry as her father asks.
Things get shaken up when Charlee’s brother Colonel Henry Manly (Jermain Hollman) arrives, and yes, that is also his name in the original play as well -- it feels like a joke here but doesn’t really play like one. Instantly Maria and Henry are far more attracted to each other than Maria was with her fiance, while romantic entanglements arise between everyone else in what are sometimes interesting ways.
At the same time, Dimple is actually having money problems and is dealing with the mysterious Mr. Hazard (director Sean Dube), who is putting on a questionable British accent -- and he also derides Dimple’s attempt at an even worse one, which feels like the director didn’t realize his accent wasn’t particularly amazing either.
Otherwise the movie adapts the play in a sort of general way, using a similar set of characters but modernizes their situation -- even if the two main pieces (why the old relationship lasted so long and why Henry and Maria are so into each other so suddenly) aren’t really modernized so effectively. The writing is really just okay, sometimes decent, sometimes cringey.
From an acting perspective, it’s a bit of a mixed bag -- they are hampered by the material but some performances manage to squeak by (mainly Maria’s friends) and become at least a little entertaining. Unfortunately it’s also a bit of a flat movie visually, not really getting into any dynamic visual language -- although this is an indie movie, I always tend to respect an indie that tries hard and fails then one that is taking a more easy approach and is technically competent.
I can’t say I hated the movie or anything so severe, and I tend to cut indie movies more slack as they don’t have the budget for a lot -- and filming in the pandemic makes things harder still. But unfortunately I can’t really see anyone that would really enjoy this one, not even any fans of the original play, which may only be relevant because of its history as the first professionally produced play in the US -- although I wonder how many theater fans even know that.
The Contrast has a run time of 1 hour 22 minutes and is not rated.
No Exit is a simple horror film with plenty of twists by Justin Moore
Cast: Havana Rose Liu, Danny Ramirez, David Rysdahl, Mila Harris, Dennis Haysbert Rating: ★★
Damien Power’s new film, No Exit, hit Hulu this weekend. The film was supposed to be released in theaters, but Disney decided to pull the film after the Fox merger. Disney’s decision was a smart move as it certainly feels like a film fit for a streaming service.
Darby (Havana Rose Liu) is stuck in rehab and wants nothing to do with her therapy sessions. She gets a call about her mother, who suffered from a brain aneurysm, and decides to hot wire a nurse’s car and head to her mother. She gets caught up in a snowstorm and is forced to stop at a remote rest stop with four strangers and no cell phone service. Darby discovers a young girl tied up in a van and must determine the identify of the kidnapper to save the girl’s life.
No Exit is adapted from the 2017 novel by Taylor Adams but feels like a story that would be released in 2006. The mid 2000s had plenty of solid horror films that felt simple and isolated. They weren’t relying on supernatural elements to further their story. I appreciated the more simpler horror films that the mid 2000s offered and that’s probably why I enjoyed No Exit so much.
No Exit comes with plenty of twists that kept me engaged with the film. With having not read the story, it was thrilling to see how the characters interacted with each other. With its quick pace, the characters hardly had any time to grow but there was enough mystery surrounding the characters to where I started forming my own theories about the situation. The film does an excellent job creating a tense atmosphere that allows for every character that Darby meets at the rest stop feel like the main suspect. The most trustworthy characters were Sandi (Dale Dickey), a retired nurse, and Ed (Dennis Haysbert), a former Marine. Even though they were the characters that most likely weren’t the kidnappers, the film manages to still give you moments to make you think otherwise. Liu serves as the final girl in the film and handles the role well. She is a complex character who uses her drug addiction as a way to fight in the final showdown.
Twists and turns come early in the film, which did worry me a bit, but luckily there were more surprises down the road. After a few different twists, the film started to lose its touch and the reveals were less exciting. Some moments were surprising but there were some that were painfully predictable. The film offered one too many twists but by the end of it all, it worked for what it was.
It’s a simple horror that manages to create a tense atmosphere with limited number of characters and nowhere for them to go. It’s not reinventing the wheels but uses its limited setting to deliver thrills and chills. It's worth a watch for its simplicity, its quick pace, and its familiarity. If you’re looking for a suspenseful film that won’t require much attention, No Exit is worth your time.
Fan-Favorite Titles include “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,”
“Luke Cage”, “Iron Fist,” “The Defenders,” “The Punisher,” and “Marvel’s
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Giving Fans Access to More from the Marvel
Collection, All in One Place
All U.S. Subscribers will be Prompted to Set Parental Controls Using Enhanced Content Ratings and PIN Protection
On March 16, Disney+ will add more Marvel live-action series titles to its expansive content offering in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand with the addition of “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage,” “Iron Fist,” “The Defenders,” and “The Punisher,” plus “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” in the U.S., giving fans access to more from the Marvel collection, all in one place. With the addition of these titles, Disney+ will concurrently release an update to its Parental Controls in the U.S. that will prompt all subscribers to update their settings.
“Disney+ has served as the home for some of the most beloved brands in the industry, and the addition of these live-action shows brings more from the Marvel brand together, all in one place,” said Michael Paull, President of Disney Streaming. “We have experienced great success with an expanded content offering on Disney+ across our global markets and are excited to continue that here in the U.S. as well by offering our consumers not only great content with the new Marvel additions, but also a set of features that help ensure a viewing experience most suitable for them and their family.”
These Marvel series will also be available across all other Disney+ markets later this year.
Marvel on Disney+ The dedicated Marvel brand page on Disney+ already serves as home to the largest Marvel collection with hundreds of hours of movies and shows. This includes the Marvel Studios movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe such as “Avengers: Endgame” and “Black Panther” as well as other Marvel movie franchises like “X-Men”; Disney+ Original series like “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” and “Hawkeye”; animated series, including the Disney+ Original series from Marvel Studios, “What If…?”; specials and shorts, and documentaries that go behind the scenes like “Marvel Studios Assembled.”
Updates to Parental Controls in the U.S. When opening Disney+ for the first time on or after March 16, all subscribers in the U.S. will be prompted to update their Parental Controls. This includes the option to select content ratings restrictions for each profile as well as to add a PIN to lock profiles. Those that choose to keep their settings the same will continue to enjoy Disney+ as they always have within a TV-14 content rating environment, with the option to make changes at any time under Profile settings.
Paramount+, the streaming service from ViacomCBS, has announced that principal photography has begun in Vancouver for its upcoming original series, GREASE: RISE OF THE PINK LADIES.
From Paramount Television Studios, GREASE: RISE OF THE PINK LADIES is set to star Marisa Davila as Jane, Cheyenne Isabel Wells as Olivia, Ari Notartomaso as Cynthia, Tricia Fukuhara as Nancy, Shanel Bailey as Hazel, Madison Thompson as Susan, Johnathan Nieves as Richie, Jason Schmidt as Buddy, Maxwell Whittington-Cooper as Wally and Jackie Hoffman as Asst. Principal McGee.
The musical series takes place four years before the original Grease; in 1954 before rock 'n' roll ruled, before the T-Birds were the coolest in the school, four fed-up, outcasts dare to have fun on their own terms, sparking a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever.
"We are thrilled to unveil our new original series that will introduce an incredible cast of young stars in the making, and electrifying musical numbers you will fall in love with," said Nicole Clemens, President, Paramount Television Studios & Paramount+ Original Scripted Series. "Annabel and Alethea have managed to brilliantly capture the spirit of the iconic beloved classic film which like RISE OF THE PINK LADIES, is both set in the past but relevant to the present."
GREASE: RISE OF THE PINK LADIES is written and executive produced by creator Annabel Oakes (Atypical, Transparent), who also serves as showrunner. Marty Bowen will executive produce for Temple Hill, Adam Fishbach will also executive produce, and Alethea Jones (Made For Love, Dollface, Evil) will direct the pilot plus two more episodes and will executive produce. Erik Feig and Samie Kim Falvey will executive produce via PICTURESTART, and it's produced by Grace Gilroy. Choreography by Jamal Sims and music by GRAMMY award nominee and executive music producer Justin Tranter.
The 10-episode season of the series will be available exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. later this year and will launch on Paramount+ in international markets where the streaming service will be available in 2022. The series is distributed internationally by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.
