705 posts tagged with HBO.
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Lovecraft Country: Sundown Books Included Season 1, Ep 1
HBO's new horror/period piece series about black lives in a 1950s where H.P. Lovecraft's shoggoths are real, including discussion of Matt Ruff's original collection of 8 linked short stories.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Juries Season 7, Ep 21
This week, from the void: Biden picks Kamala Harris as running mate, prompting the usual stupid attacks from right-wing media and President Trump. Marjorie Green may well become the first QAnon-believing member of Congress, making the world even dumber. And Now: Larry King, Master Salesman. Main story: Juries, and how the system is stacked against black jurors despite it being technically illegal to do so. YouTube (21m) And Now: Jim Cramer's Fun-Time Quarantine Activity Makes You Sad. [more inside]
Lovecraft Country: Sundown Show Only Season 1, Ep 1
Atticus Freeman meets up with his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. (HBO) [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: U.S. History Season 7, Ep 20
This week, from the white void: Coronavirus spreads like crazy due to idiotic mass gatherings by US Americans, enabled by powerful idiots who refuse to take it seriously. And Now: For An Extra $150, Steve Gutenberg Brainstorms Names For Our Co-Worker's New Dog. The main story is on U.S. history, and many US Americans' ignorance of it, especially its history of slavery. On YouTube (28m) LWT is off next week. [more inside]
Perry Mason: Chapter Six Season 1, Ep 6
The trial begins and a damning witness testimony takes center stage. [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: China & Uighurs Season 7, Ep 19
This week, again from the void (but with a glass desk now): the protests in Portland over the death of George Floyd escalate sharply as Donald Trump sends in anonymous federal agents in unmarked vans to kidnap protesters off the streets, dear god. And Now: Martha Stewart Loosens Up During The Lockdown. Main Story: the Uighurs, an ethnic minority in China whose culture that nation is trying to destroy. And Now: We Promise You These People Are Not Saying "Masturbate." [more inside]
I May Destroy You: Happy Animals Season 1, Ep 7
Arabella takes a job working alongside Theo at a vegan delivery start-up. Terry takes covert measures to ensure Simon won't make an appearance at her birthday party. [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Conspiracy Theories Season 7, Ep 18
This week, from the void: many administration and state officials want to reopen the country as quickly as possible despite how stupid that is. And Now: Parents On Television Just Want One Thing (to send kids back to school). Main story concerns conspiracy theories, those things that tons of people believe in, are wantonly spread by Facebook and YouTube, and that are argubly tearing the world apart. On YouTube (22m) To help convince people to stop believing so much bullshit, Last Week Tonight asked several celebrities (Alex Trebek, John Cena, Paul Rudd, Catherine O'Hara and Billy Porter) to make videos asking people to think more critically about what they read on the internet, and put them up at thetruetruetruth.com. [more inside]
I May Destroy You: The Alliance Season 1, Ep 6
Arabella attends a support group for rape and sexual assault survivors run by their high school acquaintance, Theo. In a flashback to 2004, teenage Arabella and Terry intervene when Theo attempts to flip the narrative on consensual sex. [more inside]
Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas, as vindicated in the NYT
If you slept on it, Wyatt is still there for you.
The Second Season is a must-watch if you want to think "What does 're-opening' schools mean in the middle of a pandemic?"
HBO published all the episodes on Youtube in the wake of George Floyd's murder.
Earlier Fanfare posts 1 and 2 [more inside]
I May Destroy You: It Just Came Up Season 1, Ep 5
Arabella reassesses a sexual encounter with Zain and opens up to Biagio about her assault. She is in danger of breaking the internet when she goes off script at a writing summit. Kwame is prompted to report his assault to the police. [more inside]
I May Destroy You: That Was Fun Season 1, Ep 4
2 months after the incident, Arabella meets with a therapist, Carrie. Her agents assign another client, Zain, to help her with the first draft of her book. Kwame introduces his new love interest, Damon, to a stranger he met online. [more inside]
I May Destroy You: Don't Forget the Sea Season 1, Ep 3
In a flashback, Terry visits Arabella in Ostia, where she is living it large. After procuring party favours from Biagio, Arabella and Terry each have a wild night. [more inside]
I May Destroy You: Someone Is Lying Season 1, Ep 2
Disturbed by what little she remembers of the previous night, Arabella attempts to retrace her steps, but Simon seems reluctant to help her. Meanwhile, Terry has a lousy audition. [more inside]
I May Destroy You: Eyes, Eyes, Eyes, Eyes Season 1, Ep 1
After visiting her boyfriend in Italy, Arabella returns to London and a deluge of frantic messages from her literary agents. She plans to pull an all-nighter to finish a draft of her book but is tempted to join a friend on a night out. [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Coronavirus and Evictions Season 7, Ep 17
This week, again from the White Void: Mike Pence gave a speech that seems to indicate that we had done enough to slow the Coronavirus epidemic, an amazingly stupid take, and the very states that have been most aggressive about reopening have been the ones to suffer from the highest spikes in new cases. Main story: evictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening to turn the health crisis into a homelessness crisis. On YouTube (19m) And Now: The Citizens of Palm Beach County, Florida, Have Some Thoughts On Mandatory Face Masks (Warning: extreme entitlement). Finally, John "Papa John" Schnatter, rich white man and founder of the pizza chain, has become a highly undeserving Instagram star in an attempt to rehabilitate his image, and is as potent an argument against obscene wealth as anything on this Earth. [more inside]
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: Murder Habit Season 1, Ep 1
A look at author Michelle McNamara's investigation regarding a violent predator she dubbed the "Golden State Killer," who terrorized California in the 1970s and '80s. (HBO miniseries) [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Coronavirus in Prisons Season 7, Ep 16
This week (another void episode): After a quick recap of Trump's first rally since the pandemic hit (not a lot of people showed up) and Juneteenth, we go right in to the main story, the Coronavirus, "that thing you regularly have to convince your parents still exists." Specifically, about a surge in cases in prisons, in some cases up to 80% of their residents having contracted it. On YouTube (28m) And Now: A Father's Day Tribute to the World's Greatest Dad. (It's Trump. They're being sarcastic.) And a final piece on fancams, for the old people out there, "short montages of a performer that you like set to music." Which performer? Any performer. The point is, however, K-Pop stars are deploying fancams to fight the white supremacy hashtag [hash]whitelivesmatter, and support tags like #protecttheprotestors. They have also overwhelmed an app police published for people to use to report protestors with irrelevant images. LWT made their own rat-erotica-K-Pop-fancam for use in signal jamming; it's available from (takes a deep breath as I prepare to type this) rateroticafancam.com. Another proud member of the HBO family of websites! [more inside]
Perry Mason: Chapter 1 Season 1, Ep 1
Perry Mason and Pete Strickland are hired by an attorney to solve a perplexing case: the brutal kidnapping of a one-year-old whose parents were targeted for a $100,000 ransom. (HBO, prequel-reboot) [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Facial Recognition Season 7, Ep 15
This week (again from the White Void): protests over the brutal police killing of George Floyd continue, Tucker Carlson gripes about puppets telling kids about racism, and Minneapolis votes to abolish their police department while New York criminalizes the use by police of chokeholds like the one that killed George Floyd. Statues of slave traders the world over have been toppled, wrecked or defaced, but police unions continue to angrily justify the status quo. (There's a lot of infuriating material in this section.) And Now: C-Span Callers Have Some Thoughts On The Coronavirus For The Second Most Patient Man On Television. Main Story is on the use of technology for facial recognition, and, ominously, its increased use by law enforcement, especially as provided by a company called Clearview AI. On YouTube (21m) [more inside]
Insecure: Lowkey Lost Season 4, Ep 10
Molly takes Andrew to a work function, and they struggle to see eye-to-eye; Issa continues to search for happiness; the girls get a distressing call about a friend. [more inside]
Insecure: Lowkey Trying Season 4, Ep 9
Issa considers doing Nathan a favor; Dr. Rhonda and Andrew ask Molly to consider a different approach in dealing with people who have wronged her. [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Police Season 7, Ep 14
This week: it's a strange episode, even from among those coming from the White Void of Sad Facts, as the entire show is about the protests over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, and the police reaction to them. In the words of John Oliver, "If police are trying to convince the public that they're not guilty of displaying excessive force, it's probably not a good idea to repeatedly display excessive force on national television[...]" Instead of listening to me summarize it, you can watch the entire episode on YouTube (33 minutes). [more inside]
Insecure: Lowkey Happy Season 4, Ep 8
Issa and Lawrence catch up to discuss their lives, careers, past mistakes, and what makes each of them happy. [more inside]
Insecure: Lowkey Trippin' Season 4, Ep 7
Molly and Andrew take off for their first couples' vacation with Andrew's brother, Victor, and his wife, Lydia, and the trip is smooth sailing until a hotel employee steps out of line; Molly reevaluates her inability to let things go. [more inside]
Run: Trick Season 1, Ep 7
With the end of their journey approaching, Ruby and Billy consider their future together. Meanwhile, Babe and Laurel are forced together as they follow a new lead. (Season Finale)
Insecure: Lowkey Done Season 4, Ep 6
In need of some positive vibes after the block party, Issa goes out of her way to do good for random people across Los Angeles, eventually turning to an unlikely source for comfort; Kelli urges her friends to reconcile.
Run: Tell Season 1, Ep 6
Stranded in the middle of nowhere, Ruby and Billy argue about what to do next. Each affected by the other's desperation, the two must come together to confront their actions. Meanwhile, Laurel makes a gruesome discovery. [more inside]
Insecure: Lowkey Movin' On Season 4, Ep 5
Issa works around the clock to ensure the event goes off without a hitch. [more inside]
Run: Jump Season 1, Ep 5
A dramatic detour finds Ruby and Billy in unknown territory as they're forced to make a life-changing decision. As Ruby tries to keep everything together and get back on course, she and an emotional Billy seek the help of an amiable local taxidermist, Laurel. [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: The U.S. Postal Service Season 7, Ep 11
This week, from the Blank White Void:
Someone flushed a toiled during oral arguments in a remote Supreme Court conference. Justice Department head and apologist for power William Barr seeks to throw out case against Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI, not even trying to cover up that it's nakedly an abuse of his position. [internal screaming] Trump flubs a photo-op by touring a mask factory without wearing one, and seems to be trying to convince the US to open up despite the additional deaths it would cause, while also shutting down CDC guidelines as to how businesses could best do that safely. And Now: FOX 4 Dallas's Steve Eagar Reads Viewer's Complaints Out Loud. Main story: the U.S. Postal Service and the issues, in terms of safety and budgetary, it faces during the Coronavirus crisis. YouTube The episode mentions that, while it will not go anywhere near meeting the USPS's $90B shortfall, you can at least help out a little by buying stamps, such as the ones they themselves have produced through stamps.com, at stamps.com/laststamptonight, available through June 15. [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Cononavirus Testing Season 7, Ep 10
This week: the show once again comes to us from the Blank White Void of Sad Facts. Alex Jones solemnly states on air "I'll admit it... I will eat my neighbors." The Coronavirus has, in three months, killed more Americans than the entire Vietnam War yet with no end in site, yet Jared Kushner essentially declared victory over it on Fox News. Ubiquitious testing is our only real way out of this problem, with current testing levels falling far short of what is needed despite having had months to improve the situation, so the main story tonight is: what happened? On YouTube (23m) And Now: Even During a Pandemic, Florida Just Can't Help But Be Florida. Finally, for some reason cats seem to love Last Week Tonight, so they decided to pander to them with a short spin-off show, "Cat Week Tonight." Contains Martin Sheen. [more inside]
Insecure: Lowkey Losin' It Season 4, Ep 4
Molly and Andrew circle around each other's expectations. Issa and Molly grow even further apart. Everyone gets together to help Tiffany with her new baby girl. Issa deals with a setback to her block party and turns to Molly for help.
Run: Chase Season 1, Ep 4
Back on the train, Ruby seeks guidance from a new friend and gets a wakeup call from home that leaves her shaken. Billy continues to lie about Fiona who raises the stakes to get what she wants. [more inside]
Insecure: Lowkey Thankful Season 4, Ep 3
Issa and Molly have an honest moment in the grocery store and make plans to talk things out over Thanksgiving pie. Issa and her gay brother Ahmal do their own thing. Lawrence invites himself to Condola's Friendsgiving, with good and bad results. Chad wonders whatever happened to Bradley Cooper and Kelli hosts her aunties (yes, even the one who...)
Movie: Bad Education
A superintendent of a school district works for the betterment of the student's education while embezzling public funds to live the life he wants.
Run: Fuck Season 1, Ep 3
Ruby and Billy decide to spend the day in Chicago before making any rash decisions about their next moves. [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Coronavirus V: Misinformation Edition Season 7, Ep 9
This week, we launch right in with the main story: the misinformation on COVID-19 that's been going around, and the places people have been getting it from. On YouTube (21m). And Now: An All-Coronavirus Installment of Coming Up On "Inside Edition." Finally, talk-show host Wendy Williams and her at-home adventures. [more inside]
Insecure: Lowkey Distant Season 4, Ep 2
Issa Rae's warm, naturalistic comedy/drama deepens the conflicts set up in the season premiere, with funny, smartly observed moments along the way. Molly pushes Andrew to open up beyond the great sex, Issa and Condola get past their weirdness by bonding over Lawrence, who's not very comfortable with the sharing and turns to his friends about what to do, and Molly watches Issa and Condola get closer.
Run: Kiss Season 1, Ep 2
On their first night aboard, Ruby's mind is consumed by sex, as Billy probes for personal details she's reluctant to give up. [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Coronavirus IV Season 7, Ep 8
This week, coming to you once again from the Blank White Void of Sad Facts... we launch right in with the main story, regarding two groups harmed greatly by social isolation: the unemployed, and essential workers who cannot work for home and are particularly at risk. On YouTube. And Now: In Honor of Easter, Our Annual Fuck You to Peeps. Finally, good news: zoos letting animals visit other animals and aquariums, the Queen of England giving a speech to the nation while wearing a chromakey-friendly green dress, and success in the search for for that painting of cartoon rat erotica John Oliver was looking for two weeks ago! Also: Here's The Late Show with Steven Colbert's interview-from-home with John Oliver from a week ago. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 [more inside]
Insecure: Lowkey Feelin' Myself Season 4, Ep 1
Issa Rae's understated half-hour comedy about black life, sex, relationships and career in LA is back for Season 4 on HBO (the full season premiere is also up on YouTube for free). Issa's partnership with Condola, Molly's feelings for Andrew, and Issa's friendship with Molly all hit bumps in the road as plans for a big community event start to take off.
Run: Run Season 1, Ep 1
Ruby looks to escape her humdrum life by embarking on an adventure with an old flame. (HBO) [more inside]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: One America News Network Season 7, Ep 7
This week... although this is another episode coming to us from the Blank White Void of Sad Facts, the main story is not the Coronavirus, although it, and the Trump administration's continued bungling of the response to it, does lead. And Now: Are You Wearing Pants? The main story is on OAN, "One America News," aka "Fox News with even less shame and even fewer scruples." [more inside]
High Maintenance: Soup Season 4, Ep 9
Season Finale. When a snowstorm hits on Christmas eve, Pam-Anne joins her sister Destiny and a motley crew of flight attendants at their usual crash pad in Queens. Delayed on his way home to spend the holidays with his family, The Guy celebrates Hanukkah in New York.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Coronavirus III Season 7, Ep 6
This week... main story: The Coronavirus pandemic, how some on the right seem willing to reopen the country to help the economy despite it meaning the deaths of hundreds of thousands more, and the many ways Trump has flubbed the nation's response, including getting visibly angry at reporters doing their jobs questioning him about his statement that he wants to reopen the country by Easter RGRGHA%$%&$@ sorry I can't even. It's on YouTube. And Now: Yes, We Are Still Doing These. And Now: Hey, Look! We're Social Distancing. And finally, South-Central Pennsylvania's Gallery Thirty-Three video art auction from 1992, and the work of a certain Brian Swords of York, aka Biohazard. [more inside]
High Maintenance: Adelante Season 4, Ep 6
Two characters from the show's past are reunited. A woman living a life of quiet desperation treats herself. [more inside]
Avenue 5: Eight Arms But No Hands Season 1, Ep 9
After recent events, Matt goes into in hiding with a guilty conscience, and he has the airlock codes. Chaos ensues when a narrow window for escape on a rescue shuttle suddenly becomes available. [Season finale; renewed for Season 2] [more inside]
Avenue 5: This Is Physically Hurting Me Season 1, Ep 8
There's a new hope for Avenue 5, but it involves an effort to jettison non-essential items. Meanwhile, Billie tries to teach an inattentive Ryan how to dock the ship, and the passengers suspect all is not as it seems with the journey. "I'm around movie sets a lot. I work in VFX. Stands for visual effects." [more inside]
Avenue 5: Are You a Spider, Matt? Season 1, Ep 7
Judd enlists Ryan to help charm Harrison Aimes, an uber-wealthy passenger who has a strange effect on Judd. Meanwhile, the passengers become transfixed by a divine image circling the ship and Rav deals with the fallout when the ship's moral quandary hits the media. [more inside]