A Poltical Thriller that Kicks Butt: The Night Agent Season 1

 

It was one of the posted talked about shows in 2023. Have you seen Netflix's The Night Agent? Here's my quick review.

Beef Season 1

 

One of the biggest talked about shows this year was Netflix's Beef. Here's my thoughts on season one.

A Political Thriller to Watch: The Dipolmat Season 1

 

Netflix's The Diplomat, starring Keri Russell, is a series everyone must watch. It's a true political thriller that works, but only with Russell. 

My Summer TV Binge 2023 Part 2

 

Talk about the summer of catching up. Here's part two of my Summer TV Binge of 2023!

The Diplomat

Netflix's The Diplomat, starring Keri Russell, has to be the one everyone needs to watch. It's a true political thriller that works, but only with Russell. The series is about Kate Wyler, a newly appointed United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, who is adjusting to the spotlight while dealing with an international crisis, making alliances all with a marriage that's about to collapse. 

I loved watching this series, as I couldn't stop until the end. While the writing has its primary storylines and one-dimensional characters like the President of the United States, it is played well by Michael McKean. It still works. Kerri Russell is a gem in this series, and I hope to see more in season two. I highly recommend this series. 

Overall, I give it a 9/10.

Primo

If there was ever a little gem of a TV show, I watched this summer, it would be Amazon Freevee's Primo. Created by Shea Serrano and Executive Produced by Mike Schur, this coming-of-age comedy is about Rafa, a 16-year-old high school junior who's navigating school, societal expectations, and a hectic home life that's anchored by his single mom, Drea, and his five uncles. 

If you are a fan of any of Mike Schur's comedies, you'll like this series. It's got plenty of humor, heart, and cultural representation of an American-Mexican family. Christina Vidal, as Drea, is one of the highlights of the series, along with Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, who plays the lead character, Rafa. With the first season containing only eight episodes, it goes quickly and leaves me wanting more. 

Overall, I give the first season a 9.5/10.

You can catch Primo on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee.

Not Dead Yet

Not Dead Yet was last season's new ABC comedy that stars Gina Rodriguez as Penelope "Nell" Serrano, a journalist who fell apart after a wedding failed and moved back to LA. She soon gets assigned to write obituaries by her new boss and soon begins to encounter ghosts of those whom she's writing their obituaries. 

As she can only see and hear them, she has conversations, and they offer her advice on rebuilding her life while helping her write their obits by telling her their stories. And soon after they get published, ed the ghosts disappear. 

If the premise seems a bit familiar, it's not. I thought the same thing when I heard about this series and quickly thought of Ghosts, but that's not true. This series has a good concept for what it is, even though the supernatural of talking to dead people is never explained, and it has a strong ensemble cast from Hannah Simone, Rick Glassman, and Lauren Ash, plus some stunning star guest stars. It has its moments with its life lessons. 

Overall, I give the first season a 7.5/10. 

Beef

This Netflix series has had some buzz when it premiered in April. It was my brother that had told me to watch it because I might enjoy it. Well, I finally watched it, and I immensely enjoyed it. The Netflix mini-series stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun play two people involved in a road rage incident. It takes you on a roller coaster ride from comedy-drama/psychological and tragicomedy to a thriller, and it works. 

Wong and Yeun are amazing and deservedly deserve Emmy nominations for this series. But I think this ten-episode series felt too long that it could be somewhere between a six and eight-episode series. There are some supporting characters that I didn't care for too much that made me lose interest. But after the ending, I'm up for a season two. 

 

Overall, I give this series an 8/10.

Those are some of my Summer binge-watching 2023. Here's to the fall! 

Stranger Things Season 4 Teaser

 

The latest teaser for the upcoming Season Four of Netflix's hit Stranger Things was released on Thursday morning. And man, this over a minute video has me scared. 

The video seems to be a flashback to when Eleven was in the factory with other kids, as Papa comes and teaches them something. That's when he asks Eleven if she's paying attention and soon we see a grown-up Eleven awaken from a dream. 

Here' the teaser: 

What did you think of the teaser? Leave a comment below!

You can catch all three seasons of Stranger Things on Netflix. 

The Crew, A New Netflix Comedy

 

On Friday, Netflix has released the first trailer for the new original comedy series, The Crew. 

Starring Kevin James (The King of Queens and Kevin Can Wait), as the crew chief to a NASCAR team that isn't quite the champion that you would expect. Soon, Kevin's character and his team learn that their owner is stepping down and gives his daughter ownership, who thinks to make some changes to get the team winning. So James has to protect his team from her attempts to change the team.

From the trailer, it's your typical Kevin James sitcom that I'm sure it'll bring in the laughs.  I'm a fan of James from The King of Queens, Paul Blart Mall Cop, and the first season of Kevin Can Wait. So I do look forward to checking out The Crew. 

Trailer:

What did you think of the trailer? Will you be checking out Netflix's The Crew? Leave a comment below.

The Crew will begin streaming on Netflix on February 15th.

The Umbrella Academy Season 2

The second season of The Umbrella Academy was released this weekend, and it was freakin fantastic!!!

Picking up seconds after the season one finale, the team/family is back in the early 1960s, separated from 1960-1963. But in a way, like in the first season, Five sees that they've brought the apocalypse with them and must find the team as they live their own lives. Deigo is trying to stop the assassination of JFK, Klaus starts a cult, Luther is making money to a gangster, Allison is married and fighting for civil rights. Vanya suffers from memory loss and is trying to figure out who she is. All of this while The Handler tries to get back not only her power at the Commission but also Five and has a helping hand. The season finale (which I won't say much) leaves an opening door for Season Three that I hope Netflix will announce by Monday or this week.

Season two of The Umbrella Academy was mind-blowing. While it had the same vibe from the first season, it improved with solid character development and writing. The stories and the setting were timeless and fitting and had that balance of humor and emotions hitting at the right time. The cast performs excellently, like Ellen Page, David Castaneda, and Emmy Raver-Lampman. Robert, Sheehan, and Kate Walsh. But it was Rita Arya as Lila and Robin Atkin Downes, as the voice of AJ Carmichael, who killed it. Even the music selection this season fits perfectly with the scenes of the episodes.

Overall, I give this season a 9/10.

If you haven't seen Season Two of The Umbrella Academy or the series, I highly recommend it.

You can catch the first two seasons of The Umbrella Academy available now on Netflix.

The Umbrella Academy Season 1

After learning the date for Season Two of The Umbrella Academy, I have finally watched the first season of the comic book series. Here are my thoughts.

It's been over a year since the first season of Netflix's comic book series The Umbrella Academy debuted, and while it's been on my must-see list to watch, I have finally just finished watching it this week and loved every episode. Yes, I was a fool not to watch this when it first debuted, as it's the one issue for me with binge-watching.

I love the first season of The Umbrella Academy as it was so well written, with such in-depth characters that have a little resemblance to X-Men, but better. The season deals with the team assembling after learning about the death of their adopted father. While reunited, the team deals with issues of their own, but when a team member returns from the future to learn of the apocalypse to happen in a few days.

There are many twists and turns as we watch a lot of backstories that don't mess up anything with the story and characters. But the one thing about this series with a strong theme is family. Superhero may be one thing, but this series is about family.

This ensemble cast gives such a strong performance for each of their characters. Aidan Gallagher, playing Number Five, was one of the most fun and exciting characters in this series. Robert Sheehan gave one of the best performances of the character, as he showed a lot of character growth. Also, Sheehan's Klaus was one of my favorite characters. But it was Ellen Page as Vayna/Number Seven stole season one with her performance, still leaving me thinking about her character and what comes next.

That also implies how the season ended, as the apocalypse was still coming to the team after saving Vayna, joined hands with Number Five to time travel. What happens next, I'm dying to see. I will not make the same mistake I did a year ago by waiting over a year to watch the first season. When July 31st comes, I'll be tuning in to Netflix to watch it.

Overall, I give this season of The Umbrella Academy a 9/10. You can now catch The Umbrella Academy's first season on Netflix, with Season 2 coming on July 31st.

The Healing Powers of Dude, Season 1

Last week, a new Netflix series premiered, and while it has some wacky moments, it's got enough heart and inspiration to win over.

The first season of The Healing Powers of Dude is about an 11-year-old boy named Noah (played by Jace Chapman) suffering from a social anxiety disorder and the one thing that could help him is a dog named Dude, who's trained to be a support therapy dog. After getting the dog, Noah makes new friends with Amara and Simon (played by Sophie Kim and Mauricio Lara). He even has a crush on a girl named Valerie (played by Gabrielle Quinn).

But he also deals with fun and supportive parents (played by Larisa Oleynik and Tom Evertt Scott) and a young but wise little sister in Embry. While anxiety is Noah's enemy, Dude has his own in the school's principal, who dislikes dogs and pulls off a sad, cruel, and yet exciting way for season two.



I very much enjoyed this first season, and while it has some goofy yet funny moments, the show has heart and inspiration and tackles mental health head-on in the rightful way of social anxiety. This ensemble cast is fantastic, and while Chapman steals the show, Kim and Lara give such an excellent performance as Noah's best friends, while Oleynik and Scott are amazing and hilarious. The writing was as good as it has some strong character growth.

While this show has heart and inspiration, it hits close to home for me as I, too, have a social anxiety disorder. Whether at school, family gatherings, or public places, I was the kind of person who shut down like a hermit crab, and while therapy support dogs weren't a thing, I had the one thing that had helped me, and that was television. Watching one episode of a comedy or a drama helped me calm down my nerves before going anywhere.  I think this show is for parents to watch with their kids and not only watch but also teach.  The show serves a great message, and I hope that the show gets another season.

You can catch the first season of The Healing Powers of Dude available on Netflix now.

The Healing Powers of Dude: A New Netflix Series

On Monday, Jan. 13th, Netflix will release a new series that might be just up your alley for you and your family to enjoy.

The Healing Powers of Dude is about an 11-year-old boy (played by Jace Chapman) who has social anxiety disorder but gets help from an emotional support dog named Dude (voiced by Steve Zahn of War For the Planet of the Apes and You've Got Mail).

Along for the journey are his parents played by Tom Evertt Scott (ER, Southland, 13 Reasons Way) and Larisa Oleynik (The Secret World of Alex Mack, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Animals Among Us).

After watching the trailer that came out a couple of days ago, it really looks so fun, cute and inspiring. The cast looks solidly good. I believe that this is a series that the whole family should be watching come Monday evening.

Here's the trailer:

You can catch The Healing Powers of Dude tomorrow on Netflix.

Stranger Things Renewed For Season 4

Get ready for more Eleven, Will and the gang to take on more strange things, as Netflix as ordered a fourth season of it's hit nostalgia-filed 1980s thriller.

On Monday, a teaser video for Season four also confirms with what was widely suspected, coming out of this summer's run that with Will's family moved and some sorts of loose end dangled before us over in Russia, "We're not in Hawkins Anymore."

The hit series pick up comes as part of a new, multi-year deal with creators and showrunners, The Duffer Brothers, who will develop series and films for Netflix.

"The Duffer Brothers have captivated viewers around the world with STranger Things and we're thrilled to expand our relationship with them to bring their vivid imaginations to other film and series projects our members will love, Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos said in a statement. "We can't wait to see what The Duffer Brothers have in store when they step outside the world of The Upside Down."

Here's a teaser:

Seasons one through three are available on Netflix now.

Reach For the Stars: Stranger Things 3 "Chapter 8: The Battle of Starcourt" Season Fianle

The season finale of Stranger Things 3 didn't disappoint at all but left some questions and grabbing the tissues. Here's a recap!

As El is in severe pain from the mind flayer, Johnathan uses a knife to cut it out, but El can't take any more of that pain and uses her powers to pull it out and throw it where the appearance of Joyce, Murray, and Hopper stomps on the sucker.

The gang develops a plan; the kids run to Murray's place while the grown-ups stop the machine. But they will need someone who knows where to go, which leads to Dustin using his Cerebro to stay connected when Hopper, Joyce, and Murray are underground.  But just as things go to plan, Billy and the Mind Flayer come to the mall.

Hiding from the Mind Flayer, the team split up as El, Mike and Max go one way and the others go to another. When Johnathan and Nancy fix the car, Billy is charging with his to ram, but Steve stops him just in time, and the rest drive away with the Mind Flayer chasing after them.

When El, Mike, and Max get outside, they spot Billy and make a run for it. But they couldn't stop Billy and took out Max and Mike but a powerless El and took her to the middle of the mall for the Mind Flayer.

Just when the Mind Flayer gets back and is about to take El, Nancy, Lucas, and the rest of the high-power fireworks to hurt the creature. Billy holds on to El, but El figures out the key to stop him and bring the honest Billy back, memories of his mother soon after Billy sacrifices himself to save El and dies.

As Hopper and Joyce await Murray to shut down the power, Joyce sets up a date night with Hopper. When Murray shuts down the power, Joyce and Hopper try to get the keys from the safe, but the codes aren't accurate. That's where Dustin's girlfriend comes into play, but before reaching the code that they need, Dustin and Suzie must sing their song. They got the code and the keys, and just when they were about to shut down the machine, the biker came in, and they two went at it.

They fight near the machine; he stops the biker and tosses him into the machine. There, Hopper is stuck, and Joyce turns both keys and stops the machine that explodes, taking not only the people who came in, the mind flayer, but also Hopper.

Just as everything is over, Dr. Owens returns with reinforcements, but it is too damn late. As Joyce reunites with Will, El is looking for Hopper and sees Joyce and knows that he didn't make it. Three months later, Joyce, Johnathan, Will, and El leave, making some emotional and funny moments. El tells Mike that she knows what he said to Max and that she loves him, too. Dustin gets made fun and Mike and Will not only forgive one another but will not play D&D with anyone else.

But the most complex scene comes when Joyce finds Hopper's speech, and El sees her reading. El reads the speech about how to grow up and all but how she has helped him see the light through the darkened tunnel. As soon as she's done reading the message, everyone gives their tearful and laughable goodbyes.

Steve and Robin get a job at Family Videos, but Steve needs some help from Robin to get the position. Back to the Future is not about a son going back in time to sleep with his mother.

The episode ends with a mid-credit scene in a Russian prison and two guards who take someone else to battle with the Demogorgon. But also they have an American too! HOLY SHIT!!!! Could Hopper be alive? Who's the American prison in Russia?

The season finale was every bit amazing with its intense and emotional writing and performances. The moments shine with Billy sacrificing himself to Joyce and Hopper and even El, Mike, and Joyce. That speech that El reads was the tearjerking moment of the season. I had to grab a coke cola. Not only does Millie Bobby Brown give an outstanding performance, but also Wynona Ryder and David Harbour. This episode was the best season finale scene in Season One and probably the best season so far.

This finale leads me to my next question: will a season four exist? Netflix has a horrible track record for canceling shows after three seasons. I do believe that Netflix will give Stranger Things a season four, and this could be the final season, with what the Duffer Brothers have mentioned about a four-season plan. To all the fans out there, we must keep the renewal hopes alive.

Overall, I give this episode a 10/10. And the Season is a 9.5/10.

You can catch Stranger Things 1, 2 and 3 on Netflix now.

HOLY SHIPS!: Stranger Things 3 "Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum"/"Chapter Seven: The Bite"

"Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum" 

Oh man, shit just got real in this episode. Here's a recap!

Just as Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Erica learn what the Russians are doing, they open up the door to the upside-down. Soon, they would get busted; Steve made sure that Dustin and Erica escaped without harm. The Russians interrogated Steve and Robin and veveninjecthem ted with the truth serum. But by the time the boss knew who they were, Dustin and Erica made a distraction to get Robin and Steve out of there, too. Tissues, please.

 After making a deal with the scientist, Hopper has had enough of it and gives him a choice of either leave or stay. You would have thought this would be Hopper's biggest mistake, but it turns out that he was right. They learn of the secrets of this machine called the key that opens up the cups upside-download. Of course, that freaks both Hopper and Joyce, and they approach the government for help. 

After saving Nancy from the mind flayer, Elusese uses her power to locate Billy. But from where he's discovered, that could be where he and the mind flayer wanted. El uses her power to discover what happened to Billy; instead of going through the actual events, she starts seeing parts of his past that always make him hiss today. Asarns where the source of the mind flayer is, Billy sends El to another part of what will happen when the mind flayer takes over. Eventually, El got out of there, and just as the residents of Hawkins were at the town fair, they all got to the factory where the mind flayer was and disintegrated to make the mind flayer grow. Holy Fuck!

This episode was another on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of thrill. Not only did we see our character learn about the mind flayer's plan, but Billy's backstory of how he got to be who he is today. And after that, I still don't have a good connection with the character and believe he'll probably die.  I thought Erica stood out way better in this episode than in the previous episodes this season, and the relationship between Dustin and Steve got even more heartwarming. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

"Chapter Seven: The Bite"

OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!!! OH MY GOD!!!!

As El and the gang figure out that the Mind Flayer is coming from them, they are just in time before it starts attacking Hopper's house. But as El fights the tongues-tongues, she gets bitten and dragged towards the flayer. Mike and the rest hang on to El as Nancy and Lucas try to stop it, and just as El is released, she snaps the Flayer's head in half, and they escape.

El is badly hurt, but as the gang tries to find stuff to help her, Lucas and Will find something that could help with a bit more firepower in fireworks. Just as Mike talks to El and tries to tell her that he loves her, Dustin finally reaches them through their walkie-talkies.

While communicating with Mike, Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Erica hide from the Russians at the mall's movie theater of Back to the Future. Just as Dustin comes back asking Erica for batteries, Robin and Steve, who are high, leave and soon not only get sick but share some deep feelings, Steve having feelings for Robin and Robin having feelings for another woman. Both are on good terms anyway.

Hopper and Joyce got a dose of reality from Muarry by sleeping with each other and getting it over. They stop at the fair to find the kids but are hunted by the biker and the Russians. Alexi gets killed by the bikers, and Hopper diverts them to the funhouse, where Hopper not only redeems from fighting one of the guys but escapes with Joyce and Muarry.

As Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Erica are hiding from the Russians, when you think that they are goners, El saves the day by throwing a car at them. But as everyone catches up with what they know, El is hurt very badly, and Mike and the gang see the severe wound and a wormlike creature in her leg. El screams with pain!

This episode tugs at my heart with emotions and throwback to Back to the Future. Millie Bobby Brown was excellent, and the scenes with Finn Wolfhard were terrific and so heartwarming. Alexi's death was expected, with him helping with Hopper and Joyce. Strong character development with such strong writing, as well. The episodes get better and better, and the season finale sure feels like something big is going to happen. Overall, I give this episode a 9.5/10.

You can catch Stranger Things 3, available on Netflix now!

Code Red: Stranger Things 3 "Chapter Four: The Sauna Test"/ "Chapter Five: The Flayed"

Episodes Four and Five of Stranger Things 3 takes exciting television to another level. Here's a recap!

"Chapter Four: The Sauna Test" 

Code Red! Repeat we have a code red!! Mike, Lucas, Will, Max, and El reunite to talk that Will believes that the mind flayer is back. Eleven believes that it's Billy, because of the psychic encounter with Heather. They spy on Billy at the pool and set up a plan to trap him and see if it's true. More to come later.

Meanwhile, Hopper is recovering from his beatdown with help from Joyce. Joyce tells him that the guy was riding a motorcycle and that gives Hopper a clue to someone that might know who that stranger could be. It leads to the meeting with Mayor Klien with nice chitchat that leads to who not only the guy is but who he works for, StarCorp (the owner of the mall). Apparently, the company wants to expand to the east side of Hawkins, which leads to near the old lab.  Joyce and Hopper rush to find one of the houses.

Robin finds a way to get into the other side of the building, through the vents. Instead of Dustin going in because he's getting too big, they go with Erica. After coming to terms with her, she gets to the other side and opens the door. There Steve opens a box, but what's inside is a mystery and it's not Chinese food. Just as they are about to leave the doors close and what apparently is a room turns out to be an elevator going all the way down.

After checking on their source who's was eating fertilizer, Nancy and Johnathan are fired from the paper. After an argument about each other's livings styles, Nancy gets encouragement from her mother and went to check on the elderly woman. She notices that her heart rate was spiking higher and higher. That was due to the fact that the mind flayer connection with Billy, who gets trapped in the sauna from Mike, El, and the gang.

Soon it turned into some serious shit between Billy and El as Billy almost choked her to death. Mike saves by whacking him with a bat but El stops him before he could get his hands on Mike. El throws Billy through the wall and soon runs away. But that won't be the last time as Billy recover his wounds, he and Heather see other Hawkins' residents inline for their Mind Flayer master.

This episode was literally off the chan. It not only had me on the edge of my seat but also had my heart rating pretty high. That scene with the kids and Billy was one hell of a scene that had all the chills, thrills and action, plus the dialogue was great!! Also, Joyce and Hooper were good but the moment I very much enjoy was Nancy and her mother talking about knocking down the wall against the men. All in all, I give this episode a 9.5/10.

"Chapter Five: The Flayed" 

As Joyce and Hopper make it to their final house search on the list; they found an undercover basement with two Russian scientists working on something. Just as Hopper questions them, the biker comes in hunting for them. Hopper cuffs the two and just as the bike makes his way down, Hopper aims his gun to the guy's head. The biker quickly attacks Hopper and not only beats the crap out of him again, but Hopper also returns the favor by knocking the guy's knee with a monkey wrench.

Hopper brings the scientist along and demands Joyce to drive. The scene was totally hilarious and thrilling. But as the truck took a couple of bullets from the biker, the truck soon blew up and the three walks later to Seven Eleven and steals a car to meet with an old friend.

Meanwhile, Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Erica not only sneak their way out but learn what the Russians by opening up the door to the upsidedown world. Oh boy!

Just as Nancy watched Mrs. Driscoel moment, she calls Johnathan to ask him about Will. Soon they join Will, Mike, El, and the gang to head back to the hospital. There Nancy and Johnathan tried to release Mrs. Driscoel but she was nowhere to be found in her room til Tom shows up all bloody and started to go after them. But just as they escape from Tom, Bruce is out there too and he goes after them.

As they try to run, Bruce gets to them taking out Johnathan til Nancy stabs him in the back, which leads to her running away with him chasing. But it was when she thought of using the fire extinguisher to knock Bruce out; which also lead to Tom also getting the effect too. Just as Nancy and Johnathan finished both of them, their bodies melted and walked to each other to combine to a giant mind flayer.
While that was going on, Mike and El seem to be on good terms.

"The Flayed" was such an outstanding episode from beginning to finish. I couldn't get enough of Joyce and Hopper in this episode as both Ryder and Habour's chemistry is amazing. The rest of the cast performances were also amazing with each playing such a role in the episode. If there was one issue that I had in this episode; it had to be the scene sequence of the mind flayers melting from their human bodies. But overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Stranger Things Season 3 available on Netflix now. 

It's Not Over: Stranger Things 3 "Chapter Three: The Case of the Missing Lifeguard"

HOLY SHIPS!!

The third episode of Season Three of Stranger Things really has put some miles on not only the storytelling; but how scary it has gotten since the first episode of this season.

As El and Max have a sleepover at Hopper's place; they play a different version of spin the bottle which El uses her powers to see what certain people are doing. After getting Billy, El notices something unusual when she saw Billy and Heather, the lifeguard. Soon they try to find Billy at his house; which he wasn't but found empty bags of ice in the tub and Heather's lifeguard bag. More to come later.

After a disappointing dinner, Hopper gets a visit from Joyce, who thinks something is going on once again and tell him about the magnets falling off. It soon turned into an adventure at the old lab again but also had a moment where they confront certain things like Joyce redoing her house to move out of Hawkins. Also, Hopper tells Joyce about why she should stay and the difference between what she has here compared to him.  But soon they hear something and as Hopper searches; he gets his ass beat up by the mysterious biker, the one that was seen at the mayor's office.

As Dustin and Steve look for Russians at the mall; Robin cracks the code that the Russians are in the mall. Soon they spy on a truck that's dropping off packages that look funny as there are bodyguards with guns.

Through this season, Will has been the only one that doesn't want to let go of what his group has had, but the times they are a changing. After trying to get Mike and Lucas to play D&D, it didn't go the way he had hoped and ran off. It turned into one of the saddest moments so far when Will looking back at the times with his friends later destroys everything in his clubhouse.

After putting together a good investigating story; Nancy gets shut down by the editor but also gets made fun of as well. Her and Johnathan get proof of the rat but when they visit that elderly woman's house they had found something that they never expected....the woman eating fertilizer.

After finding Heather's bag, El and Max head to the swimming pool to find her but apparently, she didn't come to work. So El uses a photo of Heather to see where she is located; which lead them to her house. There they see Billy eating with Heather's parents, one of the editors of the paper. After seeing that Heather is okay; El and Max leave. But evil Billy remembers who El was and soon gets Heather's parents killed by Heather. While Will gets another feeling and this time he tells Mike and Lucas that he's back.

So far, three episodes in and the season have really gotten better. The Hopper and Joyce story was so good; along with Will, who really stole the moment of the episode with a nice performance. So many twist and turns and even moments that really had me jumping off my seat. Looks like the upsidedown monster is back and boy this time it's not playing around this time. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Season 3 of Stranger Things available now on Netflix.

Reunited And It Feels So Good: Stranger Things 3 " "Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy?"/"Chapter Two: The Mall Rats"

"Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy?" 

God Bless Netflix! The third season of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things has released its episodes and it wasn't a disappointment at all. 

It's June 28, 1984, the Russian military trying to reopen the gate to the Upsidedown world, but failed to do so.  A year later in Hopkins, Dustin is back from camp, Steve is working at an ice cream shop "Scoops Ahoy" but gives Mike, Will, Max, and Lucas access to sneak into the new mail theater. Not to mention that things with Mike and Eleven are going very well in their relationship and making Hopper's lie a living hell.  

But something has been sprung once again; as Will has been feeling the hair raising feeling about it once again, but doesn't tell anyone. After a short power outage, things get weirder when rats ran together to a factory; whereas they were dying in pain and exploding. 

Nancy and Johnathan are working at Hopkin's newspaper. Their relationship is on good terms but Nancy's job as an intern is all good. She gets turndown badly for an idea for a news story from a group of men.   

Hopper asked for help from Joyce about Mike and Eleven's relationship; even getting some moments that are clear that they should be being in a relationship with one another. After given Hopper what to say, she not only turns him down for a visit to help him out but stays home and reflects what she had with Bob; as she watches a rerun episode of Cheers. As for Hopper, the talk didn't go the way he had planned; but instead did it his way by talking to Mike while driving him home. 

After Dustin's reunion with the group, he tells them that he's met this girl at camp and invented the giant communication radio called Cerebro. But after hours, it seems that Dustin doesn't have a girlfriend from Utah; but instead gets a communication from the Russians military who seems to have opened the door to the Upsidedown. As  Billy is about to pick up Mike's mother for a little late night swimming lesson; he gets into a mysterious accident with something that literally pulls him into the factory. 

I very much enjoyed this episode from the beginning to the end and with as it had both the balance of where we left off since the season two finale to where are we going into this season. The character development was good with some moments being so awkward at times; mainly Billy hitting on Mike's mother. But it was overshadowed with moments from Mike and Eleven, Hopper and Joyce and even Mike, Eleven and Hooper, for which was hilarious. I think we might need to tell Hopper to take some time to have a cup of coffee and contemplation. Plus the music was perfect in this episode. I think that what we're in for this season could be even bigger than what our characters will face. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

"Chapter Two: The Mall Rats"

Hearts are broken, power is used, even cracking the code and that's just the tip of the iceberg in this second episode of Stranger Things. 

I'm just going to come out and say it; Eleven and Mike have broken up. After that talk with Hopper, Mike tells Eleven that he can't see her at this time because of his sick grandmother. But with the help from Max; Eleven learns that it's all a lie. After hanging out with Max at the mall, Eleven "dumps (mike's) ass." 

Meanwhile, Hopper is on cloud nine with the whole Eleven and Mike thing. He tells Joyce and asked her out (not a date) for dinner. But instead of meeting him for dinner; she seeks an explanation for the recent events of magnets falling at her house and work by asking help from the kid's science teacher. So she missed dinner with Hopper. Even worst for Hopper, he gets asked by the Mayor, who approved the mall in town, to get rid of the protesters because they didn't have the permits. 

Dustin and Steve reunite and it feels all so good to see these two back together. Dustin tells Steve that he intercepts a message from the Russians. They try to crack the code and even get help from Robin, Steve's co-worker. Soon they were able to crack the message with what seems to be nonsense sentences. But as they leave Steve figures out something from the message, the music as it would be playing in a mechanical horse ride. The message doesn't seem to be from Russia but in Hopkins. 

Nancy and Johnathan are on the news scoop. They investigate the call from an elderly woman, who tells them that she seen rats eat her ferderizilers. But not to worry, she kept one of them in a cage. Just as Nancy gets a tip from another place about rats, Johnathan leaves just when the rat not only explodes but escapes the cage and house too. 

Billy has not been himself in this episode; he did meet a twin of his in the upsidedown. Mike's mom tries to talk to him, but he dumps her off and not to mention his co-worker at the pool, who is taken back to the old factory to where she's getting the same treatment as Billy did. 

"The Mall Rats" was a very thrilling, intense, and fun episode. I just ate up the Eleven and Max story as they hang out at the mall and their montage was just so good. Couldn't argue that the Dustin and Steve scene was a real scene stealer in this episode. The show as really turn the level on this season up. Does anyone feel that Steve and Robin would fall in love during this season; or will Robin die by the end of the season? Very good character development and the writing was really good. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Stranger Things Season 3 available now on Netflix with Seasons one and two available now

Stranger Things Season 3 Trailer

It looks like celebrating America's birthday will be one grand of a celebration.

The full trailer for the upcoming third season of Stranger Things is out and not only are the kids grown up from season 2 but there's another greater force that's coming.

Here's the trailer:

You can catch the third season Stranger Things July 4 on Netflix with both Season 1 and 2 available to stream now.

Circle of Life: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt "Kimmy Says Bye!" Series Finale

Will Kimmy help save her apartment building? Will Titus pick career over love? Is this the end for Lillian? Here's a recap for the series finale of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Trying to come up with the money to save their apartment, Kimmy tries to figure out what to do from doing live streaming cash and go pron video with her and the bunkers members but that doesn't work. She thought that website that her boss helped build seems to have not worked as it comes up as an error.

Kimmy tries to help Lillian, who isn't taken well of losing her apartment. Lillian tries to go out with her building until the blast wasn't strong enough to take the whole building down. Lillian gets another calling thanks to Kimmy.

Titus gets the role that he's been waiting for, a spot in The Lion King. He's second in line of another star, but soon gets hurt in a bike accident. Later Titus gets a call from Mikey, who wants him to sing at his wedding, but does he? He chooses career over true love, but Kimmy steps in and helps Mikey decided whether to cancel the wedding or go with it. As Titus gets a break, he realizes that he still loves Mikey and tries to go to the wedding but Mikey gets to the theater first and tells him that he loves him and the two kiss.

Jacquline deals with Eli again. As her business is falling apart, he hits on her in a way that she questions of whether to do or not. But soon, she declines until he tells her that it was an offer work as a junior assistant for him, which she agrees only after learning that he's blind. 

Kimmy tries to figure out what's her next thing, and when she sees Xanthippe, Kimmy realizes that she's been reading her book. Xanthippe tells Kimmy that her book is a hit and that the reason that her website isn't working is because of the many, many people trying to visit it. She confronts Jacquline and Eli and worked up a deal.

Four years later... Lillian is the voice of the New York Transportation, Titus and Mikey are happily married with two kids as Titus is a hit movie star. Jacquline and Eli are a hit top movie agent duos. And as for Kimmy, as big as her book become, she opens a theme park at Universal Studios.

"Kimmy says Goodbye" is really the circle of life wrapped up in a nice and lovable bow. There were many laughs, but many, many tears shedding during this episode that I lost it fully during that montage of Circle of Life. So well written finale with amazing and outstanding performances from the cast. This should be in line with some of the greatest series finales like The Office, 30 Rock and Parks and Rec. Overall, I give this episode a 10/10.

You can catch the entire series of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt available on Netflix.

Changes: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt "Kimmy Finds a Liar"/"Kimmy is Rich*!"

"Kimmy Finds a Liar"

Titus finds another way to make Mikey jealous while Lillian deals with Sheba's nonsense again. But Kimmy learns if people can change. Here's a recap!

Jacqueline tells Titus that she's found a way to get his name in the papers by dating one of the top HGTV hosts, Tad, by pretending he's gay, which he's not. Even though Titus accepts the challenge, it's another opportunity to win back Mikey. After the first dinner, it seemed that everything was going Titus' way till their next lunch date, in which Mike proposes to his boyfriend, Titus does the same thing but gets turned down, and Tad announces that he's not gay.

Lillian and Sheba are at each other's throats, but when Lillian learns that Sheba tricked her by sending her money to pay off her jail bond, it turns out to be used for her Halloween store. Just as they sit and wait, they open up to one another until they meet with the judge. Sheba soon accepts responsibility for her actions, and Lillian surprises her that all of this is a trick, just like she pulled. Sheba takes over her father's Artie's Farties.

Kimmy, on the other hand, learns that someone has taken the rights to her book when she sees that someone is having a book reading. She sees it's Fran, and he tells her that his girlfriend thought he wrote it and scheduled a public lesson. He also mentions that her book changed his perspective on women, and he gives his full support. But when it comes to hanging around with his guys, his word isn't it, and he decides to perform his flag dance from school.

After seeing that Fran can change, Kimmy tries to find something she can do that wouldn't be so much as playing it safe. After looking at the book poster, she sees the hand knitted of the world that she got at the beginning of her journey and decides to travel the world but tells her boss that she's going to quit till he tells her to wait till next week because of big money/

I enjoyed the episode from the beginning to the end. There was one moment that was a bit predictable, and that was the storyline between Titus and Mikey. After that first date night, you see that Mikey is considering marrying his boyfriend. Lillian, on the other hand, is a surprise that I enjoy watching between her and Sheba, which was terrific, and I think that Busy Phillips deserves an Emmy nomination for Guest Actress in a Comedy. And for Kimmy, we are seeing her grow and grow as she's pushing not to play it safe and wants to do something different: travel—strong character development and writing. Amazing performances. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

"Kimmy is Rich*!"

Could Titus have found the gig that he's been looking for? Is Jacquline done for the next few days when her top client is moving to LA? Will Kimmy get rich? Here's a recap!

Kimmy agrees to stay at her job until her boss sells the company. She realizes that her company spies on people through their phones and mouths to know what ads they would like. She soon plays with her boss about telling the buyer about the sexual harassment case in exchange for him to get the company to sell ads about her book, which works.

After losing Mikey, Titus takes a school bus to see the play Cats. One of the kids doesn't think Titus could be a part of the show. But Titus shows him and performs and gets accepted by the cast. Titus learns that Cats is just a fake Broadway show that is all improvised but learns that he can't tell anyone about it in the style of Fight Club. Later, he tells Jacquline, who's having a bit of crisis mode herself, and gets Titus kicked out of the play but gives an autograph to a happy kid to see a Broadway celebrity.

As for Jacquline, she's dealing with losing her big client to another agent who wants to take him to LA. Trying to win him over, it wasn't going so well until she saw that Greg Kinnear was his client, too. After hearing about Titus' new play, she gets him into the space of Cats and wins not only the audience but the cast as well.

As Kimmy walks back home, Titus follows and tells about his day along with a happy Lillian, who won the dance contest with Bradley Cooper; the three see all their stuff outside and learn that their place will be knocked down. Cliffhanger!!

I loved this episode, from Titus arguing with the kid to performing with the cast of Cats, which happens to be nonsense of a play that people love. Kimmy trying to sexually dance for her boss and get him to help her sell her book was hilarious—strong writing and character development. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, available on Netflix now.

What If: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt "Sliding Van Doors"

This episode asked the question, "What if this had happened?" Here's a recap!

"Sliding Van Doors" was one of the best and most special episodes as the ninth episode of season four. It asked that simple question: what if this had happened? Would things be different? It would be so, but it all comes back in the end. When Kimmy and Titus thought that they could have met each other in Indiana if Kimmy hadn't gotten in that van.

If Kimmy hadn't gotten in that van, Kimmy and Titus would have met at a movie theater and moved on their way. Kimmy goes to college but gets hit and lands in a coma until she wakes up and becomes a famous local reporter who lost her husband to their maid. She flies to New York City, and when she gets there, it doesn't turn out how she had hoped until she reunites with Titus.

After meeting with Kimmy, Titus gets to New York City but misses the audition and does the unthinkable thing: joining Scientology and becoming Tom Crusie's stunt double in his movies. He soon gets the role of a lifetime and keeps his perfect image during press screening until his fiance dumps him and has to find someone else. He finds Kimmy, and becomes partners for life until a murderer comes in to kill them.

Meanwhile, Jacquline turns upside down when she tries to find a wealthy billionaire who turns out to be Mike, the construction worker. They have five children and try to find that big break until they enter the witness protection program. Lillian, looking for a renter, turns out to be a gang leader just like that and decides to kick Jacquline and her family out to do her business.

It's such a great episode with solid character development and writing. The performance of the cast was outstanding. I couldn't get enough of this episode from start to finish. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, available now on Netflix.