Raina Deerwater

Season 5, Episodes 10-13 – Season five of Orange is the New Black ends much stronger than it started, thanks in large part to the character at the core of all the emotion.

Season 1, Episode 10 – The first season of The Handmaid’s Tale ends on a strong note of resistance, leaving everything up in the air for next year.

Season 1, Episodes 6-9 – This middle stretch of episodes of Orange is the New Black avoid the mistakes of the first few, focusing on character moments that we want to see.

Season 5, Episodes 1-5 – Season five of Orange is the New Black is much darker than the seasons before. It shines when it focuses on the disenfranchised characters we’ve grown to love, but spends to much time on tertiary and harsh characters.

Season 1, Episode 9 – In the penultimate episode of the season The Handmaid’s Tale focuses back on the women, thankfully, but only revs up to season ending level excitement in the final few minutes of the episode.

Season 1, Episode 8 – This episode shines when focusing on the relationships between the women of Gilead, but falls flat when it strays away from that.

Season 1, Episode 7 – This episode told entirely from Luke’s perspective is a compelling story, but loses a lot of what makes The Handmaid’s Tale a great and unique show.

Season 1, Episode 6 – It’s a different sort of episode, when The Handmaid’s Tale focuses more on the politics of Gilead. Despite powerful moments, something seems a bit off.

Season 1, Episodes 1-8 – Amazon’s I Love Dick investigates the sex and sexism of art, desire and Kevin Bacon. Though it can feel pretentious at times, the show’s poignancy shines through, as does Kathryn Hahn’s career making performance.

Season 1, Episode 5 – As we approach the halfway point of the season, Offred’s slowly become more rebellious as more harsh truths of Gilead are revealed.

Season 1, Episode 4 – In excerpts from Offred’s past, and a look at how she handles her current situation, seeds of a rebellion slowly start to grow in this week’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

Season 1, Episode 3 – In the most intense episode of The Handmaid’s Tale to date, it becomes more and more apparent that the value of these women is directed related to if they can have a child.

Season 1, Episode 2 – Tensions are high in the second episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, as customs of the world are explored and Offred’s situation becomes more interesting.

Season 1, Episode 1 – The series premiere of The Handmaid’s Tale is excellently crafted, adapted, and all too chillingly relevant.

Season 1, Episodes 11-15 – Ingobernable wraps up its first season on a series of cliffhangers, opening the world of violence and corruption for a second season.

Season 1, Episodes 6-10 – With the middle stretch of episodes, Ingobernable establishes itself as a show with a message, and a much darker edge to it.

Season 1, Episodes 1-5 – In its first five episodes Ingobernable sets the stage for an intriguing political intrigue drama with a compelling lead. Hopefully, the show can keep this momentum going in answer some of the burning questions that the show asks.

Season 1, Episode 18 – This Is Us closes out its first season with a finale that can only be described as underwhelming.

Season 1, Episode 17 – This Is Us goes back to its familiar formula of Randall shining and everyone else falling slightly flat of that.

Season 1, Episode 16 – This Is Us shines in an episode fully devoted to the William-Randall father-son relationship, and by the end, everyone is crying.

Season 1, Episode 4 – On the very edge of an affair being uncovered and a movie theater closing, Riverdale continues to bring the mystery and the drama, in a very silly way.

Season 1, Episode 15 – Finally, things get a little more high stakes on This Is Us as the Pearson clan has to make a bunch of choices, some good, some bad, some pretty dumb.

Season 1, Episode 3 – Riverdale‘s third episode is its best to date, highlighting the best characters (the women) while giving into its cheesy nature.

Season 1, Episode 14 – It was never a great writing choice to end every episode on an expectations-shifting cliffhanger of a plot twist, but at least there was something to look forward to during that time. Now, every episode is starting to feel a little sluggish.

Season 1, Episode 2 – In its second episode, Riverdale tows the line between campy and taking itself too seriously, as the tensions rise in more ways than one.

Season 1, Episode 13 – In the odd-paced finale, Frequency leaves us forever, with the characters more or less where they should be.

Season 1, Episode 13 – This Is Us provides some sweet moments, but once again drowns in predictability and sap. It’s gotten to the point in the show where they seemed to have maybe run out of ideas. I say maybe because these storylines could be what the creators think are good ideas, but they feel like someone’s idea for a spec of the show.

Season 1, Episode 12-13 – Season one of The Good Place ends on a massive twist, leaving everyone praying for a second season.

Season 1, Episode 12 – As things wind to a close Frequency pulls out all the twists and turns, but still fails to be an exciting show.

Season 1, Episode 12 – This Is Us stays permanently in 1980 this week, which could be an interesting choice, but falls flat. When the format changed to include none of Jack and Rebecca’s kids, and a whole lot of winking at the audience, the show fell victim to the most self-indulgent side of the show.