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Bandersnatch stands out as the most Twilight Zone-esque and perhaps the best episode of Black Mirror to date, thanks not only to its innovative and gimmicky presentation, but also its ultimate secret ending.

A slight nod to other comments: when following a straightforward path, Bandersnatch can feel somewhat bland and slightly uninteresting. Even though the various choices may lead to very meta and/or interesting schizophrenic endings, this isn't the main appeal of the episode.

The true gem of Bandersnatch lies in the culmination of all choices you make and the different endings or dead-ends you encounter. As Colin Ritman puts it, what matters is the choices that led you to a particular path, rather than the specific fate you experience in one lifetime.

Here's a hint: when faced with a dead-end, don't hit rewind and choose another option; instead, select from the options the episode provides. It remembers your choices and will open up alternative routes you can explore.

Only after going through those multiple dreaming sequences, RPG/visual novel playthroughs, and exhaustively exploring Bandersnatch's depth, do you truly appreciate its richness. Just like Stefan, who finally exhausts his options through the experiences of hallucinogens and brutal murders, you'll encounter a bittersweet moment when the episode reveals a secret ending that, to me, feels like the canon conclusion.

At the core of Stefan's obsession with "multiple choices" adventures is one pivotal moment when he wishes he could revert to be with his mom, accompanying her through her eventual demise, regardless of his prior knowledge about it. As "O Superman" by Laurie Anderson plays, the episode takes us back to the first sequence of the episode, and both Stefan and the audience finally find a sense of peace after the Jacob's Ladder-esque nightmare - asking if, after all, it is the lack of acceptance that burdens us when we grieves ourself into the deep hole of what ifs.

Two hours and half have past by the time the credits roll; Bandersnatch asked me if I want to give another go. I closed my eyes and put it to rest.

The Expanse does its mid-season really well like it did in Season 2. It ties all the loose knot in a very coherent structure altogether, at the same time: Avasarala's hunt for Jules-Pierre Mao, Errinwright's conspiracy and Anna's involvement in the higher ups, Bobbie's post-traumatic experience, Prax's quest for his kid, and finally James/Naomi's strained relationship. Most story arcs that have developed for a while now (some even from early Season 2) all come to a closing to a very satisfying end.

Even Prax's story arc end in an unexpected conclusion, as he managed to save his kid - I was expecting it to end tragic, with the supposed foreboding (Prax's chat with Amos about taking care of him and all). Amos, despite not getting his major arc here, comes out the shiniest perhaps among all of the main Roci's crew. The contrast between him and Prax, and his words to Dr. Strickland, "I am that guy", makes his character stands out.

The story arcs cost interesting characters, but at least not before they are developed and has served their arc to its end though I still regret Admiral Souther's early and too cliched demise in previous episode. This episode 6 almost feels like Season 2's episode 5 where Miller bids us farewell with his sacrifice, even the end of the episode as something emerges out of Venus. There is also one unused story device: a protomolecule trace on Rocinante. I wonder how this will play out.

Knives Out perhaps is not the best written movie out in this year, but surely it is one among the most entertaining.

Saying the film is predictable is not wrong, but it is missing the point. Just toward the first halves the film dropped plenty of clues toward pointing the suspect of the crime, but the point was not about "who did it", but "how and why it was done." Indeed, perhaps in the first half audience is intentionally misled to get the impression of typical murder mystery through Knives Out stylistic "who did it" fashion, but as the film goes it shows that there is more to it especially since what and who cause the murder is already revealed in the middle of the film.

If one pays attention to the details. audience have been invited to ask ourselves about the mystery of the process of the murder - on the continuously shaking legs and the barking dogs - and even the especially charming Daniel Craig asked us, almost invitingly, who really hired him and why? The twist and turn is not about the result; but the process.

And doing that, Rian Johnson is still able to slip a neat "moral of the story", with a rather bittersweet moment when the truth is finally revealed. "You're a good person who follows your heart" might be one of the most repeatedly cliche, but taking a backdrop of distrust and money in a family drama, Johnson's words spoken through Craig's character with his characteristic accent made the delivery much more impactful. The slick cinematography and excellent music directing in the whole movie supports this perfectly paced murder mystery.

There is a notable questionable holes that may push you from your suspension of disbelief, but still: a delightful Christmas story to end the year; Knives Out is one film I'd recommend to get you absorbed to its intricate details.

Most solid episode of the season so far. Nothing extraordinarily amazing, but it's just The Boys at its best like in the first half of Season 1.

What I like the most is that everything that happens leading to the climax in the Herogasm is just frantic, chaotic, a lot of stuff happening at once, unplanned, unpredictable, and consequently, tragic. Just a lot of things coming out together at the same time, including the tying up of loose ends of plot points (e.g. with A-Train's demise and his conflict with Hughie).

The episode keeps the comedy and jab at corporate speak intact, but does not overdo it so we get straight to the crux of the matter. From Homelander, Starlight, Kimiko/Frenchie, Hughie, A-Train, even Ashley - the plot revolving around those characters are about what makes them really them. They all have struggled with the question whether power (be it through V or executive position) made them into a terrible person they do not like, but it is all actually on them. Power only explicate their attitude. Like Butcher in the previous episode said, "With great power comes the absolute certainty, that you will turn into a right cunt."

It was interesting to see how each characters react: Hughie portrayed as an insecure man, A-Train tasting his own bitter medicine, Starlight getting tired of the play-pretend and politicking she has played all over the years, and of course, Homelander being Homelander. I find it especially best with Hughie and A-Train. Hughie, when in S1 he acted as our moral compass, here we see him as someone fragile, a man unable to keep up with the pace of the world he's living in and feeling defeated by his girlfriend for not being a breadwinner. A-Train, a great end to his arc, as he realizes that he has caused so many harms to others due to his toxicity, he realizes that he can only bring a little bit of justice for his own brother. He can't run away from his past like Frenchie said, I think it's very poetic.

Also it's refreshing to get a brief character development with Soldier Boy. Hoping that there is more to this character in the next seasons to come.

Last but not least, the fight with Homelander was intense. The unexpected Butcher x Hughie x Soldier Boy tag-team is great, especially with the confused, defeated look Homelander gave to them. I'm expecting this will drive Homelander even uncontrollable, especially now with his inner monologue and everyone either against him (Starlight, Maeve, if she is still there) or leaving him (Noir and possibly A-Train). The show seems to be planting the seed of conflict between our Boys in the future to come. Hopefully this will pay off.

If The Boys is usually chock full of superhero films parody, then this episode feels like a love letter to Logan (2017) and (the trailer version of) The New Mutants (2020). This is even more so with the casting of Shawn Ashmore, who played Iceman on X-Men, as Lamplighter.

It opens up with Homelander being sexually aroused by Stormfront while crushing the head of a thief in an alley. It recalls the scene back in Season 1 when Homelander casually rips through a gunman's chest for a show, but this time it's even more vulgar. As Homelander gets more aroused, his grip on the thief's head gets firmer, until it eventually crushes him into pieces. Then, fast forward to the end of the episode, we see Homelander confronting Stormfront, and her opening up to Homelander about her past, while she preaches of the importance of purity of their "race". They then continued to make out. There is something to be said here about indulgence in sexual and power fantasy.

This episode also starts to recenter the orientation. If in the first season we get to see the story progresses from the eyes of Hughie - the only seemingly sane person among the ragtag group of rebels - this episode shows how others see Hughie. Butcher, always an efficient, ruthless killer he is, is contrasted to Annie/Starlight who believes she retains her compassion even though she's a supe. Annie relentlessly tries to stop Butcher from senseless killing; though for Butcher she still inhibits the one thing he hate the most. "What you can't stand is in my blood, I'm a subhuman to you," Annie confronts Butcher. Yet when situation forced her to take extra measures, Annie sees herself doing something that only Butcher would do. "I'm not like you," she insists. However they then find what really makes them similar, but different at the same time: their attraction to Hughie.

Last, The Boys never stops to take a jab to corporatization of superhero. '"'A-Train' is a trademark. You're just another nobody from the South Side of Chicago" reminds me of the very early episodes in S1, when Homelander thought they were still bound by corporate rules (something that he seems to try to break free in this season).

A science fiction show, part noir and part political suspense, set in interplanetary scale. The show depicts a possible future of space colonization: the life as ordinary persons in the midst of tense cold war and resource exploitation. The show puts class struggle in front and center, as humans living in Asteroid Belts (Belters) trying to survive as the work blue-collar jobs serving the elites in Earth and Mars. The Earthers and Martians, meanwhile, are playing dangerous political games in a race of claiming the riches of the asteroids. We follow the story of a hard-boiled detective, a crew of haulers, and an Earther politician, whose lives are entangled in the emerging conflict that ensues.

The series is not a cyberpunk one, but as we get to traverse the marginalized lives of the Belters, I can't shake the feeling cyberpunk films usually gives me. Thematically it deals with issues of class/discrimination - though sometimes a bit on the face - corruption, and corporate control. Our hard-boiled detective pieces the puzzle slowly. Visually, the neon lights of the Belts, the slums and sewers, and even the food stalls where people eat noodles, seem like paying homage to cyberpunk genres.

For science fiction fans, The Expanse puts the science back in science fiction. Earthers, Martians, and Belters have different physiological forms because of years living in different gravity. Once a while the show takes on a more gimmicky sci-fi like coriolis gravity effect when pouring water, at other times it becomes a plot device that turns the story upside-down. The smaller scale of the setting - interplanetary instead of intergalactic in the vein of sci-fi e.g. Star Wars / Star Trek - makes me appreciate the more realistic touch on sci-fi side much better. There is no jump drive, no hyperspace travel. Ships are propelled with rockets. Space battles don't have that bombastic lasers and explosion, but still intense and perhaps, in effect, much more gripping and consequential. For a TV series, The Expanse has the convincing visuals and excellent set design theatrical films usually have, though like most sci-fi it still excuses itself on having sounds reverberate in a vacuum.

The show spends most of its early episodes (Eps. 1-3) to world-building. The pace is a bit slow and the piecing of the puzzles may make the story feel a bit convoluted. Characters are introduced, but most don't really make a strong impression, except for perhaps Detective Miller (played by Thomas Jane), who despite the cliched trope, manage to be a leading figure in driving the plot forward, thanks perhaps to the impressive acting by Jane.

However, unlike most shows nowadays that get a strong start but becoming weaker as it end on season finale, The Expanse becomes much better exactly in the second half. The pace gets steady, character gets more developed as they interact more like persons, and in a couple of episodes it hits the suspense notes just perfect. Eps. 4 has one of the better shootout and political suspense I've seen in series. Eps. 8 has a brooding pressure Alien series gives as the crew investigates the mysteries. The season ends with all pieces of puzzle being pulled together, but still asks more questions further for the next season.

The Expanse Season 1 is one of the most satisfying show I've watched this recent years. Binged-watched it only in 2 days. I'm eagerly waiting for the chance to watch the next season.

I love how the show so far has put so much details in its science-fiction. Almost like they're putting back the science in science fiction. The coriolis gravity effect when pouring water was a nice touch in Eps 2. They have been fairly consistent the physics as well. The logics of air and gravity are used seamlessly in the storytelling, not as mere plot devices but actual environment that has to be considered by the characters.

The episode has shootout, and perhaps it's one among the better ones I've seen so far in TV series. Typically TV series just throw a crowd shooting at each other without taking cover like amateurs (even though they're supposed to have military training). From The Walking Dead to The Mandalorian, shootouts always look dumb and incompetent. But The Expanse manage to direct it to look as if the ones shooting were actual soldiers with military training. They take cover and aim their shot. They also don't waste too much screen time depicting the shootings, which makes the event effective and has a sense of decisiveness.

The plot takes twist and turn, and when it does twist, there is no holds barred. What happened to the characters are shocking and feel like out of nowhere, adding to the sense of danger and urgency the episode plays out. Unlike the previous episodes, this one is more focused on Holden's story, that helps exploring characterization and depth this promising TV series has.

Minority Report presents us with sufficient world-building and rises important theme of predestination without feeling like it's being shoved down through our throat: the future of government surveillance everywhere, AI-driven cities, and implant-dependent urbanites. I think it does this well by utilizing them as a part of plot point and showing the grand scenery as a way to do exposition. The film is also able to make believable characters: cops aren't always action men--they're just people doing their job daily job--and villains are also human, who might make cruel, heartless decision, but has the motivation to stand on what they believe and, in the end, to survive.

The story manages to engage from the start through the end. A number of films tackle the story clumsily after the huge plot reveal, but Minority Report is able to continue on raising the issue of predestination without resorting to typical action cliche. The final scene is a bit shaky, but it does its job to convey the theme and maintain believable character very well.

However there are noticeable downside from the film. The soundtrack is what I felt the most: it sounds too adventure-ish in a couple of scenes--too Star Wars/Indiana Jones-esque. Not quite fitting with the tone of the film. The brief action scenes in the film, though necessary in the plot, also appear a bit clumsy and not very well done. As for the plot itself, there's a certain point in the film where it becomes very predictable, though it still delivers well.

Love comes and ends in the strangest place, and perhaps Miller's love story is one of those few that makes sense when one person's sacrifice saves millions others.

The episode concludes their arc beautifully. It starts with a weary, hardened life of a Belter in a routine job, got caught in webs of strings larger than themselves, then they got back right at where they started - the mystery, the bird, the girl, even though they might be a mere artificial replica of it. Their obsession and goal might seem strange to some, but having lost their job and purpose, it would make sense to cling on something that they have been pursuing all along. The scene where we thought they might find refugee in salvation in the Nauvoo evokes the disorientation they have been having, and the way this episode closes back to what led them to this in the first place is done right.

The last few minutes were mesmerizing and beautifully sad. Blue glimmering light shines upon the dark hallways of abandoned station. "There's alien life in the universe, and I'm riding it," said Miller, before they end up appreciating what waited for them in the end of the hallway. Strong performances by the actor has made them one of my favorite characters in The Expanse, and I will miss their wit, but this is a concluding episode well done.

So much development we get in one episode. We get to see more of Avasarala with her two "aides". We get to see how Errinwright turns out to be still an ambitious, "ends justify the means", just right after he looked vulnerable earlier. There is a lot of pressure between them and Mao as well. We get to see Holden acts as righteous, grudge-filled captain. This is one of these times when I wished Miller was still alive to kick some sense to Holden - he's a good counter-balance.

There is a slight contrast here between Naomi and Holden: the Belter right to the core and the Earther who ends up as Belter survivor. If Dawes and Johnson fought for how they handle power, Naomi and Holden "fought" for how differently they see values in human's life. Holden dreams big and loves to play hero, but Naomi, a Belter since birth, knows the value of life on the ground. The refugee crisis on Ganymede Station is both emotional and powerful, as the big guy Champa touched his chest, gesturing a Belter's loyalty. It might be idealized as the other commenter has said, but it is the other extremes of previous episodes where a Belter would space out Martians out of hatred.