Episode Reviews

Whew, what a rollercoaster ride!

The Blacklist Season 8 Episode 2 Review: Katarina Rostova (Conclusion) Dale McGarrigle at November 20, 2020 10:36 pm. This wasn't a horrible point for an early-season cliffhanger.

With a change of stakes in Robert and Yasmin's dynamic, Harper's job on the line, and Gus's mystery troubles, Industry Season 1 Episode 4 is the most tumultuous yet.

1. Episode features interactive Hollywood-caliber stories built from the ground up for mobile, not the passive entertainment of TV and movies. In Episode, your choices decide the path of your story. There have been over 7 billion episodes viewed on Episode so far, which adds up to over 97,000 years of combined viewing time!
2. Editor's Note: The following review contains spoilers for the Season 5 finale of 'Outlander,' titled 'Never My Love.'. The fifth season of 'Outlander' has been full of big moments.

'Sesh' had so many twists and turns none of us saw coming. It was thrilling from start to finish.

First, there is Harper. Boy, she was in super hot water.

She made a mistake in one of her trades, but instead of owning up and telling Eric, she starts lying.

Both the client and another employee catch her lies, but that does not stop Harper. She risks her job and Pierpoint's profits by messing with their system to cover her tracks.

However, nothing Harper tries actually works. The only thing Harper manages to succeed in is digging herself into a deeper hole that she will not be able to climb out of.

Harper has always been a character desperate to achieve perfection. When she asked an old friend for a fake university transcript on Industry Season 1 Episode 1, we saw just how far she would go to ensure her future at Pierpoint.

But first, let us backtrack to the beginning. Harper celebrates her birthday with Yasmin, Robert, and Greg at Robert's apartment. They get high, converse, and have a grand old time.

Yasmin and Greg eventually leave, which is when the party really starts for Harper and Robert. They continue partying until dawn when Harper comes onto Robert. Needless to say, he rejected her advances, and the two friends went to work in a hungover state, without having showered or slept.

Despite what Robert thinks, Harper is not concerned about his rejection, especially when her mistake comes to light during her hangover while working. How could she make any rational decisions while under the influence?

Yasmin: Are you sure, Harper? Nothing good ever happens past 2 AM.
Robert: Everything good happens past 2 AM!

• Permalink: Nothing good ever happens past 2 AM. Everything good happens past 2 AM!

Harper knows she is not in the right state of mind, but that does not stop her from asking Greg for more drugs once she realizes she cannot easily fix her error.

Harper is not the only graduate or employee at Pierpoint that abuses substances. About mecape biology. Robert has before, and when Greg offers Harper some pills, he implies that he has as well.

Greg is already a full-time employee at Pierpoint & Co., but his comment leaves us with questions. What has he done to ensure his job is permanent with Pierpoint? How many pills has he taken to power through a workday?

And we cannot forget Hari, who abused drugs until he overdosed on the premiere.

Clearly, graduates and employees alike feel pressured to do drugs, and if they do not, they feel as if they will fail. But at what price? Harper created a deficit worth well over one hundred thousand dollars. Hari died of an overdose.

Even if they feel like they made the right decision at the moment, the effects worsen considerably when they finally come down. In some cases, coming down means a hysterical crash, but it means literal death in others.

And the fact that Pierpoint photoshopped Hari into their brochure signifies that they are well aware of this situation, but they do not care enough to do anything about it. Pierpoint would rather keep the issue quiet to save their reputation, even if it is at the cost of real human lives.

Knowing where the investment bank's priorities lie, the graduates will eventually have to decide if drugs are really worth this prestigious job. While substances might help in the near future, they are detrimental to their health in the long run.

The only real currency you ever have as a salesperson is honesty.

• Permalink: The only real currency you ever have as a salesperson is honesty.

Harper eventually realizes that her decisions are not working, so she makes one last desperate attempt -- Harper goes to visit Nicole, her first client at Pierpoint.

Like everybody else, Nicole urges Harper to tell Eric the truth, the last thing Harper wants to hear. Eventually, she has no choice -- Harper backed herself into a corner, and now she has to come clean to Eric.

A surprise turn of events occurs when Harper tells Eric the truth. His reaction was not quite what we had expected.

We were unsure if Eric would have fired Harper, given that she appears on all future episodes of Industry Season 1. But we did not expect Eric to casually relay an anecdote from his earlier days of working in this field.

While Eric is certainly not as bad as Clement or Kenny, he still seems like the type of boss who would get upset if something goes wrong, as we saw on Industry Season 1 Episode 3 with Daria.

But Eric shares a certain kinship with Harper. They are both people of color from lower-class backgrounds. Eric has known that from the beginning, which is why he forgives Harper and reminds her of her worth. He sees a younger version of himself in Harper -- determined, hardworking, and willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top.

Coming from that perspective, how could Eric do anything else? He chose Harper as his graduate for a reason, and now we know why.

It also helps when Nicole makes an investment to save Pierpoint's deficit as a favor for Harper. Still, both Eric and Nicole certainly surprised us on 'Sesh,' and we hope they will continue to do so in a positive light.

When I was a summer analyst at Solomon, my boss looked like Newman from Seinfeld. Like Newman, if he was a linebacker. He once said to me, 'I used to think if there was such a thing as reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the president, or the pope, or a 400 baseball hitter. But now, I want to come back as the Bond Market because it intimidates everybody.' People like us, born at the bottom. Where would you put our percentage chance of ever making that top quintile? It's about 3%. That's intimidating; we intimidate people here. Why is that? Because hunger is not a birthright. Your qualifications don't have to be a problem for you because they don't have to be a problem for me. Understand what I'm saying?

• Permalink: That's intimidating; we intimidate people here. Why is that? Because hunger is not a birthright.

Gus also seemingly has a lot of work troubles. The problem is, what, exactly, are they?

There are a million possibilities since Gus is such a private person. He has quite a lot on his plate, including his unresolved secret relationship with Theo, a tense work dynamic with Robert, and his adjustment to working on the trading floor.

But which one of these factors bothers him the most? Or is there something else entirely?

Whatever the case may be, it affects Gus significantly since he stepped out of line when conversing with his boss, Clement, on 'Sesh.'

We would like to learn more about Gus. We are halfway through Industry Season 1, and there is still a lot we do not know about him. Most of our assumptions are just that -- assumptions. We fill in the blanks because Gus does not express his feelings as far as we know. With only four episodes left, we hope Gus will open up soon.

Yasmin: Well, you can either stand on the sidelines and comment, or you could join us and try to affect change.
Robert: I think Yasmin's very capable of navigating these things herself. But ultimately --
Yasmin: Ultimately, you come here because it's one of the few workplaces where nobody cares where you're from. There are many potential role models here. You can be one of them.

• Permalink: You come here because it's one of the few workplaces where nobody cares where you're from.

Robert and Yasmin's dynamic has certainly changed now that Robert seems to have developed romantic feelings for Yasmin, putting their ball in her court entirely.

They continued to dangerously flirt with each other at a networking event when Yasmin has to replace Harper at the last minute. At this networking event, we finally realize Yasmin and Robert's relationship is no longer balanced. For Robert, it is not just a game anymore -- he is developing real feelings for Yasmin.

But Yasmin does not seem to have any intention of breaking up with her boyfriend, Seb, any time soon, nor does she seem interested in ending things with Robert. This aspect puts Yasmin in a unique position -- Robert is completely putty in her hands because he has fallen hard for her.

Will Yasmin toy with Robert's heart only to leave him heartbroken? Or will she also develop serious feelings for Robert? Only time will tell, but we are rooting for them. Seb has not been a very attentive boyfriend, and we think Robert would treat Yasmin like the queen she is.

Let us hear from you, Fanatics!

What did you think of Industry Season 1 Episode 4?

Were you on the edge of your seat? What would you have done if you were in Harper's shoes?

How will Robert's growing feelings affect his risky flirting game with Yasmin?

What do you think is troubling Gus the most?

Were you surprised at Eric's reaction when he found out the truth?

You can always watch Industry online right here, at TV Fanatic!

SeshReview

• 4.5 / 5.0
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Sarah Novack is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.

What a season finale, right? The last, by all accounts.

It wasn't just the loss of Cass but the end of all living things by the time Supernatural Season 15 Episode 19 began.

With the boys feeling useless and dejected, there was a lot of room for improvement.

Chuck wasn't going to make it easy. Being Sam and Dean, the first thing they wanted to do was offer themselves up for his writing pleasure. They were ready to do to each other whatever he wanted, as long as Chuck set things right first.

But if there is one thing we know about creative types and certainly about Chuck, they don't liek to be told how their story will end. It's all up to them, and by the time Sam and Dean had given up, Chuck was enjoying the new path.

If you're one who can't stand when a dog gets killed in an otherwise good story, then you must be able to imagine how defeated Dean felt when he found and saved a dog only to have Chuck obliterate it right out of the Impala.

Dark Episode Reviews

But an unexpected ally appeared ready to help. Michael. Unfortunately, Adam is gone, also obliterated. But sporting his skin, Michael decided against helping Chuck.

I don't know about you but after what we saw with Chuck and the dog, I didn't trust Michael. It was even worse when he couldn't open the book.

Yes, there was something out there. It was obvious when Chuck was in tears outside, calling out to Cass, and the wind was blowing oddly. There was something, but I wasn't sure it was Michael.

The same was true when Cass called and arrived at the front door, but damn, it was good to see Lucifer again. He still got it, and his multiple uses of Wazzup was worth the giggle. Who cares if it's the end of the world, right? The son most likely to suck can always bring a good time.

Betty, the new Death, was reading the book as she disappeared because OF COURSE Lucifer was there doing Chuck's bidding. But the more death and mayhem, the less I was buying into the whole arc. But oh, how wrong I was.

If Chuck was interested in a Cain and Able situation, he got his wish with Michael and Lucifer.

Michael gave Chuck a heads up about all they were doing, but Chuck should have known that nothing with the Winchesters is as black and white as it seems.

For them being his favorite characters, how little he ultimately knew them is probably the saddest part of this story. His arrogance and stupidity worked in favor of Sam, Dean, and Jack, and they had it planned that way.

They always knew who they could and couldn't trust, and they used Lucifer, Michael, and Chuck himself to unleash enough power to create something truly magnificent within Jack.

Dean struggled with his killer instincts for a long time, but the thing that he wanted more than anything was for the decimated world to be repopulated.

I assume everyone shed a tear or two watching good prevail. With The Youngbloods song, Get Together, playing, the man who has taken all of his power brought the world back to life.

It never dawned on me that Jack would take God's power and become the all powerful entity. But if anyone was going to ascend, I can't think of anyone better. He has felt all of the love and pain and will be able to use that to only see good in the world.

His speech was beautiful, and walking away to his new life, Amara firmly ensconced inside of him, really felt like the series finale. After all, Sam and Dean discussing finally being free is all we've ever wanted for them.

And while we're talking about music, Jackson Browne, one of my all-time favorites was the montage as they got ready to start their new life. That's a video that we can expect to play on the internet for decades as fans remember this brilliant series.

It was all about family, this crazy show about all things Supernatural.

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But crazily, there is another episode remaining. Well, two, if we count the retrospective.

If they hadn't been able to film any further, this would have worked very well as the series finale. It's unlike any other season finale. When have Sam and Dean ever gotten their happy ending?

They're always hanging off of a cliff with one of them possessed or in hell or thought dead or the world on the brink or angles dropping out of heaven and onto earth.

If this finale was this satisfying, then we can only imagine what's in store for the series finale. We'll be right here to run it all down with you.

For now, share your thoughts on the last official chapter in Chuck's book for the Winchesters, the one when the defy his plans with everything they've learned along the way and a helluva lot of heart.

Did you shed a tear? What was the most satisfying moment? And did anyone else really want Dean to adopt that dog once you saw it running across the street again?

After you watch Supernatural online, drop below, share all of your thoughts, and we'll see you next time, one last time.

Inherit the EarthReview

• 5.0 / 5.0
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Episode Reviews Witcher

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.