8.22 Everybody Dies House, having run for eight years with endless team reboots, cast changes, returns and cycles of House and Wilson’s relationship, was always going to be more susceptible to these rules than most. It so easily could have fallen prey to the pressure from fans and viewers, having to satisfy the loyal following while also staying true to their original, cynical vision for the show. Considering all this, you really have to hand it to the team, as they’ve crafted a flawed, yet hugely satisfying series ender that wraps things up where needed while leaving enough open for fans to ponder....

7.3 Clearance From A Deal If I was to review Clearance From A Deal on that basis, then I’d be pulling it to pieces, because there is a revelation in the final act that jumps the shark and wrestles it between two slices of bread, before announcing it as a daily special at Subway. But I don’t care, oddly, because this was a charming piece of entertainment that had me giggling throughout, even if it was utter hokum from the very beginning to end....

Ending shows successfully is something of an art form, because rarely is how they’ll end considered when they start. We’ve seen some amazing shows end with abysmal offerings, and others less auspicious ones go out with all guns blazing. This reviewer has a firm belief that the closing chapter of any TV show should encapsulate all the best qualities, characters and situations, and if possible, avoid ambiguity. I could mention a few shows that have entirely blown it, and others that got it entirely right, but the stage rightly belongs to Hustle here....

This is far from the first animated film to take place either during or in the aftermath of World War II. Isao Takahata’s peerless Grave Of The Fireflies told the harrowing story of children affected by the firebombing of Tokyo; indeed, Studio Ghibli’s films in general are steeped in the cultural impact of WWII on Japanese culture, with My Neighbour Totoro, Pom Poko, The Wind Rises and From Up On Poppy Hill all exploring what the country gained and lost during its colossal post-war rebuilding project....

Inhumans Episode 5 Okay, I think we’re being trolled now. Except for Gorgon, none of the major Inhumans characters use their powers this week. Again. Okay, Lockjaw does, but Inhumans continues to paint itself into a generic action show corner as a series that should be epic continues to be a mostly ponderous, low budget exercise in wheel spinning. The series could show the world how cool Kirby and Lee’s Inhumans are, particularly Karnak, but instead, we have to deal with a depowered Karnak fumbling and bumbling through a fight scene....

Into the Badlands Season 2 Episode 8 Getting back into the badlands was Sunny’s main mission this year – which makes a lot of sense, given the show’s title and all. This episode is where he finally makes it in, but it comes at a price: serving as a clipper for Baron Chau, whose cogs kidnap him, Bajie, and M.K. This isn’t too bad story-wise because it continues the series’ latest trend of forcing its menagerie of characters to interact with each other to keep that plot thing moving....

In a word, ‘wow’. I’d say this was the best new pilot I’ve seen for a show this year, bar none. And despite that acclaim, and the terrible urge to spill the beans entirely, I’m going to keep my review spoiler free. Because Fringe should be experienced without knowing what’s going to happen to get the full enjoyment from it. Now we’ve got single minded FBI Agent Olivia Dunham, played convincingly by Anna Torv, supported by unreliable genius Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) and his ‘mad scientist’ father Dr....

So far Fringe has been tracking a fine line between the weird and the wonderful, but with the exception of Walter Bishop, the other characters in the show have been somewhat lightly shaded. This week’s episode was clearly designed to address those shortcomings and tries to also fix the ‘spare part’ nature of Peter’s presence. What’s clever is that the character admits he’s a hanger-on, and that he wants to leave....

Mysterio made his WWE return at the Royal Rumblelast month, but it was said to be a one-off appearance. At the same time, SI itself reported last August that WWE did not want Mysterio back as a full-time wrestler, and cited sources who said Vince McMahon didn’t like dealing with Konnan and his representatives regarding Mysterio. Cena was added to the WWE Title match for Fastlane after he picked up a clean victory over Styles on SmackDown last night....

The Clue of the Savant’s Thumb Predictably though, Creek is lured back to his deducing ways by a baffling murder mystery whereby Franklin Tartikoff (played by Nigel Planer), a writer, producer, political campaigner and all-round polymath is seen dead in a locked room by two witnesses; his adopted daughter Fariba who has fainted inside the room upon discovering the grisly scene, and his wife Rosalind, played by Joanna Lumley who is positioned outside the door until it is broken down by her ‘friend’ Doctor Peter Churchill, only to discover that the body has disappeared....

Justice League: War begins in promising fashion. Those who have read the source material will recognize the first meeting between Batman and Green Lantern, which is one of the first meetings of any two superheroes in this young DC Universe. The heroes of Justice League: War are younger, less experienced, and more brash than what we’re accustomed to, and this is used to varying effect throughout the film. The “newness” of the superhero presence is established in a few quick gags before the real Batman/Green Lantern/Parademon action begins, and it does so without the burden of exposition or title cards....

From the second panel, Justice League America/Doom Patrol is dripping with personality. We’ve known since the preview art hit that this would be an odd comic, with Leave It To Beaver-esque reimaginings of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman headlining the crossover. And just from the participants involved it was a safe bet that this would a book that would revel in its comic form. Ever since Grant Morrison irrevocably changed the team, only one story has been able to make the Doom Patrol anything but meta commentary (later seasons of the Teen Titans cartoon, but we’ll talk about that when the Blu-ray hits)....

5.9 Wrong Roads I am not going to say I’m disappointed in the show, but I will say that it is time for the endgame to be accelerated. In regard to this week’s episode, Raylan instead of going to Florida to visit his family, decides to take a trip to Memphis to track down Hot Rod Dunham. It’s here that Raylan finds out that Hot Rod’s henchmen Roscoe and Jay have turned on him thanks to Boyd’s late cousin Johnny....

Killjoys Season 3 Episode 5 “Don’t cry for the monsters we kill.” Once again parallel stories drive the narrative, and the puzzling relationship between Commander Aneela and Delle Sayeh Kendry neatly bookends the latest episode “Attack the Rack.” As Dutch puts into motion her scheme to eradicate the Hullen, it’s Aneela’s first major step toward avenging her father’s death that brings the killjoys’ plan to a screeching halt. Keeping the truth about the plan to herself, Aneela manipulates Delle Sayeh and Gander into engaging in petty personal attacks meant to distract them from noticing what the Commander really has going....

The initial setting of Legion just screams Maximum Overdrive, and that’s far from the only parallel. For the unfamiliar, that’s horror author Stephen King’s first and only time behind the camera as a director. The experience was so bad that King has refused to undertake it again after constant interference with the studio, the budget, and even the soundtrack. Still, what results is a damn entertaining flick that King himself describes as a “moron movie”....

Lethal Weapon Season 2 Episode 2 It still may be early into Lethal Weapon season 2, but it looks like the show is particularly interested in pushing these characters to new levels of growth and maturity. For a series that relies strongly on archetypal characters, it’s exciting to see Lethal Weapon getting ready to mix things up a little. Or at the least, have their characters asking questions about whether they should be mixing things up a little....

The man at the center of the conflict is Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis). He is a good man, but a political outsider playing a very difficult game as he tries to corral the necessary votes to pass the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which abolishes slavery. It’s up to Lincoln and his Secretary of State, William Seward (David Strathairn), to both ensure the Republican majority in the House stays a solid block by wrangling influential supporters like Preston Blair (Hal Holbrook), anti-slavery firebrands like Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), and buying the votes of lame-duck Democrats and those with abolitionist leanings into supporting the bill....

I mention the reasons why I call screen 7 ‘The Colin Farrell Theatre’ because I think, to some extent, it shows the trajectory of Farrell’s career. Screen 7 isn’t a big deal. It’s not 3D-ready, it doesn’t have 400 seats, and it’s not often full up. It speaks of the kind of film that Farrell does these days, having once been in stuff like Phone Booth and Daredevil, while now, he’s doing a great job in mid-range work instead....

But let’s start with the positives, of which there were a few. In the sideways-verse, Sawyer and Miles – both conmen in the Lost Prime timeline – are fully paid members of the local constabulary. That’s a spin-off show worth watching right there, even if neither Miles nor Sawyer were quite in the mood for wisecracks in this episode. The reveal was nicely pulled off, as we saw Sawyer apparently pulling one of his old grifting tricks, only to have him revealed as a cop (although to be fair, they kept us guessing right up to the last second)....