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Opening on one of the most famous scenes in motion picture history, the moment in Gone with the Wind where Scarlett O’Hara realizes the Southern “cause” is lost, BlacKkKlansman announces it has on its mind the importance of fiction and art in manipulating and even devastating American life. After all, it was a Hollywood movie, D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation, that rejuvenated the KKK in the 20th century, and it is that same neo-Confederate propaganda Lee juxtaposes in BlacKkKlansman’s most chilling moment: New initiates in David Duke’s heinous organization cheerfully watching Griffith’s silent love letter to the Klan, as Harry Belafonte is highlighted in a crosscut recounting to college students memories of a disabled black man being tortured to death in the street by white neighbors high on Hollywood’s first blockbuster....

This week’s Boardwalk Empire in a nutshell appears to be one long attempt to reinforce the old maxim, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Then again, perhaps the moral of the episode is “Treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen”? Although maybe the ultimate truism demonstrated by Nights In Ballygran is the old adage, ‘If you’re a young hothead in an American crime drama, you will eventually become addicted to heroin....

3.5 You’d Be Surprised Nucky is still underperforming commercially. Is he letting his relationship with Billie Kent cloud (or even remove) his judgement? Rothstein certainly seems to think so, and calls him out on it in a fantastic opening scene that neatly summarises the parlous position in which they find themselves. Rosetti, it transpires, is connected to Masseria, who, as we know, can make things very difficult in New York....

Odenkirk comes from an enviable comedy background that includes the likes of Saturday Night Live, Tim and Eric Awesome Show! Great Job! and The Birthday Boys, as well as crafting the sketch comedy masterpiece, Mr. Show with Bob and David. Beyond that, Odenkirk has also done just as strong a job standing out as a dramatic performer, starring as Saul Goodman in the exceptional Breaking Bad spinoff, Better Call Saul....

When Joel and Ethan made their move to serious after so many years of comedy success, I was a bit worried. Fortunately, the results were brilliant. Now they’re moving back to their comedy bend with their latest, Burn After Reading. With an all-star cast of characters and all the No Country attention, there was no doubt the film would be successful at the box office, but how would the Coens handle the transition back to comedy?...

Three Journeys The young king is eager to show the people of the land that they’re under his protection, and aims to do this by placing Camelot standards every mile. One may argue that his knights would be better used protecting local villages, but, hey, we’re not the king. Merlin, on the other hand, feels that books are more important than swords and leads Kay, Gawain and Leontes on a field trip to find Kay and Arthur’s father’s long lost library....

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Episode 16 So Meiling legit came to Japan solely to check Sakura on her bad habits, huh? Plus kick some ass? Oh, I am so here for it. It’s been a slow build but Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card is quietly dismantling the seemingly innocuous “I just want everyone else to be happy” notion. It’s an easy self-sacrificing trap to fall into, especially for a character like Sakura....

Castle Rock Episode 6 Well, that cliffhanger can go straight to hell, which is coincidentally what awaits the people who caged the Kid for all those years. Bill Skarsgard goes from confused and doe-eyed (in a really weird way) to instantly menacing in this episode. I’ve had trouble pinning down exactly who his mystery character is and what drives him, but “Filter” makes a much more convincing case for the “He’s the Devil” theory than the past episodes....

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais met through a mutual friend in a pub, The Uxbridge Arms, Notting Hill Gate in 1961. On the strength of a short play the two had written called Double Date (about two lads enjoying a night on the town) they were asked by the new BBC2 controller Michael Peacock to turn it into a series. To their surprise Clement and La Frenais suddenly found themselves writing a major six-part comedy series for the fledgling channel....

Sean Bean stars as Ewan, a government agent who specialises in breaking arms and murdering people at close quarters. The death of his wife during an unspecified terrorist attack has left him with an almighty chip on his shoulder, which is something high-ranking, chain-smoking official Charlotte (played by Charlotte Rampling) exploits perfectly when a suitcase full of Semtex is stolen by a group of British terrorists. Ewan is paired with young agent Mark (Tom Burke) and sent off on its trail – and with the substance already used to deadly effect in two bomb attacks in Britain’s capital, there’s little time for Ewan and Mark to track down the terrorists before they strike again....

After an extended Christmas and new year break, our favourite students finally went back to class for some long overdue study group action, the odd revelation or two, and something of a classic 80s TV cameo. The Halloween/bathroom shenanigans couldn’t stay hidden forever, but thanks to Pierce’s irritatingly big mouth, his incredible petulance and his desire for kettle corn, Shirley’s secret shame has finally entered the group consciousness. And that’s not even the biggest surprise of the week....

Seeing Blackbeard in prison, awaiting hanging, I imagined the demise of the historical pirate. It was one of the most famous battles of its day. Blackbeard — the living man — was truly a legend in his own time. I envision the scene, a Navy sloop cutting off Blackbeard’s escape to the open sea, crashing into the pirates’ ship. The pirates fighting the navy men hand to hand. Blackbeard is stabbed, shot, and stabbed again....

The title of the episode tells you all you need to know about it really. Yup, the crux of this one was blow jobs, lots of them. Plus the odd misunderstanding along the way. The other main narrative of this episode featured Loretta’s cancer treatment at the hands of the aforementioned doctor, chosen by Larry as he has heard that she recommends cancer patients should dump their partners should they be in a bad relationship....

Speaking of the Church’s favorite living weapon, I totally forgot Riario was the Pope’s nephew, but Da Vinci didn’t and opens the show disguised as the holy killer to charter a ship. Tom Riley does a killer impression of Blake Ritson’s Riario, but not good enough, it seems. Da Vinci should stick to painting over acting as he gets busted by the arrogant Prince of Naples who engages Da Vinci in a bit of swordplay....

ABC enlisted an action-movie director with TV experience in Paul McGuigan, who happened to shoot another successful network pilot in Scandal, to shape this thing in the network’s mold. That’s not to say they tried to keep it entirely safe. To McGuigan and creator/screenwriter David Guggenheim’s credit, they’re able to stay on their message better than any candidate has during this election season, avoiding disaster porn while simultaneously betting on their narrative structure to hook viewers....

The fiery, percussive destruction of the U.S. Capitol Building in the opening minutes of Designated Survivor‘s first episode – as seen from the perspective of Kiefer Sutherland’s unlikely President-to-be Tom Kirkman – is one of the boldest and most arresting TV mission statements to be stamped on the small screen in recent years. The magnitude of that sequence is amplified by the real-world echoes of 9/11, and by the double-horror of imagining ourselves in the shoes of HUD secretary Tom Kirkman, who in the space of three minutes goes from having a relaxing beer, to processing the annihilation of the US government, to immediately and unexpectedly ascending to the office of POTUS....

Despicable Me 3 is in UK cinemas from Friday.

6.1 Those Kind Of Things The introduction of the character of Lumen divided fans, some of whom loved her, and others wanted to see her fast-tracked to the plastic covered table. Myself, I liked the team dynamic, but accept that especially the final couple of episodes became an anti-climax, as the threat represented by Jordan Chase wasn’t one that remotely challenged to Dexter Morgan. Dexter needs a new challenge, and the new one is represented by the somewhat odd combination of Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica) and Colin Hanks (The Good Guys)....

7.11 Do You See What I See I’m so glad that this show still has the ability to surprise, because it has on occasion telegraphed rather blatantly its meticulously planned twists. In the first ten or more minutes I sat wondering why we were covering the well-trodden ground of Debra not liking Hannah, and LaGuerta not letting the idea that Doakes was framed go. We also have the mildly funny scene where Joey discovered that he’s been dunked, delivered with zero emotional content by a stripper performing a lap dance at the time....

7.3 A Town Called Mercy Appreciating we’re going to sound a bit grumpy and miserable, the thing with A Town Called Mercy – a good, solid episode of Doctor Who – is the nagging feeling that there was something a bit better here. The Doctor doesn’t get to go to the wild west often (heck, that’s an understatement and a half), and never has he done so with such a lavish location shoot, and a script from Toby Whithouse (whose episode last series, The God Complex, was simply superb)....