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samimabry
Reviews
Baby Reindeer (2024)
No, the show has nothing to do with The Joker.
Seriously, whoever said that it's got anything to do with that Joaquin Phoenix movie is uninformed and simple. It's literally a true story about the guy who wrote the show-who by the way, is also the lead actor. It isn't based on fictional characters, it's literally the guy's life. I guess somebody took a film class in college and fancied themselves a professional critic even after flunking out.
It's a fantastic show, but is frequently really hard to watch... some episodes worse than others. But the writing and acting are both so incredible that even when you're feeling genuinely disturbed and like you don't know if you wanna watch any more... it still draws you in completely.
Criminal Minds: 100 (2009)
Best episode so far, for all the worst reasons.
I don't want to spoil anything (even though I believe one of the user-submitted synopses gives plenty away on its own), so I will try to keep this purposefully vague.
Let me start by saying that I never watched this series when it was originally on air. Several years ago, I decided it was high time for me to start watching the series back when it was on Netflix and had far fewer seasons-but I ended up stopping the binge watch sometime shortly after season 2. My husband worked nights and I was almost always home alone with our young children during late hours (which was also the only free time available to watch the show!!), and so many episodes hit too close to home during that time, I couldn't take it.
Fast forward to about 1-2 months ago, when I randomly had the urge to pick it back up again (and by that I mean "start from S1E1 because my memory is awful and it had been too long"). Paget Brewster is probably a huge part of my return to the series; I just love her so much and when I realized she is in fact still on the show when so many others have left over the years, I decided I must get back into it!!!
So here I am, creeping along in the early seasons, many many great episodes already seen before this one, but tonight I watched this episode for the first time and it made me fall in love with the show even more. In all the worst, saddest, most tragic ways, unfortunately, but the writing and acting from start to finish, top to bottom, are-while horrifyingly, desperately sad-easily the best of the short binge watching I've done so far. Previously I would've ranked another episode as the best; I believe it was the finale for either S3 or S4, when Hotch's SUV is blown up right outside of the federal building and his old friend/crush/ex-wife lookalike is killed after suffering horrific injuries. That episode, to me, was phenomenal, as was the one immediately preceding it when all you're left with is an explosion and don't know whose car it was until the following season premiere (thank goodness we can binge these now without waiting!!)
But tonight I completely stand corrected and have to say that this is definitely the best episode thus far. There have been a handful so far that have made me teary-eyed, usually the ones involving children, but THIS one made me bawl my eyes out because it was so terrible and tragic yet so perfectly executed on ALL LEVELS. If I meet anyone who hasn't watched this series before, this will be one of maybe 4 episodes that I vaguely reference in a spoiler-free effort to convince them that they should drop everything and start watching the show NOW.
10/10 stars. Would and will watch again-though I think next time I'll prep myself with a Xanax.
The West Wing: Gaza (2004)
The many multifaceted talents of many actors come through here.
So, one of my favorite (albeit in a "glutton for punishment" way) episodes is in the early seasons, with the traumatic shooting of the president and Josh. I've said many times and on many forums that the best scene is when Toby is walking around in the aftermath looking and calling for Josh, he finally sees the backside of him and comes around to face him, and that's the first time we learn Josh has been shot. The reason I've said it's the best scene is because Richard Schiff's reaction to finding Josh shot is so incredibly raw and real and perfect, especially because of how "prickly" his character normally is. You always knew even before this episode that he cares deeply for his coworkers and friends, but the look on his face and then immediate yelling for help when he finds Josh is acting at its most simple yet finest. You genuinely care and want to (or do) cry when you see Josh's blood everywhere and realize what's happened to him, but Toby's reaction is the gut-wrencher (at least for me).
I say all of that because to me this episode compares beautifully to that one, on multiple levels. In that episode, Donna arrives at the hospital only knowing the president has been shot, and then her coworkers (superiors) have to tell her about Josh and her reaction is damn near equally gut-wrenching to Toby's, and she will not leave the hospital or really speak to anyone when spoken to because she's in so much shock and heart-aching worry. This episode is almost like a mirror of that, with Josh freaking out (quite literally) within a few feet of the Oval Office, hollering about killing anyone with possible involvement in Donna's injuries. I won't speak to the sexual tension between their characters because that's been said over and over about this episode and many others. And it's too obvious. But the best moment of this episode in my opinion is much like I said about Richard Schiff earlier on: Bradley Whitford's multiple reactions to Donna being a victim of the explosion are incredibly well acted, particularly when he finally gets to Germany and sees her in the hospital bed for the first time. That scene ends with his reaction to her in that hospital bed, and it is solid gold and tear-jerking. Kudos to him (and probably to the makeup department) for that scene because his facial expressions convey so much emotion just looking at her lying there unconscious and banged up, and he also looks like he's aged about ten years overnight. You can clearly see he's over the moon relieved she's alive and okay, but desperately sad and angry about what's happened to her-which he already was before he arrived, but you can see it all over him even more so once he lays eyes on her and sees her in that condition.
This is possibly one of the better post-Sorkin episodes out there, but it ain't because of the writing. It's because of the amazing acting. Martin Sheen learning Fitzwallace has died is equally heartbreaking when he says "I asked him to go." The entire west wing staff buzzing with fear and concern for Donna. The arguments amongst each other based on their opinions on how to react to/handle this tragedy. All of it, every single character in this episode is at their best and every actor behind the character was on point. Which is what makes me think back to Aaron Sorkin's episodes, because he knew exactly how to write these characters from day one and once he left, a lot of the episodes and the characters' motives felt pale. This one and a few others, though, almost make you feel like you're back in Sorkin Seasons. It's not my favorite episode by far, but it's a damn good one. Sometimes we need a good cry.