I love how I throw a different random assortment of shows at each other every day, hoping to elicit a different rankings, with different shows at the top. Changing it up seems to make these lists far more interesting.

1) Undone (Amazon)

English Audio Description Available?: Yes

Sort of by a razors edge, Undone managed the top spot. Not necessarily because the episode itself was extraordinary, but rather that Undone continues to lay out a complex story over the course of a season that doesn’t feature many rises and falls between episodes. Everything gives you exactly enough to stay interested and wanting more from the next mystery in the next episode. Here, dad finds out that his daughters are in Mexico, so he flies down to join them, but in flashbacks we start seeing things about the past that ask troubling questions. And finally, Alma gets some answers about that door she hasn’t been able to get through when she stops and just doesn’t do anything. It’s not meant to be opened right away, she was missing the clue that there’s someone inside crying… but who?

Episode Grade: A-

2) Westworld (HBO/HBo MAX)

English Audio Description Available?: Yes

In possibly the most interesting episode since Season 2, Maeve maneuvers in a way where she just assumes she’s walking into a trap. Sure enough, it turned out William is a step ahead of her, and making good use of his hosts. For whatever reason, her God powers weren’t working right away, which didn’t seem to concern her nearly as much as I thought it would. William is always up to some nefarious shit. It was nice to see Clementine reappear. Yes, I’m one episode behind.

Episode Grade: B+

3) Candy (Hulu)

English Audio Description Available?: Yes

After hitting me with a rather mundane episode, that went hard in the final 10 minutes, it rolled back again in episode two with more mundane, this time in flashbacks. We are not getting the right kind of storytelling here. Things are weird for the sake of being weird. If anything, this episode served to just make us not like the the murdered victim, who was “a bit much” in her whining throughout Episode 2. No wonder someone killed her. She can’t understand why a boy wouldn’t want to hand out hand-me-down Raggedy Ann birthday party invitations. And she is so needy every time her husband has to take the smallest of trips. Stop calling his damn boss Everytime he has to go somewhere. I agree, of course, murder was a bit extreme for her future, but divorce should have happened a long time ago. Meanwhile, the character development we got with Candy is that she’s horny, unsatisfied, and wants to have an affair. The episode ends with a giant leap to the trial. Not as strong as the pilot, and a bit of a jumbled mess.

Episode Grade: B-

4) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount Plus)

English Audio Description Available?: Yes

So, I feel stupid. But. It is Paramount Plus’s fault. I hadn’t started the show, and when I went to start it, I just assumed it started me on episode 1. It did not, so I watched like episode 9, or something, now I’m back at the actual pilot which made a ton more sense, but wasn’t nearly as exciting as the episode it chose for me. It was a nice set up for a Star Trek show, for sure. But, what the hell Paramount Plus?

Episode Grade: B-

5) The Staircase (HBO MAX)

English Audio Description Available?: Yes

By far the least interesting episode. Michael is in jail, and needs to buy stamps to have protection so he doesn’t get beaten up. There was this relationship building between him and another inmate, that didn’t go anywhere, at least in this episode. Meanwhile, Sofie can’t see how she’s no longer objective in the documentary process, and the kids are selling all of Michael’s shit. It was kind of boring.

Episode Grade: B-

6) Pacific Rim: The Black

English Audio Description Available?: Yes

Stick a fork in this show. It’s done.

Episode Grade: C