(Ed. Note: I’m in a different time zone with laptop issues this week so Clarence’s take on the most recent episode of Turn was a bit delayed. My fault, not his) Turn’s pilot episode had flashes of violence, borrowing the sounds of stabbed corpses from its gorier AMC cousin The Walking Dead. The subsequent offerings, …
Author Archives: Clarence Moye
Far From Dreadful
Every year near Halloween, I make a pilgrimage to Universal Studios Orlando for their annual Halloween Horror Nights. Much more than your standard haunted house experience, the intoxicating and gory event frightens by using all of the senses to transport you to specific times and places. Well-trained actors jump at you from dark corners and …
Bates Motel: Mother’s Kiss
Season 2, Episode 10: The Immutable Truth (Season Finale) Bates Motel wrapped up its uneven second season Monday night with an above-average season finale that focused largely on the Norma/Norman Bates dynamic, delivering at least one brilliantly cringe-inducing moment. It was a significant improvement over the first season finale, which meandered and only really delivered significant …
Recapping Turn: Victory or Death
AMC’s Turn continues to downplay the major events of the American Revolution, focusing instead on the delicate details of the war’s supporting history. The human element is on display here, illustrating the evolution of America’s first spy ring and not the bloody battles somewhat foreshadowed in the series pilot. It’s an honorable intent, but I …
HBO Jumps in the Way Back Machine
HBO announced recently that it is officially reviving its early 2000s reality show Project Greenlight. Executive produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the series first aired on HBO in late 2001 (later moving to Bravo for its third season) and initially provided a single screenplay contest winner the opportunity to direct his/her own work. Subsequent seasons …
Bates Motel: Dick in a Box
Season 2, Episode 9: The Box Bates Motel finally hit a season high last night, bringing Norman’s budding sexuality and barely repressed aggression into the foreground and giving us an eagerly anticipated look into what happened the night English teacher Blaire Watson was murdered. The hour was a fascinating deep-dive into the mythos of Norman …
Turn: Eternity How Long
Turn, so far, continues to march in the right direction for a fledging dramatic series. Rather than peaking early and plummeting in quality (CBS’s Hostages, I’m talking to you), it has taken its time to gradually escalate tension chapter by chapter. The show isn’t revolutionary (ahem) in that manner, but it’s a good sign that …
Bates Motel: Enter the Taxidermy
Season 2, Episode 8: Meltdown I’ve had long-standing issues with the A&E series Bates Motel. The central characters Norma (Vera Farmiga) and Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) are fascinating, fully realized variations on the originals introduced to wide audiences in Alfred Hitchcock’s original 1960 Psycho. Sticking to the central locale of the Bates house and vacant …
Turn is a Grower, Not a Shower
AMC has made a serious miscalculation in offering its newest dramatic series, the Revolutionary War spy drama Turn, in the increasingly competitive Sunday night line-up. The intent, I suspect, is to wed it to their flagship show, Mad Men, to boost the ratings out of the gate. But let’s be honest, it airs in the …
Making the Case for “Girls” Season 3
[Ed. Please welcome the first of what will hopefully be many contributions from Clarence Moye (@chmoye). There’s no new girls tonight, but it’s a perfect time to look back at how this season went.] “Guys, we’re so disconnected now. I thought that this would be a good opportunity to have fun together and prove to …