Some of the greatest moments on Justified occur when characters are simply sitting in the same room and talking.  That’s a testament to the sharp writing and stellar cast and it’s a fact that’s been prevalent since episode one.  “Decoy” was filled with these moments, but the scenes were amplified by the fact that a bulk of the characters were holed up somewhere, waiting for the Detroit shit to hit the fan.  Add in several intense stand-offs and two horribly nerve-wracking scenes and you’ve got one of the most entertaining episodes of the season.  More on this week’s Justified after the jump.

Only two more episodes in season three of AMC’s The Walking Dead.  Tonight’s story felt like a retro horror movie at times but for the most part was a chore to slog through.  For fans who love Andrea (or just love to hate her), this episode was for you as the main crux of the plot centered on her and the mobilization of the forces at Woodbury.

Starring Andrew Lincoln, David Morrissey, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Laurie Holden, Danai Gurira, Michael Rooker, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, Dallas Roberts, Emily Kinney, Chad Coleman and Lew Temple, AMC’s The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9.  Hit the jump for my review of “Prey.”

The subject and nuances of marriage were again at the forefront of this week’s The Americans, and this time it seemed to focus mostly on loyalty (and also, you know, “Duty and Honor”).  The Jennings’ uneasy marriage can sometimes be a reflection of their own complicated feelings about their lifelong mission for their country, of which their marriage is an integral part.  After several weeks of seeing Elizabeth’s side of things, from her affair with Gregory to hints from her childhood and her initial hesitations at being with Philip in the first place, we finally got to see some of Philip’s background, including a former love, Irina, with whom he is now reuniting.  The two were coming together to enact a scheme that would help to discredit a Polish resistance leader who was being sheltered in the United States during his Polish exile.  And that was just the beginning — hit the jump for more on why “I’m sorry I didn’t kill you.”

After pretty much everyone in KY figured out who Drew Thompson is last week, this episode saw folks on both sides of the law in a mad dash to get to him first.  “Get Drew” is a fitting title as the dragnet tightened and everyone from Raylan to our old friends from Noble’s Holler made their moves on KY’s most wanted.  The question now is who will make it out of Harlan alive?  More on this week’s Justified after the jump. 

Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and Dan Benioff have put together a recap of the second season of their hugely successful series, which they narrate and explain along with some of the main actors (Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Richard Madden, Maisie Williams and more).  The series can be challenging and complicated for those who haven’t read the novel series on which it was based, George R. R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire, so the recap should definitely help orient viewers.  Still, even loyal readers should benefit from being reminded of exactly how things were left off in the show last year.  Hit the jump for the video.

With only three episodes left in the third season of AMC’s The Walking Dead, we’ve unfortunately gotten to the point where everything is set up for a big showdown and now we’re just stalling for time.  Last week’s episode was a great example of how a well-written show can use that to its advantage and work in some exemplary character development.  This week’s episode?  Not so much.

Starring Andrew Lincoln, David Morrissey, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Laurie Holden, Danai Gurira, Michael Rooker, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, Dallas Roberts, Emily Kinney, Chad Coleman and Lew Temple, AMC’s The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9.  Hit the jump for my review of “Arrow on the Doorpost.”

Dobry den, my comrades – The Americans got real tonight, da?  Philip and Elizabeth’s story took a surprising turn (quite a few turns, though not quite how I expected), but even they were overshadowed by the tricks Stan pulled to keep Nina from harm, not to mention that haunting interlude where Paige and Henry decided to hitchhike.  This was a pretty flawless episode from top to bottom, building off of what we have experienced in the last five weeks (Elizabeth and Philip’s relationship, Stan’s protectiveness towards Nina) and rewarded us for staying true to the cause.  Things are coming together as much as they were split asunder this week, and per usual I’m not sure what to expect going forward (one of the series’ greatest traits).  But for now, hit the jump for why “I believe in God, not coincidence.”

More than his refined quick-draw and ability to pull off the hat, what makes Raylan such a grade-A marshal is that his roots run deep in Kentucky.  He was raised around these tumultuous folks – the Crowders, the Mosleys, the Bennetts, and his own flesh and blood, the Givens.  Whether he wants to admit it, Raylan is part of this world.  Like Hunter says to him, “we are who we are.”  This idea of carrying the sins of the father runs throughout “The Hatchet Tour,” one of the best episodes of an already great season.  Oh, and they revealed who Drew Thompson is.  More on this week’s Justified after the jump.

Last week’s episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead was a bit on the dull side, but tonight’s ep really made up for it!  New locations to experience, interesting relationships to explore and even a surprise reunion.  While it wasn’t the most action-packed of episodes, there was just something about tonight’s hour that took the franchise to a whole new level.

Starring Andrew Lincoln, David Morrissey, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Laurie Holden, Danai Gurira, Michael Rooker, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, Dallas Roberts, Emily Kinney, Chad Coleman and Lew Temple, AMC’s The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9.  Hit the jump for my review of “Clear.”

While more cable channels are starting to get into the reality business, History has decided to go the opposite way, in a big way.  After the critical success of its first scripted series, Hatfields & McCoys, History has commissioned a new 9-part scripted series, Vikings, which was made with a reported budget of over $40 million (twice what was spent on the 10-part epic that proceeds it, the stilted Mark Burnett-produced miniseries The Bible).  What’s interesting about the juxtaposition of the two series is how much Vikings actually includes theology into its own narrative, and not just of the Norse mythological kind.  There isn’t a great deal of history about the Vikings (since history was written primarily by those from whom they pillaged), but series writer and creator Michael Hirst (The Tudors) uses that to play with our perception of these fearsome Norsemen.

The series follows the legendary Norse hero Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), who finds a fascination not in pillaging lands on summer raids (not that he is against it), but rather with the new cultures he comes into contact with as he plunders his way across Europe.  Don’t let that make you think this is a sissy series, though – Vikings is brutal and broody and fast-paced.  Hit the jump for more.

Another nuanced episode of The Americans this week, focusing on the tit-for-tat back and forth of intelligence and counterintelligence.  Just as the FBI found a way to not only encrypt but make portable its communication, the Russians (via Elizabeth and Philip) found a way to hear them anyway.  Within a day the FBI had adjusted the code to block out the Russians, and so forth.  The bigger revelation was not this cat and mouse game, though, but that the Russians discovered that there was a mole.  And, despite their Herculean efforts to keep their agent in the Department of Defense, Adam Dorma (who we meet briefly at the start of the episode), in the end he became as much of a liability to them as an asset because his loyalty was briefly questioned in his moment of distress.  In the spy world, the slightest hesitation could mean everything.  Hit the jump for why you shouldn’t ask questions, even for all of our 35 years and 8 months together!

“Outlaw” had some huge moments in it for major and secondary characters alike.  Unfortunately, most of it felt rushed.  Justified has always done a bang-up job of juggling its many players, but sometimes too much gets packed into one hour and some of the impact can be lost and important junctures can get brushed aside.  Regardless, season four continues to be entertaining as hell.  More on this week’s Justified after the break.

After the crazy ending of last week’s episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead, I fully expected the toned down hour of television we got tonight.  There were a few minor surprises here and there with a little bit of classical practical effects work thrown in for good measure.  Tonight’s episode was all about setting the stage and the players for the inevitable conflict between the two groups of survivors. Only five episodes left!

Starring Andrew Lincoln, David Morrissey, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Laurie Holden, Danai Gurira, Michael Rooker, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, Dallas Roberts, Emily Kinney, Chad Coleman and Lew Temple, AMC’s The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9.  Hit the jump for my review of “I Ain’t a Judas.”

Last week Zero Hour gave viewers plenty to chew on — Nazi devil babies, clones, secret societies, “new” Apostles — and while it was still completely ludicrous, it seemed worth checking out just for the fun.  The pilot went, in professional lingo, “balls out.”  It essentially jumped into the fifth season of Lost, and most everyone seemed fine with it.  This week, “Face” revealed all of Zero Hour’s many, many problems without fun things like devil babies (although we did hear them crying).  Mostly, it’s just really, truly terrible writing.  I don’t know how you can ruin a premise so swollen with potential as one focusing on Nazi conspiracies, but somehow Zero Hour has managed it.  For more on my evisceration of this hour of television, hit the jump. 

I solicited a lot of feedback about The Americans this week because I was confused about how I could still be left so cold by a show that seems so beloved and full of things I should like (spies! Russians! Keri Russell‘s hair!).  It seemed I wasn’t really alone though, and there were plenty of people who felt like I did, that while the show was objectively good, it lacked a spark.  However, last week’s episode, “Gregory,” went a long way in repairing my feelings about the show, which is tough and can be difficult to follow.  It’s not a casual experience, but a deeply involved one that asks us to be completely engaged in it, with a fair amount of background knowledge.  It’s a show that, I know, will grow richer with repeated viewings.  Finally though, this week, I saw the light.  “In Control” was a very solidly entertaining hour of TV.  Hit the jump for more on why “one mistake is all it takes.”