Ranking the top 5 moments from “The Affair” season 5 episode 6: “I Think He Killed Her”

Happy Sunday TV fans! After watching Showtime’s The Affair season 5 episode 6, I learned that there can be an ongoing game of tug of war between resilience and trauma. Is it possible to channel trauma to become even stronger or are we destined to be broken, repeating the fate of our parents? Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.

In tonight’s episode, “506,” Joanie meets a man named EJ, who has been studying the Lockhart family history for quite some time. As Joanie uncovers new information behind her mother’s suicide, she begins to realize that perhaps there was more to it. My top 5 moments from The Affair season 5 episode 6 are:

“If you touch me, I’ll stab you.”

Part one of the episode follows Joanie and I was really happy that part one lasted for the entire episode, as Joanie has deserved some screen time for a while now. We catch up with Joanie in the cemetery and she meets a stranger named EJ. After being momentarily creeped out by his staring, EJ offers to give Joanie a ride and she hesitantly accepts.

EJ studies family histories and is very interested in the Lockhart family tree, explaining that he has a theory on trauma running in families. When he finds out who Joanie is, he is starstruck for sure, but Joanie doesn’t seem to be too interested in what he has to say just yet. That is, until she finds out that she is taking samples at the place where her mother died.

“There’s no way she could have drowned herself in water that shallow.”

After parting ways with EJ temporarily after viewing some old police records, EJ calls her and says he has something to show her. The two watch a breathtaking super moon in the sky, which ends up triggering something within Joanie. Joanie brings up the data on the super moon from the night Alison drowned and realizes that the water where she drowned was extremely shallow, like a bathtub.

This brings up some questions about her death, but Joanie doesn’t seem quite ready to process it, as she decides to sleep with EJ, trying to turn everything off. EJ questions her about her fetish for being choked and becomes a little bit too talkative, which prevents Joanie from truly losing herself…but perhaps she needed this to actually start dealing with the emotions swirling around inside of her.

“Are you sure it was suicide?”

Joanie returns home the next day, but seems extremely irritable and distracted. Joanie’s mom comes to visit and we learn that she is referring to…Luisa! Remember her? Even though I was never a fan of Cole and Luisa’s relationship, I was happy to discover that Luisa remained in Joanie’s life even after she and Cole split up because Joanie needed a lot of support.

Luisa tells Joanie that Cole was the most determined person she ever met and that Joanie reminds her of him in so many ways. Joanie proceeds to tell Luisa that she feels like Alison ruined everything, but it’s clear that she is unable to process the grief that is taking over right now.

“He could do anything.”

After having a meltdown over her oxygen garden failure, Joanie panics and tells her husband, Paul, that she has been cheating on him for years. Paul tells her to get out and Joanie ends up on EJ’s doorstep. She opens up to EJ about her father and we learn that Cole died of a heart attack at age 72.

Joanie blames herself because she thinks that if her father was not alone, he would still be alive. EJ tries to get Joanie to talk about her father, recognizing that she is not allowing herself to feel anything and she tells him that Cole could do anything, bringing up some touching and heartwarming memories.

“I don’t know who the hell Benjamin Cruz is…”

EJ shows Joanie Cole’s box of letters, which he rescued from the trash, and shows Joanie some newspaper clippings about Benjamin Cruz. Joanie initially doesn’t recognize him and I was laughing at EJ’s theory about him being Cole’s lover, but Joanie has a memory about the day she met Ben Cruz, as we see a flashback accompanied with Alison’s voice over. Joanie wakes up suddenly and tells EJ that she remembers that Ben Cruz was her mother’s boyfriend and says, “I think he killed her,” as all of the pieces start to come together now.

Will Joanie be able to uncover the truth? I can’t wait to find out! I’ve been waiting for this episode since the new season started and I thought that it was brilliantly done, giving us the chance to truly understand Joanie and allowing Alison and Cole’s memory to still be present and relevant. Joanie’s coming for you, Ben! Look out!

Justice for Alison Bailey!

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on The Affair below in the comments section. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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**Do you love television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Once Upon a Time, Lost, Charmed, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural? Do you enjoy dark fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, paranormal romance, horror, and mystery? Then you may like my book series, Dreaming of Wonderland…available on Amazon! Thank you for taking the time to check it out and I appreciate any feedback as well. I really hope you enjoy!

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My performance of the week ending 9/28/19 on TV goes to…

Emily Browning as Sierra on Showtime’s The Affair. So, one of the reasons why I love this show so much is because it continues to surprise me. The Affair does a fantastic job of presenting things from different perspectives and it really makes you think a lot.

Sometimes I wonder if both sides truly see things that way or if there is a compromise somewhere in the middle of what really happened, but it’s all left up to interpretation and that’s why this show is so brilliant and thought-provoking. Please note some spoilers are ahead if you are not up-to-date on the series.

I never really cared that much about Sierra’s character in season 4. Sure, she was the fun free spirit next door that kind of shattered Helen and Vic’s world temporarily, but in season 5 episode 5, we got to see her in a completely different light and I’ve been thinking about her performance all week, as it really struck a chord with me.

My first impression of Sierra was that she was used to getting what she wanted, living in a bubble, free of any real responsibility. In season 4, she actually tells Helen that she wants her life and that statement practically becomes reality when she has a brief affair with Vic, which leads to her giving birth to his child.

Motherhood is clearly a lot harder than Sierra had anticipated and she is struggling a lot. After witnessing some of Sierra’s interactions with her overbearing and successful mother, I started to have a lot more sympathy and understanding for Sierra. She constantly tries to tell herself that she is enough, but actually believing that is no easy task when you are constantly being judged and criticized.

Sierra makes some questionable decisions throughout the episode and I honestly worried about her choices as a mother, but it looks like she may have finally had a wake up call after falling asleep at the wheel with her baby in the back seat.

Sierra is more than enough, but perhaps her own dreams may now be different than what she originally imagined for herself. Sierra is responsible for the life of her child and this means she will need to put a lot of her own ambitions on hold, but I’m hoping that she sees that she has a true chance to make someone else feel worthy and enough.

Emily Browning’s performance was inspiring, real, and heartbreaking. I was completely captivated by her during the episode and I even lost track during her part of the episode because I was so engrossed in her story. While a lot of the attention focuses around Noah and Helen (previously around Alison and Cole), I absolutely love that some of the minor characters are getting a chance to tell their own story. In this season, we got to witness things from Janelle’s perspective and Whitney’s, but Sierra’s part truly resonated with me.

What’s next for Sierra? We’ll have to wait and see, but I am really hoping that she turns things around. She is enough and I just want her to see it for herself, but I also want her to realize that she cannot run away from motherhood and that it’s a part of who she is now.

Stay tuned for a recognized performance on TV each week!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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Have a performance on TV that you think is simply outstanding? Feel free to contact me with your nomination for the week by Friday at midnight!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Evil” on CBS: Can another show about demonic possession survive?

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

Even though shows centered around demonic possession often have a lot of potential, they don’t always last that long. Shows like Outcast and The Exorcist come to mind, which were dark, mysterious, and terrifying in a lot of ways, but yet they were canceled extremely early. So can Evil pave the way and break the cancellation curse? Let’s find out!

Evil is a psychological mystery drama series that premiered on CBS on September 26th 2019. It stars Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, and Michael Emerson.

The show is scheduled to run weekly episodes, as it follows a non-believing psychologist named Kristen Bouchard, who accepts a second job working for a priest-in-training, David Acosta, examining potential possessions, miracles, and hauntings to determine if there is a logical explanation behind them or if they are truly witnessing something supernatural at work.

The Pros:

An amazing cast and interesting characters.

I absolutely love the chemistry between Kristen (Herbers) and David (Colter), who already seem to be compelling characters with many layers. I think it works having a non-believer paired up with a believer and I expect to see a great dynamic continue between these two.

I am already a huge Michael Emerson fan (LOST, Person of Interest) and I am super excited that it looks like he will be set up as the nemesis for the series. Emerson truly shines when he is playing the manipulative and well thought out villain and I think he can really do some damage here…in a good way!

Interesting mysteries with a premise that the audience can truly relate to.

The mysteries behind the potential supernatural occurrences are intriguing enough, but I think this show can truly stand out because it really dives into the man of science/man of faith debate, which I think is something we all look at whenever we examine something that can’t necessarily be explained at first glance. This plot premise may be enough to allow this demonic possession to survive and it already has a lot of promising potential just from the pilot episode.

The Cons:

Evil CBS George — Images courtesy of CBS

I’m not sure if the show was trying to be funny or not?

Even though Kristen is a non-believer, she starts to encounter her own set of night terrors, but are they simply dreams or is there something evil lurking in her subconscious? I’m not sure just yet, but some of these sequences seemed kind of silly and comical, but I’m not sure if that was the intention? You’ll see what I mean when you get to them.

At times, the plot and backstory seemed slightly contrived.

Capturing your audience during the pilot episode is never easy for any show, but at times, I felt like the plot and backstory were somewhat forced. The characters are really interesting and I guess I just want to see their stories unfold naturally, but I’m only one episode in, so we will see if this improves over time.

So am I in or out?

As of right now, I am slightly torn. I think that the characters and plot are interesting enough to keep me invested for a while, but I also feel like this show can easily fall into the trap of the weekly mysteries without any compelling plot twist at its core.

I’m hoping that Michael Emerson’s role as the nemesis, Leland Townsend, can shake things up, but we shall see. I guess I am in about 75 percent right now, but I am looking forward to watching more episodes and I think that this show has a lot of potential.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Evil in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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Do you love horror series? Of course you do! Please also check out 12 Nights of Horror Series Coming Soon. It’s your home for everything you need to know about new and returning horror television series including new trailers, premiere dates, reviews, recaps, and renewals!

Ranking the top 5 moments from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” season 14 episode 1 season premiere: “The Gang Gets Romantic”

Happy Thursday TV fans! After watching the FXX network’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 14 episode 1 season premiere, I learned that the gang has a softer side, really embracing what makes a rom-com truly special. Although there seems to be some confusion on what a Meet Cute actually is. Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.

In last night’s episode, “The Gang Gets Romantic,” Charlie and Frank place an ad for their luxurious Airbnb, which features sleeping in the same bed with them. Meanwhile, Mac and Dennis try out their own version, and Dee tries to land a part as well, even though romantic leads are supposed to be likable. My top 5 moments from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 14 episode 1 season premiere are:

“It’s a good ad…”

“Gruesome twosome seek exotic Europeans for week long rental in luxurious one room apartment…bed to be shared with owners.” Charlie thinks it is a good ad, but Dee and the others are not really so sure. We learn that Charlie and Frank are trying out their own version of an Airbnb, although Mac and Dennis think they are trying to steal their own “Meet Cute” idea, which Charlie confuses for “meat cubes.” Either way, this should be interesting…

“That’s a hard no for me.”

Charlie and Frank are extremely excited to meet Alexi and Nikki, but they change their minds when two Austrian men show up at their door. They try to go to bed early, but it appears that the bed may now finally be too crowded, as they start to have second thoughts about their decision…although there is yodeling.

“Pushing away a soulmate.”

After Mac and Dennis’s plan backfires when their guest, Lisa shows up at their own Airbnb with her husband, Greg, they decide to get Dee on board. Mac sends Greg on a mission to get a plunger and Dee happens to be waiting in the same hardware store and it’s the only plunger left.

Dee comments on how “it’s charming and cute and fun how we met over a plunger,” but Greg is not so convinced and decides to just go to another hardware store. We know you are much more than a “diversionary plot twist,” Dee!

“That’s not romantic…or comedic.”

After hearing Lisa and Greg arguing over someone named Teddy, they assume that one of them had an affair. Mac comes to the conclusion that perhaps the Meet Cute is meant for him and tells Greg how he feels with a moving soundtrack playing in the background. Greg explains that Teddy is their son who died and suddenly everything is not so romantic or comedic, as Dennis realizes that he doesn’t have a music soundtrack for a dead kid…

“I love you!”

It initially seemed like we would not get the satisfying rom-com movie ending, but Charlie and Frank realize that they should have never kicked out Alexi and Nikki and decide to rush after them at the bus stop, especially when Charlie sees that they left them a present of actual meat cubes.

Alexi says that they will return in one year and Charlie and Frank promise to be waiting for them, as Charlie shouts, “I love you!” After all, he had Frank at “gash.” Stay tuned for more Sunny fun!

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own thoughts on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia below in the comments section. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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Ranking the top 5 moments from “American Horror Story: 1984” season 9 episode 2: “A Fantasy of Revenge”

Happy Thursday TV fans! After watching the FX network’s American Horror Story: 1984 season 9 episode 2, we learned that you can “refuse to let fear dictate your life” and “if you imagine the worst, that’s all you see.” But what if everyone really is out to get you? Do you let the fear in or do you use everything in your power to fight it? Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.

In last night’s episode, “Mr. Jingles,” more secrets are unlocked, as we get a glimpse into Brooke’s past, while Xavier gets a disturbing visit in the present. Meanwhile, Margaret continues to do “God’s work,” as she meets the Night Stalker, but it seems like there are some supernatural forces present at Camp Redwood. My top 5 moments from the American Horror Story: 1984 season 9 episode 2 are:

“Mr. Jingles will not survive me.”

After receiving a warning about Mr. Jingles escaping the mental institution, Margaret does not seem to be fazed at all. In fact, she almost treats it like a challenge, explaining that she will not live her life in fear. While this seems commendable in some ways, you have to wonder why Margaret is willing to put the lives of others in danger by keeping Camp Redwood open?

I had a feeling that something was off with Margaret from last week’s episode, but it looks like we still have a lot left to discover about her. I guess the jingling will continue as scheduled.

“I just wanted everything to be perfect.”

We don’t have to wait too long to get a glimpse into Brooke’s past, as we learn that she was supposed to get married last summer, which isn’t much of a shock since we did see her looking at the engagement ring in her jewelry box in last week’s episode. However, Brooke’s fiance, Joey allowed his jealousy to rule his actions, as he decided to begin shooting people at the wedding, including himself.

It’s understandable why Brooke is beyond traumatized, but is there more to the story here? Brooke opens up to Montana during this revelation and Montana proceeds to kiss her, but Brooke breaks it up before anything can go too far. Fingers crossed that we get to see more of this!

“Gay for pay, baby.”

Xavier also seems to be hiding something and during this episode, he gets a visit from his pimp? I guess that’s what he is, as someone named Blake (but call him Daddy) shows up to blackmail Xavier. He claims that he found Xavier as a junky and cleaned him up to make him a star in gay porn, but Xavier has real dreams about being an actor. Xavier claims that he can find someone even better for his movies and poor Blake certainly gets an eyeful when he spies on the guys in the shower…oh and he gets stabbed in the eye too.

Xavier’s character comes into question here; however, as he seems more than willing to turn someone else in to get away. Will he do the same thing when he is faced with the killer? We’ll have to wait and see.

“How are you alive?”

After Brooke is on the run from the Night Stalker, he runs into a camp counselor, Jonas, and proceeds to kill him…more than once. The Night Stalker is beyond confused by this and so am I. The Night Stalker then has a really weird conversation with Margaret, who seems to be quite taken with him. We see a glimpse into the Night Stalker’s past and learn how he became a killer, but it looks like Brooke may be off the hook now, as the Night Stalker feels that Margaret truly sees him.

Margaret seems to be extremely sympathetic and understanding with the Night Stalker, which makes me question her motives even more. She comes face-to-face with Jonas, who died on the night Mr. Jingles killed everyone, but his spirit seems to be trapped in Camp Redwood somehow?

We’ll have to see how this plays out and while I’m thankful for some plot advancement, I’m not sure if it really fits in too well, but AHS has a way of seamlessly connecting all the dots for us, even if we don’t see it initially.

“He’s dead dead.”

So I actually really enjoyed the humor in this episode, as our group of characters all now realize that there is an actual killer on the loose after they stumble upon Blake’s corpse. Xavier hilariously screams out that they have to help him, but is told that he is “dead dead,” which had me laughing out loud.

I love that the show is truly paying homage to the 80’s slasher films we all know so well, while keeping things light with some campy horror fun. Now that the characters know that Mr. Jingles is there, what will they do next? I can’t wait to find out and it looks like we will be exploring Mr. Jingles’s past more next week. Stay tuned!

**Fun fact: Brooke sits on the dock and sees someone in the water underneath it, which is a fun throwback to Friday the 13th: Part III. Oddly enough, the character from the movie, Vera, is later shot through the eye by Jason and a one-eyed corpse is seen in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Is this foreshadowing for what’s to come with Blake? Perhaps, but it was a fun throwback nonetheless.

American Horror Story: 1984 episode 2 Music Soundtrack Highlights:

Billy Idol – White Wedding

Greg Kihn Band – Jeopardy

The Pointer Sisters – Jump (For My Love)

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on American Horror Story: 1984 below in the comments section. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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Ranking the top 5 moments from “Fear the Walking Dead” season 5 episode 15: “That’s a Bitter Sweet Thing”

Happy Monday TV fans! After watching AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead season 5 episode 15, I realized that life is short and “if there’s things to say…you should say them.” There’s never really a right time and we may regret it for the rest of our lives if we don’t share these feelings. However, if we do share these inner thoughts or feelings, does it just ultimately make things harder in the end? Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.

In last night’s episode, “Channel 5,” the group decides to challenge Virginia with…another documentary. Meanwhile, Grace’s health continues to deteriorate, John and June contemplate moving up their wedding date, and Wes seems interested in painting with Alicia. My top 5 moments from Fear the Walking Dead season 5 episode 15 are:

“This is the truth.”

In the beginning of the episode, we watch Virginia’s documentary, which seems a little bit too good to be true…even more so than our group’s initial documentary. We learn that members of Virginia’s group wear keys on their shirts because “each one of us holds the key to the future,” but it’s clear that Virginia is actually only interested in people who she considers to be “useful” to her cause, but where does that leave everyone else?

Al is infuriated by this and wants to get the real truth out there. Morgan reminds her that they are going about things the right way, but that doesn’t mean that the right way will win in the end.

“Everybody is useful.”

Tom is beyond thrilled to be reunited with his sister, Janice, who happens to be the girl Wes saved. What a small world! I need to give a shout out to my good friend, Luke on QuizUp, who predicted this last week. Nice job, Luke!

Tom is excited about the mission and really wants to get the story out there, as we are presented with another documentary style episode, which was kind of underwhelming for me. Luckily, we do get a little bit of action later in the episode, but we are at the end of the season and I’m starting to wonder what is going to happen to shake things up?

“That’s a bitter sweet thing…”

It looks like I’m not the only one shipping Morgan and Grace, as John decides to ask if anything is going on between them during the documentary. John recognizes that it will be difficult for Morgan and Grace either way and asks June how she feels about moving up their wedding date.

June seems to be on board and it looks like we will be able to put Rabbi Jacob to work as well. I love John and June together, but they may need to put things on hold now that Virginia is in the mix.

“I just want to be around long enough to see it.”

Grace is still holding on, but it doesn’t look like she is doing too well, as the group tries to go on a detour to get her more fluids. Morgan attempts to tell Grace how he feels, but she ultimately stops him and explains that it will be too difficult. While I want some kind of happiness for Morgan and Grace, I completely understand where she is coming from.

It just seems so unfair that Morgan has finally lifted the guard around his heart and now has to watch Grace die unless there is some miracle waiting for them in the near future. Fingers crossed!

“You call her, there’s no coming back.”

Toward the end of the episode, we deal with a bridge of our very own and Tom decides to do anything for the story, which includes going down with the bridge. Sorry Tom! Al is beyond upset, but somehow manages to have the tape? I’m not too sure about that, but the group decides to keep going.

Unfortunately Humbug’s Gulch is overrun by walkers and the group is forced to ultimately make that call over to Channel 5 to ask for Virginia’s help. It looks like Virginia got what she wanted, but what does this mean for our group now?

Overall, I was slightly disappointed and underwhelmed with the episode. We already tried out the documentary style in a previous episode and I’m not sure that we needed another one now. I’ve been waiting for some kind of substantial character death and instead, we get Tom losing his common sense on the bridge.

Alicia and Wes seem to be hitting it off, but she is so focused on painting and I want the beast within her to be unleashed again because once she gets going, she is unstoppable! Poor Luciana is off serving Virginia at the oil field and while Virginia seems like an interesting foe, I’m not sure that we can salvage things in one episode, but I’m remaining hopeful.

What would YOU like to see happen on the season finale? Stay tuned!

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on Fear the Walking Dead in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Marianne” on Netflix: Bone-Chilling Terror that will give you Nightmares and then some

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

Netflix has been bringing us some genuinely terrifying programming lately like The Ritual and The Haunting of Hill House, and it doesn’t look like they are stopping there, as they may have just released the scariest show I have seen in a while. If you enjoy films and shows about witches and demonic possession, you are in the right place.

Marianne is a French horror series that was released on Netflix on 9/13/19. The show features 8 episodes that are about 50-55 minutes in length each. It stars Victoire Du Bois, Lucie Boujenah, and Tiphaine Daviot. The series is in French, but you can watch it dubbed in English or in French with English subtitles. I watched it in English and was able to get through the whole show without needing to switch over to subtitles.

The show follows author, Emma, who has had much success with her horror novel series. The characters are based on nightmares Emma had when she was younger and when she finishes the book series, she begins to realize that the characters may actually exist in the real world, threatening her family and close friends, while desperately trying to release some kind of evil entity into the world.

Whatever you do, be careful about saying Marianne’s name three times…you have been warned!

The Pros:

Marianne 9 22 4 — Images courtesy of Netflix

This show will scare you enough to leave you with some serious nightmares.

I’m not talking about the typical jump scares we often see. I’m talking about truly frightening moments. There is a terrific build-up and suspense that seamlessly brings these moments to life. The soundtrack works perfectly with these moments and you may want to consider watching this show with the lights on if you are not a fan of horror. Seriously, I keep looking over my shoulder and I finished the show hours ago.

Terrifying characters and a well developed plot.

Before we even get to Marianne, you will notice a lot of discussion going on about the old woman she possesses. I have to hand it to this actress, who has just completely traumatized me for life!

The plot moves fairly quickly, but once you get past the first three episodes, the rest of the show flies by, as it introduces more pieces to the puzzle, luring you in so much, that you may want to ensure that Marianne is not nearby. The imagery is beautiful and I loved the concept of the pages from Emma’s book series appearing on screen.

The Cons:

Marianne 9 22 5 — Images courtesy of Netflix

The switching of genres is slightly jarring.

As Emma returns home, we get a lot of fluff involving some drama with her friends and family that I could have honestly done without. While some of the past flashbacks and revelations were necessary and interesting, other parts just kind of seemed forced and I almost felt like I started watching another show without realizing it.

I think part of the problem was that I didn’t really care that much about Emma’s group of friends. There were some redeeming moments here and there, but other moments just felt filler and boring.

There was also the introduction of some comedy thrown in that felt out of place. This sometimes made the show move slower and I’m still not really sure what the point of this was. Luckily, the terrifying moments and plot reveals were enough to overshadow this.

So am I in or out?

Marianne 9 22 6 — Images courtesy of Netflix

I am in! Sure, I may have nightmares for quite a while, but this show was genuinely frightening and unique. We are left with a cliffhanger ending, so hopefully we will get a second season, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this show.

If you are a fan of horror, you will absolutely be entertained and the writer in me loved the idea of characters coming to life, really reminding us that words certainly have a lot of power and we can unleash anything we want. Although we may want to slam the book shut on Marianne…

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Marianne in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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Ranking the top 5 moments from “The Affair” season 5 episode 5: “You Are Enough”

Happy Sunday TV fans! After watching Showtime’s The Affair season 5 episode 5, I realized that you can tell yourself over and over again that you are enough, but you need to truly believe it. Sometimes that means trusting our instincts and other times that means saying no, but it all comes down to how we view ourselves and perhaps how we want to be viewed. Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.

In tonight’s episode, “505,” Helen prepares to make her official debut as Sasha Mann’s girlfriend, but is constantly pressured by others around her. Meanwhile, Sierra desperately tries to adjust to motherhood, which becomes even more difficult when her own mother arrives in town. My top 5 moments from The Affair season 5 episode 5 are:

“I’m so sorry…”

Part one of the episode follows Sierra, as she adjusts to motherhood. Sierra has been raising baby Eddie by herself for four months and it is clearly taking a toll on her. Sierra desperately tries to find her balance and tells herself, “Everyday and in every way…today, I am enough.”

Even though the phrase certainly has a nice ring to it and I think I might try it out myself, Sierra has trouble keeping her cool, especially since baby Eddie will not stop crying. Sierra goes to an acting audition and initially thinks she did not do a good enough job, but I am more concerned that she decided to leave baby Eddie in the car during the audition…

“I just didn’t think men like you existed…except in the movies.”

During Helen’s part of the episode, Helen and Sasha appear to be getting closer and Sasha even tells Helen that he loves her. Helen is slightly hesitant, but it looks like she does have strong feelings for Sasha, but things get a little bit overwhelming when she learns that she will be basically making a public debut as Sasha Mann’s girlfriend at a party.

Everyone seems to comment on how “normal” Helen is, which makes me wonder if she is really cut out for the Hollywood lifestyle and we even get to run into an old friend…Noah’s book agent, Eden. Remember her? I have to admit, I was glad to see a little bit of jealousy running across her face when she saw who Helen was dating, especially since she did have a brief affair with Noah as well in the past.

“She’s been like a second mother to me.”

After Sierra lands the role, she is beyond excited, but she suddenly remembers she needs to find someone to watch baby Eddie. After her mother bails on her, she tries to ask Helen, but Helen tells her to figure it out and Stacey offers to watch him. Sierra makes another questionable call by leaving her baby with a 12-year-old, but does end up doing well at her first taping…once she gets out of her head.

Perhaps she should have left it there, but Sierra decides to have some time for herself and ends up doing drugs and sleeping with the director. After stumbling into Helen’s place at 2 am, she decides to take baby Eddie for a drive to calm him down and crashes the car. Luckily, she and Eddie are OK, but I’m hoping that this is a huge wake up call for Sierra.

“I don’t love you anymore.”

During the episode, we also get a brief moment between Noah and Helen. Noah comes to apologize to Helen for his behavior and tells her that he still loves her and wants her back. Helen stays strong; however, and tells Noah that she doesn’t love him anymore and that she’s not sure what the word “love” means to Noah.

While I’m not convinced that Sasha is the better choice for Helen, I was proud of her in this moment. Noah has had so many chances with Helen and he has continued to mess them up. While I appreciate his honesty with Helen, I think that she was right to turn him down here. Go Helen!

“You have everyone fooled.”

Helen tries out saying “no” in this episode, but she starts to have second thoughts about it later on. Vic’s mother, Priya, begs Helen to bring baby Eddie to meet her brother because she doesn’t want everyone in her family to know that Eddie is actually Sierra’s baby. After witnessing Sasha breaking his promise to one of his friends about a movie deal, Helen starts to realize that perhaps Sasha isn’t as perfect as he may seem.

Priya knocks on her door and tells Helen that she has everyone fooled and that Vic told her she was a selfless person. This encounter clearly impacts Helen and I think she is going to start really looking at her choices moving forward. While I want Helen to find happiness for herself, I also don’t want her to turn her back on who she is either.

Overall, I thought this was another revealing and moving episode, but I also want more Joanie screen time. It looks like we will be getting a Joanie-centric episode next week so I am super excited about that. There are still so many unanswered questions surrounding Cole’s death and Alison, so I’m hoping we will finally get to devote some time to that in episode 6. Stay tuned!

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on The Affair below in the comments section. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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My performance of the week ending 9/21/19 on TV goes to…

Emma Roberts as Brooke on FX Network’s American Horror Story: 1984. So I was initially disappointed when I found out that both Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters would not be appearing in the ninth season of AHS, but after watching the premiere, I am confident that Emma Roberts can lead the way to another fantastic season.

I have always been a huge fan of hers and I am really excited that she is finally getting a chance to step out of the supporting role and into the lead. I loved her in Scream 4, she had me laughing hysterically in Scream Queens (please bring us that revival soon) and one of my favorite characters on television is Madison Montgomery from AHS: Coven/Apocalypse.

There are some big shoes to fill here, but I am already so invested in Brooke’s character and I believe that she has Final Girl potential…even though she may not be making the best decisions, but this is supposed to be channeling an 80’s slasher movie vibe after all. Please not some spoilers are ahead if you are not up-to-date on the series.

Brooke is already being targeted by the Night Stalker (AHS Hotel connection) and Mr. Jingles, but her camp counselor friends think that she needs to let loose and leave some of these hallucinations behind. Brooke desperately tries to get them to believe her, but I have a feeling that the bodies will need to start piling up before anyone will really listen to her.

We also see Brooke looking at an engagement ring in her jewelry box, which means we will probably get bits and pieces of her past sprinkled into the mix, but is there any connection here to either of the two killers?

I know that some fans were disappointed that we already learned about the killer’s identity in the season premiere, but that just means that there are some unexpected twists and turns heading our way and I wonder if perhaps Brooke isn’t as innocent as she may appear to be? It seems like a lot of the characters may have something to hide, but that just makes the show that much more entertaining, as we get to fill in the pieces together while the mystery unfolds.

What’s next for Brooke? We’ll have to wait and see, but I want to know more about her past and I want to find out why the killers seem to be targeting her specifically. Emma Roberts can play any character to perfection and I can’t wait to find out if she is my true Final Girl or if she is a villain in disguise. After all, she did surprise us all in Scream 4 so you never know!

Either way, I am already impressed with Emma Roberts and I am confident that she will continue to capture our undivided attention. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Stay tuned for a recognized performance on TV each week!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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Have a performance on TV that you think is simply outstanding? Feel free to contact me with your nomination for the week by Friday at midnight!

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Ranking the top 5 moments from “American Horror Story: 1984” season 9 episode 1 Season Premiere: “Welcome to Camp Redwood”

Happy Thursday TV fans! After watching the FX network’s American Horror Story: 1984 season 9 episode 1 last night, I remembered that perhaps we should listen to creepy gas attendants who tell us that there’s nowhere to run or hide. Or maybe we should go answer a payphone in the middle of the woods when a killer is on the loose. Let’s make some good choices and go back in time to enjoy some 80’s slasher fun with a killer soundtrack! Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.

In last night’s episode, “Camp Redwood,” Brooke, Montana, Xavier, Chet, and Ray all meet at Perfect 10 Aerobics and decide to take summer jobs as camp counselors at Camp Redwood. We hear the campfire chilling story of the infamous killer, Mr. Jingles and it seems like anyone with a half a brain would stay clear of this camp, but where would be the fun in that? My top 5 moments from the American Horror Story: 1984 season 9 episode 1 season premiere are:

“I heard serial killers become more active in the summer months when it’s hot.”

Meet Brooke, played by the brilliant and amazing Emma Roberts, who seems to hit it off right away with Montana, played by Billie Lourd, at an aerobics class. Brooke appears to be somewhat of a shy loner and clearly has a past since we witness her looking at an engagement ring in her jewelry box, but I’m already invested in her character and Emma Roberts can do no wrong for me.

“You’re a bad-ass!”

So maybe Brooke should have taken her own advice about leaving windows open in her apartment. After initially turning down Xavier’s offer to go to Camp Redwood with them, an intruder breaks into her apartment and takes her jewelry. The stranger claims to be the Night Stalker and seems to heavily worship Satan. Connection to Hotel and Apocalypse?

I’m not sure if this attack was random or not, but Brooke makes excellent use of my favorite weapon of choice…a frying pan, which definitely makes her a bad-ass in my book! And so it’s off to Camp Redwood, since Brooke clearly doesn’t want to stay by herself for the summer.

“I have been fighting the lord’s fight against filth around the world for years.”

After our group hits a stranger in front of Camp Redwood with their car, they meet the head of Camp Redwood, Margaret, played by the hilarious and enchanting Leslie Grossman. Seriously, I love this fierce trio of ladies and I’m hoping they can bring the fire again this season.

Margaret seems to be a big fan of following rules and we know what happens when you don’t follow the rules in a slasher film. Margaret reminds them that girls wear red and boys wear blue and that they shouldn’t even try to make purple, which was another fun connection to Apocalypse. Margaret has a vision of making Camp Redwood into a safe and pure place for children, but I’m not sure one can ever really lose the reputation of being the site of the “worst summer camp massacre of all time.”

“He liked to kill and he was good at it.”

The opening of the episode flashes back to 1970 and we witness serial killer, Benjamin Richter (aka Mr. Jingles) brutally attacking and killing some camp counselors who were having some late night extracurricular activities together. In 1984, the group gathers around a campfire and Rita, played by Angelica Ross, fills them in on the history and questions why they are all really there.

Mr. Jingles apparently has a thing for collecting ears, which is beyond disturbing and we discover that Margaret is the only survivor from his massacre, showing off her missing ear. We also learn that Mr. Jingles has escaped the asylum he was in during present day (1984), grabbing a new set of keys, as he heads off to Camp Redwood.

Is he looking to eliminate Margaret once and for all or is he just looking to kill as he goes? I’m not sure just yet, but there has to be a lot more to this if we are revealing the identity of the killer in episode 1. Perhaps Margaret is in on it now? It’s an early theory of mine, but we shall see.

“It was him! I am not imagining all of this!”

After discovering the stranger from the road hung up on the back of a door, Brooke freaks out and takes off. She is able to escape, but her friends think she is imagining things, especially when the body has mysteriously vanished and the rain coat killer seems to just be a rain coat. Brooke is convinced that what she saw is real and decides to throw all caution out the window by answering a ringing payphone outside.

I’m not really sure this is the best decision, but it does give us a chance to see that the Night Stalker is also lurking in the shadows. Are there two killers on the loose or is this all connected? I’m not sure, but it looks like Brooke is our potential final girl and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Overall, I thought the season 9 premiere was a lot of fun. It provided us with a lot of nostalgia and cleverly reminded us about the slasher movie trope, while keeping us invested in the main plot. It looks like I am planning on staying at Camp Redwood after all. How about you?

**Fun fact: Roy from “Roy’s Gas n Grab” warns our group of characters and tells them that they’re all going to die, which is a fun throwback to Crazy Ralph in Friday the 13^th telling the counselors they are all doomed.

American Horror Story: 1984 episode 1 Music Soundtrack Highlights:

Bananarama – Cruel Summer

Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me 1984

Daryl Hall & John Oates – Private Eyes

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on American Horror Story: 1984 below in the comments section. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

The Dreaming of Wonderland Book Series is available here!

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