The new trailer for Universal Pictures’ Night Swim opens with a scene similar to IT, with a pool drain subbing in for a sidewalk curb inlet. A child notices something floating in the drain and reaches for it when suddenly a grotesque arms shoots out and grabs the young girl.
A cat becomes a victim of whatever is haunting a backyard pool, and the home owner’s children seem to be particularly sensitive to the supernatural pool dwellers.
“My kids have seen things and I’m worried something is happening to my husband?” says the mom, played by Oscar nominee Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin).
Bryce McGuire (Baghead) wrote and directed the horror film, with James Wan (The Conjuring) and Jason Blum (Five Nights at Freddy’s) producing. Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear and Judson Scott executive produce along with Blumhouse’s Ryan Turek.
Night Swim opens in theaters on January 5, 2024.
Poster for Universal Pictures’ ‘Night Swim’
Night Swim Plot, Courtesy of Universal Pictures:
Based on the acclaimed 2014 short film by Rod Blackhurst and Bryce McGuire, the film stars Wyatt Russell as Ray Waller, a former major league baseball player forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, who moves into a new home with his concerned wife Eve (Condon), teenage daughter Izzy (Hoeferle) and young son Elliot (Warren).
Secretly hoping, against the odds, to return to pro ball, Ray persuades Eve that the new home’s shimmering backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for him. But a dark secret in the home’s past will unleash a malevolent force that will drag the family under, into the depths of inescapable terror.
Joe Keery as Gator Tillman and Jon Hamm as Roy Tillman in ‘Fargo’ season 5 episode 3 (Photo CR: Michelle Faye/FX)
Sheriff Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm) is listening to “Sixteen Tons” on the radio while he rolls up to the murder scene/gas station as FX’s Fargo season five episode three gets underway. For once, his son Gator (Joe Keery) has done the right thing by not broadcasting the fact Ole Munch killed his partner and left a menacing sign on his dead body. So far, only Roy’s aware the gas station’s upped its body count by one.
Gator praises Ole Munch’s big balls, and Roy points out Munch has altered the size of Gator’s. They’ve gotten smaller.
Roy orders Gator to dig up all the info he can on Ole Munch. And he warns his son to sleep with his gun cocked until the situation’s handled.
As for the sheriff’s dead body, they’re setting it up to look like he died in a car crash. Since Roy rules the roost, his death will be labeled an accident.
Roy returns home to find his father-in-law, Odin Little (Michael Copeman), is visiting and wants to talk business. He needs another shipment of guns. Why? Because 1776 is coming and they won’t take the country back by peaceful means.
Their conversation reveals that Roy’s been ordering weapons for the sheriff’s department and then claiming the shipments have gone missing. But with the Feds sniffing around, he’s leery of providing Odin and his crazy, conspiracy-nut followers with more guns right now.
(Reminder: this season’s events take place in Minnesota and North Dakota in 2019.)
Roy kisses his current wife, pauses to admire framed photos on the wall (including wedding photos with his former wife, Nadine, aka Dot), and checks on his twin girls. He’s in bed when Karen (Rebecca Liddiard) opens a chest full of sex props. Roy’s too distracted to be into it, but Karen keeps trying to entice him into a little canoodling.
He pushes her away, too busy obsessing over Dot. (Never would have guessed Roy has nipple rings!)
Juno Temple as Dorothy “Dot” Lyon in ‘Fargo’ season 5 (Photo CR: Frank W Ockenfels III/FX)
Meanwhile, Dot (Juno Temple) is keeping an eye out for any late-night action on their street. She’s got a plan, and to pull it off, she can’t have any nosy neighbors monitoring her movements. Dot’s one smart cookie and makes her way around the neighborhood, changing street signs. If Roy’s minions are still coming for her, they’ll have a dickens of a time navigating the mislabeled streets.
Wayne (David Rysdahl) is off to work, but first, he’s happy to report he called the alarm guy and will be taking the afternoon off to go to the gun store. Apparently, Dot’s makeshift system of exposed electrical wires and sledgehammers over the door convinced the poor guy that his wife’s taking the family’s security very seriously.
Dot barely hears him because she’s busy making the following shopping list:
Shotgun
Pistol
AR-15 ?
Juice boxes (apple)
Cheese
You know, your typical doomsday prepper list.
Dot announces she’s changed their Halloween costumes. Now, Wayne will be a zombie and she and Scotty will be zombie hunters. (They already have a version of Negan’s “Lucille.”)
“Maybe we can find something for the costumes at Gun World. Bulletproof vests and the like,” says Dot.
Sam Spruell as Ole Munch in ‘Fargo’ season 5 (Photo CR: Michelle Faye/FX)
Bismarck, North Dakota
An elderly woman trudges through the snow with a cart full of beer, returning home only to discover she has an unexpected visitor. It’s Ole Munch (Sam Spruell), and he declares that he lives there now.
And now we take a strange trip back in time 500 years to Wales in 1522. A man who looks exactly like Ole Munch is being punished and agrees to eat a dead man’s sins. (A meal is placed on the corpse in the coffin.) He takes the sins onto his own soul.
We return to current events, and Munch has made himself at home at his mother’s house, whether he’s welcome or not.
Wayne and Dot hit up Gun World, with Dot insisting stopping power is their number one priority. She also displays a wealth of knowledge about guns, and Wayne is justifiably stunned by the weapons she selects. Dot doesn’t flinch an eye at the $5,000 price tag, but every part of Wayne’s lanky body flinches at the grand total.
The clerk informs them there’s a seven-day waiting period for a background check. After all, he wouldn’t want to sell to psychopaths…or socialists. Dot is disturbed by the news but doesn’t have a legitimate excuse/believable lie that would allow her to make it a big deal. Instead, she checks out pepper spray as a stopgap measure.
Gator fumes in his room amongst his Don’t Tread on Me flag and risqué photos of models. He repeats, “I’m a winner,” believing that saying it will make it true. It won’t.
Lamorne Morris as Witt Farr in ‘Fargo’ season 5 (CR: Michelle Faye/FX)
North Dakota Deputy Witt Farr (Lamorne Morris) braves the icy sidewalk and enters the North Dakota Highway Patrol headquarters on crutches. His co-worker, Pete (Nathan Crockett), is shocked he’s back already since he’s supposed to be recovering from being shot.
Witt’s there to check out anything they recovered from the dead kidnapper, and Pete reveals someone’s beat him to it. Witt heads to the evidence storage and discovers Gator looking through the dead guy’s box. Gator slips the man’s wallet into his jacket just as Witt walks up. Witt knows he took something, and Gator claims Witt’s just seeing things. The situation escalates to Gator threatening Witt with violence, with a side helping of overt racism just because he’s a creep.
After Gator leaves, Witt discovers the evidence box now only contains a Slim Jim wrapper. On his way out, Witt gets the business card left at the desk by Gator.
As Witt’s doing an internet search on the Tillmans, Minnesota Police Deputy Indira Olmstead emails him a copy of Dot’s arrest report.
Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lorraine Lyon in ‘Fargo’ season 5 (Photo CR: Michelle Faye/FX)
And speaking of Indira (Richa Moorjani), she and her boss meet with Lorraine Lyon (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and her attorney, the deliciously named Danish Graves (David Foley). Lorraine continues to insist her daughter-in-law was never kidnapped and any evidence to the contrary is nonsense. Indira doesn’t back down. She’s got the facts on her side – and Witt’s eyewitness account of the events. (Kudos to Noah Hawley for another season filled to the brim with dynamic female characters.)
Lorraine ignores Indira, aware she won’t get anywhere with her, and turns her attention to Indira’s male boss. She’d loved to wrap this up once and for all and hints she’s willing to spend a little cash to do so. It doesn’t work, and Indira’s supervisor backs her up.
Since the events took place in North Dakota, Lorraine and Danish conclude their interview with the Scandia police with a warning that any further questioning should be done by the North Dakota – not Minnesota – authorities.
Once the officers are gone, Lorraine orders Danish to bring in a Vegas security team headed by Earl Huffman they’ve used on prior occasions. Multiple teams will be stationed to protect the Lyon family, including a team devoted to covering Wayne’s house.
Lorraine’s seen Dot’s other side and believes now’s the time to keep her close. A former CIA agent is diving into her background.
Ole Munch pays close attention to the police radio he took from the dead sheriff.
Roy had thought it best to leave taking care of Dot until after the election, but he’s reconsidered the situation. It’s Halloween, and on All Hallow’s Eve, the dead return…and Dot’s basically returned from the dead, at least in his life. So now Roy wants Gator to take guys they can trust and hit Dot’s house. They can wear masks for cover since that won’t stand out on Halloween.
Gator absorbs the instructions but isn’t as cocky as usual. He knows Dot’s a force to be reckoned with. Plus, Ole Munch is lurking out there somewhere, just waiting to strike.
Night’s fallen by the time Gator and three buddies head to Scandia, with Gator warning them Dot’s the one they need to watch out for. Wayne shouldn’t be a problem.
Jon Hamm as Roy Tillman in ‘Fargo’ season 5 episode 3 (Photo CR: Michelle Faye/FX)
A montage shows Dot putting the finishing touches on Wayne’s zombie costume, Roy taking a seat in an empty chapel, and Ole Munch studying newspapers and his Bible. Wayne does his best zombie impression while Munch munches on pages of the Bible.
The streets are full of snow as Ole Munch strides through the trick-or-treaters.
Dot puts the finishing touches on her homemade security system before heading out with Scotty and Wayne. The phone rings seconds before she steps outside, and on the other end is a voice that sends waves of revulsion coursing through her body.
“Nadine…honey, is that you? Oh, Nadine, honey, is that you?” sings Roy. “Seems like every time I see you, darling, you got something else to do.”
Dot cuts off the song before Roy finishes, hanging up without uttering a word.
Ole Munch performs some sort of weird ritual, sacrificing a goat and covering himself with its blood.
Gator and his buddies cruise Nadine’s neighborhood with its recently rearranged street signs.
Dot takes special note of the van that’s passed her family a few times as they trick-or-treat. As the family returns home, Dot sees the van a few houses away. The driver puts it in reverse, and by the time Dot has followed her family to the front door, the van pulls up right in front of her house.
Dot steps inside, locks the door, and checks the sledgehammer poised to smack anyone who touches the light chain.
Episode three ends with a door creaking open and Ole Munch, dripping in blood and leaving bloody footprints, walking into a house.
Meg Bellamy and Ed McVey in ‘The Crown’ season 6 part 2 (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning series The Crown will come to a close with the upcoming release of season six part two. The final episodes of the series will introduce Ed McVey in the role of Prince William, Meg Bellamy as Kate Middleton, and Luther Ford taking on the role of Prince Harry.
The newcomers join returning series stars Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, and Dominic West as Prince Charles. Claudia Harrison is Princess Anne, Olivia Williams stars as Camilla Parker Bowles, and Bertie Carvel is Tony Blair.
“Prince William (McVey) tries to integrate back into life at Eton in the wake of his mother’s death as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “As she reaches her Golden Jubilee, the Queen (Staunton) reflects on the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles (West) and Camilla (Williams) and the beginnings of a new Royal fairytale in William and Kate (Bellamy).”
Part one premiered on November 16, 2023 and racked up 11.1 million views over its first three days streaming. Part two’s six episodes will debut on December 14.
Peter Morgan created the critically acclaimed drama and serves as writer and executive producers. Additional executive producers include Suzanne Mackie, Andy Harries, Stephen Daldry, Matthew Byam Shaw, and Robert Fox.
Meg Bellamy in season 6 part 2 (Photo Credit: Netflix)Season 6 part 2 (Photo Credit: Netflix)Luther Ford and Ed McVey in season 6 part 2 (Photo Credit: Netflix)Season 6 part 2 (Photo Credit: Netflix)Ed McVey in season 6 part 2 (Photo Credit: Netflix)Dominic West and Olivia Williams in season 6 part 2 (Photo Credit: Netflix)Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce in season 6 part 2 (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Is Gabi’s secret about to be revealed on NBC’s Found season one episode nine? The promo seems to indicate we’re edging closer to the truth about Sir and Gabi being exposed. Episode nine, “Missing While Scamming,” will air on November 28, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT.
Found stars Shanola Hampton as Gabi, Kelli Williams as Margaret, Brett Dalton as Detective Mark Trent, Gabrielle Walsh as Lacey, Arlen Escarpeta as Zeke, Karan Oberoi as Dhan, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Sir.
“Missing While Scamming” Plot: A social media influencer is kidnapped for ransom and as they search for clues, it becomes apparent the case is more complicated than anticipated. Lacy confronts Gabi about their faltering friendship. Sir remembers troubling moments from his past.
Karan Oberoi as Dahn Rana and Shanola Hampton as Gabi Mosely in ‘Found’ season 1 episode 9 (Photo by: Steve Swisher/NBC)
The Plot, Courtesy of NBC:
In any given year, more than 600,000 people are reported missing in the U.S. More than half that number are people of color that the country seems to forget about.
Public relations specialist Gabi Mosely (Hampton) — who was once herself one of those forgotten ones — and her crisis management team now make sure there is always someone looking out for the forgotten missing people. But unbeknownst to anyone, this everyday hero is hiding a chilling secret of her own.
Karan Oberoi as Dahn Rana, Shanola Hampton as Gabi Mosely, and Eden Lee as Riley Davis in episode 9 (Photo by: Steve Swisher/NBC)Brett Dalton as Detective Mark Trent, Arlen Escarpeta as Zeke Wallace, Gabrielle Elise Walsh as Lacey Quinn, and Karan Oberoi as Dahn Rana in episode 9 (Photo by: Steve Swisher/NBC)Kelli Williams as Margaret Reed in episode 9 (Photo by: Steve Swisher/NBC)Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Sir in episode 9 (Photo by: Steve Swisher/NBC)Brett Dalton as Detective Mark Trent, Shanola Hampton as Gabi Mosely, Kelli Williams as Margaret Reed, and Karan Oberoi as Dahn Rana in episode 9 (Photo by: Steve Swisher/NBC)Karan Oberoi as Dahn Rana and Arlen Escarpeta as Zeke Wallace in episode 9 (Photo by: Steve Swisher/NBC)
Ella Purnell (Lucy) and Kyle MacLachlan (Overseer Hank) in ‘Fallout’ (Photo Credit: Prime Video)
Prime Video’s released the first batch of photos from Fallout, an upcoming action drama based on the video game franchise. The photos arrived along with new details on the cast and characters, as well as an updated synopsis.
The streaming service also confirmed Fallout will premiere on April 12, 2024.
“Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have,” reads Prime Video’s synopsis. “Two-hundred years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind—and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.”
Kilter Films’ Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy created the series and serve as executive producers. Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner guide the series as writers, co-showrunners, and executive producers. Nolan directed the first three episodes, and Kilter Films’ Athena Wickham, Bethesda Game Studios’ Todd Howard, and Bethesda Softworks’ James Altman executive produce. Amazon MGM Studios and Kilter Films produce in association with Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks.
Power Suit and Aaron Moten (Maximus) in Fallout (Photo Courtesy of Prime Video)
Fallout Cast and Characters:
• Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets) plays “Lucy.” Lucy is an optimistic Vault Dweller with an all-American, can-do spirit. Her peaceful and idealistic nature is tested when people harm her loved ones.
• Aaron Moten (Emancipation) plays “Maximus.” A young soldier hides his tragic past as he serves in a militaristic faction called Brotherhood of Steel. He believes in the nobility of the Brotherhood’s mission to bring law and order to the Wasteland—and will do anything to further their goals.
• Walton Goggins (Justified) plays “The Ghoul.” The Ghoul survives the Wasteland as a bounty hunter. He is pragmatic, ruthless, and hides a mysterious past.
• Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) plays “Overseer Hank.” Hank is the Overseer of Vault 33 and Lucy’s father. He is eager to change the world for the better.
Additional cast members include Moisés Arias (The King of Staten Island), Sarita Choudhury (Homeland), Michael Emerson (Person of Interest), Leslie Uggams (Deadpool), Frances Turner (The Boys), Dave Register (Heightened), Zach Cherry (Severance), Johnny Pemberton (Ant-Man), Rodrigo Luzzi (Dead Ringers), Annabel O’Hagan (Law & Order: SVU), and Xelia Mendes-Jones (The Wheel of Time).
Walton Goggins as The Ghoul (Photo Courtesy of Prime Video)Power Armor Suits (Photo Courtesy of Prime Video)Brotherhood of Steel and Vertibirds (Photo Courtesy of Prime Video)Walton Goggins as The Ghoul (Photo Courtesy of Prime Video)Ella Purnell as Lucy (Photo Courtesy of Prime Video)Ella Purnell as Lucy (Photo Courtesy of Prime VideoJonathan Nolan and Ella Purnell behind the scenes of ‘Fallout’
Focus Features is hoping Nosferatu will take a bite out of the 2024 Christmas Day box office. The studio has confirmed the horror film will open in theaters on December 25, 2024 for all those who prefer their winter holiday to be accompanied by something a little dark and fangy.
The cast of Nosferatu includes Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok, Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter, Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Friedrich Harding. Emma Corrin plays Anna Harding, Ralph Ineson is Dr. Wilhelm Sievers, Simon McBurney is Knock, and Willem Dafoe is Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz.
The Northman‘s Robert Eggers wrote the screenplay, directs, and serves as a producer. Additional producers include Chris Columbus, Eleanor Columbus, Jeff Robinov, and John Graham.
Commenting on the Christmas 2024 release, Peter Kujawski, Chairman of Focus Features, stated, “The audacious filmmaking of Robert Eggers is always a gift for fans, and we can promise that his Nosferatu is planning quite the Christmas feast.”
“Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake,” reads Focus Features’ synopsis.
Eggers’ other directing credits include 2015’s The VVitch: A New-England Folktale starring Anya Taylor-Joy and 2019’s The Lighthouse with Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe.
‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ season 3 poster (Photo Credit: Starz)
Starz’s popular crime drama Power Book III: Raising Kanan will return for season four, with the network announcing the series has been renewed and production is getting underway.
“We’re thrilled to continue Kanan Stark’s story, and for fans to see how the events of his formative adolescent years continue to mold him into the cold-hearted villain they were first introduced to in Power. We are quite sure that after viewers see the battle lines being drawn between Raq and Kanan on this epic upcoming third season that they will demand more,” said Kathryn Busby, President of Original Programming.
The renewal announcement was made just days prior to season three’s December 1, 2023 premiere. New season three episodes will arrive on Fridays at midnight ET on the Starz app and at 8pm ET/PT on Starz.
Starz confirmed Sascha Penn will be back to guide the series as showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers include the Power universe creator Courtney A. Kemp, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Mark Canton, Chris Selak, and Kevin Fox.
Season four begins production in New York this week.
The season three cast included MeKai Curtis as Kanan, Tony Award winner Patina Miller as Raquel “Raq” Thomas, Omar Epps as Detective Malcolm Howard, London Brown as Marvin Thomas, Malcolm Mays as Lou-Lou Thomas, Hailey Kilgore as Jukebox, Joey Bada$$ as Unique, Shanley Caswell as Detective Burke, Antonio Ortiz as Famous, Joey Bada$$ as Unique, and Grantham Coleman as Ronnie.
AMC+‘s December 2023 lineup includes the premiere of Sundance Now’s The Lovers series, a holiday special with Harry Hamlin, and new episodes of BBC America’s Planet Earth III. The streaming service will also host the Shudder original films It’s a Wonderful Knife and The Sacrifice Game.
AMC+ also announced The Killing starring Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman will be available for binge-watching on December 4, 2023. Season one of UK’s Being Human with Lenora Crichlow, Russell Tovey, and Aidan Turner streams beginning on December 14, with additional seasons arriving on Thursdays. Plus, the quickly canceled Pan Am starring Margot Robbie and Christina Ricci flies in on December 21.
AMC+ December 2023 Lineup
The Lovers – Premieres Thursday, December 7 on AMC+ and Sundance Now; New Episodes Continue Every Thursday Until the Season Finale on January 4
The series follows Janet (Roisin Gallagher, The Dry), a foul-mouthed supermarket worker who doesn’t care about anything, and Seamus (Johnny Flynn, Stardust), a handsome, self-centered, political broadcaster with a seemingly perfect London life and a celebrity girlfriend (Alice Eve, Belgravia). When they unexpectedly meet, they instantly clash – and yet also find themselves inextricably drawn to each other.
In the Kitchen with Harry Hamlin: A Holiday Special – Premieres Wednesday, December 13 on AMC+ and IFC
Get ready for a very Hamlin Holiday! The “King of Bolognese,” Harry Hamlin (Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches), along with his niece and classically trained chef Renee Guilbault, will host In the Kitchen with Harry Hamlin: A Holiday Special. Shot in Hamlin’s home kitchen, the 30-minute cooking show is a unique combination of cooking, dinner party, and documentary … all with a dash of comedy and ‘feels’ along the way. It arrives just in time for the holidays as the duo prepares a festive meal, putting their own spin on classic beef bourguignon, and celebrates the labor of love that is holiday cooking. They’ll be joined by close family and friends, including Hamlin’s wife, actress Lisa Rinna, saxophone legend Kenny G, Hamlin’s daughter model, Delilah Hamlin, Hamlin’s son model and actor, Dimitri Hamlin and others. The special serves as a preview to a full, five-episode series, In the Kitchen with Harry Hamlin, that will air weekly beginning in May 2024 on AMC+ and IFC.
Joe Bob’s Creepy Christmas – Premieres LIVE Friday, December 15 on AMC+ TV and Shudder TV; Available On Demand Beginning December 17
Joe Bob and Darcy deck the bloody halls with a double-helping of yuletide horror while raising money for the less-fortunate… and this year, they get a little help from Ol’ Saint Nick himself.
Planet Earth III – New Episodes of Award-Winning Nature Series Premiere Every Saturday on AMC+ and BBC America Until the Finale on December 23
Seven years after the Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning Planet Earth II, the eagerly anticipated Planet Earth III will journey across the continents revealing the wonders of our planet. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, this spellbinding series will feature never before seen animal behavior, and dive deep into the stories and new challenges that wildlife face in our modern, crowded world.
The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Season 5 – New Episodes of the Drag Competition Continue Every Tuesday on AMC+ and Shudder Until the Season Finale on January 16, 2024
Horror’s new icons The Boulet Brothers are on the hunt to find the world’s next drag monster superstar in this brand new, star-studded fifth season of their hit reality competition show. With new competitors, the challenges, special effects makeup, costumes, and performances promise to be truly terrifying and out-of-this-world.
The Graham Norton Show S31A – New Episodes Continue Tuesdays on AMC+, BBC America and Acorn TV
BAFTA-award-winning talk show features a packed lineup of celebrity guests, laugh out loud stories and exciting musical performances.
New Film Premieres:
It’s a Wonderful Knife – Premieres Friday, December 1 (Shudder Premiere)
A spin on the Christmas classic, the horror film centers on Winnie Carruther (Jane Widdop, Yellowjackets), who saves her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve. A year later, her life is less than wonderful — but when she wishes she’d never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now, the killer is back, and she must team up with the town misfit to identify the killer and get back to her own reality. Also starring Joel McHale (Community) and Justin Long (Barbarian).
The Sacrifice Game – Premieres Friday, December 8 (Shudder Original)
It’s bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives on their doorstep – just in time for Christmas. Starring Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Olivia Scott Welch (Lucky Hanky), Gus Kenworthy (American Horror Story), and Chloë Levine (The Ranger).
Forrest Goodluck as Billy Crow and David Oyelewo as Bass Reeves in ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ episode 5 (Photo Credit: Lauren Smith/Paramount+)
Paramount+’s Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode five opens with the disturbing sight of a dead man hanging from a tree. Attached to his chest is a note that reads, “Bass Reeves will swing here.”
Bass (David Oyelowo) stakes out an area, sending Billy (Forrest Goodluck) into Bywater’s General Store while watching what goes down from afar. Billy returns to report that five armed men are hanging out inside, including the outlaw, Jim Webb. Bass and Billy move in closer, and Bass immediately comes under fire as he approaches the building.
Bass manages to make it to the building and exchanges Bible passages with Webb and his men. Billy and Bass bust into the store through different doors, and the ensuing shootout results in a few of Webb’s men dying and Billy taking a bullet to the side of his neck.
Jim makes a run for it, and Bass pursues him, with a corral loaded with steer separating the lawman and the outlaw. They fire at each other over the heads of the cattle, and Bass is grazed but not injured. Jim leaves the cover of the corral, and it’s an easy shot by Bass to take him down.
Back inside the store, Billy’s gotten to his feet while maintaining pressure on his neck wound. The man he shot is fatally wounded but still gasping for breath while staring at Billy. That freaks Billy out, and Bass warns him that shooting people doesn’t get any easier.
Billy does as ordered and puts the dying man out of his misery.
They collect the boots from the dead outlaws, and Bass steps outside with a sledgehammer. A dog’s chained up outside, and Bass uses the sledgehammer to break his chain, setting him free.
Bass and Billy finally arrive back in town with the men they’ve rounded up, while on the Reeves’ farm, Sally (Demi Singleton) resents having to work beside her mom on their farm. Sally believes her dad makes enough that they can afford to hire help. Jennie (Lauren E. Banks) insists that a little manual labor will keep Sally from getting spoiled.
Jennie reveals she knows Sally’s been secretly meeting up with Arthur, even though she forbids it. Sally’s frustrated and wonders when she’ll be old enough to do anything fun.
Bass steps into Judge Parker’s courtroom as Parker (Donald Sutherland) delivers a speech to a man just found guilty of murder. He then heads over to collect his earnings – $752.75 – and is happy to be heading home with cash in his pocket. Bass has been on the road rounding up criminals for 41 days and just wants to see his family. However, it turns out this reunion’s going to be a short one.
Sherrill Lynn (Dennis Quaid) delivers the bad news that Judge Parker wants Bass to escort prisoner Jackson Cole, currently locked up in Atoka for stealing horses, to Red River where he’ll be tried for killing a candidate for Texas state senator.
Apparently, Lynn’s no longer allowed to do field work and instead is stuck pushing papers – which he hates. That means it’ll be up to Bass to retrieve and deliver Cole, per Judge Parker’s orders. And he’ll have to leave tomorrow.
Bass makes it home, busting out with a huge smile as he hugs his wife. The younger kids don’t seem happy to see him, but Sally’s overjoyed that her dad’s home. She’s even picked out a dress she’s wearing to the carnival he promised to take her to.
Bass and Jennie catch up that night in bed, and Bass confesses that being in Jennie’s arms is what he missed the most while on the road.
The following morning, Billy knocks on the window as the family’s ready to enjoy their breakfast. Bass didn’t mention having to leave again for a week, or that he’ll have to miss taking Sally to the carnival. Bass promises he’ll take her twice next year, but Sally’s too upset and disappointed to care that her dad doesn’t have a choice.
Jennie sends all the kids upstairs, furious that Bass didn’t mention this last night. His kids don’t even recognize him anymore because he’s always gone. Jennie wonders which oath means more to him – the one he swore to her or the one he swore to the law.
A short while later, Sally’s collecting eggs in the henhouse when Jennie suggests she ask Arthur to take her to the carnival. Sally finally has a reason to smile.
Tosin Morohunfola as Jackson Cole, David Oyelowo as Bass Reeves, and Forrest Goodluck as Billy Crow in ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’, episode 5 (Photo Credit: Lauren Smith/Paramount+)
Bass and Billy pick up Jackson (Tosin Morohunfola) from Atoka, and Billy wonders why Jackson killed the candidate. Bass sends Billy ahead to scout the area just so that he’ll stop talking. Jackson points out that they don’t give Blacks badges in Texas.
Thunder roars when they’re taking a break, and Billy’s back to running his mouth. Bass warns him he’s speaking like a fool, and Billy demands Bass tell him what’s changed in their relationship. Bass explains that he no longer thinks Billy has the “grit” to be a Deputy Marshal. Bass blames himself for not teaching Billy the right way to handle the job.
Billy, for once, is speechless. Finally, he asks if Bass is giving up on him. He isn’t.
Bass and Jackson discuss life, and Jackson reveals he was in Galveston for the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. He believed he was witnessing history but came to realize it was really just “a white man reading words.”
The thunderstorm hits, and Billy, Jackson, and Bass ride through the trees, trying to escape the weather.
Sally and Arthur (Lonnie Chavis) wander through the carnival, looking at the bearded lady, a kangaroo, and other attractions they’ve never seen before in their young lives. They’re having a great time until a young girl pulls out her white privilege card and steps in front of them in line to see the elephant. Sally won’t tolerate such behavior, and the child is fortunate that her dad shows up to rescue her from the tongue-lashing she deserves.
Lauren E Banks as Jennie Reeves and Joaquina Kalukango as Esme in ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ episode 5 (Photo Credit: Lauren Smith/Paramount+)
While Sally’s out, Jennie’s friend Esme (Joaquina Kalukango) pays her a visit. Esme asks why Jennie let Sally attend the carnival with a boy, given the world they live in. Esme insists Black people have been disappearing around here, but Jennie thinks that’s just a rumor. However, Esme knows a man named Samson who disappeared in Red Fork. His clothes were still in the room he rented, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Other hotel guests heard horses in the night but don’t know what happened.
Esme’s adamant that he was snatched up by men just because he was Black.
Jennie realizes Esme could be right, and the two women head off to the carnival to check on Sally and Arthur.
Bass takes Jackson’s handcuffs off before Billy knocks on a door seeking shelter. The couple inside speak Spanish and, fortunately, so does Billy. He promises they won’t make any trouble and are the law. The woman knows the law is trouble but allows them inside anyway.
The men are enjoying a hot meal when Billy notices mushrooms on the counter, sniffs his drink, and motions to Bass not to drink anything. Bass understands and motions to Jackson to put down his cup.
Billy interprets as the woman says death is following them. Billy assumes she’s sensing their prisoner’s death, but she shakes her head and points at Bass.
After dinner, Bass stares into the fire and hears voices (he took a small sip before Billy told him not to) while Billy asks if the woman can do magic to make the woman he loves want to be with him. She insists he doesn’t need magic; his neck wound proves he’s already a lucky man.
She offers to clean Bass’s thoughts, but he declines as wolves howl outside. He steps outside and has a smoke with Jackson. Jackson recalls how his regiment rode throughout Texas spreading the word that slaves are now free. They stopped at the Rockrose Plantation owned by James Neblett and discovered Neblett was burning his slaves.
The regiment wasn’t even allowed to bury the bodies.
A decade later, Jackson moved back to Texas and discovered Neblett was running for office and promising to turn back the clock to before the war. Jackson saw what he did to one plantation and would not allow it to happen again.
Sally and Arthur are walking home when four young men, including the brother of the racist white girl, surround them on the road. Sally stands up to them and punches the leader in the face. A brawl breaks out, and Sally knees another boy in the chest. Arthur is a decent fighter, and the fight ends less than a minute after it begins with the boys who started it running away.
Arthur’s upset and believes they have to tell someone, but Sally insists it’s over. Just then, Jennie and Esme ride up and neither Arthur nor Sally reveal what just happened. Esme sees a rip in Arthur’s pants, and Sally quickly lies and says it happened at the carnival.
Morning arrives, and Bass leaves money on the table before joining Jackson and Billy outside. He places the cuffs back on Jackson, and it’s obvious Jackson’s story has deeply affected him, yet he must keep his oath to the law.
The weather’s improved as they make their way to the meeting with the Rangers. Bass is shocked when they arrive at the small tent to discover the Ranger is none other than Esau Pierce (Barry Pepper), the ex-soldier who killed young Curtis back at the Turkey Creek Trading Post in May 1865.
Kurt Russell, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe and Anna Sawai in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 3 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode three picks up seconds after the end of episode two, with the elderly Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell, a spry 72 playing 91) warning Cate (Anna Sawai), May (Kiersey Clemons), and Kentaro (Ren Watabe) they have one minute to decide if they’re going to break him out of the “retirement” community. Kentaro and Cate are desperate to know what happened to their dad, and Lee’s their only hope.
The foursome make a run for the van, and Lee’s totally confused when the van doesn’t need a key to start. Still, he’s the designated driver since he’s got experience fighting his way out of trouble.
Lee rams the front gates and Kentaro realizes he’ll never get his rental car deposit back.
And after just a few minutes with Kurt Russell, his son Wyatt takes over as Lee Shaw for a flashback to an airplane hangar. Dr. Keiko Miura (Mari Yamamoto) and Bill Randa (Anders Holm) aren’t as convinced as Lee that they need to bring the military into their recently formed Monarch operation investigating Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms (MUTOs), but Lee reminds them the government has money and material they desperately need.
Mari Yamamoto, Wyatt Russell and Anders Holm in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 3 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
General Puckett (Christopher Heyerdahl) and his men arrive, and Puckett can’t believe Lee’s really embraced what started out as just a babysitting assignment. The hangar contains a giant impression of a creature’s foot that they took in Indonesia three weeks earlier. Puckett’s confused why something this huge hasn’t been spotted in the wild.
Puckett’s impressed, but this is just a footprint. Lee and Bill suggest there’s a way to lure the creature into the open; all it takes is 150 pounds of uranium. Keiko describes radiation trails she discovered, trails that indicate the creature’s path.
Puckett isn’t buying it because the military needs all its uranium for national defense. Lee points out this massive creature is a threat to global security. That warning works, and the military is on board.
And once more to Kurt as Lee we go, with Lee convinced that if they figure out what’s in Hiroshi’s files, they can beat Monarch to finding Hiroshi. May confesses she already digitized the files, so they don’t need to risk being caught by returning to her apartment. Lee asks her to search for anything mentioning Alaska and confirms Monarch was founded in the late 1940s. And it’s at this point that Russell’s age and the age his character is supposed to be is finally brought up.
“What can I say? Good genes,” says Lee.
Monarch was built on hopes, dreams, and ambitions, but now they’ve lost their way. Lee can’t believe that instead of chasing monsters, they’re hunting May, Cate, and Kentaro. Lee also breaks the news that Hiroshi worked for the family business – Monarch – and knew monsters existed. Cate’s furious no one issued a warning that what happened in San Francisco was a possibility. Lee says no one could have stopped the attack.
“It’s not our family business; it’s the family curse,” says Cate.
They’re traveling on a massive ferry en route to Korea and Lee warns that if they run into an inquisitive border guard who discovers the Monarch files, they’ll be in huge trouble. Lee wants to toss them overboard, but Kentaro stops him. Also, why are they heading to Korea when Hiroshi is in Alaska?
Lee explains they need to meet up with his last old friend for help – that’s why they’re off to Korea. Kentaro gives in and tosses the Monarch files over the side of the ship.
They arrive in Pohang, South Korea, and Lee stumbles through an excuse as to why he doesn’t have a passport. It doesn’t fly, and they’re taken into custody and escorted to a waiting police vehicle. It turns out one of the guards is Lee’s friend, and it’s all a setup to get them past the checkpoint.
Meanwhile, Monarch’s Tim (Joe Tippett) and Duvall (Elisa Lasowski) meet with a Monarch bigwig who’s upset to have been drawn into Tim’s unauthorized operation. She orders them to return to Monarch’s headquarters and cease their pursuit of Cate, Kentaro, and May and the return of Bill Randa’s field notes – a pursuit that led to Lee Shaw escaping Monarch’s control at the retirement center.
Tim’s convinced Lee’s working on a way to avert another G-Day. The Monarch official doesn’t care but when news arrives that Shaw’s in South Korea, she changes her mind and orders Duvall to get on it with help from a tactical team. Duvall requests that Tim be allowed to join her, and the bigwig reluctantly agrees. After all, crazy knows crazy.
Speaking of Lee, his buddy takes them to a plane that looks incapable of lifting off the ground, insisting it’ll make it to Alaska just fine. Lee fills in missing pieces in Hiroshi’s history, explaining by the time that Hiroshi became involved, Monarch was more about bean-counting than monster-hunting. It’s been 20 years since Lee saw Hiroshi, and Lee doesn’t have any real insight into the man he became. Hiroshi took after his mom and Lee insists he wasn’t a liar. He kept secrets but he didn’t lie.
Anna Sawai in ‘Monsters: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 3 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
May discovers geocoordinates in Bill’s handwriting in the files. The notes – and Cate’s memory of where Hiroshi was heading – help Lee to pinpoint Hiroshi’s probable location. He was headed toward Barrow, Alaska but that isn’t where he was going.
Cate confesses she’s not sure whether she’s more afraid of finding her dad or not finding him.
The plane’s instruments start going crazy, and Lee takes over as pilot, positive they’re about to find whatever Hiroshi was after. Lee’s apparently the best pilot around when flying by the seat of his pants. They head straight down and then level out at the last minute. Lee spots a place to land in the snow and puts it down – without crashing. Cate bursts into nervous laughter while May and Kentaro look relieved.
They get out and walk a short way before they come across a plane crash. Parts are strewn around the area of impact, but the dead pilot still strapped into the cockpit isn’t Hiroshi. The other seatbelt is unbuckled, and Lee thinks maybe Hiroshi was thrown free.
Frost Vark Titan in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 3 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
A campsite is set up nearby and inside are supplies, cameras, maps, and equipment to record readings. Cate and Kentaro recognize their dad’s handwriting and the pencil shavings he’d always leave wherever he was working.
They hug when they realize their dad survived.
Lee’s pilot buddy finds a rope that snagged the landing gear and figures out Hiroshi’s plane didn’t crash. He does a bit more looking around and finds huge claw marks in the plane’s hull. It was ripped apart by a creature sometime after it had safely landed!
He runs toward his plane and screams for Lee, May, Cate, and Kentaro to join him. He starts the engine as they race toward the plane but before he gets far, a Frost Vark Titan emerges from under the snow and stops the plane. It sucks all the heat and energy from both the pilot and the airplane, and Lee’s buddy dies frozen stiff behind the wheel.
The creature turns toward the foursome.
Godzilla in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 3 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Bikini Atoll 1954
Lee, Keiko, and Bill arrive and witness the military’s set up a huge bomb (complete with a drawing of Godzilla with a slash through it). Lee speaks with General Puckett and explains they didn’t ask for a uranium bomb. Puckett puts Lee in his place and says that he was ordered to destroy the creature if they managed to draw it out of hiding. They never had any intention of capturing it, and this is what Lee, Keiko, and Bill brought on when they asked for the military’s support.
Beach chairs are set up around base camp to witness what the military hopes will be the destruction of a titan.
Lee knows that if the creature fails to show up, the military will pull its funding. Keiko’s okay with that; she’s upset they just want to blow it up rather than study it.
A camera rolls as suddenly sonar readings spike, indicating there’s something’s out there. Godzilla appears in the water, moving at incredible speed toward the island.
Lee tries one more time to convince General Puckett to stand down. Puckett refuses, unwilling to allow the “enemy” to get the upper hand.
Godzilla rises out of the ocean, lets out a mighty roar, and heads toward where the uranium bomb has been set up. A countdown begins as it approaches, and Lee’s forced to chase after Keiko as she attempts to stop the signal from reaching the bomb.
The bomb ignites and the massive explosion appears to have done its job. Keiko sobs in anger and frustration and cries, “What have we done?!”
Later, Keiko’s still upset and Bill attempts to comfort her while Lee reveals his latest conversation with Puckett. Lee submitted their proposal of multiple Monarch outposts/monitoring stations and more staff, and Puckett rejected it…because they didn’t ask for enough. It turns out Monarch will get a blank check to find more MUTOs!
However, they’ll have to keep all of this top secret. Keiko wonders if they can keep the next discovery secret from General Puckett, but Lee doesn’t want to get court-martialed. Still, he trusts Keiko and replies, “All that I can tell him is what you tell me. And I trust that you will tell me everything that I need to know.”
