NBC’s medical drama Transplant is taking a two-week break and will return with an episode that finds the staff rebelling against Devi. “Work to Rule” will air on Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT.
Hamza Haq leads the cast as Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed and Sirena Gulamgaus stars as Amira. Rekha Sharma plays Dr. Neeta Devi, Laurence Leboeuf is Dr. Magalie “Mags” Leblanc, and Ayisha Issa stars as Dr. June Curtis. Jim Watson plays Dr. Theo Hunter, Torri Higginson is Claire Malone, and Gord Rand is Dr. Mark Novak.
“Work to Rule” Plot: Bash reels from Amira’s bold decision, and tensions flare at an after-work dinner party. Devi struggles to keep her staff in line as turmoil erupts over her leadership. Mags treats a highly sensitive person. Theo considers breaking some hospital rules.
Laurence Leboeuf as Dr. Magalie Leblanc and Hamza Haq as Dr. Bashir Hamed in ‘Transplant’ season 3 episode 7 (Photo by: Sphere Media/CTV)
The Season 3 Plot, Courtesy of NBC:
The new season finds Bashir “Bash” Hamed (Haq) continuing his journey to start over, but with each new milestone comes a new challenge. While pursuing Canadian citizenship for himself and his younger sister, Amira (Gulamgaus), Bash closely examines who he’s becoming in his adopted country.
Still being asked repeatedly to prove himself, Bash works closely with his colleagues as they move forward following the dramatic conclusion of season two. Everyone continues to find themselves looking to adapt to change and understand how they fit in, both within and beyond the walls of York Memorial Hospital.
After Dr. Bishop’s (John Hannah) sudden departure, the team gains a new boss with the forward-thinking Dr. Neeta Devi. Dr. Devi has big ideas when it comes to overhauling the emergency department at York Memorial.
Jim Watson as Dr. Theo Hunter, Laurence Leboeuf as Dr. Magalie Leblanc, and Gavin Fox as Brock Paulson in season 3 episode 7 (Photo by: Sphere Media/CTV)Rekha Sharma as Dr. Neeta Devi and Rick Roberts as Dr. Neil Olsen in season 3 episode 7 (Photo by: Sphere Media/CTV)Hamza Haq as Dr. Bashir Hamed and Laurence Leboeuf as Dr. Magalie Leblanc in season 3 episode 7 (Photo by: Yan Turcotte/Sphere Media/CTV)Laurence Leboeuf as Dr. Magalie Leblanc and Rekha Sharma as Dr. Neeta Devi in season 3 episode 7 (Photo by: Sphere Media/CTV)Rekha Sharma as Dr. Neeta Devi and Ayisha Issa as Dr. June Curtis in season 3 episode 7 (Photo by: Yan Turcotte/Sphere Media/CTV)Jake Lewis as Solomon Morris and Jim Watson as Dr. Theo Hunter in season 3 episode 7 (Photo by: Yan Turcotte/Sphere Media/CTV)Laurence Leboeuf as Dr. Magalie Leblanc, Hamza Haq as Dr. Bashir Hamed, and Jim Watson as Dr. Theo Hunter in season 3 episode 7 (Photo by: Yan Turcotte/Sphere Media/CTV)
Wyatt Russell in ‘Monarch Legacy of Monsters’ episode 2 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Episode two slips into a time period that Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters didn’t visit in episode one and reveals how Lee, Keiko, and Bill met. The second episode also introduces Kurt Russell as the older version of Lee Shaw, played in the ‘50s by his son, Wyatt.
Episode two, “Departure,” begins with Lt. Lee Shaw in big trouble in Manila, circa 1952, after getting into a fistfight with his fellow soldiers. Lee claims the fight picked him, but it doesn’t matter. General Puckett (Christopher Heyerdahl) informs him of a new assignment: observing and protecting a Japanese scientist.
It’s dangerous – a man has already been lost – and Puckett warns Lee that he needs to take his new assignment seriously.
The scene switches to the Mindanao docks in the Philippines where Lee seems unable to wrap his head around the fact the scientist he’s charged with protecting is a woman. Dr. Keiko Mura (Mari Yamamoto) puts Lee in his place, and off they go with Keiko driving like a bat out of hell. Lee’s concerned about her driving skills and admits he has no idea what this assignment is even about.
He’s shocked to hear that Keiko’s researching the mysterious appearance of radioactive isotopes that have been traced back to the Philippines. The trail leading to the source diminishes every day, and Keiko needs to hurry before it completely disappears.
Lee confesses he thinks this is all a wild goose chase that she was sent on because she’s a woman.
They’ve stopped to do some atmospheric readings when something rustles in the nearby woods. Bill Randa (Anders Holm) stumbles out of the bushes and is shocked to discover he’s not alone in the area. Lee places a gun to the back of his head, and Bill blurts out that he’s an American Navy veteran. Lee questions why Bill’s filming the area, and Bill explains he’s a cryptozoologist (studies animals that don’t exist).
Bill thinks they’re both hunting for the same thing: the truth.
Anders Holt, Mari Yamamoto and Wyatt Russell in ‘Monarch Legacy of Monsters’ episode 2 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Lee’s holstered his weapon, for now, and Bill reveals he doesn’t think following the radiation will lead anywhere. Instead, they need to pay attention to the local folklore about a dragon that traced a path of fire across the sky. That might have been a path of radiation.
Lee protests, but Keiko invites Bill – who Lee points out is very smelly – to join them. (Good thing they’re traveling in an open-air Jeep.) Since Lee doesn’t want Bill to hang around, Keiko relieves Lee of his duty.
Lee drives off, alone, taking the Jeep but promising to send someone to take over his assignment.
Bill describes the creatures he’s hunting as Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms (MUTOs), taking credit for that name. He shows Keiko his journal with a chart that shows how the lights in the sky have made the same path for centuries, like migrating birds.
Keiko has her own chart to show off. The tracks of the surveillance aircraft match perfectly with Bill’s MUTOs movement. They follow the map and are stunned to find the USS Lawton in the middle of a meadow, which isn’t where a battleship should be.
Bill explains the ship went down 200 miles from Pearl Harbor in 1943 and is supposed to be 5,000 miles from Tokyo underwater. Bill films as they explore inside the wreckage but stops when he discovers his old trunk is still in good shape and still contains all the possessions he brought on board. Keiko finally realizes Bill was on this ship, and Bill confesses he’d been hoping he’d find this ship. It confirms they were, in fact, attacked by a MUTO; he was the only survivor.
(John Goodman’s Bill Randa mentions the ship in Kong: Skull Island, describing its destruction by a MUTO.)
Meanwhile, the Geiger counter reacts to a reading and Lee makes a U-turn, heading back to Bill and Keiko.
The ship’s walls – and his shipmates’ dead bodies – are covered with a slimy organic substance. They decide it’s time to beat a hasty retreat, but their passage is now full of fresh, dripping slime that wasn’t there before.
Bill leads the way toward a different exit as the ship shakes, parts come crashing down, and a creature launches an attack. Just then, Lee returns carrying a flare and is completely confused about what’s going on. (Can’t blame the guy one bit.) There’s no time to explain as he’s almost snatched up in a giant claw while trying to free Bill who’s trapped under a fallen piece of the ship.
They leap out of a hole in the side of the ship and run away just as the ship falls over on its side. A massive winged kaiju known as an Ion Dragon emerges from the wreckage and swoops toward our fleeing heroes who barely escape with their lives.
Lee looks up at the massive creature and says in awe, “Oh my god, it is a dragon!”
Kiersey Clemons, Anna Sawai and Ren Watabe in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 2 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Tokyo 2015 – Kentaro, Cate and May Catch Monarch’s Attention
Kentaro (Ren Watabe) visits his dad’s office looking for more clues about his involvement in the mysterious Monarch organization. Frustrated over all his father’s secrets, he spends a minute trashing the place before deciding to open a locked file cabinet.
Inside is a folder with the Monarch logo and a file on Lee Shaw that indicates he moved into a retirement community. It’s also revealed Shaw’s birthdate is August 3, 1924, so in 2015 he should be 91.
The folder also contains a reel of film from the Philippines.
Later, Cate (Anna Sawai) is all packed up and heading to the train station, unaware she’s being followed. Her mom calls and Cate confesses that whatever her dad was working on has nothing to do with the family. The man following her catches up and makes small talk, and his joke about being buried alive in a coffin goes over like a lead balloon.
The stranger introduces himself as Tim (Joe Tippett), says he works for Monarch, and wants the files returned immediately. He doesn’t give her a chance to flee, grabbing her arm when she says she needs to make a call. They head out of the train station, and she calls her mom on speaker. Suddenly, she throws the phone at Tim’s face, leaves her luggage behind, and makes a run for it. Unfortunately, Tim’s got backup and she’s shoved into a car.
Tim places a hood over her face and swears they won’t hurt her. Cate panics and experiences a flashback of Godzilla and the Golden Gate Bridge. She kicks the driver, Duvall (Elisa Lasowski), in the head, causing her to lose control of the car and sending it crashing into a barricade.
Cate makes her way out and runs off before her abductors can follow. She manages to make it to a police station and gives a report of the assault. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have any ID because it was in the bag that she left behind. Everything’s gone, including her passport and money.
The cop doesn’t believe her story and suggests she pay a visit to the American Embassy. He makes a call while she’s still at the desk and Cate takes off.
Kentaro heads over to May’s place, and after an uncomfortable moment of rehashing their relationship, he asks for the old computer files. She doesn’t turn them over and instead sends him away. After slamming the door in his face, she gets back to work making a backup of the Monarch files.
Kentaro returns home to find his mom going through old family photos. They relieve some stress and anger by ripping up all the photos of his dad, Hiroshi, giggling while they toss the pieces in the air.
While Emiko (Qyoko Kudo) heats up dinner, Kentaro picks up a photo. He instantly recognizes it as Lee Shaw. It’s revealed Hiroshi’s dad died in the Vietnam War and Lee was the only “family” he had left. It’s strange Hiroshi never mentioned him, and Emiko believes they had a falling out. She doesn’t know if Lee is still alive.
Cate finds her way back to May’s only to discover May (Kiersey Clemons) hiding outside while Tim and Duvall search her apartment.
Kentaro receives an urgent text from May, but Tim knocks on the door before he can call her back. Kentaro’s mom grabs a photo of Lee as Tim and Duvall force their way inside the apartment, demanding the stolen Monarch files. Kentaro refuses to turn them over, and Emiko secretly slips the photo of Lee into his hand before sending him out of the room to retrieve what he stole.
Emiko does a terrific job of protecting her son, preventing Tim from following Kentaro and keeping them distracted with an offer of tea. She keeps up a steady stream of conversation to distract them, but Tim spots photos of Hiroshi on the wall and finally realizes her connection to Monarch.
Emiko screams at Kentaro to run as Tim and Duvall give chase. Fortunately, he had a head start and gets away but leaves the empty Monarch bag behind.
Meanwhile, May and Cate retrieve May’s go-bag, which contains extra passports and cash. (She’s been prepared since the attack on San Francisco.) Kentaro catches up with them and fills them in on Tim, which leads to an argument over what to do next. Kentaro ends the debate by claiming he knows where they need to head.
Kurt Russell in ‘Monarch Legacy of Monsters’ episode 2 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Kentaro, May, and Cate show up at the retirement community and, thankfully, Lee Shaw is still alive. (Kurt Russell takes over the Lee role from his son, Wyatt, and at 72, looks nowhere near 91!) Lee’s happy to reunite with Hiroshi’s son, and shocked to learn Hiroshi also has a daughter. Lee suggests they step outside away from the surveillance cameras to talk.
The trio tell Lee they found “monster shit” and crazy files in Hiroshi’s safe. They want to know what happened to Hiroshi and because he was so secretive, they have no idea what he was up to when he disappeared.
May has been examining the garden as they talk and finds a hidden camera tucked into a tree. Lee reveals he’s wearing an ankle bracelet that tracks him, and the facility is referred to by Monarch as Secure Asset Management. He’s basically being kept prisoner, and now that Monarch’s onto them, they’ll be after the trio, too.
He suggests they make a break for it and cuts off his tracker, giving them a minute head start before security figures out what they’re up to.
Anna Sawai in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 1 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Apple TV+’s incredibly entertaining Monarch: Legacy of Monsters takes a deep dive into Legendary’s Monsterverse and reveals the roots of the mysterious Monarch organization. Told over multiple timelines, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season one serves up ample helpings of the “monster” portion of Monsterverse while also doing a considerably better job of incorporating the human drama (with a sprinkling of humor) than the feature films have managed to pull off.
Episode one, streaming on November 17, 2023, opens with a flashback to Skull Island 1973. John Goodman’s Bill Randa from 2017’s Kong: Skull Island apologizes to the camera and reveals he’s leaving a legacy so that people will realize it’s all worth it.
Bill drops his camera as he flees a massive Mother Longlegs to the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. He removes a bag and tosses it into the sea just as Mantleclaw (a massive crab beastie) emerges from the ground to attack the Longlegs. The fight results in both creatures tumbling into the ocean as Bill’s package with Monarch markings floats by.
Fast-forward to the Sea of Japan in 2013, and Bill’s package gets caught up in a fishing net. A fisherman examines it briefly before returning to sorting his catch.
Leap forward a few more years to 2015 and Cate Randa (Anna Sawai) remains seated on a packed plane as men spray a disinfectant throughout the cabin. Their containment suits prompt a flashback to being trapped on the Golden Gate Bridge while Godzilla was attacking. (Remember the sequence in 2014’s Godzilla?) She finally disembarks and notices the “Godzilla Evacuation route” signs painted on the pathway, with large yellow arrows showing the way.
The threat of Godzilla is very real in this altered version of our world.
Cate’s an American schoolteacher from San Francisco visiting Tokyo, Japan, to investigate a set of keys that belonged to her missing and presumed dead dad. As the taxi drives her to an address she’s never visited, she spots signs indicating what to do if Godzilla returns. Giant missile launchers also signal the city’s preparedness for an eventual attack.
Her taxi driver confirms the government’s investing money on missiles and drones, even though he personally believes the attack in San Francisco was a hoax perpetrated with CGI. Obviously, Cate knows better since she was on the bridge and lived through it, but she doesn’t argue with this conspiracy theorist. (After all, what’s the point?)
Her mom calls just as she approaches her father’s apartment, and we learn that neither woman has any idea why he was keeping a place in Tokyo. Cate’s shocked the key actually works in the door and then stunned when the apartment is filled with photos of her father, Hiroshi (Takehiro Hira), with another woman and child.
The people in the photos are in the apartment and justifiably assume that she might be crazy since she just broke into their home. Cate shows them the keys she found in her father’s desk, and only then do they all realize the deceased man had two families.
The son, Kentaro (Ren Watabe), is skeptical that Cate is who she says she is. Cate shows them family photos to prove they have the same dad. She also reveals he was rarely home on weekends, even though her parents were married for 30 years.
Cate isn’t judging this other family but does wonder who he cheated on first. Her dad’s other wife, Emiko (Qyoko Kudo), begs her to help it all make sense, and Cate changes her mind and apologizes for intruding. She leaves her dad’s keys behind and takes off.
Ren Watabe, Qyoko Kudo and Anna Sawai in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,’ premiering November 17, 2023 on Apple TV+
Cate’s mom calls again as she’s leaving the apartment, but they’re suddenly disconnected when the early warning system alarm sounds throughout the city. People race toward safety in shelters specifically designated for such an attack.
Kentaro and Emiko catch up with Cate in the street and escort her to the shelter. They need to remain in place until the all-clear alert sounds, and Kentaro and his mom use this opportunity to ask if Hiroshi was with her in San Francisco when Godzilla attacked.
Cate confirms he wasn’t with her as a flashback shows what happened on the school bus on the day of the attack. She tried to keep the students calm but fell out of the back of the bus while leading the way out. When she made it to her feet, she was face to face with Godzilla!
Still, she continued evacuating the bus until it plunged off the bridge. Unfortunately, some of the students were trapped inside and didn’t survive.
Cate comes out of the flashback and panics. Emiko comforts her as she pulls herself together.
The all-clear signal sounds and everyone makes their way out of the shelter. Kentaro doesn’t want anything to do with Cate, but his mom wants her to join them at home for tea. Cate has no desire to spend time with her father’s other family, but Kentaro points out she came all this way and didn’t accomplished anything. (He’s right.) She doesn’t even know what the other keys on the ring belong to.
Cate reconsiders and accompanies Kentaro to their dad’s office. She’s unimpressed but looks around while questioning whether either of them ever really knew what their father did for a living. Neither ever met anyone he worked with.
Cate’s upset at her dad and rips his work off the wall, exposing a safe. She tries a few passcodes before discovering he used a combination of their birthdays. Inside the safe is the Monarch bag Bill Randa tossed into the ocean all those years ago. She recognizes the Monarch symbol; it was on the men’s uniforms on the Golden Gate Bridge.
The bag smells like fish and contains an old data storage drive. If Kentaro helps her find out what’s on it, Cate promises to get out of his life forever.
They meet with Kentaro’s ex, May (Kiersey Clemons), who happens to be an insanely talented hacker. She’s upset he ghosted her and is now treating her like tech support. Still, she gives in just to help Kentaro determine if Cate’s really his sister.
Back at May’s place, she notes the file is encrypted but manages to work around it. Files designated as top secret open, triggering an alert at Monarch headquarters. A Monarch data culler quickly informs her boss of this development and explains that whoever opened it up quickly took it offline once they determined the software worked. All the techie can say is that the file was accessed in Tokyo. Her boss, Tim (Joe Tippett), sends her away, promising he’ll take care of it.
May, Kentaro, and Cate have no idea what they’re looking at as hundreds of files (letters, photos, charts, etc) pop up on May’s screen. Cate spots a photo of Bigfoot, and Kentaro spots a big satellite map that looks like the one Cate ripped off their dad’s office wall.
Cate reveals people from Monarch were in San Francisco during the attack, and they were taking pictures while Godzilla wreaked havoc on the Golden Gate Bridge. Since the map was in their dad’s office, Cate thinks he must be part of Monarch. Kentaro doesn’t believe their dad would be involved in something like this.
Up to this point, Cate’s pretended she can’t speak Japanese. However, she lets it be known that she can when Kentaro tries to blame her for Hiroshi being in San Francisco and not Japan.
We’re treated to another brief flashback of San Francisco in 2014 and Cate calling her dad from the temporary camp set up for those who’ve been rescued. He quickly joins her and catches her up in a big hug but then explains he can’t flee with her and her mom. He’s got passes for them to go to Reno and asks Cate to take care of her mother since he can’t go with them. He assures her they’ll be all right and says he’s sorry. He says he loves them both before taking off.
A week later, Cate learned his plane disappeared in Alaska. The wreckage was never found.
Kentaro doesn’t think their dad was a monster, and the answers must be in these files. Cate’s attention is drawn to a photo of her grandmother, Keiko, standing in a massive footprint. Kentaro also recognizes Keiko but never met her since she died when their dad was little.
Mari Yamamoto, Wyatt Russell and Anders Holm in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 1 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Kazakhstan 1959 – Introducing Bill, Lee, and Keiko
Cryptozoologist Bill Randa (Anders Holm), soldier Lee Shaw (Wyatt Russell), and scientist Dr. Keiko Mura (Mari Yamamoto) check the radiation levels as they drive out to the middle of nowhere. (Holm is playing a younger version of John Goodman.) Their good-natured banter suggests they’ve been friends for a while, and Bill and Keiko are married with a kid. Lee compliments them on keeping their relationship alive and holding Monarch together.
Lee’s with the duo after being assigned by the Army to keep the pair of scientists alive. They arrive at their target location, and Bill reveals that their task is to confirm that the “network” is real.
They don gas masks before slipping into a restricted area. They don’t make it far before encountering a boy with a rifle who holds them at gunpoint. Keiko takes off her mask to calm the teen, and she’s able to convince him to lower his weapon. She explains that they’re scientists investigating the contamination, and the boy insists that’s a fairy tale. The truth is that the government burned a hole through the earth all the way to hell.
The closer they get to the hole to hell, the more they encounter dead trees. They stop on the edge of a small cliff, and in the near distance are industrial buildings that look deserted. Nothing is growing in the ground surrounding the complex. Keiko’s Geiger counter indicates there isn’t any radiation, even though they detected it miles away.
Keiko thinks there’s something to the boy’s story since the area isn’t cordoned off due to a radiation leak.
They walk through the industrial complex, occasionally seeing a spike on the Geiger counter. However, the spike quickly fades away. Lee believes that means the creatures are eating whatever spiked.
“It’s not like we haven’t seen it before. These things think the A in A-bombs stand for appetizers,” he says semi-jokingly.
Anders Holm, Mari Yamamoto, and Wyatt Russell in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 1 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
They plant charges around the facility and watch as the sonar picks up chambers deep within the rock. It’s exactly what they’ve been looking for, but their celebration is short-lived as the ground opens all around them.
The threesome make their way down a staircase and discover hundreds of massive unidentified terrestrial organisms (MUTO) embryos scattered on the floor. Bill believes it’s a nursery, and Lee points out that means mom must be nearby. Despite the possibility of an angry mother hanging out in the chambers, Bill wants to get busy collecting samples.
As Lee and Bill argue over descending deeper into the chamber, Keiko takes matters into her own hands and climbs over the railing. Keiko’s attached to a rope, and Bill reluctantly agrees it’s the only way to get the creatures’ DNA samples. However, Lee thinks they’re both crazy and wants them to think this through before they do anything rash.
Keiko claims it will only take five minutes, and that’s enough to convince Lee to help. Bill remains on a catwalk above as Lee and Keiko make it to the embryos. Suddenly, the ground cracks again and Keiko is forced to hurry. They can see the creatures inside the eggs, and Keiko believes they’re insectoids since they have multiple appendages.
The ground continues to rumble, and there’s no time to finish withdrawing the DNA as the eggs crack open! Lee and Keiko start to climb the ropes back to safety, but the creatures (called Endoswarmers) grab Keiko’s legs. Episode one ends with the weight on the rope making it impossible for Bill to keep his grip. The rope slips out of his hands, causing Keiko to tumble back to the floor.
Endoswarmers in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 1 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Review:
The first episode effectively introduced the key players viewers will follow over the 10-episode season and dropped a few CG Titans into the mix to satisfy viewers more into creatures than flesh-and-blood characters. The writing’s terrific and the cast is first-rate, and viewers can expect to become emotionally invested in Cate, Kentaro, Max, Keiko, Bill, and Lee as the season progresses.
The casting of Wyatt Russell as a young version of his dad, Kurt, might have sounded gimmicky, but it doesn’t come across that way. It’s perfect, even if Kurt’s 20 years too young for the role.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has enough Easter eggs to demand multiple viewings for those who are well-versed in the Monsterverse. For everyone else, there’s no need to worry about missing a reference. The story works well for both diehard fans and casual Monsterverse viewers.
New episodes of Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters stream on Fridays.
Emma Corrin as Darby Hart and Harris Dickinson as Bill in ‘A Murder at the End of the World’ episode 1 (Photo CR: Lilja Jons/FX)
FX’s new murder mystery series A Murder at the End of the World follows Darby Hart (The Crown’s Emma Corrin), an amateur sleuth and tech-savvy hacker affectionately referred to as a Gen Z Sherlock Holmes. One of nine guests invited to a billionaire’s remote estate, Darby’s skills are put to the test when one of the guests is murdered.
Episode one of the seven-episode limited series opens with Darby presenting the true crime memoir she wrote, The Silver Doe, to a bookstore audience. A bit awkward and shy, she begins to tell them about a murder victim. It’s obvious she was obsessed with the case, drawn to it in part because she’s the coroner’s daughter.
As Darby reads a chapter from her book, a flashback shows her with Bill (Harris Dickinson, Trust) at a motel discussing breaking into a possible serial killer’s house. Bill’s hesitant and wants to let the cops handle it, but Darby’s against it since their suspect is also a cop.
Bill initially refuses to go, but Darby’s powers of persuasion are too strong. They set off on their dangerous adventure that leads to Darby attempting to hack the suspect’s garage door. Unfortunately, she ends up opening all the garages in the vicinity.
She and Bill eventually make their way downstairs into the basement where they begin drilling into the concrete and come up empty-handed. Strangely, the tables have turned and it’s now Bill who’s not ready to give up yet.
Morning arrives, and somehow they fell asleep. Darby’s awakened by a banging noise and realizes someone has rebuilt the panels under the stairs. They rip into the wood, tearing it down and revealing a buried skeleton. They realize the ring Darby has from evidence matches the band on the skeleton’s finger.
Darby and Bill discover they aren’t alone when the basement door opens, and a man with a gun is standing at the top of the stairs. As they begin to say the names of all the murder victims, Bill steps in front of Darby. We hear a gunshot ring out, but the scene cuts away without revealing who was shot.
Emma Corrin as Darby Hart in ‘A Murder at the End of the World’ episode 1 (Photo CR: Chris Saunders/FX)
Back in the present, Darby’s asked by one of the audience members why she dedicated her book to the hacker Lee Anderson. Darby explains that when she was growing up, Lee was one of the only female coders around before she was doxed and her life was ruined.
Another audience member asks what happened between Darby and Bill because they seemed to be so in love. The scene shifts away before she responds.
Darby’s walking home from the presentation when she receives a message informing her that she was sent crime scene photos. She nods off while looking through them but is snapped awake by a text from tech king Andy Ronson’s assistant. Jumping on a video chat, she debates with her friends whether she should click the link that was sent by Ronson’s assistant. Ultimately, Darby decides to go for it.
After granting access to her phone’s camera, she looks outside but sees nothing. Yet when she holds her camera to the window, there’s a man standing there asking to be let up to her place. It turns out he’s there virtually to invite her to Andy’s 2023 retreat.
Darby’s intrigued enough by this invitation that she accepts a trip to Ronson’s remote estate. Before boarding the private plane, she realizes the guy who asked why she dedicated the book to Lee works for Andy.
Darby has her temperature checked and her mouth swabbed … why is that necessary? … and then finds herself on board with several other passengers. One of the passengers is a filmmaker named Martin (Jermaine Fowler), who just happens to be reading her book.
Darby dozes off and dreams about being back at the motel and discovering a note from Bill that describes their relationship as both too much and not enough. He left without saying goodbye.
As the plane lands, those on board finally learn the retreat is in Iceland. Darby gets in a car with Lu Mei (Joan Chen) and makes small talk, asking Lu Mei what she does.
Upon arrival at Ronson’s manor, Darby’s given a ring that will grant her access to certain areas, including her room and the common rooms. Andy’s virtual assistant pops back up as Darby settles into her room and explains that the special glasses on the nightstand will allow her to see him as well as the layout of the building. He also provides information on the guests who will be sitting next to her at the welcome dinner.
Brit Marling as Lee, Jermaine Fowler as Martin, Javed Khan Amrohi as Rohan, Raul Esparza as David, Pegah Ferydoni as Ziba, Alice Braga as Sian, Ryan J. Haddad as Oliver, Joan Chen as Lu Mei, Emma Corrin as Darby Hart, and Clive Owen as Andy (Photo CR: FX)
Once everyone’s gathered around the dinner table, Andy (Clive Owen) introduces himself and his wife, Lee (Brit Marling) – Darby’s hacker hero. Andy reveals he brought them all together for two reasons. One, to introduce them to Ray, his virtual assistant whom he hopes can be more than just an assistant to people. And two, to discuss climate change. Andy believes the people he has gathered are original thinkers.
A guest arrives late to dinner and to Darby’s shock, it’s Bill, who’s now a famous artist.
Dinner is followed by a relaxing nighttime swim, during which Ziba (Pegah Ferydoni) and Martin try to figure out why Darby is there. Martin believes they are all there for some type of audition, but why Darby?
Bill shows up outside her door and she reacts by punching him in the stomach. (Darby really needed to get that out of her system). They take a walk, and he compliments her book, calling it art. He admits he knows Lee and came to the retreat to see her.
Darby asks why he left back then, and Bill admits her bravery scared him. Also, the fact that she left him so many times before he left her – and it didn’t seem to faze her – scared him as well.
A short while later she does a search for Lee Anderson and Fangs (aka Bill) and finds photos of them together in public. She turns on music to ease her mind, landing on a song that fondly reminds her of Bill. Unable to rest, she sets out to look for him.
The opening episode ends with a major twist. Darby stands outside Bill’s room and hears what she initially believes is her ex being intimate with someone. However, she quickly realizes that might not be the noise she’s hearing.
She makes a quick decision to look through his window and sees Bill in distress. He looks at Darby, eyes full of pain and fear, and says, “Darby, stay with me.”
New episodes of FX’s A Murder at the End of the World air on Tuesdays on Hulu.
Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij (The OA) created the series and serve as writers, directors, and executive producers. Andrea Sperling, Melanie Marnich, and Nicki Paluga also executive produce.
Nell Tiger Free (Servant) stares into the camera while lighted candles form a gaping mouth around her and the church’s lights hung above her resemble eyes in the first official photo from The First Omen. The prequel to the 1976 film starring Gregory Peck and directed by Richard Donner centers on Tiger Free’s character and is targeting an April 5, 2024 theatrical release.
The original film was released in June 1976 and was a huge box office success, grossing $60+ million during its theatrical run. The R-rated horror film earned two Oscar nominations, winning for Best Original Score (Jerry Goldsmith). It was also nominated for a WGA award, a Grammy, and a BAFTA award.
Damien: Omen II followed in June 1978, with Omen III: The Final Conflict premiering in 1981. The fourth film, Omen IV: The Awakening, debuted in 1991. An unsuccessful remake starring Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles hit theaters in 2006.
The franchise was revisited in 2016 with the A&E series Damien starring Bradley James in the title role.
In addition to Nell Tiger Free, the prequel stars Tawfeek Barhom (Mary Magdalene), Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ralph Ineson (The Northman), and Bill Nighy (Living). Arkasha Stevenson, Tim Smith, and Keith Thomas wrote the screenplay, based on characters by David Seltzer. Stevenson directed and David S. Goyer and Keith Levine produced. Tim Smith, Whitney Brown, and Gracie Wheelan executive produce.
20th Century Studios released this synopsis:
“When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.”
Now that the DGA, WGA, and SAG-AFTRA have struck new deals, networks can get back to work on their upcoming 2024 midseason lineups. ABC‘s just announced premiere dates for their primetime schedule, which kicks off on January 22, 2024 with a two-hour episode of The Bachelor.
Abbott Elementary will begin its third season with a special one-hour premiere on February 7th. The network’s lineup also includes the debut of 9-1-1, which makes the move from Fox starting with its seventh season.
Tuesdays will feature three returning dramas – Will Trent, The Rookie, and The Good Doctor. And Wednesdays will be all about comedy, with new seasons of The Connors, Not Dead Yet, Abbott Elementary, and Judge Steve Harvey.
ABC’s Thursday lineup consists of first-responder dramas 9-1-1, Grey’s Anatomy, and Station 19. The network is holding High Potential with Kaitlin Olson for the 2024-2025 season.
ABC confirms 2024 midseason premiere dates (Credits: Nino Muñoz, Matt Sayles, Art Streiber, Eric McCandless for ABC)
ABC 2024 MIDSEASON PRIMETIME PREMIERE DATES
MONDAY, JAN. 22
8:00 p.m. The Bachelor (two hours)
10:01 p.m. 20/20 (all-new limited edition true-crime series, title to be announced)
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 7
8:00 p.m. The Conners
8:30 p.m. Not Dead Yet
9:00 p.m. Abbott Elementary (one-hour premiere)
10:00 p.m. Judge Steve Harvey
SUNDAY, FEB. 18
8:00 p.m. American Idol (two hours)
10:00 p.m. What Would You Do?
TUESDAY, FEB. 20
8:00 p.m. Will Trent
9:00 p.m. The Rookie
10:00 p.m. The Good Doctor
THURSDAY, MARCH 14
8:00 p.m. 9-1-1
9:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy
10:00 p.m. Station 19
Disney+ has dropped the official trailer for the upcoming fantasy adventures series Percy Jackson and the Olympians a month out from the show’s premiere. In the two-minute trailer, Percy (Walker Scobell) admits the world has always felt weird to him, like a puzzle with half of its pieces missing. Those missing pieces fall into place once he learns the stories of Greek gods and monsters are real.
Joining Walker Scobell in the eight-episode series are Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood and Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase. Lin-Manuel Miranda is Hermes, Megan Mullally is Alecto aka Mrs. Dodds, Toby Stephens is Poseidon, and Virginia Kull is Sally Jackson.
Additional guest stars include Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus aka Mr. D, Jay Duplass as Hades, Glynn Turman as Chiron aka Mr. Brunner, and Lance Reddick as Zeus. Adam Copeland is Ares, Charlie Bushnell is Luke Castellan, Dior Goodjohn is Clarisse La Rue, Jessica Parker Kennedy is Medusa, Olivea Morton is Nancy Bobofit, Suzanne Cryer is Echidna, Timm Sharp is Gabe Ugliano, and Timothy Omundson is Hephaestus.
Rick Riordan created the world of Percy Jackson in his bestselling book series and co-created the television series with Jon Steinberg. Riordan and Steinberg serve as writers and executive producers. Dan Shotz, Rebecca Riordan, director James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Monica Owusu-Breen, Anders Engström, Bert Salke, and Jet Wilkinson also executive produce. Additional executive producers include The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, and D.J. Goldberg.
The series debuts with the release of the first two episodes on December 20, 2023.
Walker Scobell in ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ episode 3 (Disney/David Bukach)
The Plot, Courtesy of Disney+
Percy Jackson is on a dangerous quest. Outrunning monsters and outwitting gods, he must journey across America to return Zeus’ master bolt and stop an all-out war. After losing his mother, Percy is sheltered at Camp Half-Blood, a sanctuary for demigod children. He must prove himself and confront his origins once he discovers he too is a demigod, and will take off into the perils of pursuing enemies in search of the Underworld.
With the help of his quest mates Annabeth and Grover, Percy’s journey will lead him closer to the answers he seeks: how to fit into a world where he feels out of place, if he’ll ever see his mother again, and if he can ever find out who he’s destined to be.
What Drives You Poster with John Cena (Photo Credit: Roku)
John Cena is teaming up with celebrity friends and hitting the road for his first-ever talk show, What Drives You. Cena’s new series, which expands his relationship with Roku, focuses on our relationship with our cars.
“The car you drive and where you drive it can say a lot about who you are, from your personality type to what you value and prioritize the most,” Cena stated. “What Drives You is all about tapping into this and each guest’s unique connection to their car and a destination close to their heart as the crux of a candid and wide-ranging conversation. It’s a great opportunity for me to ride shotgun and learn from some of the world’s most entertaining and inspiring individuals.”
ITV America’s Leftfield Pictures is producing the eight-episode series, with Cena, David George, Shawn Witt, Sean Moran, Jay Bienstock, and Dan Baime executive producing.
“We’re thrilled to partner with John Cena and Leftfield Pictures to bring our audience What Drives You, a talk series that converges John’s passions of cars, conversation, and entertainment,” said Brian Tannenbaum, Head of Originals, Roku Media. “John infuses extraordinary energy into every conversation he has, giving viewers an under-the-hood look into the lives of each guest.”
Roku offers this description of the new series:
“Cena is revving up the engine in What Drives You, a breakthrough talk show format, where he’ll hit the road with his celebrity friends in their favorite vehicles that hold a special meaning to them. In each episode, he’ll hitch a ride with a new guest for an in-depth interview and curiosity-fueled excursion as they discuss a wide variety of both laugh-out-loud and deeply personal topics, all the while reminiscing about some of the guest’s favorite memories associated with their prized ride.”
Starz is adding the period drama Mary & George to its roster, with an expectation of a 2024 premiere. Described by the network as an audacious historical psychodrama, Mary & George stars Oscar winner Julianne Moore (Still Alice) and Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White & Royal Blue).
In addition to Moore and Galitzine, the series features Nicola Walker (The Split), Niamh Algar (The Wonder), Trine Dyrholm (The Legacy), Sean Gilder (Sherwood), and Adrian Rawlins (Living). Mark O’Halloran (The Miracle Club), Laurie Davidson (Masters of the Air), Samuel Blenkin (Atlanta), Tony Curran (Mayflies), and Jacob McCarthy (SAS: Rogue Heroes) also star.
Rounding out the ensemble are Tom Victor (Consent), Alice Grant (Anthem at Almeida Theatre), Amelia Gething (Emily), Mirren Mack (The Witcher: Blood Origin), Rina Mahoney (Happy Valley), and Simon Russell Beale (The Death of Stalin).
“Mary & George is the perfect complement to Starz’s provocative slate and we’re thrilled to partner with Sky Studios to bring this extraordinary series to U.S. audiences,” said Alison Hoffman, President of Domestic Networks for STARZ. “We can’t wait for the world to discover the untold story of Mary Villiers, who mastered the art of sexual and political conquests in a male-dominated society. And to have Julianne leading this remarkable cast is a dream.”
A Hera Pictures production in association with Sky Studios, Mary & George was acquired by Starz for distribution in the US and Canada. D.C. Moore (Killing Eve) created and wrote the seven-part series, which is inspired by Benjamin Woolley’s nonfiction book The King’s Assassin. Sky Studios’ Sam Hoyle, Here Pictures’ Liza Marshall, and D.C. Moore, Oliver Hermanus, and Julianne Moore executive produce.
Oliver Hermanus (Living) is the lead director.
Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine star in ‘Mary & George’ (Photo Courtesy of Starz)
Starz released this description of Mary & George:
The series is about a treacherous mother and son who schemed, seduced, and killed to conquer the Court of England and the bed of King James I.
Julianne Moore plays Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham, who in 17th century England molded her beautiful son, George, to seduce King James I and become his all-powerful lover. Through outrageous scheming, the pair rose from humble beginnings to become one of the richest, most titled, and influential players the English court had ever seen, and the King’s most trusted advisors.
Nicholas Galitzine plays her son, George Villiers, a naïve romantic who alongside his ruthless mother was prepared to stop at nothing to get to the top. Tony Curran stars as King James I, the target of Mary & George’s seductive scheming.
Nell Verlaque stars in TriStar Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Thanksgiving’
Way back in 2007, when Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez teamed up for the epic shlockfest Grindhouse, they got some of their pals to produce fake, genre-perfect trailers to go along with their two features. A couple of these, Machete and Hobo with a Shotgun, have actually been made into real movies since, but the one that fans have been clamoring to be produced is Eli Roth’sThanksgiving. Finally, more than 15 years later, Roth has given the people what they want. Thanksgiving is here.
Set in the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Thanksgiving opens up with a riot at a Right-Mart Black Friday sale that, as all good Black Friday sales do, begins at 6:00pm on Thanksgiving Day. Lives are lost and lawsuits are settled, and one year later, everything is back to normal.
Well, not really. Much of the town is still up in arms about the callous way that Right-Mart dealt with the carnage. One person in particular is upset enough to dress up as the town’s founder, a Pilgrim named John Carver (get it?), to stalk and kill those who were somehow connected to the riot.
As one might expect, Thanksgiving is a sendup of holiday-themed slashers like Halloween, Black Christmas, and My Bloody Valentine. Also as one might expect, it’s a formula slasher, with the masked killer slicing and dicing his way through his victims.
However, Roth does not stick to the grindhouse aesthetic of his trailer, instead deciding to modernize the look and feel of the story. This makes the movie more of a tribute of sorts to second-generation slashers like Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer. Which makes it self-referential enough for the typical slasher tropes to be hysterical without the whole thing feeling too much like a comedy. Of course, it’s hilarious, but there’s no mistaking that Thanksgiving is a horror movie.
There’s also no mistaking that it’s made by Eli Roth, the director who brought us Hostel and The Green Inferno. It’s a brutally violent movie, full of blood, guts, and gore. And, like all of the best slashers, the kills are as creative as they are graphic. One can almost taste the entrails and smell the burnt flesh as John Carver vengefully works his way through his carefully curated list of targets. In typical slasher fashion, the viewer cheers for the villain just as much as they cheer for the heroes.
There’s a mystery at the heart of Thanksgiving, the solving of which becomes more and more crucial as the body count grows higher and higher. But the answer to the question of who is doing the killing isn’t nearly as important to the audience as it is to the characters. The identity of John Carver doesn’t matter. It’s all about the carving itself.
Horror has always been somewhat political, and Thanksgiving does make a few valid social observations about greed and capitalism. None of this gets in the way of the movie’s true calling, though. It just serves to broaden the eventual suspect (and victim) pool. The point of Thanksgiving is to watch people die in horrible ways. And it gets to that point early and often.
Audiences know exactly what movie they’re getting before they go into Thanksgiving. But Thanksgiving also knows exactly what kind of movie its audience wants, and it delivers that movie. There’s nothing new there, but it’s wildly entertaining and insanely fun. And that makes it well worth the wait.
Grade: B+
MPAA Rating: R for some sexual material, pervasive language, gore, and strong bloody horror violence
