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‘Roswell, New Mexico’ Season 4 Episode 10 Recap: “Down in a Hole”

By
Rebecca Murray
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Roswell New Mexico Season 4 Episode 10 Recap
Michael Trevino as Kyle Valenti in ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ season 4 episode 10 (Photo: Michael Moriatis © 2022 The CW Network, LLC)

The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico season four episode 10 reveals that falling through the sinkhole has landed Bonnie and Dallas in Dallas’ dad’s secret pocket world/alternate version of Roswell. Dallas (Quentin Plair) explains he was greeted by his dad’s hologram after falling through the sinkhole, and the hologram told him to travel to where time stands still. After that, he needs to follow the light.

They have no idea if their ultimate destination is Oasis or back to the real Roswell.

Liz (Jeanine Mason) wakes up motivated to solve their alien dilemma. She’s not willing to spend much time talking about what they’ve just been through, and Max (Nathan Dean) notices her hands are shaking. Rather than stay and relax with Max after almost dying, she wants to head out and investigate the sinkhole.

Kyle (Michael Trevino) shows up at Max’s and exchanges an awkward hug with Isobel (Lily Cowles). Michael (Michael Vlamis) provides the coffee while they get caught up on Tezca, who is no longer a bad guy. Isobel thinks they need to give Tezca time to adjust to what she just learned Jones did to her mind.

Isobel explains Tezca said Jones had Theo design a way home. Tezca believes whatever Theo designed, he hid in a pocket dimension. The answers are probably all in Theo’s Bible which Dallas had but Clyde stole.

Michael jokes about Kyle getting probed in Mexico, totally unaware of the “probing” Kyle did with Isobel. Kyle jokes that he doesn’t probe and tell, but he did bring back with him a sealed box that came with a note.

The note reads: “Time will tell you when to join these together.”

They don’t know what it means but Michael recognizes it’s his mom’s handwriting. Isobel thinks maybe it has to do with the way home.

Liz returns to her lab and since this is “Outlaw Liz,” she’s not mad at Shivani. Instead, she’s now on the same page and wants to make more of the alien cure so that nothing ever hurts any of their loved ones.

Isobel relieves Maria (Heather Hemmens) of Tezca babysitting duty, and Isobel decides their first lesson should be mastering their fear. Tezca and Isobel will practice taking down a vision of Jones until Tezca conquers her fear of him. It seems to be working until dozens of other figures, all dressed in white and most bloody, appear. They’re the people Tezca’s killed, including Dallas’ dad, Theo. He screams, “Traitor!” and she drops her weapon.

Tezca recalls being allies and friends with Theo until Jones made her turn on everyone. She storms off and Isobel catches up with her a short while later. She gives Tezca a pep talk and assures her she can be who she wants to be, not who Jones forced her to be.

Meanwhile, Kyle and Michael try and figure out what’s in the box at Michael’s secret lair. Kyle explains Eduardo’s daughter had clues as to where it was hidden and although he’s tried to open it, he can’t. After they set the box down, the room starts rumbling and lights explode. The box opens and missing parts of the console fly out. The console starts rebuilding itself but it’s only 10% complete when it stops.

Michael can’t believe there are still parts missing and instead of thanking Kyle, he’s upset he didn’t bring all the pieces. Kyle has no idea where the rest of it is.

Suddenly, an alien symbol on the console begins blinking. It’s never done that before and Michael’s determined to figure out what it means.

They begin looking through books, trying to find Dallas’ cheat sheet on alien symbols. They finally find the sentient symbology book and according to Dallas’ research, the symbol on the console either means “open” or “death.” Michael’s opting for the open definition, guessing it might open the sinkhole.

Michael puts the clues together and is sure he’s right. He thinks it’s possible this symbol makes the sinkhole not just an entrance but an exit. Kyle, on the other hand, is stuck on the possibility it means death.

Maria and Rosa (Amber Midthunder) combine their alien powers to try and make contact with Dallas, Alex, and Bonnie. Rosa suggests Maria needs to “feel” where they are with her body – not just her mind. Maria gets down on her knees and runs her fingers through the dirt, with Rosa telling her to ride the wave she feels until she finds them.

Maria has a quick vision of Dallas and Bonnie by the Roswell sign. That’s where they need to go next.

And speaking of the Roswell sign, as they approach it in the pocket dimension Dallas recalls he read in his dad’s Bible that there was a time capsule buried by it. Bonnie uses her powers to dig up a box that matches the one Kyle brought back from Mexico. They can’t open it but decide that the clue Theo left meant they need to go to the church since some people think of it as a lighthouse or a beacon of light. Plus, Bonnie recalls an inscription that matches it there.

Max finds Liz in the cave and wants to know what she’s doing with his pod. She claims she’s collecting another sample and wonders why he’s checking on her. She hates being second-guessed and tosses out formulas that Max doesn’t understand. The fact he doesn’t get it proves her point that she needs to talk to someone who does – Shivani.

Max can’t believe she’s returned to working with Shivani, given that Shivani almost killed her. Liz appears to be over it and doesn’t blame her for what she did.

Back at the lab, Shivani and Liz inhale more of the alien cure. With the increased intelligence the vapor provides, they work on analyzing a frog and how suspended animation equates to what the alien pods can do. Yada, yada, yada, more science stuff…and they bring the frog back to life.

Shivani wants to get her daughter ready now, but Liz thinks they need to do more tests. For that, she needs to get more of Rosa’s blood. Shivani points out they just ran out of Rosa’s blood they had on hand and Liz thinks they can get more.

Back in the pocket dimension, Dallas and Bonnie are having a heart-to-heart in the church when Dallas remembers something important. He grabs a record player and the This Little Light O’ Mine album – and Dallas is sure it’s the “light” his dad was talking about. He plays the album and immediately a map appears. Dallas sees an alien symbol on the map in the desert and zooms in on it. He thinks he knows where the symbol leads.

Roswell New Mexico Season 4 Episode 10 Recap
Heather Hemmens as Maria DeLuca in ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ season 4 episode 10 (Photo: Michael Moriatis © 2022 The CW Network, LLC)

Rosa and Maria make it to the sign and Maria can’t figure out why she doesn’t feel anything. Rosa helps her and finally, Maria gets a vision. She sees Bonnie and Dallas walking away from the sign and also spots the welcome sign from the church.

Rosa receives an urgent text from Liz and has to leave, but Maria thinks she’s figured out the next step in finding their lost friends.

Michael and Kyle load the console into the back of the truck and take it out to the sinkhole. It doesn’t work and a frustrated Michael says it’s like they’re stuck in the ET equivalent of a server error. Kyle wants to drop something else into the sinkhole, but Michael is ready to call it quits.

“After all these years…after everything Alex and I have been through…our love is losing out to a hole in the crowd,” says Michael.

Kyle wants Michael not to give up. He’s sure Alex is trying to get back home to Michael. Kyle promises that even if Michael gives up, he’ll keep the faith for him and for Alex.

Michael admits he hates it when Kyle’s right and wants to look through the notebook of crazy ideas again.

Liz seems high as she draws some of Rosa’s blood, going off about there being too much blue in one of Rosa’s paintings. Rosa knows something’s off about her sister and refuses to hand over the vial of blood until Liz explains why she needs it. Liz’s hand shakes uncontrollably as she tries to get Rosa to hand it over without saying why it’s important to her research.

Rosa realizes Liz is taking the alien cure. Liz insults her, grabs the vial, and leaves.

Dallas and Bonnie believe they now have what they need to return home. They walk through the desert and find a large, standing half-circle made of stone. Dallas believes it’s a portal. Nearby is a stone slab and all of a sudden, the sealed box inside Dallas’ backpack begins moving.

Alien glass bursts out of the box and sticks to the slab. What’s formed looks like another piece of Michael’s console. Dallas thinks the console would fit into the stone slab, and Bonnie points out an indenture in the slab that could hold the star map.

They now believe this is somehow a way to get home and that Clyde wasn’t looking for an actual ship.

Since Theo referenced the sunrise in his clue, Dallas believes they need to figure out a way to trigger that.

Maria has made to the location of the stone slab in the real Roswell. There’s water in the top of it and she drops in a penny and watches the ripples. She recalls Rosa telling her to read them and hits a tire iron against the slab to make noise. As soon as she does the portal appears and even though it’s dim and flickering, she can see Dallas and Bonnie through it.

Rosa texts Max and they meet at the café. Rosa reveals she thinks her sister is acting like an addict and the alien mist is acting like a narcotic. Max wants to talk to Liz and hopes he can break through.

Tezca has decided to atone for her sins through the children of the people she hurt. She tells Isobel that she used to be a friend of Nora, Louise, and Theo’s. She describes herself as a go-between who helped pass scientific plans between them.

They enter Tezca’s mindscape to a time when Theo showed her plans for the portal that could move them between worlds. However, Theo believed there needed to be a second one so they could make a bridge.

Theo knew they needed a lock that would prevent Jones and his followers from using it. They snap out of the mindscape and Isobel realizes Jones needed Liz because she could pick the lock.

Tezca confirms Clyde is a true believer.

Dallas recalls Michael saying the console pieces want to be together and decides to tap on the piece on the stone slab. Kyle notices the console is blinking purple and Michael places his hand on it. The console part in the pocket dimension blinks blue. Dallas taps again on his piece and Michael responds by tapping on his console.

Michael realizes Dallas is using Morse code!

Dallas translates the return message and it’s “Are you Alex?”

Michael and Kyle discover they’re communicating with Dallas and Bonnie. Dallas explains they don’t know where they are.

Maria calls Kyle and tells them they need to come to her location with the console. Something strange is going on and she can’t explain it over the phone.

Max confronts Liz and she admits Outlaw Liz won the standoff. He wants to help her stop but she’s excited about how the drug has super-charged her brain. She’s proud she brought the frog back and she accuses him of being scared to use his own powers when they could be useful.

Liz claims she’s evolving but Max thinks they both need to accept their limitations. Liz disagrees and says she needs to take the next steps on her own. Before he leaves, Max points out the frog has died.

Liz informs Shivani about the frog’s death and that they failed. They can’t resurrect the dead, but they should be able to use the mist to save children with incurable diseases. Shivani doesn’t care about those children – she only cares about bringing back her daughter.

Liz is giving up Max because he’s an emotional distraction. If Shivani can’t give up her own emotional attachment, then Liz will no longer work with her.

Max and Rosa fill Isobel in on what’s going on with Liz. They’ll need her help to get Max’s powers back so he can save Liz.

Michael and Kyle make it to Maria, and Michael’s stunned it’s shaped like his console. They place the console in it, and it begins vibrating and lighting up. In the pocket dimension, the console starts to form in the stone slab. The missing piece Dallas has materializes and attaches itself to the main console.

The portal opens and they can see each other through it. Michael figures out that without the star map, the portal only opens to one place.

The console and the portal flicker. Michael makes a quick decision to step through it, believing there is fruit on the alien tree in the pocket dimension. The console needs that fruit for fuel. Plus, it’s his one shot to see Alex.

Dallas decides to stay where he is too. Bonnie also chooses to stay to help Michael find the man he loves.
Michael steps through and the portal closes as the episode ends.




‘Shantaram’ Starring Charlie Hunnam Unveils First Photo

By
Rebecca Murray
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Shantaram Series Charlie Hunnam
Charlie Hunnam in “Shantaram,” premiering globally October 14, 2022 on Apple TV+.

Sons of Anarchy‘s Charlie Hunnam takes on the starring role in Apple TV+’s upcoming drama Shantaram, which just released its first official photo. Based on Gregory David Roberts’ bestselling novel, Shantaram will premiere on Apple TV+ on October 14, 2022, with the release of the first three episodes.

New episodes of the 12-episode first season will arrive on Fridays. The season finale is set for December 16th.

Charlie Hunnam leads the season one cast that includes Shubham Saraf, Elektra Kilbey, Fayssal Bazzi, Luke Pasqualino, Antonia Desplat, Alyy Khan, and Sujaya Dasgupta. Vincent Perez, David Field, Alexander Siddig, Gabrielle Scharnitzky, Elham Ehsas, Rachel Kamath, Matthew Joseph, and Shiv Palekar also star.

Steve Lightfoot and Eric Warren Singer co-created the series and serve as executive producers. Lightfoot is also season one’s writer and showrunner. Additional executive producers include director Bharat Nalluri, Andrea Barron, Nicole Clemens, Steve Golin, and Justin Kurzel.

Apple TV+ released the following synopsis:

“The highly anticipated Apple Original series is a hopeful cinematic love story coupled with a thrilling epic adventure that follows one man’s journey to redemption through a country that changes his life.

Shantaram follows a fugitive named Lin Ford (Hunnam) looking to get lost in vibrant and chaotic 1980s Bombay. Alone in an unfamiliar city, Lin struggles to avoid the trouble he’s running from in this new place. After falling for an enigmatic and intriguing woman named Karla, Lin must choose between freedom or love and the complications that come with it.”




‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ Season 1 Episode 1 Recap: “Evie/Joe”

By
Alison Helms
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Tales of the Walking Dead Season 1 Episode 1 Recap
Terry Crews as Joe in ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ season 1 episode 1 (Photo Credit: Curtis Bonds Baker/AMC)

Joe (Terry Crews) is in a bunker watching an old football game with his dog, Gilligan, as AMC’s Tales of the Walking Dead episode one opens. Every day is a repeat of the previous one – until one day it’s not. His dog’s getting older and has an accident inside, so Joe’s forced to take Gilligan out one night. He doesn’t mind; it’s obvious Gilligan is treated as a well-loved family member.

Zombies arrive as Gilligan’s outside doing his business and to Joe’s horror, they kill his dog. Joe loses it for a while and is grief-stricken, but then he reads old conversations between himself and a woman he used to chat with online. Because he no longer has to take care of Gilligan, and being at home is a constant reminder of his death, Joe decides to leave his safe bunker to track down his online friend.

After piecing together clues as to her whereabouts, Joe hits the road on his motorcycle (complete with a sidecar full of supplies). He rides for a few hours and night has fallen when he runs over a spike strip. Forced off his bike, he heads out on foot only to quickly get caught in a trap.

A woman named Evie (Olivia Munn) offers to cut him down since the bell on the trap is attracting what she calls toe tags (zombies). But first, she makes him put on handcuffs.

Evie tapes him up in a chair and rambles on about how he couldn’t have come at a better time. She’s a spiritual person and claims her prayers have been answered. She plans on stealing his bike and heading off, although she assures him this place isn’t that bad and he should be just fine.

However, Joe’s motorcycle has a kill switch. Instead of hitting the road alone, Joe becomes her reluctant traveling companion. Joe drives but Evie knows the roads in this area – and which ones have traps – and that, along with a gun, means Joe has to follow her instructions.

After a day of traveling through Ohio on their way to Michigan, they stop and make camp. As they sit around a fire, she begins to go through his stuff. She claims it’s to see who he is and since he’s handcuffed, he can’t stop her. She comes across his private journal and he becomes angry and yells at her, “Put that away, you nosey b*tch!”

Evie doesn’t listen and reads out loud something he wrote. “Puppies and poetry…who are you?” she asks, genuinely interested.

Tales of the Walking Dead Terry Crews
Terry Crews as Joe and Olivia Munn as Evie in ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ (Photo Credit: Curtis Bonds Baker/AMC)

The following day is uneventful but their second night on the road ends with the dysfunctional travel companions awakened by toe tags. He begs her to take off his cuffs so he can fight. She doesn’t oblige but does hand him two weapons.

After saving each other, Evie finally realizes she can trust him. She tosses Joe the handcuff keys and he asks her if she studied martial arts because of the moves she was using while fighting the walkers.

They make it to Michigan and while taking a break, he asks where exactly it is that she’s heading. It turns out their destinations are only 10 miles away from each other. What are the odds?! A night of fighting toe tags/zombies/walkers has turned them into actual friends.

Evie opens up about her life pre-zombie apocalypse and talks about her husband. (They separated before the apocalypse.) She explains she was lost prior to all this but now she’s gotten herself together.

Joe asks about her husband and Evie says he used to paint people who made him mad to get rid of the bad energy. She thinks he might have painted her because they said a lot of mean things to each other before they split up. It’s been a year since the end of the world as we know it, and she’s going to see if he’s still at the cabin he went to when they separated. Evie thinks if he survived, they should try again.

“I’ve been waiting for a miracle to take me there…and then you came,” says Evie with a smile.

Joe hands over his journal, hoping she can pinpoint the woman he chatted with online’s location. The writings are personal, but their relationship has shifted and now he thinks he can trust her.

The next morning Joe starts his motorcycle but abandons it when Evie calls for him while still inside the building. She thinks she knows exactly where the lady lives that he’s looking for, and Joe believes they can be there in less than 12 hours.

Joe admits this is the most time he’s spent with anyone other than Gilligan in years. As they begin to walk outside, they discover someone riding off on Joe’s bike. The thief left a goat behind with a note around its neck that reads: “Thanks for the bike.”

Joe grabs Evie’s gun and runs after the person that stole the bike. He pulls the trigger, but it doesn’t fire. Joe stares at Evie, angry she was holding him hostage with an unloaded gun.

They’re forced to walk and Evie carries the goat as they argue. Everything they own was in the bike or the sidecar, and Joe’s pissed they even took his autographed football helmet.

Everything’s gone but Joe notes at least they have dinner. Evie immediately reacts with, “That’s not even funny! Look at her face…look at her face!”

Joe’s done with Evie, calling her naïve, and declaring he’s on her ex-husband’s team at this point. Evie accuses him of being lonely and pathetic, and he stalks off.

Joe follows the map and after walking for a while, he spots a house that matches the photo the woman sent him. Walkers appear from all sides as he stands in her yard. Spotting a camera he yells, “You should be scared” – something they wrote to each other.

A trap door opens and he falls in, hurting his leg. He sees the woman, Sandra (Kersti Bryan), and they can’t believe it’s really each other.

Meanwhile, Evie finds her husband’s cabin. She steps inside and calls out her husband’s name, but all she finds are paintings he’s done. She looks through them and finds one he painted of her. It’s obvious he didn’t paint it out of hate.

Back to Joe and Sandra… Joe compliments her and says the apocalypse has done her well. Sandra appears genuinely happy to see her long-distance friend.

He’s limping and she helps him into her home. She gives him a brownie to eat while she talks about how she can’t believe he came looking for her. He explains he lost his dog and that’s what pushed him to leave his bunker to look for her.

She says it’s getting late and asks if he’s spending the night.

She excuses herself to freshen up and by the time she returns, he’s extremely high from the brownie. She suggests he think of something happy like Gilligan or football.

He’s hallucinating as she zip ties his hands together and demands to know why he’s really there. She’s put on an incredible amount of makeup and her crazy appearance matches her actions as she cuts his neck. Sandra asks again why he’s there. He explains, again, that he’s there to find her.

She accuses him of trying to steal her place and screams, “I don’t believe you!” and cuts his neck again.

She stops cutting him for the time being and just talks. He’s high as a kite so her voice sounds disjointed. She explains a man got in and she feared he was going to steal all that she had built. She kept his watch after killing him, glancing at a cabinet full of watches as she says, “One is never enough.”

Sandra takes Joe’s watch for her collection and then tries to kill him with a meat cleaver, but the crystal Evie gave him saves his life. After briefly chasing him, an alarm goes off and she zip ties him to a pole.

The new visitor is Evie and Sandra welcomes her into her bunker.

Sandra offers Evie a brownie and asks how she knew her screen name, wondering if they chatted online. Evie reveals she knows who she is because of Joe. Sandra tries to act like she doesn’t know Joe but then changes and suggests maybe he didn’t make it.

Sandra notices the brownie hasn’t affected Evie yet and suggests she should have some more. But this isn’t Evie’s first rodeo and she calls her out, warning Sandra she shouldn’t give someone an edible without telling them.

Sandra seems surprised she knew and attacks her with a meat cleaver. Fortunately, Evie is too fast and dodges the cleaver. They fight and after Evie knocks her down, she goes to retrieve her goat that’s tied up nearby. She’s about to untie it when she hears Joe’s muffled cries and rescues him first.

Sandra comes running at them with a different knife and after Evie cuts off his zip ties, Joe takes the meat cleaver and throws it at Sandra’s chest, killing her.

The goat pees, Joe laughs, and they struggle to make it up to the surface. Just as they emerge through the trap door, the freshly created Zombie Sandra tries to grab them. They’re able to close the door, shutting her in her bunker.

After everything is said and done, Joe is still high and can’t stop laughing. “Why am I so hungry?” he asks. “What is happening? That was f**king traumatic!”

They crash for the night on a bridge littered with zombie bodies. In the morning, Joe thanks Evie for saving him. They hug and he wonders what to do next. He’s spent all this time making sure he didn’t get close to anyone, which ultimately made his life worthless. Evie tells him to start now. There’s a person right in front of him and maybe there are others still out there, too. Evie insists he’s a part of this screwed-up beautiful place and can start anew.

The episode ends with the friends walking off together along with their new pet goat, Skipper.

Thoughts on Tales of the Walking Dead episode one:

This first episode was very slow going and, to put it bluntly, there wasn’t a whole lot to it. There was some humor sprinkled in here and there but if you blinked, you might have missed it. It’ll be interesting to see if episode one reflects the tone of every episode in season one of the anthology series or if each episode stands apart. The previews for episode two appear to indicate it’s not only more action-packed but also funnier.

AMC’s Tales of the Walking Dead airs on Sundays at 9pm ET/PT.




Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities Sneak Peek and Episode Details

By
Rebecca Murray
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Netflix’s minute and a half behind-the-scenes look at Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities opens with del Toro explaining Cabinet of Curiosities is something he’s always wanted to make. He further explains that for this anthology, he gave ownership of each of the episodes to the directors.

“Each of the episodes has a whole world. They present you with different delights. Some are savory; some are sweet. You get a surprise from each of the bites,” teased Guillermo del Toro.

The anthology series will premiere as part of the 2022 Netflix & Chills Halloween event. Two episodes will debut on Tuesday, October 25th followed by two new episodes each day through Friday, October 28th. All eight episodes will be available on October 28th.

“With Cabinet of Curiosities, we set out to showcase the realities existing outside of our normal world: the anomalies and curiosities. We hand-picked and curated a group of stories and storytellers to deliver these tales, whether they come from outer space, supernatural lore, or simply within our minds,” stated Guillermo del Toro. “Just in time for Halloween, each of these eight tales is a fantastical peek inside the cabinet of delights existing underneath the reality we live in.”

The anthology series was created by the show’s host Guillermo del Toro. The Academy Award-winning filmmaker serves as executive producer along with his co-showrunner J. Miles Dale.

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities
Lize Johnston as Keziah/Witch in the episode “Dreams in the Witch House” of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet Of Curiosities. (Photo Cr. Ken Woroner/Netflix © 2022)

Netflix released a batch of new photos from the series along with episode titles and casts, in addition to the teaser video.

  • DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE
    Rupert Grint, Ismael Cruz Cordova, DJ Qualls, Nia Vardalos, and Tenika Davis star in an episode written by Mika Watkins (based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft) and directed by Catherine Hardwicke.
  • GRAVEYARD RATS
    David Hewlett stars in an episode written (based on a short story by Henry Kuttner) and directed by Vincenzo Natali.
  • LOT 36
    Tim Blake Nelson, Elpidia Carrillo, Demetrius Grosse, and Sebastian Roché star in an episode written by Regina Corrado (based on an original story by Guillermo del Toro); and directed by Guillermo Navarro.
  • PICKMAN’S MODEL
    Ben Barnes, Crispin Glover, and Oriana Leman star in an episode written by Lee Patterson (based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft) and directed by Keith Thomas.
  • THE AUTOPSY
    Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham, Glynn Turman, and Luke Roberts will appear in an episode written by David S. Goyer (based on a short story by Michael Shea) and directed by David Prior.
  • THE MURMURING
    Essie Davis, Andrew Lincoln, and Hannah Galway star in an episode written (based on an original story by Guillermo del Toro) and directed by Jennifer Kent.
  • THE OUTSIDE
    Kate Micucci and Martin Starr lead an episode written by Haley Z. Boston (based on a short story by comic book author Emily Carroll) and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour.
  • THE VIEWING
    Peter Weller, Eric André, Sofia Boutella, Charlyne Yi, Steve Agee, Michael Therrialt, and Saad Siddiqui star in an episode directed by Panos Cosmatos (Mandy), who also writes, along with Aaron Stewart-Ahn.

The Official Synopsis, Courtesy of Netflix:

In Cabinet of Curiosities, acclaimed Academy Award-winning filmmaker and creator, executive producer and co-showrunner Guillermo del Toro has curated a collection of unprecedented and genre-defining stories meant to challenge our traditional notions of horror. From macabre to magical, gothic to grotesque or classically creepy, these eight equally sophisticated and sinister tales (including two original stories by del Toro) are brought to life by a team of writers and directors personally chosen by del Toro.

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities
Episode “The Viewing” of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet Of Curiosities. (Photo Cr. Ken Woroner/Netflix © 2022)
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities
Lize Johnston as Lotion Woman in the episode “The Outside” (Photo Cr. Ken Woroner/Netflix © 2022)
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities
Hannah Galway in the episode “The Murmuring” (Photo Cr. David Lee/Netflix © 2022)
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities
Ben Barnes as Thurber in the episode “Pickman’s Model” (Photo Cr. Ken Woroner/Netflix © 2022)
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities
A scene from “Lot 36” of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet Of Curiosities. (Photo Cr. Ken Woroner/Netflix © 2022)
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities
David Hewlett as Masson in the episode “Graveyard Rats” (Photo Cr. Ken Woroner/Netflix © 2022)




‘Vampire Academy’ – Showrunners Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre Interview

By
Rebecca Murray
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Longtime collaborators Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre bring Richelle Mead’s bestselling Vampire Academy books to life with the new Peacock series premiering on September 15, 2022. Creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer Julie Plec’s no stranger to the world of vampire TV shows after being the guiding force behind the long-running The Vampire Diaries as well as its spinoffs The Originals and Legacies. Writer, executive producer, and co-showrunner Marguerite MacIntyre’s credits include consulting producer on Legacies’ first season and three seasons as writer/producer on The Originals. She also had a recurring role as Sheriff Liz Forbes on The Vampire Diaries.

Teamed up for interviews at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, Plec and MacIntyre discussed adapting Richelle Mead’s popular books for the series. They also talked about making a few changes to characters, pulling in storylines from more than one of the Vampire Academy novels, and whether they’re ready for social media to be flooded with new “ship” hashtags.

Vampire Academy Cast and Showrunners
Vampire Academy’s Sisi Stringer, André Dae Kim, Julie Plec, Daniela Nieves, Marguerite MacIntyre, and Kieron Moore at Comic-Con (Photo by: Todd Williamson / Peacock)

How difficult was it to take the existing property and make it accessible for viewers who haven’t read the books?

Julie Plec: “About 11 months worth of difficult. We can laugh now, but we did tell ourselves at the very beginning of the process that we were going to try to work all the rules of the world build and the universe organically into the show so that the audience could be challenged to, you know, ask and answer their own questions, to pick things up along the way. We said we would never be those hacky sellouts who put a saga sell at the beginning explaining everything.”

Marguerite MacIntyre: “We have a saga sell.” [For those unfamiliar with the term, a saga sell is an opening narration – either spoken or text – that explains the show’s premise.]

Julie Plec: (Laughing) “We do, and it’s like really helpful and it’s really good.”

Marguerite MacIntyre: “It’s great.”

What was in the books that you had to make sure you absolutely captured in the series? Was there a certain relationship you felt you had to nail? Anything, in particular, you knew you had to get in there to satisfy everybody?

Julie Plec: “Yeah. I mean, like when I read the books, obviously I was deeply moved by the power of the friendship of Rose and Lissa. And I was deeply, deeply moved – in other ways – by the power of the intense attraction and love story of Rose and Dimitri. So those, for me, were the two things that were most important to make sure we got right. I felt like if I fail Rose and Dimitri – if I personally fail Rose and Dimitri and Rose and Lissa – I should not have done this. I will write a very deep apology letter to Richelle the novelist because I just wasn’t going to mess that up.”

Marguerite MacIntyre: “Well, the same for Lissa and Christian as well because it’s these three love stories. One is the best friend story of women friendship, young women finding their way through life and they’re so different and that’s what makes it even more wonderful. They’re challenged… everything that happened.

But I also think, yeah, Christian and Lissa is such a different relationship. I actually think that’s one of the things that makes me love Dimitri and Rose so much too because we have such different love stories being told. And we also have additional love stories in the series that were not in the books.”

Julie Plec: “Yeah. We love creating new couplings that weren’t in the books. You know, there was no queer representation in the books at all so we definitely had a good time deciding which of our characters would be in that community and what their love stories would be. So, there’s a lot of fun there too.”

Are you ready to take on another franchise with a lot of “ships”?

Julie Plec: “Yes, because if we did our jobs right that will be the outcome of this experience and that means people love it and that makes me happy, you know. And I’ll just avoid the yelling at me, you know. I’ll just keep my comments off for a little while.”

Marguerite MacIntyre: “I think we are going to win a lot of people over too. I feel when I watch it, I’m really drawn into all these love stories so much. Even if someone doesn’t love it, they are going to be like, ‘No, I get it.’ They are just going to have to be honest with themselves because it’s really working.”

Julie Plec: “It works on that level that I always discovered well after the fact that Vampire Diaries and The Originals worked, which is that a woman would sit down and bring her boyfriend in or her husband, or a daughter would bring her father or whatever, and suddenly the men are so deeply invested in the show because it does give you that strong emotional foundation of family and of connection. But, also, there’s a lot of really cool mythology and a lot of great vampire eye candy and great action sequences.”

Marguerite MacIntyre: “So much action.”

Julie Plec: “Tons of action. So it kind of does…you know, it’s not a recipe that we are trying to fulfill by any means but it really does tick a lot of boxes for a fully fleshed out audience.”

You changed the backstory for Sonya Karp. Was there a reason why and what can diehard fans from the books expect from her going into the season?

Julie Plec: “All I can say on the matter without being a little spoilery is that when we went back and reread the first book, we realized that so much cool story had already happened. Sonya’s story has already been told; it was long gone and forgotten, right? The story of Lissa’s family, of Andre her brother, had already been told, and we thought, ‘Well, for television when you can see the pictures and not just read the words, that’s actually wasted opportunity.’ So we did a lot of telling stories in a different order than you might think. So just because something seems like it’s not being represented, doesn’t mean it’s never going to be represented.

[…]There’s little hints in there that tell you like maybe what we are doing with her.”

Did you stick with just the first book for the first season or are you bringing in other events from Richelle Mead’s other Vampire Academy books?

Marguerite MacIntyre: “There’s elements from all of the books, actually. We pull some stories from way before because one of the things we liked telling about telling the story now in the ‘why now’ of it is because it’s about a society that’s kind of coming apart – a class-based system that’s not working and it’s challenging everyone. That’s really resonant now and so the political stuff that’s deeper in the series got pulled forward. But there’s still all that other story to tell.

So, again, you’ll see it all. It will just be rearranged. So, yeah, it’s not in the order of the books.”

Julie Plec: “Yeah. We like to make the promise to the fans that like if there’s something that you love about the books, most likely in the run of this series – if we are allowed to tell the stories as long as we want to – you will see it.”

How long do you want to?

Julie Plec: “Well, I mean, look, without being spoilery about the books for those of you that haven’t read it, but those who have, book three tells a very, very, very good story. And you don’t want the show to end at the end of book three and you don’t want book three to be season two necessarily either. So we are at least trying to follow that timeline a little bit.

Again, I’m being coy just because I don’t want to ruin it for anybody else. But I think that we could take it through three, into four, and then depending on the world even beyond that.”

Marguerite MacIntyre: “There’s a lot of story to tell.”

Julie Plec: “Let us not forget there’s an entire spinoff series.”

Marguerite MacIntyre: “Richelle Mead is a very busy writer.”

Vampire Academy Dimitri and Rose
Kieron Moore as Dimitri Belikov and Sisi Stringer as Rose Hathaway in ‘Vampire Academy’ (Photo by: Peacock)

How do you find that balance of giving the fans what they want and also telling your own story?

Julie Plec: “It’s because we are fans of the material, so we are giving ourselves what we want. We are making decisions for ourselves about what maybe doesn’t feel right. I mean, little things like in the books Rose is not the age of consent, right? So, as hot and smoky and steaming as her little illicit affair with Dimitri was in 2007 or ’08, it doesn’t really feel like anybody needs to see that. We’ve seen that time and again in television; it wasn’t really interesting to us to tell that story, so we made changes there.

There’s a lot of sort of episodic kind of Gossip Girl frolicking and fun that would drive the plot of the first two books almost entirely. We reduced those down to scenes or moments, parties, as opposed to driving the whole story of a season. In doing that we made up a lot of new story or pulled a lot of new story forward.

So, we’re following our own instincts as storytellers who have all these great story cards on the wall as though a writers room sat and broke story for a year and a half. So, we have an embarrassment of riches of good ideas and now it’s just about the storytelling math of where they’re all supposed to lay out.”

Can you talk about shooting the show in Spain and why Spain?

Marguerite MacIntyre: “Well when Julie… Actually, she read the books before reading Vampire Diaries and we were on vacation together back in the day during Kyle XY, and I ended up reading the books, too. And when Julie got them and wanted do them with me, one of the things she had was a ton of locations that had be sent to her because she knew she wanted to do them in Europe. And I was like, ‘That’s great. That’s the perfect place, but then where?’

And out of these tons and tons of pictures that came I was like, ‘There’s this one town in Spain. What is it…Olite?’ She was like that’s the one I like. We both had the same idea and the same vision. As you would say (talking to Julie), it’s like castle and next to it is a burger joint.”

Julie Plec: “Not an actual burger joint, but a great dive bar with a really good chicken sandwich.”

Marguerite MacIntyre: “And some really nice fish, as well. Then when we were there and we were scouting, we were up in the turret of this castle and we went, ‘What is that building?’ They were like, ‘It’s a monastery. It’s empty and we’re trying to sell it.’”

Julie Plec: “That’s our boarding school.”

Marguerite MacIntyre: “So everything was serendipity for all that. And wanting to expand the world, make it bigger and combine the world too from the books. They’re in Pennsylvania and Montana. They are split from each other, and the pressure could come way higher on that.”

Julie Plec: “It was really important just for story reasons that it wasn’t just a show set at a boarding school because I just did that on Legacies. And I loved all the Bridgerton opportunities of the royal court but in the books, they only go to the royal court very periodically. So, the first thing we did was let’s put it all under one roof and that’s why we went to Europe. Because once we decided that a boarding school and a castle and the entire royal court of this dominion needed to be all together, we realized we can’t find that in Montana, you know?

So, we went surfing in the UK…you know, Edinburgh and looking at all the Harry Potter castles. And then somebody from Shondaland actually who is friendly with Emily Cummins, another producer on this project, said, ‘You guys ever thought about Spain because we shot Star-Crossed there and had the time of our lives?’ And lo and behold, when we looked into Spain this setting that now we shot the show in was one of the first things that our eyes were drawn to.”

Marguerite MacIntyre: “It was really unique and it didn’t look like something you’ve seen before.”

Julie Plec: “It didn’t look like Harry Potter. It didn’t look like a world that you’ve lived before at all, and that’s why we loved it.”

The Vampire Academy Plot, Courtesy of Peacock:

In a world of privilege and glamour, two young women’s friendship transcends their strikingly different classes as they prepare to complete their education and enter royal vampire society. This serialized and sexy drama combines the elegance of aristocratic romance and the supernatural thrills of the vampire genre.




‘Monarch’ Season 1 Episode 1 Preview: Plot, Photos, and Cast Info

By
Rebecca Murray
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Fox is set to launch the Country music-driven new drama Monarch as part of their fall 2022 primetime lineup. The series was originally set to debut on January 30, 2022 but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and will now premiere on September 11th, with the first part of a two-part premiere airing immediately following the NFL doubleheader.

The series stars Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking) as Dottie Cantrell Roman, the Queen of Country Music. Academy of Country Music Award winner Trace Adkins stars as Dottie’s husband, Albie Roman. And Anna Friel (Marcella, The Box) plays Nicolette “Nicky” Roman.

Season one also stars Beth Ditto as Gigi Taylor-Roman, Joshua Sasse as Luke Roman, Martha Higareda as Catt, Emma Milani as Ana, and Meagan Holder as Kayla Taylor-Roman. Grammy Award winner Shania Twain, multi-Grammy Award nominee Martina McBride, Grammy Award winner Tanya Tucker, and Grammy Award winners Little Big Town will guest star throughout season one.

Screenwriter Melissa London Hilfers created Monarch and serves as writer and executive producer. Jon Feldman (Designated Survivor) guides the series as showrunner and executive produces with Gail Berman, Hend Baghdady, Jason Owen, and Michael Rauch.

Fox’s official synopsis:

“In Monarch, the Roman family is headed by the insanely talented, but tough-as-nails Queen of Country Music DOTTIE CANTRELL ROMAN (Sarandon) and her beloved husband, ‘Texas Truthteller’ ALBIE ROMAN (Adkins). Dottie and Albie have created a country music dynasty. But even though the Roman name is synonymous with authenticity, the very foundation of their success is a lie. And when their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, heir to the crown NICOLETTE “NICKY” ROMAN (Friel) will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy, while ensuring her own quest for stardom.

Middle child LUKE ROMAN (Sasse) is the CEO of the family’s business, Monarch Entertainment. Luke is the apple of his mother’s eye, but he has a troubled relationship with his father, whose approval he can never get, no matter how hard he tries. Youngest daughter GIGI TUCKER-ROMAN (Ditto) is very close to her older brother and sister, but in a family of superstars, Gigi has always felt like a bit of an outcast, in spite of her incredible singing voice.

Gigi is married to KAYLA ROMAN-TUCKER (Holder), a successful music manager who keeps turning down Luke’s offers to join forces with the family company. Outside business, Kayla’s relationships with the Romans reflect a complicated history, and a secret she is keeping could destroy her marriage to Gigi. ACE GRAYSON (Inigo Pascual) also is part of the family. He is a talented and sensitive 18-year-old who was adopted from an orphanage by Nicky and her husband, struggling British actor CLIVE GRAYSON (guest star Adam Croasdell).

Ace is a phenomenal singer with real swagger on stage, and dreams of being a country star like his Grandpa Albie. And just when the Romans’ world couldn’t get more chaotic, enter CATT PHOENIX (Higareda), the stunning and unpredictable mother of 17-year-old ANA PHOENIX (Emma Milani), a talented, wide-eyed young singer who is trying to get signed to the Roman family’s record label.”

Monarch season 1 episode 1
Anna Friel and Susan Sarandon in ‘Monarch’ season 1 episode 1 (Photo © 2022 FOX Media LLC)
Monarch season 1 episode 1
Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins in season 1 episode 1 (Photo © 2022 FOX Media LLC)
Monarch season 1 episode 1
Beth Ditto and Anna Friel in season 1 episode 1 (Photo © 2022 FOX Media LLC)
Monarch season 1 episode 1
Anna Friel in season 1 episode 1 (Photo © 2022 FOX Media LLC)
Monarch season 1 episode 1
Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins in season 1 episode 1 (Photo © 2022 FOX Media LLC)
Monarch season 1 episode 1
Anna Friel and Trace Adkins in season 1 episode 1 (Photo © 2022 FOX Media LLC)
Monarch season 1 episode 1
Anna Friel in the series premiere of ‘Monarch’ (Photo © 2022 FOX Media LLC)




‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ Season 1 Episode 3 Recap: “Aftermath”

By
Alison Helms
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Pretty Little Liars Season 1 Episode 3 Recap
Bailee Madison and Chandler Kinney in ‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ season 1 episode 3 (Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik / HBO Max)

HBO Max’s Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin episode three picks up minutes after Karen was pushed to her death by the masked stalker. Imogen (Bailee Madison) seems to be in a daze from what just happened and Tabby (Chandler Kinney) grabs her, telling her they have to go. As they rush off, a crying Kelly (Mallory Bechtel) runs to her now dead twin.

The girls regroup in the hallway at school and Faran (Zaria) asks Imogen what she saw. She explains she saw Karen – and the girls agree they saw her as well – and a bucket of paint along with the man in the creepy mask. They didn’t see him and Tabby asks, “Like in Carrie?”

Noa (Maia Reficco) confesses she’s seen him before. They bring up the text from A and realize Karen was murdered.

Next, we see each girl arrive home after the tragic events. Tabby and Imogen sit down with Tabby’s mom, Sidney (Sharon Leal), and she asks if they’re sure it was Karen – the girl who got them in trouble – that died. They confirm it was and Sidney wonders what she was doing up there. After a quick glance at Imogen, Tabby replies, “Everyone is saying she did it on purpose.”

Sidney has a flashback to her own tragic night in 1999.

Sheriff Tom Beasley (Eric Johnson) questions his daughter Kelly about what Karen was doing up in the rafters. She lies and says she doesn’t know. He knows that’s not true. “You don’t know? You two don’t change socks without consulting each other.” Kelly suggests maybe Karen killed herself and Tom wants to know why she would say that. Their conversation’s interrupted when Kelly’s mom, Martha (Jennifer Ferrin), begins to scream.

Sidney experiences another flashback to 1999 in which she’s at the pizza place with her friends. Sidney (Kristen Maxwell) brings up that Angela asked for help and they all ignored her. Davie (Ava DeMary) tries to reassure her that Angela was a messed-up girl and it wasn’t her fault. Elodie (Emily Bautista) recalls how everyone just left and no one checked to see if Angela was okay.

Corey (Kristian Mosley) point-blank says Angela was not okay and what were they supposed to do. Marjorie (Sarah-Anne Martinez) thinks they should have called an ambulance. And Sidney asks Davie, “Now what?”

Back to current events, Imogen and the girls are on a video chat trying to figure out what to do. Faran reminds them A told them to keep their mouths shut. They all agree that A is the guy in the mask, but Imogen now wonders if Karen wasn’t actually the one who framed them. Faran refuses to believe that and still thinks it was Karen because she’s a bully. She also seems to think Sheriff Beasley will find the paint in the rafters and know what she was doing up there when she fell.

Imogen is sure Karen fell. Maybe if they do what A says, it will all be okay.

Imogen spends the night in Tabby’s bed and confesses that when her mom died, she wrote A in her own blood on the bathroom wall. Tabby can’t believe it and Imogen points out that the A on her posters was in red. She’s wondering if A pushed her mom over the edge or if A killed her. “I need to find out what this Y2K party was. How these things are connected…A, my mom, Karen…if they are.”

A memorial assembly takes place on Monday at the high school. The man in the creepy mask is there under the bleachers, just about to grab Imogen’s ankle when she runs out. She’s in the bathroom when she runs into Kelly, apologizes for her loss, and tries to ask her about the Y2K flyer. Kelly yells that this isn’t about her and asks if she’s out of her mind before storming off.

Pretty Little Liars Season 1 Episode 3 Recap
Chandler Kinney, Malia Pyles, Zaria, Bailee Madison, and Maia Reficco in ‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ season 1 episode 3 (Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik / HBO Max)

The girls meet up in the library and agree to stick to the plan not to say anything to anyone. Moments later they’re called into the principal’s office and questioned by Sheriff Beasley. He knows about the video and what happened at the theater. Imogen tries to tell him he should be talking to Tyler about making the video, but he isn’t interested in that; he wants the video. Tabby confesses they only did it because his daughter was a bully and brings up why she was up in the rafters in the first place.

Sheriff Beasley claims there wasn’t a bucket of paint up there or anywhere in the gym, pointing out Imogen is the only one who saw it. He continues talking about the video, blaming them for making Karen commit suicide. After he calls them murderers, Faran tells him that’s enough. They aren’t saying anything else without a lawyer present or their parents.

The principal confirms that’s their prerogative, but they’ll be going before a disciplinary board. Sheriff Beasley agrees they should lawyer up because he’s going to do everything in his power to open up a criminal investigation against them.

Faran comes home to discover her dad has called her mom. Faran isn’t happy to see her mom and snidely remarks how she’s usually too busy to care. Corey (Zakiya Young) brings up the razor blades in Karen’s ballet shoes and Faran insists she didn’t do it. Corey demands to know everything that happened.

Mouse’s mom, Elodie (Lea Salonga), takes away all of her electronic devices, and Noa’s mom, Marjorie (Elena Goode), lectures her about getting involved when she’s on probation. Sidney informs Tabby she can no longer work at the movie theater after what they just did. Plus, she can’t make any more movies or even watch movies in the middle of the night in her room.

On Tuesday, Imogen hands over Tyler’s phone to Sidney, and Sidney gives her the silent treatment.

The girls arrive at school and discover they’re the subjects of a “Bullied to Death” article in the school’s newspaper. The article features a big picture of Karen along with photos of the five girls at the bottom. It demands their expulsion.

Meanwhile, Sidney, Marjorie, Elodie, and Corey gather at Davie’s house. After a few jokes to lighten the mood, Elodie says it feels wrong to meet in Davie’s house. Elodie thinks this can’t be a coincidence that it’s all their daughters, but Corey believes it could very well be a coincidence. Marjorie says they need to be worrying about their daughters and they all agree. Sidney reveals she has the original video and thinks Tyler should get in trouble too.

It’s decided Sidney and Corey will go to the sheriff and the principal with Tyler’s phone.

Imogen gets a copy of the school yearbook for the year her mom graduated – Class of 2000. She notices her mom and others are members of the “Y2K Survivors Club.” She starts looking at old newspapers from around the New Year’s Eve party and finds an article titled, “Body of Minor Found in Old Harbor Warehouses.” (That was the location of the rave.)

Faran gets kicked out of dance class. Without a smidge of sympathy, Madame Giry (Kate Jennings Grant) says the other dancers don’t feel comfortable with her around.

Corey and Sidney show Sheriff Beasley the video of Karen and Corey points out this all started because of Tyler. Beasley doesn’t care and brings up that their daughters edited it and then showed it to an entire movie theater. Corey counters, accusing him of interrogating their daughters without a parent present. Plus, he borderline harassed them. She points out the sheriff shouldn’t even be in charge.

“Your daughters killed my daughter,” Sheriff Beasley says angrily.

They threaten the possibility of lawsuits, and Beasley warns he’ll sue them for Karen’s death if they go through with it.

Shawn (Alex Aiono) is mad at Noa because he believes she lied to him about the video. Noa points out she never even told him about it, so she didn’t lie. He wonders what else she could be lying about.

Tabby tries to get the flash drive with the video on it from Chip (Carson Rowland), but he doesn’t have it. It’s been taken from the projection booth. (Earlier she told her mom that a copy didn’t exist.)

A pregnant Imogen goes to the abandoned warehouse by herself (because that’s a smart thing to do). She spots a memorial shrine for Angela Waters and finds a book that was left there – appropriately, The Scarlet Letter – and takes a photo of the checkout card from the library. (Angela repeatedly checked it out.) She hears a noise and hides in an old van. It’s the masked man! After looking around and almost catching her, he leaves.

Sheriff Beasley interrogates Noa while she’s doing community service. He wants her to tell the disciplinary committee that the video was Imogen and Tabby’s idea and that it was their intent to do harm to Karen. He points out she has more to lose, and Imogen and Tabby need to answer for Karen’s death.

Tabby heads to the theater to look for the flash drive, but Wes (Derek Klena) reveals he found it before the police came looking for it. Not to worry, it’s at his house. He invites her to come over to his house this evening and pick it up. Imogen texts her and Tabby leaves without accepting Wes’ invitation.

Faran’s parents argue over what to do with her. Her mom wants to move her to Pittsburgh and Faran doesn’t want to go. Faran insists the only reason her mom wants her to move is so that she can control her life.

Imogen shares with Tabby what she found out about Angela Waters. Angela killed herself at the party on the flyer, but the police didn’t find her body until days later. Imogen explains that when she went to the warehouse, someone else was there. She thinks it was A.

They’re startled when Imogen receives a text, but it’s just Kelly inviting her to Karen’s funeral. Tabby thinks they should go back to the warehouse to see if they can figure out who A is.

Wednesday: Mouse and Faran meet in the girls bathroom at Noa’s request. Mouse wonders where Imogen and Tabby are, and Noa admits she didn’t ask them to come. She suggests they should tell the disciplinary committee it was all Imogen and Tabby’s idea. “You mean, throw them under the bus?” asks Faran.

Noa attempts to justify her idea by saying Imogen is the one who had the phone. Mouse points out they all played a part in it, not to mention Imogen had cold feet and felt bad after it happened and Faran and Noa were gung-ho about it from the start. Mouse is concerned A’s watching them and testing them to see if they turn on each other. Faran thinks she’s paranoid.

Tabby and Imogen visit the warehouse and Tabby sets up a hidden camera to try to figure out who A is. Sidney shows up and they’re shocked to see each other. Tabby asks her mom what she’s doing there, and Sidney claims she’s paying her respect. When Imogen asks, “To Angela Water?” she says yes. Imogen takes the opportunity to ask who Angela was.

The trio sit down at the pizza joint and Sidney explains Angela was one of her classmates who died tragically. She describes the night Angela died and says Angela was an unlucky girl. They tried to befriend her but she was damaged in ways they couldn’t fix.

Tabby wonders why she didn’t call the police and Sidney claims she assumed someone else did. She goes to the warehouse every so often to pay her respects.

Now it’s Sidney’s turn to question Imogen and her daughter. Imogen reveals she was there because she’s trying to figure out what happened to her mom and Tabby was there to be a supportive friend. Imogen shows Sidney the flyer her mom received right before she died and asks if it’s possible her mom killed herself because she felt guilty about Angela. Sidney lies and says, “Imogen, no one was more kind to her than your mom. She was the best of us.”

Sidney offers to ask people about the flyer.

Later, Tabby shows up at Wes’ place to get the flash drive. He’s cooked pasta for dinner and set out wine, and that puts Tabby on alert. While he’s in the kitchen, Wes explains he’s making plans to have a mini film festival every night that week. He promises to give her the flash drive after they eat dinner and watch a movie. Tabby’s uncomfortable but nods in agreement.

As he’s rambling on from the kitchen, Tabby has a slight panic attack while looking at the wine, the dinner plate, and a vase of roses. She gets up to leave, spots the flash drive, grabs it, and takes off.

Wes turns around and discovers she’s gone.

Shawn shows up at Noa’s to talk. He explains he’s not mad at her; he’s just confused and scared. She opens up as to why she was arrested in the first place. It was all because of her mom. She lets him in on a secret but makes him promise never to say anything. The night she got arrested she was covering for her mom. They were her mom’s drugs!

Shawn becomes angry that Noa had to cover for her mom and wants to know what kind of mother does that to their own daughter. Noa defends her mom and Shawn apologizes for not believing her.

On Thursday, Imogen attends Karen’s funeral which is a bad idea even though Kelly invited her. Martha sees Imogen and freaks out, demanding to know why she’s there. Kelly admits she invited her. Martha blames Imogen for her daughter’s death. “I pray you burn in hell for what you did to my sweet Karen. May your child be taken away from you the way you took mine from me!” hisses Martha.

Imogen meets with her friends to tell them what happened at the funeral. (She doesn’t have a clue that some of these “friends” want to blame everything on her and Tabby.) Imogen reveals she plans on taking the blame for everything at the disciplinary hearing. Faran looks pleased as she glances at Noa. Tabby doesn’t go along with that, reminding them she’s the one who edited the video and screened it.

Mouse points out they all could have said no while looking at Noa and Faran. Noa seems to have a change of heart and agrees they’re all in this together. Noa then asks for the flash drive, claiming she’s going to flush it down the toilet.

That evening after returning home from the funeral, Martha drops a glass and it breaks. As she starts to cry, Kelly says she’ll take care of it. A drunk Tom comes in asking what broke this time. Kelly tries to assure him it was an accident.

Tom goes off about how those girls are going to pay for what they did to his daughter for the rest of their lives. Kelly asks what he means by that and he says that tomorrow they’ll be expelled and after that, they’ll go to jail.

“They took away your sister’s life and I will take away theirs. And by the time I am through with them, they will wish they were dead. All five of those little lying bitches.”

Kelly squeezes the broken glass in her hand and blood drips on the carpet.

Friday, the day of the dreaded disciplinary hearing, arrives and Corey warns the girls and their parents that no matter what happens they need to keep their mouths shut. The principal comes in and informs them the meeting has been postponed to a later date. When asked why he explains Kelly came to see him this morning and admitted Karen was up in the rafters with intent to harm Imogen. Given this new information, expulsion is no longer on the table but either two weeks suspension or four weeks detention still is. He’ll let them know what the decision is.

Moms and daughters hit up the pizza place and as the moms discuss how lucky the girls are, they look at their daughters sitting at the table they themselves used to occupy when they were in high school. Elodie admits it’s like looking through a time machine.

Sidney changes the subject and fills them in on what Imogen told her. She reveals Davie received the flyer for the rave right before her death. She also informs them Imogen and Tabby know about Angela Waters… well, what everyone else thinks happened to her. Elodie wonders who sent Davie that flyer and Corey tries to convince them all – and herself – that it’s been months since Davie died and they haven’t gotten anything so it must be a fluke.

As they celebrate their win and talk about Kelly’s change of heart, Imogen can’t help but think about her mom. She thinks her mom receiving that flyer and Tabby’s mom visiting the memorial to Angela can’t be a coincidence. As she wonders out loud, “What aren’t they telling us,” the girls watch their mothers.

Mouse gets some of her devices back from her mom and her mom, cryptically, says, “I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I can’t go through that again.”

Faran’s mom says her goodbyes before taking off for Pittsburgh. Faran thanks her for letting her stay and gives her a hug. And there’s more good news – Corey convinced Madame Bun Head to let her back in Swan Lake by threatening to sue.

Imogen meets with Kelly and Kelly apologizes for what her mom said at the funeral. Imogen thanks her for telling the truth about why Karen was up there. Kelly breaks down and says it was her idea and blames herself for Karen dying. Imogen does her best to comfort her and says it’s not her fault.

Season one episode three – “Chapter 3: Aftermath” – wraps up with the girls going to Karen’s grave and saying something one by one. The wind kicks up as they finish and they turn around to see the masked man they believe to be A watching them from a van.




‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ Episode 2 Recap: “The Spirit Queen”

By
Alison Helms
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Pretty Little Liars Original Sin Episode 2 Recap
Malia Pyles, Zaria, Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Maia Reficco, and Alex Aiono in ‘Pretty Little Sins: Original Sin’ episode 2 (Photo by Barbara Nitke/HBO Max)

Episode two of HBO Max’s Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin opens up at a house party thrown at Karen and Kelly’s place around six months prior. Imogen (Bailee Madison) is drunk in the kitchen when Karen and Kelly (Mallory Betchel) walk in. Karen, Kelly, and Imogen are super good friends at this point, and Imogen volunteers to tell Greg they need more alcohol since Karen won’t do it. She and Greg are currently fighting.

Tabby (Chandler Kinney) and Chip (Carson Rowland) show up and it’s obvious Chip doesn’t want to be there. He asks how long they have to stay just seconds after they arrive, and Tabby tells him to lighten up.

Imogen finds Greg (Elias Kacavas) and he begins to come on to her while she politely backs away. Kelly rushes to tell Karen what she witnessed, and reveals she saw Imogen and Greg kissing.

A very angry Karen finds Imogen and screams at her, “You kissed my boyfriend?!” That gets the attention of the partygoers. After Imogen corrects her that he kissed her, Greg rushes in blaming Imogen. It’s no surprise that Karen believes him over Imogen and reacts by calling Imogen a slut and telling her to leave.

Flash-forward to the present day and picking up right where the first episode left off, the five girls share stories in detention. Imogen tells them about when she stopped being friends with Karen and Kelly. She also reveals there’s a video from that night that someone made on their phone and if anyone saw it, it would destroy Karen. This piques Noa’s (Maia Reficco) interest. Faran (Zaria) asks if it’s a sex video and Imogen says it’s not.

They consider posting it on the internet but Mouse (Malia Pyles) reminds them the internet is forever. Tabby offers to show it on the big screen at the theater before the Jordan Peele double-feature.

The phone with the video is still at Imogen’s old house, and Tabby, Mouse, Faran, and Noa are completely freaked out when they go there to retrieve it. No one wants to linger there any longer than they have to, and they head to the local pizza place to eat while charging the phone.

Imogen will only say the phone belonged to a douchebag and after showing them the video Mouse wonders if it’ll backfire and make people feel sorry for Karen. Faran insists everyone at school would love to see her get knocked down a peg or two. They take a vote on whether to show it and Faran and Noa vote yes right away. Even though it was Imogen’s idea, she’s having second thoughts and suggests they sleep on it.

The girls call it a night and head home. When each girl arrives home, each is immediately questioned by their parents about why they’re in trouble at school. They each claim to have been framed and deny any responsibility.

That same night, each girl receives a video of an unseen person doing what they were accused of. Imogen joins Tabby in her room and asks if she’s watched the video. All the text messages with the videos make it appear Karen sent them and did the deeds.

The girls hop on a video chat and agree Karen did it all and set them up. They agree she’s a horrible person and decide to go through with the plan to release part of the video at the theater.

Thursday, October 1st: Tabby and Imogen are promoting the Jordan Peele double-feature while also campaigning for Imogen to win Spirit Queen when the infamous Karen walks in. She can’t believe the principal is letting Imogen run for Spirit Queen after what they did. Tabby tells her they didn’t do it and asks if she has anything she wants to confess. Karen wonders why she would have anything to confess to and reveals she’s going to the double-feature at the theater. (Tabby and Imogen’s reverse psychology worked.)

Noa tells her boyfriend it’s okay if he goes to the dance even if she can’t go because of her house arrest.

Tabby shows Chip (Carson Rowland) the video and he questions where she got it. He thinks it’s messed up and she justifies it by telling him Karen sent out videos of her own, including one of her torturing an animal. Chip agrees to screen it before the double-feature if she goes to the dance with him. She agrees.

As the teenagers descend on the movie theater and get settled into seats, the creepy masked person is there as well, just watching them. He spots the newly formed quintuple of friends.

The lights go down and the edited video of Karen plays. It starts off like a “vote for Karen for Spirit Queen” campaign ad and then switches to a video of a very intoxicated Karen the night of the party. Karen goes on about how hot she is and brings up Greg having a small penis and not lasting long in the bedroom…amongst other things. Just as Karen and the mystery guy filming her are about to play Show and Tell, the video cuts back to her cheerleading.

A distraught Karen flees the theater with her twin close behind. Manager Wes (Derek Klena) sees them leaving and rushes into the theater to see what’s going on. By the time he steps inside, the Jordan Peele movie has begun.

Pretty Little Liars Original Sin Episode 2 Recap
Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Maia Reficco, Zaria, and Malia Pyles in ‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ episode 2 (Photograph by Barbara Nitke/HBO Max)

The five girls gather outside the theater and Imogen questions whether they did the right thing, trying to convince herself what they did wasn’t that bad.

Tabby heads back inside to find Wes questioning Chip about what happened. Wes got complaints about it from people who saw the video. Tabby confesses it was her video and that she asked Chip to play it. She adds that Chip even tried to talk her out of it and shouldn’t be blamed.

After ordering Chip to go home, Wes tells Tabby they could all get in serious trouble for what she did. She pleads with him not to fire her and he warns her this is her one and only mess-up.

As Imogen’s lying in bed, she has a flashback of eating with her mom. She recalls asking her mom (Carly Pope) if she can hang out with Karen and her mom answering with a warning. “Just remember something, Imogen. You are who you hang out with,” said Davie. Imogen asked her what she meant by that and her mom confessed she didn’t like Karen, calling her a bully and a mean girl (pot meet kettle). She didn’t want Imogen to be those things.

After that late-night flashback, Imogen receives a text and meets Karen in a cemetery (because that’s not weird at all). Karen wonders how she got the video and we’re treated to another flashback of that night. Imogen forgot her jacket and when she went back to get it, she walked in on what was going on between Karen and who we now know is Tyler (Brian Altemus). Imogen put a stop to it and took his phone.

Imogen justifies showing the video by sharing that she knows Karen put razorblades in her own shoes and mutilated a rat. Karen’s shocked and claims she didn’t do any of that. Karen tells Imogen to leave but Imogen doesn’t think she should be there alone at night. Karen responds by warning her to get out of her face and calling her a bitch.

After Imogen walks away, we see the creepy masked person standing there watching.

Friday, October 2nd: On their way to school Imogen confesses to Tabby she met up with Karen the night before in the cemetery. She explains that when she brought up all the stuff Karen did, she denied it. Tabby says of course she did because Karen is a sociopath.

Karen visits the principal and informs him that not only is she withdrawing from running for Spirit Queen, but she also – shockingly – confesses to destroying her own posters out of jealousy.

She returns home to a sobbing Karen… That’s right, it was really Karen’s twin Kelly who was at school confessing. Karen was reading mean comments on social media, hence the tears. Kelly seems all too pleased to inform her sister everyone really thought she was Karen.

They hatch a plan to get back at Imogen and it turns out Kelly isn’t the sweet peacemaker after all. “Those bitches like movies. Let’s give Imogen a starring role in one. I’m thinking we go with a classic, Carrie,” says Kelly.

Imogen’s the next student to visit the principal’s office. He informs her that Karen has recused herself from Spirit Queen. He adds that he owes her and Tabby an apology because Karen confessed. Since no one else is running, he congratulates her for winning Spirit Queen, tossing in “Like mother, like daughter.”

Imogen immediately rounds up her friends, confused and somewhat shaken. Imogen has no clue what her mom was like and when the principal said that, she realized her mom would have never shown that video to people. After a pep talk from her new group of friends, they agree to go together (minus Noa who’s still under house arrest) to the dance.

Speaking of Noa, while doing community service Sheriff Beasley (Eric Johnson) has an intimidating conversation with her. “Only thing I like about you is you know how to keep your mouth shut, don’t you?” asks Beasley. She realizes she has the upper hand and asks for a favor.

Noa gives her boyfriend the exciting news that Sheriff Beasley is letting her go to the dance.

Saturday, October 3rd: The girls get ready for the dance together. In an homage to dozens of teenage movies, the friends have the best time getting dressed, laughing and dancing around while putting on their party dresses.

Imogen reveals she plans to find Karen at the dance and apologize to her. She also wants to give her the Spirit Queen crown.

They arrive at the dance and fan out, looking for Karen. Imogen thinks she’s found her but Karen claims she’s Kelly. Imogen asks Kelly to tell her sister she’s looking for her because she wants to apologize. Kelly congratulates Imogen on winning against her sister, saying, “Not a lot of people can say they did that.”

After the fake congratulations from Kelly, we see a flashback of her and Karen getting red paint ready for their grand finale.

Faran abandons looking for Karen to dance with Henry and Mouse also jumps ship and goes outside with Ash (Jordan Gonzalez). Mouse opens up about why she goes by Mouse and touches on her childhood trauma but doesn’t go into detail because it’s too tragic for the night.

Chip finds Tabby and agrees to help look for Karen, while Noa and Shawn find a classroom to make out in.

The creepy masked person shows up just in time for the crowning of the Spirit Queen. As the episode draws to an end, we watch Imogen walk up on stage in slow motion while everyone cheers for her. Her friends spot Karen in the rafters with a bucket just as Imogen is crowned. They aren’t the only ones who see her; Shawn and Ash do as well.

Seconds before Karen is about to push over the bucket filled with paint, the masked stalker appears and attacks her. Karen falls and in a real déjà vu moment, the screen goes dark and then we see teenagers screaming as they run every which way.

As blood pools at Imogen’s feet, each of the five girls receive a text. It reads: “To thine own self be true. One bully down. Five more to go. Keep quiet about me or you’re next -A.”




‘Leonardo’ Season 1 Preview: Photos, Plot Details, Cast and CW Premiere Date

By
Rebecca Murray
-

Season one of the eight-episode drama Leonardo, based on the life of Leonardo da Vinci, will have its U.S. network debut on The CW on August 16, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT. Aidan Turner (Poldark, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) stars as the titular character, with series producer Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor) playing Stefano Giraldi, Matilda De Angelis as Caterina Da Cremona, and Giancarlo Giannini as Andrea Del Verrocchio.

The series also features James D’Arcy as Ludovico Sforza, Carlos Cuevas as Salai, Alessandro Sperduti as Tommaso Masini, Robin Renucci as Piero Da Vinci, Flavio Parenti as Bernardo Bembo, Miriam Dalmazio as Beatrice D’Este, and Antonio de Matteo as Sanseverino.

Leonardo was created by Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files, The Man in the High Castle) and Steve Thompson (Sherlock, Doctor Who) and has already aired in multiple countries.

In a September 2021 interview with MTV Australia, Highmore described why he was attracted to the project.

“I feel it’s an incredibly timely and modern version of Leonardo and that’s what attracted me to the project too. When we think of Leonardo da Vinci, I don’t think an image of him immediately comes to mind. It’s The Mona Lisa or it’s The Last Supper or [another] work of his, but not of him,” offered Highmore. “The show strips back that enigmatic personality to reveal the truth that is, I think, relevant to us nowadays.”

In that same interview, Spotnitz explained how he balanced telling a good story about the iconic artist’s life with the truth. “Well, it’s funny because I think Steve Thompson, my co-creator and I, both imagined when we started this project, we were going to be completely true to the facts. But then as we began doing the research, we realized there’s just so many facts we don’t know,” stated Spotnitz. “There’s so many holes in his historical record. And at first, it was sort of frustrating, and then we realized, well, these are questions that are demanding answers from us as storytellers. And so then we became quite excited about the prospect of filling in the blanks if you will.”

Dan Percival (The Man in the High Castle, Death Comes To Pemberley) and Alexis Sweet (Don Matteo, Back to the Island) direct the first season. Leonardo is produced by Lux Vide with Rai Fiction and Big Light Productions, in association with France Télévisions and RTVE, and co-produced and distributed worldwide by SPT.

The CW offered this description of the series:

“Exploring the secrets and drama behind the genius of Leonardo da Vinci — his life, his work and his personal struggles set against the backdrop of Renaissance Italy. Leonardo follows da Vinci as he grows into an unparalleled genius and renowned polymath whose work overturns the established order. His restless curiosity about art, science and technology is driven by a profound quest for knowledge and he’s determined to unfold the mysteries of the world around him.

The series unlocks the enigma of this extraordinary man, through an untold story of mystery and passion.”

Episode one was directed by Daniel Percival from a script by Frank Spotnitz, Steve Thompson, and Gabbie Asher.

Episode one’s plot: In Milan 1506, Leonardo da Vinci (Turner) is arrested for poisoning Caterina da Cremona (De Angelis). After protesting his innocence to Stefano Giraldi (Highmore), a talented young officer of the Podesta, Leonardo remembers back to his days as an apprentice in Andrea del Verrocchio’s (Giannini) studio, where he first meets the model Caterina.

As their relationship becomes one of some complication, Leonardo struggles to pour truth into his art and faces major hurdles in achieving success with his work, until Verrocchio asks him to help him with the commission of the Baptism of Christ. Present: confused by his words, Stefano vows to obtain justice for Leonardo’s crime.

Leonardo Season 1 Episode 1
Aidan Turner as Leonardo da Vinci in ‘Leonardo’ season 1 episode 1 (Photo: Angelo Turetta/Lux Vide/Sony Pictures Television © 2022 Lux Vide.)
Leonardo Season 1 Episode 1
Matilda De Angelis as Caterina da Cremona in season 1 episode 1 (Photo: Angelo Turetta/Lux Vide/Sony Pictures Television © 2022 Roadshow Rough Diamond)
Leonardo Season 1 Episode 1
Aidan Turner as Leonardo Da Vinci and Giancarlo Giannini as Andrea Del Verrochio in season 1 episode 1 (Photo: Lux Vide/Sony Pictures Television © 2022 Lux Vide)
Leonardo Season 1 Episode 1
Giancarlo Giannini as Verrochio in season 1 episode 1 (Photo: Angelo Turetta/Lux Vide/Sony Pictures Television © 2022 Lux Vide)
Leonardo Season 1 Episode 1
Aidan Turner as Leonardo Da Vinci in season 1 episode 1 (Photo: Lux Vide/Sony Pictures Television © 2022 Lux Vide.)
Leonardo Season 1 Episode 1
Matilda De Angelis as Caterina da Cremona in season 1 episode 1 (Photo: Angelo Turetta/Lux Vide/Sony Pictures Television © 2022 Lux Vide)
Leonardo Season 1 Episode 1
Aidan Turner as Leonardo Da Vinci in season 1 episode 1 (Photo: Lux Vide/Sony Pictures Television © 2022 Lux Vide)




Jon Batiste Says Goodbye to ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ After 7 Seasons

By
Rebecca Murray
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Stephen Colbert and Louis Cato on The Late Show
‘The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert and Louis Cato (Photo Credit: Scott Kowalchyk / CBS)

Season eight of CBS’s popular The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will have a new bandleader. Oscar and Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste is exiting the Emmy, Critics Choice, and Writers Guild award-nominated series after seven seasons leading the band.

CBS’s official announcement said Batiste is stepping away to pursue personal and professional interests.

“We’ve been so lucky to have a front row seat to Jon’s incredible talent for the past seven years,” said Stephen Colbert. “And will we miss him here? ‘Yeaaa!’ But we’re happy for you, Jon, and I can’t wait to have you back on as guest with your next hit record.”

Louis Cato’s been handling interim bandleader duties this summer and will permanently replace Batiste when season eight premieres on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. Cato’s been with The Late Show since the series debuted and will be joined by Joe Saylor and house band regulars Louis Fouché, Jon Lampley, Endea Owens, and Nêgah Santos.

“Louis has done a great job this summer, and he is very humble, so he won’t say this. But I will. He’s a musical genius. He can play basically every instrument over there. Give him an afternoon, he’ll learn how to play Mozart on a shoehorn,” said Colbert.

“It has been one of the great honors of my life to work on this show, alongside some of the most talented musicians and creatives I know,” said Cato. “Watching and learning from both Jon and Stephen for these past seven years, I’m genuinely excited to continue the tradition of excellence they’ve established.”

CBS released the following brief bio of Louis Cato:

“Louis Cato is a Grammy-nominated and internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter. He has worked with an array of artists including Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Talib Kweli, Snarky Puppy, David Sanborn, George Duke, Bobby McFerrin, Marcus Miller, John Scofield and A Tribe Called Quest.

His love of music started at age 2 when the purchase of his first drum set evolved into an appreciation of the southern gospel from his native North Carolina and continued into his education at the Berklee College of Music. Cato has an undeniable ability to craft sonic landscapes into timeless masterpieces. After two decades of lending his talents to other projects, Cato released his first solo record Starting Now (2016), which he also mixed and produced entirely by himself. He is currently in post-production on his newest album Reflections, due out later this year.”





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