clearing the queue: this week's watchlist
reviews of Fallout S2, Stranger Things S5, Run Away, Best Medicine, and Marty Supreme
Happy Thursday. Hope everyone had a lovely holiday! After a few weeks off from our regular Thursday send, we have a bit of catching up to do. There’s a flood of new stuff coming, but we want to make sure we give our takes on the “of the moment” recent releases before diving into the new. We promise The Traitors S4 and The Pitt S2 are on the docket for next week.
— Jenni and Jess
what’s (relatively) new…
(Our thoughts on recent streaming content, and where you can watch.)
Stranger Things — Season 5
Watch if you like: Dark, 80s references, Stranger Things S1-4
Length: 55-min runtime, 5 seasons / 42 episodes
Jenni’s rating: 2.5/5⭐
This was not a strong close for Netflix’s blockbuster sci-fi horror series. The Duffer Brothers opted for a much more classic, heartfelt ’80s ending than I (and I think a lot of folks) expected—which wouldn’t be such a huge issue if not for the slew of sloppy mistakes and lazy writing choices that crept in. There were several small details that didn’t line up and so many near-deaths among the core group that I stopped holding my breath whenever someone was in “danger.” Some viewers were so disappointed with the finale that they spun up a whole conspiracy centered around a secret ninth episode.1
And yet, despite the gargantuan, slightly off finale that contained roughly six scenes that each felt like they should’ve been an ending, this season still didn’t feel like a total waste of time. I did enjoy being back in Hawkins with the crew, I just couldn’t take any of their adventures very seriously by the end. — Jenni
Our take? Watch if you’re in a nostalgic and forgiving mood, but you could realistically just read the Wikipedia summary and save time. All episodes streaming now on Netflix.
Fallout — Season 2
Watch if you like: Twisted Metal, Halo, The Walking Dead
Length: 60-min runtime, 2 seasons / 4 of 8 episodes of S2 now available
Jenni’s rating: 3/5⭐ so far
Whereas Jess was an early fan of this series, I was a later convert. Fallout ultimately did win me over, but this new season is proving to be a similarly slow burn. The way the show is splitting time between four concurrent storylines—each following characters that I assume will eventually collide—is diffusing momentum rather than ramping up the tension. Despite an abundance of action, gore, and sharp one-liners, the opening stretch of S2 feels like an engine that won’t quite turn over. Such frequent bopping around is causing the plot to sputter when it should be accelerating.
What is working for me, however, is the fantastic production design and the already plentiful guest stars. This world is incredible to look at and Macaulay Culkin, Justin Theroux, and Kumail Nanjiani are all terrific. Frankly, they’re what’s keeping me invested more than anything else at the moment. I still appreciate that this video game adaptation leans funnier than it does frightening—even with its radioactive wastelands and zombie-adjacent horrors—but I can’t help wishing the narrative would find its footing faster and kick into a higher gear. — Jenni
Our take? Stream it if you liked S1, I bet it’ll get really good again soon. Streaming now on Prime Video. New episodes on Wednesdays.
Run Away — Limited Series
Watch if you like: Fool Me Once, Missing You, Shelter
Length: ~45-min runtime, Limited Series / 8 episodes
Jess’s rating: 1/5⭐ after 2 episodes
January 1st brought us another new Harlan Coben miniseries—an annual tradition I’ve come to loathe. Run Away follows a father searching for his drug-addicted daughter after she disappears, pulling him into a web of crime, secrets, and increasingly far-fetched scenarios. I made it two episodes in before quitting, which is rare for me with Coben adaptations; no matter how unhinged, I can normally easily binge the whole thing. This one felt already more absurd than most of his shows, asking for too much suspension of disbelief too early, and I wasn’t interested in sticking around to see how much worse it could get. — Jess
Our take? Big skip. All episodes streaming now on Netflix.
Best Medicine — Season 1
Watch if you like: Northern Exposure, Everwood, Doc Martin
Length: 45-min runtime, 1 season / 1 episode available so far
Jess’s rating: 3/5⭐ so far
Best Medicine is a U.S. remake of the U.K.’s Doc Martin, following a brusque but gifted Boston surgeon who relocates to a small Maine town and promptly alienates most of the locals. I’ve only seen the premiere, but it lands like any watchable, but not particularly memorable network drama. Josh Charles is perfectly cast, finding a workable balance between prickly and sympathetic, and the show is not as hit-you-over-the-head earnest or corny as it easily could be. Nothing here feels especially new, but the tone is cozy, and it could be a solid entry in comfort programming. — Jess
Our take? Watch if you like a cozy small-town vibe. Next episode airs January 13 on FOX, next day on Hulu.
checking back in…
(A running check-in on the weekly releases — what’s working, what’s losing us, and what we’ve bailed on. We’ll circle back with end-of-season reviews once they wrap.)
finished…
Pluribus — I absolutely loved the final episodes of this odd and thought-provoking show. Carol and Manousos are an incredibly grouchy pair to see face up against each other in the happiness apocalypse and I can’t wait to see more of them on the same team in Season 2. 5/5 ⭐ (JC)
I Love L.A. — Ending the season in NYC was a bold choice considering the title of the show, but tbh, I wish they’d stay there a while longer. I enjoyed the last two episodes much more than the middle few, but the chronically online nihilism of the core ensemble often turned me off. 2.5/5 ⭐ (JC)
Heated Rivalry — Shane and Ilya have fully won me over. This may be one of the most romantic shows I’ve seen in recent memory—the cinematography, the chemistry, the careful pacing to a quiet, but emotionally explosive final episode? Loved it all, can’t wait for Season 2. 4.5/5 ⭐ (JC)
still watching…
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (S2) — This is definitely a show better suited for young families or tweens, but it’s become my background series of choice lately for cleaning. Also, the end credit sequence music slaps. (JC)
on pause…
Down Cemetery Road (JC), Ghosts - S5 (JS), St. Denis Medical - S2 (JS), Abbott Elementary - S5 (JS), Stumble (JS)(JC)
on the horizon…
(New shows and streaming movies that are out this week but we haven’t seen yet. Strap in, this is a long list.)
Will Trent (Season 4) — The police procedural based on the novels by Karin Slaughter returns for a 4th season.
Watch on ABC/Hulu: January 6/7The Rookie (Season 8) — Nathan Fillion returns as John Nolan in the 8th season of this police procedural.
Watch on ABC/Hulu: January 6/7Girl Taken (Limited) — In this psychological thriller, a family tries to rebuild after their teenage daughter is kidnapped by a local teacher.
Watch on Paramount+: January 8His & Hers (Limited) — Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson are estranged spouses who team up to solve a murder, but the case becomes thorny when suspicions are cast over their intentions.
Watch on Netflix: January 8The Pitt (Season 2) — The Noah Wyle-led medical drama is back for 15 new episodes set on July 4th.
Watch on HBO Max: January 8The Traitors (Season 4) — An Olympic figure skater, the host of Top Chef, and Travis Kelce’s mom (amongst others) compete in the newest round of this social deduction game set at a castle in Scotland.
Watch on Peacock: January 8The Hunting Party (Season 2) — Many of the dangerous inmates who escaped from prison in the first season are still on the loose, and there’s only one task force who can take them down.
Watch on NBC/Peacock: January 8/9Coldwater (Limited) — Andrew Lincoln stars in this psychological thriller as a stay-at-home dad who is forced to question who is new neighbor really is after a series of unsettling incidents.
Watch on Paramount+: January 9A Thousand Blows (Season 2) — This period drama continues to chronicle the real-life story of boxer Hezekiah Moscow, Henry “Sugar” Goodson (Stephen Graham), and The Forty Elephants icon Mary Carr (Erin Doherty).
Watch on Hulu: January 9People We Meet on Vacation (Movie) — This romcom adapted from a popular Emily Henry novel stars Emily Bader and Tom Blyth as polar-opposite best friends who wonder if they could be a romantic match.
Watch on Netflix: January 9The Night Manager (Season 2) — This spy thriller based on John Le Carré’s 1993 novel is getting a second season after a decade, with Tom Hiddleston reprising his lead role.
Watch on Prime Video: January 11Industry (Season 4) — This London-set financial drama returns with new cast members including Kiernan Shipka and Toheeb Jimoh.
Watch on HBO Max: January 11
in theaters…
(if you’re in the mood to leave the house…)
Marty Supreme
Watch if you like: Uncut Gems, Good Time, After Hours
Length: 2h 29m
Jenni’s rating: 4/5⭐
In this invigorating, nightmarish comedy of errors, Timothée Chalamet plays Marty Mauser—loosely based on the real athlete Marty Reisman—a shoe salesman with flexible morals and much bigger plans for himself. If you’re at all familiar with Josh Safdie, you probably guessed that this film was not going to be a straightforward sports drama about a young man pursuing his dream of becoming a champion table-tennis player in the 1950s. You’d be right. With its anachronistic ’80s-inspired score and relentless Safdie energy, the film quickly moves beyond ping pong to reveal something larger: a story about youth and ambition, a snapshot of postwar Judaism, and the uneasy search for purpose beyond oneself.
While Chalamet and the core cast are excellent, the movie’s world-building is especially captivating. Safdie recreates a tactile, hyper-connected version of New York, and as Marty barrels down fire escapes, through back rooms, into alleys, and out storefronts, you feel completely immersed in the warren-like ecosystem of the Lower East Side. A supporting cast full of nontraditional actors adds to the energy; there are New York lifers whose presence here does as much storytelling as the dialogue. Like much of the Safdie brothers’ works, this film communicates through bodies, textures, and reactions even more than plot, grounding its manic energy in something lived-in and real.
As much as I enjoyed this movie, not everything worked for me. I have little tolerance for any piece of media that makes me anxious about the fate of a dog, and this was a repeat offender in that regard. If I let that go, though, Marty Supreme is a nervy, immersive ride and very much a good time. — Jenni
Our take? Go see it! But prepare to be stressed. In theaters everywhere now.
And a few more in theaters this week…
We Bury The Dead — In this zombie thriller, Daisy Ridley plays a woman who hopes her husband will return to life after a military experiment gone wrong annihilates the population of Tasmania.
Primate — A lovable pet chimp becomes deadly after contracting rabies, and a tropical vacation turns into a tale of horror and survival.
Is This Thing On? — Directed by Bradley Cooper, this comedy-drama follows a couple (Will Arnett and Laura Dern) in the face of their impending divorce.
Comment to let us know what you’re watching or dreading. If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so that more people can discover us on Substack :)
I’ll admit, I was kinda impressed with some of the theories in the “conformity gate” movement. The fan fiction coming out of this has some serious potential.