We asked resident Entourage apologists Rafael Gaitan and Mark Stack to team up and discuss each week of the spiritual Entourage sequel Ballers. After taking a bye after the previous installment of Ballin’ on Ballers hack shocking cliffhanger, Mark Raffalo returns to tackle the penultimate and final episodes of the show’s first season as disappointment hangs in the air. Raf: […]
Ballin’ on Ballers: Breakfast Spreads and Other Delights
We asked resident Entourage apologists Rafael Gaitan and Mark Stack to team up and discuss each week of the spiritual Entourage sequel Ballers. This week they debate Ricky’s culpability in perpetuating a cycle of abandonment, the show’s baffling Oedipal predilections, and fantasize about hopeful casting coups. Mark: Man, things got real serious real quick this episode as the […]
Ballin’ on Ballers: Beach Buddies
We asked resident Entourage apologists Rafael Gaitan and Mark Stack to team up and discuss each week of the spiritual Entourage sequel Ballers. This time out, the Dolphin-obsessed duo play some beach bingo while tearing up over Ricky Jerret’s father issues and Charles Greene’s secret love of Her. Raf: Another Sunday has gone by, which means that Spencer […]
Ballin’ on Ballers: Ricky Don’t Lose That Number
We asked resident Entourage apologists Rafael Gaitan and Mark Stack to team up and discuss each week of the spiritual Entourage sequel Ballers. The delinquent duo actually disagree this week over the quality of Sunday’s episode, in which football bros try to patch up a rivalry while casually enjoying a strip club and every other dude is […]
Meta Mercenaries: Mr. Robot Doesn’t Just Hack the Planet, it Hacks Reality
This week at Loser City we’re going to be discussing some meta mercenary works, commercial projects that tried to thwart their for-hire origins with some self-commentary, for better or for worse. Today’s entry is on Mr. Robot, a strange USA Network show that initially seemed to be about a vigilante hacker caught in a world wide […]
Ballin’ on Ballers: S1E03 and S1E04 Reviews
We asked resident Entourage apologists Rafael Gaitan and Mark Stack to team up and discuss each week of the spiritual Entourage sequel Ballers. This time out they’re examining a finance party gone horribly wrong/right and its aftereffects. Mark: Apologies to all our fellow sports fans for missing a week but, with Raf getting lost at the […]
Penny Dreadful Season Two Finale Review
S2E09 “And Hell Itself My Only Foe” “And Hell Itself My Only Foe” served as an epic set up for a season finale, filling itself with developments and cliffhangers, with the right pacing to keep the story moving forward. It also showed a marked improvement in John Logan’s pacing compared to season one. Although both […]
Play by Play: Ballers S1E01 and S1E02
We asked resident Entourage apologists Rafael Gaitan and Mark Stack to team up and discuss each week of the spiritual Entourage sequel Ballers. This week they weigh in on both the pilot and the follow up episode and try to decide whether the show is first line material or washed out on arrival. Mark Stack: There came […]
Penny Dreadful S2E08 “Memento Mori” Review
A tip of the hat to creator and writer John Logan. Beyond the occasional pacing issue, he’s kept Penny Dreadful a rich and smart show, but most of all treated the audience with respect. He’s avoided drawing out plots that could easily become frustrating — Hecate (Sarah Greene) attempting to seduce and distract Ethan (Josh […]
Penny Dreadful S2E07 “Little Scorpion” Review
The ties that bind in Penny Dreadful are a strange thread. The company of heroes isn’t full of nice people — Vanessa Ives has committed selfish actions that doomed others, Ethan Chandler took part in the genocide of Native Americans, Sir Malcolm Murray killed and abused his way across Africa in the name of “exploration,” […]