APPLE TV — SERVANT — SEASON 2

Leanne’s Uncle gives the second season a strong, mythology-heavy shot of “Espresso.”

• Original Airdate: February 19, 2021
• Written By: Tony Basgallop and Nina Braddock
• Directed by: Isabella Eklöf
• Plot Summary: Sean is faced with a dilemma, when Leanne’s uncle George returns and comes clean in regard to the true nature of his niece and the Church of the Lesser Saints.
• Grade: A-

Review:

When the first season of Servant began to wobble around its midpoint, Leanne’s creepy, ill-mannered, yet apparently benign, scripture-quoting uncle George suddenly showed up to anchor one of the best episodes of the series. …

APPLE TV — SERVANT — SEASON 2

With “Cake,” the series goes back to its old habits, for better and for worse.

• Original Airdate: February 12, 2021
• Written By: Tony Basgallop and Nina Braddock
• Directed by: Lisa Bruhlmann
• Plot Summary: A mysterious ransom note arrives for the Turners. Leanne decides to bake a cake.
• Grade: B+

Review:

“Cake” is essentially an episode about reliving the past within the present. …

APPLE TV — SERVANT — SEASON 2

In “Pizza,” the second season burns through plot with speed and style.

• Original Airdate: January 29, 2021
• Written By: Nina Braddock & Tony Basgallop
• Directed by: Ishana Night Shyamalan
• Plot Summary: The Turners decide to open up a pizza delivery business to make their way into a house
• Grade: A

Review:

So, in my review for the season premiere, I mentioned that Servant apparently wasn’t going to rush to get Leanne back to the house. And then, about a day later, arrived “Pizza,” an episode that essentially burns through three episodes-worth of plot in one half-hour. In short order, the…

APPLE TV — SERVANT — SEASON 2

Season 2 brings back the atmosphere in a strong second episode, “Spaceman.”

• Original Airdate: January 15, 2021
• Written By: Nina Braddock & Tony Basgallop
• Directed by: Julia Ducournau
• Plot Summary: Roscoe unexpectedly returns with no memory of the past several days. Sean and Julian decide to hypnotize him, hoping to learn another clue to Leanne’s whereabouts.
• Grade: A-

Review:

The moment Leanne Grayson’s voice reaches Sean via his Apple Macintosh computer, the ground in the basement of the Turner house suddenly CRACKS and water (presumably from a burst pipe) begins seeping into the ground. …

STREAMING — CENSORSHIP

Missing shorts, incorrect orders and other issues plague the streaming release.

The classic Tom and Jerry theatrical cartoon series (1940–1967) is one of the most popular works of animation in American history. Over the course of its lifetime, the franchise has won seven Academy Awards, become a merchandising juggernaut, and earned new young viewers via circulation on television. …

David Lynch

I like to think that if you are a cinephile, film critic, or scholar, then there must be one key motion picture in your life that made you take film seriously as an art form. It made you excited about movies, about what they could mean, or the effect they could have, kicking off a series of events that led you to become the person you are today. For me, that movie was David Lynch’s 2001 masterpiece Mulholland Drive.

It is, without a doubt, my favorite movie of all time. It completely changed my perception of what films are and…

APPLE TV — SERVANT — SEASON 2

The series returns with a plot-heavy ‘aftermath’ episode, “Doll.”

• Original Airdate: January 15, 2021
• Written By: Tony Basgallop
• Directed by: Julia Ducournau
• Plot Summary: Dorothy attempts to track down Leanne, believing her to have kidnapped Jericho. Sean and Julian attempt to cover their tracks.
• Grade: B+

Review:

After a longer-than-expected break brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic, Servant has returned for its second season. The Apple TV+ original series — produced by M. Night Shyamalan and predominantly written by creator Tony Basgallop — has not exactly become a major hit for Apple during its debut season, but it has gained…

How it works, its limitations, and the questions it raises.

Dear fellow MEDIUM writers,

did you know that since December 8, 2020, the platform has had a new newsletter-like feature that lets followers subscribe to receive links to your stories via email?

In case you missed the announcement, I’ve summarized a few points of interest in regard to how the email subscription option works and what its limitations are. I also consider some issues and questions that the announcement doesn’t really address.

The Feature and its Limitations

• You can activate the feature — it is not on by default —…