The first episode of The Bear season 3 was absolutely stunning, truly masterpiece television, but it wasn't until episode 8, 'Ice Chips', that I completely fell apart. The whole season feels more character-driven than previous seasons, and almost every character had a fantastic arc. Seeing Carmy's own journey with the restaurant mirrored in the storytelling style of the season was beautiful. But 'Ice Chips' had me weeping. Close behind it were 'Napkins' and 'Forever', although 'Forever' was more predictably emotionally destructive, and 'Napkins' was more uplifting overall. Which was the episode that took you out this season?

From an incredible first season that did the books justice, to a final season that seemed to be actively working against every major storyline and character arc set up so far, there is no doubt the Game of Thrones' finale was not the Show That Was Promised, but that doesn't mean it's not worth recommending. Despite the devastating ending, the show was a cultural touchstone for the better part of a decade, and it's worth watching if only to understand the references. It's also worth considering that most of the seasons were excellent - and if you think 3/4 of a show was solid, isn't that still worth watching? If a quarter of a show's episodes were bad, but were spread out over the seasons, instead of being concentrated at the end, there would be no question that the show was still a good one to recommend.

House of the Dragon season 2 premiered with an episode that moved at breakneck speed, whipping through blockades, council meetings, Alicent's affair with Criston Cole, Rhaenyra's grief, and Blood and Cheese (a huge moment in the war) in just over an hour. The first season already received criticism for pacing, but as a huge fan of Fire & Blood, I assumed that season 1 was moving so quickly because it acts as an entire season of backstory to the actual war. I expected to see the show slow down in season 2, giving characters space to breathe, and the audience space to really connect with the major players (as much as that's possible, in a show where we know that most won't survive). However, it seems that the series is determined to keep flying through the story at this same rate, which will make it difficult to connect to the characters fully - especially for viewers who haven't read Fire & Blood. The good news is that it's not too late to fix it. This first episode might be trying to c

Bridgerton went off-book with season 3, bumping Colin & Penelope's story ahead of Benedict & Sophie (which is the original order of the Julia Quinn novels) - and while season 4 is (unsurprisingly) confirmed, it's unclear where the show will go next. The finale sets up multiple possibilities, with sca meeting Michaela Stirling, Eloise going with her to Scotland, and Benedict referencing an Masquerade Ball - all of which could be a lead in to those characters' seasons. Eloise seems the least likely candidate (although her book comes before sca's), but should the show continue sca's story or introduce Sophie? While I was not a fan of the overstuffing of storylines in season 3, the best choice may actually be to do both. Sophie's story won't make total sense unless there is a decent time jump in between the first ball and the second meeting, and introducing Sophie while keeping the main focus on sca will feel more logical, while giving us plenty more opport