STACK #169 Nov 2018

TV REVIEWS

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Dark homecoming. SHARP OBJECTS

At the edge of the universe, discovery begins. STAR TREK: DISCOVERY – SEASON 1

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Release Date: 28/11/18

Format:

Release Date: 21/11/18

Amy Adams ( Arrival ) headlines this limited mini-series from HBO, adapted from the novel by Gillian Flynn ( Gone Girl ). A gripping psychological thriller, Sharp Objects follows journalist Camille Preaker (Adams) as she returns to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri, to report on the disappearances of two girls, one of which has been found dead. Back home she is forced to reunite with her seemingly perfect mother (Patricia Clarkson), passive stepfather (Henry Czerny), and a half-

Star Trek gets a radical revision for its sixth small screen series, set 100 years prior to the voyages of the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk. It's a darker and grittier approach more in tune with Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse , but it fits the Trek universe surprisingly well – once you get over the initial shock of violence, sex scenes and expletives on Star Trek , that is. The USS Discovery is a science vessel under the command of the unstable Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs),

sister she barely knows (rising Aussie star Eliza Scanlen), whilst facing her own demons and those which lurk in the small town. Filled with masterfully edited flashbacks and haunting visual imagery, and anchored by a knockout central performance by Adams, this dark and moody thriller is a must-see for fans of Big Little Lies . SB

but the series' focus is the mutinous Michael Burnham (TWD's Sonequa Martin-Green), who has just been appointed as the ship's Science Specialist. There's also a cool new look for the Klingons, a bold new way to leapfrog across the universe, and enough breaking of the Starfleet Prime Directive to make Picard livid. SH (See page 50)

MR. MERCEDES: SEASON 1

HOMELAND: SEASON 7

THE AMERICANS: SEASON 6

PREACHER: SEASON 3

Release Date: 14/11/18 Format:

Release Date: 07/11/18 Format:

Release Date: 07/11/18 Format:

Release Date: 14/11/18 Format:

Based on the first book in Stephen King's 'Hodges Trilogy', Mr. Mercedes is the name given to a mass killer who plowed his merc at high speed through a queue of job seekers. Two years later the maniac is still at large, and retired police detective Bill Hodges (a weary Brendan Gleeson) is bugged by this unsolved case. When the killer – a deranged IT guy and mama's boy named Brady Hartsfield (Harry Treadaway) – begins taunting Hodges online, a twisted game of cat and mouse ensues between the two. A crime-thriller and character study, this King-sized series once again demonstrates that the best-selling author is frequently at his best when the horrors he's concocting are real world ones. SH

As Carrie Mathison’s back Stateside, her life’s going to be less dramatic, right? Well…With a congressional investigation and increasingly dangerous right-wing talk show host Brett O’Keefe spewing hateful rhetoric, President Elizabeth Keane (not to be confused with Blacklist ’s Elizabeth Keen) is becoming increasingly paranoid. Keane may not be Carrie’s bestie but, as always, she’s one for the truth – and she’ll go to extremes to unravel it. This leads to a conclusion that left us gaping… It’s almost as if the Homeland writers are scripting real world events nowadays. If you think the show’s lost some steam,

Cold War epic The Americans reaches its inevitable conclusion and, not surprisingly, does so in style. Jumping three years on from the season five closer, Elizabeth remains deep in the spy biz, with daughter Paige continuing to learn the ropes. Philip’s left that life behind for full-time travel agency duties, but just when he thought he was out… As US/Russia tensions continue to escalate, will the Jennings’ – who’ve committed unspeakable things over the course of six seasons – actually be the ones to bring about world peace? Comrades, don’t deprive yourselves of what will go down as classic television to rival the likes of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad . AF

The best and bloodiest season yet sees Jesse Custer returning to his hometown of Angelville to enlist the help of his soul-eating gran'ma (Betty Buckley) in order to save Tulip. Elsewhere, Cassidy hooks up with a new vampire pal who's a walking cliché, and the corpulent leader of the Grail, the Allfather (modeled on Monty Python's bilious Mr. Creosote), is determined to implant Genesis into his moron messiah. Herr Starr, the Saint of Killers, and Eugene are all back for this third round, and the cliffhanger finale will leave fans praying this hilariously quirky supernatural series is renewed for a fourth season. SH

this penultimate season will convince you otherwise. AF

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NOVEMBER 2018

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