Review Day

There are no major spoilers in these reviews.

Lilyhammer, Season Two:
This season lost a little freshness compared to the first, but remains as charming and understated. I would have liked to have seen more of Torgeir's story about remaining relevant and appreciated, as it didn't really go anywhere. Also, the final episode of the season was one long homage to The Sopranos -- unnecessary, awesome for fans, but probably worthless to anyone who didn't watch the show it was respecting. Free on Netflix.

Final Grade: B

Justified, Season Five:
The plot this season wasn't as tight as previous plots -- the new family of Crowes was fun but not as menacing as the Crowders or any other nemeses featured previously. Momentum also slowed down every time the story switched over to Ava's storyline in a women's prison. With Orange is the New Black having already exhausted the setting, Justified had nothing to add. On the other hand, the dialogue continues to crackle, and it's worth watching the show just to enjoy the banter between Raylan and Boyd, plot be damned. Free on Amazon Prime.

Final Grade: B

Bosch, Season One:
This police drama from Amazon Studios is based on a series of crime books that I've never read and features a great performance from Titus Welliver, also known as "The Man in Black when LOST was starting to suck" and "the human representation of Sam the Eagle from The Muppet Show". The show itself is well-acted and entertaining, if a bit slow-paced. It's more successful at police-y stuff, and comes off as a bad The Wire clone when it tries to tackle anything related to politics. Overall, it wasn't amazing, but I'm really glad that Amazon is trying new things. Free on Amazon Prime.

Final Grade: B-

The Other Size of Zero by Elizabeth and the Catapult:
I got this album at the same time as Like It Never Happened, and it was overshadowed by the more outspoken tunes on that album. However, the core of this album contains some solid coffeehouse pop songs weighed down by a few weightless tunes that last forever without going anywhere.

Final Grade: B