Scout Tafoya - page 4

Drops of God takes a tricky trip to Italy [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★

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Luca Terracciano and Fleur Geffrier in ★★★★
Lorenzo (played by Luca Terracciano, left) and Camille (Fleur Geffrier) take a trip to Trento as they try to answer a wine-soaked question.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review This week’s episode of the Apple TV+ series Drops of God, about the differing paths of two potential heirs to a fortune in wine, finds Camille on an excursion and Issei in a fog.

Camille and Lorenzo take a jog to Italy to do research before the second challenge. And Issei and Yurika discover some things about his personal history that make the contest even more bitter. Entitled “Legacy,” the episode splashes out a very fine bit of work from this team.

The Last Thing He Told Me finale packs an emotional wallop [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★

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Jennifer Garner in ★★★
Hanna (played by Jennifer Garner) must make a tough decision in the series finale of The Last Thing He Told Me.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review Apple TV+ limited series The Last Thing He Told Me comes to a shockingly emotional end this week.

In the series finale, Hannah makes a calculated risk on behalf of her stepdaughter and herself, and they’re both still distraught over the disappearance of their husband and father. Plus, a shadowy criminal and a U.S. Marshal offer competing visions of safety for the pair — and no one’s sure which one is better.

The Big Door Prize season finale spits out cliffhangers large and small [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Chris O’Dowd and Gabrielle Dennis in ★★★★☆
Surprise! The Morpho machine has even bigger mysteries to spin.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewThe Big Door Prize closes its first season with a blackout at Deerfest and a big twist from the Morpho. The show, about a mysterious machine that reads people’s futures, throws harsh weather and hard truths at its cast of misfit townies this week.

Father Reuben and Hana experience a few troubling realizations. Cass and Izzy have another blow-up. Jacob and Trina try to make it through their first real date. And more than one storm is brewing in this compelling cap to a winning season of a wonderful show.

Ted Lasso starts to wrap up loose ends this week [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★☆☆

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Toheeb Jimoh and Phil Dunster in ★★★☆☆
Toheeb Jimoh and Phil Dunster in "Ted Lasso," now streaming on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewApple TV+’s runaway hit Ted Lasso starts closing up shop this week as the show nears the end of season three. The stars of AFC Richmond are out of town, but that doesn’t mean we can’t wrap up some loose ends.

Keeley finds herself without a job or an office. Rebecca has a big meeting, and one small chance to make a difference. Roy starts thinking about human connection. Sam suffers a series of letdowns. And Nate goes on a soul-searching trip back home.

While undoubtedly enervating, this week’s episode, entitled “International Break,” occasionally scores a win.

High Desert is the right kind of rolling disaster [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Episode 3. Patricia Arquette in ★★★★☆
Peggy Newman (played by Patricia Arquette) is a marvelous disaster in edgy new comedy High Desert.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review In the tragicomic new Apple TV+ series High Desert, Patricia Arquette plays Peggy Newman, a drug addict and serial liar/improviser who’s trying to remake her life after her husband goes to jail and ruins her social standing.

The perpetually broke and broken Peggy is a marvelous creation. The first three episodes of High Desert arrived on Apple TV+ today, and the show is mighty good company.

3 Reasons to Watch: Silo, the hit dystopian sci-fi show on Apple TV+

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Rebecca Ferguson in
Rebecca Ferguson's gutsy performance is just one reason to watch epic sci-fi series Silo.
Photo: Apple TV+

In this installment of 3 Reasons to Watch, our hand-cranked Apple TV+ recommendation engine, we’re looking at the dystopian sci-fi show du jour, Silo.

Created by Graham Yost (Justified, Speed), and based on the books by Hugh Howey, the show focuses on the last people on earth, who live in a huge, underground structure and slowly start to learn there’s more to their predicament than meets the eye. We’re only three episodes into the series, but Silo is already a bona fide hit. Here’s why you should get in now.

Drops of God uncorks some doozies this week [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Tomohisa Yamashita in ★★★★☆
Issei (played by Tomohisa Yamashita) gets some big surprises this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewDrops of God, the impressive new Apple TV+ series about an impossible contest to determine the winner of a fortune in wine, brings us to our second challenge this week.

In the episode, entitled “The Link,” Issei deals with the fallout from his father’s latest and most devastating decision. And Camille is given even more choices as she struggles to come out ahead in the latest contest.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie will inspire and entertain you [Apple TV+ review] ★★★

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Michael J. Fox in ★★★
Still stands strong as a stirring portrait of actor Michael J. Fox.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewNew Apple TV+ documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie tells the story of the charismatic actor’s life, his complicated relationship with stardom, and the degenerative disease that hit him at an early age.

Directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, He Named Me Malala), it’s a fleet, funny, tragic and humane portrait of a man desperate to get everything out of his head while he still can.

The Last Thing He Told Me serves up some chilling secrets [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★☆☆

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Jennifer Garner in ★★★☆☆
Hannah (played by Jennifer Garner) finally gets to the bottom of her missing husband's real identity.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewThe Last Thing He Told Me nears its endgame this week as Bailey goes AWOL and Hannah must make a tough choice.

The Apple TV+ thriller, about a software developer with a rap sheet who goes missing and leaves a trail of breadcrumbs for his wife and daughter, finally starts to spill its last bunch of secrets before a showdown or a retreat in next week’s finale. Hannah needs to decide which of those sounds more appealing, and which will keep her stepdaughter the safest.

Silo goes deep into the machine [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★

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Rebecca Ferguson in ★★★
Juliette (played by Rebecca Ferguson) tries to repair the silo's gigantic generator.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewNew Apple TV+ sci-fi series Silo examines the social machinations at play in the titular structure, and takes us deep inside the belly of the beast for a truly thrilling sequence.

The show — about the last people on earth, who live inside an incalculably huge structure powered by a huge generator — takes a long walk with the mayor for political points. And Juliette lands a job offer, but she needs a big favor before she’s ready to take it.

After so much table-setting, Silo gets down to business in the episode, entitled “Machines.”

City on Fire tries to capture the heat of NYC in 2003 [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★☆☆

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Episode 3. Chase Sui Wonders in ★★★☆☆
The death of Samantha (played by Chase Sui Wonders) ties together a string of ugly events in New York City, circa 2003, in City on Fire.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewNew drama City on Fire is here to shake up the Apple TV+ lineup. Set in New York City in 2003, it’s a twisty, coincidence-laden tale of a girl killed in Central Park. It focuses on an interconnected web of people who want to know what happened and why, as well as suspects who want the world to forget about her death.

With its sprawling depiction of crime and the NYC music scene, City on Fire looks like a coin toss: a qualified success or an interesting misfire. Either way, this one’s worth a watch.

Ted Lasso drops the ball on homophobia [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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David Elsendoorn, Cristo Fernández, Stephen Manas, Moe Hashim, Kola Bokinni, Toheeb Jimoh and Phil Dunster in ★★☆☆☆
It seems like Ted Lasso had a point to make, but just didn't have the balls to make it.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewTed Lasso comes out of the closet this week as Colin and Isaac tackle their unspoken problem. Meanwhile, Roy has a goals problem. Rebecca has a Roy problem. And Nate gets put to the test by Rupert and Jade.

In the episode, entitled “La Locker Room Aux Folles,” AFC Richmond must learn a quick lesson in tolerance that would be better put to the writers of this show. It’s a uniquely frustrating episode — the type that only the people at Ted Lasso can provide.

The Big Door Prize plays the emotional card and wins [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★

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Gabrielle Dennis and Djouliet Amara in ★★★★
Everyone's coming clean and unwrapping their emotions this week on The Big Door Prize.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewThe Big Door Prize stares down the barrel at the end of its first season with the first lovey-dovey installment of a two-part finale.

The Apple TV+ sci-fi comedy about a machine that predicts the futures of the busybodies in a small town — and changes a few too many lives in the process — puts on a big display of emotional fireworks in “Deerfest: Part One.” It’s one of the finest episodes of the season.

3 Reasons to Watch: Drops of God, the stylish wine drama on Apple TV+

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Fleur Geffrier in
Wine is a battlefield in Drops of God.
Photo: Apple TV+

Cult of Mac is pleased to debut a new feature, 3 Reasons to Watch, in which we highlight an Apple TV+ show or movie worthy of consideration. This week we’re looking at sommelier potboiler Drops of God, based on the manga by Yuko and Shin Kibayashi.

The show is currently airing its first season. Here’s why Drops of God is worth your time.

Drops of God flashes back for a revelation [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★

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Margaux Chatelier in ★★★
Drops of God pours out some backstory this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewApple TV+ series Drops of God, about two wine experts competing to win a priceless cellar and their dead father figure’s favor, takes a trip down memory lane this week.

Alexandre and Marianne Léger relive their first tribulations, as well as their decision to move to Japan. And Issei’s mother remembers her first encounter with Alexandre, and how he ended up changing her life.

It’s a bit of a letdown that the episode, entitled “Foundation,” drifts from the show’s main action. However, this beautifully acted and well-directed detour proves very good nevertheless.

The Last Thing He Told Me digs up clues in an Austin bar [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★

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Angourie Rice in ★★★
Bailey (played by Angourie Rice) is looking for clues to her father's disappearance in all the right places.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review The Last Thing He Told Me,  the Apple TV+ limited series about a shady software developer with a checkered past who vanishes from his wife and daughter’s life, heads to a bar for a fateful drink and a little interrogation this week.

Hannah and Bailey find themselves dancing ever closer to the truth about their missing husband/father, and danger looms around every corner. The episode, entitled “The Never Dry,” makes for a pretty tense outing of the sometimes-too-casual mystery series.

Silo takes us down a post-apocalyptic rabbit hole [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★☆☆

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Episode 1. David Oyelowo in ★★★☆☆
Sheriff Holston (played by David Oyelowo) is looking for answers about the silo.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review New Apple TV+ series Silo packs what may be the last people on earth into a huge, mysterious structure. Like Snowpiercer pointed straight up, this show offers a look at the hierarchies and conspiracies of silence that lead to cataclysmic turns of events.

This shaggy dog post-apocalyptic story — with an all-star cast spouting a lot of silly sci-fi lingo and exaggerated futurespeak — gets off to a compelling start this week.

Schmigadoon! pulls out all the stops for season two finale [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Jane Krakowski, Jaime Camil, Tituss Burgess, Dove Cameron, Aaron Tveit, Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming in ★★★★☆
The Schmigadoon! season two finale was great. Will we get a season three?
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewApple TV+ musical comedy Schmigadoon! wraps its second season with an action-packed episode this week entitled “Over and Done.” Josh and Melissa are being held captive, and unless some unlikely people decide to change their ways and recover from past wounds, they’ll be killed or married — or both!

It’s a lovely little wrap to the big-hearted show’s second season.

The Big Door Prize is (almost) all about Izzy this week [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Crystal Fox in ★★★★☆
As usual, Izzy (played by Crystal Fox) just can't stand not being the center of attention.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewThe Big Door Prize focuses on the prickly mayor of Deerfield this week. The Apple TV+ show, about a small town interrupted in a big way by a machine that’s supposed to be capable of telling people’s futures, digs deep into the hidden feelings among Deerfield’s citizenry.

The episode, entitled “Izzy,” proves very affecting.

Jealousy and leaks fuel this week’s Ted Lasso [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★☆☆

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Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudeikis and Gus Turner in ★★★☆☆
Ted (played by Jason Sudeikis, center) gets to spend some quality time with his son, Henry (Gus Turner, right) and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewTed Lasso finds almost everyone in a rut this week. Keeley is a wreck after leaked footage of her reaches the internet, and it may have even worse consequences than she fears. Ted thinks his wife is going to get engaged to someone else — and he’s not handling it well.

The thornier-than-usual episode, entitled “We’ll Never Have Paris,” still comes with the usual gallon of sentimentality we expect from the most popular show on Apple TV+.

In The Last Thing He Told Me, the truth proves increasingly elusive [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★☆☆

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Jennifer Garner and Angourie Rice in ★★★☆☆
Hannah (played by Jennifer Garner, left) and Bailey (Angourie Rice) hunt for clues to Owen's real identity.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewApple TV+ thriller The Last Thing He Told Me hits the books this week as Bailey and Hannah recover from some dead ends and track down some new promising leads in the search for a missing man.

The limited series, about an AWOL software programmer and the trail of devastation he left behind him, finds bereaved Hannah and Bailey inching closer to the truth of who their husband/father really was, while the noose tightens back home. The episode, entitled “Witness to Your Life,” is a reasonably gripping installment of a show that’s getting a little better with each episode.

Drops of God turns wine into fascinating television [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Fleur Geffrier and Tom Wozniczka in ★★★★☆
Where will this strange, and strangely compelling, new Apple TV+ series take us next?
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewNew Apple TV+ series Drops of God, about a contest of senses to win the fortune of the world’s most famous eccentric wine connoisseur, hits a roadblock this week. Issei considers quitting — and Camille isn’t 100% she’s ready to face him if he doesn’t.

Plus, Camille hatches an elaborate plot to get herself back on equal footing with Issei. And Issei’s plans to save face don’t go as planned. Entitled “Duel,” it’s a most exciting episode of this excitingly peculiar show.

Frog and Toad faithfully adapts the classic book series [Apple TV+ review] ★★★★★

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Episode 2. Toad (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) and Frog (voiced by Nat Faxon) in ★★★★★
A delightful children's book series comes to life in Frog and Toad.
Image: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewNew Apple TV+ children’s show Frog and Toad, based on the classic book series by Arnold Lobel about two amphibious friends, is smartly and simply animated in the style of the Caldecott Award-winning author.

Frog and Toad is a real gem — a welcome inclusion in the Apple TV+ lineup, and an honorable adaptation of a classic.

Our Schmigadoon! heroes find success in Schmicago [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★

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Cecily Strong in ★★★
Cecily Strong makes a strong showing this week on Schmigadoon!
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewApple TV+ musical comedy Schmigadoon! finds love in all the wrong places this week. Melissa goes from nobody to somebody, and Josh finds his calling as a spiritual leader, which is the last thing they need right now.

In their quest to make things right in Schmicago, they tangle things up worse than ever — and they clearly don’t have a clean exit strategy. The episode, entitled “Famous as Hell,” is a rousing chapter of the Schmigadoon! saga.

Ted Lasso takes a stab at Total Football [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★

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Brett Goldstein, Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt in ★★★
Ted has a plan!
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review Ted Lasso, the Apple TV+ show dipped in positivity and marinated in feculence, sketches a few days in a few of its characters’ lives this week.

Ted, Beard and Roy attempt Total Football. Sam is hounded by the political climate. Keeley needs to learn when to say when, and Jamie has a breakthrough. An otherwise very strong episode of the biggest hit on Apple TV+ is undercut by the series’ usual foibles in the episode, entitled “The Strings That Bind Us.”