SciFi TV Rewatch

Episode 273 The Haunting of Hill House S01E01 Steven Sees a Ghost

Moving out of our science fiction and fantasy comfort zone, we take a look at the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House. In this pilot episode we meet the five Crain children as the story alternates between their present lives as adults and the horrifying experiences they weathered as children at Hill House. Something to do with their mother causes their father to usher them out of the house in the middle of the night, but it's the dark figures the family's youngest, the twins Luke and Nell, see that continue to haunt them into adulthood.
Episode Grade: Dave B+  Wayne A-

Episode 272 Primeval S01E05-06

Primeval pays homage to the great director Alfred Hitchcock as a flock of prehistoric aerial predators plague the town prompting Nick and Claudia to work together more closely than ever before. Surprisingly, Helen comes to Claudia's aid, but it's the season finale that drops the biggest bombshell when we realize that not only are there portals that lead to the future, but one of the members of the team has been erased from the current timeline.
Episode Grade: Dave 105 B  106 A – Wayne 105 A  106 A

Episode 271 Primeval S01E03-04

Against her will, Lester's men bring Helen Cutter back from the past to explain what she's been doing and why she chose not to return. Though she manages to escape custody and return to her chosen time, it's the fate of Connor's friends that reminds viewers and team members of the dangers they face on a daily basis. Some further discussion about the direction of Doctor Who and the many changes wrought by showrunner Chris Chibnall.
Episode Grade: Dave 103 B-  104 B  Wayne 103 B  104 B+

Episode 270 Primeval S01E01-02

A tear in the fabric of the space/time continuum allows creatures from Earth's distant past to find their way into the present. A scientific team led by Professor Nick Cutter and assisted by reptile expert Abby Maitland, tracker Stephen Hart, Home Office representative Claudia Brown, and graduate student Connor Temple investigate these dinosaurs and try to prevent them from wreaking havoc on unsuspecting individuals. However, the most intriguing element centers on the fact that the anomaly allows individuals to travel back to Earth's past. We also give our thoughts on the new Doctor Who featuring Jodie Whitakker.
Episode Grade: 101-102 B
 

Episode 269 Star Trek Continues E01 Pilgrim of Eternity

An 11 episode fan produced web series completes the five year mission of the Starship Enterprise under the command of James T. Kirk and adheres as closely as possible to the details of the original series. In a call back to S02E02 "Who Mourns For Adonais?" the crew is faced with a rapidly aged Apollo who claims he no longer craves human adulation.
Episode Grade: B

Take Five #26 Outcast S02E01 Bad Penny

Dave takes a look at the long awaited second season of the Cinemax horror series Outcast. Not unlike Dark, the Robert Kirkman based series features an ominous and mysterious evil presence, perhaps even the Devil. Outcast returned to US audiences in July after airing internationally in 2017.

Episode 268 Dark S01E10 Alpha and Omega - (Part 2)

We return to complete the discussion of the season finale of the German Netflix series Dark. Perhaps the most intriguing questions center around the identity of Future Girl and her compatriots, and whether or not Noah and Bartosz are one and the same. Krista and Fred bring up some great points in Listener Feedback, and now the urge to resist season two spoilers is being challenged.
Episode Grade: A+

Episode 267 Dark S01E10 Alpha and Omega - (Part 1)

Charlotte begins putting the pieces of the puzzle together, and a 1953 newspaper photograph forces her to accept that something remarkable is taking place in Winden. Noah's influence becomes clearer, but his true identity remains a mystery. 1953 Helge and 2019 Jonas cross paths in 1986, and the season's final scene opens a window to yet another time. Or does it?
Episode Grade: A+

Episode 266 Dark S01E09 Everything is Now

Though much still remains unexplained, the pieces to the time travel puzzle in Winden begin falling into place. A young Alexander defends his future wife as she's terrorized by Ulrich and Katharina, but leaves himself open to Hannah's extortion thirty three years later. Though there are a number of bombshells dropped in the episode, none resonate more than the appearance of an older Claudia. 
Episode Grade: A

Episode 265 Dark S01E08 As Ye Sow, So You Shall Reap

2019 Ulrich finds himself in 1953, and after meeting his father and grandmother on their way into Winden, he later tracks down a young Helge intending to prevent Mikkel's disappearance. The Stranger and 1986 Tannhaus discuss time travel and its inherent issues, but fundamentally, The Stranger wants to know whether or not the past can be altered. 
Episode Grade: A