4 d. ago The Last of Us recap: season two, episode six – many happy returns (of Joel)

Well, that didn’t suck! This birthday flashback episode had enough Pedro Pascal to feel like a glorious gift only to end up breaking our hearts over and overThis article contains spoilers for the The Last of Us season two. Please do not read unless you have seen episodes one to six.Back in early 2023 The Last of Us launched to admiring reviews and millions of viewers around the world. When it was quickly renewed for a second season there was speculation about how showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann would approach the task. Would they skip straight to adapting the second (and so far final) video game, which picks up the action five years after the original? Or would they take a more scenic route, inventing new post-apocalyptic adventures for surrogate father-daughter duo Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to have during that considerable time gap? It would certainly be an easy way to eke another lucrative season or three out of the source material. Continue reading...

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6 d. ago Doctor Who: The Interstellar Song Contest – season two episode six recap

As a song contest on a space station descends into terror, Ncuti Gatwa gives his most disturbing performance yet – and the Doctor in rage mode is terrifyingFor an episode that started out like a joyfully camp romp into the world of Eurovision, Juno Dawson turned in a script that truly had ice in its heart, in just the way the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) told Kid (Freddie Fox) that the Time Lord now had ice in his hearts.Doctor Who stories often feature alien invasions, conquest, destruction and the desire for revenge, but they have seldom so bleakly painted the determination to carry out a mass casualty terrorism event. That in turn provoked one of the most extreme reactions we have ever seen from the lead character. Continue reading...

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1 week ago The Last of Us recap: season two, episode five – how long has Ellie had us fooled?

Ellie reveals some hard truths and encounters a terrifying new threat then ends up in the most dangerous place possible. Is she in too deep?This article contains spoilers for the The Last of Us season two. Please do not read unless you have seen episodes one to five.She may be an impulsive 19-year-old but we know Ellie (Bella Ramsey) isn’t stupid. Her headstrong nature may have something to do with her immunity to the cordyceps infection that has ravaged the world for more than two decades, but she could still have been shot or drowned or mortally wounded in countless other ways. Even if she has not been a particularly good student – “Non-school-oriented,” is how the diplomatic Dina (Isabela Merced) puts it – she has been smart enough to navigate the brutal realities of the post-apocalypse. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago The Last of Us recap: season two, episode four – now that is what you call romance

From emotional a-ha songs to taking a bite for the one you desire, love blossomed beautifully here. But is this the point of no return?This article contains spoilers for the The Last of Us season two. Please do not read unless you have seen episodes one to four.It’s natural to think of Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as the most direct character in The Last of Us. Her immunity to the infection that has everyone else on edge combined with the inherent rebelliousness of a 19-year-old means she is rarely the most tactful of speakers. But sometimes it is Ellie’s incorrigible crush Dina (Isabela Merced) who gets straight to the point. As the pair gaze up at the grisly sight of bodies strung up with their intestines ripped out, Dina makes a very salient observation: “What the fuck is wrong with Seattle?” Continue reading...

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3 w. ago EastEnders spoilers reveal villain's return, Joel exposed and Lauren in labour

EastEnders spoilers for next week promise chaos and drama as one character goes into labour and a villain returns to Walford, while there's bombshells and twists

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3 w. ago The Last of Us recap: season two, episode three – yes, Joel has been replaced already

In an episode more moving and raw than ever before, a traumatised Ellie grabs a gun and rides off to take revenge. But can she possibly make it – and who are the scarred newbies?This article contains spoilers for the The Last of Us season two. Please do not read unless you have seen episodes one to three.Despite growing up amid a fungal apocalypse that she alone may have the ability to undo, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is a typical teenager in one key regard: constant sarcastic backchat. We’ve seen the unfiltered 19-year-old dish it out to friends and authority figures alike, rarely thinking twice before saying whatever is on her mind. Which makes it all the more affecting when she spends so much of this episode in pained silence, grieving for the surrogate father she helplessly watched get killed at the end of last week’s relentless emotional wringer. Continue reading...

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