Hola querida comunidad de Hive, espero se encuentren muy bien. Como siempre, es un placer poder venir por este medio a hablarles de algo que nos encanta tanto como lo son las series. Generalmente no soy amante de los musicales, pero Hazbin Hotel es una agradable excepción. Fueron casi dos años de espera para esta nueva temporada, y por fin pudimos disfrutar de lo que Prime Video nos tenía preparado.

Hello dear Hive community, I hope you are all doing well. As always, it is a pleasure to be able to come here and talk to you about something we love so much, which is TV series. I'm not usually a fan of musicals, but Hazbin Hotel is a pleasant exception. We waited almost two years for this new season, and we finally got to enjoy what Prime Video had in store for us.

Hazbin Hotel es una serie producida por Prime Video bajo la dirección artística de Vivienne Medrano, quien originalmente creó este proyecto para YouTube. El piloto tuvo una recepción tan buena que terminó llamando la atención de la plataforma, convirtiéndose así en una serie completa.

Hazbin Hotel is a series produced by Prime Video under the artistic direction of Vivienne Medrano, who originally created this project for YouTube. The pilot was so well received that it ended up catching the attention of the platform, thus becoming a full series.

Para quienes no conocen la historia, Hazbin Hotel se desarrolla en el Infierno, donde habitan los pecadores: personas que, usando su libre albedrío, eligieron el mal y terminaron allí. Nuestra protagonista es Charlie, hija de Lucifer, quien sueña con que los pecadores puedan redimirse. Su propósito es evitar los exterminios anuales enviados desde el Cielo, ofreciendo una oportunidad de cambio. Al final de la temporada anterior hubo una batalla que dejó una gran revelación: los pecadores podían matar ángeles… y, además, vimos por primera vez a un pecador lograr la redención.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Hazbin Hotel takes place in Hell, where sinners dwell: people who, using their free will, chose evil and ended up there. Our protagonist is Charlie, Lucifer's daughter, who dreams that sinners can be redeemed. Her purpose is to prevent the annual exterminations sent from Heaven by offering sinners a chance to change. At the end of the previous season, there was a battle that led to a major revelation: sinners could kill angels... and, for the first time, we saw a sinner achieve redemption.

Esta nueva temporada comienza con el dilema de si el proyecto del Hotel Hazbin realmente funciona o no. Gracias al hotel, muchos descubrieron que no eran tan débiles en comparación con los ángeles. Personalmente, siento que fue un buen comienzo, especialmente porque pudimos ver a Serpentius en su versión redimida y también tuvimos un pequeño vistazo a Los Vees.

This new season begins with the dilemma of whether or not the Hazbin Hotel project actually works. Thanks to the hotel, many discovered that they weren't so weak compared to angels. Personally, I feel like it was a good start, especially since we got to see Serpentius in his redeemed version and also got a little glimpse of The Vees.

A nivel de personajes, debo admitir que Charlie no me terminó de convencer esta vez. Aunque es la protagonista, siento que no dio la talla: se mostró egoísta en varios momentos y, de cierta manera, terminó convirtiéndose casi en una antagonista involuntaria, saboteando sin querer su propio objetivo. También tenemos a Los Vees, los demonios del entretenimiento, que tienen una enorme influencia en el Infierno. Entre ellos está Vox, el villano principal de esta temporada, quien tuvo momentos muy buenos, aunque también escenas que quedaron un poco flojas.

In terms of characters, I must admit that Charlie didn't quite win me over this time. Although she is the protagonist, I feel that she didn't measure up: she came across as selfish at various points and, in a way, ended up becoming almost an unwitting antagonist, inadvertently sabotaging her own goal. We also have The Vees, the demons of entertainment, who have enormous influence in Hell. Among them is Vox, this season's main villain, who had some very good moments, although there were also scenes that fell a little flat.

Por otro lado, mi personaje favorito sigue siendo Alastor. Es complicado porque no es un personaje “bueno”, pero es, sin duda, el que más desarrollo ha mostrado. Al principio parecía solo un vendehumo con una sonrisa inquietante, pero esta temporada logró sorprendernos de verdad y dejarnos con los ojos bien abiertos.

On the other hand, my favorite character is still Alastor. It's complicated because he's not a “good” character, but he's definitely the one who has shown the most development. At first, he seemed like nothing more than a smooth talker with an unsettling smile, but this season he managed to really surprise us and leave us wide-eyed.

Sin embargo, tengo tres quejas importantes:

However, I have three major complaints:

1. Las canciones. Casi ninguna me atrapó esta temporada. Easy fue la única que realmente me gustó, y eso es decir mucho porque esperaba más fuerza musical.

1. The songs. Almost none of them caught my attention this season. Easy was the only one I really liked, and that's saying a lot because I was expecting more musical strength.

1. Lucifer. Siento que redujeron demasiado su papel al de “personaje cómico”. Nadie lo toma en serio, y da la impresión de que están desperdiciando a un personaje con muchísimo potencial.

1. Lucifer. I feel like they reduced his role too much to that of a “comic character.” No one takes him seriously, and it seems like they are wasting a character with a lot of potential.

1. Angel Dust. Le tengo mucho cariño, y siento que lo apartaron de la trama principal. Me hubiera encantado verlo más involucrado en los eventos clave.

1. Angel Dust. I am very fond of him, and I feel that he was sidelined from the main plot. I would have loved to see him more involved in the key events.

En general, le daría un 6/10 a esta temporada. Tiene cosas muy buenas, pero también decisiones que no terminaron de cuajar. Aún así, mantengo la esperanza de que la tercera temporada llegue pronto y sea mucho mejor. ¡Ojalá no tengamos que esperar otros dos años!

Overall, I would give this season a 6/10. It has some very good elements, but also some decisions that didn't quite work out. Still, I remain hopeful that the third season will arrive soon and be much better. Hopefully we won't have to wait another two years!

Nos leemos en el próximo post. 💫

See you in the next post.

Source

Source

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The Price (S03E08)

Airdate: November 13th 1989

Written by: Hannah Louise Shearer Directed by: Robert Scheerer

Running Time: 45 minutes

By the time Star Trek: The Next Generation reached its third season, the series had undergone a remarkable creative transformation. Under the stewardship of new showrunner Michael Piller, the writing had matured, the characters had deepened, and narrative ambition had significantly expanded. As a result, episodes that might have stood out as highlights in the comparatively uneven first two seasons now appeared merely serviceable. This is, to a considerable extent, the fate of The Price, the eighth episode of Season 3. While marked by some questionable creative choices and a degree of sloppiness in execution, it remains an entertaining and, more importantly, a quietly consequential instalment—one that laid groundwork for some of Star Trek’s most enduring future developments.

The story centres on the discovery of a Barzan wormhole—a spatial anomaly that has recently become visible near the planet Barzan II. Initial probes conducted by the Barzan have suggested that the wormhole provides instantaneous transit to the distant Gamma Quadrant, a prospect of astronomical strategic and economic value. However, the Barzan themselves lack the technological sophistication to exploit it and instead choose to lease exclusive access to the highest bidder. Because Barzan II’s atmosphere is toxic to most humanoid species, the auction is relocated aboard the USS Enterprise-D, under the watchful eye of Captain Picard. Three delegations arrive to bid: the Caldonians, represented by the towering Leyor (Kevin Peter Hall); the United Federation of Planets, via the diplomatic envoy Mendoza (Castulo Guerra); and the Chrysalians, fronted by the charismatic Devinoni Ral (Matt McCoy)—a professional negotiator of partial human heritage. Complicating matters further is the uninvited arrival of a Ferengi delegation led by the scheming Daimon Goss (Scott Thomson), whose inclusion Picard grants only with evident reluctance.

True to form, the Ferengi immediately resort to underhanded tactics, poisoning Mendoza and forcing Commander Riker to step in as the Federation’s negotiator. Meanwhile, Counsellor Deanna Troi finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Ral, and the two embark on a passionate, if short-lived, romantic entanglement. Their intimacy quickly unravels, however, when Troi discovers that Ral himself is part-Betazoid and has been subtly manipulating emotional cues to gain the upper hand in negotiations. Despite the personal betrayal, Ral’s diplomacy proves effective: he convinces the Caldonians to withdraw, then brokers a secret deal with the Ferengi, who agree to support the Chrysalians in exchange for a share of future profits. Just as the deal appears sealed, a crucial complication emerges.

Two shuttlecraft—one from the Enterprise, piloted by Geordi La Forge and Data, and another Ferengi vessel commanded by Arridor (Dan Shor) and Kol (J. R. Quinonez)—have been dispatched to verify the wormhole’s far terminus. Both emerge not in the Gamma Quadrant, as expected, but in the Delta Quadrant, revealing that the wormhole’s exit is unstable and migratory. Recognising the danger, Geordi and Data make the bold decision to re-enter the wormhole even while it is temporarily invisible, successfully returning to the Alpha Quadrant. The Ferengi, however, opt to stay behind in hopes of securing exclusive access—a gamble that backfires when the wormhole vanishes, stranding them indefinitely in the Delta Quadrant. The revelation renders the entire auction moot, and the Barzan are left with a cosmic shortcut they cannot reliably use. Ral departs, attempting to persuade Troi to join him, but she declines, choosing duty—and self-respect—over fleeting passion.

Written by Hannah Louise Shearer, The Price tackles an intriguing concept—the commercialisation of faster-than-light travel via wormholes—a trope familiar from other hard science fiction works but here given a distinctly Trek-ian diplomatic spin. Yet the episode is perhaps better remembered for its focus on Troi’s emotional life, marking her first serious romantic storyline and offering rare depth to a character often sidelined in earlier seasons. There’s also an undeniable whiff of fan service: director Robert Scheerer lingers on shots that border on the gratuitous, including a now-notorious scene in which Dr. Crusher and Troi, clad in form-fitting spandex, discuss their sex lives while exercising—a moment that feels more like playful pandering than substantive character development.

Matt McCoy delivers a compelling performance as Devinoni Ral. Though ostensibly an antagonist, Ral is never truly villainous; rather, he embodies the morally ambiguous pragmatism of high-stakes negotiation. His charm and cunning are so effective that he briefly wins over both Troi and the audience, blurring the lines between manipulation and persuasion.

One cannot overlook the episode’s technical shortcomings. The editing feels rushed in places, with transitions that cut too abruptly—likely a consequence of fitting the narrative into a strict 45-minute broadcast window. These jarring cuts occasionally undermine the pacing and emotional beats.

Nonetheless, The Price holds significant canonical weight. It effectively completes the Ferengi’s demotion from would-be galactic threats to bumbling comic foils—a transition that better suits their satirical purpose. The subplot involving Arridor and Kol, while initially seeming intrusive, adds a layer of darkly comic irony: their greed literally strands them in an unknown quadrant, a fate that would later echo through Star Trek: Voyager. Indeed, the episode’s most lasting contributions are structural. It formally introduced the quadrant-based division of the galaxy into Star Trek’s lexicon—a framework that would become foundational. More importantly, it prefigured two cornerstone series of Star Trek’s “Golden Age”: Deep Space Nine, whose very premise orbits a stable wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant, and Voyager, which similarly strands a Federation ship (and its crew) in the Delta Quadrant. The fate of the two Ferengi was even revisited in Voyager’s first-season episode “False Profits,” closing a loop that began here.

At the end, while The Price may not rank among TNG’s finest hours, its narrative ripples extend far beyond its runtime. It is a flawed but fertile episode—proof that even modest instalments can sow the seeds of greatness.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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This one took me a while. I'm not sure whether it was just life taking over and keeping me busy, or perhaps just not feeling the show at the moment. I realised the other day how far behind I was with the show and didn't really have an answer to give myself as to why I hadn't watched it. The first season was an interesting concept that ended on a fun note, I didn't expect there to even be a second season, though once news of it dropped I was just as cautious as the rest. I did start the second season a few months back, though it didn't really capture my attention in the moment and I just ended up going back into the real life obligations I had and watching very little due to the lack of time. But here and there I thought of it. And this week I decided to finally watch through it.

The second season picks up pretty much where the first left off. Our protagonist never boarded the plane and ventured off to start a new life with his vibrant new hair style. In the end, deciding to take matters into his own hands knowing the games wouldn't yet be over. His life now taking the role of revenge to the point of stopping the next round of games taking place. Also coming to realise that he was never really free having won the previous round. Alive, but with a tracker placed behind his ear that he soon discovers and removes at his own accord. This initial first episode has us witnessing how the comes continued on immediately, how the same types of people were exploited and given the infamous card. Gi-hun working alongside a group of mercenaries to try to find the distributor of the card. I liked this aspect with the mercenaries as it showed how the previous games had impacted loan sharks and a shady black market in which the previous contestants owed money to, naturally leading them to want to find the person responsible after the people in debt strangely all went missing.

Despite being so sceptical of the second season, as it didn't quite need to exist, I do think this setup justifies it, as it takes the role of a revenge story and broadens the world a bit more without immediately diving into the same formula, particularly with the same protagonist. This could've easily been terrible and its reason for existing is still questionable. I do think nothing after the first season would've been fine. Though the second season does manage to capture your attention with that additional world building that bridges the previous story together. Not too much of the same thing, without straying too far from what we all enjoyed before. And this definitely features a bit more action, building up to that inevitable return to the games for Gi-hun.

Once the games begin, I did find it a bit too much that they followed through with the same type of games. Primarily the one in which the group must walk as fast as they can to get to the other side without being noticed by the tall girl robotic. I can't help but feel that this was put in out of the general fame it gave the show to begin with. Where it as the thing that really kicked things off within the first season. As a result, some of the games don't really feel like they had the same initial weight that the first one had. After all, we get the general idea and that shock of it all is already gone. This is where the characters remain the most important part. If the games are repetitive or not as impactful, then we need to find characters to really care for and not want to lose within them. I think the second season does a decent job at that.

Characters are quickly introduced within the usual manner: announcing their shameful debts. Explaining that each person there is ultimately the same. Of course, with the possibility of earning a big cash prize providing they win the games, removing them from debt and giving them great wealth. The usual setup, nothing out of the ordinary here. And of course, our protagonist remains the main interest, having infiltrated with a tracker in his tooth. Despite the characters and increasing tension, the drama isn't quite enough to be engaging. The characters hold similar reactions to the first season, a similar structure and setup. Though Gi-hun's pans to infiltrate leads to a bit of an unsatisfying cliffhanger. A blatant sign of the third season to come (and it did). This is where the show loses that emotion, the classic Korean drama pull of the heart strings that lingers on and makes us uncomfortable. As mentioned before, we need to care for the characters more, to really feel their losses and the problems they've suffered that led them to this fateful point.

I don't want to write too much about the story, though I'm sure most people have probably seen this by now and I'm the one really late to the party with the third season already out and done. But it does scream like Netflix saw the success of the first season and the demand for more unique Korean shows and really pushed to get this one out fast. The story isn't necessary at all. But it does follow a decent structure that makes sense: Gi-hun's thirst for true revenge, not just running off and accepting his fate. The want to crush the games in its entirety. But again, it didn't need to be made. In terms of its quality, it's decent. The production side of things is good. I have no problems with that at all.

Hello, dear film lovers, /Bonjour chers cinéphiles,

Season 3 of this American series has been available on Netflix since 16 October 2025. The third season of this political thriller consists of eight episodes.

Depuis le 16 octobre 2025, la saison 3 de cette série américaine est disponible sur Netflix. La 3e saison de ce thriller politique se compose de 8 épisodes.

Source Poster for the third season /Affiche de la 3e saison

Synopsis :

With former US President William Rayburn (Michael McKean) deceased, his Vice-President, Grace Penn (Allison Janney), takes his place. It's a bit of a scramble to organise the funeral while managing political emergencies. A new Vice-President must also be appointed, and Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) praises the credentials of his wife Kate (Keri Russell) to Grace Penn, hoping she will appoint Kate to the position. Kate does not want to be Vice-President and would prefer to remain in her role as US Ambassador to London.

L'ancien président des Etats-Unis, William Rayburn (Michael McKean) étant décédé, c'est sa vice-présidente, Grace Penn (Allison Janney), qui le remplace. C'est un peu le branle-bas de combat pour organiser les funérailles, tout en gérant les urgences politiques. Il faut nommer un ou une vice-président(e) également et Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) encense le profil de son épouse Kate (Keri Russell) auprès de Grace Penn afin que celle-ci nomme Kate à ce poste. Kate ne sera pas vice-présidente et elle préférerait garder sa fonction d'ambassadrice américaine, à Londres.

Kate and Hal are still officially married, but in their private lives, things are not going well. However, they make a good team professionally, and that is what still connects them.

News of a Russian submarine that appears to have run aground in the North Sea off the British coast forces the Americans and British to hold a few summit meetings, especially since the submarine is believed to be carrying the Poseidon system (a nuclear drone/torpedo).

Kate et Hal sont toujours officiellement mariés, mais dans la sphère privée, cela ne va plus. Ils forment pourtant une bonne équipe, au niveau professionnel et c'est ce qui les relie encore.

Une info sur un sous-marin russe qui semble s'être échoué en Mer du Nord, le long des côtes britanniques oblige les Américains et les Britanniques à avoir quelques réunions au sommet, surtout que ce sous-marin transporterait le système Poséidon (drone/torpille nucléaire).

My opinion and useful information /Mon avis et petites infos :

This series closely follows real-life events and shows us one possible interpretation.

Humour is also present in this series, particularly through slightly offbeat expressions.

The actors are as good as ever.

Bradley Whitford, in the role of Todd Penn, the president's husband, is more prominent in this third season. I really like his character, who is very clever, but whom we would like to leave out of the picture.

Cette série suit de très près les actualités de la vie réelle et nous montre une possible interprétation.

L'humour est aussi présent dans cette série, notamment au travers d'expressions un peu décalées.

Les acteurs sont toujours aussi bons.

Bradley Whitford, dans le rôle de Todd Penn, époux de la présidente est plus présent dans cette 3e saison. J'aime beaucoup son personnage qui est très malin, mais que l'on aimerait laisser de côté.

Aidan Turner appears in the role of Callum Ellis, on the British side. You may know him from the series Poldark, where he played the lead role.

Season 4 has already been commissioned and is currently being filmed in November 2025. Logically, it will be available around October/November 2026 if all goes well.

I really like this series and highly recommend it.

Enjoy your evenings in front of the telly, see you soon,

Aidan Turner fait son apparition dans le rôle de Callum Ellis, du côté britannique. Vous le connaissez peut-être de la série Poldark, où il avait le rôle principal.

Une saison 4 est déjà commandée et en cours de tournage en ce mois de novembre 2025. Logiquement, il sera disponible vers octobre/novembre 2026 si tout se passe sans accroc.

J'aime beaucoup cette série et vous la conseille vivement.

Bonnes soirées-tv, à bientôt,

Florence

Source photo : image Qwant autorisée

I used Deepl Translator to translate French into English

Proud member of the Principality of Bastion

Un extraño virus hizo que de repente muchas personas se transformaran en zombies y comenzaran a atacar a otros, pero no son esos tradicionales que hemos visto por años en el cine, moverse lentamente, más que zombies parecen monstruos o bestias que corren a gran velocidad y atacan violentamente todo lo que se mueve. Poco a poco el virus se va extendiendo por varias regiones pero la historia se centra en un grupo de estudiantes que intenta sobrevivir encerrados en su colegio, allí se van organizando, pero saldrán a relucir algunos aspectos importantes como que no solo existe un tipo de zombie, sino que también hay algunos que desarrollan algún tipo de resistencia, así que a pesar de estar infectados y tener habilidades especiales, no pierden del todo la consciencia y la humanidad.

La serie también ha sido tomada como una analogía de la vida del adolescente surcoreano promedio, estrictamente preparado para la vida laboral, debe estudiar durante doce años para estar listos para la prueba universitaria, el desafío más grande de su vida, allí se definirá su futuro, los ojos y esperanzas de su familia, la escuela y la sociedad en general están puestos sobre él o ella, y poco a poco termina siendo víctima de un sistema clasista y estereotipado, que establece parámetros sin tomar en cuenta los sentimientos o el pensamiento crítico de cada individuo. Si uno de ellos prefiere optar por un oficio en lugar de ir a la universidad, rápidamente es mal visto por la sociedad, lo llaman mediocre y lo consideran un fracasado, así que de esta manera los adolescentes se vuelven esclavos del sistema, marionetas de la sociedad, pierden su humanidad, pero en el contexto de la serie, por primera vez en sus vidas tendrán que enfrentarse a la realidad, tomar decisiones importantes de las cuales dependerá su supervivencia.

Lo único malo es que tiene un final abierto que da pie a una posible temporada más, pero hace muchísimo que no ha habido ninguna noticia al respecto, así que la serie quedó inconclusa.

(Imagen hecha con el editor de canva)

Image made with the Canva editor

Of the six members of Monty Python, Michael Palin has carved out a uniquely distinguished post-comedy career as a television presenter, driven by a genuine, deeply rooted passion for travel. Beginning with the landmark 1989 BBC series Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin, he established himself as the pre-eminent British travel documentarian of his generation—thoughtful, affable, and endlessly curious. By 2002, his fifth such venture, Sahara with Michael Palin, arrived as part of this acclaimed oeuvre. Though not as widely celebrated as his earlier journeys, Sahara remains a compelling, if occasionally uneven, exploration of one of the world’s most iconic and misunderstood landscapes.

Structured across four hour-long episodes, Sahara charts Palin’s journey through North and West Africa, beginning not in the desert itself but at its periphery. The opening episode, A Line in the Sand, commences in Gibraltar before crossing into Tangier—a symbolic threshold into a vastly different world. From there, Palin ascends into the Atlas Mountains, briefly enters the Algerian Sahara, and visits a Sahrawi refugee camp near Tindouf, where he engages in earnest conversations with Polisario Front activists. This early political thread is one of the few moments where Palin directly confronts the region’s fraught geopolitics. The episode concludes in Mauritania, where he meets Dave Hammond, a British participant of the Paris-Dakar Rally—a telling juxtaposition of Western adventurism and local endurance.

The second episode, Destination Timbuktu” ventures deeper into Sub-Saharan Africa. Starting in Senegal, Palin travels through Mali, encountering the Dogon people along the Bandiagara Escarpment—a culture renowned for its elaborate cosmology and cliffside dwellings. Yet even here, logistical chaos and the sheer unpredictability of travel in the region threaten to derail the journey. By the time he reaches Niger, Palin genuinely wonders whether Timbuktu—the legendary city that has captivated Western imaginations for centuries—will remain out of reach. This sense of uncertainty lends authenticity to the series; Palin is not a detached observer but a participant in the often-frustrating realities of overland travel in under-resourced regions.

In the third episode, Absolute Desert, Palin finally arrives in Timbuktu, only to quickly pivot back to Niger’s northern reaches. Here, he witnesses vibrant Tuareg festivals and journeys into the Tenere desert—the “absolute desert” of the title. It is in these moments that the cinematography shines; the BBC’s production values are, as ever, impeccable, capturing the stark beauty and haunting silence of the Saharan expanse. Palin’s narration remains gentle and observant, often letting the landscape and its people speak for themselves.

The final episode, Dire Straits, is perhaps the most historically resonant, if slightly rushed. Crossing into southern Algeria and then Libya—then still under Muammar Gaddafi’s reclusive rule—Palin gains rare access to areas typically closed to Western crews. His visit to Tobruk, where he meets British veterans of the WW2 North African Campaign, provides poignant historical context. The juxtaposition of wartime memory with present-day isolation is masterfully handled. A visit to Leptis Magna, one of the Roman Empire’s grandest cities, further enriches the narrative. The series closes with Palin in Tunisia, where he revisits filming locations from Monty Python’s Life of Brian, offering a wry, self-referential coda before returning to Gibraltar.

Sahara is not among Palin’s most celebrated works—overshadowed perhaps by the sheer novelty of Pole to Pole. Yet it remains a worthy entry in his travel canon. Palin largely steers clear of the Maghreb and Sahel’s complex political landscapes, save for the Polisario interviews and a brief exchange on a Spanish beach about African migration—a conscious choice that may frustrate some viewers but aligns with his ethos of cultural immersion over political commentary. His characteristic humour surfaces in unexpected places, such as a wry discussion about polygamy’s social implications, and he frequently adopts the perspectives of expatriates, like a Norwegian missionary in Niger, to reflect on cross-cultural misunderstandings.

Ultimately, Sahara works not through grand revelations but through its quiet attentiveness—to people, places, and histories often ignored by mainstream media. While the final episode feels hurried, its encounters with WWII veterans and ancient ruins carry undeniable weight. For aficionados of travel documentaries, Sahara exemplifies the BBC’s gold standard of production and Palin’s enduring gift for bridging worlds with warmth, wit, and humility.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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Let's shine hundreds of spotlights on Michael Thalheimer's production of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde starring Clay Hilley and Elisabeth Teige. Please enjoy my review and let me know your opinions.

Non esiste una vita giusta in una realtà sbagliata e non tutto ha lo scopo di metterci a nostro agio. Le relazioni private e professionali in un gruppo di docenti e dottorandi dei salotti di Yale vengono messe in discussione da una pesante accusa di abuso e violenza di una studentessa nei confronti del suo professore. Chi predica bene razzola male e la pratica nel vivere e nell'agire quotidiani non combacia con gli insegnamenti e la divulgazione della teoria. Iniziano così a incrinarsi i rapporti e a vacillare gli equilibri. La ricostruzione della verità a partire dalle versioni di ciascuno sui fatti diventa una valanga che travolge tutto e tutti. L'insinuazione del dubbio è una strada senza ritorno. Inizia un prima e un dopo 'il fatto'. Ognuno ha torto e ragione al tempo stesso. L'etica però non è soggettiva, non dipende dal punto di vista, al contrario, è un'assunzione di responsabilità rispetto a ciò che è giusto in maniera assoluta e insindacabile, costi quel che costi.

Rievocando gli spunti di indagine de 'Il dubbio', film del 2008 di John Patrick Shanley, con un cast altrettanto stellare, Guadagnino affida internamente a una scrittura raguardevole e alle interpretazioni pregevoli, la messa in piedi e in scena di un dibattito-tenzone che ruota intorno e poi approfindisce il senso della moralità, della giustizia (riparativa), il significato di responsabilità, di identità, i rapporti di potere, i privilegi, i pregiudizi, le condizioni sociali e il gioco dei ruoli nelle cerchie private e professionali. Appunto, non esiste una vita giusta in un mondo che si regge su compromessi e convenzioni e sul gioco delle parti e che deve mettere sempre in conto e in discussione la ricerca di un bilanciamento continuo tra il comportamento e l'agire fuori dalle regole, dentro le regole o al di sopra di esse. In ogni caso si perde, qualcosa o qualcuno e non si può ritornare ripercorrendo la stessa strada dalla quale si è arrivati.

Cosa resta dopo la caccia? Cosa rimane dopo la vittoria? Tutti parlano delle difficoltà per raggiungere la vetta e nessuno di come ci si sente oltre il traguardo. Forse si ricomincia perché non basta mai.

Circles (S01E13)

Airdate: June 4th 2002

Written by: Shawn Ryan Directed by: Scott Brazil

Running Time: 45 minutes

Unlike many historical events of its time, the 1992 Los Angeles riots affected Hollywood in an unmistakably direct way, leaving an indelible mark on its creative consciousness. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the riots and their protracted aftermath—culminating in the O.J. Simpson saga—profoundly influenced the content of numerous films and television shows in the years to come. One notably gritty example can be found in the Season 1 finale of the groundbreaking police drama The Shield, which, by coincidence, aired roughly around the tenth anniversary of the event. Circles, written by series creator Shawn Ryan and directed by Scott Brazil, harnesses the raw energy of this societal trauma, using it as a backdrop to weave together its various plot strands and explore the broad social and deeply personal consequences of police misconduct and institutional corruption.

The episode directly closes the storyline of civil unrest ignited in the previous episode, Two Days of Blood. The riots in Farmington, fueled by a scandalous failure of the LAPD to respond to a 911 call that led to the deaths of two black women, provide a volatile opening. Captain Aceveda reluctantly orders the police to use force to disperse the angry crowds; in the resulting stampede, an African American woman loses her life. Before Aceveda and the LAPD can properly process the consequences of this tragedy, the community's distrust and hostility towards the police manifest in an even more extreme form. A fake 911 call is used to lure two uniformed officers into an ambush, resulting in one officer dead and another, Officer Paula Myers (Melanie Myers), gravely injured. The situation escalates horrifically when two more officers are killed the next day in the same manner. The Barn itself, the police precinct, becomes a target when its windows are shot out, although Aceveda manages to apprehend these particular perpetrators, discovering they are young Latino copycats . This narrative arc powerfully illustrates the cyclical nature of violence, showing how official neglect breeds communal despair, which in turn sparks a vengeful, armed response, creating a self-perpetuating loop of bloodshed.

Vic Mackey is given the task of hunting down the police shooters, a mission complicated by the menacing presence of Assistant Chief Ben Gilroy. Gilroy arrives at the Barn under the pretext of personally supervising the investigation, but his true motives are to intimidate Vic into silence about his crimes and to manipulate Aceveda onto his side. The Strike Team's brutal methods appear to bear fruit. Shane fabricates a story that causes a young witness to flee, and after a vigorous chase, Vic corners him. Through intimidation, he learns the perpetrators were two black men and one black woman. Following a trail of illegal cell phone sales through two men, Cyrus (Malik Straughter) and Igal (Alex Veadov), the team obtains their phone numbers. Vic's informant, T.O., provides crucial street information about a teenager named Sonny (Alen Escarpeta) who was brandishing an LAPD badge stolen from one of the murdered officers. In one of the episode's most disturbing scenes, Vic and his team locate Sonny's heroin-addicted father, who readily betrays his son for another hit of drugs When confronted, Sonny is brutally interrogated by Vic, who uses the stolen badge as a tool of torture, stabbing him in the chest with its pin to extract the names of his confederates, Benji (Damen Fletcher) and Twanya (Petra Sprecher). Their hiding place—a squat frequented by homeless people—is subsequently raided by Vic and a now-involved Aceveda. During the raid, Aceveda saves Vic's life by shooting Twanya, while Benji is arrested, thus ending the immediate cop-killing affair.

While the manhunt unfolds, a tense political power struggle simmers within the Barn. Gilroy desperately tries to force Aceveda to move against Vic, leveraging their well-established personal antipathy and Aceveda's political ambitions. Yet, Vic simultaneously attempts to forge a common cause with Aceveda, arguing that taking down a bigger fish within the LAPD, like Gilroy, would be a more significant victory for Aceveda's anti-corruption campaign. Aceveda, in a display of political pragmatism, ultimately opts for the latter option. He exposes Gilroy's illegal real estate scheme, leading Gilroy to fire him in a futile, last-ditch effort to retain control . This move is rendered meaningless, however, as Aceveda has already located Gilroy's girlfriend and co-conspirator, Sedona Tellez (Lana Parilla), who, when faced with the evidence, is prepared to betray him. Gilroy's final attempt to blackmail Vic by planting the gun used to kill Jesus Rosales in the Mackey home also fails, as the Strike Team discovers it in time. The final confrontation in the Clubhouse sees a defeated Gilroy begging Vic to kill him, with Shane even volunteering to do the deed. In a surprising moment of restraint, Vic instead decides to deliver Gilroy to Aceveda to be arrested . His professional triumph, however, is rendered hollow by the personal discovery that his wife, Corrine, frustrated with the dangerous path his career has taken and its effects on their family, has disappeared with his children . This ending leaves Vic alone in his ransacked home, his personal life in shambles despite his victory over Gilroy.

Circles brilliantly uses its inspiration from real-life apocalyptic riots and armed conflicts sparked by police misconduct to connect various plot strands to both broader social and personal consequences. In a sense, the episode serves as a form of karmic punishment for Vic, following his execution of a fellow officer in the series premiere. He meets his mirror image in Gilroy, someone who has also crossed the line between upholding and breaking the law but from a higher position in the police hierarchy and for far less justifiable reasons. Unlike Vic, who justifies his pact with drug dealers with the desire to keep crime low and his family safe, Gilroy deliberately harmed innocent citizens by reducing police coverage in their neighbourhood, purely for financial gain. Vic sees in Gilroy a perverted reflection of himself and apparently dislikes what he sees, which stays his hand from execution. Yet, for all his efforts to do the "right" thing by taking Gilroy into custody, he is left without the family that was his primary justification for his actions, leaving his personal life and purpose in tatters.

With its limited runtime focused on the central crisis, Circles has less opportunity to provide momentous closures for its side characters. Dutch and Claudette end the season as they began, dedicated to the daily grind of detective work, immediately moving on to the next gruesome but petty crime. Similarly, Danny and Julien reach a point of professional peace and understanding, but their fundamental character arcs are not dramatically shifted by the evening's events . The notable exception is Aceveda, whose tactical alliance with Vic and pragmatic choice of the "lesser evil" signals that his political career, to be explored in Season 2, will demand a more complex and morally ambiguous character than the straightforward reformer he initially appeared to be.

Directed by Scott Brazil, Circles is a dynamic episode where a slew of momentous dramatic events is presented in a rapid yet comprehensive way . The pacing reflects the relentless pressure felt by the characters, barely giving them or the audience a moment to breathe. The acting is consistently strong across the ensemble, but Michael Chiklis delivers a particularly raw and compelling performance as Vic Mackey. Reports indicate that during the shooting of the emotional final scene in his empty home, Chiklis went so far into the character that he actually experienced a panic attack. This moment was captured on screen, resulting in one of the more powerful and viscerally authentic season finales in early 21st-century television history, perfectly encapsulating the collapse of Vic's carefully constructed world .

Circles represents very good example how to write a season finale . It delivers explosive action and narrative closure while deepening the show's central themes of corruption, moral compromise, and the cyclical nature of violence. By holding a dark mirror up to its protagonist and to the system in which he operates, the episode ensures that the victory feels as unsettling as it is triumphant, setting a high bar for the seasons to come.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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