Eclectic Pop

Pretty Little Liars | For an episode filled with copious amounts of filler, out-of-character behavior and non-existent plot headway, “No Stone Unturned” did yield two last-minute morsels of new information. Charles is alive (who thought otherwise?) and the girls have been chipped by A.

The wearisome second season might’ve finally found a pulse with an episode ending shootout that saw the series picking up major steam. The scene was heavily reminiscent of season one’s impressively choreographed standoff in episode four. It is hopefully a sign this season has found the jumpstart it needs to gain some forward momentum.

“Penny Dreadful” wrapped its second season on a strongly somber note, closing its curtains with an array of characters bidding farewell to London as they headed overseas indefinitely. There were no happy endings to be had here, except for maybe Lily and Dorian. The two psychos will apparently spend the rest of their days waltzing in a bloody ballroom. Despite defeating the devil, Vanessa’s story ended on a down note with her winding up all alone as her friends departed her company. The season ending denouement felt more like a loss than a victory.

Episode 2: “Night Finds You”| Opening with a monologue from Vince Vaughn's Frank, the second episode of HBO's anthological series got off to a meditative start, filling in some of the backstory for the reformed crime boss with a tragic tale of neglect he endured during his terrible childhood. Speaking of childhoods, viewers also got a glimpse into the sordid relationship between Paul and his mother. To say their dynamic was awkward would be putting it mildly.

The cultural zeitgeist that surrounds HBO’s premier series is unlike most of the water cooler shows currently airing. What revs people up over one storyline’s direction, can be equally bold in another capacity and go entirely ignored. Amid its fifth season, “Game of Thrones” found itself facing the brunt of significant controversy when in the wake of its sixth episode, titled “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” an online frenzy broke out, sending the series into controversial overdrive.

Tyrant | Episode 2: “Enter the Fates” | Jamal survived an assassination attempt, Barry roamed the desert, Molly mourned and Leila proceeded with business as usual. The two big stories playing out in “Enter the Fates“ was Ahmed’s attempt to prove himself amid growing pressure to assume more responsibilities for Abuddin.

Back in America, Molly continued to grieve the “loss” of Barry. Something her children seemed incapable of doing. Their rather blasé reaction to their father’s supposed execution was as trying on their psyche as learning the grocery store was out of their favorite flavor of ice cream. The respective Al-Fayed youngsters seem to lack much emotional range outside of angry outbursts.