The Rest - April 23, 2023

In The Traitors, host Claudia Winkleman is supposed to be cold and distant... But she just can't help becoming a cheerleader during every challenge. It's very charming.

A quick wrap-up of everything else I watched this week.

Barry, Season 4 premiere (2023) - Like Succession, I don't know that I would have returned if this weren't the last season. And like Succession, I'm glad I did. Barry in prison and Sally in a tailspin is a compelling start. Anthony Carrigan continues to steal the show.

Scream (2022) - After another 10-year hiatus the franchise is getting itself back on track. It's maybe the most predictable entry yet, due largely to an overzealous devotion to self-referentiality. But Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are more than capable of carrying a new trilogy.

Somewhere in Queens (2022) - Ray Romano's directorial debut, about a disillusioned contractor who becomes obsessed with his son's basketball potential, can't quite escape the gravitational pull of its trope-y, sitcom-y script. The ensemble is the film's greatest strength, especially Laurie Metcalf.

Ted Lasso, Season 3 halfway point (2023) - This has been such a stressful season. Episode 6 allowed the characters (and by proxy the audience) to cut loose in Amsterdam. There's still a lot left for them to overcome, but maybe this respite has reenergized them and the show.

The Traitors UK (2022) - What a finale! They couldn't have scripted a more intense ending... I really hope they didn't script this intense ending... I'll probably wait a while before trying the Australian or American version (all available now on Peacock). Because how could either top that intense and maybe real ending?