Arielle Bernstein

8/13/21

Sandra Oh presides over the intellectual Thunderdome of Netflix’s <i>The Chair </i>

Sandra Oh presides over the intellectual Thunderdome of Netflix’s The Chair

The politics of academia becomes a battlefield in this Netflix series from Amanda Peet and Annie Wyman

2/5/21

The road to hell is paved with social media posts in Syfy’s <i>Devil May Care</i>

The road to hell is paved with social media posts in Syfy’s Devil May Care

One of the true joys of watching adult animation is seeing how deftly the genre combines zany humor with earnest…

9/25/20

Everyone starts making choices in the penultimate episode of <i>Raised By Wolves</i>

Everyone starts making choices in the penultimate episode of Raised By Wolves

One of the defining features of civilization in the world of Raised By Wolves is the lack of true choice. The…

9/24/20

An excellent new <i>Raised By Wolves </i>delivers on the show’s potential

An excellent new Raised By Wolves delivers on the show’s potential

In an earlier episode this season, Mother expressed sadness that she would never be able to have her own child. In…

9/18/20

<i>Raised By Wolves</i> explores whether people (or androids) can change

Raised By Wolves explores whether people (or androids) can change

What is our core self? Is it something we possess when we are born? Or something that is shaped by time and…

9/17/20

Father is the most compelling character in <i>Raised By Wolves</i>

Father is the most compelling character in Raised By Wolves

We’re in the second half of the season and what started as a really compelling new world now seems increasingly…

9/11/20

<i>Raised By Wolves</i> asks what a robot girl wants without offering any interesting answers

Raised By Wolves asks what a robot girl wants without offering any interesting answers

“Infected Memory” provides our first real glimpse at Mother’s origin story. After many episodes of hearing talk of a…

9/10/20

In <i>Raised By Wolves</i>, empathy is a problem and a potential vehicle for change

In Raised By Wolves, empathy is a problem and a potential vehicle for change

Throughout Raised By Wolves, human civilization is presented as unwaveringly brutal, so much so that Paul’s first…

9/5/20

<i>Raised By Wolves</i> explores the stories we tell each other and ourselves

Raised By Wolves explores the stories we tell each other and ourselves

In the first few moments of “Virtual Faith,” Mother tells the children—Campion (Winta McGrath), Hunter (Ethan…

9/4/20

HBO Max’s <i>Raised By Wolves </i>asks big questions about identity in its second episode

HBO Max’s Raised By Wolves asks big questions about identity in its second episode

After the shockingly violent end of episode one, “Pentagram” shifts our attentions away from Mother in order to…

9/3/20

In the <i>Raised By Wolves </i>premiere<i>,</i> Mother is optimistic—and so are we

In the Raised By Wolves premiere, Mother is optimistic—and so are we

In the thrilling and foreboding first episode of Raised By Wolves, we learn that Earth has been destroyed and that…

3/9/20

Unlike recent depictions of fascism, David Simon’s <i>Plot Against America </i>refuses to sanitize or glorify hatred

Unlike recent depictions of fascism, David Simon’s Plot Against America refuses to sanitize or glorify hatred

The Plot Against America, David Simon’s engrossing HBO series based on Philip Roth’s 2004 novel of the same name, is…

12/9/19

Midge goes straight up antihero in a rollercoaster of a season finale on <i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel </i>

Midge goes straight up antihero in a rollercoaster of a season finale on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The biggest critics of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel have always complained that the show is a bunch of…

12/9/19

Everyone takes a step back when <i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i> returns to New York

Everyone takes a step back when The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel returns to New York

If “Kind of Bleu” was about disappointment, “Marvelous Radio” is about all kinds of despair, as characters who want…

12/8/19

Midge learns an important lesson in <i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i>

Midge learns an important lesson in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

As the title implies, “Kind of Bleu” is an episode about important realizations, as well as disappointments. It…

12/8/19

Everything is sizzling as <i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i> heads to Miami

Everything is sizzling as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel heads to Miami

Everything is hot, hot, HOT in Miami, as Midge continues on the next leg of her tour at the gorgeous Fontainebleu…

12/7/19

<i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i> explores what Midge wants

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel explores what Midge wants

Who is the marvelous Mrs. Maisel exactly? Is she a woman who craves her freedom or a lady who continues to be bound…