The greatest achievement of From Dusk till Dawn: The Series is that it is so magnificently weird and bizarre. It has managed to take all the best things from the film, that gonzo over-the-top bloodbath gorefest that was funny and self-aware all at once, and translate it to TV while also making its own way.
“Boxman”, the season’s penultimate episode, picks up with a flashback to the fire that we know a young Richie saved Seth (D.J. Cotrona) from. One of the best things about the series has been its deeply creepy imagery. The show has done a great job of creating a campy, unnerving, dark mood. Richie and Seth’s father burning to death is just the first of the night. The “labyrinth” that each of the characters must work through during the episode is another great example. Each of the worlds, particularly Seth’s, is consuming; his face off against his father is one of the best scenes in the episode. Ultimately, “Boxman” acts as a trippy kind of who’s who of the Gecko brothers past. The episode also allows us to see a major point in the brothers’ history and allows Seth to redo a job that went very wrong.
Somehow From Dusk till Dawn: The Series has managed to exceed expectations. With just 2 episodes left, the first season has been clever, imaginative, and exciting.
“Pandemonium” has a lot going on and its not the best episode of the season, but there are good moments and not only is it very well executed it also gives the show interesting places to go for the final three episodes.
“Self-Contained”, From Dusk till Dawn: The Series’ fifth episode, was a small misstep for the show which had been doing incredibly well. It has some great moments and is tightly wound, but outside of bringing our characters to the infamous Titty Twister, where most of the story will be set, not much else happens in the episode. This week, “Place of Dead Roads” brings the show back to fine form.
“Let’s Get Ramblin”, the fourth episode of From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, was a high point for the freshman series. It was a technical achievement, funny, twisted, well executed, and it moved the story forward. “Self-Contained”, the show’s fifth episode, is another high point for the show, which just keeps getting better and better.
As has been evident since the pilot, From Dusk till Dawn: The Series is a show that despite any of its issues, knows exactly what it is and where it wants to go. It is, at points, relentlessly violent and over the top; it is insanely campy and fun. It also features exceptional chemistry between its leads D.J. Cotrona and series standout Zane Holtz, who are frequently given the show’s best dialogue. Plus there is, for now, an intriguing central plotline. All of that camp and blood might not work and could make the show dreadful but somehow, mashed together and wrapped up in a nice Robert Rodriquez bow, it all just works.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick Directed by Jon M. Chu USA, 2013 The latest blockbuster sequel to a mildly profitable first film that doesn’t actually have an enthusiastic fan base, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is admittedly not on the same level of terrible as its Stephen Sommers-directed predecessor. It is still …