Sunday Service: 202Thrive

Happy New Year. You made it! We made it. That is what matters. A new year means 365 chances to find joy. Whatever that is for you, pursue it daily. Mine is exactly this: recording my weekly musings on things streamed. This week, remnants of 2024 and a look ahead of what’s coming this January.

Squid Game profits, but misses its soul

I watched the second season of Netflix’s hit series because I am a creature of habit and need to complete things. I had low expectations going in, just because the idea of continuing the story — a critique on the crippling capitalist system — for mere profit felt, well, disgusting. But logical nonetheless. While entertaining, it never matches the chemistry and mystery of its debut. Lee Jung-jae is excellent returning as a fractured but determined Seong Gi-hun. And Gong Yoo delivers an eerily stunning guest performance as The Salesman. But lightning can’t strike twice as it falls victim to the very system it critiques.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

She’s a Nightbitch, she’s a lover, she’s a child, she’s a mother

Amy Adams is a force as a woman struggling with the woes of motherhood. At wit’s end, she experiences some peculiar urges, questioning her sanity. The film is solid in its perspective, tackling whether women can truly “have it all.” However, it could have gone a bit more berserker with its mystical, body horror elements.

Searchlight’s Nightbitch is streaming on Hulu.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Conclave is in mooourniiiiiiiiin’

Powerful performances and thrilling twists create a masterful moral tale in Edward Berger’s Succession/Shogun within the Catholic Church. Ralph Fiennes leads a stellar cast. While the resolution is a surprise, it feels too on the nose.

Conclave is available for purchase and streaming on Peacock.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2

Clint Eastwood’s alleged final film is an intricately written legal drama weighing man’s capacity to change. What innate value code drives you when it matters most? Nicholas Hoult plays a juror who discovers he may know more about the murder case he’s been appointed to oversee. The direction is superb as the story knows where it's headed the entire time.

Juror #2 is streaming on Max.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Coming Attractions

• Jan. 7 - Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action (Netflix)

  • The docuseries chronicles the controversial success of the late host’s 1990s talk show.

• Jan. 8 - Abbott Elementary S4 Part 2 (ABC)

  • The hit comedy returns from its winter hiatus with a special crossover episode with the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast

• Jan. 9 - The Pitt (MAX)

  • The 15-episode procedural chronicles a day’s shift in the lives of medical professionals at a Philly emergency room. Just don’t call it ER.

• Jan. 9 - On Call (Prime Video)

  • Dick Wolf’s first streaming original follows two Long Beach police officers — a rookie and his vet trainer — as they balance morals with the badge.

• Jan. 9 - Asura (Netflix)

  • A 1970s Japanese family’s unhinging as family secrets are revealed