Last Sunday, one of HBO’s premier series came to an end. Sam Levinson’s Euphoria launched several stars — Zendaya burning the brightest — with its provocative take on the realities of addiction. Already treading a controversial topic with teen characters no less, its first two seasons were ripe for chatter. Despite its TV-MA rating and exaggerated scenarios, the show spoke to a generation not-too-far removed from issues we think don’t impact children: from relationship violence and mental health, to rape culture and gender identity.

After much ado between COVID and now, the series fought tooth and nail to get back on the air in April. I complained about the absence of Labrinth and its How the West Was Won styling. However, as the show progressed, I was still captivated and entertained. At its core, Rue Bennett still sought freedom from her disease. A plague of anxiety complicated with prescriptions that never silenced the stress. Unfortunately, circumstances forced her to find cures in all the wrong places, with the wrong people.

As far as the other storylines, scheduling and ultimately fate, strayed us from a more cohesive narrative compared to previous seasons. Definitely rooted for Maddy who flew too close to the sun. And while Nate’s demise felt like deserved karma, the Jacobs’ plot could have been improved. My vision for the season would have seen our cast coming home for their high school reunion. Perhaps that was Levinson’s initial take.

Rue’s final transition was heartbreakingly tragic, and too commonplace in a country that’s chosen war against an inanimate, injuring the sick in the process. Colman Domingo absolutely shines. The final western motif was exhilarating, watching him match scenes with the brilliant Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.

Did I love it. No. But I like completing things.

Rating: 3/5

Unsure what to expect in a romcom about a subculture of a subculture, Harry Lighton’s film finds self-love in a submissive place, with as much heart as assless chaps. The honest portrayal of young Colin’s (Harry Potter’s Harry Melling) romance with lone dom biker, Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), looks for laughs as the timid gay man clumsily adapts to his new role. But, after those comedic moments, viewers identify the normalcy in this space.

This pattern continues beyond the minimalist apartment and dominating rituals, as Ray introduces Colin to friends. Other bikers, bears, cubs and bottoms — same gender-loving men who, because of societal norms, exist and exert life on the fringe. And yet, its community, something Colin truly lacked living with his loving, heteronormative parents. By the time Colin invites Ray to his house, we’re rooting for these two to escape the bigotry in the binary.

The coming-of-age tale humanizes a preference that is othered by mainstream culture, and members of its own community. In a time when LGBTQ+ rights are under attack, with aims to erase our existence, Pillion reaffirms the right to life, love and the pursuit of happiness — however that looks between two consenting and unharmed adults.

Rating: 4/5

One of the best show’s no one was watching is having its She’s All That take-off-your-glasses moment. The pretty girl’s been there all along, but because she reads A-M-C, folks have waited until now to try and bang her guts.

That’s okay. We will share.

The impeccable Interview With the Vampire, which birthed the Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe, premiered its most ambitious season to date in the retitled The Vampire Lestat. Here, we trade the spotlight from Jacob Anderson’s Louis to his maker, Sam Reid’s Lestat.

The lethal Casanova that stole Louis’ heart and mortality has resurfaced as a rock star, seeking to transform as many devout fans to fledglings as he came. But his latest act is not only a charade to mask him from his present, but another tool to chase demons from his past, which return in the shape of his mother, Jennifer Ehle’s Gabriela.

Some return viewers may be turned-off by the comedic tone. However, under the smiling veneer lays the same twisted, sexy, gothic thriller coming for Emmy blood.

The Vampire Lestat airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. on AMC.

I had the extreme pleasure to speak with House of the Dragon’s Steven Toussaint, Abukabar Ali, Harry Collett and Bethany Antonia about the series’ upcoming third season. Ahead of the June 21 premiere, here my conversation below.

June 7 Questlove released his documentary, Earth Wind & Fire: To Be Celestial vs. The Weight of the World, which chronicled the band’s illustrious history through the life of leader, the late Maurice White. As a child of 70s college students, Earth Wind & Fire was the soundtrack of my childhood. There’s no other album I probably know better than Gratitude, the glorious live album with the best version of “Reasons.”

While I appreciated this record of Black genius, creativity and resilience, I did wish it had expanded to a series, highlighting not only White’s life, but the formative years of the other main members: Verdine White, Philip Bailey and Ron Johnson. As a tribute to one of the greatest groups of all time, check my top favorite five songs below.

Driven by the horn’s three-peat refrain, Creative Source’s original plea for reciprocity, becomes a hypnotizing serenade to give in to the somewhat forbidden feeling. Now knowing of Mr. White’s road shenanigans, it sounds like the smoothest mack of all time.

Philip Bailey’s acrobatic falsetto delivers a universal sermon with this majestic hymn. Much like Sounds of Blackness’ “Optimistic,” it’s mere refrain lifts any downtrodden spirit. Make sure you take a deep breath for the final notes.

Instrumentation remains void in today’s musical landscape. Just as the documentary tracked EWF’s attempts to adapt to 1980s technological advances, the drum machine and soundboards just don’t compare to the lush experience of live instruments.

I can only ever listen to the live version of this Open Our Eyes track - joining in on the glorious call-and-response “yeah yeah yeahs” by the end of its four-minute duration. And the same goes for the final selection.

Just like “U Know What’s Up” and “No Scrubs” with Lisa’s ad-libs, playing the studio version of “Reasons” is sacrilegious and will result in potential Black card removal. If I’mma have a one-night stand, it’s gonna be to the vocal prowess of Philip battling the alto horn for two-and-a-half minutes.

The past week and a half, Summer Game Fest detonated in Los Angeles, sending gamers from the window to the wall in an absolute frenzy. Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox and other platforms showed off their most anticipated titles for the coming year. While IP remains king in reboots and remixes of fan-favorites, there were some outliers that reached my agenda.

Thirty years ago, I upgraded from cartridge to disc as Microsoft introduced the next frontier of gaming with Xbox’s Halo: Combat Evolved. Now, players return as Master Chief with a remastered version of the original recipe, with three new missions and a whole new, third-person perspective. View nine minutes of the glorious gameplay below.

The arcade favorite was a console mainstay, turning the mundane profession into a fun and infectious race against the clock. Much like other driving games, it looks like you’ll take your pre-Uber wheels beyond the United States.

A definite blast from the past is studio Telltale Games, which delivered the point-and-click adventure hits The Walking Dead and Batman: The TellTale Series. They’ve returned with not only a remastering of its Wolf Among Us adaptation, but a sequel to the video game based on the graphic novel.

I don’t know much about this title, but I was highly impressed by the gameplay. The fighting mechanics match the great visuals for a promising adventure worth experiencing.

Not much was shared, but blerds cried “kowubunga” as PlatinumGames Inc. announced that one of the most cherished stories in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles canon is coming to video game consoles. In this darker tale, three of the brothers are dead, leaving one to carry on the mantle.

I loved the rebooting Lara Croft experienced in the later aughts, and am anticipating this reimagining of her inaugural adventures. While I am not a fan of the creature enemies (what happened to regular humans, guys?), she and they all look flawless.

I don’t have a Nintendo Switch, but I couldn’t resist fawning over the trailer for the remake of the first game I ever finished. Star Fox updates the Nintendo 64 original for old and new fans alike.

The only driving games I’ve ever enjoyed are Mario Kart and Burnout — I even hate driving missions in games (Batman: Arkham Knight). However, the story-driven Clutch seems appealing, especially with a Black protagonist.

Finally, the footage everyone was waiting for, was Insomniac Games’ X-Men-heavy third-player actioner starring Logan himself. After the violent teaser, we received seven minutes of gameplay, spotting Jean Grey joining the everlasting killing machine in an effort to save the Morlocks from capture. Now, who’s gonna loan me some money?

The final season of FX’s Emmy-winning “comedy” arrives later this month. It’s been an amazing ride with these characters. And even better to watch this cast become stars before our very eyes.

The BET+ Paramount+ breakout series, Diarra From Detroit, returns for its highly-anticipated second season in July. Diarra Kilpatrick’s brilliant genre-bending comedy follows a woman on the brink. Through a messy public divorce, the schoolteacher finds reprieve in a Tinder date. Date two is a go, until her new man goes ghost. Seeking control, Diarra is determined to find the man of her dreams and a reality that makes sense.

Two years later, Marvel’s favorite children are back in the second season of X-Men ‘97. After losing its original showrunner, fans were hesitant the series would suffer thematically. However, it appears the new team is determined to keep the spirit of the original series and first season intact. Join the fight against Apocalypse on July 1.

Comic nerds will continue to eat as DC will release the second season of Prime’s Batman: Caped Crusader on July 31. This reimagining of the 90s animated take is as equally compelling. Its twists on canon and characters was refreshing, while never losing the avant noir sentiments of 1940s Gotham.