Overview of The Watch
In this episode of The Watch, Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald cover a mix of TV news and recent prestige-TV episodes, with especially strong focus on Widow’s Bay and a more mixed reaction to Spider-Noir, Euphoria S3E7, and Top Chef S23E12. They also briefly discuss industry news around MobLand, plus the upcoming returns of The Agency and Sugar.
TV News and Industry Updates
Tom Hardy and MobLand
- The hosts open with a long, funny digression about reporting that Tom Hardy may be out of MobLand after behind-the-scenes conflict.
- Their main takeaway: if you hire Hardy, you’re signing up for “the whole ride.”
- They also note the larger theme of contemporary TV development chaos, where shows can become something very different from their original pitch.
Returning Shows: The Agency and Sugar
- The Agency is coming back and is described as likely to improve in season 2 because it already has a strong foundation and a clear source in Le Bureau.
- Sugar season 2 gets a much harsher reading:
- The trailer is seen as misleading.
- The hosts revisit the first season’s big twist: Colin Farrell’s character is an alien, which they feel undercut the show’s noir promise.
- Their view: the trailer makes the show look like the version it should have been.
Widow’s Bay Is the Clear Standout
Why It Works
- The hosts are overwhelmingly enthusiastic, calling it one of the best shows of the year.
- They praise it for:
- Tonally balancing horror, comedy, and emotion
- Having a clear creative identity
- Feeling like a show built by people with a precise vision, not committee-driven notes
- They compare it favorably to more development-by-committee shows and argue that its confidence is what makes it special.
Episode 6: “Our History”
- Directed by Ti West
- Set in 1702
- Starring Betty Gilpin as Sarah Westcott and Hamish Linklater as Richard Warren
- The episode is praised for:
- A bold historical flashback
- Strong period detail
- Smart comic performance from Gilpin that still fits the show’s reality
- Expanding the mythology in a way that feels earned
Episode 7: “Seasickness”
- The hosts admire how tightly the episode is constructed, especially the boat-bound suspense.
- They praise the show for:
- Making the rules of the scenario clear without overexplaining
- Maintaining momentum in a compact runtime
- Keeping the emotional and plot threads moving at once
- They also note how good the show is at giving even smaller or younger characters real storylines and dignity.
Key Praise Points
- The directing and cinematography are consistently strong across episodes.
- The show feels fully formed despite being relatively new.
- It works because it’s doing multiple things at once: spooky, funny, dramatic, and weirdly warm.
Spider-Noir: Stylish But Fundamentally Split
Core Reaction
- The hosts find the show interesting in theory but frustrating in execution.
- Their biggest complaint is that it never fully commits to being either:
- a noir detective story, or
- a superhero show
What They Liked
- Nicolas Cage is fun in the role and has moments of real spark.
- The supporting cast is strong:
- Lamorne Morris
- Brendan Gleeson
- Lucas Haas
- Li Jun Li
- Tony Dalton
- Shea Whigham
- Some scenes, especially Cage pretending to be someone else, have real energy.
What Didn’t Work
- The visual presentation feels off:
- The black-and-white mode lacks the atmosphere they wanted.
- The color version feels like a compromised visual middle ground.
- The show keeps defaulting back to superhero logic, which they think undercuts noir tension.
- They feel the structure is too caught between serialized mystery and episodic case-of-the-week storytelling.
- The result is “good-looking but not elevating.”
Euphoria S3E7: Big Performances, Less Urgency
Main Reaction
- This is the first episode this season that they describe as boring, despite acknowledging many strong individual moments.
- They think the show is starting to feel repetitive in its major arcs.
What Still Works
- Zendaya and Colman Domingo remain the emotional center of the series.
- Domingo’s performance, especially around addiction and recovery, is singled out as exceptional.
- The show still contains bursts of strong cinematography and isolated scenes with real intensity.
What Frustrates Them
- The Nate/Maddy/Cassie plotline feels increasingly exhausting and repetitive.
- They think some narrative turns are overly melodramatic or hard to buy.
- The season feels like it is forcing threads together for a conclusion, rather than building naturally.
- Even when they appreciate the ambition, they see diminishing returns.
Top Chef S23E12: A Messy, Fun, Budget-Constrained Episode
The Elimination Chaos
- The episode features Siegert’s crash-out, which the hosts found entertaining and surprising.
- They agree he brought the collapse on himself by serving a dish that couldn’t hold up in extreme heat.
- They think his anger and attempt to drag another contestant down with him made for great TV, even if it was bad strategy.
Budget and Production Concerns
- They believe this season shows clear signs of budget tightening:
- Less elegant travel/setup
- More awkward logistics
- A general sense that the show is trying to do more with less
- The Asheville segment is praised as a destination showcase, but they feel the season overall has looked a little “rinky-dink.”
What Still Makes the Show Work
- They still like the judges and the basic format.
- They appreciate when the show emphasizes technical precision and personal food stories.
- They argue that the strongest chefs this season, like Lawrence, are still delivering satisfying, skillful food.
Their Big Concern
- The show is still viable, but it feels like it’s losing some of the scale and clarity that once made it special.
- The hosts worry that the current iteration may be overcompensating with gimmicks while shrinking the things that matter most.
Main Takeaways
- Widow’s Bay is the episode’s clear high point and the show they’re most excited about.
- Spider-Noir has good ingredients but feels creatively split.
- Euphoria is still potent in spots, but the hosts think it’s running on fumes narratively.
- Top Chef remains enjoyable, but they sense budget and format strain.
- Across all the TV discussion, their recurring theme is the value of clear creative intention versus shows that feel overdeveloped, overmanaged, or tonally uncertain.