Welcome to Streaming Rewind, a weekly breakdown of the new and noteworthy as we work to help readers wade through the absolute deluge of television series and movies in the streaming space. Watch everything on this week’s list already? Check out our last entry on last week’s character deaths, major reveals and more.
The first regular-sized weekend after a long weekend is a hard one. Let us help ease your pain with a quick look at what the streaming fairy brought us this week, and what’s worth checking out on your definitely-not-too-short-two-day-break.
The Penguin Played to Its Strengths
So far, The Penguin’s biggest asset has been understanding that Colin Farrell’s Oz is the least interesting character in the series. While the narrative ultimately follows his misadventures on his way to Gotham mob boss, it’s really all about Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone (and, to a lesser extent, Rhenzy Feliz’s Victor Aguilar). Last week’s Episode 4 honed in on that strength in a big way, giving us an hour fully centered on Falcone, her history, and her possible future. Catch up on The Penguin on Max.
Shrinking Returns!
While the opportunity to write about it doesn’t come up often, Shrinking is one of the absolute best shows on television right now. It returned for Season 2 on October 16 over on Apple TV+ and whether you’ve been waiting for a reason to check out the streamer or are just looking for something new to watch, Shrinking is the way to go.
The series follows Jason Segel’s character, Jimmy, as he deals with the grief of the devastating loss of his wife and tries to juggle being a therapist and father along with it. Harrison Ford has never been funnier, and somehow doesn’t outshine the rest of the ensemble simply because everyone in the series is always on their A-game. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll laugh-cry… there are very few better options to watch out of any television show currently running.
Agatha All Along Got Gayer
We might not have reached Aubrey Plaza’s promise of “gay explosion” just yet, but the series really is getting gayer with every episode. This week hones in on how William Kaplan became Billy Maximoff (Joe Locke), and gives us a closer look at the Teen’s story prior to when he darkened Agatha Harkness’ (Kathryn Hahn) doorstep.
Given that Billy/Wiccan and Hulkling are Marvel’s first gay marriage between superheroes, Billy’s queerness is integral to his story. You cannot tell his tale without it, so it is nice to see the MCU shift past implications and cell-phone call screens featuring “boyf” and just letting our boys smooch! May the series get even gayer.
You Can Go on Another Adventure With Frodo
OK, you can go on another adventure with Elijah Wood, and his character in Bookworm couldn’t be less like Frodo Baggins. But, you’re still going to care about him a whole bunch, and you’re going to care even more about Nell Fisher’s incredibly precocious Mildred, who plays his daughter. The film is available to rent starting on October 18.
Wood teams up with director Ant Timpson once again, this time in the heartwarming Bookworm. The film follows a deadbeat dad as he tries to reconnect with his daughter after her mother suffers a terrible, freak accident. It’s cute, it’s absurd, everyone’s darling, and it marks Wood’s work-homecoming to New Zealand.
New and Notable on Streaming This Weekend
- The Wild Robot is now On Digital and Demand
- Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Season 2 — October 17 (Netflix)
- The Shadow Strays (Timo Tjahjanto’s new assassin movie) — October 17 (Netflix)
- MadS (new horror film) — October 18 (Shudder)
- MaXXXine — October 18 (Max)
- Dragon Ball Daima (debuted last week on Crunchyroll and is now on Netflix too)
