About Last Night…AMERICAN IDOL, THE LAST OF US, and THE EQUALIZER

Let’s talk about Sunday night’s TV!

AMERICAN IDOL: There were some good performances—notably Filo and Breanna Nix. I know not every single song was specifically religious, but…the night didn’t feel extraordinarily inclusive if you don’t celebrate Easter.

THE LAST OF US: This was an absolutely stunning episode. Even knowing what was to come—vaguely—the tension was so spread out with the attack on Jackson that it felt like I couldn’t breathe for most of the hour.

Looking at the attack on Jackson for a moment, the scale and scope of that was just jaw-dropping. Obviously, HBO shows have done this in the past (I thought of GAME OF THRONES battles more than once), but it was relentless, stressful, and I genuinely didn’t know if any of the people I cared about would make it okay. (Losing Tommy and Joel in one episode would have been brutal—and maybe not as dramatic as it will likely be when Tommy discovers he survived all of that just to lose his brother anyway—but things aren’t fair in this world, so clearly it could have happened.) As awful as the attack was, the town was pretty destroyed, too, and they’ll have to (maybe?) rebuild, while also grieving.

As for Joel’s death, ugh, my heart. It’s awful that his desire to protect/save Abby ended up being his undoing. (I get her grief, I get her frustration, but the man just saved your life—maybe ask him for an explanation?) Kaitlyn Dever was just magnificent, though, as Abby got her revenge. You could feel Abby’s rage, grief, and anger at the world pouring out in every single action she made. With every strike of that golf club.

And then Ellie came in. That was one element of the story I was entirely unspoiled on, and my stomach dropped.  It would have been awful enough for Ellie to learn about Joel’s death in the aftermath, especially given their estrangement, but to see him so brutalized, unable to do anything to fix it? Oh, I wanted to be sick. Bella Ramsey’s gut-wrenching performance—as Ellie simultaneously begged Joel to get up and threatened to kill Abby for what she had done—was unforgettable. And Ellie crawling to Joel’s body?? Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. (Times infinity.)

The show plays with format and timing a lot, so where things go next could truly be anywhere. But as emotionally taxing as this hour was, it was still arguably the best the series has done so far.

THE EQUALIZER: This was a really strong backdoor pilot—maybe one of the stronger ones I’ve ever seen, honestly, because they often are so awkward—and I would be happy to spend more time with these people. In a perfect world, I’d love for it to co-exist alongside the mothership because Eli and Sam had a great dynamic opposite Robyn, but I guess we’ll see where it goes from here.

Which shows did you watch last night?

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