Anything we could say here to commemorate The Independence Day has already been said better by President Bill Pullman: “Mankind—that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it’s fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution—but from annihilation. We’re fighting for our right to live, to exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice: ‘We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive!’ Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!” And with that unified beating heart, we give you now the most patriotic of weekly TV round ups. May the wings of liberty never lose a feather.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver — Uganda and Pepe Julian Onziema Part 1
Ladies and gentlemen, John Oliver. Again. Watch the current Host With the Most lambaste Uganda for its egregious violations against human rights as it ramps up prosecution (read: persecution) of gays in the country, and then call out the United States for its role in the internationally embarrassing witch hunt going on in the African nation. This weekend, we will let freedom reign in the U.S. of A, but amidst all that flag-waving and fire-cracking let’s all take a second to recognize what happens when hate speech turns into hate action. And then, let us all aspire to be as kind and wise as Oliver’s This Week guest, LGBT activist Pepe Julian Onziema. Onziema used to identify as a lesbian, but is now a trans man, and living in a nation where being gay just became outright illegal—thanks largely to the efforts of American missionaries who have traveled abroad to “educate” the peoples of the world. It’s a sad, disappointing story, but one still lined with hope if individuals like Onziema can emerge to show us the best of our humanity, despite being face-to-face with the worst of it.
The Leftovers — The Event
It’s finally here! The ennui-laden promo assault for HBO’s new dramatic series The Leftovers has culminated in the premiere of an actual show! For a time, it seemed like the whole thing might have been a performance art stunt put on by the network in cahoots with electronic crooner James Blake (his “Retrograde” featured prominently in the early teasers). But on Sunday we got an actual hour of TV. For better or worse, Leftovers comes by way of Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof. And if the idea of a Lost alum spearheading a show about a “mysterious event” that leaves a small community of people adrift and searching for answers makes you nervous (it makes us nervous), try seeking solace in the words of Tom Perrotta, who authored the show’s source material: “Even though I like using the word ‘Rapture’ because it makes it clear what happened, I also want to disconnect it from its religious context,” Perrotta told The New York Times. “I was interested in borrowing this scenario to think about collective trauma and grief and the speed of history.” OK, so it’s not a show in which the audience should expect a seasons-long grand and sweeping mystery to be solved but the answer turns out to be “JK! Purgatory!”? It’s just a super moody meditation on human misery? Great news! We feel much better. Overall, the The Leftovers premiere was solid. After so much buildup, we were careful to go in with measured expectations so as not to hold a single episode responsible for fulfilling the expectations of an entire series—especially one with such a crazy trailer campaign, which provided a whole series of existential mind-f**ks in under two minutes. To recognize the show in WIRED style we present you with the full clip of The Event. It was incorporated generously into the promo videos for the show, but this is the whole terrifying scene. Behold, and make peace with your god.
Penny Dreadful — A Rare Connection
Poor Dorian Gray. All those years to playboy around and yet still so ill-equipped to deal with that most basic of human experiences: rejection! Anyone else think that hidden portrait of immortality looks a lot like Sad Keanu right about now? And yeah, he’s a spoiled brat lothario, but we feel for anyone being shot down Eva Green’s Vanessa Ives, who we are pretty sure is just a real psychic facet of Green that she must exercise through scripted drama, lest it rise up and supplant her consciousness entirely—like United States of Tara but much crazier and more sexually charged. Considering Sunday was the season finale of Penny Dreadful, we’ll be starting work on a paper chain countdown for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For like yesterday. After eight straight weeks of Eva reliably on our screens, Showtime can hardly expect us to go cold turkey. And as far as our psychosexual thriller fix goes, there’s always American Horror Story in the fall! Oh, TV gods, as you take with one hand, you give with the other.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Marc Maron on the Shocking Demise of his Childhood Idol
HBO can’t have all the week-in-TV glory, so consider this your second-act LuLz. If Louis C.K. is the Everyman’s hero comedian, Marc Maron is the Every Beleaguered Man’s counterpart. On Monday night he pulled up a couch next to Jimmy Kimmel to talk about, well, being Marc Maron, and gave us a little insight as to why he is the way he is. With childhood heroes like Captain Billy and a dad like that, the road map of Maron’s personality makes all too much sense.
Chelsea Lately — Melissa McCarthy’s Jet Ski Stunt Fail
“All I heard was ‘faster’ and ‘dig in.’” Melissa McCarthy is beyond likable, and even if we’re not super stoked on Tammy, aka The Underutilization of Melissa McCarthy’s Talents: Part Two, we will hand over our money as a general Thank You to her for being alive—especially after that real bad jet ski accident. Stunt doubles, Melissa! We can’t lose you!
Bonus Track: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver — Uganda and Pepe Julian Onziema Part 2
If you want to watch the conclusion of John Oliver’s interview with the phenomenally eloquent and engaging Pepe Julian Onziema, it was released as an online-only extra. And because we care, we’re giving it to you here.
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