Steve Pond's Blog, page 177
April 21, 2025
Elizabeth Warren Says We’re ‘Starting to See the Cracks of Fear’ in Trump After Latest Pete Hegseth Scandal | Video
Though the Democratic Massachusetts Senator was exasperated enough to wonder “what’s it gonna take for Donald Trump to fire this guy,” Elizabeth Warren saw a silver lining in the latest scandal involving Trump’s Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
“We’re starting to see the cracks of fear” in Trump, she told Katie Couric on Monday.
Hegseth, of course, is mired in yet another scandal involving his disregard for national security. On Monday he was exposed has having discussed highly classified information with his wife, brothers and other members of his inner circle, none of whom have clearance, on, yes, Signal.
After the story came out, there were leaks from within the Trump administration that they were actively seeking a replacement for the former Fox News host, though the White House soon denied those reports. Nevertheless, Hegseth is in trouble.
Warren’s commentary on the matter came while she was on Couric’s podcast.
After her exasperated question, she continued, “it is so clear that he is not ready for prime time. Look, we all knew this at the time he was originally nominated, that he was nominated principally because he was very, very, very, very loyal to Donald Trump, and he looked good on television and gave a kind of rah-rah talk around defense. But the truth was, he didn’t have the experience. He didn’t have the background. He made it clear that he didn’t think that a lot of us were serving in the military, particularly women, belong there, and had a contribution to make. And so it was, it was never a good idea to put this guy in.”
“And then he comes in and literally puts our entire national defense at risk, not once, but twice that we know of, and no one is sure,” Warren continued, adding, “this is something for which anyone who actually worked in the Department of Defense for Pete Hegseth would have been summarily fired.”
Later in the conversation, Warren identified the aforementioned silver lining, telling Couric, “the Trump administration is not big on accountability, and I think that’s no surprise. You know, we have a convicted felon sitting in the White House, and someone whose first act once he was sworn in was to issue pardons to 1500 people who had taken part in an insurrection, inciting an insurrection, a riot that had destroyed property at the US Capitol and resulted in the deaths of police officers. So accountability is clearly not high on Donald Trump’s list.”
“Nonetheless, he is at least a little sensitive to people across the country saying, ‘Enough, we’re not going to do this no more.’ And I think that’s what’s happening right now. Democrats, Republicans, independents, saying ‘this guy has to go. Has to go.’ Well, we’ve heard a little bit, right? You’re getting a little bit of pushback. I think of this at the moment as cracks in the red wall that Republicans in the House, in the Senate, have bowed down to Donald Trump from the day he got elected,” Warren explained. “Anything he wanted was always good. Everybody he nominated was always terrific. Didn’t want to hear anything bad, nothing, nothing, nothing.”
“But with trade, with the question about whether or not you were going to defy court orders, and now with Hegseth, you’re starting to see the cracks of the fear,” she argued.
Watch the full discussion below:
The post Elizabeth Warren Says We’re ‘Starting to See the Cracks of Fear’ in Trump After Latest Pete Hegseth Scandal | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
‘Floyd Collins’ Broadway Review: Jeremy Jordan Soars While His Character Is Trapped
Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas’ “The Light in the Piazza” remains the greatest musical of this century. It opened on Broadway in 2005 at Lincoln Center Theater, and endured a few bumpy weeks at the box office, dampened by decidedly mixed reviews, before the New York Times’ Stephen Holden gave its cast recording a money notice. The newspaper’s theater critic Ben Brantley had dismissed the show. Their music critic famously disagreed, calling it “the most intensely romantic score of any Broadway musical since ‘West Side Story.’”
Since “Piazza” is Guettel’s second musical, critical attention must focus on what came before such sonorous genius, and that’s “Floyd Collins,” which played Off Broadway’s Playwrights Horizons for only 25 performances in 1996. Had theatergoers and critics missed something about this early musical written with book writer Tina Landau?
Seeing “Floyd Collins” now recalls the anticipation surrounding Second Stage’s 2000 revival of “Saturday Night,” the first musical written by Stephen Sondheim, in 1955. Sondheim went on to write his masterpieces, from “Company” to “Sweeney Todd,” in the 1970s, and arguably there is not a glimmer of his future brilliance in this first work.
That’s not the case with “Floyd Collins.” Guettel’s songwriting here repeatedly recalls the sweeping chromatic music flecked with tantalizing dissonances that distinguishes “Piazza” and, later, “Days of Wine and Roses.” Any theatergoer who loves Broadway musicals needs to see this gorgeously sung revival of “Floyd Collins,” which opened Monday at LTC’s Vivian Beaumont Theater.
It is not an easy or relaxing two-and-a-half hours in the theater. Like Sondheim so often did before them, Guettel and Landau picked a subject matter in “Floyd Collins” that isn’t merely unusual for a musical. It downright defies the dictates of the art form. Except for a tour de force opening where Floyd Collins rappels through the cave before getting himself fatally stuck there, the lead character cannot move. Landau based her book on a true story, and the real Floyd Collins explored much of what became known as Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. After his accident in 1925, he died two weeks later. In the musical, Collins receives visits in the cave from only two other characters – his much-beloved younger brother, Homer, and a journalist doing a story on the incident. Everybody else in the story – Collins’ family, friends, townspeople, other journalists and hucksters wanting to profit from the incident – remain above him on terra firma.
Sondheim wrote about subjects like cannibalism, presidential assassins and Kabuki theater that also challenged audiences. And in the case of “Merrily We Roll Along,” a narrative told in reverse, it took decades for the once-maligned show to become a hit on Broadway: the 2023-24 Tony-winning revival starring Jonathan Groff.
The Broadway debut of “Floyd Collins” makes a good case for the musical without being a revelation the way “Merrily” was last season. “Floyd Collins” is the odd, compromised musical in which the second act is far stronger than the first. Despite Guettel’s always arresting score, Landau’s book doesn’t really take off until the second act when the circus of journalists, hucksters and even a movie director make their appearance above the cave trapping Collins (Jeremy Jordan). More problematic than the lead character being confined are his static relationships with a brother (Jason Gotay), sister (Lizzy McAlpine) and father (Marc Kudisch). The two siblings are very supportive of Floyd, the father is not. In other words, nothing changes in these relationships in the course of the musical. Nothing grows or disintegrates.
Playing book writer for a moment, I imagined a slightly different scenario where Floyd Collins has a wife (or some other relative) with whom he is estranged when he falls into the cave. The ordeal then propels the two of them to rediscover their love for each other. Something like that happens with the first journalist (Taylor Trensch, being the epitome of obliging) who visits Collins in the cave. He’s there on assignment, but in his daily contact, he comes to love the victim, and vice versa. That kind of dramatic development is completely missing with the other characters.
“Floyd Collins” (Joan Marcus)Landau’s book takes a long first act to get to the carnival atmosphere that ensues. “Floyd Collins” doesn’t credit the screenplay for Billy Wilder’s 1951 drama “Ace in the Hole,” which basically tells the same story and tells it much better by focusing on the hucksters, led by Kirk Douglas, more than the trapped man.
Landau directs here, and her staging calls out the crass American commercialism by giving us a crass Broadway circus-style production number complete with balloons and fireworks. Dots designed the otherwise minimal set.
She also directed the 1996 Off Broadway production of “Floyd Collins,” and it is unfortunate that someone with a fresher take wasn’t engaged for this major revival. Both productions make the fatal error of having Collins leave his cave cage to dance across the stage to deliver the act-one finale, “The Riddle Song,” a look back at the two brothers’ childhood together. Collins’ mental freedom here is most awkwardly reversed when Jordan has to take his place back under the “rocks” trapping him. (This dreadful bit of staging induced nervous laughter at the performance I attended.) Equally bad, Floyd’s momentary freedom to sing “The Riddle Song” ruins the musical’s grand conclusion when he leaves the cave to find freedom, finally, in death. If you’re going to make a musical where your lead character is a man trapped in a cave, you’ve got to stick with that most difficult concept.
What that original 1996 production did not have was a compelling actor to play Floyd Collins. This revival stars Jeremy Jordan, who personifies the word “charisma.” Whether rappelling on the stage or stuck downstage left under a spotlight (lighting design by Scott Zielinski), Jordan rivets the attention. Whatever its deficiencies, “Floyd Collins” delivers a mighty central character that musically, if not dramatically, is the male equivalent of Rose in “Gypsy.” Jordan’s magnificent work here is one for the record books, one of the all-time great musical performances. Don’t miss it.
The post ‘Floyd Collins’ Broadway Review: Jeremy Jordan Soars While His Character Is Trapped appeared first on TheWrap.
Sarah Jessica Parker Jokes It Would Be ‘Illegal’ for Her to Act Like Carrie on ‘And Just Like That’ in Real Life | Video
Sarah Jessica Parker knows that her beloved “Sex and the City” and “And Just Like That” character, Carrie Bradshaw, isn’t always the easiest hero to root for. From fumbled romances to ill-advised trysts to heartbreaking fallouts with her friends, the character has made some ill-advised decisions over the years.
Ahead of “And Just Like That” Season 3, the star and executive producer joked that frankly, if she behaved like Carrie did in real life, it would be illegal.
“It’s been such a sort of extraordinary experience,” Parker said on Monday’s “Today With Jenna & Friends” of her appreciation for her best-known character over the years, warts and all. “And I try to describe it as being contractually obligated to play somebody else, be somebody else for about 27 years — to behave in ways which would be illegal if I, as a married person with children — ways in which I would behave in the city or with men.”
The actress added that she has “implicit trust” in “AJLT” creator Michael Patrick King and his “extraordinary writing staff that — though decisions sometimes I recognize might be controversial or give people grief or have people have very big feelings, it’s incredibly fun to do. So I really love it.”
Looking ahead to Season 3 of “And Just Like That,” Parker stayed rather tight-lipped but did tease that it’s a “big and juicy” addition to the franchise that continues to tell adult stories about love, loss and friendship.
“God I’m so lousy at this, I’m lousy at being coy. I will say that it was, whether or not this is important to anyone listening, it was a hugely enjoyable shoot,” Parker began. “It was seven long months, basically no days off, but there was something incredibly — it felt big and juicy and, I don’t know, we all like being with each other.
“I can just say the stories are big and it’s a lot about love and sorting your place out in the world and deciding that, you know, home is not defined,” she continued. “It’s sort of all those nice big adult themes but told with, you know, frivolity and seriousness and, you know, beautiful costumes in the city we love, and great actors. We have such great actors, and we have new actors this year, and yes, Aiden does make an appearance.”
Watch the full “Today” interview below:
“And Just Like That” Season 3 hits Max on May 29. By the time this new season premieres, it will mark an almost two-year gap for fans of the comedy-drama as Season 2 concluded in August of 2023. It has long been known that Season 3 would premiere sometime in 2025. This delay was largely caused by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which took place in 2023.
Prior to the release of this trailer, little was known about what would happen in Season 3. It’s been reported that Sara Ramírez’s nonbinary stand-up character Che Diaz as well as Karen Pittman’s Professor Nya Wallace will not be part of this upcoming season. Ramírez’s exit stems from plot-related reasons as Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Che broke up at the end of Season 2. As for Pittman, her departure was due to scheduling conflicts. However, Rosie O’Donnell will be in Season 3 as a new character named Mary and Patti LuPone has also joined the cast.
Three additional new cast members include Mehcad Brooks (“Law & Order”), Jonathan Cake (“Desperate Housewives”) and Logan Marshall-Green (“Prometheus”), all of whom will play recurring characters. Sebastiano Pigazzi and Dolly Wells have also been upgraded to series regulars for this season.
The post Sarah Jessica Parker Jokes It Would Be ‘Illegal’ for Her to Act Like Carrie on ‘And Just Like That’ in Real Life | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Fox News’ Jessica Tarlov Says She Knows It’s Hard for Trump to Apologize Because She Has a Toddler | Video
Jessica Tarlov has sympathy for President Donald Trump’s inability to apologize for deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia because she is also raising a toddler.
The Fox News host said on “The Five” that she understood how hard it was for the president to accept his mistake and apologize for Garcia’s deportation to a prison in El Salvador because she has found similar behavior in children.
“I understand that it’s hard to say that you’re sorry,” Tarlov said on Monday’s show. “I have a toddler and I know what it’s like when their face is covered in chocolate and they say ‘I didn’t eat the cookies, I didn’t eat the cookies Momma.’ But that’s what is going on here. They need to slow down and follow the process. We’re not against deporting people just get it right.”
Jessica: There was someone on it who had been picked up as “tren de aragua” because there was a picture of him with a multicolored pistol they were saying was a gun, but it was a toy.
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 21, 2025
If you give an analysis of the tattoos, you would see things like biblical verses which I… pic.twitter.com/NwCQxYSYu7
Despite the outcry from Democrats and pundits alike to have Garcia returned to the United States, the Trump administration seems set on keeping him in El Salvador. Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told CNN last Friday that Garcia likely will not return.
“I think we did the right thing, I think he’s where he should be,” Homan told Kaitlan Collins on CNN. “Even if he came back, people think he’s going to be released? No, he’s going to be detained and he’s going to be removed, as per the order of removal, either to El Salvador or another country.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared similar sentiments last week after answering a series of questions pushing for the return of the Maryland man accused of being an MS-13 gang member.
“If he ever ends up back in the United States, he would immediately be deported again,” she said. “Nothing will change the fact that Abrego Garcia will never be a Maryland father, he will never live in the United States of America again.”
You can watch the full clip from “The Five” above.
The post Fox News’ Jessica Tarlov Says She Knows It’s Hard for Trump to Apologize Because She Has a Toddler | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Kanye West Shares He Had a Sexual Relationship With His Male Cousin Until He Was 14
Kanye West posted another disturbing message to X on Monday, but this time it was not about Hitler: The rapper claimed to have had an incestuous relationship with his cousin until he was 14-years-old.
West made the revelation as he shared a video for the song “Cousins,” which begins with the lyrics, “Hanging out with my cousin readin’ dirty magazines.”
“This song is called ‘COUSINS’ about my cousin that’s locked in jail for life for killing a pregnant lady a few years after I told him we wouldn’t ‘look at dirty magazines together’ anymore,” he wrote in his tweet.
“Perhaps in my self centered mess I felt it was my fault that I showed him those dirty magazines when he was 6 and then we acted out what we saw. My dad had playboy magazines but the magazines I found in the top of my moms closet were different. My name is Ye and I sucked my cousins d–k till I was 14,” the tweet continued.
West has been on and off of the social media platform several times: In 2022 he was also locked out of Instagram after wearing a shirt that read “White Lives Matter” and for saying that a pre-prison Sean Combs was being controlled by the Jews.
His bizarre social media statements led to him losing all of his major sponsors that year, including partnerships with Adidas and Balenciaga.
In February, his X account was deactivated after a series of antisemitic tweets, including one in which he wrote, “I am a Nazi.”
Earlier that month, the rapper said that he does not suffer from bipolar disorder, as he had previously stated on several occasions, but that he is autistic. “Come to find out it’s really a case of autism that I have,” he told fellow rapper Justin LaBoy on his “The Download” podcast.
In November, he was sued by a model who said he sexually assaulted her on the set of a 2010 music video. It’s just one of several lawsuits against the music star, who was also hit with multiple suits over his now closed Donda Academy.
The post Kanye West Shares He Had a Sexual Relationship With His Male Cousin Until He Was 14 appeared first on TheWrap.
Nate Bargatze Teases Quitting Stand-Up After 2 More Specials
Nate Bargatze has a plan to step away from stand-up likely after a few more specials.
In an interview with “The New York Times,” the comedian revealed he had plans to jump into a new aspect of his career in the not-to-distant future. The reasoning? A fear of taking up too much space for up-and-coming voices.
“The next special will be on Netflix,” he said. “I could see maybe one more special after that. I don’t want to overstay my welcome. I also want to get out of the way. I need to let the next wave of comedians come up. I got this tour and then maybe one more.”
Bargatze added that he wanted to get into more movies further in his career.
“I don’t plan on touring and doing stand-up forever. I want to make movies,” he said. “People can think, If you get too big, are you going to change? The audience is very much in mind with everything that I will make. Again, I try not to do it for me. It’s for you. I want them to be able to trust that.”
Bargatze is coming off a banner 2024 and continuing that momentum into 2025. It was announced last week that the comedian was tapped to host the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 14.
“It’s a huge honor to be asked to host such an iconic awards show and I’m beyond excited to work with CBS to create a night that can be enjoyed by families around the world,” he said in a statement.
Bargatze’s hot streak includes a handful of breakout appearances on “Saturday Night Live” and a 2024 Netflix special. A 2026 release date of his first feature film “The Breadwinner” was also recently announced.
“Nate is one of the hottest comics in the business with a remarkable and hilarious brand of comedy that deeply resonates with multi-generational audiences around the globe,” said Television Academy chair Cris Abrego. “We are thrilled to be able to leverage his one-of-a-kind perspective to entertain TV fans watching this year’s Emmy telecast.”
The post Nate Bargatze Teases Quitting Stand-Up After 2 More Specials appeared first on TheWrap.
Michael Bay to Direct Sydney Sweeney-Produced ‘OutRun’ Video Game Movie
Michael Bay is set to direct and produce an upcoming film for Universal based on Sega’s hit 1986 arcade driving game “OutRun,” with Sydney Sweeney also attached to produce.
Bay, who last directed the action thriller “Ambulance” for Universal, will produce alongside Brad Fuller through their production company Platinum Dunes as part of a first-look deal with Universal. Plot details are being kept under wraps for the film, which will be written by Jayson Rothwell (“Arachnid”).
Toru Nakahara, who was a producer for Sega on Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” films, will also produce alongside Sweeney and Bay. Sega President/COO Shuji Utsumi will oversee the project on behalf of the company.
Released in arcades in November 1986, “OutRun” became the highest grossing arcade cabinet in the U.S. and Japan the following year. It was praised for pushing the boundaries of driving video games with its efforts to replicate the skills required of actual race car driving, becoming a precursor for later driving game franchises like “Ridge Racer,” “Gran Turismo” and “Forza Motorsport.” But the series has been dormant for the past 15 years, with its last installment being “OutRun Online Arcade” for the Xbox 360 in 2009.
“OutRun” becomes the latest video game franchise swept up in Hollywood’s bid for new IP. Universal has been at the forefront of the video game boom thanks to the record setting $1.4 billion success of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which has a sequel out next year, and the low budget success of Blumhouse’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” which also gets a sequel this December.
Bay is represented by Rich Cook at Range Media Partners. Sweeney is represented by Paradigm, imPRint and Stewart Brookman at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, etc. Rothwell is represented by Cliff Roberts at Syndicate Entertainment, and Austin Williams at Sloan Offer Weber & Dern.
Universal’s Executive Vice President of Production Development Matt Reilly and Senior Vice President of Production Development Ryan Jones will oversee the project for the Studio.
The post Michael Bay to Direct Sydney Sweeney-Produced ‘OutRun’ Video Game Movie appeared first on TheWrap.
Where to Watch ‘Conclave’ Before the Real Conclave Begins
How is a new pope selected when needed? Well, an election is held at the Vatican. But there’s quite a bit of secrecy surrounding it. In “Conclave,” that secrecy is the focus of everything, following the mysterious process while untangling a proper Vatican mystery in the process.
Starring Ralph Fiennes, the film tells the story of one Cardinal who’s in charge of leading the process to elect a new pope after the original unexpectedly dies. But in doing so, he discovers a whole lot of unexpected information about his peers.
The film comes from “All Quiet on the Western Front” director Edward Berger, has a knockout cast and has become a significant awards frontrunner. Most recently, “Conclave” took home Best Film at the BAFTAs after claiming prizes from the Art Director’s Guild and the Costume Designers Guild and taking home the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Is “Conclave” streaming?Not at the moment. Though it was briefly available on Peacock, it is now only available to rent and buy. However, it arrives on Prime Video on April 22.
Is “Conclave” still in theaters?It is not. With the film’s imminent arrival on streaming, its theatrical run has come to an end.
When was “Conclave” released?“Conclave” was released in theaters on Friday, Oct. 25.
What is “Conclave” about?According to the official synopsis of the film, it “follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – selecting the new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope.
“Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church.”
Who stars in “Conclave?”Alongside Fiennes, “Conclave” stars some legendary names, including Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. Lucian Msamati, Brían F. O’Byrne, Carlos Diehz, Merab Ninidze, Thomas Loibl and Sergio Castellitto also star in the movie.
Is “Conclave” based on a book?Yes, in fact, it is. The film is based on the book of the same name by Robert Harris.
Watch the trailerThe post Where to Watch ‘Conclave’ Before the Real Conclave Begins appeared first on TheWrap.
April 20, 2025
‘The Last of Us’ Fans React to Huge Season 2 Episode 2 Twist: ‘Welcome to the Trauma’
It’s no surprise that the second episode of “The Last of Us” Season 2 is sparking a lot of reaction online.
For many fans of the video game series, the events that took place in Episode 2 – “Through the Valley” – was the one to look forward to or dread. In it, Joel (Pedro Pascal) stumbles across Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) while running to avoid a massive horde that has been dormant in the snow. She convinces him to come back to the nearby ski lodge where she and her friends are waiting for her – unfortunately the offer is anything but altruistic.
Once they get to the lodge and knock Dina (Isabella Merced) out, Abby gets down to what she came all this way for. She shoots Joel in the leg and then starts to beat him for an undetermined time, but long enough that even the rest of her friends are upset by it. Ellie (Bella Ramsey) stumbles in and is taken to the ground right as she sees Joel. She begs Abby to stop but watches the girl drive a broken golf club shaft into the man’s throat, killing him. The episode ends with Ellie and Dina heading back to Jackson – which had it’s own issues in Episode 2 – pulling Joel’s body behind them.
Joel’s death triggered a social media firestorm after it happened. Here are the best reactions from around the Internet.
Me trying to save Joel#TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/rnpKXajZjm
— Sancheezzzy (@Scoby20) April 21, 2025
The Walking Dead fans: #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/GYicgW672R
— keeks (@OLSENC0RE) April 21, 2025
Okay so now its happened I’m genuinely fascinated to see how far the viewership drops going forward?!
— DarthTano (@DarthTano119693) April 21, 2025#TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/aDfQFNzfM5
Okay, I'll admit it too, this version is SO MUCH BETTER than how it was in the game and Kaitlyn Dever is absolutely TOUGH in this. #TheLastOfUs https://t.co/m92vS5sa22
— Chris Gallardo(@chrisagwrites) April 21, 2025
But in other news, Tommy Miller has never been hotter! I mean Jesus
— Laura#TheLastOfUs
(@LaurzieJayx12) April 21, 2025
Abby telling Joel he is pretty handsome to is face is so real. Because he is, indeed, pretty handsome. (I’m looking for a reason to smile during this episode
— chloe | ddba/tlou/9-1-1 era(s) (@cloclobeans) April 21, 2025) #TheLastofUs pic.twitter.com/3NqZcSswDZ
this action will have consequences …
— melissa ☆ (@wadesknife) April 21, 2025#TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/GXvfYRSg1a
this is actually 10x worse than i thought it would be #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/O6x7BpGPWS
— lauren (@89sharry_) April 21, 2025
Everyone experiencing THAT moment on #TheLastOfUs for the first time…welcome to the trauma. pic.twitter.com/KsHhrOrvze
— The FN Nerds Podcast (@fn_nerds) April 21, 2025
The Last of Us pic.twitter.com/UqZT3eEw1x
— evan romano (@EvanRomano) April 21, 2025
on easter… sickening #TheLastOfUs #TheLastOfUs2
— izzy (@izzyambrosee) April 21, 2025
That was genuinely one of the best episodes of television ever. The writing, the dialogue, the action, the tension building up, the sense of danger hanging over the entirety of the episode, the action, and ofcourse the incredible acting performances. #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/2bx6M7HNee
— ES(@dinmurdock) April 21, 2025
“an unarmed doctor” um he literally had a scalpel?????? #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/PLuEmNAbBm
— chelsea ⋆.˚⟡ (@pascaldarling) April 21, 2025
ellie hugging joel's body just ruined my entire week, month, and year#TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/85sXf2N8BE
— delfina | tlou era (@scarjsn) April 21, 2025
Ashley Johnson’s “Through the Valley” cover playing at the end of the episode OH MY GOD THAT WAS SO GOOD #TheLastOfUs
— chris (@chrisdadeviant) April 21, 2025
pic.twitter.com/oI83gQ7p9S
Same energy #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/RA2AcWdrjw
— 𝘾𝙊𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙂𝙊𝙐 (@coringouu) April 21, 2025
ellie crawling to joel’s body and cuddling up next to it.. that was way worse than the game #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/olJjfxD1J4
— gianna ♡ tlou s2 spoilers (@giannaispunk) April 21, 2025
they made it even worse in the show
— nGin (@98Ngin) April 21, 2025
NOT ASHLEY SINGING THROUGH THE VALLEY AT THE END #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/sBVxwCWqdZ
— lauryn(@sleepyfqce) April 21, 2025
I CANT WATCH THIS SHOW ANYMORE
— David (@Danvid_David) April 21, 2025
They can never make me like you… fuck u and ur daddy 2 #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/MUEPD97mrf
— Mj (@ThisGrayArea) April 21, 2025
Damn…they really are sticking to the game… #TheLastOfUs
— Jon Stewart (@jonstewart) April 21, 2025
me trying to kill abby through my tv screen to save joel #TheLastOfUs
— emma⟢
pic.twitter.com/tD9cCB8ETq(@cosmicoraline) April 21, 2025
#TheLastOfUs game players knew this WHOLE TIME that Joel was gonna die and you didn’t warn me?!? pic.twitter.com/fKXD4IwWSA
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) April 21, 2025
of course they managed to make his death way worse than it was in the game #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/lAka6O5Au8
— nic thee yapper (@the_silentH) April 21, 2025
THE WAY YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE JOEL TRY TO LIFT HIS BODY UP OFF THE GROUND…..FOR HER. EVEN IN THE END. #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/DIkBXSdWM9
— ًًً (@kiescleo) April 21, 2025
The post ‘The Last of Us’ Fans React to Huge Season 2 Episode 2 Twist: ‘Welcome to the Trauma’ appeared first on TheWrap.
‘Suits LA’: Gabriel Macht Talks Harvey’s Present-Day Updates and if He’d Return for More Episodes
Note: This story contains spoilers from “Suits LA” Episode 9.
“Suits LA” wrapped up Ted Black’s mission against mobster Pellegrini with Episode 9, also ending the return arc for original series fan-favorite Harvey Specter.
The NBC legal drama returned to New York City in “Bat Signal” as Harvey (Gabriel Macht) enlisted his old friend Ted (Stephen Amell) to take Pellegrini (Anthony Azizi) down once again — after the mobster was granted parole from the last time the duo took him down so many years before. The show’s 2010 storyline also showed how Harvey’s testimony at Pellegrini’s first trial ended up landing him the possibility of parole, setting off the present-day action.
With Kevin (Troy Winbush) helping with the investigation, Ted and Harvey successfully work together to get one of Pellegrini’s lackeys to turn on him. The man had his own baggage with Ted, as it’s revealed that he was responsible for the death of Ted’s brother Eddie (Carson A. Egan). After some banter, legal twists and one explosion, the legal duo got revenge on Pellegrini and also got justice for Eddie.
Gabriel Macht and Stephen Amell in “Suits LA.” (Nicole Weingart/NBC)In the midst of the action, modern-day Harvey revealed some small details about his life since fans last saw him on the original “Suits.” He got a text from a number labeled “My Boy,” asking when he would call to check in, and then mentioned his son to Ted — but refused to divulge his name.
And while there was no update on his wife Donna (Sarah Rafferty), Harvey vaguely revealed he has been working on a “task force.”
“There were nice moments for me to be able to see that [Harvey’s] enjoying his life, and that he feels secure in his skin. That he is still with his partner and that he has a son, and that he’s focused on that and wants to get back to him,” Macht told TheWrap. “There’s something that was really lovely about all of that for me.”
TheWrap spoke to Macht about returning to Harvey Specter’s shoes, and if he would do it again should the show return for Season 2.
TheWrap: It’s great to see you reprise the role of Harvey. How did it feel to get back to this role after some time away?
Macht: It’s been a good ride. I’ve had a nice time. It’s been creative, it’s been nostalgic. It’s created a little internet love. (Creator and showrunner) Aaron Korsh told me the storyline, and I went away and thought about it. After the big resurgence on Netflix and the amount of fandom that is out there, I decided that I wanted to do it for them, and then also to support this cast and crew. If I could pass the baton or support them in any way and bring some more eyes to it, I felt like it would be a great idea.
We had a great time. Aaron came through for me with the story and production made it work for me with my family. We had a really good time with it.
How was it to work with Stephen during this chapter of the new show?
Stephen has been exceptional. He is a class act. He is super solid, so grounded. He has been sort of open and willing to try things and be playful with me, and the chemistry just worked out. He’s got a lot on his shoulders, and his character is completely different from Harvey.
[Ted’s] got a huge, devastating backstory that he has to live with and through while maintaining the legalities of his present life and world. Harvey is fortunate enough to come in and help guide him and make sure that he does not have to look over his shoulder all the time.
Gabriel Macht and Stephen Amell in “Suits LA.” (Nicole Weingart/NBC)We saw you mostly in flashbacks to 2010 — when Ted and Harvey were playing baseball together and occasionally collaborating at work — meaning this is Harvey before the original “Suits” had begun. How was it to explore that era of your character?
I love baseball. We ended up shooting at Rancho Park, which is where I went to high school. I played baseball in high school, and that was the park that we would practice at. So that was very nostalgic and totally surreal. My dad came to see a shoot that night. He was sitting in the stands, that was like a sweet moment.
People change over the years, and we found Harvey early on, where he is that guy that we love to hate in a way in the first series. In the first season, Harvey is not the kindest, most gentle guy, he has a thick skin. He’s aggressive, manipulative, very harsh and hard. Those are the elements of Harvey that I’m not crazy about. It’s harder for me to play those moments because it triggers certain behaviors in me that I’m not proud of. Going back to that Harvey, there are beats in some of those flashbacks where he has that energy.
It’s the future Harvey that is more grounded and more wise and more settled. I really enjoyed those beats.
Gabriel Macht in “Suits LA.” (Nicole Weingart/NBC)Episodes 8 and 9 do show us Harvey in the present day. How was it to reunite with him and see where he’s at in his life now?
There were nice moments for me to be able to see that he’s enjoying his life, and that he feels secure in his skin. That he is still with his partner and that he has a son, and that he’s focused on that and wants to get back to him. There’s something that was really lovely about all of that for me.
Would you return for more or “Suits LA” in the future?
It would have to make sense with what my schedule looks like. Never say never. But I think these guys have what they need to keep the show up and running. There’s a lot of stories they’re going to be able to tell for the old and the new fans.
“Suits LA” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT and streams the next day on Peacock.
The post ‘Suits LA’: Gabriel Macht Talks Harvey’s Present-Day Updates and if He’d Return for More Episodes appeared first on TheWrap.
Steve Pond's Blog
