Author Thom V. Young

thom-young

Spontaneous Quixote

Thom V. Young has lived all over the country—Idaho, Oregon, Ohio, California, Kansas, back to Idaho, Louisiana, and South Carolina—but he eventually ended up in Maryland. Over the course of his travels, he has had an array of odd jobs—including short order cook, fast food restaurant manager, construction worker, frozen food warehouseman, alternative health publications editor, and college professor. He has also published several poems and short stories in a variety of super-secret small-press publications.

The Americans 3.07 “Walter Taffet”

March 18, 2015 2 47

The Americans probably has as much tension in this 45 minutes as the current season of Justified has had through eight episodes thus far.

Justified 6.08 “Dark as a Dungeon”

March 17, 2015 2 59

I haven’t been enjoying the final season of Justified as much as I enjoyed the previous five seasons.

The Musketeers 2.08 “The Prodigal Son”

March 14, 2015 1 434

In The Musketeers, Cunningham delivers his lines so like he does in Game of Thrones that it felt like a mashup of the two series.

The Americans 3.06 “Born Again”

March 10, 2015 0 34

The Americans version of "propaganda by the deed" involves indoctrinating Paige into the deeds of espionage and assassination.

Justified 6.07 “The Hunt”

March 9, 2015 0 87

The title of this episode of Justified, “The Hunt,” has at least two meanings within the context of the story.

The Musketeers 2.07 “A Marriage of Inconvenience”

March 7, 2015 0 68

The historical discrepancies of The Musketeers don’t really bother me; however, failures in achieving verisimilitude bother me greatly.

Resurrecting and Redeeming The Dead Girl in Ourselves: A Guide for Living

Spontaneous Quixote

March 5, 2015 1 255

Despite me “spoiling” many of the various plot points, The Dead Girl is a film worth seeing as a contemporary masterpiece of modern cinema.

The Americans 3.05 “Salang Pass”

March 4, 2015 0 26

The title of this episode of The Americans (“Salang Pass”) seems to be a few weeks late.

Justified 6.06 “Alive Day”

March 3, 2015 0 52

Ultimately, “Alive Day” was a more satisfying episode of Justified than “Sounding.”

The Musketeers 2.06 “Through a Glass Darkly”

February 28, 2015 1 71

While the acting on The Musketeers is always competent and does not draw attention, the writing on these two episodes impressed me the most.

The Searchers: A Quaint and Polite Film about Racism, Rape, and Remorse

Spontaneous Quixote

February 26, 2015 0 1557

An updated remake of The Searchers that openly shows the story’s physical brutality and emotional cruelty would make for an excellent film.

The Americans 3.04 “Dimebag”

February 25, 2015 0 89

Most of the interactions in the Americans involve one character telling another something he or she either wants or does not want to hear.

Justified 6.05 “Sounding”

February 24, 2015 2 55

I wish this show (Justified) that I enjoy didn’t take so many shortcuts when it comes to characterization and the depiction of reality.

The Musketeers 2.05 “The Return”

February 21, 2015 3 102

In the end, the fight goes exactly the way viewers would expect—after all, this is The Musketeers, not Game of Thrones

HBO’s The Newsroom: Aaron Sorkin’s Attempt to Bail Water Out Faster than It’s Coming In

Spontaneous Quixote

February 19, 2015 0 479

When HBO began producing The Newsroom two years ago, I watched it to see if it would cover the concepts I hoped it would.

The Americans 3.03 “Open House”

February 18, 2015 2 20

The Americans takes a driving tour of Frederick, Maryland, circa 1982. Sort of.

Justified 6.04 “The Trash and the Snake”

February 17, 2015 2 53

This episode of Justified has very little action in it. It’s mostly a series of conversations between various characters

The Musketeers 2.04 “Emilie”

February 14, 2015 0 282

What concerns me about The Musketeers is not the departure from the source material but its departure from actual history.

Freedom Is Sometimes Uncomfortable: A Response to the Film Howl

Spontaneous Quixote

February 12, 2015 3 56

It’s important to keep in mind that living within a democratic system means sometimes being uncomfortable with the freedoms we have.

The Americans 3.02 “Baggage”

February 11, 2015 2 81

The Americans again managed to strike the right balance between espionage adventures, political intrigues, and interpersonal relationships.

1 2 3 4