Mary McNamara

Showing this [indoctrination] is far less exciting than the images of grown women being killed or stripped of their rights as presented in “The Handmaid’s Tale” (though “The Testaments” does offer a few very chilling flashbacks). But as social commentary, it’s difficult to beat the sight of young women, recognizable in so many ways as modern teens, complying with their own enslavement, out of ignorance and, as events proceed, the gut-wrenching fear of what the truth might mean.

“Love Story” starts off as a glamorous, tantalizing modern fairy tale before devolving into a rather heavy-handed analysis of familial expectation and the perils of fame.

Their [Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson's] chemistry, and the absurdity of their situation, propels the story over any early “wait, what?” bumps and confusing tonal shifts into an increasingly propulsive and cohesive spy drama, with plenty of “trust no one” twists and turns, and the kind of period detail that would make “Mad Men” proud.

Miller is far more interested in examining the roots of Scorsese’s genius rather than celebrating its breadth. Behind-the-scenes anecdotes and insights from Scorsese’s longtime collaborators — Schoonmaker, De Niro, Pileggi and, later, DiCaprio — as well as surprising interviews with the aging tough guy who was the inspiration for “Mean Streets’” Johnny Boy and, of course, Mom’s meatball-making scene, more than make up for any gaps in the canon.

As a prequel to “Outlander,” “Blood of My Blood” has two strong love stories and many footnote-like attractions, but it lacks, through no fault of its cast, the multilevel tensions of its predecessor.

The second season cannot match the world-building revelations of the first. There is still plenty to see and learn. .... Some questions are answered almost immediately, while others are left to linger for an unusual number of beats. But as previously noted, the real narrative of this season is about consequences, and by extension, choices, which makes it far more inward-focused than the first.

It could also be this century’s “Love Story.” .... Funny, heartbreaking, deeply humane and more than occasionally insightful as hell.

It isn’t just great television, it’s vivid, thought-provoking television that entertains even as it examines the darker side of entertainment.

The characters take forever to make narrative connections that seem immediately obvious and no one seems remotely curious about what exactly is happening to the world. Yet even as her hours-long insistence that she is nothing “special” grows tedious, Vanessa is delightfully cranky.

This being a broadcast premiere, Ginny is forced through many predictable expositional and emotional hoops, and Bunbury makes that exercise seem effortless. Though she is the center of the story, Ginny remains something of a cipher.