Revenge is a dish served room temperature-ish in this faithful but oddly flattened remake of the Oscar-winning 2009 Argentinian noir of the same name. Its not for lack of stars; Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and Chiwetel Ejiofor work hard to make the story their own. Roberts is especially vivid, though most of the attention will probably land on her brutal physical makeunder: Every last vestige of the superstars toothy sparkle is subsumed onscreen by muddy contact lenses, a shapeless wardrobe, and sallow, pain-etched pallor....

She wonders if it could have gone another way. The report came from a discredited source, but it didnt matter the idea was now out there. Koenig acknowledges that both sides were using the Bergdahl trade for political purposes. Credit: AP Photo/Ted Richardson, File And it almost didnt. But in just a few hours, the whole thing went from a dual statement to a full ceremony. Putting the Bergdahls alongside Obama would make for quite the photo opp....

You have to be ready to act and react on the fly. It was hard not to come away with the impression that maybe Bergdahls P.R. Bergdhals capture was the ultimate coup, a score of 24-karat proportions. Credit: U.S. Army via Getty Images And, as promised, Koenig speaks to the Taliban to let them explain why that is. You see, kidnapping is a lucrative source of revenue for the Taliban....

She describes them (or rather quotes the Times describing them) as The Sopranos of the Afghanistan War. This is all gripping stuff. But its also well known and easily available elsewhere. Credit: Andrew Craft /The Fayetteville Observer via AP Which leads to what is quickly becoming my biggest problem with this season of the podcast. This was my biggest fear whenSerialannounced the Bergdahl case would be the focus of its sophomore season....

Its been a while two weeks, actually, since the last installment ofSerial. Did you forget who Bowe Bergdahl was? Did the twisty, Byzantine fate of this seasons protagonist start to get a little foggy in your mind? Credit: Ted Richardson/AP Im not trying to be funny. This is a real problem. And I think this season ofSerialis in real trouble. I havent decided whether or not I think this is a good thing....

Its been a looong time coming. Ive been bellyaching for a while now about the lack of Bergdahl this season. Im back on the hook. Credit: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images He tells the incredulous Boal that the report he gave Dahl amounted to more than 380 pages. This is his side of the story. His rationale as strange as it may sometimes sound for abandoning his post. And it gives us the best account yet of what Bergdahls mindset was before he was captured....

For the first time, it felt like we got inside of his head. And once there, it was hard to know what to make of his thought process. Swept up in some messianic quest to save his brothers in arms? Credit: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images Was he being a good soldier making a hard decision? Or was he just lying about everything? I think its been clear in my recaps this season that Ive had some serious issues withSerials sophomore effort....

Its pretty much been the definition of inconsistent. Bergdahl is picked up by U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan and whisked off in a helicopter. Hes still in rough shape after so many years as a prisoner. Credit: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images He couldnt talk right away. He wasnt able to successfully make the words travel from his head to his tongue. A lot of this has already been reported elsewhere....

But dont expect closure. We knew there wouldnt be going in. Thats the deal we signed up for. Credit: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images So all that can be asked at this point is, are you glad you tuned in? Despite frequent bouts of hair-pulling exasperation, I am. But its taken some time to realize that and a recalibration of what I expect from long-form investigative storytelling. After all, it was a season that defied most of our conventional expectations of narrative....

Podcast phenomenonSerialreturned for its second season in asurprise release Thursday morning. But listeners can hear Bergdahls commentary in conversations with Boal, which will air throughout season 2. Before you dive into season 2, heres what it’s crucial that you know about the case. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images The way in which Bergdahl left his base in 2009 is disputed. Bergdahl maintains that he left his platoon in Afghanistan so that raise awareness about the poor leadership he witnessed....

To say Ray Liotta has a unique reputation in Hollywood is a total understatement. Could a reputation as a must-follow Instagrammer be Liottas next claim to fame? Check out the highlights from his takeover and decide for yourself no pressure. Credit: Instagram/@EntertainmentWeekly Here is a pic of me doing publicity. Gotta love a straight talker. Hey J.Lo, think it’s possible for you to teach Ray a thing or two about hair goals?...

Tighten up, Lightwoods. Im starting to understand why Alec constantly broods. Id be tired of the wild goose chase, too. Credit: John Medland/Freeform I fully support his decision to lock away Clarys oddball necklace. You know, the one that Valentine spoke through? Lock it up, and throw away the key. Clary confides in Izzy that she will do anything to save her mom. Jocelyn Fairchild is both mother and friend and Clary is willing to sacrifice everything to get her back....

Clary has a nightmare about a mysterious man named Magnus stealing her memories. The dream turns out to be not so horrific when she wakes up to Jace comforting her! Its too bad Clary was still halfway comatose because Jaces face morphs into Simons face. Credit: Sven Frenzel/Freeform I guess the BFF will have to do for now. Guess who else has a smoking hot bod? Jace explains that Magnus Bane is the High Warlock of Brooklyn....