Reviews

I watched it all the time. Reruns. Which means I have spotted problems with it. Why could Matt leave the house to date but the girls constantly begging their parents to let them invite 2 guys to the living room to watch tv? If Matt could not pass the armed services test and got out of enlistment how on earth could he be valedictorian? They never got presents but had a lot of crap. How? How could Sandy be studying to be a minister but have no idea how to explain what a Christian was to her labor and delivery nurse? How the heck could a college student and a high school student have a baby and it not be a crime on her part. It seems like later they excused it with he was 18 but the math does not add up to the rest of the storyline. And the hating Bush storyline was a bit over indoctrination. And Lucy expert was so annoying last few season about work..

It was not obvious what happened at the end. I felt terrible for victims father. He married awful. All the harassment why could they not stop it. I never understood why the friend cared so much. Really liked the guy working at the juvenile prison. Also the victims dad. Conditions in prison there awful. I don't know if execution is worse than surviving. I hated how people trying to make this tragedy into an opportunity. It was interesting how they made it about the other people surrounding the situation, from their perspectives. Seems like the wait was the punishment. They were all unable to do anything yet had time to do something.

I have watched and rewatched it for over 20 years. Because of this I feel a few inconsistencies. Why couldn't Paige heal? She sort of did heal Cole once with Leo but then so many episodes and no healing. Phoebe burned at the stake for punishing the guilty and yet her character does that constantly. Some of the clothes and accessories really don't make sense. I mean their regular ones not the occasional costume. Grams and mom kept appearing as a ghost, but not Prue? Why was Paige so upset about Brody. She is a white lighter herself why was it bye for good? They really encompassed the millennials with the do whatever they wanted theme. Paige was a social worker which meant a lot of college. Why was she getting jobs walking dogs and such. I know it was to connect them to innocents but it just doesn't make sense. And Piper and Leo. Really don't understand so many of their separations of their storyline plot of having issues and needing therapy. Was it just so the writer could make therapy appear mainstream? Why would they not embrace magic school for Wyatt? She went when really little herself until her powers bound. Magic school would be normal. With the cleaners and worry over exposing magic I just don't understand. Also why did they exclude Paige's husband from the last 2 episodes so much? Also been watching on cable and I swear there are extra episodes not normally in rotation?

So he is a few months from graduating and kills himself cause his father wants him to go to college and med school and he would rather act? If I could even get beyond the idea that any school in America at the time was conservative.. The student was 18 or about to be and could enlist, move to another state all without dad's permission in a matter of months. It was already winter. The education at this school was clearly lacking.

I was pleased in the end that the adoption went through. The grandparents should reflect on themselves. The parents found the best family for their child being tasked with twins with different unexpected medical issues. The adoption was open as well. Age alone would be reason not to place. I suspect the grandparents tried to manage everything with money and control. Money won't manage this. The mother knows how her parent's raise children and declined to place the baby with them. There could be a reason beyond age. They placed their baby with a couple who adopted multiple children with Down syndrome and having experience with adults as well. In a perfect world the child could have stayed with original parents. Now that mainstreaming is common it's not a mystery it once was. If this happened 20 years later perhaps the couple would have been able to manage both babies?

Acting very good. Story was told well. The nice touches of the story of the Solomon and the baby. I understand the gram at the end. The baby was the only one she was allowed to speak to. I wish there was some resolution with an order of protection. She was picking between two daughters. She'd be a murderer if she left thinking the rules wrong. I can not believe Alex was allowed to hand in the paperwork with her mother basically doing it for her. The movie kept changing focus. At times I thought it was about Alex, other her sister, other times the mom. When an org you belong to tells you to give them money, expects an ridiculous amount of free time and tells you not to associate outside of the organization with family, friends and coworkers you are in a cult. I really hope the movie got it wrong in some parts or they changed a bit. I am glad for laws protecting minors when it comes to needing blood products. Pleased there was no violence. Harshness but no violence. I can't believe an adult would tell a child another person present in the building is not allowed to pray with everyone. That was the most upsetting scene for me. The Alex storyline was well done. She basically lived day to day not expecting anything of life. There was no excitement in getting married. It's like she knew she wasn't going to be allowed much time.

I'm not entirely sure why she needed surgery. I like the first doctor finally talked to her privately.

They are wearing headcoverings at home because the camera is there filming them to be seen by the public. I needed a better ending. It had the mean girl, parents blaming each other, girl mad at the world self destruction thing going on. Can't believe it was students that caused the revolution given how controlled this teen was portrayed you'd think youth were not allowed any agency at all and expected to be obedient to parents. Perhaps it's the dominance of that particular generation? It was a very relatable story. It could have been set anywhere. There were a few scenes don't too artsy. It was okay that you could only their we their backs playing. But a few scenes were just blurry.

Canada doesn't believe in giving VISAs to people they think will overstay. That was the reason they gave to refusing the visas for two 17/18 actresses in the film. Why throw words like xenophobia? This constant bombardment of buzzwords with no thinking behind it is offensive to actual xenophobia. The Iranian director has no issues traveling to the US around the same time. The First Lady of the US was an immigrant and recent citizen. The US and Canada have a high percentage of foreign born citizens in each country. There are over a billion Muslims and not just from five or six countries.

Were there different writers? One episode Maxine is breaking all sorts of laws and protocols and it's fine. The next her coworkers are and she leaves the sanctuary house. What is most troubling is the single mom who gets a one bedroom apartment. The law required the children have separate rooms because they are brother and sister over a certain age. Yet the immigrant family who refused to sign the housing contract is apparently getting taxpayer funded housing? Why not the American single mom? Are you saying the legal immigrant family didn't sign a single document to enter the country or get any other services given to immigrants or even sign employment application before this particular court date? It does make sense. Not to mention the agendas. No sympathy for the character gang member who died in prison. Then there was the foster kid who killed the person stalking the judge. Why the dickens was he there? He was a minor in a home that was being threatened and he was expected to protect the granddaughter who had been taken earlier briefly. And they are morally upset at his actions? Why was she still allowed to work for DCFS? A foster kid should never have been in that house under those circumstances.

They were not crooks but it was gambling. Basically a church member gambles part of a church fund and the pastor and parishioner help the police close down the gamblers. Then they take money from the final apprehension to put back in the church fund which I always thought odd. It was funny a thing at the time.

Spoiler alert

I was disappointed with the female lead. All that effort wasted. I mean I knew it would not end well but for her just throw away all her advantages after the sacrifices made for her made me mad.

I am very happy this book finally made it to the big screen. The changes were not ones that ruined the book. They stayed true enough to the basic story. Hollywood always tries to tell a slightly different story. The only problem I had was before I made it to the theater. One of the trailers gave away the most important moment of the book. I read the book so it did not bother me, but those who haven't read the book might have too much revealed to them if they saw that specific trailer. I wish it were a tad longer. I think they rushed though the ceremonies a bit. I think the viewer needed a little more time to see those to understand how the community was run. Those who read the book were at an advantage. I hope they have deleted scenes and the making of when the movie becomes available for purchase. I thought the effects were effective without being over the top. The community is simple and they needed to keep it simple.