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Reviews
Deadloch (2023)
If you're unsure, read this review
I HATED the first 2 episodes. Seriously, I wanted to kill Eddie myself. By the 3rd episode, I was hating it less, by the 4th episode, I liked it and by the end I LOVED it. I even grew to love Eddie. I read someone else's review who called her the new Jar Jar Binks and I agreed for the first half of the season. But she ended up growing on me. So, I'll not hash out the plot here, but this show kept me guessing to the very end. I can usually eye the murderer from the beginning, but I could not when watching this show. So, my advice is stick with it to episode 5 and you'll be hooked. We ended up watching it over 2 nights we were that into it. It ends up being a great murder mystery.
Sex Education (2019)
So much fun!
What I love about this show is that for the most part, the characters are all really well fleshed out. No one is all good and all bad (except one character) and it shows all the nuances of why they are the way they are. And I love them all. It's a fantastic cast and they are all very interesting to watch. The writing, directing, acting, editing - well, everything - is very well done and I was REALLY sorry when we finished episode 8. I will miss these people. Can't wait for it to come back.
Maniac (2018)
A Strange and Wonderful Journey
I just finished watching it for the second time, and I enjoyed it even more than before. When I had started watching it for the first time, I stopped after the second episode because I thought it was weird and quirky and depressing. A few days later, I looked it up here on IMDB and was surprised by the positive reviews, so I decided to give it one more try and I'm really glad I did. Yes, it's weird and quirky and somewhat depressing, but you go on a journey with these characters and learn to love and understand them and appreciate what they've gone through and how they evolve. I don't want to give too much away because this windy road these characters take is fascinating. So, my advice is to just go with it. I also recommend watching it a second time. I caught SO MUCH MORE the second pass because this series is incredibly detailed and layered. It just goes to show that the people who made this show cared about what they put on the screen and it shows. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
Sharp Objects (2018)
An Open Letter to Filmmakers
Dear Filmmakers:
I've noticed a trend in television shows lately: The stories are being dragged out. I'll get to the end of episode 3 or 4 and start to feel frustrated because nothing much has happened since the 1st episode. I'll check the episode list and groan that a good story is being stretched across 8-10 episodes. However I'm hooked, I need to know what happens, so I continue to watch. But I respectfully request that they be told more concisely. My family has developed a game of sorts to each give our opinion as to how many episodes the story could have actually been told in and inevitably, it is at least half. Sharp Objects is one of these shows that could have been told in half the episodes. Easily. The acting was superb, the story interesting, but the pace was slower than a Sunday afternoon.
These are good shows, i.e., Goliath (2nd season), The Sinner, The OA, Mindhunter, Lost in Space, and now Sharp Objects, just to name a few. They are worth watching, but I find them frustrating for plot points to be piecemealed out over so many hours. I'm not asking the stories be told like the fast-talking legal disclaimers at the end of an AM radio ad, but just be tightened up a bit.
Take the first season of Stranger Things, for instance. It was like an 8 hour movie where each episode advanced the story line at a very satisfying pace. I couldn't stop watching and gobbled it all up in one day. (I LOVE when all the episodes drop at once!) The first and second season of Bosch were like this as well. Bingeing at its best.
Now I know this is my opinion and others will disagree with me, but it is a trend I have noticed over the past couple of years and maybe there are others out there who have noticed it too. This is my little two cents worth.
I find it strange to ask for less of a good thing, but that's what I'm asking. I want to watch shows that make me put down my laptop and phone, to make me stop playing games or surf the internet while the show is on. I wanna have to pause to discuss what just happened and look forward to watching more. Instead, my reaction to last night's Sharp Objects was "yay, it's the last episode and we can finally get some answers". The paint has finally dried!
I sound ungrateful, I know. This show and the others I mentioned are good TV. I thank you for the excellent programming. I just want it to be a little less....stretched.
Thank you.