crulean Reviews

Teresa (2010–2011)

The only flaw of this telenovella was not giving us a trial with Teresa as a lawyer

[10/10 · 4 November 2023]

The best thing about this telenovela is that there aren't entirely good persons, even those who are "good people" (translation: Aurora and Mariano) act according to harmful ideas, out of jealousy or selfishness

Which makes it more fun to see what Teresa will do next, and just sit back and enjoy the drama. There isn't another show that embraces the conflict and the concept of soup operas than this one, with an excellent actress who exudes charisma with her character to top it all

Let's say the bad side is the narrative insisting that we should like the rich friend instead, despite the fact that she caused harm to other people as well and had a flimsy concept of loyalty.

Succession (2018–2023)

Wonderful show, unsatisfying ending

[8/10 · 14 June 2023]

The ending was a good episode, but was it a good conclusion of the show, though? The characters stayed true to their goals and version of past seasons, and that's why the ending doesn't feel rewarding. Shiv remained awful, Roman as the broken boy, and Kendall got back to square one as soon as he returned to the company..

Whether you were following the Roys as a family or individually, there isn't closure for either of them, but at least Roman got away from the main thing that was holding him back from finally start over ig.

But honestly, as someone who was invested in Kendall's journey, there wasn't much to see of him in the last season. As the show went on, he had the strongest potential for a redemption/growth arc of all the siblings and even came close to leaving the company, but reverted to being Season 1 Kendall when he returned. Yeah, it's realistic to some extent, but for storytelling purposes, it felt disappointing.

Obnoxiously rich people are bad, yada-yada. But come on now, most of us stayed for the messy family dynamics and how being raised by an abusive parent can twist their children in the long run, not for the dull and repetitive eat-the-rich message.

Nonetheless, a fantastic show. Magnificent soundtrack and performances, and it even has signature cinematography. While it lacks character growth, they serve to deliver such a fun, dramatic, juicy, and interesting story to have the pleasure of experiencing.

Skam (2015–2017)

Why season 3 is so good WTH?

[7/10 · 29 May 2023]

Season 1: Eva's story serves as a presentation card for the coming seasons and sets the tone of whether viewers want to continue the show. I wish it focused more on friendship since that was the season's highlight.

Season 2: It pains me that the show didn't make fun of William's attempt to be a bad boy, the main couple would've been a lot more fun. If this was aired nowadays, it would've suffered from Gossip Girl (2021) season 2 syndrome. (5/10)

Season 3: It revindicated my love for a good romance, that it's a shame the writers improved after two mind-numbing seasons. From the stares and the writing to their chemistry and performances. Everything got a 180 upgrade. There are so many memorable scenes, and the amount of edits I watched from this season is embarrassing. Such a fun time.

Another highlight it's how the friends play a major role in the main character's growth and not only a certain character's advice like in previous seasons.

My only problem was how the show handled the twist, instead of as a storyline. The reason why the conclusion feels unsatisfactory short, it's that it didn't take the time to properly elaborate or introduce it in another way.

Overall, the season is still too good, though. The first 5 episodes are straight-up high-school romance aesthetic that make it so easy to fall in love with the story.

Season 4: Sadly, we get more of the main crew separated or fighting. After Episode 8, I wished for a season that focused more on female friendship and allowed us to really get to know the rest of the girls. The finale and the bloopers destroyed me, and I'm still recovering from Isak's birthday video.