sgmiller593 Reviews

Big Dogs (2020– )

An entertaining hot mess

[3/10 · 14 December 2020]

They seemed to take a good plot outline and turn it into a piecemeal, underdeveloped story that lacked focus.

There were a ton of scenes that did nothing for the storyline placed seemingly at random throughout. If they had used that time to actually develop the plot, I think the show could have been very good. Unfortunately the multiple plotlines never coherently merge so you're left wondering if there was a moral/viewpoint at all.

The last episode is especially horrible. The sudden addition of some sci-fi, a random proverb dotting the culminating action scene, and a story that goes nowhere ruined what I did enjoy of the season.

That said, most of the season was entertaining and some of the dialogue was pretty humorous in a crude way (not sure if that's what they were going for).

True Detective (2014– )

Season dependent

[8/10 · 17 April 2020]

I've seen seasons 1 and 2. In my opinion, 1 is significantly better, mostly because of the story structure. Each season is a single complex case with a lot of side stories, but in S01 they create an almost equally complex relationship between the two main characters. While the ensamble cast is excellent in s02, it lacks a strong relationship between any of the characters and instead has numerous, somewhat undeveloped ones. It's too bad bc the cast is strong and the background story is interesting, but they are missing that essential component.

I would say season 1 is a must watch, and season 2 is fine, with great actors/actresses, but a weaker story

Avenue 5 (2020–2022)

Think Val Kilmer playing Larry David in Curb your Enthusiasm

[1/10 · 22 February 2020]

Couldn't be more painful. I think it's supposed to be social and situational satire? Pilot seems like an episode 6 because there is no context at all. Consequently, all of the humor misses as you find yourself trying to imagine there was something you didn't catch.

You could waste your time or you could just show up to a party where you know no one and the conversation relies entirely on inside jokes

True Blood (2008–2014)

Inept Writing

[2/10 · 12 February 2020]

The acting is fine, the humor inherent, but the story is horrible. Notably, I'm not a big Sci-Fi fan, so that may contribute to my failure to understand the character and plot inconsistencies, but they are glaring. Just because this is a Sci-Fi genre show doesn't mean that the components that are non-fiction need to be as unbelievable as those that are. In my opinion that's what differentiates a Sci-Fi hit from a flop, but apparently the audience in this case doesn't care