This the final episode of "Amazon Prime Video's", "Solos" called "Stuart" is the best and most well done episode as things are finally discovered and light is shed on memory and time loss! The story involves Otto(Dan Stevens) a man who wants to put some closure and remember some time with his mother his search leads him to a private beach island where Stuart(the great Morgan Freeman) is lonely living his life with apparent dementia. Only things start to come full circle when Otto introduces memory chip implants into Stuart so that Stuart can remember and even help Otto share a memory. As Stuart has been a bad man a computer hacker of sorts, as one can figure that past episodes of memory loss, and problems the characters had were related to him! Overall well done wrap up episode that tied up things of life, memory, and loss really good last episode to close out the series.
7 Reviews
A conclusion that reveals and ties in past episodes well done series ender!
blanbrn3 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Season One Review.
southdavid6 July 2021
"Solos" is an anthology series that arrived on Amazon Prime in 2021. Though the stories are mostly unconnected, there is occasionally some connective tissue between aspects of the stories. They are all related to periods of isolation though and the lengths that some people will go to to avoid, or locate, it.
Directed by Zack Braff, the first episode sees Anne Hathaway play a physicist trying to unlock the secrets of time travel, but unwilling to open up about the reasons why. I liked this one. The story was emotional, but with a science fiction twist. Hathaway's performance is really good.
The second sees Anthony Mackie play a dying man, who purchases a clone of himself and the pair discuss the finer points of his life, in preparation for the clone taking over. I enjoyed this one less than the first episode, though Mackie's performance is really strong - there was less to the story.
The third is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and sees Helen Mirren play the aging daughter of Anthony Mackie's character from the last episode. Looking for one final adventure, she volunteers for a one-way mission, heading through space with no specific destination and recounting aspects of her life to the on-board computer, voiced by Dan Stevens. Again, from a story standpoint there isn't much to it, but in terms of performance it's top notch.
The fourth saw Uzo Aduba play a woman who had spent twenty years locked inside her safe smart home, since the outbreak of a virus. The house's virtual assistant tries to convince her to leave, but she doesn't accept the motivations. Uzo Aduba's performance was excellent, but again, there wasn't much from the story side of the episode.
The fifth sees Jenny, played by Constance Wu monologing to an unseen audience about a story from her life whilst she waits for . . something to happen. This is, for me, the best one so far. The bold central performance is perhaps expected now, but there's something so vulnerable about this one and it was actually coupled to a story that built to something. One that took the time to layer in it's plot and provide a payoff.
The sixth sees Nicole Beharie play Nera, who is undertaking a fertility procedure which leads to her having a son who ages prematurely. I'm confused a bit by this one, as not only does it seem to break the premise of the series, given than Beharie has a number of actors to act against but I didn't get what the subtext of the story was. I like the explanation offered by reviewer bakerstreetdozen but I didn't pick it up from the show itself.
The seventh sees Otto (Dan Stevens) locate Stuart (Morgan Freeman), who suffers from the symptoms of Alzheimers. Otto injects Stuart with a formula that see's his mind repair itself and his memories reform. Though initially staged as an act of kindness, Otto requires something that Stuart has locked away. Again, super performances but in service of a story that wasn't really worthy.
So yes, a definite pattern of excellent performances, even if occasionally the series didn't have stories to match them. Would I watch more if they were forthcoming, I probably would yes, but if that's all we get, then I can't say I'd be too unhappy either.
Directed by Zack Braff, the first episode sees Anne Hathaway play a physicist trying to unlock the secrets of time travel, but unwilling to open up about the reasons why. I liked this one. The story was emotional, but with a science fiction twist. Hathaway's performance is really good.
The second sees Anthony Mackie play a dying man, who purchases a clone of himself and the pair discuss the finer points of his life, in preparation for the clone taking over. I enjoyed this one less than the first episode, though Mackie's performance is really strong - there was less to the story.
The third is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and sees Helen Mirren play the aging daughter of Anthony Mackie's character from the last episode. Looking for one final adventure, she volunteers for a one-way mission, heading through space with no specific destination and recounting aspects of her life to the on-board computer, voiced by Dan Stevens. Again, from a story standpoint there isn't much to it, but in terms of performance it's top notch.
The fourth saw Uzo Aduba play a woman who had spent twenty years locked inside her safe smart home, since the outbreak of a virus. The house's virtual assistant tries to convince her to leave, but she doesn't accept the motivations. Uzo Aduba's performance was excellent, but again, there wasn't much from the story side of the episode.
The fifth sees Jenny, played by Constance Wu monologing to an unseen audience about a story from her life whilst she waits for . . something to happen. This is, for me, the best one so far. The bold central performance is perhaps expected now, but there's something so vulnerable about this one and it was actually coupled to a story that built to something. One that took the time to layer in it's plot and provide a payoff.
The sixth sees Nicole Beharie play Nera, who is undertaking a fertility procedure which leads to her having a son who ages prematurely. I'm confused a bit by this one, as not only does it seem to break the premise of the series, given than Beharie has a number of actors to act against but I didn't get what the subtext of the story was. I like the explanation offered by reviewer bakerstreetdozen but I didn't pick it up from the show itself.
The seventh sees Otto (Dan Stevens) locate Stuart (Morgan Freeman), who suffers from the symptoms of Alzheimers. Otto injects Stuart with a formula that see's his mind repair itself and his memories reform. Though initially staged as an act of kindness, Otto requires something that Stuart has locked away. Again, super performances but in service of a story that wasn't really worthy.
So yes, a definite pattern of excellent performances, even if occasionally the series didn't have stories to match them. Would I watch more if they were forthcoming, I probably would yes, but if that's all we get, then I can't say I'd be too unhappy either.
What You Find In the Lives of Others
gensbill21 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Morgan Freeman plays a man so broken by his own actions he must steal the memories of others just to survive.
Now, he's forgotten those memories and is merely a shell alone on a beach unaware of even the waves, until a man comes and give him a cure, returning his collection of lives.
But along with that comes the sorrow he tried so hard to vanquish within all the stolen moments.
Now, he's forgotten those memories and is merely a shell alone on a beach unaware of even the waves, until a man comes and give him a cure, returning his collection of lives.
But along with that comes the sorrow he tried so hard to vanquish within all the stolen moments.
Memories are made of this ...
lightheartedbeing13 June 2021
This isn't exactly a solo, it's a duo, but there's something stolen they both shared. It's fun, poignant, threatening, redemptive and Dan Stevens and Morgan Freeman are great together in it. There are so many movements, it's like Bach, themes rolling over one another like waves on a beach -- a perfect setting. There are so many stand out moments, it's hard to pick out favorites. The timing, the plot, the layers penetrated one by one, the revelations ... memories, lost and found. Such a human dilemma. They are so subjective, too. These actors are in magnificent form, had good stuff to work with, and the whole thing was quality. Great end to the series.
Great story
gjenevieve6 June 2021
Nice ending to the story
dfc-london1020 October 2021
A fun, twisted episode.
It links all the stories nicely together. Morgan Freeman is in his best form and retells all the other character's stories.
Why they made Dan Stevens have an American accent, when it's clear by the NHS reference this is set in the UK, I wouldn't know.
It links all the stories nicely together. Morgan Freeman is in his best form and retells all the other character's stories.
Why they made Dan Stevens have an American accent, when it's clear by the NHS reference this is set in the UK, I wouldn't know.
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