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tonybeva
Reviews
The Handmaid's Tale (2017)
Should've been a mini-series.
The source material, by Atwood, was a mere 300 pages. The first season of this show was a brilliant adaptation of her work. The continuation into seasons 2 and 3 feels forced. Similar to GOT, when the source material runs out the plot grinds to a halt and the show becomes unidimensional and repetitive. If I have to endure another longing stare of scorn and disgust from Elizabeth Moss I might just gouge my eyes out. Although the political undertones of the show may appear to be on the surface relatable, the show fails to explain the giant leaps in logic and relies too heavily on the rhetoric that the religious right is trying to drag us back to the Middle Ages. The men of Giliad are basically straw men with not a hint of moral complexity. We get it. The "patriarchy" is evil and women have been victims up until about 60 years ago. This show is about as depressing as my Facebook newsfeed during election season. I think this should've been a one and done mini-series.
The OA (2016)
Nearly perfect
Kudos to Brit Marling who created, directed, produced and starred in this project. It's rare that we see that level of dedication to a project anymore in Hollywood. I feel like I will be in the minority by saying this but season two was far superior to season one. The fractured mind and time continuum are amped up giving a very postmodern aesthetic to the show that I deeply enjoyed. I was moved and confused by the ending of season two. It makes me nervous the way they ended this season because I cannot imagine how they could possibly make a third season the way the show left off. Then again I always saw season one as a stand alone mini series. I hope there is more to come from this series and I don't mind waiting another 2 years to watch it.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Infinite Divsersity doesn't make a Compelling Premise on Its Own
I am an elder millennial who isn't clinging on to the ideal vision of GR's TOS and TNG. I loved at least parts if not all of every Trek series leading up to this. DS9 was hands down the best modern adaptation of the original because of its character development and exploration of cultural relevant themes. Discovery lacks the nuance in tackling these issues and the stories are handicapped by the sledgehammering of social justice ideology into the viewers head.
I suffered through the first season's predictable arc and set aside some of the glaring defects in Discovery. After all, DS9 took 3 seasons before it hit full stride and Voyager didn't pick up its pace until the middle of the second season. I know from experience that most Trek shows take a little bit of time to figure out what they want to be. It's usually been the case that the series starts off slow with character development and world building while the writers work under the microscope of network executives until they earn syndication and are allowed some leeway to express their creative vision.
I had high hopes that the mistakes made in season one weren't going to be fatal to this reboot but season two is an absolute disaster. I believe we have crossed the threshold of redemption value but I would love to be proven wrong.
There is nothing compelling me to feel attachment towards any of the caricatures on this show because they all represent a one-sided cookie cutter ideology stemming from the far left of the political spectrum. Part of the problem is the shift in the political landscape in between old school progressive values and new age political correctness. Trek was always a progressive show for its time in each era but the current state of progressive views espoused in discovery is so tribal that it is sure to polarize the viewers.
The moment I gave up on this series was when Pike's crewman tried to "mansplain" to Burnam about flying a shuttle and is promptly blown up midsentence. At least I got a good laugh at how hamfisted their message had become. I don't mind watching an episode about supposed "toxic masculinity" but how about approaching the topic with a shred of nuance?
Friends from College (2017)
Nat Faxon's teeth ruin the show
Not that there is much to like about this 30 minute comedy-drama to begin with, but every scene that Nat Faxon's character is in completely takes me out of the moment with his disgusting and disfigured chompers. It's bad enough that he is cast as one of the main characters but to have him as the token player of the group is completely asinine. Who in their right mind would go near that mouth? I keep cringing when he goes in for a kiss thinking he's going to hook on to someone's lip.
Admittedly, the second season is marginally better than the first and although I initially thought this show should have been cancelled after the first season I'm glad it stuck around for a second season.