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Worst Ex Ever (2024)
DV Porn
First of all, this series portrays physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, coercive control, murder, etc. Where were the trigger warnings? And what was the purpose of this series other than for entertainment value? It brought together all those affected, the spouses and their families, got them to talk about the events in great detail, yet somehow neglected to even ask them what they learnt from these "worst ex ever"s and how their experience has changed their perspectives. It takes four episodes for someone to even describe coercive control. The other people like the police and DAs don't discuss domestic violence or what people should do if they ever find their prince or princess turning into a toxic toad. So the series is basically DV porn with little educational value.
And I just have to add how people who rate this voyeuristic garbage highly seem to have experienced domestic violence themselves, and somehow find solace and validation in watching the depiction of others' misfortunes. They also tend to conveniently ignore that men can suffer from domestic violence too (see episode 3) and this tends to be underreported because they don't appear as credible as battered women. Bad parenting produces both tormented sons and daughters, who then bring their distorted perceptions into their relationships. If you find yourself in multiple failed or abusive relationships, perhaps you might be contributing to it. Seek help.
Monster (2022)
Should not have gone there...
Just because Dahmer was gay does not mean that his story needed a major Ryan Murphy treatment. This retelling of the life of the infamous gay white serial killer through the white lens of Dahmer and Murphy was repugnant in its grotesque insensitivity to the victims of colour, their families, and the gay men of colour who to this day remain vulnerable members of the white-dominated gay community.
Casting Dahmer so centrally in this bloated 10-episode biopic is a reminder of how disposable and unimportant his mostly ethnic victims were. Why did he not target more gay white men? Ostensibly because they were not as marginalised as his non-white victims were. Gay people of colour remain cheap commodities for gay white men who could not hack it with their own kind. When gay white men like Murphy produce and endorse shows like these, they only increase the sexual dominance and capital of gay white men. Gay men of colour become vulnerable to opportunists like Dahmer precisely because most gay white men are still not progressive enough to date outside their own race.
Get Smart with Money (2022)
Earn more. Spend less. Duh...
Supposedly an "informative documentary... on managing money", Get Smart with Money instead offers more reason not to move to or live in the United States. We have a waitress who makes $4000 a month, spends almost $200 a week on takeout, then claims to have no money left to pay for anti-depressants. Which is more damning, that or the fact she thinks the only way to deal with her anxiety and depression is to take medication? Next we have a young mother who is deep in debt with a penchant for impulsive spending and it does not occur to her that she should trade retail therapy for actual psychotherapy. Then comes the NFL athlete who earned more with his first professional pay check than most people on the planet earn in a lifetime crying that he has financial worries. Finally the stay-at-home dad and his life-coach wife whose issue is her curiously skyrocketing income from empowering women and his apparent joblessness? These sound like manufactured difficulties to me and insulting to those facing real hardship.
It is difficult to have sympathy for these people because they are so swept up by the ideals of financial and material success in their society that they do not take pause and ask themselves what they actually value in life. Unfortunately, they are no closer to examining their own values and definition of success when they have these dubious experts impose their values on them. If it was so easy making money by investing, there would not be poor people left on this planet. Where there are winners, there will always be losers; for some to gain, others have to lose. This is simply the way the world works. It is ironic that one of them pointed out that money is a "tool". If it is indeed a tool, what explains their obsession over it and the idea of early retirement? Instead of taking advantage of one's talents to make money, they could focus on living a self-actualised life led according to one's values. I would argue that it is the collective obsession with wealth that is making Americans mentally unwell. They have so much compared to other parts of the world, but yet remain so deeply dissatisfied.
Love on the Spectrum (2019)
Addressing the autistic detractors
The way neurodiverse people disparage this show as being exploitative is like hearing a broken record. One YouTube reviewer went as far as to criticise the families of the autistic participants of the program (both the Australian and American version). Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. Granted, the points made are mostly valid. This is entertainment however and no one forced these people to participate. Every single autistic adult in both series did not have to sign on the dotted line. The constant whining of these detractors only demonstrate their self-blindness and how their attempts at autism advocacy only alienates them further due to their lack of diplomacy and insistence on their perspective. It is not like theirs is the only group to ever be misrepresented for the consumption of the majority. Ethnic minorities and non-heterosexuals have had to suffer the same fate if not worse for decades in their depiction in TV and films. But there is something about the entitlement that comes across in autistic braying that grates me. It is always their perspective that matters, instead of trying harder to work with neurotypical people. Maybe that inability to compromise is part of their condition. Maybe that is why they will most likely remain at odds with the neurotypical world in spite of some best efforts by neurotypical people to accomodate them. Instead of complaining, be like an Einstein or Jobs, and make your own programs about autistic people. Gay people have, so should you.
Ginny & Georgia (2021)
Woke? Please.
You can't espouse values like racial and gender equality, and still resort to gay cliches and stereotypes. Cognitive dissonance, much?
Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan (2021)
The slightly sensational 16th century history of a WWII aggressor
I give this a 10 because I was entertained and have not the slightest interest in the ancient history of Japan. All these Japanese and Japanophiles braying about the inaccuracies of this series and the use of white historians. Give me a break. The white historians are there to appeal to white audiences in white countries. As for historical inaccuracies, this is Netflix, not National Geographic. Until Japan stops whitewashing their role in World War II in their high school history textbooks and celebrating their war criminals, they have no right in complaining about historical inaccuracies.
The Alienist (2018)
Season 1 was sensational but season 2 is nonsensical
The writers would have you believe that a woman betrayed by her mother and pining for her lost daughter would abduct multiple babies and subsequently murder each one of them upon realisation that they could never replace her own flesh and blood. It would make a great deal more sense if Libby Hatch, a.k.a. Elspeth Hunter, was one of Dr Markoe's sterilised patients. And what became of the babies that he removed from their mothers? Instead it would seem that she could have spawned a whole litter of little gangsters with her murderous boyfriend, Goo Goo Knox, and started a criminal family terrorising New York. That storyline would have been far more interesting. Rosy McEwen as the tortured Libby outshone Dakota Fanning in the lead role. In fact, Fanning's dearth of acting prowess made everyone else around her look good; her delivery of what was meant to be a rousing speech in the final scene is risible.
The Social Dilemma (2020)
Some fools don't like to be shown the truth
I've noticed that some muppets have been giving thumbs down to all the positive reviews of The Social Dilemma. I can only surmise that they don't like to admit just how easily the tech giants have manipulated them into lapping up ludicrous conspiracy theories and far-right populism. So I'm giving a thumbs up to balance things out. Yin and yang.
If this is all "fake news" to them, why do they keep looking at it? I don't torture myself by watching documentaries extolling conspiracy theories, cults and extremism. This is what we get when we allow psychopathic and narcissistic leaders to take over the world - leaders without conscience and lap dogs without critical thinking. If they are the yin, are you going to be the yang?
John Was Trying to Contact Aliens (2020)
Disingenuous and manipulative
Some people think, "Aw, how heartwarming. He didn't succeed in contacting aliens but he managed to find his gay love in the middle of nowhere." But that was 27 years ago in 1993, so why tell his story now? His partner doesn't even look pleased to be on camera. And is his story really worth bringing up again? The notion that just because he's gay and found a partner justifies a documentary is patronising to gay people.
This man is delusional if he thought he could contact aliens. Humans have been transmitting signals into space long before he was even born. And the very first radiowaves from 100 years ago are barely just reaching the second closest star in our galaxy. If there's extraterrestrial life out there, they would receive his broadcasts long after he is gone from this planet. The truth is that he hasn't done anything worthwhile with his life. This would have been clear if the documentary was any more than skin deep.