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Succession: America Decides (2023)
Succession Is Going Out With A Whimper, Not A Bang
As we approach the final two episodes of the critically acclaimed HBO powerhouse, Succession appears to be falling off a cliff in slow motion. The much anticipated, long-hyped 'election night' episode where all the politics that's bubbled beneath the surface of the show since the beginning culminates in a battle of ideology vs family dynamics, with the societal stakes never being higher.
Unfortunately, this ended up being another overwritten yet undercooked episode of this show, and politically biased to the point of total delusion and insincerity. The characters all feel underdeveloped somehow, with the audience never once being able to properly understand the actual politics going on, only provided second-hand throw away snarky comments as a disguise for actual diplomatic intrigue.
Some great performances as always, but the writing and direction this show has gone in is a total mess, and will horribly date in a few years (if not already, this feels three years too late). Between the total fizzle of the entire Connor storyline, the grating Shiv/Tom relationship, and the obnoxious late-stage Kendall and his non-biological child plot-line (which has never been explained in four seasons), it'll be for the best when Succession can finally be put to rest.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
A Disgrace to the Legacy of Tolkien
An absolute mess of Tolkien's universe. Terribly written and directed, with some of the worst casting choices of any TV show is recent memory. A complete misunderstanding of Tolkien's use of European mythology, folklore, linguistics, religion, spirituality, and cultural history.
Couldn't be any more dull if it tried. Basically some terrible fan fiction stretched out over eight hours and given an outrageous budget of over one billion dollars. Despite some pretty screensaver fantastical backgrounds, the visual effects - the shows greatest asset - don't provide the life the show needs, but can't get due to the weak writing, direction, acting, casting, and general characters and production.
Overwhelmingly disappointing!
Better Call Saul: Saul Gone (2022)
...And Thus Ends The Golden Age of Television
With the final moments of Better Call Saul, we say goodbye not only to one of the greatest TV shows of all time, nor merely to the Breaking Bad/Vince Gilligan Universe. With this series finale, we say farewell to the Golden Age of Television altogether. The flickering flame of the designated 'golden age' has been slowly dying out for many years now, despite an abundance of choice more so than any other time in history. There's still some great shows out there (a few even brilliant) but Better Call Saul's climax officially closes the book on an era of truly cinematic long-form storytelling; shows crafted with artistic excellence across the board, pitch perfect performances and casting, and Shakespearean character arcs with the core of Greek Tragedies.
Bob Odenkirk deserves comprehensive acclaim for capturing his singular character's many nuances and personality polarities across two seperate shows, and successfully navigating this program from courtroom black comedy, to a profoundly dark, introspective tragedy. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould are true Gods of the televisual medium, presenting a finale so powerfully percipient and well-crafted, that - against literally all odds - ends the franchise which has percolated throughout the public consciousness since 2008 perfectly.
A show-stopping conclusion to an extraordinary show, Better Call Saul will earn its rightful place next to its predecessor as one of 'Televisions Greatest Works'. Exceptional in every creative department, written to precision, directed to sublimity, performed to transcendence.
We now enter a new era post-Golden Age of Television. Bravo Vince and Peter.
Better Call Saul: Waterworks (2022)
The Despondency of Better Call Saul
Depressing isn't quite the correct word to describe this final stretch of Better Call Saul. It's something even more empty; apathetic. The colorless world of post-Breaking Bad Jimmy/Saul/Gene perfectly matches the spiritual core of where the series has ended up. This has only been emphasised in this masterfully controlled penultimate outing written and directed by Vince Gilligan, and anchored by prodigious performances by Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn (once again).
With only one episode left, I have no idea how the show will wrap up, or what I think is the 'right' ending, but I hope they stick the landing, because there simply has never been as sensational a fictional universe as the one Vince Gilligan created over a decade ago.
Better Call Saul: Breaking Bad (2022)
They're Actually Going To Pull It Off
Obviously there's still two episodes left - and anything can happen - but if this antepenultimate chapter in the Vince Gilligan Universe is anything to go by, they're going to pull off the perfect conclusion to two seperate TV shows (and a Film).
Exceptional writing and direction as always, and expertly weaving the collision of multiple storylines from completely separate, yet collateral, shows. Bob Odenkirk deserves all the awards this year.
Elvis (2022)
An Audio/Visual Nirvana
This is an auteur's vision through and through; a categorical triumph of maximalist indulgence and sophisticated tragedy. Akin to a cinematic Aria, Luhrmann has crafted an extravagant, bombastic spectacle, forming one of the greatest biographical films of our era. The man himself, Elvis Presley, is an epochal scale of musical genius and metamorphosis; a crucible of Americana - culture and artistry. Luhrmann captures the societal revolution of Elvis in his trademark idiosyncratic way: abridging his entire life into 160 minutes while telegraphing the cultural reset in the US across three decades, decisively confirming that he is, by all metrics, a true auteur - and any description less of Luhrmann being a criminal disservice.
The editing is kinetic and visceral, working overtime to condense Elvis' life story into a breezy, endlessly engaging two and a half hours. The sound design is some of the greatest I've heard in a long time: loud, rousing, and exhilarating exactly when it needs to be, but luxuriant and vigorous from start to finish. It's a auditory/visual extravaganza. This film hangs on the make or break sagacity of the casting of the main man himself, and thankfully we bear witness to Austin Butler's phenomenal performance - a star making turn if ever there was one. Tom Hanks is already underrated in the nuance he brings to the controversial historical character he portrays. The star-studded supporting cast all nail their respective roles as well, proving that Luhrmann is very much an 'actor's director'. He always gets the exact performance he wants, and makes them look as beautiful as possible in the process.
'Elvis' is the true star of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, and will doubtless be the best big-studio film of year. A prodigious sensation in every way; a feast for the eyes, the ears, and the soul. Luhrmann turned the story of Elvis Presley into an operatic tragedy, in a way near all biopics either avoid or fail at deficiently. He captured the zeitgeist that surrounded Presley through remarkable staging and modulation in each facet of his short but miraculous life. And, as is often the case in the work of Baz Luhrmann, there's a total understanding of the intersection of cinema and music as seperate but intrinsically linked art forms. Think of this as closer to 'Amadeus' than 'Bohemian Rhapsody' or 'Rocketman'.
A Must-See achievement of audacious filmmaking by a true auteur. Irradiant brilliance.
Euphoria: Stand Still Like the Hummingbird (2022)
An Absolute Show-Stopping Performance by Zendaya
I'm not sure Euphoria will top this episode, although I hope it does. Zendaya gave a career high performance here, and split the entire show to date down the middle. One of the best television episodes I've seen in a long time.
Absolutely sensational.
Superstore (2015)
Accurate Representation for America's Decline
The cast is truly grotesque, but it's a solid reminder that this is America's global neoliberal future: wage slaves working for consumerist identities and commodities.
Imagine looking at this and thinking this is anything but an alarming and unsightly dystopia.
Bridgerton (2020)
Beautiful and Inspirational
I love this show! I love the diversity, the beautiful multiculturalism, the dresses, the backdrops, the locations. I love the music, the direction, and that it is made by Shonda Rhimes, the greatest television producer EVER!
Bridgerton is my new favorite Netflix show. I hope they continue to celebrate diversity, inclusion, and convey history in this way too.
Amazing show!
Grand Army (2020)
More Nihilism aimed at the Youth of America
Disgusting show! Netflix's answer to HBO's Euphoria, but worse in every way. America does not need anymore of this awful, subversive media to rot their already warped minds. This is just ugly garbage, with a cast to match.
Where is the hope? Where is the beautiful casting and people? Where is the love, loss, and Coming-of-Age? Where is the entertainment (at the very least)? Nonexistent. At least it highlights the growing dystopia in New York accurately.
WI = 0.5 / 5
0.5 / 5
The Mandalorian (2019)
Disney continues to haunt the Star Wars Franchise
This is an unpopular opinion, because when it comes to a franchise like Star Wars, you either must love it, or hate it. The Mandalorian is very good in many ways: the visual effects, the action scenes, the world building, and the overall scope immediately jump to mind. And yet, Disney and Hollywood in the modern age bring the show down in subtle, yet effecting ways.
The casting is mostly wrong, as it is in so much entertainment these days. The indistinct propaganda regarding the 'heroes' and the 'villains'. These two reasons alone deeply effect the viewing and enjoyment experience. It seems such a waste of time and money to create such a vivid world with such immersive visual effects, just to push subdued political and cultural propaganda. But Disney has its eyes on the prize.
Euphoria (2019)
Nihilism in a slick package
There's elements of Euphoria to admire: the cinematography, the editing, the colour grading and use of colour throughout, and the performances, especially Zendaya who truly is very good.
But there is a rot beneath this show. The world, and specifically America, does not need anymore anger, ugliness, nihilism, or misanthropy in their art or culture. Euphoria packs all of the above in a neat and somewhat entertaining package, aimed directly at teenagers and young adults, particularly teenage girls.
There is no social or cultural issue Euphoria won't touch, and will be as explicit and degenerate as possible in the process. Drugs, sex and violence, with a side dish of various cultural issues like transgender kids, mental illness, abuse; domestic and otherwise, etc, all pushed to their most extreme and uncomfortable.
Euphoria is not a pleasant show, and not one you really recommend to anyone. It's depressing, grimy and repellent. Maybe some teenagers find the characters and their respective struggles relatable, but there's better teen dramas out there that find a more hopeful and honest middle ground that you just don't find here.
America does not need more television like this. The absence of moral values is crippling the country from the inside out. And that's not some religious statement (even though the lack of religion is certainly part of the problem), but a philosophical one. In the age of social media, 24/7 news, and the promise of an apocalypse at any given moment (climate change, war, the pandemic etc.), it's made the youth ever more depressed, lonely and pessimistic. Euphoria exploits this and almost celebrates it.
HBO and Euphoria are part of a systematic problem, and a healthy country would recognize that. So despite a high production quality and slick, alluring look, Euphoria is an ugly show marketed to a vulnerable demographic, which no one should support.
WI = 3 / 5
RW = 0 / 5
Overall = 1.5 / 5
The Leftovers (2014)
The Leftovers is Landmark Television
'The Leftovers' is one of the best TV shows ever made.
The Leftovers used religion, spirituality and philosophy to drive the direction of the story and characters. A show built on a gripping mystery (2% of the human race disappeared all at once with no reason), The Leftovers instead focused on the consequences of such a bizarre, destabilising and catastrophic event.
Through the use of Magical Realism and Heightened Realism, The Leftovers constantly straddled a line between bleak and brutal reality, distressing, disturbing and depressing all at once, and a surrealist, dreamlike reality; a reality that didn't quite make sense and where things just... happen.
It's in many ways, it's the genius of the storytelling. What could easily come across as obvious Deus Ex Machina, instead feels natural and acceptable, despite feeling somewhat wrong. Beneath the darkness and painful reality of the characters, there's an odd sense of pitch black jocularity. As the show progresses, it never ceases being an exercise in hopelessness, but bright spots of joy and drollness are found. It's ultimately an entirely human tale.
But where much credit and acclaim must go for The Leftovers, is how it deals with religion, particularly Christianity, and the incredibly weighty themes of death, loneliness and mental illness. The Leftovers doesn't let religion off lightly, and yet it's one of the most empathetic and nuanced takes even conveyed on Television. Religion isn't mindlessly mocked or ridiculed in this show, if anything it gives religion a lot of latitude.
So while religion plays a pivotal role throughout The Leftovers, the concepts of death and mental illness all take centre stage. The characters portrayed in this show are broken, and the writing and performances sell the idea of crippling loneliness and undiagnosed mental illness better then any other show. It's a new world, and everyone is paying the price in their own unique way.
The Leftovers is landmark television, and one of the greatest TV shows of all time, let alone of the 2010s. Phenomenal from start to finish, and even though there were some very minor quibbles I had with season 3 in regards to character choices (Lourie's strange relationship choice) and how the show concluded some of the characters stories, it was still perfect because it was quintessentially The Leftovers: never quite right, sometimes uncomfortable, but always bold and interesting. You just don't get much better television then this.
WI = 4 / 5
RW = 4.5 / 5
Overall = 5 / 5
Rectify (2013)
A quiet Southern Gothic that says it all
It may be a hyperbole, but I can't think of many, if any, TV shows that live up to the raw storytelling, characters and artistry of Rectify. This is an achingly beautiful show, with the sort of cast that's getting rarer and rarer in the television landscape.
I'll skip talking about the plot and characters of Rectify, and get straight to what makes this such an arresting viewing experience. Rectify captures the death of the Middle Class and the Working Class in the USA. It captures a rapidly changing, and unfair America; an America which has turned its back on those whose ancestors settled and built the country, and continue to sustain it in rural areas and in the South to this day.
Rectify is a meditation on community and family. Family is the most essential piece to this drama, as it is in most great art and storytelling. But in Rectify, family isn't just 'family'. It's everything. It's the reason an innocent man got off death row after 19 years. Family is why this innocent man must leave, so his family can be free.
Rectify also has honest conversations about religion, specifically Christianity. In an increasingly hostile media landscape to Christianity, Rectify stands out as a blatantly sympathetic, if not pro-religious TV show. Despite the main character hesitations towards religion, his mergence of the spiritual and the philosophical is something most other shows wouldn't dare touch or cover. It's a powerful reflection of the importance of faith and spirituality, and the need for something more then just the material.
In the current era, it can't be ignored that there will never be another cast quite like this one. A cast of almost entirely those of European descent, this is arguably the most defining element of Rectify. Why? Because Rectify is honest; and understands that the plight the rural working class are going through in the 21st century is a confusing but cruel one. Perhaps unintentional, Rectify's defining statement is one of simply telling the truth. Truth in the plot, and truth in the casting and production of the show itself. As the neoliberal machine of America increasingly replaces these workers and people of the South through immigration or other means, Rectify will stand out as the last of truthful and honest American television.
Rectify is quite a funny show, and a quietly thrilling show, but ultimately after some reflection, Rectify is a sad show. A show about a dying America. But it's also a hopeful show. Family, Faith and Community are the absolute cornerstones of this Southern Gothic tale. Nothing really happens in Rectify, but the world around the show is moving, and it's moving fast. It's all about the time between the seconds.
WI = 5 / 5
RW = 4.5 / 5
Overall = 5 / 5
Band of Brothers (2001)
The Tragedy of WWII
Band of Brothers is undeniably fantastic. It captures the tragedy of WWII, the devastation of Europe, and the horrific loss of innocent lives across the board.
The best moments in the series were when you realise that all these soldiers, regardless of what party or country they were fighting for, were just normal people being the pawns of greater powers. These were ordinary, every day men, and yet they were forced to fight a war that didn't make any sense.
One of the biggest shocks of the series is the nuance throughout. It wasn't some overly 'USA! USA!' type war/history series, but something more interesting. The Americans were clearly the heroes, yet they were flawed, and often did bad things. The Nazi's were also portrayed with surprising nuance as well; an absolute rarity in American media. The Nazi's were never cartoonishly evil, or even portrayed that evil at all. A crucial story moment comes when the protagonist shoots a young SS soldier and doesn't want to use to weapon again. Brilliant writing.
Fantastic performances, direction and storytelling. One of televisions best.
WI = 5 / 5
RW = 2.5 / 5
Overall = 4.5 / 5