astonmatters Reviews

One Day (2024)

Stick with it - it's the entire point of the series

[9/10 · 12 April 2024]

I agree with most reviews on here: Stick with it.

The first three or four episodes, I thought the main characters had no chemistry, did not make a believable pair and were overall rather flat. Boy, was I wrong. Actually, I suspect now it is the entire point of the series to start off like it did. Every episode adds another layer of personality and complexity to the characters and their relationship, shaping how we see them and how they see each other. They end up as rounded, full-fledged people. The show is a beautiful meditation on growing up, on connection, loss and - yes - love.

Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall are absolutely fantastic in this. Amazing work, really.

In the end, I fell in love with both, Dex and Emma, and couldn't wait to see how their story progresses. And you will too, probably - if you stick with it.

Genie (III) (2023)

Dull and a waste of time

[3/10 · 29 December 2023]

So I went in not expecting much from this movie, I assumed it was just some light, wholesome christmas family movie. Unfortunately, it was just a complete waste of time. A dull story already told many times before (only better) with some major plotholes. What's worse: if not innovative, it could at least be funny or charming - yet it is none of these things. There is nothing magical about it. Even Melissa McCarthy is just rattling through her usual antics, nothing we haven't seen before, and certainly not enough to save this movie. Three stars because it is not actually bad - it is just plain boring.

Ted Lasso: La Locker Room Aux Folles (2023) Season 3, Episode 9

Hits home for a gay man

[10/10 · 12 November 2023]

This show has always successfully pulled on heart-strings and is probably some of the best feelgood-tv out there. But man ... this episode hit home for me. For the first time, I came away not only with smiles and a fuzzy feeling inside - it actually made me tear up. The way in which Colin's coming out is dealt with is absolutely beautiful.

I know, some will probably complain about bringing queerness into the show at all, Ted Lasso going "woke" and all that. But let me tell you: As a gay man, this episode felt like a huge warm embrace. You know, we have all been there. We know the fear of being ourselves in an environment we perceive as not very gay-friendly. We know of the longing to be who we are - and not only being tolerated, but embraced. And even though the world has changed and become much more accepting (of us, at least), there is still situations where we are unsure. Where we have to consider consequences. Especially in groups of straight men. Or we just remember the pain of years in hiding.

In that sense, Colin's story is a very familiar one. However, he is living our dream of how it could be, being welcomed and defended by his straight male peers. Hence my tears. Thank you, Ted Lasso, for giving me that.

Starstruck: Episode #3.6 (2023) Season 3, Episode 6

A perfect wrap up - but is it?

[9/10 · 1 October 2023]

I am completely torn. On the one hand, I would LOVE the show to go on. The humor, the characters, everything - I just want more. On the other hand: Could there be a more perfect episode to wrap up the show than this one?!

The scene in the chapel is what did it for me. Jessie is all over the place most of the time, which makes moments like this one all the more special: a moment of pure, unfiltered honesty and sincerity. Suddenly you realize, behind all of Jessie's chaos and erratic behavior, there is indeed a lot of thought and contemplation. What a bittersweet yet wonderful breakup scene.

Also, kudos to the writers and Lorne MacFadyen for bringing the character of Liam to life. It's hard to compete with a love story the audience has been rooting for since the beginning, but this is almost a master class on how to do it. Such a charming and relatable portrayal. I am sure I am not the only one who switched to team Liam now.

All in all, extremely well done!

Although I hope to see more, I am perfectly fine with this being the end - knowing an amazing show got the finale it deserved.

Project Runway: The Finale (2023) Season 20, Episode 14

Siriano is the true star of the show

[7/10 · 8 September 2023]

I am not the biggest fan of this season. Usually I am 100% with the judges' decisions, except for the odd one here or there, but this season something felt ... off. Like, one designer gets criticized for a dress, but episodes later, another designer makes a very similar dress (only less well-made) and gets lauded for it. There were many moments like that, so I don't know.

However, can we just agree that Christian Siriano is the true star of this show?! It must have been very hard to follow in Tim Gunn's footsteps, however, he has absolutely made it his own. His interpretation of his role on the show is completely different from Tim's, but it is just fabulous and a joy to watch. Obviously, he has a lot of fun with it. He truly found his place. Thank you, Christian.

Yellowjackets: Edible Complex (2023) Season 2, Episode 2

I am completely lost

[5/10 · 7 September 2023]

I love horror, I love mystery, I love everything dark and twisted. That being said, I am completely lost with season 2 of Yellowjackets so far. It is just too much. In almost every scene something gets thrown at me ... visions, apparitions, cults, skeepwalking, occult practices, murder mysteries, necrophilic friendships, cannibalism ... and that's just the first two episodes. I am sorry, I just cannot follow. It is too confusing. And it doesn't help that there are about a 100 different storylines happening simultaneously.

I really loved season one, but season 2 ... no idea where this is going. If it is indeed going anywhere.

Heartstopper: Perfect (2023) Season 2, Episode 8

What a Warm Hug of a Show

[8/10 · 5 September 2023]

I love Heartstopper. I love it even more after finishing season 2. It is such a heartfelt, warm and comforting show, I wish every season had a 100 episodes so that I never had to leave the world of Charlie, Nick and all the others.

Not to get too personal, but: Watching season 2 was almost kind of therapeutic for me in a way. It brought back so many memories, it was all there: the school trips, the getting drunk with your classmates, the parties, all of it. I remember it all from back in the day. I remember how fun and exciting it was - but also how lonely I felt at times, desperately wishing for a Nick or a Charlie by my side. Well, it was different times back in the 90s. Strangely though, reliving it all through the show, but through the eyes of a (happy) gay couple is kind of ... healing, somehow. Like living through the teenage years I always dreamed to have. I know it sounds weird. But that's what I feel. So thanks to the show for giving me that. What a warm hug of a show this is. <3.

A Small Light (2023)

The bad German is irritating

[12 July 2023]

All the Dutch on here critizing inaccuracies - now I as an Austrian have to chime in.

I really like the show so far. Not (yet) having read Miep's biography, I can't really tell how accurate or inaccurate the story is, I only read Anne Frank's diary decades ago. I agree with some details pointed out here, like the landscape with hills didn't look very Dutch to me either and I was also wondering about all the shouting and door slamming in a supposedly secret annex.

However, what irritates me most is the German that is spoken. Especially when characters tell each other how amazing and without accent their German is - when, in fact, it has a very heavy English accent and is not good at all. It gets even funnier when supposedly proud German nazis can barely get a simple German sentence out. To me, it comes across as involuntary comedy, sadly. And that, as you can imagine, kills the entire mood.

No blame on the actors who really do an amazing job in every way - and German is very hard to get right, I completely get that. But then maybe the writers should stay away from lines that point exactly at that and have them pretend to be fluent in German. Or take the German parts out altogether. As I said, it comes across as comedic, inauthentic and takes me out of the story.

I know that at least one German actor will appear later on in the series, so there's that.

And Just Like That...: Alive! (2023) Season 2, Episode 4

No respect for older women

[5/10 · 7 July 2023]

I am torn about this episode. On the one hand, I liked that it overall felt more like the original Sex and the City, witty lunch table banter and all. I appreciated that.

On the other hand I hated how older/elderly women were portrayed. They are either mean old broads (Enid and Herbert's mom Eunice) or a laughing stock (Bitsy and most ladies at Enid's fundraiser). Gloria Steinem maybe being the only exception. I get that there needed to be contrast between Carrie and the women older than her, to illustrate her uneasiness with growing older. But the way the show handled it is appalling. There was simply no respect or compassion for elderly women. In the past, Sex and the City has approached the subject of generational differences and did a way better job. This is just disappointing.

Frankly, Eunice and Enid were probably my favorite characters of the episode. Because they called out the hubris of their main character counterparts. At this point, I'd be much more interested in watching a series about their lives than the entitled leading characters I am supposed to care about.

The Bear: Fishes (2023) Season 2, Episode 6

Never seen anything like this

[10/10 · 28 June 2023]

This was absolutely amazing. I have never seen anything like it. How do you even write an episode like this? How do you direct it, film it? Let alone act in it? However, it helps of course that some of the greatest actors are at work here. Can we please shower Jamie Lee Curtis with awards for this?

I have been critical about the show, but this episode truly is a piece of art. Basically a short film within the show, which makes all the more sense if you watched the show from the beginning.

I love that it explains so much about the characters we are already familiar with, without being heavy-handed or too on the nose. Like that Carmen basically follows in his mother's footsteps, cooking for everyone, while nobody makes "anything beautiful for him" (which, it seems, is about to change with Claire in his life). It explains how Carmen can handle the noise, the shouting, the stress in the kitchen - because he grew up with it. Wonderfully done. Impeccable.

Congratulations to everyone (!) involved in this.

It's a masterpiece.

Never Have I Ever: ...said goodbye (2023) Season 4, Episode 10

Glad it's over

[8/10 · 22 June 2023]

I am glad it's over.

Why?

Because it is the perfect time to end this show. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see more of Devi and her family and friends. But that's one mistake many TV shows make: Carrying on and on, while the characters become just some pale impersonations, the stories repeat themselves, and all the original charme is lost. It is especially true for high school shows, usually when the protagonists move on to college. So thank you for ending the show where it is now.

And thank you for four seasons of a clever, fun and endearing show, for excellently written and acted main and side characters.

Ted Lasso: Goodbye Earl (2021) Season 2, Episode 1

A disappointing pastiche of its former self

[2/10 · 3 April 2023]

Wow! What a disappointment. The first season was brilliant in every way. This episode however is a huge letdown. Unfortunately, the series makes the same mistakes so many successful series have made: Taking what we loved about a show and cranking it up to 300, hoping we will love it even more. The result is always quite the opposite: Quirky characters become caricatures, funny and unique moments become predictable plot devices, sincerity becomes a hollow posture. Not that the first season was particularly realistic (rather: a heightened version of reality), but nothing about this feels real anymore. It is a pastiche of its former self. And not a good one at that.

You: Good Man, Cruel World (2023) Season 4, Episode 7

Implausible ... and honestly not that good.

[3/10 · 20 March 2023]

In the beginning of the season, I was quite intrigued: The setting is London, so why not a modern day whodunnit, Agatha Christie style. I'm in! I also liked that the series broke with previous seasons and took a new spin on Joe. Well at first. Now, more than halfway through the season, I feel exhausted from all the suspension of disbelief I had to conjure up. I'm fine with bending and stretching reality for the sake of a good story. But this is overreach. Nothing seems plausible anymore, characters act arbitrarily just to fit a storyline. A student breaking into her professors apartment, just because of a hunch? Please. And that's just one of the latest examples of complete nonsense. The only positive note: Penn Badgley is as awesome as ever, though.

The Walking Dead: Rogue Element (2022) Season 11, Episode 11

The Walking Dead Daily Soap

[2/10 · 8 February 2023]

Ever since the Commonwealth was introduced, The Walking Dead has turned ... soapy, strangely enough? Even the acting has moved to daily soap territory, which I would never have expected, since I consider some of the cast amazing actors. But well, they can only work with the material they are given, I guess.

This episode is especially bad, dragging on with nothing happening. Nothing interesting at least. Some mystery solving which no one cares about, some Commonwealth politics no one cares about.

I just keep watching because, well, I've been watching for 11 years. But honestly, I got so bored during this episode that I spent the entire time reading your reviews on here.

The White Lotus: Arrivederci (2022) Season 2, Episode 7

Daphne is my favorite character

[7/10 · 8 January 2023]

Absolutely loved the season, not so sure about the finale. Some of the storylines' endings are questionable and/or leave room for a lot of questions. But yes, many twists and turns. The most surprising twist was probably that Daphne ended up as my favorite character. At the beginning I mistook her for just some boring spoiled trophy wife, turns out: She is always aware of what's going on, always a step ahead and very adapt to dealing with wathever she faces. Some of the things she says are outright profound. Also hats off to Meghann Fahy for her portrayal. You can see all emotions flickering inside Daphne, even when she wants you to think otherwise. The scene with Ethan at the beach is pure gold. Outstanding performance.

The White Lotus (2021–2025)

Give it a few episodes to like it

[9/10 · 2 January 2023]

At first, I didn't quite know how to feel about this series. Reading the comments on here I gave it a few episodes and indeed, I started to really like it. Someone wrote that what makes the series great is the writing and the acting and I fully agree. There is nothing especially new or innovative about it, nor are there a lot of booms and bangs - just a series about (rich, privileged and flawed) people, their personal development in the time span of a vacation and the effects these people have on each other. Yet it draws you in and you want to know where they all end up. A pretty solid effort. Now I am off to watch season 2.

Edit: I upgraded my rating after watching season 2. The second season adds profoundness to some of the dialogues. At times, it really does give you something to think about and reflect upon. Clever as well as entertaining. Very well done.

The Bear (2022– )

EDIT: I love this show now, some of the best TV

[9/10 · 7 December 2022]

EDIT I was very critical of the first season and rated it a 5. I found it pretentious and exhausting to watch. Now, after watching season 2, I have to adjust my rating: It really is a fantastic show, some of the best TV I've seen in a while. You learn a lot about Carmen and his family this season, but - even more importantly - about all the other interesting characters like Tina or Marcus. To watch them grow and develop is a delight. The writing is excellent. The actors are sublime. The cast of guest appearances: mindblowing. There also is a clear throughline, which was lacking in season 1. And, yeah - there is a lot less yelling ;-)

Watch this show, if you can. You won't be disappointed. You just have to make it through season 1.

*********************************************************

This show is a classic example of desperately wanting to be something very profund - but really lacking any kind of substance for it. Sure, it does look the part: the artsy cinematography, the focus on very expressive faces, the "realness" of it all. But I am halfway through and I still don't know what this show is supposed to be about, really. Why am I watching this? What am I supposed to take away from it? In fact, if there is anything like a plot at all, it is rather banal.

But the worst part of the show is all the yelling. Yelling at each other, yelling over each other, yelling orders, yelling profanities, any kind of yelling - you will find it here. We get it, it's rough in the kitchen, it's rough in Chicago - no need to hammer it into our heads with yelling half of each episode.

3 stars for the cast, who make the most of what they have to work with.

The Handmaid's Tale: Safe (2022) Season 5, Episode 10

It is time to end this show

[7/10 · 17 November 2022]

I think it's time to end this show. It has become far too convoluted with loads of different story lines, character arcs and the logistics of different political systems - yet somehow, most of the time, nothing of real importance seems to be happening. It sometimes becomes really hard to follow, be it because of confusion or boredom. Don't get me wrong, I love all the actors and they are doing a fantastic job, especially of course Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski and Ann Dowd. I could probably watch these women for weeks doing their magic and still be excited. But the writing appears to be going nowhere, there's a lot of filler and not a lot happening. Season 4, 5 and the upcoming last one could probably have been condensed into one fantastic 10 to 15 episode final season. However, here we are, dragging on.

Monster: Cassandra (2022) Season 1, Episode 7

An Emmy for Niecy Nash, please.

[8/10 · 2 October 2022]

Evan Peters is magnificent as Dahmer and he should be showered with awards and accolades for his portrayal.

But man, did Niecy Nash kick it out of the park in this episode. Her acting is sublime, which makes the sandwich scene with the equally mesmerizing Evan Peters one of the highlights in the series so far. You can almost taste her fear. You can feel her resolve not to let it show to Dahmer. It is a complex situation, but her portrayal makes all the emotions immediately tangible. She is absolutely fantastic.

Both of them, Peters and Nash, should be lauded for the work they are doing here, nevermind what you think of the series overall. Bravo!!

This Is Us: Us (2022) Season 6, Episode 18

Soft, profound, contemplative

[9/10 · 16 September 2022]

I don't get all the negative reviews - this episode was the perfect ending to the series in my opinion. It was soft like a hug, yet profound and contemplative. I am actually glad they didn't put too much focus on the funeral, I didn't need to hear yet another big Randall speech or see any of the proceedings - I know how funerals work, thank you. The idea of the episode was much more to reflect, to wrap things up, to contemplate the road so far as well as the road ahead. They did that beautifully. It felt like a heartfelt goodbye to these characters we have spent the last couple of years with. Thank you, Pesrsons. You will be missed.

This Is Us: Don't Let Me Keep You (2022) Season 6, Episode 4

BRAVO to the writers and Milo Ventimiglia

[10/10 · 12 September 2022]

Here I am, crying my eyes out for two people that aren't even real ... Seriously, this must be one of the best episodes of This is Us so far. A beautifully written, complex and complicated mother/son-relationship - and Milo Ventimiglia, who carries this episode, does an absolutely outstanding job delivering it. You are with Jack for every second, be it present tense or flashbacks, feeling the entire range of emotions he is going through - that's how great Milo (and the writing) is. Supporting cast is also really good, especially the cousin. I rarely rate a 10 out of 10. Bravo to everyone involved. Bravo!!

Uncoupled (2022–2023)

Not "Gay Sex and the City", but surprisingly enjoyable

[8/10 · 2 August 2022]

OK, it is NOT "Gay Sex and the City", although it sure tries to be perceived as such, music and all. Even SATC had its moments of insight, at least some sort of depth, which this show is clearly lacking. That being said, it is a surprisingly enjoyable watch. It's easy, it's entertaining and it has - in some moments at least - heart. I found myself loving it and I hope there will be more seasons to come - if only for the likeable cast of characters being fleshed out more.

Captive Audience (2022)

Media is part of the story

[9/10 · 27 July 2022]

All the people complaining about the inclusion of the TV movie material and its actors are missing an essential point: Media are a big factor in both Steven's and Cary's stories. Take for example that before Cary confessed, he wanted to make sure that a TV movie was made about him too. I think it was rather clever how media's role was interwoven with the rest of the story. Unfortunately, many people don't seem to get it, judging from the reviews.

The Batman (2022)

Pattinson is truly awesome

[8/10 · 1 May 2022]

I was sceptical about Pattinson but man, does he deliver. He is truly awesome as Batman. Not so sure about the makeup/costume department though: What's up with emo-haired, superpale Bruce Wayne? A bit weird. I thoroughly enjoyed this new take on the Riddler as a psychopathic, Anonymous/Qanon type serial killer a lot. Terrifying! Makes me looking forward to what they will do with the Joker.

Scream (I) (2022)

do NOT believe the hype

[5/10 · 20 February 2022]

In theory this could have been great. What it turns out to be however is just a very average Scream sequel. A major issue is the new final girl: She does not seem believable, and it is hard to connect with her since, in my opinion, she lacks any charisma. On a positive note, it was great to see Sidney, Gale and Dewey again.