7.9/10. I'm with John, I'm ready for this election to be over and for Last Week Tonight, and the world, to start talking about something else. You can tell that the cleverness of the show's coverage has basically been drained into sheer exhaustion and frustration. That's understandable, and at least that feeling comes through in the opening segment. The interstitial with the free association thoughts of the local weatherman was the kind of amusing "local oddball" segment the show does well.
The main story on de facto segregation in schools was very interesting and made its case well (with some humorous Oliver bits, like the "Racism: a problem that Crash didn't solve" line), but it definitely feels like it belongs in the "probably too big to cover in twenty minutes" category of segments. That said, some of the numbers were pretty shocking (particularly Charlotte as a case study) and the studies and data offered to support the utility of more diverse schools without any harms was compelling, at least in this abbreviated format. That said, it felt like the resources argument needed more support, and there were clips here and there that felt like statements were taken out of context. Still, the show always has a sharp perspective on these issues, and Oliver using the example of the little kid in blackface as MLK Jr., and the complicated nature of what that says about our society, was particularly interesting.
The standout segment though was the final one about why we vote on Tuesdays, which did a nice job of both educating and advocating on a narrow issue, while making it funny, something the show excels at. What's more, it's an issue I never really would have considered, but which can make a significant impact, which is the sort of thing I appreciate LWT shining a light on.
Overall, this felt a little closer to a "regular' episode of the show, and I appreciated what it had to offer.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-11-01T01:50:40Z
7.9/10. I'm with John, I'm ready for this election to be over and for Last Week Tonight, and the world, to start talking about something else. You can tell that the cleverness of the show's coverage has basically been drained into sheer exhaustion and frustration. That's understandable, and at least that feeling comes through in the opening segment. The interstitial with the free association thoughts of the local weatherman was the kind of amusing "local oddball" segment the show does well.
The main story on de facto segregation in schools was very interesting and made its case well (with some humorous Oliver bits, like the "Racism: a problem that Crash didn't solve" line), but it definitely feels like it belongs in the "probably too big to cover in twenty minutes" category of segments. That said, some of the numbers were pretty shocking (particularly Charlotte as a case study) and the studies and data offered to support the utility of more diverse schools without any harms was compelling, at least in this abbreviated format. That said, it felt like the resources argument needed more support, and there were clips here and there that felt like statements were taken out of context. Still, the show always has a sharp perspective on these issues, and Oliver using the example of the little kid in blackface as MLK Jr., and the complicated nature of what that says about our society, was particularly interesting.
The standout segment though was the final one about why we vote on Tuesdays, which did a nice job of both educating and advocating on a narrow issue, while making it funny, something the show excels at. What's more, it's an issue I never really would have considered, but which can make a significant impact, which is the sort of thing I appreciate LWT shining a light on.
Overall, this felt a little closer to a "regular' episode of the show, and I appreciated what it had to offer.