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Set aside the last few minutes of the finale for a moment. That last little reveal changes the shape of the episode, and the series, in significant and meaningful ways that make it easy to let it overshadow the rest of the episode. But stop and think about everything that happens here before the scene where he finally meets The Mother.
Because it is, at best, a mixed bag, long before we see the blue french horn again.
I understand the urge to give the audience some idea of what happens to the gang between 2014 and 2030. The problem is that covering a decade and a half in one big episode makes every story feel rushed and underdeveloped. One of the great things about HIMYM is how it used the past and the future to inform the present. Jumping back and forth between a prior conversation and a current one could be the crux of a joke, as could Future Ted's knowing commentary on some boneheaded mistake or unexpected development that was coming down the pipe. But those time jumps weren't just fodder for comedy, as the show did a great job of creating dramatic irony and emotional stakes by showing what lie ahead or the path that led us here. But by compressing fifteen years worth of life developments into an hour, nothing has time to really breathe or feel like it has the temporal scope the show is shooting for.
After all, there's a great story to be told about the gang drifting apart over the years. Another one of the series's best features is the way it combines the exaggerated goofiness of its comedic sensibilities with real, relatable aspects of being in your twenties and thirties. Well, one of the things that hits you once you start to move past that stage of your life is the way that friends, even good friends, can slowly drift apart, not through neglect or anger or hurt feelings, but just because you're suddenly at different places in your life. That's an idea worth exploring.
The problem is that the rush of years in "Last Forever" makes this process feel like something sudden instead of gradual. Sure, we see the chyron at the bottom of the screen showing that we've jumped ahead a year or two, and there's a boatload of semi-clunky expositional dialogue in the episode to let the viewer know where everyone is in their lives and what they're up to, but when all those developments take place over the course of just a few minutes and just a few scenes, it can't help but seem very fast.
One of the best choices HIMYM's creators made in the final season was to parcel out little scenes of the gang's future throughout, giving us a glimpse of what the future held without trying to pack it all into one big episode like this. Sprinkling those flashforwards in did a nice job at making the group's future feel as well-populated as its present and its past. Obviously there were limitations on how much they could do this in prior episodes given the reveals in store for Barney and Robin and Ted, but the method the show chose to relay the gang's future almost inevitably leaves it feeling too quick, too underdeveloped, and too unsatisfying, even apart from the directions the individual stories go.
Those plot developments, however, are another albatross around the finale's neck. The first and most obvious problem comes from Barney and Robin's divorce. Again, there's a legitimate story to be told of two people who care deeply for one another, but don't work as a couple, but it's a difficult story to tell in five minutes, especially when you've spent huge chunks the past season and a half trying to convince the audience that they make sense together. As someone who's been a Barney and Robin skeptic from the beginning, it's entirely plausible to me that the two of them could mean well and have real feelings for one another, but still end up divorced due to some basic incompatibilities. But the reason for their split feels thin here.
There's nothing we know about Barney that suggests globetrotting would be something he's so against. And while there's hints of bigger issues between the two of them, like not getting to see one another or not being on the same page about their respective plans and projects, we never really get to see these problems develop. We're just told about them, and expected to accept that as enough to break them up one episode removed their wedding. Is that result plausible enough based on what we know about Barney and Robin? Sure, but it's just presented to us, rather than developed before our eyes, and since we don't see their path from pledging to spend the rest of their lives together to getting divorced, that end point feels like it happens by fiat rather than something the show earned.
Barney's reversion afterward is just as unsatisfying. Again, there's a believable story about Barney having worked so hard to become a better person, in part to woo Robin, and reverting to his old tricks as a retreat and defense mechanism when his marriage falls apart. But because of the rapidity with which the finale goes from Point A to Point B, it doesn't feel like the natural result of a difficult event; it feels like throwing nine years of character development down the drain in less than a minute. There's a disparity between how much time the show spent building Barney up as more than just an cartoonish hound dog and how much time it spends showing him reverting to his old persona. That cannot help but feel jarring.
What kills me is that I love where they take Barney in "Last Forever." There's something beautiful about the idea that what really changes him isn't some conquest or accomplishment or even a great romance; it's becoming a father. For Barney, "The One" isn't a woman he'll meet some day; it's his daughter, and Neil Patrick Harris delivers a tremendous performance in the scene where he repeats his Ted-like plea, this time to his baby girl. It's a wonderful scene, but the path the episode takes to get there still comes off as a shortcut that has to ignore seasons of character development in order to make it work.
The finale isn't all bad though. While the story of the gang drifting apart is too quick, the scene where they all reunite for Ted's wedding is legitimately touching and full of the good will and warm feelings that the show's been able to generate during its run. Ted and Tracy (I can use her name now!) continue to be adorable together, and the twist that romantic Ted made it five years and two kids into his relationship before he actually married The Mother is a small but effective way to show how much the substance of finding The One was more important to him than the formality of it (even if he was planning on a European castle). It's one of those lived-in details that speaks to his character.
Beyond that, the actual meeting of The Mother is very well done, and it really had to be. Sure, there's a few meetcute cliches involved, but the easy rapport between Ted and Tracy soars once again and nearly saves the entire finale. After all, this was the moment the "Last Forever" had to nail, and it did. Ted and Tracy's conversation weaves in enough of the yellow umbrella mythos for everything to click, and Joshua Radnor and Cristin Miloti both sell the subtle realization that this is something special. For an episode that had to make good on the promise of its title, that meeting went about as well as any fan of the show might have hoped for.
And if the series had ended there, everyone might have gone home happy. Sure, the other problems with the rushed and shortcut-filled finale might have rankled a bit (particularly the way it undoes the wedding we'd just witnessed), but making that moment feel as big and as meaningful as it needed to after all that build up is no small feat, and that alone would have bought Bays & Thomas a hell of a lot of slack.
Frankly, the series could have still gotten away with Tracy dying shortly thereafter, another controversial choice in the finale. There's something tragic but beautiful about the audience watching Ted seek out the woman of his dreams for nine years and then realizing that he only gets to be with her for the same amount of time, while still cherishing and being thankful for the time the two of them had, for that connection and love that was wonderful and worth it no matter how all too brief it may have been. There's a touching theme about the fragility of things in that story, but also about the joy that comes from finding the person you love, that stays with you even after they're gone. It's sad, but it's sweet, in the best HIMYM way.
And then there's Robin.
The decision to pair up Ted and Robin in the last moments of the finale is as tone-deaf and tin-eared an ending as you're likely to find in a major television program, and the reasons abound. The most obvious is that the show devoted so much time to the idea of Ted getting over Robin, and had any number of episodes (the most recent being the execrable "Sunrise") where Ted seemed to have achieved that, to have moved on in his life. Folks like me may try to handwave it, and the show can call back to the premiere of Season 7 where Ted and Robin can declare that all you need for love is chemistry and timing, but at base, Ted and Robin getting together feels like it contradicts so much about the two characters' relationship with one another over the years. So much of the final third of the show involved going over the same beats between Ted and Robin over and over again, of having each move past the other, and coming back to them in the final, despite how iconic that blue french horn has become for the show, just feels like another poorly-established cheat or retcon that isn't in sync with where the show went since that finale was crafted in Season 2.
What's worse is that that ending transforms the story Ted's been telling from a heartwarming if irreverent yarn about the path that led to him meeting the love of his life, to a smokescreen to gain his kids' approval for dating an old flame after their mother's death. Look, to some degree you have to accept the conceit of the show for what it is and not take it too seriously. In real life, no two kids would sit through such a long story, and no father should tell his children about all the women he slept with before he met their mom. But taken in broad strokes, How I Met Your Mother is a story about how all the events in Ted's life, big and small, good and bad, planned or unexpected, went into making him the person who was ready to find Tracy and capable of being with her.
Future Ted himself put it best in "Right Place, Right Time." He tells his kids "There's a lot of little reasons why the big things in our lives happen." He explains that what seemed like chaos was bringing him inexorably toward the best person and the best thing to ever happen to him, that there were "all these little parts of the machine constantly working, making sure that you end up exactly where you're supposed to be, exactly when you're supposed to be there." And he tells them at the time, he didn't know "where all those little things were leading [him] and how grateful [he]'d be to get there."
That, to my mind, is the theme to take from this great, if tainted show. Sure, it's unrealistic that anyone would go on that many tangents in telling the story of their great romance, but the point is that each of these moments, each of these people, were crucial in who he was and who he became when he met Tracy, and that they were as important as that fateful meeting was. Yes, it's a long story, and it has many many detours, but it's the story of all the twists and turns and bumps in the road that brought Ted into the arms of his soulmate, and that smooths over the rougher edges of the show's premise.
Instead, the twist that it's all supposed to be about Ted having the hots for Robin turns that lovely story into a long-winded attempts by a middle-aged man to convince his kids that he should date their aunt That seems much more crass. There's still meaning to be wrung from it, meaning that finds parallels with Tracy and her dead boyfriend Max and the idea that you can have more than one meaningful relationship in your life. But it doesn't add up with what the show had really done to that point. The past nine seasons were no more about Robin than they were about Barney or Marshall or Lily. They no more feel like a way to suggest that Aunt Robin's good dating material than they do that Ted should spend more time with Uncle Barney. As great as that blue french horn was the first time, it had meaning because it represented something we knew was going to end, but which still had beauty and value despite that. This last time we see it, it's represents the opposite, that something beautiful has ended, and the value it had is cast aside in favor of a relationship the series spent years disclaiming. That is deeply, deeply unsatisfying.
Take away those final few scenes, concocted in a different era of the series, and you have a flawed but still potent finale, that delivers on the show's biggest promise and gives the gang one last "big moment" together. But add them back in, and you have an ending to the series that not only runs counter to so much of what the show developed over the course of its run, its final season in particular, but which, moreover, cheapens the story the audience had been invested in for the past nine years. It's almost impressive how a couple of truly terrible moments can do such retroactive damage to such a longrunning show , but here we are, with a sour taste in our mouth from such an ill-conceived finish.
Future Ted was right, a little moment can have a big impacts, and the one at the end of the series is a doozy in that regard. But maybe, just maybe, when we tell our own stories about How I Met Your Mother, we can do what Ted should have done many times -- just leave that part out. There's something wonderful to be gleaned from the ending to this fun, optimistic, heartfelt, and occasionally very rocky series, but it requires us to do what we always do when looking back on things: focus on the good stuff, make our peace with the bad stuff, and remember it at its best.
"They're just people. But they snap their fingers and we jump."
Interesting episode showing the clutch of corporation in the lives of the superheroes. Heroes have to obey metrics--viewership, social media likes--they have to perform, to play the role of heroes to satisfy the demands of the markets.
The life threatening crime of robberies are made mundane, as shown when Homelander and Maeve have a casual chit-chat about their employers while performing cool action stunts of "saving the world". Which, in actuality, is a no-mercy beatdown of a guy who surrendered as soon as they appear. But they have to play their part: "the bad guy shot first", that's why it's legal to murder him. In the same vein, Starlight has to upgrade her costume, to show a "transformation" from a country girl to a metropolis supe. She doesn't like showing off her body, but once she signed the contract, her body is no longer hers--it's of the corporation. The supes may have physical power, but the billionaires have political and cultural power.
We have watched this mundanity before in the form of other entertainment--Marvel Cinematic Universe. Life-threatening actions were played out as jokes and mundane routines. And us the viewers enjoyed it, because it gives us "cozy feelings". But, like most performers, heroes hide secrets. And that's where the Compound V plot kicks in.
This episode attempts to show what sci-fi usually does: a commentary not of the future, but of the present. The subplots are knitted neatly to each other, marking a distinct theme. We tread carefully as plans and ploys unfold--and failed--but as they go, more possibilities were opened up. We watch our Hughie becoming more convinced of his place in The Boys. We see his conscience in opposition to the other veteran members of professional killers.
The great thing about this show so far is how everything is not portrayed as merely black and white. Superheroes may do bad, but they are all still humans who submit to corporate governance. While our boys may seem to have clear motives of taking down corrupt heroes, but they too are vested with their own interest. Hughie acts as our moral compass--the only ordinary guy, who happens to be trapped inside this clusterfuck.
"Life is full of change. Some big, some small. I learned a long time ago, you can fight it or you can try to make the best of it. And that's all a lot easier if you've got people who love you helping you face whatever life throws at you.”
It was a beautiful finale. Nothing truly groundbreaking but I thought they did a great job wrapping the show. So many sweet moments – the Dunphy siblings, Phil and Jay, Claire and Mitch’s misadventure, Jay learning Spanish, and the ending shot - leaving that porch light on, symbolism of how Claire and Phil know their kids will return at some point.
I liked it for the most part but I think the ending seemed rushed and it’s a little unrealistic that so many family members are leaving at once. I’m glad they didn’t go with Jay passing away and I really loved the parallels between the first and last scenes of the show - Phil and Claire going over their calendar, Jay and Gloria at the football match, and Mitch and Cam on a flight. I expected Cam to top the first baby reveal. The Lion King one will forever go down in history.
A hugely missed opportunity not to address the documentary element. We'll never know why these people have been interviewed for 11 years.
One year later, I am still heartbroken that Happy Endings actually did end. What an ominous title that was...
It took me almost the entirety of the first season to start feeling the love for Happy Endings, but I stuck it out and I found that while I was expecting a How I Met Your Mother meets Friends kind of show, Happy Endings was much more and very different in all the right ways.
Although the series builds from Dave & Alex's wedding, all 6 characters are equally hilarious, entertaining, adorkable (yes there's a k there), relatable and whimsical. I couldn't pick one strong character in this cast, neither could I pick a weak one (although Dave is a bit of an acquired taste). I will never forget Max' genius "hold your horses" or Winnie The Pooh episode, Alex' "I'm not as dumb as I am" and her couch prank or her "I may not know what an Ira Glass is", Brad's Sim-Brad, Penny's falls and head bumps, Jane's ideal salary negotiation, her calm authority and that episode she loses it all at the couples games night, and Dave's so subtle dorky behavior.
But that isn't even half of Happy Endings' strength. Never before has any show assumed the gay/black attributes of its characters so openly, without making that one particular define their whole identity. Happy Endings broke the stereotypes of those characters, and the stereotypical way in which they are usually dealt with in TV/Movies. It didn't dance around the obvious, try to make a political stance, or avoid laughing about it. As with any group of friends, they sometimes joked about Max not being gay enough, or Brad's black origins and the way he speaks, and the jokes were real and tasteful.
There's also the fact that Happy Endings is a physical + spoken + situation comedy at once, a traditional sitcom in that sense, but the spoken aspect was always subdued, full of references, and it made you work for your reward in every joke. I was often too focused on one aspect or character and didn't notice what else was happening simultaneously. I also missed some of the verbal jokes. That's why there is such an added value in re-watching Happy Endings.
I have seen every episode at least 5 times and I STILL find new things to laugh at. That's how much there is going on, and how brilliant the show is. I am grateful that we got 3 seasons of Happy Endings, but I would have loved more, so much and much and much more.
I really enjoyed this.
Lyn-Manuel Miranda is widely and deservedly regarded as a genius and this musical/film adds more evidence to support that.
Clever, funny, rapid-fire lyrics blend with an (until this musical was created) under regarded figure of US history. But his genius is even more evident in his decision to pitch a musical where most of the white historical cast are portrayed by Black American performers... with hip hop music at its spine. Originality is king if you want to make memorable art.
The cast in this production are luminescent. They may not all be names theatre goers will readily recognise but you've seen many of them on TV and film. There's even a key figure played by a semi-regular from Glee (singing a song that sounded very Tim Minchin to me).
As a huge fan of musicals I was always going to like this. The flip-side of this is that I judged it against the others I've seen and loved.
So yes, its hands don at least 8 stars (and most people say more than that, and that's fine) but some of the things I regarded as flaws held me back.
Relationships - no real kick-arse relationships of emotional depth except for the one who dies midway through the second act. And while it was portrayed and told well, I felt it failed to resonate as much as it could have by the lack of foreshadowing the bond. The relationship with his wife seemed tacked on and the hinted relationship with another woman (won't add a spoiler here) never delivered. The fact it was never established as fact in the real life story of Hamilton was no doubt part of the reason, but including the hint that goes nowhere served little purpose.
The story - Some stories are light by nature (Grease, Little Shop of Horrors) but they at least have a powerful relationship at their base. Some are significant because of the story they cover (Les Mis, Rent)... and they also mostly have a powerful relationship or two in the midst. I know the purpose of telling Hamilton's story was to share details of an almost forgotten figure, but I kinda feel like he deserved to be forgotten. Definitely an intellect, but his role in the War of Independence was bureaucratic, his additions to legislature were significant, but again bureaucratic. If they had hung some of the story on a significant moment rather than to provide a greatest hits package of his life, maybe there was more power to be had? Having seen it and enjoyed it, I still wonder "why Hamilton?"
Anyway, those are just some of my personal misgivings and I DID love the film/musical. Miranda is the genius in this case and while it's very easy for people on the sideline, like me, to critique or fiddle with the idea, there's no idea at all without his amazing mind.
You really should see this.
I really want to love this show, it has a lot of potential, but something just feels off.
The whole John storyline just feels very dull and generic, and Dream himself is kinda boring. I kinda liked what they were doing with the fight/challenge in Hell, but if we're being honest, it was kinda dumb. Why would Lucifer even start by saying "I am a direwolf" if she could have just said she was one of the better things right away? After that challenge happens once, it would never have to happen again because they'd very quickly find what can't be beaten. The little pep talk the raven gave Dream took me right out of the scene too - really not liking the voice actor at all.
Last thing I wanna say is that I feel that the show is constantly trying to have these sort of 'epic' moments. They have nice visuals and great music to create these moments. But the problem is, these moments haven't been earned. They fail to actually be epic or memorable because none of the characters are overly strong and we haven't had much reason to like any of them. The only character I've seen anyone really caring about was the female Constantine last episode - but it doesn't seem like she's going to be a big part of the show other than that one episode.
The show isn't bad, it's entertaining and an alright watch. But certain things in the writing are just preventing it from going from okay to good/great. Not sure if that's just because of the source material, or if it's because Netflix messed something up.
I liked the ending tbh. It was time that Sabrina stopped getting it with her way. From S1, there was a constant "don't do that, this is impossible to do, if you do this we all gonna die" and she did it anyway; and at the point of "solving" it, it wasn't as impossible as they all said. Didn't mind that she died, although i think that Nick commiting suicide to be with her, was a little too much.
Still, a couple of things weren't quite clear, as for example, why exactly did Morningstar died at the beggining of the episode, if she managed to escape The Void in the previous chapter. Also, there wasn't even a recognition or metion that she came back from that cosmos with the "fake" salem/Endless; it was dropped right next to her, but nobody said, asked or even mention him. . Also, if i'm not mistaken, wasn't one of the graves in Spellman's graveyard like "magically" modified so when you put a dead person in there, it would ressurrect (what Zelda did with Hilda at the beggining)?? Maybe i'm forgetting something but the ending could have be changed easly with that in mind.
Anyway, i think it was an ok ending. The overall season was good in my opinion
It breaks my heart that Eric wasn’t able to move forward in life like Claire was. Really wish he could’ve healed but this is the reality of being taken advantage of at such a young age. I know this is how it usually happens in life - the predator moves on with their life, while the victim is left trying to clean the mess someone else made.
Eric was right – Claire just wanted to see him because she wanted him to forgive her so she wouldn’t have to carry around the guilt anymore. Ten years later, and she was still convinced that their relationship started because of Eric kissing her. But she set the stage for everything that happened. Claire was obsessed with Eric from the very beginning, she flirted with him and then acted surprised that a 17 years old boy would act on that flirtation.
It’s quite sad how many people don’t see the layers of toxicity this show presents. That's because of 3 reasons in my opinion:
The biggest problem is that actors look their age, Nick Robinson (25) and Kate Mara (37) look like two hot adults who can be in a relationship if they want to. If the show could have used an actual 17 year old, maybe less people would question if what Claire did was wrong.
The teen is male, so for many people it's super cool that he had sex with the hot teacher. But would these people feel the same if it was a 30-something male teacher and his 17-year-old female student? Probably not, right? So, it's no different with the sexes reversed.
The show spends more time on the sex scenes between the two main characters, instead of showing how Claire took advantage of the young kid and what that did to him. I’d love to have seen where Eric goes after their relationship. See if he raised a family. See him in therapy. But this show lacked context entirely.
Grooming is not black or white, it doesn’t seem wrong all of the time (even when it is). But I can’t with people being like, “The age of consent in Texas is 17” or “Eric wanted it”. Adults can manipulate teens in doing all kind of things because teens are dumb while thinking they are the smartest people on Earth (Eric thought “he is the man” for sleeping with the teacher). It doesn’t matter if he was not forced into it because Claire groomed and manipulated him for her own pleasure (she was a broken adult who took a 17 year old boy down with her).
Eric was too young and was not mentally prepared to handle a relationship with an adult with 10-15 more years of relationship experience. Younger people are easier to control, won't say no/defend themselves. And we saw that in the show Claire was the one with the power – she decided where and when they meet, even their relationship got public because she wanted to brag about her sexcapades. And in the end, Claire was like, “And now being a mother...” during their last meet (which for me is the female version of the, “As a father of daughters I'm still learning”) because no parent would want their kid to be groomed by a teacher, even if their kid had just reached the age of consent. Things can be morally and ethically wrong without crossing the boundary into illegality.
Oh, and the wigs in this episode were shockingly bad. :no_mouth:
Easily the best episode of this show since the first episode of season two. You could maybe even argue it's the best episode of the show period. It wasn't amazing, and it certainly doesn't come close to what the book did with Thanedd (not even a tiny bit). But it was actually a decent episode and made the most of any and all strengths it had going for it up until this point.
It's funny because I found that season one started kinda okay and fell apart by the end. Season two was much the same in that episode one was good, but then it just went downhill with all the fan fiction and bad writing until the season ended. But season three seems to be going in the opposite direction, where they've started pretty weak with the first couple of episodes, only to then get a little better with the couple that followed, then finally deliver a decent episode at the end of the first part of the season. I'm hoping this will continue, and that the final three episodes will be at least this level, or maybe even a bit better when they release next month.
I should probably give this a 7/10, but I'm going to give it an 8/10 simply because I'm happy that they didn't totally butcher this episode and make me hurt badly inside.
I was skeptical about a second season, and in the end I remain unconvinced that this season was needed. It was entertaining, the acting was great, it was nice to see into their lives again but ultimately this season shouldn’t have existed.
I just feel like season 2 was just some kind of add-on that doesn’t contribute much to the story, instead of exploring the lie they decide to do a season of Mary-Louise trying to steal Celeste’s kids that in the end leads nowhere. A lot of the writing felt a lot less subtle, and plot points seemed to disappear pretty quickly (like Abigail deciding not to go to college, detective Quinlan, Jane’s boyfriend getting questioned.
I liked Ed/Madeline renewing their vows, I just wish she would have told Ed the truth about what happened the night at the party before they did it. The Bonnie situation was a bit drug out, I get the point of its inclusion, but a whole season of it made it kind of repetitive after a while, and I just couldn’t muster the will to care about that plotline.
Realism was a big problem this season. The courtroom scenes were absurd. The ladies heading into the police station to presumably confess their crimes made absolutely no sense given the trajectory of the season. Celeste just added a new hurdle to keeping her kids.
So just watched The Edge of Seventeen and...
...blegh. This was not as "good" as I thought it was going to be. After reading all the hype from the national RT/MC reviewers (I don't know of anyone that actually saw the movie in theaters), I finally watched it yesterday/today and just thought it was mediocre overall. From all the hype, I was expecting that Hailee Steinfeld's performance was going to be some sort of "revelation" but I just ended up absolutely hating her character for a majority of the movie. She was just such a bitch throughout with her "edgey" SJW/hipster/millennial attitude. I get what the director was going for, but the character just didn't appeal to me that much.
Also, there wasn't much of a real story or any significant meat to the movie as well. It just felt like not much happened other than Nadine having her little rushed "revelation" period at the end of the movie. The performances by the actors/actresses were definitely good but there wasn't a whole lot to work with. Honestly, I think that I was just too hyped for the movie itself and it was definitely a letdown in regards to that. Don't go in with any expectations for it other than being a slightly above-average rom-com.
I said it before and I'll say it again and again: It's absurd how visually beautiful and pleasing it is to watch them slice each other up. And not in a "I can't look away from that accident"-kind of way, but from an aesthetic point of view. Ufotable are doing an incredible job with the art and the animation.
I know some people find the show predictable and filled with cliche and timely placed reconning exposition and flashbacks, and it probably is, but I don't care. I'm too caught up in the moment to moment that I don't really analyze it as I normally do with other shows. I think that's a quality here.
And regarding the characters I find it interesting that Inosuke is pretty strong in normal combat, but seems to have less room for deus ex story-like improvements than Zenitsu. Zenitsu could probably slash Tanjiro in his delirious state, but really needs some improvements in normal combat. And maybe he's getting there as he successfully held the poison back with his breathing.
Oh, and Nezuko, cute little Nezuko awakening to her abilities by a literal wake up from her mother, while Tanjiro gets his awakening from his time with his father. That's the end of a second arc in a three arc structure if I've ever seen one.
PS: We haven't heard Nezuko speak since the 2nd episode(?), so that's just another plus for an already amazing episode.
The list of requirements for actors auditioning for The Master:
* must have sufficient chaotic energy
* must have aggressively sexual chemistry with whoever is playing The Doctor
I'm happy to say that they've chosen the perfect person again.
Jodie has such expressive eyes. She gets so much incredible acting done just through looks, communicating so much without saying a single word. The little details in her performance? The nuance? I don't wanna sound like a cheesy old white lady but that shit is breathtaking, bro. I love, love, love her as The Doctor. I truly hope she sticks around for a couple more seasons because I can't imagine having to say goodbye to her.
I found the laser shoes to be SO over-the-top ridiculous (actually same goes for Ryan piloting a whole ass plane via an app), but then I remembered that this is Doctor Who and that stuff kinda comes with the name, so I guess I'm giving it a pass.
I like the fact that the companions finally called out The Doctor for being so cryptic. Thirteen in her own way seems to be running from her past even harder than the previous incarnations, thinking that if she just ignores it, it'll all be fine. Well, the past came to bite her in the ass big time in the last 2 episodes. She can't outrun the darkness forever. Eventually, it'll all catch up to her and when that happens, the companions got a big storm coming.
Also, the Timeless Child is something I've completely forgotten about and honestly I kinda thought the writers have too but now Chibnall is referencing it again? I see you with your continuity, Chris. I see you. Nicely done.
The finale of season 2 had such an oddly bleak resolution, I don’t really know how to feel..I certainly think season 2 was better than season 1 but still not as good as the original series.
Carrie becoming a kitty mom is the best part of the season for me. So sweet.
This was Charlotte’s season! Her arc has been the best storyline out of the original three. I really liked her little monologue to Harry about women being expected to do stuff for years, I'm glad they didn't just leave it with her drunken yelling.
Seema's story is as old as time and boring.
Nya’s flirting was so cringe. Overly obvious and borderline desperate quips.
Miranda was finally tolerable in this episode, she was poignant, accomplished, thoughtful. I like that maturity she showed in her interactions with Steve and Che. She actually felt more like the old Miranda.
Really liked that little Miranda and Steve scene. Except for when Bradey cycled past, stopped and smiled. That was a little too cheesy for me. But I'm glad Miranda and Steve made amends and are on civil terms again.
I hate to say it but Samantha’s cameo was quite anticlimactic, underwhelming, and didn’t feel meaningful at all. Kim's acting was really off - I don’t know if it was her voice or the accent but something about it felt off, and the interaction was incredibly unnatural. Her cameo was literally just to bait the fan base into watching this season.
Lisa just miscarrying randomly was unnecessary to the plot.
I can’t believe Carrie chose Che to stay by her side in the table and put Miranda in the other side. And why didn't Steve attend?
I could do without Che next season. And less of the new characters, we need to get back to Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda being the focus of the show.
I’m sorry but this Aidan and Carrie 'breakup' scene is the worst television writing I’ve observed in a while. The five years makes no sense. What was the point of bringing Aiden back, only for him to wimp out because Wyatt threw a tantrum.
So, is season 3 going to be a time jump? 5 years?
Honestly, this was one of the best series finales I’ve seen in awhile. It was really cool to see Issa find happiness and security. That end scene where her inner voice wasn’t talking shit in the mirror back at her, that was a really nice touch. Thought for sure she’d pop up with something snarky and funny to say, but instead it was just a mirror doing mirror things and reflecting. Which after the entire series of rapping and joking and shit talking back at herself, was a really touching end to the whole thing. Also when Molly’s mom passed away, I cried. The news of my fathers passing was just as abrupt and delivered over the phone in such an unbelievable fashion, so it was ultra relatable. Speaking of Molly, seeing her finally settle down and marry with someone that loves her for her was also really moving. She was doubting herself the whole series, people were doubting her, and it was always sad to see how most of her relationships crumbled because of all the insecurities. Not to mention her man is as easy on the eyes as she is lol.
Seeing the way Issa and Molly evolved over the series was also quite relatable. I’ve had my ups and downs with best friends over the years, where they finally find a place to stabilize after years. It was cool to see a best friendship portrayed so naturally and convincingly. But most of all, was really happy to see the two of them find that stability and let go of their egos and be there for each other in all the stages of their lives that were revealed to us, the audience.
Anyway, I’m sad this series has come to an end, it was a great insight into the lives of these characters and seeing them grow, ima miss em.
So, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland create this particular animated series, that gets quite famous.
They need a ridicolous amount of time writing new episodes despite a 70 episode deal they got at one point and I am sure they will never be able to deliver upon just by how much time they need for ten episodes. Then Justin has the "idea" of doing his own animated series that's copying Rick and Morty basically, just without Rick and Morty and without multiverse? Timeline is important here, Wikipedia says, the series was shelved but not for how long.
The art style is the exact same, the randomness and over the top stories are the same, several voices are the same, all that this is lacking is good writing. Solar Opposites, funny name considering the not so much "opposites", is airing on another network. In other words going into competition to R&M. Is this a very elaborate prank from DH and/or JR, even though DH isn't mentioned? Or does Justin want to piss of DH? How's this even legal from a business standpoint?
SO does scratch the R&M itch. But it's nowhere near the greatness of R&M. SO doesn't try as hard, though.
There's almost no continuity. The stories of the main characters are so random, as random as any interdimensional cable episode, there's no point in watching. You could watch any episode in any order you wish, without losing or missing anything regarding the main characters. That makes this series incredibly boring for me personally.
The most interesting subplot, with actual continuity so far that needs a certain episode order, is "The Wall". That part is the best part of this whole season 1 and really a good idea with actual fun, consistent characters. If Cherie survives for revenge in S2 it would make me gladly come back. Other than that I don't particularly care for this to get a second season.
If JR wants to do R&M, he should focus on R&M and push Harmon (and all the other writers) to do more, instead of half-assing his own stuff. Other than that I simply fail to understand why this exists other than to leech off of the success of R&M. Creating an instance of "you like R&M? You must like this, too. It's from one of the creators". But no. I do not like this. I don't hate it, but I certainly do not like it. Would this not rely on so many similarities or be a direct and open spin-off I wouldn't mind, though.
Kristen Schaal should have been cast as the voice of Jesse as well. Mary Mack sounds way too much like her and Schaal's voice would fit that character very well.
Season 2 edit:
Season 2, which is more like S1 Pt 2, has improved on a lot of the early issues.
It's still very episodic without consequences but the stories and the chaotic energy of Roiland seem to fit and work a lot better in these 8 episodes. Korvo, the most unlikable of the aliens, tones down his Jerry-ness by not being constantly obnoxious. Glad they do go forward with evolving Pupa and the Wall substory was - again - the best part of these episodes with S02E07 the best episode of this show so far. Absolutely great how that turned out. Going to bump this from a 4 to 5. First 8 episodes are meh at best (excluding anything Wall related, those parts are a 7 at worst and 9 at best), later 8 episodes are okay and overal more entertaining.
I am surprised that no one commented at this movie yet, in its genre (Neo-noir, a movie set in the 1940s or 1950s but with updated themes, content, style and technology) this is by far the best movie till date.
The movie has 3 short stories taken from the comics of Frank Miller (the same guy who wrote the movie 300 and RoboCop 2 and 3). The stories although all seperate are interwoven with each other. And every one of them is a work of art.
They all take place in the same place: Sin City. Sin City is a city corrupt to the bone. Senator Roark said it best, if he killed Hartigan (Bruce Willes from the first story "That Yellow Bastard") right there in that busy hospital no one would arrest him, everyone would lie for him to cover their own set of lies and deceit. If not, everything would fall like a deck of cards.
Everything in this movie works perfectly. From Rodriguez's editing and cinematography to the spot on casting. The main cast Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke and Clive Owen narrate the story in a style that makes it essential for the movie to work. Many times especially in case of Marv (a almost unrecognizable Mickey Rourke) it explains a lot of things and his psyche. I especially liked the one liners that this movie has to many to count off. It really gives off a vibe that this is one of those old defective movies from the 1940s and 1950s.
Sin City is dark, sexy, funny, exciting and a fast-paced action/crime thriller. There is a reason that this is R rated, without a doubt its one of the most violent and graphic blockbusters that has been released to a wide audience. I can highly recommend this movie to anyone (no kids though, they will definitely get nightmares for days), if you haven't seen it already go rent it, buy it or download it off the internet. You won't regret it.
It appears I fall in love with JTBC dramas again and again every time we meet. Love the complexity, the layers to characters and their relationships, inner conflicts between rational mind and desire, story-telling through facial expressions. Love how they portrayed insecurities, passions, manipulation, trust, expectations, contradictions, doubts, and butterflies in the stomach.
Love how beautiful the visuals are, photography and scenes - all so lovely, enhancing the atmosphere, along with characters' feelings. Love how unconventional the characters and their stories are, but all the more real for it. They are not perfect, but ordinary extraordinary young people seeking freedom to live their best lives.
Would have loved if we got to learn more about Park Jae-eon's backstory / history: what hurt him, and made him hide behind the walls as he did for such a long time. Kudos to Song Kang for nailing that almost-crying-barely-holding-composure goodbye scene in episode 10. That was some superb acting, I got chills.
**A note to a younger me (and all young people out there who might be reading this): please say what you want / need to say clearly, to avoid misunderstandings and pointless suffering. Other people likely won't be able to guess what you're thinking unless you tell them. (There's little to none mind-readers out there.)
Anyhow, keep them coming, JTBC! I'm here for it.
9/10
Queer as Folk for a new generation or an older generation looking at the past. Russell T Davies's new gay drama didn’t disappoint in it's first episode.
It covered all the usual RTD’s bases:
Humour
Sex
Darkness
Imminent tragedy
The story is the rise of the AIDs virus in London during the 1980’s which is very prescient for the 2020’s. It does feature some worrying parallels with 2020/21, even at this early stage of the series.
Olly Alexander didn’t disappoint in his first serious role and it will good to see more of him in future (not that there’s much more left of him to see after the first episode!).
Neil Patrick Harris also delivered an excellent and touching performance in both main aspects of the show with some excellent one liners and comedic moments, but also the darker elements.
Callum Scott-Howells also deserves mention for a very accurate portrayal of Colin. Someone who we've all been at some part of our lives and readily recognise in others. It will be interesting to see how his character develops.
Music wise it is spot on, the direction and photography also spot on. 1981 lives again (thankfully only on TV).
The urge to binge the lot is rising, but I’ll try to resist. Oh well, if you insist, maybe just one more.
Being a sucker for anything '80s (G.L.O.W. and Stranger Things come to mind) and seeing how much praise this show was getting on IMDB, I decided to kick-off the new year with a new show. As far as the '80s go, there isn't much to see here, visually speaking (though it warmed my heart to see Sony's old logo), but the soundtrack is absolutely delightful!
I feared that this would become yet another teen show spent in school but, thankfully, it's the most refreshing take on the genre that I've seen in years. The aggression, violence and overall grittier mood are well executed, without falling into the tackiness that often plagues shows that try to be edgier this way. The scene where Marcus kills that hobo that harassed him earlier was great, the quick build-up was very well done, to the point of embedding a sense of bloodlust in the viewer, I can't remember the last time I felt so satisfied to see some asshole being "taken care of" on screen.
I did not know this was based in a graphic novel until I read the other comments here. It does have a comic book vibe to it, you can feel it throughout most of the episode. It's like X-Mansion without the X-gene and the moral guidelines. It's like Hoggwarts if Voldermort was in charge of things. It's like Saved by the Bell if they all did drugs. You get the point (hopefully).
I was pleasantly surprised by this pilot episode, as it shows a lot of potential, steering the viewer away from boredom and almost constantly keeping us on our toes. The grittier take on high-school clichés keeps things interesting. It also seems to borrow something from the Japanese classic Battle Royale, which can only be a good thing.
All in all, I feel as if I was watching a show that knows how to balance trying to be edgy without ending up looking like a poseur.
Do you remember The naked gun movies? Spy hard? Hot shots? How about Men in tights, or Spaceballs? Monty Python's Life of Brian? All of them are absurd humor comedies, a genre that encompasses many of the most hilarious movies / books / shows, including some occasional masterpieces, such as some of the Discworld books, or the unsurpassable The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the books - the movie was ok, but nowhere near Douglas Adams' brilliance).
Anyway... With Medical police, they went down the same path of absurd humor. Yay! But sadly, they only achieved the absurd part. The humor, not so much. They tried, but it didn't work, at least for me. Most episodes don't have more than a couple of laughs in them; some (such as the pilot), not even that.
It's still worth a watch... if you don't have anything else to do. The first season is only 4 hours long, and the episodes are short enough too. At least they got that right!
I found out afterwards that this is a spin-off of another show called Childrens Hospital, with all the same cast. I didn't watch it, but according to IMDb, it was much better and lasted for 7 seasons. I doubt there will be a second one of Medical police, though. The idea isn't bad, and the cast is pretty good, but they lack the most important thing you can ask of a comedy show: to be funny.
This is about Volume I & II combined, since I watched them one after the other.
A man finds a woman passed out in the street, and takes her in. As she rests in his spare bed, she recounts tales from her life as a self-proclaimed nymphomaniac.
I’ll brace myself for emails calling me a philistine, but my tolerance for pretentious bullshit has been tested here. Perhaps I’m taking it all the wrong way and this is a 5 1/2 hour masterpiece about human sexuality, but I just can’t get on board. It’s a really long artsy softcore porn-fest with some naff philosophising spliced in.
The episodic structure initially provides a good way to get us hooked. Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) tells a story, then she sits with Seligman (Stellan Skarsgard) and he relates it back to something he has seen in his life or read in literature. About three hours in you realise it’s not going anywhere but at that point you might as well stick it out.
There’s a lot of ‘shock’ material in Nymphomaniac but it’s so oddly clinical that it fails to provoke any sort of reaction, no matter how disturbing the content. The one thing I truly couldn’t watch was Shia LaBoeuf attempting a Dick Van Dyke level British accent.
Some interesting performances (notably Stacy Martin as young Joe) don’t save this from being a tedious gimmicky mess strictly for von Trier completionists.
http://benoliver999.com/film/2016/08/29/nymphomaniac/
I think revenge plots are my favourite in kdramas xD But also so many unexplained things and missed opportunities for actors to shine more.
We never got a reveal for Jun Kyoung that Ari is dead and also that Ari might be alive. I wanted this so bad only for the purpose to see actors talent bc i was mesmerized about his ability to convey emotions so quickly and clearly as he did during the kiss scene. He was focused on reading Aris emotions then in a second he was shocked but then the feeling and determination changed his face i was so excited to see more for him but we didnt get that.
I would also love to see aftermath for every celebrity at the end. After some time not like during which we got. Did Angela became a full on prostitute? And what with the others? Some quickly decreasing followers numbers and maybe their occupations afterwards would be amazing.
What also bugs me the most is we never saw why/how Aris family bancrupted, we didnt get answers for her "uncle" and mothers behaviour. They just were like that without us knowing the full story. Also why Ari hated on Jun Kyoung that much at the beginning, even if its for his money and being treated like royalty we dont know WHY she hates that kind of behaviour. I was constantly thinking that it had to be bc how ppl treated her after her family's downfall. Why Jun Kyoung hated drugs so much that he was disgusted with Ari just being next to the drugs? So many questions.
I understand Aris decision at the end but I would love for her to maybe use her channel to help others, maybe to talk about honesty, loyality and anti hater stuff. Naive... but would be very hopeful.
I don't even know why I'm watching this. SATC was nice when it first aired, okay-ish during a recent rewatch, the movies were bad (like real bad) and AJLT's season 1 wasn't good either (perhaps "promising" if you'd want to say anything nice about season 1). I guess, I keep watching just to be able to say that I watched the whole collection of the franchise.
I still don't understand why there's this plethora of people and stories in this show (four main characters like in SATC was enough). I feel that only Seema and perhaps Lisa are valuable additions to the cast. I also wonder, what the show is really supposed to be about? Grief, relationships, parenting, coming-of-age, aging, rich people's problems? SATC had a much more comprehensible overarching topic (although most epiosdes were totally isolated). Only sometimes this show is funny (credit to Anthony, Lily and Harry) or witty. Most of the time we watch bored privileged people showing their status symbols (well, that's in line with SATC - at least they are not all white). Sometimes (only sometimes) SATC taught about actual relationships issues and the female perspective on relationships, the patriarchy and sex (although the sex in the original show was too laughable and in hindsight too prude, their bubble too white and too New-Amterdam-ish, and they often failed to pass the Bechdel test). AJLT is just dull and non-educative. All the bits and pieces of well balanced diversity introduced feel forced and ultimately often amount to pure dog-whistling. I mean, I would have loved to learn about female homosexuality in today's New York. I would have loved to learn something about racism against black or Indian women especially when it comes to relationships. I'd have loved to get a female perspective on aging. Just like I loved to learn the tiny insights (admittedly very tiny) into dating and family in NYC's Jewish community in the original series. I'd have loved to watch more serious and mature stories and I was prepared to accept that this show isn't as funny as SATC was. Even the nostalgia falls flat. Yes, some (like Charlotte and sometimes Carrie) are still "in character" but wtf happened to Miranda? She used to be a powerful, Harvard educated, straight-shooting top-lawyer firmly rooted in real life. Often she was the only person that some of us could actually relate to. And now this ... her loving a woman (which is an oversimplified label for this entirely made-up character) isn't the problem ... the problem is that this person isn't anything like old Miranda and that Che doesn't feel like a real person. There's no chemistry between them either.
Let's end on something positive: after some disastrous first few episodes, later episodes in this season improve considerably. Still not great but some of the later episodes are acceptable.
[9.2/10] Rock and roll is the perfect backdrop for comedy. It’s a world that’s already pretty silly and exaggerated, so you can lean into the ridiculous of it all without feeling like you’re dragging the audience into a zany comic landscape without any connection to real life. But it’s also real enough that you can draw back to some sentimental moments and connections that, however steeped in middle school social politics, still have emotional force. That’s the perfect balance that This Is Spinal Tap strikes, with gags that feel outsized but never false, and emotional beats that veer into manchild-ness at times, but still come off as genuine.
That’s aided by the mockumentary format that director Rob Reiner uses here, and which would become the trademark of his stars, led by Christopher Guest, in the years to come. The faux-cinema verite approach brings some of the sillier elements of the film down to earth. Playing things straight lends a necessary air of reality to moments like a bass player getting trapped in a plastic pod, or an all black album cover, or little people dancing around a miniaturized version of Stonehenge. The pseudo-reality of it all actually makes those jokes funnier, because they feel like the imbecilic excesses and slip-ups of true idiots rather than the constructed comic setups they are.
That setup also creates the perfect canvas for seasoned comedy performers like Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer to riff, interact, and improvise and create a perfect comic rhythm in the film. There’s a fluidity to the talking head segments in the film, where the exaggerated free association games in-universe director Marti Di Bergi (Reiner) engages in with his subjects lead to all sorts of hilarious world building and humorous tangents. It’s telling that the most iconic line from the film, “these go to eleven” emerges from the clipped sequences and great comic timing of Guest’s lunkheaded rockstar acting as tour guide through a room full of music equipment. The sense of humor and loose vibe makes those great lines and funny moments stand out that much more.
But as much as This Is Spinal Tap makes the most of its mockumentary form to create its humor, it’s also just a ripping rock and roll spoof. Beyond their talents as performers, Guest, McKean, and Shearer put together some pitch perfect parodies of the excesses and crasseness of 1970s and 1980s rock. Tunes like “Big Bottom” and “Sex Farm” function both as “not far from the truth” tributes to sexually-charged tracks from the time, and also show off the legitimate musical talents of the trio, in addition to their charisma as performers. Part of the fun of the film is that you can buy these guys as real rockers, both on and off the stage.
That’s also what makes the stock story at the center of the film unexpectedly endearing. The rock band that’s driven apart by the lead singer’s new girlfriend was a cliché even in 1984. And the dwindling success of a once-great band is played for laughs expertly (“their appeal is getting more selective” is an all-time great bit of spin), but also for true pathos as the end of something. It’s too much to call This Is Spinal Tap a drama, given how much irreverence and goofiness is packed in, but the heartening feeling of reconciliation and joy when the group finds reunion and success is palpable and real.
But man, what brilliant comedy the movie manages to wring from that setup. On the fading star front, the number of shows that get canceled, and their manager’s efforts to keep the band from fretting over it, are superb. The way that the movie depicts the group on the wane, with crappier hotel rooms and sparsely-attended shows while the band themselves are half in denial leads to plenty of laughs.
The same goes for the brilliant parody of rock and roll indulgence and excess. I die laughing every time at Nigel tuning his violin before he smacks it onto his guitar. Derek’s cucumber incident has perfect comic timing, but it’s also a nice puncturing of rock star posturing and image. And David and Jeanine’s zodiac make-up sketches are an amusing send up of on-stage pageantry.
That’s the other half of why This Is Spinal Tap’s spoof is so effective -- it’s broad based. Yes, there’s the poking fun at lascivious rock songs. But there’s also flashbacks to a Beatles-esque clean cut era and a 70s flower child period for the band that suggest their musical devotion is not so pure. And the bits about stonehenge and other story songs make good fun of rock’s propensity to dive into Tolkein-esque imagery with zero substance. While perhaps not as wide ranging as Guest’s crew’s efforts in A Mighty Wind, this film still manages to cast a wide net and catch plenty of good laughs in the process.
And yet what’s striking to me is how well it manages to balance all that abject (and wonderful) silliness, with that genuine feeling at the end of the picture. In the background of all the brilliant takedowns of the image-conscious pomp and circumstances of being a rockstar is the sad undercurrent that this is the end of something. As much as Spinal Tap itself is played for laughs, the end of the band is also played as the end of friendship between two guys who, however doltish and self-possessed they may be, have been best friends for life.
That’s what the rock and roll backdrop does for This Is Spinal Tap. We already think of rock stars as kind of dim, oft-excessive, manchildren. That means that when Nigel or David act ridiculous, we buy it without losing sight of them as human being. The film turns its comedy up to eleven at times, but keeps it drama at a low hum. Just a shared look between David and Nigel, a note of frustrate when David realizes which songs can’t be played without his bandmate, a downtrodden gaze when Nigel feels displaced by Jeanine, tell the story subtly, letting the comedy fill the space but giving the final bit of emotion the punch to really work.
That’s what realism in an unreal place does for you. It lets your audience tap into the looniness without it feeling artificial or too wacky, while letting the sentiment of the piece come through when it needs to. U2 guitarist The Edge said that he wept at the film because it was “so close to the truth.” It’s that nearness to the real, ridiculous world of rock and roll which makes This Is Spinal Tap so easy to laugh with, but also so easy to feel when the last triumphant notes are played.
Life in 12 Bars is a fascinating book read in a monotone voice.
Don't get me wrong, the film is rich with history, most known, some not as well (a drunken, on-stage racist rant), some not at all (the story of Clapton's eldest daughter, Ruth). What I found less interesting was the style, or lack thereof, in the filmmaking.
Eric Clapton was a guitar God, yet his story is presented in a flat, mono-tone, similar to that of a 'VH1 Behind the Music' episode (though thank God there is no narrator). A little colour, a little pizazz, a little flair would've been welcome to liven up the long parade of facts.
Despite this shortcoming, the documentary is more than satisfactory, with loads of off-camera interviews that let the archival images speak for themselves. Although I was born 20 years after Clapton joined the Yardbirds and 15 after he left Cream, I am a fan of late 60s / early 70s rock and was like a kid in a blues store hearing his early work.
There was plenty of nostalgia to get into, like recordings of Jimi Hendrix riffing off Clapton in a club, Roger Waters talking about Clapton's influence, a video of Blind Faith doing "In the Presence of the Lord" live (!), and what is arguably the centerpiece of the film: a detailed explanation of how Clapton tried to seduce Pattie Boyd, the wife of his best friend (ex-Beatle George Harrison) with songs like 'Layla' and the entire self-titled Derek and the Dominoes double album. (Spoiler alert: Pattie is the only one who comes out of that debacle looking respectable.)
The film ends on a high note, with a fitting tribute from B. B. King. The toast Clapton's dear friend and major supporter makes on stage with Clapton standing in the wings put a lump in my throat and a drum beat in my heart.
[I should probably point out that this film was released in 2017 in the US, yet in January 2019 in France, where I saw it in the cinema.]
It's 20 years later and they still manage to show the most stupid, least romantic, least hot sex scenes on TV. At least Carrie's lover is hot (from what I can tell...I think...). I'm delighted to have the old apartment back though. It's cozy.
At least I remember why I liked parts of the original show: the fashion, the occasional semi-realistic girls' talk, the hair. This new show is horrible though. Still don't really understand why I continue watching this show. It's either the hope that it will improve. Or it's that I want to be able to say that I've watched every episode and every (stupid) movie with Ms. Bradshaw.
Miranda: "Fuck the new me!"
Damn right. I didn't like her 20 years back, but I liked her no nonsense attitude when rewatching SATC last year (at times I thought she's the only real person on the show), but I don't like her on AJLT at all. She's nothing like old Miranda. I miss old Miranda. (It's funny though how Charlotte predicts Miranda's reaction to Carrie's workplace affair.) Plus, cut all stand up comedy from this show. That's horrible.
Anthony and Harry are still the best part of this show.
Movie's fucking amazing. At the end, I realized that this boiled down to the unlikely bond and connection between Thelma and Louise. At the beginning of the movie, we see each character packing their bags for the big trip. Lousie travels light, and through her neat and precise ways of loading the suitcase, we see who she really is; a sensible woman. She packs only essentials, and folds everything up neatly so it will fit well. Thelma on the other hand, packs way too many unnecessary things. Clothes she'll never wear, soaps she'll never use. This little interspliced sequence with the two women packing their bags tells us a lot abbout their characters. They're completely different people. And we see this displayed time and time again throughout the picture.
Thelma commits multiple acts of adultery, robs a store, and is quite permiscuous. Whereas Louise is a very calm, internal, street-smart woman. Throughout the whole story; Louise takes control of the situation, and calls the shots. Thelma is like her retarded child. Although, at the end; Louise becomes more like Thelma, and ends up unwinding the uptightness. It was a very character driven movie, and directed very well. The black cyclist that finds the state trooper in the trunk is definitely my favorite character.
A surprisingly short episode. I'm disappointed. The last episode was super underwhelming and felt so rushed. Talk about a drop in quality from pilot to series end. It had so much promise, but duffed it. Episode 8 is poorly edited and glossed over many facts that happened in real life. The climax of that story is bananas but all events after Nick's murder in the penultimate episode didn't follow any kind of context. I wish we had just a bit of Irene taking over, she was the best thing from the show.
What should have been an inspiring immigrant success story ended with tragedy because of unresolved trauma and ego. I mean Steve Banerjee literally had everything and ruined it all. He was his own downfall. Very interesting choice ending on that shot of Steve at the height of his success and happiness at the very end of the series.
The finale is just an overextended hotel scene between Banerjee and Ray Colon trying to get a confession with no real drama, and then some scenes with Banerjee's lawyer and De Noia's ghost. That cell scene between Steve and ghost Nick is amazing but it can be more impactful with a decent build-up.
Lovely supporting cast but it gives short shrift to too many interesting story threads. I wish there was more of an epilogue for the rest of the characters. What happens to Denise? And why did they change the fact that Irene stuck by Steve? They also didn't mention the millions of dollars Steve stowed away somewhere that no one can find. Also, Steve has a son and a daughter but they just never mentioned the son for some reason?
I've thoroughly enjoyed this show; the acting, the characters, the insane story, well written, perfect pacing, great production design. You may think Welcome to Chippendales is your not your cup of tea but it’s really good. An unknown (to me) bloody history wrapped in a time capsule of an American dream gone wrong.
TRUST is the magic that changes the world and not technology
In the World A.I ; we have to trust each other and advance ; without trust we will approach a extinction disaster . Despite the comparison with 'W' , 'A Korean Odeyssey' and how this show is flawed and under-performed like them ; I did quite enjoy this show with all its faults.
This show is so trippy I totally got hooked by the very first episode. And even though it starts out becoming entertaining because of the mystery aspect, there's a lot of depth to the story which I loved. I started off on this one a little skeptical, because fantasy elements in Korean dramas always tend to be a little corny. I held that skepticism until about midway into the first episode, when the plot started to reveal itself, and things actually started to get really interesting.
While the genre of VR gaming has already been vastly explored, this was probably the first high production AR drama to hit the scene. Augmented Reality (AR), for those who are unfamiliar, is a technology which shows computer generated images projected into the real world. Think Pokemon GO. As you can imagine, this sets up some rather amusing scenarios where a person swings around randomly and everyone else gives you weird looks as they can't see what you're seeing. This drama starts off as just that - a rather light hearted take on VR, which not only tries to be funny, but looks silly in the process. As a result, I could not take the first episode seriously and almost dropped it as soon as I began, but things take a turn for the serious rather quickly.
And this is where the problems started arising. The drama, while it made some very interesting plot twists and smart little ideas, seemed like it had no direction. The plot twists, and smart ideas almost felt like the end goal of the writer, only put in there to entertain for the shock factor, just for the sake of it. There was no balance of light-heartedness and seriousness. This then gave rise to a bevy of problems including some major plot holes, pacing issues, and lack of character development - not to mention some ridiculous technologically impossible feats.All in all, the plot started out a little silly, got really interesting, and ended up really silly because they couldn't fix their mess.
Park Shin-Hye and Hyun-Bin are A+ stars and they bring their A game to the show. Hyun-Bin plays the cool CEO that gets trapped and fixes the mess Shin-Hye's kid brother created. Romance is not he genre I am looking in this show ; so we can forgive their lack of chemisty but they do have some light hearted moments..
Rest of the cast are NPC characters that just don't listen to Jin-Woo ...
The BGM and the music used fits the gaming theme well; it really felt like a VR game ; wish there is a VR version of this show
Despite it many flaws and unreasonable plot holes this is an entertaining show to k-drama fans that are bored with clinche' romance fantasy shows . This shows brings in the lesson to trust in each other to get past the struggles and not to play solo...
Now I will rant on ..on about ending so don't check the spoilers below :
Explanation on the Ending: ITS OBVIOUSLY A HAPPY ENDING. WHY?
I know that many people are really dissatisfied with this drama’s ending. I personally thought the writer trying to be creative with her ending but kind of backfired as many people got confuse with the game concepts and thought that the bug cycle was repeating themselves over and over again now that Jin Woo is still stuck in the game.
On the surface, the drama ended with a bittersweet note with a glimmer of hope at the end. However I have to admit that it is after all a clear cut happy ending. I realized many small details that the writer gave to us – that it was clear that despite the ending is ambiguous, the writer aimed for a happy end to both of our main leads. First of all, lets clear the confusion regarding the concept of the game world.
1. At first, I thought that Emma, while one of her features is to delete bugs, is a bug itself as she’s the reason why the game world and the reality world collide when Marco stabbed Se Joo with real knife. I mean, if she’s not there, the whole mess of the game become real wouldn’t happen as Se Joo will just bleed after the stab and probably recover after he go to the hospital. Jin Woo wouldn’t be in that mess and the only one suffers is only Se Joo with the stab wounds on his stomach.
2. Marco is Se Joo’s bug thus he do not need to be deleted for Jin Woo to reset the game. Plus, Jin Woo can't see Marco anyway unless he made an alliance with Se Joo. Bear in mind that Se Joo is the one who create this game and he set the rules. Among the rules are those who gave Fatima the Key to Heaven will win the game and become the new Master. And he also put one of Emma’ s features is to delete bugs and once bugs are deleted, the game will reset. And that is exactly what Jin Woo did; level up, get the key, kill the bugs and hand over the key to Emma and Emma reset the game. Now, why Jin Woo is a bug and need to be deleted? It is because he played the game while the game is in error state. Had other testers of the game made a duel and killed their opponents like Jin Woo, they will be in the same position as Jin Woo as well.
3. Jin Woo made sure he killed all of the bugs and also sacrificing himself in the process to end the game’s sinister elements. Since he already do this and reset the game to zero, there are no more evil cycle of one has to sacrifice themselves to save the others. Once Emma reset everything, it is a new game without bugs/errors/glitches. J One lost all the data and build the game back from scratch that is why it took them another 1 year to release the new game as they have to rebuild everything. The good thing about the whole thing is that is game is finally safe to be played unlike Se Joo’s original game which mix game world and the real world. The writer made it clear that the evil part of the game was buried once and for all when Jin Woo sacrificing himself at the end.
4. It was obvious that Yang Ju finally delete Emma from the new game when we hear that he regretted of keeping Emma where Emma in the end reset the whole game and delete all their hard work for the past 1 year. So no Emma, no more error in the game. There is no more Emma so the features of her to delete bugs and reset back the game is no longer there as well.
5. Regarding whether Hee Joo can see Jin Woo or not, she can see him as she is wearing lenses. All game users can see Jin Woo if he made an appearance that is why the guy at the restaurant insisted that Jin Woo is not NPC but an advanced user. But why there's no name for Jin Woo in the new game? It is because Emma has deleted everything including Jin Woo's game name 'Zinu' that is why he is without name. ‘Instance Dungeon’ is to make one become invisible from the enemies and hide themselves. Se Joo did hide himself for 1 year as Marco is there to hunt him so he keep using the instance dungeon feature to remain safe. Jin Woo in the other hand just use the feature to save himself from getting deleted by Emma. So if he didn't use the instant dungeon feature, other game users can see him. The problem is getting him out of the game and I believe that is Se Joo's task to do that.
And now the for ending, the writer purposely tell us about the 'Instance Dungeon’ and how a user can use it to hide themselves. And later at the end, it is shown that Jin Woo after all did use that feature to save himself. But why is he helping in killing low-level NPCs for other game users just days after the game was released? It is not actually a 'Master’ task to do that and he knew the game is now free from bugs and no one is getting killed for real. But he did it anyway. Why? He did that as a call of help to alert everyone that he is after all still alive but somehow still stuck in the game. He clearly let them know that he is still alive by helping the other game users. Now that Hee Joo knew that he is alive and hidden, it is only a matter of time for him to be saved just like how he saved Se Joo the year earlier. So, technically, it is only a matter of time before he can get his happy ending.
I am pretty much disappointed with the ending but upon second viewing, it wasn’t really that bad like I initially felt. The writer for surely aimed for a happy end, it just that, its not in-your-face type of ending like other dramas.
