Watching a great series finale is akin to saying good-bye to an old friend. So, as I write my final review of this stellar series, I'm feeling a little blue. But, let me walk you through my experience watching this series, which is now setting records as one of the longest continuing series by Amazon Prime.
Season One - (1 August 2017) This is my present binge watch, and I'm enjoying it. This series is based on a book by Philip K. Dick (author of BLADE RUNNER, TOTAL RECALL, THE MINORITY REPORT, THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU). This series is a blend of genres, so there is a little of something for everyone. It is a period piece (with an anomalous mystery), a SciFi other-world creation, a thriller and a drama. So, just relax, suspend belief and follow the writer's breadcrumbs. It's a great ride. The cast is great. The story arch is compelling. There are some stand-out performances, but basically, it is a great ensemble piece. My ratings for the episodes went from a 7 (good) to an 8 (great) to a 9 (superb), and the season finale was a solid, "WHAT!" The series was now a 10 (WOW) out of 10.
Season 2 (4 August 2017) This season's story backtracked allowing the audience to recalibrate, but then, quickly, drew us back in to its thrilling pace. It continued to give us superb storytelling, engaging performances, dynamic character building, depth of production and the season finale was breathtaking, and I have nothing but high praise for this series - a solid 10 (brilliant) out of 10.
Season 3 (7 December 2018) Already on my TOP TV SERIES list, my only concern is that, for the whole series, we are waiting for the big reveal of how this universe works, and each season this reveal is delayed - how long can we defer resolve? An additional challenge of this season was to maintain the mystery without violating the original premise. There were interesting new characters, great storytelling and interesting challenges left for season 4. My rating for this series is still a 10 (well done) out of 10.
Season 4 (11 December 2019) I knew this was to be its last season, so, I began it with a bitter-sweet anticipation. Of course, it was following up on a cliff-hanger from the season before. There were some major character losses, none quite so jarring as the first one. (I felt like we had been robbed.) Although the finale left more questions unanswered, I knew that any finale would have left me longing for more. This was a wonderfully conceived premise, superb storytelling, a fantastic cast giving us enduring characters, timely existential questions and moral repercussions. This is TV at its best, 10 out of 10, all the way and I will miss it (and probably rewatch it, every 4 years, or so). [SciFi, Period, Mystery, Drama]
