Cheap cop out way of writing an ending. The intended effect Safdie was going for was everyone will wonder, “why all the gentrification themed - non-magical realism 9 previous episodes?” They’ll think he’s a genius but realize theres little rewatch value. For this ending? Nah. Safdies character was cringe, the episodes were cringe. Stone and Fielder made the experiment slightly watchable but I see this series as sealing Safdie for me as having gone beyond his expertise. It seems he was given an opportunity by the studio with the seed of an idea that never really grows up - rather it just evaporates.
As someone "smart" Saul is easily the dumbest person on the show. Why did they write him like this?
Am I crazy or did some of the dialogue audio get messed up in this episode? Almost like something very slightly muffling the audio of Jin and the shooter.
Everything fell apart when they introduced that stupid fucking rocket with the bombs. How did they even get the bombS up in space in the correct spots and then get them to stay in that location? Not looking forward to season 2 tbh.
Safdies and Fielder - not exactly an incredible combo. He should of done another season of The Rehearsal or his og show. The “Nathan” we know and love isn’t plugging and playing quite the way we wanted here. Emma stone gives tho.
I see a lot of positive reactions so I’m probably in the minority here but I don’t think the show earned this ending. I was definitely surprised and there was a level of emotion, but the ending mostly just made me mad. The conclusion felt rushed, and it just feels like Alan went through all this and put up with everything all for nothing. I understand that he went on his own internal and reflective journey with his relationship with his son and that was paid off at the end, so it technically wasn’t all for nothing, but I’m not a fan of how the end played out. The emotional weight with Alan’s kids should’ve hit so much harder than it did but they were barely even characters in the show so it falls short because I feel no real connection to them. So for me this finale was more annoying and frustrating than the captivating tragedy they were likely going for.
01x02 - Path of the Dead: 7.8/10 (Impressive)
The cinematography is stunning, and some stills are works of art in their own right. It was this aspect of the episode that pulled me in, combined with the almost poetic dialogue. The two leads, Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer do a fine job, and the episode’s portrayal of conflict and societal commentary is handled artistically while remaining grounded. It lends nuance to everything instead of simply being black and white, which I like. “Path of the Dead,” the second episode, is a solid follow-up to the debut and masterfully lays the setting for a gripping tale, even if we don’t know where it’s heading just yet.
I tolerated the first episode, but honestly this second episoder is pure cringe. Elizabeth Holmes is portrayed not as a grifter POS but a hip-hop loving nymphomaniac who breaks out in dance every five minutes. And the rest of the cast has suddenly become terrible versions of a Judd Apatow movie.
