It's got more or less everything that worked in season one, plus Meryl Streep. That's a win in my book.
In all honesty, I only started watching it because I need to practice my French but I have to say it was quite good, decently written and with interesting plots. Now I'm curious about the other ones.
Ava DuVernay has got the delicate touch of an elephant and the level of cheesiness is out of the park. Still, the first two episodes are really, really good, engaging and moving, quite thrilling if you don't already know how it went. Episode three is really the worst one, too much easy melodrama and really schematic in its structure. It gets a bit better in the final episode, thanks to the "prison drama" approach. Overall, it's an interesting and important series for sure but I think I would have preferred a different approach. Maybe it's just that I don't like DuVernay.
They recently added six episodes as a "Season 1 - Part 2" bundle and I gotta say I think they got quite better. The series was already smart and cute but these new episodes are more fun, confident, even moving at times. I love watching it with my daughter.
The first four episodes are a nice and entertaining warm up, then it becomes fucking amazing for the rest of the season. Fucking. Amazing. Between this and Mindhunter, Netflix is really hitting it out of the park.
I have to admit it took me two or three episodes to get into it but in the end I loved it. The choice to tone down the more absurd elements of the comicbook and make it more grounded, in a way, really worked for me. There's still a lot to laugh about but when the supes do their crazy shit it's much more effective (the airplane scene is really great). Overall it's a good adaptation and a smart TV show.
The writing is a mixed bag. Dialogues are mostly made of dull expository monologues and tragically unfunny humor, while being constantly over the top and coming from really clichéd characters. But the lore is somewhat fascinating, keeping the climax for the penultimate episode is something I always like and I think that the overall structure, with the good guys doing nothing and the bad guys moving the plot, constitutes a nice choice. Plus, I like that it's moody, slow, never in a hurry to please with action. Visually, it's also a mixed bag: backgrounds are often beautiful, while the characters are atrocious and the action, when it kicks in, is quite good. Overall, it's an interesting adaptation and a decent animated show, with a nice crescendo, some very good moments and a good voice cast. It takes a couple of (quite boring) episodes to find its strides but then It's fine.
Visually, the stop motion is really, really cool. Even when the story is frankly a bit boring for me, I’m still amazed by the aesthetics and my daughter has fun anyway. The lessons are always clearly explained by the main character (many different variations of “Oh, I figured it out: I have to do this and that”), so it can be a bit dull for me, but it’s smart, full of interesting things, and it’s about kids playing outside, learning things by experimenting with stuff and getting their hands dirty. Which is a cool thing I hope my daughter will do more and more, even though she hates having her hands dirty.
So, again, it's only for kids, but it’s good. And there's two or three episodes near the end of the season that I really, really loved, not as a father, just as a spectator: Parachute Play is quite moving, I dare say, while Bedtime Story and A Treasure Hunt are visually and structurally really well made.
It still manages to trojan horse a smart satire of adult life into anime rom-com cliches and it's even lovelier in how it uses and embraces those cliches. Plus, it expands the musical theme in a fun way. I'd say its even better than season one.
It's enjoyable from start to finish but clearly not as good as the great cast would make you think. At least for the first six episodes. then there's the AMAZING episode seven, which is one of the best episodes of TV in recent years. The rest of the season does not deserve it, even though the final stretch is quite good (and I'm one of the few people who liked the amibuity of the ending). But episode seven is from a different dimension. That's why I'm giving the season an 8 instead of a 7.
With a rewatch, you can really notice how season 2 was slowly evolving in terms of tone: it's still dark and dramatic, but the more fun vibe that will go on to dominate season 3 is coming out here. Overall, it's a good season, maybe less effective than the first one but still a great ride, with a pretty cool evolution for many characters, some new great dynamics and an amazing second half. But yeah, episode 7 still sucks, even though I like its intentions and I think the beginning an the end of it are great. The execution of the middle part, though, is kinda lame.
I finally managed to convince my wife that she would love it and that it's not too scary for her, so I'm doing a rewatch while she's watching it for the first time. In going back after season three, apart from the fun of seeing the young actors as little kids again, it's amazing to see how different the vibe was. This is really dark, desperate, and there are almost no laughs, just a few smiles. I'm not against the evolution they decided for, I'm just noticing how different it is. Anyway, season 1 is still really, really good, even though of course the tension is not the same, knowing nobody is really at risk.
They really went all in with the political themes and they added a whole bunch of bizarre ideas that feel a bit like what they did in Braindead. It doesn't always work, but when it does it's really good.
The Marvel/Netflix shows can suck a dick. They actually kinda did.
Jesus, what an amazing ending.
The usual Bojack: sometimes it's great, sometimes it's decent, sometimes it's amazing. Which is what I wrote for season 4 but, well, it's still true.
A nice show, well acted and decently directed, maybe a bit too on the nose in the way it talks about contemporary issues.
Impeccably written, directed, shot and acted, this is a great production through and through and I'm happy I've watched but, I don't know, something's missing, at least for me. I wasn't able to emotionally get into it, even though as a parent I should be able to feel at least part of the emotional struggle. Also, I think the second half of the season, in which we see the dawn of the rebellion I assume we're gonna watch in the following seasons, is less effective than the "no hope oppression" of the first half.
The engine is now running at full force and show is almost constantly amazing: funny as hell, quite engaging, full of great ideas, never scared of reinventing itself and with a great bunch of actors. I also almost have to admit that Kristen Bell is an acquired taste by now.
Like a lot of comedy shows, it takes a bunch of episodes to find its groove but when it clicks, it really does, despite having a very very very bad actress as the main character. The rest of the cast is amazing, though, and the way the season evolves, by destroying network comedy shows clichés and reinventing itself instead of sitting on a bland repetition of it's basic plot is amazing. It's really smart, funny, great TV.
It's really cute and visually fascinating, plus the voiceover is quite good. Of course, being clearly targeted to children, it's really on the nose with its "messages", but it's still a nice watch. And my three-year-old daughter loves it.
The surprise effect is gone, but this is still consistently good: funny, smart and quite deep, under the layer of crass stupidity.
I honestly think that people is too harsh on Damien Dahrk, but his season clearly had issues, especially in the second half. Well, season 5 is a return to form and for the first time since season 2 Arrow doesn't have long slumps with fillers coming out of the fucking walls. The storylines are interesting, there's stuff to do for everybody and the villain is amazing. Also, the ending is great.
This is a nice improvement for an already good show. Season 2 starts slow but then hits its stride and shows it certainly doesn't lack in ambition regarding mature themes, sci-fi action and silly superhero stuff. It's not perfect by any means, but it's really good.
This is a good season, quite fun, with many entertaining episodes, the lovely H.R character, some nice ideas and a thrilling final ride after the big reveal. The issues? The reveal itself (come on, it was immediately obvious, after a couple of clues were dropped much early in the season), the dark tone (it works at times and it makes sense but this series works better when it's a bit lighter... it's not Arrow) and fact that the villain was basically non existent for too long (I had the same issue with Ras in Arrow season 3). Anyway, I had fun. Probably, binge watching it helped.
Is it just me or did this become even more crappy?
Lee Pace talking exactly like Don Draper is a bit annoying, but I guess it's compensated by the kind of Patrick Bateman vibe he gives off. Overall the cast is quite good and the series is really interesting, even though it takes a while to get there. I'm curious to see the second season jump in quality everybody talks about.
Like it happened with The Good Wife, after a first season to warm up, this is getting better and better.
The first half of the season is really, really good, then it tragically falls back in the usual "not enough stuff to fill 12 episodes" problem. There's still a bunch of good episodes and great moments, though, plus the finale is spot on.
This is brilliant, cute, funny and surprisingly deep in its themes. Plus, my two years old daughter loves it.
