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And here it is: the end of the biggest television show of all time.
Seasons 1-4 are (close to) perfect.
Seasons 5-6 are where some of the cracks start to appear, with some filler episodes that don't build a lot of character. However, they're still great seasons nonetheless.
Seasons 7-8 are good, not great. They have certain pacing (rushed developments, teleportation of characters) and writing issues (plot armour, unsatisfying & unearned conclusions etc.). It is especially the level of production that elevates these seasons above average television.
Am I also unsatisfied with how they handled certain characters at the very end? Absolutely.
Do I think, however, that they mostly stuck the landing? Yes.
S1: 9.5/10; S2: 9/10; S3: 9.5/10; S4: 10/10; S5: 8/10; S6: 8/10; S7: 7/10; S8: 7/10
Overall rating: 8.4/10
The first two seasons are very nice and easy to like.
The third season is pretty awful.
It feels directionless, episodes are too long, the renewed focus makes it feel like a melodramatic soap opera, lots of misfires with the comedy (e.g. the Zava character doesn’t work at all), some of the acting got too cartoonish; the show took a swing and it turned into something that doesn’t work.
It’s nice that it tried to break down some barriers with the integration of real issues such as homophobia and racism in sports, but some of that stuff feels so tacked on or handled in a way that doesn’t make sense.
It starts out like this fun, sharp social satire about the different worlds that the working class and upper class exhibit (as well as the lack of understanding they have about each other). As the season goes along, the social satire gets pushed aside and instead it goes completely bonkers with the plot. It’s over the top, it switches genres whenever it feels like it, it’s unpredictable, and most of all it’s very entertaining. In fact, it might actually be one of the most accessible A24 productions, there’s a Tarantino feel to it that might just click with general audiences. I just don’t understand this show’s obsession with alt rock from the late 90s and early 00s. I don’t see what it adds to these characters, it doesn’t comment on the story in an interesting way, and most of these particular songs aren’t even that good. To me it feels like a middle of the road, safe choice for a show that’s otherwise so bold, exciting and carefully assembled.
8/10
Swarm is a hard look at toxic fandom, what obsession can lead to and a cautionary tale on fanaticism. It also has strong themes on grief. We take a road trip with Dre as she descends into madness and defends her idol at any cost. Anything goes, she will attack verbally, physically and socially to protect the hive. The series is dark, disturbing and sometimes repulsive but I couldn't help but binge it. The performances are what's so good about it, Dominique Fishback is phenomenal her character is unhinged and complex. Every episode features new interesting characters and performances. Billie Eilish was amazing and the episode she was in was my favorite. The violence is brutal and bloody, love the aspect ratio, beautiful aesthetics, cool music choices and I like the pacing every episode felt different and short. I'm not quite sure if this is really based on true events but "Queen B" is Beyoncé so Ni'Jah could be an analogy for her.
S01:
This probably plays really well if you also like Succession.
These characters are kinda like nails on a chalkboard, but if you can find the satire and commentary beyond that, it’s very enjoyable.
Really good characters, interesting and unpredictable story, very well produced (excellent cinematography and music), it’s fantastic.
8.5/10
S02:
Good new set of characters, love the location of cinematography.
The story doesn’t quite work for me, a lot more melodramatic than season 1 (feels a lot like a soap opera in places), it’s a lot of people fucking each other, cheating on each other, being disloyal, etc.
It squeezes some interesting ideas in there about masculinity, scamming, naivety and power, but whereas season 1 was this beautifully orchestrated car crash showing why contemporary can be such a nightmare, this isn’t anywhere as deep or interesting.
It’s mostly saved by the filmmaking and acting, but a massive step down compared to season 1.
6/10
When it comes to the prequel trilogy, Disney has gone from barely acknowledging its existence to now padding their story out with fan fiction, all within the span of only a couple of years. The results are, as you might expect, pathetic and mind-numbingly dull. There’s just no way around it: this is another dreadful Disney+ show with production and directing that somehow manages to be even worse than The Book of Boba Fett. There’s this old Hollywood cliché that women can’t direct action, and well, I’ll just say that this show doesn’t do that stereotype any favours. Ewan McGregor kinda delivers, but most of the performances in this show are awkward and cringy. It looks really, really bland for the most part, and the story is uninteresting and dumb. It makes little to no sense in the timeline. Revenge of the Sith took its time to cram everyone into their starting position for A New Hope, and the fact that we have characters meeting up again between those time periods kinda fucks with the whole continuity in A New Hope, which only adds to the fan fiction feel of the show.
3/10
I watched half a season, it kinda blows to be honest.
It’s too dumb for its own good (given how overly serious it presents itself), poorly shot and edited (the action scenes really suck in particular), lots of questionable acting, and the story is predictable and uninspired.
God fucking help us all if this is supposed to be a show for 'manly men'.
Anthony Starr is very good in it, and yeah it’s got lots of tits and blood, which is great, but if you’re looking for that I’d recommend Spartacus over this in a heartbeat.
I feel like the only real hook with this show are the sex scenes, which you can also find plenty of on the internet.
It's just plain boring. I've no problem with the fact that others enjoying it though. Have fun.
A show about using sex and sexual imagery to sell media.
Is this HBO reflecting on itself?
Jokes aside, it’s actually pretty good. Recommended.
This show is a hidden gem. It’s Straight Outta Compton for east coast hiphop, you’ll probably love it if you’re a fan of Wu-tang, Ghostface, RZA, ODB, etc. If you’re the kind of person that likes to live in a safe, simpleminded bubble where you get offended by black people using the N-word, this show (as well as hiphop at large) isn’t for you. You'd probably know that already going in, so complaining about it is a bit stupid. Great acting (Ashton Sanders’ voice in season 2 excluded, which feels very forced), great filmmaking, occasionally a little confusing because of its many characters, but very satisfying and intriguing to watch. More of this please, it’s inherently more interesting than the recent films about Queen and Elton John. It doesn’t feel like a vanity project at all.
Makes me want to cancel my Disney subscription. Quality over quantity! Do remember when Disney had the best movie storylines... what happened? Can make an interesting TV show story? Seems not... Please don't ruin a successful franchise.
Would be a ten but im taking away a point for Imagine Dragons.
It's a living proof that democracy and popular cultur is trash.
I’ve seen two episodes now and I’ve got to ask: what’s the point of watching this?
There’s nothing inherently satisfying about the show itself.
Just putting a twist on existing lore and calling it a day isn’t enough to hold my attention for 30 mimutes, nor any sane person, I imagine.
Are people only watching this because it sets up future stuff?
Why would anyone watch something that’s just set-up?
Projects are always supposed to function as an isolated piece of art, and not just as a piece of a larger machine.
This show is so empty, it’s the kind of format that lends itself for short 4 minute videos on Youtube.
But a feature series? Come on.
Edit: alright so there is an attempt to tie the loose ends together in the final episode, but still, it kinda fails to justify its existence.
Wow, I’d never thought Alex Pina could make something this shitty after La Casa de Papel.
Like, I can’t even begin to describe this show, or the plot for that matter.
The actual story is pushed aside for most of the season, which means that the average episode consists of people drinking, partying, fucking, snorting cocaine, boring conversations about fucking, more fucking, annoying melodrama about relationships and people being shitheads for 50 minutes.
Honestly, I dare you to find I character that you don’t despise by the time that the finale comes around.
Now, I could pass most of that off if the show was at least fun, or if it didn’t take itself so seriously, like Entourage for example.
But given the dark things that happen in the show, and also the fact that it has no sense of humour, I’m inclined to believe that they want us to take it seriously.
Normally, I’d give it a 1, but it doesn’t even deserve that honor, as it’s fairly well produced.
2.5/10
This is the show that Zack Snyder wishes he could make.
It deconstructs superheroes in a smart way, while not forgetting about important things like character development, story coherence or pacing.
In fact, this is a show that genuinly has a lot of profound things to say about the military industrial complex, religion, power abuse, and more.
It doesn’t just use fetishized costumes and pretentious dialogue to cover up for its own lack of substance.
Moreover, this show is darkly funny, original and twisted.
They could still improve the show by fleshing out some of the characters in Karl Urban’s crew, because I didn’t think all of them were interesting.
Also, the action scenes are straight up bad, but that’s in no way a dealbreaker, because the show isn’t all that interested in them.
8/10
This is, without a doubt, one of the hokiest shows of all time.
And yet, it can be stupidly fun at times.
It's one of the best guilty pleasures out there, that's for sure.
