Initial Reaction
The Good
• The sets and world design are hands down some of the best the series has to offer. Really above and beyond on how they could expand the amazing lore.
• Music is also good. Mixing with the old theme still carries on here from the previous film, and it works.
• The opening. It's amazing, truely a fantastic opening to what seemed to be such a promising movie. The best opening to any Wizarding World film.
• New creature designs are spectacular. Beautiful to behold.
The Bad
• The plot is awful. This is a set up film. It goes nowhere. Having a prequel means to expand upon something we don't know the ending too. Or at least be interesting enough to care about something else that we don't know the finale too. This movie does neither.
• Zero stakes.
• Predictable if you know how they screwed up characters.
• There is a serious lacking of motivation from every character. Except Dumbledore possibly.
• Continuity errors that the first film justified, but here they just forget about.
• Acting is ok but I really didn't care about these characters they are trying to make me love. The first film made me care. Here, it's just like they aren't the same people.
• Though, I will commend the dark tone it carries for the first half or so. Its comedy that it tried to slot it, didn't work at all.
Other
No post-credit scenes after the film finishes.
Conclusion
This is without a doubt, the worst film so far in the franchise. I say so far, because apparently there are going to be 3 more movies. Which I doubt after this. Truely a disappointment as I am left dissatisfied.
[8.3/10] Such a fun episode. One of the great things about Community is just how well-observed all the spoofs are, and how well they manage to map whatever piece of pop cultural flotsam they’re toying with these week onto this show’s sensibilities. “Epidemiology” is a superb episode, because it manages to make this a legitimately great zombie story in its own right (replete with a nice visual reference to Day of the Dead), while also bolting on a nice Troy/Abed and a lot of character-specific jokes.
For one thing, there’s a lot of great visual work in this one. The lighting is dark and appropriately spooky for the setting, while leaving enough light to see all the characters and the zombies clearly. The races and escapes from the undead are great and tense while still being light enough to work. And the way the show plays with the tropes like people being trapped in the room while someone’s hiding that they’ve been bit, or Abed encouraging Troy to break barriers by making it to the end show a self-awareness and specificity of the parody that elevates it.
Plus, there’s great character moments galore. I died laughing at Jeff’s antics, between him being more worried about his suit than dying, and him texting regardless of whether or not he was zombified. The Chang/Shirley thing never really made sense to me, but I like the two of them bonding over people not getting their costumes, And of course, the way the episode turns a zombie outbreak into a brief but potent exploration of Troy’s desire to be cool juxtaposed with his desire to be Abed’s friend despite his nerdiness is great.
And hey, they even mix in some solid zombie explanations here, with experimental military taco meat (which makes sense given the Dean’s penny pinching), an air-conditioning based solution, and the military coming in to dose everyone afterward with a cover story. (As always, Jim Rash is tremendous as the Dean -- his delivery just cracks me up every time.)
Overall, a fantastic zombie parody, a nice Troy/Abed episode, and a lot of great Halloween comedy. Plus George Takei! What more could you want?
This episode marks a bittersweet series finale. Show runner Moira Walley-Beckett must have anticipated this possibility as the last two episodes ramps up the pace and wraps up all the primary story lines.
Anne gets well deserved closure to discovering parentage. Anne breaking apart at the sight of her mother's portrait packs an emotional power I did not expect. Ambeth McNulty strikes a great balance of courage and vulnerability, on equal footing with Kiernan Shipka as among the very best child actresses working today.
Gilbert is the series's breakthrough character. His journey is far more nuanced and well developed than the novel, and Lucas Jade Zumann's eyes emote as much emotion as Elijah Wood on Frodo. More so than others, Gilbert has persistently been on the quest of self discovery and his efforts pays off with full clarify on his future, both career and academic fronts and romance.
Moreover, their "Shirtbert" pairing ends with an electrifying kiss that recalls A Room with a View.
Like Gilbert, Diana flourished on this final season. Her first major crush with Jerry (oh, poor Jerry) ends with discovering her self worth. She follows up by fighting for independence, which is rewarded on this final episode with a new chapter at Queens College. Her confrontation with Gilbert cements her place as the best friend we all crave.
My favorite characters are the Cuthberts, Matthew and Marilla. Their emotional wounds may not be as tragic as Anne's, but their good hearts deserved far better. With Anne, they experienced many of the joys and heartaches of being a parent, compressed to mere few years. Geraldine James and R. H. Thomson provide strong anchors and role models for young actors. Their love for Anne brims over every scenes on this episode.
Gilbert's partner, Sebastian "Bash" is a surprise addition. His character serves as a counterpoint for Gilbert's growth and Gilbert to his own pain and struggles. With his ridiculous cute baby daughter, her mother, and his new son in law, he will no doubt overcome new challenges.
This series deviates significant enough from the novel to open up many exciting possibilities. Top notch efforts all around by amazing cast and crew. The show looks and feels so authentic, and in particular, these amazing crew of young actors deserve great future ahead. I hope they all get their wish with a movie. Meanwhile, as Anne would say, I will let my imagination wrap up unfinished stories of Ka'Kwet and Miss Stacy.
[6.8/10] Perfectly fine first outing for the new season. There’s not a lot that really stands out or pops, but it’s a solid reintroduction to Dreamland and its goings on.
Bean’s reunion with her mom goes about how you’d expect. I like the dynamic of Bean being resistant to her mother’s welcomes given their history, while Dagmar plays the part of the caring parent, theoretically casting off the prophecy business and at least appearing like she wants to reconnect with her daughter. Like Bean, I don’t really buy it, but it nicely changes the dynamic between them and invoking their time together when Bean was a child through dialogue adds some weight to it.
I also like the worldbuilding of getting to meet the Trogs and see their world. There’s some cool designs, both for the subterranean beings and for their various caves and cubbies and mushroom forests. There’s a distinctive vibe to the whole place, a little spooky but a little inviting as a place of adventure, which is just right. Even when the show’s storytelling is shaky, there’s a lot of cool design work going on, and then extends to the fun psychedelic sequence here.
In terms of the other characters, Elfo being desirable to the Trogs is a turn that could go somewhere. Luci seems a little superfluous at this point, but presumably it makes sense for him to help investigate what’s really going on. We get hints at the Trogs’ ways of life, their ability to infiltrate the castle and other places using their tunnels, and the fact that they seem to be slaves (and food) to Dagmar.
Back topside, we get some solid character work with Zog, who is ready to die, until he finds out that Beanie is alive and resolves to sneak away and save her. There’s a touch of pathos to the fact that his guard gives a right pretty speech about how much he looked up to Zog as a father figure, only to end up with his head on a pyke by the end. And it’s genuinely pretty dark and creepy to watch Zog end up buried alive by the end of this.
We also get to see Derek being manipulated by Odval and the High Druidess. Their intent to institute a theocracy, so they can prohibit vice and rake in the cash, gives some edge to their plans beyond the usual total domination routine. I also like Derek realizing that being king means getting to do what he wants, with some prodding from Merkimer to “remember the wankers.”
That said, there’s very few laughs in this one, only a handful of mild chuckles, which doesn’t get the season off on a terrible funny foot. Still, despite a fair bit of throat clearing and establishing the new status quo, this is a good enough ramp to the new season.
“Coming home is just...awful.”
Where do I even begin with this movie? Even if I did attempt to explain, it still would not be fulfilling. I don't have words to describe how incredibly touched I was on my first watch. I knew immediately after the first watch that I needed to watch it again. To quote film critic Roger Ebert in his ‘Synecdoche, New York’ review, “I watched it the first time and knew it was a great film and that I had not mastered it.” I am going to start with a traditional structured review like my other ones but depart half-way through with a spoiler review by stating my interpretation for a couple of scenes. This one is going to be different because my head is like a hurricane of thoughts, and I would usually get “brain freeze” whenever I try to explain certain things.
Perhaps I missed something, but I'm not sure what. Or perhaps it just confirmed my deepest darkest fears that no movie has ever addressed. The movie frightened me, but again I do not know why. Some things felt incredibly personal, and yet still I don't know why.
I'm Thinking of-
Sorry for rambling on; I’m not the one to captivate an audience. Look, I know you got better things to do and so do I. Heck, I bet most people who liked this review probably didn’t even read it but trying to be nice. Or maybe some people started to read it but got bored since am taking such a long time to say what I liked about the movie. Am I overthinking it? Should I put unrealistic expectations on myself to write a review that will do justice to what the movie presents? Does it really matter? Is there any point in writing this?
I’m Thinking-
I loved the movie. It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen all year. A poetic and beautiful movie in the strangest of ways. The movie has so much to say about relationships, theatre, past, family, death, etc. So, what does these themes that the movie is trying to say can relate to you? Well, personally, that is for you to decide. A movie that can be interpreted in so many ways but can convey the same emotional gut punch is unique beyond words.
The performances from everyone were all excellent. Jessie Buckley as The Young Women, and Jesse Plemons as Jake, both gave the best performances of their careers and of the year. Both manage to bring every type of emotion that made every scene feel so extraordinary. Also, Plemons has got such a beautiful singing voice, especially the “PACK OF LIES!” part. This guy continues to surprise me.
Toni Collette and David Thewlis were fantastic as Jake’s parents. Just from their mannerisms, delivery of dialogue, and coo coo characteristics made them instantly memorable.
The cinematography, score, writing, editing, and the sound work were nothing short but impeccable. I love how the shots and framing makes the overall setting of the movie feel so limited. Almost like it is coming from one’s imagination and memory of such forgotten places. The quick and unpredictable cuts give the perfect impression of “thinking out loud” and makes the pace feel so disorganized, which adds to the surrealness. I love the gentle and whimsical score with a little touch of sadness, which sings the sweet sorrows from a place that hurts the most.
Not everyone is a Charlie Kaufman fan and if you’re not a fan, then this movie won’t do it for you. Some may be annoyed with the movie “artsy-fartsy” presentation and overall message. Or maybe people are so use to fast food that they have forgotten what an actual meal is. Still, I can totally understand why, but you should not judge this movie as “poorly made” or “being weird for the shake of being weird”, if it wants you to interpret what's going on with such openness, as it leaves so much in the dark.
Spoiler Warning!
Now I will be getting into spoiler area, as I will be discussing and analysing certain scenes, and my own interpretations. So, if you have not seen the movie but want to, then run away from your computer or phone screen. Let us begin.
1.) The Young Woman (Jessie Buckley) is a projection and embodiment of Jakes life. The Young Woman likes poetry, science, and painting. At one point she shows Jake’s parents her paintings on her phone, but the father doesn’t like them, while the mother is more supportive. However, those are Jakes paintings and later when the girlfriend goes down into the basement, there are oiled paintings in the corner, same ones on her phone. Another example would be throughout the movie her shirt kept changing colours because she exists only in his head, and he kept making small mistakes on the persona he created.
I think the reason why Jake did this is because he thought that by placing his interest and hobbies onto this woman that he created in his head, then maybe there might be a spark in their chemistry and hopefully become that “happy” couple that the movies lied to him about. This is the reason why the conversation at the beginning of the movie between the two felt so forced and awkward, which the movie straight away gives you a hint that something is not right. When we start to learn that these are in fact Jake’s, it removes itself from her, and her interaction and mood towards him changes very much. The movie quite literally pulls an Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ on us, when we thought the main character would be the woman, but it was him the whole time. On a second re-watch it becomes much more clear as the camera seems to linger on Jake more. There is a scene where she recites a poem called "Bonedog" by Eva H.D., and halfway through she breaks the fourth wall and looks straight at the camera. Now she is not addressing the poem to us, but towards Jake, as his own subconscious is destroying his fantasy by bringing in a little reality.
2.) Throughout the movie, it would occasionally cut to an old and out of shape school Janitor, as we see him doing his usual cleaning around the school, sometimes with kids around. The kids at the school either stay around and work, whilst others move on. Now the Janitor is meant to be Jake. He dreams, and yet never made his dreams a reality. Some of the kids at the school such as the two mean girls at the beginning mocking him, and the shy girl with the rash on her arms that he walked past briefly would later appear in the Ice Cream scene. He sees kids every day and they become characters in his fantasy with the same characteristics.
3.) The dance scene towards the end (which by the way was so beautiful to watch and unexpected considering where the movie was leading up to), I believe it represents a “what if” scenario for The Janitor (Jake) if he would have just talked to her when he first saw her. Maybe both of them would fall in love and have a perfect life together, which this dance symbolises the dreamy warm delight of love. It just shows you how magical their love could have been. But then The Janitor kills the youthful self that he wished he were. You know, the one who got the girl and lived a happy life. At this point in the movie, he has come to terms that he cannot keep living in his fantasy. So, The Janitor killing young Jake meant that reality has finally hit him, and he finally accepts that things will never be the way he imagined it.
After some thinking, he finally ended it.
4.) I am split between if Jake did or did not kill himself towards the end. A part of me feels like him dying seems like a certainty as it was heavily hinted throughout. Another part of me feels it ends less bleak, as Jake doesn't die. Perhaps a near death experience after nearly freezing to death in his car might have woken him up and see things differently. He finally rejects every negative thing people have said to him and to himself. Finally seeing the cloud with a silver lining. The title itself can convey any meaning for your liking. Mine is a mix bag.
5.) During the musical climax of the movie, Jake sings the musical ‘Oklahoma’, we see everyone in the audience with a couple of familiar faces, who have that powered white face make-up you see in theatre productions, with that comic book lines draw on their faces to represent facial features, which makes them all look old and ghostly. Everyone there was someone he knew in the past. It's like in the TV show ‘The Leftovers’, where Nora (played by Carrie Coon) says that returning to old places to recreate old nostalgic feelings and memories won't be the same, because everyone there has either moved on or left. In the end, you are just a ghost from the past. By not moving on, you find yourself in the same place, wondering why everybody has moved and not you. And yet, you still find yourself returning to that place to hopefully find some healing and deny what is present, but disappointment seems to be the result.
Let me tell you something personal about myself. Sometimes whenever am free and nearby, I would come and visit my old primary school and college. However, these visits became more often. When I first started college, there was this small park next to my college, and I would use to sit at a park bench in my first year on my first day, because I had no one to talk and I was too shy. It was a scary time to be independent when you have no hopes for the future. As the year progress, everything got better. Years later, I went back to that same park and sat down where I use to sit to feel a sense of progression from where I started compared to now, but I felt nothing and after two minutes got up and left. My college is in town and I must get two bus. So, my trips were pointless but every time I tell myself I will feel it again someday. Maybe some good memories will come flooding back. I would also look up old photos whenever I have too much time on my hands, while I listen to music. Sometimes the photos don’t have me in it, but the most frequently ones are old theatre productions from college that I remembered seeing. My attention is not actually on the performers on stage, but the audience members, as I can recognise some familiar faces in the dark. Faces stuck in awe and excitement forever captured in a frame. I would stare at it and imagine years from now when am on stage with a successfully career and doing what I love, while the people I care and love the most are there during my success, hopefully with those same exact facial expressions.
Do not worry, I plan to make my dreams my master.
If only you could step into my shoes to have a better understanding. It will be so much easier if we slipped into other people’s shoes. We will understand each other so much better if we had that power.
I am 21 years old as am writing this review, so the fact I found certain elements of this movie felt so personal makes me wonder what effect it will have years from now. That’s the beauty of the movie, that no age, no gender, no race, or sexuality can’t stop it from feeling so relatable, even if you can’t pin point why, but it is felt, sometimes in the deepest section of your heart and soul that no light can touch. Now that is what I call a great movie.
So yeah, I liked the movie a lot.
Overall rating: I am not sure how to conclude after all of that. Oh wait, I know... “Billy Crystal is a nancy.”
Until this episode the 5th season lacked a certain spark for me, at least compared to the previous ones.
It is quite obvious that the space left by Ragnar, Rollo etc. that driven the early seasons and set the tone to the whole show, was getting more evident (despite the Seer telling the contrary to Lagertha in this episode) now that those storylines plots and sub-plots are completely behind.
But with this episode things are finally opening towards new angles and developments, mainly with Astrid change of position and obviously Bjorn finally in the Mediterranean introducing few interesting characters and situations. But there is alot more going on!
I have the feeling that this episode ,though at first glance lacking any real key events, represent a pivotal moment for almost all the main characters: the brotherhood triangle between Ivar, Hvitserk and Ubbe after a long stall, is now entering a new more interesting stage, Lagerta coming to terms with the shifting powers in Kattegat, the Floki physical and inner trip coming to a conclusion, Harald and Halfdan brothers fully taking their own different paths, Heahmund and Athelwulf alliance cracking under different ambitions and motivations.
Basically in a quite subtle and smart way, 'The Plan' is (ironically) bringing to the show exactly what the title suggests: the foundations plans on which all next storylines will develop.
Looking back on the first season, it doesn't seem as good as I initially thought. Over time, since the first season began, leading up to now, the criticisms became more relatable as opposed to the (excessive and exaggerated) praises, even though I was probably more in line with the latter instead of the former.
So, I guess I hardly had any (or high) expectations and yearning concerning the second season. But I think this was a decent start to the second season. It felt completely different than the entire first season. I hope that will remain the case throughout the entirety of this season.
Hell, I'd go far enough to say that this premiere just FELT much better than the entire first season. All I can say is that it felt better. Even if I wanted to deep dive into why it felt better and whether it is better than the entire first season, objectively, I'm nowhere near qualified enough to do that. Maybe the cinematography; and the linear narrative opposed to the non-linear narrative in the first season were contributing factors.
But I can say that there were some improvements, such as:
The cinematography. It's relatively good now, unlike in the first season. I think it was what stood out the most in this premiere: it stood out in the first season, too, just not in a good way. It looked surprisingly crisp and high-quality. I think it was well-done, not only in appearance but also technically. The use of lighting and the angles of some shots. How some shots were filmed and so on.
The dialogue, maybe. I seem to think that it wasn't great in the first season. But overall, it felt like an improvement in this premiere. Of course, there's still room for even more improvement.
The writing remains to be seen. Upon first impression, nothing about it stood out in a semi-negative way, which is good. I hope that continues for the rest of the season. I think this will be a season of improvements over the first season, all-around. And even if there are moments written poorly or conveniently, I doubt they'll be worth it to care about them.
Here are some of my other thoughts regarding the episode:
The contact lenses (?) that Henry Cavill and Freya Allan were wearing gave each of their characters something needed. I'm not sure if Henry was wearing contact lenses in the first season or if the color of his eyes was CGI. I'm pretty sure that neither was the case for Freya. I can see why some people may not like them. They look a little uncanny. But to me, both of them look way better, aesthetically, with the (these) contact lenses. And they're further amplified by the crisp, high-quality-looking cinematography.
Geralt and Cirilla's relationship/dynamic seems wholesome, although they seem pretty close already, which is odd. They're still pretty much strangers. But maybe there was enough time for them to grow closer to each other. Off-screen. Or it could be :sparkles:destiny.:sparkles: Either way, I like their relationship/dynamic already, and I hope it gets even better throughout the season.
I can't be the only one who thought Tissaia was going to do the magic memory search thing on the guy who was on their side that Vilgefortz bludgeoned to death nearing the end of the first season. I'm aware that both locations were different, but they had to have been close to each other. Bodies also seemed to be being brought to where Tissaia was. I think my initial thought had some merit of possibility, yet it was a bit far-fetched at the same time.
MyAnna Buring's acting carried this episode, acting-wise. I'm assuming that'll be a popular opinion and an opinion that most people would find agreeable. As far as Tissaia is concerned, I like the amount of care and attachment she has towards Yennefer; and the lengths she'll go for her. I'm interested to see how their relationship will pan out throughout the season.
The CGI (?) for Nivellen looked pretty decent. There still looked to be a tiny bit of uncanniness, but nothing immersion-breaking. And the animated (?) moments of his mouth during speech and drinking looked decent, as well. If anything, the CGI during those moments looked more uncanny, sometimes, than his entire look.
The acting by Kristofer Hivju as Nivellen was pretty decent as well. I haven't watched Game of Thrones, but I'm assuming that he's somewhat of a high-profile actor who's also a pretty good actor, so I guess it was cool to see him in (only) this premiere. If only he played an important character who'll be a central part of the story at some point.
Unless there's something I missed at the end of the first season, Cahir's capture seemed random. I guess it wouldn't have been impossible for him to be captured and given how many of Nilfgaardians Yennefer took out with her final attack. But it still felt random. Maybe I'm alone on that.
The fight sequence of Geralt against (the Bruxa) Vereena was filmed quite nicely. Choreography-wise, it started pretty decently, but once she transformed into the bat-like creature, there wasn't much to it anymore. Still, something about it made it seem better than the fight sequence of Geralt against the Striga in the third episode of the first season.
Overall, this premiere was somewhat of a slow start to the season. It did pick up further into the episode. Story-wise, the pacing wasn't too fast or too slow. Pretty much, this was a decent/entertaining premiere. It'll likely get better and more exciting starting with the next episode, so I'm looking forward to continuing watching through this season.
Spoiler Alert, Spoiler Alert, Spoiler Alert!
The amount of stupid in the season end was almost more than the wife and I could bare to watch. The writers apparently had to add the enormous amount of stupid to lengthen the episode.
1) Nicks fight scenes, keeps taking the beatings from the guards and yet lets the guard keep the batons that he's getting beating with and yet he has the jump dodge and run energy all over the stairs and yet can't take the batons from the guards. Come on man.
2) The wolf that waits until the guard finishes reloading before he attacks to get the key card, really?
3) The number of times they had to have conversations before getting on with the mission to kill Alister was ridiculous.
4) Page having to wait at the door instead of just putting one of the wooden crates to wedge the door open. Gee that's a hard thought to come up with.
5) Clay having to growl in the last scene before attacking Alister. Clay knew from previous encounters you don't give Alister forewarning giving him time to use his powers. Yet he has to sit there and growl first to show his intent.
6) Savannah not being able to resist Alister now but was able to before for some reason?
7) Everyone knowing the end was really really close and yet taking the time to have extended conversations through out the whole episode.
8) Elana not seeing the obvious knife in the stomach thing, again more conversation and letting Alister get the advantage. Why not just rip his heart out like she did previously and end it. Again they have a very short time left and she's going play kung fu with him and then get knifed.
9) The whole thing was painfully overly melodramatic.
10) I could go on and on and make it just as painful as the episode was to watch.
[7.6/10] If there’s one thing I appreciate about the second season of Disenchantment, it’s that the events last season’s finale had consequences. Much of this initial trio of episodes has been about reestablishing the status quo and setting things back to where they were, but the show’s earned that, having parental betrayals, trips to hell and back, and unexpected elf help necessary to make it all happen. It’s nice to see Dreamland back in operation, but it’s even nicer to see the show earning that, and taking the time to show all of its characters getting from where they were to where they are now.
The most interesting element of that is Elfo’s lingering resentments. In truth, Elfo is being a little too rigid here. Bean’s right that she not only had a pretty good justification for choosing to revive her mom, even if it didn’t work out, and that despite that, she herself has more than earned Elfo’s forgiveness by literally going through hell to get him back. That said, all the good justifications in the world don’t necessarily turn around someone’s emotions, and it’s natural and interesting to see how Elfo is still upset about Bean’s choice (even if he’s a little annoying about it).
It’s also nice to see the show exploring Queen Oona a little bit. There’s some good sink/think humor at pay, but I like even better the idea that she’s felt stifled in her role as a monarch and, when she lets herself off the chain, is a pretty incredible pirate. Her wanting her independence and her comically acrimonious return to Dreamland each provide good throughlines for this one.
The best story, though, is arguably the one between Bean and King Zog. The show takes it lightly with Zog’s rock-throwing way, but there’s still something to be said for the idea that he of all people would feel betrayed by his wife and daughter turning on him like this. Bean once again earning forgiveness and going to extremes to set things right is a good look for the character’s evolution. And the scene at the end of Bean knowing “just what her dad needs” in the jester-plummeting department is a nice beat to end on. The relationship between Bean and her dad has been one of the major throughlines for the whole show, so it’s nice to see it get some good airtime here.
Otherwise, the show drops some intriguing new mysteries to help refill the show’s mystery vbox quota after so many things were unveiled on both sides of the season break. The arrival of Leavo, the only elf to have left their collective before RElfo, is an intriguing development, ad his cryptic reveal that there’s something of value to the elves there is one that piqued my interest. Leavo himself is amusing in his dry pirate guise, and there’s promise there, both in Elfo’s adoration of him, and in whatever he’s secretly plotting.
Otherwise, the humor in this one was quite good. Oona’s reign as pirate leader in particular lends itself to good laughs, and Zog’s ridiculous rock tossing earned a few chuckles. (By the way, it turns out that the little guys are Zip and Zap, not Akbar and Jeff, despite the resemblance!) There’s definitely some more straight humor in this one than in the first two episodes of the season, and the show mostly makes good on it.
Overall, this is a nice way for the show to get back to normal (while barely remembering Derek, amusingly enough), but making the journey from tumult to the status quo a rich one.
The episode begins with Elizabeth and Philip's Commonwealth tour where, for reasons that were beyond me, the writers decide to emphasise the unreconstructed colonialism of both, firstly in Elizabeth's talk of Kenya as a 'savage land' before Westerners brought it civilisation and secondly with Philip's ignorant behaviour towards Kenyans—whether this was a nod to his famous 'gaffes' is mere speculation on my part—which do little to endear them as characters. The obvious parallel between Anthony Eden and Elizabeth's inexperience is laboriously drawn when Eden goes with the King to persuade him to intervene in constitutional matters and bend Churchill's ear to resign. The 'great man' himself is indulged through his quirks, although why his insistence on having young female staff members read him his daily dispatches while he splashes them with bathwater should be treated as just another charming example of Our Winston's eccentricities is beyond my ken.
It's beautifully shot, as before, and the cast do their best with writing that doesn't soar as intended but is bogged down in endless exposition—did Elizabeth really need to flat out state that she was a mechanic during the war?—but it's still dull, and rote, and the emotional impact of the death of George is virtually nil: quite something considering he was the only vaguely sympathetic character.
Things fall apart in the very next episode - which didn't take long at all - finding the treasure was always going to be the easy part if this show wanted to have any sense of a longer lifespan about it - there's a lot of scenes between John B. and Sarah's father Ward here that really work - of course Sarah's dad was always going to know more about the treasure than he was letting on, and that final shot of him climbing up the boat to - do something bad - to John B opens up a whole can of questions for the next episode. He has a dark past - that's clear - a past that he's willing to take drastic actions to stop his newly adopted son from talking.
JJ fell down pretty hard this episode and his stuff was pretty emotional and effective. I really like that the show doesn't use this as an excuse to force him apart from the rest of his friends, and that Kiara and Pope sympathise with him for his actions rather than cast him off - which would have been a bad move. It's the highlight of the episode for me, even considering the ending. Rudy Pankow was the MVP of this episode.
Maybe it's not the best idea to question a man who may have had something to do with your father's disappearance on a boat in the middle of nowhere, John B? Maybe wait until you're back on dry land? Either way - whatever happens next - most likely leaning in the direction that John B's going to either kill or heavily injure Ward out of self-defence - we've just found our hook for the rest of the episodes.
At the end, the protagonist still has almost no power, love interest becomes like a nemesis as quickly as it became the love interest, and the bad guy lives. The Chosen one didnt give any hopes of being a good guy (from the stupid child who thought after one good shot he can kill the boss) yet he is "the goodest", and the pure soul who was saving everyone became the dark one. Which would be maybe interesting if it gave a little here and there in the previous episodes. Oh boy and I really love the idea that Walenty has all the control of her powers and the whole idea what to do with them... just because. The epic battle Ive waited for 5 eps went in 10 min, maybe even less.
The whole 6 episodes felt like just the beginning of the story. Not like every 1st season of a show but like the beginning of a normal 1st season, the 2 first episodes to inform you about what are you gonna watch really. I hate the beginnings. Yes, it makes you want to watch more but not really if you have to wait a year for the story to really begin, to unfold.
It feels like there's less of a difference between Brian on NZT and off it than there was with Eddie on and off it in the movie. Perhaps it's less effective because his scatter-brained nature hampers him even while he's on it (like the fact he had to be reminded that at 9pm, the drug would already have worn off). That's also probably why he was chosen by Eddie in the first place - after all, if he wants to stay top dog, he has to be careful to only give the drug to people who are going to be less smart than him even while on it.
It also seems like sometimes the 'insights' Brian has aren't that brilliant, really (I mean, I noticed the intern slip-up as well), though I do like that Rebecca also figures out a lot of stuff because she's just smart on her own plus knows more about certain things than Brian does. And of course, there's that whole Sherlock Holmes problem where the evidence lines up exactly so that Brian is always right despite the fact that in reality, nothing is ever that easy no matter how smart you are (e.g. the whole eye mutation thing, or the fact that he just happened to watch the Winter Olympics as a child).
I have a big issue with this all pile of shit: the alcohol thing. "Uh, yas, I need to drink!", "uuh, yas, I'm drunk/too drunk" are the two most used lines. I don't care about the message you probably send, but you need to deliver something with this "I'm an alcoholic!" thing: let them do mistakes, things they regret, let them have problem at work, let them get angry because of the addiction... NO, it's just cool, it's just a cool grown up thing to do (in this universe). Drink, drink and more drink and they are even barely tipsy, like nobody get reeeally drunk, they are no more drunk than me after one beer. So, or you gonna do something real with this or just stop; we get it, they are cool, can we please have some real event to talk about? Of course not, because at the end of the day nothing happens anyway.
They are even to cool to get really upset or a real discussion.
My other problem is Cal's boss and his job in general. Fuck, man! you sell pictures and you doing good and you're not even happy. Which I could understand if the struggle was more real, but he seems, again, just like Cal is too cool to enjoy it and that's it.
His boss, despite the fact that is handsome, he litteraly have just one expression, which I'm sure is not the actor's problem, he just got told to act like this. So my other big issue is the "kiddo" thing; first of all, is not catchy even if you say 100 times, and I'm sorry, but Cal looks old like shit, surely older than his boss, and this kiddo thing is just riddiculus, just stop! Also, when Kit (/Cal) interact whit him seems so out of the character, like he doesn't remember the lines, or they are shooting a joke. I don't know, it's just crap.
And please Kit, just stand normal, you seems an hunchback.
For everything else, as I said, nothing happens to anyone. Or they solve the problem and the next scene you find them fighting again with no clues how. Cal and Tom are also so not connected, it suppose to be the story of their life and it's so laking in connection it's embarassing.
@ Lineage - Yeah, Jacky Lai is playing Kaylee so overwrought and over the top that in a "real" situation, she would have had her cap peeled when she first met Calix..., but, especially after the double cross. Unless of course he is playing 4 or 5D Chess, and knew she would renege on the deal , and he still finds her useful for some future purpose, thus, the shot across the bow by offing her tech support boy toy. Seeing as Jurgen was the brains of her operation, I wonder how much longer her arc can be played out before it just gets silly (er).
I wonder how long it will be before Ava's 19 year old viral amped, hormonal angst will get the better of her hero worship, and we'll see a vamp fight with Danika for Michael's comely, well shaped noggin(s)? Could be fun.
Kinda saw Teresa coming, but, figured the annoying kid would turn and the off her, but, since he bedded down next to a really familiar looking lake, MAYBE he's about to find an adoptive Family, especially if Big Papi finds him before he becomes Blood num nums...
Ahhh poor Greedo, er, Bobby..., you shoulda' shot FIRST, and THROUGH the patch vest!!!!!
