This really managed to give me some old school Star Wars feels. The series is essentially season 5 of Rebels, bringing back the main characters and picking up the dangling story threads we were left with (Nightsisters! Thrawn! The World Between Worlds!). And as a fan of that show, this was largely very satisfying.
For a show named Ahsoka, it was really Sabine who felt like the focus. She also ended up as the most interesting character in the whole thing and was cast extremely well. Similarly I thought Eman Esfandi was splended in the role of Ezra. Less convincing was Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera, who took a vibrant character and made her feel somehow diminished. Meanwhile David Tennant's Huyang kept things both steady and funny.
That leaves Rosario Dawson in the title role, and generally I like her a lot. And yet, she is giving us a far more stoic interpretation of the character and it didn't always work for me. The pacing in her conversations was noticeably off with long pauses in the back and forth. But Dawson still feels right for the most part.
Story-wise, it managed to both satisfy and irk me. I feel like the whole thing moved slowly for the amount of episodes it had, and editing this down to a 2.5 hour film could be done without much fuss. There's a sense of drawing things out so big things can be saved for the inevitable future film(s). This is a real shame. But each episode also did something which managed to pull me in and the magic feeling is definitely here.
It was the surprises that really made this click for me. Hayden Christensen returning as Anakin and being given far better material to work with was absolutely beautiful, especially as it dealt so much with his history with Ahsoka. The flashbacks to the Clone Wars were simply sublime (helped no end by a wonderful young Ahsoka who felt pulled straight from the animated show). Ray Stevenson and Ivanna Sakhno both give us intriguing antagonists with more story to hopefully be explored (obviously tricky now, sadly).
Visually this is an utter delight too - either the StageCraft is getting better or they made clever use of real environments at times here. There are a number of stunning images throughout this, be they glowing-eyed resurrected stormtroopers or characters emerging from misty vistas. But the real star of the show is the musical score which is an absolute treat from start to finish, and probably the strongest interpretation of Star Wars we've had outside of John Williams.
There's something off about Torchwood. The premise is interesting enough, being given a nice setup in series 2 of Doctor Who, but the tone is bizarre. It's an adult show that exists within the Whoniverse, and therefore piles on the sex, violence and swearing. Doctor Who is a family show aimed more at the kids, but adults are a huge part of its audience. So it made some sense to create a spinoff that could be more mature.
But Torchwood isn't mature. It throws in the aforementioned sex and blood and swear words, but its writing is still at the level of Doctor Who. By that I mean it still has people running around shouting silly dialogue, giving us tons of exposition, plot contrivances, poorly designed monsters and only glimpses of emotional maturity. This stuff works in Who, in fact it works quite well because we know we're watching a fun kids adventure show. But this is supposed to be an adult drama, so immediately things feel iffy. The pantomime vibe is still here.
The characters do the show no favours either. I quite enjoy Captain Jack portrayed by John Barrowman, but I think it's fair to say that dramatic acting is not his forte. The issues with the rest of the characters are numerous, but it's a real problem when they are so completely uninteresting (Tosh and Ianto) or absolutely impossible to like (Owen). Gwen is our way into the story being the newcomer, and she's handled better but she makes odd choices. The character has nowhere near enough depth to give us the information to understand why.
The writing is not able to do justice to the stories being told. This isn't the fault of the actors (...mostly), but down to the laughably weak dialogue and direction. It doesn't help that visually it's all so poor, inheriting the cheapness from it's parent show of this era. Through all this there is fun to be had. There are good episodes in there and a sense of camaraderie does build within the cast. There's so much room for improvement though.
I could make the same complaints about series 2 as I did with the previous, but I can't deny that the show moves forward with much more confidence here. David Tennant injects some wonderful energy into the lead role and has a stronger chemistry with Billie Piper. Ecclestone did a fantastic job, but Tennant is more charismatic, more playful and more interesting.
I'm coming to accept the inherent cheapness of the show and the super kid-friendly writing, just enjoying the stories for what they are. It's very noticeable that for a show about being able to travel anywhere in space/time, they keep ending up in the contemporary UK. I would say that this sort of thing could never win any awards, but somehow the episode 'The Girl in the Fireplace' came away with a Hugo. Shows what I know. The bad guys still look terrible but they are done with a bit more style here. The special effects are low quality even for 2006, that's just unavoidable given the show's budget and scale.
It's the characters. They work, they're fun. Their relationships become irresistible. There are some real high points in this series and they all come down to powerful character moments for me. My favourite thing here was the two part 'The Impossible Planet'/'The Satan Pit' in which everything clicked. The episodes benefited from atmospheric location shooting and effective lighting which made them look better than anything else the show has done so far, as well as liberally borrowing from things like Event Horizon and Aliens, but it was the material between the Doctor and Rose which made this into something magical. 'School Reunion' was also a wonderfully fun exploration into the Doctor's history.
However, when the show got bad it was almost unbearable. Episodes like 'Love and Monsters' and 'Fear Her' were tacky and dull and so poorly made, seemingly full of afterthoughts in every department. The first includes an embarrassing Scooby-Doo chase scene and a woeful Peter Kay. I also couldn't get into 'Rise of the Cybermen'/'The Age of Steel' despite its impact on the story going forward, largely due to the bad acting and overblown danger from a very silly enemy.
Fortunately the good outweighs the bad here and the series culminates in some truly emotional scenes.
Doctor Who has always been a tough sell for me. I grew up watching the Sylvester McCoy years and have a fond memory of watching the 1996 TV movie premiere on the BBC (Paul McGann was GREAT). But as I grew up I desired more sophisticated sci-fi (that had a better budget behind it). By the time this new era of the show began, I was enjoying things like Stargate and Battlestar Galactica which had visuals and ambitions which put Doctor Who to shame.
Yet something always kept telling me I should enjoy this show. I had tried to watch it in the past and couldn't make it more than a couple of episodes in. This time I think something has clicked and the show has got its hooks in me.
But lets be honest, the quality in this first series is not there. The show looks awful, extremely cheap with terrible lighting that adds a weird glow to things. The sets still look iffy and the alien/monster designs are laughably bad (the Slitheen stood out here as especially weak). The cinematography and editing is awkward. The writing is full of exposition and good actors are somehow reduced to giving pantomime-like performances as they spout the silly dialogue (shouting it more often than not).
The saving grace is the emphasis on character relationships. Eccleston is superb in the lead role, but the real star turns out to be Billie Piper who manages to act circles around everyone else. The dynamic that grows between Rose and The Doctor is endearing and eventually gripping. The show absolutely shines when it focuses on the moments where they just stop and talk.
And at the end of the day this is a family/children's show and accepting that has enabled me to somehow find the enjoyment. I can get through trash like 'Aliens of London' and 'The End of the World' if I also have episodes as good as 'Dalek' and 'The Parting of the Ways'. I'm quite excited to see what's ahead now.
I'm a latecomer to this show, but in an odd way I'm kind of thankful for that. Last year I watched The Right Stuff on Disney+, a show which told the story of the first group of American astronauts, the "Mercury Seven", in the 1950s and '60s. Although I kind of enjoyed it, it wasn't spectacular. But it did act as a perfect pre-cursor to For All Mankind, and even dealt with several of the same characters (and even the same actor in one case). Having the background info from that series added quite a lot to this one.
Of course, For All Mankind takes things in a different direction in that its alternate history where things don't go the way they really did, but it many ways it feels like a natural continuation of the story. It takes the concept of Russia landing the first man on the moon and what impact that may have had on America's space program. The results are fantastic. Imagine where the world could be today and the discoveries that would have been made if we had kept pushing out to the stars.
It splits its focus between a few different groups of characters and situations as the season progresses and the mixture is welcome. The relationships the astronauts have with their spouses and families is an essential element which could be seen as a distraction from the intense space stuff, but it only complements it. I was drawn into the world and caught up in the emotional events which happen. It helps that the cast are very strong and while Joel Kinnaman seems to be the lead character early on, the show gradually becomes more of an ensemble piece. Margo, Tracey, Gordo, Deke and Ellen especially take on some of the most memorable stories in the show.
This series if full of hope, bravery and real emotion along with great storytelling. If you're at all into NASA-based tales then I highly recommend watching. It shows us an idea of a world that could have been with progressive elements, especially in regards to women, that are wonderful to see. I hope season 2 continues on this path.
What an improvement after the poor second season. Strong character development and exciting dinosaur encounters throughout with some creativity, as well as a good sense of dread and horror. And I finally have started to appreciate Kenji! The show has clearly established that these kids aren't in any real danger by now, but somehow it still works.
I just wish that the t-rex was featured more.
An already silly show gets pushed into extreme cheese territory here, and it's honestly all quite welcome. Cobra Kai uses nostalgia as a weapon to hook us in and it works brilliantly. I can forgive the ridiculous dialogue, the never-ending plot contrivances and some of the really weak acting because the characters and the story being told are so much damn fun.
The show has managed to give us rounded, interesting heroes and villains on all sides. It pulls off the magic formula of making you root for almost everyone involved. The two characters I wanted to hate most - Kreese and Hawk - now both have enough back story and individual motivations to make me feel for them. That's impressive.
I also particularly love the continued use of flashbacks and footage from the original films, they integrate them so well.
There is a question of whether the show can continue with this level of silliness before it begins to feel too much. How many times can we see two characters begin to make amends when some perfectly timed disaster conveniently interrupts them? It's clear that the show isn't interested in being too grounded or presenting any realism (Miguel sure did relearn to walk - and fight! - easily after being paralysed), and part of me feels that the show is going to need to reign it in and commit to some new directions. There's no denying it's very repetitive.
The good stuff here comes from Johnny and Daniel. When it switches over to the kids, it's noticeably how they aren't quite sparking in the same way. In this season particularly it's Tory, Samantha and Robby who feel like they haven't had much to do and anything involving them lacks much energy.
Does it matter? Nah. I'm all in. Hopefully season 4 will let us see Daniel and Johnny team up properly, and not fall out within an episode or two. And if we somehow get Thomas Ian Griffith back as Terry Silver then that would be a treat!
There's a really good show in here somewhere, but it's difficult to find. I'm a junkie for any NASA-related tales so this should have been right up my street, but I found myself letting episodes build up unwatched each week and it was only in forcing myself to get on with them that reached the end.
Instead of showing us this crew of potential astronauts training, instead of showing us the clever technicians and engineers solving problems, we are given mostly a show about marriage problems. I definitely think that this aspect of the character's lives is important and deserves a place in the story, but it should not have been the focus. The training segments seem to amount of climbing out a capsule in a swimming pool and people sitting on those spinning chair things. The astronauts complain that they don't get to actually fly the capsule, but there's no follow up to that. Quite often things go wrong and people panic, but we don't get to see the solutions. We just repeatedly get told, "we're ready", but... when did that happen? Nobody appears ready to go. Where are the breakthrough moments?
The characters themselves are not much fun to watch. I'm sure the real life astronauts were arrogant flyboys too, but the portrayals here made me want them all to fail. They are alcoholics, cheaters, jealous, petty and through all this they swagger around with All-American-Hero attitudes. It's kind of nauseating, but I think it could have worked if they'd had both better writing and better casting. A major issue is that we actually get to know so few of them, with the focus being on Shephard, Glenn and (for some reason) Gordo. And they're all idiots here - Gordo especially. The rest of the astronauts are background material.
In fact, the highlights ARE the wives who all feel like much more real characters and all managed to make me care about them. I also liked the general production quality of the show and each episode managed to have some good stuff to offset the bad. It's not a total disaster, and after the first episode I had lowered my expectations enough to be able to get on with it all.
I don't enjoy picking on individual people, but I feel like I have to mention Patrick Fischler's bizarre robot-like performance throughout this show. What was he going for here?
More than anything, I was curious about this show when it was first announced. I love the idea that each Trek series can be something completely different and I'd like to think that I'm pretty open minded, so an "adult animated comedy" immediately piqued my interest and I honestly though it sounded fun. But I was also confused as to just how it would function, or even fit in with the Trek framework. I didn't want Rick and Morty with a Star Trek skin.
That's not what this is at all. Lower Decks is clearly made by people who both love Star Trek and are intimately familiar with it. Each episode is a joyous exploration of various Trek tropes that are turned inside out and then made to provide us with pure entertainment. And yet they still manage to stay true to Trek's ideals, and they send the characters on a journey of discovering themselves and what they want out of their lives.
Mostly, the show is genuinely funny. This is a case of the producers not showing off their best stuff in the trailers and really saving the surprises for the broadcasts. The season continues to steadily improve and settle down as it goes on, but even out of the gate I was enjoying it. There's a fast pace in the early episodes (maybe too fast) that gets smoothed out, and any questions we have about how these characters are supposed to fit into their roles get answered. It slots very nicely into canon and works as a continuation of the '90s era of Star Trek shows.
The show is a deep dive into Trek lore and even the most die hard fans will find references to their most obscure favourite things. And yet it's not overdone, it's just FUN. I don't think it's even off putting for viewers who may not be all that familiar with Trek's past, as a friend of mine with only a passing knowledge of the franchise really got into the series (I shall now continue my mission to get her to watch more!)
The voice cast do excellent work, and the characters really came to life for me over the course of the season. Notably, Mariner is a fascinating and complex character who gets explored in detail and has probably emerged as my favourite. Over the course of the season, these characters genuinely made me feel things and fall in love with them. And I can't help but notice how much each actor looks like the character they play - could this be an intentional move to facilitate live action appearances down the line?
What a disaster. This just never once felt like the Muppets, with it's odd use (or misuse) of the characters and it's complete tonal inconsistency. It didn't seem to know if it was aimed at younger kids, teenagers or nostalgic adults, and instead is entertaining to none of those groups. There was the odd laugh here and there, mostly from Pepe, but the vast majority of this was unfortunately dull.
Mainstays like Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo and Rolf barely made an appearance. This felt like an entire exercise of forcing the Muppets into a format they aren't at all suited for, and the lack of variety between episodes really hurt it. Give us a character-focused scripted show with a storyline, please.
This may be Muppets Now, but I'd much prefer to have Muppets Then.
Season 2 is more consistent than season 1 overall, but maybe doesn't quite reach the highs that one did. At least, not until the end with the finale being something very special. The new Inquisitors are a mixed bunch with the Seventh Sister being a far more effective villain than the Grand Inquisitor was, but the others are instantly forgettable and uninteresting.
This season takes us away from Lothal as the crew join up with a Rebel cell and begin working missions for them. It makes for a nice change and feels like the show is moving forward. The biggest boon is the inclusion of Ahsoka and Rex who for fans of The Clone Wars are a real joy to see on screen. We also get some appearances from Darth Vader and they are quite fantastic - maybe it's down to having James Earl Jones back to provide the voice, but he's a really strong presence.
Lastly, I'm really glad that Sabine and Hera are given more to do here and we get to know their characters much better.
A fairly strong miniseries that's let down by the final episode. There are strong actors all round and I found myself getting extremely caught up in the story, especially in the second half. I'm a sucker for a courtroom drama so it's a little disappointing that made up such a small part of the show, but there's a great thread of investigation going on all though this. Chris Evans carries it very well (I love these drama pieces he does every so often, see also Gifted) and gets excellent support from Michelle Dockery.
Jacob, the son, keeps you guessing all the time. He can act like a normal kid and then go slightly creepy in just the right way to make you question things. There are some slightly infuriating choices as the show continues which makes you wonder how intelligent the characters actually are, but for the most part everything rings true.
It's the ending that kind of derails it all for me. Obviously I'm not going to spoil things in any detail here, but suffice to say it didn't hit the mark and changes the tone up a bit too much. I was left feeling deeply unsatisfied with the resolutions or in some cases lack thereof. Otherwise a pretty fantastic series.
The final season of the show takes some risks and feels different to what's come before. Especially in the first half we are given episodes which feel almost experimental, and there is a big change up to the status quo for the characters. It was almost off putting until I got used to it: Aang with hair, the group disguised in Fire Nation clothing, the heavily reduced role for Uncle Iroh (no doubt due to the sad loss of voice actor Mako).
It's a strong ending, though. Each character is given a lot to do and their stories are all compelling which makes this a show its very easy to get invested in. Prince Zuko probably remains the most interesting character on the show and it's easy to root for him despite his role as an antagonist - and I'd go as far as saying that this season really belongs to him. Even his sister Azula, whose personality is far less subtle, was given further substance. I particularly enjoyed the prison break episodes which continued to throw surprises while always being fun.
The actual ending, I'm a bit torn on. It's certainly epic and while it's satisfying, the overabundance of action on all fronts was slightly draining to the point where the emotional beats didn't really reach me. It's a shame that the Fire Lord is such a one-note bad guy. I found myself very appreciative of the various issues raised along the way though, most notably with Aang not wanting to be a killer. And the humour throughout is essential to the identity of this wonderful show, and always hit the right mark.
I'm so glad I watched this.
A subtle improvement over the first season which has raised this show in my estimation. I mostly liked the first season but could honestly take it or leave it, yet here I was eager to see the next episode each time one finished. The comedy is more or less on the same level as before, but what really is starting to work here is the storytelling. The season has started to push things in new directions and bring in some central narratives, and it's really helped bring the characters to life more (excuse the pun).
Guillermo and Colin Robertson have begun to steal the show, and that's no mean feat when you have Matt Berry as a main cast member. Most of the time I can't honestly single out a favourite character as they all shine when given the spotlight. But I think special mention needs to be given to the Jackie Daytona episode which was just delightfully funny from start to finish (helped also by a great guest star). I'm interested to see if the events of the season end are going to affect the story going forward or if there will be a convenient reset of some sort.
If I'm still not completely in love with the show, it's probably because vampire stories are a very hard sell for me and that there's a slightly repetitive nature to things episode to episode. I appreciate that this at least tries to take a unique approach.
Unlike Clone Wars, Rebels is pretty decent from the start. But it's also quite a different show. This focuses on a small group of characters and sticks mostly to the same location, the planet Lothal, throughout the season. It's a more intimate show and I think it benefits from this.
It also helps that these are new characters and we don't know their fates. Something that always held Clone Wars back was that we knew what was going to happen to Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padme, etc., and we knew that they were never in danger. That's not the case here where anything can potentially happen.
It's still a show aimed at children, of course. It has plot contrivances galore and the feeling that the heroes are always going to escape to fight another day is definitely there. But the show is able to throw in its own surprises and the continuing narrative helps to keep things interesting. Still, the characters here need work and are mostly defined by a single personality trait; that means that Ezra, Zeb and especially Chopper become tiresome while Hera and Sabine are heavily underdeveloped. And yet, there is clear progression as things become more complicated. That leaves Kanan as the most interesting of the bunch.
I've seen Rebels before but forgotten a lot of it, although I definitely don't remember enjoying it as much as I did this time. It's goes to an effort to recreate the feel of the original trilogy, especially with the space battles, and it succeeds.
A stronger season overall, although I didn't think it quite reached the highs of the first one. However, this was far more consistent throughout with pretty much no truly weak episodes. This show has captured my imagination and I'm continually impressed with the logical worldbuilding and how it it all grows. Our characters learn enough to be able to unleash their true abilities and it gives us some really stunning and endlessly creative action sequences in which you think, "oh, of course they would be able to do that!".
Toph is a great addition to the main characters, and I quite like Azula and her gang as antagonists (in particular, Ty Lee is really fun and I love her bizarre infatuation with Sokka). I had a few issues with things once the gang got to Ba Sing Se where the overall narrative really seems to stall. This sorts itself out eventually, but I can't say it's my favourite place to spending all these episodes.
Mostly, I really love seeing the development of all these characters. They are staying true to themselves while also learning and growing. Katara maybe my favourite aspect of the show, and I love how her abilities have developed into making her a truly formidable opponent. But she's also the real emotional heart of things. However, the show may be shining best when it comes to Prince Zuko and his Uncle Iroh who are compelling with every moment of screen time they are given.
I thought I'd finally see what all the fuss is about, and so far I'm pretty glad I have. It's true that it doesn't get off to the strongest start with some pretty basic storytelling and episodes which feel a bit too much on the childish side, but it continues to build a world that becomes fascinating and extremely well thought out. The characters become more interesting and complex as it goes on and start dealing with themes that are far above the "kids show" roots. It's also pretty funny.
Prince Zuko may be the most compelling character, with the first impressions of him being an extremely vanilla bad guy who is evil just because. Episodes reveal more about what's going on with him and I actually began rooting for him to have some luck. I also love his Uncle Iroh who walks the line between comic relief and genuinely important mentor.
Aang isn't the best protagonist at times due to his immature nature and the fact that he keeps repeating a lot of the same mistakes before learning from them. Katara stands out as the one to watch, with her brother Sokka being unfortunately relegated to the "idiot" role most of the time, but when he has something important to do it makes it have all the more impact.
I'm not in love with the anime-inspired visual style and jerky frame rate (I really struggle with Japanese style animation, it's always been a massive turn off for me), but later episodes have some striking art. Looking forward to seeing where it goes next.
Making the fantastic feel mundane seems to be the aim of these stories, and that's really not a compelling or even good idea. The aesthetic is stunning and evokes some undefined '70s/'80s era extremely well. Gorgeously shot with some great, emotional performances but most episodes ended up as background noise for me. The characters are lifeless. It's a series for those more contemplative than me. A shame, I was very excited for this going in.
I did quite like the first episode, and also the one about May who discovered she could stop time. The episodes focused on Jakob and George were my least favourite by far. Rebecca Hall and Jonathon Pryce were severely underused.
I love big ideas in stories. The problem is when the idea takes over and gets in the way of character, plot and emotion.
To be fair, Alex Garland's Devs tries hard to avoid this. It also has a big, ambitious idea at its centre and it's entirely possible that I didn't follow it as well as I thought I did. But the fact remains, the further I got into this miniseries the less invested I became.
The best thing to come out of it is the stellar performance by Nick Offerman. He proves without a doubt that he's capable of so much more than comedy and is the only cast member to inject some real emotion into his role. It helps that his part was written to allow for this, because almost everyone else here is close to robotic. There's a real laconic feel to Devs, it's in no hurry to tell its story and its characters kind of float through everything that happens. I have a feeling it was somewhat intentional, but it was also a poor choice.
And while I have started to hate falling back on this word to describe things, I have to say just how pretentious it all comes across. There are visual tone poems and mood pieces all throughout, a character monologues poetry over the course of two episodes while we are given montages of multiple reality outcomes. It can be painful.
But it's also a ride. It has a pretty strong start, and I liked the way we the audience are allowed to piece the mystery together ourselves before any details are given. It's the sort of thing that's designed to make you feel clever and that's part of how it tricks you. Overall, I'm just glad I watched it for Nick Offerman, because he deserves all the praise.
The ending is nonsense, though. And given the premise, I'm not sure it could have been anything else.
The final season (until it was saved) is a strong one. It works to tie up loose ends and mysteries from Attack of the Clones while also preparing us for what's to come in Revenge of the Sith. There's some ambitious stuff here and the use of guest star voices like Liam Neeson and Mark Hamill only serve to make it feel more epic. I missed Ahsoka being a part of the season, but in place I got some fantastic clone-based stories and a great adventure for Yoda.
I was a bit surprised that the season wasted time on the Clovis storyline given how few episodes they had to work with, but I can only assume the episodes were completed before they creators knew the show had been cancelled.
A season of two halves, but while the first half may be decidedly average the second is likely the best the show has ever been up to this point. The story arc on Onderon is just not very interesting and feels dragged out, while the arc with the Jedi younglings is more fun it it's just an unimportant side quest. Then we get a painfully childish and silly run with the story of the droids on their mission. I was worrying that the show was really losing its way.
But it all gets turned around. Darth Maul and his brother return with a vengeance and their takeover of Mandalore is epic and gripping. It results in some painful deaths and is a visual treat with some truly stunning cinematography. The final arc concerns Ahsoka being accused of a crime she didn't commit and I was surprised how emotional I got at the ending. Season 5 displays both the worst and best this show has to offer, but it will leave you desperate for more.
This season has cemented The Expanse for me as a show that is good but rarely great. The ideas here are fantastic but the execution so often lets it down. It's not afraid to completely change storytelling direction (I think this is more an effect of switching up book adaptions halfway through each season), and just like the previously we end up with two very different halves of a season.
The first half was by far the better one for me. The search for Prax's daughter, having Bobby along for the ride, the full corruption of Errinwright and the fantastic dynamic of Avasarala/Cotyar. Plus, it went some way towards rounding out the bad guys and giving us more perspective on everything happening. The second half of the season with the ring eventually built up to something quite exciting, but felt lesser all the time. Captain Ashford's motivations and personality seemed to change at the drop of a hat (an issue with most characters here), and Melba was an extremely disappointing direction for the story.
There is still a core issue in that I don't think the cast are quite right. The loss of Thomas Jane was heavily felt, as I think he was by far the best actor on the show and without him it all feels a bit amateur. So I am beyond delighted that he returns, however small the role is. I just don't think that the crew of the Rocinante have any chemistry together. Both Holden and Naomi are extremely empty characters and I find it hard to be engaged whenever they are the focus of a scene.
On the plus side, this is a compelling world that's been built. The various factions finally have been fleshed out to be more understandable and sympathetic, making for a nicely complex set up. Bobby Draper has evolved to become one of the most interesting and fun characters on the show and the addition of Elizabeth Mitchell has been very welcome. And at the end of the day I am delighted to have some real sci-fi television back in my life after so many years of nothing.
Future Man ends on a high note after three seasons that got progressively weirder. I can't help but think that a lot of the narrative was created without too much thought about where it was all going, and I imagine that the sad death of actress Glenda Headly during the first season caused some real changes of plan. The finale here feels very disconnected from any events that happened in the show previously, but it's done in such a way that it still works.
Season 2 really didn't work for me and felt like the biggest consequence of the changes. It was very different from what came before and extremely downbeat. Season 3 opts for a bit more fun, some great changes of time period and location throughout, and most importantly it keeps our three main characters together. I didn't find the humour to be quite as on point as before, but the overall tone was a real improvement.
I think the characters of Josh, Tiger and Wolf are going to be the biggest takeaway from this show for me. The actors fit the roles so well that it's now going to be difficult to me to associate them with anything else. Derek Wilson's fake gravel voice and Eliza Coupe's over-the-top aggressiveness were never anything but a joy. And Josh Hutcherson was the glue that held the team together by playing a geeky, terrified everyman that was so easy to relate to. It felt like the actors were always having fun in the roles.
This season makes our heroes wanted criminals being tracked by time police from the future after all the damage they've caused. This is headed up by Seth Rogen. When he appeared at the end of last season I found him to feel out of place but he is integrated far better here. There's also a myriad of famous historical figures who play a part (Marilyn Monroe, Buddy Holly, Abraham Lincoln, Jesus), but while their introduction was fun it also kicked off a run of episodes which really went on for too long. The entire section spent at Haven felt like wasted time in an already short season, and the effect of allowing Tiger and Wolf to grow as people could have been handled much more succinctly. But I did love the goat.
The first season of the show stands as the best it had to offer, but the finale manages to wrap things up nicely. It fulfilled the main requirement which was finally solidifying the bond and friendship that Tiger and Wolf feel for Josh. It's always been funny to see them treat him like crap, but underneath we were all rooting for them to accept each other. They work SO WELL together! And in the end we even find out that it was all based on a true story, with completely whitewashed casting! Genius.
Honestly, I really missed the whole initial concept of the video game geek as the mistaken hero and the mission to kill the man who will destroy humanity, but the show evolved and continued to give us new stuff. This is somewhat rare. Future Man definitely wasn't a show for everyone given how obscene it would regularly get, but it was a show that fully embraced it's geekiness and how silly it was. I'm glad I stayed with it.
Such a let down. This show just failed to evolve and it's nowhere near the quality of Clone Wars and Rebels. There's nothing wrong with the premise, but it just focused on the wrong things all the time and the tone just kept leaning towards slapstick. I accept that this one was aimed at younger kids, but it really dumbed everything down and didn't allow for any nuance in storytelling or characters.
And at the end of it all, I just don't see what the point of it was. It didn't give us an interesting story, didn't add any new lore and didn't connect or tie into other Star Wars tales. It didn't even give us a satisfying or meaningful conclusion as things just return to status quo. None of the characters were memorable and I find it difficult to see any of them becoming fan favourites (hmm... maybe Torra Doza actually). I think it's fair to say that the show actually gave us some of the worst characters in the franchise in Kaz, Tam and Neeku.
Still, I do love the visuals. The cel shading can be downright gorgeous and things really came to life whenever starfighter combat or racing was involved (far too little). The voice actors for the heroes and Colossus crew were also good all round - less so for the extremely generic cast of bad guys.
But you know what, I freakin' love Star Wars and this is part of it so I just find that I can't completely hate it. I was often bored watching but never felt like something I HAD to do, I always wanted to sit down and see the next episode. Am I just a glutton for punishment? Possibly, because looking back this was definitely not worth the time spent on it.
Definitely the most consistently entertaining season so far, although it gets off to a terrible start with the Mon Calamari episodes. There's some astoundingly good stuff as the season continues, with the Umbara arc probably being the highlight of the entire show up to this point. The cringe worthy episodes are fewer and far between, characters are given some really compelling stuff to do. I think if you haven't fallen for the show by this point you never will, and while there are so many things I could criticise about it I think that this show is becoming essential for Star Wars fans.
The action scenes can be overwhelming and cartoony, but they are always a visual treat. It can be throwaway entertainment, but it will surprise you more often than not and it's improving the prequels immensely.
This should have been 6 episodes or even less. The cast are fantastic and it's ridiculously gorgeous, but there's slow burn and then there's just spinning your wheels. After a very strong start it just peters out with a few glimmers of interest along the way.
The actors here can't be faulted at all though. In particular, Cynthia Erivo gave a fascinating performance as the peculiar Holly Gibney, and Ben Mendelsohn's emotional turn put me through the ringer a couple of times. I also thought that Julianne Nicholson gave a very strong and memorable performance as Glory.
I found that I did look forward to watching the episodes each week, but that's mostly due to the characters and the people playing them. When it comes to the actual plot it was a whole lot of nothing and while the resolution improved things it still fell pretty flat. This would have been much more powerful and lost nothing with a (much) shorter run time.
[7.5/10] The show finally begins living up to its potential. While it's still plagued by a number of weak episodes and pantomime villains, there is also really epic storytelling here. In addition, we are given strong character moments that finally make the show feel more personal. Ahsoka especially gets some excellent development.
The arc based around Asaaj Ventress was the real high point for me - even if it introduces the character with the worst name in Star Wars (Savage Opress). It finally gave her some depth and Dathomir is a visually striking location. Similarly, the Mortis arc was daring in its exploration of the Force and felt truly significant.
Some great clone-based episodes too, though I wish there had been more. The bad episodes do bring the season down and it can feel like a videogame a bit too often, but when it's good it's very good.
Very muddled and obtuse storytelling along with a cast that don't quite seem to fit make this a challenging watch, at least for the first half. It's a shame, because so many other elements are here to make a really great sci-fi show. And good sci-fi TV was seriously lacking at the time this premiered. I'm glad the show elects to use on-screen text each time we shifted to a new location, but more really was needed. I've read the book and I struggled to follow a lot of the events happening here.
Things do improve, the cast especially become easier to watch. Thomas Jane stands above everyone despite playing a very clichéd role as the burnt-out detective who drinks a lot, and he seems to be the only character who reacts to things like a person should. The crew of the Canterbury/Rocinante are a much bigger issue, not only do they not seem to gel well together, they don't really seem to inhabit their roles. It's mostly in their interactions and reactions to things, they act peculiarly without any explanations. These people certainly aren't meant to like each other all that much, but it can feel like they each are acting in completely different stories. But again, this improves as the the episodes go by. Unfortunately, Shohreh Aghdashloo is never really convincing and her scenes slow down an already complex narrative (despite her fantastic voice).
Just about everything else does work. The universe of the show is well developed and fascinating, if not all that pleasant to see. The special effects are mostly of a high quality and when the story gets going it all becomes quite gripping. I've heard the show continues to improve and I'm eager to continue.
There's the occasional good episode in here, but this first season borders on unwatchable at times and shows no hint of the ambition and storytelling that would come later. Very basic plots, and the characters are simplistic.
The voice actors all do good jobs though, and while the animation isn't as good as it will later get the visuals are still strong. The Clone characters are the most interesting even at this stage, but they aren't quite being given enough to do.
At the end of the day it's a kids show and a lot of this is forgivable with that mindset.
[7.5/10]. It has some fundamental problems, but this first season manages to end up a thrilling watch. I've previously played The Witcher games (1, 2 and a large chunk of 3) and read several of the books. I felt quite prepared for what the show would present, but it turns out to be fairly confusing to follow even for someone acquainted with the world.
My biggest concern going in was the casting, especially Henry Cavill in the role of Geralt. I didn't need to be worried, he absolutely owns the role and was a perfect fit. Similarly, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer seemed a bit of miscasting (I think so many of us had the image of what the video games presented her as), but she ends up being one of the most compelling parts and really fits as the character.
Where the show stumbles is in laying the basics of the story. The early episodes are especially difficult to get through. If you really pay attention to the dialogue, it eventually becomes clear that each character's story is taking place at a different time (Yennefer many decades prior, Geralt a few decades later and Ciri's is the "current" time). It's not obvious. Years pass between each episode but the show does very little to suggest this, and by the end of the season the timelines are matched up. It's a cool storytelling device that would have worked so much better if there had been some clearer indication.
Very little is also explained about the basics of who these characters are. What is a Witcher? The show won't really tell you other than vague hints about being a mutant. He appears to have magical powers, but they aren't described and only shown fleetingly. What's going on with Yennefer and becoming a sorceress? What are all these kingdoms and how do they relate to each other? You'll have to piece lots of it together yourself. I admit, sometimes it's nice not to be spoon fed everything, but there are some aspects here which REALLY would have benefited from some basic details.
The show shines in other areas, though. The characters really spark and interact with each other in delightful ways. The amount of sarcastic comedy really works to the show's benefit and gives it an identity. The action scenes are extremely impressive with some of the best choreographed sword fights I've ever seen. Each episode gets progressively better and the season ended with me feeling very invested in the characters. The soundtrack is also impressive and seems to take a lot of cues from the ones used for the video games (plus we get Jaskier's songs, and 'Toss A Coin To Your Witcher' is better than anything you'll hear on the radio these days).
Unfortunately, it does all look a bit cheap. The monsters are rarely impressive and a couple just made me laugh at how poor they looked. Much has been made of the ridiculous costume design for the Nilfgaardian soldiers, and it's really an embarrassing blemish. But I think many of these issues are quite easily solved and there's the beginning of something great here. This is not a very welcoming show but once you find a way in you will be rewarded.
