[HBO Max] It works better as it moves away from the main relationship and stops to observe a protagonist around whom her entire environment is maturing (weddings, births, meetings in cabins...). In this sense, it is a better season than the second, except when it tends to return to a relationship that in the previous season was shown to be destined for failure.
[HBO Max] A disappointing foray into the pirate genre by the usually successful Taika Waititi that feels spotty, sometimes too silly, sometimes too boring. And although it manages to include some notable cameos like Rory Kinnear and directors like Fernando Frías and Nacho Vigalondo, none take advantage of superficial characters and flimsy scripts.
[Netflix] It is so simple and charming that it is difficult not to fall in love with its protagonists, but the main success is to finally create a story of teenagers for teenagers. And even the animation elements that connect it to its webcomic origins, which are admittedly cheesy, fit right into the context. A proposal that is so fresh, delicious and positive that even the bullies are charming (as stupid as they are).
Throughout three seasons, the show deals with the progressive loss of faith and the inability of the protagonist to commit in a real way, building a character that is completely lost. But at some point in S2, the creators realized that developing his environment was almost as important as the character itself, so from the second but especially in S3, the series benefits from a broader look than it also provides a question about life and religion in Ramy's own family. And so get some of the best episodes of the series to date.
[Disney+] To be part of the "American Horror Story" franchise, this season set in 1981 Lower Manhattan is an almost experimental approach to the AIDS pandemic through a look that doesn't avoid the less kind side of the night inside of the gay community, as opposed to the vibrancy of "Pose." Impregnated with seedy bars, cruising, dark rooms and sugar daddies, it is a provocative proposal that finds its balance in the numerous cinematographic references of the eighties, from "Cruising" (William Friedkin, 1980) to "Dressed or kill" (Brian De Palma, 1980), Derek Jarman, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Gregg Araki... And it has two final episodes that turn confrontation with the inevitability of death into dark poetry once the murderous pandemic sets its sights on its victims.
[Prime Video] An exercise in fictional politics that really doesn't know if it wants to be a thriller with touches of humor or if it prefers to take seriously the speculations around the survival of the main leaders. There is something ridiculous in the imagined presence of Hitler, but at least it serves to reflect on the capacity of Western countries to establish moral codes taking into account what has happened in international geopolitics in the last 70 years. But, like almost everything in this series, it seems that this historical rewrite does not quite fit into a story whose characters are more empty in this season than in the previous one, especially Jonah's motivations and the unnecessary presence of Al Pacino.
[HBO Max] It must be recognized that the series manages to maintain that balance between pure youthful fantasy and the philosophical and theological reflections of Philip Pullman, who displays his atheism and the danger of religions in that representation of the angel who poses as the creator of the world. Splendid visual effects, magnificent music by Lorne Balfe and in general a tendency in the final season to underline the emotional connection between the characters (Lyra and her daemon, Lyra and Will...). The maturity of the Spanish actress Dafne Keen is noticeable, and the greater presence of Ruth Wilson and James McAvoy is appreciated in a coherent and particularly emotional ending.
[Filmin] The second season continues the independent political struggle of the protagonist, but the tone is much closer to a thriller, introducing threats, kidnappings and extortion that take the story to much more conventional ground. It gives the impression that the scriptwriters want to introduce elements that cloud and distract from the central themes, and the protagonist who represents the aboriginal claims about a drought that is driven by government decisions, simply becomes a victim of the harassers, losing strength and forcefulness.
[Filmin] The series addresses the difficulties of maintaining a degree of honesty in a hostile environment, as an indigenous activist takes on the responsibility of representing her community in Canberra's political bodies. But the intricacies of pacts, negotiations and betrayals show a white predominance that is not willing to give ground to indigenous claims. It correctly addresses this political labyrinth, and raises what is the real representation that the aborigines have in the bodies of power in Australia. There are also references to the current politics of the country, especially about the liberal government that has been in power for years, but always in coalition.
[Netflix] A series that shows a realistic youth, far from the artificiality, and that presents a love story with honesty. The breaking of the fourth wall in two moments is interesting, as a search for the viewer's complicity, without falling into the usual voice over. Faced with more conservative representations of youthful love, it has the freshness of characters that show their imperfections and their vileness.
[Netflix] With an interesting first season that showed a love story in an honest way, without falling into the conventional view, season 2 falls into boredom and is predictable, lengthening without brilliance a plot that has no new things to say. There is an attempt to give a little more space to the secondary characters, but the plots are bland, without much depth. It ends up falling into everything that it managed to avoid in the first season.
[Viaplay] The S2 that ended unfinished, open to a S3 that was stopped due to the death of Ernst-Hugo Järegård, feels like an incomplete vision. With a tendency towards absurd comedy, it achieves an indelible iconography like all of Udo Kier's little brother and unforgettable sequences like Helmer and Krogshøj in the archive. With less horror and more dark comedy, it knows how to continue the achievements of S1.
[Viaplay] Lars von Trier's return to Rigshospitalet works better as a tribute to the previous two seasons than as a conclusion, partly due to the forced changes in the cast over time. With more immediate humor, it remains as irreverent as before, using a metalanguage in which the characters refer to "that silly von Trier," and offers another surreal foray into the supernatural that challenges social conventions.
[Viaplay] The restored version manages to maintain the ocher tonality and a certain graininess, which is appreciated. Between the parody of hospital soap operas and the terrifying tales of places built on dark pasts, the S1 finale simultaneously manages to offers answers and raise more questions towards the second season, with that overwhelmingly terrifying and funny introduction to the character of Udo Kier.
[HBO Max] It has the tone of the classic police series and perhaps it is reflected too much in "The wire" (HBO, 2002-2008), although it did not reach the depth of the characters or the thematic richness. The biggest claim is the character Jackie Rohr, but some creative decisions, such as removing him from the FBI, reduce the character's effectiveness in S3. And it ends up being more interesting because of the secondary stories than because of the main plot.
[Rakuten Viki] After the success of the first season, S2 is more ambitious but less effective, though it explores the ups and downs of a love relationship. With more episodes of longer duration, it misses the opportunity to address issues such as bisexuality in a gay relationship, and justifies harassment as a way to win back the ex-partner.
[Rakuten Viki] Proposes a predictable romantic story but tender enough to be enjoyable. It favors the short duration of a story that could have been too repetitive, because it manages to build attractive characters with complex personalities.
[Disney+] A spin-off that is better with the episodes that directly reference "American Horror Story." It's an irregular mix in which Ryan Murphy once again wields the sword against criticism, especially in "Game Over". In S2 it becomes independent as an anthology series of horror stories that insists too much on sustaining itself in the mediocre stories of Manny Coto, and gradually loses interest.
[Prime Video] More political than usual, this series recovers the representation of modern society through the construction of a world of superheroes/antiheroes. And apart from offering some of the best episodes of the entire series, S3 proposes a reflection on what are the limits allowed to populism, the clay leaders who have a hidden agenda. It is as funny as it is thoughtful, as entertaining as it is brave.
[Netflix] A twist on the romantic comedy that is funny with the love challenges. And above all the relationship between the protagonist and her father, that kind of anarchic madness that seems contagious. But in S2 one wonders why they haven't made Friedrich as the main character, because he is the only one keeping the tone of comedy, and leave the couple's disappointing love affair in the background.
Confirmed S2, it cannot be said that the adaptation of "Halo" has been a failure. But the lazy storylines with characters disappearing (Kwan Ha), flat cinematography, lackluster CGI, and action scenes that place us as if we're watching someone else playing the video game (which is frustrating), lead to a sloppy and dispassionate representation of Halo's universe, like if no one cared too much what they were doing.
[HBO Max] The most remarkable thing about the series is how the writers have not the slightest interest in plausible situations (the double of Cassie) and the devotion they have for Kaley Cuoco (since last year she did not win the Emmy, this season they multiply her possibilities by introducing Cassie's inner personalities). In this sense, the show is indeed a comedy, but perhaps not for the reasons that are intended. The exploration of alcoholism and trauma tries to dig into the character, and it does make for a decent episode about family relationships in "Brothers & Sisters," but it seems impossible to balance an absurd spy plot that makes no head or tail with a pretended studio psychological. It ends up being a frustrating series because its intentions are understood, but the number of mediocrities it can fall into is surprising.
[HBO Max] The series recovers a satirical look more focused on the world of politics through corruption, which causes much more obvious parallels with current politics. The tragicomic character of Juan Carrasco is reinforced, and above all he manages to capture that peculiar atmosphere of corruption that has been installed in Spanish society. There is a more cynical critique of criminality as a way of doing politics.
[tv+] A flimsy youth mystery story in which you can't know what is more absurd, the behavior of children or the behavior of adults. In S2 Hilde becomes Greta Thunberg and discovers the origin of senile dementia. But the attempt to introduce elements of greater maturity (death, collective responsibility) collides with an inept and clichéd script.
"Love, Simon" was a film that did not propose anything new, but it did so in a fresh and fun way. The adaptation as a series (a kind of continuation), makes the mistake of exploring the same ideas in the same way. Which makes it useless. There seems to be an idea of approaching the uncertainty of adolescent sexuality, but in the end the approach is very basic. And what's worse, although the series appears to be open-minded, it is deeply conservative, especially in the way it deals with infidelity, sexuality and the relationship of children to parents.
[Netflix] A solid thriller that's just as interesting because of the political environment from communism on S1 to post-communism on S2, as it is because of the research. Story shows the traces of the past in a town where there are reminiscences of the end of WWII. The hidden secrets remain wrapped in a web of lies and cover-ups. The inclusion of a lesbian character in the current homophobic Poland is interesting.
[Disney+, S1] Perhaps the most fandom MCU series released so far. This is the only way to explain having the audacity to elaborate a climax that consists of a conversation between three characters. The result is an evolution of the main character that leaves insiders as cold as Marvel fans are astonished. Using the multiverse and timelines to explain everything is becoming one of the endemic evils of modern fantasy.
[Netflix] An enjoyable series if as a viewer you don't delve too deeply into the absurd situations and the script holes, and if you assume that, in reality, it is not a series about Arsène Lupin. With your brain disconnected, it has a good pace, a funny sense of humor, fast-paced action scenes, especially in the second part. It lacks the cynicism of "Killing Eve", but it does have the wonderful Parisian background.
[Netflix] Aziz Ansari leaves on-screen to adapt (without mentioning) "Scenes from a marriage" (Ingmar Bergman, 1973). But what was clever and provocative in that one now is obvious and pedantic, losing the charm of the original show. The most interesting is the ambiguous ending in which it's not clear whether the couple has undergone an evolution or, on the contrary, a regression towards a more bourgeois lifestyle.
[Netflix, S2] Less interesting than the first season, and smaller in number of short films, it gives the impression that the development of the stories has been neglected. And there is also a kind of stagnation in the technical level of animation, which in the case of short proposals like this could have been used to offer other higher levels. On the contrary, and with some exceptions, it gives the impression that the quality of the animation has not evolved much, or has not had the appropriate budget. The short film "Pop squad" is particularly noteworthy, which contains a deep reflection on the consequences of immortality.
