After reading a rave review by a friend, I started binging this new Netflix series today. The English dubbing is horrible so do yourself a favour and set the audio to German and the subtitles to English. The acting is very good and shouldn't be ruined by poor dubbing performances. This series is darkly mysterious, more like the original TWIN PEAKS (without the bizarre humour), although it is being compared to STRANGER THINGS (although I don't see many similarities in the three episodes I've watched so far). The mystery is compelling - take in all the up front hints given before the pilot's opening credits - they set you thinking in the right direction. I got bogged down in episode 3 and had to make a chart of family relationships, but once I'd conquered the who's who I was back into the mystery. Looks promising. I'll come back with a final rating but so far I give it an 8 (great) out of 10 with the potential for a 9 (superb). [Who-done-it, What-really-happened Mystery]. A good work out for those little grey cells (I wonder how many calories will that work out burn in my LaZboy chair?) **Just finished season 1 (yes, it doesn't resolve but catapults us into a further plain) WOW, my brain is tired. So many threads, so many resolves, so many themes (determinism, free will, religion, science, time, space, interdependent relationships, cause and effect). It goes down every lane. Complex, great storytelling. Great acting. Can't wait for another season. It well deserves at least a 9 (superb) out of 10, maybe even a 9.5.*
The season is over, and it was amazing, really. But I have a thing to say. I feel it won't be as interesting for binge-watchers as it was to those who followed it live. Part of the fun (for me of course) was guessing, reading theories on reddit and twitter for a week, and then seeing them unfold in the new episode. That's something binge-watchers will not have the luxury of. On the other hand, they won't have to wait for a week either…
That's not to say the show has nothing to offer besides theorising. The cast is terrific (Anthony Hopkins obviously stands out and he is amazing), the setting is perfect, the storyline is engaging, and no Chekhov's guns are left hanging.
This show is a must.
Good start, one that will hopefully open the doors for future romance novels adaptation.
The beginning was a bit rushed but the show found its pace soon after. The Bridgerton characters were well introduced, the side characters were given enough space and the added characters were quite interesting. The main story was not my favorite, but then again Simon and Daphne are my least favorite couple in the books, so that's on me, but I still believe there was a lack of chemistry between the actors portraying these characters and that kind of took away from a lot of the scenes.
Anyway, I can't wait for the next seasons and the next couples. The Bridgerton family felt closer in the books, which is one of the most important appeals of the series, so I was a bit surprised/disappointed by how formal or distant some siblings were to one other. Some characters benefited from changes in the story while others didn't, but even though I can't help comparing the show to the books, it is still best to treat them as separate entities and enjoy each on its own. That being said, Eloise & Benedict were my favorite characters in this first season, and I hope we get enough seasons to witness all the siblings' stories.
Wow, what a disappointment. All the charm from the previous season appears to be missing this time around, and everything just felt shallow, childish and overly dramatic. I honestly didn’t even care about them anymore!
