If you missed it, on Monday, I posted my top ten comedies of 2016 along with some strong honorable mentions. I was honestly not truly expecting to add any show to this top ten between then and now. Technically speaking, I hadn't made this top ten yet. I had 11 shows in mind and I needed to cut it down to 10. In the process, I was watching another show, thinking it would be a strong honorable mention at best.
Well, I entered today needing to watch the final three episodes of that show so I didn't write a single word. I knew if this particular show would make my list, it would be on the bottom part of the list and I tend to want to write these in order. So once again, I'm making this post after having cut it down to the wire. By the time I post this, I will have finished my last top ten show just two hours before and I hadn't written a single word when I finished the finale of that show. Luckily, the hard part of this post is watching tons of hours of television and not actually writing the post itself.
#10 The Girlfriend Experience (Season 1, )
Model Episode: "Separation"
Without spoiling, the finale was an incredibly bold piece of television. It's not bold for the reason you'd assume a finale would be bold either. For one thing, it's been revealed that this show is an anthology show. So nothing that would theoretically happen in a conventional finale would carry over into season two. So it's not really the firework type of finale. But it's off-putting and surprising and probably divisive as hell.
In fact, while I put The Girlfriend Experience here, I'd have to know your specific tastes to recommend it. It almost seems anti-television. It took me a few episodes to understand what it was doing. In the process, it was beautifully shot. Just absolutely gorgeous cinematography. It's a part of the series' design, but this show was really cold. The protagonist - she's not really a good person and the tone of the series mirrors her personality. So for one thing, don't really go towards this show if you have an eye towards connecting with characters. You'll feel for her at times - especially when the show takes sort of a thriller vibe - but you will probably not understand her all that well. And as for the supporting characters, they don't get really get ANY characterization. It's hard for me to explain the appeal of this show to be honest.
#9 Game of Thrones (Season 6; HBO)
Model Episode: "The Door"
I said this in my comedy top ten for a different show, and it applies here as well. Game of Thrones isn't on this list because it improved significantly from season 5 to season 6. (You could probably argue it declined, but I've never really looked at Game of Thrones all that critically so I'm not going to be the one to do that.) It's on this list, because six of the ten shows I put in my top ten last year did not air a single episode in 2016. How crazy is that? Three of them ended, one of them was a miniseries, and the other two just couldn't get their season done in time for 2016. (Which again led to some difficulty in the top half of my list)
I'm shortchanging Game of Thrones. Honestly, it suffers from something that plagues a few series I consider: I mostly forget about it by the time this list rolls around. I remember Game of Thrones by the big moments, but forget just about everything else. The big moments are admittedly really great television. I included "The Door" instead of "Battle of the Bastards" because that final scene hit me like a ton of bricks in a way very few shows have done. A characters' death still being capable of doing that to me is a good sign for Game of Thrones.
#8 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Seasons 1-2; CW)
Model Episode: "When Will Josh and His Friend Leave Me Alone?"
Talk about an impossible show to compare to other shows. This show basically ruins the concept of a top ten for me. Because I don't know whether to call it a drama or a comedy, but it's an hour long so that's easy enough for me. (For what it's worth, The Girlfriend Experience is a half hour, but that is clearly a drama) If you're into musicals, watch this show for sure. I'm not really into musicals, but the music is a key element of this show. Each episode will usually have two musical numbers. Here's the show's most expensive element from the second season premiere. I don't think context will be needed to watch that one. That is NOT from the episode I picked as the true musical number I would have picked would be a huge spoiler.
Anyway Rachel Bloom navigates a complicated character who has some serious issues. Nobody else could play her. I mean she's the creator of this series so it seems like she already had this character in her head before this ever became a show. And if you want to have an idea of the type of humor Bloom has, just look at any of her Youtube videos, pre-Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The second season has somehow been an improvement over the already pretty great first season, with more of a reflection on the friendship between Rebbeca (Bloom) and Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin). Their relationship centers the second season in much the same way that the love triange centered the first. Watch this show because the ratings are LOOOOW and I don't really want it to get cancelled. Thank you.
#7 Stranger Things (Season 1; Netflix)
Model Episode: "The Flea and the Acrobat"
Confession: I guessed on that episode. I didn't really think of Stranger Things has having one particularly great episode because the whole show is too connected to think of it that way. I'm sure one of the episodes is the standout. I watched it six months ago though. It mostly could have been any episode. Besides, if you're watching Stranger Things, you're not skipping to the fifth episode for the model episode; you're watching all eight.
Strictly speaking, from a critical sense, this is probably too high. But I had more fun watching it than I do watching most things. David Harbour (Hopper) should have his career explode now. Similarly, Millie Bobbie Brown will go on to have a great career as she does some very difficult things as Eleven. I mentioned this in my review of Stranger Things, but the one disconnect between how most people who perceived Stranger Things and how I did was Winona Ryder's performance, which I didn't feel was all that great. But that's mostly a minor thing.
#6 Jane the Virgin (Seasons 2-3)
Model Episode: "Chapter 51"
If you're wondering, I just picked the most recent episode of Jane the Virgin. Jane watches Alfred Hitchcock movies to improve her writing, so the show takes breaks from reality at points in the episode and then shoots the show like Hitchcock is the director for short snippets. It's a perfect encapsulation of the appeal of the show. They do whatever the hell want. There's also a strong telenovela storyline with Rafael trying to find details from his past, Jane feeling like she's lost a connection to religion, and Rogelio trying to find a baby mama. It varies wildly in tone and it makes them seamlessly fit together.
If I was a betting man last year and I needed to bet on whether Jane the Virgin would be on this list this year, I would easily bet that it would not. Not only does it repeat, but it's actually one spot higher than last year. Sure, part of that is due to the mass exodus of most of the shows in front of it, but another part of it is that Jane the Virgin might just be the most consistent show on television, an amazing thing to say for a show that navigates as many storytelling devices as they do for 22 episodes! Here's hoping it lands on this list next year and I'm not as sure that I would make the same bet.
#5 Rectify (Season 4; Sundance)
Model Episode: "Pineapples in Paris"
It's really too bad the show didn't begin season four as strong as it finished it. The finale was naturally a bit too long, but given the circumstances, I certainly can forgive it for that. Besides the inflated length, the final four episodes were some of the strongest Rectify episodes they've had. If the first four had been as strong, Rectify would be making a strong case for a higher ranking (probably not #1 though)
But it speaks to the power of the show that I'm able to say something like that in an eight-episode season and still rank it #5. I've said it many times, but Rectify is among the most emotionally devastating shows on television and it does so quietly. The things that make you teary-eyed in Rectify would usually not make you teary-eyed on normal shows, but Rectify is so well-written and so well-acted that it can blindside you with the simplest things, like someone getting a job or someone asking for a divorce.
#4 American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson (Season 1; FX)
Model Episode: "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia"
Man this show really blew up when it aired, didn't it? I'm sorry to inform you guys that season two will suck. Of this I am certain. Ryan Murphy had NOTHING to do with season except as a producer. The guys who wrote this season? They gone. Murphy is back to writing for the second season in this anthology series. Whether you're a fan of his or not, I can't really see how American Horror Story or Glee or Nip Tuck or any other show he's done in the past would fit into the tone that the first season of American Crime Story did. So appreciate this season while you can.
Oh right I guess I should talk about this show. Well I have it at #4 for a reason and most of that reason has to do with the acting, whether it be Sarah Paulsen as Marcia Clark (hence my pick for the model episode), Sterling K Brown as Christopher Darden, and Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran. I mean damn all three of those people have a good case for winning an acting Emmy and I really couldn't argue with it about it. John Travolta plays Robert Shapiro very weird, but it somehow works, and David Schwimmer manages to evade the character Ross in playing Robert Kardashian. Cuba Gooding is a weak spot in an otherwise great ensemble, but this series focuses on the trial and OJ isn't a huge part of that so it's not an issue.
#3 Better Call Saul (Season 2; AMC)
Model Episode: "Klick"
More confession time: Better Call Saul got screwed over last year. It probably should have been in my top ten somewhere. Again, and I'll try to figure out a way around this next year, it is simply a matter of recency bias, or lack thereof in Better Call Saul's case. Its season starts in January and ends in April and by December, so many other shows have entered my mind that the greatness that Better Call Saul hits escapes me. I suffered that too this year. I needed to look up the episode descriptions to remember how great this season was. In this case, the disappearance of six of the shows from last year is a blessing. Better Call Saul may very well have been forgotten if I wasn't forced to look harder for a top five.
However, I'm making it sound like the second season isn't better than the first and it clearly is. So yes, I feel bad, but I don't feel too bad, because it should have been in the bottom half of the top ten and most of those shows end up interchangeable with how close in quality they are. Jimmy is edging ever so closer to becoming Saul Goodman, but if that's what you're looking for, expect to wait longer. The creators love Jimmy and want to delay his "transformation" for as long as possible. They want to see more Jimmy and I can't say I blame them.
#2 OJ: Made in America (Miniseries; ESPN)
Model Episode: Episode 5
I really didn't want to have two OJ Simpson focused television shows on my list. I watched the first two parts in June and kind of forget about it until December. I was struggling with whether to watch it when considering my list. I reasoned "It probably won't make my list anyway because I have no interest in having to OJ Simpson shows on here. They'll be too alike." Well obviously I decided to watch the whole thing. I don't know what happened over the summer to get me to stop watching, but I'm glad I picked it back up. Obviously. It's #2 on this list.
I also quickly found that there was no way I could combine both OJ properties onto this list because they are entirely different entities. They simply aren't the same. This documentary is higher because of its scope. It's way bigger than just the trial. Also, we get a really great look into OJ Simpson, which American Crime Story didn't do at all. That's why I felt I needed to separate the two series. Because they aren't trying to accomplish the same things at all. This documentary is a freaking masterpiece.
#1 The Americans (Season 4; FX)
Model Episode: "The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears"
Man Gabe really couldn't go with an easier episode title. There's a simple reason that The Americans is higher than OJ: Made in America, which I called a freaking masterpiece just two sentences ago. That reason is time and being scripted. That's it. I figured out that, in minutes, The Americans had more minutes in its season than the documentary had in its five parts. I consider them on mostly equal footing, I just hold a wholly original creation slightly higher than a documentary, no matter how good.
So this will not be the year that The Americans is unseated. I'm guessing it would not have been my #1 show in 2014, but I wasn't making these lists then. For the sake of my enjoyment, I hope it never leaves the #1 spot. I have nothing else to say except "WATCH THIS SHOW IF YOU AREN'T ALREADY GOOD GOD WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO CONVINCE YOU PEOPLE"
Honorable Mentions
Orange is the New Black - I held Orange is the New Black's fourth season in a similar vein as I did to Game of Thrones' sixth season. I had a desperate want to include it on my list somewhere, but it became increasingly clear only one of them could make it. I feel Game of Thrones is a tighter show.
iZombie - I also pretty desperately wanted this show on my list. The aforementioned 11 shows I needed to cut into 10 shows included this show. Then The Girlfriend Experience came into play and iZombie got lost in the shuffle. It definitely suffers because for some reason, its newest season doesn't begin until 2017, which is highly unusual for a network drama.
Mr. Robot - Mr. Robot's first season would have made it on my top ten if it aired a year later. But the second season wasn't quite as good - it was pretty much all set-up really - so I couldn't include it here.
Vikings - Vikings is a very daring show that I thought could make my list. If the entire show was as compelling as any scene Travis Fimmel is in, it would make my list, but unfortunately the other aspects of the show aren't nearly as strong.
The Path - This really only gets an honorable mention because I want to call attention to a solid show produced by Hulu! It probably isn't in my top 15 shows of the year, but it's a good watch about a cult.
The Crown - This series surprised me. I really didn't expect to like it as much I did. There really is just not room for it on my list unfortunately.
No I did not forget about this show
Westworld - Well there's always going to be one show where I disagree with the vast majority of people and/or critics. Last year, it was The Leftovers. This year, Westworld. So this isn't a true honorable mention so much as an acknowledgement that somebody might complain about this show's omission. I reviewed this show if you want my thoughts on it.
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Monday, December 26, 2016
Top Ten Comedies in 2016
Last year, I experimented with trying a top ten list. I was pretty unprepared for it and scrambled towards the finish line to watch a bunch of shows to properly make a good list. You'd think a year of preparation would help me avoid that fate this year? But alas I suspect that as long as there's a million TV shows out there, I'm always going to hit December with a few "must-watch" shows that need to at least be watched in order to make a competent list. While I wasn't able to watch every comedy that could make this list - sorry Bob's Burgers and Veep fans, I'm just not caught up to your show - I am happy with how many shows I was able to watch for this list.
It's important to note that my opinion is meaningless. If I don't have your favorite show on there, it's possible I didn't get to it or that human beings just have different tastes in things! Also, I'm just going to guess that the amount of people reading this who have seen every show on my top ten is... zero. Unless my blog reaches a wider audience than expected, it seems like pretty good odds. The show on Amazon Prime alone probably removes quite a bit of you guys by itself.
With this top ten, I hope to give you a framework of what to watch that you've missed. Not that it would be easy. There are shows from FX, Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, Fox, NBC, and Comedy Central. Most of those, at this point in the year, aren't easily accessible. But if you really want to watch a show, most of you will find a way to do that. With that said, let's begin.
#10 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 3-4; Fox)
Model Episode: "Halloween IV"
As one of the more consistent comedies that needs to air 22 episodes - probably the most consistent of that somewhat specific group - there's not a real reason for Brooklyn Nine-Nine being on the list this year and not last year. There's also not a real reason it's above the honorable mentions. Any one of them could have been in the #10 slot. But I have a stronger affection for B99 than I do the other shows and the reason is Andre Braugher. His deadpan character is always funny and a highlight of the show.
Also, this year brought Adrian Pimento, played by Jason Mantzoukas. He only appears in six episodes, but he sure fits right into this show. He doesn't really do anything different than he normally does either. He's just as crazily maniacal as he is on The League. But it works. B99 is a show that is very funny and entertaining even on its weaker episodes. Hence, it's placement on this list.
#9 Fleabag (Season 1; Amazon Prime)
Model Episode: "Episode 4"
Picking the model episode was hard, because I liked the overall arc of the series and it was very funny, but I could pick nits with each episode. This episode is very weird. I'm not sure what retreat they went to, if it exists, but I found myself questioning the point of the retreat. I ended up brushing that aside because it's really about the central relationship between sisters, uh, Fleabag and Claire. I guess I didn't notice they never gave the main character a name. Now that I look at it, there are characters named Arsehole Guy and Godmother so I guess creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge just doesn't care.
Waller-Bridge's performance makes this series worth watching. She breaks the fourth wall and she plays those instances perfectly. The series wouldn't work with a lesser actress. Not only does she break the fourth wall, but the series has more emotional depth than the first couple episodes would suggest. The series is at #9 and not higher because it's only six episodes and the finale has a "twist" I saw coming when they first foreshadowed it. Like I really hope it wasn't meant to be a twist it was so obvious.
#8 Baskets (Season 1; FX)
Model Episode: "Uncle Dad"
Like all shows on this list, there were multiple options for the model episode, but I felt I had to go with a Christine episode, because of Louie Anderson's performance. I heard a lot about his performance beforehand and when I was watching the first few episodes, I wasn't necessarily as in love with his performance as everyone else seemed. But it hit me while watching at some point that I was looking him at in the show genuinely as Christine, which is no mean feat when Louie Anderson is dressed like an old woman. This is the episode where Christine Baskets reveals how much love she has for her son by doing something that she thinks is best for him.
Baskets is a weird show, but I found myself surprised at how easily I accepted everything within the show. Here's a clown who wishes to make high art, married to a French woman who doesn't love him, living with his mother, who is Louie Anderson. Thats sounds fucking ridiculous to me on paper. I did not put Baskets higher, because I did not find it as funny as the shows above it. It doesn't seem to put laughs first and tries to get laughs organically, and while that's actually a way to get laughs that I like a lot, I would still like it to be funnier. (That said, Chip breaking a stack of champagne glasses and then falling made me laugh for a good minute.)
#7 Insecure (Season 1; HBO)
Model Episode: "Broken as Fuck"
This was the most complicated show for me to rank. It only has eight episodes and I didn't like one of them at all. That's not true of any other show on this list. Ultimately, "Broken as Fuck," the finale, managed to convince me. While this is Issa Rae's show, Yvonne Orji steals it. She is incredible in this. It's only through her performance that she isn't incredibly unlikable. She really wants to find the right one and through the season, it becomes evident that she's a big reason why she can't. Insecure makes it on this list because it focuses on the friendship between the two leads (which is the key relationship on the show, not the relationships the two have with other men). It's hilarious and is unafraid to have its characters do things that frustrate you.
Another complicated thing that made me question whether it belonged in this list is the music. You'll read reviews that say it's a positive and maybe even the best thing about the show. I don't think it's a negative. That's the best I got. It works well enough in the episodes and it features a ton of female rappers in its soundtrack, so I can't really complain too much, but whenever I went to Spotify to listen to more, I didn't think the majority of songs were good. Then there's Issa Rae rapping and I honestly can't tell if the show thinks she's good, but she's not. Her lyrics aren't the problem, though I don't think they are near as good as we're supposed to think they are. It's her flow and cadence (I do honestly think she's aware of this at least) It doesn't really affect my enjoyment of the show while watching an episode because it fits in with the tone - but I was just surprised at my difference of opinion with reviewers considering rap is my favorite genre of music. (They sure nailed the monotone rapper in the scene with her in the studio though, an unquestionable criticism of modern rap)
#6 The Good Place (Season 1; NBC)
Model Episode: "The Eternal Shriek"
At this particular stage in my life, The Good Place is ideally suited for my tastes. Not to get too personal, but just about every day of my life for the past few months, I ponder the possibility that there is no afterlife. So a show that brings about those questions - even if the answer is different - fits my current mindset. I don't think this is a show that is particular to my current mindset though. I think I'll be thinking about these things for the rest of my life.
It probably doesn't take much to sell you on this show. Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. That's all it takes for me. I assume everyone is the same as me on this? There's also the perfectly cast William Jackson Harper as Eleanor's supposed soulmate and D'Arcy Carden as the helpful computer Janet. I'm curious where The Good Place goes from its midseason finale because they keep pushing its premise to the edge, but apparently Michael Schur has a plan in mind and I trust the creator of B99 and Parks and Rec.
#5 Bojack Horseman (Season 3; Netflix)
Model Episode: "Best Thing That Ever Happened"
WOW! Here's a show where my model episode was exceptionally tough. I decided to go with a character-based episode with a knockout ending. I loved "Fish out of Water," but it was somewhat of a gimmick and I loved "Brapp Brapp Pew Pew," but that mostly gets points for making an intelligent episode about abortion. "Best Thing That Never Happened" is an episode that isolates two of its characters and forces them to address their problems. The gold standard of this is "The Suitcase," one of the best Mad Men episodes ever. So that's ultimately why I went with that one.
Bojack Horseman is the first show to place on both the 2015 and 2016 list. It placed #9 last year. If you're wondering for the jump, it's not because of a jump in quality, but because my #1, #3, #4, #5, and #8 shows all disappeared in 2016. Seriously. The crazy part is that only one of those shows officially ended. That's television in 2016, folks. Anyway, if there's a problem I have with this show is it seems to dead set on misery for the sake of misery. It feels less like a logical place the character would go and more a dedication to putting Bojack Horseman through the ringer. Angela Bassett was a great addition to this season.
#4 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 11; FXX)
Model Episode: "Charlie Catches a Leprechaun"
At this point, it's pointless to explain my opinion on this show. I'd venture a guess that the people who still watch this show are fine with this pick and those who don't are looking at the 11th season and looking at #4 and then getting trapped in a constant loop. Don't let the 11th season part fool you. I don't think the 11th season is the best It's Always Sunny season, but it's probably your typical It's Always Sunny season. Now the people questioning this ranking are wondering how the fuck the typical season ranks this high and how I consider that many seasons to be of this quality (because clearly you've either watched it and don't get it or don't watch it because you are highly skeptical of that one friend who loves that show and keeps trying to get you to watch it)
It's Always Sunny is a show so entrenched in callbacks that the 11th season ranking is purely specific to people who've watched the show for 10 seasons. So I understand why I haven't seen it in any rankings of the top shows of 2016. But this is my personal rankings so I don't care. "The Gang Hits the Slopes" is THE perfect sendup of 80s sports movies, "Being Frank" is one of those inventive episodes that they do every year, and "Charlie Catches a Leprechaun" is as hilarious as its title. (Or maybe its just hilarious because in the episode, Charlie really thinks he caught a leprechaun because he thinks they are real)
#3 Broad City (Season 3; Comedy Central)
Model Episode: "Burning Bridges"
Broad City's third season is this high because it actually at one point threatened the very fabric of the show, the relationship between Abbi and Ilana. Broad City had what it hadn't had before and that is a serialized plot. That's not an obligation for a comedy, but it certainly makes the stakes higher. Abbi gets into a relationship with someone and lies to Ilana about it because she is ashamed of him. Meanwhile, llana breaks up with a longtime cast member of the show, Hannibal. His presence will be sorely missed, but that's a problem for the fourth season since I think he had roughly the same amount of screen time this season as the rest.
Anyway, that's my reasoning for why it is #3 this year, which is quite a jump from last year's #7 ranking. Again, part of it is that my entire top five basically disappeared on me and part of it is what I consider an improved season. Ilana also loses her job in this season so basically I'm pretty excited for what they have in store for season 4 since they are willing to tread new ground. Also, get ready for a whole bunch of famous guest stars in this season, most of them working really well.
#2 You're the Worst (Season 3; FX)
Model Episode: "Twenty-Two"
I was not planning on You're the Worst repeating its #2 placement. The second season was a slight decline from its second. "Twenty-Two" was possibly the best episode of television all year. Both of those things can be true. After a lot of hinting, the show finally gives Edgar his own spotlight episode where his PSTD is shown from his point of view and it's quite frightening. This season also gives a better look into Jimmy than the second season did with his dad dying. His dad basically is his entire inspiration for writing - to prove him wrong - so it sends him into a tailspin.
Gretchen gets into therapy eventually in this season, with the therapist being played by Orange is the New Black's Samara Wiley. She doesn't get a whole lot to do in this season, but she's good in the season. It really speaks to how good I at least consider You're the Worst that I definitely don't think it's as good as season two and yet here it is on this list. When push comes to shove, I tend to look at individual episodes and how many great ones each TV show has, and You're the Worst just has more than most of these shows. (It might even have more than the #1 show, but the #1 show is consistently better)
#1 Atlanta
Model Episode "Streets on Lock"
With the model episode, I aim for two things: to get a representative of the show and to get the best the show has. I went for "Streets on Lock" over "Value" because the latter was not exactly representative of the show. Granted, Atlanta is what you call an experimental comedy so a focus on a specific character isn't exactly outside the bounds of what Atlanta will do. But "Streets on Lock" - only its second episode - just seems like more of a representative of the appeal of Atlanta than the other. (There's also "B.A.N." but that's way different than the rest of these episodes to the point where I never considered it)
I wrote my review of Atlanta just two weeks ago so I don't have much to say about Atlanta that I didn't say there. It's kind of strange because I gave the season an A- and I don't disagree with that grade so I wonder if this was a weak year for flawless comedies. I had so much trouble with my top five. This was obviously a strong year for comedies as my honorable mentions feature at least three shows I desperately wanted on this list, but it does not seem like many shows quite venture into that top tier range. That A range. There's a ton of A- shows. The distinction isn't important, it just seemed like it made my job more difficult. (It's also possible last year was ridiculously stacked when I would have given a straight A to Review, You're the Worst, Nathan for You, and probably Rick & Morty.)
Honorable Mentions
The Last Man on Earth - Last year, The Last Man on Earth improved a significant amount. The problem was that its first season was still technically 2015 so there was no shot of it making this list. This year, it continued its success from last year. It did not make the cut because the heartfelt and tragic episodes tended to come once every three episodes or so. The other episodes were funny, but inconsequential. It was a tough cut for me.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Here's another show I wanted on this list pretty badly. I can't really say why it isn't on this list. I wasn't a huge fan of this show last year and this season made me into a fan. I couldn't pull the trigger on cutting any of the ones that made this list so unfortunately it didn't make.
Better Things - I liked Better Things and I liked the idea of it being on my list, but this is another show that just wasn't as funny as I would have liked. I do like that comedies don't feel the need to be funny all the time and would rather be real, and Better Things is that. But a lot of shows have figured out a way to do both at once.
Silicon Valley - I think this show suffers mightily from when it airs. I just can't remember it as well as the shows I just watched and it usually airs its last episode of the season way back in April. That said, I tried to access my feelings from when I watched it and I've just never truly loved this show. With the competition it's up against, I don't feel exceptionally guilty about this being off my list.
Blackish - Here's another show like Last Man on Earth. When it has amazing episodes, it's one of the best half hours on television. It just doesn't happen frequently enough! Too many episodes are forgettable. They also had an unforgivable Disney promo as their first episode of season three. I realize that was network mandated, but man it really puts a strain on a show.
I will be posting my top ten dramas, either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on how my schedule works out. I may or may not be watching a show that will end up on that list right now and need to finish it before finishing my post. Hope you guys aren't too mad at this list.
It's important to note that my opinion is meaningless. If I don't have your favorite show on there, it's possible I didn't get to it or that human beings just have different tastes in things! Also, I'm just going to guess that the amount of people reading this who have seen every show on my top ten is... zero. Unless my blog reaches a wider audience than expected, it seems like pretty good odds. The show on Amazon Prime alone probably removes quite a bit of you guys by itself.
With this top ten, I hope to give you a framework of what to watch that you've missed. Not that it would be easy. There are shows from FX, Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, Fox, NBC, and Comedy Central. Most of those, at this point in the year, aren't easily accessible. But if you really want to watch a show, most of you will find a way to do that. With that said, let's begin.
#10 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 3-4; Fox)
Model Episode: "Halloween IV"
As one of the more consistent comedies that needs to air 22 episodes - probably the most consistent of that somewhat specific group - there's not a real reason for Brooklyn Nine-Nine being on the list this year and not last year. There's also not a real reason it's above the honorable mentions. Any one of them could have been in the #10 slot. But I have a stronger affection for B99 than I do the other shows and the reason is Andre Braugher. His deadpan character is always funny and a highlight of the show.
Also, this year brought Adrian Pimento, played by Jason Mantzoukas. He only appears in six episodes, but he sure fits right into this show. He doesn't really do anything different than he normally does either. He's just as crazily maniacal as he is on The League. But it works. B99 is a show that is very funny and entertaining even on its weaker episodes. Hence, it's placement on this list.
#9 Fleabag (Season 1; Amazon Prime)
Model Episode: "Episode 4"
Picking the model episode was hard, because I liked the overall arc of the series and it was very funny, but I could pick nits with each episode. This episode is very weird. I'm not sure what retreat they went to, if it exists, but I found myself questioning the point of the retreat. I ended up brushing that aside because it's really about the central relationship between sisters, uh, Fleabag and Claire. I guess I didn't notice they never gave the main character a name. Now that I look at it, there are characters named Arsehole Guy and Godmother so I guess creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge just doesn't care.
Waller-Bridge's performance makes this series worth watching. She breaks the fourth wall and she plays those instances perfectly. The series wouldn't work with a lesser actress. Not only does she break the fourth wall, but the series has more emotional depth than the first couple episodes would suggest. The series is at #9 and not higher because it's only six episodes and the finale has a "twist" I saw coming when they first foreshadowed it. Like I really hope it wasn't meant to be a twist it was so obvious.
#8 Baskets (Season 1; FX)
Model Episode: "Uncle Dad"
Like all shows on this list, there were multiple options for the model episode, but I felt I had to go with a Christine episode, because of Louie Anderson's performance. I heard a lot about his performance beforehand and when I was watching the first few episodes, I wasn't necessarily as in love with his performance as everyone else seemed. But it hit me while watching at some point that I was looking him at in the show genuinely as Christine, which is no mean feat when Louie Anderson is dressed like an old woman. This is the episode where Christine Baskets reveals how much love she has for her son by doing something that she thinks is best for him.
Baskets is a weird show, but I found myself surprised at how easily I accepted everything within the show. Here's a clown who wishes to make high art, married to a French woman who doesn't love him, living with his mother, who is Louie Anderson. Thats sounds fucking ridiculous to me on paper. I did not put Baskets higher, because I did not find it as funny as the shows above it. It doesn't seem to put laughs first and tries to get laughs organically, and while that's actually a way to get laughs that I like a lot, I would still like it to be funnier. (That said, Chip breaking a stack of champagne glasses and then falling made me laugh for a good minute.)
#7 Insecure (Season 1; HBO)
Model Episode: "Broken as Fuck"
This was the most complicated show for me to rank. It only has eight episodes and I didn't like one of them at all. That's not true of any other show on this list. Ultimately, "Broken as Fuck," the finale, managed to convince me. While this is Issa Rae's show, Yvonne Orji steals it. She is incredible in this. It's only through her performance that she isn't incredibly unlikable. She really wants to find the right one and through the season, it becomes evident that she's a big reason why she can't. Insecure makes it on this list because it focuses on the friendship between the two leads (which is the key relationship on the show, not the relationships the two have with other men). It's hilarious and is unafraid to have its characters do things that frustrate you.
Another complicated thing that made me question whether it belonged in this list is the music. You'll read reviews that say it's a positive and maybe even the best thing about the show. I don't think it's a negative. That's the best I got. It works well enough in the episodes and it features a ton of female rappers in its soundtrack, so I can't really complain too much, but whenever I went to Spotify to listen to more, I didn't think the majority of songs were good. Then there's Issa Rae rapping and I honestly can't tell if the show thinks she's good, but she's not. Her lyrics aren't the problem, though I don't think they are near as good as we're supposed to think they are. It's her flow and cadence (I do honestly think she's aware of this at least) It doesn't really affect my enjoyment of the show while watching an episode because it fits in with the tone - but I was just surprised at my difference of opinion with reviewers considering rap is my favorite genre of music. (They sure nailed the monotone rapper in the scene with her in the studio though, an unquestionable criticism of modern rap)
#6 The Good Place (Season 1; NBC)
Model Episode: "The Eternal Shriek"
At this particular stage in my life, The Good Place is ideally suited for my tastes. Not to get too personal, but just about every day of my life for the past few months, I ponder the possibility that there is no afterlife. So a show that brings about those questions - even if the answer is different - fits my current mindset. I don't think this is a show that is particular to my current mindset though. I think I'll be thinking about these things for the rest of my life.
It probably doesn't take much to sell you on this show. Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. That's all it takes for me. I assume everyone is the same as me on this? There's also the perfectly cast William Jackson Harper as Eleanor's supposed soulmate and D'Arcy Carden as the helpful computer Janet. I'm curious where The Good Place goes from its midseason finale because they keep pushing its premise to the edge, but apparently Michael Schur has a plan in mind and I trust the creator of B99 and Parks and Rec.
#5 Bojack Horseman (Season 3; Netflix)
Model Episode: "Best Thing That Ever Happened"
WOW! Here's a show where my model episode was exceptionally tough. I decided to go with a character-based episode with a knockout ending. I loved "Fish out of Water," but it was somewhat of a gimmick and I loved "Brapp Brapp Pew Pew," but that mostly gets points for making an intelligent episode about abortion. "Best Thing That Never Happened" is an episode that isolates two of its characters and forces them to address their problems. The gold standard of this is "The Suitcase," one of the best Mad Men episodes ever. So that's ultimately why I went with that one.
Bojack Horseman is the first show to place on both the 2015 and 2016 list. It placed #9 last year. If you're wondering for the jump, it's not because of a jump in quality, but because my #1, #3, #4, #5, and #8 shows all disappeared in 2016. Seriously. The crazy part is that only one of those shows officially ended. That's television in 2016, folks. Anyway, if there's a problem I have with this show is it seems to dead set on misery for the sake of misery. It feels less like a logical place the character would go and more a dedication to putting Bojack Horseman through the ringer. Angela Bassett was a great addition to this season.
#4 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 11; FXX)
Model Episode: "Charlie Catches a Leprechaun"
At this point, it's pointless to explain my opinion on this show. I'd venture a guess that the people who still watch this show are fine with this pick and those who don't are looking at the 11th season and looking at #4 and then getting trapped in a constant loop. Don't let the 11th season part fool you. I don't think the 11th season is the best It's Always Sunny season, but it's probably your typical It's Always Sunny season. Now the people questioning this ranking are wondering how the fuck the typical season ranks this high and how I consider that many seasons to be of this quality (because clearly you've either watched it and don't get it or don't watch it because you are highly skeptical of that one friend who loves that show and keeps trying to get you to watch it)
It's Always Sunny is a show so entrenched in callbacks that the 11th season ranking is purely specific to people who've watched the show for 10 seasons. So I understand why I haven't seen it in any rankings of the top shows of 2016. But this is my personal rankings so I don't care. "The Gang Hits the Slopes" is THE perfect sendup of 80s sports movies, "Being Frank" is one of those inventive episodes that they do every year, and "Charlie Catches a Leprechaun" is as hilarious as its title. (Or maybe its just hilarious because in the episode, Charlie really thinks he caught a leprechaun because he thinks they are real)
#3 Broad City (Season 3; Comedy Central)
Model Episode: "Burning Bridges"
Broad City's third season is this high because it actually at one point threatened the very fabric of the show, the relationship between Abbi and Ilana. Broad City had what it hadn't had before and that is a serialized plot. That's not an obligation for a comedy, but it certainly makes the stakes higher. Abbi gets into a relationship with someone and lies to Ilana about it because she is ashamed of him. Meanwhile, llana breaks up with a longtime cast member of the show, Hannibal. His presence will be sorely missed, but that's a problem for the fourth season since I think he had roughly the same amount of screen time this season as the rest.
Anyway, that's my reasoning for why it is #3 this year, which is quite a jump from last year's #7 ranking. Again, part of it is that my entire top five basically disappeared on me and part of it is what I consider an improved season. Ilana also loses her job in this season so basically I'm pretty excited for what they have in store for season 4 since they are willing to tread new ground. Also, get ready for a whole bunch of famous guest stars in this season, most of them working really well.
#2 You're the Worst (Season 3; FX)
Model Episode: "Twenty-Two"
I was not planning on You're the Worst repeating its #2 placement. The second season was a slight decline from its second. "Twenty-Two" was possibly the best episode of television all year. Both of those things can be true. After a lot of hinting, the show finally gives Edgar his own spotlight episode where his PSTD is shown from his point of view and it's quite frightening. This season also gives a better look into Jimmy than the second season did with his dad dying. His dad basically is his entire inspiration for writing - to prove him wrong - so it sends him into a tailspin.
Gretchen gets into therapy eventually in this season, with the therapist being played by Orange is the New Black's Samara Wiley. She doesn't get a whole lot to do in this season, but she's good in the season. It really speaks to how good I at least consider You're the Worst that I definitely don't think it's as good as season two and yet here it is on this list. When push comes to shove, I tend to look at individual episodes and how many great ones each TV show has, and You're the Worst just has more than most of these shows. (It might even have more than the #1 show, but the #1 show is consistently better)
#1 Atlanta
Model Episode "Streets on Lock"
With the model episode, I aim for two things: to get a representative of the show and to get the best the show has. I went for "Streets on Lock" over "Value" because the latter was not exactly representative of the show. Granted, Atlanta is what you call an experimental comedy so a focus on a specific character isn't exactly outside the bounds of what Atlanta will do. But "Streets on Lock" - only its second episode - just seems like more of a representative of the appeal of Atlanta than the other. (There's also "B.A.N." but that's way different than the rest of these episodes to the point where I never considered it)
I wrote my review of Atlanta just two weeks ago so I don't have much to say about Atlanta that I didn't say there. It's kind of strange because I gave the season an A- and I don't disagree with that grade so I wonder if this was a weak year for flawless comedies. I had so much trouble with my top five. This was obviously a strong year for comedies as my honorable mentions feature at least three shows I desperately wanted on this list, but it does not seem like many shows quite venture into that top tier range. That A range. There's a ton of A- shows. The distinction isn't important, it just seemed like it made my job more difficult. (It's also possible last year was ridiculously stacked when I would have given a straight A to Review, You're the Worst, Nathan for You, and probably Rick & Morty.)
Honorable Mentions
The Last Man on Earth - Last year, The Last Man on Earth improved a significant amount. The problem was that its first season was still technically 2015 so there was no shot of it making this list. This year, it continued its success from last year. It did not make the cut because the heartfelt and tragic episodes tended to come once every three episodes or so. The other episodes were funny, but inconsequential. It was a tough cut for me.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Here's another show I wanted on this list pretty badly. I can't really say why it isn't on this list. I wasn't a huge fan of this show last year and this season made me into a fan. I couldn't pull the trigger on cutting any of the ones that made this list so unfortunately it didn't make.
Better Things - I liked Better Things and I liked the idea of it being on my list, but this is another show that just wasn't as funny as I would have liked. I do like that comedies don't feel the need to be funny all the time and would rather be real, and Better Things is that. But a lot of shows have figured out a way to do both at once.
Silicon Valley - I think this show suffers mightily from when it airs. I just can't remember it as well as the shows I just watched and it usually airs its last episode of the season way back in April. That said, I tried to access my feelings from when I watched it and I've just never truly loved this show. With the competition it's up against, I don't feel exceptionally guilty about this being off my list.
Blackish - Here's another show like Last Man on Earth. When it has amazing episodes, it's one of the best half hours on television. It just doesn't happen frequently enough! Too many episodes are forgettable. They also had an unforgivable Disney promo as their first episode of season three. I realize that was network mandated, but man it really puts a strain on a show.
I will be posting my top ten dramas, either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on how my schedule works out. I may or may not be watching a show that will end up on that list right now and need to finish it before finishing my post. Hope you guys aren't too mad at this list.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Rectify S4 Review
Rectify has ended. The little-seen, but much-praised series came to an end last Wednesday after just four seasons and 30 episodes. If only more shows knew how to make the mark that Rectify made on me in so little time. The fourth season wasn't its best, but it was still Rectify, one of the best shows on television.More people have helped me than harmed me. The harm seems to leave the deeper mark
When we last left Daniel, he was leaving Paulie, Georgia as an excommunicated man. He legally could not enter the state of Georgia or he would go back to prison. Rectify and Paulie have been so interconnected throughout the series that it was natural to wonder if him leaving would affect the series' tone or quality. It did, in both good ways and bad. The season felt fractured, intentionally so I would guess. The separation of the main characters was felt through this dynamic. But at the same time, it still led to some episodes that didn't really connect its storylines. The individual scenes were on par with what I recognize as Rectify, but the episode itself tended to be less than the sum of its parts.
At the New Canaan Project, Daniel gets a much-needed support group to help him succeed on "his own." Technically with this project, he's not really on his own, but there's little question that when he begins this series, he is for all intents and purposes, on his own. He refuses to open up to the other members, a natural consequence of distrusting strangers after 20 years in prison.
While I don't necessarily think she was an outright negative, Chloe was a bit of a misstep. Caitlin Fitzgerald does her best. I really wanted to embrace her as a character, but she seems like too much a cypher. Her character seems pretty stereotypical to me - a flaky artist - who I'm still not sure why she gravitated towards Daniel. Their relationship - such as it is - progresses way too fast for narrative purposes. Fitzgerald is not to blame. I've seen her in this and Masters of Sex and both times, she's vastly better than her material.
This season also further separates Ted and Tawney, which has been a long time coming. Ted realizes that he's going to need to be the one to make the first step towards divorce or their life would remain in stasis. Clayne Crawford's acting in that scene is incredible. In season one, I would never have guessed I would be extremely invested in Ted, with my heart consistently breaking for him. It's too late, but he seems to have genuinely changed. As part of the relatively by Rectify's standards fast-paced timeline, he went from drinking away his breakup to entering AA to stop drinking over the span of one episode.
Really, if you've made it into the fourth season of Rectify then this next part should go without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway because it deserves to be mentioned: the acting is some of the best on television, whether it's Aden Young's sympathetic, yet slightly off-putting performance as Daniel, Adelaide Clemens as soft-spoken and kind-hearted Tawney, or the "good ole' boy" Ted Jr by Crawford. That doesn't even mention the very underrated J. Smith-Cameron as Janet. I don't mean she's just underrated normally, but she's underrated by the show's own standards because some of the other performances are more easily noticeable.
One of those noticeable performances had a lot less to do in season four. Abigail Spencer as Amantha, Daniel's sister, has always been the standout performer from episode one. But as she is no longer fighting for Daniel's cause, there's not really much for her to do. I don't think her budding romance with her former classmate was a chore to watch or anything and it worked, but I just sort of missed the Amantha and Daniel interactions from seasons' past. Her trademark wit was also less significant from the story.
Basically, an unavoidable "weakness" of this season by its very premise was the lack of interaction between Daniel and everyone in Paulie. I think Amantha and Daniel had one phone conversation, Tawney talked to him for the first time since I think season two in the finale, and Ted Jr only had one phone conversation (it was very touching). At least the two parents got to visit him for one episode (perhaps not coincidentally, maybe the best in this season?)
The New Canaan Project was a genuine success as a story. When Pickle gets a job and they go out to dinner to celebrate, it's amazing how much meaning Rectify is able to put into a story like that. Describe the impactful moments of this series and some of them will sound impactful, but some of them will just elicit "that's it?" That's why I think this series is kind of a hard sell. The most mundane things - things we maybe take for granted - can become beautiful in this series. (He'd been searching for a job for seven episodes though and it's well-known how hard it is to get a good job once you get released from prison so I doubt this is a hard sell).
It's been a week since I watched the finale and it took me about this long to write that review because I didn't know what to say. That's probably why this review is more negative than what my actual feelings are - it appears I remember more clearly things I wasn't necessarily sold on - rather than all the jubilant and emotional moments.
Rectify has three seasons on Netflix and I'm guessing the fourth season is going to get posted within the next year. Convince everyone you know to watch it. Somehow. I have frequently failed. But it's only 30 episodes!! That's a piece of cake. It is by far the most I've ever been affected by a show emotionally. I once tweeted "Ready to be emotionally devastated by Rectify" and it comes through just about every episode of the series. This season was no exception, minor complaints and all. Expect to see it on my top ten dramas next week.
Grade: A-
Monday, December 12, 2016
Atlanta S1 Review
Donald Glover described Atlanta as "Twin Peaks with rappers," which lives up to that description in its willingness to go WEIRD. I don't want the Twin Peaks label to get you to have unreasonable expectations. It's a show about rappers that consistently operates in a slightly off universe, like having Justin Bieber being played by an even more obnoxious than the Biebs black guy. That's the kind of thing that sort of makes that description make sense, but he probably just said that because it's a really great hook to get people to watch his show.
Glover is a known entity. He has written on 30 Rock, acted on Community, and released rap songs under the pseudonym Childish Gambino. Hell, I've probably seen him in things since 2006, when he was with Derrick Comedy on Youtube. In Atlanta, he plays the straight man for the most part. He is one of the best at that. Something crazy happens, and he has the perfect reaction to make you laugh.
Glover plays Earnest, or Earn, who is basically homeless. He has a small child from a relationship with Van. Their relationship is somewhat undefined, but they aren't really together. Sometimes, he sleeps there when she lets him. He's looking for a way to get money as he is dirt poor and his parents are unwilling to lend him any money. He sees an opportunity in the form of his cousin, up-and-coming rapper named Paper Boi. Thus, he ends up becoming his manager.
Paper Boi, or Alfred, is played by Brian Tyree Henry, a man who doesn't seem to enjoy his rising popularity. He doesn't like that he gained his popularity from a shooting, he doesn't like fans too-earnestly reciting his lyrics to him, and he doesn't like having to look over his shoulder all the time. He's also a drug dealer by the way. He doesn't appear to enjoy any of this so much as feel like it's a requirement for him to survive in this world. I'm making this series sound more foreboding than it is, though there is a runner throughout that suggests someone's out to get him.
But the real scene stealer of the season is Lakeith Stanfield, who I first saw back in 2014 on Short Term 12 (a fantastic movie that you, random reader, should watch. It stars the always great Brie Larson and is on Netflix right now!) He plays a vastly different character here. He's a spacey, strange individual who will end up saying the most random shit possible. It's impossible for me to describe exactly how he steals scenes, but I think it's all on his delivery (and the writing).
This is a deeply funny series. It's thoughtful and makes smart comments about race (and other things), but perhaps the truest test of a comedy, is that it is fucking hilarious. Whether it's Stanfield's delivery, Henry's consistent and constant state of aghast (I'm stealing this from another site, but he's in a league with John Krasinki at reacting "I can't believe this is happening right now" with just his face), or just weird things thrown in randomly that earn this series the "experimental comedy" genre.
And it's experimental make no mistake. There's an entire episode dedicated to a talk show format designed to have the two guests argue (when they start agreeing, the host desperately tries to get them back to arguing) and a look at what commercials would be like if they explicitly appealed to black viewers. The show mostly ignores Van (played by Zazie Beetz) for the first five episodes and then drops an episode completely from her point of view for the sixth. Glover, the apparent star of the show, disappears for two straight episodes. You really don't know what you're getting with this series.
It's inaccurate to call Atlanta an anthology show, because it's the same characters, but it's not clear that anything that happens has long-term consequences. There's a shooting in the first episode and by all accounts it's clear that happened - it's consistently acknowledged throughout the show - and it's clear Paper Boi has a very ill-defined rise in popularity because of it, but he's at one point popular enough to be on a talk show and another time not popular enough to get any cheers when his name is shouted out at a club. So they are very vague on things like that. But Earn is always broke, always trying to make money, and always trying to find a place to live. So they have continuity only when it makes sense to them.
The musical choices in this are some of the best in television. Let's just say that the season ends on an Outkast song to give you an idea, although sometimes they throw you an unexpected choice that works just as well. Needless to say, I may be looking around for a playlist of all the music that appeared on here.
Hiro Murai directs eight episodes of the show. Previously a music video director - he came into orbit with Glover through rap - he certainly has a special touch. There's not really anything specifically that would indicate he was a music video director. I suppose the expert use and knowledge of music throughout is just about the only thing. One of the episodes - an extremely experimental one - is directed by Glover himself.
Atlanta is a very good show - it will make my top ten comedies of the year when I get around to posting that. The cast is excellent throughout, it's weird, it's funny, and I'm excited to see what the second season will bring. It's a show I recommend not because I know you will like it, but because it's pretty different then most comedies and it's funny. That alone should make this at the very least interesting.
Grade - A-
It's inaccurate to call Atlanta an anthology show, because it's the same characters, but it's not clear that anything that happens has long-term consequences. There's a shooting in the first episode and by all accounts it's clear that happened - it's consistently acknowledged throughout the show - and it's clear Paper Boi has a very ill-defined rise in popularity because of it, but he's at one point popular enough to be on a talk show and another time not popular enough to get any cheers when his name is shouted out at a club. So they are very vague on things like that. But Earn is always broke, always trying to make money, and always trying to find a place to live. So they have continuity only when it makes sense to them.
The musical choices in this are some of the best in television. Let's just say that the season ends on an Outkast song to give you an idea, although sometimes they throw you an unexpected choice that works just as well. Needless to say, I may be looking around for a playlist of all the music that appeared on here.
Hiro Murai directs eight episodes of the show. Previously a music video director - he came into orbit with Glover through rap - he certainly has a special touch. There's not really anything specifically that would indicate he was a music video director. I suppose the expert use and knowledge of music throughout is just about the only thing. One of the episodes - an extremely experimental one - is directed by Glover himself.
Atlanta is a very good show - it will make my top ten comedies of the year when I get around to posting that. The cast is excellent throughout, it's weird, it's funny, and I'm excited to see what the second season will bring. It's a show I recommend not because I know you will like it, but because it's pretty different then most comedies and it's funny. That alone should make this at the very least interesting.
Grade - A-
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Writing Blind: The X-Files S7
Welcome to a feature called "Writing Blind." In this series, I will be writing about seasons of television that I watched in the past year or so, but failed to write about at the time. I call it writing blind, because I will be sharing my thoughts months after I have already finished the season. This is both because I want to write about these seasons, but don't have the time to re-watch them and because it is a challenge to hopefully improve my writing.
I rarely noticed it, but this is the season most commonly referenced as to when David Duchovny stopped giving a shit. I didn't notice it most of the time, not because I'm not particularly enamored of his acting ability, but because he's always been kind of a sleepy, low-key performer. With that said, after having watched season eight, I do appreciate Duchovny a lot more than I did because his absence is felt in the first part of the season so he's clearly doing something right.
The seventh season of The X-Files is a weird season. It's a really weird season. There are episodes of creativity, doing things that somehow hadn't been done before. There are signs that the writers have run out of ideas, lacking enough good ideas to fill a 22-episode season. To be fair, maybe one or two seasons have sustained 22 good ideas as most seasons will have a clunker or two.
Unfortunately, it's a sign of The X-Files exiting their golden age. There's not a single episode in this season that is a classic. If you want to quibble with that, I'll amend it a little: I don't think any of these episodes would make a top ten X-Files list. I'm not saying there aren't good episodes. "En Ami" pairs together Cigarette Smoking Man and Scully for a solo episode of sorts. It works very well. "Hollywood A.D." goes meta and I always enjoy a good meta episode that constantly pokes fun at itself. "The Amazing Maleeni" is elevated by a strong guest performance by Ricky Jay (Deadwood alum). I'm just saying none of these are your all-time greats.
In addition, season seven has some of the worst episodes of the entire series (Season 9 possibly excluded as I have not seen it and I plan to skip most of that season so I'll probably never really know). These are episode titles I knew were bad before I even got to season seven. "First Person Shooter" and "Fight Club" are legitimate competing candidates for worst episode of the series, or at the very least worst episode of the series when it was still good. Duchovny has proved surprisingly adept at both writing and directing (He wrote and directed one of my favorites from this season "Hollywood A.D.") Gillian Anderson... well let's just say there's a reason her only writing and directing credit on IMDB is her writer-director effort "all things."
It's pretty clear, at least until season eight comes along, that they are simply out of ideas. They gave both Anderson and Duchovny their own episodes, they have an admittedly entertaining gimmick episode in "X-Cops," they have what I think is an afterword to the cancelled Millennium show, and they have the most clunkers since season one. While I admitted that Duchovny's absence is felt in season eight, they did need a change and his lessened involvement provided the necessary excuse.
Plus, at this point, the mythology had been well past the point of being interesting. I don't remember much about these mythology episodes except I remember them being a slog to get through. I've always kind of had an issue with the mythology episodes though. Part of it was knowing that it was going nowhere: the heroes almost discover something new, only for it be taken away at the last minute, probably because somebody gets killed. In the back of my mind, I just can't really be invested in those episodes unfortunately.
As always though - for the most part, The X-Files remained mediocre to good for the whole season on the strength of its directing. The directors never let down the script at this point in the show's run. Kim Manners, Rob Bowman, and whoever copied them in the other episodes, had effectively nailed the show's tone. There's a few episodes purposefully straying from that tone, but they tended to at the least direct it as well as it is written on the page and frequently elevating the story. (I wonder if a more experienced director could have improved Anderson's episode; hard not to think so).
So season seven is a victim of a show being in its seventh season. Nearly all shows either don't even make it to its seventh season or they no longer can be called a good show. The X-Files could still be called a good show, it just probably wasn't a great show by this point. Sometimes, making lots of consistently good episodes is enough though. Despite the bad episodes, most of these episodes were solid. That's how I would describe this season: solid.
Grade - B
Unfortunately, it's a sign of The X-Files exiting their golden age. There's not a single episode in this season that is a classic. If you want to quibble with that, I'll amend it a little: I don't think any of these episodes would make a top ten X-Files list. I'm not saying there aren't good episodes. "En Ami" pairs together Cigarette Smoking Man and Scully for a solo episode of sorts. It works very well. "Hollywood A.D." goes meta and I always enjoy a good meta episode that constantly pokes fun at itself. "The Amazing Maleeni" is elevated by a strong guest performance by Ricky Jay (Deadwood alum). I'm just saying none of these are your all-time greats.
In addition, season seven has some of the worst episodes of the entire series (Season 9 possibly excluded as I have not seen it and I plan to skip most of that season so I'll probably never really know). These are episode titles I knew were bad before I even got to season seven. "First Person Shooter" and "Fight Club" are legitimate competing candidates for worst episode of the series, or at the very least worst episode of the series when it was still good. Duchovny has proved surprisingly adept at both writing and directing (He wrote and directed one of my favorites from this season "Hollywood A.D.") Gillian Anderson... well let's just say there's a reason her only writing and directing credit on IMDB is her writer-director effort "all things."
It's pretty clear, at least until season eight comes along, that they are simply out of ideas. They gave both Anderson and Duchovny their own episodes, they have an admittedly entertaining gimmick episode in "X-Cops," they have what I think is an afterword to the cancelled Millennium show, and they have the most clunkers since season one. While I admitted that Duchovny's absence is felt in season eight, they did need a change and his lessened involvement provided the necessary excuse.
Plus, at this point, the mythology had been well past the point of being interesting. I don't remember much about these mythology episodes except I remember them being a slog to get through. I've always kind of had an issue with the mythology episodes though. Part of it was knowing that it was going nowhere: the heroes almost discover something new, only for it be taken away at the last minute, probably because somebody gets killed. In the back of my mind, I just can't really be invested in those episodes unfortunately.
As always though - for the most part, The X-Files remained mediocre to good for the whole season on the strength of its directing. The directors never let down the script at this point in the show's run. Kim Manners, Rob Bowman, and whoever copied them in the other episodes, had effectively nailed the show's tone. There's a few episodes purposefully straying from that tone, but they tended to at the least direct it as well as it is written on the page and frequently elevating the story. (I wonder if a more experienced director could have improved Anderson's episode; hard not to think so).
So season seven is a victim of a show being in its seventh season. Nearly all shows either don't even make it to its seventh season or they no longer can be called a good show. The X-Files could still be called a good show, it just probably wasn't a great show by this point. Sometimes, making lots of consistently good episodes is enough though. Despite the bad episodes, most of these episodes were solid. That's how I would describe this season: solid.
Grade - B
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Westworld S1 Review
With undefined timelines, a question as to which characters are humans or "hosts," and constant withholding of information from the audience, Westworld forgot to create engaging characters. I did not care about the fate of a single character on the show. The more compelling or relatable characters were literally robots who could die without consequence. Or, in the case of the Man in Black, they could do anything without any worry of getting killed. So it was a little hard for me to care about what happened.
(Necessary disclaimer: this is all my opinion even if I don't present it as an opinion) Something Westworld frequently failed to do in all the build-up towards reveals and twists was make the build-up interesting. Moody music and admittedly excellent acting don't make up for everything. If characters aren't your #1 important thing when watching television shows, you probably enjoyed Westworld a hell of a lot more than I did.
That said, I don't think Westworld is like Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones tends to have a lot of episodes where not a lot happens and then they have an explosive episode that makes you remember why you watch the show. But Game of Thrones cares about characters. They arguably have TOO many characters in fact. The "not a lot happens" episodes aren't too bad because you care about the characters. It's a basic facet of storytelling. (If you think I'm a Game of Thrones fanboy, it didn't even make my top ten dramas last year. It just reminds me of that show in that specific way)
Secondly, I feel like the internet kind of ruined Westworld a bit. Part of the fun of watching Westworld is finding the easter eggs and figuring out the twists. Except not for me. I like being shocked. I don't want to figure it out. A good twist is hard. You can't make it too obvious or it's not much of a twist. You should also at least telegraph it a little or it will come out of nowhere. The twist that William was the Man in Black had become obvious for a few episodes. I'm not sure if I would have figured it out without the internet, but it just became blatantly obvious once I did. So it wasn't a very good twist even if the finale very much treated it like it was. (An example of a good twist actually is Bernard being a host. But then I stopped caring about him. You're just not going to make me care about the fate of a robot who can come back to life.)
What redeems Westworld as a show worth watching is the actors and the cinematography. The actors suggested a better show than what I watched. Evan Rachel Wood is pretty phenomenal as Dolores having to play two different versions of characters, channel genuine emotions, and be able to revert to the "robot" stage. Ed Harris pretty much does his Ed Harris thing and I loved every minute of it. Anthony Hopkins is Anthony Hopkins.
I mean seriously, the acting talent is so incredible I can forgive you if you thought you were watching a great show. Jeffrey Wright is pretty much always good and there's Thandie Newton, whose storyline was linear, easy to figure out, and thus perhaps the most compelling - in no small part due to Newton. Then again, finding out someone else created this storyline for her removes some of the appeal even if it makes more sense and makes her more tragic. If she's not pulling the strings, she's just another robot being a puppet for someone else. The escape is a good encapsulation of the show: visually interesting but since I don't care about any of the characters, there's no tension on if anyone will die. I mean sure nameless redshirts getting gunned down in the process, but who really cares? There's no stakes.
I don't want to spend too much time on this, but can I also say that the dumbness of Felix and Sylvester ruins that too if you think about it at all! They have literally all the power. They can control her. They for some reason choose not to control her. And apparently Felix, who seems like someone terrified of violence, is cool with the escape where tons of actual human beings died? You kind of just need to forget all that for that to work.
Anyway, I don't know if I'll be tuning into season two. I was bored or disengaged with the show more than actually enjoying it. The actors do their best. It's an acting ensemble that could easily fool you into thinking you were watching a great show. I was fooled. For the majority of the season, I thought I was the one missing something. But I don't think I was. I think this show was as exactly as good as I've always thought of it: a mediocre show propelled by the cinematography and actors.
Grade: B-
Thursday, December 1, 2016
The Crown S1 Review
At first glance, The Crown would not appear to be a television series that would appeal to me. I'm not particularly interested in the history of English monarchy nor do I hold any special reverence for the system itself. I can get into historical dramas, but for the most part they are either too inaccurate to really get into or boring. My fears were largely confirmed while watching the first episode as it was slow, slightly boring, and not a lot happened that interested me.
Thankfully, I kept watching. It turns out the first episode was mostly just trying to get the expositional details out of the way - the marriage between Prince Philip and at the time Princess Elizabeth, the increasingly failing health of King George VI, and introducing all the major players. Not that it wasn't compelling in its own right, but it was a little too workmanlike. With the exception of Jared Harris, I didn't find a lot to love in that first episode.
But then again, there was Jared Harris. He is pretty incredible in the short amount of screen time that he gets, which is mostly confined to the first two episodes. In particular, there's a scene where he is singing with some carolers shortly after he found out that he had terminal cancer and it's just about the finest piece of acting possible. (Spoiler rules for a show like this are hard, but since this is a historical drama and it is clear from his first scene onward that he is going to die even if you don't know the history, this isn't much of a spoiler.)
As she has been restricted to only being in British television shows, this is my first exposure to Claire Foy, who plays Queen Elizabeth II. She has a difficult job. A necessary component of being queen - at least this series seems to argue - is to know when to be silent, be neutral, and not show any personality for the most part. This naturally blends into her interactions with other characters so it's up to the performer to reveal personality and depth without showing... personality and depth. Despite the difficulty, Foy manages the tricky balancing act where Queen Elizabeth II is understood, but still removed at a distance.
The reason I say the series seems to be arguing its necessary to not show much personality when being queen in public is because she is contrasted with Princess Margaret. As played by Vanessa Kirby, she seems more naturally charismatic, less reserved, and more of a willingness to pepper speeches with jokes - jokes that could and did offend a few people. She also has an illicit love affair with Peter Townsend that is scandalous to the crown. It shows how effective the series was able to put me on Elizabeth's side that I found myself rooting against the two of those crazy kids to get together. Part of that admittedly is me looking into it a little myself. Though not shown by the series, he was an equerry to the family from 1944 to 1952. Which means that he constantly was in close proximity to the family and probably got close to the family members themselves. He was 30 and she was 14 when they probably first met. (And actually, while he mostly ignored it in the series, she was shooting him glances when Elizabeth and Philip got married, when she was 17 and he was 33.)
A surprisingly less central role than I expected when I decided to watch the series was John Lithgow's performance as Winston Churchill. Churchill is a legendary figure. Lithgow is more than up to the task. He leans right on the edge of caricature at times, but that makes sense. Churchill was a bit of cartoon character in real life. The physical transformation alone in becoming Churchill is impressively done. Not just by the makeup team, but by Lithgow's physical movements as well, like how he is always hunched over.
Lastly, I would be remiss to not mention the sympathetic portrayal of Edward, formerly King Edward, by Alex Jennings. If you know the history, it's peculiar that he and his wife's Nazi sensibilities go unmentioned, however he's also brilliantly played and that whole Nazi thing is the type of thing that makes you lose sympathy. So it certainly makes sense. Here is a man that truly wanted and respects the crown and you wonder if maybe he doesn't regret his choice, even though his relationship with his wife appears loving.
If you're looking for a critique of how the crown operates, you won't get much of one here. The creator Peter Morgan and the writers clearly hold a reverence for it and that's probably for the best. A disdain for the system would never work because it would be less about the characters, and more about a critique for the system. If there's one criticism I have - and I don't know if this is true of real life - but it tends to remove the tough decisions of Elizabeth. Because she usually doesn't have much of one. The government tends to present the circumstances as so extreme that when she inevitably lets someone down, it's clear it's the government's fault more than her. They are too ambiguous with how much power she has. In one of the later episodes, something is presented as if it is her choice even though it's not clear that it actually is. It seems as if the ambiguity was purely for dramatic reasons basically.
The Crown jumps through time quickly throughout the series. Technically speaking, the series starts in 1947 and the first season ends sometime in 1955. Given that the queen is currently still alive, I'm sure there are still a multitude of stories to tell as well. The ones this season has chosen were excellent. One episode focuses on Churchill being forced to face the fact that he's old, the next focuses on the Great Smog of 1952. Despite each episode being an hour long, the series is episodic enough and different enough from episode to episode to hold your attention. If you're remotely interested in history, I would give my recommendation to The Crown.
Grade - A-
Thankfully, I kept watching. It turns out the first episode was mostly just trying to get the expositional details out of the way - the marriage between Prince Philip and at the time Princess Elizabeth, the increasingly failing health of King George VI, and introducing all the major players. Not that it wasn't compelling in its own right, but it was a little too workmanlike. With the exception of Jared Harris, I didn't find a lot to love in that first episode.
But then again, there was Jared Harris. He is pretty incredible in the short amount of screen time that he gets, which is mostly confined to the first two episodes. In particular, there's a scene where he is singing with some carolers shortly after he found out that he had terminal cancer and it's just about the finest piece of acting possible. (Spoiler rules for a show like this are hard, but since this is a historical drama and it is clear from his first scene onward that he is going to die even if you don't know the history, this isn't much of a spoiler.)
As she has been restricted to only being in British television shows, this is my first exposure to Claire Foy, who plays Queen Elizabeth II. She has a difficult job. A necessary component of being queen - at least this series seems to argue - is to know when to be silent, be neutral, and not show any personality for the most part. This naturally blends into her interactions with other characters so it's up to the performer to reveal personality and depth without showing... personality and depth. Despite the difficulty, Foy manages the tricky balancing act where Queen Elizabeth II is understood, but still removed at a distance.
The reason I say the series seems to be arguing its necessary to not show much personality when being queen in public is because she is contrasted with Princess Margaret. As played by Vanessa Kirby, she seems more naturally charismatic, less reserved, and more of a willingness to pepper speeches with jokes - jokes that could and did offend a few people. She also has an illicit love affair with Peter Townsend that is scandalous to the crown. It shows how effective the series was able to put me on Elizabeth's side that I found myself rooting against the two of those crazy kids to get together. Part of that admittedly is me looking into it a little myself. Though not shown by the series, he was an equerry to the family from 1944 to 1952. Which means that he constantly was in close proximity to the family and probably got close to the family members themselves. He was 30 and she was 14 when they probably first met. (And actually, while he mostly ignored it in the series, she was shooting him glances when Elizabeth and Philip got married, when she was 17 and he was 33.)
A surprisingly less central role than I expected when I decided to watch the series was John Lithgow's performance as Winston Churchill. Churchill is a legendary figure. Lithgow is more than up to the task. He leans right on the edge of caricature at times, but that makes sense. Churchill was a bit of cartoon character in real life. The physical transformation alone in becoming Churchill is impressively done. Not just by the makeup team, but by Lithgow's physical movements as well, like how he is always hunched over.
Lastly, I would be remiss to not mention the sympathetic portrayal of Edward, formerly King Edward, by Alex Jennings. If you know the history, it's peculiar that he and his wife's Nazi sensibilities go unmentioned, however he's also brilliantly played and that whole Nazi thing is the type of thing that makes you lose sympathy. So it certainly makes sense. Here is a man that truly wanted and respects the crown and you wonder if maybe he doesn't regret his choice, even though his relationship with his wife appears loving.
If you're looking for a critique of how the crown operates, you won't get much of one here. The creator Peter Morgan and the writers clearly hold a reverence for it and that's probably for the best. A disdain for the system would never work because it would be less about the characters, and more about a critique for the system. If there's one criticism I have - and I don't know if this is true of real life - but it tends to remove the tough decisions of Elizabeth. Because she usually doesn't have much of one. The government tends to present the circumstances as so extreme that when she inevitably lets someone down, it's clear it's the government's fault more than her. They are too ambiguous with how much power she has. In one of the later episodes, something is presented as if it is her choice even though it's not clear that it actually is. It seems as if the ambiguity was purely for dramatic reasons basically.
The Crown jumps through time quickly throughout the series. Technically speaking, the series starts in 1947 and the first season ends sometime in 1955. Given that the queen is currently still alive, I'm sure there are still a multitude of stories to tell as well. The ones this season has chosen were excellent. One episode focuses on Churchill being forced to face the fact that he's old, the next focuses on the Great Smog of 1952. Despite each episode being an hour long, the series is episodic enough and different enough from episode to episode to hold your attention. If you're remotely interested in history, I would give my recommendation to The Crown.
Grade - A-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)