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.
Monday, December 26, 2016
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-
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Marvel's Luke Cage S1 Review
I haven't reviewed a show in a while and the answer as to why is pretty simple: I usually don't have much to say about a particular show. Sometimes, that's a good thing. I might not have anything to say because I don't find any obvious faults. Sometimes, that's a bad thing. The show might just be too boring to write a bunch of words on them. To its credit, Luke Cage has inspired me to write. Unfortunately, that's only because it's incredibly easy to find faults with this show.
The best part about Luke Cage is the music. That's not usually something you want to hear about a TELEVISION show, but I'll say that the music would possibly be the best thing about the show even if it was a really good show. In fact, it's probably got some of my favorite music on any TV show or movie ever. I'm still listening to "Long Live the Chief" everyday and I watched that episode like two weeks ago. (For those who don't like hip hop, there's also plenty to love like Nina Simone, Isaac Hayes, and The Delfonics - and look if you don't like rap at all, you probably aren't watching Luke Cage anyway if we're being honest.)
Luke Cage did not have material for 13 episodes - not even close. Like they maybe could have pulled off eight great episodes. Maybe. There's an entire episode dedicated to a flashback from when Luke was in prison, there's TWO whole episodes where Luke does nothing but recover from injuries, and the finale essentially is a recap of the season more than an episode (I was completely unengaged by the fight that took up about 20 minutes if you want an idea of how much the show had lost me.)
I don't really want to spoil this, but I'll put this in terms as vaguely as possible. At first, it appears that one man will be the "Big Bad" of the season, and by the middle of the season, a "Bigger Bad" ends up dominating the natural villain role. Problem: the first one was great. The second was TERRIBLE. Easily one of the most cartoonish, ridiculous villains I've ever seen. The first one was great because both Luke and him cared about the community of Harlem above all else. He was complex. You understood his motives. This is basic Storytelling 101 here.
The second Big Bad though? He does not give one single fuck about the community and only cares about Luke Cage, to the point of irrationality. He is so single-mindedly passionate about Luke Cage, that he does a bunch of stupid shit that makes you wonder how the hell he's supposed to be a composed businessman running the entire underworld of Harlem. The connection between him and Cage is also stupid. Cage is fucking up his business. That should be enough for him to want to take him down, but nope gotta make a contrived connection between them that doesn't actually work at all to make you care about the villain. I can't stress enough how much this second bad guy ruined the later episodes.
Watching Jessica Jones, I was concerned about Mike Colter being able to lead a TV show because he wasn't very good at the emotional moments. And.... nothing he did this season changed my feelings. He looks the part. He's good at playing intimidating, at being playful, and being charming. But he can't really channel emotions effectively into his performance. It's stilted. It's weird because he plays intimidating well, but when he has to play angry, it just doesn't work.
Similarly, they really botched up Misty, the police detective who gets caught up with Cage. Here is the clearest example of when TV shows tell and don't show. We see pretty much zero evidence that she has ever been a good cop from her actions during this season. But we are told that she's one of the best. There's a clear disconnect. She consistently does dumb things throughout the series that hinder investigations and don't pass a simple logic test. She does them for plot reasons, not character reasons.
I could go on, but I'll summarize my thoughts with this: it seems like the show had about seven good episodes and didn't really know what to do past that so they threw in a cartoon villain who was at odds with the realistic tone the show had set previously. Everything came tumbling down as a result. Shades and Mariah were interesting I guess, though I find them much less interesting than evidently everyone else (the overwhelmingly positive response to those two has bewildered me a bit - they're fine) I hope that Netflix allows these shows to air less than 13 episodes going forward because every single show - Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and now Luke Cage - seems like it would have benefited from about three less episodes each season. (Luke Cage is somewhat different from those shows in that it has considerably fewer good episodes.)
Grade - C
The best part about Luke Cage is the music. That's not usually something you want to hear about a TELEVISION show, but I'll say that the music would possibly be the best thing about the show even if it was a really good show. In fact, it's probably got some of my favorite music on any TV show or movie ever. I'm still listening to "Long Live the Chief" everyday and I watched that episode like two weeks ago. (For those who don't like hip hop, there's also plenty to love like Nina Simone, Isaac Hayes, and The Delfonics - and look if you don't like rap at all, you probably aren't watching Luke Cage anyway if we're being honest.)
Luke Cage did not have material for 13 episodes - not even close. Like they maybe could have pulled off eight great episodes. Maybe. There's an entire episode dedicated to a flashback from when Luke was in prison, there's TWO whole episodes where Luke does nothing but recover from injuries, and the finale essentially is a recap of the season more than an episode (I was completely unengaged by the fight that took up about 20 minutes if you want an idea of how much the show had lost me.)
I don't really want to spoil this, but I'll put this in terms as vaguely as possible. At first, it appears that one man will be the "Big Bad" of the season, and by the middle of the season, a "Bigger Bad" ends up dominating the natural villain role. Problem: the first one was great. The second was TERRIBLE. Easily one of the most cartoonish, ridiculous villains I've ever seen. The first one was great because both Luke and him cared about the community of Harlem above all else. He was complex. You understood his motives. This is basic Storytelling 101 here.
The second Big Bad though? He does not give one single fuck about the community and only cares about Luke Cage, to the point of irrationality. He is so single-mindedly passionate about Luke Cage, that he does a bunch of stupid shit that makes you wonder how the hell he's supposed to be a composed businessman running the entire underworld of Harlem. The connection between him and Cage is also stupid. Cage is fucking up his business. That should be enough for him to want to take him down, but nope gotta make a contrived connection between them that doesn't actually work at all to make you care about the villain. I can't stress enough how much this second bad guy ruined the later episodes.
Watching Jessica Jones, I was concerned about Mike Colter being able to lead a TV show because he wasn't very good at the emotional moments. And.... nothing he did this season changed my feelings. He looks the part. He's good at playing intimidating, at being playful, and being charming. But he can't really channel emotions effectively into his performance. It's stilted. It's weird because he plays intimidating well, but when he has to play angry, it just doesn't work.
Similarly, they really botched up Misty, the police detective who gets caught up with Cage. Here is the clearest example of when TV shows tell and don't show. We see pretty much zero evidence that she has ever been a good cop from her actions during this season. But we are told that she's one of the best. There's a clear disconnect. She consistently does dumb things throughout the series that hinder investigations and don't pass a simple logic test. She does them for plot reasons, not character reasons.
I could go on, but I'll summarize my thoughts with this: it seems like the show had about seven good episodes and didn't really know what to do past that so they threw in a cartoon villain who was at odds with the realistic tone the show had set previously. Everything came tumbling down as a result. Shades and Mariah were interesting I guess, though I find them much less interesting than evidently everyone else (the overwhelmingly positive response to those two has bewildered me a bit - they're fine) I hope that Netflix allows these shows to air less than 13 episodes going forward because every single show - Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and now Luke Cage - seems like it would have benefited from about three less episodes each season. (Luke Cage is somewhat different from those shows in that it has considerably fewer good episodes.)
Grade - C
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