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Charlie_Chocolate
Reviews
The Morning Show: The Stanford Student (2023)
Back on track
Happy to see the old, high quality Morning Show back again, after last week's episode!
Momentum has returned, with quite some solid acting from Jon Hamm. Who is excellently bringing to life his a*hole-who-grows-on-you-but-can't-be-trusted character. As well as much more realistic acting from Bradley and her brother Hal than in last week's episode (probably not their fault given that episode's writing, but ok). The actor playing Hal really nails the (permanently complex and heavy) emotions his character experiences while trying to get his life on track, without overdoing it. The writing for Alex's role is quite unrealistic (really - why hasn't anyone fired her yet at this point? I doubt any corporate board would tolerate her potentially company-destroying behaviour) but Jennifer Aniston plays the part well. Too bad we didn't see too much from Cory this episode, but the increase in airtime for Stella is working out nicely this season. She brings a different type of personality to the show than the stereotypical corporate sharks, while still being quite ruthless in her own next-generation kind of way.
All in all, the momentum is back on track!
The Morning Show: Love Island (2023)
This. Episode. Made. NO. Sense
This episode confused me so much. I actually thought this was an old episode from season 2 Apple TV was playing randomly. Then I thought, have they maybe accidentally published the wrong episode? Then I saw the episode title matched the IMDb title for today's episode, and I decided to sit it out... but... WTH?
All content from this episode would have been fine as content used in season 2. Or even as a total episode (although it completely lacked any build up or natural coherence across all the messy random segments) - but why suddenly dump all this chaotic context on the audience now? Why season 3, episode 5? This season takes place in a completely different moment in time. Plus, episode 4 contained storylines and a cliffhanger which didn't flow naturally into this episode at all. And all this episode's info would have been massively helpful for viewers to have had from the start, to understand what on earth was going on half the time in season 3 so far.
I love this show, but this episode seemed like someone lost it during season 2 and just found it again... The episode itself just doesn't flow at all. And all the season 3 narratives would've landed much better if the audience had actually known all this context much earlier.
Unusually poor work for a show as good as The Morning Show! Hope next episode picks up again in its normal pace / at the episode 4 cliffhanger...
Murder Mystery 2 (2023)
Where is the mystery? 100% action flick
Murder mystery 1 was a humorous Agatha Christie.
Murder mystery 2 is a humorous Top Gun.
Which is not the same genre. At all. The title is "murder mystery" for god's sake, one would expect a whodunnit with at least a few layers. Even when done as a parody. Not 1,5 hours of explosions and shoot-outs, surrounded by opulence and some nice scenery. With random killers exposing themselves as supposed "plot twists".
Producers made exactly the same mistake as with Knives Out 2 - making a sequel which is primarily an action flick rather than the same genre as the original. Those films were successful because it brought back a genre which had been left on the shelf for way too long, while adding some humour into the mix. Now it's just one more poorly scripted "look at al our stunts" extravaganza, without any actually interesting storyline unraveling. Or any mystery whatsoever. When it comes to murder mysteries and explosions, less is definitely more.
Apparently this is a genre producers can only get right once. Before losing sight of everything they did well, and getting lost in a desperate attempt to make a tongue-in-cheek James Bond as a sequel. Which there are WAY too many of already.
Shrinking (2023)
First 10 I've ever given
As a person with significant experience with therapy sessions, I can say this show does the complexity of life and emotional healing just so much justice. It balances non-stop one-liners, entertainment and not taking yourself too seriously majestically with the harsh realities of PTSD, grief, depression, co-depency, fractured families and - as if that were not enough - Parkinson's disease. All within just one season, and doing right by all those topics. While most shows fail at realistically conveying the emotion related to just one of those afflictions, this one manages to provide both humour and depth to them all simultaneously. Without being sensationalist or reductionist in any way. The script does not disappoint one minute of the entire season; while the dialogue literally made me laugh out loud with an unprecedented frequency. Which is a fantastic achievement for an show focussing on trauma and unhappiness. Somehow it succeeds at making the audience feel both genuinely understood and less alone - without even coming close to being trite at any point. Never thought I'd write a review this one-sided, but screw it... this show deserves it.
Thank you for making this show. After delaying watching it for months (because I assumed it would be one big miserable pity party playing into therapy scepticism) I could not have been more entertained, and incredibly glad I gave it a chance.
Truth Be Told (2019)
S3 full of politicised caricatures... What happened?
I loved S1, S2 was OK (although multiple of the protagonists became increasingly unlikeable) and S3 is a disappointing, predictable disaster.
A lot of the characters of the show were never really likeable - Poppy and her family are incredibly self-righteous, accept no-one's flaws but their own and believe they are a force for good while leaving a trail of destruction behind. Under the premise of "justice" they feel entitled to harass whoever they feel like to advance their own agenda, which are often things as trivial as making a success of their podcast or their own curiosity. They constantly lecture everyone on morals, while setting that bar extremely low for themselves.
S1 was great because the core story line was an actual mystery. By S3, politics are the key focus of the show and the mystery is non-existent. The question of what happened is basically solved in the first episode, with the rest of the season focussing on an extremely simplified and reductionist narrative of how literally every white person is evil en every POC is a saint - or if they're flawed, that's OK because they mean well or they're a victim. I have a very multicultural family and lean very left politically, but this show was just horribly written. There was no nuance to anything - skin colour basically determined if someone would turn out a protagonist or antagonist (with maybe 1 exception on both sides, in an attempt to keep it unpredictable). How this writing was approved, I do not know. Somehow nobody intervenes when one of the main characters is an alcoholic and basically pressures and bullies and tries to control his traumatised teen daughter - somehow he is a protagonist as well, instead of sent to rehab or a therapist.
On the mystery/crime plot of the season: the most obvious clues and conclusions are somehow presented as genius contributions from Poppy, no matter how basic and predictable they are. In every scene there is at least one moment of unbelievable coincidence - people always walk in on exactly the right times, suddenly witness something super important or come up with an idea exactly when it is needed. No tension is built, because everything is solved immediately. As mentioned, the mystery is basically resolved in the first episode and the rest of the season only focusses on who to blame for it, while the suspects are barely given any depth or airtime. Other than that, the season just repeats the same storyline over and over. Multiple victims - but still no real mystery to what happened.
All in all, I would classify S3 more as a (badly written) political drama than a mystery show. Which would even be fine as a genre, but not with such poor character development, such extreme moral reductionism basis skin colour and such general simplicity, predictability and lack of plot-twists. Although I may watch S4, for the odd chance the show returns to what it was in S1.
Servant (2019)
Entertaining plot but poor lighting ruins it a bit
Would have given this a 9 if it wouldn't be impossible to see what's going on 90% of the time. Have watched it on multiple TVs, all set to maximum brightness, and even at night in a dark room you can't see anything. I understand dimly lit scenes add to the atmosphere and tension of the show but this is just poor production quality.
Love everything else about it, every character is perfectly cast and despite the horrible decisions they make somehow remain very relatable. Few shows manage to be both convincingly thrilling and funny at the same time, but this one does it.
All the Money in the World (2017)
Interesting plot yet inexplicable USA-saviour character
The movie is decent with Michelle Williams performing very well, as mother whose son's kidnapping is being dragged out to unnecessary lengths due to an obscenely wealthy father-in-law playing a game of power and refusing to pay ransom. The story is interesting and makes its point of money-can't-buy-happiness very clearly; which is strengthened by it being based on true events.
However although the narrative plays out mostly in a number of European (and briefly Middle Eastern) countries, for some reason Mark Wahlberg's role was added as if this story couldn't do without an American tough-guy-with-heart-in-the-right-place saviour. He is the one who knows how to handle the situation (as opposed to the Italian police), he is the one who is always calm and collected, and he is of course the one who has the moral high ground and the guts to lecture the British billionaire on his wrong-doings. This all just seems random and narrative-wise misplaced. Maybe this is based on real events, but the guy actually misjudges the situation profoundly and his success in negotiations is pretty much none. Why this movie felt the need to incorporate such a tired cliché of the American guy having all the answers, the guts and saving the day (even though this is quite contrary to the storyline) I do not know. For the rest I enjoyed it.
Serial Killer with Piers Morgan (2017)
Unprofessional train wreck leads to a wasted opportunity
If Pierce Morgan thinks that he did the victims and their families a favour with this show, he is utterly delusional. Nobody thinks being a murderer is a good thing. The fact that he wasted a rare opportunity for the public to learn about these - if indeed guilty - psychologically extremely twisted individuals, and to slightly comprehend their disturbing but existing motivations and beliefs, is a slap in the face to everyone who wishes to educate themselves on the reality, however flawed, these killers live in.
Nobody would have left this show thinking killing people is good. So Pierce's attacks are just utterly pointless and misplaced. And Pierce positions himself as judge, jury and executioner with overwhelming arrogance, as if a trial isn't needed for these people to be vilified on all potential crimes they may or may not be linked to. There is no objectivity in any of the questions, none of the killers get a word in between Pierce's ramblings and this show essentially comes down to prisoners being tricked into "telling their story" but instead being bullied on screen. I am amazed how calm they remained while the entire show is an attempt of utter manipulation of the public - not by the killers, but by Pierce.
Pierce wasted this chance of getting convicted murderers to disclose some of their personal rational. And even worse, did so in a childish and malicious way. I am amazed at how dumb and blind Pierce must think his audience is, if he thought this would go over well.
Nothing the killers could have said would have made the public empathise less with their poor, random victims. Education of what exactly leads up to people committing such crimes would not have changed the acknowledgement of utter injustice that is done by a murderer to their victim. I hope next time such a show is made it is definitely done without Pierce Morgan and with an actual focus on the killers' story. Without instigation and prejudice from a delusional, egocentric interviewer. And with some proper storytelling of the details of the crimes themselves as context.