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Reviews
EastEnders (1985)
It is a throwaway soap - take it as such
Eastenders is not, and will never likely be on a level with, say Dickens or the like for all its attempts to deal with topical and real issues like rape, drug addiction, domestic abuse etc. No serious reviewer should really be comparing it to say, "the Wire" - sorry I can't think of a better example.
It is a junk soap in which bad things constantly happen to largely mundane people, and this is the lifeblood of soaps - bad, scandalous things happening to people all the time.
Yes, this is the central premise for plot writing in soaps, and perhaps EE takes it to the max; the writers have found that the script which adheres to it doggedly will get the highest ratings. This has been likely been proved by ratings analysis and other forms of feedback over many years. (Maybe it reflects badly upon society as such, but anyhow, I digress)
One should accept this as such, and realise it is meant to appeal to a more perverse side of the viewer, that enjoys a good scandal, or feud unfolding. It has much in common with many reality shows in its aims of engaging the viewer through formenting personal conflict and general drama. It seems like both (EE and reality shows) are equally contrived.
Many of the characters are stereotypes really, or at least seem like cardboard cut outs of cockney people, though they are sometimes "fleshed out". This can be interesting (like the treatment of "real life" issues/themes), but often it is unconvincingly done (as with the characters themselves anyway); I think all these themes and introspections are just fodder for the drama craving viewer, despite aspirations of being something more.
Just enjoy the drama (go and find another soap if you don't like the demographically incorrect east end setting; I'm told east London is basically an Islamic fiefdom now). Stay away if looking for something that is a)cerebral, b)non cockney or c)non relentless drama.
Smallville: Finale (2011)
Had some brilliant moments, but still missing something
As a lifelong fan of smallville, having seen all except one episode, I can honestly say I enjoyed the finale, but at the same time, there wasn't enough: we didn't really see any clear shots of CK in the cape, not enough time on lex (Rosenbaum is the best lex I have seen), and I dunno, there was something else missing, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
I just don't feel they can do the whole 10 seasons justice in a 2 part finale, which is what they tried to do. They did close all the threads, in an *ok* manner (could have been done more satisfyingly I feel), and perhaps they could have spent a few more minutes on the 7 years flash forward (which I liked), so we could have seen more of "superman".
I thought the transformation into superman was well done, but we didn't really get to see him once he arrived.
Lots of satisfying if short scenes where bad guys get killed (and big bad planets get pushed away) and people in peril get saved. I thought all the various crisis were solved a little too easily; they could have been a bit more drawn out.
I thought they did Jonathan and Martha justice, but not so much Jor El The series has been thoroughly enjoyable, if a bit too sentimentalist, with characters doing lots of implausibly stupid things and some terrible plot lines (which seem to have become a hallmark of the series I feel). For all its flaws it has an exciting, optimistic tone, with enough good plots (to balance the bad ones out) and enough good acting and dialogue to balance the bad acting and dialogue out. There were plenty of things which I didn't really understand over the series, which was frustrating.
I'd say, to some extent, the finale was a microcosm to the whole series. In the end it did just enough to leave me feeling (mostly) satisfied.
I guess they crammed what they could into the 2 episode finale, but it just wasn't quite enough to push it into the 7-9/10 bracket. Bah, in conclusion, I think they should have just made it longer, and put more stuff in really. As it stands I give it 6.5 out of 10.
(Not a particularly well structured review I know, I have just splurged out my immediate thoughts after just having seen the finale)
Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights (2010)
Mixed bag - stand up not quite of his MTW calibre, but close
Tramadol nights is more bad than good insomuch as more of the runtime is occupied by utterly dire sketches. The stand up is actually quite good and is sometimes top notch powerful, satirical stuff IMO. The sketches always strike me as very childish and unintelligent; a complete contrast really to Boyle's own witty if often crude stand up, which is nearly always amusing. The use of racist words does not offend me even though I am not white; I get that this is dark humour. In fact I think that their use often makes his satirical jokes all the more powerful.
If it was just 1/2 hour of Boyle stand up I would probably give it 8/10. (A bit like Russell Howard's show is mostly stand up, although he is not as good)