Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. The Dropout - I really, really like this show, but I mostly just really, really like what Amanda Seyfried is doing in this. Portraying a real person can be quite tricky and I feel like actors are often over-praised for performances in which they either seem nothing like the actual person or feel like they are doing an impersonation. Seyfried manages to avoid both, and just absolutely nails this performance by capturing the essence of Elizabeth Holmes. I don't know much about her; I remember reading about her when everything went sour, but I did not pay much attention to Theranos or her as a CEO of this start-up. It's all super fascinating though, and it does something so interesting by not really attempting any sort of sympathy or redemption of Holmes, instead she seems like a complete sociopath - we see her insecurities and terror in every scene, but she just keeps fucking doubling down on her idea that simply...doesn't work, and absolutely refuses to feel anything about destroying the lives of thousands of people. There are a few moments that really stand-out about this (aside from Seyfried) - the dance scenes, in particular, I think showcase her immaturity and child-like ignorance to how serious her crimes are. Also, her obsession with Apple and waiting in line for the iPhone (losers...the lot of them! I'm kidding, of course, but UGH also Apple nerds are the worst). It also touches on just how important it is to be a woman in power and, as she calls it, "fail"; but in reality she did not fail - she deliberately misled and manipulated investors, and now every woman that comes after her has to prove that they aren't the same (while men can just keep getting away with it over and over again). There is also a great scene early on when she gets questioned about her future (and plans of having kids), and she responds with "well, you have a wife and kids" and he goes "seriously?", because it is a totally different expectation to be a working mother (and I don't even want to think about the expectations for a working CEO mother). But the thing that is really fascinating is all the praise she received without anyone really doing any research - praise from Clinton, Obama, Biden, The Times, etc., Jesus Christ it's all so embarrassing. And I don't think we've learned a fucking thing from it. 

2. Severance - Super fucking out there, but I love it. It seems like an idea that wouldn't work onscreen (which sometimes I still appreciate the idea), basically conceptualizing the idea of a literal split in work life and personal life (creating the idealized "work/life balance" that we all so desperately seek), but with the visual elements stripped down to a very minimal set design, I think that's what makes it work (and also makes it even weirder). I think the hallway scenes start to get really annoying - with them just walking and walking down this stripped down white sterile hallway, twisting and turning, and walking some more, but it also creates this really disorienting feeling which is essential to the series. The cast is incredible - Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, Britt Lower, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, directed by Ben Stiller (with this and Escape from Dannemora, he has really impressed me as a director. I know he's directed a lot of the comedies that he starred in like Tropic Thunder, Zoolander, but this is so different and it's challenging to get right). I think I'm on the 4th episode, and I admit I have no fucking clue where the story is going or how weird it's going to get, and I love that. 

3. The Book of Boba Fett - I'm not the biggest fan of the Star Wars universe (and not that I'm not a fan, it's just not really something that I'm invested in like a lot of people are), but I did really like The Mandalorian. This isn't capturing my attention at all, though. I find myself scrolling twitter or adjusting my to-do list, instead of what is happening on the screen in front of me. I just don't care at all, but I read that it connects with The Mandalorian (and basically becomes a season 2b), so I felt like I needed to watch it (the fucking completist that I am...). It's true, after episode 3, Boba Fett all but disappears from his own television show! But it also became sooooo much better. Fucking Baby Yoda, man, just the cutest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life. I could watch him train to be a Jedi or whatever the fuck he's doing for hours on end and not get bored. It's also nice to see Jennifer Beals again, but I just looked at her filmography and apparently she's been working this WHOLE time, just not in anything I've watched. I think the last thing I've seen from her is The L Word (what a ridiculously addictive show. And apparently there is a recent spin-off that she's in?? How did I not know about that?). 

4. The Tourist - I haven't heard anyone mention this show, but it has Jamie Dornan in it so I WILL WATCH IT. And, damn, he looks really good in this. So far, I like this show a lot. I'm about 4 or 5 episodes in, and every episode has been surprising or has had some shocking unexpected moments, and ends on a perfect cliffhanger (which I don't feel like exists anymore because the expectation of binge-watching, it seems unnecessary, maybe?). It's basically Memento without the backwards storytelling (*top secret info* I fell asleep watching Memento and I've never finished it. SHHHHHHHH!). Dornan is playing a character who gets into a car accident and suddenly can't remember who he is or why he is in the Australian outback with someone trying to kill him. Did I mention that he looks really, really good in this? Well, let me say it again....DAMN. I generally like Dornan, he was fantastic in The Fall and I loved his silliness in Barb and Star. He's also one of the few men I believe someone might pick over Taron (I'm talking about Robin Hood - *spoiler* his girlfriend thinks he's dead so she starts dating Dornan but then he's not dead, obvi, and GIRL HAS A CHOICE to make. I would still pick Taron, duh, but I can see the hesitation). He's great in this, but the highlight is Danielle Macdonald as the rookie police officer who sympathizes with his situation and then gets caught up in his obviously dark mystery. She's been excellent in several projects (the miniseries, Unbelievable, that Jamie Bell movie, Skin), but she really stands out in this - just shows a perfect display of innocence and kindness, while also trying to remain professional. I'm really interested in where this story is going to go, how dark it's going to get, and who else gets caught in his web. 

5. The Endgame - I have a feeling that I will not last for more than a few more episodes (I am currently on the third episode). It's exactly like you would expect for an NBC spy thriller - and it feels like I'm just watching a new version of The Blacklist (I think I made it through the full first season of that, but I couldn't watch anymore - and I can't believe that it lasted so long. I think I still see commercials for new episodes???). I really only watched this for Morena Baccarin - I absolutely adore her (even though I love her husband more. My soulmate, Ryan Atwood. And on a random side-note, how hilarious is it that the kid from The O.C. is spending his time warning people about the fraud and corruption behind NFTs and Crypto?? It's not that surprising, as someone who has loved him for the last 19 years, I've seen him in many interviews and he is very smart and has a degree in economics, but I think it definitely is surprising a lot of people). She's a little miscast here, I think, mostly because the accent is just really hard to get past. She's really inconsistent with it, so it's sort of driving me crazy. Why not just hire someone who has a Russian background that can do the accent? I feel like she should be a little more menacing, but instead she sounds like a cartoon character. I also think everyone else in the show is really, really dull. I do like Costa Ronin, though, but he is certainly typecast (I feel like he played the same role in The Americans and Homeland). So far, it's all very expected and dull. If it doesn't pick up soon, I'm out.