Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. Sugar - This is a very interesting show. I can't really decide if I liked it or hated it, but it's definitely interesting. I watched most of it in a very confused state - waiting for the reveal. I won't spoil that reveal, but I spent most of the series thinking he was a werewolf - they hint to that many times - obviously that's what they wanted the audience to think, but it's clear that he's not because they would just say that, right? But maybe he is? Again, I'm not going to spoil it - you'll just have to watch in the same confused state as everyone else. But other than the twist, I don't really think the show is very good. It's a neo noir detective show, but leans a little too far into it so it's almost comical. The case that he's trying to solve isn't all that interesting and becomes very repetitive. And he's obsessed with film, so there are these random clips of classic movies thrown in for no reason at all other than it being pretentious. It's set in present day Los Angeles, but certainly doesn't feel like it - it feels otherworldly, which may be intentional (also nobody thinks LA is an "up all night town"? What a weird description? Most people in LA that work in film/entertainment and have to be up at 4:30am. Celebrities make up a very small percentage of the population). There's also some very weird close-up shots. The narration is bad and unnecessary. It's weird to me that a majority of this is directed by Fernando Meirelles - the director of City of God, because this, to me, does not feel like it's made well at all. It's all just very weird. But Colin Farrell is always a delight to watch. I will literally watch anything with him. Also a great supporting cast with Anna Gunn, Amy Ryan, and James Cromwell. I'm definitely not interested in a second season, if there is one. But I'll probably still watch it. 

2. Those About to Die - Some fun facts about me (that you'll already know if you read this blog regularly): I was a bit obsessed with all things ancient Rome & Greece growing up. I took Latin and spent my free time reading mythologies, tragedies, etc. from that time. And the series Rome is one of my favorite series EVER. I was devastated when it was cancelled after a mere two seasons due to production costs (at the time, it was one of the most expensive shows ever made), but I definitely could see how expensive it was. It looked phenomenal. This...doesn't. And it's got a very similar budget (it's just more normalized now). It kind of seems like everyone is playing dress up and it's very stagey. There are also these weird cut to black moments too??? Did they plan for commercials? There are quite a lot of them, and it's jarring. I don't feel fully immersed into this world at all - and I think the casting is also part of the problem. As much as I love Anthony Hopkins - I feel like this is a bit of gimmick casting, and it totally takes me out of the world. Also, SPOILER, he dies at the end of the third episode, which I always find as a really shitty thing for shows to do (hire a big star, advertise a big star, then kill them off quickly so you don't actually have to pay for big star). I love Iwan Rheon, as well (from Misfits, although most Americans probably know him more from Game of Thrones). But all the other white guys are completely interchangeable - I literally can not tell you who is who or what plot point they are a part of. I also think it's a mistake focusing on just the Roman games (it's basically Gladiator and we already have a sequel to that coming out later this year). There's a subplot about the servants/slaves, but I'm not interested enough to follow along. I will say that as much as I'm annoyed at the death in the 3rd episode, it is far better than the first 2 episodes - it starts off at Mount Vesuvius (which peaked my interest as I find all things Pompeii related fascinating - and they are still discovering things! It's crazy.). And then they also mention the story of Romulus and Remus. It's like the creators knew they were losing me, so they threw in a couple of actually interesting things about ancient Rome. However, this is a show that I might actually stop watching (I will watch one more episode before I decide for sure). 

3. Presumed Innocent - I liked this show a lot. I was a little on the fence with the first episode - it all seemed really obvious, but each episode left a little bit of intrigue and kept me guessing. It's the first show in a long time that I watched as soon as it aired because I was so curious as to how it was going to play out. I wasn't surprised when I learned that it's created by David E. Kelly because he has a knack for solid, addictive dramas. I've never read the book and I don't think I've seen the movie (and if I did, I was a teenager and I don't remember it). The cast for this is what pulled me in - Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Ruth Negga, and Renate Reinsve. They are all incredible (the week link is probably Reinsve - she has very little to do though). There is also Luke from The Handmaid's Tale, doing a WILD voice/accent. I'm not sure why?? It's not necessary for the character so it's hard to believe that he was directed to do it, but there is no explanation for it. I did eventually get used to it, but it's weird. So *major spoilers ahead* I thought the WHOLE time that the wife did it - which apparently is how the book and movie end. I think the series probably leaned into that a bit too much to throw the audience off, but the actual murderer doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. *Again, spoilers ahead* The wife has a solid motive, like even if she went to her house without intent of murder but it turned into that, it would make sense. The daughter going to confront this woman, and then savagely murdering her like that is just not realistic at all. Women are not inherently violent like that and this young girl showed zero signs of distress or emotion at all (I'm also not sure the timeline works with him going back to cover it up? I would have to rewatch to be sure, but on initial viewing it doesn't make sense?). But other than that, I do think, as a whole, think this series is very strong. Gyllenhaal does a great job of straddling the line between complete sociopath to flawed (but possibly innocent) husband. It never shies away from those flaws, which is greatly appreciated. Overall, I definitely recommend this. 

4. Orphan Black: Echoes - You guys, I'm so upset because this show sucks so much. How do you take this cloning concept starring Krystin Ritter and fuck it up so badly?? I think the original Orphan Black series had this incredible hook of the same actress portraying different versions of herself - and it helped that Tatiana Maslany nailed all of these roles and made the audience care about every single one of them. This does not follow the same concept. Instead, it's a direct sequel following Sarah's (the original character) daughter, Kyra, in the future. She uses this technology to clone a loved one, and that clone is played by Ritter. It's about the clone's self-discovery - but we've already done that storyline so nothing about it feels new. And unfortunately, there's some very bad acting on display (the boyfriend, the person playing Tina - all *eeek* - sorry, I'm too lazy to look up their names). Don't even get me started on the old man makeup they put Felix in - I can't even focus on anything else when he's onscreen! Just hire an older actor who looks like him - nobody would care! Ritter is the only part worth watching - and just her presence keeps the show alive, but otherwise this is a miss. Also, the opening credits song sounds like a parody of indie pop artists (like Lana del Ray etc.) and it's hard to listen to. 

5. Lady in the Lake - I will watch anything with Natalie Portman. I didn't see the best reviews for this Apple TV+ show, but The Changeling didn't get the best reviews either, and I thought it was outstanding. I had the same hopes for this, but so far, not so good. I'm 5 episodes in and it's so overly and unnecessarily complicated, I don't even know where to begin. I guess the most obvious problem is the layering of these stories - they hint at this connection between the stories, but so far there is barely a connection so the back and forth is too jarring. And because it's so jarring, I've completely lost interest in whatever mystery they are slowly uncovering. And I don't think the editing works - showing her have sex with the police officer as the other woman is dancing?? What's the connection? And as much as I like Natalie Portman, she is laying on the accent very thick and they throw in every single Jewish word they can think of in the pilot episode. We get it - they are Jewish. There is a really strong scene (I think it's in the 5th episode) where she is trying to follow a story (she's a wannabe journalist) and this man (played by the always welcome Wood Harris) explains to her the differences in being black in America and being Jewish in America. But ONE really strong scene in FIVE WHOLE EPISODES?? We got a problem. Moses Ingram feels a little lost & bland (for the record I thought she was great in that Star Wars show - I don't remember which one she was in). And Mikey Madison is cuckoo bananas and I don't know if she's supposed to be like that?? Like, why is she acting like she's a figment of Portman's character's imagination?? It's all just so weird - and I feel like they are going overboard because they realized that the story they are telling isn't all that interesting so instead of investing in character depth and emotional beats, they just said "let's make it weirder".