2. Smoke - I was super excited for this - another Apple tv+ series starring Taron Egerton and created by Dennis Lehane?! YES, PLEASE! Black Bird was great! And I liked this too, although not as much. It's far weirder than I expected and I'm not sure if that's a good thing, because it also didn't feel very real. The first episode is really boring - and it's clear it's trying to give off a True Detective vibe but it doesn't work at all. I think the ads give away the big twist, but in case you aren't aware of the story, *spoilers ahead*. It's also extremely predictable that HE is the arsonist. It's based on a podcast that is based on a true story of a serial arsonist who is also an arson investigator. Which is already fucking crazy. And a good story to tell. But it takes quite a few turns that don't really make sense and I think it loses its own plot among a mess of ideas. However, there is stuff I love. A lot of stuff, actually. I love Jurnee Smollett as his partner who starts to suspect him fairly quickly (I do not love the push-up bra they make her wear through the series...). She's a fantastic actress and should have gotten the Emmy for Lovecraft Country - maybe she'll get one for this? It's a shame because there is definitely award-worthy acting work here but with this release date, it will likely be forgotten by nomination time (although Black Bird had a similar release schedule and did some nominations, but it might have won with a different release date). She has great chemistry with Taron - playing it cool, making it seem like they're friends, but also calling him out on his shit. It's fun to watch the two of them. I like her backstory too. I do not, however, like her character's actions by the end. I mean, I get it, you're not supposed to like it, but I just found the whole thing OUT of character and I think it's only there to shock the audience (especially the audience who already know the story). I think Taron is fantastic in this - you can tell that he's having a TON of fun being this smarmy asshole who thinks he's fooling everyone. It works because he's naturally charming so it IS a bit hard to believe that he's a psychopath. But then when he goes full psychopath he excels. I love that he's going the James McAvoy route with unexpected roles - it's bold for popular actors to take roles that will alienate an audience, but I think it's necessary for them to grow as actors. Some do it and don't fully commit (like, I think Tom Holland tried to do this with The Crowded Room, but he doesn't go all the way there). Taron gives a genuinely creepy performance. The voice, the fake laugh - I hate it all - it makes my skin crawl, and that's what it's supposed to do. However, everyone is outshined by Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine. Holy shit - his performance is mesmerizing as the other serial arsonist. The scene in which he gets a haircut with the single tear that drops down his face!!! GIVE HIM AN EMMY! There is also a scene with Greg Kinnear that really sticks in my mind - when he's explaining how disheartening it is to hear that this man he's known and mentored for years has killed people because he thought "now that's a good man". It's really powerful. There are a few overall great episodes (the episode that turns him into a hero is probably my favorite one). And, in case I haven't mentioned it in the past, Taron is hot as fuck. I'm kidding, of course everyone knows I'm obsessed with him. But he does look really good in this - even if he's a prick. The white t-shirt, baseball hat, slutty glasses (I laughed so hard at the line "fuck your stupid fake fucking glasses"), the dancing in a thong to David Bowie 👀. Ridiculously hot. But, I have a lot of problems with the relationships depicted. His wife seems a decade older than him (which she probably is because he's playing someone in his 40s and he's only 36) and far smarter than him. She also does not rely on him financially so why exactly is she with him? There is zero chemistry between them, in fact, she seems to hate him in every scene. They don't have children together either. It's just a really unrealistic relationship. Women stay with abusive men (obvi), but there is no reason for her to stay in this one. If she loves him or is scared of him, then they needed to show that. Then his ex-wife seems even older! And she has even less of a reason to keep this affair going?! It's just weird. I also HATE the theme song because Thom Yorke's voice makes my ears bleed. Oh and they should have kept the original title "Firebug" because Taron was in a series called The Smoke (a baby-faced Taron, and a really good show!), so now it's confusing for him to be in another show called Smoke. Anyway, I do recommend this - it's dark, funny, weird, and certainly unexpected.
3. Alien: Earth - UMMMM....can someone explain to me why this series is so fucking dull that I almost fall asleep by the end of each episode?? Jesus Christ pick it up please! I'm only 5 episodes in (I think...I lost track), but it's far from good. I'm so disappointed because I love Noah Hawley and I was SO excited when I heard about this project and I nagged my husband to watch it with me for weeks until he finally said "ok let's start the new Alien tv show" and then all that excitement came crashing down with a big thud by the end of the first episode (in which he had to wake me up because I fell asleep about 1/2 way in). The whole "kid in an adult body" thing is SUPER weird and just completely unnecessary. I hate it. It also just looks terrible and I don't understand why? I do like the cast though - although that hair on Timothy Olyphant has to go. And same for that Amelie hairstyle on our main character (I can't remember her name, but she's Kyle Chandler's daughter!). I also love Essie Davis, and the girl from the most recent Fargo (actually she might have been in a few seasons, but she's REALLY good in the most recent one). I also like that it's filmed in Thailand because it's so beautiful there - so even though the aliens and tech stuff look dumb, at least there is gorgeous scenery to enjoy. And Bangkok doubles as a future city so well - some of the architecture of those high-rise buildings is hard to believe (but that's what it really looks like!). But so far, I hate this. It's boring and stupid. And the way it ends with these heavy metal songs is hilarious. It's even funnier because watching it on Hulu it's missing the commercials so it fades to black for ad breaks but it almost seems like it's an ending so the only way to know it's the actual end is the dumb song at the end. It does wake me up from my nap, though. Ugh.
4. Dexter: Resurrection - *spoilers ahead* I know this isn't technically new because it's a continuation of the Dexter franchise, but I'm including it here because...I feel like it! It's my blog and I do what I want. Anyway, This is good! Like old-school Dexter good! I like that they are going back to the original formula with a bit of a twist (NYC, his relationship with his son, Batista on the actual case, etc.). There are some things I don't like about it, but overall I'm having fun with it and look forward to each episode which is something that is missing from most television shows nowadays. I feel like a lot of tv has become a chore to sit through (like Alien: Earth). The cast of serial killers is incredible (Krysten Ritter, Peter Dinklage, Neil Patrick Harris, etc.), as is the casting of Uma Thurman. Oh also, the same guy I just raved about in Smoke is in this too (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine)!! I'm a big fan - I love how raspy and calm his voice is. I just watched the episode where his mom dies and he's so good in it. The episode, in general, has been the strongest because it also ends with a fantastic twist - that the one serial killer, named Gemini, is a twin (DUH!! How did I not see that coming! LOL). But I can't wait to see the interaction between him and Dexter (does he know his brother is dead and that Dexter did it???). I couldn't watch the next episode (stupid work!), but I'm dying to! Which is refreshing. I think that's something that is also missing from a lot of tv shows - a good cliffhanger. It's not as necessary anymore because people binge, but I miss them and Dexter was the king of a great cliffhanger.
5. The Paper - I'm sorry, but I think this show is pretty awful. It has potential to get better, but it needs a lot of help and a deep-dive into which characters are working and which aren't - and I'm not sure they will take that step. So, first, here are some things that I like about it: I appreciate that the theme song is so similar to The Office, but different enough to be its own thing. It's really smart to show the dying industry of journalism & physical media right from the opening credits. It's extremely relevant to todays world - without becoming overly political. I also appreciate that it's a traditional sitcom because they are so hard to do right now. And I really like Chelsea Frei - she was in Animal Control too and very funny and cute in that. She kind of reminds me of an American version of Anne-Marie Duff (that's a compliment - I LOVE Anne-Marie Duff). I like the thread of connection to The Office with Oscar Nunez continuing his role as Oscar Martinez. I'm not really a big fan of Domhnall Gleeson. I was willing to give him a chance, though. He's fine but I wish he wasn't the star of the show. As far as the things I think need to be reevaluated: I'm sorry, but the woman from The White Lotus is unbearable. I didn't like her on The White Lotus either (but she was nominated for an Emmy, wo what do I know?). Not only is she a terrible actress, but the character is so grating I can't even watch her scenes. Unfortunately, she's in far too many scenes. She's the foil to Gleeson's character, but none of it is working. The foil is already there - it's a dying industry - just focus on that. As relevant as it is, it's weird that they focus on online journalism being the downfall of print journalism, when right now, online journalism is being destroyed by AI, so it almost feels like this is in the past. They need to figure that part out. There really aren't any other memorable or funny characters either - they are all just there. I just think the writing needs to be pushed further - make it funnier, weirder, more sarcastic, just SOMETHING so it's not so flat and predictable.
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