1. Hunters - A little insane, but kind of in a good way? It was really different and interesting, so that's always a plus for me. Not all of it worked, and some of it is a little problematic, but as a whole, I think it's a solid idea and it is executed very well. It's one of those examples in which the good outweigh the bad. However, some of the bad...is really bad. For example: The end is horrific. I appreciate the shock value of the twist, but, man, is it really tough to grapple with. Also, I think sometimes it went a little too far - subtlety doesn't seem to be an option (one of the episodes is titled "Shalom, Motherfucker"). There are moments of levity - some of it works really, really well (like the "Stayin' Alive" scene - I could probably watch that on repeat. Just so good.), and some of it doesn't (because it's hard to make the Holocaust light and funny, and maybe this shouldn't be a thing? I know a lot of people had the same problem with JoJo Rabbit too). A big plus, though, is the cast - Al Pacino is peak Al Pacino (take that as you will...). And Logan Lerman is incredible. I totally forgot that about him with my previous Emmy post - but I could make a solid argument for him deserving a nomination. I think I've mentioned before that I'm hesitant to like him because his mother was rude to me and made homophobic comments (she was his manager at the time, but he was a kid, so hopefully he has a better team behind him now? I'm too lazy to look into it). There is also a terrific performance by Greg Austin - just super fucking creepy and evil, nightmare inducing. He reminds me a lot of a Skarsgard brother (I thought he might be...). And lastly, Lena Olin (who will always be Mama Bristow to me). I can't say anyone else in the cast stood out, but they all worked well together (maybe Josh Radnor, but that's just because the role is so different for him, but I'm convinced someone else could have done it better). I'm super interested in what season two will look like (and who will join the cast??).
2. Perry Mason - I remember watching the original Perry Mason reruns with my grandmother (which is where I get my love of television dramas and detective/spy stories). I thought this could be a good character to update, and I really like how they kept the integrity of the "vibe" of the original, but I'm currently on the 4th episode and it's...starting to get boring. I do love the cast, though. Matthew Rhys and Tatiana Maslany??! Like, I'll keep watching any show with those two, even if I die of boredom. It's a very classicly stylized detective story (complete with Jazz music), based in the 30s. I was not expecting it to be so graphic (with the crimes, but also with the random sex scenes) and I can't help to think that they are just thrown in there to try to hold the audiences attention? Because it's not really necessary if you have a solid story to tell. I haven't written it completely off yet - I really liked the pilot episode, but the next 3 have just been really disappointing.
3. I'll be Gone in the Dark - What an overall heartbreaking story - obviously the original serial killer crimes are hard to process, but the fact that Michelle McNamara became so obsessed with finding the truth and getting justice for these victims that she drove herself to an unhealthy mental state (and eventually death) is just devastating. I don't much care for the True Crime genre (for many reasons - usually because I feel like it's told in a very propaganda-type way, convince the audience of "their" versions of what is true - the best example of this is with the Netflix series Making a Murderer, but also because sometimes reality is just really hard to deal with. I do like "Based on True Story" storytelling, though, but that's because it's acceptable to change the narrative, and therefore doesn't feel as "real"). However, when I read about Michelle McNamara, I had to read her book. It's more because I've developed an interest in her story though. I've always been such a big fan of Patton Oswald (was supposed to see his live stand-up earlier this year, but it was obviously cancelled), and I always love the way he talks about Michelle with such pride. Also, because the story has a somewhat "happy" ending - with them actually finding the East Area Rapist (it's super weird that the investigators were so hesitant to give her the credit - I assume because they don't want more people to be inspired to solve crimes on their own, but still - there is NO WAY that her research isn't what led them to him. JUST NO FUCKING WAY). The book is written so well - and it's so respectful of the victims, while still being extremely thorough in describing the horrific crimes (not going to lie, it's a tough read - especially if you read before sleeping, like I do). I've watched the first three episodes of this Docuseries, and so far it's good. It's pretty much exactly what I was expecting - except that I'm surprised at how much footage they have of Michelle. I'm always weirded out by that though, and then I forget that "normal" people record their lives via social media. If I died there would be absolutely no archival footage of me - maybe a few selfies and some cat pictures, but that's it. Also, it's even more devastating to watch the victims talk about their attacks than to read about it - so prepare yourself.
4. ZeroZeroZero - Man, I had really high hopes for this - it has one of my favorite current actresses - Andrea Riseborough, and also Dane Dehaan. But it's really awful. And hard to follow. It reminds me of Narcos (with similar topic of drug smuggling but this is just on a global level), but Narcos is fantastic and this just falls flat. There's just too many plots, I think? Or maybe it was all one plot and I was just too bored to put it all together? It's hard because I don't mind subtitles at all (and I even put subtitles on for most things, even in English), but if I'm bored, it's so much harder to pay attention to the subtitles so I guess it's a lot easier to lose the plot (again, I have no problem with paying attention to Narcos, so I don't think it's me, I think it's the way this is written). I watched the whole first season, somehow, but I couldn't tell you the outcome (other than that the expected thing happens). I'm not sure if this is going to stay as a mini-series or get a second season, but I sure hope not because I don't want to watch any more.
5. Hollywood - So far, not a big fan of Ryan Murphy/Netflix productions. I'm a big fan of Murphy - and typically his first seasons of tv shows are incredible (and some second seasons as well, but he ends up going off the rails after that). However, with this and with The Politician, I am incredibly disappointed. I probably like this a tad more than The Politician (it has some good moments, but overall it just tries too hard - and I hate the cast). Hollywood is interesting, for sure. The idea of re-writing Hollywood history (a very different alternate universe twist than is usually done) and also mixing real life people with fictional characters, is wonderfully realized. I just think it's weird that they focused the idea on sex-workers trying to "make it" in Hollywood. And it got very repetitive and dull by the 4th episode. I do like the cast, though (much better than The Politician), especially Samara Weaving. And the main guy (I don't know his name, but he was in a few episodes of The Politician too, and he was much stronger than his co-stars). He's like a younger Henry Cavill, but with screen presence and a personality. I hope they leave this as a mini-series, and Murphy just moves on.
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