The Romanoffs

I feel sorry for the haters. This was totally delightful. For those who didn't get it, tant pis. Mathew Wiener, I thank you for yet another lovely evening.

Have no idea where it's going but the performances are strong, the tension is real, the story is captivating and the history is rich. All with stunning Paris as the backdrop. I'm hooked.

This show has been worthwhile... each episode has a unique plot, and the series is joined by a thread -- exploring the lives of people who are ancestors of the Romanoffs. The production design and song choice are quite effective in each episode.

Episode 1 was quite strong, especially the work of Marthe Keller.

Episode 2 was good, but the writing did not seem as dynamic. That said, the cast was fitting.

Episode 5 threw me for a loop... the actors' delivery fell flat, and the storyline felt deflated.

Episode 7 was crisply written, with palpable chemistry from the excellent cast. The plot delivers genuine tension and suspense.

Finally, I found Episode 8 to be riveting, well-written, and the cast was outstanding.

3rd Episode was very Twilight Zone-ish. Expected Rod Serling to appear or voiceover - until the stark reality of the ending. Totally surprised but made sense with what overpassionate obsessed people were trying to achieve without taking into account the psychological and physical cost. For me it was well done with great acting and storytelling. Kudos to Ms Hendricks for carrying the bulk and making us believe right alongside her.

I'm no big fan of the Amazon productions to date, Netflix for me.

But this is good. Is it the foreign language and subtitles that is driving the bad reviews? This is intelligent, witty, sophisticated entertainment for reasonably intelligent people.