zkonedog

After numerous production delays and setbacks pushed a 2020 filming date to a 2025 release for Duster, I was interested to see what J. J. Abrams would (finally) bring to Max. What transpired was a series that got far too tangled up in plot machinations when it should have been a slick character piece with a lot of fun vibes (cars, music, 1970s period, etc.).

For a very basic overview, Duster sees two individuals working together--but also very separately from outward appearances--to take down a 70s mob boss. Both Jim Ellis (Josh Holloway) & Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson) have reasons--familial deaths--to expose the corruption of Ezra Saxton (Keith David). While Nina works through (and sometimes just outside) the FBI structure to do this, Jim is the "inside man" as Saxton's driver.

There is certainly some fun to be had watching Duster. It is a cool 1970s period piece, the music is great, and it is shot wonderfully. It never drags--always hurtling towards the next destination or caper.

One specific episode--Ravishing Light and Glory (E5)--really puts all the pieces together thematically and shows what the series could have been. The Jim-and-Nina angles meld perfectly with the subplots of Jim's ex-wife Izzy's (Camille Guaty) crusade to start a women's trucker union, as well as that of Jim's daughter Luna (Adriana Aluna Martinez). All set on the 4th of July, this is the show's zenith.

Yet, it probably speaks volumes that even the best episode I still gave just 7/10 stars. The rest: all 5, 6, or (in the case of the finale) 4 stars. The biggest culprit to Duster success is that it lets itself get far too bogged down in the gang warfare going on. There are just too many C-level plot lines to get straight and too much time spent trying to finagle the poor plotting when all viewers really wanted was to see Holloway & Hilson out doing their 70s things with the 70s music in the background. Obviously some plot is needed to tie everything together, but in the endgame that plot (never Duster's strong suit) would overshadow the fun.

This all came to a head for me in the finale, which I consider the worst single episode of the show. The way the show runners take the "big angles" viewers have been waiting all 8 episodes for and spin/punt them into a potential S2 (that now won't happen due to cancellation) shows how weak those concepts were to begin with.

Overall, I settle on a right-down-the-middle 5/10 rating for Duster. It has some fun moments that show why Abrams & LaToya Morgan were interested in making it, but ultimately it runs out of steam quickly when the generic plot contrivances end up overwhelming big portions of episodes and sap the vibe-y fun of the whole endeavor.

One could argue that Titan: The OceanGate Disaster is hitting the documentary scene a bit too early (before the official Coast Guard report findings have been revealed) and I can't argue that point all that much. We all know it is because Titan was a story that captivated the nation--for better or worse--in 2023. But even if "incomplete" by technical standards, this doc still elucidates some troubling societal trends that caused such a tragedy to happen.

What you won't get in OceanGate Disaster: a blow-by-blow description of what went down inside the final hours/moments of the sub. Like I said, those details have not even officially been revealed as of yet.

What you will see: the background of OceanGate as told by key employees across its structure--most of whom were let go or laid off by CEO Stockton Rush. In fact, through doc interviews, official documents/recordings, and deposition hearing information, a lot of OceanGate Disaster ends up being employees sharing how Rush ignored all safety warnings (removing everyone from the company who put up said red flags) to get Titan in the water with paying customers as soon as possible.

In all honesty, the exact details shared and he-said-she-said of it all here isn't even the most compelling portion of this doc. No--it is more interesting on a societal/cultural level. The very notion that a venture capitalist CEO can start a company, not follow safety regulations, fire (or push out) anyone who disagrees with him, get fawning national news coverage, and ultimately steward paying citizens to their death is extremely concerning. It really speaks to how money and power hold sway over common sense and stability.

All in all, I land on a solid 8/10 rating for Titan: OceanGate Disaster. The info presented by director Mark Monroe is still too new and too "under legal wrangling" to be close to definitive, but the doc does a solid job of shedding some introductory light on a tragedy that can be learned from in many different ways.