loveovel

I really want to like this show. The characters are interesting, the atmosphere is fun and intriguing, and on the surface a show with mystery, murders, and treasure hunting sounds like a great adventure. That said, the pacing is inconsistent, the plot seems primarily to move forward due to a combination of literally every character at some point behaving in ways that destroy any shred of character development and makes them seem like a moron and the characters' collective unwillingness to even try to use direct communication or listening skills, and an utter detachment from any sense of realism except for when realism too is forcibly inserted to cause drama. An example is that social services looking to ensure minors have appropriate care are part of the drama in season 1, only to be notably absent later on despite there being public acknowledgment that a bunch of minors who have been missing are "safe and home"- but more than one is literally homeless and without any sort of guardian? Because the characters behave so very out of character in order to drive the plot forward and add drama, by the time season 3 rolled around hardly anyone was likeable, and season 3 is only further damaging their likeability. The acting is overall good and it's not the worst thing airing, but it's at best a sporadically entertaining lazy mess. I think it's a solid 6- it's a bit above average but not "good".

I'm surprised by the negative reviews. I think both seasons are good, though I personally enjoyed the first season more. To me season 1 was more creepy, suspenseful, and disturbing in vibe while season 2 is more gory horror. Both seasons had great acting, interesting characters, and intriguing commentary on humanity, society, and morality. I think the show was able to really explore the core concept and repercussions of what a purge would mean for the world in a way that the movies couldn't- I think it's an interesting idea, so to me that would have been worth trying regardless. But I think the acting, personal journeys of the characters, suspense, and acting delivered far more than I'd expected going into the experience. I definitely recommend.

I loved Vikings. It was really stellar the first few seasons, and quite good or average through season 4 and a lot of season 5. I don't know if it's the sheer number of characters or the showrunners trying to do too much, but after season 4 they began relying more and more on taking viewers things rather than showing them. The biggest and most egregious examples of this, unfortunately, have to do with character development- people act out of character all the time without evidence of why they would do certain things, but in a lot of the worst examples there's a bit of exposition attempting to explain it after the fact. That, or the show relies on magic and handwaves the nonsense it's shoving in between epic fight scenes and attempts at intrigue. It's really a shame since it started so strong and the acting is excellent.