StartUp

Wow! This show is so amazingly good! I wish more people new about it. If it was on a well-known cable channel tons of people would be talking about it. I really like the grittiness of it and how they show the juxtaposition of cultures/rich/poor all within Miami.

The casting is great. Martin Freeman is like nothing I've ever seen him in before. In fact, he creeped me out a lot and normally Martin plays the kind of guy that is so likable. Just the small looks he gives, like when a one night stand told him she didn't want the breakfast he made special for her. I was waiting for him to lash out at her. He didn't have to say a word, but you could see the heat in his eyes calling her many vulgar names.

Edi Gathegi. What an actor! He gave such a commanding performance and I couldn't take my eyes off of him whenever he was on the screen.

The story kept me wanting more. I watched 9/10 episodes in one day and it has been a long time since I've found a TV show that I've wanted to binge. I don't want to have to wait for season 2. Oh man, I hope there will be a season 2! I also loved that I could watch the series on my TV through Xfinity On Demand. I will be spreading the word about the show. So many people would love it.

This series is just something unlike any other other show... I've never felt so immersed into a show before. Went through all 3 seasons in about 2 days, it was that good. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't "perfect". Season 3 was a little rough and a bit underwhelming compared to season 2, but the finale completely made up for it. I feel like this show is even more relevant today than when it was years ago. If only I had watched this when it came out and invested in Bitcoin lol. This is a MUST watch, believe me, I have good taste. Hopefully this show blows up on Netflix, it deserves to be saved. Also, production quality was great, I usually notice the slightest errors throughout scenes and it was all done so professionally. NOW STOP WASTING TIME, GO WATCH THE SHOW AND BUY SOME GENCOIN... I MEAN BITCOIN.

There are moments in this show where the editing, cinematography and vision are pure genius, such as a fuel gage on empty, or a lone figure in basketball court. There are lazy moments as well, but less so, such as flashes of the same pair of tennis shoes shown dangling from a telegraph wire. To the overall viewing experience, not a big deal at all. The leads are all brilliant actors, and wonderfully charismatic. Lesser characters are also engaging. The action is brilliant, timely, brutal, meaningful, visceral, moving. The script is punchy, fast, true. Culturally illuminating.

My only real concern is why the leads, whom are all portrayed as highly intelligent, keep bumbling into disasters that basic prudence could have avoided. Such is the currency of great character plays and situation dramas I suppose.

Despite scratching my head once or twice, StartUp was riveting. Highly recommended.

..There is a lot to admire in this series. Would I recommend it, yes but with reservations. I really admired the cinematography and the sets. The interiors of the upscale houses and apartments reminded me of Michael Mann's Miami Vice. The lighting of the outdoor scenes that were shot at night was exceptional, whether it was the slums or downtown. This Miami was part of the story and its contrasts beautifully rendered.

On the other hand I felt the narrative dragged too often for my liking. There were many scenes where I felt "what was the point of that?" It was not quite plodding but pretty close to it. There are many long scenes where 2 or 3 people are just in conversation. I understand that the point of these scenes is for the viewer to gain insight into the characters personality and motivations (as they were not about developing the plot), but at the same time they needed to be witty or dramatic or insightful or clever. There are too many conversations that don't meet any of those criteria or increase our empathy.

The acting was almost uniformly good. Edi Gathegi is an actor with huge screen presence, something you can't learn, you either have it or you don't. His performance here is magnetic and one of the best things (if not the best thing) about the series.

The plethora of sex scenes (particularly in the early episodes) felt gratuitous. Sadly this seems to be fashionable, maybe it's an attempt to appeal to a certain demographic. But I don't like it.

I enjoyed the interesting and often ingenious plotting. Its an old story i.e. one innocent act sends a characters life spiralling out of control into dark and dangerous places. We have seen this many times before. But in this series we are intimate witness to 4 lives simultaneously spiralling out of control in very different but connected ways.

The final acts in episode 10 are moving and very powerful, nicely setting up a second season. Starup has the potential to develop as one of the best series in the genre. For that to happen season 2 needs to build on what is good i.e. direction, acting, plot, cinematography, lighting and remove what is less good i.e. gratuitous sex and pedestrian narrative pacing.

I look forward to season 2.

WE NEED A SEASON 4 THERE ARE SOOOOO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS