on_the_river_flowing

This was not what I was expecting. I had no problem with the multiverse stuff. The problem was that instead of actual plot and some level of character depth, even minimal, it was held together by a few good fight sequences and cameos, and then the larger MCU (btw, you will be very lost if you haven't watched both seasons of Loki, and even then I was a bit confused why the TVA was whacking people). Cassandra's character was completely flat. It was extremely hard to stay focused bc Deadpool's rambling and fourth wall breaking was almost incessant - he may be the merc with a mouth, but this was excessive and it felt like the film had an attention span problem. The vulgarity was excessive too - it was just gratuitous and honestly, aggravating eventually. We get it - whoever put this film together thinks repeatedly fisting someone with claws, or repeatedly making sex jokes is funny. The movie literally could have been at least a half hour shorter if they'd cut out a bunch of this.

Half the film feels like Deadpool and Wolverine arguing with or fighting each other.

Glad I waited to see it at home. I did enjoy the cameos, especially those who end up in the big fight at Cassandra's compound. That was one of the more enjoyable scenes, actually.

I loved this show. It had mystery, depth and breadth of character, phenomenal acting, great cinematography and world building... I could go on for a while. It also held a soft spot in my heart for being partly set in Appalachia, and also not hewing to typical stereotypes of what folks think of with Appalachia.

I just rewatched it a couple weeks ago actually. I was very much looking forward to season 2, which originally was supposed to happen.

Now I find out that Amazon apparently thinks it's too risky to have a massive gap between seasons 1 and 2....? We survived delays from the pandemic, so I don't know what I'm paying for at this point with Prime Video, especially since it has ads now.

If you are expecting an adaptation of the Billy Milligan story, this is not that - it is not based on the story, it is merely inspired by it. So I would recommend going in with an open mind.

I went into watching this with some knowledge as to what the psychological issues might be, so that might have informed my patience with the pacing of the episodes. But, also, I didn't find the early episodes to be boring - I thought that the earlier episodes placed enough hooks and mysteries in them for me to want to keep watching to figure out what happened and what was happening.

Tom Holland gives an incredible performance - I would love to say more, but I am trying to avoid spoilers. He truly gave this role everything, and I hope he gets some award or better recognition for it because he made the issues and character come alive. Amanda Seyfried, Sasha Lane, and other key characters also did amazing work - it truly felt like everyone was on their A game in this.

The storytelling is somewhat circular - meaning, it circles back on itself at times to place into context a scene that may have been shown earlier. But, it works in my view, considering how trauma (particularly as a child) causes disorganized memories and other impacts. It also is important to understanding the difference between reality, and how Danny experiences it. Plus, the story is not just about Danny Sullivan. It is also focused on the mental health and life issues that key characters (Rya included) struggle with and that speak to the failures of our society and lack of supportive community, which are sharply highlighted via Danny. So when a scene is "repeated" it is usually within the context of another character or aspect to the story. The story also highlights the disparities in how we treat people struggling in life, and the choice of Tom Holland to play the main character makes Danny probably more able to be sympathized with (but also Holland does a masterful job at this as well). (again, trying to avoid spoilers here).

The show's creator apparently is a trauma survivor himself, and I personally credit his background with the show's sensitivity to how to depict trauma and abuse, its well-placed content warnings. As a trauma survivor myself, I greatly appreciated: (1) the warnings; and (2) not showing graphic scenes simply to reinforce that trauma or abuse happened - that is, you know something happened, and what it is, without having to be shown the whole thing (in contrast to, say, Euphoria). Personally, this allowed me to focus on the story, the impact of the trauma, and helped me stay in the story instead of seizing up because of what was on the screen. And, ultimately, there were many moments where I felt seen as a trauma survivor who has been trying to find their own way and who they are after a long time. This story has stuck with me for that reason, and I thank everyone involved with this project for helping me to feel seen and understood.

My main criticism is that the ending episodes felt rushed - maybe some of this was on purpose given the timing constraints in the story of the trial. However, there is at least one major revelation within the last 15 or so minutes that is almost brushed over entirely, but explains a lot more of Danny's situation. Also, there were a few loose ends that still are bothering me involving Danny's biological father and the London travel agency. Some of this may simply be I missed a clue earlier - or it speaks to how children rationalize or create their own story to deal with trauma -- but it still bothers me.

Overall, it is very much worth a watch, and I am honestly amazed at the number of critics who panned this series. Not sure if folks don't know how to watch with an open mind and curiosity, or if they expected an adaptation of the Billy Milligan story. Again, this is not an adaptation, and the creator was very clear on that.

Again, a big thank you to all involved for your work in making this story and being sensitive and caring in the portrayal of trauma and abuse and how it impacts us, particularly as children.