Dope Thief

This came on after I was watching Severance otherwise I would never have watched it. And it's not too bad. There's a lot of going on in the first two episodes. It's action and shootout heavy. But the characters are likeable. So far.

The scenery, lighting, camera work, locations are great IF you like that sort of grainy, grungy look for the most part. I do, so for me I loved that aspect. I'll be going back to see more of the sets for sure.

Hard to tell where it's going. Hopefully the pace slows a little: less gun fights, more character driven storyline. Time will tell. It's worth the first two episodes.

Dope Thief's premise is good. A pair of small-time grifters pretend to be DEA agents in order to steal from drug houses and accidentally hit the wrong house, riling up dangerous and powerful people.

The actors are good too, especially Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mugrew. But the writing just isn't up to par.

It starts well with a good balance of character development and action, and even some dark humor, which vanishes later in the season.

But there are plot twists that seem absurd, dialogue that sounds gratingly screen-written and not natural, and it's a problem that the two protagonists are largely buffeted around by forces beyond their control.

In a more dynamic story, they'd find a way to fight back more than they do. Stories where the protagonists are just trying to survive but are never in control of the narrative tend to wear out their welcome faster. That's okay for a two-hour disaster flick but not a multi-episode series. Wagner Moura's character in particular was a problem. All he seemed to do is cry.

The final episode is a convoluted mess as the writers attempt to tie up the plot threads in a hurried fashion. By the end, it seems like a different and worse series than the beginning.

Note that this isn't an ongoing series but a story that wraps up in one season so there isn't a huge investment to make. I suppose it could continue but it doesn't seem likely. By the time I started to get really fed up with it, the show was over.

Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura deliver an amazing performance in Dope Thief. They are like virtuoso violinists, transitioning from one scene to another with remarkable skill. The story is engaging; however, the TV series incorporates too many elements simultaneously, making it feel overly chaotic. Yes, it belongs to the crime genre, but it feels like a well-crafted dessert overwhelmed by excessive sauce.

Character development focuses almost entirely on Ray (Brian Tyree Henry), while the other characters could have been explored more deeply. Supporting roles are relegated mostly to the background, which feels like a missed opportunity. I find it frustrating when a series fails to surpass the standard despite having all the ingredients for success.

Although I've criticized the series on these points, I still recommend watching it. It's a good TV series-but it had the potential to be even better.

This just gets going right away. The scenes are all high octane fun, but the plot just gets way too crazy. So many loose ends and just completely far fetched possibilities from all angles. It's worth watching if you can turn your brain off, and just enjoy the action. These new shows have just so much endless crime and killing it makes no sense that there are even parts with actual police doing police work. I enjoy most of the characters and will watch it till the end, but I already have a good idea where it will end up. I don't want to put any spoilers so I will just say it's a wild ride so far.

Dope Thief is even better than I expected it to be and I expected it to be really good. Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura are great in just about everything they've ever been in and Dope Thief is no different. In fact, it might be their best work for the both of them. The only negative about Apple shows are they release them one every week and a show this good you're going to want to watch the next episode the second you're done with the one you're watching. Dope Thief reminds me of The Wire on how it shows how crime impacts every socioeconomic level. I'm not saying this is as good as The Wire, not much is, but it's still very good in its own right. I definitely recommend you give this a try...I promise you won't be disappointed.