myebay11
Joined Sep 2013
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myebay11's rating
I enjoyed this quite a bit. The show starts with a death and a set of prejudicial and/or false conclusions. Yes, people behave irrationally, but they stay well within the confines of normal human ignorance and lack of critical thinking. The magic aspect of it is fine. The story would work just as well if you replaced the word "witch" with any other misunderstood group that's the target of bigotry and discrimination. With the magic theme we get some special effects and an enhanced feeling of uncertainty. It's a good choice.
Revelations are made at an optimal pace. Often in crime shows the "twists" elicit a yawn, an eye-roll and a complete lack of surprise. However, in this show i felt more of an: "Ohhh....interesting." They keep these coming throughout the series. For me, this is a win.
By the time you get to the last episode, the tension is remarkably high. The situation seems hopeless....
Let's pretend for a moment that the fit of utter stupidity didn't occur.
...Unexpected but totally plausible things happen and the show ends satisfactorily. In the denouement some additional revelations are made which totally add value to the story and tie up some loose ends that you didn't know were loose. Well done.
Let's go back to that fit of utter stupidity. Everything I wrote above is sincere. The ending is good. The shark-jump is irrelevant. But, at 39:45 into the last episode, it's there. I actually laughed out loud. I won't spoil it (because I want people to read the review), so here are some comparable things you might see in a sillier series:
1. A person gets a pillow held over their face for seven seconds and is suddenly dead.
2. A car drives over a sharp rock and explodes into a ball of fire.
3. A person drops a toothpick onto a table and it ricochets around the room to stab somebody fatally in the heart.
It's that bad. Anybody who knows anything about objects that might be on a stage would have called BS on this event. Is this a 1980's B-movie? Why did they include it? The rest of the show was great. Why do something completely unnecessary and ridiculous? It ranks in the top two of the most ludicrous things I've ever seen in a "serious" show.
Why?
That being said: despite the one jarringly obvious forehead-slapping error, I think it's a really good show -- neatly wrapped. There are no breadcrumbs for a second season. But, if there were one, I would totally watch it.
Revelations are made at an optimal pace. Often in crime shows the "twists" elicit a yawn, an eye-roll and a complete lack of surprise. However, in this show i felt more of an: "Ohhh....interesting." They keep these coming throughout the series. For me, this is a win.
By the time you get to the last episode, the tension is remarkably high. The situation seems hopeless....
Let's pretend for a moment that the fit of utter stupidity didn't occur.
...Unexpected but totally plausible things happen and the show ends satisfactorily. In the denouement some additional revelations are made which totally add value to the story and tie up some loose ends that you didn't know were loose. Well done.
Let's go back to that fit of utter stupidity. Everything I wrote above is sincere. The ending is good. The shark-jump is irrelevant. But, at 39:45 into the last episode, it's there. I actually laughed out loud. I won't spoil it (because I want people to read the review), so here are some comparable things you might see in a sillier series:
1. A person gets a pillow held over their face for seven seconds and is suddenly dead.
2. A car drives over a sharp rock and explodes into a ball of fire.
3. A person drops a toothpick onto a table and it ricochets around the room to stab somebody fatally in the heart.
It's that bad. Anybody who knows anything about objects that might be on a stage would have called BS on this event. Is this a 1980's B-movie? Why did they include it? The rest of the show was great. Why do something completely unnecessary and ridiculous? It ranks in the top two of the most ludicrous things I've ever seen in a "serious" show.
Why?
That being said: despite the one jarringly obvious forehead-slapping error, I think it's a really good show -- neatly wrapped. There are no breadcrumbs for a second season. But, if there were one, I would totally watch it.
This is my review after two episodes. It may change, but I'd be surprised if it goes down. This is the world of the Fallout games before the bombs hit -- 50's aesthetics, hover cars and robot assistants. If you're a video gamer, this setting might already have a place in your heart.
However, we also have Billy Crudup. He's one of those people whose delivery is so engaging that you just have to listen to what he's saying. If you've seen the Morning Show, you know what I mean. Other actors I'd put in this category are Jack Nicholson and Manny Patinkin.
Despite the fact that this is science fiction, the situations are believable, realistic human problems. Shady salespeople, family secrets and people learning lessons later in life.
However, we also have Billy Crudup. He's one of those people whose delivery is so engaging that you just have to listen to what he's saying. If you've seen the Morning Show, you know what I mean. Other actors I'd put in this category are Jack Nicholson and Manny Patinkin.
Despite the fact that this is science fiction, the situations are believable, realistic human problems. Shady salespeople, family secrets and people learning lessons later in life.
To establish my point of view: I've read LOTR and Hobbit multiple times. I've read the Simarillion and the Book of Lost Tales. I'm familiar with canon. I have, of course, watched the movies multiple times. The eerily narrated opening scene of Fellowship is one of the things I use to test subwoofers- it's one of my favorite things ever. I'm currently two episodes into this series.
The promo shots of this series made me skeptical, but I have been very pleasantly surprised. While some of the casting decisions don't seem to match my expectations, I'm willing to roll with it because I do like all the characters. Moryfydd Clark is clearly not Cate Blanchett, but she does deliver a similar demeanor and I think her performance is quite good.
The grandeur of the scenery is on par with the movies. The story seems prepared to deliver detailed accounts of Middle Earth's history: pre-Hobbiton hobbits, the arrival of (presumably) Gandalf, animosity between elves and dwarves and the great drama that must have accompanied the delivery of the rings and the transformation of their bearers.
As a fan of Tolkien for about 45 years or so, I'm engaged and looking forward to what this series has to offer. I expect my rating to go up from 8 -- but it's early.
The promo shots of this series made me skeptical, but I have been very pleasantly surprised. While some of the casting decisions don't seem to match my expectations, I'm willing to roll with it because I do like all the characters. Moryfydd Clark is clearly not Cate Blanchett, but she does deliver a similar demeanor and I think her performance is quite good.
The grandeur of the scenery is on par with the movies. The story seems prepared to deliver detailed accounts of Middle Earth's history: pre-Hobbiton hobbits, the arrival of (presumably) Gandalf, animosity between elves and dwarves and the great drama that must have accompanied the delivery of the rings and the transformation of their bearers.
As a fan of Tolkien for about 45 years or so, I'm engaged and looking forward to what this series has to offer. I expect my rating to go up from 8 -- but it's early.