Undone (2019–2022)
5/10
Interesting story w/good voice acting weakened by endless virtue signaling
5 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Very interesting idea and storytelling with good music and art and sound design. The voice acting is very strong. And, despite lofty and complex narratives, it is centered on the human condition and family relationships, so it is immediately relatable. If you like psychological sci fi, this is a captivating watch, though MANIAC on Netflix is very similar in its themes and is FAR superior for reasons I describe later, mostly due to MANIACs superior script that isnt smug or expository or reliant on animations for insterest and nearly every character has a meaningful arc.

Also, the animation is interesting and allows the special effects to blend easily and look real while allowing the animators to enhance any weaknesses in the physical performances of the actors or sets.

Undone isnt without its faults. It constantly and insesently virtue signals by Howard Zinning america, westernism, and americans with completely needless zingers that have nothing to do with the plot (except to make the lead even more dislikeable, I suppose) while shoe-horning romanticized anecdotes and spirituality of any other culture except american culture. This often tears you right out of the story and makes the story seem like a thin cracker on which to deliver a pate of smug angry propoganda. Why does EVERYTHING have to be some kind of woke, these days? And, if so, can't the story come first and only then maybe you can slide in your nonsequitor jab at America if you really need to get it out there?

But, that wouldnt be the so bad except that the lead character is extremely selfish, annoying, rude, wholly unlikable, and she encourages the same from those around her. Yet, she is given amazing powers that she absolutely doesnt deserve and then ::spoilers:: we find out her dad is a bad guy, too. There is nothing to like about the lead characters in this show at all. The mom is overbearing, the dad is a jerk, and the daughter is even worse.

And, then, they make the sister awful, too, by marrying a man ::spoilers:: who she doesnt love who she cheats on repeatedly in a pattern because (though this isnt stated as a bad thing, just a sarcastic joke) she was raised by a single mom and never had a solid male role model. Yet, the story doesnt dwell on this aspect or treat it much as a negative, but instead, celebrates these multiple lies as though they are somewhat meaningless and empowering for her as a woman.

But, it is the ending of this that is ultimately unfulfilling and badly written. I wont spoil it all here, but it is completely unsatisfying and weak and the time traveling aspect from any point of view doesnt even try to make any kind of sense.

I really began to like this somewhere after the first episode and then got more annoyed by the final half and especially the end. But, it remained compelling enough to finish and is definitely interesting.

Finally, I dont understand why bob odenkirk is in this. He does well in the role, but doesnt seem to fit the proper ethnicity for the plot.
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