julien-maudoux Reviews

The Umbrella Academy (2019–2024)

A quite good start for a series that has more potential

[8/10 · 9 May 2020]

I've quite enjoyed this first season even though I think it has some flaws and some highs and lows. I must say I haven't read the comic books. I've appreciated the tone of the series : it's fun but it's still quite sombre. I've mixed feelings about the story : there are some surprises but they happen in the midst of quite predictable storylines. The ensemble cast is good, the actors are all talented. But I was above all interested in three characters (numbers 4, 5 and 7). Robert Sheehan is excellent as number Four. Aidan Gallagher manages to deliver for a difficult role (given he incarnates an adult in the body of a teenager). I very much like Ellen Page but given the character she plays we mostly see only a part of what she can do (no spoilers). I've been less interested in the other characters even though they have some depth too (I found them less compelling but de coloribus et gustibus non est disputandum). In comparison, I was more interested in Cha-Cha and Hazel : there is much fun with that part of the show and the travels of number 5...

The cinematography is good and the using of music is effectively magnificent in this series. I'm really curious to watch the next season. I hope it will alleviate some aspects that were less convincing in this season.

Caprica (2009–2010)

Great series that, alas !, found its way too late.

[10/10 · 12 February 2020]

I'm still sad about the cancellation of Caprica. The series had potential. But it found its way maybe too late and alas it was not granted the chances many lesser series get to be renewed. The thing is Caprica is quite a "niche" series in so far as it is mostly interesting for people who like a particular kind of SF/anticipation (so to say) but are willing to suspend their wish to see the kind of epic battles we had on BSG. I suppose Caprica could have worked better had it been produced a few years latter. It's still an interesting series that like-minded viewers will find interesting and entertaining. The quality is not inferior to BSG's quality and the world-building is interesting. I very much like the work on the soundtrack by Bear McCreary, who managed to add a kind of cultural depth through music to the show.

Mr. Robot: eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes (2016) Season 2, Episode 6

Fun

[10/10 · 12 February 2020]

What a fun episode to watch in the first part ! The mixture of the pastiche and parody of a 90's sitcom with a dark undertone and humour is very well conceived. The rest of the episode is great too (great scenes with Angela !).

Mr. Robot: eXit (2019) Season 4, Episode 11

Excellent episode

[10/10 · 12 February 2020]

It's an excellent episode, with two parts actually. The first one is organized mostly around a crucial scene, excellently played by the actors and with wonderful cinematography (as usual). What is stricking here is the excellence of the plot and the progression of the whole series. Elliot's tirade must be compared with what he said at the beginning of the series (episode 1). Rami Malek is once again masterful in his delivery. He has got an Oscar for his great work for Bohemian Rhapsody (and what a work indeed !) but what he has done for Mr. Robot and most notably for the fourth season is even more phenomenal. B. D. Wong deserves praise too. It's not an easy scene to play at all and both actors manage to even exceed our expectations. Christian Slater offers afterwards an excellent performance. The episode is a good example of how a kind of beautiful simplicity can create incredible depth and great emotion : the videogame, Elliot's reactions... The talent of Sam Esmail, the crew, the cast, and Mac Quayle, are once again evident here. The second part of the episode shows a perfect blend of mystery and nostalgy as the series nearens its end.

Mr. Robot: 410 Gone (2019) Season 4, Episode 10

A nice emotional episode

[10/10 · 12 February 2020]

A beautiful and emotional episode. It mostly follows Dom and Darlene. It's the kind of episodes where you (seemingly) say goodbye to great characters, with a bittersweet ending that feels quite appropriate. There is a great moment in the episode that concludes a whole part of the big plan of the heroes since Season 1. The way to show it is very nice and I think Sam Esmail did the right choice even though I'd liked to see just a bit more the consequences of all that on society.

Mr. Robot (2015–2019)

Unforgettable and masterful series, amongst the very best

[10/10 · 7 February 2020]

Mr. Robot has long been one of these series I knew I would watch someday, but somehow prefered to watch once it would have been completed. Recently, I have made a marathon of each season. And even before the end of the first one, I knew Mr. Robot had become one of my favorite series ever. Now that I've watched the whole series, I think it's one of the best series ever in general. Some episodes are altogether brilliant and show creative, technical and dramatic mastery that make many other series or film look dull or tiny in comparison.

This is a story in four seasons. A very well crafted story. Once you've watched the end, the first thing you want to do is re-watch the whole series, and when you do it, you can't but agree with the intelligence of the scenarists. It's a show that tackles not just one thematic but that is multi-faceted. It can be gripping, tense, funny, dark, cathartic... Rarely have I felt so many emotions with a TV show. Rarely have I found a character as compelling and interesting as Elliot. But one very good advice : don't read any spoiler. Watch it in order.

There is more. This series is extraordinary for its cinematography, its artistic choices, and soundtrack (bravo Mac Quayle). Some episodes are amongst the very best examples of what film and series can accomplish, ever. The series has its own style. There is beauty in it as much as inquietude... The whole creating process is excellent.

The cast is utterly awesome ! There is no doubt Rami Malek is one of the greatest actors of his generation. But there is no flaw at all the brilliant cast of this series. Each scene with Christian Slater is also a pleasure. Carly Chaikin and Portia Doubleday are amazing and their talent shine in some really demanding scenes. The only problem with Martin Wallström ? We see him and this the character he plays much less than the other actors from Season 2 onwards, which is maybe the only criticism I can honestly make about the series. Stephanie Corneliussen has some great scenes, but could also have been used a bit more given her talent. Grace Gummer is splendid as Dom (some scenes where she acts alone are prodigious). B. D. Wong is perfect in his nuanced acting of an antagonist. Michael Cristofer manages to shine whatever the scene he appears in. Later in the series we discover the character played by Bobby Cannavale : fantastic performance here too, a memorable character in the vein of what we could find in "Breaking Bad" or "Better Call Saul". There are many recurring actors that shine too in this series. Gloria Reuben is great in her role here. There is one episode in particular, near the end of the series, where I find her performance unforgettable and stellar. The same can be said about Elliot Villar even though he gets less screentime. Excellence in general characterize the casting and the secondary characters are a charming part of the show.

Mr. Robot: eps1.7_wh1ter0se.m4v (2015) Season 1, Episode 8

Great episode, with outstanding performances

[10/10 · 7 February 2020]

An outstanding episode. It is not technically or cinematographically as impressive as episodes from the following seasons, but storywise and in what regards the scenario and the excellence of the actors, it's magnificent. The episode is littered with surprises and questions and make the viewers reconsider their notions about the whole story and Elliot. Of course, Rami Malek is phenomenal, as usual. But Carly Chaikin, near the end of the episode, delivers a perfect performance for an outstanding scene, in my eyes very difficult to play. She's a brilliant actress.

Mr. Robot: eps3.4_runtime-err0r.r00 (2017) Season 3, Episode 5

Mastery

[10/10 · 7 February 2020]

The episode is conveyed through the means of a seemingly single long shot and incredibly good cinematography. The technical and creative mastery it requires speaks for itself, but this way of showing the events that unfold contribue to the story and add to the tension. The acting is magnificent and masterful, whether I consider Rami Malek, Portia Doubleday or the other actors. A gripping episode, that manage to tell some incredible events in a realistic way (Angela's part notably, even though some may find it a bit too long), without forgetting a dose of humour. Magistral !

Mr. Robot: 405 Method Not Allowed (2019) Season 4, Episode 5

True mastery

[10/10 · 7 February 2020]

This episode is a true gem. The episode is built around an artistic constraint (only two lines are spoken, at the outset and at the end of the episode). Not only does the episode manage to respect that constraint thanks to clever ideas and tricks (well done !), it works through it to give us a thrilling experience. I've yet to remember such an experience in a TV series or in a movie of such excellence in the management of tension and intensity. The pursuit is quite believable, yet it is much more satisfying and intense than most action sequences that we can find in movies nowadays. Rami Malek and Carly Chaikin are utterly excellent here, as the rest of the cast. Michael Cristofer and the cinematography manage to convey the feeling of loss, at the restaurant, in a great way. The scenes with Gloria Reuben offer a kind of apparent levity at the start, but actually they brood bad omens for future developments. The soundtrack of this episode had to be even better than usual for it to be efficient. Mac Quayle manages to exceed expectations with absolutely excellent pieces of music, during the intrusion, the hack, the pursuit (if you need running motivation, listen to "Ziptie Door", "Runtime" and "Jump Drive" on the vol. 7 soundtrack, and you'll sprint as fast as Elliot : pure gold)... A good choice for the preexisting music too. It elevates even more this jewel of an episode. Frankly, after having watched this episode, I was quite unable to watch "normal" TV or a normal movie - they seemed too dull compared to "Method Not Allowed".

Mr. Robot: 409 Conflict (2019) Season 4, Episode 9

An incredible episode

[10/10 · 29 January 2020]

An exquisitely crafted episode at every angle. Superb performances, excellent cinematography, great dialogues (and I don't forget the powerful monologue from Philip Price), amazing acting and soundtrack. The whole shows a mastery in the matter of producing tension, then catharsis and emotion. And this series and even this season have a few episodes that I'm not afraid to include in my category of "best episodes ever watched".