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Reviews
House of the Dragon (2022)
A poor man's GOT; and it shows...
Simply put this show goes to great lengths to hide the low budget HBO applied and it's obvious. The problem boils down to the word "exposition" and you'll fall asleep being subjected to it repeatedly. The old saying is "show it, don't say it" and that will ring in your mind as you sit through endless discussions around the king's table as they describe situations that the original GOT would have ACTUALLY SHOWN! Don't get me wrong a great show can be made on a low budget but the attempt here is frankly boring. There are very few "edge of your seat" moments nor intriguing plotlines to bring you back each episode. Instead the writers try the same old tired tricks from the original on occasion; hoping to keep you interested. (gore, incest, etc.) yet these moments feel contrived and viewer-baiting.
Picket Fences (1992)
When in Rome - don't do like the Romans do
You'll grow to both love and hate this throw back episodic show from the 90s. In many ways it feels ahead of it's time. Thus, watching it years later has a certain fascination. I enjoyed the strange mix of bizarre murder mystery coupled with the small town feel. That's where the show really shined, when it wasn't taking itself too seriously and let the viewer think for themselves. Now for the bad (perhaps, also ahead of its time) - eventually the show goes off the rails and starts getting very preachy and one sided about various political issues. Even worse, it just repeats the same tired issues! By the 100th or so episodes on assisted suicide, you'll start to wonder if the writers suffered from some kind of amnesia. What's truly bizarre, for a show so keen on progression is that the characters never seem to learn anything! Though, the one exception is defense attorney Douglas Wambaugh. Not only does he seem to learn from each episode, but he reminds the audience what a joke it is that history is repeating - in almost a "breaking the 4th wall" fashion. Despite my criticism, this show is a gem from an era now gone and well worth checking out. Just feel comfortable skipping through some episodes, you'll be glad you did.
Extant (2014)
A hopeful failure that should be blown out into space.
I am a huge fan of sci-fi and after watching the pilot, I have no desire to watch the next episode. Though the visual production value is solid, you will quickly find that's where the "value" ends. Without giving away the plot, much of the story focuses on (NASA like?) people asking Halle Berry's character, "What happened up there?" This makes no sense at all. As others have pointed out we would never send one person up to a space station for months, let alone without a million different monitoring tools! Ignoring the reality problems, the plot is extremely weak and feels like the executives at CBS took every idea you've ever seen and blended them together into some kind of awful "shake" for you to drink. Hats off to them for trying their hand at sci-fi, but oh man they should have found some help.