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marquessarthur
Reviews
True Detective: Night Country: Part 4 (2024)
Sadly, there's no mystery or crime here. The protagonists keep following red herrings
It's sad that we are half way through the season and there's barely a crime to solve, there are barely any new leads or the ones that are actually leads get draggen away because of the convoluted and complicated personal life of the protagonists.
A second big problem of this season is that there's not enough dialogue, when two characters sit to talk they throw punchlines or act mysteriously just for the scene to cut away.
What is even worse is the recycling of content from the previous season, it would be nice if ot tied to the actual investigation or if it was from twisted cultists but displaying the carcosa symbol whenever you want to raise the stakes gets old real quickly.
The Mandalorian: Chapter 22: Guns for Hire (2023)
Every major conflict undone
One of the fundamental problems of the book of Boba Fett is that it backtracked the major story point of season 2. That is, in season 2 Mando's entire journey was delivering Grogu to a Jedi and the writers undid that because the show couldn't exist without the lone Wolf and puppy trope.
This episode has a similar problem. It gives a not satisfying resolution to the dark saber conflict which was yet another major theme of the end of season 2. It makes me question what is happening in the writers room. Season one and two were really good, but this season does not have the same magic.
Please note that the setting and world building are still fantastic. The droid bar was so good my jaw dropped. If they could pair it with an actual arc with character development, the season would be at a better place.
The English: The Wounded Wolf (2022)
It's difficult to see good writing these days... yet The English delivers it
The English follows the same threads of godless, which if you haven't watched, stop reading and please do. It builds the tale of the old western without any of the glamour from old movies or tv shows. It had well grounded-characters who look stoic and build on the image of old classics, but that at the same time twists them.
In this episode, we see how this is so subtle and how perhaps this might not attract the overall audience. By subtlety, I mean the tale about the wolf, we see a character who never fought a wolf, we see a coward and an opportunist who changes the story little by little to build his own image. There are no many shows that achieve this level of writing these days and the dialogue heaviness may put some people at odds, but hear me out... ten or more years from now screen writers will look back at discuss this master piece.
The Expanse: Redoubt (2021)
Great Episode to set up the stakes for the next two
Many reviews are basically focusing on certain details and forgetting the bigger picture/what is the entire plot line
- note much action has happened: this is not an action packed series. It's a series about people with eventual great action
the episode pays respect to that as an episode in the aftermath of a battle. It shows how people deal with their actions. That requires great acting, and we have seen it from the belter skiff dude to Amos and Bobbie melancholy. Were there flaws? Yes, holden talking with Naomi felt urged and it didn't show how their relationship was hanging by a the line, but regardless
- 6 episodes are to few. I concur, but I rather have 6 well written and directed episodes. Everything is been set up properly* Drummers arc to help Ceres, the Roci crew shaken and in self doubt for a final battle with Marcos, Filip and Marcos ready to fly at each others throats. There are TWO episodes left and if they do not drop the ball, it will be a great show
- laconia opening: this is the weird bit. I can only review this when the series finishes and we find out what it is their deal.
The Expanse: Force Projection (2021)
Great episode. Will talk about something that other reviews neglected
This episode has just a lot of great acting. I know that everyone will talk about a certain 360 spin, so I will take a different spin (pun intended)
Nadine Nicole as always has been delivering the best redemption arc. Every time that Clarissa talks, you are in for a good guilty trip.
Keon Alexander's after battle scene was just great. It shows so much vulnerability from someone that always "save face" in front of its crew. Besides, extra credit for Jasai Chase Owens acting and calling off his father in front of the entire command deck. I had just left a discussion with my father, in which I was in a similar spot to Filip, calling out my father's pride. This entire scene hit hard. I cannot say exactly what I felt, but this is art at its finest.
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As for the not so great things, I cannot related that much with Joanne Vannicola and her character, Nico Sanjrani. It's funny because Stuart Hughes has had a similar screen time with Liang Walker and he is already a favorite, but for Sanjrani, I don't know. It's not like the acting is wrong of anything, but rather, I just think that the writing is not putting too much emphasis on Sanjrani so the are not on par of other belters like Dawes or Rosenfeld.
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Looking forward to Space Dock analysis of the 360 spin battle. Is Rocci a beyblade?
Dota: Dragon's Blood (2021)
I expected high fantasy, not some castlevaniaesque spinoff
Please get your target audience right. First episode and there is bigotry against elves and townsfolk allude to raping Mirana. Later there is allusions to human sexual trafficking and then a a foursome that just made me cringe
I am just, please no. Just no. This is just bad writing.
Like it is just all over the place and when you are like ok at least it is a small fellowship of the ring thing following Davion and Mirana, eeergh no let's throw in a war against elves and children slaughter cause what is more impactful than a total race massacre ?
I am utterly disappointed. I watch the show for fights like the chaos knight vs dragon one; to escape from reality, to dive into fantasy.... not whatever this show is.
The Expanse: Oyedeng (2021)
Great episode - this is how you build strong female characters
Please ignore everyone stating that Naomi's arc is a filler. It is a long build up. Way back in the Donnager, we saw she was OPA. Way back in the Donnager we saw Marco's name and ever since, the show runners lead us with a small breadcrumb trail as Naomi removed layers from being a badass engineer to being a badass mother. THIS IS HOW YOU BUILD STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS.
I cannot count how much I connected with Naomi and her back story. Besides, all the back and forth solely on space really helped the pacing and the direction of the episode. Things could have been faster or done differently? Of course they could, but don't let this mislead you from the fact that this is top quality sci-fi
Cobra Kai (2018)
Not the lessons I want a teenager to learn about
Parents in the city/county that this show happen are totally oblivious to their kids safety and well being, they just drop them off in a psycho dojo and are totally fine with that. You like the tribute this show pays to karate kid? fine, but have a really face to face conversation with yor children about what reality is about and how to look for help when they need to. Have a bog cup of disbelief tea and watch the show
Ok someone gets their arm broken, another kid gets bullied while working, they stole stuff and nothing happens, no mall security, no police, absolute nothing. nada
The car wash kid gets beaten the hell out and he does not have caring parents who would ask what happened?
A group of teenagers find it super cool to literally trespass private property and proceed to have an all fight risking breaking the kid's arm YET again (let's not even talk about aggravated assault and battery here)
Season finale has an attempt of murder but again all fine with our Vietnam war veteran.
Let's not even talk about a minor who can do as he wants and stay in whoever house (or dojo) best suit his selfish interests without the intervention of any childcare service
honestly, I want my kids to learn how to defend themselves but this show only fosters violence
The Expanse: Mother (2020)
Best scifi world building series
RIP fisherman 5000 guy.
One of the more fascinating things about the show is seeing each location and how credible they are and oh boy, this show delivers it
The Expanse: Exodus (2020)
I really missed intertwining plots
Of course is a slow start, any first episode of a season has the customary recaps + introducing new characters but this episode brings back the s1-s3 feeling of interwoven plot lines that will slowly walk towards a climax. I can't wait to see what they have in store.
The Night Shift: Three-Two-One (2016)
All the wrong arguments to justify prejudice
It is ridiculous that in 2020 with all that has happened, I had the displeasure to watch this episode. A bunch of white saviours listening to white-people and providing hollow arguments that serve to justify what still happens nowadays (4 years after the episode has aired).
The best scene is that a white person draws a gun and kills someone in could blood and, baffles me, he is tackled down.