Reviews
Prison Break (2005)
Entertaining
For me, the purpose of streaming something is to be entertained. So many things that are produced in recent years have an angle, push a narrative, virtue signal, etc, to the point that the entertainment value suffers. Prison Break is straight entertainment which made it a really enjoyable series to watch. You have to be willing to overlook some things being "unrealistic" and accept that the guys are going to miraculously escape situations that there doesn't seem to be ways out of quite frequently. There's an element of "silliness" involved, but that's also part of why I found it entertaining. The writers didn't allow themselves to be limited by making it seem completely realistic which allowed the story to expand. Season 1 in particular was one of the more entertaining seasons of TV I can remember. I was always ready to watch the next episode when one ended, and that's how I know I'm into a show. I judge how entertaining something is by how often I'm screwing around on my phone while I'm watching and I stayed off my phone for the most part. Some seasons are better than others. 1 and 2 are really good. The rest are good enough to go ahead and finish once you've watched 1 and 2. You could probably clock out after 3 if you really wanted but I finished it. If you can watch it for what it is, entertainment, you'll probably enjoy it. If you take everything you watch too seriously, skip it. 7.5 but 9 for season 1.
From (2022)
Most boring show I've ever watched
Season 3 of from is the most boring season of any series I've ever watched. I enjoyed the first season and was looking forward to watching the show play out but by the end of season 3 I had cancelled my mgm subscription. Season 3 was literally nothing but filler. They could have condensed the entire season into 1 episode. I heard one of the writers say to remember that the relationships between the characters is what's important, not the question of "what's going on"? The problem with that is that there are no interesting characters, and as the show goes on, fewer and fewer likable characters. The most interesting thing that could happen at this point would be for many of the characters to be killed off. Writers either don't know where they're going or are milking it for every dime they can. Either way, I'm done with the show after season 3. I cancelled my subscription. Don't waste your time.
True Detective (2014)
Season 1 Review Only
The first thing I'll say is that I usually can not stand Matthew McConaughey or the typical douchebag characters he plays. The reason why it took me so long to finally watch season 1 of True Detective is because I didn't think I could stomach 8 episodes of him as the lead.
With that said, he absolutely killed it here. The chemistry that he and Woody Harrelson have on screen is as good as just about any I've seen. Both characters are troubled and have massive shortcomings but are excellent partners with how they balance one another. Woody plays certifiably crazy as well as anyone. I personally enjoyed the dialogue between these two as much as any that I can remember.
Story will speak for itself when you watch it.
I was never bored for a minute. One of the best seasons of television I've seen.
9/10.
Orphan Black (2013)
One of the worst
I (somehow) made it to halfway through the 6th episode before I pulled the plug. Easily one of the worst shows I've ever attempted to watch.
Possibly the worst acting I've seen. The lead actress portrays several different characters. All of them very poorly. The detective has that incredibly annoying acting style of snarling his face in every scene while adding absolutely nothing of substance to the show. They took one of the main characters from Better Call Saul and turned him into a drunken simp.
The main character of the show is some kind of hooker who's just returned from abandoning her daughter for a year and the first things she does in the show are stealing, conning, manipulating, lying. So your immediate reaction is to start rooting for her to get what she deserves but then you realize that this is supposed to be a protagonist?
I don't like bailing on shows but there was no way possible I could finish 50 episodes of this.
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Worst monologue contest
I'm not sure how to squeeze 160 characters out of this one when simply writing "garbage" is about what it deserves, but I'll try.
To be clear, I watched this with my wife because I love her and that's the only reason I didn't stop before the end.
This is a series that's essentially about which female character is the most toxic and psychotic then near the end it becomes about which one can pull off the most insufferable monologue. Mixed in are some ghosts, arguments, and a ton of flashbacks to the characters' childhood. Then just at the point where you'd rather gouge your eyes out than hear one more monologue, you get your intelligence insulted with a cheap attempt at some sort of emotional response that shouldn't work on any fully formed adult complete with cheesy song and all.
Theres not much else to say. Story isn't interesting. There's not an actor that's good enough to make up for the rest. I was absolutely bored out of my mind.
TWO stars. The only reason it's not zero is because there was some decent cinematography.
House of Cards (2013)
Big Overrated
Rarely have I ever bailed on a show after completing a whole season. If I'm on the fence, I'll normally choose to bail at the end of season 1 or ride it out to the end no matter what. For this one, I bailed at the end of season 2.
Why?
1. No likable characters. Now I'm not surprised that a show about gaining political power is full of slimy characters. However, most shows like this will include a couple with some sort redeeming characteristics that gives you someone to root for or connect to. That doesn't really exist in this show. At least not through 2 full seasons. I would not have been bothered by any character's death. Which is another problem I had. There is nowhere near enough deaths. If a show is packed full of scumbags, at least throw us a bone and let us see some well deserved brutal deaths. The satisfaction of knowing those are coming around every so often may have helped keep me engaged but they clearly weren't going to give that to us.
2. The acting was horrendous, which I can't believe I'm saying. I've always thought Spacey was an excellent actor but his attempt at the southern accent was atrocious. Having lived in the South for 40 years and knowing many of the types of man he was attempting to portray, I can say he was far from believable. This alone, was the main reason I considered bailing during season 1. I couldn't get past how fake it sounded. Also, the wife both as a character and the actress were insufferable and difficult to watch.
I can't really give any positives and don't know why the reviews for this one are so high.
I found myself either bored and scrolling on my phone or simply irritated while watching.
I'll give it 3.5/10.
Chernobyl (2019)
Two unbelievable actors
The first thing you should understand is that this is a dramatization of the real life events made into a television mini series. This is not a documentary.
Don't watch this because you want a 100% fully factual education on the events that occurred. Watch this because you want to be entertained, and you will be.
This is one of the best things I've ever watched. The acting between Stellan Skarsgard and Jared Harris is phenomenal. They produce greatness when they're on screen together. They balance one another perfectly and really move you to get behind them and root for them. The speech that Skarsgard gives to the workers when asking them to volunteer for something that is essentially a suicide mission is gripping and there's a dialogue scene between them outside of a court hearing that's extremely moving. I really felt like their scenes together could stand up there with the best actor combos I've ever watched.
In my opinion this is a beautiful piece of art that was made out of a tragedy, and it was done tastefully without butchering or making a mockery out of the facts.
Severance (2022)
Revived by season 2
Edited review.
This is one of the most wildly overrated shows I can remember. The premise of the show was initially intriguing and created a ton of potential. However, the actual execution of the show was excruciatingly boring. There are 9 episodes in season 1. The first 7 or so is like watching the same episode on repeat. There is finally some slight progression in the final episode or two but by that time I was pretty disinterested from having to watch them take 9 episodes to do what they could have done in 3, 4 max. The final episode did setup for it to move in the next season but truth be told, I really could care less about watching another season. Admittedly, my review may have been different had I waited until the very end of the series then streamed it all consecutively but I didn't and it's doubtful that'll I'll return for future seasons.
Ok well I actually did return for season 2. My wife wanted to watch it, and I'm glad she did. I found season 2 much more interesting and entertaining. The story really began to move. Having settings outside of the office and incorporating more than the same 4-5 characters in each episode also helped. I was not bored this time. It was well paced and didn't drag on. Milchick was awesome. The actor who plays him is definitely on his way.
Season 2 was around an 8 by itself and brought the series as a whole from a 4 to a 7.
Succession (2018)
Gold on so many levels.
I bore easily. When we steam series, my wife often has to remind me to "let it build" during the first season as the groundwork for the story is being laid out. There were probably 3 times during season 1 where I asked her "another one?" when an episode was over and I'm really glad she encouraged me to be patient. It took me nearly the whole first season to connect to the show but once I did, there was never a point that I was bored again. We have watched a few series with more seasons leading up to this one and I often remarked about how they were dragging things out, but I did not feel that during Succession. The series length was perfect. The episodes were filled with quality without a ton of needless filler and irrelevant dialogue.
On its surface, it's about a billionaire business legend near the end of his career and the impending question of which of his kids are going to take over as CEO. The tension this creates really drives the show.
Underneath, it's really about an incredibly dysfunctional family dynamic. The parents are cold, manipulative, and lack empathy and compassion. The father has mastered the ability to triangulate in order to keep his children divided to prevent them from undercutting him.
The children, who are now adults, at their core are emotionally deprived and traumatized kids who are incapable of dealing with emotions in a productive manner. Yet they find themselves repeatedly getting into intensely emotional situations.
Yes, they are incredibly wealthy and out of touch with the working man. They all have aspects about them that make them easy to dislike at times. BUT if you watch through the lens of understanding what they've been deprived of in terms of love and emotional connection, it gives you an empathic outlook which makes the show what it is.
There is a constant longing for intimacy and zero understanding of HOW to achieve it or what to do with it when they do.
I thought the final episode of the show was awesome. There was so much love, hate, misplaced anger, and self loathing flying around that it really illustrated how unstable they were. The final scene was brilliant. So uncomfortable but so good.
Acting was outstanding. Cox is a beast. I had no clue how good Culkin was but I was blown away by his performance throughout, and his acting in the final episode was gold. Same thing with Jeremy Strong as Ken. My favorite character from start to finish was Tom (Jeremy McFayden), and Greg was a perfect addition to the show.
9 stars. Top 10 all time for me and gets very close to cracking my top 5.
Midnight Mass (2021)
So good..
First off, I am a Christian of deep faith who has the ability to separate works of fiction from my own beliefs and can appreciate them as art.
This is a story I've witnessed over and over throughout my life. It highlights the dangers of putting so much faith in man and in the church, that they bypass God Himself in terms of importance. The potential horrors when those leaders stray from God's path and set out on their own, and how man can use faith as a weapon of manipulation. It asks the question what would you do if your trusted religious leaders began going against what God has laid out and the crowd began to move with them. Would you follow blindly or would you have the conviction to walk with God, even if it was just you and Him.
Bravo to the guy who played Father Paul (Hamish Linklater). I thought this was one of the best performances I've seen in a while. Granted, the series is heavy in monologues but I loved the way he delivered his sermons. There's also a scene in one of the later episodes where it's just him and Riley. It's after a major event and he's explaining what happened to Riley and telling him that he needs complete honesty from him in return for his, and I thought the acting was superb here. On both parts really, but it was the first time Father Paul had shown any extra emotion and it was really powerful. You could really begin to see that he was torn. Part of him actually believed he was doing good and part of him knew it went against God's intention, and he portrayed this inner battle so well for the remainder of the series. Just excellent.
Bev was also played extremely well by Samantha Sloyan. I absolutely could not stand the character, but she acted her ass off too. Especially in the late episodes
I thought the end was awesome too. The scene where they were gathering together singing was some true, pure, honest repentance. We are good people who lost our way and we know it, and we're going to sing to you Lord in our final moments.
Minus the silly little babbling monologue about death and the cosmos and nonsense mixed in near the end, it was great.
8.2 ish - 8.4 ish.
The 100 (2014)
Silly
This is definitely a show for kids. Not so much young children, but if you are not a teen or in your early 20s then you've likely outgrown your ability to enjoy this show.
I'll give the first two seasons credit. They were reasonably entertaining. Being that the premise of the show was good and the first two seasons were decent, I had hopes that it would continue to develop into something better. Unfortunately, the season 2 finale is the peak of the series then it's a steady decline from there.
Season 3 is meh. Seasons 4-7 are very close to being unwatchable, although I did slug it out until the end. I don't bail on series once I complete multiple seasons.
The biggest problem with this show is the main character (Clarke). This is one of the worst lead characters of any show I've ever watched, portrayed by an actress who is just brutal on screen. The character is portrayed as a leader who is followed by a group of people despite having no leadership qualities and poor decision making skills. She continually makes decisions that benefit their enemies and create chaotic situations for her followers, forcing them to clean up her mess (usually Raven).
Obviously this is intentional to create action and entertainment within the show, but is also what makes the show so silly. The fact that she wasn't replaced by a stronger, more capable leader despite there being at least a dozen other characters who would qualify as that is the major flaw in the writing. The final 3 seasons she's has long worn out her welcome on screen and you're resigned to the fact that the only thing that could save the show is her dying.
However, what carries the show is the fact that she's surrounded by some really good characters and some very compelling acting.
Jaha, Kane, Raven, Indra, Roan, Echo, Lincoln, and the actors who played them were all great. I thought Diyoza (and the psychopath doctor in her crew) came in and carried the show in season 5 and the same with Sheidheda when he showed up. Especially when he took human form and was portrayed by JR Bourne. That was the most entertaining on screen character in the entire series and the only thing that made his season watchable. Also, shout out to the guy who played John Murphy. Well done.
Overall this series gets a 5.5 rating.
Poor writing and a nearly insufferable lead character made watchable by a talented supporting cast.
Ozark (2017)
Hated this one
It took me a long time to get around to watching this one. I finally bit on it because of the comparisons to Breaking Bad that I saw in the reviews. Maybe this caused me to go into it with unrealistic expectations but this one was a total flop. What Breaking Bad had was entertaining characters, excellent actors, and thoughtful writing. Ozark has none of the above.
I thought the storyline was dumb from episode 1 but I gave it a chance thinking that it could lead to an entertaining show. It did not. In fact, it progressively got more ridiculous as time went on.
Ok well maybe there will be some characters that grab ahold of you and drive the show despite the poor writing..? Wrong again. Remember the Breaking Bad comparison? That show was packed full of interesting and entertaining characters. Ones that were able to move you if you were invested in the show. What made them great was that while most of them were involved in acts that were of varying degrees of heinousness throughout the show, most of them remained with some level of redeeming qualities that made you root for them at times. I found this very endearing as an audience member and it kept the show from becoming stale.
You get none of that in Ozark. Essentially all the characters are scumbags and possess very little to no redeeming qualities. This makes the show get very old very quickly. There's no one to root for or root against. After a while the only thing to root for is that everyone dies and the show ends.
The acting is horrendous. Bateman is as entertaining as watching paint dry. I've always found Laura Linney's face to be nearly insufferable to look at on screen and you get that combined with the fact that her character is the most insufferable out of all of them.
Julia Garner as Ruth and the actress that played Darlene Snell carried the show in my opinion for the poorly cast leads. The Scottish actor that played Jacob looked like he had the best chops of all but didn't really make enough appearances to impact the show that much.
I'll say that when Ben shows up in season 3, it added some MUCH needed life to the show. That character and actor were easily the best thing about this show.
Season 4 of this show is hands down one of the worst seasons of any show I've watched and as a whole, Ozark is hands down one of the worst shows I've watched.
There have been 3 series that I stopped watching before the end so I guess those were worse. I begrudgingly finished this one out because I watch these with my wife and I hate bailing once we've gotten into something. I debated heavily at the end of season 2 because I was so bored but decided to go on with it and I was so happy when it was over. Total waste of time.
Breaking Bad (2008)
The Best Show of All Time
Heisenberg is the greatest character in TV history. I loved Tony Soprano but Walter White took the top spot from him. The character development is excellent. There are so many layers, it can be difficult to decide whether you're rooting for or against him. I personally never stopped rooting for him. Don't let the "slowness" of the first season turn you away. They take their time in building the character and it's worth it.
Cranston's portrayal is genius. Even among some great writing, incredibly interesting characters, and an intense multi-layered storyline, Cranston's acting is what most commonly stood out to me the most. Several times I just shook my head and stated out loud what a talented actor he is.
Giancarlo Esposito (Gus), Jonathan Banks (Mike), Aaron Paul (Jesse), Bob Odenkirk (Saul), Raymond Cruz (Tuco), Dean Joseph Norris (Hank) are all excellent in their roles and Mark Margolis as Hector Salamanca is one of the most underrated / under appreciated acting jobs I've ever seen.
The relationship and banter between Heisenberg and Aaron Paul's character really carry the show throughout and is never not entertaining. This dialogue alone makes the show worth watching.
The reason I give this show a 10 when others of superb quality got less is because there is an ending. A real one where loose ends are tied up. There's nothing worse than investing in a series just to be left sitting there looking like a fool after some open ended finale. You don't have to worry about that here.
A+