Just finished watching the series and the only feeling that resonates is that I am glad it is over. I basically forced-watched the last two episodes just to finish it and find out how it ends.
I don't think the main problem is Kerry Washington here. I have not read the book and I can't compare the character portrayal of Mia, but clearly, the series has way bigger problems. First of all, it fails to tell a nuanced story and manages to only move from one American cliché to another. Again, have not read the book so I don't know if there is anything else there but this series definitely doesn't offer any new perspectives or interesting angles. All of the characters are flat, their arch is predictable and boring to watch, with one exception and that is Izzy and the very character of Mia. I liked the energy between these two actresses, the development of their relationship was one of the few highlights that made the watch bearable. I actually also liked to watch the unraveling of Mia's character and the story behind. I think Washington's acting was in line with the rest of the tone of the series, it definitely did not strike me as the main reason why the series fails to impress.
The main reason behind this failure, I felt, was the overall monotone, dragging storytelling, which is basically just a lot of anger and hatred (covert and overt) patched together. Scene after scene, there is pain and anger or both, stemming from clichéd scenes and situations. There is no nuance, there is no breathing room for anything else. The preview scenes to every episode (with a few exceptions) seem forcefully added and the suspense is drowned in heaviness of each and every scene.
I started to watch this since I loved Big Little Lies (mainly Season 1, the second season was a lot weaker). I liked the slow unravelling of all of the characters background stories and motives and how it developed. The suspense was also carefully plotted, the actresses had room to give their characters 3D lives. The stories were interesting with a lot of grey areas which gave room for mystery. Every episode was surprising and the unraveling of the stories was nicely paced.
Not in this show. I feel the actors were given only a little wiggle room to give their characters a more nuanced screen life. Instead of that, we saw a lot of black&white performances. This, however, is not the fault of the actors but mainly the directors, who failed to give the series the desired quality.
I don't think the main problem is Kerry Washington here. I have not read the book and I can't compare the character portrayal of Mia, but clearly, the series has way bigger problems. First of all, it fails to tell a nuanced story and manages to only move from one American cliché to another. Again, have not read the book so I don't know if there is anything else there but this series definitely doesn't offer any new perspectives or interesting angles. All of the characters are flat, their arch is predictable and boring to watch, with one exception and that is Izzy and the very character of Mia. I liked the energy between these two actresses, the development of their relationship was one of the few highlights that made the watch bearable. I actually also liked to watch the unraveling of Mia's character and the story behind. I think Washington's acting was in line with the rest of the tone of the series, it definitely did not strike me as the main reason why the series fails to impress.
The main reason behind this failure, I felt, was the overall monotone, dragging storytelling, which is basically just a lot of anger and hatred (covert and overt) patched together. Scene after scene, there is pain and anger or both, stemming from clichéd scenes and situations. There is no nuance, there is no breathing room for anything else. The preview scenes to every episode (with a few exceptions) seem forcefully added and the suspense is drowned in heaviness of each and every scene.
I started to watch this since I loved Big Little Lies (mainly Season 1, the second season was a lot weaker). I liked the slow unravelling of all of the characters background stories and motives and how it developed. The suspense was also carefully plotted, the actresses had room to give their characters 3D lives. The stories were interesting with a lot of grey areas which gave room for mystery. Every episode was surprising and the unraveling of the stories was nicely paced.
Not in this show. I feel the actors were given only a little wiggle room to give their characters a more nuanced screen life. Instead of that, we saw a lot of black&white performances. This, however, is not the fault of the actors but mainly the directors, who failed to give the series the desired quality.
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