Just gotta say, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul had some terrible wrtitng and incredibly dreary moments. Some parts of episode could be cut out and you'd miss nothing. In fact, it would be beneficial. And no, I'm not talking about The Fly episode.Asoka series 2023
Rosario: "So here I'm being patient, I should cross my arms and give like a smirk"
Director: "yeah just a slight smirk, but don't give away any emotion"
Natasha Liu Bordizzo: "here, I've broken down and given away everything in the hope to see ezra again"
Director: *sigh* "dark blank look.. then smirk"
Eman Esfandi: "I'm seeing my friend for the first time in 20 years and I might get home? I should be overjoyed right? this.."
Director: "The script says fold your arms and smirk."
Rosario: "Are you sure about this? we've lost everything and were stranded. This should seem really bad?"
Director: "slight...fuckin...SMIRK!!!!"
5/10
It had some moments, but overall it felt like a big waste of time.
I think the best worded complaint was that Asoka, like many other Disney shows, doesn't seem to understand how to write compelling TV.
If you recall watching Breaking bad or Better Call Saul, you'd have this kind of "hook" at the beginning of each season, then each episode starts with a hook. Each episode would have a payoff, but still keep you on the hook. Out of the 8 episodes of Asoka I felt liek only one really had that concept, the Anakin episode. It started with an interesting premise, told its story, and then setup the next episode. The rest of the episodes just felt like visual/audial exposition, meandering from one episode into the next.
No actor in the entire show seemed to emote beyond constant smiles and smirking at the camera as if to say "isn't star wars fun? we're all here doing a star wars together?".
It harkened back painfully to the prequels where actors struggled to fine emotion or tension, acting alone in front of big green screens, in one takes due to production costs. I don't think Green screen itself is the problem so much as "scheduled content". Nothing about Asoka ever screamed "This is important to us, we care about what the audience remembers from this production". Even the ending battle felt like the direction was to "get it done".
At some point they gotta stop blaming covid for these bland productions.
I bounced hard off Season 1 in the end because I've not read the books and the show just seemed intent on throwing stuff out there expecting you to know it was important or the backstories etc. Like the hollow earth tunnels stuff or the mystical weapons.So I didn't see anyone talking about this but I'll have a crack....
Wheel of Time Season 2
First things first. If you are a book purist, don't bother with this show. It is not the same as the books and never will be
The two Forsaken are incredible... when they are talking. Their plans are... not. The Forsaken should be failing because they are working at cross purposes. Not because some can hold a magic shield against them. Great casting. They took Lanfear in a different direction and I like this version and the books for different reason.
I feel like the money was better spent here but also there are some terrible effects and one day shot for night scene that is egregious. There is also a loose sense of place. Game of Thrones sort of had this but they also had a map... There was one instance where a character was shot with an arrow and then the archer stop shooting their friends for no reason. Which leads me to believe that there was a lot cut from the show and the edits are just not making sense. This show needs at least two episode extra per season to fit in all it wants.
Also, drop all the drama between Moiraine and Lan. It hurts the show. Moiraine and everyone else. That's great. See also: Moiraine's machinations especially when they are exposed
This show is wierd. The best episodes were in the MIDDLE. It's like the opposite of most shows. Seachan looked great and alien. Whitecloacks aren't portayed as villianous, just misguided, like the Seanchan. I think they are currently BETTER than in the books. The future of the Tower is possibly better explained and Elaida hasn't even been introduced yet.
This is a great cast who get their characters. The writers do too but it's the events and connective tissue that fails this show. The finale is not epic, and the blowing of the horn is the epitome of this. Like 80% of the way there but something is missing
This is a dramatic improvement of season 1 but still has many failings. Episode 6 is almost 10/10 though.
7/10
Rest of Season thoughts:Gen V - Episodes 1-3
(Prime Video)
Rating: TBD but so far trending towards an 8 / 10
Thoughts tagline: Watchmen's Xmen American Pie
Thoughts (Non spoiler):
So did you like the Season 2 of The Boys? The stuff with Stormfront and it being a commentary on social media manipulation etc? If you answered yes then Gen V is more of that done more and done with university students who haven't yet made it in the world like many of the more established heroes in The Boys with the vices seemingly not fully there yet.
The show seems to be forming a bit of a mystery box style show where new student Marie is trying to make a success of herself after a family disaster when her powers first manifested which seems like an almost Carrie esc reference. Even before classes have started though Marie ends up dragged into series of events that start to spiral towards disaster thanks to Vought industries shady conspiracies leaving Marie and many others at Godolkin U to have to deal with the fallout and a mystery on their hands.
Social commentary:
I can hear it now "Oh we don't need another social commentary bit from Dwarvenhobble" well too bad you getting one because as I keep being told "everything is political" and so very much is Gen V which I'm amazed really does feel like it captures but explains the supposed "apathy" of Gen Z by feeling like this is American Pie but if it were both in the Watchmen universe but also with the kind of fairly cynical world view seen in Watchmen . This is a show that takes a look at modern society and just goes "I hate it, it's all so shit" from a hilarious "Look at our diversity" trailer for Godolkin U while in reality it some characters only seem to care about people for their diversity traits and not them as people to the invisible guy whose powers work the same was as Translucent (thus he has to be naked to be invisible) walking round reminding people they have to go to their seminar on consent.
It's also a show that heavily skewers the idea of social cliques, the pressure to be the best and be number 1 or you won't make it and social media complete with it's own "Down with the patriarchy" poisonous sort of 'Feminist" youtuber (no really). This is a show that really does hate so much of the modern world and the seeming hypocrisy of it all. It's actually refreshing to see played out.
This is in no small part helped majorly with it's use of imagery as I'm pretty sure it's no accident one character ends up looking like Marylin Monroe during a certain Gala event. It's a show that really cuts into the idea of social problems being used as marketing too or at least pretending to care about them.
I will say one of the bits of social commentary I feel is going to fall flat specifically around the character of Jordan who has multiple powers one of which is to switch sexes and depending on if they're male Jordan or female Jorden their powers actually change from Male Jordan's super strength to Female Jordan's shockwave / force blasting powers. So to go full spoilers maybe not the best storyline to have with parents gave their son somewhat experimental drugs which caused biological changes causing Jordan to now want to be a woman......... like Jesus Christ is that giving some series story ammo to certain activist groups including TERFs in the most insane way because it basically is like going "They're only trans because of the drugs" and creative the implicit idea that some of the present trans activist push is doing what their opposition claims and trying to get people to transition or cause them to think they're trans of claims to be trans and get them on the drugs so they then go through with it as again Jordan only got the power to changes sexes or the desires to be the opposite sex after the experimental drugs. Then again this could also be the writer doing a meta commentary middle finger to studios and the media going "Here's your Trans character story you mandated enjoy fuckwads" and writing a story that will be read by many as a trans character story but in reality is both a massive veiled shot at trans activist and the media that pretends to care so much about them. Oh and to be clear at present my favourite character is a toss up at present between Emma and Jordan.
As for where "Xmen" come in, well this goes into the idea of the downsides of many powers that have to be dealt with by people with them. This really does feel like they've taken the formula of some College comedy film / American Pie formula and gone "This is what the world hoped for but look how fucked the world is" in a very fun way.
Honestly I kind of want to go a bit deeper into the ideas and themes and may do once the series is done (or if people really want me to dive more into them now in another post).
I will say it loses a point or two though for double standards (I mean it's a Sony show I expect it at this point) but really male nudity being deemed so fine that we get 2 penises in an episode by female nudity being deemed so off limits that we don't even see tits in a sex scene? fucking really?
While have no interests in Loki, nor the MCU TV shows, the clickbaiters can get fucked as usual.Just finished up Loki season 2. And I find myself oddly charitable towards it. I know there is a lot of talk, at least among clickbait youtubers, about Superhero fatigue and the MCU is dying and woke politics and blah blah blah.
So I didn't see anyone talking about this but I'll have a crack....
Wheel of Time Season 2
First things first. If you are a book purist, don't bother with this show. It is not the same as the books and never will be
The two Forsaken are incredible... when they are talking. Their plans are... not. The Forsaken should be failing because they are working at cross purposes. Not because some can hold a magic shield against them. Great casting. They took Lanfear in a different direction and I like this version and the books for different reason.
I feel like the money was better spent here but also there are some terrible effects and one day shot for night scene that is egregious. There is also a loose sense of place. Game of Thrones sort of had this but they also had a map... There was one instance where a character was shot with an arrow and then the archer stop shooting their friends for no reason. Which leads me to believe that there was a lot cut from the show and the edits are just not making sense. This show needs at least two episode extra per season to fit in all it wants.
Also, drop all the drama between Moiraine and Lan. It hurts the show. Moiraine and everyone else. That's great. See also: Moiraine's machinations especially when they are exposed
This show is wierd. The best episodes were in the MIDDLE. It's like the opposite of most shows. Seachan looked great and alien. Whitecloacks aren't portayed as villianous, just misguided, like the Seanchan. I think they are currently BETTER than in the books. The future of the Tower is possibly better explained and Elaida hasn't even been introduced yet.
This is a great cast who get their characters. The writers do too but it's the events and connective tissue that fails this show. The finale is not epic, and the blowing of the horn is the epitome of this. Like 80% of the way there but something is missing
This is a dramatic improvement of season 1 but still has many failings. Episode 6 is almost 10/10 though.
7/10
You ever seen Afro Samurai and Afro Samurai Resurrection? The original is better, but Resurrection is decent. Samurai Champloo is a great watch too.Blue Eye Samura benefited from being short. And yes I know Yasuke is short but while I like Lakeith Stanfield as an actor, his disaffected monotone is super boring in cartoon form.