JSC-2 Reviews

The Suspect (2022)

Too many coincidences

[6/10 · 1 October 2022]

Ok, these whodunnits can often require audiences to accept one or two coincidences to drive forward a story. But this story has about 15 of these ridiculous plot points, each slightly more ludicrous than the last. Repeated irrational behaviour and police procedure thrown out the window. All the pretty drone shots and overly dramatic music don't make up for idiotic police characters failing to ask relevant and obvious questions and a protagonist that seems to be independently connected to every suspect through extraordinary chance, and acts as guilty as sin. And to top it off, the actual answer was flag-polled a mile away.

Such a disappointment.

For All Mankind: Bring It Down (2022) Season 3, Episode 7

Have to agree with others, too much personal drama

[5/10 · 11 August 2022]

A show about alternative reality and space travel has a lot of interesting possibilities. So why so much emphasis on conventional and unoriginal family drama? The characters of the two Stevens sons have to be the worst, just dull and rubbish. Instead we get precious little about the scientific challenges of travel to and life on Mars.

These personal tribulations could be on any tv drama, so why bother with this show? Hope it turns around, there is so much potential here.

The Lazarus Project (2022–2023)

If you swallow your disbelief, it's a great story

[8/10 · 26 June 2022]

The premise of being able to reset the clock is great, because it's time travel but eliminates a lot of the paradox problems. The overall narrative is exciting and often clever, and the production is well done. The largest problem is some of the assumptions around the abilities of the main character. But if you just put that aside, it's a fun ride.

Ozark: Sanctified (2022) Season 4, Episode 7

Exciting, but not quite logical

[8/10 · 29 April 2022]

There have been some criticisms from other user reviews which deserve credit. Killing off key characters may be exciting and dramatic, but it doesn't really hold in the logic stakes. Darlene now lives with no security? The KC mob can't work out what happened to their boss without Ruth's explanation, and then there's no payback? Navarro gets double crossed repeatedly, but still listens to what Wendy has to say? Why does Wendy think she can push Jonah and he won't make his own deal with the FBI? These are legitimate problems in the story, and while some suspension of disbelief is always necessary in tv, these seem too many to let go. It's still an entertaining show to watch, well acted and directed. But there are now too many holes in the writing to say it's up there with the greats of tv.

Pieces of Her (2022)

Toni Collette cannot save this.

[5/10 · 7 March 2022]

Toni Collette plays Laura Oliver, a woman with secrets, which are exposed during a life and death situation beyond her control.

This 90 minute story has been stretched over 8 episodes, requiring long pauses, unnecessary diversions and constant illogical behaviour by the main characters. As others have written, the worst character is the daughter (played by Heathcote) who whines a lot and seems to have a permanent state of confusion etched upon her face. Other characters are thinly written; the dialogue is poor and the pacing is glacial. The whole thing is just disappointing.

As a side note, this is another example of a Netflix production where the shooting location (Sydney, Australia) looks nothing like the setting of the story (Georgia, USA). Everything from the streetscapes, the flora, the lighting - all is wrong and it's distracting. Many shows are shot in different locations than the story's setting, but surely there needs to be a mild resemblance to the actual.

Invasion (2021–2024)

Deeply disappointing

[5/10 · 10 December 2021]

If you create a show called "Invasion", and Apple gives you a huge budget, please:

Show some scenes of the invasion, not just the aftermath Create some characters that are sympathetic and strong, whom you can root for Don't spend 80% of the scenes in poorly written, pointless melodrama Apply some logic to the characters' choices Apply some logic to the context of a post invasion society Apply some logic to the science behind the invasion Find a lighting director who can create scenes that can be seen Find better actors, and give them a better script

That would be a show worth watching.

In the Dark (2019–2022)

Season 3 is the worst

[5/10 · 10 October 2021]

The show was never sophisticated drama, but it still was entertaining, even if the central character made poor choices and was generally acerbic. But by the third season, the storyline became ludicrous and the central character became completely unredeemable. There was no logic to any of the decisions, viewers had to suspend disbelief every 5 minutes, and the only sympathetic character was sidelined for the season. I won't be returning for season four.

In the Dark: Arcade Fire (2021) Season 3, Episode 6

Jumped the shark.

[4/10 · 8 October 2021]

Seriously? A handcuffed, blind woman managed to escape from a police interview room after being arrested for murder... because he two arresting officers were squabbling and no one else on the police force knew what was going on? The show has always been slightly ridiculous, but there are limits.

Clickbait (2021)

Average mystery, ridiculous twist ending

[5/10 · 14 September 2021]

So this was a pretty run of the mill thriller/murder whodunnit... not great but at least an interesting idea about persecution on social media. Set in Oakland but filmed in Melbourne, the locations don't match and it's a little distracting. The acting and scripts were ok. The music was intrusive. Each episode focused on a different character and his or her piece of the story takes us a step closer to "the answer". The story leads us to Episode 6 and up to that point, makes some sense. But it seems we must have a twist, and a generous interpretation is that the ending doesn't stick. A more accurate one would be it makes the ending of Dexter (the original) look like Shakespeare. How no one involved in the production didn't raise their hand and say "er, this makes absolutely no sense" is a bigger mystery than the story of "Clickbait". There's too much better programming out there to waste time on this one.

Before We Die (2017–2019)

Season 1 worth viewing, skip season 2

[7/10 · 26 July 2021]

The story of rival gangs, drug smuggling and corrupt cops, plus an unknown infiltrator, is not novel, but overall engaging in Season 1. Despite some suspension of disbelief with plot points (often around police decisions that sometimes are ridiculous), you forgive this because the overall story is interesting, with some well written characters (particularly on the gang side) and a generally strong cast. Yes, the main character can be irritating, but it's a minor point. However, by season 2, the implausibilities increase and logic is quickly thrown out the window, to drive a story that simply doesn't make sense. Too many decisions are obviously nonsensical, and you don't need to have a history of policing to anticipate outcomes that the police in this story seem oblivious to.

There's no reason you cannot stop after Season 1, which comes to enough of a closure to be satisfactory.

The Nest (2020)

Loses credibility too easily to be watchable.

[5/10 · 11 July 2021]

The mini-series is a story about a couple seeking to use a surrogate in Scotland. It's entirely believable that a couple unable to have a child may make desperate, albeit foolish, choices. And in a tv series, you can suspend your disbelief a little for the sake of the story. But the main problem with this series is that almost all the major characters make ridiculous decisions repeatedly, and it becomes impossible to remain invested in the outcome. Personally, I thought the main three characters were either unlikeable or idiotic (or both), although that might be harsh, and at least Dan showed some common sense at a critical point. Otherwise the story was disappointing.

On the upside, there's some great shots and good production values, and the acting was solid enough. It just wasn't grounded in sufficient realism for me.

The Serpent (2021)

An interesting story let down by non-linear storytelling

[7/10 · 7 July 2021]

Based on the real life case of Charles Sobhraj, The Serpent is a fascinating story of a French serial killer operating through multiple Asian countries, escaping justice by exploiting both the lack of policing resources, using multiple jurisdictions and targeting vulnerable victims. Anchored by an appropriately cold performance by Tahar Rahim as Sobhraj, the show is solid but not exceptional, undermined by the time jumps which try to contain individual victims' stories within episodes, but which really do not increase the narrative payoff. There are moments of genuine tension (episode 3 centring on the character Dominique is an example), but there are many examples of unnecessary dramatic licence which makes the story (and some central characters) less than credible. I have no concerns about casting actors of different nationality to their characters, but they must master the accents or language they are portraying, and here there are some problems.

Despite these shortcomings, the show is worth watching. The real life story is so compelling that even these small flaws do not ruin the experience.

Tehran (2020– )

Fast-paced series which felt authentic, tense and with some real surprises

[10/10 · 2 November 2020]

I had put off watching Tehran because of some poor reviews, but now that I've finished season 1, I have to say this was the best new show I've seen in 2020. The storyline felt both authentic to the relationship (conflict) between Israel and Iran, as well as on a more personal level with key characters. But against that backdrop, it was also an exciting and fast-paced narrative about a spy dropped into enemy territory, and having to adapt to meet her objectives. The production values, direction and acting is all first rate. I'd say this is even better than Fauda, which is another high quality Israeli show.

Entertaining, clever and highly recommended.

Killing Eve: Beautiful Monster (2020) Season 3, Episode 7

What's the point?

[5/10 · 25 May 2020]

So we are now introducing characters and killing them for the sake of it. There's no longer any purpose to this show. It's not clever anymore. It's repetitive and there's no sense of direction. There's nothing new in the relationship between the two protagonists. And everything is moving as slow as molasses. Please find a new story editor or put it out of its misery.

Killing Eve: Still Got It (2020) Season 3, Episode 4

Losing the plot

[5/10 · 8 May 2020]

Oh, how quickly this show has jumped the shark. From the S03E01 killing of Kenny to this episode where nothing happens until the last 60 seconds, and yet again a character dies - which is meant to be shocking, but is actually repetitive. There's no storyline anymore, I'm no longer caring about the (remaining) characters, and I'm not sure if I want to bother watching the remaining episodes of the season. Such a shame, season one was original and funny, and now it's just a mess.

The Handmaid's Tale: Heroic (2019) Season 3, Episode 9

Slow doesn't mean bad

[9/10 · 22 August 2019]

Cannot agree with those who rate this episode lowly because it was "slow" or "uneventful". It was an episode of June's internal mental and emotional journey, unravelling and rebuilding. The show is about her path, and some of that involves introspection. When watched in the broader context of the season, a great addition, and some fantastic work by Moss.

Seven Seconds (2018)

A good series let down by the last two episodes

[7/10 · 17 January 2019]

Seven seconds tackles the difficult subject of race and police in the US state of New Jersey. The plot isn't terribly original - a young boy is hit by a distracted driver, who happens to be a white police man. Instead of getting help, the man and his colleagues seek to cover up his crime, leading to a more or less predictable chain of events. Early episodes were well written, directed and acted by a strong ensemble cast, with Regina Kill a particular stand out as the victim's mother. While the characterisations and tension made for interesting viewing for the first eight episodes, the series was let down when it moved into the courtroom in its final act. The court process was poorly written, and completely at odds with a normal trial, creating a series of implausible steps in the plot to the inevitable conclusion. A shame, because they was otherwise much to admire about the miniseries. Worth a watch, but the final episodes were frustrating and reduced the quality of the show.

Will & Grace: Anchor Away (2018) Season 10, Episode 8

Best episode in ages

[9/10 · 7 December 2018]

Finally the show has it's ho-mo-jo back. Will and Jack pretending to be each other, so that Will could date a hot tv anchor, was genuinely funny. The writing was a lot sharper than it has been all season, and even the final joke was delivered perfectly. More of this, please.

The Wire (2002–2008)

The Greatest Show on Television

[10/10 · 14 September 2008]

Having just seen the fifth and final season of The Wire, I have to agree with the vast majority of comments that this is simply the most compelling, sophisticated and realistic programme on television about America and the decline of an American city. More a novel, with slow burning story arcs and a vast ensemble of textured characters, it was an unapologetic portrayal of drugs, corruption, justice, education and the media at a local level. Even a subject as simply as office politics was explored with honesty and occasional humour.

It also challenged the audience to change the conventional approach to viewing television: plot lines were not neatly presented, and threads continued for the entire five series. Where most shows wrap up their issues in 45 minutes or less, The Wire forced viewers to remember and reflect on subjects over the entire show. Characters moved in and out of focus, and at times The Wire relied heavily on young actors.

I am not sure if the reason for its lack of mainstream popularity was because of its thought provoking subject matter, its relatively unknown (and largely black) cast, or because it demanded a dedication from its audience beyond traditionally programming. Certainly, in some countries outside the US, you could barely find it being screened (I relied on buying the dvds). But it's great that when people have found it, they have generally raved: it deserves any and all the acclaim it can muster.

MI-5 (2002– )

Spooks: The deterioration of a great show

[7/10 · 25 August 2008]

The early seasons of Spooks, a well-produced BBC action-drama about a small band of MI-5 agents serving to protect the UK, provided compelling entertainment. Giving the writers some latitude in developing plots that had the same team of MI-5 saving Britain each week from a variety of home grown and foreign militants, the show had excellent production values, good story lines and developed the characters' background to help create audience empathy. Led by Matthew Macfadyen and Peter Firth, the actors had good chemistry and, occasionally, the plot raised interesting questions about the dilemmas faced by domestic intelligence agencies.

In later seasons, however, notably five and six, and integrity of Spooks seriously deteriorated, as the quality of the plot became ridiculous, and then absurd. Life-long conspiracy theorists would have had a good laugh and Spooks adopted repetitive themes of general xenophobia, targeting particularly the United States, but also generally simplistic conspiracy themes within most of the UK Government (virtually everyone except our intrepid MI-5 team). Simultaneously, the show forgot to focus on the individual characters, providing two- dimensional studies of the new MI-5 players, with the exception of Adam (Rupert Penry- Jones), who carried the brunt of providing some unsophisticated examples of conflict. As a result, it became more difficult to care about the fate of the team, or of the country, the supposed threats so outlandish it may as well have been science fiction.

It is a shame, because obviously there is an audience for this type of show, and a basic idea that would be engrossing. If only it felt a little factual.

Friday Night Lights (2006–2011)

Why I love Friday Night Lights (Season One)

[9/10 · 17 December 2007]

I'm not American. I have zero interest in American Football. But I have a real interest in quality television, and FNL fits that bill.

Football, of course, is not the focus, but merely the glue that frames the storyline. The real focus is ordinary people: stories about community, how people cope with pressure, deal with lost dreams, family betrayal, and discrimination. It's fresh from other American television shows because (a) it's not about cops, doctors or lawyers; (b) it's framed squarely in a small Texan town, showing a slice of American life unfamiliar to many foreigners; and (c) it deals with class issues in American society without stereotype, pretension or pandering. The characters are extremely well-drawn, the story-line is well-developed and engaging. The writing is funny and touching, without dwelling on emotion or cliché. The show's music is especially effective.

A lot has been written about the camera work - I admit initially it was distracting, but by episode three, it was forgotten, as I was too intrigued by the story and characters. And it is the development of these two things (story and character) that makes FNL compelling: story lines are not resolved simplistically; characters are flawed, but positive, and they face the consequences of their decisions. But most of all, it's extraordinary in how it deals with the ordinary: there's nothing supernatural, no grisly murders, no sensationalism. Just average folk facing everyday problems, but in a show displayed with intelligence, integrity and real heart.