I really enjoyed Season 1 of this show. I think it a modern and wonderfully dark depiction of the original material of Clavell and especially liked the thoughtful pacing which allowed for so much attention to detail. The performances of Mariko and Toranaga are outstandig. Although I had some difficulty with the subtitled Japanese in the beginning, after getting used to it I thought it was adding to the authenic feeling altogether. I am already looking forward to a contiuation of the show. This said, however, there are also reasons why this is not a 10/10 for me. I did not at all like the performance of Cosmo Jarvis - I don't know, he gives me the impression as if he unsuccessfully tries hard to immitate Tom Hardy in Taboo while - sorry to say -displaying the intelligence of a gold fish. Also, for me, he fails to transport any chemistry between John and Mariko.
Reviews
9 Reviews
Big Sky
(2020–2023)
Actors can't compensate poor scripting
6 January 2023
I primarily watch this show because I liked Lagertha (Vikings), Dean (SN), Luke/Lincoln (Blindspot/M. A.o. S.) and Marcus (The 100). However, Big Sky - especially Season 3 - is very lazily scripted, has many continuation errors - just check out the wonder-healing skin of Jenny ... she slams her forehead, blood everywhere, spends a night at the hospital and her skin is perfect the next morning when she walks into the police station on her cowboy boots ... showing neither patch nor scab. And where are the children of Jenny and Cassie? Could have been nice for them to connect with Beau's daughter Emily. A pity.
Keep Breathing
(2022)
Ratio 'survive wilderness' vs. 'flashbacks' waaaaay off
29 July 2022
The promo and title suggest a young lawyer trying to survive alone in the North American wilderness after a plane crash. And yes, we get to see that - but only around 15-20% of the time and not well at that. The rest is filled with boring flashbacks from the protagonists life. After a few eps i skipped those to get to the end - which felt rushed and disappointing.
Billy the Kid
(2022– )
Loved it! EPIX, please give us another season
26 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I am a fan of the new Western genre - I especially enjoyed the Yellowstone prequel '1883' - and Billy the Kid scores equally high. Loved the pacing and acting. Well done! Please, EPIX, let us have at least another season!
Right message
27 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I simply cannot let the review of @wolfpaula4 be the only user review for this episode!!! My 10* are only to counterbalance her:his 1*.
Firstly, Andy did NOT murder her assailant. She defended herself as best she could and - very understandably - ran away in shock. That the guy died was unfortunate. They could have charged her with something like "bodily harm with fatal consequences" not "murder", because she definetly neither planned nor intended to kill him.
Secondly, and most importantly, ANYONE should be able to party, drink, flirt and dress however they like and still be able to say NO and be RESPECTED. ANYONE! AT ANY TIME!
It's sad enough, that there is still the need to address this subject in a TV show.
Firstly, Andy did NOT murder her assailant. She defended herself as best she could and - very understandably - ran away in shock. That the guy died was unfortunate. They could have charged her with something like "bodily harm with fatal consequences" not "murder", because she definetly neither planned nor intended to kill him.
Secondly, and most importantly, ANYONE should be able to party, drink, flirt and dress however they like and still be able to say NO and be RESPECTED. ANYONE! AT ANY TIME!
It's sad enough, that there is still the need to address this subject in a TV show.
The King's Daughter
(2022)
Well, I don't know ... charming enough, I suppose
23 March 2022
A little bit of everything ... Arielle, The Shape of Water, Free Willy, Pirates of the Carribean, Three Musketeers, ...
However, I know, it's fantasy, but: there is simply no way to quickly ride on horseback from Versailles to the Atlantic Ocean in an afternoon - it's roughly 190 km. And I really did not like that the costume and hairstyle design was so all over the place, not at all appropriate to the grand aera of Louis XIV.
However, I know, it's fantasy, but: there is simply no way to quickly ride on horseback from Versailles to the Atlantic Ocean in an afternoon - it's roughly 190 km. And I really did not like that the costume and hairstyle design was so all over the place, not at all appropriate to the grand aera of Louis XIV.
The Cleaning Lady
(2022– )
Please let us have a Season 2
23 March 2022
Just love it - can't wait to see a Season 2 - and not just because I want to see the cliffhangers of ep. 10 resolved ... ;o)!
My rating: ++ freshness ++ great characters ++ well acted ++ chemistry ++ suspense
My rating: ++ freshness ++ great characters ++ well acted ++ chemistry ++ suspense
- predictability
PLEASE, Amazon, STOP IT
26 December 2021
Enough of this butchery!
Obviously, the writers didn't get the books or they would have stuck to the original material instead of trying to tell the story "... as Jordan would have imagined it were he still alive ..." (sic)
The books - in the end - are all about balance. Male/female - good/bad - darkness/light - all working together to bring forth a better world - so why change this? The books are already very open minded regarding diversity - so why woke it even more? Just to be pc?
Amazon is not stupid. They knew that the huge fan base of the book series would watch the show (and would maybe get new prime subscriptions just to see it). And we did - didn't we? No matter how bad it turned out.
A pity. Really.
I just hope that some time in the future someone like Ron D. Moore or the makers of Dune 2021 will lift it out of the trash bin and do Robert Jordan proud.
Obviously, the writers didn't get the books or they would have stuck to the original material instead of trying to tell the story "... as Jordan would have imagined it were he still alive ..." (sic)
The books - in the end - are all about balance. Male/female - good/bad - darkness/light - all working together to bring forth a better world - so why change this? The books are already very open minded regarding diversity - so why woke it even more? Just to be pc?
Amazon is not stupid. They knew that the huge fan base of the book series would watch the show (and would maybe get new prime subscriptions just to see it). And we did - didn't we? No matter how bad it turned out.
A pity. Really.
I just hope that some time in the future someone like Ron D. Moore or the makers of Dune 2021 will lift it out of the trash bin and do Robert Jordan proud.
The Wheel of Time
(2021– )
W...aste of Time
10 December 2021
The ONLY good thing about this series is that the early chatter about it got me reading the amazing books during this summer.
So, with the incredible world, the beloved and the hated characters and the vast and beautiful story of the books fresh in mind I was really excited for the series to start. And I really wanted to like it.
But: What a disappointment! This is definetly the worst book adaptation I have ever come across.
Major storylines are missing, new ones were added, others unnecessarily blown out of proportion, sex scenes were invented. Characters are mostly without depth.
Of course it's impossible to follow the books to the letter - nobody expected that to be the case - but why butcher it so?
==EDIT after s1e8: This first season was like passing a horrible accident on the autobahn ... you know it's gory and will make your bile rise - but you just have to look anyway ...
I'm so sorry for the young actors - they certainly had high hopes for this project.
PLEASE, Amazon, STOP IT!!!
PLEASE, STARZ & Ron D. Moore, make it new and beautiful - like Outlander.
So, with the incredible world, the beloved and the hated characters and the vast and beautiful story of the books fresh in mind I was really excited for the series to start. And I really wanted to like it.
But: What a disappointment! This is definetly the worst book adaptation I have ever come across.
Major storylines are missing, new ones were added, others unnecessarily blown out of proportion, sex scenes were invented. Characters are mostly without depth.
Of course it's impossible to follow the books to the letter - nobody expected that to be the case - but why butcher it so?
==EDIT after s1e8: This first season was like passing a horrible accident on the autobahn ... you know it's gory and will make your bile rise - but you just have to look anyway ...
I'm so sorry for the young actors - they certainly had high hopes for this project.
PLEASE, Amazon, STOP IT!!!
PLEASE, STARZ & Ron D. Moore, make it new and beautiful - like Outlander.
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