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Reviews
Fargo: The Tragedy of the Commons (2023)
Lots of Scares, Creeps and Bad Pancakes
Heartily enjoyed this premiere episode of Season Five. It's creepy, weird and full of strange characters with goofy haircuts, don't'cha know.
When a couple of not-too-competent kidnappers break into Dot's home, I felt strong flashbacks to the original Coen brothers' film. And the upper Midwest accents, coupled with the dictionary definition of "Minnesota nice" and the opening melee at a school board meeting set the tone for the story to come.
Jennifer Jason Leigh's evil mother-in-law provides the necessary of heebee-geebees, and Juno Temple's Dot is the tiny Rambo mother we'd all be terrified by, but hope to share a foxhole with during a Minnesota gunfight. Great, anxiety-making fun.
But Juno has clearly never made pancakes before. With all that whisking, what she winds up with will be extremely chewy. Just sayin'.
Iron Fist (2017)
And Now For Season Two!
Let me start by saying that my rating is an average between the two seasons. I would give season one as six or seven, whereas I think that season two is a solid eight or nine. I must say that I have enjoyed season two. The plot moves a bit faster, and the action overall is an order of magnitude above that of season one.
Danny Rand is still a bit wet, but I enjoy Finn Jones' portrayal of Danny, and I don't understand all the naysayers who are so quick to condemn his portrayal of the Iron Fist.
As for season two, it's just a whole lot more fun, and I think that the season limit of 10 episodes contributes to that quite a bit. The plot had to move a little bit more quickly. Yay!
I like the actors' portrayals of Colleen and Joy and I like Tom Pelphrey's portrayal of Ward quite a bit. I was very sorry to see this season end, and I look forward very much to season three.
The X Files: 3 (1994)
Better in the 90s
This was the first X-Files episode that I ever saw-I got started late to the series, and I didn't realize at first what was going on. But I really did like the stylishness of the thing. The episode had a feeling of a Patrick Nagel illustration from playboy magazine-he was very popular during the 80s.
But I'm re-watching the series while I'm sick, episode by episode, and this one just doesn't work for me anymore-it's just too wan and worn out. Good Lord, their ennui is killing me. And X-Files without Scully and Mulder don't seem to be really worth the trouble.
Eastbound & Down (2009)
Well Done but Painful to Watch
Saw the first episode last night, and it just depressed the hell outta me. There are some funny bits, and I think that were the times better I would more enjoy this big, whoppin' pie of vulgarity.
But times are tough, and the glorification of a clueless, gloriously ignorant AND stupid, white-trash jackass--admittedly with the requisite irony necessary to swallow it--just doesn't work for me. Sure, it's a comedy, but the central character is so unlikable that I cannot afford to give it the attention nor the time necessary to develop some sort of fondness for a protagonist that is a truly reprehensible human being. He deserves no sympathy whatsoever, and the prospect of watching such a human pig wallow in his own ignorance from episode to episode seems more like punishment than entertainment.
The acting is good, very good, and the writers and producers have captured the flavor of a certain part of the south very well. In fact, it may be their success that has driven me away from this show.
If you enjoy watching the devolution of this character, continue viewing, and have a great time. I don't think I can stomach it.