As an angry gen x'r that was THERE in the 80s, I won't waste your time with prose, so here goes:
1) There were no fat sidekicks in the 1980s. That formulaic curly haired fro wearing Jonah Hill type genius did not exist - a fat sidekick would be more John Candy. That is a millennial invention. A more believable Wheeler would be skinny, small, and with giant glasses and wear suits - and probably wouldn't bath. I recall there was this guy named Bill Gates...
2) It's obvious the budget went to High Castle, as the producers didn't really try to make the sets look or feel genuine 80s. Kudos to wardrobe, but come on guys. Everything, including door fixtures to lights weren't legit. Geez, at least paint the walls the right color. So many times I watched this, thinking it was taking place modern day, and the actors were just driving crappy old cars and wearing thrift store clothes. I kept forgetting it was in the 80s... maybe that was the point?
3) No video arcades? That's were you bought/traded your drugs. These teenage club working guys were so cool, idealistic, and confident, they didn't need to bother with the hottest technology of the time! Like I said, the 80s was applied to Red Oaks like cheap washable veneer.
4) Painfully obvious the worn out stories were meant to appeal to Millennials and their cry baby problems. Folks were hustling in the 80s and not being whiny about their dreams. It was eat, or be eaten. Russians and Nuclear war were around the corner. Status was king. No school = No future. You believed if you worked hard at anything, you would get there. That theme was touched upon - sort of. Regardless, I hope all the Boomers enjoyed watching this with their (still living at home) kids and felt some sort of connection.
5) Thank goodness the actors saved the day! I was surprised many of them did not phone it in, but instead gave it their best to make it work. Watch Red Oaks for the performances, and don't expect to find yourself immersed in the 80s. Go rent Dirty Dancing, Flashdance, or Footloose for the real experience.
Yeahh, that's right I gave it only a 6. Now you know why it ended at season 3.
1) There were no fat sidekicks in the 1980s. That formulaic curly haired fro wearing Jonah Hill type genius did not exist - a fat sidekick would be more John Candy. That is a millennial invention. A more believable Wheeler would be skinny, small, and with giant glasses and wear suits - and probably wouldn't bath. I recall there was this guy named Bill Gates...
2) It's obvious the budget went to High Castle, as the producers didn't really try to make the sets look or feel genuine 80s. Kudos to wardrobe, but come on guys. Everything, including door fixtures to lights weren't legit. Geez, at least paint the walls the right color. So many times I watched this, thinking it was taking place modern day, and the actors were just driving crappy old cars and wearing thrift store clothes. I kept forgetting it was in the 80s... maybe that was the point?
3) No video arcades? That's were you bought/traded your drugs. These teenage club working guys were so cool, idealistic, and confident, they didn't need to bother with the hottest technology of the time! Like I said, the 80s was applied to Red Oaks like cheap washable veneer.
4) Painfully obvious the worn out stories were meant to appeal to Millennials and their cry baby problems. Folks were hustling in the 80s and not being whiny about their dreams. It was eat, or be eaten. Russians and Nuclear war were around the corner. Status was king. No school = No future. You believed if you worked hard at anything, you would get there. That theme was touched upon - sort of. Regardless, I hope all the Boomers enjoyed watching this with their (still living at home) kids and felt some sort of connection.
5) Thank goodness the actors saved the day! I was surprised many of them did not phone it in, but instead gave it their best to make it work. Watch Red Oaks for the performances, and don't expect to find yourself immersed in the 80s. Go rent Dirty Dancing, Flashdance, or Footloose for the real experience.
Yeahh, that's right I gave it only a 6. Now you know why it ended at season 3.