richieadler Reviews

The Nevers (2021–2023)

A fantastic premise, wasted after Whedon's departure

[6/10 · 11 January 2024]

The first six episodes start with a solid premise: a group of people (mostly women) in the Victorian era getting powers from a mysterious source, raising the eyebrows of the people who are confortable in power and see with bad eyes any attempt to alter the status quo, specially when the affected are people not held in high regard. Some "whedonisms" in theme are evident (diminutive and attractive woman that can fight really well with very intense choreographies; women as magically endowed saviors; a cabal of evil and stubborn men fighting to keep the status quo). The final episode of these six ends with in serious turmoil, it reveals the origin of the abilities, and it hints about why the Turns are so varied and unpredictable.

In the interim, Joss Whedon leaves the production, new people are in charge, the requisite new scripts are written, and... the story deflates painfully.

No visible path for the characters (or the writers, apparently). The sense of purpose initially so intense in Amalia True seems to vanish. The intrigues become shallow. A new ludicrous villain lies in wait in the recently installed phone lines. Penance is easily seduced by an obvious flunky of the real villain after he started being one for a red-herring one (and Penance loses all common sense because of the temptation of some arbitrary knowledge; apparently all curiosity is evil and turns people stupid, you know). The Touched lose their powers but they get them again later... And the story ends in an empty cliffhanger without a good hook.

A sad waste for a lovely and promising premise. The series has some interesting moments in the first half but is all thrown away by bad scripts and a shoddy execution. A pity, really.

S.W.A.T.: Lion's Den (2019) Season 3, Episode 8

Really repugnant closure to Cris' relationship

[1/10 · 9 May 2022]

She left without talking to Ty and Kyra, in the middle of the night, and when Street wasn't there to help her with the bad time, she goes... to the Deacons' house, the same place where she was judged and rejected. I mean, I understand that this is a police show and they need to try to pander to the gun toting, blue-loving right wingers watching the show, but come on, people! Do you have to be so obvious in your "the polyamorous bisexual deserves to suffer because she's a sinner" and "of course the religious family was in the right all along" crap?

S.W.A.T.: Rocket Fuel (2019) Season 2, Episode 20

Unsurprisingly conservative, disgustingly religious

[7/10 · 6 May 2022]

It's disgusting how much this episode panders to the religious right. Cris is shamed by Deacon's wife because she's proud of the poly relationship in which she's participating. The shameful part is clinging to the religious superstitions that so much damage have done to the world. The particular superstition of the Deacons, Catholicism, postulates that all contraception is sinful, so they being that devoted is causing them endless economic suffering, because they're not allowed to plan how much their family should grow.

Given the history of the Catholic Church, I'd say the Deacons have more to be ashamed of, than Cris. (But she accepted being grandmother of one of the children and she's Latina, so I'm afraid she shares in their superstition.)

I would have loved to see Cris explicitly abdicate her role as grandmother and leave the party, and showing a more strained relationship with Deacon in the following episodes.

Avenue 5 (2020–2022)

Painful waste of (some) talent in unfunny premise

[1/10 · 9 February 2020]

The people who should know what they're doing are a group of morons proving the Peter Principle? Check. (They even up the ante killing the only technically proficient crewmember!)

The "funny" situations are cringeworthy people forcing themselves into others and showing proudly their stupidity? Check.

We're supposed to laugh at the life-threatening ineptitude of crew and CEO, and to the fact that, against all odds, only one person that seems to know (barely) how to manage a multibillion dollar spaceship has survived? And that the main responsible of the flight, the captain, is a goddamned figurehead?

To have a good, fun sci-fi series you have to raise WAY above the Adam Sandler level of crassitude. You even have to raise above Seth McFarlane levels of crassitude (which Seth McFarlane himself seems to have learned in "The Orville", given that that series got much better with they seriously dialed down the stupidity that should remain relegated to Family Guy and their ilk).

Not even Hugh Laurie can salvage this space-wreck of supposed "comedy". Hopefully some rescue vehicule can extricate him from this dumpster fire and get him back to Earth where he can, hopefully, star on another production, this time something worthy of his talent.

The rest of the crew, on the other hand, may remain lost in space, and if the rescue ship extracting Laurie can bump the "Avenue 5" directly towards the Sun, all the better.

The Mentalist (2008–2015)

For once, a show appealing to the skeptic point of view

[9/10 · 14 December 2008]

Simon Baker surprised me with the lighthearted but guilt-ridden mentalist; I didn't like him so much in "The Guardian" (he seemed always in the wrong mood there), but I think he found the right tone here. Fantastic Robin Tunney as the tough but reasonable Teresa Lisbon; delicious Amanda Righetti as the unavoidable, contrasting naive believer Grace Van Pelt. I think she's a fair portrait of most believers in the paranormal: good hearted, well intentioned, but oblivious of the fraudulent techniques of the "psychics" and hoping to find "the real deal" some time. And willing to believe in transcendence. So close to so many people we all know.

Comparisons with Psych abound, but they all miss the main point of "The Mentalist": first, the protagonist openly says "There's no such thing as a psychic" (and he knows, painfully, how easy is to deceive others); and second, the series doesn't relent. (Until now, at least.) Even when forced with a very skilled con artist which appeals to his guilt and sense of loss, Patrick never relents, except to acknowledge the pain and the guilt.

I sincerely hope the series doesn't cave to the pressure which, surely, will receive, and continues to present only a rational point of view, not catering to the believers in the paranormal. We have TOO MUCH credulous TV shows; let us have, for one, a show showing a rational explanation without pandering to woo-woo.