Flesh and Bone (2015) User Reviews

Moving and very well done

[treborquest · 9/10 · 11 November 2015]

People writing bad reviews based on their dance past may have a point, but might be viewing this from the wrong perspective. Yes the show is about a ballet company, but it tells a story, more than one actually and even if there are clichés in it, that's called dramatizing the story.

What is being told here could have used any background. Look at 'Mozard in the Jungle', that setting could have fit too. Yet, finally someone takes courage in making a beautiful show with ballet as background. Shouldn't you people be proud of that instead of pissing on it?

For me, I love ballet, but that's not only the reason why I'm watching and I never really leave reviews here, but reading from 'ex-dancers' I thought it felt unfair how the show was being reviewed. The acting is very good, esp. from the lead, the dancing imo is good enough to fool the audience and it's the whole vibe of the show (the way it's shot, the music) that sets a really pleasant tone to watch it. I am kinda sad there aren't more episodes, yet.

So, watch it, don't judge too soon and enjoy it. It's like reading a good book!

Sit back and binge

[Br4ve-trave1or · 9/10 · 9 November 2015]

I just finished the sixth episode in one day so I'm totally addicted. The acting is brilliant and the lead is so beautiful. Great casting. I've read awesome reviews and bad reviews thus far so do yourself a favor and watch it for yourself and once you do you will devour it. I'm a male and love it. Never would I think I would ever say that about a female dancing show. It's definitely a drama but has moments of comedy thrown in in random spots. I think people will respond well to it. Its too bad it's only 8 episodes. When the lead dances she literally dances flawlessly. The creator also wrote for breaking bad in a side note. Starz hit a home run with this one but be warned it is for mature audiences. There is sexual content and nudity. But overall it's such a great fun show and the theme song says it all!! Don't let the negative reviews make u reluctant opinions are like... well watch it!

UPDATE JUST FINISHED. . if you enjoyed whiplash you'll love flesh and bone! Only shortcoming is the fact that there are 8 episodes. What a terrific show to binge wow.

A dark psychological thriller - with dancers!

[sanfrancisco_art · 9/10 · 21 November 2015]

Although this series is very dark and gritty, there's some interesting issues brought to life here. I felt like this never gave into stereotypes, featured some marvelous dancers, and gave the women in this show some really meaty parts.

I have seen some bitching about it not being feminist enough, which is baseless. The men in the company serve mostly to fill out the company. Which makes sense really, this is NOT a show about ballet - this is a show about our main character, Claire, and her messy and dark life.

I wouldn't recommend this for anyone under 18, mainly because of the deeply dark subjects that are explored in the show. The nudity and sex is part of life, as a former dancer I definitely relate to the dancers not being modest. But I guess many people are still very prudish in 2015.

I really enjoyed the show, from the beginning to the very end it kept me very entertained and dance shown is gorgeous - not surprising as it was choreographed by Ethan Stiefel!!!

Sadly, it seems there won't be a second series - so I guess I will have to re-watch the first series.

If you're ready to dive into the darkest secrets and ugliest parts of a character (this is no rom-com), then you'll be very satisfied with Flesh and Bone.

Like nothing I've seen before.

[temporaldisturbance · 10/10 · 12 November 2015]

I rated this show based on how the first season of it made me feel.

There are people complaining that the show about ballet doesn't have enough ballet in it. How short-sighted of them.

This show is not about ballet. It is about its protagonist - Claire. Or Clementine, as she's passionately nicknamed by an eccentric supporting character.

This is a show about inner darkness, and Claire striving to find a way out of hers.

With its spectacular cinematography with a carefully muted color palette, with the rich, dramatic, beautiful soundtrack, the whole thing has this surreal, almost David Lynch-like feel to it, it is filled with pathos, emotion, drama.

We are shown scenery and people, but we are made to see feelings.

There's nudity in the show, but it is not just thrown in "because they could". It is clearly part of the vision. People's emotions get stripped raw, and sometimes, so do their bodies.

I don't like pretense. I snub my nose at "Sundance Festival winner" type films. I don't like long pointless stares, long shots of swaying grass, camera angles that linger too long for no discernible reason - that sort of thing.

This show can be on the surface mistaken for a pretentious one. It could've gone that way very easily. For example, a long ramble of aforementioned supporting character could've been seen as a pretentious scene-filler - but, the actor is exceptional, and, like in David Lynch's surrealism, it all makes a certain kind of emotional sense.

The soundtrack doesn't just clank in background to match the tone of a scene. Like the camera, the music here is an actor with a voice of its own.

It feels like a part of a deliberately painted picture. It's not what the characters say or do, but why they're driven to it.

All of the cast are picked perfectly, and they feel real. Claire does not seem like an actress playing a role. She's simply Claire. It's hard to believe that the actress wasn't already Claire before the filming even started.

This show transports you into another world. It is an emotional journey, a rich atmospheric drama. It makes you feel what the protagonist feels, if you let yourself open to it.

Compared to this work, "Black Swan" is a pretentious flash in the pan. There's something grand here at play.

Let it play.

Bravo

[Cyndy08080 · 10/10 · 6 January 2016]

The series deserves a standing ovation, it's a masterpiece.

Each episode got better and better, the final episode was breathtaking. It's a dark, disturbing story on all fronts, but so compelling. The acting is very good, the characters are fully developed - faults and all. The score is amazing, the sets are beautiful and it's filmed in such a way that you feel you are there watching. I didn't expect the show to be so captivating, and it actually took a couple of episodes before I felt invested in the series, but each episode built upon the prior, and the series will drawn you in. While watching the final episode, I began to understand the story itself was like a ballet performance - beautifully executed in a tragic sort of way. The final ballet is amazing, and worth watching the entire series just for that.

It seemed some critics panned the series - but in my opinion, it's a masterpiece - the best of the best. If you liked Black Swan, Fame, Flashdance or other similar themed movies, I think you'll find Flesh & Bone as amazing and enjoyable as I did.

Blown Away

[Tactrix · 10/10 · 10 November 2015]

There are very few shows that do something so rare that to capture it on camera is dazzling. This is one such show. In most shows acting is enough, and of course it's an art all in itself but nothing like this. This is a true ballet show where they don't fake the dancing. It's breathtaking in its complexity and a beautiful masterpiece when it all comes together.

The thing that makes this such a fantastic show besides the dancing is the story behind it. They incorporate a level of darkness which you almost never see on the screen. And when you do it's almost instantly fleeting. Not in this show though, they made it perfect. It's got such a resounding Janus feel to it, that it can be best described as daunting. Hat's off truly 10/10.

Compelling, absorbing, and really good

[ariake76 · 8/10 · 9 January 2016]

"Dark side of the ballet world" stories are always pretty intriguing, and "Flesh and Bone" is the ultimate take on that concept. I was thoroughly hooked from the first episode, but with each subsequent one, new twists were revealed that made the wait for the next episode (because, y'know, life gets in the way of TV-watching) interminable. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

I have a high tolerance-- and appreciation-- for twisted stories. This one, even by my standards, is super dark. Part of what makes it that way is that the darkness isn't contrived-- it isn't like these people are fighting literal demons or enduring the apocalypse or something. Instead, several of the characters are dealing with fascinatingly complex emotional stuff that motivates all their behavior, all their choices, and provides an understandable context for behavior that would be incomprehensible if it weren't for that. But you DO understand it, and there are numerous moments when you watch what a character is doing and think, "wow, something is really, really wrong with you."

This is helped along by very good acting. I've seen varied reviews on the acting, but I found it extremely impressive, especially when the actors were sometimes given material (i.e., dialogue) that wasn't necessarily the best. Sarah Hay as Claire is terrific. She is not only a technically skilled dancer, but she shows the vulnerability and toughness that this character needs to carry the show. She's completely believable in the role-- and I have to say, having looked her up, I love that one of her few acting credits is for the "Mary-Kate and Ashley's Ballet Party" video (when she was much younger). Given how skillfully she handles the screwed-up material of this show, it's kind of delightful that she got her start in an Olsen Twins video.

People have talked about how good Ben Daniels is in his role as the guy in charge of the ballet company, and he is, but I want to talk about Josh Helman, who plays Claire's messed-up brother Bryan. There's a moment, toward the end of the season, when the father smacks him, and he turns to him with a look that sent an actual chill down my spine. I watched that moment three more times just for the pleasure of seeing acting that good.

Damon Herriman in the role of Romeo, the homeless guy, is very good too. I didn't love this character conceptually, but it was Herriman's acting that made it work for me. The "homeless guy living in an aesthetically pleasing little fairy den on the roof" thing is not exactly believable and vaguely insulting, and when you add in the "mentally ill guy as prophet" aspect, it's even harder to love. But that's not Herriman's fault, and he gives the character a vulnerable appeal that I could appreciate.

The only thing I really found fault with was the final episode. I should have seen those resolutions coming, but it drew attention to how the whole "fairy tale as allegory for Claire's story" aspect was clumsily written all along. I get what they were going for, but in order for it to work, you had to buy into the idea that 1) all these people would let Romeo get that involved in their personal lives and that close to their physical selves in the first place, no matter how obviously crazy he was, and 2) agree that Claire was not complicit in her own problems to some degree, when-- I'm trying to avoid spoilers here-- the show had been asserting the idea that she was. There are plenty of moments when Claire is presented as a victim of her circumstances, but there are lots of others where she goes out of her way to keep the fire of those problems burning. Which is psychologically interesting, but makes it so that when Romeo sets out to be her champion, I thought, jeez, if you're so perceptive about people and their lives, shouldn't you have noticed that Claire is causing this guy the same problem he's causing her?

Overall, though, the season was more than enjoyable. I was sorry that it ended in so few episodes, because the conflict was good enough for a season three times as long.

Artistically pleasing but thin story and characters are quite dull

[warren-levin · 6/10 · 8 December 2015]

This is series that wants to portray ballet, that's not a bad idea. But as we know, a proper TV series is not really about it's main subject, it is mostly about human interactions and stories. It's about character development and their evolution.

Well, "Flesh and bone" properly show us part of the ballet world, the dancing is good, the dancers suffer (from anorexia, physically, etc). Problem? The plot is rather thin, the characters are quite dull and there is no identification, dreaming or attachment towards these struggling characters. Okay there is only 8 hours, but still, the plot move at a rather slow and weird pace. It feels like some random stuffs happening without any end goal or logic. Characters don't have enough dirt on them to make them interesting. The character development is limited to say the least. It feels like botched and fast writing for producing fast.

Claire? She's whining and crying throughout most of the series. She does some striptease, she kisses the mirror with blood on her lips and make us believe she's a virgin then has sex with her brother ... why? It doesn't make sense. She hates her home, her brother and her father, it is shown at the beginning of the series. Why else would she leave in a hurry? I would have loved to see her getting more confidence more quickly instead of her insipid whining and crying. There was a part which was interesting when she gets to embrace the darker part of herself then it suddenly stops then it's back to whining and crying before saying the final "No!".

Trey? I'm gay, black and I'm happy about it. Talk about preconceptions. Isn't there more to this character than this? Really, there are better and more interesting portrayal of gays, I almost found it offensive for some of my friends.

Mia? Dull. There is nothing there but a whining b****.

Pacha? Mia's confident. There is nothing else about him.

Kiira? She could be even be more interesting. She's an aging prima who is getting replaced. She doesn't put much of a fight for her last dancing season. She could at least be darker and more manipulative. We see some intent to manipulate the artistic director but she kinds of give up without much of a fight. That's not what I would have expected from someone who worked really hard like hell for decades to get to such a level of dancing. After all, it is better to end a beautiful career in a bang rather than in a duh.

Daphne? She is the most interesting in all this cast of characters. Crazy apartment, troubled relations with her father, which she kinds of replaced with Sergei who she works for. She does this in order to afford her lifestyle. She is pretty confident about herself, manipulates Jessica to get to be soloist knowing there are some moves she doesn't master. She gets to do her thing. She really fights and go till the end of what she really began.

Sergei? Happy and "nice" mobster. He's kind of okay as a character.

Romeo? Weird crazy guy. He doesn't make sense most of the time and is quite irritating. Then for whatever reason, he gets to kill Bryan. Whaaat?

Bryan? He's a PTSDed soldier who's incestuous with his sister. OK. Something else about him? That's it? Well ... like I said, limited character development.

Tony? Nothing to say about her. She's a cool dance teacher, there is not much else about her.

Paul? He's a sadistic and abusive art director. OK, is there a reason for that? Why isn't it more explored? It could be quite interesting.

The rest of the characters are always whining and b*******. They are all jealous of Claire, that's it. Nothing to see there.

All in all, it was pretty disappointing for a TV series even though it portrays magnificent art.

Showgirls (1995) re-imagined and repaired

[A_Different_Drummer · 8/10 · 26 December 2015]

The year was 1995 and Joe Eszterhas, the top of writer of the day for mainstream exploitation films, released (unleashed) his most exploitative script of all time -- Showgirls.

At the time, it seemed like a slam dunk. It had something to push everyone's buttons. It was about strippers. It had dancing and sex. It had backstory. And just as additional insurance to guarantee greatness, the casting director deliberately picked the female star of a popular teen sitcom for the leading role -- guaranteeing a "shock" factor as the world watched a sweet teen icon go down the darkside.

It should have worked but it didn't. The mass audience, the gestalt, seemed to belatedly develop a conscience and punished the film, presumably, as payback for all the earlier works of of Eszterhas' they enjoyed but probably shouldn't have.

A major TV comic talking about the film (which was a flop within weeks of release) said "I haven't seen so many poles abused since WW2."

Ironically 20 years later, with TV in full-on stratification and everyone with a video camera offering a new series, the writers of Flesh and Bone have taken the ideas comprising Showgirls and fixed them and repaired them.

It is exploitative but does not make you feel guilty.

Pretty good TV.

Written by drug users or a teenage writing class

[big_kmc · 9 May 2017]

This is so bad that it's literally laugh out loud funny. The dialogue of the Ballet director queen is predictably ridiculous and unreal. Every aspect of this show is predictable because all you have to do is just picture the dumbest direction the scene could possibly take and there it goes.

Wasted opportunity

[mattof7-1 · 7/10 · 10 November 2015]

My real problem with this show is the fact that the scriptwriters or whoever is responsible for the dialogue here, feel the need to make these dancers as vulgar as fraternity boys. I worked for many years in the dance world (in the 1970s) as a dance critic for newspapers in Chicago, San Francisco and Massachusetts, as a publicity director for a modern dance company in Chicago and as company manager for the San Francisco Moving Company, and as a writer I was very happy to work in a world of intelligent, refined people who were interested in literature, fine music, theater and all the other arts. I never heard the sort of low language that mars the sensibilities of this show. I never experienced such vulgarity and lowbrow mentality as displayed by many of these characters. Ballet and modern dancers are dedicated artists who work in an atmosphere that is on a higher plane than what is found in baseball or football locker rooms or army barracks. The creators of this show do a great disservice to the world of ballet and contribute only to the general dumbing down of America. I don't remember even Walter White in Breaking Bad delivering the sort of vulgar lines the artistic director of this ballet company spews out. What a shame. I will continue watching it for the beauty of the dance alone.

Cutting deep

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 10 May 2019]

Ballet is like an obsession. If Black Swan did teach us one thing then it clearly was that. And the show that ran for a season on Starz is clear in its intentions to be a somewhat spiritual successor or at least in the same ballpark. Having one of the dancers from that movie playing the main role here is a start. And Sarah Hay learned Ballet as a young girl, something you can tell by watching her move (though I'm not sure if you can tell more as the teacher/director and some others seem to be able to).

So with a limited knowledge of the art itself, I can say that it is riveting and it looks phenomenal. But the show also dares to explore darker themes and backstories of the characters. You may be able to guess the connections between them (or rather their relationship), but there will be surprises along the way.

If you don't mind complex characters, blood (sweat) and nudity (including lewd acts as some might proclaim), this is really interesting. The character journey is really something and while you can guess to a certain extend where this is heading, the performances make it more than worthwhile

I just don't know...

[Jessie_1 · 6/10 · 23 July 2020]

I'm watching it now ( i know a bit late) and i just don't know what to think.. I liked the first 2-3 episodes, but after that it just started to lose my attention. I don't really like or understand the (side) stories (but that could be just me) and honestly there are times where i skip them forward, because i think it's a bit boring or unnecesarry. For me the dancing looks good, but i'm not a dancer, so i can't really say anything about it. Right now i'm at episode 7, but i'm not sure if i will finish it, if i do i probably skip a few scenes :I I have to be honest in the beginning i was a bit annoyed with some of the acting, it's definitely not bad, but i don't know, it's not awesome either in my opinion. But i have to say after a while i got used to it and the some of the characters even grew on me.

With all of that said, it is absolutely not a bad show, but i just don't know...

A melting pot of randomness!

[Tommetfactory28 · 3/10 · 7 January 2019]

Firstly, the series was visually quite impressive. That about covers the positives, as the rest was, in a nutshell, insanely weird. The show includes a million different story arcs thrown in, all at the most inopportune moments. What would have been really successful, by looking simply at the competitive nature of top level ballet, was totally poisoned by unnecessary background plot nonsense. Ben Daniels stood out as the tyrannical ballet school founder. His performance was the only real convincing part in this incredibly frustrating piece of television. If you want an uncomfortable, out of body experience, check out this series.

Binge Watcheable!

[dreamgavino · 9/10 · 10 November 2015]

All things considered, this is a breathtaking show...

The Good:

Ben Daniels is captivating (as always) Sarah Hays is a phenomenal dancer among others (Sascha, Irina, etc.) Damon Herriman plays to perfection the lovable "loser" (like Dewey in Justified) The hint of mystery in each episode helps the viewer stay invested The dark undertone overall is intriguing and is a perfect frame for the dark issues conveyed in Claire's world The drama is intoxicating (e.g. cat fights, hidden agendas, pretty woman montages, etc.) The atmosphere of the ballet world feels authentic

The Not-so-good:

Sara Hays is not there yet as an actress...her portrayal is a bit two dimensional The ending is not satisfying at all...I love Damon Herriman, but at the end, his character killing the brother is confusing (such a cop out) Some sex scenes are vital to the story but most are really not necessary at all

In a perfect world, I would:

Know more about Romeo...who is he? (e.g. is he a failed writer/genius, escaped convict, tweaker, etc.) Where did he come from? How long has he been "guarding" the place? Does he have any other family?(props to Damon for looking so young...I was blown away after knowing he is actually 45!)

Watch a spin off show centered on Romeo

Know what happened with the sex slave girl in the yacht

Know what happened with the guy in the strip club who seems to like Claire (is he for real or just a customer with a hero complex?)

Know how exactly this incest business began..who initiated it? Since when has this been going on? It was hinted that the brother was the "monster" but it seems like Claire has more control over him (pushes him away, throws herself at him, etc.)

Know more about Paul's rich bf and how he died (was a bit sad by the wasted eggs thrown at his graveyard...i love eggs dude stop throwing them!)

I usually give up after an episode or two...some shows that I have anticipated (e.g. Minority Report, Quantico) have disappointed me with their lack of charisma due to bad writing, bad acting, etc...However, this show, while not perfect, is certainly a "page- turner" so to speak...Definitely binge-watcheable!

Bravo!

[linda_dekruijff · 9/10 · 19 November 2015]

What a beautiful and breathtaking series ! Enjoyed every minute of it. The acting is superb. The story is so sad, yet so beautiful. The dancing is amazing. The story goes deep and I think one has to know a little bit of life to appreciate it. Sometimes life is not like Modern family, but about disrupted families. What I especially love about the story is that no one is really good or really bad. That 's why I like the role of Romeo so much, half an idiot, half a philosopher. He seems to be speaking nonsense but in fact he's great. Hope there will be a second season; there is a lot more to say about Claire and ABC. I feel this was just the beginning. Compliments, bravo!

A Beautifully Choreographed Series

[reebee-z · 8/10 · 9 November 2015]

As someone that was raised in the world of Dance and Theatre, I have to say this was a beautifully choreographed series that delves into the nasty competitive world of professional ballet, the gritty ambition and life of status in New York, and dark side of humanity. Yes, it can come off as a little emo and overdramatic at times, but the finale pulls together the story so eloquently that you can not help but appreciate the masterpiece of imagery inspired by Moira's storyline. The dancing was exquisite and the acting was on par. I was never distracted by the "oh this is a dancer trying to act". Get over the unnecessary nudity and sexual interactions, Sometime insinuations can get the story across guys...

Episode 1 review

[airidass · 10/10 · 10 November 2015]

This is a short review of episode one.

Flesh and bone follows a young girl who runs away from home and comes to New York to join a ballet company. She witnesses how cruel and unforgiving ballet world can be, and what you have to do, to be on top. Sarah Hay who only has one acting credit to her name, plays this young ballet dancer named Claire and puts an amazing performance. Not to say that the rest of the cast is mediocre, but Hay is amazing. Watching the show you feel bad for her, she does not understand everything around her, and if she wants to make it in the ballet world, she will have to lose her innocence. We do not know a lot about her past, but can assume that he had a hard life. Everyone around her seems to have an agenda of some sorts. She is hated just for being new, I think the show depicts life accurately; it is a cruel and dark place.

Also, I am not a big fan of ballet, but I can say that the dancing shown is amazing as well, I keep praising the show, but I do have a minor problem, everyone is really mean, even though that is realistic depiction of the world, I think the show takes it a bit too far. The show has a lot of profanity and nudity, you might think that it is normal for a premium cable program, but I did not expect it from a show about a ballet dancer. Some people will hate this show, and some will absolutely love it.

All in all, I did not want to spoil the show too much. I did not expect the show to be so amazing; everything from directing to acting is brilliant. The music in particular stood out. I am afraid that not a lot of people will check this show out, because it is on a premium channel. At least give it a chance.

A Work of Art, in and of itself. Flesh and Bone is a masterpiece.

[spongebobcheer · 21 June 2016]

Flesh and Bone is a mind-bending series, not in the way that Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan was though. What Black Swan had as a psychological thriller, Flesh and Bone has as real life drama, that seems too horrible at times to be real. A wonderfully executed series, Flesh and Bone will entice you before you even know that you've been enticed... then all 8-episodes will be finished. And you'll be left wanting more.

The cast of Flesh and Bone is an ensemble that seems to pull away from each other, but then pull together, a dynamic that is hard to describe but is perfect for the content of the show.

Newcomer Sarah Hay delivers a performance of pure raw emotion time and time again. Other company members portrayed by Emily Tyra, Irina Dvorovenko, and Raychel Diane Wiener all bring unique characters to life. Aside from the dancers, a standout character is Romeo, portrayed by Damon Herriman... a mentally ill homeless man. Watch for his performance, you will be blown away.

Overall Flesh and Bone is a winner, a television series that ran for too short a time. Watch, and enjoy.

'Too much' sums it up

[marijdevos-70906 · 6/10 · 21 August 2022]

This series has precious ingredients in the form of actual acting ballet dancers, which could have led to a beautiful, delicate series, but they botched it with being too much. It's such a shame.

The script is drama overkill, the acting of some actors is like that as well. And I don't think that's because of the actors in most cases, I think that's more a choice of the director.

Portraying the narcissism of the ballet company founder for instance is so over the top, it becomes kind of ridiculous. If you want something that portrays art, you at least want it to feel real, right?

Then there is the lead actress who, for me, was out her depth with this role. Her storyline is heavy, but her emotional acting pallet seems too limited to pull it of. I couldn't feel what she was trying to tell me. You see an introverted woman that has trauma, but that's about it.

I will give this show a six, and that's just mainly for the dance-acting production. Which I would love to see more of. But done better.

Where you can feel a real ballet atmosphere.

Heavy on the cliché but entertaining.

[plex · 8/10 · 28 November 2015]

Just about everything from top to bottom on this latest Starz Original series entry is a tried cliché, and maybe that was the intent but to strip it down and expose the visceral underbelly of the current ballet industry. Of course, there's no accuracy in this at all. We have seen it all before in Flashdance and in Black Swan, but also in more subtle forms like in Fame or even Meatballs. On the plus side, the casting is superb, they must have spent a year gathering this ensemble of actor/dancers who have the energy and talent for such demanding and explicit roles. The production quality is excellent with the editing and directing spot-on. I can live with the cliché's as long as I'm not insulted or bored, and F&B is both compelling and entertaining, totally binge-watchable too. But the writers need to reign-in Claire's nonstop suffering and playing the psychotically-damaged victim. She seems completely unable to experience joy on any level and its getting old, leaving me wanting to smack some sense in her; our protagonist MUST have more dimension other than suffering. The rest is as you may expect: she needs money so she strips, one of the dancers is rich so daddy funds her "hobby", the aging star is evil and a coke-head, the rest of the company is envious and punishing, the company is losing money, the would-be benefactor is a pervert, a hobo is the voice of reason, typical offerings from Hollyweird in the cliché'd world of dance. BTW, ballerinas eat and eat heavily, its MODELS who starve themselves.

The Truth about F&B (spoiler alert!)

[Kyllandra · 6/10 · 22 January 2016]

This series has been heralded as a gritty masterpiece and what Showgirls should have been. To that I say, "settle down, bro."

I have just finished binge watching this monstrosity of entertainment and a masterpiece it ain't. In fact, it is the dirty dog of scandalous TV and its bark is as delightfully vicious as its bite. I like that in a series and if you're even remotely interested in watching beautiful women dance en point and want to be entertained for a few hours then this is the show for you.

Are you going to learn how to go over the box? No. Are you going to truly get an inside look look at the life of a struggling dancer? Nah. So, if you're looking for that then you just pirouette up to the wrong stage. This is not a learning tool. THIS IS ENTERTAINMENT!

A couple of reviewers appeared to be just shocked to their pointed toes at the gratuitous 'this and that' and criticized the inaccuracy of this show's portrayal of ballet life and what an affront it is to their craft. Leave it two a couple of uppity wannabe "prima ballerinas" to think their niche in life really does "transcend". These folks need to transcend their egos.

There are loads of legitimate documentaries on the life of a dancer which, in fact, does include a lot of ugly things about the business (e.g. drugs, eating disorders, etc). However, we aren't watching a television series with the intent to douse ourselves in reality. We are watching these series and movies to escape it. We don't work our asses off all day to get ahead just so that we can go home and watch someone else do it. We want to be entertained and this show delivers that; entertainment.

That said, the plot and character development is about as thin as an anorexic counting the calories of a feeding tube which I can understand if more seasons are to come. However, if this is all we are going to get then I'll have to give it a FAIL stamp in that regard. The casting is great and there is some real chemistry happening among the actors, but the characters need a whole lot of developing and frankly so does that plot. Develop the former and the latter will fall into place, IMO. This show has the potential for at least three successful seasons.

Wanna watch some pretty girls dance en pointe and plenty of "gratuitous" sex with a little incestuous romance a la V.C. Andrews? Don't miss this one. In addition to being totally entertaining what this show does very well is give a vivid illustration of how even the most talented, creative, wealthy and beautiful people in the world can be dredges of humanity.

PS. The wacko bum was totally unnecessary and frankly just annoying. I kept hoping he would get hit by a bus the whole time.

Encore.....Bravo, exhilarating and brilliant

[zendatrim · 10/10 · 11 July 2017]

Finally, a dance show with REAL dancers. The series introduces a new actor and ballerina Sarah Hay, a real ballerina with lots of talent.

Sarah is new to acting who would have thought it her portrayal of a darkly disturbed and emotionally challenged dancer who holds dark secrets was simply awe inspiring. Her use of pain to deal with emotions she did so well and I almost believed this was the real Sarah not Claire she had me believing in her character.

Flesh and Bone for me I think a mixture of Gothic horror, and fairy tale. Was Claire a Princess escaping a prison and her abusive past. The ending at episode 8, was certainly down to a fairy tale, with the Knight slaying the Dragon to help the damsel in distress.

Claire escapes her home to get away from a bully of a father who is disabled and very demanding, and a brother who is suffering with PTSD after coming back from Afghanistan who is also deeply disturbed.

Was Claire the only victim in her life growing up? I don't think she was I feel her brother was also a victim of the violent father who treated them both like his slave. I feel the two simply became one to get through the life they had, and turned to each other in an incestuous way. I think they both needed each other and I believe Claire needed her brother more then he needed her in the end, as he had time to get away to the Marines and realise perhaps his life wasn't as bad as he thought it was, as he had seen far worse horrors in Afghanistan then in his own life and tried to get away from her in the end. There are dark secrets to this relationship which will explain in part why Claire is so emotionally in a mess but I won't say anything as it will spoil it but there are tiny little clues if you look for them.

Claire arrives in New York and goes for an audition to a ballerina company which is virtually surviving on fresh air. She meets Paul the creative director, who sucks his dancers dry and lives in his own hell and dealing with his own demons. He is almost like a Svengali and manipulates and controls all around him and if they dare to question his methods will use his sinister influences to make their lives hell. He treats people who love him like dirt, he holds them all at arm's length because of the loss of his only love. He is cruel horrible at times, but then can turn into a mesmeric character who can get the best out of people especially when it suits him.

Claire moves in with Mia who has a mother who smothers her, Mia has an eating disorder and other issues.

We even have time in 8 episodes to meet Sergei Zelenkov. A man who loves ballet, but not a man to be trifled with. He runs a strip club where another principal dancer who is privileged and comes from a rich family Daphne moonlights and introduces Claire to this world. Claire is drawn there on several occasions when she is herself in a bad emotional place, and ends up working alongside Daphne until she realises that Sergei is running a sex slave operation and is actually working with the likes of the Russian Mob.

We also meet my favorite character in the series. The amazing Romeo who is played expertly by one Damon Herriman who has been in many films and started off in The Sullivans a successful Soap in Australia. Romeo lives under the flats the girls live he is homeless.

Romeo is a complex character perhaps an undiagnosed schizophrenic who has taken it upon himself to look after the two girls. He is also writing a book and shares this knowledge with Claire as towards the end he wants her to read it, he believes he is perhaps a soothsayer, someone who can see what is going to happen in the world, and suddenly this book is the most important thing in his life, and is entwined in the fates of the main characters.

In Episode 8 as I have mentioned above he becomes her knight in shining armour and slays the dragon as Claire had earlier told him he was the Knight as in his story he had wrote he had cast himself as the fire eating dragon, but she told him he wasn't that, he was the knight …. And by saying that Bryan her brothers fate was sealed.

The end of the series is simply amazing, not only do we see fantastic ballet but unfolding behind the scenes is horror which takes your breath away. The last scene of Claire standing looking in the mirror with Paul the director standing behind her will haunt me for a long time, the look in her eyes when she defies Paul is perfection. You can see she is finally free and curtain goes down.

I can't believe the company Starz who made this fantastic series, never continued it with a season 2, I think it would have been great to have finished off all the stories, all the other characters their stories, it would have been so easy to achieve.

WARNING. This is powerful over 18, with sexual content of a nature which may upset people.

realistic ? not

[kinetic6 · 6/10 · 17 November 2015]

I have been dancing for 50 out of the 54 years on this planet and was so excited to see Flesh and Bone . Unfortunately what could have been an opportunity to push past the sheer awfulness of "Dancing with the stars" has been squandered for salaciousness . While there is a healthy dose of competition in the dance world, By and large Dancers do not behave this way .Certainly no dancer would hit their already injured toe with a pointe shoe and if you want to know the truth the real back biting comments should come from the teacher, c'mon Tova ! put some of that fire you used as Daniell Melnik on "Law and Order" !The bright spot of this new drama though is the dancing It's good It's real and It's lovely . Some of the producers must have been former dancers as the dance casting is excellent . I wish Elizabeth Benjamin (producer/writer) on Bones US of Tara Un Real and other shows would be brought on to help with the dialogue we went to North Carolina School of the Arts together and could bring some real gravitas to the weak script. I plan on watching the season and you should too.

Can't run a company like this

[vrindaba · 1/10 · 11 November 2015]

I was a dancer in NYCB for fifteen years and I can say that there are no New York City dance companies that could survive one season with this kind of behavior. For any kind of insight into a dancers life you would do better to look to "The Last Ship". A dance company is much more like the Military than what this schlock tries to pass off as anything resembling the life of a dancer. There is no time for the kind of physical risk taking that any of these dancers displays when you have a fourteen week season and a hundred ballets to perform and perform better than anything that you have done in your life because that's how it always is every performance every class every rehearsal at a professional level is demanding everything you have and there is no room for anything other than professional focus. As far as the drama of the work it is much more than whats being shown because if you are facing a commander whose skill set is WAY above anything you have ever done its a lot more like if Glen Gould walked into a classroom situation and started throwing phrases at you to see if you could even come close to measuring up. That would be his job. And it would be yours to see if you can handle the intricacy clarity and sheer physical stamina it took to complete a passage. If you had been doing "extracurricular" crap the night before then you might as well leave before the barre started. Its a shame that there seems to not be enough drama in the fierce commitment dancers give in their lives to this art form that instead some amateurs had to turn it into a sex show. I've seen some of the greatest dancers in the world knuckle under from the stress of working in a high level company and still do it with grace and honor and they have the support as best as the rest of the company can give them because we all know what it is to try and fail every day every night and we all know that in any moment that may happen to any of us. That's the reality. The truly harsh reality of dance in America. There isn't any government support and no you can't go around selling sex to sponsors and expect to have an institution that survives. You have to give fantastically magical performances and that comes from drive sacrifice and the will to perfection. Why isn't that interesting?