TV-Shows I watched

Part of my "childhood". Someday I will marathon it maybe and then I can deduce which season is the best and so on. For now I like everything except the ending that is just utter bs.

Let the marathon begin:
Season 1: 8
I will already say this at the beginning. I consider the first five or six seasons to be the best, with the second being my favorite. All characters were fresh and charismatic. After a while you realized that some of them began to get annoying e.g. Robin. Just watch an episode of Season 1 and then one of Season 9 and tell me with a straight face, that they are the same person. Character development is always important and something good. I would say that Lilly is an example of a character that turned that much more simpathetic after the seasons went on. Robin on the other hand just kind of turned toxic. In this first season she still is calm and is dealing with some very relatable life struggles. I love that. Ted and the whole group is just such a cool bunch you would love to drink with and talk about your happenings of the last days. I know that there are many people who hate it for being a "Friends" clone. While the fact isn't wrong and there even are some episodes that steal some main ideas from the older show, I would rather hang out with the HIMYM cast then the one of Friends, sorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Moving on, this season already shines with some very great episodes. The beginning drags it a little down, but after you get in the shoes of the show, you enjoy every minute of it. I would say that Victoria was the best choice for Ted, after the mother. The ending is a great way to end the season and the unknown viewer will definetely want to know how it continues, which will be a huge satisfaction for them since the second season is the most awesome one.

(STATE: 28.02.2019)

Season 2: 9
And that kids, is why the second season is probably one of the best of the entire show. Honestly I don't remember that the series ever reached a point where it constantly remained as awesome as then. After this season many jokes, like the entire Robin Sparkles timeline were constantly reused because the season was that legen-... wait for it... -dary. Even though it's a sitcom like Friends it still has some very serious, emotional and real scenes that are too damn relatable. Even the most silly scene reminded me of a real life situation, like the episode were everyone watched the play of Lilly. I had an experience that almost played out the same, but only without a Barney at the end telling her that the play was bad. The episodes just work because, in contrast to other sitcoms there is a nice little twist in the end of it all that you don't expect. The way some stories are structured always make it a fun ride and it stays fresh.
The cast is extremely fun and likeable and it's extremely hard to even hate one of them. Even if some of them struggle or make a choice that probably is bad, it absolutely makes sense for the character to act that way. Because of that I really can't be angry about Lilly. Yes, leaving Marshall and moving to San Francisco probably was a stupid decision, but can you really blame her for trying to self-realize her painting dreams? Robin and Ted were a nice pair and they had good chemistry, I will not deny that. If the ending would have been after the third or fourth season then it still would have worked, but definetely not after the ninth.
I really can't think of one episode this season that was bad. There were always highs - no lows and it will always remain a classic for me. While the ending probably is not that surprising like the first one, it's still more then satisfying, especially with the humming of that "Sea Green, See Blue" song.
So... yeah...
the first Himym seasons > Friends.
I regret nothing. Time to move on to the later seasons, that still are great, but not as perfect as this one.

(STATE: 12.05.2019)

Season 3: 8.5
Better then the first but not as great as the second season. This rating will probably stand until the sixth season but let's wait and see.
The third season starts to build a relationship between Barney and Robin. It's a chemistry that still is very questionable, but they really make a huge effort to make it work so there is that. Also the storyline of Marshall and Lilly as newlywed doesn't get boring and you really root for them despite the whole debts they have to deal with. The relationship with Ted and Stella is extremely sweet... in this season. I would have even counted her as the best choice for Ted, if she wouldn't have fucked up that badly in Season 4, but I will come to that when the time is due. Once again some pretty funny episodes that are relatable for one or the other but not as great as in the second season. Some people complain that some ideas where once again stolen from the one and only sitcom "Friends". And while that might be true, I actually think that Himym gave it another spin and made it better that way. It's incredible to think that the show would almost have been cancelled if Britney Spears wouldn't have been there. I can only thank for that, since the later seasons are still very enjoyable. See you on the next season!

(STATE: 18.05.2019)

Season 4: 8.5
A tinsy bit better the the third season, but not good enough to be rated a nine. Still an enjoying watch which is surprising, since this, besides the second season, is one of the seasons that I rewatched the most. You only can feel bad for Ted after that season and my grudge for Stella was rearosen again. Not only for leaving Ted on the altar, but also for having the nerve to ask him, if he could get her back together with Tony. They really tried to redempt her, but after the whole "Wedding Bride" fiasco that will happen after this season my grudge only got bigger and let me feel bad, that I had shown sympathy in that car scene in the penultimate episode, for even a second. There were some funny episodes as always with some great twists and it's nice to see the direction, that Barney and Robin is headed, since it doesn't even feel forced. Nice. I only feel stupid for two things:
The first being, that I never realized that Alyson Hannigan was gone for four entire episodes. Like I said, I did rewatch the show so many times, but never noticed, that she was gone for so long. It's nice that they made the effort to give her a reason to be absent, even if the reason was pretty absurd. Peanut butter and yam...
The other thing that I realized was, that the ending twist did never feel like a twist for me at all, since we all know that Ted never meets the mother in the university, but they make a huge deal of that in the end. I wonder how I would have felt about that, if I had watched the show on time of the live release. The ending was absolutely great. Probably one of my favorites after the eighth and second season. On to the next one!

(STATE: 12.06.2019)

Season 1: 8
Season 2: 8
Season 3: 8
Season 4: 9
Season 5: 7
Season 6: 7
Season 7: 8
Season 8: 6
Great show with lots of dark humor. Watching the characters grow and interact is just amazing. The fact that everyone in the cast is fucked up in some way or another makes for some great TV. In this show I laughed until I couldn't breathe and got emotional until the tears came. I developed a strong bond with the main cast of the show which is something that rarely happens. The first seasons felt like a drug that I couldn't imagine to live without. It even achieved to change my lifestyle in a better way which should somehow be contradictory if you look at the content of the show. After some great highs and the best season - season four - finishing, it started to decrease in quality. It still was enjoyable and I think that season five had the best episode of the show overall. But the ending was sloppy and changes where made with which not everyone was happy. And while the seventh season came back with fresh ideas that I happily embraced the eighth season was such a drop in quality that I can't help but worry about the future of the show. Emmy Rossum and Cameron Monaghan - both portraying my favorite characters - are leaving the show for good. Ian got a good send off in his last episode but I still worry about Fiona. And even if her send off is going to be good I can't imagine how they can continue a show with two main characters leaving. The first half of the nintht season was alright. The best way to finish it all is to end it after this season. I just want closure and while I would love to see this show continue forever I can't imagine that they could hold on the quality long enough. I rather want it to end right now if ever. If this won't be the case and the tentht season will just be a failure I will just pretend that this show ended after season 7. An advice that everyone should follow.
(STATE: 02.11.2018)

Season 9: 7
I'm writing this after the final episode was freshly released today and I have many thoughts that I will try to convey.
First of all do many people believe that this show died after the seventh season and that the nintht reconfirmed that once again. Many watchers will outline specific scenes and begin to talk about how stupid the entire writing in one whole segment is. "Character X would never say that to Character Y" and "Welp, that came out of nowhere. The writers should get fired!".
After you watch an episode and think that it was overall decent you go to the discussion boards and get the feeling that you were the only one, that had some enjoyment while watching. Many people seem to continue this show because they got too attached with it and can't drop it anymore. But they can't handle any of it either. Do I stand on the same side?
To begin with I have to admit, that the first five episodes were kind of... different. Not because of "PoLiTiCs". It just didn't feel like classic "Shameless" episodes and there were many plot points that were introduced and build up to get some kind of impact later on. It began slow, plus Ians "Gay Jesus" Arc was just so extremely stupid that it gave you a sour feeling all the time the episodes ended. The sixth episode was a big jump and made me and also many other people both happy and sad at the same time. It felt like something out of the first four seasons again. Ians imprisonment and farewell to the Gallagher family was hard to watch and Fionas downfall made for some great shock moments. That was the turning point where the episodes began to get interesting. I was excited again, always counting down the days left for a new episode to hit. Many moments left you with goose bumps and it hurt seeing Fiona losing everything that she build up over the last few seasons. All the more sad was I, when it was time to say goodbye to her in this last episode of hers. It's cheesy but i feel kind of empty. I watched this show for all the wrong reasons and remained because I was so fascinated by Fiona and her everyday challenges of getting through life all the while taking care of her siblings and raising them up, like they were their own children. Always crying while no one was around when she was down, but then standing up again and handling the situation in some way or other. I watched her dealing with her relationships, shouting at a stupid decision she did and feeling sorry for her again, when everything seemed helpless. She always tried to achieve a better future for everyone including herself and not to end like Frank. The last episode felt like a huge relief to me. After all those years stood a woman that would leave behind the South Side and create her own future. She grew, she learned and she deserves this. That's what I think at least. Even if that farewell was kind of rushed, it achieved everything it wanted to tell. The parallels between Season 1 and Season 9, the long wished "good job" by her father and the love she had for her siblings that she couldn't leave if she had remained a second more longer. No, I don't think Jimmy/Steve was needed for this. The point of her leaving was to let behind everything, including all the love interests she had in the past and begin a new life. They left it open on where exactly she is going, but I don't think that it's to where a lover is waiting. The viewer can decide that by himself though.
I probably feel way to emotional for a scene and I'm sure that some people think that I'm giving this show way too much credit. And that's true in a way. While Lips storyline felt like a puzzle that slowly got solved by the end, in the last season, this time it just felt like a mess with plot points getting scratched but then reappearing out of nowhere. He is given a new love interest who, as of now, acted extremely awful. Her getting pregnant all of a sudden and having breast cancer means she will stick around for a while. At least she apologized to Lip and I can only hope that she will stop being a cunt now. Debbies storyline was, similar to Lips, very confusing, with too many plot points disappearing and returning, when the writers found a good opportunity. There was nothing much that made me change my opinion on her. Debbie acts with only her own interest in mind. There were some episodes where she started being nice, but immediately after that she fucked it up again, so I had difficulties feeling sorry for her, when she started crying and shouting things like "Why does nobody like me?". Kev/V's and Franks storylines were all decent enough, but nothing out of the ordinary plus you begin to wonder why Kev and V are even giving storylines anymore. They were friends of Fiona. That was the only connection there was between them. Now that she's gone it just feels like you get to see the storyline of some acquaintances. Carl seems to be the only one that had one acceptable storyline with many supbar ones inbetween. With Kelly being added to the cast there is a new character that is very likeable again. She will be sticking around which is very welcome and I'm already curious on how things will evolve, not only between them, but also all the other Gallaghers now that Fiona is finding her own way.
I'm thrilled and sad that this is already the ending. But for now I say: "Farewell, Fiona! Until next time, Gallaghers!"

(STATE: 10.03.2019)

Season 1: 7
This is Riverdale just with more alcohol, drugs, sex, crimes and being spanish. I should hate this show because I found Riverdale extremely boring and stupid but the difference between the two shows is that this one is actually sexy. All the actors are ridicolulously pretty which I probably should complain about because of unrealistic teen portrayal but who the fuck cares about that? This show is all about breaking tabus from taking off hijabs to threeway relationships between teenagers. While this show is mostly a guilty pleasure for me I found the themes of islamic culture and their pressure to be very interesting and something that more shows should tackle and while I'm not even that big of a romance guy I found the relationship between Guzmán and Nadia very wholesome and great to watch. Even Marinas character and the way she behaved made sense to me. Even though she made stupid decisions you also couldn't feel bad for her because you knew that she always had the best intentions. Things that I didn't like where mostly the protagonist Samuel who was a complete softy and his speeches that made my eyes roll. A typical good guy of every girls wet dream. Another bad thing was Polo who didn't feel like a character that was developed all that much until the end. The end twist would have been great if I could have felt any sympathy for that character. Unfortunately I didn't. I'm curious on how they will continue the plot in the second season.
(STATE: 02.11.2018)

It' very unfair to only give one rating since this is an Anthology Series and everyone has their own preferences on which season is the best and which the worst. This is my order:

1. Season 2: AHS Asylum (9)
We don't even have to discuss that. The best season of the entire show. Great characters, great plot, great twists and also a VERY satisfying and good ending.

2. Season 1: AHS Murder House (8)
I couldn't stop after I began. Highly addicting and very enjoyable. While there are people who don't agree I found the ending to be perfect for the show. The characters were alright.

3. Season 8: AHS Apocalypse (8)
It should have been called "Coven 2". This season felt like pure fanservice with dedicating an entire episode to the Murder House and fan favorite characters returning. First and foremost Constance. The excitement I had while seeing Misty, Queenie and the other witches again and Madison interacting with everyone and seeing that she actually had some development makes it just all the more better. Myrtle was a fucking savage and that made the last episode all the more hurtful. I bow before my supremes Cordelia and Mallory. May they continue to protect the Coven. The cons of this season where the fact that there just weren't enough episodes to answer all the questions and filling certain gaps. The finale didn't feel rushed but it still would have been good to have had one or two more episodes focusing on things like the relationship between Coco and Mallory or Mallorys fear of "killing" Cordelia due to her rising up as supreme. Plus the last episode reversed absolutely everything making me feel as though the most actions that were taken like releasing Moira were useless. There also were some plot holes here and there but nothing that completely ruins the experience. You should watch it after the first, third and possibly also the fifth season.
(STATE: 15.11.2018)

3. Season 7: AHS Cult (8)
This season gets so much shit. I don't get it. Yes, it doesn't have the best characters but for me it was always about the cat and mouse game between Kai and his opponents. Whenever you thought that the characters would have finally outsmarted him you got a flashback where suddenly it would be revealed that Kai had the upper hand all the time. It was extremely enjoyable to watch. Other people complain about the politics which makes my eyes roll. Just watch the season and be amazed with what you get. Period.

4. Season 3: AHS Coven (7)
Overall great season. I don't know why but the fact that it all played in New Orleans made it all the more fascinating to me. My problem with this season was the fact that in the second part of it didn't really know where to go and what to do. The fact that suddenly some characters got killed off in the last episode felt pretty random but it's still watchable and enjoyable.

5. Season 5: AHS Hotel (7)
It honestly isn't the worst thing I have seen. Even though it's in the penultimate place it still was a well constructed season with all plot points getting entwined and ending beautifully in the last episode. It probably even has the best characters of the entire show including people like Liz Taylor and Iris. Even Lady Gagas performance was good. The only reason why this season is that low is because there isn't that much tension that gets you hooked on TV. You don't feel the need to continue that fast and there are many things that you don't understand at first. Still it's decent and watchable.
(STATE: 13.12.2018)

6. Season 4: AHS Freak Show (6)
God, this season didn't know what it wanted to do. It was so well shot and felt so creative with its ideas but didn't really make something with them. I couldn't take the serial killer seriously and I don't know why they decided to introduce a new character in the last episodes since he really didn't have any relevance to the plot. The fact that almost the entire cast gets shot in the last episode makes it that much more confusing. The only thing that I really loved was the Pepper storyline. Great stuff, but nothing that can hold an entire season.

I still need to watch "AHS:Hotel" and "AHS: Roanoke" but my assumptions are that Hotel is going to be the worst season while Roanoke is going to be on the fourth or fifth place.
From the eight episodes that I watched from "AHS: Apocalypse" I think that it goes between Murder House and Cult for being good fan service.

(STATE: 02.11.2018)

"The Pre-Friends Arc"
Season 1: 8
The beginning of a show that would last for a decade. Since it's the first season everything still is pretty geeky and it's always funny to get the perspective of the nerd team. The whole season actually only focused on the romance between Leonard and Penny and how he finally gets to date her in the end. Sheldon carries the whole show with his unique personality. He definetely would be pretty annoying if he existed in real life but for TV entertainment he is perfect. The only thing that already bothers me though is the laugh track that already seems to be obnoxious which makes me nervous since it's only going to get worse from here on out.

(STATE: 06.01.2019)

Season 2: 8
I took more time to finish this season but it was still an amusing ride. The only problem is that many of the jokes kind of got old since the shows reruns kind of ruined it for me. If I would have watched it without any prior knowledge there would be much more amusement while watching. The laugh tracks still are annoying but I guess I'm starting to get used to it since I'm watching the show regularly now. Every episode that revolved around Sheldon or typical nerd antics where fun to watch while all the romance episodes between Leonard and Penny got kind of annoying after a while. I probably should think that Leonard is some kind of "cute nerd" that you can't get angry at. But in my opinion he seems like a sulky guy that just can't move on from Penny. There is a situation where he is in a relationship with a woman and you would think that he finally would have forgotten about Penny but then he begins to throw a tantrum after she dates Stewart. What the heck? These are probably just little tid bits that wouldn't even stand out much but after watching this show so many times it really feels like a weird thing. Anyhow funny season.

(STATE: 29.01.2019)

Season 3: 8
Things are starting to head to the "Friends" direction. My thoughts haven't changed much since the last two seasons and there are enough episodes with interesting themes that make the time you spent on the show funny enough, but the laugh track is annoying as always. Since I have literally no investment in the relationship of Leonard and Penny I couldn't have cared less when they broke up. I don't even understand the people that say that they have good chemistry. He literally only wants to be together with her because of her looks and she kind of exploits him to pay for her rent and other needs. That's how I see it at least. Amy and (the Season 3-6) Bernadette are introduced and are a nice add to the overall cast, even if they aren't yet series regulars. There were enough nerdy moment, which will apparently cease to be in the later seasons... yeah right. Still strong season.

(STATE: 17.03.2019)

Season 4: 7.5
The whole main cast is finally in the show. They are great additions (for a few seasons) and really build a great dynamic by hanging out with Penny. I also like how Amy is very stuck up at the beginning and slowly begins to open up to Bernadette and Penny and has fun to spend time with them, finally doing all things she never could when she was younger, may they be stupid or ridiculous. The reason why the rating is a bit lower is the fact that the entire relationship with Priya was extremely stupid. I get that they wanted to show that Penny still has some feelings for Leonard, but why would Priya even want to date a guy like Leonard? It's obvious for him, since he only thinks about looks, but there is no reasoning for her. She finds everything about nerd culture annoying and stupid, even Penny made more attempts to show interest in the things her boyfriend does. She tries to change his appearance and they just don't click in general. I get that they are trying to squeeze in all the laugh tracks they can, but there is just that much of it that I can handle. Except for that a pretty nice season and the next season probably is the beginning of the "Friends Arc" since Howard and Bernadette will marry in that one.

(STATE: 8.05.2019)

"The Friends Arc"

Season 5: 7.5
Yup, it pretty much turned into a relationship sitcom, with every main character having some love issues and Bernadettes and Howards marriage happening. Some other episodes took the time to point out the nerdier side of the characters once again and you can still laugh about one joke here and there. I have to be honest though, I could never binge this show from this point on anymore. It kind of lost its magic from here on out, which is funny, since I watched a lot of Season 6 as a kid though.
Leonard was meh. He loses Priya, which is great, since their relationship felt plastic anyway and once again, instead of moving on, he gives Penny another shot. They are... fine? They don't really feel romantic at all. That spotlight would really go to Bernadette and Howard, that will probably never look as happy as in this and maybe the next season anymore. They really match... I would laugh to say, but the whole mother obsession of Howards is just getting ridiculous and somewhat creepy at times. Same goes for Leonards obession for Penny. Sheldon and Amy are fine... in their own respective ways. I feel like Amy would really benefit from ending her relationship with Sheldon and find someone else. She really is taking a lot of baby steps and composure that I could never have, Amy already made her development and it will probably continue. Same thing is visible with Sheldon too, but he is just a lot slower. That's what I could appreciate from the later seasons too, Develoment is evident in the show, but there are just a LOT of bad jokes that overshadow that. It's still couch entertainment for a few laughs. Leonard is stoopid for his marriage proposal and good for Howard for his NASA mission into space. He really is going ways I never would have expected him to go at first. The rest is classic If-I'm-lazy-I-watch-this-on-TV entertainment.

(STATE: 13.06.2020)

Season 6: 7
Now to the season of my childhood and I'm honestly surprised that I was able to binge it as much as I could in the former days. It's still not horrible and I still think that people are overexaggerating when they state that it turned abysmal at this point, but I can see that people would rather watch something else now. The comedy isn't as clever as it was in the first seasons and most of the comedy consists of the main group being very bad boyfriends/fiancés/singles. Them being nerds really is getting more and more into the background, which is fine, since I still think that it makes sense in the broader sense of the story, but it kind of takes the magic away from what it made them interesting in the first place. Now it's more like the audience is laughing because Sheldon has no understanding on how to treat people and is saying very insulting things to shock the viewers. He was dense, but never that dense. Plus it's very unrealistic that Amy would really hold him as long as she is doing, since there are moments where I doubt that anyone would stay there for Sheldon. This season he didn't make much development either. He only pointed out that it MIGHT could get sexual between him and Amy in the future after Penny asks him, but that's about it. If the biggest thing that I can hype up about is the fact that two fictional characters could get sexual in following seasons then I really have to rethink my priorities in what is important for me in a TV-Show. Another thing that lasted for a few episodes is his hiring of a female grad student that hits on Leonard. She never really has any role besides that, but I guess it was still important to ground the relationship between Leonard and Penny more. Except for that she never was mentioned again though and left, for things that Sheldon probably did. It still came a little bit out of left field but whatever.
Raj is still alone and cries about it. I would want to feel pity for him if he wouldn't act like an asshole the moment he immediately seems to hit it off again. All of that for some cheap laughs in the background that I can't hear anymore. Him and Lucy would have been a great pairing since they worked well together, but then he fucked it up again by pushing her, which might not be out of character, but you would think that after all of that time he would have learned something, but apparently not. Maybe I'm also looking too much into a sitcom, since the main goal is only to make me laugh, which admittedly worked here and there. Plus he can talk to women without alcohol now. Nice. Only took half of the show for him to finally do it. Development really is slow.
Howard and Bernadette were decent too, except for one or two moments where he said some pretty stupid things without thinking, but he still behaves a lot more grounded now and finally lives together with Bernadette. To think that he would be the first of the group to have a steady life is surprising, but when it comes to doing householdwork he still is behaving like a child and I do remember that this never changes. Plus Bernadette begins to act mean from here on out. Oh boy!
Leonard was surprisingly nice. I always complained about him wanting to be in a relationship with Penny for her looks and while that might still be one factor it really felt like he wanted to share his interests and do stuff together. Be a bit more grounded in general. Plus, he had the opportunity to get it on with someone else, who was also pretty attractive and he didn't even notice how she was hitting on him. Made me laugh out loud. He also put his priorities on his friends again and made me realize that he didn't try to neglect his friends, even doing a christmas D&D session for Sheldon, which was a cute sentiment. He still has his moments where he acts like an idiot, for some cheap laughs, but except for that it was fine. Penny confessed her love for Leonard and finally admitted her commitment issues. That was all. The following seasons will probably have the seperate girls and boys group doing their shenanigans and interacting as a group here and there.
I doubt that it will really get any better then now and if you don't want to waste your time you might as well could stop watching now, since nothing extremely out of the ordinary will happen. The relationships will stay the same, Stuart will never get more important then now and except for Emily and the Oscar of Amy and Sheldon it's all about getting married/ getting kids, which could be boring for some people. You really must love the characters to have any commitment in moving on, but I digress. I'll still try to end this show, but it most definetely is not my highest priority. A higher rating then 7 will probably not happen anymore except if something strikes me as extremely funny, which I doubt. Bye for now!

Season 7-9: bad
I forgot to update this, since I started to watch this casually with my friend if we wanted to critisize something, which speaks volumes to the quality of the later seasons. It just got pretty bad, with jokes that just aren't funny, but an audience that laughs either way and god, they laugh so hard my ears start hurting whenever one line of dailogue is dropped. Sometimes there is no context and they make some long winded joke that is a reference to some shit nobody has heard of, but they still laugh with a volume of 200%. So that's pretty annoying, but you know who also got annoying? Sheldon. Like, they gave him some pretty insulting lines. He was not able to have a decent dialogue without "accidentally" hurting someone with his words, but hey, as long as there are some laughs. The only good thing I saw through this is that Amy broke up with him, since she is one of the few who actually has some development. She still is in the sidetracks most of the time, but at least you get the feeling that she grew up in her own way through the encounters with Penny and Bernadette, which at least is something. Penny x Leonard is bad. They have no chemistry, them marrying feels so weird and there literally is nothing that connects them, but since Leonard always had his interest in Penny, it was clear that they would go that direction. On a side note, I COULD have been fine with that, but they wrote them so awful that you just can't root for them.
Furthermore Bernadette gets real mean, which I already mentioned, but my friend reminded me that Howard was pretty bad too, so in a way they do match each other I guess. Raj is Raj. His relationship with Emily could... have had potential(?) from what I've seen it was fine, but I have seen better too. Amy and Sheldon probably is the best in all that rubbish since they grow through that relationship and become better people, but yeah... Sheldon is still exhausting... and the jokes aren't funny anymore. The sense of direction also seems pretty much lost and I wouldn't have cared anymore. And what's up with Stewart? Why is he so creepy and depressed all of a sudden? He wasn't like that when he got introduced, and if then it was still pretty mild and with taste. Seasons 7 through 9 really upped the scales on him and now he behaves in a very uncomfortable manner. Sometimes there are some comments from his side, where you just cringe at the screen, because he says something that is way to inapproriate, but I've got to be fair, sometimes it was so cringy that I had to laugh again LOL.

(STATE: 14.07.2020)
Another show that is part of my "childhood". Funnily enough I'm one of the few people who would give the earlier seasons from 1-3 a rating of about 7 while giving the later seasons a rating of 8. Many people complain that the show started to feel more like a love comedy then anything nerdy because of everyone getting a girlfriend. Seems like something natural to me. They still are nerdy but are starting to worry about their relationships and living their lifes with their significant other. It would be pretty weird if they still would prefer to sit on their couch and have a D&D session. The only thing I can agree with is the fact that the laugh track gets abnoxious in the later seasons but I could somehow ignore it or maybe I got used to it. Plus Bernadette turned into a beast. Maybe I will marathon this someday again.

(STATE: 02.11.2018)

Season 1: 7
Ok look. I know many people will be flabbergasted and angry that I only gave the first season an "7" but I have my reasons. Some may be a little bit selfish but after all this is a personal rating.
First is the fact that it's kind of annoying when everyone is telling, BEGGING you to watch this INCREDIBLE show that will change your opinions of television forever. Not only are your expectations getting all that more higher the more people tell you to watch it but you get afraid of the fact that you may not like it. The pressure of disappointing everyone who told you to watch it and them still trying to make the show likeable to you is just annoying. People want you to have THE BEST EXPERIENCE while watching it. You should watch it with original voices/ You should call them after an episode to ask them any questions that you have so they can answer them and make everything clear/ You should only watch this show because watching more then one series will make you lose focus on this show. Are you serious?
For one I'm a guy who just wants to relax and enjoy while watching something. If I have to concentrate while there are some specific scenes that's fine but this entire show is so rich with world building/families/characters/cultures and whatnot that it's very easy to lose track and you are almost FORCED to take notes. Sure, that means the world is "breathing" and you also could just go with the flow and still get most of it but I'm someone who gets already nervous when I don't remember which characters Ned Stark liked and which he hated. Plus - and that's really just a personal thing - I'm really not a big fan of middle age stories. I don't mind them but I have the feeling I can't get into them as much as others can.
Still after all that is said and done I really would be a monster if I would actually say that this show is "bad". All story lines were great and give good possibilities for future revelations. I'm very excited how all this stories will entwine. All characters are written very well - be it a villain or not. Unfortunately I wasn't shocked when Ned was executed because that plot point was already spoiled to me. The revelations on the end were amazing though. I'm excited on how these things will continue in Season 2.

(STATE: 24.11.2018)

Season 2: 6.5
I know that by now every fan of Game of Thrones will hate me but hey... different tastes make us human. Plus people swear that "Season 3 is where everything picks up!!!". I mean... I hope that it's the case but I think it actually just has to do with me not being able to enjoy the show because that's how it is sometimes. After all if the statement that it begins to be good by
the third season is true then I don't understand why I should waste so much time to actually get to the good stuff. One thing that I obviously can't complain about is the world that was build. Every aspect of it makes it feel more real and I have huge respect to George R. R. Martin to create something so big and epic. Yet again it makes it so much more difficult to follow the entire history. Many people already told me I probably would have to rewatch the first seasons to fully understand it which makes it all the more annoying to me. In my opinion, and I say that because I know how many people will disagree with me after I say it, I should have read the books before watching anything of the show. The show just keeps on going expecting me to understand everything while books take their time to explain everything in a cohesive manner. Moving on I thought after Season 1 already introduced a bunch of characters this one would be more relaxing with new characters...which was the worst deduction I ever had in my entire life. Yes, I did understand mostly everything important that happened in this season and yet I still feel confused. I think this season is worse then the first since it's mostly just politics and war strategy talk. Nothing really happened that made me feel shocked. Yeah, I was surprised that Theon betrayed the Stark family but I probably didn't get a heart attack like how many others seem to have gotten. Plus what even was this "shadow" creature that just randomly appeared and killed Renly? I was more confused then shocked about this scene. And no, the battle scene in the end doesn't save this season. Yes, I liked it and got goosebumps at the end but it doesn't carry the whole show like some people seem to believe. Not even the Daenerys storyline had something interesting. I understand, why all of this happens and it makes sense on a surface level but nothing of it makes me be glued on the TV how other people seem to be. Why should I?
I like some characters more now and others I hate but I'm still not feeling that much attachment to them that I could be heartbroken when one of them would die. I honestly don't believe that will happen but everyone SWEARS that I will feel sad on some point...yeah right. The cliffhanger at the end was interesting and I will watch the third season (because it's not like I have another choice).

I really hope that I will begin to enjoy this show at some point but I think that some people are just in denial that there could exist some people that just don't find this show interesting.

(STATE: 04.01.2019)

Season 3: 7.5
And that was Season 3 of Game Of Thrones. Almost nine months after the last season. This presumbly is supposed to be the season where everything would begin to pick up. I disagree, which doesn't mean that this season is bad, but - to make this story short - there was the Red Wedding. A very infamous scene of the entire show, which everyone was shocked about, including me. But except for that this season continues to have some storylines that catch me and others that just don't. That the deaths of three Stark generations will result into some very serious consequences is something I'm already looking up to. Now let me talk about the several storylines that taked place in this ten episodes.

Let's begin with the storyline of Robb, Talisa and Catelyn since we won't be seeing much of them anymore. I have to be honest: I wasn't very invested when the season began. No, I don't hate Robb and actually still understood all his choices that he made, except maybe the marriage of Edmure Tully, where he seriously almost forced him to marry Roslin Frey, after he himself didn't do it even tough Walder Frey asked him to. His storyline consisted of so many war strategies and doing the right choices to win against Thywin, but I didn't really care for any of them. Like I said I'm not that much of an enthusiast when it comes to wars and let me be honest: After this season I have already decided who I want to see on the throne at the end of it all: Daenerys. Even after saying all of that I obviously was totally heartbroken after the Red Wedding took place. I already knew that something would happen... but not that. I still can't handle the losses and the violence of it all. They even killed the baby of Talisa, my god. So while I wasn't that invested in the story, I was with the characters and that was all which was needed!
Moving on another storyline which - to be completely honest - was one of the most boring ones on this season, was the one from Jon Snow. It wasn't even like the plot was complicated or hard to follow but half of it consisted of a love story between him and Ygritte. None of it made sense to me. Why would Snow fall in love with her? No seriously, why? I don't care about appearances, but if I would have sworn to be a member of the Night Watch and then - through the same happenings as Snows - would meet her, I would be SO annoyed by her inferiority speeches. When Ygritte opened her mouth, it was only to declare how extremely great she and her birth place and how stupid Jon Snows Night Watch was, as if she had to prove him something. I'm not saying that it doesn't make sense for her to behave like that, but I don't understand why I should root for her... at all. The only thing that was slightly interesting, was seeing Jon being on a conflict with himself, not knowing if he should join Ygritte and her group or return to the Night Watch, but that's all. The conclusion didn't even feel satisfying and I didn't feel sad, when they both had to break up. I'm actually happy about that. I hope I don't see her anymore.
Aryas storyline was fine. I still love her as a character but it felt like a rinse and repeat. She wanted to go into one direction with her friends, but then gets captured by some other people. She bids one friend farewell and moves on, but gets caught by someone else again. It was good to see their friends finding their way in life, but I had to roll my eyes after she was captured for the third time - this time by Sandor. But from then it really picked up and I can only feel sorry for her, after she pretty much has to deal with the fact, that yet again several Stark family members have lost their life. Let's see how it goes from here.
Jaimes and Briennes storyline was great until the end. Much of it I didn't see coming and their chemistry was great. I don't really have anything else to add, eccept that they really make it difficult for me to hate Jaime after everything that happened this season including the loss of his hand. I'm only curious where it goes from here for those two.
I love Margaery Tyrells character and storyline. She really has control of Joffrey like no one else did and I hope she knows how to use it. The fact that she tries to create a good future for Sansa is lovely and I like it how she slowly begins to grow popularity in Kings Landing. They better not kill her off. Same thing for Tyrion who remains one of the best Lennisters. Thywin is an asshole and I only hope the best for his and Shaes future. Lastly Olenna Tyrell is a savage. Please more scenes with her.
I don't feel much for Theon Greyjoy except pity. His entire storyline of this season consisted of torture and getting castrated at the end. He feels sorry for what he did on the last season and I can see that. That this will end soon enough.
Brans storyline was decent. Him learning the warg powers by Jojen and Meera Reet was fine but nothing extraordinary to be honest.
One thing I definetely rooted all the time for was Daenerys storyline. It was the definition of epic and a huge step up from last season. Everything is coming to pieces perfectly and I can't wait for her to set in direction to Westeros. This throne belongs to her and I can't wait to see her conquer it.

From all three seasons I enjoyed this one the most. That, I can agree on, but I still don't think that Game of Thrones will ever be one of my favorite shows. When speaking of the general quality of all storylines, then yes, they are all good, but unfortunately none of them really entertain me. I got the feeling like there were several moments, where this show wanted me to be shocked, but I just wasn't. I will probaby have a storyline on each season that will catch me and others that just won't. When an important character will die, then I will most likely be surprised for a moment, but I'll still sleep in peace about it, in contrast to a friend of mine that couldn't after watching the Red Wedding. That's just how it is, so I won't force myself to keep on watching it. I will enjoy it on my pace without anyone forcing me to and people have to accept that. Until next time, which will hopefully not be in another nine moths!

(STATE: 25.09.2019)

Yet again an Anthology Series so opinions on which episodes are the best will differ from person to person. My order goes like this:

1. Season 3: Episode 3 "Shut Up and Dance" (9)
Look. This episode was just perfect. Everything. The beginning, the build up, the ending. The tension that just didn't go away and the nervousness that kept you on edge. The acting is just phenomenal. Everything feels so real that you get uncomfortable about the entire situation and just want it all to end. If you think about it, this would be the nearest thing from all Black Mirror episodes, that could happen to someone. Before you even get to think how this could end, you get faced with one huge shock at the end, and can't believe that you didn't catch all the hints that were scattered throughout the episode. That makes it all that much more striking to you. Still I just can't give it a "10" since the subject matter isn't really that creative compared to all the other episodes and while the morale is simple but striking I get the feeling that they could have found a better way to get their message of "cyberbullying" across.
I actually took a break from Black Mirror because I couldn't handle all the subject matter that I was confronted with. Since the fifth season was coming soon I planned to continue my binging, but this episode shocked me in a way that I need a break again. That's tough.

2. Season 3: Episode 1 "Nosedive" (9)
At first I was scared that the premise would be handled very superficial but I couldn't have been more wrong with how the direction of the episode went. As always a pretty cool idea, probably the best, as of now because it really shows an interesting perspective on social media gone wrong. Yet again one of the episodes where you are glued on the screen again. If you want to start the show strong I would highly recommend to go with this one.

3. Season 1: Episode 3 "The Entire History of You" (9)
Wow. This episode used its idea to the fullest and explored it in ways that I never would have imagined. Honestly I'm very sad that the premise is only for one episode since the idea could hold up for an entire show. It got me hooked right at the beginning. Just great.

4. Season 1: Episode 1 "The National Anthem" (8.5)
The Prime Minister gets threatened to fuck a pig or else the Princess - a member of the Royal Family - will get killed.
The plot sounds extremely stupid but it's incredible how realistic the entire premise was carried out. You can't stop watching and the nearer it gets to the conclusion the more excited and curious you get on how everything will be wrapped up. The end doesn't disappoint but it could have been more clear what the exact statement of the threatener was. While there are people who strongly disagree I think it was a great episode.

5. Season 3: Episode 4 "San Junipero" (8.5)
Honestly. How the hell does Charlie Brooker come up with all those ideas? Every episode is so different yet it feels like he comes up with all those extremely cool ideas in a matter of seconds. The idea of San Junipero being an simulated reality for deceased but also older people that deal with euthanasia is yet again very creative. I was very happy with how everything was resolved in the end. This was a big relief after "Shut Up and Dance". It made you believe that a good ending can still exist for everyone. Season 3 as of now seems to be the best season so far and I can't wait for what awaits me next.

6. Season 2: Episode 4 "White Christmas" (8.5)
The episode that is rated the highest on ImDB. I can certainly see why. It's an episode that is constructed like a puzzle with each piece being put together nicely resulting with all questions answered by the end of it. There were some new ideas again that were kind of cool but reminded me too much of different shows. But that's just a personal thing. Good way to end the second season.

7. Season 5: Episode 2 "Smithereens" (8.5)
Probably the best episode of the fifth season. While I didn't watch the Miley Cyrus one yet, I doubt that it will top this one and I'm very disappointed, that no one seems to talk about this episode at all. Everyone rather complains that there was not a huge emphasis on the Sci-Fi element and that the technology that's used compares to the one we have right now... but that's the joke that no one seems to get. This episode - much like "Shut Up and Dance" - deals with technology or events, that are already happening. The algorithms driven to optimize for addiction, that's one huge point that the episode is dealing with but somehow everyone just misunderstands it with "texting & driving".
I for one loved this one. It had a similar touch to "The National Anthem" and kept you interested on how the entire deal would end, when everything is over. We even got to show empathy for Chris who is supposed to be the villain of the story. I at least, wanted him to survive, so it's more then frustrating, when you know that someone was shot, but you don't get the satisfaction to know if it was Chris or Jaden. Rather the credits cut to a montage of people checking their Smithereens app, reading the news of this terrifying incident—and presumably the outcome. Billy looks upset, but then resumes his silent retreat. Business as usual. One by one, we see strangers checking their phones, seemingly being notified that at least one man has been killed after what the audience has witnessed as an intense and unsettling ordeal, but they barely respond to the update. It’s just noise. They move on with their day. Indeed, this is the point. We as a society have become so desensitized to violence — and gun violence especially — that we get these alerts of these horrific events, but then just go on about our day. The constant notifications for everything from a new movie trailer to a celebrity going to rehab all mesh together, to the point that a notification regarding a real-life tragedy simply blends in. There’s no delineation, and there’s no onus on us to do anything but clear the notification and move on.
Yet after all those things are considered, everyone still tells me, this would be a bad episode. I can't believe it. Just watch this gem!

8. Season 4: Episode 4 "Hang the DJ" (8.5)
A matchmaking system in Black Mirror style. This was a romance story that reminded me of "San Junipero" a bit. It's incredible how they achieved to write characters that didn't even have some sort of back story. The chemistry they had together was very convincing and extremely sweet. As always the idea they went with was top-notch and the twist was just perfect. The show ends with a determination that love finds a way and overcomes all odds. This is an encouragement for all to persevere in their relationship instead of giving up for a "perfect one" they say might be out there. Find someone you love and can live happily with.
While all of that was pretty cool I found the drama here and there a bit forced. Like, how Amy got worked up about Frank watching at the time limit. Plus it had SHORT parts where it dragged on too much in my opinion. A great watch nonetheless.

9. Season 2: Episode 2 "White Bear" (8)
Man. You felt real pain after all questions where answered and you saw the same person get tortured again and again for the same crime she probably doesn't even remember anymore. Getting so worked up about a fictional story is an achievement. The fact that people evolved an amusement of her suffering makes for a powerful message of our society that can go as far as dehumanise someone if they truly believe they are in the right. My only problem was the protagonist that cried in the entire episode. It probably made sense in specific situations, but in some it felt forced, like she cried anyway so the ending sequence could be a bit more crushing. Watch it if you can handle torture.

10. Season 4: Episode 1 "USS Calister" (8)
By mistake it's the first episode i watched from the show. Thank you Netflix!
Still I was presented with an extremely cool idea which almost got me glued on my monitor. While you don't have to be a fan of Sci-Fi shows like Star Trek I'm sure it would bring you an extra smile on your face for every little reference that is made. Overall a pretty nice story even if it was slightly cliché at the end and a good start for the show even if it probably wasn't supposed to be.

11. Season 4: Episode 6 "Black Museum" (8)
Excellent episode and a great way to wrap up the fourth season. Not only was this a very emotional one, but also filled with many ususual Sci-Fi elements again. Still I lowered my rating since one of these ideas resembled a bit of some other episodes and wasn't THAT unique. Cool nonetheless obviously. The way the things were connected at the end was marvelous. While it kind of reminded me of "White Christmas" how every story connected at the end, I think that it was executed a bit better here. The fourth season in general had some pretty good episodes, but none of them really stood out for me to be honest. Still a great start which I don't regret.

12. Season 4: Episode 3 "Crocodile" (7.5)
Why does no one talk about this episode? I mean, sure, it takes some time to really get going but then it really is intriguing, but one of the more sickening episodes of Black Mirror. The fact that one crime leads to a woman slowly throwing out all morality in an effort to keep her name clean was very uncomfortable and you kept saying things like "stop!" or "you can't do this!". The technological twist for this storyline was interesting as well and I liked how they incorporated that here. Still, it could have been much better if not for two mistakes:
1. While the actress does an amazing job on acting out her role, it really doesn't make much sense that she could push and kill a man twice her weight with unusual ease. The plan was for the character to be male, but after Andrea Riseborough read the script she really wanted to have the role, which in itself isn't bad, but then they should have found other ways for her to kill her victims, since human defensive instincts still exist. No one would roll up in a fetal position after the car doesn't start running etc.
2. The friggin guinea pig. Are you serious? You want to tell me that her work was useless since that stupid pet saw everything? There are people who got something to smell of and music that was played at that time where the car accident happened, but still couldn't quite make a picture of the scene but that pig somehow remembered the exact face of the killer. Yeah right, I doubt that.
If not for that this really is a great episode. Go watch it!

13. Season 3: Episode 6 "Hated in the Nation" (7.5)
It was fun to follow the killing crimes with Karin and Blue. Honestly if any of the stories should be executed as TV-Series I would definetely recommend this as the one they should get it on with. The chemistry between the main character and her assistant was incredible. Still... the crime itself, while very futuristic and typical for a Black Mirror episode, felt very silly. Then there are other nitpicks like the fact that the guy in the police department seriously posted the hashtag on this personal twitter account. What the heck? He risked the safety of the entire police. Plus the NCA agent that pushed the button after Karin explicitly told him what it would do. My enjoyment still got the better of me though and I think that the third was the best season as of now.

14. Season 5: Episode 3 "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" (7.5)
Woah, wait. Why does this episode have the worst rating of all from Black Mirror? There is some sort of message talking about pressure in the music industry and how Miley- uh I mean Ashley is oppressed by her aunt. Okay, yeah I have to admit, this episode felt more like a Disney Movie with swear words, then a real Black Mirror episode, but not every episode has to go that dark. What's with "San Junipero"? It had a good ending as well, but I don't see anyone talking shit about that. Plus the first half of the episode sets up the entire premise nicely and had potential to make this episode one of the best of the season. Only the second half kind of fell flat for some reason, but I wholly enjoyed the ride. I was worried that Miley Cyrus would make me cringe with her acting, but she actually did a pretty good job, when you consider that she acted out four different roles. That's more then impressive. I can understand that this will probably not be the most popular episode in the history of Black Mirror, but you can still watch it and get hooked very fast in my opinion. Give it a chance! This unfortunately already was the last episode of the fifth season. I may watch "Bandersnatch" someday, but for now I'll wait for the sixth season to come out. I'm a bit sad that it's already over, but I hope that Charlie Brooker will amaze us again.

15. Season 4: Episode 2 "Arkangel" (7.5)
The beginning of the episode was stellar. I was intrigued by the entirety of the idea of parental guidance. After we got a glimpse of how the entire "Arkangel" system worked my anticipation of what's to come and how they would work with the idea got me curious, but the ending was pretty predictable. It's not a bad episode at all but it's a little bit frustrating since they could have made so much more with this episode but didn't use it to their fullest potential. Sad.

16. Season 4: Episode 5 "Metalhead" (7.5)
Once again this is an episode that many don't seem to like and to which I ask myself: why though?
It was one of the more experimental episodes but I really think it paid of and the tension was unbereable. The writers did leave many questions open so the viewer could interpret them themselves. One thing I will agree on though is, that it felt pretty stupid that the entire episode really only focused on the chase between the woman and that robo-dog. Yeah, the tension was there, but I would have liked the episode to focus on other things too, but somehow they thought that, that wouldn't be necessary. While still good, it's a shame.

17. Season 3: Episode 2 "Playtest" (7.5)
Even the most decent episode in my eyes can be extremely enjoyable in the eyes of others. Many people describe this episode as the best of the entire show. I don't see it though. Before I get to the point that bothers me I will point out that as always the whole idea is very nice and as a gamer obviously all the more watchable. What got on my nerves is the fact that they honestly went with the fake ending twice. That's one of the most annoying TV-Tropes of all time. While Black Mirror uses it to enlighten the viewer of all fears that the main character has and to show how scary the game is you got frustrated after they went with the trope a second time. It's like they didn't knew how they could end it and it honestly feels like something you already saw in another movie. But I feel like that's a personal nit-pick and people overall like this episode. Maybe there will be some who can enjoy it more then me. It definetely isn't bad and should be seen.

18. Season 1: Episode 2 "Fifteen Million Merits" (7.5)
Many people prefer the second episode over the first and I can understand that the premise was pretty interesting. Still it all seemed pretty superficial. People can be manipulated, but I don't think it would ever go that far. The fact that the protagonist would stop fighting against the system at the end was very frustrating and going against all his ideas that he build up through the months. Yet it doesn't stop this episode from being creative and full of cool ideas. Definetely worth a watch.

19. Season 2: Episode 1 "Be Right Back" (7)
While the idea in itself obviously is good it feels kind of lackluster if you compare it to the other episodes. You already can see the statement miles away. It's nothing entirely new and you probably will already have read or seen it in a different medium. It still makes for some good drama.

20. Season 5: Episode 1 "Striking Vipers" (7)
What the fuck was going on in this episode? I'm so confused right now, that I don't even know, what to say about all this, but I'll try my best.
So first things first it's not like I found the idea behind VR-sex to be completely stupid. There actually seem to already have been people who made similar experiences in this time, where VR hasn't even reached those limits yet, but it would have been way nicer to think about things like if VR-sex could be considered cheating and the likes. But instead we focused on the drama part of it and watched how Danny and his wife get into a huge conflict since she thinks he doesn't love her anymore. Then there is the question if Danny and Karl are gay or if they just like the experience. Honestly... there are themes that interested me more then this. Plus the way that everything was resolved felt a bit crazy since his wife allows him to have virtual sex, while she gets it on with some REAL people. Why didn't they talk about that? Would have been way more interesting in my opinion, but oh well. The personal enjoyment was there at least. Maybe you'll like it too.

21. Season 3: Episode 5 "Men Against Fire" (7)
It's not bad, but it's not all that great either. For one the twist wasn't that groundbreaking since it's revealed after you kind of begin to understand how the entire premise even works. It definetely would have been way more surprising if there would have been more time to establish on the story, maybe in the ways of a TV-Series or full-length movie. Even if the idea is cool as always you more or less get to see it in similar formats in other mediums. Still watchable.

22. Season 2: Episode 3 "The Waldo Moment" (6.5)
I understand what they were trying with this episode but the entire story felt just way too simplistic to work and dumbed down. When you compare it to the other episodes of the show this one just feels very lackluster. This is just my opinion and there are people who think it's a good presentation of things that could happen in the near future.

Season 1: 8.5
This show is more then hilarious and there are too many times where you really need to stop the episode because you have to breathe some air before continuing. Most of it is just perfect and it's my humuor even if there probably are people who will not laugh on one or other scene. All episodes had a cool idea and stood out in a way. Plus every character is great, Rick obviously being the best one in a long shot. The reason why it's impossible for me to give a nine or ten is the fact that it doesn't have much continuity. Sure they will reference some things but it's always a different story in every episode. There will be no cliffhanger or any story revelations that will lead to character development, which is a pity. There still are many fucked up scenes, like the one where Rick and Morty go to a dimension where they accidentally died and hide their corpses to replace their roles, but nothing of it will make the character grow, only reference.
I highly regret to see it only now and can only recommend it, escpecially if you are stoned.

(STATE: 20.12.2018)

Season 2: 8.5
Holy shit. This show truly doesn't stop being amazing and funny. The ideas are once again all pretty genius first and foremost "Total Rickall" and before you know it you already have finished a season. It even went off with a bang with the last episode and I'm relieved that I at least have the opportunity to watch the third season without having to wait for it. I take back what I said about continuity in the first season because it looks like there is going to be a huge shift with what I saw in the end. There even is some character development with Morty and Summer which is just awesome. There is one weak episode with "Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate". Even if the idea that someone talks and you just animate every bizzare scene he describes is funny it all just seems to random to work. Still a god damn great show.

(STATE: 28.12.2018)

Season 3: 9
It keeps getting darker and better. Season 3 really upped their game with their ideas and after my friend told me that the next episode would be the last, I looked at her in disbelief. It couldn't be possible that a season could end that fast. Unfortunately it did and now I'm frustrated that I have to wait until the end of the year before the new season hits. The season was perfect, starting of with the first episode that went from one surprise to the next. I didn't expect them to go through the divorce of Beth and Jerry and am also happy that there seems to be a big plan on the way on the side of Evil Morty. Many of the episodes just left you speechless with an open mouth at the end of it. The only problem I had with it was the ending that just wasn't that impressing in comparison to the second season. I highly await the fourth season to finally hit.

(STATE: 02.01.2019)

Season 1: 7
I'm sure that's a rating many would not agree with (especially now that I realize that I gave it a higher rating then the second season of Game of Thrones...oof) but I want to explain that.
Firstly this show really isn't that bad like how the entire media is telling it is. Sure, it has it's problems but Fat Shaming definetely isn't one of it.
Another thing that people don't seem to realize is that it's mostly satire. So many people are complaining about things like the entire character of Regina that would be over the top in mostly all situations...yeah... that was the joke. It's dark and it makes fun about everything. And I love it for that since I don't have a stick in my ass.
Plus it has my respect for talking about things that many people may find uncomfortable.
Lastly I loved every second of Nonnies storyline. It was one of this rare minutes where there wasn't any satire and they developed her in a great way.
Now to the problems of the show: While it's satire there still are some scenes that just feel cheesy and weird. Then there were some classic tropes like the scene with Dixie on a wheelchair where you just knew right at the start that she would be faking it. When Patty throws her from the wheelchair to proof it I actually was amazed when Dixie couldn't stand up. They went through with it just for the illusion to be smashed right at the next episode. What a pity.
Lastly there are some plot points here and there that don't make much sense but all in all it's a very bingeable show that makes you forget time and thirsty for more.
Please let Season 2 happen. I'm angry that it got that much backlash from people who don't even bother to watch it. There even is a petition for the show to be removed... what the fuck? Before you talk rubbish about a show watch it first, then you can make yourself an opinion. I definetely recommend it.

(STATE: 03.01.2019)

Season 2: 7
Damn, Patty keeps killing them left and right, and it's h i l a r i o u s! I already had a great time with the first season and binged through it in one sitting. Only problem was that I didn't remember exactly what happened in it anymore and was scared that I wouldn't catch up with specific plot points, but I pretty much connected all the threads after one episode and enjoyed the rest of it in a similar fashion like I enjoyed the first season. They are pretty much equal. Since this may could be the last time that I'll talk about this show, I'll go a little bit more in detail with it since there still was no approval of a third season yet.
This season was as gay, twisted and hilarious as it was last time. Many people had problems with the show for going overboard with it's themes and maybe being a little too on the nose with it's jokes. I can agree with the second argument, but the latter is just wrong. As much as the first season didn't show that Pattys life turned out better after being thin, this season didn't go overboard with it's eating disorder storyline. In fact, for being a satire, this show really made the effort to portray the problem as realistically as possible, showing how Patty couldn't stop eating after getting nervous and immediately having the urge to burn the calories in a fitness studio, even giving it priority then to hide a frigging corpse, which may could be exactly what could put people out of the illusion. It really tries to talk about some serious issues and I really do believe that when it tries it really does it well, but sometimes the subject matter just can't be mashed together with a plot where Patty had to deal with yet another corpse that came in her way. There are other crazy storylines in this season like... Pattys mother who filled her chest with cocaine... and Dixie getting into a wheelchair... and this time for REAL... and everything that Regina did like... kidnapping Dixie... and selling herself in the streets and... killing Roxie and... breaking into other apartments... jesus christ this woman is crazy and you probably shouldn't laugh about half of the things she did and I still couldn't help it, because it was so over the top and they still went with it. No character was spared and everyone went crazy in some way except maybe Magnolia, who they even went a little bit more in depth with and Nonnie, who I think had the most decent development through the whole run. It was great to see that this show made her dealing with her sexuality a chapter of the past and going a little more in depth with her interests and things she wants to do in the future. It made her entire character way more believable. Only problem was that she brushed off her girlfriend almost immediately like there was no time to focus on the relationship at all, because they had to move on with other things, which feels weird since I really got the feeling that Dee would get a bit more important after being in the same eating circle like Patty... whatever. Unfortunately some other characters were brushed off as well and were replaced with other people. I don't really know why the writers wanted to write off Donald, since there definetely could have been some ways to incoorperate him in the story. In the end I can only say that in the character deparment there are enough pros and cons that weigh each other out in a way. Especially Patty, had some huge development and it was interesting in a way seeing her slowly lose control about the things in her surrounding, snapping at the end and just accepting that she probably just enjoys killing people... what the fuck, this should be something shocking, but the writers achieved to make this into something amusing rather then unsettling, I at least LOL'ed at the end. Other plotlines were similarly absurd, like the whole plan of the officer and that tampuzzle story. My head explodes since there are just so many things that happened, but none of the characters really cared. Bob's daughter died and he still got it on with some dude without feeling shocked in any way and what was wrong with Brick and... so many other things. It's really difficult to make a point since it's clear that about 80% of it is satire.
If you are a big fan of satire and already enjoyed the first season, then you will pretty much have the same enjoyment with the second one. It almost has the same quality, no the second season is not better, I don't agree with that statement, even if it was exciting to see several climaxes of different storylines get concluded nicely in the end. The ending really left everything so open, with Bob just ending up in jail out of a sudden...hah- I'm sorry... poor guy...ha. Literally anything could happen next in this show and it would be great to see how it all goes on. It's bingeable and funny for a day, so here is hope for at least one last ride. Netflix please give this one more renewal. Give me Season 3!

(STATE: 21.11.2019)

I found out it got cancelled... bummer. Well it was fun while it lasted. Maybe I'll find a similar satire someday. I really need something absurd again I can laugh at.

(STATE: 18.05.2020)

Season 1: 7.5
It's mostly a very sweet show with an autistic character as the main protagonist. I don't have that much knowledge about said disorder since I only have one friend who is dealing with autism but it's not that difficult as it is with Sam on certain occasions. I can't talk that much about it since I probably would just talk nonsense, so when people say that this show is sometimes exxagerated with its depiction I'm more on the neutral part of things. I believe it's like the show said itself that if you know one person with autism you just know one person with autism.
To the show itself: it is very heartwarming and some scenes with Sam and Paige are just adorable. It shows some marital struggles that feel very realistic. I loved those family moments and was very happy to see that sibling dynamic between Sam and Casey. It felt just like another family with it's own different but personal problems. They grew on me in that short little time that were just eight episodes.
But while there were some good parts that made me smile there also were some things that made me roll my eyes. For example all the obnoxious sex jokes that were delivered by the most annoying character in the show: Zahid. He isn't the worst friend and you can see that he truly cares for Sam but god...the fact that no one told him to shut up when he once again told one of his cringy speeches made me be annoyed for a good bit. Then there is the entire storyline of Elsa that felt like it was presented in a weird way. I know that many will tell me that it's all part of "entertainment", but for that to be true I should have been laughing.
I would recommend this if you need something heartwarming in your life. It made me smile and I can't wait to binge the second season. I just hope...Zahid leaves...or at least does shut up...

(STATE: 15.01.2019)

Season 2: 8
Here I am again, after only one day of binging the second season. This show is just too wholesome. You can't help but smile on those little antics that happen between the family. Some situations even reminded me of things that could very well even happen in our family and that makes it all the more special to me. Yes, it still has that one or two moments where it's a little cheesy but nothing out of the ordinary that would ruin the experience. Even Zahid - the only character that really annoyed me in the first season - turned out to be a very nice guy in the end that truly cares for Sam. He hold back with his speeches and was the right hand of Sam that got his back all the time. The importance of family was also very obvious in this season and made me happy. The scenes that should have been emotional did their job and there are enough things that make me curious on how they will move on.
Personally I'm just sad that they made a romantic storyline between Casey and Izzie. I really just saw them as friends. I don't want to sound homophobic or anything. I'm perfectly fine with exploring the sexuality of someone, it's just that I saw them as wholesome friends and nothing more but that's just my opinion. I'm interested on how the relationship issues - especially with Sam and Paige - will continue in the third season. Time to play the waiting game again...

(STATE: 16.01.2019)

Season 3: 8
Here we are, after about one year of waiting I finally had the chance to see the third season. It was such a long time, that I didn't imagine I could immediately get into it again, but I was overcome with so much wholesomeness in just the first episode that I couldn't help getting emotional.
This season pretty much was as strong as the second one, having enough drama mixed with heartwarming moments. It's difficult to even point out one thing in this show that was bad, since I had too much of an emotional investment with it, but it's not guilty of some problems and those I need to talk about. First things first it's funny how I seemed to have a very huge grudge on Zahid when starting this show. I still think that some of his statements are unnecessary, but I truly appreciate how he and Sam got to have such a good friendship, which was why I was so heartbroken, when the Season explored how those two would act like, after having their friendship torn. On one side I truly thought that this was a great set up and was connected perfectly with Sams ethic lessons, having to decide between morality or rules. I still think that the actual reason of it - Gretchen - was so undeveloped and flat, that it felt weird, how everything pretty much was just resolved because Gretchen randomly decided to break up with Zahid and rather get together with an old ex of hers. No one liked her and yeah I get it, she probably was the perfect counterpart of Zahid, but it would have been great to have a bit more of characterization on her department. That love changes you and makes you behave in different ways is true, but I just couldn't help but be on Sams side when the whole argument taked place. Honestly it made no sense, even Evan was characterized much more in this season, which brings me to the last problem: Caseys storyline. I don't have any problems with the plot itself. In fact I really enjoyed it, especially because the writers made a huge effort to show that both love interests have their own pros and cons. I was hugely invested, when the show explored Evans future and which career he should follow and the insecurities that came with it. Izzie on the other hand had a solid plan for her future, going into UCLA with Casey and rather had personal issues, leading to ups and downs, that likely stem from a terrible parental role model. It all worked perfectly, but I still think that they jumped the gun by the end, which I hope they will fix or talk about again in the next season. I don't have a problem with Casey deciding to get together with Izzie. Objectively it probably wasn't the right choice since Evan truly was the more stable and loving of the two, but sometimes the teen years consist of romances that are immature, I truly thought/still think that they can make some good storylines with that for the future, but what the hell was the thing the writers did with Izzie in the penultimate episode? She never felt uncomfortable with flirting or kissing Casey with other people seeing it, but by the end she suddenly begins to get angry about it and telling her not to do that, because she isn't comfortable with it. I am all for a storyline like that, but it contradicts with the way she acted in past episodes. Plus her getting angry and suddenly making out with some other dude was just cheap. It was an extremely scummy move, but it's brushed off in about two episodes, which truly baffled me. Elsa and Dough took two seasons to reconcile again, but they did it in one episode. Additionally there was the fact that Sharice suddenly appeared to cheer Casey up after the writers presumbly realized, that neither Evan nor Izzie could do that, which is much more frustrating after you remember that there was even one episode where Sharice got angry with Casey, because they didn't hang out that much how they used to and it still is true. I really hope we will still see Evan in a way and that they will talk a bit more about Izzies family issues and bring uo what she did the penultimate episode. It just feels wrong to leave that in the open. Except for that the season truly was stellar. Paige having difficulties in college and having to drop out of college, realizing how nothing went how she had hoped was great. Her relationship with Sam is just too damn sweet and that stands until the very end, with Sam even buying her canoe. Sam keeps on being great and his speech about penguins in the sixth episode was just too damn good. I would have loved to give him a hug too. I had great interest on how he went through college and still will watch him get through with it in the following seasons. Elsa and Doug were great too obviously. Who would have imagined that I would be able to forgive Elsa for everything and just want her to be happy again. Glad that they resolved this after three seasons. I just hope that their following storylines will remain as interesting as they are right now. Julia unfortunately didn't appear that much in this and the latter season, but with the way they foreshadowed the plots for the following seasons it seems like we will see much more of her and Paige in Season four. I'm also happy with the way things are developing between Sam and Zahid and am happy that they will move together. I'm looking forward to all of that.
While there was nothing confirmed as of now they would be crazy to not make a fourth season. And if it doesn't have more then ten episodes I will lose my mind, since those seasons flash by way too fast, you are already over with it before you really got into it. I can't keep that pace for a one-year-waiting, but I'll definetely see the next thing that comes, when it hits.

(STATE: 26.11.2019)

Season 1: 7.5
Honestly I came for Natasha Lyonne and wasn't disappointed on her part. The character she portrayed reminded me so much of Nicky, just more cynical and entertaining. I couldn't ask for more on her behalf. The story idea wasn't anything groundbreaking or new but still was presented in an interesting way. It was a good ride but there still are parts here and there that probably could have been solved better. It's fairly difficult to get into the show since the first three episodes are still pretty confusing and only the fourth episode starts to pick up on that part until the end where you really get hooked until the last scene. I would say that it was a satisfying conclusion of the story and there really doesn't need to be a second season if they really plan on doing something like that. It's perfect the way it is right now.

Plus after finishing the show I assure you, you will get an earwig of a certain song that is played...
"Gotta get up, gotta get out, gotta get home before the morning comes..."

(STATE: 04.02.2019)

Season 1: 7.5
Two edgy, psychotic teenagers go on a road trip THE SERIES™". At the beginning I was very unsure on how I should feel about this show. Both characters felt way too over the top. I still have that opinion to be honest. But it's a good watch and before you know it it's over again. I for one love shows/books or games that make the characters travel through the world and finding their way in life. While I'm pretty happy about my life right now there are moments where you just want to leave and drop everything and leave wherever with someone. This show showed more or less how I imagined it to be.
I definetely can't say that I was bored while watching the episodes, but there still where those moments where you just thought "well if that isn't a nice coincidence" and such. TV-Series are often like that, but after you finish the third episode, you just kind of think on how high the changes have to be to break into the house of a rapist and being able to surprise-kill him because you hid under the bed without even your friend knowing about it.
James turned out to be a very nice guy while Alyssas tantrums got me furious. It's mostly justified in a way so you can't exactly say anything against it, but it still gets you rolling your eyes. It was kind of interesting seeing two broken characters getting in love with each other. I'm not that much invested in them yet, but there was at least some worry for James in the end. It was a great cliffhanger and I'm excited on how things will move on now since they really will be f***ed if they actually get arrested. Season 2 when?

(STATE: 28.02.2019)

Season 2: 8
After the end of the first season I really was unsure if they could make the show justice with a second season since they would go with completely original content with no comic story to back it up. We all know how this turned out with "13 Reasons Why" so I only had small hopes for it to turn out good, all the better was it for me, after I realized that the second season was not only great but even better then the first one, wrapping up all storylines nicely and leaving almost no lose threads, not feeling rushed at all with it's execution.
While I really wished for this second season to happen I had to agree that I wouldn't have had any idea how to move on with it's story since it all was pretty much lead to a direction where the climax of the series was reached and there couldn't have been much to tell anymore, but lo and behold, the writers actually achieved to write a season long premise that fitted with it's themes that were already established in the first season, but also give hindsight on Alyssas psyche and how she had to handle being a witness of murder and seeing someone dying. It never really felt superficial and while it felt like they could easily have had the possibility to milk the cow, they decided against it and gave a satisfying conclusion to that storyline, Alyssa herself stating that she had mental problems and had to go to a psychologist.
Those two driving around the streets again awoke the excitement that I had with the first season, they really nailed the entire feeling of it and the soundtrack helped setting the scene perfectly like last time. It all reminded me a bit of "Life is Strange 2", which I very much liked too, even if both of them can be cheesy at times. The tension with Bonnie joining them and you already knowing that she was trying to kill them was unbearable and that lasted until the very end, were she would reveal her killing intent to them, the viewer praying for nothing to happen and for that stupid cop to accept that friggin bill card where Alyssa wrote down for him to help her - jeez. This was perfectly mixed with the romance plot that was going on between Alyssa and James, which was handy since that actually was frustrating once or twice in the show. It's not like I didn't root for those two to get together and I was more then happy to see them getting together at the end of it all, because it felt so earned after everything that happened through those two seasons, but there were moments were it would have helped if they would have been a bit more direct with things. James took so much time to finally reveal that he was forced to write the letter to her by her mother. Alyssa was always a pretty direct girl, but it actually surprised me that she was so timid when it came to love, where she would suddenly start going completely in defense and getting annoyed by everyone and telling them not to talk with her. You would almost start losing patience yourself. It made the final scenes all that more great, but let me tell you that I wouldn't have needed those two final episodes were the writers basically teased the audience that either both or at least Alyssa would die. Thank god that didn't happen, since the final sequence was perfect and I can truly imagine the rest for myself and them living together as a couple now,
It still isn't the most perfect show and had some small problems though. Even if they truly connected the dots perfectly it felt kind of unrealistic that James would get away with anything that happened in the first season so easily with the argument that it all was self-defense. Didn't a family member of Clive Koch burn all the photos that could have been proof? Hell, it was already difficult for them both to convince Bonnie of it, who visited him several times and should have known better then any other person. This was kind of unrealistic, plus the fact that James suddenly had a good relationship with his father, even though he had a hatred for him and outright punched him to get his car in Season 1. Yes, they went out of their way to show that his dad tried to better himself, but it all doesn't feel very convincing if you basically just get 5 minutes to know him better before he gets killed of. Pity.
After this season released I can say that it's the perfect time to binge it. You will be over with it pretty fast, but you will have a great time while doing so, because you don't have to wait more then two years for it to finally release. It doesn't really need a third season anymore and I will see it as finished, since the story feels complete and there really is nothing more to explore in contrast to the first season which was way more ambiguous with it's ending. I mean... I wouldn't complain if there was more to come seeing as the writers seem to know how to handle the story, but it isn't a wish of mine and it's fine like it is, honestly. Enjoy this little road trip for one last time!

(STATE: 22.11.2019)

Book 1: 7.5
It's more an "8" then a "7", but I couldn't yet give it that score. It's the weakest book of all three. It definetely doesn't mean that it's bad, but things still are to basic and... well it's still more targeted at kids. Plus some episodes feel more like fillers then actual story.
The main cast is very likeable, but if you already know which characters will be introduced later on, you are not that satisfied with what you have right now. Still one thing that I really appreciate is the fact that you can see that they grow after every episode and learn from their experience together.
The fight scenes always look stellar and when I imagine how they were like when I watched the other two books I can't help but get excited.
The world the cast explores is great. There are always some places that coexist with their bending-powers and make the world feel much more realistic. You always notice some small details here and there which is incredible.
For a kids show that aired on Nickelodeon this certainly is on a different scale then any other show that aired on there. Still, even if it's good and it's part of my childhood, I don't want to give it the extra treatment. It's fine as of now. Let's see how it goes on.

(STATE: 04.03.2019)

Book 2: 8.5
Definetely an "8" but not a "9" yet. It's an improvement to the first book but doesn't reach the range of awesomeness that the third book has. One of the improvements being that the story feels way more connected and epic now. You really care for the main cast and Toph is just another great addition and ensures for some funny dialogue and entertainment. You can say the same thing about Zuko and his uncle. Even though they were the enemies in Book 1 it's incredible how the writers achieved to write a character like Zuko and give him this sort of back-story. It makes him a multy-layered character and I love how the show handles him in this book. Even though you really want him to be together with his uncle in Ba-Sing-Se, it really makes sense for him to join Azula, which also seems to be a character that will be discussed in detail later on.
Plus the second book was way darker then the first. People actually began to die and the overall tone was pretty depressive when Appa was stolen. There were some heartbreaking moments that did their job. I want to spell out again, that I'm talking about a KIDS SHOW!
The fighting scenes really upped their game and will only continue to get better.
After the main cast arrived in Ba-Sing-Se the plot thickened more and more with a final that lets you totally forget the time. I'm so sad I couldn't experience this episode when it was freshly released on TV. I could have had so many discussions with my friends. But on the other hand I couldn't immediately watch the third book then, so I'm taking what I have.

(STATE: 13.03.2019)

Book 3: 9
Yup. After watching the third book I can calmly state that it's the best part of the whole show. While the first book focused on world building and the second one on developing the whole plot the third book really gave much emphasis on exploring all the characters. It really is impressive when a show manages to make even Azula an interesting and understandable person even though she was crazy at the end.
Zuko finally joining the team was so satisfying to watch and really gave a perfect example on a realistic development of a character. There were almost tears when he finally reunited with his Uncle and I really hope that they will remain to stay close companionships like in the old times.
Plus things got even more darker this season, which probably should be expected if you face the Fire Lord, but there were many moments where this cartoon even started talking about taking revenge for a death person, stuff like bloodbending and other messed up things. You almost forget that this is supposed to be a show for kids once again.
Like I said on Book 2 the fighting scenes only continued to get better and that trend wasn't lost here either. You really begin to realize that the Avatar team turned into some extreme good fighters and that really shows. The final fight of Aang and Firelord Ozai, but also the fight between Azula and Zuko (and Katara) was superb.
The whole build up and climax was great and almost everything was wrapped up perfectly. There still are some open questions that probably get answered in the Graphic Novels, so I will see myself out to read them too.
All in all I only can say that this cartoon really is as good as I remember it. I really don't have to give it some extra treatment since it can stand on its own shoes. I definetely will continue to watch "Legend of Korra" after the Graphic Novels. It might not be in the same scale as "Avatar - The Last Airbender", but I just can't get enough of this world and I really hope that this franchise will still create something huge in the following years.

(STATE: 24.03.2019)
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Graphic Novels
The Promise (Volume 1-3): 7.5
Yes, the Graphic Novels are good. I kind of get the feeling that there won't be anything major that will happen, since the main story is over with the show, but the comic talks about some very important lore of the Avatar universe that will be talked about again in TLoK. I didn't even think that there could exist some kind of conflict after the show, that could be important in any way, but they worked it out someway. The bad things first though: The entire story revolves around the promise between Zuko and Aang, that states that Aang will kill Zuko, if he ever begins to betray Aang and turn evil again. Unfortunately I have a problem with that since the comic REALLY WANTS to convince the reader that Aang would really go through with such an act. The ending of the first and second book reinforces that idea, which I found stupid. I - and I'm sure everyone else too - didn't believe in any second that something like that would ever happen. It felt like a silly misunderstanding that would have easily been figured out, if they would have just sat down and talked about it. The writers knew that and tried to push the storyline in a way, that there couldn't really be a way to talk about it, with Kuei trying not to get deceived etc. It made sense storywise that all of that would happen, but it still frustrated me.
Things I liked where to see Aang standing in conflict between his own culture and love. The subplot of the teachings of metalbending was cool and the way it was included in the main story was nice. It was satisfying to see Aang severing his connection to Roku and going his own way. Seeing Azula at the end got me really excited and "The Search" will probably be my most anticipated comic of them all. And the last thing I want to say at the end "Zuko was right the whole time in the comic!!!" just saying.

(STATE: 04.06.2019)

Season 1: 6
I feel very conflicted with this show. For being a teen-show it really tries to talk and deal with some very heavy stuff. There is nothing wrong with raising awareness on depression and suicide. It actually is a good thing. But there is a right and a wrong way to do that and I really think that there are many things that this show just did wrong. Beginning with the fact, that the entire idea of Hannah commiting suicide is pretty much glorified and her tapes used as a "weapon" causes some huge red flags for copycats who will try to imitate said things. I watched the clip of Hannahs suicide on YouTube and one of the most liked comments was "I'm watching this cuz i'm about to suicide, i love u all so much". Pretty much the opposite of what you should achieve with this show isn't it.
I also really want to feel bad about Hannah Baker but there were time where she just felt like a girl that just cared about her social standing in high school and gave too much shit about what even the most unimportant people thought about her. She overanalyzed and she overreacted to every dialogue she held and NO your depression will not go away if you date the guy you were in love with all the time. That's not how depression works. I can't really talk much about said topic since I never had to deal with it that much. Sure, there were days where I felt alone and didn't have any motivation to do anything, including things that I otherwise would like, but it never came as far as having suicidal thoughts and I still know that coming together with your love interest wouldn't resolve anything. Plus the people who really deal with depression always say that Hannah Baker is a really bad example on how depression works and somehow I don't doubt that.
By what I wrote already one could assume that I entirely hate this show, but there are always some things that catch me.
For one i found the transitions to be pretty cool and the music that was used always fitted the atmosphere in a way. Plus even though I can't support the way that the entire Hannah Baker suicide was handled, it achieved its goal to get the audience thinking. There are people who began to take more attention to their sorroundings or apologized to someone they hurted. It created discussions, hate it all you want, this is a fact. The scenes that were supposed to be uncomfortable were REALLY uncomfortable to the viewer, especially with the rape scenes. The downspiral to her end was still depressing in a way and - I at least - wished that she would be safed in the end even though you knew exactly this wouldn't happen. The characters that were talked about in the tapes COULD be very interesting and there is potential to talk about their motivations to commit said acts to Hannah in the second season. Jessica, Alex and Justin already were minimally "explored" and if they would clarify some things it could have some potential for what's to come. The struggle of the parents of Hannah and maybe also Clays worries of what he could have done was depicted pretty good for example. I trust that the show COULD pull this off if they want to. But I already heard that the second season is worse so I guess I will hold my expectations to a minimum...

(STATE: 11.03.2019)

Season 2: 4
...Wow. You really realize that this show was supposed to end with the first season. The continuation felt like filler that was thrown all over the place, but one thing at a time.
I complained about the last season for almost romanticizing the whole suicide of Hannah Baker and as such was relieved when not only it was confirmed that this was never the intention of said act, but also that there was no other mental illness that felt like it was glorified in a way, just misinterpreted.
Season 2 has begun to follow a confusing "Game of Thrones" kind of storytelling where Clay isn't the focus anymore, which in itself probably should work in the favor of the writers since the only thing that his character screams is, that he was obsessed with Hannah and can't let go of her. There isn't much for him to do in the second season and he mostly tries to move on from his past but out of the sudden begins to develop some kind of schizophrenia and he imagines a "Ghost-Hannah". It is never really explained if she is some kind of metaphora or if Clay really does have some kind of mental illnes, so you already have a pretty confusing storyline in which he begins to scream at her for all the things she has done and why she even did them to begin with. The other storylines are mostly the same kind of dramatic. The second storyline revolves around Alex and his failed suicide attempt. It was never fully explained why he even wanted to kill himself, but anyway it's so depressing since he is a cripple and has amnesia so he struggles to remember everything and he wants justice for Hannah. Much sad. But doesn't matter since he kind of remembers everything again after playing Ego-Shooter. Nice.
The third storyline deals with Tyler and his constant bullying in school that later somehow convinces him to begin a school shooting (?). The fourth storyline revolves around Jessica and her dealing with the events prior to Season 1. Justin also has a storyline which revolves around drug addiction and his family problems. Tony has his anger issues. And above all that you have the whole court case between Olivia and the School, where everyone just wants justice for the crimes of Bryce, but they all get blackmailed from someone unknown. After writing down all those storylines one could think that there really happened something in those 13 hours of runtime, but it actually was a huge load of filler that got stuffed in a jar that was about to explode. You got dialogue that mostly rinse and repeated the same old:
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, as if!"
"Look, I know it's hard but we just have to forget what happened"
"Like anyone could ever forget what happened to Hannah!".
In every episode there was a character that gave a testimony that gave insight on other events they had with Hannah. But mostly all of them were totally unnecessary and didn't change the perspective of Hannahs story at all. Why is it important to know that Tyler had a Photo shooting with Hannah? It doesn't excuse the fact that he stalked and made pictures of her. The only stories that actually affected something were Zachs and Andys testimonies, but they only lead to more plot holes. First and foremost, why this never was addressed in the first season.
Plus there is this whole mistery on who they all get threatened by and the conclusion of it being Montgomery is more then lame and the only thing you think when it's revealed is "Wait, was this supposed to be a huge secret?".
Tylers assault much like Hannahs rape felt more like shock value and it doesn't make sense on why Tyler would then decide to start a school shooting. Tylers and Alex storylines should have gotten switched and then it may would have made kind of sense, but that's just my opinion. As always it's not all that bad though. I love my teen trash drama and one thing I liked very much was the cinematography that isn't to show-offish but still achieves to be pretty good. The music used worked on where it went and the actors do their best.
In comparison to the first season this one wasn't even closely as bingeable as the first and got only interesting in the final two episodes. Maybe it would have been better to end the whole show after the whole funeral scene. It felt all too perfect with Clay finally letting go of Hannah and her standing up from her chair, smiling at him and leaving the church, awaiting her after life. Another scene that gave me goose bumps, and on which it also could have been good to end the show was the party on which they suddenly began to play "The Night We Met". It's a scene on which it makes perfect sense why Clay would break down again and it makes it that much more emotional, when everyone comes to him to give him a hug. But nope. Instead they decided to give us a scene on which, after finding out that Tyler is about to start a shooting, Clay tells everyone NOT TO CALL THE POLICE which is extremely unreasonable and frankly, stupid. But since he is such a cool guy he convinces Tyler to stop his plan and makes him escape with Tony, which already is a big red flag after they already talked about his two strikes. Now with a gun in the hand his punishment is yet unclear.
Honestly I couldn't care less on how they would continue this show since I began to see it as entertainment as sad as that sounds. Yeah, there are one or two emotional moments there for me, but in the end it feels like a very overdramatic take on "THE TEENAGER LIFE". Yes, I find it good, when a TV-Series is talking about taboo topics, but you should inform yourself about it first before you begin to educate some teenagers about it or else you will look like a complete idiot. Do a third season. I will watch it. And please bring me back that good old "The Night We Met" song. I actually began to love it.

(STATE: 10.04.2019)

Season 3: 5
Not bad, but not really good either. I went in there with very low expectations after the shit show from last season and was honestly very surprised when I got the feeling that this time around it really could turn out into something interesting. The lead up was nice, but the conclusion REALLY dragged it down again. Plus there are some characters - be it new or old - that really got on my nerves, so just let me start with that at first, since it's one of the things that probably everyone complains about, when talking about Season 3.
To start off, no, I didn't hate Ani, at least not at first. I find it surprising that there are so many rants and people who can complain about her. She definetely wasn't my favorite character and YES, I lost huge respect for her, after the whole scene with her sleeping with Bryce unfolded. Yes, she acts like she knows everything and it generally doesn't make much sense, that everyone from the main cast would open up to her that easily, especially when they all have some huge secrets that they don't want to get revealed. I was confused, that the writers would force an entire narration from her perspective on us, but none of that really bothered me much. The part where I got annoyed with her was when she started being manipulative and seriously calling Clay out, searching for hints to find out if he was the killer, but berating the cops about how quick they were to blame Clay when she's been doing the same thing to him and even others throughout the whole damn season. Plus I didn't understand why Ani thought she could put the blame on Monty without evidence or real witness. It all just worked out because Deputy Standall could cover up for his son that way. But I don't want to talk about the conclusion yet. Let's talk about Alex, because wow--- what the fuck was wrong with him in this season? It's one thing to get frustrated about your girlfriend and her getting back together with Justin. I thought that the steroids sub-plot would still be acceptable, but why would he even THINK to hang out with Bryce? Why would you hang out with the rapist of your ex-girlfriend? It's laughable that he would only distance himself from him, after he threatens a child. Him being the murderer of Bryce and facing NO consequences is extremely irritating, especially after he was ready for Zach and Clay to land in prison. He felt like a different character. Before i get to some good characters - because there actually were some - I want to point out someone who REALLY got on my nerves: Casey. Seriously. I hope that was her last appearance.
I loved Tyler in this season. It was still a stupid idea to follow through with Clays idea, but I'm happy with how the things turned out with him. I was so happy that he had the confidence to speak up about his rape, after people intimidated him all the time. You really saw that he was thankful for Clay and the others and I just wanted to give him a big hug when he opened up about it and started crying. That nothing bad will happen to him ever again. Another thing I loved was the dynamic between Justin and Clay. Who would have thought, that those two would have such a strong bond, after one of them tried to kill the other in the first season? I hope I will see more of that brotherhood between them in the last season. While most of my opinions of the characters overall remained the same I need to talk about the last two characters, that were a big focus this season. Let me begin with Monty.
It's really hard to say how I should think about him. He really had potential to be the "tragic villain" with his whole closeted gay storyline and being way too scared to tell his father and maybe thinking, that he could lose his "mascunility". All of that stands in contrast with his past actions though, so you really are in a conflict with yourself. I would have found it cool, if the last season would have been some sort of redemption arc for him. Accepting his sexuality and doing some good deeds for all his wrongdoings. But he died in prison out of a sudden in the last episode. Felt like wasted potential and hope that this was just some sort of lie by the Deputy. Now to Bryce.
Many people complain that the writers tried to make him sympathetic this season and showing that he really tried to better himself. He would be a rapist after all and there was no reason to feel sorry for him, but I think that is a thing that everyone has to decide by himself. I loved the idea behind it, to be honest. You, yourself could judge in the end if Bryce should have been forgiven and if people could change after such terrible happenings. There were also some pretty wholesome moments between Bryce and his mom. I especially felt sorry for the mother, who knew about his sons actions but couldn't help but see him as just that: her own kid. That was a very interesting dynamic. I - myself - even wanted to feel sorry for Bryce, since he even protected Tyler, helped Tony, heared Hannahs tapes and did so many things for his redemption, but no one would open up to him. I really tried to feel sorry, but... you really just thought in your consciousness, that no matter what he did, he would remain a rapist after all this. I don't know if that was the intention of the writers to have such a big conflict in your head, but if it was, then they have my respect.
One other thing that I need to point out is, that I liked that Hannah really wasn't the focus of this show anymore. Time passes and so many tragic happenings turn to a thing of the past. It's kind of sad if you think about it, since this really makes the scene where Hannah leaves from the church that more painful. It's like I only realized in this season that we won't see the actress of Hannah in this one and that she is dead. Funny that I only realize that now.
Now to the main storyline that was some sort of Riverdale 2.0 plot. The investigation part of Clay and Ani really felt repetitive after some time. They would get a clue and IMMEDIATELY suspect the person as the murderer. The dialogue would then turn out like that:
Clay and Ani: You are the murderer!
Suspect: Nah, fam.
Clay and Ani: But what about >evidence<?
Suspect: Well that was >plausible explanation<
Clay and Ani: That makes sense. Goodbye! Oh what's that? A new evidence! Didn't >suspect nr.2> use that on the day of homecoming? HE HAS TO BE THE MURDERER! -> rinse and repeat.
I was fine with it, since the explanations revealed some other interesting informations like Justin and Jessica being back together, Chloe having an abortion or the whole ICE storyline of Tony. You really wanted to know who the killer was and waited patiently until everything of the homecoming was revealed and when Alex - the killer - would appear and then--- you left with a huge disappointment.
Man I was not able to get on board with this ending. We were made to watch nearly all of the characters become accomplices to a murder at the end. They are all guilty by association and they smile about it. It was super uncomfortable and I don't know if that's how the creators of the show wanted me to feel? Was I supposed to feel for the murderers because they were looking out for their friends who were victims- or was it supposed to be cathartic because all the dirty laundry was aired and only the rapists got pinned? If so none of that worked for me or seemed earned. It felt like I was watching sociopaths straight up stone face twist the narrative in their favor, and I lost a lot of faith in what used to feel like flawed human characters. The show even acknowledges the fact that what they are doing is so fucked up, but still glorifies it by making the entire last episode into a campyesque heist reveal. Super uncomfortable... instead of highschoolers dealing with a murder, it felt like I was watching the origin story for a group of villains. These kids need adults and professionals. Lastly it's so anticlimatic that none of them left with any consequences... at all.
This season took Pretty Little Liars and turned it up several notches in terms of insanity. That being said, if that's the route they are taking the show I'm curious how deep the rabbit hole will go. So I'm in for one last round. Let's hope that in the last episode we will see Clay having a friggin breakout in a dance party while dancing with Ani, after they play "The Night We Met". Until then!

(STATE: 27.08.2019)

Season 4: 5
Oh my god... it's done! For good this time! I don't really understand why the show kept on going for more than one season, but I also could ask myself why I even went through the trouble of watching past that season myself. It was kind of comedic and relaxing to watch something stupid, after having watched a bunch of pretty good shows, so I will not see it as a waste of time, but... yeah... dumb stays dumb. And I don't even understand where this show tried to go at this point. There was no clear direction going on anymore at a specific point and it then turns into something dramatic from out of nowhere for the shock factor.
Did it want to show the aftermath, that morally wrong choices could enable in someone? Clay is trying to deal with all the stress and anxiety that built up through the last seasons. His quest to be a hero that helps his friends is slowly catching up to him and he has several mental breakdowns that make him act in dangerous and outright aggressive ways, even making him forget other criminal behaviours like vandalization, smashing security cameras and torching the car of the principal. Props to the actor himself since it was really well acted, but at the same time I feel really annoyed that Clay seems to escape ANY kind of consequence that he should face. And I didn't even include the things he can still remember, like being covered in fake blood and interrupting the school dance while holding a knife, being found hovering over the body of a drunk girl at a frat party and trying to run away when he's discovered, stealing a gun from a police officer and holding up the school, escaping confinement at the psych hospital, being caught in the middle of a gun deal, inciting a riot, beating the shit out of the sherrif's daughters boyfriend and cursing the principal several times But not only former examples and his mental breakdowns, but also the criminal matters he covered up with his friends don't get punished. That was such a central theme of this season and it disappeared into thin air at the end, after Winston finds out that his crush Alex is the culprit... HOW CONVENIENT! Winston itself already was a weird fellow. On the one hand he wanted revenge for Monty, which would be fine if he wouldn't romanticize him, but at the same time he has this huge crush on Alex. Isn't that kind of contradictory? Never mind the fact that he is a real bad detective, which only got so far, because the main cast is apparently more stupid then he is. Throughout the show it's apparent that the show tries to convey that framing Monty and Bryce MAY not have been the best choices the cast made in their lives, but they still get away with it, because it would ruin their own lives, which is the line they apparently don't want to cross... seems fair. Clay sees a therapist because of his anxiety attacks and depression and has a major breakthrough with his character, after he learns how to deal with his trauma, but that still doesn't change his criminal actions, but yes, clearly Clay is the one having a rough time. It keeps on getting frustrating when you realize that the main cast could be interpretated as the new villains. Even the football team finds out about whodunnit, but keep their mouths shut, because they befriend the cast, which feels... very wrong. This should have been an antithesis and I honestly thought that with the former seasons already having established that, it would be clear that covering crimes, because they are your friends would not be a message you would want to get across, but they did it anyways. Nice. The show generally tries to be way more serious then it actually should, as always. The riot is a perfect example and I'm sad for this episode since I honestly found it amazing how the show was tackling the topic of police oppression before the recent event of George Floyd and the BLM protests, but the way they addressed all of it felt very ignorant again. In retaliation for the school and parents basically spying on the kids and the ever-increasing presence of the police force the kids staged a walkout and attempt a peaceful protest in front of the school. The answer of the director being to call the riot police, which also attacks... the students...? Could you imagine such a scene breaking out in real life? The principal itself already is a very weird fellow, also not having to deal with any repercussions after that fake school shooting practice, that caused more mental breakdowns and general downsides then doing any good. Additionally forming an app together with the parents to spy on the kids...what the fuck? Not to mention that this is illegal, extremely unethical, logistically impossible but also, completely supported by the entirety of all parents, who all kept this as a secret. But it still keeps on going. What's up with those college interviews? They were bad. Very bad, and almost every character gets into their dream college even though their interviews were more then awkward and pretty unsettling too, being way to personal about things and creating those very long pauses where no one is saying anything, wrapping it up with an "...okay.". And not to come back to anything I already mentioned but with the criminal background and the fact that they incited some very questionable things it's kind of surprising to see that nobody was denied for those reasons in one of their dream colleges. Kind of gives some wrong implications. The characters itself also had their respective storylines again, but they all felt... stupid.
Let's start with Tyler: Throughout the season it is revealed that he is working with the police as an informant to bring down illegal gun-dealers. I don't even know myself if this is legal, but the ethics most definetely speak against a teenager doing these dangerous operations. Before that the crew was keeping each other nervous and building up this idea that Tyler might try to incite a school shooting again, which obviously was a red herring from the very beginning and I kind of rolled my eyes, after seeing how the whole episode was trying to push this idea. I didn't think much of it, but this can still be considered one of the "better" storylines. That and the Alex storyline.
Alex tries to deal with the actions on his murder on Bryce and starts building his gay relationships. I really do honor the fact that the people in his sorroundings actually DO happen to all be gay. Very accommodating. Plus that makes him the... third (?) closeted character in the show with Charlie, who also comes out in this season. Then they reveal that other character that is gay too..., why are so many people gay in this show? Not complaining, just very accommodating, is all. In a way I would love to support that relationship, but it just doesn't excuse the case of murder. I don't even understand how Alex could think about relationship matters on such a point in time, where his life is on risk on being put behind cell. He only really begins to do that after he follows with his second gay relationship after Winston. I found Charlie and Alex to be cute and their dance in prom was adorable, but yeah... too much plot-holes and inconsistencies in the background make the scene that much more unreal to me. They didn't even play "The Night We Met" at prom, which I found very disappointing. "The Good Side" was a good compromise though.
Ani was fine. She was put into the background though, which probably was the immediate repercussion for the former season thrashing her character for being such a huge thing. On one hand I feel sorry for her character, since she was basically treated like shit by everyone including Clay until they all made peace again. She admits to her faults, but also kind of admits that she is always pretending, which made me confused on how much we actually know of her as a character, but it really doesn't matter much to me anymore. She breaks up with Clay, which is good, since they really didn't have much chemistry to begin with and the aftermath of said breakup reinforced that it was a good idea for them both to just be friends.
Tony has a chain of lucky moments, doesn't get arrested and even gets the opportunity to go into professional wrestling by the support of his boyfriend Caleb and his parents telling him to follow his own dreams. Pretty basic stuff.
Jessica was a pain in the ass and I got the feeling she returned to her season 1 persona again. One of the worst things you can do in shows is portraying the characters as if they would have not learned anything from their happenings. She is putting her priorities on things nobody would ever care. She cries because she has no date for prom and nobody is asking her out, insulting Tyler for breaking up with her for understandable reasons and making such a huge deal about prom on general. She had her moments where she is trying to form a movement and trying to make a difference with her speeches, but you can't really support what she says with the background you know about her. Additionally she dates the guy that is a threat to her group and dumps guys as soon as she has some new meat to grab on. I really couldn't have cared less for her this season around and her ending in her dream university was in no form fulfilling to me.
Zach was... ruined... kind of. I really liked the way he was portrayed as the stereotypical jock that actually turns out to have a heart of gold and be caring for his friends. Showing how he reacted after Alex kissed him enforced my idea on him being a good guy at first, but then they showed a scene where he locked up a door and it was pretty evident that he was about to rape the prostitute he payed. No repercussions again, only a short talk-down, that never gets mentione again. His constant substance abuse problem this season is taken into the extreme where it borders on caricature. There were only around two scenes, where he wasn't drinking. I get it he has an alcohol problem, but does he need to have a hidden flask he takes a swig of in every scene? Feels more like a comedic element after some time. Plus he and I guess also Clay have some very extreme healing superpowers, since he also gets into a grave car accident, where the car flips multiple times over the edge of a cliff, but he appears in school the next day unscathed. He additionally gets brutally punched in the face by Diego, almost having no injuries the next day.
Justins storyline would have been fine if there wouldn't have been his death that came out of nowhere. They more or less managed to evolve him into a likeable character, which we would care for if he would die. Clay and Tyler felt like brothers throughout that whole time, except when Clay was acting like an asshole with him, which was pretty much all the time this season. They showed how happy and excited he was for college life and he tried to better himself, but the way he died made me think that the writers didn't consult with any medical professionals on how AIDS really progressed, just wanting to share how "unfair" life sometimes can be. This isn't an entirely wrong statement, but it would feel way more unfair, if Justin wouldn't have been relatively healthy throughout the entire season, only developing a small flu near the end and even having enough strenght to attend prom and dance the night away. He is dead a week later. In reality HIV takes about five to ten years before it develops into AIDS and once you have it that process can take an additional one or two years before one dies. Here he dies in a matter of months. It just feels like a cheap plot device to ground the ending somehow. Everyone graduates, at best they also hint for everyone to have a significant other, which is always important and "to live on" with what happened. They get away with their crime and look at the horizon, trying to do a throwback with Courtney and Ryan appearing out of nowhere to graduation and joining the squad. Might as well could have added Sheri, but they couldn't have cared less I guess.
It's over now though and I strongly recommend people to just watch the first season if you really want to watch it. It's still far from perfect, but at least it had some direction and every episode had a clear goal on what it wanted to tell you. This can't be said about the other seasons, especially not this one. It was fun for general entertainment though and IF they will ever attempt to milk the cow more then they could with some sort of spin-off, you bet that I will watch it. Lower your expectations and don't expect to have a good idea on mental illnesses after having finished this show. It's not a good guide for that. With that said have fun (?) watching it.

(STATE: 10.06.2020)

Season 1: 7.5
A "documentary" sitcom without laugh track!
For this point alone this show automatically makes a good impression on me. The cast that was introduced overall hit the perfect mark of being over the top but relatable at the same time. You can't hate any of them, even if they are acting ridiculous at times. There is always a good reason on why they behave the way they do.
I also have to give credit to the creators of the show for including a gay couple as main characters. It probably was even more unusual in 2009 to even think of two men adopting a baby, but it really was a good choice. Both Mitchell and Cameron make for some funny and also caring parents. They are very lovable. This obviously also includes the Pritchett/Delgado and Dunphy family - even Haley that very much resembles my own sister. They complement each other perfectly.
This show will probably be the one thing that I watch as pastime since it's the standard sitcom. It's not a show where you will start to get shocked or experience some huge plot twists. Still, for what it is the comedy works very well. I laughed out one or two times, which really is a good thing if it's me. Maybe I would have laughed more if I wouldn't have watched the entire first season around one year ago, so some gags still remained in my memory. This won't be the same with the second season, so I'm already excited for that.
While the entire season was overall pretty good the final really stood out with the family photo, where everyone intentionally gets everyone dirty. It kind of shows, that they aren't always the most perfect family but they still love each other and embrace themselves no matter how annoying they can be sometimes.
With there still being 10 seasons to watch I can't wait to see how everyone, especially the kids, will evolve and where their lives will lead. Hopefully the comedy stays stale or gets even better. Will watch the second season when I feel like it, but I can only recommend it.

(STATE: 04.06.2019)

Season 2: 8
It's two seasons that I watched and slowly but steady I begin to feel like a member of this big family too. The cast is as funny as ever and the children begin to grow. Alex not only finishes middle school, but is confronted with her first love. Similar hardships are to be found with every character in the show and the way the series deals with them is more then funny. I laughed way more then I should have. Sure, some gags don't have that great of an effect on me, but generally it was an entertaining time. There were even some moments, were it got very real and there were some dramatic revelations, which is surprising, since there weren't that much of them in the first season. They were more then welcome though, so you felt much pity, when Alex stood alone in the living room, telling Claire she didn't have friends. Every cast member gave it their all and I can't even think of one person, that I found annoying in any way. Yes, many times they were overdramatic, but that was always played for laughs and even had reasons all the time.
The only thing that probably wasn't THAT great was the season final that wasn't bad, but didn't have any qualities that made you think that this was the last episode of the season, except maybe the talk between Cam and Mitchell, thinking about adopting a boy.
Since Jay, Gloria and Manny have a dog now the families are growing more and more, and I find that more then welcome. I wouldn't mind if they would follow that trend in the following seasons. But let's just hope that they don't lose focus and it remains that funny. Season 3 on next!

(STATE: 13.06.2019)

Season 3: 8
The family grows more and more and the show really tries to keep the overview over all characters, but I kind of get the feeling that Stella is the dog that only appears, if the show just needs him for a goofy storyline and then disappears again. At least that was the feeling I got since I really don't remember to have seen him after that "self-suicide-misunderstanding-storyline" of him. The episodes itself were funny enough and while it's true, that I laughed more frequently in the second season, the finale saved it all and generally was way more interesting, then the one we got last year. This season even got some storylines that went through the entire run, like the college conflict with Haley, Claires election or most importantly the adoption of another baby by Cam and Mitchell. The last one even went to full drama and showed the unpredictable life situations that can happen sometimes. I have to admit, that I was a bit disappointed on how Haley got back together with Dylan by the end of the season. He feels like a cockroach, that won't go away, and I really thought, that there would be some minor character development with Haley building some kind of relationship with her sister, but nope. I got that wrong. I feel like Claire...
I found the college conflict to be pretty funny since the situation was kind of similar in our family, having a mother, that has the mind set, that you can't have a good future if you don't go to university, so while many situations are very over the top sometimes, they still are pretty relatable. I love to see how much the characters are growing from season to season and am excited on Gloria giving birth to a new baby, but I hope that the baby doesn't get brushed off if he needs to, like Stella.

(STATE: 02.07.2019)

Season 4: 8
Once again, it wasn't the funniest season, which I suppose will remain Season 2 for the rest of the run, but there were still some funny scenes scattered throughout that made you smirk for a few seconds or more. This probably wouldn't be the case if the cast wouldn't consist of the actors that stand in front of the camera. Maybe I'm overexaggerating and just feel like part of that wild family myself after all those seasons, but is that a bad thing? This season had some good, but also some bad stuff. Let me start with the fact that I very much loved the interactions between Alex and Haley. I was afraid that they just brushed it off last Season after Haley pretty much returned to her old habits and dating Dylan again, but it seems like she and Alex are still building and having a great sisterly relationship. Them acting like parents after Luke wanted to make out with a girl was just perfect. By the way, another cool thing: The fact how the kids are living through puberty and how Luke starts getting aware of the opposite sex. He never really felt all that much interested in anything of that direction, but this season showed that he grew up and we should expect him to get in romantic relationships now. I'm more then happy with how every kid is evolving and doing their own experiences in life, especially Lilly who is starting to get as sassy as aunt Claire. I have to admit that I found it a bit anticlimatic for Haley to drop college after all that build up, plans and emotional moments that happened, especially between Haley and her parents, but that is probably just another scene in an everyday family life that shows, that sometimes things just don't go as planned. I just hope that things will go more smoothly in her next try. Gloria getting her baby was sweet, but the baby almost gets brushed off as their dog Stella, which I didn't even see that much this season. I wonder where it went.
There was an overarching storyline with Claire and Cam selling a house. It had it's funny moments I suppose, but I wasn't that hooked with it how I was with Claires election. Plus I'm a bit confused on the whole relationship status of Haley. Didn't she get back together with Dylan? Where did he go? I'm not against him going, but without an explanation is a bit much. While it sounds like this may would be the worst season of all four I have to defend it, for having many emotional moments that were delivered perfectly. Haley telling her parents she would miss them while wearing their emberassing pullover, or Alex holding her speech about her grandma, talking about the lighter she got as heritage. There were enough other moments that were just perfect and make you look back at this season with an overall good impression. I hope that those moments that hold the family value high will still remain in later seasons and be as memorable as this one. Let's see how it goes on Season 5. Revive Joe and Stella!

(STATE: 04.08.2019)

Season 1: 8.5
...My head hurts.
When people pointed out, that I probably should concentrate while watching this show and maybe even write down a family tree, I really didn't expect it to be so convoluted. Another problem for me was that I couldn't find the time to finish the last two episodes, so I dragged them on for quite a time, which was counterproductive for my memory. There happen so many things in just one episode, so it is very easy to lose track on some point, but I kind of still got everything and can say it was quite a ride - even if I don't know if I can handle yet again another timeline in the future. Let's hope it's the last one, or else I don't know what my head will do.
The episodes themselves were always pretty good, and felt like they almost only had highs with no point where it really felt boring or too dragged out, like in other shows... The plot itself got that more epic the more time passed and the episodes went on. The ending already made you interested on what could happen in Season 2.
Now to the characters... oh boy! There are... way too many of them. If you think you have finally gotten around knowing all characters - believe me - you don't. There will come more... there will always come more. And you better remember what motivations, goals and relationships they have, if they even are normal persons or actually jumping through time or else you already are lost. Your opinions on them will change very fast and pretty frequently. *cough* Ulrich *cough*. Since the cast is so big there should be someone likeable for everyone, but I can't guarantee anything since many of them deal with their problems in many unusual ways. You could also like someone but hate them again for seeing what they did in their past on 1986. It's pretty crazy. I suppose I should say one or two things about the persons of the several families, so here goes:
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The Kahnwald Family

-> Daniel Kahnwald: There still is not much to be said about him, since the 1953 timeline wasn't explored much as of now. He seems like an ordinary high-ranking police-officer and has some secrets I suppose. We will see how it goes on.
-> Ines Kahnwald: I like her. I mean... it's frustrating that she wouldn't believe Mikkel, but yet again, who would believe a child? I'm thankful that she adopted him. Except for that there is not much to be said about her.
-> Michael Kahnwald/Mikkel Nielsen: Poor him. He went through so much. The fact that he was thrown into another timeline with no family whatsoever and beginning your life anew is frightening. The fact that he had to kill himself for as to not create a paradox or just so he would't disappear is that much more saddening. I can only feel pity for him and the fact that he couldn't be the next Houdini. Sad.
-> Hannah Kahnwald: Oh man. It's very difficult to feel sorry for her. I'm sure that it's terrible to lose your husband without even knowing why he did what he did, but her interference in Ulrichs and Katharinas love life is just frustrating. Both in 2019 and 1986. Sometimes people should just know when to quit. She doesn't. If I could just ignore the entire love affair I would accept her as a loving mother, but I just can't. Let's hope she will finally give up in the next season.
-> Jonas Kahnwald: Surprisingly there is really not much that I can say about him, even though he is the main character. He doesn't feel like one and more like an observer that just happens to travel through time. I don't particularly care about his love affair with Martha. I admit that I was surprised after he basically found out that he is in love with his aunt, but oh well. Still I'm curious on how he will handle the future he is in now.
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The Nielsen Family

-> Agnes Nielsen: Yet again a character which wasn't explored that much as of now. She looks pretty, is divorced and seems to have romantic interest in Doris Tiedemann. Let's see how this goes on.
-> Tronte Nielsen: Another character I feel sorry for, even if I don't remember much of him... Losing your own child is something that I would never wish for someone. The fact that he desperately hopes that Claudia can fix everything and rescue his son is all that more depressing since this will not happen.
-> Jana Nielsen: Not many thoughts here. She was depressed about Mads and seems to be more like an informant then anything else.
-> Katharina Nielsen: Like her in 2019. Mixed feelings in 1986. The fact that she has to deal with not only losing her son but also a cheating husband is pretty disheartening for her, but I just don't like her attitude in her teenage years, where she bullies Regina. Just my opinion though.
-> Ulrich Nielsen: So many mixed feelings on him. At first you hate him, then, when you think you can finally like him, he begins to do some stupid shit again. Right now I feel sorry for him I guess, but his plan, was flawed since the beginning, and had more holes then a honeycomb. He basically ran into his own trap and didn't even think for one second. I hate him for cheating. Hannah at least had some sort of reason for it, but he didn't. I like him for really caring for his family and keeping on investigating even after he gets fired. I like that he put an end to the affair, but i hate him for being stupid and stupidly killing Helge, when he was a kid. I bet this love-hate relationship will go on.
-> Martha Nielsen: What does this girl even want? She talks so cryptic that I don't get it. Why did she get together with Bartosz if she loves Jonas? Why don't you break up with Bartosz, if you really don't seem to show that much interest in him? It was so obnoxious seeing her cry, when Bartosz talked to her. Yeah, put the blame on Jonas. You didn't kiss him back. What an annying girl. Her play was good though.
Magnus Nielsen: He is fine. I didn't like his attitude at first, but he turned out fine in the end.
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The Doppler Family

-> Greta Doppler: She is a shitty mother. Even after explaining why she hates her son, it doesn't excuse the fact how she treated Helge, but she seems to know that herself though at least.
-> Bernd Doppler: There isn't much that was revealed about him. He is the head of a nuclear plant and seems strange. I don't know if he is somehow connected with the whole time travel secret. I hope they will go a little more in depth with him later on.
-> Helge Doppler: Feel sorry for him in 1953/ Don't like him in 1986/ Like him again in 2019. The fact that he gets heavily bullied and hit by his mother is just terrible. Then there is the fact that he almost gets killed by Ulrich. Man what a poor child. This probably didn't help the fact how he turned out later on in his life. I'm kind of angry that he lets himself get so manipulated by Noah and acts like his pet. He doesn't even hear at HIMSELF of the future. His 2019 self seems to feel sorry about all the happenings of the past and tries to change them. Didn't quite work out though. I really hope that Helge of the present will finally realize what he does is wrong, but since everything seems to be predetermined it doesn't seem like it will go in that direction.
-> Charlotte Doppler: Like her both as a kid and an adult, even if you don't see her much in the 1986 timeline. The struggle with her husband and how she has to handle it is sad yet again. I'm just a little bit frustrated that she couldn't really work together with Ulrich and they kind of broke apart.
-> Peter Doppler: If you have other sexual tendencies just don't marry a woman... I guess it's not that easy though. He always seems to be very silent, not really showing his emotion to himself or Charlotte. He seems to at least love his kids, but there are just to many other factors that make him kind of unlikeable. I hope he improves himself.
-> Franziska Doppler: They didn't really reveal much of her in this season. She seems to have many secrets and wants to leave Winden. You really want to know what is up with her, but to all of that she basically said: "not today". Hope season 2 expands on her a bit more.
-> Elisabeth Doppler: She is so cute and innocent. I feel sorry, that her boyfriend disappeared. Here is hopes that nothing terrible will happen to her.
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The Tiedemann Family

-> Egon Tiedemann: I get the feeling, that this show really tried hard to make him unlikeable. At least that was the feeling that I got, after Ulrich repeatedly states how much he hates him in both the 1953 and 1986 timeline. I can't hate him much since he obviously thinks that he holds a child murderer hostage. Even when he held Ulrich captive because of false cause of rape he never really abused his powers. Yes, I find it stupid, that he has a grudge on Ulrich without some good reason except for him being "annoying" but whatever.
-> Doris Tiedemann: Like many other characters of 1953, there really isn't much to be said about her. She is married, but seems attracted to Agnes. The End.
-> Claudia Tiedemann: This woman seems to play a very big role in this entire story. Besides being another time traveler, she seems to have some sort of power fight between Noah in which they try to outwit each other. She manipulates Jonas, Bartosz and even the scientist. It is unclear why she wants the time machine to be build. I don't even know if she is good, evil or something in-between. But I suppose we will see much more from her in the next two seasons.
-> Alexander Köhler/Tiedemann: I really don't know what to think of him. He loves Regina and at least doesn't cheat on someone but honestly... the way he acted in 1986 was just plain creepy. He also seems to have his secrets that will probably be revealed sooner or later.
-> Regina Tiedemann: Like her in 1983/ Mixed feelings in 2019. She seemed pretty likeable as a kid. The shy kid that hides behind her book, but is very kind. She is treated poorly by her mother though and they have some kind of feud. Because of that it was very difficult to like her in the 2019 timeline where she began to act rude and provocatively in front of people like Katharina. Sure she was bullied by her in 1983 but still, there are times where you just don't act the way you do, especially when you know that the person is dealing with terrible things, like losing their kid.
-> Bartosz Tiedemann: Very mixed feelings. He seems like a good friend and I feel sorry that everyone seems to lie to him, but the way he lets himself get manipulated by both Noah and Martha is just irritating. I hope he will break out through all that manipulation by everyone.
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I can't wait to find out how everything will continues and what exactly happened in the future. I hope to see the future selfs of Bartosz, Martha, Magnus, Franziska and the others. Is there a war? I'm hooked! But please... don't give me more headaches! Thanks!

(STATE: 04.08.2019)

Season 2: 9
How a redditor greatly put it: The question is not when, the question is WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!? You think your brain hurt the first season? Well good luck with trying to create a family tree with everything that happened in this one. But honestly this season is just amazing in so many ways. It's a very long time, since I was captivated so much by a show like I was with this one. The writing is stellar and you get bamboozled more then once in an episode. I really was unsure on who I had to believe in: Adam or Claudia. You really wanted to know, what this apocalypse was all about, and all strings leading to the grand finale, were just so extremely interesting. Pretty much all characters finding out about time travel or even time traveling themselves is just... AGH- perfect, especially after you realize that said acts close the circle in a way. And EVERYTHING is connected. My god. This is just fricking cool. I took a pause of about two weeks before continuing the show, but after beginning it again... I watched it through the end, being shocked that there were no ninth and tenth episode. It was a great, yet very convoluted experience once again. It's better then the first season, but also achieves to improve it, since you realize that there was so much foreshadowing going on for this season and many things making so much sense if you would rewatch the first ten episodes again.
While it was a mindfuck that there were two more timelines that got introduced it was more or less easy to follow anything, but after that twist in the end I guess that the last season will deal with different dimensions too. I hope the writers don't get confused by their own writing, since I can barely keep up.
Once again there were ONLY highs - no bad episode at all. Plus every episode pretty much had one huge twist at the end. There may are people who would think that some scenes were dragged out in a way or other, but I really can't point out a scene that felt unnecessary in the overall scheme. Yes, some thing are still unclear, but they will very likely all get answered in the last season and - hopefully - close the circle perfectly. If all loose threads really get connected in a satisfying way, this may as well could get the best TV-show that I have seen. Now to my updated opinion on... all the characters:
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The Kahnwald Family

-> Daniel Kahnwald: Surprisingly this season didn't really touch on him again. I don't like him that much though since he pretty much advises Egon to cheat on his wife. I mean... I guess it probably was the best for him... but... you get what I mean.
-> Ines Kahnwald: She still is an angel. At least that is what I would love to believe. I'm sure that she thought that drugging Mikkel was for the best of him to overcome a trauma and because she thought she was a better mother, then his original family. But man... this is just so fucked up.
-> Mikkel Nielsen/Michael Kahnwald: Yet again, you only feel pity. I really hope that they can escape that circle where he has to hang himself, since he really didn't deserve that. He really, truly loves his son and it's so sad to have him need to leave. His overall situation just gets worse, the more time passes. Oh man.
-> Hannah Kahnwald: Nope, she is still a manipulative bitch. When (adult) Jonas started visiting her and showing her everything around the time travel mechanics you really started believing that she moved on from Ulrich and would start worrying about other things, but you are so wrong with that, that it really hurts, when you see her in the 1953 timeline, actually FLIRTING with Egon, after she realizes that Ulrich will never love her and always put his family first. What a psychotic woman. Worse is, that I get the feeling that she will shake up the family tree once again. What. The. Hell.
-> Jonas Kahnwald/Adam: Poor him. He is so confused. He really just wants everything to have an end and after the twist with Adam you really realize that his overall role in this whole plan will never really finish. It's very difficult to openly state my opinion on him, since the background of many of his actions are still unclear. I like him as a teen and as an adult. I really have no idea, how his mind can be so shaken up to feel like Adam and I really hope that the third seasons gives a realistic outlook on why he acts like he does. For now I hate him and see him as a villain, but look out for what is to come.
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The Nielsen Family

-> Noah Nielsen: Who would have believed that I would ever show some kind of sympathy for Noah? I was convinced that he would remain a mystery until the final season, but it was quite a shock to find out that he is the father of Charlotte. I really want to feel bad for him getting shot while being in challenge with his own faith, but... he shot Yasin... just because he was Elisabeths boyfriend. Man, chill out.
-> Agnes Nielsen: Except the fact, that she is siblings with Noah and knowing about the travelers there was nothing more, that we found out about her. I suppose I want her to be happy with Doris, but with knowing in which timeline they are living I doubt that this will end well.
-> Jana & Tronte Nielsen: They didn't even appear this season, so my opinion on them didn't change.
-> Katharina Nielsen: Still like her in 2020. Still mixed feelings in 1986. I don't get the feeling that I will ever like her as a teenager, but she is such a loving and caring parent. I feel so sorry for her, after all those events in the first season. She is so stressed out and on the verge of breaking that you just can't handle it. Yes, she began to get rude to (adult) Jonas, but I can't blame her. After everything that happened I would never want anyone to touch my children. Plus it's true that Jonas is the nephew of her...
-> Ulrich Nielsen: It's incredible how you can extremely hate him in the timeline, where he maked out with Hannah, but then only feel pity after he gets thrown into psychatry after desperately shouting to want to see his children and Katharina. The fact that he lived most of his time in a psychiatry is just terrible. He probably will even die there. Oh god.
-> Martha Nielsen: My feelings on her are a bit confusing. I was a bit happy for her to finally break up with Bartosz, but she mostly acts so selfish and only with the intention of finally seeing Jonas again that it starts to hurt. Then there is the end, where she gets told to NOT LEAVE the bunker and she still leaves is so frustrating. Yes, I didn't want her to die, but she really is far from being a character that I like. My jaw dropped after seeing herself of another dimension. Maybe I will have more sympathy with her now.
-> Magnus Nielsen: I still like him. I found it a bit over the top by him, Martha and Franziska to torture Bartosz the way they did, but whatever. I have no idea what I have to think about his future self. Same thing applies to future Franziska. Let's see if the final season will explain that.
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The Tiedemann Family

-> Doris Tiedemann: You learned less about her, then about Agnes. The only thing you found out is that she returns Agnes feelings. That no one except Claudia will find out her secret.
-> Egon Tiedemann: Poor him. Poor, poor him. I told you that he wasn't that bad how Ulrich pretended him to be. He really tried to solve this case and was really close on finding it out. Him dying right in the end felt frustrating especially after knowing that he would have died by cancer anyway. I would have loved him and Claudia to live together with Regina, but some things just seem to be impossible. The only thing I probably don't support is the fact that he cheated... with Hannah the less, but with Doris being lesbian it probably was the most convenient thing to happen. Plus he truly loved his daughter at least. Like him.
-> Claudia Tiedemann: The White Devil. I knew that we would find out a few things about her in the second season, but woah... this was some very huge info dump. I truly believe that she is good and even though she killed Egon, she is all just doing it to overcome this world and create one where everyone lives. It's so thrilling to see her finally beginning her first time travel experiences in 1986 and closing the circle one by one. More of that. I love her, in every timeline. I'm only neutral about her in the 1953 one.
-> Aleksander Köhler/ Tiedemann: I knew that he was sketchy. It didn't really feel like some sort of secret. After the investigator pushed him a bit you really start to wonder who exactly he is. Did he really kill the brother of the investigator to hide his identity? Who exactly is he? I remain curious.
-> Regina Tiedemann: Another character with poor luck. It was quite shocking to find out that she had cancer. No one seems to be safe of some sort of negative impact. And while this is very depressing I'm at least happy that Claudia visited her and they reconciled. Let's hope they survive this apocalypse and Reginas cancer gets beaten.
-> Bartosz Tiedemann: Well... he seems to have turned to the punching bag of everyone. I would be so pissed on everyone if anyone harmed me the way they did. The friendships are probably over now, which is frustrating since he is just getting used by Noah. I hope he can break through all that manipulation, wait woah. I already said that last time. Let's hope that this time it will finally prevail. Probably not though.
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The Doppler Family

-> Greta Doppler: Well... she didn't hit Helge, but I really don't know how to feel about her. She seems to be out of options with how to handle her son. She doesn't have a very big role in the overall scheme.
-> Bernd Doppler: He didn't appear this season, which is... weird.
-> Helge Doppler: I guess the final opinion you can have about him can already be taken after the first season, since he was analyzed in there the most. I still feel very sorry about him and the way he was treated as a kid. I have a better understanding on why he acted the way he did as an adult now. It makes it all the more difficult to really hate him for it, even if everything he did was obviously wrong. Well he tried to stop himself, so I will write him off as a good fella.
-> Charlotte Doppler: Ouch... not like this. She really has to deal with some heavy stuff. I doubt anyone would love to find out how her family tree turned out. I'm at least happy that she finally knows about time travelling and that she and Peter sorted everything out. But is she dead?
-> Peter Doppler: My opinion on him didn't change that much after the first season. I only can say that I'm happy to see him interact with Charlotte. Other then that he is rather an observer the anything else.
-> Elisabeth Doppler: Are you fucking kidding me? She was that innocent girl that could never harm anyone. Why is it that SHE gets to be the leader of a terrorist group in the future. And of course she almost kills Jonas and has some very impressive sniper skills. My god and then the fact that she had a kid with NOAH, named CHARLOTTE. What. The. Fuck. Is. Wrong. With. This. Show? I still like her in 2020. My feelings about her in the future are... very confusing. I can't put them in words, but they aren't positive.
-> Franziska Doppler: There still wasn't much revealed about her once again. She is selling Bernadette prescriptions for hormones to complete his gender reassignment, but that's really it. Much more then that wasn't revealed, except the fact that she and Magnus are members of Sic Mundus. I really need more informations about her, since she still feels like some sort of mystery. As of now I like her, but yeah. It may or may not change.
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It's so sad to know that the next season will definetely be the last. Especially now after having begone to really love this show. I can't not recommend this Series more and hope that it will have an even better third season. If all requirements are fulfilled this could very well turn to one of my absolute favorite shows - a show of my country - never would have believed that before. Don't disappoint me writers!

(STATE: 14.08.2019)

Season 3: 9
And with that the saga has come to an end and it was great till the very last second. I can't stress enough how good this show is. Nothing ever is mentioned without any reason and mostly all of it gets connected in this season, like the show already advertised: "The end is the beginning". I would lie if I would say that I understood everything that this show threw at me, but what i got was already great enough. There were a lot of shocking scenes once again and my brain was taken into an adventure with this season. It really felt like a big climax between Adam and Eva, who actively fought to break or keep the cycle alive. I never would have thought that a third world where everything started would be the origin of everything that happened and I'm very happy that everything seems to have found closure in some form or other. There are so many little details that you could analyze and point out. Many dialogues and general things that are pointed out in former seasons got reestablished and make for foreshadowing that you didn't even realize: the necklace, the fate of specific characters and how EXTREMELY CONVOLUTED that whole family tree turned out to be... I'm... very confused and shocked. They even introduced a whole new alternative world, in which character relationships slightly differ, but events themselves stay the same, as if predetermined. Not like the timeline itself would already be complicated enough. My only regret with this season is the fact that you will probably not have the exact same experience with it, if you didn't binge the former two seasons a few days ago. It would most likely have made things a lot more clear for me, since I didn't quite remember what Claudia, Jonas and Noah did in the first two seasons, but you still can find a lot enjoyment in it, like I did. A part of me is a little sad, that the show is over now, but I know that I will definetely rewatch the show after a few years to get the full experience. A lot of opinions I had about specific characters changed completely again, since this season makes clear on how specific persons actually weren't villains in the first place or were victim to their sorroundings, adding a new layer with the Tannhaus family that was a lot more important then formerly expected:
-------------------------------------------------------The Kahnwald family

-> Daniel Kahnwald: In the end of it all he really wasn't a major character in all of this, so my feelings for him stay the same.
-> Ines Kahnwald: She stayed nice and there really isn't much more that you can mention on her end. Her job in this whole ordeal after all was to raise Mikkel and that's it. Her story was already pretty much over after about Season 2. I'm only surprised to see that she was a lot more cheeky in her younger years, that's all.
-> Micheal Kahnwald/Mikkel Nielsen: Still tragic, especially when you remind yourself how hard his parents tried to get him back. Ouch. It isn't that bad for him in the alternative world, but it doesn't matter much if you still get killed by an apocalypse. At least he was with Katharina there.
-> Hannah Kahnwald: She is a lost cause. I already had a big grudge on her in the end of Season 2 and at first it didn't seem like she would improve any time soon. After getting pregnant and leaving her affair with Egon behind, she finally turned herself back to her son... in the worst moment possible. I still can't handle that Jonas killed her in 1921. While Hannah wasn't my fan favorite, this still hurt to watch. In the alternative world she basically is doing the same stupid stuff she did in the first two seasons. I should feel enraged, but it was already explained, how things are still happening in some form or other in parallel worlds, that they might not happen immediately or at the same time, but they do happen. It was a classic Hannah thing to threaten Aleksander with his true identity after finding out about Charlotte having an affair with Ulrich. I'm just happy that she got her happy ending at the end and will have a peaceful, non-affair having life at the end, with Jonas being born. Good development and end.
-> Silja Kahnwald/Tiedemann: Noooo... no... no. That's the only thing that I can say about her. Like... it's very shocking how Hannah was already killed, while she was sleeping in the same room, but being sent into the future, only to get informed to travel in the past again and play Bartosz to get two kids with her. This is... so wrong. Poor Silja, but... also fuck her... imagine Jonas would have started a relationship with her while being in the future... ugh, you literally can't do anything in Winder without having the fear, that specific persons are ancestors of your family tree.
-> Jonas Kahnwald/Adam: There are around five or six versions of this guy. One of them getting killed, but reappearing because of an alternative scenario. I do admit, this was all very well planned. I feel very bad for Jonas, but at the same time find it funny how Adam pretty much is trying to deceive his past self all the time. He was completely manipulated all the time, always confronting people that tell him, he was getting manipulated without realizing that he would still move on the cycle with all the actions he took, even if he attempted suicide. No wonder, that he turned into Adam. I'm just relieved that he was able to find a solution to this whole situation with Martha. It's a bit sad to know that he never existed after all actions he took with Martha, but it was for the best. The ending also established that he may be born again, so there may still be a good ending for him. All the best sentiments, and that he won't end up a maniac with bruises all over his body this time around.
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The Nielsen/Tauber Family

-> Noah/Hanno Tauber: This... is only one of many more tragic characters in this show. It's incredible to think, that he wasn't the bad guy in all of this, but it rather was Jonas, if you think about it. He was actively manipulated by him, even killed his own father because of his strong beliefs, getting betrayed at the end. At the end of it all he was a pretty normal guy that started getting rightly furious after he lost his daughter. It's sad how the cycle had such a big and bad influence on specific characters. It could have been so great, if he could have had a peaceful life with Elisabeth and his daughter... Charlotte... yes, it's very weird to write it down, okay? But it's clear where I'm trying to head.
-> Mister Nielsen (???): They never gave the child of Jonas and Martha a name, so let's just call him Mr. Nielsen. It still feels unreal that this character is travelling through times in three different timelines and basically just tried to lead the way to the cycle we know, with much threatening to get the nuclear power station build. There is not much characterization going on with him, which I have to be honest, could have been a good push to give me a reason why Eva wants to protect him so much, but it was definetely interesting to see him intereact with some characters, if he wasn't killing them. I'm more shocked how he basically made himself the grandfather of his own father...
-> Agnes Nielsen: Another WTF moment right there. She is the mother of Tronte. She really had some strong beliefs. I hope it was worth it for her. She was more of a chess piece in the overall game though, which only leads to more pity on my part. Sadder is the fact how she had the whole Doris affair and didn't do anything with it, even if there was interest.
-> Tronte Nielsen: My feelings for him didn't change that much either. I was just confused on how at first it seemed like he would start something with Claudia, only to end up with Jana again. It was weird, but he stood low in this season. No real opinion on him except that I hope that he could get behind his family problems.
-> Jana Nielsen: While she still wasn't that major in this season, there still was the 1954 timeline with Tronte, where they showed how much chemistry they had. I'm just frustrated on how Claudia dealed with her as a kid and took her crush aways from her, all the while knowing about her feelings. She came out on top though and I like her, even if she doesn't really have that much importance in the overall sceme of things yet again.
-> Ulrich Nielsen: What is it with this guy and the fact that he always is cheating? This time with Charlotte. And that, even though he already cheated Katharina with Hannah and her, with Charlotte, even though she is pregnant. Nice going. I guess it really doesn't matter which timeline you are, he will always do it and that's unnerving. The 1987 timeline showed his regret and the fact, that he just wanted his family back. There I really would have cheered if he would have made it with Katharina, but obviously it had to fail, which makes things a lot more tragic for him and his destiny in the future. He will never even have the resolution of knowing what happened to Katharina...
-> Katharina Nielsen: Poor, poor her. It's really terrible how she got killed from her own mother after trying to release Ulrich and get her child back. The fact that "the dead woman in the lake" was already mentioned in Season 2 was pretty disturbing, especially since Bartosz told the story to Martha. Abused, getting chated on, losing her own child and then getting killed by your own mom. Man. And no wonder she was so cruel as a teenager. While it doesn't excuse her behaviour, it explains it at least. All the happier am I for that dinner scene. She deserves her happy ending.
-> Magnus Nielsen & Franziska Doppler: I will put them together, because it seems apparent, that they both didn't do much in this season. If there were scenes with them, they only elaborated how much they were in love with, in both worlds. Good for them, but not really important I guess. I like them both and found it interesting how Franziska even spoke sign language in the other world. Except for that, they were pretty much pawns to the game as well.
-> Martha Nielsen: Well... I never would have expected her to ever have such a big role in this story, but it turns out, that her part in this game was a lot bigger then formerly anticipated. There were around four Marthas again, with the Martha from the alternative world working as one of the major characters that already had difficulties to accept the idea of time travelling and the overall things she would do in future, actively working against them, only to end in the same scenario again. It's no wonder that she is the counterpart of Jonas in all of this and I liked her a lot in this. Much more then in the former two seasons. I have to be honest, I need to laugh, when I think about the fact that I was still complaining about her and Bartosz being together two seasons ago, who would have thought that it would have taken me into this direction. She is a lot more interesting now, but her active working against the plans of Adam is a bit insane in my eyes.
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The Tiedemann Family

-> Egon Tiedemann: I would like to support his relationship with Hannah in 1954 if this whole thing wouldn't be so fucked up in the first place. He never pushed any boundaries and after his divorce with Doris it would have felt like a good thing to do, if she wouldn't have gone away. He owns his mistakes and it was surprising to see him as a time traveler pushing Hannah of the alternative world in the right direction, but overall he is a hit and miss. Plus he gave me headaches because of that necklace he gave to Hannah. Nice guy, but still mixed feelings.
-> Doris Tiedemann: I support the fact that she decided for a divorce, but except for that she also was a rather small character in all of this. She didn't find Agnes and everything seems to stay unresolved, which is only a downside for her. I hope she had a good life after the divorce.
-> Claudia Tiedemann: She is the unexpected hero in this whole story and I was kind of surprised to realize that she would still have such an important role, even though we saw her get shot in Season 2. She clearly did have her mistakes in her past, but she actively tried to better them and protect her own daughter. Seeing how she actually was able to outplay Adam and Eva was impressive and I'm happy that she was able to find a a loop-hole from which she could work with. All the power to her and it worked out in her best interest. Props to that. She definetely is one of the better characters.
-> Regina Tiedemann: She was only in the alternative world and had cancer in it as well, only to get strangled by a cushion. She never deserved any of that and belongs to the other tragic characters who have met a fate, they didn't deserve. All the more relieving it was to see her at that dining table at the end again, looking healthy and happy. I liked her, not that there was much that could have changed my mind.
-> Aleksander Tiedemann/Boris Niewald: He admitted his crimes to his son, which is one of the only good things he did this season. He is still a very weird guy. I definetely would have thought different of him, if I wouldn't know of his background in 1986, but he at least loved Regina, if that helps in any extent. Still very mixed feelings about him.
-> Bartosz Tiedemann: And he got outplayed again. This time by his own wife and on retrospect even by his own son. At least he was able to save Martha and create an alternative timeline, which is more then many of the characters were able to do. I truly hope that he gets a break in the end and has his happy ending. He deserves it too I feel.
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The Doppler Family

-> Bernd Doppler: He stayed mysterious for the whole entirety of the show. He had his affair, he seems scary, I didn't have a good impression on him.
-> Greta Doppler: Pretty much the thoughts that I already had in the first season. I think she only appeared in one scene of this season, so you can imagine how I still stand in her department.
-> Helge Doppler: And the tragic won't go away. Here we have Tronte, who pretty much is dealing with the same things as the two prior seasons, but he still stays wrecked and gets treated like a maniac, even in the parallel world. He admitted the crime, but he feels more like a pawn so Charlotte and Ulrich find out about time travel in the parallel world. Same feelings as before.
-> Peter Doppler: I would like to hate him, for still not giving a good reason, why he started cheating. He and Charlotte seemed to get along just fine in the beginning. I wonder where it went wrong if it really doesn't only have to do with sexuality (?). Him getting killed in the main timeline and Elisabeth actually having to witness it was terrible enough, but that showed that he cared at least. He's dead at the end, but probably lives a good life in the third world, I at least hope. Mixed to "partly" good feelings for him.
-> Charlotte Doppler: I'd really want to like her, but it doesn't help that she is cheating with Ulrich in another world, fully knowing that Hannah is pregnant. That makes her worse then Egon in some regard. Her travelling through time and stealing herself with her daughter/mother was already confusing enough. Yet again this whole ordeal means she doesn't even exist in the main world at the end, which kind of makes me sad. Even if she has her faults she was a good detective.
-> Elisabeth Doppler: Well, that segment they showed in this season, where she travelled with her father through the run down Winden is a good indicator on how she got to the person she was in the future. That her own child was kidnapped probably also helped to get her inner demons out, so I congratulate the writers to have achieved the development she needed to get where she needs to. Seeing her getting emotional after finally holding her baby again was heartbreaking. Definetely another tragic character that I love.
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The Tannhaus Family

-> Heinrich Tannhaus: It was only revealed how he created a group called "Sic Mundus", a community of time travelers to get back his dead wife Charlotte. I can't have any opinion on him, since the scene where all of that was explained was the only one he appeared in. It makes you think though how far in the past the whole timeline really goes.
-> Gustav Tannhaus: It was surprising to see one of H.G. Tannhauses ancestors in the 1888 timeline, helping Jonas, Bartosz, Magnus and Franziska with the time machine and giving them a place to rest. He still was a background character thoughout the time. The feelings were neutral.
-> H.G. Tannhaus: I liked him, but at the same time I'm very surprised that he was the origin of everything that happened. I never would have thought at first, that he was the person who created two worlds and that the death of his son and his wife would give him as much motivation. The fact that he would save them unconsciously is incredible and I'm glad that he got what he fought for..

There are a few side characters left that I didn't mention and there are questions here and there that were left unanswered, like the mistery of Wöllers eye, but even that was made intentional since some questions will always remain a secret at the end. It's a great show if you want something to discuss and it put the expectations for time travel films and movies on a completely new level. I hope we can expect new great things from the writers and I will eagerly wait what they will come up with next.

(STATE: 06.07.2020)

Season 1: 5.5
I watched the first season some time ago without going on, since I didn't liked it that much. After rewatching it I had a small change of mind. I guess there is SOME merit to this show, even if I have many problems with it.
First the good thing: the mystery part of the story was intriguing. There were some parts, where I got the feeling that things went a little too well for Clifford and there were enough holes that would never have worked in real life, but I digress. The reveal and how everything was connected was nice and the ending would make you interested in what is to come.
Now to the parts I have problems with. I will not talk about the fact that every Riverdale fan is hating on, that it wouldn't be a good comic adaptation. I never read the comics, so I can't really give a statement on that regard. The things that really bother me on this show are some of the characters that sometimes don't even feel to act like real humans and more like they jumped from a bad draft to reality. It's a teen drama, but that doesn't mean you have include every trope that is connected with it. You have the sport group that pretty much is a collection of assholes - since it's a common thing that every guy who plays rugby is a toxic alpha that treats woman like objects. Archie is the only nice guy, playing guitar and having a soft spot for everyone since he is the main character after all... and he really has many unnecessary reasons to take his shirt off and showcase his abs. You have at least one character that is gay - here being Kevin Keller. I would like to give this show credit for doing that, since there are enough shows who shame away to include any sort of LGBT character, but Riverdale doesn't even seem to get how to write a character that is homosexual. He has absolutely no personality. His entire character is build on the fact that he is gay, which is atrocious. Being gay is an orientation and not a personality trait. I know nothing of Kevin and after this season I honestly wouldn't give a fuck if something happened to him. He is the gay guy and nothing else. I even have problems with my personal favorite character of this show - Bettie. She is the friendly character and has a strong sense of justice, writing several newspapers and holding speeches to fight for the weak, but her entire "Dark Bettie" storyline is such a misinterpretation of, what I deduce, should be a mental illness that it almost ruins her whole character. Then you have Cheryl Blossom, who acts like the typical mean girl. Heck, she even has her own minions that follow her like some kind of dogs. I get that I shouldn't hate on it so much, since especially Cheryl seems to be the most accurate portrayal of her comic counterpart and is even getting some form of development after the whole mystery fiasco, and she is the perfect example of a "campy" character, but man... sometimes it's just too much. I really love the aesthetics. The diner "Pop's" looks so incredibly cool and this show really has it's moments where it showcases how campy it can be. I suppose I should look at it for just that - not more - since else I would ruin the experience for me.
Moving on I still need to talk about some of the parents. For one, Betties and especially Cheryls parents don't even feel to act like real humans. And the thing, that is crazier then that is the fact, that they both are the only parents that aren't divorced... well until the end at least. I like Archies father, FP Jones - even if his whole "South Side Serpents don't snitch" behaviour is annoying - and Hermione. I don't understand, how Hiram can have so much influence on construction works and money management while being in jail, but I will take it for what it is.
I only am party invested in the relationship of Betty and Jughead. I don't really care for anything else and hope that the next season will have a similar mystery like this one and be as campy as ever.
This probably won't be my next favorite show, but it doesn't have to be. I would recommend to watch it with some friends, while drunk. This is the moment, where the show really gets great!

(STATE: 15.08.2019)

Season 2: 5
...What? I mean... why? What did the writers even try to do in this season? What was the point of ALL OF THIS? This show is extremely confusing for a teen show and takes itself just way too seriously. The only way I can explain all of this is that the show was written by a bunch of different writing teams who all really hate each other. That at least would explain the lack of consistency. I honestly have no idea how I should start to unravel this season, since there are MANY things that I have to point out and feel like I can't in just this post, but I will try my best.
Let me start with the good, since there won't be much to point out on that regard unfortunately. The easthetics still look good. I'd really love to drink a milkshake in a place like the Pop's. Riverdale still is as campy as ever and you have to play along with it, if you truly want to enjoy this ride - it makes it a bit easier. There are a few characters who really turned to nice people e.g. Alice, who you even feel sorry for. A thing you would never have thought after the first episodes of Season 1. Plus after my huge ranting about Kevin he finally got some sort of screen time. I still can't truly put my finger on him, but I at least have a better picture of him then in Season 1. Moving on the last thing I can point out will also be my transition to the bad parts: The Blackhood storyline.
Oh man... let me tell you. I never expected this story to evolve in the way it would. I immediately was hooked in the mystery and really wanted to know who would be the guy with the green eyes. I really loved scenes where Bettie would have a conversation with him on her cellphone and she would get threatened. I also liked the whole cat and mouse game aspect between Blackhood and the main cast... but... what did this all even evolve into? After a few episodes the show suddendly pretends that the killer was shot and moves on with an election arc, just to reveal - after around 10 episodes later - that Blackhood wasn't actually caught yet and there suddenly being another murder. Why did they brush this off and why did Blackhood disappear for so many episodes, just to have a dramatic reappearance after all those episodes? Then there is this scene with Betties father who just randomly decides to reveal himself as Blackhood out of nowhere starting to monologue about his past and how he was brainwashed by religious fanatics as a kid. I don't have to tell you if that was ever foreshadowed in any way in those two seasons. It sounds like rubbish that his murder insticts would just reawake after Betties speech. You can't just snap with your fingers and expect your characters to go on a rampage, but the writers do that with many characters, even changing their personalities in the second season, like Archie, Veronica, Bettie and especially Jughead. Let me explicate that, since it feels way to important to just gloss over it.
Archie was the innocent fuckboy, that played guitar and had his love troubles. In this season alone he blows up a car, vandalizes buildings and even threatens people with a gun. Veronica has a very weird relationship with her father - outright denying him and his criminal activities in one second - and supporting him the other more then once. The innocent Bettie from Season 1, who may had some sort of small personality disorder is stripping in front of older men, hiding a corpse, threatens to murder someone and outright hands someone over to a serial killer telling her victim to run while he still has the chance to. And Jughead... oh man. He was the social outcast in the first season. He would hide somewhere and be in his own bubble, stating of himself to be some sort of weirdo. They made a huge effort to point out that he HATES the South Side Serpents or at least didn't want to have to do with any of it. Now he won't shut up about how they had to fight for them and gets obsessed with them to a dangerous degree. He even cuts out the tattoo of a woman and kicks her out of Riverdale. What the fuck? Did they smoke too much Jingle-Jangle? Funnily enough the only person who should have some sort of character development still acts pretty much the same. It made sense for Cheryl to hate everyone in Season 1 since everyone was a suspect for being the killer of James. But now she acts bitchy just to be bitchy. The writers clearly had no idea what to do with her and so she just walks through the screen and insults everyone for the first episodes just to later get in a romantic relationship with Toni. And she is suddenly an expert in archery. The End.
Sadly enough Cheryls romantic relationship is still one of the better subplots of this season because it takes you somewhere. Since we have 22 episodes there were a bunch of storylines that were introduced, but it never felt like any of them lead to anything. Archie presumbly gets hired by the FBI to get a view of Hirams activities only to later be revealed to never have been some kind of safety authority but Hermione, who wanted to test him. Even the whole Chic fiasco - which at the beginning - really got me hooked lead to absolutely nothing. We never really learned anything valuable except maybe that FP Jones and Alice where the parents of that long lost son. But not even that really felt like some sort of huge plot twist. Things that would shock you in any other show felt like some sort of trviality in Riverdale. Archie gets kidnapped by serial rapist Nick and wants money from Lodge Industries? Don't worry! Watch Archie how he frees himself, without even having to deal with the fact that Veronica had sex with Nick. Someone gets hurt badly/shot etc.? Don't worry! They'll survive - especially - when it's a main character. I know that almost every show has plot armour, but it really feels cheap for a character not to die, when there really is absolutely no good reason for it. At least give a reason for it. ANY!
Last thing I can say is that the cliffhanger for the third season sadly wasn't as strong as the one for this season. Archie getting arrested feels like another triviality which will probably be resolved in around 3 episodes. Freddies risk of dying felt very real and you really didn't know what fate could await him, but this? Nah, I'm not feeling it, sorry. But there are two things that I'm interested about at least for the next season:
1. What is Hirams plan for Riverdale? What does he want to construct and why does he need all this buildings? It will probably be very fun to see all this shenanigans between him and the main cast if I don't take it seriously.
2. How much lower can this show still go? I heard that the third season is the worst season of them all. I REALLY want to know how they can even start to go lower from here.
I have a love-hate relationship with this beautiful show and I will embrace all trashy and cringy lines that Riverdale will throw at me. I'm ready for it and I hope that the third season will not disappoint me on that regard. Until then!

(STATE: 20.08.2019)

Season 1: 7
I really shouldn't say that, since this show is all about embracing yourself and accepting who you are or not being scared what others think about you, but it still stands as a guilty pleasure for me. Not for the reasons that you might think so let me elaborate before everyone loses their mind.
Is it a good musical and can the actors sing? Definetely! Many interpretations that this show comes up with are pretty nice. I really was impressed by the Bohemian Rhapsody performance that had many cool parallels to the birth of Quinns baby. Many other songs achieved to do similar things and everyone gave it their best shot when they had a singing performance. Yes, the autotune was recognizable in some of them, but it never really felt like they used it drastically and you still could recognize a natural voice. Especially when Lea Michele or Amber Riley started singing, there wasn't even any need for any autotune since they really have very powerful voices. The only thing that bugged me a little bit was the sheer number of songs that were sung during the season. Yes, they all had a reason to be there and it's a musical after all, so you should really look for something else if you don't like that, but I just couldn't help but get annoyed when you thought, that the story would go into an interesting direction and then out of a sudden the character ran into a floor dramatically and you heard the piano in the background. All in all you can put a thumbs up at the music part.
Moving on to the characters. Where they any good? This one is a little more tricky. There were many character that really focused on their hardships and difficulties in high school. The problem is that many of the characters began to act extremely superficial if the plot demanded it to. And because of that it was really difficult to take them serious again, when there was an emotional moment for said character. E.g. Puck babysitting some children with Quinn. The show trying to convince the audience what great chemistry they have and what good parents the two could be, only for them to reveal that Puck was "sexting" with Santana while they were babysitting with his argument being that he is a boy after all and he wouldn't just stop "sexting"/flirting etc. with other women if they would have the kid...(???) You can't blame me to not feel anything when Puck starts singing about his baby and how he would call it Beth if the other thing happened not five episodes ago. And this show unfortunately suffers from many of such moments. Some characters remain down to earth, but almost everyone has a moment where they do something ridiculous which can ruin it for some people, including me.
But maybe this show is just campy, which would explain many storylines of this season. What a great transition!
The main storylines are Wills wife lying about being pregnant and how the show wants you to believe that you could actually deceive someone for more then 4 months to believe said story. The Glee Club being part of the social outcast and trying to make it cool. Sue Sylvester being extremely bored and trying to destroy the club for almost no reason whatsoever. Two characters building some sort of relationship in one episode and immediately breaking it apart at the end of it except Rachel and Finn and Will and Emma. Plus Rachel trying to be a superstar. There are also some more serious storylines like Kurt trying to open up about his sexuality, Quinn being pregnant and the father being someone else, Mercedes and body positivity, Archie and his hardchips because of sitting on a wheelchair, building some sort of solidarity in the Glee Club, feeling ugly and of course winning the Regionals. It's a little mix of some pretty interesting but also some very stupid ideas. But funnily enough, sometimes the more sillier episodes turned out to be better then the more serious ones. I loved this show in the past because I liked the message behind it all: being happy with who you are and if being different it would make you into something special. But in the end of the day it still is a teen show, so there are some moments, where you feel like the kids have a little bit too much testosterone in their body. At the end of the day it's your decision if you can deal with that or not. The first two seasons are part of my childhood, so it's really hard to hate on it. It will not win any awards in storytelling, but I'll enjoy the ride. I can't remember if they won the Nationals in the second season, so here is hopes for that. I would also have hoped for Will and Emma getting together next season but after everything that happened past the Sectionals the chemistry just feels weird. Will cheating on Emma just came out of nowhere and felt like something they came up with after they got the feeling they got together a little too fast. I hope that the Glee Club earns some reputation in school though and that the bond between the members grows, would be great. Plus I really want my favorite characters to get into healthy relationships *cough* Mercedes *cough*. I really didn't care about Finn and Rachel though. Rachel kissing Finn was AFTER she found out that Jesse betrayed her, so Finn only felt like a second prize and the build up after those 22 episodes felt...lost. How those two can have such a cult following is surprising to me. Until next season!

(STATE: 17.09.2019)

Season 2: 7.5
Here we are again, after waching the second season, which brushed by in what felt like minutes. I think it's more enjoyable then the first season and - hearing at what the fanbase is saying - the best, that Glee will offer. There are some things that improved, while other things just got worse, but I will state already that the only reason that this rating is 0.5 points higher lies in the fact, that I just had an overall better time with the second season in contrast to the first. Let me move on to the pros and cons.
I already pointed out that Glee isn't that show which would win any awards for it's storylines. It rather shines with the musical performances, while getting you entertained with the usual shenanigans of the characters and if you like things like that then this could perhaps be the next show for you. In the end of the day it is just a kind of show-offy campy teen-show, but it can actually suck you in really fast and before you know it you already have watched around three episodes.
The musical performances are as always top-notch and there were also some extremely great dancers in the club like Heather Morris (Brittany) and Harry Shum Jr. (Mike), who really shined in this season and setted them apart from the rest. It shows that you don't need to have the best voice to get recognized and loved by the fans, I at least was very thrilled. I can't think about one song or dance that annoyed me. Hell, even "Friday" was great. Only thing that bothers me is that this season felt a bit TOO oversaturated with songs. This may just be my impression, but there were some episodes were three songs were performed in a row. It was maked up by the fact that every song cover was great, but... you get, where I'm coming from. No other complains though.
The characters... man this is a mess. It's really hard to write out my thoughts about this, because not only are the numbers of major characters big enough since everyone in the group got some storyline now and new characters like Shannon Beiste - who was perfect - were introduced, but there were some character developments that felt great, while others just felt... stupid and like the writers had no clue how to keep the character interesting through the run. Let's begin with a character that I felt had some huge character changes for the better: Puck. He had a shaky start at the beginning of the season and I remember being extremely annoyed by him in Season 1. It speaks for itself, when the writers actually get him to be sympathetic and likeable without it even feeling weird. I should hate him so much, since he made out with the girlfriend of Finn... AGAIN! But it was such a breath of fresh air seeing him distancing himself from the whole "quadrangle" of this season. You really saw that he cared for the Glee Club and how important it was for him, doing his best to recruit new members. The storyline about him falling in love with Lauren Zizes and trying to win her over was so adorable, especially because he was mad in love with her personality and bossy attitude, even seeing it as a plus that she was chubby. It was also great to see that Lauren wasn't ashamed of her weight and being unfazed by any remarks of other people. I LOVED ALL OF THAT! It would be great to see how that moves on in Season Three, but we are talking about Glee here. A thing that they unfortunately do pretty often and what applies to every character except Will/Emma, Finn/Rachel and Kurt/Blaine is the fact that they mash up the couples in any way possible. Prove of my hypothesis is Artie and Tina who just randomly broke up between Season 1 and 2 and got together with someone else thorugh the run...? While Artie and Brittany already broke up I'm crossing my fingers that the same thing doesn't happen with Tina and Mike, but who knows what Glee does next amirite? Where was I? Ah right character development! Quinn was awful in this season. What the fuck did they do with her personality? Yes, she was the bitch of the first season, but you really thought, that she would have grown up, after that whole pregnancy thing and cheating with someone, but nope. Even though you really got the feeling that she enjoyed her time in Glee and began to get friends in the group - especially Mercedes - she does the. Same. Fucking. Mistakes in this season. She got together with Sam and you thought she would move on? Nope. She thinks about cheating with Finn. The fact that a performance by Sam makes her change her mind again shows how easy-minded the writers made her this season. She even points out that she would be doing the exact same mistakes if she would do one thing and does it anyway. It's just bad. Then that entire drama with her trying to get prom queen. Ugh. Let's just not talk about that. Lastly her being part of the "quadrangle" was a mess, but that is only partly her fault. A main storyline in the second season is Finn and Rachel being together and breaking up after Rachel fucks up again. They writers really want you to root for them to get back together but I just didn't care. After Finn and Quinn got into a relationship again I knew how this would end and I was really not into it and sure enogh they kissed at the last episode. Whatever. They hinted, that there would be some sort of conflict, where Rachel had to choose between broadway or relationship. A thing that really interests me again. Other characters remained pretty much the same through the season, like Artie, Tina, Mercedes and the Diva named Rachel and then there was this whole Britanny and Santana storyline. First things first, I'm happy that they decided to give them some personality and flesh them out instead of letting them be minion #1 and #2 of Quinn. You really got the feeling that they turned into the main characters after not only getting way more dancing and singing performances but also having the whole plot of Santana who can't deal with her sexuality. I liked that and I'm happy to see how this moves on in Season Three since this actually seems to be a big thing, that will be a huge focus leading onward. Will and Emmas relationship was put on... ice instead. Emma got together and even married a guy. The show kept on showing how great Emmas life would be with Carl and she began to beat her OCD and getting behind Will, only for it all to reset after Carl suddenly left. It's difficult for me to say how I should feel about their relationship. The second season felt so much like an outcry of saying that they had their chance and should meet other people, only for the narrative to shift in a manner that would be beneficial for those two. You even thought that they would get together by the end of the season, but somehow nothing happened. The last main storyline I want to talk about is the one of Kurt and the whole bullying. It probably was the best one of this season, since not only was it interesting and fleshed Kurt out way more then I expected, but also because it shows a sort of solidarity in the Glee Club. I never saw such a great teamwork for one member of the group and it was sweet to see the full support of Burt in this. He is probably the best character in this show and you rooted for Kurt, after he finally found a guy and were happy for him after he got together with him and having a good time in the Dalton Academy - even if the inner system there felt a little silly. Even Karofsky got fleshed out and it was nice to see that they tried to not make him a one dimensional bully with no personality.
Even some smaller storylines really turned into some phenomenal episodes like the funeral of Sues sister that perfectly encapsulated the sadness and frustation of Sue. Even the episodes of alcohol addiction - which probably could never be aired the way it is in 2019 - was brilliant the way it was. Yes, there were as always some problems or plot holes where things would just not work out the way they would in the show, but who expects something like that in a teen show?
There probably happened way more things this season, but that's just what I could think of at the top of my head. Anyway the most important part of it all is that I had much fun watching the season. While there were some lows the solidarity of the Glee Club and the song performances just improved and were a thing that got fleshed out way more then last season. More of that please and less mash ups with people. See you next time, where I talk about the graduation of the Club!

(STATE: 03.10.2019)

Season 3: 8
THAT... was a ride. And I really thought that we already would have reached the climax of it all, but the third season really surpassed the second by a small shot. There are many... MANY flaws with this show and I will get rid of this before I forget to point it out. If I wouldn't take a huge account on my personal enjoyment then this show would probably be something around a 6. There are so many continuity errors and things just plain don't make sense. You can't tell me that Brittany had a 0.0 GPA, but was allowed to be class president or that Will Shuester suddenly is unable to have basic spanish knowledge, while he had no trouble with it the past two seasons. There are some moments, where the show is self aware, like the Tina episode, where they acknowledge, that they really didn't give her any screen time for the entire three year run even though she was part of the show since episode 1, but the writing is abysmal in some points. Why would I say that the third season is the best one yet then? Let me explain my viewpoint of it all now.
The music department is obviously as good as it always was. They are always sung with much compassion and you would love to join the Club, while they are having another singing performance. They really gave you the feeling that it all looked like so much fun. Sure, there are some songs that probably are not for everyone, but that just has to do with personal tastes. There will always be a song for everyone that they will recognize and love. It didn't even feel as oversaturated as last time. Yes, there were some episodes that included three songs in a row, but those were the episodes that played in the Sectionals/Regionals/Nationals so it's a no brainer that this would happen. It was one of the rarer moments where it even felt like a good idea to play so many songs. The tension grew with every song: was it better then the one of the New Directions? Could there dancing maybe be a bit better? Will they win? Great stuff. Good songs.
Now to the part which is always a rollercoaster: The characters. Which new ones were featured and how did the already existing ones evolve? This time around it felt... okayish? I'm unsure on how I should word my opinion as always. There weren't many new characters that were introduced. And those who were, didn't even feel like a huge focus. We got Rory, Sugar, Joe, Sebastian and Roz. The thesis that none of them felt like they had an important role in this season gets proven by the fact that I had to look up in a wiki what names they had. Most of them felt more like comic relief then real characters. Rory appears for one episode and then disappears in the crowd. Same thing applies for Sugar, who has the small addition of saying harsh things to others because of Asperger. The syndrome doesn't work like that but she was obviously just there for comic relief so whatever. Joe is the christian guy that they try to get together with Quinn because why not? They had no chemistry but hey, he has dreadlocks. That's all you know of him. Cool. Sebastian is the villain for the New Directions for a long period, but then gets brushed off. It made sense storywise but it still felt kind of... surprising. Roz is a black Sue and funny, but she doesn't have anything that makes her unique. For NOW it's fine. The Glee members weren't in their final year, so there is enough time to concentrate on them in the next season, but Rory should have had at least a better send off, if he really disappears. He just sang a song and that was all for him. Pity, he could have been interesting. Now to the already existing characters. Remember Quinn? Remember how I said that she had the worst character development? Well... this time around it isn't that terrible... at least at the end. The beginning of the season makes her look like she hit rock bottom and she had no direction in life, for no real reason. You are not defined by a relationship. The writers thankfully got that and made her a student of Yale. Not before giving her a last rollercoaster ride though. Truth be told it was crazy that she would really try to get her baby back by framing Shelby to be a bad mother. Plus it seems silly that she is smart enough for Yale but not know that you never text while driving. It also felt a bit silly that she would still want to be prom queen and I was kind of relieved that she gave the crown to Rachel, showing that she finally would have moved on from those stupid popularity standards and being her friend. Good for her. If she appears for the next seasons I hope that she will give advice, but please don't give me any more drama with her. If you do, then at least don't make it be about her having to struggle not being popular or pretty or that stupid shit. Puck also had surprisingly good development. It was such a waste that they wrote Lauren off the show, but they still did the best they could with him. Yes, him trying to get together with Shelby was... weird, but it never felt unnatural and fortunately remained as a one time kiss. After that she has to face the final exams and it's great to see such a sensitive side of him. Him telling Finn, that he would be lost without a friend in a new town felt so genuine. I also loved how he comforted Becky. From all "villains" of the show he really turned to a great pal. Mike also got a plotline. Finally! It was a great one too, so that's a plus. It really felt like a huge achievement after he was accepted in a professional dancing school and having the full support by his parents. It also was a surprise to see that he remained Tinas boyfriend until the bitter end. No switcheroos this time except between Mercedes and Sam. I will come to that in a minute. Let's move on to Santana first. Her coming to terms with her sexuality was good and you really see the development after she kisses Britanny without being scared what others think of it. At the beginning of the season she felt... insufferable. She always made snarky remarks and that was fine, but she really began to get overboard with it this time around. After she got around her insucurities she turned out fine again. She still acted like a bitch here and there, but she never went overboard again, even having episodes, where she was in the right. Her and Rachel becoming friends was great and I would love if they had more interactions with each other in the following seasons. I still can't believe that she turned into such a huge main character. Never would have predicted that. Good that she still has a steady relationship with Britanny. I was unsure about it at first, since Santana truly was manipulative at times, but when Britanny uploaded their sex tape and Santana never outright called her dumb like Artie it convinced me that they truly were made for each other. Seems stupid, but that's just how I feel. I hope that they stay that way in the next season, but I just can't see it, with the situation they are in right now. Kurt and Blaine are cute. Nothing much changed my mind on them. Kurt and Burt still have a great chemistry. I only feel like Kurt got snubbed by Nyada, while Rachels butt was wiped. It just felt unfair. We also knew exactly what everyone would do after school was over, but since Kurt was denied, it's extremely unclear what they will be doing with him now. Blaine on the other hand was a good guy and great boyfriend. The episodes that talked about him were fine and it is great how he established himself in the group. Not much to add here. May those two remain a couple. Sam and Mercedes remained the same but their relationship is something I need to talk about. I really anticipated for Mercedes to get a boyfriend someday after she really wished for one. I just couldn't care for their relationship though. How I should I get invested for two people to get together, when I have no scenes to work with. Neither with the current one she was with or Sam. She remained her usual self though, so I still like her. Sam is fine too I guess, but the fact that he was working as a stripper was... dumb? Sue is Sue. Emma and Will were also pretty much the same. I was a bit surprised after the first episode showed them living together, but I was all for it. They finally proposed and they still have great chemistry even if Will was a dick once or twice. Even Beiste got someone, which made me more then happy. It hurts how it all ended, but it was the right choice for Beiste to leave at the end. You only want to give her a big hug.
The storylines that we got this time around ranged from great to unnecessary. I liked that they performed West Side Story and how Kurt and Rachel tried to apply for Nyada. Especially the second storyline made you extremely nervous and you were way too invested in it. Other storylines though made you question where the point of it all was. What was the point of establishing the Troubletones when you literally don't go any direction with it? "Just return to the Glee Club" was the only thing I thought of. They didn't get more solos after it and could have been a huge competition. Whatever. Sue getting pregnant was also weird. She just doesn't feel like a woman who would want to raise a baby. She loves Becky, sure, but it just doesn't convince me. Overall I planned to give the third season a 7.5. I had the same enjoyment with it like the second one. But then came the final episodes. Man... MAN! You were on the edge. All. The. Time. Them finally winning the Nationals felt SO EARNED. It's the moment you waited three years for. The whole graduation and finding out, what everyone would do really made you realize "yeah, they are going their own road now". I can't tell you how nervous I was when Kurt had his NYADA performance. You really couldn't handle the pressure. Seeing how Rachel would begin to choke in her most important performance. Facing denial. All of that and then still getting approved for NYADA, but all the while breaking up with Finn, leaving school, leaving the Glee Club, saying farewell to anyone, entering the train, arriving in New York and... it all ending out of a sudden?!? No way after all of that! That were my feelings after the end. Almost all storylines give you hints on how everything will move on in the next season. And it seems to be a great one.
Yes, Glee is extremely cheesy. I should roll my eyes on all those scenes and I'm sure I would have done exactly that, if I would not have seen any prior episodes but if you have watched those guys growing up in 66 episodes you can't help but get a little emotional. I found Rachel extremely annoying when I first stated watching this show. I still think, that she is way too much of a diva and over the top, but in a way it's admirable how much effort she has for her dreams, which made the last scene where she arrived in New York all the more satisfying. I really hope that they will show some more interesting facettes on how life after school looks like, since I like those kind of stories. I would be even more happier if Kurt and Santana could join Rachel in some shape or form, I'll cross my fingers. Unfortunately the fourth season seems to be not really well liked by the general consensus. I'll still have an open mind while going in the next season. Until next time.

(STATE: 23.10.2019)

Season 4: 6
Wow... now I get why the fourth season is not well liked by the general audience. There are some good reasons for that and it's very sad... how this show evolved and how much the writers didn't seem to care anymore. But it could be that they never really cared since the beginning and I just didn't have that much fun with the storylines I was given with this season around. Nonetheless I can already say that this was the worst season of the entire show and it may would have made more sense for them to end it with the third season. Potentially a movie to connect the losing threads, but NOT LIKE THAT. I obviously will elaborate where exactly my problems with this season lie in.
Music? Same as always. Good in times and one or two songs will catch you by surprise by how great they will sound, but somehow this season around it felt like some songs just didn't fit the overall theme that was presented. Why would Rachel and Brody sing a Duet of "Creep" by Radiohead while breaking up? I know that there are definetely enough times where that happened in the first seasons, but either it didn't feel like something way too on the nose or I didn't realize it, because I was way more entertained by the bonds that were build through the run. Whatever. Then there were those moments were people just sang songs that felt WAY TOO inappropiate for the environment they were in right now e.g. The Warblers singing "Whistle" in Sectionals and that one "Baby Got Back" performance that just felt way too uncomfortable. And I'm sorry but Marleys self written songs were childish and I couldn't take them seriously, especially because "The Outcast" was pretty much the Season 2 song "Loser Like Me". It baffles me that everyone praised her to no end repeating that she would be some kind of genius for writing that one friendship song which I could have written myself . The melody was fine though. While I already realize that I'm being pretty harsh in contrast to other seasons let me tell you that the music really was not the reason for this rating. It's more like other bad things resulted in me being more harsh to things that generally remained the same. So let's move on to the first bad thing.
The " C h a r a c t e r s ". It really did hurt to see how this developed. Let me get one thing out of the way first though. I was very happy that the writers finally made Tina more relevant. After being pretty much ignored the whole run it was nice to see that patient waiting paid-off for the actress. Too bad that the price for that was writing not only a pretty bad storyline but also completely changing Tinas character. In the first three seasons she was more like a calm and timid girl, which also felt like the most mature of the group. Her wanting some sort of solo at the end of the third season was perfectly reasonable, but she never went too far with her demands. Can you imagine what great storylines could be written for her? Well the writers didn't, since she suddenly turned into an extremely annoying Rachel Berry copy who begins to throw a tantrum if she doesn't get a solo. But look, if that would have been all, then I wouldn't have said much, but that entire storyline with her falling in love with Blaine even though she already knows that he is gay just was... crazy in some scenes. No, I don't deny that there can be people who can have romantic interest in someone that they are fully aware will not be able to love them back. Tina even made a point about that in the show, but it's insane how she really wants to put Blaine the blame for moments where she expects a kiss, but only gets a hug etc. It made me way more angrier that Blaine seriously apologized to her. What the hell? No! Don't! She's in the wrong! Ugh. It was nice that they at least made those two good friends, but I really would have wished for Tina to focus on Mike, maybe a storyline about how she struggles with getting the attention she wants in the club. Former even was hinted at, but there never really came any resolution for it and this is something that applies to MANY storylines of this season, so let's move on. With many of the original Glee members leaving the Club it was obvious that there would come some new flesh, but sadly it didn't. What? You mean there were new characters that got introduced? Are you talking about Puck (Jake), Finn (Ryder), Mercedes (Unique), Santana and Quinn (Kitty)? You know exactly what I'm getting at. The new characters are perfect rehashs from former members. There are one or two things that may make them different, but except Unique being trans she pretty much feels like the self-confident Diva that I saw in Mercedes. It would have been cool to see the struggles of Unique for being transgender, but they hardly talked about that. Nice. The only character that doesn't remind me of any other characters in the show is Marley and to be honest I really liked her at the beginning of the season. She has a great voice and her relationship with her mother was adorable, but she evolved into a Mary Sue through the episodes. She is the pure, perfect girl that never makes mistakes. I didn't even could take the entire eating disorder storyline seriously since she was way too naive to believe everything that Kitty told her. Even after that she kept telling her secrets, being confident she would not tell it to someone else. It just... hurt. Plus once again they pushed another love triangle into this and made that whole Ryder -> Marley <- Jake fiasco way longer then it should be. After Marley and Jake started going out it truly was insufferable how they behaved like a couple that already was together for five years and more. I didn't care and will never care about this. I'm happy that this love triangle ended and that I don't have to keep up with another Ryder storyline, where the show makes a big deal about who the catfish could be. It was obvious from the start, but the way they kept on pushing the tension made you believe that there could be some sort of huge plot-twist only for it to be Unique, which everyone expected. They didn't even talk about it anymore after that. What a waste. Lastly Kitty feels like the only character who could escape the shell that was built upon the remains of Santana and Quinn. She showed real empathy for Archie and truly showed how much she cared for everyone through the shooting, so there is that at least. Her making out with Puck was just bad though. The former Glee club members remain pretty much the same, except Trina. Sam had moments where he felt a bit dumber then he should, but I will just ignore that. Brittany was the same as always, but I think she is way more entertaining with Santana around, but that's only a personal opinion once again. Archie was fine and while Blaine also didn't had huger character changes, I really need to talk about one thing. Blaine would never cheat. He is not the kind of guy who would go through with something like that. Especially when he is the one, who supported Kurt to follow his dreams and live in New York. Blaming Kurt for being lonely felt so out of character and actually confused me to no end. It was nice to see him build a friendship with Sam and them being good buds, but that's it already. I will not talk about Joe and Sugar since the writers didn't really seem to care about them. There were - I believe - seven episodes in a row, where they just didn't appear and no one cared. Let's move on to the original Glee cast that graduated last year. Many of them didn't really had much screentime anymore. Mike was there for two episodes and left again. We had a bit of info for Mercedes, who struggled with her career and people wanting her voice, but not her persona, which really is stuff I would want to see more of. Puck had highs and lows and it's difficult to say how I should feel about him. He seems to be a bit disoriented but at least he's helping Finn out, which is nice. Quinn was fine, but she actually was one character which I wouldn't have minded not to see. Like Mike she didn't seem to be that important for the season. It's nice to see her interact with Rachel I guess, but I really didn't care about her making out with Santana. There may are people who will like that I guess. I'm thankful for Santana, who actually seems to have good development. I cheered when she moved in with Rachel and Kurt and threw Brody away. She is the kind of roommate those two need and they already feel like family. Kurt was fine. I think that things were a little bit too easy on him this season around. He had a boss that was way too chill and he got a second chance for NYADA, but I liked how this season tried to explore how dreams and goals could possibly change. Him breaking up with Blaine was reasonable but felt like something that was way to obvious it would happen. Rachel on the other hand was nice, turned insufferable through the run and nice again. I didn't care about her relationship with Brody and I think everyone knew, that he was just there so Rachel could have a love interest in New York and there could be drama with Finn. Like I said already, thank you Santana! Following the career of those three in New York felt way more interesting then following the shenanigans of members that you didn't even have any connections with. Unfortunately former was way more focused on then latter. Moving on Finn was interesting and it was clear which direction they wanted to go with him, and that would have been great. A career as teacher would have suited him so much. The rivalry between him and Sue already felt more intriguing then the one between her and Mr. Shue. I will give credit for that. Too bad that Cory died. I will probably elaborate on that in the next season, where the tribute episode begins. We almost have it! Emma also didn't change much. Their storylines felt a bit boring at the beginning, having several exchanges if she should travel to Washington with Will, but that was more then made up with the latter episodes that dealt with her wedding really showcasing how serious her OCD can get if she can't control it. Will on the other hand... felt like a douche at some points. Mostly it was just so there could be an entire episode about it again so Will could realize that he was wrong and apologize about it later again, but it really felt scummy, when he pretty much blamed Finn for the weaknesses and difficulties he had at that moment. Many of the characters acted like completely different personas if the plot demanded it. It shouldn't be something new since this already happened in the first seasons, but it never fealt so clear like in this season. Furthermore many plotlines just were established only for them not to get talked about until about 10 episodes later, and then disappearing in one episode again e.g. Burt having cancer. If you were really unlucky then you would have a case where the plotline wouldn't even get resolved or one that gets resolved way too fast, which makes it almost redundant again. The most funny thing was Sue's baby which appeared in the first episode never to be mentioned again, that's the worst thing that can happen and there are too many shows who do that, but it was never that extreme like in Glee. And the plot holes continue - bigger and stronger - in the fourth season. The Glee Club won the last Nationals competition. With that they already are candidates for the finale and don't need to go either the Sectionals or Regionals, but they still do. What the hell is wrong with the writers? But it goes on. Marley thinks she is getting fatter because her costume doesnt fit her... her normal outfit... fits her... but she immediately deduces that she has to be fatter because she doesn't fit in the... outfit? I have a headache... this show...
Look, I know fully well, that Glee never had the most intelligent or best storylines, but it still bugs me how prominent all those plot holes were. If you didn't think that much about it you could handle it - Glee and continuity aren't the best friends after all - but in this season your head was filled with question marks about pretty much every choice that was made. It's frustrating since the season 3 finale really gave you hope for some VERY interesting storylines and the payoff felt so lackluster and washed off this hopes you had faster then you had built them up. You feel sad, because most of the main cast is gone and you really miss all of them, but the thought you could replace those characters with one to one copies was dumb. The writers should have tried to write more compelling and unique characters, but they wanted to go the safe route which unfortunately meant nothing promising. I will give it to Glee though: The shooting episode was shocking. I would have liked if someone would actually have been injured so there would be some consequences in the show which unfortunately never happened. Everyone stays alive. Even if there are clues given, that something terrible could happen to the characters, you know that Glee will not go through with it. The enjoyment wasn't that strong either. Usually I'm the sucker for shows who try to show how characters evolve through time: how they grow up, how they build relationships in school, how their lifes and careers move on after school etc. but Glee really slipped hard this time around and I don't know if it will stand up again in Season 5. The last episode felt pretty rushed and not like something they proposed as a finale since the only thing that seems interesting is the whole proposal from Blaine, even if it is once again way to soon for something like that. Let's hope the best for the fifth season, but I will definetely not watch it as soon as I did with this one, not with everything I watched. It ranked up as an in-between show now. What a pity.

(STATE: 06.11.2019)

Season 5: 7
I'm still unsure about this rating. It was better then the prior season, which doesn't mean much though since Season four was trash and had no real direction. An aspect which wasn't lost in this fifth iteration, but it's difficult to blame the writers for it since we all know that the actor of Finn - Cory Monteith - died during the shooting of this season. We probably should feel thankful that this show didn't suddenly get axed after the "open ending" of last season. The writers basically had to come up with new storylines in a very short amount of time. It's obvious that the result would be quite lacking and the actors, including Lea Michele probably were still in shock with the loss they had to handle. It was a hard ride in so many ways and I have never seen a season that had such an extreme split of great and atrocious episodes at the same time, so let me talk about that as well, because you can be assured that I have enough stuff I need to point out once again.
First things first I really want to say this, because this is truly important. The tribute episode was done perfectly. There were no stupid shenanigans and it was pretty straighforward. Seeing how everyone handled the loss was hard to watch, but done realistically. Plus it was evident that the writers had enough respect for the actor, even dedicating the Nationals for him. Nothing felt offensive in any way and I can only say that I hope that Cory Monteith will rest in peace!
Moving on the beginning of the season was "fine". The first two episodes were a decent continuation and introduced us to another villain, which hardly has any characterazation though. I bet no one even knows who I'm talking about, which I can't blame since I almost forgot her too. I'm talking about Bree. She is the new mean girl since Kitty had character development and turned nice in this season, something that I at least can point out as something positive, even if she feels like the only character of the new Glee Club that hardly had any of that. She could have been interesting, if the writers would have cared, but they didn't. She cheats with Jake and after a fake pregnancy scare disappears again. Nice. Blaine married Kurt and Tina gets prom queen even if she doesn't really deserve it. While I'm at it let me talk about Tina really fast. Like I said in the last season, I felt very bad for the actress since her entire character was ignored for the first three seasons only to turn into a bitch in the fourth one. There is no major improvement in her department and it baffles me how she suddenly seems to have a thirst to get prom queen, throwing everyone and everything out of the window for it. I mean, I'm sure that there were some moments that felt so over the top that they wanted you to laugh exactly because it was so ridiculous, but it saddens me that they really would turn Tina into someone so mean out of a sudden. I had a little bit of empathy for her after she gets emotional, because she knew that graduation would come up soon, but then she did something stupid again and I immediately forgot my pity for her. The writers were self aware and knew that she turned bad after Season 3 and broke the fourth wall to point that out, but it hardly helps the show if it knows it's mistakes but isn't ready to fix them. Sue pointed out so many plot holes and I was unsure if I had to laugh or cry about this. Tina gets written out of the show after graduation, which probably was a thing they did for fan demand. Poor Jenna Ushkowitz. Now to the biggest flaw of the show. The entire A part of the season (episodes 4-8) are a pain to watch and I mark them as the worst and most annoying episodes to exist in the show. Whatever Season 6 will bring into the table will definetely not be as awful as those episodes were. They had no substance and no real plot to speak of. The Katy or Gaga episode makes no sense and I didn't understand the theme that the episode wanted to present. The following episode talks about twerking and how Shue actually wants to convince people, that this would be a true dance form which would grow huge in popularity in the future... that was one of the few times, where I agreed with Sue and wanted it all to stop. I didn't care for the break up between Jake and Marley. I feel kind of sorry, since I really got the feeling that they wanted you to care for that relationship, but I just didn't... at all. Next episode was nothing special and Becky began to get on my nerves. She was a nice touch to the show and it really showed that the series cared for diversity, Becky had some insecurities and yes, she was harsh on a few occasions but season five was just a repetition of her throwing instults and stupid one liners that weren't funny or even outright creepy at times. I think this episode even teased a pretty fucked up "joke" where people with Down Syndrome would be huge victims of sexual abuse and playing that down. Blaine and Sam go to New York and it was a bit disappointing since Blaine talks about being insecure and maybe not even going into NYADA, which would be a pretty interesting thing to show. People can have more interests then just singing, but Kurt suddenly talks him down, saying he was just nervous. It was true on that time, but it really would have been something more interesting to explore. We don't even see his audition, which feels very anticlimatic. "Puppet Master" felt like the writers were on crack while writing this. There is a gas leak and Blaine has hallucinations about the members being puppets. I fully agree with Lea Michele that this episode includes the worst song they ever covered. "What does the fox say?". Literally what the fuck, where they doing? The entire thing was just awkward and I feel sorry for the actors that they had to do that. The second worst song of the show is "Blurred Lines" and surprise, surprise, it's a season 5 song. I really don't want to bash on the songs. There were many great songs that were satisfying to hear, but those two were such a huge mood killer and made the A part way worse then it should be. The last episode of the A part is... uncomfortable. It should have stayed unaired for several reasons. It was way to random. The only saving grace are the songs, except the two I was talking about and the fact that the New York storylines always were better then the Lima ones. If the entire season would have consisted of similar episodes, then I easily would have given it a rating of about "~5", but then came the B part (episodes 9-20), which was a huge improvement. And by huge I REALLY MEAN HUGE! It naturally doesn't come with it's fault but you really got the feeling, that the writers tried to improve their faults. First was the fact that they tried to focus on the original Glee kids in the Lima storylines. It meant that the other characters in the Club were pretty much muted in their entirety, but you can still give them some closure in the last season in contrast to the other kids, who were about to leave school. Since I obviously had much more investment in Artie, Sam, Tina and Blaine this was a rather fun ride. The Nationals episode was nice too. Then came the two part episodes "100" and "New Directions", which truly felt like something out of the first three seasons again. There were great songs throughout and every former Glee club member had a return in the show, even giving some of them a nostalgic storyline. Even continuity was included in here in big fashion, which is a strong point as sad as it sounds. You expect the episodes to end with the Glee club saved, but it shuts down... for real. The ending is truly emotional and them all shooting a video for Shues baby is really cute. Their last performance "Don't stop believing" felt very empowering and this could have been a truly GREAT way to end the show, with Shue closing the Club door and shutting the lights, hearing speeches by the Glee cast in the background, ending with Finn, but it doesn't. The show moves on with Mercedes, Sam, Artie and Blaine moving to New York. It really did good for the show to only have to focus on one place. Kurt building his own band was nice and Dani and Elliot were great characters and band members, especially latter one who I really would wish to see in the last season too since it really is a long time since we had a character that was as uncomplicated as him. He is the most rational and approachable character that I have seen in the show. Please, PLEASE let him return! The relationship between Kurt and Blaine kind of turned.... one sided, with Blaine investing way more time in it then Kurt, who takes the things a bit too granted, but that is a fact that you can discuss on. Artie was decent... if they would give him a true storyline. Mercedes and Sams storyline was a bit complicated for me, but that rather has to do with the fact that I never had much investment with their relationship but also because it was clear to me, that Sam couldn't abstain from things like sex and Mercedes seeing it as something extremely sacred she would only do after marriage. I'm happy for her singing career though and I'll get back to how Sams storyline ended. The last storylines are the ones from Santana and Rachel. I had mixed feelings about their big fight at first, but it made sense to me in a way. Rachel was furious since one of her best friends would try to snatch away her lead role even though "Funny Girl" was her big dream. She was already under stress with Finn dying and now she felt betrayed. On the other hand I could HAVE understood if Santana would have done that because she wanted to explore her interests, but the writers made it unclear to me if she had those intentions or she really just wanted to make Rachel angry. It felt difficult to take the fight seriously since it was clear as day that it would get resolved but they really went for it and are not even living together anymore because of that fight, which in a way truly is hard, so I guess it was interesting to see such a scene roll out, not that it was something new since the show lives for some big dramas. Moving on I also had mixed feelings of Rachels debut in her Broadway show. I really was hooked at first and was really nervous how it all would unfold. This was a moment that was build up for five seasons, so the stakes were already pretty high, but the resolution felt kind of flat at first. Everyone pretty much kissed Rachels ass and praised her to no end. Be it friends or critics that sound extremely kind in their reviews. But after that came one very confusing storyline that would be the center point of the last season and I really have no idea what to think about this whole thing. Rachel suddenly gets BORED by her role and wants to do something else. She wanted this for so long and she worked hard to achive that dream. She even left NYADA to do this and after about two episodes she suddenly decides she wants to work as an actress on a TV-Show... WHAT? It kind of came out of nowhere and was something that had to be build up way more. I really hope that the last season will give Rachel a wake up call in a way or someone who talks her down. I was really happy that someone finally told Rachel that she acts like a little child to achieve her goals and was immature in her actions, but that message certainly doesn't seem to have gone to her head. The last episode didn't really feel like a finale except the last five minutes, but it already gave us some hints for what to expect in the last season and I'm already unsure. While the B part of this season was very enjoyable, knowing that it had its faults, it felt like the most organized since there was only one place to focus on. After the end of this season we know that Rachel will be in Los Angeles, Sam - after having reached his goal to be centered as a model in an autobus - will return to Lima again to revive the Glee Club and the rest will remain in New York. That means we will have three different locations to look out for and I just don't believe that the writers are able to handle all of that. I don't want the show to end in a mess with no real resolution. My fingers are crossed.
It was a bit difficult at times to take this season seriously. There were some hardships that you expected the characters to tackle in a larger storyline, but as if the writers had changed their mind the problem was brushed away and solved in the same episode. I still don't really know what sense the whole argument between Blaine and Kurt in the last episode served for and there were many similar moments like that. Furthermore there were once again moments were entire characters that were mostly forgotten by the end and written off with one sentence of one of the characters stating that he/she - in this case I'm talking about Dani - being gone because of some weird reason, which would have been fine if they at least would have made the effort for Santana and her to break up first because of Brittany. And while my expectations were disappointed at first I was relieved to see that I didn't have to lose all hope. Because of the B part there is still a small expectation in me that thinks that the last season can truly turn out well if the writers want it to be that way. They already minimized the number of characters to focus on and we already saw how good that worked in New York. If the plot holes will stop from here then we can hope for something good to come. Make it end in a good way. You achieved to give Corey a good send off so it is able to accomplish something like that. It feels like I'm watching this show for years so it feels weird to know that it all will end in 13 episodes. For it to be a good send off for everyone. Until then!

(STATE: 09.12.2019)

Season 6: 8
I scrolled through my entire list and shockingly realized that my comments about this show where the longest and it feels weird to know that this will be the last time that I'm going to write about something Glee related. It had it's up and downs but I generally think that it was a good ride, especially with this season that felt like a big jump for the better. There was so much that reminded me of the first seasons and it's clear as day that they wanted to finish it off in a big way, which worked out pretty well. Naturally it has its faults like always, but the good outshines the bad this time around and I'm happy that we got a conclusion like that rather then an axed season 4 that felt like nothing.
Since this time around there was much more to enjoy I will shortly point out what I found bad. My feelings for this season compare to the one I had for Season 3. If I had to put quality over personal enjoyment, then this probably wouldn't get that high of a rating since there were enough scenes where the show just started being meta and not caring about it at all, which was so ridiculous that I just had to laugh about it. Sue being able to watch a scene between Kurt and Blaine that didn't really happen and was just a dream-sequence and Becky pointing that out, only for Sue to shut her off was so bizarre that I just couldn't help but laugh about it. I can't stress this enough and I doubt that anyone really expected this from the show, but don't expect it to be the most serious thing since there will be scenes like that. The writers knew that they wrote themselves into a corner and it seems like their thought progress on the entire thing was just "well, might as well give the fans what they want" and decided to give us a double-gay wedding. To get into those episodes they really went out into absurdity and suddenly decided that Sue would be some kind of Klaine shipper which... was completely crazy. Yes, it was funny in a way and after all that Glee logic the viewers had to put up with this doesn't even feel like the most inane thing to happen in the show, but... c'mon... I could have accepted that if there wouldn't have been the fact that she goes to follow through some crazy plans to get them back together. Seriously, what even was this episode where she locked them into an elevator and reenacted a scene of Saw, not letting them out until they have made out? I had no idea what that was all about and the show treats it as something perfectly normal. Don't forget that there was that entire storyline where Sam gets hypnotized by Sue...? Moments like that made you realize that they really had no idea what to do with Sam anymore. The fact that they slowly wanted to turn him into Finn, with him changing hair colour and practically acting like him felt pretty off. I don't have any idea if they wanted Rachel and him to end up together and changed their mind the last minute after realizing that Jonathan Groff could reappear as Jesse, but it all felt like a storyline with no real direction that just happened to end savely. My suspicions that they turned Sam into a second Finn was confirmed after he practically turns into a capable teacher out of a sudden. And I almost forget but the whole transitioning of Shannon Beiste was stupid. Not because I have anything against trans people. The storyline in itself wasn't even bad, but if they really would have wanted to do that, then they should have made this with Unique. Picking Beiste for that storyline goes against anything that the character stands for. She was not the typical woman, but she always felt one and her suddenly stating that she never did made no sense to me. Another thing that made no sense was Blaine dating Karofsky. Nothing against him. He made some great character development in the show but it made no sense to me that Blaine would agree to date a former bully of his ex-boyfriend. What was going on with him? Furthermore the Warbler school burning down was... weird. It all was way too much of a plot convenience to practically get some free members, which felt a bit ridiculous. I would have loved to see a final clash between Rachel, Blaine and Mr. Shue, but then it was the whole Mr. Shue Vs Sue thing all over again, which was a bit formulaic, but there could be worse. Then there were some other small things that I noticed, that felt off but couldn't be helped since the original actors probably had no time or some other problem stopping them from appearing. It would have been nice to have a conclusion for Marley, Jake and Ryder. They were barely talked about and yes, I admit that they weren't my favorite characters, but that only had to do with the writers trying to fill in the gaps of other characters. I'm more then happy that Kitty reappeared again since she felt like her own character after her development. She even gave Santana a run for her money and I was genuinely sad that this was the last season that I would get to see her. Not only her but the entirety of the "New"new Glee Club felt like a big step up from the last characters. They were their own characters and had some very interesting storylines. Not to mention they all had some very great singing voices, especially Rodrick. I'm pretty sad that we didn't get to see those characters instead of the characters that we got in Season 4. They were so much fun and would have made the Lima storylines so much better. On that regard I also have to add: THANK YOU WRITERS, for not writing three different storylines in L.A., New York and Lima. This would definetely have ended badly if they really went through with that, but it was apparent that they already saw the problem coming and instead decided to make a time jump, where Rachel realizes her mistake and everyone returned to Lima. THANK GOD! But where was Quinn in the wedding of Brittany and Santana? This felt especially off since they were the trio that were so close that they couldn't be separated. Not even having her get mentioned in the wedding was so weird and unusual. I would have wished for them to at least have her have a reason to not appear. Plus the aunt of Santana deciding to show up at the wedding isn't necessarily a bad thing but I would have rather wanted her not to appear. I mean... I was happy that she did, but not everything has a happy ending and her to change her mind like that only because Sue used some kind of reverse psychology felt weird, but maybe I just need some drama. Who knows. You realized that there were some episodes where they calmed down with musical performances which was for the better. Not because it was annoying. There were some genuinely great performances in this season but there was some much needed time to give an end to specific storylines or character arcs. I had so much fun with this season and the last episodes very a punch in the gut. Not only for making me realize that everything would slowly get to an end, but the entire "2009" episode really showed how all of main cast growed as main characters, with some speeches that felt pretty ironic. But I'm not gonna lie, it was very hard to see the entire "Don't stop believing" performance from the first episode again. It was all pretty emotional and while I still think that the last episode felt a bit too great to be true for the characters - Tina and Artie getting together and EVEN Sue having a short redemption arc that pretty much makes up for everything that she made through the whole show - I probably wouldn't have wanted it to be any other way. The last performance with mostly everyone (even MATT!!!) appearing was great and felt like a good way to end the series. I can only thank the series for that and it will feel weird to know, that I will not continue to watch this series.
After all I can only say that I'm happy I lasted that long and watched this season since it made up a bit for the atrocious last two seasons. This surely was a ride with its own up and downs, but we have come a long way and I probably have written down more about this series, then I have about anything else. I have a love-hate relationship with this show and while it goes without saying that this defintely doesn't hold a candle to series like Black Mirror I see it as its own thing and will hold it as something special and cheesy in my head. Goodbye, this time for good!

(STATE: 15.01.2020)

Season 1: 8.5
Since I realized that my list doesn't feature one of the shows that probably is the epitome of all TV Series I decided to finally change that. Funnily enough I was pretty high while watching the first episode with a friend of mine. I think we both didn't even intend to get invested with what was given to us, but immediately after the episode was over we both knew that we would keep on watching it, which was a fact that remained true since I finished the whole season after that in one watch. Yes, the show is that good and I'm relaxed that this didn't turn out like "Game of Thrones" for me. There is so much good to talk about and close to nothing that I could consider "bad", but let's get to the flesh of things.
The first season feels like a huge introduction. Since it's the beginning there obviously is more build-up for things to come and there are some plot points here and there that were hinted at for the future, like the one with Gretchen and Walter, but the writers still accomplished to write a compelling story in which you would start to care for specific characters immediately, something that some writers still try to accomplish after several seasons without working. Walter and Jesse have some very good chemistry and seeing them work as a team against the end is something I really wanted to see. Knowing that their bond as a team will only begin to grow from here on makes me happy, especially since they both have positive traits that the other lacks and can learn of. I probably don't have to explain that their respective character developments were pretty big this season already. I like them both, even though I mostly feel pity more then anything. Skylar on the other hand was a character I despised until I tried to put myself in her shoes and began to understand why she behaved the way she did. She is kind of controlling. She talks about things she hasn't even the right to talk about with people like Elliott and she has the habit to meddle in things she never should, but seeing that she does half of the things because she actually cares for Walter was kind of relieving at the end. The ending of the season already teased that she probably would spend her time confronting her sister Marie, who stole a diadem and other things, but I'm sure that she will return to suspect Walter for something again, which I would be fine with this time around weirdly enough. Walter White Jr. still feels like a minor background character so I will not talk much about him, but he is fine as of now. My feelings mostly consist of pity though. Hank as an "opposing force" or "arch nemesis" felt interesting. If this will turn into a cat and mouse game where they try to outplay each other I'm all in for it, even though I would still love a bit more characterization for him, since as of now we only know how he behaves and that he works in the DEA, but that will definetely come sooner or later, I'm sure.
There was no weak episode that I can think of where I asked myself what the point of the whole story was. There was always a clear direction that either tried to move the plot along or further develop specific characters and while there are persons in the story that I prefer more then others, I still have an understanding for why specific characters act the way they do... except maybe for Tuco, but he is the villain. I was pretty much never bored, which surprised me since all shows need a bit of time to get interesting, but that wasn't the case with Breaking Bad. Every storyline that was talked about felt interesting and was connected in a pretty smart way. The fact that real chemistry knowledge was applied in this show is extremely cool and makes me regret that I wasn't that ethusiastic about it while I was in school. Another thing that probably should be counted as positive is the fact that there were many moments in the show where a feeling of uneasiness would make me nervous, since Walter and Jesse got caught up in so many difficulties - like damn - there literally was no end to it and it will probably move on like that and while I'm happy that I'm already invested in the way I am right now I can't help but feel that something in this show will break me sooner or later and I don't know if I'm ready for that, yet I know that I will keep watching the show right after I wrote this. Things I could probably count as bad are that it felt pretty unrealistic how no one was at the scene, while Walter was transporting a corpse. It wasn't even night and he was on an open street... what? Plus there were a small amount of scenes where everything went a bit too well according the plan e.g. Walter and Jesse trying to steal methylamine: why did the police officer that they imprisoned not call any sort of emergency? He just knocked on the door after hearing the alarm go off and screamed some lines here and there, but nothing threatening. These only are some small details, so they don't ruin the experience all to much, but they still did attract my attention in a way.
So, with everything that I talked about there really is nothing more I can point out. It has an unusual plot, a storyline that is interesting, great characters and development and it will probably only get better from here on. I'm gone watching the second season. See you in less then a week!

(STATE: 02.03.2020)

Season 2: 8.5
I took my sweet time and it seems like I wouldn't have enjoyed this season, with me taking about two months, but honestly: there really is no big reason that I took the pause I did. This season was very good once again. Even better then the prior one, but still not a "9" in my book.
My anxiety in all of those storylines was hit to the max with how the situations evolved. The season didn't even give you a small breather and immediately jumped into some big happenings. Tuco already made me nervous as it was, but him threatening and taking them to the desert, was unnerving. Every situation was vital and you really felt like one of the captives. His ailing uncle didn't help either. Every achievement made you relieved, but every mistake made you frustrated too. And there wasn't even a moment where you could stop and breathe. Immediately after that one incident happened, it resulted in three more problems that Walter and Jesse had to find solutions for immediately. And there still would be one thing that they all overlooked which would be fodder for later. Walter himself made some huge development once again, which comes to no surprise with how he had to deal with cancer, abduction, forming his own group with dealers, inventing the "Heisenberg" persona and whatnot. He really goes out of his way sometimes, just for the truth not to come up. It's crazy that he really faked amnesia and fabricated so many lies to Skyler. I still like him, but him not calling the ambulance while Jane was throwing up and having problems breathing was a very, VERY grey line, and it screams to be something that Jesse will discover and make him responsible for... let's see how that will play out. I really thought that their relationship would only start to grow from here on, but this season was the antithesis of it all and while I'm happy to see that Walter feels some kind of responsibility for him I'm unsure on how they still could be good working partners with what Walter did. Jesse also had his fair share of issues that he had to deal with and with how this season ended it seems apparent, that he needs to get clean and try to work out his problems without doing any drugs. I felt way too uncomfortable when he more or less caused Janes relapse. Them injecting heroine on themselves was... not nice. It still seems clear to me that Jesse is not a bad person. Him saving that kid from his parents that were extremely addicted was very compassionate even if sad and he wants to be better, owning up his mistakes and telling Walter it's his fault she died. Development isn't far off for him and after having met a new low I can't wait what will await him in the future. Even Hank had his own storyline after succesfully killing Tuco and getting a promotion. I'm very unsure on how I should feel about him. I really liked him this season around, even if his personality traits are the complete opposite of what I generally am in the liking of. Plus he still acts as a "villain" for Walter and Jesse. I'm more then grateful that he saved them both from Tuco and felt sorry that he got anxiety attacks after his encounter, that reached new highs during his stakeout in Mexico. It still feels ironic that Walter helped him get back to work after that. Walter Jr. still doesn't have a lead role, but I have mixed feelings for him. One part of him likes him, while I still feel hurt that he doesn't want to be called Walter Jr. . The end of the season showed how much he cared, but sometimes I get the feeling that he got his priorities all wrong, like that one scene where he was drinking and Walter exaggerated only to exert his dominance over Hank. Marie was surpringly low-profile this season around. There was all that talk about the diadem and I was curious on how that storyline would continue. It's not like they didn't finish the storyline or that it was bad, but it ended abruptly, since Skyler and her just had to deal with things that were way more important. Then she apologized about it and... that was that. With how it was talked about in the end of the first season I honestly expected it to go in more deeper directions, but alright. Skyler on the other hand was some huge work. I really want to have a grudge on her, since she also did some shitty things this season like being intimate with her boss. In a way it's very difficult to judge her on all of these things. In the end she is very sure about the fact that Walter was lying, which in itself isn't wrong, but that you would immediately get offended, after having only the SLIGHTEST idea, that he MAY have a second phone is... surreal. I hate-like her and am waiting for the day that it all gets revealed to her. The show is a bit of a tease with always showing similar situations, like Skyler finding out about accounting irregularities at Beneke. The situation is so similar and they made it evident how opposed she would be, if it would come out and I honestly have no idea, if there ever could be a different outcome, when telling it to her. It's sad how all the efforts of Walter didn't seem to pay off and he clumsily revealed his second phone while on anesthetics, which in return made Skyler more suspicious, with more lies being revealed, that he build up this season, like Gretchen and Elliot not giving them any money and him not even having met his mother and thus faking four days on which he should have been somewhere. Knowing that it all would end between them is pretty harsh. I really can't help but hope that it all would work out again somehow. I just can't imagine this show removing most of the important cast members, because of a situation like that. It ended perfectly with the foreshadowed plushie toy in the pool and the two corpses of the pilots that collided, because the father of Jane, Donald, was distracted while being on his air-traffic work. It's nice to know, that this was something they planned out way ahead of time. There even were some new side characters that were introduced, all of them being very interesting. I really didn't think much about lawyer Saul. That he would turn an ally for them both was genius and I can't wait to see more of him. Same goes for Gustavo, who immediately was interesting to me, with how cautious he was and how incredibly low profile he acted.
I only hope that this was not his only appearance and that the show will generally keep on impressing me. There is not much I have to do for the next days, so I will keep on watching this show. This time for real! It got me hooked again, and I really want to know how all of that chaos will continue.

(STATE: 27.05.2020)

Season 1: 8
This was a very great, but sometimes also very depressing ride. In a way it's a shame that I already heard pretty good things about this show, so I wasn't all that surprised, when it got real.
The beginning episodes were a good appetizer for the stuff that would happen in those last ones. And while it sometimes was very hard to watch the things that were happening it was somehow reassuring to know, that you weren't alone in this life. This show really made you realize that pretty much every individual has their own issues that they have to get through. Main characters that didn't felt all that special in the beginning like Princess Carolyn and Diane turned out to be multi-layered, dealing with their own issues and making their own mistakes on the way. Another thing that I really appreciated about this show. They never really explicitly portrayed Mr. Peanutbutter as the "villain" of the story. If someone would feel like that it would be BoJack, but it wasn't even about blacks and whites to begin with. People have their own problems in life and because of that they will act on their own interest and for their own happiness alone. You knew that almost every action that BoJack was doing was wrong, but with everything that happened to him: Princess Caroyn moving on seeming to have found happiness in ways that he just can't because of how he sees the world differently, his former producer dying while hating and not forgiving him, Todd replacing and don't forgiving him either, the woman he loves marrying Mr. Peanutbutter and so many other things that extend till his childhood. Even the drug trip episode - which was superb - showed how his life could have turned out if he would have decided against Hollywood and how beautiful it could have been if he stayed with Charlotte Moore, then returning to the harsh reality. Even the last episode, which many don't consider to be all that special, tackled you with the question of "would you really be happy, if you would have reached the goal you set for yourself?". He won his Golden Globe and got the attention that he wanted and the episode still doesn't feel like it expresses any form of achievement from it. He should feel happy about it, right? He has his fans, right?! They asked him to sign their books! The books about him! This is what he's been pushing for this whole time, right?! This is happiness, isn't it?! Isn't it?! Even if this would have been the last season, this ending would have been perfect in its own way. Fortunately that didn't happen and I can enjoy or suffer from the content of the following seasons...
I was a bit scared that I would get depressed while watching and while there are many themes that I wouldn't be confident enough to tackle, I rather wanted to discuss said topics, which is why I would recommend to watch this show with someone else. It makes for some great debates, but it needs to be someone who is comfortable enough to watch all of this. I could understand when people wouldn't want to get into the show, since it may could affect them in a wrong way or make them sad. I don't mean that the show is bad and influences people in negative ways. I'm just saying that people may not want to deal with harsh reality and mental illnesses in specific situations. But if you truly look for something like that, trash "13 Reasons Why" and give this a watch. You will not regret it!

(STATE: 28.04.2020)

Season 2: 8
It's tempting to give this show a higher rating, since I watched the latter half of said season in one sitting, but generally it is as solid as the first one, some episodes hitting harder then others, but pretty much every one following interesting themes and storylines.
I especially liked that it wasn't only BoJack who had to deal with problems this time around. Diane, Princess Carolyn, Todd and even Mr. Peanutbutter all had to deal with their own respective blows. It showed how they all faced those problems and the differences , that came with the solution. When Mr. Peanutbutters manager died, it really struck me how different he was in contrast to BoJack, not spending any time mourning and being all positive, immediately finding another possibility in form of a new show. In a way it's understandable that BoJack would get frustrated and angry at him for being able to deal with as much and not being fazed by it at all additionally being happy with his life as it is. The downspiral of Diane was also an interesting way to continue her story. It showed, that BoJack and Diane may not be as different as it seems, but it also strenghtened my belief that those two truly not mash good together and would only tear each other down. I was kind of frustrated, that Diane was silenced to the very end for speaking about allegations against Hank that were facts, but she made it about herself in the end, so it was a bit difficult to support her wholeheartedly. It felt all that more frustrating when you saw her doing all those backsteps after deciding to quit her job and crashing BoJacks house. All that more happy was I, when she regained her foot and sorted things out with Mr. Peanutbutter. All the more am I happy for Princess Carolyn. That whole deal with Rutabaga starting a new agency felt extremely sketchy but I'm happy that Carolyn used this opportunity to her own advantage and pushed him out of it, thank god. It stenghened her character in being independent and not having to persue a relationship with a man to be happy, which is a good thing to show. Todd always had his background shenanigangs happening, but he stayed as a comic relief character more or less only with the added bonus of being the realization of BoJack to actually have people, who accept him even after finding out about his true self. Seeing them bond at the end and giving BoJack a nice send-off was much needed, after he reached his new low at this season. He builded up so many things in this season only for almost all of it being left in shatters again. New nuanced characters were introduced with his storyline, only for them all to be lost in one reason or another. I really loved Wanda and would have loved to see their relationship work out, but it's true that BoJack probably wouldn't be able to maintain this relationship. He has his inner demons and as long as he doesn't beat those it would never work. Kelsey getting fired felt a bit... weird. It had a lot of parallels with Herb and yet BoJack did nothing... again. I know that people won't always change because of something like that, but not even getting a scene, where BoJack feels conflicted felt weird. It is even shown that he didn't care about the Secretariat project anymore. The love of it all was left, yet he didn't complain?
The meeting with Charlotte Moore was... painful. It's actually hard to talk about this episode, especially with everything that was built up before. He practically burned his only connection from 30 years ago and the depressions ensued. I'm at least happy, that he finally understood the advice that Secretariat was giving him, when he was a kid. At the beginning of this season he dealt with his problems by running away, not running forward. He kept trying to run back to his past (Charlotte, Diane, etc.) and hoping that these things weighing him down would help ground him. Then at the end of the season finale, he finally starts trying to run up the hill. The baboon then gives him the same advice as Secretariat: don't stop running. But this time, he gets it; he can't run back down the hill, or off to the side if he wants to get to the destination on top. All he can do is keep running straight forward.
While they all have lost their tracks in life, it all still seems pretty hopeful in the end and they even teased, that BoJack was in another show. I'm more then curious on what they have planned in that department and how the main characters generally will evolve in the following seasons. I'll stay tuned since I'm more then hooked on this.

(STATE: 30.04.2020)

Season 3: 8.5
Man... I somehow knew that things wouldn't turn out okay in this season, but I was still surprised on how it all folded out in the end. This season definetely was the best of all them so far. It certainly was also the most depressing one, but it came with much creativity, even having an entire episode, where the setting is underwater with seemingly no forms of verbal interaction that is possible in that place, but with a beautiful soundtrack and colorful scenes, that were pretty to look at, presenting a story - BoJack taking care of a babyfish, trying to bring it back to its original owner, plus the inability to communicate with Kelsey - in which almost no words are spoken. There is so much detail in anything, that you can't help but be impressed. Another example would be the episode which basically was just an episode that consisted of an argument between BoJack and PC that happened in a restaurant. And yes, it's better then it sounds. The show achieves to build expectations and then throughly crush them all. And when you expect BoJack to already have reached his lowest low, he surprises you all over again. But not only him: The relationship between Diane, Mr. Peanutbutter, Princess Carolyn and Todd all had their respective storylines again. Seeing the characters interact together was so much fun, especially since they also don't act superficial. Todd and BoJack sorted out their problems, but that doesn't mean, that this friendship would last forever. A bit of a shame, since you could see that BoJack actually had his development and tried to be a good friend. Until he fucked it up again. I even got annoyed and thought, that they would probably show some sort of past of his that would explain the whole situation, but it's like Todd said: He doesn't act like an asshole, because of his past. That's just him. That really hurts because I feel like we've all been there. We've all tried to make excuses of why we're shitty sometimes or why we did something, but when it stops becoming isolated incidents, it stops becoming just episodes, it becomes who you are. Let's begin from the start though...
Diane and Mr. Peanutbutters relationship also has their ups and downs again, starting with trust issues at first, that then evolve into doubts on Dianes department, if the life that she lived actually is the thing that she seeked in life. Did she find her personal freedom in all of this? Seeing the parallels between her and BoJack, plus the fact that the roles seemed to be reversed and BoJack suddenly was the person that tried to comfort her felt pretty unreal. Then came her pregnancy and immediate abortion. All that coupled with the fact, that she was feeling pressure, since she did work, that she never really wanted to do. Seeing how she has to deal with the discrepancy of following her dream and having a loving relationship with Mr. Peanutbutter will definetely be something I look forward to. Furthermore... it seems like Diane and BoJack will get close in some way again. That's what I'm assuming at least. She tried to take her distance from him for past actions, but it's evident, that she sees him as something important.
Mr. Peanutbutter was pretty happy all around except for the relationship department and the fact that his brother was in danger because of an operation. At least one of those things was short-lived and his silly business ideas turned out to be a million dollar business that he just sold at the end, Todd even spending it all on the waitress, which I feel like he did intentionally. It's good to have some things to laugh at at least. It's the perfect balance in a way.
The facettes on which Princess Carolyn was analyzed on the other hand is pretty impressive to say the least. The reocurring theme of clashing egos also got to her on some point and after running a successful agency and having a rival agency by the balls, she puts aside what's best for other people and herself just to prove a point to Gecko, and after the walls crumble down on her, she lost the company and ultimately lost BoJack. Showing how she finally has her own agency and being her own woman, but then having to deal with defeat and loneliness was gut-wrenching. That whole argument between BoJack and her revealed so many things about them both, you sometimes wondered if you still were watching a cartoon. Especially when PC stated that she was being an agent, because it's the thing that she was good at, BoJack retorting that you don't necessarily have to do, what you're good at and her just answering: "What else would I do? Who else would I be?". Even ending it all in a way that goes against any trope that I have seen. It all felt so real, as if this likely could happen in real life, some way or another. I'm happy that she got together with Ralph. Him being a mouse is pretty ironic, but he is also good to her and I like his charisma. Especially after those 2007 flashbacks that showed the life of PC and BoJack living together, it becomes evident, that her moving on and not having any strings attached to BoJack probably was for the best, even if it looks wrong. Still PC seems to be a little lost at the end of the season, at least workwise and I hope she will work it through, we already got to see, that BoJack seems to have a daughter he doesn't know anything about.
Todd is still a good guy. He still works as the comic relief - which is good since I probably wouldn't be able to handle this show otherwise - but there still were a few serious moments connected to him. I was happy to see that he had some acquaintances from the past and Emily then actually getting involved in this season. The fact that he was asexual would have been a bit more surprising to me if it wouldn't have been spoiled to me by the internet, but it was still a great story nonetheless. I like how there is a show that does that, since I actually don't know of any piece of media, that I watched - that portrayed an asexual character, at least not from what I remember. I just hope that he and Emily stay good friends... but also... that he reconciles with BoJack. There literally is no reason for him to do that... and he probably did the right thing to be honest. There even was an episode discussing the fact, that "the villains" portrayed in the show weren't any more villains then the main characters. BoJack tears other people down. He knows that himself and he keeps on making those mistakes. It's hard to judge Todd to turn away from him, but fuck... that horse needs some help after everything that happened. New characters were introduced once again just for them to turn away from BoJack like they already did last time. He wasn't able to work things out with Kelsey and put his faith on the wrong people, in this case Ana Spanakopita. She had her depths herself, which made her interesting, but the way she dealt with those hardships clearly was not the way to go and it was clear as day, that she would turn away from him, after everything would be over. BoJack seemed to be in a pretty good position at first even though, he was lying to the public about the fact that he wasn't Secretariat. Then came his downfall after finding out he wasn't even nomineed and realizing that he was left with no one. And then... came the attempt to drown his depressions by calling Sarah Lynn. This truly was one of the hardest episodes to watch. It kind of reminded me of "Oyasumi Punpun" in a way. BoJack continuously having blackouts, doing things which already are bad enough and aggravating them only further. Even going as far as to meet Penny. As of now I'm still not entirely sure how many month passed in that one episode, but seeing how BoJack didn't even have a sense of time, a few months would not be unlikely. This episode throughly made me uncomfortable with what it had. It was already evident to me that those things would not end well, when Sarah immediately got the booze ready after her 9 month soberity. It only got worse from there and when she took out the bag of heroin from the glove compartment, which literally killed someone a few episodes ago I was already in worry, it was clear as day we were heading there. But then after I got a flash of all those ominous "BoJack is gonna kill me" lines from the previous episodes I was in worry that this all could really be meant metaphorically. She just wanted to be an architect, and the foreshadowing of that is incredible. There actually were so many nods throughout the show, that proved that she truly wanted to take that career in her life. But nobody heard her out. Her resting on his shoulder at the planetarium, being amazed by the dome and telling her only wish, after moments before realizing that she took an entirely wrong career is so heartbreaking, especially when you thought that Sarah would finally find her way in life. Ironically it's also very depressing for BoJack. Having his speech after the narrator of the planetarium talks about the fact that we are just tiny stars, and that the most important part in BoJacks perspective would be the here and now, only to realize that Sarah is not answering him anymore. It's good that he changed his mind and did the sitcom with Bradley. I truly thought that to be a good thing, since this would mean that he'd embrace the past and accept the "Horsin Around" show as part of himself, even if people don't like it, but I suppose that it can't be helped that he got a shock from that small girl actress, being afraid of her turning out like Sarah. And yet again there were horses running at the end. The third time in a row, stopping him from suicide this time. He should keep running, but with how depressive his life already turned I can't imagine him being able to run that much longer.
I think the huge word amount speaks for itself how I think about this show. It's very tempting to just keep watching, but I just don't know if I'm ready for everything that will go down in the following episodes. You really do realize that they incoorperate EVERYTHING that happened in the show. Even "Halloween in January". BoJack figuratively and literally left someone to die, because of his own ego. This is definetely going to influence him, so I hope that he will finally do something good for once. Until then I'll take a break (?)

(STATE: 01.05.2020)

Season 4: 8.5
Well... that was one short break for sure. Which really speaks for my love for this show. I originally just planned to watch an episode before going to sleep but before I knew it, I was already over with half of the season. And it just keeps getting better, with no sight of ever stopping and I've just got to say: I'm truly happy that this season ended well for BoJack. He deserved it and you can truly see that he has made some changes after all those times. It's tragic, that the other characters somehow had to suffer because of that, with pretty much every other main character except Todd really being in very shitty life situations as of now. But everything in order.
This season proved to be creative and unique in its own way again. It rather focused on BoJacks Mom - Beatrice - more then anything, and it was presented în such a charming yet cruel manner. Throughout Beatrice’s flashbacks, certain details are messed up due to her dementia: Background characters have no faces, characters who Beatrice doesn’t want to remember have their faces scribbled out, such as Henrietta, signs glitch and change in the background and Honey Sugarman, her mother, is only seen in silhouettes or shadows, sometimes with her lobotomy scar highlighted in white. This represents that the lobotomy left her a shadow of her former self. It's amazing how much thought the makers went through telling her story. Furthermore having Beatrices story told simultaneously to BoJacks was very cool and wow... they writers truly achieved to make the most hateable character pitiful. A dead brother, a lobotimized mother, a very controlling and dangerous father leading to careless decision making and a future with a man she didn't even know that well and getting a child she was ultimately unhappy with. Thus the downspard spiral commenced. It's... all very... VERY unfortunate to say the least. I'm not gonna lie: I was very afraid for BoJack to use said moment on which her mother finally remembered him to tell her off, how he planned to. I was pleasently surprised when he comforted her instead, describing the dream situation his mother would love so much to have. It teared me up a bit. I'm especially happy since this finally showed that BoJack actually is able to better himself if he wants to. I'll get back to BoJacks storyline, but before that I'll get to the side characters first, there is enough that I have to point out on that regard. First Todd, since he still feels the most basic to break down, which isn't bad. He still plays the comic relief that he always did, which is good. Randomness ensues, but the writers always find ways to include Todds crazy business ideas in the core storylines, evolving his character further on the way and then - similar to Mr. Peanutbutter - making a huge profit of it at the end. In this case clown dentists being a huge horror attraction at the end. I was very happy for him to come to terms with his asexuality. You really saw his small steps on having difficulties to put on labels, to being comfortable to talk about it with people. It's just a shame that Emily kind of faded away at the end, but she'll definetely return, sooner or later. At least I hope so. For now I hope that Yolanda and Todd can somehow build a relationship and that they have chemistry... Now to Diane and Mr. Penutbutter. I didn't really bat an eye when the last season showed Katrina - one of Mr. PBs ex-wifes - asking him if he wanted to be governor. It kind of felt like another humorous storyline that would keep you cheerful before the more rougher things would follow, which in a way was true, not even shying away to make some political statements that referred to real life events mushed in with a canniballistic Jessica Biel achieving to become governor herself, but it also turned out to be a stake that would take Mr. PB and Dianes marriage at risk, with diferent opinions continously clashing against each other ending with frustration sex. Man... it was clear that the marriage would somehow not work one way or another, but I really loved how real it all was presented. You couldn't even feel mad about one of them. Mr Peanutbutter and Diane have been married for a few years, and you could already see that it did not go well. However, EVERY time Mr. Peanutbutter made a big gesture, she reacted badly and told him she didn't like big gestures. She had told him over and over again that she didn't like it yet he still did get her the dream library she talked about at the end of the season. It also overlapped with the idea of Diane's entire mentality that she explained all the way back in season one and two - she said if you spend the whole time chasing something, then getting it, you would feel nothing. She didn't want the library because it was just that, something she could dream about, something that filled her day with hope and helped her through her struggle. Yet here she was, her dream was real, it was not hers anymore, it happened and she was filled with emptiness. Mr. Peanutbutter should have known but didn't think about it, because that's who he is. He believes in big gestures of love and appreciation. Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane are two good people who love each other but are fundamentally incompatible. And that's why it was so tragic. I can only hope for them both to work it out in their respective ways. But after that line of Diane:"I'm so tired of squinting" you truly realized, that she needed some space for herself. Princess Carolyn on the other hand was the other extremely depressing storyline that was also very hard to handle. It's especially painful if you consider, that she actually doesn't deserve anything that happens to her. She just wanted to life the happy family life with Ralph and I still cross my fingers for that to stay a possibility as an ending. Ralph complements her perfectly and he stood up to her in any way possible. He just was worried about her already having taken out five miscarriages and PC still wants to hold on to the traditional family life. It would be great if she started to be accepting of the idea of adoption or different means. Until then, i see black for her, but I obviously would be more then happy if she miracolously would get a kid after all. I just can't handle seeing her cry and imagining future childs anymore. Let that woman be happy again and employ Juda again. They make for a great team. Finally there is that whole Hollyhock storyline, which was great too. She was another side character that didn't disappoint and it was heart warming to see her with BoJack as a duo together, they are great siblings. I definetely didn't see that coffe twist coming, which is crazy since they even foreshadow it in the FRIGGIN intro! THIS SHOW!!! I was impressed by that level of detail they went with delivering the twist, since the normal viewer wouldn't usually realize it either, even though there already were clear hints of her taking pills. Generally having her and BoJacks mother around was somehow quite... peaceful in a way. It almost felt like a normal family, which truly was what BoJack needed after the happenings of the third season. He is slowly turning into the person he wants to be - facing the struggles and in the end finally reaching his goal of acceptance. Seeing him smile at the end of the season after having done his deed and helping his sister out by revealing her parents felt so... earned. And I'm happy that she seems to be open to hang around with him. He truly needs it and I will riot if this gets destroyed in any way.
Every season is better then the last, even if you think that they couldn't top it the writers find a way to prove you wrong. I just hope that this sentiment stays true until the end, but also, that one season will finally end with ALL MAIN CHARACTERS being in a good life situation. Don't you dare bring BoJack down any lower then it already did. I would be heartbroken otherwise... I don't know if I'm able to handle what still awaits me, but while I write this I already know that I will have finished the fifth season in around two days as always. So until then, I guess...

(STATE: 03.05.2020)

Season 5: 8.5
You would think that this show would get lost on fodder to talk about, so I'm actually impressed by how much the show still keeps on delivering, having so many headnods, foreshadowing and references to prior episodes or seasons in both storylines, but also jokes too. I wouldn't even be surprised if most background jokes even went over my head. There is so much you can analyze in this season alone and as of now this show already is building a perfect path for a conclusion with the final season and I both can't wait and am sad at the same time. So before dealing with that I'll talk about the fifth season.
To make it short: Yes, you definitely will have a good time with this season once again. The writers tried some new things again and they worked well with it every time. You have one episode where the storylines gets told by two therapists and since they try to hide the identities of BoJack and the rest of the main cast they replace them with other weird sounding names, which changes their entire appearance through the whole episode, connecting their two stories in clever ways and even altering the intro. Then there is the episode that tells the story from Dianes perspective, having an entire monologue after arriving at Vietnam, the seasonal flashback episode being split four ways, and even an episode dedicated to a full uninterrupted eulogy from BoJack to his mom. This show truly was made with love and the episodes show that. And while this most definetely is another great season, it also is one of the more harder seasons to watch. Heck, not even two days ago I was really happy, that the fourth season ended kind of hopeful for BoJack, finally having made some sort of connection with his sister and achieving something. You know? Baby steps to slowly getting a good person. Well... this season most definetely was the antithesis from that and after those two baby steps he did last time, it feels like he made ten steps backwards again. I don't even get the feeling that anyone got a happy ending except MAYBE Princess Carolyn, but that's debatable too.
While I'm at it let's talk about the side characters that were introduced in this season. There was Yolanda the axolotl, which in itself wasn't a bad character but just not a good match with Todd, which was also the reason that they broke it off soon enough, which felt fair. I was happy that Todd voiced his opinions and choose to seek happiness in other ways, which probably is very difficult if you consider the percentage of actual asexuals, that is already low enough. One bad thing about Todds storylines is that it kind of went nowhere after Yolanda. He builds a sex robot that works as comedy fodder for the rest of the season. I was entertained most of the time, but it's just a fact, that it didn't have any benefits for Todd. I let it pass since they obviously did that because the season would have been constantly depressing at the end if not for that one storyline. I just hope that the show completes its story with a resolution for him and also Emily. Princess Carolyn was a lost cause too again, and there were just too many hints at where that whole baby fiasco would lead PC. She was always a business woman, that was held up because of her own duties. Getting to witness another flashback scene after she returned to her homeland gave out so many informations about her as a character. It explains so well why she is a workaholic and how she got the whole attitude. Furthermore explaining the family dynamics she had at the time and how her relationship with her mother was, partly toxic and partly still a bit caring - a very real portayal. After the flashback showed the first miscarriage, it was all the more frustrating to see how that poor woman did everything in her power to get on the good side of Sadie, the pregnant woman, only to get faced with denial. She continuously attempts to adopt and only after the finale - when the whole Philbert show is getting cancelled - she finally achieves to get her porcupine girl. It gives me worries on how she wants to work as a manager, but as long as she gets her happy ending I'll be fine. Let Ralph return! That way she would have the stability she needs. Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter are now a separate item, which resulted in some great character development, especially for latter, so let me get started on Mr. PB first. I expected him to deal with the divorce a bit better then Diane, which at first also seemed that way, after he immediately got together with Pickles. All the more bad felt I for him, after he had a realization that he already found his match but his baggage would be his undoing. Him sleeping with Diane wasn't that surprising for both parties. He already mentioned that he still had feelings for Diane, so I truly hope for him that this fourth marriage will not happen and that he will find that grown up woman, that matches him after his own growth he made. This is the clearest storyline I can see for the sixth storyline, but as of now I'm pretty disappointed in him, since his actions clearly are immature and you can't talk him out about that one. Diane on the other hand I don't even know what she will do herself. I truly felt sorry for her in this season, since her heartbreak after the divorce is more apparent to the always-happy-being Mr. PB. Her describing the feeling when you don’t think you can be broken more than you already are and then something just hits you and you feel all the pain again was spot on. And I'm not gonna lie, I really was happy when I thought that BoJack and Diane would have a wholesome frienship back, when she came to his house. Boy, was I wrong. The writers had some veeeery different plans on how their dynamic would evolve in this season. When Ana had her reappearance I didn't really think much about it, until I remembered that she had a recording of BoJack that was in her possession. She already had it since the first episode of the third season, but it only came in play about two seasons later. Exactly then, when I was almost about to forget it ever happened in relief, that it wouldn't come up again. And before you know it, she already played the tape to Diane, which would only be the starting point of a huge argument between those two. Only inciting Diane to change Philberts role to that mean spirited guy, that basically commited the same sins that BoJack comitted. Pretty unprofessional, but when I think about how BoJack acted to Diane it has always its reasons on why bad stuff happens to him. That it all would result to another loss of a friend for BoJack is just heartbreaking, but it painfully makes sense, so you can't object about it once again. I'm just happy that Diane was nice enough to drive BoJack to Rehab. It's unclear how this will turn out for BoJack, and if he will really be able to change for good, but it's a beginning. I just don't know if Diane will be there to see that, since she drove into a tunnel at the end of the season and was already called Princess Diana once in this season. Plus even if she didn't die she definitely needs some space for herself and that will most likely not be near Mr. PBs and obviously not near BoJack either. She needs to find her own way in life, which maybe isn't the worst after having had to deal with that creepy writer Flip and working for Stefani. They better not kill her off like that. Last but not least is BoJack again. Well, things started kind of differently for him this season. BoJack was better - he was kind, he was nice, he cut his drinking to like one bottle a week. Even towards the end, he had thoughts about doing nice things for Gina. I think he'd shown massive improvement from his earlier seasons and his friendship with Diane was a huge driver of this. He didn't try to have sex with her when they got smashed together and he covered her up with a blanket when she fell asleep. Then everything went rock bottom again, as you see after some time, Bojack is not someone who can maintain his stability easily, and it doesn't take much to send him back down his path. He goes from a bottle a week to a bottle a day as his opioid problem worsens, and willingly gets into an accident to get access to more. His painkiller addiction started like a lot of Americans but the nature of his addictive personality made it hard for him to walk away even when Hollyhock initially made him do it, albeit unintentionally. I was relieved that Hollyhock at least left the scene unscathed. Gina didn't. Which is a shame, since she was a great character once again, that even turned out to be very powerful at the end. She was having her own insecurities and it was nice that she and BoJack persued a relationship, but it already felt pretty one-sided from the beginning, and that choking scene - which even was foreshadowed - just put dirt to injury. It was already a very uncomfortable episode, since it was the 11th episode and intentionally tried to fool the audience into getting confused in what was real and what was acting for the movie, connecting it in cool manners, symbolism and several metaphoras, with an ending the stroke quite a chord in me, when I saw it: BoJack entering those staircases, going up and seeing the giant inflatable version of himself, realizing that he no longer had the scapegoat of his parents for his poor choices and he only had himself to blame. Additionally it just stands as a blown up version of himself, symbolic of his fame and the emptiness he feels despite it, which is all the more devastating.
None of these stories ended in a good way, but they definetely entertained me, albeit in a very unusual and reflexive way. Having to deal with the fact, that the next season is already going to be the last is probably the most depressing thing about it all, but at least I haven't watched the "bestest" episode yet, which kind of feels unreal, since this season alone already had some top notch episodes, which are difficult to top, but the show did it several times, so why not one last time? I'll probably be finished with it in about three days once again. I can't wait for it!

(STATE: 05.05.2020)

Season 6: 9
Aaaaaand that was it. This was the last season and it ended beautifully. Season after Season achieved to create better episodes and you always thought it wouldn't get better only to be proven wrong over and over again. This time it was no different and "The View from Halfway Down" will probably stand as one of my favorite episodes of this show period. There are so many details scattered in this episode alone that are references to prior happenings in specific seasons that you can't help but wonder how far ahead they must have thought to do all of this. But the other episodes also were a feast and proved to me that this season was one of the best. Furthermore seeing BoJack get confrontated with his past actions again after finally having settled down and living a stable life was heartbreaking, but I find it way better when the characters do have to face their problems and take responsibility for it. Him coming to prison might have been the best outcome for everyone involved. It's a shame that the show was cancelled with this sixth season, since it was apparent that the story would still have gone somewhere after the end, but the way the wrote it, it doesn't feel as unusual as in other series. Like BoJack said, if TV-Shows would portray the reality there would never be an ending. People don't have that happy ever after, where they don't have to deal with difficulties. There is always more show. Well, until there isn't.
And while I'll never see a continuation of this show, it's nice to see that they didn't give BoJack the easy way out.
Him living with the consequences and the fact that most of the viewers hate him was sad, but it was always more about BoJack seeking to be a new person and trying to uphold that, what truly made me respect him. "The Face of Depression" truly showed the jump that he had made. Giving Mr. PB the crossover moment he always wanted, cleaning Dianes room, apologizing to his former assistant Sharona, making Hollyhock happy by helping her friend avoid having to change her major, giving PC permission to ask for help, in the form of getting Judah back and promoting Todd's app to Maude. This isn't something that anyone could follow through with. Especially when it comes to him and alcohol, but it feels like he will finally be able to deal with it. And even if he won't, it's like Todd said: "you do the hokey-pokey and then turn around. That's what it's all about", meaning he would get sober again. This show represents life as a series of peaks and valleys and the sobriety question is a microcosm of that. He could fall into another valley again, but all you can do to move forward is to climb back up another peak. In a way I would love for him to return to college and be a professor again. Him teaching play was unusual but it fitted him quite well. More importantly he had fun with it and the students loved him, so him getting robbed of that, after his interview was more then frustrating. From there it turned back to the down spiral that I was fearing. It's very difficult to accept everthing that happened to BoJack especially because the consequences that he had to deal with this time around, were a lot more severe then on other occasions, especially after he gets framed to be an abuser who uses power dynamics to groom young women. When he was talked into this corner I wanted to get mad so bad, since this really isn't true, but it's clear that he unfairly took advantage of power dynamics in certain relationships in situations. Plus, there really is no way to talk yourself out when you waited 17 minutes before finally calling an ambulance. There is a very good argument to be made that BoJack's fear of repercussions directly led to Sarah Lynn's death. A girl, who he was the father figure of. No matter how many shitty things happened to BoJack, and oh boy did this season show that off once again, it doesn't excuse such horrendous actions, unfortunately. Mr. PB on the other hand really strikes as one of BoJacks better friends, which truly shows the development that both of them had. At first I was very disappointed in him not telling Pickles about the whole Diane cheating business and instead proposing her. All the more relieved was I, when the storyline immediately touched upon the cheating, which Mr. PB commited. I laughed out loud, when they decided to let Pickles sleep with a guy herself, so she could turn it into something equal again, but it was depicted in such a silly and funny way, that I couldn't even be sad about it. Mr. PBs storyline felt like laugh fodder at the beginning, which was fine, since it also advanced him at the same time. He just filmed his "Birthday Dad" movie and because of a stunt of PCs he is labelled as sad dog: the most depressing human to exist. Yes, this was funny! Him bidding Pickles farewell knowing full well, that she'll get together with Joey and thus it probably being the last time that they'll meet felt very disheartening. He truly gave it his best and him just declaring in one of the later episodes that he got a text message, which confirmed the break up was... funny and sad at the same time. It's ironic in a way. In one of Dianes and Mr. PBs calls they realized how they grew from their relationship to those persons which they never would have turned to without them. Maybe the engagement wouldn't have broken off either, but that's just theory talk and I'm just happy with the way Mr. PB grew up to be. He feels like a more mature person then before and him trying to put the "D" letter in Hollywood again, was priceless. The only thing I can critizise is that he told Paige and Max all the infos of BoJack, being too dense to realize what trouble he ignited. No one even found out that he was the person who told the reporters everything, which may could be because that was something they would have touched about in Season Seven, but it's unclear. Todd also had a good send off. He finally got the girlfriend that matched him perfectly and their exchanges were so fun and silly. They're both sort of juvenile in the cutest ways and Todd trying to get in contact with his mother was everything I ever could have hoped for. Seeing the expectations of what their parents wanted him to be and how he actually was, was a cool thing to talk about since it never was really clear, why Todd didn't have any family connections at all. Seeing all those family dynamics in the last season, made everything a bit more understandable and gave a lot more hinsight on Todd as a character, for which I'm grateful. At the beginning he had to rely on other friends like BoJack and PC to have a roof over his head, but him settling down with Maude, was lovely and I hope that his relationship with his parents will gradually improve over time. Princess Carolyn on the other hand was a huge chunk. Not necessarily because she had so many troubles in her life this time around, but because it was unclear on how she stood in relation to BoJack. Where did she stand for him and would she support him on any ends? I feel like this was one of the major themes that this season tried to tackle with her besides the obvious difficulties when taking care of a baby. And they nailed both of those things perfectly. Many shows really don't know what to do with the baby, after they have talked about pregnancy or adoption storylines. They get brushed off or reappear in only a handful of episodes, which doesn't make sense. Not in this show though, where they instead show how much struggle it is - especially for Princess Carolyn - to uphold her work and at the same taking care of a child. The presentation of that is stellar and for her to get advice by Gekko after you can see her tiredness in the face, felt like the perfect way to end it. The other storyline was also great, especially because it put the dynamics that BoJack had into perspective and only PC was consistently willing to overlook BoJacks wrongdoings because of their mix of professional and personal relationship. It's always depressing when people let go of BoJack, but it was proven once again, that PCs happy ending stems from letting him go, which she does after his horrific second interview, returning home and soon after seeing Ruthie, realizing what's most important in her life. Her then getting married to Judah was a bit surprising, since I never even saw them as a couple, but Judahs song that he played for her, completely sold him for me. It was so calculated and precise and that was the charm. It's lack of creativity is fueled into a strangely passionate love song for PC. Her biggest development you can see is in the last episode, which happens on the wedding of PCs, where she and BoJack dance and he tells her that he might need representation when he gets out of prison and PC telling him that she can recommend some people. PC still loves and cares about BoJack, but she isn't going to be there to put out his fires anymore. She's moved on for the better and their time has come to an end. I can't complain about that. It was a great way to finish things off once again. Dianes storyline must be the second most depressing one after BoJacks since it really dwells on depression and writers block. On the way introducing "Guy" which is another great addition to the cast, having some great chemistry with Diane, even though they have some hick-ups at first in their relationship you clearly can see how they care for each other and it's actually nice to see how she settled down with him and they moved from Chicago to Houston at the end. She wanted to take a chance on happiness, and I adore the growth she made through that point. I love the realism of Diane's weight gain after she starts getting on the medication. This goes against the very popular idea in media of a waif-like person with depression popping antidepressants while waxing poetic about the tragedies of life. It didn't feel plastic and showcased life how it really was. There were several episodes that made Diane really relatable in several departments for me and while I never was confrontated with this idea, I really could understand, why she tried to write something more personal, feeling that if she wouldn't have written about her trauma and her past pain then she would have experienced all that pain for nothing, wanting it to be "good damage". And while being a good point PC also had a good argument when she told her that all of the damage and trauma she had experienced did lead her to become the person who she was. Even if her writing wouldn't directly be about herself it could still refelct those things. Even if what we do doesn't directly showcase our pain ît doesn't mean it is informed by it. I'm very happy that she took that advice to heart and made her own things. In a way Diane feels like the most completed character, besides PC and it feels sad to know that she really did break off contact with BoJack, but she probably would throw herself under the bus if she would still accept that friendship. The end really was like a backthrow of Season One again. Diane and BoJack sitting on the roof , BoJack talking about an anectode of the prison which jump-starts that patented BoJack and Diane banter that was showcased throughout their friendship. It feels like old times. And after the anectode the two of them sit there neither of them wanting to leave and instead looking at the stars, Mr Blue starting to play.
I probably don't have to say how much I loved this season, since I already mentioned it a few times before. I was nervous, shocked, happy, sad and outright astonished while watching the series. It made me feel a combination of emotions that I will probably never feel for any other cartoon. I never went in this show with bad impressions, since people already talked very good stuff about this show, but I wouldn't have imagined to love it that much either and binge it the way I did. There isn't much I wish for this show anymore, since it already talked about pretty much everything that you can talk about. Here and there it would have been nice, if they would have elaborated a bit more. When did BoJack tell Mr. PB about the heroin and Sarah Lynn? On some other occasions they wanted to have one funny storyline since the others were already going into depressive places, but the comedy was either hit or miss and I can understand if some people can't laugh about it, because it feels a bit random. Still, you need to watch it. "The View from Halfway Down" is a masterpiece that you will only appreciate if you watched some prior episodes, but when you get on it, you'll be flabbergasted. Enjoy the ride! After that you'll not know what to do. At least that's what I'm feeling now...

(STATE: 08.05.2020)

Season 1: 8
While freshly finishing one of the probably most depressing shows I was recommended After Life, but to my regret it wasn't necessarily the most funny story. It ended on a sweet note though, which I appreciated. The show generally achieves to find the right balance between humorous and sad, working with it until the end, where everything gets resolved rather peaceful thankfully.
Tony is a very funny fellow. This is an evaluation that I make after seeing him act through the first season. I doubt I would have liked the way he acts if I would only have seen the first episode. He acts like an asshole at first, but even then it kind of is hard not to laugh at his antics and remarks that he makes. Just remind yourself that he and the show itself really does have a lot of british humour. Can't handle it? Don't watch it. It hit the right note with me at least. The way he stands as a character obviously is bad and there were many moments were his suicidal remarks and actions are uncomfortable, but I doubt that there were supposed to feel good. All the more was I happy when he made his character development at the end of the season thanking everyone that helped him through times, presenting the postman some champagne, enjoying his time with his father, telling that psychologist that he is a cuck and going on that date with the nurse, that he always wanted. I was unsure where his character would lead after he gave the addict enough money to kill himself. I still find that action inexcusable, but at least he seems to have realized that he fucked up, after Matt warned him and said he wouldn't let George near him. Talking about Matt: It seems that the next season will talk about the issues he seems to have with his wife. The focus seems to shift in general and we will get to see more of the side characters, which fits the themes perfectly. Matt already mentioned that Tony wouldn't be the only person having to deal with shit in life and it was hinted at that Kaith would be focused on a bit more. I wouldn't be against that, since she doesn't seem to have anyone in her life which she could even see as important, but I hope that she gets shut off, when she starts to act high and mighty again. Many people were treated unfairly by Tony, when they did something normal and Kaith was definetely also a victim of this, but there were some moments here and there, where I couldn't help but think that she kind of deserved the way she was treated. I would love to know more about Sandy, but she wasn't that prominent in this season at least. I hope this changes since she also mentioned some family issues that I would love to know about. Same thing for Anne. Having a storyline for her would be great. She is such an adorable woman and helped Tony in ways that others just couldn't. That nothing will happen to her... Finally, I don't know if I want to see that, but it would just feel fair for Daphne to find out how Julian died. It would definetely lead to some more heartbreak and I wouldn't want to see Daphne and Tony in a fight, since their dialogues always felt genuine and funny, but I can't imagine that whole thing to disappear like that. Even if that conflict won't return the prostitute uh... sex-worker should return. One storyline for Lenny would be great too. I wouldn't know what it should be about, since it seems like he already has settled down and lives a beautiful life, but I loved how he was just ready to be Tonys punching bag all the time, not minding any of his remarks and telling Sandy that he is just helping out an old pal in bad times. As a last point I want to point out the music. Funnily enough I even knew half of the soundtrack and I wholeheartedly support the tracks played. They fitted the moment quite well.
Whatever awaits in the next season, I'm eager to see it and the evolution that Tony makes as a character. Let's just hope that the dog won't die after Lisa did... Until next season!

(STATE: 11.05.2020)

Season 1 - 7
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Part 1: 7
It's decent entertainment, with some funny jokes here and there. Not all of them land, but it can stand on its own feets. I kind of expected something like "The Simpsons" with a middle age twist, and it kind of was like that but at the same time it wasn't.
It's no master piece and the beginning episodes honestly drag it out, only beginning a cohesive storyline from Episode 7 onwards, which makes the first half a bit of a drag to watch. It's not bad, but the beginning episodes focus way more on comedy and bringing the main cast together. What confused me more was, that the trailers and the overall feel of the show made it seem like Bean would go on adventures with Elfo and Luci, but then it turned way more laid back, with her getting into silly shenanigans, drinking booze, taking drugs and whatnot. On the one hand I liked that the main characters were all very flawed. They are no heroes and actually act pretty scummy at specific situations, especially Zøg. On the other hand I feel like the show could have been far more consistent. When it was good it was really good. But Elfo was introduced as a rebel elf before becoming a cookie cutter goodie goodie. Bean is a badass drunken fighter, except when she’s a somewhat cookie cutter protagonist. Luci is the only really consistent character. Every once in a while they’d dive into Shakespearean, D&D, or dark ages tropes hardcore but I feel like they could’ve just gone in on those themes more. I don't want to sound too critical, Disenchantment does definitely have its charms. I just think, oddly enough for such a veteran team, they need to be more confident in their characters and premise. The other problem that existed were the inconsistencies and plot-holes the writers wrote themselfes into: Are they at war with Dankmire after the failed ambassadorial trip? Why care if you offend them by rejecting the marriage of convenience in the later episodes? The witch says her husband went north, they show them going south on the map (not a clue if this was a deliberate gag and I just missed a compass mark at some point). Why would Elfo make up the fake girlfriend when he was getting up so much with Kisso that he thought the new short boyfriend was his child. The show struggles a bit with its identity as of now and I don't know if it wants to be a drama, a comedy, a mix of those two or something completely else. The ending kind of felt like it was starting to set up some big overaching story, but with the inconsistencies I meantioned earlier, it's very difficult to get lost in the world. I loved the conclusion and the direction it went in the final. Several questions were left open and there is an interest to know, what the resolution of it all is. Who is Elfos mother? Who captured Luci? What exactly is the plan of Beanies mother and why did she try to kill Zøg? But most importantly, what will happen to Elfo, who was arrowed? The epilogue definetely showed that his story wasn't over yet. The variety of characters in the story is definetely a plus, since it opens up enugh storylines they could tackle. I can't even be mad at Sorcerio and Odval. They make for some great comedy.
It's laid back comedy. Just expect this, before watching or else you will be disappointed. Yes, there are serious moments, but you would have to be patient until it gets there. If you are not looking for something like that to begin with, then move on, you won't found your next masterpiece with this show.

(STATE: 16.05.2020)

Part 2: 7.5
I get the feeling like I was the only person that enjoyed this chunk of episodes more then the prior ten. Maybe it was because I finally was invested in the characters and cared more for the happenings that happened this time around.
A lot of people say it’s a bunch of filler episodes but to me it feels a lot like futurama in the way that each episode is mostly within itself and the big stuff is just along for the ride. They have their big stories but mostly it’s just about enjoying the characters for who they are. The pace is slow for a reason. It’s not just about a singular story that needs a solid beginning, middle, and end. If it would be that it would just be a couple seasons with a cliché hero story and that’s it. To me, that’s not what this show is about. It’s not just some classic adventure story. The episodes made me laugh and I was entertained enough to follow what was happening even though it wasn't connected. What I can understand is that some people are a bit frustrated about the fact, that there wasn't revealed much and more questions arised on the way and at the end they even showed a steampunk city that disappeared after one episode again. We don't get any more details, the scientific guy gets killed off, and no one mentions it at the end, not even Bean. It's probably something they invented to have materials for further seasons, but yeah, there could have been smoother ways to transition. Plus the only question that was answered was that Elfos mother MIGHT be an ogre, but even that was only hinted at, so who knows. The beginning episodes were a lot more enjoyable this time around, probably because they immediately took off with the storylines and I really loved the creativity of the episode in which they went to hell. Then it went into the "filler territory", but Oona made a reappearance and honestly: this episode showed her from her best side and probably made her one of the best characters of the show. I really regret, that she will not appear as often anymore, but it's surprisingly fitting for her to turn into a Pirate Warrior... please make a reappearance in Season 2, please, please. The following filler episodes were fine too. Most of them feel like seperate stories as of now, but most of them get incorporated later, like the Derek storyline, where Beanie rescues and begins to accept his brother, having an influence in the finale, even if it's small. It's because of those reasons that I believe that many people - like Zøgs love interest - will return sooner or later. Heck, even that grandpa that sells his bathwater made a reappearance for another one-liner. A thing that was always consistently funny I might add. I definetely laughed out a lot more this time around. I don't get why, since the humour didn't change that much, but it hit a chord with me this time around. Zøg almost dying at the end shocked me for a few seconds, but after the Elfo death, the effect was a bit lackluster. I'm happy that Beanie at least managed to disinfect and save him at the end. At least that' what it looks like at the end, where he is warming himself by the fire, where his daughter is getting burned... wow. I liked the cliffhanger and I'm already annoyed, that I'll need to wait for a few more months to see the resolution. Beans mother is a mistery and I really want to know what exactly her plan with Beanie is. The main characters, while mostly staying in-character, had their moments, where they had some sort of development. Elfo showed that he could turn really violent if in dire situations, Luci could show emotional support and gave up his immortality for his friends and Beanie... probably is the only one who acted the same way she did in Part 1.
I already stated my need for new episodes. I really hope, that we will finally get some answers to the questions that they introduced, but I'd also be fine with the usual shenanigans. I just need something to laugh.

(STATE: 19.05.2020)

*my notes were deleted, nice. I actually watched the first two parts and I'm pretty salty that all of it is gone now since I'll probably never going to rewatch this show. Cheers to that*

Season 1: 7
Part 1: 7; Part 2: 7.5

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And once again a show of this list was removed just like that. I have no idea how and why that happened, but I'll try my best to share my feeling of the first season again in the best way possible...

Season 1: 7.5
This show is hilarious if you can laugh about the fact how terrificly racist everyone is to each other. It does its job as a dramedy very good, but the beginning is still trying to set up many things and introduce this very, VERY huge cast to us. Looking retrospectively it's impressive how this show already had most of its characters appear from the very beginning, but the seasons all give the characters their own episodes to explore their past and crimes that left them in prison and I get the feeling that you don't even get the full picture of every character until around Season 4. The first season is a pretty nice start into the premise, but it's really more of a character driven story then anything else. Happenings of the past show why concerned persons act the way they act and those actions influence the main plot in certain ways. Since every episode shows another flashback, I might as well talk about the persons that are concerned in those corresponding moments.
First things first: the main character, Piper Chapman. I found her to be pretty decent. While she isn't my favorite in the first season, she is what I expected a normal woman, which is overtaken by her past crimes to act like. She has her moments where she makes some stupid mistakes, like the whole screwdriver thing, but it's fine, it never was intentional in the end. She makes some great development at the ending and you really can see the difference of Season 1 Piper and all the other seasons.
Red Reznikov on the other hand is one of the characters that I have a huge liking for. I do admit, that it's a bit difficult to like her at the start, because of her whole demeanor about respect and such, but she truly cares about people and it's kind of admiring, how she is taking responsebility about so many things and all the while taking care of the kitchen. She has a high reputation, that is complementing to her actions and status. What she did at the end of the season was shitty, but you have to forgive me. I already saw until Season 4, so it's a bit difficult to be angry at her. Her landing on her nose at the end is a good thing though, since it sets up some new interesting storylines for her, on which she shows how capable she is as a character. Good stuff.
Sophia was a great character too. She is one of the characters that also had more development then others. At the beginning there was a small grudge for asking her wife to smuggle hormones, but the instant regret and talk down after that set her straight again. Her friendship with Ingalls was surprising and I enjoyed every moment of it. They didn't make her being trans her only character, for which I'm thankful. Let's hope that her son will gradually start to accept her again in the future.
Alex Vause was... fine. My opinion on her is pretty split. I have to be honest that the storyline between her and Piper was (and still is) way longer then it ever should need to go. It's still pretty entertaining in this season and their slow rise from rivals to sex buddies was nice to watch, but the impact of them getting together and breaking up again already starts to get exhausting in this season. I have pity for Alex, when I think about her family situation. She was a decent person if you ignore the fact that she works in a drug cartel and snitched on Piper.
Claudette Pelage was such a nice woman. I really rooted for her to get together with Baptiste and leave the prison for good. She had the most development of all characters, which was amazing, until you realized that they only did it, since this also was her only season appearance. Pretty heartbraking to be honest. I would have loved to see more of her. For all of that to stop in mere minutes after her attempt to strangle Susan was sad. I still miss her.
Dayanara Diaz on the other hand was boring. Dreadfully boring. The only thing I kind of find interesting is her dynamic with her mother, but the whole romance aspect of her storyline with Bennet was a drag and I know exactly that this went on until Season 3. The fact that she was pregnant didn't even come as a surprise and I asked myself all the time, how difficult it must have been for them both to forfend. You would think that them already having a relationship is enough of a risk, but apparently not. Even Mendez did it, but oh well. I guess there always needs to be more show in a way. I will keep talking about it especially in Season 3, so I will put it on hold for now.
Nicky Nichols was likeable. That's a sentiment that I'll keep having for the following seasons. She is such a nice side-kick and her humorous side makes for some great jokes that is perfect variety for all the drama that is taking place. She definetely has her faults and her snitching on Red was bad, but that goes for every character. She still suffers for herself and doesn't open up much about her past to others it seems, but that takes time. Let's see how that develops.
Janae Watson is a mixed bag. There are moments where she can be sympathetic and then there are the moments, where she is throwing tantrums and insulting people for apparently no reason whatsoever. Her past didn't help much to make her likeable either. I can understand what the writers where trying to tell with her backstory, but honestly, she feels like she has the worst reasons for doing what she did. Pensatucky was the only character that commited worse crimes, but she was the villain of this season and never was supposed to be seen as sympathetic. They want that with Watson though, and I just can't feel pity for her. She started being friends with Yoga Jones, but well... I already know, how it all will end up, so... my sentiments for this friendships aren't that huge.
Tricia Miller was just depressing. She had her faults, but she was the only person that acknowledged them and tried to work against them. Admittedly she could have done a better job at that, but her trying to get clean, and getting denied by Red and the crew after detoxication just was wrong. Tricia and Nicky have some parallels so I really hope I won't see the same results with Nicky. It felt like she almost lost everything. Dying through a drug overdose with no one left who would give her any form of support. Just Mendez who forced her to sell some more drugs for him. Fuck...
Pensatucky was messed up... in this season. Like I said, I already watched until the fourth season, so it's a bit difficult to be as angry to her, as you generally should be, while finishing this season. She definetely was a maniac and her constant religion preaching was exhausting, but yeah, she was the villain and a drug addict... I mean... Oh oh I hope she doesn't die!!2
Other important side characters like Pipers fiancé and her best friend Polly were also decent personality wise. Their storylines weren't that much to write home about and especially Larrys storyline felt like a silly joke at the beginning. I was very confused, when he actually thought it would be a good idea to write a story about the "start-stop method". I was positively surprised when the story shifted and it ended with the radio show. It's impressive how the show already achieved to make me feel sorry for Suzanne, a woman that peed in public, because Piper didn't return her feelings.
I can't recommend this show enough, but I admit, that the first season isn't the strongest. The show still waits for you to get used with it's sorroundings and be invested in the characters. It makes the later seasons that much more depressing, but it's a good ride as of now.

(STATE: 24.05.2020)

Season 2: 8.5
The second season picked up a lot and consisted of some very great episodes, that were build up from the first episode. Most characters were given a background story again and it depicted them as way more twisted as we could have ever imagined. The Series also starts to not only be character oriented, but also a lot more political, with harsh criticism on the unsafe regulations and actions that took place in Litchfield, brushing them off and saying that most of the common public would know of these happenings, but people would just not care. Last season tackled some small storylines, that would move on the main story, but it wasn't as interesting as this time around. There is a lot to unwrap which I want to point out, so let's start with the characters, that the season focused on.
First was Piper Chapman, and her flashback that showed how common it was in her family to lie or outright don't talk about cheatings and other serious happenings, which actively affects her present decision to lie in court and protect Alex, only to get betrayed from her. While their relationship is a real drag, like I already mentioned last season it actually was pretty decent this time around. It probably has to do with the fact, that Alex doesn't appear as much in this season and has to deal with paranoia, because of Kubra getting released. One more flashback of this season already showed that Piper really had a huge crush on Alex and that their relationship probably will stand as an end-game kind of situation, which I would have been fine with, if they wouldn't have milked that relationship seven seasons long, with some pretty unnecessary drama, but I'm running riot. To return to Piper. She is way more independent then I have her in memory and by now she knows how to deal with prisoners. She doesn't take shit from others, but also remains empathic to the right people like Jimmy. Her personality made a 180°, which is for the best. She used specific situations to her advantage. Without her Figueroa would never have been fired and she stopped several transfers including her own. This season was and will probably stay one of her best, since her following development will start to make her pretty cruel and kind of an asshole.
I feel a bit sorry for Alex in this season. It was clear, that she didn't "betray" Piper, but was just scared she would tell the truth, so she just did the same. And in her defense. She was right and Kubra managed to escape prison due to a mishandling of evidence. She has no proper degree and it's close to impossible for her now to get a real job as an ex-convict. There never was a real option for her in all of this, so I can't help but feel sorry.
Getting a more detailed look at Tasha Jefferson was also pretty nice, especially because it surpringly feels like the prologue that moves the main plot along. Taystee also had a troubled past and I can't even feel that angry about her working with Vee, when you consider how disappointing her future was looking like. I'm just happy that she made her development at the end and realized who her real friend was and what she had to turn away from. She never was a bad person. She was just holding on the things that barely resembled some sort of family and for that she would have taken some risks. It grounded her as a character and I get the feeling that this will only be the beginning of many political revelations that will ground her and her friends too. While I'm at it: Janae is still dumb. I would have a bit more of an understanding if she only would have done the cigarettes selling at first. I get it. You feel suppressed. You want to earn some respect by your peers. Alright. But after getting into maximum security... again and additionally cutting ties with one of your friends that probably was the only person that actively cared for you was just... dumb. Why would you still want to work with Vee, that had no problem sending you into Max? Ugh. I also have some words for Cindy left, but this has to wait. Now to some characters that actually deserve pity.
This time for Suzanne. I loved Suzanne in the first season. She was sweet, crazy, offbeat, but ultimately a decent person. She had mental issues, but she was like a child; loving and wouldn't harm a fly unless she felt it was the right thing to do. Then along comes Vee and Suzanne becomes terrifying. She starts out by being arrogant and nasty, but then she descends further and further, pouring water all over Rosa's lunch when she won't move, and kicking the crap out of poor Poussey. Suzanne could have killed her had she not been pulled off.
It's scary how easily Suzanne can be manipulated, and a little sad too. She threw her pie at Piper this season, instead of FOR Piper. That alone said so much about how she was being conditioned. Vee took advantage of a sweet and childlike woman. I don't like Suzanne any less, I just feel more sorry for her. It's been made clear this season she has legitimate mental issues and almost seems broken on a fundamental level. And what's worse, she's aware of this! It's all the more depressing, seeing her hold the UNO cards and crying about the disappearance of Vee. I doubt she even knew she was manipulated, she seemed upset at losing a close friend, mentor, someone whose words and rules made the world a little more sense to her. Vee gave her friends, a purpose, finally a chance to be part of something and be useful. And now she's lost it all. That's why she she was crying. The saddest part of it all is, that she wasn't even pressured that much in her past. It's clear that her parents truly cared for her, but her mother unfortunately pushed her a bit too much just to make her point, that she was able to do something. That put Suzanne on to much pressure. I just hope that she will finally find her own way in the following seasons.
Now comes Red. I absolutely loved her in this season. I generally love it, when characters have to work themselves up again, but her taking care of the greenhouse and slowly getting her power and control back was nice. Her being the main enemy of Vee was genius and this season sold me of the fact that Red truly is one of the better characters in the show. I still feel really sorry about the things she had to deal with, when Vee was in prison the first time, but in the end she got her victory, her family and her supply black. It worked out pretty well for her. The only problem that remains is her not knowing of her actual state of her store, which I feel was probably for the best, when you consider how shocked Red would have been with that knowledge. Her family is great too and I was happy too, when they threw out Boo of there, she continuously acted shitty, betrayed Red, harassed other inmates and a dog... I know she gets better again, but this season was definetely one of her biggest lows.
Then there is Morello... I never thought she could have so much depth. You follow her back story; the shopping, false refunds, her home life, right up to meeting Christopher. When you do see her in the courtroom, you think, "Oh, this must be about the mail scam," but then you're blindsided with the fact that she's stalking Christopher years after their only date. For the whole first season, we as viewers were sharing Morello's delusion. Sure, we knew something wasn't right. I personally assumed that Christopher wasn't that different from Larry. Maybe Christopher was also embarrassed, but moving on from his felon fiancée, but no. They had to add be a whole other element. In spite of the revelation, this only made me more attached to Morello's character. You watch her break, you see her begin to understand what she's been doing to herself, and my heart broke for her. After her final confrontation, although the rest of the season shifts focus away from her, you see her learn where the real love is in her life. The love is with Piper, it's with Nicky, and it's with Miss Rosa, as well as all the inmates she touches with her kindness. I'd like to believe she get's over everything, gets out, and gets to live a normal life, but we'll see.
Gloria Mendoza was a pretty gray character to me. What she did in the past is probably not excusable, but at the same time I can understand, that there was a lot more to the situation. She was a struggling single mother trying to survive and provide for her children then getting into a relationship, where she gets beaten by her man, but also her friend taking part in spiritual rituals on costumers that pretty much are a scam. Her food stamp fraud felt like one of the smaller problems, when Arturo hit one of her kids. All in all she is a nice character, but she is a bit credolous when it comes to specific situations. She only means best though, which I respect. That she will stay as the cook of the kitchen.
Poussey was likeable. She remained pretty clean for the most time and you feel pity for her, both in her flashbacks, but also in all present happenings of this season. She was always kind of overshadowed by Tastee, but she really came to shine in her own light as being intelligent, moral, and even a bit badass in fighting for the people she loves. Her love of the library is super endearing too. The bond between her and Taystee only grew this season after all those happenings with Vee and I can't wait to see what awaits them next (I'm acting like I wouldn't know what happens in the next two seasons, but whatever).
Cindy Hayes was... a very frustrating character. She always had that funny side of hers. Wouldn't I have seen her flashbacks I even would have agreed, when she said you should try to see your sorroundings in a more positive light, but learning about her past really helped seeing through her funny, loud persona. She's a very selfish, nasty woman who in spite of having a steady government job, was involved in theft and is incapable of taking responsibility over her daughter. Not to mention how lazy she is and how easy she finds it to bully people around. I don't see Black Cindy as a victim of her upbringing. She's an unpleasant person once you get past her loud facade. I can laugh about some jokes she makes, but well... you know what I mean.
Rosa had the perfect conclusion to her storyline and character. Her getting more important this season could have been transitioned a bit smoother, but it worked out fine enough and I cheered when she run over Vee. I felt sorry that she was that accepting over her cancer and basically was ready for the news to hit her. All the more happy am I, when Morello tried to do something empathic for her peers and achieved for her to escape the prison with the car. Her last wish was fulfilled at least, so I'm happy that she got this opportunity at least.
Vee on the other hand was the most twisted villain of the whole show as of now. She was manipulative and lied so many people in their faces, using crocodile tears if she had to, also acting all surprised and using specific situations to her advantage. I should hate her, and I truly do, but I can't help but respect her to be one of the most interesting villains that the show has to offer. There was never someone who upped her, and her control over specific situations was actually very frightening. Her slowly getting pushed into a corner was great and worked out naturally. I would even have loved her to return in any way possible, but her just getting run over was fine too. It kind of ended things in a perfect way.
Sister Ingalls still remains a great character and I can only respect the things she went through this season. I'm pretty relieved too though, that Red convinced her to finally eat something again. Getting to know how her life as nun turned around, was pretty interesting and gave us more hinsight on her as a character. My opinion on her didn't change all that much though.
And this is still not finished yet, there are still a bunch of characters left that, some being introduced in this season, but having no flashback yet. Soso for example. She is... annoying at first. I will not argue with that and that's the way the show tries to portray her. She isn't mean per se, but she just can't take any hints when it comes to people telling her to just shut up. I still would have wished for her to be guided by someone more reliable then Leanne and Angie, since they are pretty much comic relief characters. Still she lays low for now. Her flashback will come. Same applies for some of the Golden Girls, which were the best. Frieda being one of the best, obviously.
I still feel very conflicted about so many things in this show. The remaining villains in this show either were already "beaten" or are actually just a small pawn to greater evil. I still don't know what exactly Kubra is up to, so he doesn't count, but Vee was killed. Mendez was wrongly accused for having impregnated an inmate. Figueroa, while having left the prison now stated to Caputo that she tried her best for this job at first, but it broke her instead, which I kind of can see coming for Caputo too. You can see that he really is trying his best, but he was already reaching his limit two days after Bennet revealed to be the father of Dayas baby. Another thing that actually is the most annoying thing about this season. Dayas and Bennets relationship. Daya has some very huge delusions: her mood swings are crazy and annoying. Yeah, I get it, hormones and all of that... But I wish she'd cut Bennet some slack, especially when he's trying to do right in the most fucked up situation possible for a Guard. And then she seriously tries to get him to confess? So he can go to jail too? She doesn't give a shit about the baby, just about her petty emotions and that gets a drag. I'm happy that this will end next season, as mean as it sounds.
All the better was it, when one of the remaining villains of season 1 - Pensatucky - making some huge developments at the end of this season and finally finding her place in prison... through Haley too, which still is a conflicting character to me. He has his opinions that can enfuriate you, but on the other hand there are moments where he shows some heart and can see how earnest his motivations are, only to get denied again. He still needs some therapy though and I hope he will find his place in the future again.
Nicky at least doesn't seem to go in the right direction. The ending of the season pretty much confirmed that some sort of relapse is about to happen with Nicky which... is kind of disappointing since a bunch of episodes already showed Nicky being in risk of falling into relapse again, but beating her temptation at the end. Why beat the horse with this again? I just hope that things will go good for her and- uh who am I kidding? At least her story will turn good again after the bad.
Generally this was one of the better seasons. Not the best, but definetely better then Season 3 and 1. It really gives you a better impression on what you can expect from this series, showing you that characters actually do have a second face and how diverse the cast of characters can actually be. Nobody gets romanticized. Everyone is a human with faults. It really depends on yourself, if you'll like the character or won't.

(STATE: 02.06.2020)

Season 3: 8
I really had this season worse in mind and while I agree that there are some storylines that stretched way too much to fill the season and in return demanded the characters to be dumbed down, it also tried to delve into others more and make them more grounded. It's also a lot more build up this time around that will start to hit in the following seasons and what I liked the most was the fact that Piper slowly turned into another character in a huge crowd of a diverse cast. She will always have a storyline, but you really don't see her as the main protagonist anymore. I had my fun with it and since it was the season I had the least in my memory I also had the freshest experience with it which in turn changed my opinion on many characters of the show. I will begin to point out all the characters in this season, since it's getting apparent that everyone is making their developments. I will talk about the connecting storylines too, but all due to it's time.
To start with I will begin to talk about Sophia and Gloria. One things that this season is really taking a huge emphasis on is the importance of motherhood and also the difficulties that come when you are imprisoned and are still trying to have some kind of control or power in the raising of your own child, all the while not trying to lose your sanity because of prison life. I really liked what they were trying to go with and the arising conflict that began between them was fine too, even if that also got kind of ridicolous after some point. It's not like they didn't have the opportunity to talk, but they had too much "pride"? to admit that they both went too far. Showing the aftermath of Sophia having to deal with transphobia and then getting into maximum security for her own safety was another interesting way to make some social commentary, even if I have to admit, that it felt kind of lackluster, since Nichols was already sent to maximum security herself. Still, I feel for Sophia and Gloria. They both were just trying to protect their kids and started with the best intentions. Let's hope that they will reconcile and Gloria will work out something to free Sophia.
She better not hear at Aleida, who repeatedly kept on buggin Dayanara about her decision on where the baby should head, at first expecting a large sum of money from Georges mother but then aborting the whole plan altogether and deciding to just lie at Delia, that the baby would have died, so she could reconcile with Daya who hated her for good reasons. It's a miracle that I didn't start hating her myself, but it's apparent that she knows of her faults and tries to fix them. Still, while you really see the love she has for her own daughter, even after her landing in prison, it's still very complicated if she is a good mother or sometimes goes too far and comes out as controlling. I guess that's something that will also show itself, now that Daya has kind of accepted her, which maybe isn't that bad, since after Bennet just left her, made her be all by herself and maybe Gloria, who took care of her here and there. I'm happy that Bennet left, since that meant that the whole romance storyline between those two would finally end, but instead they really milked the idea where the kid would land at the end of it all, leading to the baby landing at Cesars place, who is arrested soon after though, so it's pretty unclear, how things will go on now.
I had full pity for Pennsatucky though. It's incredible how the antagonist of Season 1 could turn so likeable and make you feel bad for what is happening to her. Her getting raped by Coates - the new security guard - was already shocking enough, but the flashbacks showing how her mother raised her, were more disturbing to me. She never was teached about consent and the fact that she had the possibility of saying "no", getting told by her mother she should expect sex from men and to just "cooperate" and have it end, first things first after her period. That her mother also let her drink a bottle of Mountain Dew to get more money from the government by making them believe she had ADHD was also a pretty big red flag. It really showed how Tiffanny already had the worst cards picked with the way she was raised. It's relieving that she found friends in Boo and that she gave her the support she needed in those times, fixing her mindset on things that still weren't clear to Tiffany. I felt so bad, that she got a panic attack that lead to a car accident, but it probably was the best kind of scenario that could have happened in a situation liker hers. She got revenge on Coates and was able to leave the position as the new driver of Litchfield. Now it's on Maritza, who still feels pretty arrogant and funny to me. Let's see how that will go down.
When it comes to Boo, I'm very relieved with the jump she made as a character in contrast to her actions of last season. Her flashback itself was pretty nice too and it was interesting to see how she repeatedly struggled to be who she was, which happened to be the "token-lesbian". Not getting accepted for that in your family may not be the most unique, but still a pretty real difficulty that many, including me, have to deal with and it sucks. She also was a good friend to Pennsatucky, which I can't stress enough, was very relieving. Seeing them play together at the lake was as beautiful as seeing Aleida and Dayanara finally hugging each other.
Sam Healey is still a very questionable man. On one hand he did some nice things, but also some pretty shitty things again. There were those situations were you really wanted to hate him for things and I can't stress how thankful I was for Soso to finally tell him that he was bad at his job. He really needed a wake-up call and he was doing so much harm to poor Soso, who almost overdosed, but on the other hand I can't help but feel bad for the fact that his wife was always complaining about him. It's good that he finally ended that relationship. It's for the best and you already could see with Red, that he actually was able to do good deeds for people... until he cusses at one of the few good guards in the show: Berdie Rogers, abolishing her drama club and complaining about her because she had a better wavelenght with the prisoners. It already was pretty hard for him, but I hope he can learn from his mistakes and try to better himself.
Nicky was a depressing cause to watch. I probably shouldn't have so much empathy for the things she did, since it's apparent that she was a pretty bad case of an addict and while her mother definetely didn't really help in her case, she mostly is fully responsible for everything that happened to her, but that's exactly what made it that depressing to see the storyline unfold. Nicky was probably aware of that fact and that made her more depressed about herself, which in return just threw her down more. Her landing in maximum security, after seeking liberty from prison was such a cruel analogy. Let her return to Red and Morello! I need some sarcastic remarks of her again.
Morello was... also very debatable. While I could like and appreciate her for specific things and the fact that she was just trying to have someone by her side after Nicky was sent into max, she still fucked up when she told Vince to beat up Christopher. It made it harder to support the love relationship between them when they also got married... way to fast, but probably not fast enough for Morello. I hope she gets happy and I will applaud if this relationship will really stand till the end of the show.
Red was her own woman. She is still great to watch and I appreciated the advices she gave to Healey. Seeing how the woman, that divorced from her husband, tried to climb up and fight for the things she cared for again - in this case the kitchen - was very satisfying. Even her friendship with Norma was patched up in the end again and while she still isn't able to make kitchen food, it was great to see how she worked together with the Golden Girls to use the vegetables from the garden, after Gloria gave her the wake up call. It seems like that power will not stand for too long though, so let's see how it evolves.
Poussey was still very nice in this season and I felt the pity they probably wanted you to feel for her, but her getting involved in that whole Norma cult was ridiculous. I never believed for a second that she would get involved in that. I get that they wanted to show that you are seeking for any form of belief, when you are in prison, but that cult itself was flawed from the very beginning and people saw the smallest form of happening as a "sign" that Norma had magic powers or something. Heck, even Gina was in it and she was annoyed by anything in the first season, that it almost felt contradictory to see her in that group. The real function of the cult was for both Poussay and Soso to build some kind of connection that would turn into a romantic relationship at the end, but also for Norma to learn to have independency, but also not too much. Plus so the members of the cult would get a wake up call and that they would face their respective fears now, especially Leanne.
She was always more of a comic relief character, together with Angie, but they revealed that she was from an Amish group and she spoke Pennsylvania Dutch. I wouldn't have expected her to get a deeper flashback after three seasons, but here we are and I have to admit, that it really gave a lot of hinsight in her character and the way she thinks about life, but especially why that whole Norma ordeal was still happening in the first place. I should be angry at her, but in the end she was a desperate person who just was trying to hold on to something. I still would want to punch her for the way she treated Soso though.
Soso herself was really nice in this season, but because of backlash for the way she acted last season she was still pretty hated, which was counterproductive, especially when living in prison. It's relieving to see that things still went well at the end, where they really could have gone worse and that she will probably be more around with the black group. Speaking of. Suzanne, Taystee and even Cindy had some nice development in this season.
Suzanne finally was accepted in the group and got to writing. The storyline itself wasn't anything major and probably was more to be meant as something to laugh at, but also to introduce a love interest for Suzanne, which I couldn't really open up to yet. Maureen doesn't seem like a threat but there isn't anything to her yet either, so let's see how that will go.
Taystee herself is probably one of my favorite female characters in the show now. You really can see the development she made and how she grew from all of that heartbreak with Vee. It's still painful to see that she suffered so much from her death, even though she knew exactly how much of a manipulating person she was. Now, at the end of this season, it really feels like she has established herself as the "mom" of the group that is taking care of everything. It was nice to see her calling off Cindy and Janae for their white racism and the way she tried to build peace with Red. She really can operate and I can't wait to see how her development will go on from there. I still hope for some sort of release with a bright future for her. She would deserve it.
Heck, even Cindy made some huge developments this time around and I really was ready to hate her for the rest of the show, but I completely forgot about the whole storyline with kosher food, which was a perfect balance of a lot of humour with a surprising twist at the end. I really wanted to be annoyed by Cindy, when she wanted to get that kosher food, but even then I had to hold my laugh because of the sheer absurdity of it all. When it came out that she actually wanted to convert and her reasons for it, I really had a lot of empathy for her. I'm an atheist and it still touched me, how important it was to her to get a baptism done. All the more happy was I for her, when the ending scene with the lake happened and she finally had an opportunity to get everything done.
While Janae had a small flashback where they showed how she was treated by her father because she didn't believe in Allah and couldn't follow her dreams of running track, my opinion on her didn't change that much. It still doesn't excuse the way she is tearing others down. I still hope she learns something in her time in prison, but she already seems to have gone in the background, at least for this season.
Another character that I have mixed feelings about would be Flaca. On the one hand she still is acting pretty arrogant to the people she knows she can allow herself to be a bitch, but on the other hand her flashbacks and recent situation show how unfortunate she was and is. One advice from her mom, that she takes the wrong way immediately let's her downspiral into prison. Additionally it hurts to see how she tried to get a better job only to be ending in a sewing factory, which she ironically already had a past with because of her mother. The fact that she also gets oppressed in Pipers panty business is another thing, but the fact itself that she even is affiliated in that whole panty selling storyline is very saddening.
The storyline itself already doesn't make much sense and shouldn't work as well as it seems to go, but it's also there to have some development with Piper. The show itself never really says, that she is being a good person, in one instance even having Gloria calling Piper out for acting like an asshole and indeed, this is where she is heading as of now. She also started cheating at Alex with Stella, not taking her seriously because of worries that she deserves to have in connection with Cubra. Their relationship was very annoying in this season and while they at first made a small step in the right direction it all broke down pretty fast, leaving us with a cliffhanger that proves that Alex was right about her worries and being in danger of getting killed by one of Cubras henchman. Alex really grew as a person and it seems apparent that she really doesn't want to be associated with the drug cartel or Cubra in any way whatsoever anymore, while Piper funnily enough is doing the complete opposite. I'm waiting for her wake-up call too so that they can move on, but that's where both of them are leading as of now.
They even gave Mei Chang a flashback, which was pretty nice, but a little dispatched from everything else. She always was in the show, but they never gave her that much attention, since she is a lot quieter. It wasn't a bad story though, but it didn't really change my opinion on Mei either. It feels like she really enjoys her silent lifestyle and I'm happy that Piper apologized to her at the end. She just doesn't feel like she will ever get more social than we have seen her in this season.
The last storyline and character I need to talk about is Caputo. I really learned to love him in this season. He has his flaws, but they really only have to do with him trying to be nice and not getting the gratitude for that, since it's directed to the wrong persons, in his case his past ex-girlfriend. He repeatedly is trying to do the best for the woman in prison, but also has to find a middle ground with MCC that are actively trying to reduce costs, which leads to new police guards with little to no experience and other nonsense that could be prevented. He and Danny Pearson worked as a funny duo, that had to deal with the consequences that came with the inexperiences of the guards. Caputo taking the place of Danny, who was the son of a high-ranking staff member of MCC, was pretty lucky, leading to a pay raise and more power, but also the quitting of the trained guards, which will most likely have some huge consequences, now that the most inexperienced are left and a bunch of new inmates are about to enter Litchfield. Something tells me we aren't far from Caputo totally losing control of the situation, which in turn will show him that Figueroa probably wasn't the worst person in her job, like we all thought she was. I still don't know how to feel about the fact that they are having a love-hate relationship bounded by sex. It truly shows how both of them still are having their own respective difficulties and have to work them off at someone, I guess.
Like I already said: this probably wasn't the best but honestly it also wasn't the worst season. You just need to be open to what it's presenting to you. Plus if you really aren't the type of guy that can get invested in the psychology of characters themselves then this will probably not be any more interesting to you. I liked the theme that they wanted to tackle but do admit, that there were some flaws when it came to its execution. Still there is a lot of love for the diverse cast of this show, that I really can't help but be invested in them all and how their fates will continue on from here. There was also a lot more political statements that were made this time around. Especially the whole inexperience of police officers was a punch in the gut, since this is a statement that still holds truth in 2020. In this sense the show and this season are more important then ever and it will only grow more important in Season 4. I will talk about it when time is due and recommend you to keep on watching the show. It still isn't on its best, but we are almost there.

(STATE: 01.07.2020)

Season 4: 9
Alright, from this point on I will not have any idea anymore what will happen, but it's apparently also the point where the show reached it's highest point in the run, which I hope will not ruin the following seasons for me, even if I could understand how difficult it would be to beat it, since it's the most dramatic of them all and at the same time having the best politcal criticisms. It's incredible how the topics of this season can still be applied on todays standard, with the whole BlackLivesMatter movement going on, but it also was a high point character wise concentrating on some mentally ill characters and latin identity. When you think about it, it's pretty incredible how most of the characters already were established in the first seasons only beginning to get a very important role from here onwards, like Maria and Blanca. Additionally it began to get a lot more serious from here on with the comedy segment almost disappearing completely. Also A LOT more characters were introduced in this season after all those inmates of last season were shown, some of them already being hinted to get bigger roles, or already being part of a main group. Let's talk about that huge cast again, shall we?
I already mentioned her and I'm very happy that we finally got some background on Maria and her past life as a Dominican and her ongoing conflict with her father. Her developing as some sort of leader for the Dominicans in prison was a cool idea and turned into competition against Piper, which was very welcome with Pipers attitude being extremely annoying. Their storyline and the constant rivalry was needed to not only point out the harsh racial profiling from the police, but also making Piper understand the faults she had commited. Maria definetely isn't my favorite character after the branding she did to her, but it also shows how far Maria would go, after her prison sentence was extended. She really turned into a respectable and menacing leader. Can't wait to see how that will evolve in the riots.
Soso on the other hand was innocent enough this season. Most of the time this season was spent in showing how happy she was in her relationship with Poussay, before it all would crumble down, after they even teased you with the possibility that they really could live a great life after prison. It's especially a shame since Soso also changed for the better, with Poussay being around and making her face the prejudices she came up about specific ethnics and racial groups. Well... now she is depressed again. This sucks man. I really hope she will get through it somehow. I always liked Poussay, which probably also was the reason why they chose her to be the victim of death after the peaceful demonstration. She was the most unproblematic inmate and had a bright future ahead. She was also black and probably was imprisoned because of weed for a duration that is way to long and more connected to her skin colour than anything else. What makes her death all that more frustrating is that you can't even blame Bayley for it. He was one of the few police guards that had the best intentions for the inmates at heart. He was just very inexperienced because people refused to guide the new guards, but also because Bayley himself was just a very naive and innocent person in general, who just didn't fit into an environment like that, Caputo wasn't wrong about that. Same person was very debatable this season. I really want to like Caputo and it's clear as day that he also has only the best interest for the inmates at heart, but always gets brushed off by MCC, which really got annoying against the end. Why didn't he pull through Piscatella? Why would he allow so much tyranny by the veterans, who to half consisted of maniacs and just assholes that abused their power, with their only reasoning being that the inmates would only get what they deserved and not having had commited a crime if they would want justice. Piscatella wasn't even the worst, even though he already was a big contester. Officer Dixon and especially Humphrey were outright psychopaths that take humour in some very gross ways. Some people may even say that most of Humphreys action were so crazy, that you would think that they did what they did for shock factor, which I don't agree with though since it already was established long beforehand that he was a sketchy guy. That he forced Maritza to eat a living baby mouse was probably because there were a lot of people expecting something similar to rape, with that scene they basically showed that there are a lot of other methods of torment, that can be as bad as rape. I felt bad for Maritza, especially since her and Flaca were the comic relief, only to get threatened. She is definetely not a snowflake and did some stupid stuff herself in the past and... sometimes also in the present, but nothing deserves this kind of tormernt. Her and Maria working together while having their panty business was a great way to show how both would behave if risks are being taken and Maritza seems smart enough to hold herself away from things that could really turn dangerous for her. I only hope the next seasons will be a bit more relaxing on her and Flaca.
Mister Healy was and will always be a mixed bag to me. There are this very uncomfortable scenes with him, where at the one hand you feel sorry for him, but on the other hand he states or acts in ways that immediately make him an ass. I was more than happy when he was able to handle Lolly and support her in the way he never could with ANY inmate in Litchfield. Their relationship felt very special and it was great to see that someone could deal with Lollys manic attacks, even if it was through unwanted gaslighting. Healy already had a rough past with his mom and always gets called off by anyone, which probably doesn't make it any more easy to follow through in life. Him ending up in a psychiatric institute was just depressing and I honestly have no idea if that guy will ever show up again after everything that happened with Lolly, another great character in the show.
She was misunderstood and should have just have had some support in form of Healy from the start. Instead she ended in Psych, even though she was only protecting Alex from an assassin of Kubra. It was a fate that I somehow wasn't that surprised it happened, which doesn't make it any less frustrating. It's a lot more unnerving when you think about the fact she was only able to calm herself down because of Healy telling her nothing happened. Now after having to face Psych, this will follow her forever, including the voices in her head and the season still kept going being depressing with so many other characters, so let me talk about two people that somehow ended up kind of good(?) in the end: Piper and Alex. Piper was extremely annoying at first, and it's no wonder that people didn't really care about her panty business anymore. Having her grow from that experience and realizing how stupid it was to try to be "gangster", unwillingly forming a white group and enlarging Marias sentence really made her reflect on everything before she got her nazi swastika branded on her arm. This was terrible, but at least she learned from it and began to gain some humanity again. She also got together with Alex again which was fine and they were finally able to share their difficulties with each other again. Alex problem being the dead guy she buried with Lolly and Frieda. While they both definetely still have to deal with regret, they got better off then others.
Suzanne was another poor victim of police brutality, forcing her into a battle with Maureen the girl she have had a relationship with, injuring her badly and making her evolve regrets for which she would later blame herself in the worst moment. It's more depressing to realize that she is not really able to comprehend the situation they were dealing with, trying to suffocate herself and ending in infirmary herself. Her naivety was also apparent in her flashback that finally showed her "crime". Unfortunately it had to do with too much trust all over again and the fact that her family was weighing too much responsibility on her. Never with bad intentions, but just not fully realizing the capabilities that Suzanne is able to fulfill.
Cindy was nice. My feelings didn't change that much as of last season. Some may can see her as an annoyance, but I can finally laugh with her. Her interactions with Judy Kind and Alison were hilarious enough and her pretending to be a lesbian with Judy was the small comedy segment I needed for this season.
Judy King herself was also pretty amusing for this season. She definetely was there to create a parallel with Martha Stewart and point out the privileges that rich people are able to feed off of. Her and Yoga Jones getting a special treatment was bound to happen, but it was ironic that Jones was the person who would fall into all of that. Their interactions were very interesting and Judy King really was a humorous character, that was a great countermeasure for all the depressing stuff. Her and Cindy being in a fake lesbian relationship was already pretty hilarious, but her interactions with Luschek were even funnier. I've got to admit that she also felt a bit threatening with all the threads she was able to move in the background if she wanted to, plus the fact that her statements were generally more well received by people really shows the superficial respect that they are willing to give someone just because she is famous. Better not annoy her, since she could really be a problem for MCC, right?
Taystee... just deserves a hug and all the justice she seeks. It's incredible how infuriated I could be for a character. If people would continously act like asses just to abuse their powers, I would soon lose my humanity. I just can't blame her, for inciting a rebellion against the prison. Most of the time she really just tried to live through prison life with multiple (new), racist inmates harassing and annoying her and her friends. Her turning into the assistant of Caputo lead to some great interactions between them two until the end, where it just got depressing. Taystee really feels like the leader of her group and it's going to be great to see how she will deal with getting the word on Poussay out. As of now she is one of my favorite characters in the show.
Pensatucky is another great character that shows the strongest development I have seen in the show. While I don't agree with specific viewpoints I really can see how she would be able to forgive a character like Coates. I still think that it's a toxic relationship, which the show doesn't even seem to deny, but after the experiences that Tucky has made and her own development it is more then understandable of her to think that people are able to change. I'm just relieved that Boo and her stay friends since their chemistry is still as great as day one. That Boo keeps on protecting her. Someone still needs to keep an eye to Coates. Yes, he wasn't as threatening and actually defended the inmates here and there, but it still doesn't excuse his action from the prior season. Even if it could, I wouldn't accept him after those few months. Change never comes as fast as that, additionally if you don't even think that what you did was rape.
People who instead turned worse, are people like Nicky and Morello in their own respective ways. At first I was extremely happy to see Nicky return from maximum security. That Luschek really went into his way to help her out in the way was very nice of him, but that's where I started to get annoyed by Nicky. I digress, her time in max was terrible, that much I could see, so I can't blame her for having a relapse, but her behavior with her friends really was shitty, after they showed their concern. It was relieving to see how she finally decided to detoxicate and get clean, this time for good (hopefully)?
Morello was very exhausting. It's frustrating to see when people are having some sort of development and generally advance in life. This season felt like she consciously destroyed what she built for herself. I don't hate her, since it was apparent since Season two that she turns crazy over specific love matters. Still, Vince didn't deserve that and it feels weird and shocking that everything that was only built up last season got destroyed so fast. I don't want to say it, but Vince really dodged a bullet. Morello needs some help.
Red is one of my other favorite characters and really needs some vacation. That poor woman had to deal with too many secrets that she all willingly made her problems, trying to help and seek good outcomes for everyone. Piper and Alex can be greatful, I wouldn't have wanted to be in this mess. That she ironically would be the one, who would suffer the most because of the corpse sucks. The rivalry between her and Piscatella will most probably keep on going next season and I can't wait to see how that evolves. She will use the riots to her advantage, I can already see it. That she remains as awesome as she was in this season.
There is a lot of latina characters that I don't want to neglect, so let me get on on that too. I still love Gloria, more then before. It was great to see how she and Ingalls worked together and let Ingalls get thrown into SHU. Her fate seems unclear and I hope I will not lose her. I want to see Sophia and Ingalls interacting again. Gloria herself was also great because she finally was able to open up to Sophia and let the argument be put to rest, something I really would have wished to happen immediately, but as long as it happened it's fine. Gloria helping Aleida out to take care of her daughter Daya was adorable too... even if that didn't seem to work out as great as I formerly anticipated.
I'm also relieved that Aleida was able to get released without problems. There was a lot of tension because of Maria, that made it unclear if she would really be able to build up something outside of prison, but now I'm happier then ever to see, how she will deal with life outside her usual habitat with a goal in mind. Props to Caesars girlfriend that supported her the whole time, even if Aleida already acted or said shitty things. I am curious on how she will move on and if she will really build up a career as nail stylist.
Daya was... pretty annoying again. For real, it's very exhausting to see how that girl keeps on fucking up. Don't get me wrong, I can understand that one would get frustrated after the father of the baby just leaves and your own mother leaving her in prison alone... I guess, but she literally doesn't care about responsibilities and the risks she is taken. I thought her calling out her mother about her career plans would be some sort of mind set, that would have evolved because of her own concern she has for her baby, but she really doesn't seem to care, when I see how she is threatening guards with guns. Oh Daya... what do we do with you? I'm curious how that repeating fuck-up will evolve for her in the long run. Bennet doesn't seem to return anytime soon either.
And I'm surprised but besides Maria, Blanca also seems to have a more major role now, which is always welcome. I never would have believed for her to lead a group with Maria yet this season kept on surprising you. The respect kept on going when I saw how she indirectly tried to rebel against the racial profiling resulting in her getting forced onto standing on a table and wow... this woman had a lot of stamina to be standing on that table for several days without rest. All the more happy am I, that she initiated the peaceful protest. She seems way more active in the overall game and I can't wait to see what her next steps will be. I personally would love to see her reunite with Diablo, but one can only dream.
The last person I didn't mention yet and which I remember not to have talked about - there are way too many characters in this show - is Sophia. Her storyline with Gloria was finished, that I already mentioned and it seems like she will slowly build up her hair salon again, which is relieving after there even was a point in time where they let you believe that she commited suicide or something. It's unclear to me how her story will follow, since she really isn't that involved in the whole prison riot. Maybe she will try to get Sister Ingalls back, which would be funny but at the same time... pretty boring. Let's see how this will move on for her, from now.
The sitation in the show is pretty chaotic and it literally can go any direction. There was a lot of build up and the final episode really made you seek for more, making you curious on how this riot will move on, but at the same time I just can't see them wrapping those things up nicely. Additionally this show really turned more depressive then funny. There were some segments here and there that made you laugh, but it had on overall downer feeling which was pretty unusual for this show. I only hope that it can live up to the quality, that this show delivered, but with this many characters already having been introduced and roaming free in the prison - with many new characters getting flashbacks next season - it seems unlikely to me that they can tell anything in order - I couldn't at least, but I'm very excited to see, how all of it will move on. See me talk about the riots in about a month or so!

(STATE: 21.07.2020)

Season 5: 7.5
I'm not gonna lie, with everything that was build up last season there were some big expectations of which I'm not surprised that they weren't able to fulfill them. This show has reached a point where there are just way too many characters and storylines taking place and while the riot could have been a great storyline it was stretched way longer then it should have. Think about it: they covered about three days in one season and half of it really wasn't necessary to tell. Another thing that bugged me personally is the fact that the fourth season had an emphasis on having a more serious tone then the others. I thought with this riot they would make the switch into the dramatic, but instead the writers really wanted to keep the comedy element of the show going, which just felt... out of place. There would be a moment where they have a serious scene, which would then be interrupted with some daily chitter chatter, with some punchline at the end. I... was very confused when that happened. And it's clear that they wanted to keep the show as a dramedy, but then the jokes should have been worked out in some other form.
Additionally to everything I mentioned before this season was a slow burner to begin with. The most important things didn't happen until the last episodes and I'm kind of disappointed that the whole riot resulted into nothing. There were consequences - yes - but they weren't a result from the uprising of the inmates and instead were a row of lucky inconveniences that were the result of stupid mistakes. I'm still interested on how the fates of some inmates will move on, since that was left open, but overall it didn't feel like there was much progress made. One thing I did like though, was the fact that some side characters that were established in former flashbacks of specific inmates had a reappearance and were worked into the story fluidly. As to the inmates themselves: some were flandarized, while others just were all over the place. There were some good storylines with them too, but it was a mixed bag, like Season 3. Let me go over them "real quick" and since there are way too many characters now I have to seperate them somehow.
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Red's Family
I will include everyone who was in the secret pool of the prison as part of Reds family. But before that can I point out again how weird it is that a place like that was kept unused by both Figuroa AND Caputo? The fact that Frieda was able to use it as some sort of bunker all the time without getting noticed seems pretty crazy too.

->Frieda Berlin: I love her and she was definetly one of the high points of this season. Finally getting a flshback of her was something I seeked for so long and I'm happy that I got it. Her father was pretty crazy though and after showing a glimpse of her past you just want to find out more about her, but at the same time I'm unsure if I want that. In the end she still killed three people in one year. From the perspective that we have we actually still don't know that much about her, but I definetely welcomed it when she put her girl scout skills to use and not only stunned the two guards that imprisoned her, but also saved Red from Piscatella together with the other girls.
->Gina Murphy: I like her too. Even more then the prior seasons and I get the feeling that she is underappreciated even though she was the one who took care of the electricity maintenance in prison, while most of the inmates where goofing around. She will most likely still stay as a side role, which is a pity. I would love to find out more about her, but whatever.
->Norma Romano: Not much to add, since she layed low this season. She didn't do much, but stay in the bunker. Good for her.
->Anita DeMarco: I love her, best character. Ok for real, I love how that woman is sticking around till now without ever having a major role. I guess she was only there for the intended slapstick here and there.
->Erica "Yoga" Jones: She was also surprisingly quiet for this season. My feelings for her are indifferent now, since she complained about people taking her Hot Cheetos away. What the hell is her problem? I mean, I guess you can take it as a development how the relaxed woman of Season 1 seems unhappy with almost everything in Season 5. On some things I can't blame her, but on others she is behaving ridiculious. Maybe she needs to find another way of therapy then Yoga, who knows.
->Gloria Mendoza: Poor, poor woman. She really only wanted to see her child. Not even getting that after freeing the hostages was just cruel and makes me hate Maria a little. It's relieving to know that her son didn't die, but fuck... this is too much man. Give that poor woman a break for once. Even before that she had to take care of Daya, who kept on making bad decisions, and fixing them for her. When Aleida insulted her for being a bad mother and whatnot this just made me angry. Way too much happened to her this season and I hope she will catch a break - if that's even possible - in the following season.
->Nicky Nichols: She is back and stronger then ever. Her storyline wasn't that interesting to me, but her jump in character definetely was. Her being out of drugs and having her makeover, makes her seem like a completely new person. To cut her relationship off with Morello completely, with the well-intentioned advice to find psychatric help and then still helping her with her marriage with Vince was great and definetely redeems the stupid things she did last season. I can only hope that the same will apply to Morello soon enough.
->Lorna (Morello) Muccio: Ugh, this was hard to watch. I appreciate what they were trying to write and it most definetely wasn't a bad storyline, but it also resulted in some very huge backlashs for other characters like Suzanne, so I don't know how to feel in her end. Her not wanting to accept, that she has some sort of mental illness and trying to make everyone believe that their medics would repress their true personalities was... far from great. Additionally there is that whole pregnancy thing all over again. The tension if she would really be pregnant or not was interesting enough. I believed until the bitter end, that she would fake it or her mental illness would just make her believe that she would have positives, but it's good that that is not a lie at least. Her getting back together with Vince was good enough, but I just can't believe that this will hold for very long until she will fuck it up again. I don't know why, but it just feels that way. At least she seems to have her priorities straight and I hope she will have the responsibility to take care of the baby with the right know-how. She is fine for now, but I'll keep an eye open on her.
->Suzanne Warren: She was flanderized a fair bit. This was something that slowly began from Season 3, but I really didn't realize it until now. It's not horrible and her actress is still doing a phenomenal job, but Season 1 and Season 5 Suzanne are not the same. Her being out of meds and generally having to deal with this riot was interesting to watch, even if the only real outcome of it was, that there was built some sort of dynamic between her and Cindy. Even before that was no real resolution when she and Kukudio interacted with each other. Her grieving for Poussay when she, Soso, Taystee, Cindy and Janae had their spiritual session was fine, but yeah... there is nothing left to say on her part. I hope that she will not have any psy

Book 1: 7.5
I suppose that it's a good thing, when the only huge critic I have is that I want more from this show. It reminds me so much of Avatar and Callum and Rayla are the perfect embodiment of both Sokka and Suki. It has that same comedic humour and you want to know more about the world they live in, which makes you all that more surprised when you realize that it's already over with nine episodes. Good for me that I still have two more books to watch.
You can't help but notice the similarities that this show has with Avatar. I won't even mention the fact that co-writers of Avatar were included in the making of this, but in the series itself are so many parallels and general storytelling resemblances: Everyone gets humanized, including the villains of the story. Heck, even I still like Claudia and Soren. You actually admire them a little because they're both lovable goofballs and you can laugh about their little antics. Claudia herself seems to be trying to be Azula, but is very clearly a Ty-Lee, a clutz. Soren could've just been a bully, but he's actually a decent guy. So that's nice to see in antagonists who aren't really villains. Their father is also a lot more complicated. He's not pure evil, but his methods certainly are dark, even questionable. I can see he's got good intentions, but also he's got ambitions that go beyond just protecting the kingdom. He's obviously the bad guy, but he's not someone I hate so much as I'm fearful of, because he feels more human. Speaking of characters: I loved the main characters. Not only Callum but especially Rayla, which probably comes to no surprise for everyone who watched the show. I love her scottish accent, but she is generally very likeable, being able to talk to and being understanding about humans, even though she always faces racism from them. Through the runtime she deals with insecurities, that shape her way more then I thought they would, talking about responsibilities and not fulfilling duties as an elve. Callum is fun too, very Sokka-lite. Less warrior driven and relying more on his strength of mind rather than brawn. Sokka was a balance of both in many respects, he also had a much more corny sarcastic sense of humor, Callum is more awkward which helps set him apart, but I like how quick he was to give up the one thing that was making him awesome to save the dragon egg, which already gives us a lot of development and things to look forward to in the future. Ezran is fun too, he's a sweet kid. I kinda wanna know more about his ability to talk to animals, like did he get that from his mother? What's the extent of it? It's kinda cool that we have that though and that we will learn more about him in the foreseeable future. The dragon Ozymandias and Bait are adorable and a great addition to the cast. Once again they remind me of Momo and Appa, so I really hope we don't have to deal with a dramatic Appa-like kidnapping. I don't know if I could handle that.
For a kids show, it's definetely better then anticipated and gives me the right flags to keep on watching. The cast is diverse and it's an all around fun, even if it deals with war and some serious happenings. I'll enjoy the ride as long as I can and can't wait to see what Book 2 will bring me on the table.

(STATE: 29.05.2020)