somethingreal81 Reviews

Orphan Black: Echoes (2023– )

An enjoyable offshoot of the original

[8/10 · 29 February 2024]

I'm not really sure what the people who wrote the negative reviews were expecting. While Orphan Black:Echoes isn't as good as the first couple of seasons of the original Orphan Black, it is FAR better than the later seasons of the original show, which completely went off the rails imo. The first episode of Echoes was admittedly a little slow, but after that I found myself totally hooked. My only real criticism is that some of the casting choices felt a little odd, but certainly not enough to interfere with my enjoyment. For fans of the original there are also some fun easter eggs and appearances by members of the original cast. If you liked the original show, I'd say it's worth at least giving this one a try.

Alice & Jack (2023–2024)

Simply awful

[1/10 · 14 February 2024]

It's rare that I watch something this terrible all the way through, but I was curious if a reason why talented actors like Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson agreed to appear in this trainwreck might finally become clear. After having suffered through all six episodes, I can only imagine that they were the losers of a very high stakes bet. I also almost never leave spoiler filled reviews, but the plot of this show is so asinine that I feel compelled to summarize it here:

SPOILERS BELOW

Alice and Jack meet via a dating app and have a quick hookup. After, Alice essentially kicks Jack out of her flat and says to never contact her again. For reasons completely unclear, Jack is infatuated with Alice and eventually decides to text her. The two then spend another night together after which Jack runs out for morning coffee and pastries and returns to be chastised by Alice for having been thoughtful. Next, the pair visits a museum where Alice treats an employee like absolute dirt. It's completely unclear how long this relationship is meant to have been going on at this point, but Alice then dumps Jack who is for some reason still infatuated with this monster. A year and a half then passes and somehow in this very short amount of time Jack has improbably gotten married and had a baby with another woman (Aisling Bea, apparently also having lost this tragic bet). Despite having had no contact with Jack whatsoever in this time, Alice decides to phone and ask if he'll accompany her to her mother's funeral. Jack lies to his wife to attend because, despite being married, having a child, and having had zero recent contact with Alice, he's just never moved on. Unfortunately, Alice's father literally drops dead in the cemetery, a ridiculous turn of events only made more ridiculous by apparently being deemed newsworthy by the local TV station. Seeing Jack and Alice together on TV and learning he's been in love with Alice the whole time, Jack's wife then breaks up with him. Later, Alice helps Jack get his infant daughter to sleep and then screams at him when he quietly approaches to ask how she and the baby are doing. Isn't she lovely? Two years then go by without the pair speaking when Jack suddenly gets an invitation to Alice's wedding. Jack is dismayed to have learned of Alice's engagement this way, but Alice insists she's invited Jack because, despite having always treated him like garbage and not having spoken to him in two years, she can't imagine getting married without him there. Jack not only agrees to attend but, because he's a dimwit, agrees to be her best man. The night before the wedding, Alice realizes she's in love with Jack and then does the mature thing by disappearing without explanation. Two more years then go by during which Alice doesn't speak with Jack for whom she's just left her fiance. Alice finally breaks this estrangement, though, because she's now in a position to make them both lots of money! This makes complete sense because, having been asked earlier what she does for a living, Alice explains that she "makes money." So now they're both rich and all is well. Except it's not because, despite having been inexplicably infatuated with Alice for years, Jack claims he's not ready to be with her now. This news is so distressing to Alice that she vanishes from his life for several more years. Wouldn't you know it, though, they eventually reconnect after bumping into each other in Cuba! At least that's what we're told since this grand reunion isn't actually shown to us. After that, Alice and Jack are fully in each other's lives as best friends who are in love, but not a couple. This obviously interferes with their ability to date others, but seeminlgy doesn't interfere with Alice's family plans since she suddenly announces to Jack that she's about to get artificially inseminated, a life altering decision that she's apparently never discussed with the person to whom she's supposedly closest. Jack then accompanies Alice to the doctor where the insemination happens the natural way when the two have sex in the doctor's office. Alice is then immediately pregnant. Hooray? Sadly, the celebration is short-lived when it's discovered during the pregnancy that Alice has cancer and the pregnancy is just never discussed by anyone ever again. Worse, Jack is not at all coincidentally diagnosed with a heart condition around this same time. Despite still looking completely healthy, Alice eventually passes away, at which point we're then treated to a full 3+ minutes of flashbacks to scenes we've already suffered through once before. Shortly after that, Jack succumbs to his heart condition and we're treated to more flashbacks, this time of the previously unseen Cuba trip. The two are then buried next to one another, having died together just as insufferably as they lived.

Truelove (2024– )

Not as advertised

[5/10 · 17 January 2024]

Based on the adverts, I expected this to be a dark comedy about a group of friends making an assisted suicide pact and the hijinks that ensue. However, the show isn't a comedy at all, dark or otherwise. Instead, it's actually a very straightforward and rather depressing drama about older people with an unnecessary romantic subplot and, worse, a police procedural bolted onto it. Admittedly I only watched half of the episodes, but I found them to be a bit dull to be honest. Perhaps if I'd gone into this with different expectations I would have felt differently about it. However, had it been advertised for what it actually is, I can't say I'd have watched it to begin with.

Three Women (2023– )

Three Women is one great show

[9/10 · 12 January 2024]

I admit I was skeptical during the first episode, which felt heavy handed with its use of narration, a bit gratuitous with some of the nudity, and a little too familiar with its stories of female sexuality. But I'm really glad I stuck with the show beyond that episode, because it turned out to be a deep and thoughtful character study of flawed, but very relatable and/or intriguing characters. As the series went on I continually went back and forth over which storyline I found most compelling, but now having seen all 10 episodes, I can honestly say I didn't have a favorite because they were all so interesting. The performances by all the leads were also exceptional and even the lesser known supporting cast really shined throughout. I highly recommend this series to anyone who's interested in great storytelling, complex characters, and terrific acting.

A Murder at the End of the World (2023)

The Oh No

[4/10 · 19 December 2023]

I loved The OA, but this show was a dud. First, the pacing was terrible and most of the episodes were unnecessarily long until the end, which felt totally rushed. The acting from much of the supporting cast was beyond wooden and the cringey dialogue didn't help. The plot was also full of holes and dumb contrivances that I won't go into lest they constitute spoilers. Nevertheless, Darby is presented as a brilliant detective, but her investigatory skills just consist of crowdsourcing from the internet. How is that impressive? This is also one of those shows that generates its mysteries by having characters simply fail to share basic information with one another. For example, a character witnesses someone dying under mysterious circumstances but the dying person never bothers to communicate what happened and the witness never even bothers to ask before they die? The Icelandic scenery was nice, though.

Gray (2023– )

A little less conversation, a little more action please

[6/10 · 5 October 2023]

You'd think a show about a former spy coming in from the cold and helping hunt down a mole would be action packed. But you would be wrong. Over the course of the (first and likely only) season there was surprisingly little action in this series. And I don't just mean action in terms of fight scenes or car chases. I mean very little actually *happens* in this show. The lack of action is especially surprising given that there were several plot lines that could have been further explored or developed but that were needlessly left unresolved at the end of eight episodes. I'm not sure if this was meant as setup for a second season, but given how underwhelming the first season was, I can't imagine watching a second. On the plus side, the performances were strong and it's always nice to see Patricia Clarkson, Rupert Everett, and Lydia West. They just deserve better writing.

C*A*U*G*H*T (2023– )

Tropic Blunder

[2/10 · 4 October 2023]

This is by far the best mystery series I've ever seen. Unfortunately, the mystery is who is blackmailing Sean Penn?? I was excited to see this show based on the trailer, but literally all the funny bits are in that trailer. Otherwise, there are zero laughs to be found anywhere, with d**k and poop jokes making up the majority of the "humour." The "plot" also meanders and makes very little sense. The general premise of the show (captured soldiers try to help their captors go viral) had potential and maybe could have worked as a 90 minute movie. But trying to stretch that premise to 4 hours just did not work. In one episode a character asks another, "Was there a point to that story?," which seems like a good summary of the whole thing. After watching all 8 episodes I'm not sure what the point of any of it was and I'm still not sure how Sean Penn got roped into this mess.

The Inheritance (2023)

Awful

[2/10 · 27 September 2023]

A truly woeful series. First, as others have noted, there's not a single likable character to be found anywhere. Then there's the "wicked stepmother" who acts like she's performing Lady Macbeth, but with less subtlety than a sledgehammer and with motivations that never make a lick of sense. There are also subplots that are unresolved or totally underdeveloped (what was the point of all the old home movies??) and then there's the ending that feels totally rushed with an out of left field "twist" that would need significant explaining to make sense, but gets absolutely zero explanation whatsoever. The only positive about this show is that it was mercifully only 4 episodes.

Rabbit Hole (2023)

Surprisingly fun

[8/10 · 27 August 2023]

I admit I went into this with rather low expectations given the general lack of buzz around this show and the way that Keifer's last couple of shows (Designated Survivor, Touch) started off strong and then went completely off the rails after a few episodes. With a tight 8 episode run, though, Rabbit Hole, in its first (maybe only?) season, managed to keep up the intrigue and be thoroughly entertaining throughout. Were there some implausibilities along the way? Of course. But nothing that led to a major eye roll or that would cause me not to recommend this show. If you're looking for a fun, fast paced thriller, then you should definitely check this show out.

Slip (2023– )

An indie movie stretched too far

[5/10 · 28 April 2023]

Maybe if this had been a 90 minute movie it would have been effective, but as a 6 episodes series it completely wore out its welcome. The overall premise of slipping between different realities with different partners was intriguing, but after a while it didn't really feel like the alternate realities offered much of anything new to the character's journey. The first episode also painted the husband in such a negative light that it was hard to believe the main character would spend the entire series desperately trying to get back to him. Sure, "the grass is always greener" and maybe her life wasn't as bad as she originally thought, but her attempts to get back to her old life felt obligatory and inorganic--and the ambiguous ending definitely didn't help.

Jury Duty (2023– )

Cute but that's about it

[7/10 · 26 April 2023]

I originally passed on this show due to the lukewarm reviews from critics but, after seeing all the raves on this site, I decided to give it a shot. My opinion probably falls somewhere in the middle. I found the show cute and likable, but I'm not sure I actually ever laughed out loud to be honest. Overall, it's the kind of show that's good to have on in the background while you're folding laundry, but not the type of show that I'd go out of my way to see. The highlight was probably James Marsden playing a version of himself that manages to straddle the line between "out of touch celebrity" and charming goofball.

Beef (2023– )

Starts strong, lags in the middle, implodes at the end

[3/10 · 11 April 2023]

The headline pretty much says it all. The show starts very strong and the first few episodes are an excellent dark comedy about the feud between two strangers. That lasts for maybe 4 episodes before the show turns into a (frankly, very dull) relationship drama. Then, in the last few episodes, the show goes from a drama to the most ridiculous melodrama I have ever seen. There were so many instances in the last few episodes that were obviously meant to be shocking or emotional that just had me laughing at the screen, which was definitely not the intended effect. The characters make so many dumb choices and behave so unrealistically that it becomes like a parody of itself by the end. There were good elements in this show, for sure, but it clearly should have been a movie because all those elements are exhausted in the first 2 hours. Shockingly, the creators have a 3 season vision for this show. How that's possible when they didn't even have enough material to keep the show going past 1/3 of the first season is beyond me.

Tiny Beautiful Things (2023)

I *wanted* to like it

[5/10 · 10 April 2023]

I really wanted to like this show, but it left me totally cold. First, while the characters go through major life events and *talk* like they're deep, they're actually all thinly written ciphers--after watching all 8 episodes I honestly wouldn't describe any of the characters as having a distinct personality. The main character spends half the series mourning her mother, but their relationship is so underwritten that it's hard to really feel the impact of her death other than that we're told it was devastating. The out of order nature of the flashbacks also makes the story hard to follow and left me ambivalent about what was happening. (How can you care about characters who suddenly appear out of nowhere? Or about a character's mistakes when the show skips right past the consequences? For example, why bother telling us about someone's heroin problem if we don't learn anything more about it?) Hahn is fine here, but I don't think she's doing anything particularly new and she's really not even doing that much--Sarah Pidgeon as the younger version of Hahn's character does most of the heavy lifting and while she's very good, good performances aren't enough to elevate what's actually pretty thinly written material. The last episode also hints at a major backstory that barely gets explained (and a result leaves Hahn's character looking crazy), the brother and sister have a weird incest-y vibe, and, though I adore Merrit Wever, she feels miscast and way too young to be playing the mother.

Plan B (2023– )

Pla(i)n B(ad)

[3/10 · 10 April 2023]

Yikes. Where to start? First, this is maybe the dullest and most joyless time travel show in history. The main character repeatedly invokes a service that lets him travel back in time but really has zero questions about who these people are or how this is possible? Second, everything is played with a deadly seriousness that just doesn't work. Time travel shows usually involve a little humor as characters repeat scenes over again or know about things in advance to comedic effect. But not here. Instead, everything devolves into melodrama. Last, but certainly not least, all of the characters are completely insufferable. The story is written in such a way that the writers are obviously trying to present the leads as star crossed lovers we should be rooting for. But the main character isn't likable and his wife is even worse. The creators should go back in time for a do over on this whole show.

The Diplomat (I) (2023)

Makes the case for closed borders

[4/10 · 2 April 2023]

I went into this hoping for a fun thriller and a bit of international intrigue. Instead, it turned out to be the world's most ridiculous procedural. Yes, there is an overarching "mystery" that carries through the season, but essentially this is a case of the week series that happens to involve characters working in the consulate. If you're already scratching your head thinking "consulate? Cases?" then you're applying more logic than the writers have. The characters are diplomats meant to be assisting British tourists abroad. However, they instead behave like law enforcement, interrogating witnesses, chasing down leads, and trying to solve mysteries. It is utterly ridiculous. In one episode a woman comes into the consulate because her passport has been stolen by a much younger one night stand. A consulate worker's job would be to print her a temporary one and send her on her way. But not on The Diplomat! Instead, the consulate worker harasses the woman about how her bag was lost and makes it her mission to track down the thief--all while insisting she's teaching the very embarrassed woman a lesson about sex positivity. It is hilariously absurd. The consulate workers also act like horny teenagers, engaging in wildly inappropriate sex talk in the office and sleeping with people who come in for help. I wouldn't trust these idiots to send an email let alone "help" anyone.

Kindred (2022)

Should have been a limited series

[7/10 · 21 February 2023]

I read the book years ago and was thrilled when I finally heard it was being filmed. However, there's no reason this should have been adapted into anything other than a standalone movie or a one season limited series. Watching the show, it was obvious where the story was padded (the annoying next-door neighbors being the worst example) and the second half dragged as the story meandered into less interesting subplots, Dana behaved in ways that defied logic, and the main characters seemed weirdly content staying in the 1800s rather than focusing on getting home. Overall, I found the series entertaining, but the lack of a conclusion is exactly what happens when producers try to milk a property beyond what the story actually requires.

Spoiler Alert (II) (2022)

Spoiler Alert: I loved it

[10/10 · 3 December 2022]

I never cry at movies, but this one managed to get me. Of course the tragic love story (and the tragic gay story in general) have been told a million times before, but this movie had so much warmth and heart that it was impossible not be devastated by the ending, even if you know exactly what will happen. The relationship between Michael and Kit is beautifully developed and the actors are utterly charming in their roles. Aldridge brings so much depth to his portrayal of Kit and Parsons perfectly captures Michael Ausiello's witty and self-deprecating sense of humor from the book. The movie also doesn't shy away from showing the difficulties and complexities of the couple's relationship, which only adds to the film's feeling of authenticity and is a big reason why it's stayed with me long after leaving the theater.

Gaslit (2022)

The only ones being gaslit here are the audience

[3/10 · 29 May 2022]

Wow is this show dull. Despite being called Gaslit and ostensibly focusing on Martha Mitchell, there seems to be no coherent plot around the Martha character and scant evidence as to why the show is even called Gaslit. The heavy focus on subjects other than Martha would be fine if those stories were at least interestingly told. But boy are they not. For example, half of the most recent episode focused on the Watergate's security guard-as he goes on a date and then looks for his cat. Seriously, what is the point of this show??

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (2022)

Ironically forgettable

[6/10 · 9 April 2022]

This really should have been a movie and not a mini-series. The performances by Samuel L. Jackson and Dominique Fishback are great, but there's not nearly enough plot to justify six hour long episodes. The premiere also hints at multiple intriguing storylines like a murder mystery and a medical mystery that the show basically totally abandons.

Mood (2022)

Not for me

[4/10 · 7 March 2022]

I appreciate what they're trying to do here and I look forward to seeing future projects from this star and creator. But I also agree with the other review that said you really have to identify with Sasha in order to appreciate this. Unfortunately, I didn't identify with Sasha or with anyone else in this show so I decided not to continue past the first episode.

The Fear Index (2022)

Super computer; super predictable

[5/10 · 3 March 2022]

I gave this 5 stars because I was entertained by it, but boy could you see every plot twist coming from a mile away. Even the final scene, I was able to predict from nearly the start. Good production values don't make up for zero originality or imagination here, I'm afraid.

Trigger Point (2022– )

Trigger pointless

[3/10 · 8 February 2022]

As a huge fan of Line of Duty, I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, the entire show consists of dull interoffice politics, unnecessary personal "drama," and bomb-related scenes that are completely lacking in any kind of tension. Such a letdown.

Chloe (2022)

Zzzzzz

[2/10 · 8 February 2022]

I don't know how anyone found this gripping or enthralling. I gave up before the end of the third episode after nearly three hours in which almost nothing happened and not a single character had managed to be worth caring about. Some of the clothes were nice, though.

The Afterparty (2022–2023)

Skip this party

[2/10 · 29 January 2022]

I forced myself to sit through two episodes before finally turning this off. Not only did I not laugh even once, but everything about this show is just trying waaay too hard. The result was a show that's not just unfunny, but actively annoying.

Rules of the Game (2022)

A losing game

[2/10 · 14 January 2022]

I really tried to give this a chance but the (extremely thin) plot is absurd, the characters completely unlikable, and overall it was boring! Don't waste your time.