Nedloh94

Casual is a well-made series, with an impeccable cast, and solid writing. Yet, with each passing season, I'm having an increasingly difficult time caring about the tragic ennui of these unremarkable characters and their pithy white people problems. For a show that takes itself this seriously, one hopes for a greater sense of urgency--higher stakes, even. Season three is no different. Perhaps I'm too demanding in where I want to direct my empathy, but these stories are only affecting if a person has never experienced legitimate trauma.

The third season of Orange Is the New Black is quieter, has smaller stakes, and is decidedly less interested in big, "Dun-dun-DUN!!!" moments. That is not to say this season of the show is unable to surprise, or take sharp turns, but the show is subtler, more willing to let the silences speak. One would be remiss to mistake this series as resting on laurels. Orange Is the New Black could live in the moment, and make a show that would plug variables into a formula, get in a few shocking moments, and still be pretty good. Instead, Orange Is the New Black aspires to be better than that, and aspires to be richer than that. This time around, the show is fun, engaging, and hilarious. The show is also smarter, more emotionally resonant, and more rewarding than previous seasons, and though the season is not flawless, with handful of uneven storylines, Orange Is the New Black has never been better.

A bit rough around the edges, but Daredevil is a stylish, and engaging set of episodes that improves as it goes along, with a fine cast, and a terrific lead performance from Charlie Cox.

Sluggish plotting, frustrating character work, and seemingly aimless in every way, Bloodline is a show that needs to be seen in its entirety to be understood, and, if not liked, then at least respected. Between the intricate and patient storytelling, potent atmosphere, and near-flawless cast. Though some of the foreshadow is a bit sloppy, and though some of the characters are either given so much they're nearly inconsistent, or they're so underdeveloped that I don't really care about them at all, Bloodline is bizarrely engaging. I barely want to watch any of this, but the show always knows how to get people back into its good graces. If nothing else though, watch it for Ben Mendelsohn's masterful performance. He's easily the best part of the show, and worth the price of admission alone. Other than that, it's a mixed bag that has a bit more good than not.

This is not the old show. There are the same elements that made the original series what it was, but everything else is different. If you go in expecting the quick paced joke machine with a half-dozen stories per episode, then you're going to be different. In fact, I would barely call this comedic genius. What it is instead is an ambitious exercise in storytelling, and a three-dimensional puzzle that has seldom been attempted on the same scale. Yes, there are some of the same gags, some new ones too, some great jokes, and some ones that don't always land. It is not without flaws, but this some of the best material ever been produced. It requires patience, and even multiple viewings. It is all completely rewarding and a great service to fans and Bluths alike.