mellonhead

Season 1 is very watchable but doesn't demand your attention. None of the characters are all that interesting and important characters (*cough* Joe) seem to make decisions on a whim, without any rhyme or reason. There were many great elements of the season, but it was unfocused and suffered by not settling on a direction. Mad Men fans will find some similarities in terms of the workplace atmosphere, Joe MacMillan, and "Shut the Door. Have a Seat," but it would be a shame to watch Halt and Catch Fire for the Mad Men similarities. Halt is at its best when it learns to distance itself from Mad Men and gives its characters room to breathe; in other words, Halt is at its worst when it tries to be Mad Men. It would have always been a knockoff Mad Men, even if only for coming second, but even at its worst, it was still entertaining, if mostly unnecessary and generic. Season 1 is a good dish-washing show; Season 2 is a good season, period, and the second half of the show is excellent.

First half reaction: what a twin peaks rip-off? It's not even good anyway, some of these characters are so damn annoying (cheryl), Jughead's narration about sums up the quality of this show. Second half reaction: It's becoming its own thing, there are some genuinely interesting questions and issues at play, some of these characters are getting interesting. It's somewhat exciting, if not mildly decent. Grade: kind of s**t/C

This season, for the most part, is what fans want out of a final season from Orphan Black. It pulls its punches at the right times, though they aren't always earned and do a good job of getting the viewer to forget the slower and inessential parts. When things wrap up nicely, sometimes we're convinced everything else before it was necessary, made sense, and cut it some slack. I think that happened here. The conclusion is exactly what most fans want from this show. It's always been much more about community at its core than anything else, so I guess we can just call the ending fitting and satisfying, on top of it being exactly what fans want. I think there's a good deal of fan service going on, though. We can point to the fact that if OB's plot were the central focus it would be unsatisfying and underwhelming. OB at its best wasn't really ever a masterclass in plot, though. It was compelling, especially with its bigger ideas, but often flawed when it came to the smaller, yet important, details. But again, even at its low point plot-wise in Season 3, OB kept its viewers with its almost always more compelling characters and their relationships. I guess OB ended like it lived -- often confusing, imperfect, and complicated to a fault, but one that will be remembered much more by the people who paid attention for often being compelling, satisfying, fun, and beautiful. And for the show as a whole, and especially Tatiana Maslany, being severely underappreciated by general viewers. If you haven't watched all-time great shows like The Wire, Breaking Bad, or The Americans before, and want to watch OB, watch it first. OB is a good show and you'll appreciate it more this way. You also won't completely forget it once you get to those bigger shows. I'd say at its best, it was better than most of its peers and a show that justified fighting for. For example, (although it came after) I can say this show is much better than Killing Eve and probably even a show of Homecoming's (not the Beyonce one) status too because the sense of community at the core of OB is frankly much more real than anything either of the shows can offer. And kids, get off of the "Riverdale"s and "13 Reasons Why"s of this world if that's what's been stopping you from checking this show out. So OB is better than a lot of shows, and there's a lot to like about it, but it isn't as popular as it should be, which is frustrating. But at the same time, if I had to choose 100 TV shows to show the aliens this wouldn't be one of them. This show shouldn’t be making "100 most important" or "top 100 ever lists" either. But if it was, "100 TV shows to erase your memory of so you can re-experience it", I can say with certainty this would be one of them for me. But ask me in 20 years if I would maintain that position due to the fact that I haven't seen 100 TV shows (or maybe even 50 for that matter). And that'll likely be after I've seen "The Greats" like The Sopranos, The Wire, and Mad Men. And Breaking Bad and BoJack Horseman for probably the sixth and seventh times. Ranking the seasons: #1 S2 #2 S1 #3 S5 #4 S4 #5 S3

You'd be hard-pressed to find a show that so convincingly begs for your time while being as pointless and unnecessary as it is. "Outer Banks" has a dangerous potential to **** you in, but is ultimately a show you've seen before (a more grounded Riverdale on an island or a dumbed-down Veronica Mars) - nothing more and often less. There are countless holes in the show and suspending your disbelief is routine, if not a big reason you keep watching. The characters are cardboard cutouts in most cases, to the point that generic and familiar decisions (based on similar shows like Riverdale and VM) become surprising. There are some surprising points but more because they are wild turns that capitalize on your disbelief. Ultimately, "Outer Banks" isn't awful and, in fact, it's highly watchable most of the time, but it's amazingly unnecessary, inessential, forgettable, one-note, and aggressively mediocre in hindsight. It's rarely boring but doesn't really deserve your time as anything more than a show you watch while washing the dishes.

I came into the season aware that people weren't too hot on the first season of BoJack, but I wasn't offended and liked it fine. I think that may have been because I was sick when I binged the first part of the season. Then, when I was in better health I had made it to (potentially) the first standout, "Live Fast, Diane Nguyen". However, after watching through season 5 and offering my recommendation on countless occasions - pointing out how real, relatable, down-to-earth, and downright funny it was - I was pretty disappointed when I rewatched the first few episodes which I consider shallow, predictable, and not especially funny (essentially the opposite of what I liked so much). All I can say is, the road may be rocky to start off, but that's as rocky (in terms of quality) as it's ever been and once you've made it, goddamn what a ride it is.

Interesting premise, but the show seems more focused on teasing a climax that never actually happens than the follow through. The set-up is good enough to keep the viewer intrigued but there isn't much of anything in terms of original, interesting, well-executed content in the last couple episodes. The final episode tries to recover with a meaningful finish, but the finish is built on a faulty foundation. The relationship that this show wants you to focus on, that's meant to make all the show's shortcomings worth it, was weak and generic as were its characters. Many of its parts are strong and well executed by the sum of its parts is awkward, incomplete, and ultimately not worth the investment (albeit only 30 minutes per episode). The show needs the viewer to be invested in the main characters and their relationships, but neither are all that strong. For anyone who connected to the characters and found the central relationship genuinely unique, this show might make sense and be worthwhile. But for anyone who doesn't "get it", the only thing that makes this show passable is that it's not a movie. Because if it were a movie, it would quite frankly be pretty bad -- an intriguing start with some good acting ends poorly and abruptly, highlighted by a couple of the lead characters being highly one-dimensional.

Analysis: A noticeable dip in quality from the first season, though generally creative, interesting, thought-provoking, and certainly worth tuning into. The ideas generally remain fresh and there are some great cold opens. -- 7.5/10 -- (low-grade B-) Be Right Back - 7/10 A disappointing and uncharacteristically weak episode. The premise is fine, possibly great, but the characters are somewhat unlikable. It creeps in quiet, unexpecting ways, but fails to deliver a real punch (despite trying). White Bear - 8 - 8.5/10 An amazing start to the episode which leaves us just as confused as the protagonist. The little details along the way make sense in hindsight, but do a good job of not giving too much away, maybe leaving us a little confused, but certainly putting viewers in suspense. The episode wraps up a little messily but feels like a return to form. The Waldo Moment - 7/10 An overall intriguing a well-conducted episode, though the premise, background, and general story is weak, in what ends up a considerably weaker "The National Anthem". It is essentially the same universe as the pilot, perhaps a sequel, with the public dumber as ever. Unfortunately, this one fails effective patience and character development that made an episode like "Fifteen Million Merits" great. It all unfolds rather fast and feels rushed, though maybe that's intentional. White Christmas - 9/10 This one fires on all cylinders taking the best elements of previous episodes, tapping into the greatness of the first season, and producing very few flaws (if at all), which are well covered by the action. The episode kicks off by leaving us confused like "White Bear", but doesn't shy away from patience and a slow build-up. We're as clueless as the "protagonist" it seems, and the delivery of the final blow is brilliant and unsuspecting. This may be the series' first episode where there truly is no real protagonist, but, paired with the premise, and one character attempting to convince another that they are the protagonist, the audience, and this central character are effectively convinced as long as the episode needs. In the end, we, as well as the character can't help but seriously question ourselves, though the critical point of the episode is long past. Some details may be slightly murky or unnecessary along the way, but they are handled in humorous fashion.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Not nearly as strong as the first, but still great. There seem to be a few confusing plot points and it's not nearly as exciting or interesting as the first, but good additions (characters), thought-provoking plot twists, and all around great television keep this interesting. Grade: High B+

An excellent first season if you manage to get through all of it. Wonderfully acted and a great story. The plot, the flow, and the twists are perfectly executed. Top notch television. I don't want to spoil it because it was kinda spoiled for me. Just watch it. Grade: Contention for best of the year

An excellent debut season. The story is great and gets better and more compelling as the season goes on. The fighting scenes are raw and well done, the characters are great, and they get better. My only complaint is that the start is a bit slow, but that makes the rest of the season all the more intense and exciting. GRADE: A

A few mediocre and genuinely unentertaining episodes kick off the season, but after that, the show picks up after and is generally entertaining and humorous, but not their best material. Everything ends happily and ties together well, with good humor, all that the fans should expect and hope for from the final season. GRADE: B/+

The start might be a bit slower at the start, but don't let that dissuade you from watching the whole season. The story remains strong and the characters are a lot better. Though the following seasons are generally weaker, this one sets up the rest of the story well. At this point, the various plots make sense and compliment each other well. The story and acting are generally top-notch for Orphan Black here. GRADE: A

An entertaining and exciting show. Season one is one of its best, mostly because it's not confusing yet The story is off to a strong start, the acting is great, the characters are good (though Helena and Alison get a lot better), the action is good, and there are good bits of humor. All are a reliable recipe for a solid start. GRADE: A-