sonder

Atlanta Season 2, like the first season, is a phenomenal show, but for subtle reasons. The most important Aspect of Atlanta is that it captures the odd weirdness of everyday life, but refracts it through a magnifying lens, and exaggerates the weirdness slightly. Weird things happen in everyday life, and when they do, you think both that it's incredibly random, but also pedestrian, because while random, it had to happen. What does that mean? It's the feeling you periodically get when you watch Atlanta. It's the space between the normal and mundane and the funny and the nonsensical. How does Atlanta capture this weird feeling, with which we are all familiar, and manage to consistently bottle it in fleeting moments? Atlanta succeeds as a reinforcing feedback between the stellar actors, who embody their characters, and the writers, who take the characters and actors to a new level. And the directors and the cinematographers who make the show look great and seamless.

The critics are again wrong on McMafia. McMafia has a much more realistic take on modern high-level organized crime than any other TV show or movie. Money is laundered, moved around sanctions, and moved across borders through ostensibly legal investments, in which the undocumented quid pro quo is extremely difficult to prove, and in which violations of agreements result in deaths. The enemies and adversaries in McMafia are extremely chilling, yet multifaceted characters. I had to hit the pause button many times in season 1 to let my nerves calm a bit. The give and take relationship between Russia's intelligence services/The Kremlin and organized crime is timely, and fun to watch. Without going into detail, I was initially lukewarm on the choice for lead actor, but after having watched the first season, I am much more sympathetic to the actor/character choice. The critics are wrong and worthless. I can't wait for season 2.

This is a great show for news junkies, and for those who already know all of the quirks of the characters of Trump's cabinet. I loved it, but I knew that a lot of jokes wouldn't land with a general audience. I was surprised that it seems to have landed with a thud. it could be that the partisans are out in force with their pitchforks. I personally loved it. The writers knew their characters very, very well. For me, the only major con of the show was the voice of Trump, which is a weak parody, but not the character as written.

Altered carbon is a fantastic show, especially for the sci-fi/action genre. The series, tropes, and stylization have completely gone over the heads of many critics. As for movies like Starship Troopers, if the viewer isn't aware that the creators are aware of the tropes, and if the viewer isn't aware that a line sounds tough or cheesy exactly because it is supposed to, then the viewer will leave the series confused. If you're not willing to suspend belief at least a little bit for a sci-fi series, then try a romantic comedy, I guess. However, even with the tongue-in-cheek homages to the genre, there is still a soul and a conscience to the series. The ultimate point of the series doesn't rest in the battle scenes, but in the larger looming questions facing humanity regarding inequality, longevity, human augmentation, and artificial intelligence. The show doesn't earn a 10, because it at times pretends to be a mystery, when it more closely matches a 40's detective movie. Foreshadowing comes only briefly before reveals. Fortunately, befuddled highbrow critics pose no threat to this show, which is very probably a hit when it comes to views, Netflix ratings, social media buzz, and repeat views. Netflix should bring on season 2 ASAP. Also the cinematography **** gorgeous and the soundtrack kicks ass. With excellent sci-fi shows Westworld, The Expanse, Counterpart, and Altered Carbon, science fiction has never been so fun.

I don't why people and reviewers seem to like this show so much. The performers are all competent. The cinematography is great, though sometimes it felt more like Canada than Scotland. But, the writers are bad writers who thing they are good. The plot is tortured and relies on ridiculous coincidence to force personal growth. This plot was a reboot of a coming of age drama. This series started out promising, but kept getting worse. This show isn't bad, but it is overrated. There is a lot of good TV out there, and a lot of better shows are getting much less attention than The End of the Fracking World.

Counterpart is a truly great show. It's the spy/sci-fi movie-like TV series that actually takes a concept, does it right, sets the tone with music and uniformly great performers, and makes art in the process. The concepts involved aren't new. The presentation is, and the fusion of different genres is. This is the show that you always knew was coming, but you never really expected. The Hamburg skyline, or wherever this is filmed is amazing, and it gives the show a retro (80's) futuristic East/West Berlin Station feel. This feeling is similar to that of home, but a different, 80's-gone-wrong home. The writers and directors don't cross the 4th wall, but they know that it's there, and that our own timeline is among the weirdest of timelines. The premise of the show is that a high energy event in Germany split the world into two initially identical counterparts. But, then slight asymmetries split these identical worlds into very different realities due to chaos theory and the butterfly effect at the least. Most people have a counterpart, with the same childhood, but who is now a different person. As a warning, I know some people who wouldn't like this series, because they would have trouble following what's going on, in a genre defined by a lack of knowledge about the truth. But, that's their loss. Overall, congrats to everyone who was involved producing this show. Keep doing what you're doing, it will catch on!

Patriot is an amazing mind-bending mind-bleep of a drama/dark-comedy about a CIA field agent who secretly works in a WI company with international connections. Amazon's Patriot is highly original, and extremely bold and forceful. Many scenes are hard to watch, but it's harder to look away because so much thought and detail has gone into the production of every scene. It's darkly funny, because situations are often funny when things don't quite fit with the normal order of things. Patriot is sensitive because the tough main character is sometimes almost broken by his experiences, and sings too-revealing folk songs that are both chilling and funny, Patriot (likely) exaggerates the violence entailed in this very real line of work that is now part of the modern world. But, it can be thought of as a projection of U.S. CIA policies in Latin America in earlier decades, superimposed onto the modern era. The Patriot is Amazon's best series ever, even including season 2 of The Man in the High Castle. All the many people who worked on it, from the writers to the grips, deserve to feel proud of the unique and emotionally forceful result.

The Man in the High Castle is a slow-burn show that has tremendous payoff after a long wait. Season one was a little slow. A few episodes into season 2, I couldn't keep remember of all of the names of the novel's worth of characters, so I had to read through the wikipedia episode lists just to keep track of what was going on with who. As such, I wouldn't give it a 10/10. BUT. While I was watching early episodes mainly for the fascinating take on what a **** occupied U.S. was like complete with realistic CGI, it soon became clear that the show was going somewhere, and everything was happening for a reason, and previously unimportant and disconnected plot lines were there for a reason. In this sense, the Man in the High Castle is the opposite of the typical network TV show in which 2 out of 3 shows are expendable and meaningless filler, with the only the odd episode advancing the plot. By the end of season 2, I was enthralled. The series was worth it all along. I desperately checked to make sure that a season 3 would happen, because to end the series early would be a crime. This is a fantastic show. Also, special props to the shots of **** Germany and **** chilling "German Stadium," which fortunately was never built in this multiverse!

Legion hits the ball out of the park. It's delightfully confusing, with reveals stripped off two layers of the onion at a time, only to have one more layer added back on. The cinematography is excellent, the acting is great, and the characters are engaging. A hell of a lot is packed into a single episode, making it worth another watch. For its genre, Legion is as good as it gets. I'm not a Marvel fanboy, and I've been a bit bored with their recent releases, other than Guardians of the Galaxy. The decision to produce Legion was a great call, and based on the first episode, the series is in good hands. I can't wait for more!

The Santa Clarita diet is entertaining, funny, and easy to binge watch. I would be disappointed if there isn't another season, but there will be. The creators of the underrated and under-watched "Better of Ted" have finally returned to television! I almost didn't watch this series because I hate zombie shows almost as much as I hate cop dramas, but this show puts a refreshing and self-aware twist on the genre, and I luckily gave a single episode a half-hour chance. Timothy Olyphant is being slammed by users on metacritic, but he plays the role of a metaphorically impotent lead actor. This is almost a more believable role for the actor than his alpha-male gunslinger roles in the fantastic Deadwood, and over-rated Justified. Those mainstream critics born before 1970 are way off on their reviews of this show, acting like a little little blood stains the integrity of the show. I'm writing this review because the favorable user-submitted metacritic reviews are fair, while the mainstream critic and rotten tomatoes reviews are not. I commend Netflix for bringing back "Better of Ted" and then giving the creators a second chance at a new and original show. Please Netflix, keep it up!

People of Earth is a great show with intelligent and genuinely creative writing that keeps getting funnier as the season progresses. Wyatt Cenac's performance hits it out of the park, and he joins the ranks of the most distinguished The Daily Show alums.

Preacher is a very good show; Seth Rogan succeeded. A few people seem confused as to what it's about. To understand Preacher, it's important to understand that every superhero story is set in a mythological universe, as is Preacher. In this universe, it's the End Times someplace in Texas, and the heroes and villains have their own set of superhuman skills. In this religious universe, right and wrong are absolutes, and the struggle for salvation determines, in an almost Calvinist sense, whether a character will be good, or ultimately corrupted via sin and pride. Think about Greek tragedies, or epic poems, and about how those stories bring out the central moral values and heroic aspirations of a culture. If you such a story in modern day Texas, and set the medium as the comic book superhero story adopted to a serialized television show, you get Preacher. As with any story of this type, to enjoy it, you must suspend disbelief, and look for the subtle social commentary within the intentionally lightly humorous and self-effacing work.

The Path is a show that is well worth watching. I found the first three episodes a little slow, but it was interesting enough for me to keep watching. By episode 5, things really pick up. It's not a show about brainwashed cult members, though it seems that way in the first couple of episodes. In The Path, nothing is black and white, no character is either good or evil, and that's a relief. Every character has flaws and redeeming characteristics, and character development is consciously part of the writing. Most importantly, The Path is a very unique show; watch it!

British TV is seldom bad. "You, Me and the Apocalypse" isn't bad. But, it isn't good either, and it's certainly not good as far as any British TV show that gets recognition across the pond. I think the main actor fails at his "second role" in the series. Pam from the office is out of her element. The show is always lighthearted, and it tries to be funny, but I doubt anything brought me close to laughing. It's better than U.S. network TV, but that's not saying much. I like apocalypse-themed movies and shows, and I thought I would like this show. I don't really see how this show could get so many glowing ratings, and I'm even a bit suspicious. Maybe it will pick up by the end of the season, but there seems little room for surprise, and little room for growth. If you want comedy, watch Rick and Morty, or old episodes of Peep show. If you want an apocalypse show, watch "The Leftovers" and watch season 2 twice. If you want something mindless, with sub-par writing, to watch in bed before you pass out, "You, Me, and the Apocalypse" will suit your needs.

If you can see past the boobs, and stick out the first couple of episodes, you will realize that black sails is a good TV show. Black sails has been undeservedly slandered by critics, because it does introduce gratuitous sex and boobs. But, this is a staple of pay TV. Black Sails however, is very unexpectedly good. The pace and cinematography is intentionally stylized, but only enough to barely break the 4th wall and acknowledge the viewer. I love the writing of Black Sails the most. Hats off to the writers, who make all of the competent actors into sympathetic characters, whose interests and enemies are constantly shifting sands. Every episode has at least one monologue, but the monologues are **** good. The dialogue that plays off monologues is even better. You start watching Black Sails expecting to find something even worse than the last lackluster Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Instead, Black Sails is at its heart an intelligent and thoughtful show. There are HBO shows like the Newsroom that try hard to be intelligent and deep, and these shows end up trite "gee makes you think" tropes. And then you have Black Sails, a violence and boob filled show about pirates, with no pretensions of greatness, that even is tied to Treasure Island, and it's a somehow a more intelligent, thought-provoking show than 98% of "Golden Age" TV. I kid you not, stick with it, at least if you're into action movies at all. Each season is better than the last. I wish more people watched this show, and I hope it continues to the likely bloody end.

The premise is fun, interesting, and original, as are the characters. There are four dominant parties, the good scary hillbillies, the scary scary hillbillies, the evil coal company, and the local PD. But, to try to explain it would be a disservice. I watched this show ONLY because it had good ratings, only to learn that it's underrated. From the geography, I was expecting a twist on Justify, a show that I never finished watching because it became repetitive and boring. But Outsiders curb stomps Justify, and the two can't be fairly compared. There is a twist in Outsiders that is likely to loom large as the series progresses, but I've spoiled enough already. Can't wait for more. If I had a button to nuke every show on network TV to make room for shows like this one, I would press it in a heartbeat!

With fractions, I would give the start of Luther, season 4, a 9.6. But, Luther is a critically unappreciated series, and season 4 is the best season to date, and season 4 rounds up to a perfect 10. There are emotion-packed moments in this season that you won't ever forget. If you've watched from the beginning, it's not enough to watch one of the episodes once. Luther takes the sad trope of the weekly crime drama, and turns it on its head. The star is an anti-hero who is an uncomfortably compromised character. Story arcs with certain characters veer where one would guess writers wouldn't dare go. The ride is always entertaining. Luther, and it's lead actor, Idris Elba, deserve their place in the Hall of Fame of the Golden Age of Television. Idris Elba's Stringer Bell character in The Wire was the best character in TV's best show. The man deserves a the role of Bond, if Sony had any guts, or desire to do more than clone a sequel. But, what we do get is Luther, and we do get those moments worth coming back to. It's time to nuke U.S. network TV, and make room for fare that's truly worth watching. Also: Shout out to Ygritte! It's good to see that she landed in a role worthy of her talents.

I would give the leftovers a 9.5, but since so many reviewers didn't stick around to watch the show develop, I'm giving it a perfect 10. The Leftovers isn't some show with no point, and no preconceived destination, like "Lost" or "Twin Peaks." Rather, each episode builds on the last. Each character becomes deeper and more human. Towards the end of season 2, the slow burn pays off in a big way. When there is so much utter **** on TV, it would break my heart if HBO pulled the plug on this show.

Mr. Robot is the best new show of the year. It very obviously pays homage to work that I won't mention because I don't want to spoil it. Every episode is like half of a movie. The acting is phenomenal, the writing is great, the characters are endearing, the cinematography is excellent. I love the conspiracy angle. I looked forward to each new episode, and I can't wait for season 2. Mr. Robot isn't perfect, I feel it faltered a bit in a couple of episodes, but as a whole, the show is phenomenal, and has a style all its own.

I watched the first episode because it came after a show I was watching, and I was too tired to change the channel. I don't mind sex or violence in TV shows, as long as there's some redeeming value to the work as a whole. This show is terrible. It's not fun. It's not titillating. I really couldn't think of any demographic that would truly like Wicked City except serial killers, and there aren't enough to keep the show on the air. Then again, there is a cop show element, which people seem to like, but I think the cop show genre should be nuked from orbit (except for The Wire, of course, which was the greatest show of all time).

The Last Kingdom is a pretty blatant ripoff of Vikings, and probably jumps into the future Vikings storyline. Even the opening musical number is reminiscent of Vikings. I miss the days when the BBC was funded and groundbreaking. I'm still watching the show because I'm in Vikings withdrawal though.

Crazy Ex-girlfriend is underrated, and underwatched. I'm guessing that women aren't watching it because they don't want to be a crazy ex, and men don't watch it, because it has a musical element (albeit a slightly seditious one). I hate musicals that aren't related to South Park or Python, but I like this show. The characters are fun and likable. While elements of any romantic comedy are tropes, this series is original enough to deserve a watch. Don't judge it by the first episode.

There are a few things that I like about Fringe. The male and female lead are engaging, likeable, and competent actors. The cinematography is good, and I don't get tired of watching shots of Boston from overhead. I like JJ Abrams, and this show has a decent budget to work with. I was a huge fan of X-files ages ago. But, this modernization and reboot of an X-files like setup falls short. The "science" in this science fiction is just ridiculous, even by the genre's standards. They really should have involved a science writer in the writing room to clean up some of the needlessly bad science behind the fiction. The crazy father character is a bad actor, albeit one with a few funny lines. The obligatory conspiracy thread in Fringe seems a transparent trope. I'm giving this show a low rating because I feel like it could have been more, and it could have been very enjoyable, with some better writing.

Unreal is a surprisingly well-written TV show that blazes new territory. Shiri Appleby, who plays the character Rachel Goldberg, is a fantastic actress and anchors the show. She plays a character who is gripped by strong emotions, but who is largely, though not completely in fragile control. She provides a welcome counterpoint to bi-ploar tropes like Carrie Mathison, in Homeland. The fake Reality-TV show world the show is set in is a fun one, especially if you don't mind Curb Your Enthusiasm style cringing at somewhat awkward moments. I like it, it feels original, and is comfortably far from the schlocky cop and doctor shows that dominate network TV. I'm writing this review because I want people to watch Unreal, as it deserves an audience, and deserves to be renewed. I'm not giving this a 10 because some of the male actors and characters aren't as strong, and it remains to be seen how well the writers can handle character development and/or devolution.