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Ratings
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An error has ocurred. Please try againIn chronological order.
For films with sequels/triologies, I have only listed the best of the three or take into account the films as a whole and combine the score.
Reviews
The Lazarus Project: Episode #2.8 (2023)
5 out of 10 is generous
Season 1 had it's good moments, especially early on with George trying to find a way to bring Sarah back from the dead. But it never reached high standards due to some poor acting and dialogue.
Season 2 almost dropped off the cliff with an overly bloated cast, convoluted plot and storyline, and very little character development. Oh and even poorer acting.
The finale was a joke - as another reviewer said, it was heavily flawed with no consequences of their actions for their future selves. I love Back to the Future as they realised even the smallest changes could affect the future.
If you want a modern-day mystery with time travel, I suggest you try the far superior "Dark" on Netflix.
Slow Horses: Footprints (2023)
A massive suspension of belief required
If you are giving this episode and/or season a 9 or a 10, I have to assume you have not watched any quality shows for the past two decades. I'm talking of shows like The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mr Robot, Better Call Saul, Barry. Line of Duty is the only drama I'd say comes close.
The showdown lasts over one episode, is too drawn out and rather poor in execution. The show would be better without the over-the-top action sequences.
I know there is a need to suspend belief when watching shootouts but this was comically bad. Surely kill off one of the Slow Horses to make it feel a little more authentic when the odds are so heavily stacked against them. You even see two women overpower men (of course it's 2023/24) with no surprises whatsoever.
The acting is hit and miss. Sophie Okonedo as Tearny is so wooden and Saskia Reeves as Standish disappoints with her poor delivery of lines with a posh accent.
Season 1 was decent, felt realistic. I was still nothing special with all the tiresome bickering and unimaginative dialogue, but it's a far better season that season 3. I'm going to struggle to motivate myself to watch season 4.
True Detective: Night Country: Part 6 (2024)
Woman good. Man bad.
That is it in a nutshell, right?
I'm being generous with my rating for an episode that ties off the loose ends in a very unsatisfactory way. But it basically seems to be telling us that men are bad, and, no matter what women do, it's justified and right-on.
I tried really hard to enjoy this (seeing as I loved season 1), and I kept an open mind throughout, despite me losing interest after the first episode, with the pace and dialogue being slow and boring. There's no issue with two women leads, female writers, etc. It was the storyline, cinematography, directing, dialogue and pacing that was below par for me.
Slow Horses: From Upshott with Love (2022)
Underwhelming
The first season was very decent, not without its flaws. But the second season looks like it has already run out of ideas.
The first two episodes of S2 are so run of the mill and so clichéd with a more standard storyline and plot, that it isn't exactly moving me to the edge of my seat or having me applaud the dialogue or setup.
The writing has mostly lazy interactions between characters - bordering on childish. Jackson Lamb is fast becoming a parody of himself. We need to see some character arcs but they are all one-dimensional.
And yes to the comment about Lamb, and anyone for that matter, eating during conversations. Irritating!
Leave the World Behind (2023)
Tense and enjoyable but the exposition at the end spoils it
"Show, don't tell" is a creative writing technique that allows the reader to experience the story through actions, senses, and other vivid details.
For 95% of this film, it was a case of showing not telling, with great use of cinematography and soundtrack. It was clear the crux of the issue was a cyber attack with confusion of who was behind it.
So why then have a character at the end enter into a monologue of exposition to kind of confirm what we knew except to tell us people turned against each other. We got some of that from the Kevin Bacon character already.
I think it would have been better to cut out the couple conversations in the middle and show us the stage 2 and 3 actions instead.
A solid 7.5/10 for me. I didn't mind the ending as it highlighted how we can turn a blind eye to troubles with what makes us happy while isolated. Something we've all got too used to.
Mr. Robot: Hello, Elliot (2019)
Phew! I think we got the ending the show deserved!
An emotional rollercoaster with a very satisfying ending. Thank heavens for that.
After setting such high standards across the seasons, this finale had to deliver. And it did, and then some. I don't cry easily but I was blubbing like a baby from the hospital scene onwards.
I love M83 - Outro, and told myself if I were to make a film, I'd end with that tune. So bravo, Sam and team!
From episode 11 to half way through 13, it was a slow burn with A LOT of head-scratching. Never really knowing where it was all leading meant I was probably judging e12 too harshly... I wanted a good payoff. At one point I thought it was going down the this other reality is the real reality or Bobby Ewing is going to be in the shower...!
TV ain't gonna be the same without a new Mr Robot to watch. But I will enjoy a rewatch in a year or two's time.
Mr. Robot: whoami (2019)
Ah okay, now I understand!
Before watching the final episode, I ranked this episode as a 7 or 8, because I was worried where all this alternate reality storyline was going. It felt we weren't going to get the payoff the show deserved or expected. I was shouting, "Don't let this be a Bobby Ewing in the shower." Dallas. But I did say to myself, trust Sam Esmail and the writers, this is bound to be his mind playing tricks...
After watching the final episode, I can look back and give this episode more credit as it was putting in the groundwork for the finale.
I didn't really spot too many BTTF easter eggs but am sure there were - clearly Sam is a huge fan of it.
Mr. Robot: eXit (2019)
Like Picard in the Nexus...
...Everything is right, but everything is wrong.
Nods (unconscious or conscious, I don't know) to Star Trek Generations when Picard found his perfect life within the Nexus. And I'm more sure their are nods Back to the Future, like in past episodes, with the alternate 1985 timeline - albeit utopia rather than dystopia.
An intriguing, compelling, strong episode which just fell short of perfect for me, with what seemed like the end of life on this universe for Elliot in scenes involving what is more sci-fi/fantasy than real-life exaggerated drama, not seen previously, even if it was hinted at in Angela's arc.
Maybe episode 9 -- which felt like a fitting finale -- should have been the end. I wonder what this means for Elliot and, despite seeing high ratings for the final two episodes, I worry I'm not going to be satisfied with the ending.
I hope I am wrong.
Mr Robot is in my top 3 series of all time. Perhaps no. 1.
Mr. Robot: 410 Gone (2019)
You need these episodes
You could call it a filler, but after what felt like a finale in episode 9 and its intensity and payoff, the lull after the storm was both expected and needed. Plus, assuming this is how they tie up the Dom (/Dom + Darlene) character arc and story, it was very fitting.
I wasn't keen on the slightly cheesy ending (the editing and music mainly), despite it being less predictable than that of, say, the Friends finale. At least they didn't both end up on the plane/not on the plane. That would have been too far into chick-flick or rom-com territory!
Happy with this but the last 3 must have drama and tension for there to be the fitting finale this show so deserves.
I gave it a 7 as I like to be hard on my scoring and only give 9s and 10s for the absolute top episodes.
Mr. Robot: 408 Request Timeout (2019)
Huge fan but this one just fell short
It was never going to be as huge as the previous monster of an episode, but it could have been close had it not been for a couple of niggles. I am being fussy due to the very high standard of episodes in the show and think people should be more realistic with ratings.
Tension is the reason for dropped points - there was less tension than the scenes demanded and I'm not sure why.
Firstly, I think they could have made more of the Krista & Elliot escape. Maybe if it went to 5 seasons, they may have slowed the pace/timeline to allow for this. There was no real tension.
Secondly, the Dom/Darlene scenes. I was asking myself why was I calm? Was it just because I was emotionally drained since the previous episode I watched two days ago? I kinda felt almost certain one or both of Dom/Darlene would survive and rescued somehow. Maybe it was the music, the pacing, the dialogue...I just felt it was a little off. It was very unexpected to see Dom suddenly find strength and agility to shoot all three DAs - a little bit of a stretch in imagination required! But I was happy to see Dom and Darlene safe as well as the family, for now.
I found the last scene with Elliot and Mr Robot very touching. Hats off for the acting.
Overall, a very decent follow-up to the monster, 10/10 episode and I'm excited to see how the next and final five episodes pan out.
Tales of the Unexpected: The Luncheon (1983)
Was that it?
A very bland, empty story with appalling direction. The acting is passable, but there's a distinct lack of chemistry between the main two characters and we're watching it from afar at times. The camera positioning and movement do nothing but distract from the dialogue, which is far from dynamic in the first place.
It's a 10-minute story (at the very most) stretched out for 30 minutes with very little to grab you. It seemed like act one of three. The restaurant scene could have been condensed with two acts following it focusing on how the writer reacts to the setback but instead we get filler shots and filler dialogue for 90 percent of the episode.
Succession: With Open Eyes (2023)
Finale wasn't meant to satisfy - it's a tradegy
I wasn't happy with the outcome, but I think that carries more power than a nice ending. Afterall, the show is meant to be a tragedy.
The siblings arent like their father. They are just playing at being dad/the boss. This is what the show has been about.
I gave it an 8 as I think there has been one too many twists. I knew if they were anointing Ken with about 30 minutes to go, there's got to be a spanner in the works for the ending. That's the main issue I have with the finale. If this wasn't TV, the ending could have been Tom being told and we see the vote go GoJo's way.
Would it really felt right Ken being the successor? Ken is the last to come to terms with who or what they are.
Inside No. 9: 3 by 3 (2023)
How did people fall for it?
I'm a massive fan of Inside No.9 and rate the majority of episodes as 7+ with wonderfully original stories and hard to see twists. But I'm afraid this one left me baffled. Baffled not by the misdirection but because it was just a boring quiz with a sudden shock ending.
Even if the BBC announcer hadn't indicated it was a change to the billed Inside No.9 episode, rather than properly misdirecting by saying a different show altogether, the contestants were clearly actors. At least a couple of the interactions and characters felt fake, early on. I can't believe some really thought it was a real quiz show and they turned over!
There were references to episodes in the questions and other clues early on. But it seemed the main purpose of the episode was to leave people searching for answers on Twitter than giving us a quality show. Afterall, it's not going to be an episode you'll ever want to stick on to watch again - will it?!
Star Trek: Picard: Monsters (2022)
Harry Potter meets Stranger Things S2 meets... yawn
What an awful episode. I thought some of season 1 was bad but this episode takes the biscuit.
It must have been written by someone who knows nothing of what made Star Trek special. Or deliberately ignoring what the fans want.
The episode is pure filler with nothing to advance the plot. There is no feeling of urgency or jeopardy, with most characters seemingly treating their visit to the past as a holiday with no consequences.
I'd read bad things about S2 but at least the first two or three episodes had something about them that kept you interested.
I'm very tempted to skip straight to S3. But perhaps I'll sacrifice myself for the sake of continuity.