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Reviews
The Escape Artist (2013)
Flawed but compelling
As others have pointed out, there are irritating problems with logic throughout the story. But I found the show clearly worth viewing - because the dialog was great, the premise was a good one, the acting and directing were outstanding, I cared about the characters, and the ending was satisfying.
The writing of a screenplay has a number of important components, and not every good writer is a master of all. David Wolstencroft was the author, and his dialog is very good, his character development excellent, the basic scenario good, his plot creativity good, his resolution of the story rather brilliant. His one fault, as I see it - and it's a big one for me - is believability. In order to advance his story, he resorts to plot twists that defy logic, and characters who act stupidly and have emotions that don't fit - and he does it over and over. A serious failing. I've often thought that every screenplay that wants to be considered as serious art should go through a logic evaluation process before screening.
Still, it was a riveting series, and I couldn't wait to see how it would turn out. I worried about some of the characters, the villain was memorable, and I loved the ending; it was so clever that a little implausibility there didn't ruin it for me.
Rectify (2013)
A work of art
The most important component of a drama is the writing. You can always find good actors. The writing for Rectify is brilliant. There's a touch of Tennessee Williams in this script; some of the dialog is breathtaking in its lyricism and logic and creativity. The character development and plotting are amazing. You care about these people.
So the writing is truly wonderful, which would be enough even with average actors. But the people chosen to play these roles are magical. Daniel, the lead actor, is remarkable, as are the two main female characters. God, this is good. I think I read that a second season has been commissioned, which is great, because there isn't enough action for this to be a major hit. Genius isn't enough to ensure success, as we all know.