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Series Reviews

Series Review – Roar (2022)

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Roar is a horror anthology series on Apple TV that deals with women’s issues. Each episode is a different scary story that tackles a specific issue. The show deals with subjects like discrimination, sexism, and abuse, to name a few. If you like shows like Black Mirror, you might enjoy this more than I did. Ultimately, while many of the concepts were interesting, I was left with a disappointment that makes it impossible for me to recommend this show.

There are a few technical issues that are hard to ignore with the acting and writing, but ultimately the show’s biggest issues are with the pacing and endings. The endings ruin this show for me. The show does a decent job at setting up an interesting narrative, only to fall flat as it struggles to achieve its empowering and happy ending. As a result, this show becomes very preachy, and the narrative suffers for it. I don’t mind morals of female empowerment, but in Roar, it seems forced and out of place.

Each episode is limited by the same simple formula. A woman encounters an issue that gets personified into some kind of magical and inexplicable presence. The presence can be a disease, a person, or even a monster. The idea is that the issue the protagonist faces is tangible and something they can overcome. There is some solid setup and buildup, but it is all wasted on some ex-Machina. The protagonist will always easily overcome their ordeal, and the episodes will sort of just end. It is very anti-climactic and a waste of some interesting concepts. It also creates an issue with the pacing that I cannot overlook. Halfway through the episodes it feels like there is a sudden rush towards a happy ending. 

As is tradition with these types of shows, not all the stories are good. Some stand out, but it is always a gamble on what you are going to get. If you enjoy this type of storytelling, you might have a better time than I did. I would suggest you skip it because none of the stories are good enough to earn a recommendation.   

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Series Reviews

Series Review: A League of Their Own (2022)

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I haven’t seen the movie this series is based on, nor can I comment on its historical accuracy, but I can definitely recommend it because it is a good show. If you are on the fence, don’t be. Go, stream it now.

The series follows one of America’s first women’s baseball teams. The series focuses on the adversities they faced and how they overcame them. The series covers social issues such as racism, sexism, and homophobia. While I do have to admit that it addresses these topics in a fantastical wholesome manner, it does so respectfully, and I can’t take issue.

This show is incredibly wholesome with a fantastic cast, a fun narrative, and a lot of baseball. The characters are unique, and watching them grow and become a team throughout the series is truly inspiring. The Peaches face a lot of obstacles because they don’t fit the traditional role society has assigned them. They just want to play baseball and be who they are, but that isn’t what a traditional woman is. The show does a great job at showing that the traditional woman is a myth, and it instead broadens the definition by including a more inclusive representation of womanhood.

It is inspiring to see all that these women had to endure and to see what they accomplished. This is an important narrative and one that needs to be told. My only complaint is that the narrative is a little too whitewashed, but the intent of this show is to be wholesome and fun, not real and heavy. I’ll let it slide. You need to watch this show.

You can stream this on Amazon with a Prime membership.

Series Reviews

Series Review: The Sandman (2022)

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I can’t recommend The Sandman enough. This is fantasy at its finest. The story is amazing, the acting is mostly great, and it is such a beautiful show. I can’t speak on how close of an adaptation it is to the comic, but I can speak on what a good show this is.

The series deals with the gods and forces outside of the human realm that affects the human experience. Forces like death, desire, and dreams are manifested as gods, each with its own domain to rule. The natural order of things gets complicated when a series of events lead to the capture of Dream. Years go by, and Dream’s kingdom crumbles. The show focuses on a newly freed Dream as he tries to rebuild his Kingdom and his power.

I have been impatiently waiting for any new fantasy to hold me over till the next season of The Circle of Time. This definitely helped soothe my impatient heart, but now I fear I will be impatiently waiting for this next season of The Sandman as well. It is safe to say that I am obsessed with this show, and there is a good reason for that. The narrative is interesting, full of well-generated tension, interesting villains and heroes, and some pretty fantastic world-building. I love that Dream isn’t a traditional hero. Dream will often act whit his own interest in mind because he is not limited by human morals. He will slowly realize that this is not always in the universe’s best interest, and his thinking slowly changes as a result of his experience. It is very cool to see a hero who learns from his journey as he deals with his flaws and inhibitions.

The narrative style for this show is unique. Each arc seems to have its own voice, keeping the series fresh and exciting. It is nice to see fantasy that doesn’t follow the usual tropes. My only complaint is with the inconsistency of the acting. Some actors give amazing performances, while others do their best but have awkward delivery. It isn’t a terrible problem, but it is noticeable. I also had an issue with the pacing. I felt it slows down towards the end, but I never felt like it was unwatchable. 

This is a great series and you can watch it on Netflix!

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Series Reviews

Series Review: Paper Girls (2022)

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Paper Girls is an interesting take on the time travel narrative that I am sure you will enjoy. Where most time travel narratives create a complex journey full of plot holes and redundancies, Paper Girls creates a creative narrative about womanhood within an epic time travel adventure. The series focuses on a group of four girls who stumble into a war that has waged through time. Stranded outside of their own time, the girls must figure out a way to get back home and maybe save the universe in the process.

The show is incredibly fun with great actors and a fantastic narrative. The leads are well written and share some great chemistry. They are fun to watch on screen. I absolutely love how they handle time travel. The science is pretty reasonable, making this a very plausible Sci-Fi adventure. I loved that there wasn’t any over-the-top scientific babble. You won’t be overloaded with convoluted plot points, but instead, be told a very sweet story about friendship and growing up.

At its core, Paper Girls is a coming-of-age story. Each girl is just trying to survive being a teenager dealing with the circumstances they are dealt. Each girl wants to find out who they are in life. This adventure forces them to make the difficult choices that define who they will be. It is a well-written adventure, and watching the girls grow throughout is well worth the investment.

If you like Sci-Fi Fantasy like Stranger Things, this is a good show to tide you over till the new season. I didn’t know what to expect when I picked this up, but it has easily become one of my favorites. Check it out on Amazon if you have a Prime Membership.

Series Reviews

Series Review: Evil

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Evil is a monster of the week type show that lacks any charm or interest to make it worth even considering it. I don’t understand how or why it got a second season because of how slow and pointless the first season is. I could barely find the strength to finish the first season, but I lacked the willpower to watch the second. It is a shame because the show has a solid cast, but the story and execution are terrible. Don’t even bother with this show because there isn’t anything redeemable.

The show follows a group of paranormal investigators hired by the church to find out if possessions are caused by demons or something scientific. You have the tech guy who will look at situations logically, the psychiatrist who looks for mental illness, and the priest who will take over if the problem if it really is demons. Most of the episodes end with the party finding a logical explanation, but there is always a demon controlling what they find. It is counterproductive, and it makes a lot of their endless droning pointless and pretentious. There is a lot of explaining in this show, but not enough demon hunting despite there being a world-ending plot against the backdrop.

The best part of this show is the main actors. While they try hard to make whatever this show tries to be work, it is ultimately left lifeless by its story. The show is desperate to be current, linking modern cultural movements like incels and influencers to the devil, but all these explanations are forced nonsense. I never felt the need to become invested in the story because this show is more filler than content. There are moments where they investigate, but you have to sit through pointless backstory that adds nothing to the narrative. I can only hope that the devil destroys the world so I don’t have to keep looking at the ads for this show.

Go watch Supernatural instead. They do this concept better. But if you don’t believe me, you can watch this show on Paramount+.

Series Reviews

Series Review: The Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022)

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There were a lot of ads as well as Reddit posts that tried to generate hype for this series, claiming that it would canonically expand on The Boys universe. I also saw a few ads and posts trying to hype up the fact that the Awkwafina be involved in the series. I love Awkwafina so I was rightfully excited. While the claims weren’t misleading, The Boys Presents: Diabolical doesn’t expand the world or lore in a meaningful way, at least not in a way that is worth your time.

The Boys Presents: Diabolical is an anthology of animated shorts focusing on different stories within The Boys’ universe. Each episode is done in its unique style and focuses on a different group affected by Vaught and the world of superheroes. While the art and voice acting are solid, the stories told aren’t interesting. Out of the eight episodes available, I only found myself liking one, and it wasn’t the Awkwafina one. The series leans on tropes already explored in the main series with the focus being on the other people in the universe. The problem with this is that this spin-off isn’t as good, and the commentary isn’t made as competently. 

If you watch this anthology, you will skip some episodes because the story or the narrative style isn’t interesting. I assure you that you aren’t missing out on any meaningful context if you choose to ignore the spin-off. Don’t waste your time with this series. There are better animated series out there more worthy of your time. But if you don’t believe me, you can watch this on Amazon with a prime membership. 

Series Reviews

TV Series Review: The Boys

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I know I am a bit late for this review, but I thought I would share it anyways. If you haven’t seen The Boys on Amazon, I highly recommend it. The Boys challenges the traditional tropes of superheroes by satirizing the current American political climate. There are three forces that control the superhero narrative. There is a narrative created for the public, one where the hero is just and honorable, ready to save the day. It is the expected narrative of the genre. But behind closed doors, in the shadows of society, there is the narrative that is kept a secret. One that is pushed away from the public eye, where heroes are revealed to be selfish and careless, causing mayhem and indulging in debauchery. If people truly knew what their beloved superheroes were really like, there wouldn’t be superheroes. It is up to the corporation Vaught to control the narrative, and sell the public on superheroes.

The series focuses on a band of misfits who want to bring to light the true evil that hides beneath the public narrative. They are brought together by the symptoms of Vaught’s greed and evil. They face impossible odds as they are up against the most powerful man and the superheroes he controls. 

I love this series because it is a refreshing take on a tired genre. I didn’t believe that live-action comic book adaptations could ever work, but I am glad I was wrong. If you have seen the series, I would recommend the comic. There is enough repetition between both where it won’t be repetitive, and it is a solid read. If you haven’t seen the series, you should stop reading and go watch it now. A bit of warning though, the show and comic are very brutal and gory. The deeper you get into the series, the more bloody and violent the show gets. The third season specifically tries to outdo its violence and gore with each additional episode and it is fantastic.

The story for this show is brilliant. There is violence, mayhem, and some very much appreciated satire. The third season is a little more obvious with its satire, often times parodying direct events from American politics, but it is well done and fits the overall tone of the series. The story is brought to life by an amazing cast who give some great performances. 

You need to watch this show if you haven’t already. Keep in mind that this show is very violent and bloody. If that sounds good to you, you can watch The Boys on Amazon with your Prime membership.

Series Reviews

Series Review: Barry (2018)

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With the third season of Barry coming to a close, if you haven’t started watching this series, now is the perfect time to start. Season three is unfolding into the most insane and frustrating journey put on a reel, and I absolutely love every minute of it. For those of you who don’t know, Barry is a dark comedy about a hitman who no longer wants to kill people. Barry is one of the best in the business, but his life is unfulfilled. This all changes when a job has him stumble into the acting class that will change his life. He believes he’s found his true calling in acting despite not being very good at it. It is a fantastic journey of struggle, disappointment, depression, and acting.

This show makes an uncharismatic murderer lovable and that in itself should be enough reason for you to watch this show. This show is well shot, directed, acted, and written. It is full of characters you will hate because you are supposed to, those you will love because they ooze charisma and nail-biting tense moments that will have you ripping your hair out. I love the contrast between the acting scene and the dark underworld that Barry can’t ever shake. The harder Barry tries to have a normal life, the harder it becomes to keep his lives seperate. It is this duality that makes this show so special. All Barry wants in life is to have a purpose, but can he find purpose outside of murder? You will have to watch to find out. 

Watch this show on HBO. Trust me, you won’t regret it. 

Series Reviews

TV Series Review: Julia (2022)

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Julia is a very wholesome show that you should be binging right now! If you are a fan of Ted Lasso, you will adore Julia. I am not a huge fan of biopics, but this definitely has changed my opinion. It is well cast, wonderfully written, and beautifully shot. You should not waste another minute with me, but instead, be watching this show.

Julia is the retelling of the rise of Julia Child’s career. It is quirky, fun, and inspiring. I never grew up with her cooking show, but this show made me feel guilty that I didn’t. The energy and wholesomeness that these actors put into their performances are intoxicating. If you are not smiling by the end of an episode, there is something wrong with you. My only warning for you is: do not watch this show while hungry. Every episode had me craving a bite of whatever Julia was making or eating.

I can’t speak on the show’s historical accuracy, but the story is truly inspiring. If you do not love Julia for her warm and bubbly personality, you will love her for her perseverance. Julia is constantly being overlooked because of her gender, and it is inspiring to see her push through and make her dreams come true. 

You need to watch this show. You can watch it on HBO. The last episode airs on May 5th,2022. If you don’t have a subscription, get one then. It is well worth the binge. 

Series Reviews

TV Series Review: The White Lotus (2021)

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You should watch White Lotus because it is a great show. The pacing is a bit slow and some of the arguments get repetitive, but the narrative is well put together. White Lotus has fantastic actors giving wonderful performances in a beautiful setting, what more can you ask for? A fair bit of warning, however, this show gets sad. The ending triggered me. I found myself depressed for a few days after I finished the show. Experiences may vary, but I felt an obligation to issue the warning.

White Lotus follows four groups of people who are either on vacation or working at the resort in Hawaii. It is a modern-day tragedy of the working class as told by the experiences of disconnected rich white people. The main goal of the narrative is to show the disparities between classes against the backdrop of a vacation. Both groups are stuck in a cycle, but the rich get to leave and move on. It is very well done, and I fear I am not doing it justice. 

I love the complexity of this show and how it weaves together all these different stories. I love that by the end, everyone is stuck, although some are worse off than others. I love that it comes in the form of a mystery that they keep well through the whole series. Although the mystery isn’t the most important aspect of the narrative, it is very much appreciated. This is a great show and you need to watch it. Check it out on HBO.

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