isabella-kagstrom Reviews

One Of Us Is Lying (2021–2022)

Did not finish

[4/10 · 11 April 2023]

I read the book and wanted to check out the series, but I gave up halfway through the first episode. The casting felt off to me and the pacing of the story felt rushed.

They made a lot of changes to the plot, which I am usually okay with as long as it serves a purpose and is done within reason. However, in his case I think they took it a bit too far.

I give this show a 4/10. It's not horrible, but compared to the book it's a let-down. It wasn't like I expected anything groundbreaking, just your typical 'who done it', but the script felt so rushed and we didn't get to know the characters in depth.

You'd might want to give this a chance if you enjoy shows centered around teen drama, but if that's not your cup of tea, I'd say to skip this one.

A Confession (2019)

So glad I continued watching!

[9/10 · 7 February 2021]

I'm not going to lie, I almost didn't finish the first episode. At first the plot came across as incohesive to me due to how many different characters they had to introduce and how much backstory they had to cover. I also wasn't a fan of the shaky camerawork, but as soon as the plot started to thicken, I forgot all about that.

The show became more and more engaging with time and instead of dropping it halfway through the first episode, I ended up watching the entire show in one sitting. I think they did a really good job of highlighting small details and nuances of everything that happened. You can definitely tell that this is a work based on research and not your typical screenplay. Impressive acting also helped bring complex emotions to life on screen. Nothing really felt downplayed or exaggerated. I was especially impressed by the scenes Imelda Staunton and Stephanie Hyam had together.

Since I'm not familiar with the real-life case, I won't comment on how accurately they've managed to portray specific events or people involved, but I will say that overall, this is one of the most realistic shows I have ever watched.

I would recommend this to people who are intersted in the injustices of the real world and to people who are more interested in the ethical aspects of police work than the car chases.

Circle (2017)

This show has its strengths and weaknesses.

[7/10 · 12 December 2020]

Personally, I loved the split storylines from the years 2017 and 2037. It was a lot of fun guessing how the plot would develop until the storyline from the past eventually would bleed into the storyline of the future. The mystery of how it all fit together kept me engaged from start to finish.

Another strong point was the show's ability to make the viewers reflect on the subject matter. Philosophical questions like "what is it to be responsible?" and "what makes a human?" kept popping up in my head as I watched the plot unfold. Despite this being a fictional sci-fi series, I do think some of its content is applicable to today's society and it serves as a conversation starter when it comes to the pros and cons of developing technology and artificial intelligence.

As far as the worldbuilding and characters go, I think they did a pretty good job. The future world being a mixture of utopia and dystopia was a nice touch. And the characters were captivating enough, though I think the series could have benefited from developing some of their backstories a bit more.

I felt like the show started slipping slightly around episode 7. There were some overacting, but nothing too bad. Also, I felt like the creators started cutting corners and instead of giving the viewers a coherent plot development they sometimes went straight from point A to C. If you are sensitive to details, you will probably also notice more and more things that seem unlikely or illogical.

The slight decline in quality halfway through the show is definitely a shame, but I didn't mind it so much because I'm the kind of person who's more interested in the bigger picture and overall message. I would recommend this to people who enjoy social commentary through sci-fi or to people who like mysteries. It was a good show that could have been even better.

Mr. Sunshine (2018)

Stunning and Enlightening

[8/10 · 26 September 2020]

First of all, the cinematography was incredible! The colours, lightning, camera angles, everything was beautifully put together. It must have taken a lot of time and effort to create the visuals of this series, but I think it all paid off because it truly enhanced the viewing experience.

This show mixes history and fiction, which can be tricky, but I think it was a smart move in this case. They used elements of romance and humor in a very creative and tasteful way. The fiction helped drive the plot forward without overshadowing or making light of the historical events. The only critisism I have regarding this is that I wished they would have clarified which parts or the story that were fictional in last episode.

The acting was really good (Yeon-Seok Yoo was a personal favourite) and I was especially impressed by how well the child actors managed to portray complex emotions. There were a lot of different characters in this series and at first I had some trouble figuring out how everybody were related and how they fit into the timeline. But as the plot thickened, I noticed how all the characters contrubuted to the storyline and I could no longer imagine the series without them all in it.

At its core, I felt that this show was all about highlighting an important piece of history. Growing up in Europe, I never learnt much about the Japanese invasions of Korea. I knew that people would compare the rising sun flag to the nazi's swastika, but not much beyond that. To me, Mr. Sunshine became a learning tool.

My final score is 8/10, mainly because the first half of the series was a bit slow for my taste. Overall it was a great show, well worth a view.

The Legend of Korra (2012–2014)

Big shoes to fill

[7/10 · 11 August 2020]

(Mild spoilers ahead) The Legend of Korra is a pretty good show. Same as its predecessor, Avatar: TLA, this show brings up many interesting philosopical topics, which is what I love about both series. I think it was a wise decision to have Korra face different struggles from what Aang did, since it gives the viewer new ethical dilemmas to ponder over.

There are a lot of interesting characters, even some familiar faces. And the worldbuilding continues to impress me, it was interesting to see how the world had both changed and stayed the same since the time of TLA.

However, I was not a huge fan of Korra's character and found myself getting annoyed when she kept making mistake after mistake. There were times when I found it difficult to understand why people still liked her/had faith in her, after all the trouble she had caused. I'd say this show is more plot-driven than character-driven, because for a long time I didn't see any real character growth.

I also felt like they took the easy way out by throwing in romance left and right to drive the plot forward (especially in season 2) and I got a bit tired of it after the first few times. I wanted to watch an adventure, not a melodrama. But eventually I felt like the show got back on track.

Overall, this is a good show with a lot of action and humor. It just has big shoes to fill. 7/10.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008)

Can be appreciated by both kids and adults

[10/10 · 11 August 2020]

I remember loving this show as a child, but I think I might have come to appreciate it even more as an adult.

Avatar: TLA does a great job at balancing humor, action and philosophical topics within the story. The worldbuilding is very well thought out and the characters really come to life with interesting back stories and uniqe personalities. The storyline is well written and progresses at a nice pace that neither feels rushed nor dragged out.

I found myself laughing and crying while re-watching this as an adult and I couldn't help but notice how beautifully the show deals with important topics that are applicable to the real world we live in. I think this is an amazing, thought evoking show that can be appreciated by both kids and adults. I almost gave this a 10, but I'm stingy with my ratings and the show did leave a few loose ends, so 9 it is.

Edit 2022-02-22: This is such a brilliant show and I can't stop thinking I was too stingy with my rating, so now I'm changing it to a well deserved 10/10.