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Foundation: Mysteries and Martyrs (2021)
The Paradox of This Terrible Adaptation
There is a central paradox that has dogged my enjoyment of this show since the second episode.
The first one was fantastic, an interesting and straightforward adaptation of the first story in the first book of the Foundation trilogy. It set up the general concepts and themes and, most importantly, gave us a great insight into Harris Seldon, the mad genius at the heart of a millennia of turmoil.
It also did... a whole bunch of other stuff.
Conservatively, I would estimate that approximately 75% of what's been written so far is completely made up for the show - fanfiction with an Apple's worth of money thrown at it. The quick-stop, long-jump style of storytelling that the books employed wasn't suited for television (I guess?), so instead we get some characters and plots that are easier to cling on to and easier to digest (heaven forbid the novels that challenge stortelling convention be adapted in a similar way). The latest significant change from the books is the revelation from this episode: that Gaal (and presumably Saldor) can feel the future.
I truly, *truly*, cannot imagine a more significant way to derail an adaptation of the Foundation saga than to inject it with a contrived Chosen One narrative about the ability of an individual to change the fate of the galaxy. That is such a fundamental misreading of the text that I'm truly questioning what the writers were even discussing in the room where this was thrown up on the whiteboard.
Foundation is a story about systems, about the cycles of power and influence that govern the lives of populations on small and large scales. Civilisation-ending catastrophes are solved by political machinations a thousand lightyears away; crises are overcome through the construction and abandonment of sociological organisations like religions. It is a narrative experiment where all of the problems were solved a millennia ago by a man with a calculator and the galaxy just has to hang on for dear life as his predictions come to pass.
The only time an individual's actions matter in the original trilogy is when the Mule subverts the entire Plan, through an astronomically small stroke of genetic luck that allows him to contend with those systems. This is BAD. This is the antithesis colliding with the thesis in Asimov's work. He is not THE PROTAGONIST.
The paradox, though, is that some of the additions in this show really work! The Genetic Dynasty is a stroke of sci-fi genius, and one of the most compelling ideas I've seen explored in the genre in years. Completely made up for the show, but fits beautifully amongst Asimov's work as a thematic representation of the Empire's decay.
The challenge then, for me, is balancing this show as a fundamentally intriguing (and gorgeous) TV experience and as a fundamentally broken adaptation of my favourite books. I truly enjoy the big ideas that I'm being exposed to every week (usually through poorly written and acted exposition, layered over scenes of uninteresting melodrama, to be sure) - but I'm also continuously shocked at how this emerged from Foundation.
For better and for worse, these are simply not the same stories - and the gulf between them is getting wider.
(Seriously though, 'feeling the future?' In FOUNDATION?)
Foundation: The Mathematician's Ghost (2021)
Interesting sci-fi... but is this Foundation?
I was fascinated by the first episode of this show, because it encapsulated my favourite elements of the first book, throwing you into the heart of a war you didn't even know was happening under the raised eyebrow of madman/genius Hari Seldon (played to absolute perfection by Jared Harris - his casting alone is reason enough for this show to exist for me). Sure, it got a little wobbly with the weird time jumping and calling the narration cliche and unnecessary would be generous. But... potential.
The next episode really threw me though, if only because I truly do not recognise the Foundation novels in them. Where the first episode skimmed along the first story, the next was a total departures from the established narrative, to the point that they actively violate key plot points in the books, like no pyshcohistorian being allowed to travel to Terminus. More so than just being a new interpretations, it felt like a mildly unnecessary (but visually gorgeous) fan fiction.
This episode though... this episode hooked me. The annoying narration is still there, the strange treatment of established narrative is still there and the fanfic vibe is holding strong, but... I think I'm on board. The genetic dynasty is one of the most interesting science fiction concepts I've seen in years, and I love that the show has committed to showing the full emotional and social ramifications of such a program. The pathos and empathy it allows me to feel for the monarchical figures of this universe is something no other fiction has ever achieved, or even tried to achieve.
The Hardin stuff is a little strange, and I don't love that we keep getting Chosen One narratives written into a story that's specifically about systems and not people, but it's keeping me functionally entertained and I do want the mystery of Terminus and the Foundation to fully unravel, a feeling that reminds me of when I first read the books.
So I'm interested. This isn't the show I hoped I would be getting, or even what I feared it might be. But it *is* interesting. It's grappling with fun ideas on a huge scale and telling a story that's (apparently) nine seasons long. I'm curious and engaged. Foundation; let's see what you've got.
A quick note at the end, however. Hearing David Goyer speaking about the Vault on the podcast made me slightly nervous, because, 'even readers of the books don't know what's inside it'. I am truly, truly sick of the instinct modern television has developed of being more interested in surprising its audience than of telling a good story and I truly hope that the Vault serves the same purpose it did in the original story and doesn't get overly complicated purely for the sake of being different to how it originally appeared.
This episode is also the second occasion where a main character from the (very male) original material is gender-flipped into a woman. This is a fantastic change that livens up the dynamics of the show, and makes for more interesting depictions of the characters. However, it's also the second time (of two) where that female character is immediately made to have sex with a man as an establishing glimpse into their characterisation. It's demeaning to the cause of championing women, and women of colour, as the heroes of these stories and I hope it isn't a trend that continues any further.
Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019)
Excellent Story (Told Poorly)
I don't think I loved this episode. But... I do think I liked it a lot. It certainly never brought me to the highs Game of Thrones has in the past (the final shot of season seven gives me chills just to think about), but I'm wholly satisfied with the way it ended this beast of a show. This entire season has felt (and been) incredibly rushed, the writers being so intent on finishing what feels like a season and a half of story in just six scripts. Obviously, that's kind of insane. If I'm ever about to plowed into by a shooting star or find a weird lamp in a desert, I promise you that I'll wish for Game of Thrones to finish in season ten, like it was clearly supposed to. But all of that rushing has been to get to this episode, to get all of the characters and plot points neatly in place for tying up/stabbing in a throne room. My greatest fear was that this episode would rush too, that it wouldn't be the light at the end of a tunnel and would just be an extra three miles of tunnel to sprint through. But it wasn't! This episode was slow, and thoughtful, bringing out some of the best from its actors (I get that this season is going to be totally panned come award season, but Peter Dinklage obviously deserves something for the last two episodes).
I feel there's been a momentum building this past season, a momentum of hating what has certainly been sub-par storytelling without any willingness to actually engage with it critically, away from the maddening, review-bombing crowd. I truly believe that this episode is worth more than a one star, one sentence review calling Benioff and Weiss something childish or asking IMDb to install a zero star rating. Please, hate his episode all you want - I'm not here to police your opinion - but try and do it from a genuine place. Somewhere deeper than the base response of the collective internet. What's the worst case scenario? You like your favourite show's last episode a little more?
I'm disappointed that this episode wasn't the greatest two hours of television ever delivered, truly I am. But I'm satisfied. Game of Thrones can rest easily in my head, a fantastic show with a brilliant story to tell. It sprinted for the finish line, fell over itself in the last six metres (bear with me here), but it landed with its hands still in the air and took a deep, slow dignified breath.
That sounded better in my head. It was fine!!
The Good Fight: The One with the Celebrity Divorce (2019)
Stop review bombing this show!
This show is really good! It's honestly one of the best shows on TV right now, precisely because it's so strong in its viewpoint. It's a show about trauma and anger and about not just being polite about that anger. Its characters are dealing with the same questions so much of the world is right now (ie. is it okay to punch a nazi?) and it doesn't pull those punches at all. Should every show on TV be like this? Of course not. But frankly, no other show is like it. So I'm fine for this show to be angry and partisan and to piss of conservatives. If you don't like it, that's fine, but don't just bomb the reviews because it's a blatantly liberal show. All I'm asking for is fairness - I would never bomb the reviews of Duck Dynasty!
Supergirl: Man of Steel (2018)
An Interesting Idea...
There is, at the centre of this episode, a genuinely intriguing idea and a truly effective character study. It even manages them both, for a split second, when Lockwood delivers a speech about progress not necessarily being good for everybody. It's a little skin-deep, but an important moment for his character where he begins to turn slightly from the man we were first introduced to. That was effective. It felt like a natural evolution, a true first step to him becoming the Agent of Liberty.
And then it completely fell apart.
A problem I've always felt Supergirl (the show) has had is that it preaches incredibly thinly veiled metaphors to the choir. Everything in this show is quickly becoming an allegory for our world, complete with winks and nods to us, the knowing and agreeing audience. This isn't a rant about a show being political - hell, I probably agree with the show's writers on everything they're trying to say - but it is a rant about a show being lazy. Ben Lockwood raving in a classroom about immigrants who are literally superhuman and the effect that has on common workers is interesting - how should a society respond to a race of people who are truly, unquestionably superior to them? Ben Lockwood blaming his firing on "snowflake millennials" is lazy.
The immigrant/alien allegory Supergirl has long explored is a fraught one, for many reasons. As Ben highlights, aliens come to his society with a distinct advantage. Immigrants on our own, do not. They are hated for different reasons, but the rhetoric the show uses is all but identical. What I desperately wanted Supergirl to explore was the nuance of prejudice. That's what *fiction* can do. Show me the Agent of Liberty that can only exist in Supergirl's world and use him as a foil for Supergirl to spread her message of hope and peace with. Allow that message to seep through into our world, but for the love of storytelling don't shout it at us.
By making Ben Lockwood a caricature of a modern-day conservative (again, I really can't get over the snowflake comment), you rob him of the chance to be an interesting and actually affecting character. Everything he does now will be in service of condemning a nebulous faction of our own society, a pale reflection of the hatred we have to combat in our world dressed in the laziest of metaphors so that Supergirl can rain down justice and we can cheer her on.
I've been waiting for Supergirl to get a handle on this for a while now, but I'm pretty confident that it's never going to change. This writing is meant only to serve as a cathartic daydream for liberals, where the bad guys are uncompromisingly evil (wink) and the good guys always win. As a liberal with a penchant for daydreaming - I can't think of anything less interesting.
Also, the perfectly abandoned mask right at the end? I mean. Come on guys.
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Tales of Ba Sing Se (2006)
Beautiful.
Every now and then, this show goes from being incredibly entertaining to truly special - and this episode is a definite example of that trend. My skepticism at what the writers could do with only five minutes apiece was quickly blown out of the water as I was reminded how exceptional each one of the characters are. Even Momo, arguably Ang's sidekick's sidekick, is more fully drawn and realised than some protagonists I've come across. But by far my favourite of the stories belongs to Iroh. His five minutes are some of the best I've ever experienced, a beautiful portrait of a complicated man that brought me to tears. You could come into this episode completely cold, knowing nothing about the show or its players and I'm still almost certain you would have the same reaction. That is the mark of excellent writing. And then, the touching goodbye to Mako right at the very end wrung just a little bit more out of me, a beautiful final punctuation for the most impactful piece of television I've seen in quite some time.
The haiku rap battle was fun too, I guess.
Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (2018)
Mandatory Viewing
I've never been a huge fan of Hannah Gadsby's comedy, the small amount that I'd seen on TV at least. I enjoyed it in the moment of course - she's excellent at her job - but I was never particularly moved by her content. Please, then, understand just how important this special must be that it moved me to the moon and back. Every few years a comedian comes along and produces something that should immediately become a cultural touchstone, a lone voice in a dark room that cries out a message the world decidedly needs to hear. This is one of those touchstones. This should be mandatory viewing for anybody brave enough to call themselves a human being. Hannah Gadsby may never be my favourite comedian - indeed per this special, she may never be a comedian again - but after the hour I just spent on her railroad of empathy, pain and raw strength.... she will always be my hero.
Thank you, Hannah. Maybe we'll deserve you one day.
Doctor Who: The Eaters of Light (2017)
A Standout From an Average Season
By far, this episode proved itself to be my favourite of Season 10, which so far has achieved only middling success. None of the episodes have been terrible, but neither have any stood out. Finally, with The Eaters of Light, I managed to completely enjoy a Season 10 Doctor Who episode.
To begin with, I've become quite enraptured with Bill. She's proving to be one of my favourite companions in NuWho, after Clara and Amy/Rory (and further confusing me as to why Moffat is constantly criticised for not being able to write women). Her repartee with the Doctor is endlessly entertaining and she doesn't hesitate to challenge him, as all good companions do. Nardole, the companion-who-isn't, also functions really well in that dynamic, and it would appear that bringing back a character clearly only meant to appear once (see: decapitation) was a smart play, especially when said character is brought to life by the unmistakable genius that is Matt Lucas.
And on to the story! Right out of the gate, I was hooked on the mystery of the music under the hill. To be fair, this mystery in no way drives the story, but it was enough in the opening minutes to get me settled while the frankly bonkers Roman's vs. Highlanders vs. interdimensional-light-eaters plot got rolling. Another great mini-anti-war monologue from Capaldi and bang, the cairn was collapsed and I was left thoroughly satisfied as the little bow was wrapped around the characters.
There were negatives, however. The monster felt incredibly underdeveloped and frankly underused. I never got a sense of what "eating light" was, or how it was a threat. Hell, even if the torches it walked past blew out I would have been satisfied. I only perceived it as a threat when the characters on screen told me to, whereas a great villain like the Weeping Angels manage to make me feel fear independent of my investment in the story. Coupled with some moments of awkward CGI, this will not be a monster that will be remembered or, likely, ever revisited.
And finally, how could I write this review and not mention Missy? I really, really love Michelle Gomez as Missy in this run of the character, and that was before they started playing with her as a reformed villain learning how to be a Doctor. As an overarching plot thread, I think it has stood out to me as exemplary. As with Nardole, the producers of this show clearly understand when a character is too good to underuse and my god did they strike gold with Missy. Whatever the future may hold for the Master in all of her forms, I am thrilled we get to spend so much time with this one.
So overall, this episode wasn't perfect, but it was damn enjoyable, a simple Doctor Who story that kept me hooked and entertained from start to finish, despite an underdeveloped monster. The jokes land, the performances were top notch from all and the writing never fell flat at all. It did teeter on the edge for a moment with the unexpected insight into crow language at the end, but I think I've decided I loved it.
Definitely the best this season has had to offer - although next week is looking to be an explosive finale, hopefully the send off that Moffat and Capaldi deserve.
11.22.63: The Day in Question (2016)
Profoundly and Unexpectedly Beautiful
I started this series after a recommendation from a friend-of-a-friend and after I saw a quick ten second promo for it. The premise was interesting and the source material certainly had pedigree, so I thought I'd give it a shot. But this show went in an entirely different direction than I first thought, and earned some significant respect in doing so. For example, the JFK story-line (otherwise known as how the show was sold) was pretty much done before the halfway mark of this episode, which surprised me immensely. I was a little bit worried that it wouldn't end very well and would try and pad out what was unfortunately only seven and a half episodes of content into an eight episode run, but instead it focused on Jake and Sadie and their doomed romance.
To a superficial eye replacing the cool time travel/save the president story-line with a romantic subplot is Boredom 101, but their story is so immensely human and heartbreaking that I couldn't help but fall in love with them too. This episode led to the discovery that I was never rooting for the life of JFK - I was invested in their future, not our past. So the tragedy of the past tearing them apart so violently was (if not ever so slightly predictable), exactly that - tragic . But his decision to save her from himself was less foreseeable, and totally, crushingly heartbreaking as a result.
My overall philosophy on what makes great film or television is that it needs to have 'moments'. Hopefully some people can relate to this or I'm about to sound exceedingly strange, but a moment for me is something magical, a single instant of a single scene that floors me with how utterly superb it is. Game of Thrones does it so consistently it's almost cheating, but lots of smaller shows manage them brilliantly as well and there's no telling when they're going to appear. Hell, one of my favourite moments is from the Legend of Korra. But when Jake spins Spadie around, (dancing to the song that played when he told her he wanted to be with her, fun fact), and saw for just a few seconds the woman that he fell in love with - that was sure as hell a moment for me. They're easy to notice due to the tears dripping slowly down my face and my immediate rushing to my computer to write a review so that I might share my moment with the few people who could possibly care (thanks by the way.)
This miniseries was brilliant in that it allowed a completely human story to thrive under an overarching and fantastical premise. I was hooked from the start, but was invested for a wholly different reason when the end credits rolled. I wish I had my own little time bubble, so I could live forever in a world where I hadn't seen this final episode and it was always something I could look forward to. But bittersweet as it was, I was left wholly satisfied and emotionally drained. Jake struggling to let go of something he loves might just stay with me forever.
After all, I know exactly how he feels.
Sleeping with Other People (2015)
By-The-Numbers, Yet Completely Original
This movie first snatched my attention as an obscure trailer, something that popped up while I was habitually browsing the web. From that moment I absolutely fell in love with it, it's light humour and perfect chemistry between all of the cast. It still remains to this day one of my favourite trailers of all time, and one I would routinely check in on every now and then leading up to the movie's release, so that I could remind myself why I was excited to see the actual film, and not a two minute summary. Yet I obviously had reservations. Too many of us have been betrayed by trailers, advertising movies that don't exist or are completely different to the one actually presented (and payed for). "Don't get your hopes up", I would say to myself. "There's every chance this movie will be one of the worst of the year." Then I heard reports of standing ovations at Sundance and as the generally favourable reviews began to trickle in my hopes defiantly rose. And I'm so immensely happy they did, because this movie, and it's subsequent trailer, absolutely nailed it.
The humour was refreshingly real and hilarious, as were the relationships, with the two leads Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie absolutely deserving a mention for being particularly amazing together. A shout out to Jason Mantzoukas and Andrea Savage also - thanks to them, if you turn this movie off the moment you see the credits you're missing one of its funniest and most heartwarming parts.
However, as my title probably suggested, this movie is still a pretty by-the-numbers romcom, and is semi-predictable plot-wise (wow, I used a lot of dashes in that sentence, please forgive me). That cliché that just ran through your head when I mentioned the word romcom - yeah, it is probably in this movie. Except for kissing in the rain, surprisingly. Actually, now that I think about it, the only scene (that comes to mind) with rain even in it is the one where Sudeikis is pushed in front of and hit by a car. Okay let me revise that; only *most* of the normal romcom clichés are in this movie. But there's a reason that movie genres can become so formulaic - sometimes the formula truly does work.
With the fantastic writing and directing, the brilliant acting and helpful injection of fresh ideas into a generally stale formula, this movie manages to be truly entertaining from start to finish. I found myself intoxicated by the relationship of two wholly fictional people, engrossed in their journey both towards and away from one another. I thought the ending could have been a little more poignant and in theme with the rest of the movie, but it was still a supremely satisfying conclusion to a story I'm amazed managed to exceed my hopes and expectations. Truly, a fantastic film.
Doctor Who: Heaven Sent (2015)
Move Over Blink...
Whenever I watch anything, be it television or film, I always indulge a bad habit and mentally construct a review of the product in my head. It's just a bit of fun, a way for me to hone in on what I like or dislike about the story being told. Rarely does this critique ever make it past my own brain, as it is purely for my own benefit.
Yet rarely do I watch anything as mind-numbingly awesome as "Heaven Sent".
(All of the words in that sentence were chosen with care. My mind was indeed numbed by sheer appreciation for the art Moffat presented, and I mean awesome in the truly epic sense. Awe was inspired in me this evening, and I wish I knew how to delete it from my memories so that awe could once again re-acquaint itself.)
To begin with, the monster itself was potentially the scariest ever faced by the Doctor. The Weeping Angels used to hold this prestigious title (at least in "Blink" they did; after that their appearances only served to undermine the terror), but now the Veil receives top billing. Steven Moffat believes that nothing is scarier than a monster that won't ever stop, only slowly approach you until inevitability takes hold. The man definitely strives to provide proof of his beliefs, that's for sure. The Veil will go down as a classic and while I doubt it will appear again, being such a personal villain, I truly hope it isn't ever squandered like the Angels were.
Another major tick this episode presented was it's sendoff of Clara. "Face the Raven" was an enjoyable story, and a highlight in a particularly strong season (bar "Sleep No More", unfortunately), but I simply didn't get the tear-jerking closure for one of my favourite companions that I needed. Her goodbye scene was touching and heartfelt, and I appreciated it as good writing, but if it was aiming for my heartstrings it ever so slightly missed the mark. With one shot, and a proper teary goodbye, this episode managed to fix that for me. Her goodbye held more subtly than Rose crying on a beach, but I felt it just as much. Watching Capaldi's impeccable acting, his genuine remorse over the loss of a friend, was largely what drove me over the edge, and I thank him for it. One the same note, such a sparse and intimate episode would have completely fallen apart without an incredible performer capable of carrying it entirely alone, and carry it Capaldi did. Truly this is his definitive Doctor story, in tandem with one of the greatest writers in the business also performing at his very finest.
The story itself was jaw dropping in it's ambition, more so in it's execution, a riveting mystery that I never quite found myself ahead of, propelled by a monster who was genuinely terrifying, even without the cheap jump scares. The ending (which I won't spoil mainly because it would take me days to finish gushing about it), was genius in it's purest form, a fitting end to a fantastic episode. Even as the first half of a two-parter (technically three-parter), I was not left unsatisfied by it's ending, because of how isolated it was. What comes next will be a whole new adventure, not a continuation, so I do not feel cheated by having to wait another week for it to conclude, I feel excited.
Because I know that right now, uniterrupted, Doctor Who is at one of it's highest peaks in it's entire half century of existence. And I'm more than happy to sit on this cloud and wait for Moffat to deliver once again - I just don't know how it will be possible to ever top this.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Just so much fun
Before I continue, or even start this review, I would like to acknowledge my bias. I love Joss Whedon. He is my absolute idol. Everything he has touched in the past 20 years has been incredible (that Alien movie notwithstanding). Hopefully that will also add a certain weight when I say this is my favourite Joss Whedon movie yet. What I have come to love about Marvel and their amazing universe is that they know how to have fun with a movie. They understand that 'comic book adaptation' and 'gritty cinematic experience' are not necessarily synonymous. Granted, this has a place in the broad spectrum that is cinema, and I don't necessarily condemn DC for their approach. However, Marvel's characters are perfectly suited for a movie where laughing in the middle of a battle scene is encouraged, not a precursor to sadistic tendencies. Every line of dialogue is perfectly crafted, whether it be a humorous quip or a simple interaction, revolving around a similarly fantastic plot and a villain I am confident is the best of the Marvel lineup so far. On a list also featuring Loki and the Winter Soldier, that's quite an achievement. Ultron is hilarious and badass and hilariously badass, with more depth than some of the human characters. Yet the star of this show, a show filled with incredible characters who individually command the screen every time it stops on them, the one who absolutely steals it is The Vision. A stunning character, brilliantly portrayed by Paul Bettany, with an incredible introduction. Seriously. This is not hyperbole. I have never wanted to clap in a movie theatre before, but the first scene with Vision very nearly drove me to do just that. I won't go into specifics, because everybody who has seen the film knows exactly what I'm talking about and everybody who hasn't seen it needs to understand how special it is firsthand. In summary, truly an amazing movie, due in part for it's ability to not take itself too seriously. Almost all of the characters have remarkable depth, and their individual personalities manage to shine through a densely packed lineup. Intoxicating action scenes, some of the best dialogue from the best wordsmith in the business and all of this makes for some pretty simple maths; Watch this movie. You will enjoy it. And you will also no longer be the only person on the planet who hasn't.