...Death, more death, even more death, some poverty porn, a dash of entitlement porn, a bit of pandemic porn, bleakness galore, and some hedge fund horror. As I reach senility, I find it increasingly hard to invest time and energy for tv. It's too much work. It's just not worth it.
Random comments:
01_ Black Summer (S02)
The zombie apocalypse trope is the ultimate neoliberal narrative: mors tua vita mea. In fact, the zombie apocalypse itself is the inevitable outcome of neoliberalism. The proliferation of these stories points to a clear case of premediation. Black Summer is what America really looks and feels like today, beyond the metaphors, the tropes, and the fiction.
02_War of the Worlds (S02)
Much bleaker than previous adaptations, including Spielberg’s Falling Skies. Coulier + Clark took that B&W Black Mirror episode, 'Metalhead' and expanded into a full series: Boston Dynamics' robots is behind the corner. Like the pre-apocalyptic 8 Days Before, the focus is on petty and annoying characters rather than the conventional All American Hero. It tackles immigration and inequality cleverly. Nick Cave’s "Into My Arms" will haunt you forever.
03_Calls (S01)
Twilight Zone, the audiogram version. Calls is a brilliant adaptation of a French hit series produced by Canal Plus. LOGAN's graphics are the best screensavers I've seen in a while. Calls would make a great podcast, too: it's much more engaging and clever than any "aural narratives" that Gimlet Media has ever produced, including the overrated Homecoming. Can't wait to hear more.
04_The White Lotus (S01)
Paula is a free rider who ends up exploiting the locals while trying to "save them". She's all that she pretends to oppose: her paulatics are all wrong. She has internalized the Whiteness she so despises. Hero-character: Quinn. it takes guts to drop OnlyFans for canoeing in an ocean full of plastic. He is the only one who "waves like he means it". A dorky earnest 1%er, Quinn will likely become the next president of the USA. You just wait.
06_Master of None presents: Moments in Love (de facto, S03)
Perfectly framed by the two best dance scenes in recent history, Master of None Presents: Moments in Love is a 192 minute update of Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage through the eyes of two queer Black women. Slow TV at its best (LOL "critics" lamenting "pacing issues" - get a life, seriously). I didn't bother with HBO's remake of Scenes from a Marriage.
07_Industry (S01)
A show where every single character is repugnant. The viewing pleasure relies mostly on schadenfreude, the same kind that you experienced when foot soldiers from Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley were fired on the spot in 2008 under the gleeful eyes of the media. It's impossible to feel any empathy for anybody working in finance and Industry reminds us that bankers, not zombies, are the real monsters. A good companion to Bad Banks.
08_Maid (limited series)
There's an interesting show about America's war on the poor: it depicts the systemic injustice penalizing the marginalized & the disadvantaged. That show is Maid. There's a cheesy, trite melodrama about a clueless character with the worst decision making skills in the history of TV and a penchant for self-sabotage. That show is Maid. What's truly remarkable about Maid(s) is that the protagonist is a white woman.
10_Mr. Corman (limited series)
I truly love the bleakness and nihilism of this series. Alas, it tries a little bit too hard to be Gondry-esque at times but I'm glad it did not degenerate into an "everything is awesome in spite of" morality tale. One of the least abysmal shows on Apple TV+: it even manages to be compelling at times. Take E7, "Many Worlds": a great alternative to the dominant loop narrative (Russian Doll, Palm Springs, etc.). I'm glad Mr. Corman did not get renewed: it certainly does not need a second season.
Memorable mentions: Succession (S03) and Curb Your Enthusiasm (S11) are basically in auto-pilot.
Worst series of the year: Countless. Nine Perfect Strangers? Y: The Last Man? Close. Lisey's Story? Ouch, Pablo tu quoque? Station Eleven is a total bore. Squid Game? Another Black Mirror (not a compliment). But Apple TV+' Invasion (S01) is the apotheosis of incompetence.
A travesty. Likely, the worst Apple TV+ series of the year (and the bar is really low). Family frictions over alien fictions: a bloated soap opera. Worst characters in a TV series ever. The outcome is astoundingly boring. And what about Farahani's "acting"? Seriously? Product placement galore: a 10h Apple commercial shot with an iPhone 1x. Verbruggen stole everything from War of the Worlds and Annihilation. He even recycled some of Max Richter's soundtrack leftovers from The Leftovers. Appalling.
Link: 2021_TV stuff
Previously: 2020_TV stuff
