I am absolutely done watching YELLOWJACKETS. I imagine I'll read a few recaps here and there, but watching it isn't in the cards anymore. Season two was such a letdown and I have no desire to go back to that world and get continually frustrated.
Funny I found this week much more involving than the more artsy show last week. There’s only so much lumon storytelling I can take. But the review of Milchik was hilarious. The paper clip though! Reminiscent of DuPont reviews I have experienced over the years. In the end you do what you’re told to be rewarded. And the now Mark trying to cover for his reintegration is a mirror to Helena the weeks before. It’s great. Plus Walken was back!!
Season two of Yellowjackets was so disappointing, it managed to make cannibalism boring?! Watched the first episode of season 3 and I am struggling to quit it -- I do love seeing those actresses, especially Lauren Ambrose now, and the music is great. We'll see how many more episodes I can take.
Yellowjackets S2 was a slog that I didn't enjoy, won't be coming back for S3 if it's not getting stellar reviews right off the bat. Showtime has an incredible track record of launching shows with great first seasons that immediately drop off in their second seasons. Shameless is maybe only Showtime series I stuck with past its third season.
As an attorney who did my fair share of doc review early in my career, I loved that they worked it into an entire montage. BCS’ note perfect take on law firm life absolutely stands out in the history of tv legal dramas.
I quit Yellowjackets after the season 2 premiere (which was a huge let-down) and I've had no reason to regret that decision. What a fall from grace that show took.
Thursday nights are now for Pitt / Severance viewing in my house. Must see prime time TV is back.
For the Pitt, I feel like they have been telegraphing a mass casualty event for several episodes now - first I thought it might be a school shooting with that disturbed kid on the loose. Now with the introduction of who I assume is the late Dr. Adamsons son - I am thinking it may be related to this music festival. It’s making me a bit anxious watching it but not turning me off.
For Severance - what you said about the show smartly having its characters ask the questions that the audience is starting to shout for them to has been largely bearing out. But the question that seems to be largely ignored by our heroes is the nature of their work. As you pointed out, Mark seems to be the only one really working hard at it now - but they seem to be more curious about everything else at Lumon and not the numbers on their screen.
Relatedly - I’m hoping they will start to wonder why Lumon is continuing to employ them, given all the trouble they are causing. Though maybe that’s because the innies have no real concept of labor supply and demand (get Ricken on this!)
Not sure it would have qualified for your best fake commercials list, but for me the most memorable one would be Albert Brooks shilling for applications to the Famous School for Comedians. The best part being the class where they were teaching the Danny Thomas spit take. (Uncle Tanoose enters ...) Hard to beat.
I enjoyed the second season of The White Lotus way more than the first and am excited to see what the third season has in store (especially since Parker Posey is along for the ride)
darn, I read this before watching this week's ep of The Pitt!
man, I would have LOVED to see a showdown between Walter White and Lalo Salamanca, who is truly one of the most charismatic villains to have ever lived on TV. I was such a fan of Tony Dalton's performance!
If anything, the writers' (editor's?) shrug-off of Helly's emotional arc for plot expedience was even more egregious than you rightly pointed out. Man, does it stick out in a show that's usually precise about respecting its characters as real people.
But the other, slower grind upon my suspension of disbelief is that Reghabi feels like an actor playing a terribly dramatic character who's mumblingly some-sort-of-doctor-or-whatever, rather than a doctor who's going through some things. Poorly written, directed, and portrayed.
For sure, but it's also the casting/performance. It's a good example of what I call the "Pilates Problem". TV characters are all played by comely LA types who look like their matchachino or wheat grass juice is waiting for them just outside frame. We're so used to this that it barely perturbs, but more so whenever a character must be the antithesis of that, e.g. brainy.
You can't pull off "brainy" if you just pulled up for work in your Porsche convertible en route from pilates.
That, combined with the shameless device-ification, is fatal.
I have full faith in the Severance writers however at the midway point I do feel a tad disappointed with the season so far. They are doing a great job of answering smaller questions, and doing so quickly, but in many ways I feel we’re not *that* far from where s1 ended after 5 episodes. While I really enjoyed how episode 1 and 2 were focused on innie and outtie respectively, we have essentially had 3 “bottle” episodes out of 5 where only one half of the world moves along. At the end of s1, we find outtie Irving is clearly up to something, yet so far in s2 we’ve only had 2 short cryptic phone calls.
There’s been a lot of good things so far, especially the acting, and Mark’s reintegration is going to be exciting to follow. I just feel like there is still a lot of threads that need attention/movement and we only have 5 more episodes to go.
Funny, I feel opposite. A good show like this with an intriguing proposition and great actors makes me want to see lots and lots of typical days. I’m in no rush to get to the Big Climax and Magic Secret, because whatever it is, it’s not going to be half as interesting as watching these characters in this proposition.
If you’re already bored, man, how did you make it through Cheers, let alone Bonanza?
I didn’t say I was bored or that I’m in a rush to get to the big climax. I said the amount of forward motion in the first half of this season has been a little disappointing given how many questions the show itself has raised. This is a mystery thriller, not a sitcom.
We quit on Yellowjackets after 2.02. I was bored and annoyed and my wife was grossed out by the cannibalism. Nothing I've heard since has made me regret it, particularly the big S2 finale death.
I'm surprised you didn't reference the SNL skit about "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" being overused by movies and shows.
In Alan's review of Severance, he writes, "it feels like the one who should be most scarred — or, at least, the one whose scars require the most attention at this specific moment in the story — is Helly." That got me thinking: can the Glasgow Block be immediately implemented when Helena/Helly is on the severed floor? I could totally see Helly at some point refusing to get in the elevator at the end of the day to head back to "Helena," as part of her dealing with the traumas she just encountered. So I wonder if Lumon could get around that by just turning her into Helena?
Perhaps this is why they introduced the concept of the Glasgow Block rather than give the other three outies the Overtime Contingency treatment in "Woe's Hollow"? (This was one of Alan's critiques in last week's review.)
I am absolutely done watching YELLOWJACKETS. I imagine I'll read a few recaps here and there, but watching it isn't in the cards anymore. Season two was such a letdown and I have no desire to go back to that world and get continually frustrated.
Funny I found this week much more involving than the more artsy show last week. There’s only so much lumon storytelling I can take. But the review of Milchik was hilarious. The paper clip though! Reminiscent of DuPont reviews I have experienced over the years. In the end you do what you’re told to be rewarded. And the now Mark trying to cover for his reintegration is a mirror to Helena the weeks before. It’s great. Plus Walken was back!!
Season two of Yellowjackets was so disappointing, it managed to make cannibalism boring?! Watched the first episode of season 3 and I am struggling to quit it -- I do love seeing those actresses, especially Lauren Ambrose now, and the music is great. We'll see how many more episodes I can take.
Yellowjackets S2 was a slog that I didn't enjoy, won't be coming back for S3 if it's not getting stellar reviews right off the bat. Showtime has an incredible track record of launching shows with great first seasons that immediately drop off in their second seasons. Shameless is maybe only Showtime series I stuck with past its third season.
As an attorney who did my fair share of doc review early in my career, I loved that they worked it into an entire montage. BCS’ note perfect take on law firm life absolutely stands out in the history of tv legal dramas.
Wow. I’ve had seven careers, and none of them has remotely been treated right in tv drama. I hadn’t realized BCS hit this part so well.
I quit Yellowjackets after the season 2 premiere (which was a huge let-down) and I've had no reason to regret that decision. What a fall from grace that show took.
Thursday nights are now for Pitt / Severance viewing in my house. Must see prime time TV is back.
For the Pitt, I feel like they have been telegraphing a mass casualty event for several episodes now - first I thought it might be a school shooting with that disturbed kid on the loose. Now with the introduction of who I assume is the late Dr. Adamsons son - I am thinking it may be related to this music festival. It’s making me a bit anxious watching it but not turning me off.
For Severance - what you said about the show smartly having its characters ask the questions that the audience is starting to shout for them to has been largely bearing out. But the question that seems to be largely ignored by our heroes is the nature of their work. As you pointed out, Mark seems to be the only one really working hard at it now - but they seem to be more curious about everything else at Lumon and not the numbers on their screen.
Relatedly - I’m hoping they will start to wonder why Lumon is continuing to employ them, given all the trouble they are causing. Though maybe that’s because the innies have no real concept of labor supply and demand (get Ricken on this!)
Oh and The Pitt feels spiritually connected to This is Going to Hurt - which I hope gets freed from AMC+ and more people get to see
Not sure it would have qualified for your best fake commercials list, but for me the most memorable one would be Albert Brooks shilling for applications to the Famous School for Comedians. The best part being the class where they were teaching the Danny Thomas spit take. (Uncle Tanoose enters ...) Hard to beat.
I miss Kim Wexler. That is all.
I enjoyed the second season of The White Lotus way more than the first and am excited to see what the third season has in store (especially since Parker Posey is along for the ride)
darn, I read this before watching this week's ep of The Pitt!
man, I would have LOVED to see a showdown between Walter White and Lalo Salamanca, who is truly one of the most charismatic villains to have ever lived on TV. I was such a fan of Tony Dalton's performance!
Alan - My first trip through Better Call Saul has been fantastic, and made that way by having your new book there during the ride. Thanks
Oh, I’m so glad!
If anything, the writers' (editor's?) shrug-off of Helly's emotional arc for plot expedience was even more egregious than you rightly pointed out. Man, does it stick out in a show that's usually precise about respecting its characters as real people.
But the other, slower grind upon my suspension of disbelief is that Reghabi feels like an actor playing a terribly dramatic character who's mumblingly some-sort-of-doctor-or-whatever, rather than a doctor who's going through some things. Poorly written, directed, and portrayed.
Reghabi is pretty shamelessly a plot device in human form, yes.
For sure, but it's also the casting/performance. It's a good example of what I call the "Pilates Problem". TV characters are all played by comely LA types who look like their matchachino or wheat grass juice is waiting for them just outside frame. We're so used to this that it barely perturbs, but more so whenever a character must be the antithesis of that, e.g. brainy.
You can't pull off "brainy" if you just pulled up for work in your Porsche convertible en route from pilates.
That, combined with the shameless device-ification, is fatal.
I have full faith in the Severance writers however at the midway point I do feel a tad disappointed with the season so far. They are doing a great job of answering smaller questions, and doing so quickly, but in many ways I feel we’re not *that* far from where s1 ended after 5 episodes. While I really enjoyed how episode 1 and 2 were focused on innie and outtie respectively, we have essentially had 3 “bottle” episodes out of 5 where only one half of the world moves along. At the end of s1, we find outtie Irving is clearly up to something, yet so far in s2 we’ve only had 2 short cryptic phone calls.
There’s been a lot of good things so far, especially the acting, and Mark’s reintegration is going to be exciting to follow. I just feel like there is still a lot of threads that need attention/movement and we only have 5 more episodes to go.
Funny, I feel opposite. A good show like this with an intriguing proposition and great actors makes me want to see lots and lots of typical days. I’m in no rush to get to the Big Climax and Magic Secret, because whatever it is, it’s not going to be half as interesting as watching these characters in this proposition.
If you’re already bored, man, how did you make it through Cheers, let alone Bonanza?
I didn’t say I was bored or that I’m in a rush to get to the big climax. I said the amount of forward motion in the first half of this season has been a little disappointing given how many questions the show itself has raised. This is a mystery thriller, not a sitcom.
We quit on Yellowjackets after 2.02. I was bored and annoyed and my wife was grossed out by the cannibalism. Nothing I've heard since has made me regret it, particularly the big S2 finale death.
I'm surprised you didn't reference the SNL skit about "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" being overused by movies and shows.
In Alan's review of Severance, he writes, "it feels like the one who should be most scarred — or, at least, the one whose scars require the most attention at this specific moment in the story — is Helly." That got me thinking: can the Glasgow Block be immediately implemented when Helena/Helly is on the severed floor? I could totally see Helly at some point refusing to get in the elevator at the end of the day to head back to "Helena," as part of her dealing with the traumas she just encountered. So I wonder if Lumon could get around that by just turning her into Helena?
Perhaps this is why they introduced the concept of the Glasgow Block rather than give the other three outies the Overtime Contingency treatment in "Woe's Hollow"? (This was one of Alan's critiques in last week's review.)