Haven't posted in here for awhile. The quarantine sent me down a video game rabbit hole as I suddenly had more mental energy than after a typical work day when I tend to crave a more passive form of entertainment. Lots of Animal Crossing, and I finally got around the Red Dead Redemption 2.
That said, I did get around to a couple of things.
A) I watched Killing Eve specifically because of all the love it receives on here. S1 was fucking excellent. S2 less so but I was still fully engaged because Villainelle is easily one of the best characters on TV even if I missed the grounded nature of Pheobe's writing. I'm skeptical of S3 based on what little I've read.
B) I watched Dead to Me at my cousin's urging. I think it took my all of a day and a half to binge the whole thing. Much like Killing Eve, it felt like S2 became less nuanced as a character study, and more-so pure entertainment in S2. That said, the transformation mostly worked for me. It sort of adopts the tone of Weeds earlier seasons (before it went of the rails). The two lead actresses are so fucking good that it allowed me to take leaps in faith as it pertains to things like repeated coincidences. As a Freaks and Geeks worshiper, it's been really fun to see Linda in such a strong role and absolutely nailing it. My only real complaints are that 1) (much like Weeds S3) the writers have written themselves into a hole that is going to be hard to escape while maintaining any sense of realism 2) the way the season ends is soapy as fuck and 3) all of the male characters are either unbearable c*nts or cringe-worthy pushy-overs.
C) I'm in the middle of Waco and enjoying it. I wouldn't say it's incredible or anything. The script is flawed in places, but the filmmaking itself is solid and the acting is really good. Sure does feel like they are doing their best to gloss over the darker sides of the cult though.
D) As an Alex Garland fanboy... I'm glad I watched Devs, but it definitely left me disappointed. It felt like he had been binging Britt Marling's work while writing it as it has her heady but often hokey (and borderline religious) tone. Don't get me wrong- I like Marling and was pissed when the OA was cancelled (because S2 was excellent), but her works are almost always flawed in some way that leaves me wondering whether I loved or hated it (Eye Orgins, the first season of the OA). With Devs, the first 4 episodes were excellent, but I felt it went downhill from there.
E) This one is the most important because I didn't see anybody mention in when I browsed the previous 6 or so pages. The first season of Dave is my favorite thing I've watched all year. The easiest way to describe it might to be to call it Atlanta meets Louie with a touch of Apatow. It's proof that comedy can be ballsy and hilarious while also gracefully handling serious topics like racial and sexual dynamics in 2020. It just gets better and better as it goes along, and a couple episodes were straight up powerful. Cannot recommend it enough.
variety.com
