Reviews

The premise of this show has great potential but unfortunately falls incredibly short of the mark for several reasons. The casting is lacklustre. Hope Davis as Gina Baxter is weak acting. Jimmy Baxter is one of the worst antagonists I've encountered in a TV show. He's meant to be a self-made successful businessman, a rags to riches type arc, which requires a lot of discipline and control yet he seems unhinged and uncontrolled. Michael Stuhlbarg is not well cast. His mannerisms, facial expressions and gestures are just bizarre at times. I'm unsure if this is poor writing or miscasting, maybe both but either way it just doesn't work. The fact that who Jimmy Baxter is is summed up by poor writing as being "the head of the most vicious crime family in the history of this city" was an indication of the mediocre writing which I think fundamentally flawed the quality of the show. Adam Desiato is a confusing and unlikeable character. He's so messed up from the inciting incident one minute, then perfectly fine the next. He acts erratically and incoherently then seems to have the poise to question the questionable treats of the dog in S1. The dancing scene made me question if I'd been spiked with a hallucinogen because it was the most random, useless scene out of the whole show. Some of the main characters act erratically and dysfunctionally. I understand it's meant to be an extreme situation, but unfortunately the writing doesn't deliver. The writing, direction and even some of the acting is mediocre at best. The scene where Adam uses his inhaler at the courthouse by the window for Jimmy Baxter to realise who was the driver that killed his son was overly dramatic. There are so many scenes and so much of the behaviour of the characters that are just not believable at all. A shame really! Lack of development, overly dramatic at times and just not believable. Certain arcs just dissipate without explanation and other things are over dramatised. The last scene where Adam dies in the final episode in Season 1 was one of the worst constructed scenes I've seen. The Prison Rodeo in Season 2 is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.

I don't know what John Landis was thinking. Spoiled the franchise with this weak entry. Can't take it seriously. Total lack of attention to the details: for example, it seems very easy to set up Axel on more than one occasion despite other witnesses being present, the bad guys being part of a private security firm just wasn't capitalised enough, they looked like a bunch of theme park security guards going around in their theme park suits committing crimes. The spider ride scene one 9f the guards grabs the control panel, then everything malfunctions; a guard wouldn't grab the panel as he did, nor would things malfunction to that extent. Axle brings Uncle Dave to the hospital but is framed as his assassin; why would an assassin bring their victim to the hospital and Uncle Dave didn't die so he's not an assassin. The bad guys just looked like the security at Butlins had went rogue in a weak way. Just a terrible entry to a great franchise

Potential in the premise but terrible directing. Some things become nonsensical and ridiculous, yet you still want to see what happens. The whole scene where Pete gets stabbed for example is stupid and baffling! He's tracking someone who's potentially dangerous, hanging about on a street corner with a small gang, they miraculously see him peeping around a corner, he chooses to stay for reasons unknown when he had the chance to run or hide, then he's chased around a built up area yet not one person on the street other than his pursuers. He's running a good distance without getting anywhere, going back to his car was too logical! Shame the director(s) weren't better. The Marshall family's actions are the most stupid and unrealistic I have ever seen, I think the writers had taken the same drugs Sia was selling here! Though not great, not the worst thing I've seen. They live in a gated community, an affluent area yet nobody seems to work. Incredible! Michael C Hall is a good actor, he brings intensity, but after being in a show like Dexter this is a step down. His character goes into a burning house and a burgled house yet his last response is calling the emergency services, not exactly accurate natural behaviour for what is meant to be a normal man. House party going on at a house with a pool with a bunch teenagers under the influence of drink and drugs yet nobody happened to be outside except lo and behold, a character who just so happens ending up being found dead in the pool beginning the chain of events which map the main plot of the show. There are some redeemable qualities but not many. I don't understand how it has received as many high reviews.