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haleighsdean
Reviews
Futurama: The Prince and the Product (2023)
Written by A.I.???
Honestly, if this episode ended with text saying "Written by A. I", I'd give it way more stars. That would have been a clever nod to supporting the current writers' strike and a great illustration on why good writers are so essential.
In fact, they could have made a whole funny wrap-up segment of an A. I/robot printing the final page of the episode's script and calling it their masterpiece. Would have fit really well with the universe, their show's comedic style, and the current climate around A. I. in media.
But this episode didn't do any of that. So I can only assume humans wrote it. Which easily makes it the worst episode in the entire series, hands down.
Upload (2020)
It's not The Good Place
The show had a lot of great potential. I loved the commentary of how dangerous and suffocating capitalism is (let's not talk about the irony that it's being streamed on Amazon), but I can't help but feel like it's lacking in a lot of ways.
Romance: the romance between the two main characters is my least favorite part of this show. I hate the whole "will they, won't they" trope, and the drama between them feels forced and unneeded. The emotional speeches from these characters (especially Nora) are long, painful, and boring. The actors aren't bad, but the writing for their romance feels undeveloped. I just can't buy that they actually love each other, nor do I care if they actually love each other.
Comedy: I rarely laugh at this show. When I do laugh, it's because of the commentary on modern day capitalism, but those jokes run dry after a while. I don't find the characters particularly funny, and the comedy just doesn't seem to land.
Mystery: the mystery behind the show feels convoluted and somehow hollow at the same time. I feel like it's undeveloped - like they had an idea to start, but kept running with it and it just got inflated. I don't feel like there's any real mystery at all, and yet there are still questions that are unanswered. However, I don't feel like I NEED those answers. There isn't any real interest or intrigue in solving this mystery, and yet the characters are obsessed with it. As a viewer, I don't care enough about the mystery itself to try to solve it before the characters do. I also don't feel like there have been any real twists that keep me interested and wanting more. Everything has been pretty predictable, and maybe that's why I don't feel like there is any mystery at all.
Characters: There's a couple of characters that I enjoyed at first (Luke, Aleesha, etc.) but they start to become one-note after a while and I feel like some of their interactions are repetitive. The main characters have some charm to them, but no real defining characteristic besides their skill set and moral code, two things that feel unremarkable in this sort of world. None of the characters seem to grow or develop as the show goes on. In fact, the only one that seems to have any development at all is the AI Guy, and he's a punchline. But sadly, he's also my favorite character, which isn't raising a high bar.
Plot: I feel like the plot of this show started simple and interesting, but quickly grew convoluted and predictable. That's probably due to the undefined mystery element. I feel like the characters jump to quick decisions and conclusions that they don't need to, and that some technological things are written in as a last minute ex machina. There are a couple of plot holes that annoy me, and there are a few things that the characters don't pick up on/consider that make no sense.
Over all, the commentary on advance capitalism is great, but this show is not a comedy, it's not much of a mystery, and it falls flat of a romance. I was hoping for another "The Good Place", but I was left a little disappointed. It's not a horrible show, but it felt like it had so much potential and was undeveloped. It's a decent show to put on in the background while you're doing other things.
The Great (2020)
Funny, Dramatic...and then...
Just binged this series and it was very enjoyable! Great comedic, great (and wonderfully terrible) characters, and lots of drama!
...Until the last half of Season 3. The drama overtook a lot of the comedy, throwing the show out of balance. I'm sure that was the point with everything that was happening, but even so, it made the last few episodes dull and slow, with the main characters coming close to annoying and redundant. It fit the mood of the show's circumstances, but not the mood of the show as a whole.
Even so, the last episode turned it around and the show ended on a good and interesting note! Overall, the acting and writing make it a great watch!