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Post by Pavan on May 18, 2017 20:36:47 GMT
3x5 would have been a downer but MEW saved it.
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Post by stephen on May 18, 2017 20:48:34 GMT
At this point, Shea Whigham's character is being an obtrusive dick just to be an obtrusive dick, and it's really frustrating because of how one-dimensional he's been written. The incompetent cops of previous seasons (i.e. Bob Odenkirk) were at least written somewhat believably, and I can understand their perspective, but this guy? He's just an asshole to be an asshole, and honestly, I feel like most of the characters in this season are about as well-sketched as he is. The acting does what it can, but I really can't get a bead on any of the people they play. I loved the previous episode a great deal, but this episode swung really hard left for me, and when I thought the episode actually had some real balls to waste one of their most intriguing characters in one of the most harrowing scenes the show has ever had, Winstead manages to get up on her own volition and walk/drive away from that? I don't buy it. This season has been radically inconsistent.
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Post by DeepArcher on May 18, 2017 21:01:57 GMT
I liked this episode, but the ending sequence didn't settle right with me. At first it seemed like they had the balls to kill off a major character halfway through. Though, of course, Nikki gets up in a cheap fake-out way that had me rolling my eyes. My other thought regarding the purpose of this is that it would unify Ray/Nikki and Emmit/Sy to unify to fight their now common enemy. But Sy just bails and leaves Nikki behind (the fuck?) -- for all he knew, he could've just been leaving her to die. It seems impossible for Nikki to forgive that. And with Ray seeking revenge, does this mean we'll just have four factions of Ray/Nikki vs. Emmit/Sy vs. Varga and his guys vs. Gloria and Winnie, with each side attempting to trump the other three? That can only end up being a storytelling mess.
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Post by notacrook on May 18, 2017 21:56:28 GMT
This season has been so frustratingly good-not-great so far, which is kind of a shame after the remarkable first two (the second is probably in my top 5 all-time seasons of TV). It's also made more noticeable when other shows like The Leftovers, The Americans, Better Call Saul and The Handmaid's Tale are generally knocking it out of the park week in week out. As for this episode specifically, the first 30 minutes or so were actually kind of dull and lacked energy and focus, an issue that applies to much of this season. I liked all of the stuff with Coon, and the final ten minutes seemed like they were gearing up for an amazing, genuinely surprising and brave ending, but then they had that fake out reveal that Nikki was still alive, which felt cheap and beneath this show in some ways. While I'm glad Winstead isn't out of the show (her and Stuhlbarg were MVPs this week), it might have been better for the story if they had actually gone through with killing her off. If not that, at least handle it in a better way that doesn't leave the narrative in a bit of a problematic mess.
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Post by DeepArcher on May 25, 2017 20:59:32 GMT
I thought episode six was really solid, but I had mixed feelings about Ray's death scene. My biggest gripe with it is how Emmit watches his brother bleed out for 30 seconds to a minute, and does absolutely nothing to help him. I mean, I suppose the shock of the whole situation would have disoriented him, but I think most people would have been very responsive in that situation. The way it was executed almost had me thinking Emmit did it intentionally, though there's been no reason given that Varga manipulated him into doing it, it seemed more like a genuine accident. I also find it a bit implausible that getting a frame broken on one's forehead would lead to a shard of glass taken to the neck. Anyway, as for the positives, I still thought it was a very appropriate (yet tragic) way for Ray to meet his end, despite the awkward execution of the whole situation. Great acting from McGregor on both ends in the scene. I'll definitely miss his dual role routine, I thought he pulled it off nicely. In general, though, it was a nice episode. I loved that No Country-esque scene when Nikki returns to the motel room, certainly one of the most tense moments of the season thus far, despite the fact that I knew where it was going. Not a whole lot of Carrie Coon this week, though I loved how they pulled out that quasi- Leftovers score for her final scene. Perhaps my favorite thing about this episode is how it began to flesh out Varga as more of a human. We see him seem genuinely worried and concerned about the investigation after Gloria's and Winnie's visit to the office. Not only that, but he showed genuine affection towards Emmit in the scene at Ray's house, which Emmit seemed to reciprocate in a weirdly heartwarming way.
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Post by DeepArcher on May 25, 2017 21:09:12 GMT
I thought episode six was really solid, but I had mixed feelings about Ray's death scene. My biggest gripe with it is how Emmit watches his brother bleed out for 30 seconds to a minute, and does absolutely nothing to help him. I mean, I suppose the shock of the whole situation would have disoriented him, but I think most people would have been very responsive in that situation. The way it was executed almost had me thinking Emmit did it intentionally, though there's been no reason given that Varga manipulated him into doing it, it seemed more like a genuine accident. I also find it a bit implausible that getting a frame broken on one's forehead would lead to a shard of glass taken to the neck. Anyway, as for the positives, I still thought it was a very appropriate (yet tragic) way for Ray to meet his end, despite the awkward execution of the whole situation. Great acting from McGregor on both ends in the scene. I'll definitely miss his dual role routine, I thought he pulled it off nicely. In general, though, it was a nice episode. I loved that No Country-esque scene when Nikki returns to the motel room, certainly one of the most tense moments of the season thus far, despite the fact that I knew where it was going. Not a whole lot of Carrie Coon this week, though I loved how they pulled out that quasi- Leftovers score for her final scene. Perhaps my favorite thing about this episode is how it began to flesh out Varga as more of a human. We see him seem genuinely worried and concerned about the investigation after Gloria's and Winnie's visit to the office. Not only that, but he showed genuine affection towards Emmit in the scene at Ray's house, which Emmit seemed to reciprocate in a weirdly heartwarming way. I like how Ray's conclusion made sense considering his character. If he had accepted the stamps, it would've been him admitting how petty and childish he is, basically he'd have no reason to be resentful towards the brother at all. I also like how Gloria and Varga are like two opposite sides the coin, like Molly and Malvo regarding season one as well. Not to mention her lack knowledge regarding technology gives her an advantage regarding Varga. As an aside I love how someone's finally stepping up to Varga as well, fuck him. 100% agree with both of these points. I totally forgot about the scene where Varga googled Gloria and found nothing, but I loved that moment. In addition to the points that you mentioned, I love how that scene called back to the lawyer who googled Varga and also found nothing (only to be subsequently killed because of it). It's as if Gloria's and Varga's lack of a virtual presence indicates that they are an equal match for each other, in terms of opposition.
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Post by DeepArcher on May 25, 2017 21:18:02 GMT
100% agree with both of these points. I totally forgot about the scene where Varga googled Gloria and found nothing, but I loved that moment. In addition to the points that you mentioned, I love how that scene called back to the lawyer who googled Varga and also found nothing (only to be subsequently killed because of it). It's as if Gloria's and Varga's lack of a virtual presence indicates that they are an equal match for each other, in terms of opposition. Is it just me or does this season feel like expectations are being subverted compared to other seasons? I am half expecting something bad to happen to possibly Winnie and Gloria. Ray's death definitely feels like a big subversion of expectation. He was set-up from the beginning as the Jerry Lundegaard/Lester Nygaard - type protagonist, which we expect to mean that he at least makes it to the end of the story. It would be fascinating if they take the next step and don' t give a happy ending to the cop character(s), as was done in the film and first two seasons. Naturally, we all expect Gloria to wind up victorious and satisfied as Marge, Molly and Gus, and Lou before her, but it would be a totally original and bold move if they had her meet a tragic ending of sorts.
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Post by DeepArcher on May 25, 2017 21:22:02 GMT
Ray's death definitely feels like a big subversion of expectation. He was set-up from the beginning as the Jerry Lundegaard/Lester Nygaard - type protagonist, which we expect to mean that he at least makes it to the end of the story. It would be fascinating if they take the next step and don' t give a happy ending to the cop character(s), as was done in the film and first two seasons. Naturally, we all expect Gloria to wind up victorious and satisfied as Marge, Molly and Gus, and Lou before her, but it would be a totally original and bold move if they had her meet a tragic ending of sorts. And yet as I say Varga can't be stopped recently, I remember feeling the same regarding Malvo so maybe I am overthinking basically. Possibly. Though I can easily envision a scenario in which Gloria and Winnie take out Varga's henchman, but he still gets away at the end.
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Post by Pavan on May 29, 2017 18:34:38 GMT
3x6- Didn't expect that. Poor Ray. Still not enough Carrie Coon.
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Post by DeepArcher on Jun 1, 2017 23:01:44 GMT
3x07: Nice to see Carrie Coon finally get some real material to work with; this was not only her best work to date for this season, but I'd say she was MVP of the episode. Really the first time I enjoyed watching her character. Also, it feels to me that McGregor is now putting double the energy into playing Emmit now that his role has been cut in half. He didn't have a big part in this episode, but was incredible when he was on screen. The way he totally mishandled that encounter with Winnie ... hilarious and uncomfortable all at the same time. Stuhlbarg was also once again incredible this week, as per usual. I thought the tie-in with Mr. Wrench at the end was nice, and certainly a connection we've bene waiting for all season, though I wonder how much further they'll be taking that.
As for some drawbacks, I thought this episode was weirdly directed in terms of chronology (Sy was able to drive Emmit home, and himself home before Gloria could walk up a flight of stairs?). Though it was still a neat approach to have this entire episode take place in a single night, even if it meant slowing the pace a bit. I also wish we got some follow-up on Winnie questioning the widow Goldfarb. Lastly, Shea Whigham's character is continuing to be a bore, despite the fact that he's (unsurprisingly) playing the caricature as well as possible.
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Post by stephen on Jun 2, 2017 1:57:03 GMT
MR. WRENCH IS BACK.
Other than that, though, really wasn't crazy about the most recent episode.
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Post by stephen on Jun 2, 2017 3:17:59 GMT
I am wondering Where Wrench fits or perhaps if its fan service?. I've heard fan theories that say that Varga is the one who hired Malvo in the first season to dispatch Tripoli's outfit. I kinda hope that it doesn't tie everything together, and that Wrench's involvement is more of an Easter egg (i.e. he escapes from the wreckage and we know that he's out there in the world).
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jun 2, 2017 11:24:44 GMT
I gotta say, I found it to be a pretty disappointing premiere. The performances were pretty solid across the board, but the whole thing just felt sloppy and contrived. The air-conditioner scene especially just left me baffled; no way would the police think it was an accident, and there would be splinters and Ewan's footprint and signs of it being legitimately tampered with to prove it wasn't an accident. Plus, how did Scoot McNairy even know where to find Ewan, if he couldn't even go to the right address? Also, how fucking convenient was it that there was an E. Stussy living in another neighborhood with a similar name, and that he was the stepfather of the chief of police (who has the ludicrous name of "Gloria Burgle")? Don't get me wrong, there are elements of it that I thought were great (Coon and Winstead, plus the entirety of the Thewlis scene), but for the most part, this one was a swing and a miss. I really hope they course-correct quick. Only just got to the first episode last night (finally), so this is as far as I will be reading into this thread for now, but had to respond to say you almost entirely summed up my thoughts on the opening ep.
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Post by cheesecake on Jun 2, 2017 15:24:12 GMT
I'm really struggling to find redeeming qualities at this point and the only thing keeping me going, I guess, is knowing that there is an end to it all. I've been reading lots of reviews and posts from people online and it has a really big fan base, but I think I'm watching another show.
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Post by cheesecake on Jun 8, 2017 14:00:00 GMT
Meemo is Jimmy Jr. lol.
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Post by DeepArcher on Jun 8, 2017 23:01:32 GMT
3x08 -- First fifteen minutes of the episode were excellent. Honestly, I think Nikki and Mr. Wrench traversing the Minnesotan wilderness as Yuri hunted them down should have been a self-contained episode all on its own. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, but those opening scenes were intense while they lasted, and perhaps the most chillingly atmospheric the series has ever been. Didn't care too much for the rest of the episode, though. First of all, it was a bit suffocating with its Coens' homages. Otherwise, though, it's sort of just feeling like the story has stalled out at this point. There really wasn't much other development than the ending, which was rather predictable. Thewlis, who was easily the best thing about this season through the first six episodes, hasn't brought anything new to the table in the past two episodes. Hopefully the final two episodes pick things up, because this episode suffered some serious time-jump lag despite starting off excellently.
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Post by stephen on Jun 9, 2017 1:51:26 GMT
The first third of the episode was pretty solid, albeit extremely predictable. The rest of the episode was pretty bad. This season is really not doing it for me. Even Thewlis is starting to wear thin. The constant Coen references (Lebowski here, Inside Llewyn Davis there!) are really starting to grate. Basically, this is worse than True Detective's second season ever was.
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Post by DeepArcher on Jun 9, 2017 3:30:56 GMT
3x08 -- First fifteen minutes of the episode were excellent. Honestly, I think Nikki and Mr. Wrench traversing the Minnesotan wilderness as Yuri hunted them down should have been a self-contained episode all on its own. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, but those opening scenes were intense while they lasted, and perhaps the most chillingly atmospheric the series has ever been. Didn't care too much for the rest of the episode, though. First of all, it was a bit suffocating with its Coens' homages. Otherwise, though, it's sort of just feeling like the story has stalled out at this point. There really wasn't much other development than the ending, which was rather predictable. Thewlis, who was easily the best thing about this season through the first six episodes, hasn't brought anything new to the table in the past two episodes. Hopefully the final two episodes pick things up, because this episode suffered some serious time-jump lag despite starting off excellently. Mcgregor was amazing to me actually, loved all scenes with him. As I said last week, I think McGregor is putting double the dedication into playing Emmit now that he no longer has to pull the dual role routine. He's been pretty extraordinary the past two weeks, and was probably the MVP of last night's episode.
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Post by Pavan on Jun 9, 2017 11:19:17 GMT
3x08 -- First fifteen minutes of the episode were excellent. Honestly, I think Nikki and Mr. Wrench traversing the Minnesotan wilderness as Yuri hunted them down should have been a self-contained episode all on its own. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, but those opening scenes were intense while they lasted, and perhaps the most chillingly atmospheric the series has ever been. Didn't care too much for the rest of the episode, though. First of all, it was a bit suffocating with its Coens' homages. Otherwise, though, it's sort of just feeling like the story has stalled out at this point. There really wasn't much other development than the ending, which was rather predictable. Thewlis, who was easily the best thing about this season through the first six episodes, hasn't brought anything new to the table in the past two episodes. Hopefully the final two episodes pick things up, because this episode suffered some serious time-jump lag despite starting off excellently.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jun 15, 2017 8:10:32 GMT
So Episode 3 has been watched and I'm not liking it a whole lot more or less than the first 2. I'm just not feeling this thing so far. It's all so stale, dull and uninspired feeling. Also, so far, I really don't like the Gloria Burgle character.
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Post by DeepArcher on Jun 15, 2017 16:56:00 GMT
3x09 -- I kind of expected more to happen, I'm not sure how this will all be wrapped up in the finale. I'm thinking this season will be the opposite of the last one, in that the final episode is when shit's gonna go down. Anyway, some notes on this episode:
--McGregor was fantastic yet again in Emmit's confession scene. --The whole Nikki / Mr. Wrench rampage felt lazy to me, as if the writers had no idea what else to do with them at this point. But I really enjoyed the Nikki and Varga scenes, as it's interesting to watch someone finally able to match Varga (it seemed that they were setting up Gloria for that role), though with a menacing feeling that Nikki is in over her head and will still probably lose this battle. --I too have suspected for a long time that Carrie Coon is not a real person, but is in fact some sort of superior entity. Anyway, that was a nice moment between Gloria and Winnie, and one of the few times this season that I was able to care about those characters as I should have. Honestly, that scene felt like it should have ended the season, i.e. perhaps Gloria "loses", yet still gets something meaningful out of the whole experience. --Shea Whigham's character finally has a reason to be a dick! --Anyone else notice how the promo for the finale essentially gave away the "twist" that the widow Goldfarb is working for Varga?
Probably one of the better episodes of the season, in terms of having a lot of scenes that I enjoyed and generally being more thorough and thoughtful with the characterization than previously. I'm just afraid it may be too little too late at this point.
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Post by Pavan on Jun 16, 2017 19:56:26 GMT
3x09- Finally a really good episode. Ladies are MVPs. Interesting that they related the 2 million years aged robot to Gloria. There is a resemblance and the follow up scene is too good. Something for Carrie Coon at last.
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Post by ibbi on Jun 22, 2017 9:30:21 GMT
Finale's last scene was a brilliant excuse for everything that came before it. I wonder if he really planned that from the start, or just cooked it up to bail himself out of everything You a smart dude, Hawley. It was beautiful and perfect that it all came down to those two.
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Post by stephen on Jun 22, 2017 15:26:49 GMT
Very strong episode with a fantastic ending scene, but considering all that came before it, it felt like Hawley concocted that scene first and then tried to build the story around that ending, and it just didn't work. The first two seasons of the show deserve to be in the conversation of "greatest television of the century," with its second season in particular a strong contender for "best single season ever." But goddamn, did this season, with all of its promise, shit the bed 85% of the time.
Also, you mean to tell me that Emmit's car conveniently breaks down long enough for the showdown to happen, and then he manages to start it up again and leave with no issue? Fuck that, Hawley.
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Post by DeepArcher on Jun 22, 2017 16:17:33 GMT
Well, that was ... incomplete.
I just read a review of this finale that pointed out the similarities between Fargo's last scene and The Leftover's last scene: Carrie Coon having a conversation with a man across the table from her, with the nature of truth and reality in the balance. Sort of interesting that both shows played out that way, with Carrie Coon's changing hair length constantly reminding us of when time jumps did or did not happen. I generally liked the idea that it all came down to Gloria and Varga, as I had expected it to -- especially if you consider that Gloria likely took up the DHS job at least partially because she believed it would eventually lead her to him -- but the ending didn't really stick the landing for me. In many ways, this episode sort of felt like Hawley just giving up, and that conclusion in particular left many things to be desired.
The episode as a whole was running really smoothly up until Nikki's death scene. I think it would have been better had the cop whom she had a standoff with been Winnie. It would have added a lot more weight to the situation. I get that Hawley likes to play with that 'randomness' theme, but there's a point where randomness starts to take the form of meaninglessness. It would have been much more impactful had Nikki had that final standoff with a character we actually knew and cared about (though I do still think that the Gloria/Winnie scene from last week should have ended this episode, and Winnie's death would have prevented that from happening -- but still, that just shows how many different directions this season could have been taken and have been improved ever so slightly). And yeah, it's incredibly stupid that Emmit was just able to drive off in a car that had literally just broken down.
It was also strange that we got those "This is what happened afterward..." texts regarding Emmit as the time jump occurred. I guess the show's/movie's "true story" format allows for pulling out that biopic cliche, but it's never been done before and felt really out of place. Especially considering it wasn't done for any other character/aspect of the story, and just felt like a shoehorned way to fill us in on information that was skipped over. Eh... But Emmit's death scene was top-notch, as Mr. Wrench finishes what his friend had started, and leaving another Stussy dead in front of the refrigerator. (In regards to Mr. Wrench, I was waiting for the scene in which he buries his briefcase of cash and brings the whole story full circle. That would have been a nice touch.)
Overall, this season felt like a strong first draft that needed a whole lot of revising to be on the same level as the first two seasons, which it very well could have been with a few improvements here and there. The story just didn't have the same fluidity as the others, leaving the whole season to become something of a jarring experience that felt more like the writers coming up with things on the fly rather than having a nicely crafted story. This season showed favoritism of events over arc, and while some of those events were really, really well-done, in the end, it's the arc that makes for great television. And this season came up short.
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