Post by DeepArcher on Dec 22, 2021 14:23:16 GMT
Anyone else checked this out yet?
New HBO series based on the novel by Emily St. John Mandel (I coincidentally just finished reading the novel before the series released, didn't even plan it that way!), created by former Leftovers writer Patrick Somerville, ensemble cast including Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, and Gael García Bernal.
First three episodes are out now on HBO Max and are very, very good. It manages to take on the subject matter of an apocalyptic pandemic in a way that is both stressful and comforting, without going out of its way to resonate with real-life circumstances (the novel was written years before COVID and the show even started production before the pandemic; real-life parallels entirely, weirdly coincidental). The entire vibe of the show is definitely Leftovers reminiscent in a way that I really love -- perfect blending of different tones, there's a real sorrow to it but not without a sense of dark humor, with a novelistic, ambitious approach to its storytelling and real sensitivity towards each of its characters. The performances have been great across the board, but the MVPs are so far are Matilda Lawler (genuinely one of the best child performances I've seen in ... years?) and Danielle Deadwyler (her ep. 3 performance is one for the record books).
Looking forward to the rest of this in the coming weeks. Would definitely recommend checking out!
New HBO series based on the novel by Emily St. John Mandel (I coincidentally just finished reading the novel before the series released, didn't even plan it that way!), created by former Leftovers writer Patrick Somerville, ensemble cast including Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, and Gael García Bernal.
First three episodes are out now on HBO Max and are very, very good. It manages to take on the subject matter of an apocalyptic pandemic in a way that is both stressful and comforting, without going out of its way to resonate with real-life circumstances (the novel was written years before COVID and the show even started production before the pandemic; real-life parallels entirely, weirdly coincidental). The entire vibe of the show is definitely Leftovers reminiscent in a way that I really love -- perfect blending of different tones, there's a real sorrow to it but not without a sense of dark humor, with a novelistic, ambitious approach to its storytelling and real sensitivity towards each of its characters. The performances have been great across the board, but the MVPs are so far are Matilda Lawler (genuinely one of the best child performances I've seen in ... years?) and Danielle Deadwyler (her ep. 3 performance is one for the record books).
Looking forward to the rest of this in the coming weeks. Would definitely recommend checking out!
... this is a moment that the show seems to think is subtle and plays without a hint of irony, to be clear ... in fact basically everything with the Tyler character is unintentionally hilarious and again really ruinous to the tone that this had set in those first three episodes (eps. 1 & 3 especially). I'll try to stick with it because I do like the book ... maybe foreground Lawler, Patel, Deadwyler, Bernal again and I'll be back into it. 
) and absolutely nothing here that I think is the slightest bit rational. So yeah, one episode is enough for me to scratch this one off.