The creators of the show were clearly ticking things off a list:
✅ “Cue the intro music guys. Let the viewers know that we are a cool and hip show.”
✅ “Ok kid, time for you to quip now. And Number 1, you need to be totally nonchalant about it and give a corny reply. Can you be emotionless and not crack up? Of course he can, it’s the only expression he’s got.”
✅ “Slick camera work! Maybe that will help cover all of your lousy acting.”
And holy crap, if there is any TV show/movie or medium of art that wholly defines wooden acting, this would take the top spot definitely. What on earth were the casting directors doing even?! Apart from Number 4 and Number 5, everyone else has nothing to show on their faces at all. Just a deadpan look and monotone line delivery.
Ok, let’s forget the crappy stuff for a bit.
The Umbrella Academy is the latest amongst a thousand productions that Netflix keeps churning out every week. And like 80% of those shows, this one is utter trash. I think their executives just love greenlighting the shows, chucking them on to the wall and then the executives just pray for one to stick.
43 kids were born to women on a random day at the start of which they weren’t pregnant. A wealthy businessman adopts 7 such children and he discovers that these kids have extraordinary abilities. Abilities that could be used to change the world. Instead of giving them names, he assigns them numbers –à la Reservoir Dogs or Money Heist.
Number 1: He has super strength. He pretends like he’s the caring one, but is a dick.
Number 2: He can curve projectiles. He’s a softie deep inside but pretends to be a dick.
Number 3: She manipulates reality, can make people do her bidding by uttering the phrase “I heard a rumour…” (I heard a rumour you forgot you ever watched this show in the first place. Gimme that mindwiping gizmo, Tommy Lee Jones. I am sorry what? Oh… Will Smith borrowed it to forget his shitty blue genie. Also, After Earth.)
Number 4: “I see dead people.” Yeah, he can communicate with the dead and is constantly drunk or high in an attempt to forego use of his powers. (Also, he’s one of the only cast members to play his character semi-convincingly.)
Number 5: He can jump through space and time. He went missing when he was 13 years old and comes back to the present day having aged 58 years mentally: still in the same 13-year-old body. The kid who plays him is the ONLY decent actor in the show and hence I am going to name drop him: Aidan Gallagher. He’sonly 15. WTH is wrong with the rest of the cast?
Number 6: Not a main cast member, but since the posters and marketing team barely show him any love, I will. He possesses a weird Kraken-like monster under his skin and hence is extremely powerful. Quiet possibly the strongest member of the group.
Also, he’s dead. Nope, not a spoiler since it’s revealed in the first few minutes itself. (He’s still present in the show because of Number 4’s abilities.)
Number 7: Vanya, played by a high profile actress. She is a violin student who does not possess any powers at all. The rest of the family consider her to be irrelevant and hence, she chooses to distance herself from them. In her defence, the character is given emotion-suppressing drugs for plot reasons, which explains why she acts as such. Someone must have slipped those pills to everyone else on set as well.
We couldn’t add 6. Because of symmetry? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Then there’s:
i) the businessman/wealthy guy/discount Professor X: Reginald Hargreeves. He plays the distant father who expects the most out of his kids.
ii) Hazel and Cha -Cha: Ruthless assassins who want to kill Number 5, but the script forgot to specify how strong they were and hence all of their fight scenes make no sense at all. Oh, and before I forget: THEY CAN’T ACT EITHER. They might actually be worse than Number 1, which is so sad…
The plot: All of the kids reunite at their X-Mansion to mourn their father’s death. Number 5 who went missing years ago, appears out of thin air (literally) with info that the world is about to end in 8 days.
Honestly though, the script is solid, especially considering the many elements I am leaving out such as:
The organization that Cha-Cha and Hazel work for.
Number 4 has a really good story arc.
5 is an impressive actor and plays to the story beats really well.
the visuals and cinematography are decent enough.
But when the duo’s of Cha Cha-Hazel and Number 1-2 are on screen, the sense of realism just breaks down completely. And top that off with the show’s utter disregard for pacing, and you have a series that you can switch off after the first 30 minutes itself.
I am going to gloss over everything else that’s relevant such as score, direction etc because all of that is secondary to the acting itself. Please spare yourself from this monstrosity.
This is the story of a boy who feared becoming a god, in a world that needed one.
Growing up, the term “Avatar” always cropped up in conversations back in school but I never really gave a second thought about it. Like most other people, the only Avatar that I was aware of was the James Cameron space epic. And the disastrous M. Night Shyamalan movie that I actually gave a shot at. Needless to say, even to a newcomer like me, the movie was pathetic and it was the sole reason for me putting off the show when recommended by a number of friends. A few months ago I ended up watching Trollhunters, an animated series from Del Toro which to my great surprise turned out to be a great watch. Since my head was filled to the brim by various aspects of the show, I started scouring the internet reading more about it. What did I find on the Internet? A number of people recommending Avatar: The Last Airbender, stating that if you enjoyed Trollhunters, you are definitely going to be blown away by Avatar.
So, I gave it a chance. And boy did it manage to reign me in.
A Gist: The world consists of four nations that have people who can bend one of four elements: Water, Earth, Fire and Air. The Avatar is the only person who can control all 4 elements and bring balance to the world.
The initial episodes seemed to be designed for a younger audience, but they teased how the show would mature over time. In the very first episode we get to see:
how Aang can become ruthless and instil fear when he enters the Avatar state
seemingly impossible burdens imposed on youth
misguided ideals driving a person
Y’know, that’s pretty deep already for a kids show. And it only gets bigger from here on out.
The cast of a show can make or break the show. In the case of animation. voice acting plays an extremely important role. All of the major supporting characters: Katara, Sokka, Iroh and Zuko are written and voiced well. The voice actors brought them to life with a wide spectrum of emotions.
Katara and Sokka play an important role in nursing Aang into his role as the Avatar. But this is never at the expense of their own characters, as they both have strong storylines suited for them (Alliteration game on point.). Both characters are plagued by horrors carried out by the Fire Nation and want to help restore order in the world. Katara is caring and motherly, always looking out for the best interests of the gang, while Sokka is more of a strategist and brightens the story with his humour. He plays a key role in developing new technologies that shift the tides of war. Sokka slowly becomes the heart and soul of the group that holds everyone together.
The banished prince of the fire lord, Zuko is tasked with capturing the Avatar who is the last threat to the Fire Nation. In order to regain his honour and please his father, he sets his sight on catching Aang at any cost. Considering the arc Zuko is given, some people consider him to be the main character. It’s extremely satisfying to watch his father-son relationship with Iroh (who spits wisdom while bumbling around with a cup of tea), especially once we learn what Iroh has suffered. It’s best to watch his story unfold on your own… so jumping to the next one.
Toph Beifong epitomizes the saying size is no indication of power. She is a beacon of hope to all those who cry about life being unfair. She might seem to be frail, but we soon get to know she is amongst the most powerful Earthbenders in the world. Blind from birth and treated like a delicate instrument by her parents, nothing stopped her from growing into one of the most standout and creative characters in the show.
In my opinion, Azula could be the most tragic character in the show. She’s Zuko’s sister and outshone him in terms of Firebending skills. In addition to being a prodigious bender, she was always cunning and mischievous. From a young age, she had learnt the art of manipulating people for her own gains. She is a tactician who successfully outsmarts her opponents with ease. But her apparent lack of humanity and signs of cruelty prompted her own mother to think of her as a monster. Her father was narrow-minded and his tunnel vision prompted the growth of her bending abilities while neglecting fatherly affection. Devoid of love and jealous of how her mother treated Zuko with care, Azula, in turn, became heartless. It shows how love can go a long way in shaping a person.
From the left: Katara, Sokka, Aang, Toph, Zuko
Aang. The boy who feared to become a god. The titular character, Aang is the last Airbender. The Fire nation launched a preemptive strike against the Airbenders, amongst whom the next Avatar would rise. When Aang was told of his status as the Avatar, he got cold feet. How was he -a mere kid- supposed to end the war? With growing pressures due to his intensive training as an Airbender and his role as the Avatar weighing on him, Aang flees. The air nation got wiped out in his absence, and Aang was powerless to help. We journey along with Aang as he begins to understand the role that the Avatar plays, and the challenges he must overcome in order to master all the elements. He always strives to fight injustice using non-violent means. At the end of the day, Aang is a 12-year-old tasked with an impossible mission. In the race to achieve this, would power ultimately misguide him and betray his ideals? What would he have to give up in order to save the world? His cheerful disposition to the world around him and his playful nature helps to bring out the light in a bleak war-torn world.
The world of Avatar has been sketched out with great detail. As we traverse the globe with Aang and his friends, we see how even through the darkest of times people have brought a semblance of normality to their lives by attempting to be cheerful whenever they can. When news spreads about the Avatars return, people begin to hope again for a brighter future. The war might have torn families apart, but it never broke their spirits. Towns go about celebrating festivals, and holding parades whenever possible. Some cities hold bending tournaments as entertainment for people. We also get a peek into the fire nation: a superpower that took control by launching a first strike akin to a nuclear attack. People have been displaced, violated and their villages have crumbled down due to factories and refineries where citizens are forced into labour. Benders of other elements are captured as prisoners of war and placed in horrific conditions. Some of them are put into ice boxes or chained up inhumanely in order to control their bending abilities. When we do get to see fire nation citizens, they seem like ordinary people who go about their own businesses. There are some people who were forced into committing horrific crimes, yet they do their best to atone for the sins of their nation. The fire nation has committed numerous crimes, and hence there are people who fight back, strike teams of water and earth benders doing all they can to stop the war. There even exists non-bending rebels who use excessive violence at the cost of innocent people just to avenge the losses they have suffered.
With the advent of technology, it has become much easier to spread wrong information to the masses. Particularly information that seems credible at first sight. This makes it easier for a government to retain control over its populace. In the show, we witness a disinformation campaign where a city suppresses all news about the war in order to maintain peace and order in the city. Ba Sing Se, the capital of the earth kingdom opts out of the war, affecting everyone else in their nation negatively. Puppet rulers and misguided commanders, false allusions of victory and a spark of hope that the world may turn for the better. The world of Avatar feels like a living breathing place.
All of the characters, both main and supporting are given their own time to shine. This helps us to connect with them and find out what drives each person. As a result, by the end of the show, we have a different perspective of all the characters introduced.
There are many antagonists that come and go in the show, but unfortunately Ozai the Fire lord turns out to be the weakest one. His -I am pure evil and will end the world- motif seems backward for a show with the calibre of characters such as Zuko and Azula, both of whom are extremely engaging and well sketched out.
The show has impressive animation, with creative combat scenes and some astoundingly well-animated sequences which are taken a step further considering the stakes and conflicts between the players involved. The flow of the various bending elements and the amount of research done to various martial arts helps differentiate between various bending forms. Large set pieces live up to the expectations and they are bolstered by clever soundtracks. The power of music is incredible, especially when the designers decide where to use it, and when not to.
This is a “kids” show. A show that starts off with the genocide of a country and a glimpse at a character torn between doing what is right, and what is easy. We have a military general whose greatest failure was a stepping stone to restoring his morality, a city that is oppressive of its people, a superpower with no qualms of the damage they inflict, yet help advance civilization with tools built for war. With the scope of the story, death is a natural part of the show but isn’t too on the nose. People chase after their enemies for revenge, but do they cross the line? Are damning their own souls worth it? Can peaceful resolution be more effective than outright violence? This gives a chance for the show to humanize its antagonists.
This is not just a show. It’s an experience, and I urge you to give it a shot. Go out and buy the Blu-ray or stream the show. Do yourself a favour and watch the legend of Aang, Katara, Sokka and Zuko. I promise, you will not be disappointed.
The British really know how to make their TV shows. Time and again they have managed to wow us with hit shows such as Downtown Abbey, Sherlock, Dr.Who and Peaky Blinders. Their most recent production Bodyguard has been making waves around the world.
Starring Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden in the titular role, David Budd is a war veteran assigned to protect Home Secretary Julia Montague. Her political stance advocating increased pressure in Afghanistan is everything Budd despises, having seen the brutal effects of war first-hand. The show enthralls us through its smart and suggestive direction and editing, sowing doubts and dissident as to the true motivations of each and every character. Politics is a messy business with various factions fighting for power, and the show’s choice to leave the user deaf to the interactions among various characters with Julia Montague helps build intrigue.
With imminent terrorist attacks and tensions skyrocketing between characters, episodes fly-by as various plot points emerge. The use of several stylish shots combined with clever use of background score helps pull in the viewer into the tense conflicts brewing within the show. Couple this with Budd’s PTSD, his estranged wife and children and a struggle for power among Counter Terrorism and MI5, BBC delivers a thrilling show that simultaneously raises questions relevant to security issues in Britain.
The meek finale does put a damper, though it’s the journey not the destination that ultimately matters.
Today we take a close look at the second season of Money Heist.
The first season culminated with the task force arriving at the estate where the preparation for the heist took place. They finally have the upper hand!
For all of five minutes.
Knowing that the Professor’s plan has been in the making for 5 years, he couldn’t have made an error this massive. And of course, he didn’t. The most crucial element required to carry out the heist is time. The crew needs all the time they can get in order to print the 2.4 billion euros, and a forensic haven such as the estate would help buy them some more time as the police comb their way through the house looking for clues. Of course, Rachel/Raquel is more wary of the ploy, knowing that the Professor who is meticulous has prepared the crime scene as a distraction. Various subplots unfold- friction in the team after spending so many tense days in the Royal Mint, the hostages growing bolder after the previous escape attempt, Berlin losing self-control through the course of the show, Denver-Monica-Arturo love triangle and of course the relationship between the Professor and Raquel.
If I had to summarise the season (and the show as a whole) using a single word, it would be Relationships.
The season spent a lot of time on the Professor and Raquel’s love story: how they begin to fall for each other, growing doubts on Raquel’s side (once again) and further advancements. Denver and Monica had a lot of screen time the previous season, and it remained so over here. It is okay to focus on the relationships that develop between these characters, but it becomes an issue when it detracts from the main storyline: the heist itself.
The heist proceeds at a snail’s pace. We spend lesser time building up the cat and mouse game, with one main development per episode just to keep the story moving. The plot picks up in the last episode as everyone plays their final cards. This slow pace may have been due to some storytelling choices made that resulted in the Professor being out of action for large portions of the season. He is the one that ultimately ties the cast together, and his absence creates some tension in the first few episodes. As a result, there is a dearth of story material within the Royal Mint as focus shifts onto the people outside. The last few episodes do pick up the pace and give us a solid conclusion to the season.
The production value is still top notch. Great camera work and amazing sound production are a staple in each episode. When a dramatic moment occurs, it is underscored with the help of a healthy dose of music, electronic or otherwise. You will find yourself humming to the resistance song ‘’Bella Ciao’’ days after you finish the series.
As established in my review for the first season, the strong cast continues to play their characters brilliantly. Berlin remains to be my favorite of the bunch, played amazingly by Pedro Alonso. He oozes charisma while perfectly balancing a tinge of mental instability, which gives his character an unhinged personality. Nairobi comes in a close second place, and I have been impressed with how Denver was played by Jaime Lorente López. He had to exhibit a wide range of emotions throughout the show and pulled it off like a champ.
There are some moments in this season, where you do roll your eyes and wonder how on earth an event could have occurred, so suspension of disbelief is required on part of the viewer to a certain extent.
With a neatly wrapped up plot, it is difficult to think of a direction the show can take during its third season. Overall, an average start to the season wrapped up with strong final episodes which result in Money Heist being one of the best new shows from Netflix.
An original science fiction thriller straight out of Germany, and made mainstream by our media overlord Netflix.
Set across the years 2019, 1986 and 1953, we follow the stories of the people who live in the town Winden as different families react to the disappearance of Mikkel Nielsen. The disappearance triggers memories of a similar event that took place in 1986.
This is the prime example of a show that needs to be binged in order to understand fully. And by understand, I mean keep track of the three hundred different people involved in this story and how all of them are related to each other, either by blood or deed.
For the most part, we follow four families: Tiedemann, Doppler, Nielsen, and Kahnwald. The story opens with Jonas Kahnwald as he laments the death of his father. Ulrich Nielsen and Charlotte Doppler come into play after the former’s son goes missing and an investigation opens. The wrongs committed by the members of the various families come to the forefront and questions are raised about the activities occurring at the Nuclear Power Plant that has been a staple of the town for over 50 years.
The series tagline: The Question is not where, But when. Within the first two episodes, we are made aware of the existence of time travel and the potentially dangerous aspects that it causes.
Ulrich Nielsen and Jonas Kahnwald are both played by talented actors, who manage to keep your attention throughout. Some of the other actors would have done better with better casting.
Even though the story is well written, it has some serious pacing issues. Each episode could have done better with quicker line delivery and better execution of certain scenes. At certain moments you just feel like hitting the fast-forward button because of the sheer amount of time that it takes for the characters to say or do anything, and it really grinds your brain when it does happen. When the plot does advance, you see glimpses of a show that is destined to be great. Tighter line deliveries and better direction are needed when you are trying to juggle such a large cast. A+ for the plot, but the final product leaves much to be desired. I need to give due credits to the background score which adds to the story, escalating tension and creating suspicion or fear when required.
With a better vision under an experienced director, Dark could go on to become one of the better science fiction shows on Television.
Style and confidence ooze from this original by Antenna 3, now taken up by Netflix. Pair that up with a strong cast, a solid plot, and Money Heist is what you end up with. A ticking clock, a plan that needs to be followed to the T, and a group made up of explosive characters: a recipe for disaster if not handled by the right man at the helm. The Professor.
An enigmatic leader, going by the name Professor, unites a bunch of individuals who have nothing left to lose in life with a common goal. Carry out the boldest robbery ever: Take control of the royal mint and print unmarked bills worth 2.4 billion euros for themselves.
The Cast
The interplay between the cast, both hostages and thieves help keep the story fresh. The series brilliantly captures the tension that would be developed between the crew members in such a hostile environment and the drama that develops amongst the hostages who are scared for their lives. There are some aspects that are farfetched and bogs down the story and I will come to that a little later.
On the side of the devils:
We have the Professor, Berlin, Nairobi, Tokyo, Rio, Denver, Moscow, Helsinki and Oslo. The robbers follow strict rules among themselves, with one of the key ones being not to reveal their true names to each other, hence naming themselves after cities.
Most of the focus is around the Professor, Tokyo, Berlin and Denver, with other character interactions being interwoven around them.
From the very first episode we get to know that the Professor is a very meticulous man, careful in his planning and execution who does not leave things up to chance.
Tokyo, a damaged woman who struggles on maintaining her relationship with Rio and keeping her focus on the job at hand.
Left to right: Berlin, Tokyo, Rio, Professor, and Nairobi
Berlin, the one named in charge of the robbery. Ice cold, showing no empathy for others. He is willing to step to any depths to carry out the task.
Denver, out in a tough spot when a situation arises during the robbery, and he tries to deal with it the best he can.
On the side of the angels:
Raquel: The inspector in charge of negotiations. Extremely capable, but plagued by demons from her past marriage.
Angel: The second in command. A bumbling fool who has been a supporter of Raquel during every step of her career.
Center: Inspector Raquel Murillo – Right: Pietro
Pietro: A no-nonsense Government liaison for the robbery.
Arturo and Monica: The bank manager and his assistant who are amongst the hostages, with relationship troubles of their own.
Pacing
The plot moves at a brisk pace, excepting for three episodes in the middle where it stagnates a bit. But each episode has enough development to move the plot forward. Events occur that keep both the thieves and the police on their toes. Even though it may seem like both sides are on even footing, the Professor is almost always one step ahead all the time.
Negatives
There is one major point holding this show back: Longevity. Netflix has announced a third season for the show and I honestly do not know how long this cat and mouse game can be stretched for. When you stretch one event that is supposed to last for around ten days, over a span of more than 20 episodes each being 50 minutes, what you get is a lot of FILLER material in between the main story line. And you could see the show struggle to hold itself together in a few spots. For example: Arturo and Monica’s relationship. The amount of screen time given to their relationship is absurd and doesn’t take the story anywhere. It seemed like something just inserted for Denver’s character to play a role in. That’s as much as I can say without going into spoilers. Arturo’s character is a mess to be honest, as he tries to play the hero but inadvertently ends up screwing things over.
Season 1 held itself together very well with a tight plot, solid pacing for the most part and great characters. Docking a few points off for unnecessary filler material in some episodes.
Considering the fact that pretty much every major player in the streaming network keeps pumping out one series after the other, in the hopes that they can build a successful long-running series that generates revenue for them, a show like The End of the F***king World is a breath of fresh air.
Tightly plotted, fast-paced and gets to the point right from the start. The trailer beautifully highlights the premise of the show: James and Alyssa –a psychopath out to commit murder and a rebel respectively- decide to run away together and end up on a journey that neither one could have anticipated at the start.
James- Right proper PsychopathAlyssa-Rebel Teen
A simple enough plot on the face of it, but when you couple two extreme personalities together, you are bound to run into a bunch of trouble. Which is what ends up happening. A series of unfortunate events that just feel natural considering the characters that we are following.
What makes the show so interesting is the fact that it delves into so many aspects of the world we live in, while maintaining a sense of humor and not losing sight of the plot. Sexuality, violence against women, homosexuality, child abuse, suicidal tendencies and a few more are amongst those covered. When so many issues are dealt with, losing track of the plot is a very real thing to contend with and all of the above-mentioned issues are dealt with in a rational and satisfying manner.
The quick pace helps move the story along at a steady pace and slows down just enough to give us time to breathe and process what just went down. The side characters introduced don’t feel unnecessary, and all of them are given just enough screen time such that they don’t detract attention from our protagonists. Except for Frodo. We needed more Frodo!
Oh dear Frodo- Photo Cred: Buzzfeed
All in all, a tight plot, brilliant casting, spot-on social commentary and a good conclusion makes TEOTFW a must watch.
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