shrewd.buddha

Impressive graphics. But the story was confusing - it felt like an immersive dreamscape of pew-pew sci-fi violence .. which isn't necessarily a bad thing .. It might have made slightly more sense if I had any knowledge of Warhammer 40,000.

Impressive graphics. But the "story" felt like a teaser trailer for a movie.

Ditto. It was also nice to have a Christmas theme at this time of year. The plot and tone got more unhinged and chaotic as the story progressed. The acting, staging and cinematography managed to keep things from tipping into utter ridiculousness: untraceable cell phones? leaving fingerprints everywhere? Husband never ever questioning why stay-at-home wife is AWOL for huge amounts of time? One minor gripe was the introduction of new characters near the end. The drug dealer had been mentioned - but we were losing track of names at one point. Was Tracey Ullman supposed to be a surprise cameo?

This show is ridiculously enjoyable .. with a tip of the hat to the ridiculous aspect of it all .. When taking on a small army of armed bad guys it helps if the protagonists take on the role of Jedi warriors and the nameless henchmen embody the tactical and targeting skills of Stormtroopers.

Charming. Amusing. Occasionally poignant. No regrets about watching it .. but I did keep hoping for more zing with regards to the comedy. The snark between Julie and Didi was enjoyable but most of the rest seemed tame compared to the likes of The Golden Girls. We kept getting distracted by the blasé attitude with regards to real world realities of cost and the world of assisted living: - You can just show up and get into Assisted Living in a day? - These people would have to be in the top 10% to live in such a place in downtown SF.

Yep. It seems obvious that any overly talked about outcome with not be the actual outcome on this type of show.

Oh, my God! They killed Kenny Ronnie! You bastards! It made me think of an alternate world version of The Diplomat where there were no explosions, just amusing cultural faux pas by the Americans, genteel differences of opinion about politics, shy and earnest unexpected romantic entanglements and learning to embrace the wearing of large hats to formal occasions.

We had the same reaction - and we did re-watch the last episode of season 1. I was surprised that the show picked right back up at the moment of the bombing. I had expected a time jump, considering the 1.5 year gap between seasons. Back in the olden days, television shows would end their season in late May and start again in mid September. It was a simpler time... Considering that Kate and Hal live in full tilt crisis mode 24-7, it helps that all the episodes are available at once. (But only six this season (?)) There are a lot of characters resurfacing in rapid succession. And the more they try to convince me that the PM is the primary villain, the more I am convinced that he is not. .. but what if the plot twist is not having a surprising plot twist ..?

Consider yourself lucky if you don't live in a 'battleground' state. There is no escape unless you opt for no-ad streaming. It is disappointing to think about how much $$ is being wasted to advertise to people who are already firmly in one camp or another.

Yes, I would have been happy without the cliffhanger for another season .. particularly because with streaming services there seems to be no way of knowing when or if another season with arrive. .. do not get me started on Stranger Things .. Maybe they were trying to avoid the typical legal show ending of winning the case when the jurying returns the not guilty verdict - - but this seemed messy with all the separate follow-ups that resulted. Cisco's discovery in Vegas seemed to go nowhere but finally played a part when Haller confronted the DA in that huge (huge) conference room with incredible views. Mickey was semi-famous before - but with a multi-million settlement from the government, there shouldn't be any more need for advertising on bus stop benches. Mickey pissed off a lot of branches of law enforcement so it's not surprising that someone would want retaliation. But would he really leave his precious Lincoln in a vulnerable parking spot? The author of the books (and Bosch books) seems to have a low opinion of the law enforcement system in California.

The puzzle pieces are very very slowly coming together. The flashbacks that explained why some semi-random house was wired with cameras helped. The key to proving Mickey's client not guilty of murder is discovering and exposing the real murderer of Glory Days. I get that. But wouldn't it be easier, and safer, if Haller had some trustworthy LAPD or FBI contacts that could help? They had eight months to work with. Mickey's client would be released if a rogue detective solved Glory's murder. I hear good things about a LA detective named Harry Bosch. Meanwhile, the ghost of Eddie should be haunting the offices because his murder is not being investigated. (It probably is. And everyone assumes they know who was responsible for the car wreck. .. but still .. justice for Eddie.)

Yes. Does the one protector gangster stay awake outside of Mickey's house all night? It also might help to have some small hints that during the 8 months waiting for this one case to come to trial, Mickey and company do handle other cases. Maybe just a shot of another client waiting in the office area? The current clients paying with gold bars also seems like a red flag of some type.

And was Eddie not wearing a seatbelt for some reason? This was not a great in-show advertisement for the performance or safety features of the Lincoln SUV model.

Something about this season - so far - seems overly complicated and convoluted. Maybe they are trying too hard to set up a twist - but it seemed that things were always leading back to the crooked cop. The dance studio drama seems unnecessary. Why bother with that? It may be a directing decision or acting choice, but Andrea is not believable as a government employee. Her whole vibe is fashionista attorney at a firm that caters to corporations and wealthy clients.

They don't click. At all. It might work on paper, as another of Mickey's bad romance choices - but they can't sell it on screen. Andrea always looks as if she is walking down a fashion show runway.