shrewd.buddha

To paraphrase Verna: "I usually don't get this hands-on Fredrick, but damn, you just need to die already." Freddy's middle-aged man-bun was the cherry on top of his cake of douche-y-ness. Respect to the actor playing Fredrick: I'm seeing the character and not the actor. When I detest a character and not the actor playing them, that's an accomplishment -- such as, when I see Madeline, I just see Mary McDonald in a wig. .. and I think it is the kid who was in E.T. ..

I seem to recall one of Leo's hallucinations was the black cat sitting on the dead body of Verna in one of the walls. I wasn't sure if the show was trying to make some specific point about Leo's drug abuse problems but the drug mixing seemed to be the source of his blackouts and hallucinations.

I liked Leo using Mjollnir to destroy his walls - - and wow, those walls were very, very deep, like, hide the dead body in the wall and brick it back over deep. Verna's creepiness factor is increasing with each manifestation. Nice. The boyfriend dodged a bullet with Leo jumping off the balcony. I also enjoyed a previous episode when the bastard Ushers discussed the fact that none of them created anything - they only bought things that other people created and then exploited them.

The entire episode was worth it for the "when the world gives you lemons" speech. I wonder how Timothée Chalamet and Billie Eilish feel about having become memes for our current obsessions? Carla Gugino is killing it in this show (on so many metaphorical levels). I like how the production dept. seems to (maybe) enhance the vocals. The enunciation by certain characters is so crisp, it 'pops'.

Our household has decided that there is no mole informant -- the prosecutor guy pretended to slip up and let his cat out of the bag prematurely. The idea of an informant causes the Ushers to turn on one another: a house divided against itself cannot stand. That's biblical stuff right there.

Agreed. I think there is supposed to be some sense of dread that is building and building .. except that it is not, really. Somehow, maybe because of the pacing, the creepiness factor isn't kicking in. Things just feel slow and slightly pretentious.

The story so far: I am enjoying all the Poe references and name dropping: Annabelle, Elenore, etc. I am not so much enjoying the backwards storytelling style - it seems to rob the show of a sense of anticipation with the deaths being a foregone conclusion. Maybe it's just me.. The choice of actor for Prospero seemed quite outside-the-box: I approve. The production quality appears to be top-notch - that's always a nice surprise when it comes to Netflix shows.

The actors certainly seemed committed to trying to act out the nonsense they were given. The material just wasn't there.. .. at all. Props to the girl playing Jamie's star pupil: she nailed the deer-in-the-headlights expression whenever Jamie gave her completely contradictory life-coaching advise. Jamie: "I kill people to make a point. Also, I fear death." Jamie: "Everyone is fake and not living a real life. Also, I will totally lie to save my own ass." Jamie: "You have to spend your life jumping off bridges and being buried alive to 'wake up' and 'get the the next level. Also, I am at the same place I was 15 years ago." Jamie's reasoning skills were like some six-year-old child. Sure, he was psychotic and had the misfortune of making friends with a psychopath in college - but still: STFU. By the third episode I was wondering how they could manage to stretch out the premise to eight episodes. If this wasn't binge-able on Netflix, we would have never made it to the end. The writing seemed like the result of some literary grad students who had skimmed the cliff notes of a a few philosophy books, then decided to invent a new form of torture. Detective Ambrose appears to have a tendency and talent for finding a bad situation and make it far, far worse. I have no sympathy. His wife and daughter should stay far, far away.

I was impressed that the showrunners understood that her alternate reality sequence needed to be told without cuts to other storylines. This seemed like the third time that WoT has used the old "your perfect fantasy life is a trick/trap" trope. I know it was used on Rand last season. There seems to be a fair amount of fake-out deaths and dream stuff, too. One of my issues with this show is the constant story switching. With five main characters, plus Moraine, that's a lot of hopping around.. not good for a show that is released on a weekly basis. A weekly story should have some type of weekly decisive developments -- in my opinion. I do wonder if the showrunners and Amazon agreed on the release schedule. It really does affect how the story comes across - and how it should be told. I can't imagine a network procedural show surviving if it were fragmented like this one. In season one, I felt as if I understood the stakes and the goals. I don’t have a sense of either in this season.

That was so very distracting.. and they kept showing the cabin.. but neither of them attempted to go there for protection. Impressive, yes, but there is something about the production that makes this world feel a bit.. artificial. Everything is so clean, so neat, so huge, grand, pristine, etc. They seem to be going for a medieval vibe = but the rooms are immaculate and gigantic. And the seldom used mountain cabin .. within walking distance.. looks like something out of a Hallmark movie.

There are so many characters -- with not-so-easy-to-remember names. I am constantly wondering “is this someone I am supposed to remember?“

This episode needed a lot more follow up. That refinery looked massive and would have been a major loss of time and materials... yet they were so nonchalant about just blowing shit up. And no further attempts to communicate with the aliens? How are these aliens supposed to be protected from other non-federation groups who might decide to harvest fuel in that area? Would Starfleet leave a warning beacon? Would the Romulans care?

Why were they using written information at all? Ortega was talking with the computer. The interactive computer could have answered all of her questions. I suppose the writers had to ignore the fact that the ship could have taken care of everything. There is a thing called autopilot. This episode had a lot of issues. Maybe as a homage to TOS it could work : the minimal sets, a few people taking care of a castle, one prisoner hammering a boulder while others shuffled about , etc, etc. How could a population without the ability to remember even survive, produce food, etc?

I mentioned this in a season 2 thread, but it fits better here: It was not clear what crimes Trevor Elliot committed and what crimes the corrupt presiding Judge woman committed -- such as who killed the lawyer that left Mickey his law practice. My understanding was that Elliot paid the Judge to fix the trial. The Judge used the money to set up fake juror. This same judge required Mickey to give her weekly updates on all his cases, thereby being able to monitor progress on Elliot's case. Elliot's first lawyer found out about the juror (and corrupt judge?) and did not want to go along with it - and had to be eliminated. Or was the lawyer also participating in some of the shadiness..? Having characters explain things afterwards did not help clear things up.

I was referring to who was responsible for putting Mickey in the hospital in episode 5 of this season. Lorna suspected Lisa was behind it - but there was also the possibility of the developer and his Armenian crime family. As to who committed certain crimes in the first season, this might belong in that thread ... but it was not clear what crimes Trevor Elliot committed and what crimes the corrupt presiding Judge woman committed -- such as who killed the lawyer that left Mickey his law practice.

While I realize these type of shows need to supply constant surprises, there were so many unbelievable turns: During months of preparation, Mickey never came across a photo of Lisa's husband..? Mickey not knowing their divorced was never finalized? Both Mickey and prosecutor continually introducing evidence and witnesses that were not disclosed to the other side. Lisa dropping surprises on Mickey as if they had never discussed her whereabouts during the murder. The 'previously' scenes highlighted the husband, so that was a tip. And Lisa always had extreme overreactions whenever Mickey tried to talk about him. Bondurant's murder: Just like season one, this show does a poor job of explaining what actually happened and why. Someone suggested a re-enactment of the crime and I agree. Having characters give lengthy, confusing exposition explanations - as well as their theories about motives - makes things even more messy. I am still confused as to who committed certain crimes in the first season. Will we ever know for certain who put Mickey in the hospital?

Lisa knew that Mickey had a contract for rights to her story/life -- so why didn't she check with him before meeting again with podcast guy? Lisa seems to have a lot of unrevealed issues. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop with regards to her ex husband. It's pretty obvious it wasn't the ex who called Mickey. It's also hard to believe that Mickey was surprised when Lisa admitted to being on the street near the murder scene. Wouldn't a lawyer and his client go over locations and timelines with exhausting detail?

After season 1, and the tattooed killer, Mickey seems to have a reputation of being duped by his clients. ..but it would be difficult to root for him if he, and we, knew his client was actually guilty. It is frustrating that TPTB purposely skip over a lot of details, such as forensic evidence, the client's account of events, etc.

This bears repeating. It seems as if so many shows these days have awful writing but the other departments are doing a pretty good job: props, cinematography, FX, wardrobe. I wonder if they are also disappointed with the final results? It's also weird when the wardrobe choices don't seem to match the circumstances. My feeling is Ciri will continue to be a Living McGuffin for quite some time .. depending on how long this show lasts. It also seems to be a common trope that powerful characters must lose (or renounce) their powers to make them more manageable plot-wise.

Well, that wasn't very satisfying, was it? Usually the final episode brings the story threads from the season together for some type of conclusion. Nope, not this time.. This seemed like a beginning episode, with characters starting new journeys, forming new groups and new characters being introduced. Phillippa, Dijkstra, Francesca, Fringilla, Vilgefortz, and Embyr are all back to their political plotting shenanigans... again. Tissaia's suicide seemed pretty pointless -- just an excuse to put Yennifer in a position of power and give her some angsty/weepy moments: "You've shown me more kindness than anyone I've ever known. I fondly remember you turning young girls into electric eels when they didn't meet your standards.. You were like a mother...“ Where was Cohiar? Guess he will randomly show up again with a new personality .. maybe stab someone in the neck .. or apologize for stabbing people in the neck. TPTB seem to be establishing Geralt, Yeniffer and Ciri as equal leads of the show, which could work, if done well. But the writing is just not up to the task. I am tired of the main characters continually pronouncing that "we are family!!" "you are my daughter!!" "we will find each other again!!" . It has been way overdone. I don't plan to be back for more after this season ... unless I hear some incredible reactions in the forums. It is just not worth all the annoying elements of this show to even hate-watch it. Things that bugged me: Magic cannot cure Geralt .. until it can, when the plot decides it can. Yennifer jumping back and forth between Aretuza and wherever Geralt was. If it was magic portals, why not use them to help others? Aretuza should be trashed and filled with dead bodies, but the small Sisterhood of witches are able to tidy up with no extra help -- just a few chairs to set upright. And everyone's hair and dresses are perfection. Everyone still looking for Ciri (!) Everyone still saying how powerful Ciri is -- while Ciri never manages to be powerful when needed.

This. Really, this is the sole purpose as to why all the circumstances were contrived to have a specific situation and desired outcome: Cliff and David have no interaction or supervision from NASA (or whoever). Even after David's family is murdered. The avatars are perfectly lifelike, down to facial stubble and skin texture. They appear to even have sweat glands and don't feel like plastic when people touch them. Despite the level of other technology looking like the late '60's, scientists have created these robots as well as the technology to broadcast immediate sensory feedback from astronauts in deep space. (sight, hearing, touch, smell? taste?) They also seem to have discovered the secret of artificial gravity for spaceships. (a common sci-fi cheat) Cliff and his wife make no plans to make sure she can identify who is controlling the avatar. There also seems to be an attempt to make some point about the men of this particular time having a pissing contest over "their" homes, "their" children, "their" wives. When David pulls out the chair for Cliff to sit with him at the end, it was as if he was saying "I guess we're in the same boat now." Are we, the audience, supposed to think Cliff cares more about self preservation than avenging his family? That Cliff wouldn't tell his employers what happened, no matter the ability to prove it? That Cliff wouldn't kill David at his first opportunity and burn the whole space mission to the ground? It was understanable that Cliff could be weirded out by the avatar situation and not feel comfortable being inimate with his wife. Too bad the level of mental health care didn't match the level of robot technology during that time :-(

Ciri's been through the desert with a horse with no name It felt good to be out of the rain In the desert you can't remember your name 'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain La la la la la la... (paraphrased} We decided amongst the two of us that the showrunners had exhausted their budget on the previous episode, so their genius solution was to have an entire episode shot in the desert. Maybe this was an experiment to see how little of the Witcher they could put into a episode of The Witcher...? It was ... surreal. For six episodes it seemed as if the show jumped to another setting and set of characters every 90 seconds. But now we were stuck in the desert with Ciri for 95% of the running time (!) How many minutes was that?, because it felt like forever.. And to what an anticlimactic ending: Ciri is tempted to embrace fire magic, heals one Unicorn, then abandons all her magic. (Who, exactly, is she bargaining with?) I dread the next, final, episode. I have no confidence that there will be a satisfying conclusion - or transition to whatever is going to happen without Henry Cavill.

So, that seemed like a real bloodbath .. but after all that magic-versus-arrows killing and Tissaia pulling down lightning death .. it seemed as if every semi-regular character was still alive. Meh. (The number of Witcher characters on IMDB is mind-boggling) It sucks for fire-hands-evil-magic guy. They built him up since the the first episode of the season - - then he shows up only to get beheaded in about 15 seconds. That was so WtF.. The mages really came off as severely not clever. So, the tips of the arrows were magic-proof. What about the bows? The bow strings? Nobody knew how to make toxic fumes? Smoke? Nobody knew a spell to create blindness? Why would they stay in the grand ballroom and fight almost hand-to-hand? Blech.. It feels so random as to which characters TPTB decide to give more screen time to.

Saw it a week ago .. and the best thing I can say about it was that season 4 was much better produced than season 3. It appears that having less episodes results in having more money to film in more locations and have more authentic crowd scenes. The writing/plot seemed pretty boilerplate for the espionage genre. And six episodes did help keep things moving without much filler. Jack Ryan was more interesting as a show and a character in Season 1. Then he had an actual life and had actual ambitions, interests, friends, etc. Since Season 2, Jack Ryan is just a stick-figure action star who spouts political and miliary jargon and "goes rogue" on regular basis to save the day -- he is the only one who can figure things out. In Season 4, Jack Ryan is a mover, shaker and king maker. "I will make you CIA Deputy Chief because it is mine to give away - and I need want to do something else." I do understand however, that on his eponymous show, Jack Ryan had to be the one grandstanding in front of Congress at the end, delivering the final (telegraphed) twist. I lost any sympathy for Chao Fan when he shot the two casino security men in the back of their heads, who were just doing their security job and attempting to keep him alive. With all his collateral damage killing, Chao Fan was no better than the other villains, imo. Of the many tropes and cliches, I am very weary of shows where the heroes kill scores of guards to provide the action show body count. It seems as if anyone wearing a security uniform has automatically crossed some moral line and deserves to be shot dead -- sometimes while just standing guard, not during an exchange of gunfire. At least Chavez and November managed to avoid the trope of killing everyone except the villainous kingpins who deserved it most.

This episode put me to sleep. Actually. Literally. By the third , or fourth? , 'revisiting' of the events of the party, I was done. They should change the name of this show from 'The Witcher' to 'The Convoluted Pursuit of Ciri'.