Proclone

Ok, I am currently about fifteen minutes into the newest episode and I feel like I've cut this series a lot of slack because programs about cults generally interest me. I was okay with the first couple episodes focusing on Mark and Sarah and by extension Bonnie, because I do think seeing ESP through their eyes is illuminating about how people get involved in things like this. But I have now watched a women drive in a car (and name drop her royal family members for good measure), and then make juice and then listened to another woman gush about Catherine Oxenburg for several minutes, without one substantive thing being discussed...and I'm so glad we cleared up which guy was Brad🙄 This is after the countless Facebook updates last episodes...Either the producers did not remotely have enough material for nine episodes and are padding this thing to the nth degree or they are seriously inept and think this is what we want to see rather than discussing the real issues surrounding ESP.

My thoughts on Sarah are this...I really want to be sympathetic to someone who was brainwashed and branded, but she doesn't make it easy. I think part of her problem is she's one of those personality types that must be the best or at the pinnacle of everything. She couldn't be the best actor in the world because of lack of natural talent and opportunity, so when she found ESP she decided she was going be the best student/recruiter/whatever she could be. When that all when sideways...I hate to say it, this is going to sound awful, but in someways I think now she's trying to be the best at being a victim. And I know that people are accused of playing the victim, often by disingenuous people (often self-help gurus in fact) who try and minimize real trauma, and blame the victim and I'm really not trying to do that. Sarah was a victim, her trauma is real and it is valid and I would even argue that it doesn't matter if other women in the group had it worse that she did. That being said I think she fixates on what happened to her to an unhealthy degree. I also know that we are only getting snippets of her life and being a documentary about the organization it also makes that we're focusing on what happened to her there but still...Basically I'm saying she's kind of an extra person to begin with and she's by extension she is being extra about what happened to her. I also think she's trying to parlay what happened to her into being something like Leah Remini did with Scientology. However, unlike Scientology, NXIVM is basically defunct. There are still the wack jobs dancing outside Keith's jail cell, but by in large she isn't going to be saving anyone from falling into the clutches of Keith or NXIVM. And also unlike Leah, who listed out all the unpleasant parts of her personality and bad things she's done at the beginning of her book (because she knew Scientology would attack her with them), Sarah doesn't seem self aware enough to know when she's not coming across well. I really really hope she gets therapy and is able to move forward with her life. I don't think continuing to focus on her trauma is in anyway healthy for her. She's obviously a talented salesperson. Go make money selling something (hopefully that doesn't involve a sex cult or bilking people out of their money on canned self-help BS). Also in terms of the documentary I agree that it's focusing too much on Sarah and Mark. I was very interested in the bits about Barbara and the other nine women that left...I skipped some of the bits about Sarah checking her Facebook page. While I guess in theory it would be interesting to witness the fall of an organization like NXIVM as it happens...as it's being presented in this doc, it's boring. Also as others have posted, I'm not sure why they aren't mentioning the more salacious stuff, like Keith being a pedophile. I don't know if they're saving it, but if you have to pad your documentary with Facebook updates and not talked about real criminal things this man has done yet, your pacing is off. Every time they cut to updates about the NYT article I wished they would go back to Barbara or Susan and talk about substantive things. Honestly I watched and episode of Cults and Extreme Beliefs about NXIVM that was an hour. It seemed to cover all the information we've learned so far in five parts of this and even had extra information. Also Mark and Sarah are interviewed for it and they both come off better than they do in this doc. Probably a less is more thing. Sarah also just refers to the brand being on her "crotch" which is at least closer than "vagina" in terms of anatomical accuracy. She also admits that there were other women that underwent even more extreme traumas at the hands of Keith.

Can I just say, while Keith is beyond scum, I find Nancy Salzman particularly odious. There doesn't seem to be much information out there about her, even independent from this documentary I can't find much about her. But, I can't really believe that she as the co-founder of ESP didn't know that it was largely just another pyramid scheme when it was created. I doubt she envisioned it as a sex cult, and maybe she even thought some of the techniques were helpful. But, we know that she was a psychiatric nurse and was apparently working as a therapist or some sort of counselor. I find it very hard to believe that she didn't see Keith for exactly what he was, a conman spouting largely useless self help BS. We also know she fed her daughter to this man. And on top of that, we now know from Boucher, she was sending people she had counselor to ESP. That's another level of ethical violations (the irony). She manipulated a former client, who counted her as a friend, into joining this cult. Perhaps it's because I'm a medical professional, but the idea of that misuse of your profession, just really pisses me off.

I don't think they're covering The Police's version of Roxanne so much as the version that was in Moulin Rouge, which was sung by the Argentinian in the movie. So, I think that's what they were going for...and failing miserably. At least the guy sounded reasonably on key, the woman singing obviously couldn't hit some of the notes. Edited to Add Their version of a Crazy Little Thing Called Love, may be the most obnoxious thing I've heard...and that is a song that does kind of lend itself to A Capella.

I believe he just visited them the one time and as the article you linked kind of hints at the reason he came didn't really have anything to do with Keith's pleading his case to Dalai Lama in person but rather because (under spoiler just in case they talk about it in the doc) The whole visit was so cringey that I was physically uncomfortable watching it in some parts. And I laughed out loud when Keith said he wanted to use his techniques to help solve the problems in Tibet and China. I wonder how much Keith actually believed his own BS? How far does one's head have to be up your own ass to think your self help BS is going solve the conflict in that region? Why not get moving on middle east peace while you're at it Keith?

I don't think it's really accurate to say that Lauren and Keith were in a relationship. I think Lauren may have been in a relationship with him (at least in her mind), I think he was just sleeping with her. The baby thing is not just a sign of typical, more average, unhealthy relationship, it's another example of the manipulation Keith used. I'm not sure it had anything to do with Keith wanting or not wanting children, it was just another way to control Lauren and that's probably what Keith get off most on, having control over people...Especially women. Everything about DOS was just a way to control these women for him and fulfill whatever sick need he had to do it. Apparently he even convinced some of them that him sleeping with multiple women was to help them get over their jealously. Basically he was doing them a favor by sleeping with multiple people, what a selfless guy. From some of the outside things I read, most people in NXVIUM (And I'm with Catherine I have trouble spelling that stupid word every time), thought that Keith was pretty celibate after Cafritz died. This was patently untrue. Apparently he has said he is polyamorus, which is completely fine if you are being ethically nonmonogamous. But despite throwing that word around a lot, I don't think he knows the meaning of the word ethical. I've also read that he got off on being approached or "seduced" by these women. Which explains why this was an "exercise" that was assigned to the women in DOS. It also makes me wonder if Mack was told he liked women to be forward with him prior to meeting him, and why she was so seemingly inappropriate with the "Pop my cherry," comment.

Keith got in trouble for running another MLM before NXIVM that was shut down for being a pyramid scheme. The elder Salzman was certainly aware of this and I think met him very shortly after he had to pay pretty a big fine. She was also a psych nurse, and a hypnotist, so I think it's fairly safe to say that she was perfectly aware that Keith is a con-man. I'm not sure if she thought it was going to turn into a sex cult, but I'm pretty sure she was in on the plan to create another pyramid scheme. Also from what I've read she met Keith through one of his (then) girlfriends (not the one that passed away). As a random side note, I do wonder what time that meeting happened? We know from Mark and Sarah that volleyball started rather late in the evening and that Keith would show up even later. I can see how all that BS seems much more profound when you're sleep deprived and maybe jet lagged (I was under the impression Mack had just come from Vancouver). I think that's half the reason he did it. He'd have people work all day and then tire themselves out playing a stupid game for hours before he'd show up to pontificate BS. Everyone would be exhausted and sweaty and suddenly the nerdy guy in the sweatbands seems a lot more appealing. From how easily she lapsed into a crying jag, I feel like she was already primed in some way (sleep deprivation and/or jet lag) to be emotional. I know I'll cry over the stupidest things when I'm really tired. I honestly don't know what to feel about Mack in general. I haven't since I heard about this cult at the start. Was she just one more person Keith manipulated, or is she just as evil as he is? Somewhere in the middle, maybe? Where he manipulated her into giving into some really dark parts of herself. I'm also curious about the younger Salzman. Did she drink the cool-aid or was she just as aware as her mother of what was going on? On the one hand I want to think these women are victims too, like Bonnie, Jane and India. But on the other hand, Mack brought other women to her house and branded them...with a version of her initials. I'm not sure there's any level of brainwashing that absolves you of that.

I understand why a lot of people may not get how anyone could get involved with something like this, but I kind of see a certain amount of blaming of the people involved going on here that I don't think is super fair...Maybe it's because I can sympathize with how people get sucked into things like this. I've never been a part of a cult, but honestly I fully admit that's more because I was lucky to not have encountered one when I was in my late teens or early twenties (and I do understand that many of these people are much older than that, but I can still sympathize). I remember seeing ads for Dianetics when I was a kid and if my mother hadn't forbade me from reading it, I might have wound up sucked into something like Scientology. I remember always feeling like something was missing for me and I went through *a lot* of searching trying to find it. I got involved with new age-y religions (which thankfully in my case were benign), I read self-help books. I even went through, what I jokingly refer to now, as my uber religious phase, where I got very involved in Catholicism (I was raised Catholic, but only really nominally so). We're talking not eating meat on Fridays, fasting, going to confession weekly, volunteering a lot at Church, including donating money and even at one point helping to teach Confirmation classes for adults. Sound kind of familiar? We're talking about it was the to the point, I would feel super guilty for missing Mass, regardless of the reason. Even for valid reasons, like illness. Thankfully this also wound up being a fairly benign thing, but if it had been a nefarious cult rather than a more mainstream religion, I could have totally seen myself getting sucked way down a rabbit hole. Do I think certain personalities and people with certain issues are more likely to get involved in cults, yes. Do I fully acknowledge I have one of those personalities, yes. Am I inherently a stupid person, no I don't think I am. I'm not even sure if I'd describe myself a gullible. I have some OCD tendencies and things with ritual hold...I'm not sure appeal is the correct word, but it's all I got. I will also obsess and perseverate on things, to a super unhealthy level (the example of missing Mass). Put me in setting that reinforces that and...well no good comes from it. I was also dealing with a ton of self-loathing which in hindsight was due to internalized homophobia, when I was younger. And I was desperate to find a way not feel like that anymore. If I had taken a course and even for a little while felt like it made me feel better about myself, you bet I would have dove in head first. I half wonder if things like that send a lot of people into the arms of things like Scientology...I mean there seem to be more than a few closeted guys involved. I also think the culture of Hollywood, plays a part in why celebrities often get mixed up in things like this. You're job already involves taking direction from a (usually) man who quite often in a egomaniac. And you're already quite often asked to do uncomfortable things. Actors may already be primed to accept stuff a lot of stuff other people wouldn't. Anyway, like I said, I don't blame anyone for not getting how people get involved in stuff like this, I just wanted to give a little perspective from what could have easily been the other side.

It seems to me ESP is Scientology with the serial numbers and maybe the slightly more bat-shit beliefs (like Xenu) filed off. The use of the terms centers and tech. The idea that it's all scientifically based. It sounds like EMs are basically auditing without the tin cans. The insistence that they are the only group of people who can change the world, especially without explaining how. The frequent use (and misuse) of the word ethics or ethical. The beliefs that they can cure various diseases with their "tech". The structure and the costs... It all adds up to something very very similar to Scientology. I mean the jargon thing is part and parcel of cults in general. The controlling of how you speak is one part of indoctrination, but everything else seems to be wholesale stolen from Scientology specifically. I wouldn't be surprised if Keith was involved in Scientology at some point in his life. I'm guessing he at least studied it from the outside and instead of most people's reaction of, "This is horrible," he said, "Hmm...Can I add sexual slavery to it?" So the supposed smartest man in the world is not only a sexual predator, he's a plagiarist.

I didn't hate the slightly silly overly jokey Wynonna of the last two episodes...only because one, I think these two episodes have been particular fanservice-y (hence the sex scene) as a sort of the gift to the fans for basically getting this season even made and whether true or not, Wynonna quips are seen as being something the like; and two and I think Wynonna does legitimately use humor as a coping mechanism. So, given that I imagine she was especially stressed out and her other coping mechanisms of drinking and sleeping with inappropriate men weren't available, I can see her being especially quippy. That being said, I do hope we return to a slightly more serious with the rest of the season. Both because I agree I don't really love it when we start to slip into the almost silly territory with Wynonna, and because I think Scrofano is really good when Wynonna is serious. Her performances in the scenes where she found out she was pregnant and the scene last year when she told Waverly she was not let Waverly sacrifice herself, made me tear up a little. So, I'm down for more serious Wynonna. I'm also down for exploring what the time jump means to her. She now has an almost two year old daughter. She is already aware that she missed a good percentage of her child's life and now there's even more time gone. I'd really like her to reflect on that at some point. Jeremy isn't my favorite. Though I actually like him better when he's with Wynonna than when he's with Waverly or Doc. He is actually also much better when he's being serious rather than silly. And I'm also hoping that Robin will return this season (I imagine the actor may of had other commitments), because I actually kind of liked them together. I thought the sex scene was well done. Probably in large part because interviews seem to indicate that the actresses were heavily involved in the blocking of the scene. And while it was hugely fanservice-y, I do think it served an actual purpose of showing the love and intimacy of Nicole and Waverly.

I still don't remember the nickname from either the book or movie but it's been at least 20 years since I read the book and I haven't seen the movie in a number of years either. Though I would assume given the time period it's set in, Doc as a nickname for a kid, is a reference to Bugs Bunny (What's up Doc?). Though if it wasn't a significant part of either the book or movie for me to remember, then I don't think it was a super great thing to base the name of the sequel on...

I quite enjoyed the the season four premier. I don't think that season 3 was the strongest season (I don't hate it as much as other people but it's not my favorite), and I didn't much care for the season 3 opener with the vampires at all, so here's hoping season four will be an improvement overall. I did really like shaking up the typical pairings. I especially enjoyed Wynonna and Nedly. It's really fun to see how their relationship has changed. And I know it's been quite a while since we've learned this about Nedly, but that you just assume he's going to be this unhelpful, misogynistic, borderline alcoholic, small minded sheriff when you first meet him. And then you learn he's this really loving guy, who takes care of his employees cats, only goes to bars to hear gossip, and is actually really competent at his job, still tickles me to no end. I like when expectations about characters get subverted. It was brief but I also really like Nicole and Kate together. They seem to play well off of each other. And hopefully we see more of Doc and Waverly together, because I don't think it's a dynamic that get's explored enough. I'm also always down with Nicole and Wynonna because those two are a hoot together, though I actually enjoy it more when they bicker less and work together more. Hopefully we'll get more of them as well. I'm also really hoping that whatever winds up happening in The Garden winds up curing Doc of his vampirism, because I'm kind of over that story line. I don't mind Kate sticking around, but that's the max on regular blood sucking characters I want on the show. I also still say that making Doc immortal derails his entire character arch. He was a man so scared of death he made a deal with a witch and got screwed over by it. His growth to accept his own mortality seems to be where his character is heading and becoming a vampire seems to be a weird detour. I also liked that they mentioned Dolls. So many shows kill off a character (especially if it was because the actor wanted to leave) and then pretend like they never existed. The fact that Dolls is still a presences, even if he is dead is kind of refreshing. That being said, while I liked the opener, I'm hoping that The Garden stuff get's resolved relatively quickly. I might be in the minority, but I kind of liked season one's slightly more episodic format. I would like an over arching plot, sure, but I wouldn't mind some more creature of the week stuff back this season as well.

I just binged this because it's absolutely insane! I actually do remember the clip of Joe on John Oliver's show, and I remember thinking how bizarre it was, but the whole story is so much more strange. I think the only decent person might have been Joe's "Campaign Manager" (I always find my political consultants in the ammo section of Walmart). I feel bad that he has to live with seeing a guy, high out of his gord, accidentally shoot himself. I suppose it's lucky Travis didn't shoot him. Even Rick Kirkland's hand's aren't clean, but at least he admit's it. Even the other employees at the zoo, aren't completely absolved of the sins of what was done to those animals...but I also can't completely blame them since Joe prayed on them as much as the animals. While I think Carol's goals are certainly more laudable than Joe's, I actually think they're two sides of the same coin. I think Carol enjoys being the center of attention just as much as Joe and that's a huge part of why she does what she does. I agree with her, that big cats shouldn't be bred in captivity (at least not privately by gun toting rednecks), but I don't think she's actually a good person. Also as Joe pointed out, I don't think the conditions she keeps her animals seem any better than anyone else featured. Though they at least don't get exploited to pick up chicks or shot when they get too old. And as crazy as it sounds...I really do think that she might have had something to do with her first husband's death. I mean how hard would it be to get a bunch of big cats to make a body completely disappear... I'm not shedding any tears about Joe being in prison. Though as far as the charge of conspiracy to kill Carol, I agree that it seems like he was set up and it makes no sense that the man hired to do actually do the murder and the other conspirators (Jeff) aren't in prison. I hope everyone get's theirs eventually. Especially Jeff and Antle, since they are more frightening because they're smarter than Joe. Also did anyone else find Joe's music kind of catchy...I might find myself humming I saw a Tiger later...

It's funny, I would actually like to go my local art house theater more, but I find it to be a far worse experience than at my local multiplex. People show up late, the sit right and front of you (and unlike the mall the floor is pretty flat) and talk. And I've also frequently had people react really strangely to movies. I saw the Whedon version of Much Ado about Nothing there and a couple was laughing at the scene where Leonato yells at Hero and wishes that she was dead...I know it's a comedy but that scene isn't supposed to be funny. It's not the only time I've had people react strangely to movies there, but it is the one that stands out the most. I'm always baffled because you would think people who go to that kind of theater would be film buffs....I'm fairly lucky that most even indie arty movies I wan't to see wind up in the bigger local theaters where I generally have a pretty good experience.

Well I would have lost money on that bet...I went to see this because the reviews were hilarious and I have Regal unlimited and it didn't cost me any extra money. It is both somehow so much worse and so much better than I could have ever imagined. I said the quote above never ever in a million years thinking they would have tap-dancing cockroaches in a mainstream big budget movie. My jaw just about hit the floor when I saw them. In fact I figured despite the horrific CGI that the movie would retool Cats in a pretty significant way, tone down the weirdness of the musical and give it an actual plot and probably make it pretty boring. Well they certainly did none of those things. I mean it doesn't make it a good movie, but it makes it an experience for sure. I agree with Lindsey Ellis that the Old Grumby Cat sequence was one of the most disturbing things from the start. First of all there were several lingering shots of Rebel Wilson's crotch...Why? I have no idea. Then come the mice, which weren't super horrifying until you realize they're played by children and Jenny threatens to eat them...That's right folks, Rebel Wilson threatens to eat small children. The the travesty continues with the tap dancing cockroaches...which she does eat (though mercifully they are played by adults). It's got to be one the most trippy, weird, off-putting sequences ever put to film. I will give them the CGI is slightly less disturbing then it was in the trailer. I mean it's not good, but it's no longer the stuff of nightmares. And I will give everyone who wasn't a big name star props for going full cat. I mean they look like theater students who's instructor made them do animal exercises, but they did commit. Everyone who was a big name star seemed to forget they were in a movie where they were playing a cat...Except perhaps Sir Ian. Judy Dench certainly did. Jennifer Hudson (who did sing the hell out of Memory), seems to have no idea that's she's supposed to be playing a cat, she even looks slightly confused when Dench goes to touch heads with her at the end. I think they forgot to tell her she was actually in Cats, and just asked her if she could swing by and sing a couple songs. Rebel Wilson and James Cordon, simply appear to be in the SNL skit version of Cats. And the less said about Idris Elba the better. I've loved him since he was Stringer Bell in the Wire, but he was bad in this, really really bad. And not really in a fun way. I agree that Taylor Swift did the best musical number (and of the big names looked most like a cat). Though it seemed and odd choice to make her sing in a British accent, which you only hear on certain words anyway. I get it was set in London, but why ask her if you're going to make her do something so out of her wheelhouse. I didn't hear an accent with Derulo. I will also give major props to Francesca Hayward who not only danced her butt off, but has a beautiful singing voice. I hope this gets her work in an actually good musical. This is not a good movie, I repeat this is a very bad movie, but it is fun. And if you have the money to waste (or a rewards card or the like) you should see it in theaters, just to say you did.

While it looses something on the page, the way Regina King says, "Motherfucker," tickles me immensely.

I just got back from seeing this. I thought the acting was good, and I enjoyed the bits that focused on the family and their bickering, but overall I'm slightly disappointed. I thought the middle of the movie dragged quite a bit. And I hate to be that person, but as a nurse I can say the plot actually made no freaking sense. Spoiled in case you haven't seen it yet, or don't care to have your suspension of disbelief ruined. Also it's long and ranty. I usually let medical errors go in TV and movies, but when the entire plot hinges on one and they get it so completely wrong, well it hampered my enjoyment to put it mildly.

I'm pretty sure it's Tom Mison under the mask so, either he's just another "Mr. Phillips," albeit one with more...self awareness, or some reflection of Manhattan. It certainly would be interesting if the clones all looked like Jon did before the accident that made him Manhattan.

It seems appropriate that Guy Pearce is in Blood Shot, since it seems like it's Memento....but as a shitty action flick.

That scene will haunt me too. And for some reason it being the little boy who was in Room makes just a little bit more disturbing...I'm not sure why. I think that scene was necessary though to show just how evil those things were. I mean up until that point, other than the scene with the little girl in the beginning, it's rather easily to like Rosie and her whole vaguely evil discount Stevie Nicks vibe she had going on. But that scene really showed what those things were, brutal, evil, something that had to be stopped. I quite like the movie. Though I admit for not caring much for the title either. Nor have I read the book it's based on (I have read The Shinning though). I don't recall Danny being called "Doc" by either his parents or Dick in the movie or the book The Shinning though. Either way, I thought the performances were really strong. McGregor is really good, and I thought him and the girl that played Aba had good chemistry. Rebecca Ferguson was delightfully creepy throughout. I thought they did a good job at making this it's own thing as well. Obviously being back at The Overlook brought you back to The Shinning, but unlike a lot of reboots/sequels of late it didn't seem to be coasting on just nostalgia to get you invested. It wasn't screaming, "Remember that thing you liked, look we got it!" Overall I really enjoyed it.

I agree the the baboon attack had a WTF quality. It also didn't really work with Pitt's rant about it being filled with rage and how he understood that rage. They were animals, it wasn't rage it was fear. I more fitting action set piece that would have worked better with the themes of the movie would have been a crew member of that ship who flipped (maybe after the stress in being in space so long) and killed the rest of the crew and then the captain of Roy's ship. Then Roy's rant about recognizing that rage in himself and his father would have made a heck of a lot more sense. And the death of the crew was pretty pointless, they were going to do the exact same thing Roy was going to do, blow up his father's ship. Him sneaking on board and getting them killed in no way changed the end result and it was apparently his intention at this point to blow up the ship so why did he care who did it? Why did we spend so much time with them if they were going to die in such an anticlimactic way to begin with? Like I said in my other post there was obviously a set up to something between Roy and the Co-Pilot, but it's never paid off. And the staging of that entire sequence was odd.

I agree, and I'm not a huge fan of Interstellar, but this was just dreadful. It was a really hard sit to be honest. I just got back from seeing it, the cast was good, and I'm a sucker for a drama set in space, so I thought it would be a decent matinee. Boy was I wrong. This was boring, preachy and pretentious. It think's it's being super deep, but isn't really and unlike Interstellar (which I could also argue is preachy and pretentious) it didn't at least have cohesive message. Interstellar was trying to tell a story about love and sacrifice. This jumped all over the place, humans are the problem (that's sure groundbreaking)...the sins of the father are visited on the son...don't close yourself off to your emotions...Jesus movie, pick a message and a theme and go with it, stop jumping around. And despite having good visuals, it had serious pacing issues and there fundamental problems with plotting and payoff. For example you have McBride take control of the ship when landing on Mars because the captain freezes. He then says that he won't tell command about the incident. One would assume that would payoff in someway. The captain helps later to return the favor, or something, but that character just really anticlimactically dies later. It was filled with really unnatural stilted dialogue. And the narration...don't get me started on the narration. I was this close to screaming, "Shut the fuck up," at the screen after the 47th episode of unnecessary narration. I'm honestly not someone who is bothered by narration (I know some people are). But this was excessive to the nth degree. Dear film makers, this a visual medium, you really need to live by the axiom "show don't tell." Especially don't tell what felt like the character's every fleeting thought. At one point McBride says, "he's scared," in reference to the co-pilot of the ship he's on. You don't need a voice over for that! Tell the actor he's supposed to be scared and let him act it. That is what you paid him for. I felt more like I was listening to an audio book (and not in a good way) then watching a movie.

I just got back from seeing it. I get why a lot of people aren't going to care for it, but I enjoyed it. I didn't even really feel the length too much (well my bladder did, but that's another story). It's not as scary as the first one, but it's so much better than the second half of the miniseries focusing on the adults. I think the nature of the story is that the part about the kids is just so much more compelling than the adults. And there's really no way to completely overcome that, but I do think that this works as a satisfying conclusion to the story. Skarsgard is once again fantastic as Pennywise. Hader was also excellent a Richie and added a lot of pathos to a character that could be really annoying if not handled carefully. All the performances are really good. Though I was sad that Mike seems to be just there again. They could have used the opportunity to expand his character. And I agree the Steven King cameo was cute. As was the running joke about the endings to Bill's books sucking (something King get's frequently accused of). I would have liked to have seen some resolution of what happened between Bill and his wife, though. In the book she gets taken by Pennywise as well...and well the less said about that the better in my opinion, so I was glad that was cut from the film. But there seemed to be no resolution to whether they were still together at the end.

I just binged all of this over about two days. I overall enjoyed it. Though I do admit this season felt more like a prologue then it's own story, YMMV. I am glad to hear that's it's already been renewed for a second season, as like I said, this season just seemed a little bit like it was placing the chess pieces on the board. This seemed especially evident in the last episode which didn't seem to end, so much as stop. I'm hoping the second season focuses a little less on Philo and Vini though. I don't dislike them and honestly, Bloom and Delevinge have decent chemistry, I just find to be pretty much the least interesting thing about the show. If we must have star crossed lovers, I much prefer Agreus and Imogen. Which is surprising because I was all ready to hate Imogen when she first appeared, both because the character seemed like a vapid racist rich girl at first blush and I'm not a huge fan of Tamzin Merchant. I really didn't care for her in the Tudors. That being said, does she have some sort of fountain of youth, because she doesn't look any different then she did then (and yes, I realize she was fairly young then, but still). I quite liked their romance and felt it was compelling. And I'd never thought I'd be saying this about a sex scene that involved a half-goat man, but it was fairly hot and sweet. I think Agreus as character torn between two worlds of his own choosing is a more interesting and fresher story to tell than Philo's version. I'm kind of sad that this doesn't seem to be based on any books. I appreciate the restraint the show used in its info-dumping and for the most part just let the world unfold as we were watching as opposed to spoon-feeding us the background. But I would like to know more about the world and the politics that led us to the point at which we enter the story.

Also to be fair to Alex he also didn't know that Danny had helped Grace and Charity had shot him. I'm guessing he assumed that Grace killed Danny too....and then he walked in on her beating his mother's face in. Yeah, Alex is a douche, but he did seem to love his family, turning on Grace seemed to be in character as he decided to protect what family he had left. The car being reported stolen isn't the part I found to be the plot hole, Stevens sits up just as Grace pulls away in the car. We know he has a cellphone, I assume he called "Road Assist" shortly after. The car being operational again is a plot hole, with those kinds of services you generally can't call and say, "Opps found the car, it was parked in the drive all along, could you turn it back on." They would typically require the police to arrive before they would allow the car to be operational again.