In prior reviews of individual episodes I thought I had said everything that could be said about this astonishing series, then I watch this 4th episode of the last season and realize, it is just getting better.
I do believe that this could be the finest ensemble cast ever assembled for TV.
Maybe some will find fault with that assessment. It is a broad challenge. Ensemble casts go back to the 50s and even include shows like Barney Miller (a hit in its day).
But if you look at my past reviews you will note that, to this scribe, this is the only show in recent memory that plays for TV yet is written with the care and precision of a Broadway spectacle.
It seems like just yesterday (Season 1) that McShane and Olyphant were stealing every segment. As the series matured, they did not get worse, the rest of the cast stepped up and starting stealing their own individual scenes. The rest of the ensemble got better.
This script is more like a symphony than a teleplay. There is perfect harmony and rhythm. Even EB, once a central character, drops lines from the back of the set like Puck in a Shakespearian play.
I think that viewers who stuck with the show can look at each character and immediately relate said character to someone they know in real life.
Maybe even themselves.
Extraordinary.
I do believe that this could be the finest ensemble cast ever assembled for TV.
Maybe some will find fault with that assessment. It is a broad challenge. Ensemble casts go back to the 50s and even include shows like Barney Miller (a hit in its day).
But if you look at my past reviews you will note that, to this scribe, this is the only show in recent memory that plays for TV yet is written with the care and precision of a Broadway spectacle.
It seems like just yesterday (Season 1) that McShane and Olyphant were stealing every segment. As the series matured, they did not get worse, the rest of the cast stepped up and starting stealing their own individual scenes. The rest of the ensemble got better.
This script is more like a symphony than a teleplay. There is perfect harmony and rhythm. Even EB, once a central character, drops lines from the back of the set like Puck in a Shakespearian play.
I think that viewers who stuck with the show can look at each character and immediately relate said character to someone they know in real life.
Maybe even themselves.
Extraordinary.