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Sjcey
Reviews
Things You Should Have Done (2024)
Lucia Keskin is brilliant
You have to slightly suspend disbelief because the characters are quite exaggerated. By which, I don't mean theatrically over the top. This show is the opposite; it's understated, in the way all the best comedy is. Somehow, Lucia Keskin still writes them in a way that makes you overlook the flaws. She is incredibly talented. For someone so young to write an entire show, act, and sing, is amazing.
Selin Hizly somehow makes an unlikeable woman endearing, which not everyone could have done.
It's not a laugh out loud, canned laughter, type show and that makes it better. If you're looking for obvious, over the top, unoriginal comedy this may not be for you. If you love a more subtle type of comedy, then it's worth watching. I'm on my 3rd watch, now.
Even if the show isn't for you, it's worth checking out some of Lucia's other work. She's an intelligent, deadpan, comedian and an accomplished content creator.
Midnight Mass (2021)
Some good ideas ruined by sickly, pretentious, writing.
The scene is set well. Hamish Linklater is a really good actor in this.
It brilliantly shows how terrifying religion (in this case evangelical Christianity) can be; how people can be manipulated, and how horrific deeds are excused, by spouting tripe about it being the will of god.
The explanation given for the miraculous healing and resurrection, along with the vampire qualities, I've heard before but it's a good one because it makes it rational and scientific. Mind you, the creature's appearance, and ability to fly, isn't explained by this. However, it does fit in with the idea that, in all of the stories, people are afraid of angels when they see them. It's good that they don't definitely kill it off because it allows for us to see how these "religious" events could happen elsewhere. But it's not nearly explained.
The pretentious, long, unnatural, monologues throughout this show are really grating. We had to skip through a few of them.
The love stories were entirely unconvincing and, so, irritating.
The ending was terrible and not at all moving. The small group of survivors, most of whom subsequently died, showed a complete lack of urgency and initiative. The surviving girl looked back at her burning home, where her infected parents were going to die, and wasted time spouting out religious drivel whilst smiling serenely. We basically had to skip the whole ending because they all start singing as well. It's sickly and boring. It did, at least, confirm that the miracles were not miracles at all when the previously mentioned surviving girl hints that her paralysis has returned.
As I said at the beginning, Hamish Linklater was good. It could have been a brilliant show. It's a shame it was all let down by boring, inauthentic, monologuing.