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Cali88
Reviews
Scoop (2024)
Nothing new to see here
Just goes to show you shouldn't be fooled by slick trailers! I went into this thinking it'd be an insightful take on the Prince Andrew interview scandal, with juicy never-before-seen-or-heard tidbits, knowledge, palace intrigue, etc. But no, there's literally nothing new to see here. In fact, as I watched the (expertly reenacted, I must admit) recreation of the Emily Maitlis/Prince Andrew sit down interview, I found myself wanting to just watch the damn original. We learn nothing interesting about how Billie Piper's character secured the interview (she hustled Andrew's press secretary, played by a very forgettable Keely Hawes, the way any journalist would be expected to hustle and secure any other interview, unless I'm missing something?), we get virtually nothing new/fresh in terms of the Epstein scandal, no behind-the-palace-gates intrigue or insights about how the royals might have felt about it all, etc. Gillian Anderson resurrects bits and pieces of her Margaret Thatcher routine and vocal fry for this, and Rufus Sewell does his darndest to emote Andrew (props to the makeup dept for the awesome prosthetics). All in all, a disappointment.
Vera: Tender (2024)
Why does every character...
...always have their 5-10 minutes of being intensely considered a suspect, before the team clears them and promptly moves on to the next character/suspect under scrutiny - it's a particular quirk of the writing/storytelling on VERA that grows tiresome, and we have it in spades in this episode.
I was immediately suspicious of Shaun Dooley's character when Vera and team didn't corroborate or follow up on his alibi during the time of the murder. And as another reviewer stated, why is Dooley always the murderer?! I love him, and he always does a fantastic job (I thought his confession scene was one of the better ones from this episode), but man, it's about to become a running joke at this point.
I really like Steph, she's a welcome addition to the team and she seems whip smart and capable, but I think she had a bit too much screen time and responsibilities in this one, especially for being the most junior person on the team. And where was Kenny?? Let's not focus so much on Steph to the point we lose him. And did anyone think the scene where Mark hands Steph a mug of tea while they share a phone call with Vera was cute? Mark and Steph shared a "look" last episode, I can see them becoming more than just work colleagues and I'd be happy to see that.
Loved seeing Julia Sawalha, but hated her accent work. In fact, most of the accents in this episode felt forced, inauthentic and a little singsongy (Freya, Jonathan leading the pack). In terms of performances, I thought the actress playing Gabi was a little weak. Good thing we don't see too much of her. ;P
Lastly, glad Joe turned it down a bit this episode. After last week, I was worried that all of his interactions with Vera and the team would be strained, uncomfortable, and annoying, but he actually seemed a bit more like his old self in this one.
The Sinner (2017)
Wow - Season 2
I'm a little late to the "Sinner" party, but just finished seasons 1 and 2 and I'm pretty blown away by how good, compelling, twisty, satisfying, et al. Season 2 is. I've knocked off a few stars for a couple loose ends (i.e., needed stronger narrative closure for The Beacon character, and Julian's motive for killing Bess and Adam - despite many possible explanations that are vaguely offered up throughout the season - is still murky and unclear). The acting by each of the major characters in season 2 was outstanding, and I was particularly struck by how moving Carrie Coon's character arc was. Bill Pullman was fanatic. His actions and motivations this season were much more believable than in season 1, where his weird extramarital sexcapades and boring wifey problems dominated and ultimately bogged down story. One of the final twists (finding out Tracey Letts' character is Julian's father) had me hollering - such an unexpected yet satisfying reveal. Many people consider season 1 to be the definite and/or best season of "The Sinner", but I think season 2 is actually a better written, more evenly paced story. I found the themes in season 2 to also be a bit more interesting than season 1. Having said that, I did enjoy season 1 too, up to a point. The graphic sex and creepy sister character, however, turned me off. And the Jessica Biel character, while intriguing in the first few episodes, ultimately fell flat and lacked the emotional dimensionality to effectively elevate the storytelling. Looking forward to checking out the final two seasons.
Fool Me Once (2024)
Least Favorite UK-Set Coben
I love Harlan Coben's Netflix thrillers and was excited to watch this new installment, even more thrilled when I saw Richard Armitage and Joanna Lumley were part of the cast. But this one was a little disappointing, lacking an "edge of your seat" quality to the storytelling and missing the quirky, zany characters that made "The Stranger," "Safe," and "Stay Close" so memorable and entertaining. Also, turns out Armitage is barely in this (he literally has about 20 minutes of total screen time spanning the 8 episodes); most of the story is carried by Michelle Keegan, who's nice to look at but lacks the acting chops and charisma to lead this ensemble. Keegan plays Armitage's widow. She spends most of the show running in circles trying to find out who killed him, while also trying to solve her sister's recent murder, all while having perfectly curled, mascaraed eyelashes and hair on fleek. There is misdirection after misdirection, secrets from the past, whistleblowers, and, because it's apparently the thing to include in every thriller these days, there's also a ritzy family who own a pharmaceutical corporation doing shady, corrupt things, led by Lumley. There were also side plots that were either boring or didn't go anywhere, such as a storyline with Keegan's sister's long-lost baby she gave up for adoption, and the lead detective experiencing hallucinations that (surprise surprise!) are brought on by the meds manufactured by Lumley's pharma family. In the end, we find out it was Keegan who killed Armitage in revenge for his killing her sister, which had me literally groaning (there was never an explanation as to why she went though the effort for 8 episodes to track down who killed him/her sister when she knew whodunit the whole time!) and there's a overly melodramatic moment where Lumley and the evil pharma fam get their comeuppance on live-streaming and Keegan is made out to be some sort of martyr.
I found myself tiring of the plot and definitely tiring of watching Keegan throughout - even so much as to think she was an unlikeable protagonist about halfway through and actively rooting against her. Coben's thrillers always feel a bit far-fetched as the suspects pile up, but this one, funnily enough, didn't quite seem to feel far-fetched enough. Too many dull moments throughout, and an even duller lead, unfortunately made this a bit of a disappointment for me.