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Montaigne13
Reviews
Beck: Den förlorade sonen (2021)
Still a solid show.
I don't understand all the terrible reviews of the more recent episodes of Beck.
We can all agree that Mikael Persbrandt's departure as Gunvald left a vacuum that no one could fill. The fact that Martin Beck himself has given up center stage is also a disappointing, though realistic development. Luckily, Peter Haber has been given some powerful scenes.
Still, I would argue that Beck continues to be a very solid crime show-one of the better ones on tv. The supporting team are as good as ever and both Kristofer Hivju as Steiner and Jennie Silfverhjelm as Alex have created believable, complex characters in a relatively short period of time. I find Alex to be an especially intriguing character. How several reviewers have criticized the quality of the acting is beyond me. These people are pros. There are dozens of crime shows out there which require no more than that the performers look good and have qualified stunt doubles.
The shows continue to be exceptionally well filmed and produced. Considering how long the show has been on, the plots remain remarkably fresh and there are still moments of welcome low key humor. This is entirely in keeping with the brilliant series of books the show is (VERY loosely) based on.
On a final note, the show gets credit for presenting us with Klas Fredén, one of the slimiest characters in the history of television!
Safe (2018)
Well worth watching with a few caveats.
Safe is well done in many respects. The writing is generally good and the show has a lot of momentum. It's extremely bingeable. Most of the acting is excellent. Michal C. Hall is very good, but his character could easily have been American which would have taken care of complaints regarding his erratic English accent. It really didn't bother me.
Comparisons to ''Broadchurch'' are inevitable.
In both, a crime against a younger person leads to dark revelations about a seemingly peaceful community. Broadchurch is a cut above ''Safe''. It has a higher budget and more well developed characters, but both are suspenseful and well executed.
I do have reservations. Both shows veer into soap opera a bit too much for my taste and both conclusions rubbed me the wrong way. ''Broadchurch'' tried for an undeserved 'kumbaya' ending that seemed really hokey to me.
''Safe'',on the other hand has a somewhat downbeat ending. The guilty party turns out to be a character that I was hoping against hope would not end up being the culprit. I shall say know more.
This is still a well made show well worth watching.
Ozark: Boss Fight (2020)
Another good one (and the Linney haters are just plain wrong).
Twisty plot and complex characters. Season three is great so far.
To the Linney haters, she is one of the most respected actors in the US. She has 4 Emmy Awards, 2 Golden Globes, 3 Oscar nominations and 4 Tony Award nominations. Plenty of mediocre actors have won an award or two, but this many is never a fluke.
Some of you may find her or her character annoying, but she is giving a great performance, period.
Ozark: Civil Union (2020)
Another good episode
Season 3 is off to a great start. I think the changing power dynamics between Marty and Wendy are fascinating. I don't understand the hatred of Wendy. How is she any worse than Marty? Both have become sleazebags with only a few redeeming qualities. Both think of themselves as basically decent people trying to survive a rough patch in their lives yet they are both equally guilty and delusional. Why root for either one of them over the other?