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Reviews
Game of Thrones: The Bells (2019)
Foreshadowing is NOT Character Development
I'm not against Danaerys going mad, but I'm definitely opposed to how the show got her there. Just because there were moments of "foreshadowing" throughout the series does NOT equal development of a character going from one mindset to another. In order for it to be believable, it's necessary to portray a slow descent into madness. Never before has Danaerys shown herself to be capable of murdering innocent women and children. Even two episodes ago she cared about saving lives. If the plan all along was for her to get to this point, the shift in her thinking should have been made clear MUCH earlier. Perhaps mid-series. Not in the penultimate episode of the entire series. This was a beautiful episode but poorly executed storyline.
Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019)
LOL WUT?
This whole season felt like "Game of Thrones Season 8: Abridged". Everything from the story to the modern day props left on set (water bottles, coffee cups, etc.) left fans like me feeling like the showrunners just didn't care. They didn't care to make more episodes or seasons, despite the offer of such by HBO. It became what I hated most about Hollywood: stunning visual effects as a substitute for good storytelling. I feel like they're insulting my intelligence by assuming that maybe I won't notice that the writing is bad as long as it looks good.
This final episode was like DB Weiss and David Benioff asked casual watchers how they'd like the show to end and adapted their wishes exactly:
"Make Brienne Lord Commander of the Kingsguard!"
"Reunite Jon with Ghost!"
"Make Sansa Queen of Winterfell!"
"Make Sam an Arch Maester!"
"Make Podrick a Knight!"
"Have Arya go West of Westeros!" (SPOILER: It's Essos)
And possibly stupidest of all...
"Give Bronn Highgarden and a seat at the small council as Master of Coin!"
Are you kidding? It turned into the cliché fairytale ending where all the good guys win and the bad guys are either dead or gone. That isn't Game of Thrones. I've read the books and watched the show so many times. I waited two years for this final season. TWO YEARS. A wait that I mistakenly assumed was necessary to get things just right. But I waited two years... For THIS?
My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. After episode 2 of this season, it kept getting worse. I've gone through the stages of bereavement, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. I accept that I won't get what I want this season, and will wait for the books to find out what REALLY happens in the end with the context necessary for it to make a lick of sense.
Game of Thrones: The Last of the Starks (2019)
It's Just Bad
This episode didn't even feel like Game of Thrones. The acting, the directing, the music, the writing, everything about it felt "off". Very inconsistent from previous episodes. Even the "previously on" montage had a different vibe. It's hard to explain, but it felt tacky and rushed. And the way the main characters behaved was so out of character that honestly I felt awkward watching it. For the first time ever, I almost turned off the episode before it finished.
Dany "rawring" on Drogon's back was cringy. It was like Neverending Story. Varys wriggling onto shore was comedic. I genuinely laughed out loud. Jon ditching Ghost was ridiculous and didn't make sense. And all the important moments occur off screen (battle with Euron, Jon's parentage reveal, etc). I can't tell you how many times I said out loud "WHAT is going on??" It was just bizarre.
Game of Thrones will always be my favorite show, and this one episode doesn't negate how amazing it has been as a whole. But I am reviewing this episode, and it is a total fail. I hope the next and final two episodes are better than this. They've had two years to get it right.
The Family Business: Trump and Taxes (2018)
A Relevant and Important Documentary
This was a fascinating look inside the investigative bombshell NYT published on October 2, 2018. My only complaint is that I wish it was longer and went into more detail about their findings - it was just too short. Nevertheless, what was clear was how much time and effort went into investigating Trump's finances by the journalists. The story should be getting a lot more attention than it has gotten, but it was released the same week as a highly controversial Supreme Court confirmation battle. In any case, I don't think the story will change the minds of many Trump supporters, nor do I think the big reveal was all that surprising to most. However, the story does reveal just how deep that rabbit hole went and that the fraudulent methods by which the Trump children evaded taxes was really quite shocking. For the full pulitzer-worthy story, read the NYT article. This documentary is more supplemental to it rather than a replacement for.
Married at First Sight (2014)
Pointless and Somewhat Boring
I started watching this after seeing a commercial for it and couldn't believe how ridiculous it sounded. It was like a train wreck I didn't want to see but was intrigued. Upon watching the first episode of the first season I thought maybe this could be interesting after all. But I soon realized it was anything but. I'd say I'd you're going to watch this then it may be worth watching the first season, but beyond that it's a waste of time.
Firstly, the success rate of this show is abysmal. Either the "experts" don't know what they're doing, or they're doing the best they can with the limited sample size, or both. I also feel like the show is really drawn out, which makes each subsequent episode more and more boring. But most importantly after 8 seasons and a 27% success rate means that this show has serious credibility issues. Clearly, whatever they are doing isn't working. If the success rate was higher, I'd actually be more open to the concept of this show. It's like the "experts" are determined to prove their "skill" instead of doing real science, which is to admit when something isn't working and revise the method.