I find the objections that this show tells a the story about the origins of crack cocaine in the inner cities hypercritical since breaking bad used meth as a gimmick and actually glorified the potential profits you could make in that industry. The story about crack is one about the social and economic environment during that time in the inner cities and how it effected everyone who lived in those areas. It should be told.
The show definitely has enough moments to keep me watching but overall it's a disappointment. The acting is hacky. Avi for example chews up every scene he's in. We get it. He's wacky and dangerous. The actor doesn't pull it off and instead of being impulsive and menacing he comes off as trying too hard and as a joke. Overall, the acting with two exceptions, franklin and cissy, are either way over the top or too self conscious. They don't seem authentic.
The show has a great soundtrack, and often the right inner city 1980 vibe. The story is muddled. There are many stories, four main ones, about a dealer, distributors, king pin, and CIA. Yet with so much going on it seems empty. They make a lot of noise, maybe to distract from the reality, they don't have a lot to say. Which is s shame cause there should be too much material to fill 12 episodes. There are moments, like when franklin is waiting for the bus in the hot sun and buys a motorcycle that work. That's why he's doing this. To get rid of the shame of poverty and to feel liberated. The near riot at the apartment complex cissy works at reveals the racial tension in the city and foreshadows the riots to come.
Moments like these make you hope the characters and actors will feel comfortable inside their roles and a good coherent story is told thru them. So far most of the time it is failing.
The show definitely has enough moments to keep me watching but overall it's a disappointment. The acting is hacky. Avi for example chews up every scene he's in. We get it. He's wacky and dangerous. The actor doesn't pull it off and instead of being impulsive and menacing he comes off as trying too hard and as a joke. Overall, the acting with two exceptions, franklin and cissy, are either way over the top or too self conscious. They don't seem authentic.
The show has a great soundtrack, and often the right inner city 1980 vibe. The story is muddled. There are many stories, four main ones, about a dealer, distributors, king pin, and CIA. Yet with so much going on it seems empty. They make a lot of noise, maybe to distract from the reality, they don't have a lot to say. Which is s shame cause there should be too much material to fill 12 episodes. There are moments, like when franklin is waiting for the bus in the hot sun and buys a motorcycle that work. That's why he's doing this. To get rid of the shame of poverty and to feel liberated. The near riot at the apartment complex cissy works at reveals the racial tension in the city and foreshadows the riots to come.
Moments like these make you hope the characters and actors will feel comfortable inside their roles and a good coherent story is told thru them. So far most of the time it is failing.