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eric-839
Reviews
Norsemen: The Homecoming (2016)
Tasteless and unpleasant
Only got half way through the first episode. A few amusing moments, but mostly gratuitous violence and nastiness, accompanied by writing transplanted from other sitcoms, and delivered in American English.
In the first 15 minutes there were two beheadings, a branding, and one person's (excrement) forced into another person's mouth. Not all was graphic, but all was unpleasant. And it seems like this is part of the theme (as stated in the summary of the series).
Plus the concept mainly just moved old sitcom tropes into Viking land. And the dialogue delivery doesn't suggest the period.
Maybe it gets better, but I'd rather not find out!
Goliath (2016)
Engaging, but more unpleasant than necessary
We liked Season 1 quite a bit, despite an excess of creepiness and some implausible plot ideas. Billy Bob seemed to live in the character in a way that was believable, not too cliched. A great match!
Unfortunately Season 2 was even creepier, and downright gruesome at times. The writing was all over the place, and the level of tension rarely dropped as characters continued to up the game on cruelty. Plus, the character of Billy did hardly any clever lawyering, and Billy Bob's acting lost it's verve--he seemed to be phoning it in. I agree with other low-star reviews, WTF happened?
The show has some nice visuals, and the supporting cast is quirky, but I don't think we'll watch any more of this one. We prefer cop and lawyer shows with a bit more cleverness and less sicko vibe.
FYI, the drug-lord actor in Season 2 plays a down and out attorney in "The Lincoln Lawyer" which is also ridiculous but more fun!
Upstart Crow (2016)
Lots of fun!
We've been enjoying this show quite a bit. It can be uneven, but there are usually quite a few good laughs. And the more Shakespeare you know, the better! I doubt a show like this could ever make it in the US; kudos to the Beeb for continuing to take chances with content that demands something of its audience.
And we LOVE the little animations. Whoever thought of that is brilliant!
Midsomer Murders: The Silent Land (2010)
This one did not make the cut
We've watched all the Midsomers from the beginning to this point, and this was easily the worst-written episode of what is usually a fun and engaging show.
Many characters and interactions were introduced, but virtually NONE had any bearing on the plot--almost felt as if several scenes were missing. It's typical to have a few "red herrings" in the mix, but this episode was 90% herring and only 10% murder mystery!
Midsomer Murders: Left for Dead (2008)
Creepiest Midsomer I've Seen
We've been watching "Midsomer Murders" in reruns on various PBS stations, so it's a random selection, mainly from the earlier seasons. We've come to really enjoy the humanity and good humor of the lead characters, and usually the stories are both intriguing and fun.
"Left for Dead" was well done as usual, but easily the creepiest and most unsettling of those we've seen. As others have pointed out, it ends up going in a kind of cheap "horror film" direction at the end, but at the same time was both harrowing and rather sad. Suspenseful, yes, but not much fun. Guess I prefer the ones where people just act like idiots and get caught!