Over the past few weeks, I've watched:
Prison Break
Overall, quite enjoyable. The premise is really interesting and well executed. However, I do feel like the plot gets ever more contrived, even borderline ridiculous, as the series goes on. In Season 1, it makes sense that Michael has a good chance of breaking Lincoln out, seeing as he has the blueprints for Fox River, is established to be a structural engineer by trade and has above-average intelligence in general, and has had time to prepare--and the escape itself takes a full season to unfold. Compare that to Season 3, where
Spoiler (click to read)
he is locked up in a Panamanian super-prison and told to break someone out within a week by the Company, even though he has zero idea of the layout and what sort of prison it is, and has had no time to prepare.
It gets even worse in the finale
Spoiler (click to read)
when Michael breaks Sara out of a prison comparable to Fox River in two days... somehow.
Even so, the series as a whole is really well done. The characters are well written and memorable. Mahone in particular goes through a really interesting character arc, and it says a lot that even outright villainous characters, such as T-Bag, somehow manage to not be totally unlikable. There were also quite a few minor characters that I really liked, like Westmoreland. I also like the fact that the show isn't afraid to kill off characters when necessary (perhaps it's even a bit too eager to do so at times).
I'm a bit conflicted about the ending, though.
Spoiler (click to read)
On the one hand, I'm glad it didn't end up as a typical Hollywood happy ending, but on the other hand, it feels a little cheap. it's well established that Michael will go well out of his way to help others even if it jeopardises his safety/life, and having him just sacrifice himself at the end seems a bit unfair and dissatisfying. Especially considering that he's supposedly dying of a brain tumour that was operated on and cured, and that his own mother survived as well. However, the ending with his message to Lincoln and Sara is genuinely heartwarming and makes the ending as a whole feel a lot better.
I'm not sure I'd say it's the best show ever, but it's definitely worth watching and I'd highly recommend it.
Mr. Robot
Really fascinating. This show really manages to create a sense of paranoia, and there's some clever writing and editing going on. I particularly like the idea that the audience is Elliott's imaginary friend whom he created, which helps make his narration and internal monologues feel much more natural (and fits well with the increasingly heavy implications that he might not be totally sane). There are also many small touches, such as how everyone refers to E-Corp as "Evil Corp" since this is what Elliott has conditioned himself to think each time he hears/sees "E-Corp". The cinematography is also very interesting, in how it often frames people in corners or awkward positions, which really helps create an atmosphere of discomfort, even dread. It's also nice to see a realistic depiction of hacking/coding in a TV show--realistic as far as I can tell, at least, since I'm not exactly a computer expert (although I was able to recognise that Darlene apparently used Python to code the program used to attack Steel Mountain...).
However, at the same time, there are several flaws. For one, I cringed at some of the references to real-life celebrities/pop culture, such as Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, Bill Cosby, and Buzzfeed (yes, Buzzfeed). This is totally not going to become very dated in a few years' time. (Although, I have to admit I did laugh at the"stupid Marvel movies" jab quite a bit). It gets even weirder when you consider that this is a world in which Facebook and Apple exist, yet everything is supposedly controlled by the shadowy "E-Corp", and you see people running around with E-Corp stickers on what are obviously iPads. Not to mention, Fsociety is clearly meant to draw a parallel to Anonymous/Occupy, even down to the similar-looking masks. I suppose the alternative--creating fictionalised versions of what are obviously meant to be real-life people/brands--can come across as being equally if not more awkward and artificial, but I feel like the writers could have integrated this aspect a lot more gracefully.
Also, while most of the characters are well-written and complex, I feel like the show really goes overboard with trying to make Tyrell and Joanna Wellick look villainous.
Spoiler (click to read)
It's like the show is trying to say: "Hey, not only the creepy Scandinavian guy with the ice-blue eyes desperate trying to become the new CTO of a company literally referred to as 'EvilCorp', he also beats up homeless people for fun and is a depraved bisexual! And his wife drinks alcohol while heavily pregnant and threatens to leave him on the day their child is born! Look at this! Look at how evil this is!"
I'm half-surprised they didn't give him a moustache to twirl. It's even more jarring since the majority of the plot occurs from Elliot's perspective, yet he has no way of knowing these things have occurred--so there isn't the possibility that this may just be his distorted or biased view of them.
I feel like the main reason this show works as well as it does is because of the first-person perspective of Elliott, and the glimpses we get into his mind. The plot could have been rather tired and cliched (a mega corporation conglomerate of evil holding the world in debt being targeted by a group of vigilante hackers, not exactly the most original premise), but it is executed well and results in a compelling story. Definitely one of the more intriguing shows I've seen recently, and it's definitely worth taking a look, if you don't mind some occasional graphic content.
Last edited by Mr Vertigo (June 19, 2016 (06:01pm))
Retribution (3rd place in BRAWL 2015)&Smeagol make the most of being surrounded by single, educated women your own age on a regular basis in college
AquaMorph I dunno women are expensive
