The Crowded Room

I just started this and it looks like it's going to be really good. But ... When I was a kid , my mom took me to see Grease. She was extremely annoyed having grown up in the 50s , that the dialogue being used and how they acted was not accurate to what she remembered in the 50s. Of course back then, I was thinking " Geez mom, you're so old. Lighten up!" Now I get it. There are so many shows I have watched recently that are set in the 90s ,80s or 70s. Yet they are using dialogue that didn't exist or the teenagers are behaving like kids do now, not necessarily as they did in the 70s. Use of the word "literally " literally just became popular in the last few years. The word "dude " wasn't an east coast term. I know this because I grew up in California and when I went to live on the east coast in the early nineties, people were fascinated that we called people " dude" . I got made fun of for being a typical Californian . If they wanted to really be authentic, they would only have needed to watch the Brady Bunch. Or another show popular in the 70s. Other than that being a pet peeve of mine. This looks like it's going to be a great show.

This was surprisingly good series. Great levels of drama and mystery and the pacing is perfect. Each piece of new information is provided at the perfect time to keep the viewer engaged and build up more mystery and drama. And the pieces fit like a perfect puzzle. The character's trauma is exposed step by step and it makes the viewer sympathize with a criminal, despite the crime.

But one of the strange failings of the series, one which jumped at me because other Apple series approach the same way, is a strange "sin of the past washing". They put a lot of African-American (or women, or minorities in general) characters in positions of power (judges, prosecutors) which was certainly not the case at the time (late 1970s). The show that caught my eye with the same was For All Mankind and I can't unsee it now. Washing the past makes in various series, present one included, makes it look like some people were far more accepted at the time than they really were, and it makes newer generations believe that.

The first few episodes slowly hooked me. Cleverly constructed with many time warps, relying on the audience to work things out.

Of course the "based on" credit is something of a spoiler, but I tried to ignore it. Then in episodes 5 and 6 it became great.

Seeing one of America's greatest screen actresses performing in the background (on a TV), really woke me up. Then I knew why Holland wanted the role. It was a similar part that gave Joanne Woodward her Oscar, and this one could be an Emmy for Holland.

Now he showed his acting chops. Not in-your-face, but subtly. And at last I was genuinley moved, as opposed to fascinated, coming close to tears.

So glad I gave it a chance, and stayed with it.

I've been looking forward to The Crowded Room ever since I first heard about it. Then my excitement grew after seeing the trailers for this. Now that I started watching it I can say that's it definitely worth watching. While it may not be quite what I was expecting it's still pretty good. There are plenty of wrists and turns to keep you interested and the talent on screen is as good as it gets for a tv show. I mean Tom Holland, Emmy Rossum and Amanda Seyfried are all A-list actors who all give terrific performances here, especially Holland. Tom Holland has really become a great actor. He's juggled between huge blockbusters and smaller more serious roles like this and he's been excellent in all of them, even if the show or movie itself isn't that good you can always count on him giving a great performance.

This is a solid show with solid characters and actors. Tom Holland nails the role of Danny. It has a slow build, but it's never dull, never boring. It's like a giant puzzle and you're putting the edges together the first couple of episodes. By the third episode you're recognizing colors, patterns, connections; it's falling into place. I, like many, typically judge a show by its IMDb rating, but I'm glad I followed my instincts and read other reviews so I didn't miss a chance at seeing this one. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Tom Holland receives some nominations for his performance. The majority of the other characters are likable, and if not likable they're relatable.