mcantelon

Ignore the suspicously odd number of super low reviews. This documentary is flawed, but well worth a watch. Addressing the flaws first: it's a bit plodding at times and there are parts that could have been clearer. It also seems to throw the main information under the bus to some degree (perhaps pulling back to lessen the possiblity of blowback for making it). Is it biased? Probably (it's on Netflix, after all). Does it tell the whole story? Nope.

It is, however, very much still worth a watch. It offers some fresh examples of how the world actually works: evidence that's buried by the police, murderous criminals who do little/no time (because they also work for powerful people), intelligence operatives posing as humanitarians, "whistleblowers" who dole out disinformation and try to determine what you actually know, intersection of intelligence organizations and organized crime, etc.

If you aren't already somewhat familiar with the world of covert operations like the CIA's role in the crack cocaine epidemic you might assume all of what's in the documentary is made up, but the world is a strange place.

It's pretty clear these days that "support" for a lot of shows is astroturfed. This is one of them. It's trying to ape the.titillation, stylishness, and intrigue of.well-crafted gritty hits like Game of Thrones but every aspect of it is mediocre.

Given the setting and premise it could have, had those who made it been inspired, been interesting and engaging but it's utterly disposable viewing. It's built on network TV-tier writing and has nothing else about it that makes up for that.

If you're looking for something that's well-written, truly stylish, or otherwise worth watching then I'm afraid your best bet if to sit this one out.

At first glance the show does seem, as one reviewer put it, "pointless". It does indeed incorporate a "bunch of lies and rubbish" and assumptions you've been led to make earlier in the series end up being challenged later on. You then shake your head and reevaluate, substituting these with new ones, but less assuredly.

There is, however, a point to it all. Narcissism, denial, delusion, and sociopathy are staples of modern culture and they are what this show is about. What looks, initially, to be yet another TV show humanizing and normalizing dysfunction ends up incrementally revealing itself to be something different.

If you're looking for a romp with no dark undertones, take a pass on this. Otherwise, it's worth a watch.

The folks playing the various characters do a good job, especially the protagonist's son. While season 1 is self-contained and concludes soundly it could be interesting to see where a subsequent season could take the story.