RV Shangri-La

Unfortunately this series has once again took a monumental divebomb, with respect to the levels of writing and character development expected this late on in the series. Primarily, the direction of the episode identifies this series is shifting far away from golf itself and the prospect of a monumental return to greatness in coaching Stick's experience through to Santi has all but disappeared.

The promise of the initial two episodes offering a clear redemption arc mixed with comedic touches has declined to a romantic mish mash between two unlikeable characters in Santi and Zero which we are meant to be routing for.

It seems like we are heading for a triple bogey folks unless this series takes a dramatic u-turn, we have never been further from Shangri-La...

I can not overstate how excited I was for this show as an avid golfer and a huge fan of other Apple TV feel good comedies like Ted Lasso and Shrinking. Unfortunately I also can not overstate how disappointing it has been to watch this show get worse with every episode to the point that this one felt like it was written by chatgpt and had about 2 minutes of golf focus. This show is not about golf and if it weren't for Owen Wilson and Marc Maron, it would be utterly unwatchable. Holding out hope that they ditch the current focus on Santi/Zero's relationship and figure out how to right the ship, but it's not looking good at this point in the season. Unlikeable characters, clunky dialogue, no focus on golf or the wholesome redemption story that I think we were all expecting.

Really enjoyed this episode - finally felt fully comfortable with all the characters. Absolutely loved the scenes with Dr. Molly :-). And for those feeling disappointed: so what if it's not all about golf every single moment? Ted Lasso wasn't always about football either, and it worked beautifully. As an avid golfer myself, I say this show strikes just the right balance. It's warm, feel good, and refreshingly human (sometimes cheesy). That's more than enough for me. I really hope this gets another season because this is the kind of show I want (and need) to see these days. Looking forward to seeing where it goes next...