Zero Sum Game

Show is going downhill fast. This episode was barely watchable. To think anybody ever compared this show to Ted Lasso... the show should not even be mentioned in the same sentence. I have maybe one more episode in me until I throw in the towel. Owen Wilson is Owen Wilson but I'm not sure how this is supposed to be a "feel good" sports story when the main character is awful. Took 100k from Pryce and phoned it in after one tournament. Also feels like the storyline is predictable from a mile away, and not going to be at all satisfying. Now he is going to have a random bartender as his caddy? Don't caddy's have to know about golf? We'll see but this show looks to be falling off a cliff.

"Stick" had, until now, been a genuinely good show - consistently delivering compelling narratives and well-crafted characters. However, "Zero Sum Game" marked a stark and disappointing departure, primarily due to the introduction of the character **Zero**.

Zero's seemingly out-of-place arrival felt not just jarring, but also **blatantly forced, as if the writers were more interested in pushing their personal political agenda than in maintaining the integrity of the story or the established character dynamics.** This character's actions frequently came across as preachy and contrived, serving only to derail the narrative with heavy-handed messaging. It's truly a shame, because the strength of "Stick" was its ability to tell engaging stories without resorting to overt soapboxing. "Zero Sum Game" unfortunately sacrificed that nuance, turning what was once a promising series into a platform for what feels like thinly veiled political commentary. This episode is a significant misstep, and one that makes me question the future direction of the show.

I'm guessing that the subset of people who likes Owen Wilson and is also interested in golf can't be that large and I'm guessing it's a specific type of person. I can only speak for myself here, but as a white, middle-aged, man, I had high hopes for a show like this. And to then introduce a character like Zero to just dump on people like me got me wondering who the show is for.

Also, the Santi character is quite insufferable. Not sure if that's the writing or the actor. The whole writing of the character is weird. Here's a young man who gets the chance to play golf and I assume live out his dream and then he just acts negatively in every situation and is being rude when it's not even called for. Just weird.

The other three actors are good though, Owen, Mariana and Marc, so props to them for carrying this story so far. Will stop watching now though.

I was vibing with the show until this episode. The addition of Zero to the cast is the worst thing they could've ever done. They call her "Zero" because that's the amount of people watching that enjoy this character. If you find me someone who likes Zero then I'll say you're talking to the writer who added her to the show. I'll give episode 5 a chance just because I hope Zero gets hit by a bus, maybe she chokes to death on a piece of food, or perhaps Stick can hit her in the head with a golf club like every member of the audience wants to do to her. I'd also like to offer condolences to Marc Maron for having to share a screen with this character, he deserves better and his performance is being wasted.

After the first couple episodes I had high hopes for this show, I was really enjoying it and was hoping that it could be my next Ted lasso or Shrinking. Then they paraded out the character of Zero which makes me want to shut off my TV with every word she speaks. It's really a shame that one obnoxious character can ruin my likeability of a show. The mom is a bit overacted but I still like her as a character, but Zero is never going to be likable to me. I really question who writers picture the target audience is for this show. Writing every under 20 year old as angsty is just lazy. The "I'm anti-everything and do nothing for society" is so boring. I know it's very random that all these people together in an RV but how everyone just accepts that Zero is suddenly traveling with them and they know nothing about her is annoying (I see the irony that none of them barely knowing each other with my statement).