yueeex

Some shows are best for watching alone in a binge, and being completely devastated by the end of it. This is one of those shows. It's a funny show, but it's so so heavy. There are quite a few troupes and unrealistic TV things (person of color that's basically her fairy godmother, hot stranger that's her neighbor, and apparently she has the best health insurance in America despite not being wealthy), but the core ideas of the show feel so true. So many devastating truths are beautifully explored in nuance and with a rawness that's rarely seen on TV. We might never move past our trauma. Our trauma is part of who we are. We long for intimacy with another human being but we are so scared of it. It might just take death for us to face our truths. The performances are excellent.

Lots of fun. The best part was the epic sea battles, and Toby Stephens' Captain Flint. John Silver's arc was also pretty good. The actor transformed as the character grew though the four seasons. He held his own acting against Stephens, which was no small feat. I loved Flint and Silver's relationship that began with distrust and gradually became a complex and sometimes volatile friendship.

But I have to say the writing especially the dialogues got worse as the show progressed. In the last season, the dialogues got so verbose and carried too much expository responsibility, it was laughable. It sounded like everyone was speaking in the same voice. I felt bad for the actors that had to carry out all those clumsy dialogues.

I'd say the last season was the weakest. I wished the show could let go some of that seriousness and theater-like dialogues, and fully lean into the awesomeness of naval battles and sense of adventure. But I guess the showrunners wanted something darker than that.

Overall I had fun. Before watching this show I would not think I'd be interested in watching men fighting on ships, but now I'm gonna seek out more shows like this.

It's better than the original and it's rare. Awesome, adrenaline-filled flight sequences. The ultimate summer blockbuster, and with a ton of emotional beats. Everyone is attractive in the San Diego sunset. Tom Cruise is so good in this, and I liked him better in this than the original. He's still the bona fide action hero, but aged with grace. There's a lot of emotional depth in his performance. His chemistry with Jennifer Connelly is great, which is not that common for Tom Cruise lol.

The last part of it was not very realistic, even through a lens of a popcorn movie.

Embrace it without cynicism and you will enjoy it thoroughly.