denimberet

After watching season 1 and the abysmal first few minutes of season 2, I checked the reviews here to see if season 2 was worth my time. After reading a bunch, I've decided to table it. I truly do not understand the glowing reviews. As someone who sat through every crawling, depressing episode of the German hit "Dark", I can't stomach any more of this even slower, more confusing and unsatisfying French "thriller". The premise is compelling, but the dialogue and storytelling are dreadful. The characters are generally one-dimensional and unlikable, too, and there is a lot of "mature" content, which isunnecessaryand off-putting. Far more questions are raised than answered, too, which would be fine if everything tied together later--but according to the reviews they don't.

Maybe this is supposed to be a collaborative experience where the audience fills in the missing pieces from imagination. Maybe this is just European style. Whatever the case, they needed different writers who could tell a great story. I'm giving it a few stars for holding my attention for one season and for the stunning landscape, which is the only truly beautiful and artistic thing about this show. Well, and the incredible hair of the two sisters. But that's just not enough to make a good show.

I thought 1883 was so good that I was very excited about 1923. The other day we finished the second season of 1923, and I'm now excited about the upcoming 1944, though I'm starting to get confused by all the numbers.

Like 1883, 1923 is beautifully filmed and has a stellar cast. In fact, I don't think they could have gotten anyone better than Ford and Mirren to play Jacob and Cara. The storylines were where they lost me a bit, though. There are several, which is fine--my favorite being Spencer and Alexandra's--but some of the plot choices were either frustrating, disappointing, or plain offensive. For example, two of the storylines portrays the villains so one-dimensionally that their credibility is reduced almost to the level of a fairytale (e.g., "evil stepmother", etc.). And for one of the storylines, that reduction reveals a strong, rather nasty bias on the part of the writers that should have been reined in before production started.

The other problem I had with the storylines was the extreme violence and soft-porn nudity. 1883 was also violent, but 1923 struck me as worse, almost unrelenting in its pain and sadness, especially because they had dire outcomes for several characters that I really liked. The nudity was gratuitous and alienating for more conservative viewers, and there just wasn't enough joy to counteract the violence. This made the whole show more of a downer than an escapist entertainment by the time we reached the end. I don't need hearts and flowers or sugarcoating, but I do need a little more joy than that. I hope 1944 isn't as dark.

Do I recommend this show? Yes in a general way-- but it's definitely not for everyone!

My husband and I are in season 9 of this show, so my opinions are pretty well-informed by now. We have seen a lot of crime shows, but I think this is one of the best, and I think my husband would agree. First, it is filmed in Hawaii, so the viewer is treated to gorgeous scenery in every single episode. Second, I genuinely came to like and care about most of the characters, even some of the minor characters. For example, Sang Min (Song Min?) is only an occasional character but is probably one of the most memorable TV characters I've ever come across, and Captain Grover is one of the best television actors I've ever seen.

I also appreciated that the series, even though it centers on often sordid crimes, manages to keep a light touch on the stories--lots of humor and amusing banter to keep the show from becoming depressing and dark and not much sex or swearing--and the general formula is often mixed up to keep the stories from getting stale. Plus, there is some food for the soul in this show, too. For example, Danny and Steve have one of the most ridiculous, yet also one of the most beautiful, iconic friendships ever portrayed on television.

The show is also unusual for the positive, dignified, and supportive attention it gives to people groups that are often denigrated or ignored on TV-- most notably attentive fathers, functional families, very large people, geeks and misfits, and the elderly. And for a cherry on top, the show is often patriotic, reminding us of the many sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform.

The show isn't flawless, and there are some other excellent crime shows (I'm looking at you, 24), but this is definitely one of my favorites. All things considered, it's one of the most worthwhile to watch. I'd even suggest it as a possible family show for parents and teens.