Swarm

Odd series that ends with a curious finale. There is no solid word on whether this was a mini-series or the beginning of a series and I'm not sure if I really want more, though I'd like to know more about that ending. This is a violent oddity about obsession and grief from the fragile, very damaged and very dangerous mind of a young delusional woman. I think this would have made a better movie as some of this feels a bit dragged out, though it's never uninteresting. The main thing to talk about though is the lead actress, Dominique Fishback. She is excellent and has the most amazing chameleon like ability to change her physical appearance in so many ways throughout these three and a half hours. I was fascinated by her. There are a lot of characters in this, many of which turn up dead, but all the actors are very fine. Billie Eilish makes her acting debut here and at this point in time she is just really playing Billie Eilish, but she is an effective presence with promise. I've no idea as to why Rory Culkin is in this other than to show off his body, all of it, in his very small role. Again, this is an odd series certainly not for everyone and not for anyone who has a problem viewing violence. It pretends to be based on real characters and I'm not sure why, but by informing us of that at the beginning of every episode, one kind of expects an entire story. We don't really get one.

This show did none of the things I expected it to. A fantastic character study with captivating performances and cinematography, and creative sound design. The pacing was a perfect mix of exciting and artistic violence with periods of contemplation.

While I'm not up to date on all the Beyonce drama, I thought this was an engaging look at obsession and the extremes it can be pushed to.

I really love Glover's touch with the camera. He's not afraid of long still shots and extreme closeups, and there's never a boring shot. And I cannot praise the sound design and soundtrack enough. The buzzing bees and ominous stingers (no pun intended) when Dre's psyche are tested add so much suspense and reminded me of Candyman in the best way.

It is hard not to notice Dominique Fishback's subtle yet stellar performance alongside veteran Samuel L. Jackson in "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey." Her acting talents scream depth in that series and I very much look forward to seeing her in a lead role. Well, she secures it here in "Swarm" and I can say that nobody else could have done justice to this complex role besides her. Fishback has that unique ability to convey emotions just with her face and body language. And when she has words to say, she melts into the character. She is pretty much the highlight of this TV series. "Swarm" is well-edited with some eclectic cinematography, however most supporting characters I find rather forgettable, except for Hailey, impressively played by Paris Jackson. Towards the middle, the episodes just churn repetitively, so it gets a bit boring. But it ticks up a little in the last two episodes.

Nabers and Glover's artful and granular slasher/stalker series arrived with a tonne of weight and expectation around it but it ended up feeling a little unfinished. I was mainly here for the fantastic Fishback, who is brilliantly droll as the murderous and delusional Dre. I hope this proves to be her springboard to mega stardom. Swarm is strongest when it uses Dre to skewer contemporary pretences and conversations, and weakest when it lurches into step with dull serial killer tropes. There are some fantastic performances beyond Fishback, including a surprisingly engrossing turn from Billie Eilish of all people. A diverting experiment but outside of some memorable moments it doesn't really coalesce into anything that feels meaningful.

Why do so many people rate things 10/10? I mean seriously.. you think this show is perfect? It's the best show you've ever seen? It's on par with The Wire and Band of Brothers? No... just stop it. So many shows are overrated in this manner and I really can't understand it. This show is average and the reviews should reflect that. Instead, we end up with a bunch of infatuated nonsense that makes it impossible to determine what shows are/aren't actually good.

Just stop and think for a minute about these reviews. 10/10 means it is as good as it can get. It's the pinnacle of TV storytelling. That's what this show is to people? Is it the only show these people have seen? There's nothing new here other than some of the actors. It's not filmed in any particularly dramatic or beautiful way. The script isn't award winning. It's just an average/slightly above average show to kill a week or so watching. That's it.

I realize reviews are also subjective, but you can also objectively review something based on script, acting, and just overall presentation. And objectively, this show is far from perfect. Most of the time when I see a 10/10 review, I immediately discount the review as overhyped drivel, thus making the review completely worthless. I'd like my reviews a little more grounded in reality.

This show is OK. I don't regret watching it. It won't blow you away or anything, but it is entertaining. The ending fell a little flat for me, but endings are hard to stick. I do feel like this might have worked better as a movie though. As a TV show it definitely felt a little long and drawn out.