Dope Thief

Dope Thief's premise is good. A pair of small-time grifters pretend to be DEA agents in order to steal from drug houses and accidentally hit the wrong house, riling up dangerous and powerful people.

The actors are good too, especially Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mugrew. But the writing just isn't up to par.

It starts well with a good balance of character development and action, and even some dark humor, which vanishes later in the season.

But there are plot twists that seem absurd, dialogue that sounds gratingly screen-written and not natural, and it's a problem that the two protagonists are largely buffeted around by forces beyond their control.

In a more dynamic story, they'd find a way to fight back more than they do. Stories where the protagonists are just trying to survive but are never in control of the narrative tend to wear out their welcome faster. That's okay for a two-hour disaster flick but not a multi-episode series. Wagner Moura's character in particular was a problem. All he seemed to do is cry.

The final episode is a convoluted mess as the writers attempt to tie up the plot threads in a hurried fashion. By the end, it seems like a different and worse series than the beginning.

Note that this isn't an ongoing series but a story that wraps up in one season so there isn't a huge investment to make. I suppose it could continue but it doesn't seem likely. By the time I started to get really fed up with it, the show was over.

Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura deliver an amazing performance in Dope Thief. They are like virtuoso violinists, transitioning from one scene to another with remarkable skill. The story is engaging; however, the TV series incorporates too many elements simultaneously, making it feel overly chaotic. Yes, it belongs to the crime genre, but it feels like a well-crafted dessert overwhelmed by excessive sauce.

Character development focuses almost entirely on Ray (Brian Tyree Henry), while the other characters could have been explored more deeply. Supporting roles are relegated mostly to the background, which feels like a missed opportunity. I find it frustrating when a series fails to surpass the standard despite having all the ingredients for success.

Although I've criticized the series on these points, I still recommend watching it. It's a good TV series-but it had the potential to be even better.

This came on after I was watching Severance otherwise I would never have watched it. And it's not too bad. There's a lot of going on in the first two episodes. It's action and shootout heavy. But the characters are likeable. So far.

The scenery, lighting, camera work, locations are great IF you like that sort of grainy, grungy look for the most part. I do, so for me I loved that aspect. I'll be going back to see more of the sets for sure.

Hard to tell where it's going. Hopefully the pace slows a little: less gun fights, more character driven storyline. Time will tell. It's worth the first two episodes.

Dope Thief is a well produced show, it looks and feels like a movie and has a decent fast pace to keep you interested. But I found myself struggling to stay immersed in its world. The criticisms I've read about bad dialogue are something I don't agree with, it's fine as those are the characters. The problem is more the contrivances to manipulate your buy-in, in terms of how it wants the audience to root for the anti-heroes. They're essentially thieves, putting people at huge risk, yet they of course have to be likeable, big fuzzy well-meaning bears, with Ray looking after his stepmom, a dog and such like. It just seems a bit much. Then of course the implausibility of allowing this newly-released moronic redneck to tag along on a house siege, even giving him a gun, because of course our anti-heroes can't be the ones to actually kill anyone and ruin their 'innocent' status. That was some contrived writing right there.

It feels like it's trying to be a bit Breaking Bad, a bit 90s Tarantino, the gritty gray tones of The Wire - all of which makes it feel slightly dated. But there's also a strange comfort and familiarity in all that, the lack of gimmicks etc makes it an easy, chill watch. So despite its implausibilities it's still definitely worth a watch.

I seem to say this about all of Apple TV+ series that come out but Dope Thief was terrific. Apple TV just continues to pump out hit after hit and this is no different. Dope Thief follows two lifelong friends (Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura) as they pose as DEA agents to rob drug houses. That is until they hit the wrong people that have life and death consequences. They accidentally hit the biggest narcotics corridor on the Eastern Seaboard. I can't say enough about the performances that Henry and Moura put in here, especially Henry, I'd be shocked if he or both aren't nominated for awards come award season. This show will keep you on the edge of your seat and you're going to want to binge it as quickly as possible.