Stick

The show started off promising. Owen Wilson is playing his stock likable lead character well enough, but the supporting characters are going to tank this show fast if something doesn't change.

At first, the stereotypical smart alec teen and the sassy Latina mom are okay, but their shticks quickly wear thin. Both are spoiled and unlikable, and by the fourth episode, I found myself fast-forwarding through most of their scenes since they mostly consisted of Pryce (Wilson's character) begging them for one thing or another. You'll find yourself getting angry on his behalf that he has to beg people he's paid $100k for basic respect and to hold up their end of the contract.

I haven't even mentioned yet the caddy-"Zero" is (her?) name-who is some compilation of every radical woke stereotype wrapped up in one. The identity wouldn't matter if the person was even semi-likable. But she too is insufferable and mean and bratty. (Why does one show need to stack up with so many unlikable characters? Every single character must be mean and snarky and pile on to bully the lowly main character? Why did the writers themselves not get how lopsided and hard to watch that would be for the viewer?)

I will give it a little more time, but I have one foot out of the proverbial door at this point. When I'm having to fast forward scenes of a new show because they're predictable and redundant and frustrating, that's not a good sign. I hope the writers course-correct before it's too late.

Let's talk anout the things that got me to watch it. Did it look like a golf version of Ted Lasso? Yes. Does Owen Wilson make me laugh? Yes.

So what is it about the show that can't hold up to what I expected to see? The character development is both rushed, and dragged on for too long. They literally have no growth or dimension and it's really hard to just sit there, watching this unbelievable fable, hitting myself on the head thinking, there is no way anyone is this dumb, dramatic, whiny, insufferable, in real life.

What I wish would happen, is that a switch will click and the writers will realize they do in fact have something they can work with. Stop making Santi a kid that thinks he's too good for the game and doesn't need help from anyone. Stop forcing the issue with Zero being a them, and just let the character be. Elena should not be there. Period, she does nothing to the show except cause unnecessary drama and conversation with everyone and it never makes you feel good after she has had her 2 seconds of fluff.

Last thing I would like to say, has anyone seen a show that is worse than this show with putting on the opening credits? Usually a show will leave you on a joke, a feel good moment, or a suspenseful happening that is coming to make you want to continue. But every episode (6) I have almost felt the urge to shut it off at the opening credits because all (6) have been at the worst most mundane start to a show that I've ever experienced. Please I urge you to do better Stick. I don't know if I'll watch another episode. I have a strong feeling this is a one and done series.

Thanks for reading.

Interesting characters, decent writing, good acting and one snotty millennial actress Lilly Kay just destroys the show and renders it unwatchable. The chemistry between the rest of the cast is good, she is like a permanent oil stain on a racetrack.

Good portrayal of what it is like to be a golfer, the precarious balance between confidence and coming off the rails at any moment. The precarious balance between letting a teenager test himself and providing the safety net when he predictably fails. Owen Wilson is the perfect "former great golfer" - equal measure of chaos, arrogance and neediness.

I only lasted this long because Owen Wilson's onscreen charisma and likability, but even that isn't enough to keep me around anymore.

The show actually started off well. A total Ted Lasso feel but for golf. Enjoyable. The mother/son combo carried some attitude and annoyance that I expected to simmer down as each episode progressed, but it honestly gets so much worse. The mother comes around a little, but the son gets FAR worse and the show introduces the most INSUFFERABLE character in existence as the love interest / caddy.

Overall, the mother/son and girlfriend just ruined the show for me. They're the most unlikable, ungrateful, disrespectful, self-entitled bunch I've seen in a show... maybe ever... and it really just makes the show impossible to watch.

Stick is one of Apple TV's latest offerings and it is one of their best, albeit with one major flaw. The show is mostly good, with a wonderful performance from Owen Wilson as former golf pro, Pryce. It's cool to see him in a TV show rather than a film. He becomes a mentor for young, up and comer Santi, who is played by Peter Dager. Mariana Trevino plays his mom, while Marc Maron plays Pryce's friend. These four are all great. I love the performances all around, for different reasons. We even get Timothy Olyphant for a few episodes. The dynamics and dialogue between all the main characters are what makes it so watchable. I felt invested in their stories and what they were going through. A job well done with them.

The biggest flaw of the show is the Zero character, played by Lilli Kay. She is just annoying and cringe with some of the things she says. I don't know what they were thinking with her. She's snotty and entitled. I can't stand her. It looks like I'm not alone.

Overall, Stick is rewarding in the end, especially if you "stick" with it. There are many emotional moments throughout that really connects you with the characters and makes you feel for them. Some of the comedy is genuinely good. Even if you don't like golf, it has enough going for it to suck you in.