southdavid

My review of season four applies exactly the same to season five, so I might as well repurpose it.

"I Am a Killer" is one of the few shows that I do reviews of, where I wish I didn't have to. (I know I don't "have" to - but via my own convoluted mind rules, I do). Mostly this is because it's been the same show, over and over again - though perhaps, for this fourth season, there is a bit of change. To demonstrate that similarity, I'll use the synopsis I wrote for the first season, back in 2021 again here.

Each episode has the same set up. We meet a Death Row inmate who takes us through their recollection of the crime. Not in every case, but in a lot of them, this is used to introduce us to some element of doubt about the case - not that they are guilty, but for example, their overall capacity for understanding the crime, or whether a murder was premeditated. The documentaries then introduce us to various other parties, either law enforcement, prosecutors, defence lawyers and/or family members - who tell their side of the story. The inmate is then interviewed for a second time, when he gets to react to some of the comments played for him. From there, it's generally left up to us as the audience to decide on whether execution would be justified in this case.

So, season four is mostly just more examples of this, but I do start to wonder if the number of inmates with justifiable doubts with their cases has started to run dry because in this season we meet at least two candidates who definitely did their murders and are (in my opinion) just lying about it for publicity or to aid an appeal. I won't say who they are, because I've not wanted to comment on the individual cases previously. The rest of the time it is the sadly all too common cycle of childhood abuse and drug use that leads to the incident.

The production team do a lot of good work to find and interview the right people involved in a case but the formula of the show is all too apparent. Begrudging completionism has dragged me though another series here - and it will drag me through the upcoming Sixth season too - but I'd like to be freed myself (ironically).

I'll review this as "Season One" for now, but personally I'm not convinced that we'll be able to get Colin Farrell to commit to six more months in the make up chair. This first season though is a near perfect mob story, that doesn't actually require any understanding of Batman, or even "The Batman" that the film spins off from, to be enjoyed.

Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) becomes the driver and right-hand man to Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell). Cobb was a key figure in the Falcone crime family and sees the death of Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong) as the chance to launch himself. In a moment of anger Cobb kills Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), Carmine's son and the heir apparent. From there he tries to play off members of the Falcone and Maroni crime families against each other, though most suspicious is Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) who had no love lost for her father but is angry about the death of her brother.

"The Penguin" is built on three stories and three great performances. Naturally you have Oswald's attempts to exploit the power vacuum and take over organised crime. Farrell is, as he was with the film version, completely gone in the role. He's so far gone into the prosthetics and the voice that you perhaps have to question the logic of hiring him in the first place. Rhenzy Feliz plays Victor, a good kid who loses his family to the Riddler's flooding and in desperation turns to Oz as a father figure. I remember Feliz from "Marvel's Runaways" and he was good then, but he's excellent here. Finally, the internet's new 'I can fix her' girlfriend, Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone. Betrayed and committed to Arkham by her family. She has ambitions of her own. It's largely Sofia's show and whilst you always hope that she and Cobb could get on the same page, you know, in your heart, that it won't happen.

An organised crime story in the grandest traditions of the genre, this was brilliant.

The first great unloved episode of "Black Mirror", "The Waldo Moment" is, truth be told, rather a thin idea - which even Brooker acknowledged could have done with fleshing out a bit more and was underserved by late rewrites to the "White Bear" episode. It's not awful, just underwritten.

Struggling comedian Jamie Salter (Daniel Rigby) plays Waldo, a blue bear that he "animates" in real time for a late-night topical chat show. Having had a run in with Conservative politician Liam Monroe (Tobias Menzies) his show's executive decides to capitalise on the publicity by having Waldo stand in the Stentonford By-election, against Monroe. Whilst Jamie hates the limiting and dispiriting nature of performing as Waldo, his increasingly honest appraisals of the other candidates, and politics in general, begins to strike a chord.

There's a couple of reasons why this one doesn't really work. On the one hand I'd say that it's a little too close to contemporary life. There would be genuine incompetent people elected soon after because they sounded different to traditional politicians - you can argue amongst yourselves as to who I'm talking about. Even the technology of live animating a character exists on our phones now and was pretty close to being there in 2013.

The other problem was, as I said - the writing. It perhaps feels more like the start of a story than a full one and its ending is abrupt. With the postscript offering little more than further questions. It does feel like it might have sat better as an idea on "Nathan Barley" maybe a series running background story that could recur.

Performances are fine though and the whole cast is full of recognisable faces , if perhaps nobody that's gone on to surprising superstardom since this was released. As I say, it's not awful though it is probably the worst episode of the series so far.