lu_mi

I don't recall having watched anything this gripping, this raw, this human in a long time. Amazing storytelling, brilliant camerawork, phenomenal acting. The political reality of communist Czechoslovakia is only briefly touched upon and does not hinder the understanding for those who are not familiar with it. Petr Uhlik as Hojer is simply phenomenal. You can never quite feel sorry for Hojer, the show does not let you do that, but you do feel how horrible his fate is nonetheless. The whole ensemble is amazing and their characters are absolutely believable. The production value is very high and the period atmosphere is perfectly captured. I am not sure I could watch it again because it is a painful story to watch but it will stick with me for a long time.

I know that British panel shows are mostly scripted but still, a lot of improvisation gets through and that's what makes them great. The Fix, however, is scripted from start to finish, you can literally see the participants reading from their cue cards. It's like a lame stand-up with five people, essentially. The lack of spontaneity is very off-putting. It was especially apparent with the panelists' interaction with the "expert," it was clear that the whole bit had been painsakingly rehearsed. Jimmy Carr's laugh sounds more and more jarring every time, especially if there is really not much to laugh at.