ashldonohue

I didn't expect to find a gem in apple TV! I heard good reviews about this show and got hooked. I wish i knew about this show sooner. Every episode I was on the edge of my seat- it's very fast paced and i hope they continue finishing the story! Despite the other reviews here, i found the pacing to be perfect. It was a good balance between the more emotional, reflective moments and high tension scenes which I appreciate. It would be disappointing if another unique show got cancelled. Rebecca Ferguson was amazing, although i could hear her accent come out, it didn't detract from the show. I have to also give it to the sound and set design. The score is beautiful and the sets seem realistic for a dystopian story. I liked how the brutalist design of the silo contrasted with a sort of lived-in human experience of little trinkets, fun mid century furniture/finishes and a steam-punk-esque infrastructure.

Lily Rose Depp's acting was great considering the material she had to work with. I appreciate her commitment to her role. But The Weeknd's acting was incredibly distracting it sucked the life out of every actor on the show. It was so unconvincing and amateur at best, I found myself cringing every time he spoke. I will never forget the embarrassing line "I'll f-ing stretch your tiny, little xxxxx". I had to check if I was on an adult film website. If he was going to say such a cringy line, at least make it convincing. The whole show feels satirical, but because Abel Tesfaye is completely unfunny and too serious I can't even enjoy it to hate watch. The Weeknd's acting reeks of insecurity, you could tell that he takes himself too seriously to the point that any emotion that he was supposed to portray was diluted by his self-consciousness. There were times his character was supposed to be condescending and confident but he kept shifting his eyes and breaking eye contact. The lines he was supposed to deliver sounded like he was reading from a script. And almost as if he was embarrassed at himself for even writing it. When I was watching, I didn't see this scary, intimidating cult leader that I was supposed to see, I just saw The Weeknd having his pornhub acting debut. Does Abel Tesfaye know that he's playing a character alongside some great actors in the industry? Or is he role playing for torture porn? That would be much more believable.