kirbykirbykitty

I strongly recommend giving Under the Banner of Heaven a watch.

The show ultimately respects Brenda Lafferty, particularly her religiosity and bravery, while also depicting the institution and individuals that let her down. The show does a brilliant job demonstrating how religion is often twisted by monsters to suit their agendas, and how institutionalized misogyny fails women in these situations.

The series features all around amazing performances. Garfield portrays a man in crisis perfectly, and Birmingham adds an edge of wisdom as his partner, balancing Garfield's perpetual youth. Edgar-Jones is tragic, strong and radiant as Brenda without at all being two-dimensional. And Worthington and Russell are incredibly compelling and intense presences in the show.

The series maintains quality throughout, but especially the first and last episodes are near perfect. There is some dragging in the middle episodes (around 4 and 5), and you will definitely figure out where the story is going by at least the midpoint. But a good story isn't about unpredictability as much as it is execution, and the payoff is well worth it.

Buzzfeed Unsolved (Supernatural and True Crime) is a great show to unwind with. The series functions basically like a podcast, as one host (the serious, believer type) tells stories of the supernatural and unsolved cases to the other host (the laid-back, cynical type). Together, the two hosts explore possible theories and travel to actual sites. Buzzfeed Unsolved is relaxed, without taking itself too seriously - the hosts don't pretend to have the answers or to know the reality of the situations they explore and cover, and they take the time to crack jokes and riff off of one another in a natural, unscripted way. While this means the show does not always yield the most exciting or in-depth results, this approach adds authenticity and charm to the sometimes spooky or grim proceedings. Hosts Shane & Ryan are naturally endearing but grounded people that come at things from different angles, and as a result you feel like you are being told ghost or true crime stories by two regular guys (with amazing chemistry). The show has managed to cover many cases and ghost stories in interesting ways and I'm sad there's only one season left!

This show is truly charming and a lot of fun, but do not expect it to be as gritty or adult as The Witcher or Game of Thrones. And there is nothing wrong with that! Those that go in with those expectations of an adult fantasy on a TV-14 show will be sorely disappointed. Please treat the show as its own entity. The show itself is definitely deserving of praise, but it is not comparable to these other properties because it is so different and will leave you disappointed if you think it is that. Some people don't know when something is not in their demographic and will belittle the show and those who like it for that reason.

As a fan of the book series, Shadow and Bone remains largely faithful to both its source material and characters, doing the best it can to weave plot points and character development among its many characters in only 8 episodes. There are minor changes, most of which work very well. The combination of both book series, while contentious, helps the show's sense of scope and gives you a lot of characters to root for.

Things move by VERY quickly, so if you are a non-book fan, I can see this being confusing to keep up with, and it can leave something to be desired for the depth of the characters (although much more lies in store for them content-wise, so there are a lot of cards the show is playing close to its chest). On the other hand, it will make for a quick binge that is certainly anything but boring. Knowing that the production was limited to 8 episodes makes this criticism of mine quite understandable, and hopefully if a second season comes to fruition, a larger episode count or even just longer episodes could resolve the relentless pacing.

The show has an engaging and strong ensemble cast - let them grow on you an episode or two, their performances will win you over, particularly Freddy Carter as Kaz Brekker, Kit Young as Jesper Fahey, and Archie Renaux as Malyen Oretsev (with everyone else holding their own quite well against industry regulars like Ben Barnes, who is also great). The entire cast is charming and likable, raising decent scripts into something more.

The show also has gorgeous visuals, costumes, and set design - it is clear how hard production worked to make an immersive fantasy. This is easily the best aspect of the show. For that alone, this show is worth a watch.

Overall, I think the series will appeal to book fans and non-book fans alike, with many strong things going for it including great actors, cinematography, and adapted material, but it may come with a learning curve difficult to tackle with the lighting-paced plot.