Dispatches from Elsewhere

It started off slow, got to a really interesting place and then meandered....

Off a cliff.

It's based on an interactive game that was played in SF a few years back. See the documentary THE INSTITUTE for more details.

The premise interested Segal enough that he wanted to make a series about it. Kudos for AMC to breaking out of the Zombie and vampire hell they've created for themselves but still.

If only someone had been brave enough to tell him to throw out the last episode, never to be seen again, this would've rated as high as an eight.

Instead it changes into something else entirely.

After watching the first episode i had no idea what it is all about, But i found it intriguing enough that i will watch a few more to see how it goes.

Everything about this felt like it felt to "play the game" in San Francisco". We went to the "jejune Institute" ~10 years ago for "Nonchalance" and played 2 rounds of the game and never quite figured out what was going on, but it was amazing and fun and quirky, just like the show. Very well thought out and imaginative. I'm hoping the show continues and we can finally reach an understanding of what on Earth we were doing and where it was leading...

What is extremely difficult nowadays is to find something original. And for sure this is most definitely original. I love the storyline. I love the pace. Tried to cover many aspects and many flavors, such as adventure, conspiracy, romance, depression, the feeling of wanting more, etc. The only thing to critique is I found that there are certain parts of the show that focused only on one aspect for too long and didn't blend as smooth as it possibly could have. It has a lot of odd and weird things in there which is awesome for sure, but then it spent almost an entire episode only on romance. The adventure needs to continue! Oddness needs to continue! And then there were certain parts I was a little bit lost. But overall, definitely a wonderful watch.

Jason Segal is one of the most fascinating "creatives" in the entertainment industry. He is constantly re-inventing himself and his career, from "Freeks & Geeks" to "How I met your mother," from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" to re-inventing The Muppets. This is his latest, a limited series based on a mysterious ARG that popped up in San Francisco a few years back (and then, just as mysteriously disappeared.) It's anything but safe. It's funny, clever, disturbing and very addictive. It's anything but boring, concerning 4 people who find themselves caught up in a strange company by the name of The Jejune Institute. A company which may or may not be real and may or may not contain the answers we all seek. Starting created, directed and written by Segal. Co-starring Sally Field, Richard E. Grant and Andre Benjamin (3000). Really interesting, highly recommended.