rabbitmoon

S1 was great, S2 was good. S3 has been pretty awful. The story was so unfocused, here, low stakes, a couple of competing distillers being childish about it. Kevin Pollack subplot just a total waste of time. Dallas Howard's bomb guy a waste of time too. You could take that whole episode out and it doesn't change anything. The writers clearly realised that this villain plot was messily treading water, so they choose to end it in the most formulaic of ways - sort of like the climax of a Police Academy film. Kidnap and rescue, get everyone killed, job done. Conveniently Manfredi has a weapons truck show up in broad daylight to supply everything needed, a new random gang of 'cousins', it's like satire at this point. Dunmire son tries to help as if it makes any difference what room she's in. What I hated here though was Sam Jackson shooting too fleeing guys in the back at distance, making a funfair quip - we don't even know who those guys were. It's like "Loaded Weapon 1". All while cheeseball "Bad to the Bone" is playing. Manfredi's conclusion with Dunmire was really untasteful. A really dissatisfying and lame finale overall. Taylor Sheridan and the show have really leaned into their older, toxic masculine right-wing ways here, its nasty stuff. And watching Stallones daughter (Spencer) try to act is the most painful part of it.

Dope Thief is a well produced show, it looks and feels like a movie and has a decent fast pace to keep you interested. But I found myself struggling to stay immersed in its world. The criticisms I've read about bad dialogue are something I don't agree with, it's fine as those are the characters. The problem is more the contrivances to manipulate your buy-in, in terms of how it wants the audience to root for the anti-heroes. They're essentially thieves, putting people at huge risk, yet they of course have to be likeable, big fuzzy well-meaning bears, with Ray looking after his stepmom, a dog and such like. It just seems a bit much. Then of course the implausibility of allowing this newly-released moronic redneck to tag along on a house siege, even giving him a gun, because of course our anti-heroes can't be the ones to actually kill anyone and ruin their 'innocent' status. That was some contrived writing right there.

It feels like it's trying to be a bit Breaking Bad, a bit 90s Tarantino, the gritty gray tones of The Wire - all of which makes it feel slightly dated. But there's also a strange comfort and familiarity in all that, the lack of gimmicks etc makes it an easy, chill watch. So despite its implausibilities it's still definitely worth a watch.

A fascinating, well edited, often shocking docu that moves at a lick and doesn't outstay it's welcome with just three episodes.

The perp here is a bonafide psychopath who neatly checks off all of Robert Hare's checklist. Watching him talk is quite chilling, seeing his cold, poker-face demeanor and claims of innocence, alongside the TikTok footage of his rampant narcissism. I'm glad the journalist wasn't sympathetic to his manipulations.

I wish there had been more focus on the main victim. I fully appreciate keeping his anonymity, and we hear his narration of the details of the crime itself. But it would have been useful to hear more about how it's affected his life.

The surfing DA dude deserves a spinoff series of his own, I'd love to read an autobiography of that guy.