I agree but nearly every new drama series that appear these days, whether they began as one or not, are becoming serialized. Actually, I’d blame 24 more than any other show that paved the way for this. There are still many episodes of season one Lost that can be viewed as just a single story. There are no episodes of any season of 24 that can be enjoyed as a stand alone.
Remember, more and more people are DVRing, TIVOing, binge watching than ever before. The powers that be, who are usually slow on the uptake, are watching this closely and will do what they can to grab those viewers.
I liked it myself. I can see the complaints about it being all atmosphere, but it’s a pilot episode. It’s setting up the mood and the characters and the background. The show really starts with the characters meeting at the end.
I get that it’s serialized and that not a lot’s going to happen on the first outing. But that’s no excuse for putting out such an inert, shallow hour of television — you can get your pieces lined up but you still have to be entertaining. The portentousness was suffocating and the dialogue so bad it’s made me wonder if it was just as bad in the first season, and I just didn’t notice it because McConaughey and Harrelson were so good.
Well, there you go. The first season just centered on McConaughey and Harrelson. It’s much easier to focus on just two characters, allow those two actors to fill the entire hour. If this years’ show (albeit, with only the pilot) can be criticized it’s that they may have overreached themselves. With four characters, no matter how strong the writing or performances will make for a choppy hour of drama.
I thought it was a bit of a mess but there’s real potential here. I’ll watch every episode, for sure.
The biggest lesson I took away from the first episode is: Do NOT bully Colin Farrel’s rape baby. Also, Vince Vaughn clearly fingered someone else as the rapist, no doubt having Farrel do some of his dirty work for him for free. Neither Farrel nor the fingered rapist look anything like that kid.
The most confused I was had to be early on, when Rachel McAdams couldn’t get anal from her boyfriend. I just can’t wrap my head around that. (Come over to my place, Ani, I’ll treat you right!)
I liked it. Give it some time…Season 1 would be impossible to repeat, but at least the director and lead actors from that epic are involved in Season 2. (producers etc)
It takes place in my state, with some reflections on our politics…(maybe the show can “derail” our goofy bullet train!! haha… and it will be fun to see places I’ve been to.
edit, last scene closes at Pt. Mugu Rock, on Pacific Coast Highway.
This is not an episode (or a series, I’d imagine) that you can watch with one eye while you surf the internet. I tried that, and wound up missing a lot of important visual information. So I re-watched it later with the laptop closed, and found the episode still complicated, but not confusing.
The only part that confused me was the threat to butt-fuck the guy with the headless corpse of his wife. Is she gonna have a strap-on? The logistics bewilder me.
I like all of the characters they have created with the first episode and will be tuning in for more. My only complaint is that so far, at least, the murder isn’t all that interesting. I mean with the first season, we had all kinds of things hooking us in right from the start: Was it some kind of ritual killing? Was there some real or imagined supernatural element? Something went horribly wrong with the investigation, but what exactly? What happened between the two lead detectives? Was it a serial killer that is still at large? and probably more i’m leaving out. But after the first episode of season 2 all we have so far is:
a bribed city planner is dead, and the bribe money is stolen. i’m sure we’ll learn more, but as of the end of the first episode I don’t really care who killed him… probably someone with something to gain by derailing the development project, like a mediocre episode of law & order.
One thing that wasn’t clear to me. The motorcycle cop, did he go back to the actress’s place like she offered? I’m assuming so because why else would he be suspended (unless he was for some reason suspended just for reporting what she offered??), but it wasn’t exactly clear.
I’m no so sure the murder wasn’t that interesting.The eyes were burnt out with acid, there was a massive pelvic wound, and it apparently bled out elsewhere.Regarding a possible supernatural or at least ritualistic element: There’s that weird “Panticapaeum Institute”.
Based on the first episode, I’m in for the whole season.
One thing bothered me. The guy driving the motorcycle at over 100 with no eye protection. Even if you’re suicidal you want to see good enough to pick the right spot.
The answer to that question was not clear to me either. I assume they left it unresolved for a reason. As I understood it, the actress reported him for the incident as though it were his idea. But I might have misread the scene.
There is a lot of mystery swirling around this motorcycle cop.
That was an hilarious scene.