WHO is giving this show a 1 rating? Anyone with familiarity with cop shows, kung fu movies, video games, and show within a show formats would be delighted with the way this show twists and subverts the action genre. It's seriously creative and the writing is great overall, too. At WORST, even if the above things don't resonate with you, this show is a 7. But if you GET IT, the show is a delight and easily a 9 for the ridiculous amount of genre play and trope-smashing in it.
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Reply by Philippe LeMarchand
on November 25, 2024 at 8:19 AM
Only seen the first episode, which I gave a "4" to. Interesting concept, but it didn't really feel like we were following a background character in a TV show. Maybe the novel makes this clearer? Going to give it at least two more episodes but the pilot, to me, felt like it might have been better without the meta stuff.
Reply by zombie_roger_ebert
on November 25, 2024 at 1:58 PM
I guess I am just impressed by the dense amount of fun ideas and good writing packed into a very small space. The hero lighting thing was hilarious and unexpected. The show within a show is great (there's a later episode with an earlier version of the cop show where it has an 80s motif instead). The video game tropes integrated into Willis' adventure are fun, there's social media commentary starting in later episodes, just SO MUCH. It's very ambitious, which is not something you see with TV /streaming these days. But if you weren't impressed with episode one, then I doubt your opinion will improve, as so far (I'm halfway), episode 1 is the rocket launch blast, and the other episodes are just expanding on the explosion of concepts and rules from that episode.
As far as "following a background character in a TV show" I think it's kind of like an expansion on that joke from Austin Powers where it pivots to the henchman's family after he's killed, where his wife gets the call that he's gone, shining a light on the day to day lives of background characters. In Interior Chinatown, the FOCUS is on a background character's life, that only occasionally intersects with the TV show that is happening in realtime. So you spend most of your time with the background character and the leads from the show only sometimes intersect. You know they're coming when the hero lighting starts moving in. It's very funny.
But at least you didn't give it a 1.
Reply by Philippe LeMarchand
on November 25, 2024 at 4:07 PM
Mme LeMarchand was not impressed at all, so it may be a while before we get to more episodes.
I don't understand what I call "binary voters" who only seem to give two ratings: 1 or 10. To me, a 1 must be totally inept and a 10 close to perfection. I have rated 2 movies as "1" and 11 as "10".
Reply by zombie_roger_ebert
on November 25, 2024 at 6:21 PM
With the videogame, kung fu, trope-smashing, etc, I think it definitely has more of a traditionally male appeal, so that may be a thing, too.
Yeah, something has to be really awful to get a 1 from me. I even would rate that second-to-last season of Umbrella Academy (which is truly awful) like a 3 or 4/10.
Reply by Philippe LeMarchand
on November 27, 2024 at 5:11 AM
I enjoyed the "Sparrow Academy" season - different strokes for different folks, I guess.