oldcarfreddy

oldcarfreddy t1_iydp5qj wrote

To be fair I wouldn't put it beyond the show to pepper hints that not everyone gets on first watch, as well as some false hints since in the end we're not supposed to know who dies. The first season gave us multiple moments where we almost thought one of the local Hawaiians would die, for example.

3

oldcarfreddy t1_iy3mrz6 wrote

What sticks out to me is great writing, and complex characters. Easy to describe but hard to pull off in a finished product (most shows for many reason become cookie cutter despite writers and creators who I'm sure can do much better).

Of course there's more. The camera work is amazing, the score it perfect, the actors are all fantastic, and the direction and pacing is great. I remember watching one of the recaps of White Lotus before an episode this season and it had this goofy sitcom-y soundtrack that completely undercut the drama of the moments that it was summarizing, and I couldn't help thinking that this show in any other hands would basically just be a quirky Netflix soap opera without any of the dramatic tension.

1

oldcarfreddy t1_iy3mmbk wrote

Exactly. See: Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead, each of which two very different ways but in both cases it was because of pressures to keep it going. GOT went off the railes while TWD became a slow, boring, painful drama to keep the series going as long as possible.

2

oldcarfreddy t1_iy3ma8t wrote

For a less obnoxious challenge show I like Blown Away, about glass artists. Still has some of the faults of this (admittedly) limited genre but it's cool seeing artists doing their thing. I love mixology but I agree that the "attitude" this show gives off is just so bad and so common on network/mainstream TV

4