Summary: James and Alyssa decide to take Leslie's boat and run away. They talk to Leslie who attempts to record a confession from Alyssa of the murder but James discovers his ploy and stabs him. Eunice arrives and tries to convince both to plead guilty for manslaughter but Leslie doesn't help. Eunice tells them that they won't be together if they do it, prompting James and Alyssa to escape. The police squad arrives and James knocks out Alyssa so she will be spared and he is shot.
The Good: It was nice to see discussion on the tough things that James and Alyssa have gone through. I was glad that Alyssa was feeling the effects of her father being a disappointment because it made the drama from last episode feel a little more real and powerful. Additionally, I was glad that James' mom got more of a mention to highlight just how much her suicide affected who he was as a character. The sequence inside Leslie's home was superb and really tense. It was gripping because we were hoping that Leslie wouldn't succeed in calling the cops and we didn't want Alyssa to fall for his trap again. Things escalated quite quickly too with Eunice arriving at the scene and adding on to the tension as we wonder if James and Alyssa will actually choose to go for peaceful jail time. Naturally the deciding factor was them not being able to see each other if they did, and I was willing to buy that as the reason they chose the riskier reason to attempt escape. I liked the ending too. It felt rather poetic to end the series with a James monologue, with him acknowledging everything he discovered on his trip with Alyssa before ultimately dying. Or at least I'm assuming he died. I think the slightly ambiguous ending was for sure the best choice here since actually seeing James die would be a pretty depressing way to end the show. Instead ending with James' monologue was a much smarter move. The Bad: There were too many unresolved threads though. Eunice and Terri were utterly pointless in the end and added nothing to the story. I question hat the point of their conflict even was, and what their point in the story even was. James and Alyssa didn't listen to Eunice anyways so she may as well have just been some character we have never seen before and it would have had the same effect. It was also really unfulfilling to get no resolution with either of the kids' parents who never appeared again though they were presented as important early on. The Unknown: Is James dead? I would assume so. All other questions really don't matter since the show is over. Best Moment: The tense mobile home scene was a lot of fun to watch. Character of the Episode: James. Conclusion: This was a solid finale to the show, but it was hurt by a lack of satisfying resolution to a lot of the secondary storylines. Regarding the show as a whole, I thought it was really good for an 8 episode show. However, it clocks in at under 3 hours in length and it did have some fillerish moments, which makes me just question why it wasn't a movie. Even the cliffhangers at the end of each episode felt mostly tacked on and I honestly feel the show would be much better watched as just a single story. I watched each episode one at a time, and I'm pretty sure it hurt my overall enjoyment of the show. The quality was fine though and it's a nice watch for such a short amount of time. Score: 63
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Summary: Alyssa's father Leslie is a drug dealer but is extremely friendly and Alyssa really likes him. James ge4ts a little jealous and realizes that they need to move on. Leslie reveals he has another kid he abandoned and Alyssa realizes he isn't so great. Teri and Eunice argue about the kids.
The Good: I really like Leslie's character. He was one of the more well-rounded ass characters on the show. He was clearly a bad father as established at the end, but before that he seemed surprisingly friendly though he was a drug dealer. I like that he wasn't completely 2-dimensional. I was really happy to see that the gas station attack from last episode was important to the overall story. Now there is much more tension regarding the kids since the cops believe they are armed when they really aren't. This sets up the finale really well for a tense climax. I enjoyed seeing Teri and Eunice disagreeing about the kids. It added more thematic relevance to the show as they contemplate if the kids are just evil killers or if they are just hurting and need to be talked to. The Bad: Eunice and Teri are still pretty boring and we know very little about them. I didn't care at all about Eunice interrupting a date and I still don't fully understand their characters and relationship. That's pretty bad for a show which is heading into its season finale. Every character in this show has been just an asshole that James and Alyssa have encountered, so when Leslie was revealed as a decent guy, I was just waiting for the twist that he wasn't as good as he seemed. Since I predicted it almost immediately, the twist had little impact on me and it lacked emotions for the most part. James feeling that Alyssa's dad is taking her away was a good conflict but it had absolutely no bearing on the story which made it pointless filler. The Unknown: Will Leslie be even sleazier and turn in Alyssa to the cops? Best Moment: James being unable to kill the dog was the most emotionally powerful moment. Character of the Episode: Leslie. Conclusion: Leslie was really great but other than him this episode was quite flawed. I think it could have done a better job hyping up the finale and there were several problems too. The weakest episode in quite a bit of time. Score: 58 Summary: James and Alyssa hotwire a car and drive but they need to stop for gas. Thy almost get caught but James uses his smarts to get them out of it okay. Koch's mom reveals the truth about what he did to Eunice and Terri.
The Good: This was another good episode. The gas station sequence was tremendous in this episode. It was tense, funny and created another fun little conflict for the show. I enjoyed the entire sequence thoroughly and I thought they also added one of their best side character's in Frodo. I enjoyed Frodo's brief story as it was not only funny, but also thematically relevant to the show with the exploration of taking a boring and dull life and making it more exciting. I really liked the irony of Phil saying how James isn't at al dangerous while James is robbing a gas station while "armed". I love hat he show introduced the fact that James knows a lot of random details before this scene, as it made it seem more realistic that James would know the exact specs of a gun. I like that Alyssa is afraid that her dad won't be as great as she hopes. It's a very real emotion and it helps us relate more with her. The Bad: The cops storyline leaves a lot to be desired at the moment. Both women aren't particularly interesting and I don't care as much about them as I do about James and Alyssa. Koch's mom changing her mind didn't feel earned at all and I really couldn't believe that she just decided to reveal that truth to the cops. Both scenes with her were quite poorly written. The Unknown: Will Alyssa's dad predictably be bad just like every other character in this show, or will he actually be decent? I can see it going either way which adds a nice amount of intrigue. Best Moment: The gas station scene was tense and funny, really easy to enjoy television. Character of the Episode: James. Conclusion: This was another solid episode, though it had some flaws wit the cop storyline. The show has improved a lot and I'm excited to see how it starts wrapping up. Score: 63 Summary: Flashbacks show James' mom committing suicide in front of him. James talks to a cop about his mom's suicide before leaving to find Alyssa. Alyssa robs a store and gets caught but she is let go. Alyssa goes back with hopes of finding James and the both of them reunite.
The Good: Seeing James' backstory is exactly what we needed to really start caring about him. Last episode did a ton for him, and this episode did much more as it let us realize why he feels so emotionally detached from the world. The awkward cop who talked to James was fantastic too. I love how he seemed really uncomfortable with the situation but till tried his best to help, with very little effectiveness. It was the most real a side character has felt in this show. Alyssa's mindset was good to see. I like that se had serious regrets about leaving James, which is exactly what we needed to care more about their relationship. Alyssa has always been impulsive, so it's nice that she took a little bit of time to cool down and realize her mistakes. The reunion at the end of the episode was a really sweet moment and is probably the best part of the show thus far. It felt earned after what we saw both characters go through in the last episode. I'm glad that they weren't kept apart for too long, as the dynamic between both characters is the show's main drawing point. To have them apart for so long would definitely affect the quality of the show. Instead, they both ended up spending just enough time by themselves to get us to care about them, which will surely pay dividends on the rest of the series. I doubt I will ever have to complain about not being emotionally invested anymore. The Bad: The cliffhanger from the last episode felt completely pointless since it had no payoff. We learned about James' mom from the flashback so we didn't really need him talking to the cop. It felt like filler. Emil was really dumb to leave Alyssa and he didn't even watch the door at all. Nobody would be that careless. Also what was the point of those stealing sensors in front of the store? They should go off if something is stolen but they didn't. The Unknown: What is the incident that Teri and Eunice regret? Why does that matter? Best Moment: James and Alyssa's reunion was great. Character of the Episode: Alyssa. Conclusion: This episode did a ton for both of the main characters and I can finally say that I'm emotionally invested in the show now. This was easily the best episode thus far. Score: 64 Summary: James and Alyssa try to cover up Koch's murder and they dispose of the body and escape. Police arrive and they find Chris' wallet at the scene, and after talking to Chris they are put on Alyssa and James' tail. Alyssa and James are shaken up and get in disguises. Alyssa doesn't trust James anymore and leaves him. James discovers that he's not a psychopath and calls the police.
The Good: This was a much better episode, and one that helped me really care for the 2 lead characters. It was really effective seeing them forced to face themselves and each other after they officially killed somebody, and discovering how shook up they were really helped keep things feeling real. James in particular had a fantastic episode of development as he finally faced that he isn't a psychopath and is just a human with emotions. Seeing him go through this development while also discovering that he does love Alyssa is powerful stuff and it left us with a very sad and powerful image in our heads as James got himself beaten up by a gang just to help him with his pain. Seeing James and Alyssa dispose of the body and the evidence was fun and good to see. The Bad: Are we seriously supposed to believe that they just missed Chris' wallet? And that Chris never went back to try and get it back? That was a bad oversight. Chris talking to the cops was funny, but it felt too over the top and unrealistic and both Eunice and Terry didn't feel like real cops. The Unknown: What is the story of Eunice and Terry? Where has Alyssa gone now? What is James going to accomplish by calling the cops? Best Moment: James and Alyssa awkwardly sitting together trying to individually deal with their issues was powerful, especially since they both didn't realize just how hurt the other was by the crime. Character of the Episode: James. Conclusion: This episode had emotional resonance, and as such it was easily the best episode of the show so far. Score: 63 Summary: James and Alyssa break into a house to stay there. They start being more compassionate towards each other but James eventually alienates Alyssa by not wanting to have sex with her. Alyssa shuts him out but then the owner of the house comes back and tries to rape Alyssa. James kills him.
The Good: This was a better episode. The characters are very patiently getting developed and I'm starting to appreciate them more and more. What really works about this is that they are discovering more about themselves while we are learning about them. It's a nice way to watch a TV show as the characters learn exactly what you learn which is a very good way to utilize teenage characters. The dance scene was very good. These 2 have good chemistry, but they really needed a scene like that to actually get me to start caring for their relationship. I was rooting for them to stay together later in the episode, so the scene definitely accomplished what it set out to do. The final scene was extremely tense since we knew what kind of man the owner of the house was due to James discovering his pictures. I was genuinely unsure if James would actually do anything, but I'm glad that he did, leading to a gruesome kill for him. I really like this development, since it practically gave James exactly what he wanted (to find out what it's like to kill a human), and I'm excited to se the effect this will have on him and his budding relationship with Alyssa. The fact that each episode is only 20 minutes long really helps the show get some momentum when it doesn't really accomplish a whole lot. It's much more watchable because of that. The Bad: The house owner was another ridiculously messed up guy. This show really needs to have a normal character to at least ground it a little bit in reality. The same flaws as the last episode mostly still stick though they have been improved upon a little, especially in the case of James and Alyssa. The show still has many more hurdles it needs to cross however. The Unknown: Why wouldn't Alyssa's dad recognize her? How young was she when he left? Why did he leave? Will he even be happy to see her? Now that James has killed someone, will his motives change towards Alyssa? How will the killing of the man affect the story? Surely this is setting up some kind of major police confrontation. Best Moment: The end scene was great and there is something I really like about seeing a psychopath and sociopath calmly looking on at the scene of a major crime they have committed, Character of the Episode: James. Conclusion: This was a stronger episode and the show seems to be finding a way to be uniquely enjoyable even with it flaws. I'm not sure if the show is going to hit high heights but at 20 minutes per episode, I feel confident in saying that it shouldn't be a slog to get through at all. Score: 59 Summary: James and Alyssa get in a car crash and they hitchhike. They are picked up by a guy who tries to get it on with James in a public bathroom. Alyssa finds them and takes the man's wallet with threats to call cops. James' dad calls the cops.
The Good: The humour in this episode worked though it wasn't as frequent as the pilot. The opening scene with the car crash was hilarious and I instantly figured out more or less what had happened before we had those scenes showing us exactly what happened. The humour was great and it opened the episode on a perfect note. I really like that this show is doing what I like to call the "anime exposition" where we get to understand characters' thoughts through a voiceover. I think it fits this show since both characters have hidden motives and we don't fully understand them yet. This is a good way to let us figure out both characters without them properly understanding each other. I think that works for the best in the long run since it could allow for great drama where we understand the characters but they don't fully understand each other. I'm glad that this show is dodging the generic melodrama as it improves a lot because of that. The Bad: This show does have a lot of problems it needs to work out though. The main characters feel way too overblown and unlikeable. I hope that we can get more of an understanding of them, especially seeing that their chemistry is great. Until then though, the show is lacking the ability to truly pull me in. The big problem with them specifically is that they feel too robotic right now, and that has caused some of the emotional moments in this episode fall flat for me. I don't understand Alyssa very much so to see her crying doesn't really do anything for me. The side characters are really bad too and severely lack much personality and memorability. The man they met in this episode will only be remembered for the fact that he tried to come onto James in a scene which should have been treated as a MUCH bigger deal than it was. The Unknown: What are the motives of James and Alyssa? Can we truly trust them? I thought we knew that James' mom was in Japan but apparently she is dead. What happened to her? How did she die? Best Moment: The opening scene had the best humour. Character of the Episode: James. Conclusion: Tis was a notably weaker episode with disappointing moments, but I still feel that it has potential to be very good if some flaws are ironed out. Score: 55 Summary: James is a 17 year old psychopath who meets a angsty teen named Alyssa. Alyssa falls in love with him due to him being different and goes on a date with him. James, however, wants to kill her. Alyssa and James decide to leave their town in James' dad's car.
The Good: This was very unique and is a neat concept for a TV show. It's always great to see a new TV show which isn't afraid to take risks and be different. I thought the introductions to the main characters were very well done. Usually I'm not a fan of voice overs as they often feel like a lazy way to give us exposition, but here I feel it works as it offers us a quick introduction to these characters so the story can kick off. While it doesn't do a great job making us care about both characters (see: The Bad), we at least understand who they are on a basic level which makes their irritatingly angsty behaviour much more acceptable in our eyes. In the end, I feel that these voice-overs were the very best way to introduce us to both James and Alyssa. The one thing this show does really well is its black comedy. There were loads of moments which had me laughing, which helped me enjoy the show much more. As a drama it is lacking currently, but the show was just so easy to watch due to its unique black comedy, which helped me overlook some of the flaws. The Bad: The characters seem extremely shallow currently. They are really unlikable, so the show is going to need to work hard to make me care about them, and it just hasn't happened yet. It's also really hard to connect to characters who feel so overblown that they couldn't possibly exist in the real world. In the end I'm just left with a basic understanding of who they are instead of anything more than that. I'm definitely willing to wait if we do get more background on these 2. Some of the dialogue feels very choppy and awkward. I understand that it is the point of this show as it helps with the black comedy aspect, but it does hurt my immersion somewhat. The Unknown: What were those memories from James? What happened with his mother? Who were the bloody bodies at his house? What happened to Alyssa's father? Best Moment: Not a whole lot stood out, but I felt that the final scene was the best with some nice tension with James wanting to kill Alyssa before deciding to leave with her. And of course we got a good laugh as James punches his father in the face. Character of the Episode: Alyssa. Conclusion: This was a solid premiere for a very unconventional TV show. It has some flaws, but at only 20 minutes long, the episodes go by quickly and are easy to watch. This show has definite potential if executed properly and I believe things can definitely get much better than this episode. Score: 61 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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