Ghost Dog And Nomadland Walk Into A Bar And Gangs Of London Destroys It

I’m retreating, further and further, into stories these days. The world is increasingly made up of vitriolic people only concerned with their own immediate and selfish desires. It’s tough to take. Maybe it’s just the result of losing a year of our lives to this pandemic but we’d almost certainly not have lost nearly this amount of time had adults been in charge over the past year.

I digress.

My novel is out of my brain and into the hands of people deciding whether or not to release it into the wild and I’ve already begun work on my next project. I know I stated last week that I have two ideas worth following right now but for the time being, I’m focusing on one of them — a memoir…of sorts. Families tell stories and build legends. These stories are passed on from generation to generation with small details changing until the stories resemble very little of the truth originally behind them. None of this matters. The core is the core and as long as that remains, the rest is fair play to the storyteller. I have a lifetime of stories, some of which have been passed down and many others which I have experienced myself. It’s been a fun project to check back in with the family house on memory lane and I hope to honor the history of my own crazy family by gifting these stories to the rest of the world.

In the meantime and more precisely, in my downtime, I’ve been watching some movies (and a show) that have been long on my “to do” list. I watched Jim Jarmusch’s brilliant Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai. I told you all that I’ve been meaning to do a re-watch and I finally did just that over the weekend. What I didn’t expect was to have that movie blown off the map by something else.

First, I’ll deal with Ghost Dog. The film is perfectly crafted for what it is and aims to be. It’s lazy and hypnotic in equal measure. The story goes nowhere while, at the same time, teaching us all real life lessons worth a lifetime. The RZA’s score is impeccable — a low key masterpiece of film scoring. Every note and beat accents each scene and builds upon itself, constructing a welcome soundscape to get lost inside of. Jarmusch’s camera is stagnant and slow, capturing everything in Ghost Dog’s periphery. It’s so effective by allowing us to feel alive inside this world. We focus on the insects and the birds. The sound design compliments everything else and finishes off our immersion. We can feel the heat on our backs and smell the sickly sweet aroma of a parked ice cream truck. The writing is sparse and simple but extremely effective. Why waste words? Looking back, I believe Jarmusch has been an enormous influence on filmmakers like Nicolas Winding Refn. These artists come across more like painters than filmmakers sometimes — living and breathing in the abstract while forcing us onto their wavelength. They create portraits and allow those portraits to speak for themselves. It can be challenging but when this type of material connects, it lands harder than anything else. I find it all much more rewarding than anything else. Ghost Dogs still holds up, all these years later.

I’m skipping the big one for a moment to speak on two other viewings real quick. First, the film I Care A Lot, starring Rosamund Pike, Eiza Gonzalez, Peter Dinklage, and Dianne Wiest. I dug the hell out of this film. It’s acerbic as all get out and possesses the psychopathic heart of a serial killer. Rosamund Pike is one of the most interesting actors working today. She is always in absolute command, not just in every film but every single scene she is in. Study her even when she’s not speaking. Her body language, face, hair, posture, they are all speaking volumes at all times. For his part, Dinklage is a titan. He’s able to create a palpable sense of thoughtful danger at every moment in this film. You cannot remove your eyes from him. Last, Dianne Wiest. My goodness is she great in this film. She always come across so sweet and delicate, like a favorite family member. Here, she uses this to create a quiet sense of constant menace. I’ve never seen her like this before and I hope awards voters do not forget her performance here later on this year.

Next, the streaming service AMC+ has a British drama on offer called Gangs Of London. It stars one of the guys from Peaky Blinders and mama Stark from Game of Thrones. I don’t even know why I bring that up because it makes little difference. The important aspect is that this show is made by Gareth Evans, the psychopathic director of the two Raid films.

Side note: Raid 2 is far better than the first film. I’ll be taking no questions on this topic.

The story here is fine but typical. The show is well acted and competently presented in every other aspect. The reason for it’s existence is as a showcase for insanely creative violence. I love grounded, martial arts infused fisticuffs. I grew up on Bruce Lee. Evans needs to be on some sort of watch list because his brain is demented. These fight scenes are absolute batshit fucking bananas — all of the superlatives apply. Episode six is basically a one hour long gun fight war battle royale to the death between a band of gypsies and a Nordic hit squad. I mean, my gawd! That’s where I’ve left off and I have no idea how they’re going to top that.

And finally, the movie that blew me away and then some: Nomadland.

Frances McDormand can do no wrong. She has always been one of my favorites, ever since Blood Simple. Chloe Zhao directs her (and the rest of the film) with a plain spoken grace. There isn’t much dialog and what we do get is short back and forths which inform us of lifetimes lived by these people. Every single shot of this film could be a post card. It’s a wonderful story about the beating, human heart still trying even in the face of complete devastation. I believe McDormand and David Straithairn are the only actual actors in the film. Everyone else on camera is an untrained actor, most of whom are really living the nomad life. This all adds up to build an indisputable effect of realism. Every setting feels lived in — every frame alive. The film raises up our own defiance of societal norms, allowing us, if only for a moment, the ability to cut through our own daily bullshit and take stock on what is truly important. It’s easily the best film of the year and the one I’m rooting for to win everything it’s currently and hopefully nominated for.

That’s it. That’s enough. Other writing to do. Next week, Hopefully I will have watched Judas and the Black Messiah by then. If not, who knows? Until then, love each other.

My Favorite Games Of The Pandemic year 2020

The pandemic year 2020 was a real sonofabitch — we’ve been over this. However, for gamers, 2020 had its share of blessings. For one, we ushered in a new console generation and that’s something that’s always exciting and special — we only have so many console launches in our lifetimes. I’ve grown up with gaming, from the Atari to the Playstation 5 and everything in between. In the past, I’ve told funny stories about how my father thought the Super Nintendo was a scam by Nintendo and refused to buy it for us, instead purchasing a Sega Genesis — different company, different name, checks out. Throughout my decades of gaming, I’ve always found the fanboy drawn battle lines, amusing if not downright obnoxious. It’s only gotten worse in recent years and I’ve been an owner of both Sony’s machines and Microsoft’s machines. Right now, it’s only the PS5 for me because the Series X doesn’t have any exclusive offerings worth plopping down an extra $500 to secure. I’m sure, in a year or two, things will be different but for now, I guess, I’m a Sony pony.

All that aside, 2020 still dished some awesome gaming experiences, including a contender for the greatest of this past generation, if not all-time. I’ll start with a few of the games I didn’t yet get a chance to check out. This is my attempt to quell any outrage for a few games not being included on the list. Maybe nobody would’ve gotten angry but my caution remains. I haven’t yet played Immortals: Fenyx Rising but I do have a ps5 copy ready to go. The same goes for Maneater (next up for me) and Demon’s Souls (next after that). I also never played the Avengers game.

On to my honorable mentions. These games were either released in prior years and I just recently got around to them or not quite good enough for the top ten. Either way, here they are.

LIFE IS STRANGE 2 began long prior to 2020 but didn’t finish its episodic run until early in the year. The story of two Mexican-American brothers on the run from the law, hit me right in the heart. I’m a big fan of DontNod as a studio and vibe with most of what they do. Speaking of DontNod, I also played their gothic horror game, VAMPYR. A little rough around the edges but featuring some cool gameplay ideas, a great setting and tidy story. Fun stuff, especially if you love Dracula as much as I do. Continuing on with games that were released before 2020, I got in some good time with my Nintendo Switch this year. It’s the perfect machine for late night gaming in bed. I played the remastered versions of two 90s rpgs near and dear to my heart: FINAL FANTASY 7 & FINAL FANTASY 8. The Final Fantasy series is probably my favorite gaming series of all-time. The music is provided by Nobuo Uematsu who is my favorite composer of all time. The earlier character designs and art were drawn by Yoshitaka Amani, who is one of my favorite artists of all time. As for how the games hold up, Final Fantasy 7 is better than I remember it. I used to find it slightly overrated but I’ve again changed my mind — wonderful game. Final Fantasy 8, however, doesn’t hold up as well. For years, I was a huge defender of 8 but it’s like an adolescent child — the parts are there but it’s a bit clumsy. Oh yeah, and I played through FINAL FANTASY 12 too — I forgot about that. Twelve features the best combat system ever in a final fantasy game but the story kind of sucks. (I’m about to start a new play through of Final Fantasy 9 pretty soon, so I’ll have more to say about how that one holds up at a later date) Last on the Switch was TALES OF VESPERIA. Fun game, cool art, not much else to say. Moving on and this past summer saw the release of a remastered version of the GHOSTBUSTERS video game. I had a blast playing this again and the fact that they got the original cast members for the voices made it all the more enjoyable.

2020 also saw me dive back into a game from 2019 when Remedy released the FOUNDATION DLC for CONTROL. The game, in 2020, was in much better shape and ran pretty smooth this time around. I love Remedy, so much so that I’m willing to stick it out amidst the bugs and crashing that sometimes plagues their titles. Foundation saw them tie ALAN WAKE and CONTROL into a larger universe and I am down for it all. Onward and another year means another Call of Duty and another Assassin’s Creed. The newest entries are not among their respective series’ best but they’re still decent. I enjoyed the side missions and extra intel in CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS COLD WAR but that title is still a nightmare. The rest of the campaign was a bit ho-hum, especially when compared to 2019’s stellar MODERN WARFARE. As for AC Valhalla, it feels rushed and a bit copy and pasted from Odyssey. There are some serious flaws in the game design but it is fun to get lost in 13th century England. Lastly, we have CYBERPUNK 2077, the game to launch a thousand refunds and lawsuits. Is it good? Yeah, when it works but it rarely works. The game was an absolute nightmare to run, even on my ps5. I’m hoping that once CDProjekt Red gets their shit together and irons everything out, I’ll be able and willing to revisit Night City and have some actual fun this time.

Okay, we’re nearly at one thousand words already so enough chit-chat and let’s get down to business.

2020. Pandemic. Games. Top ten. Now:

10. THE DIVISION 2: WARLORDS OF NY – (ps4) – I know this is technically dlc but whoa baby! This is the best dlc I think I’ve ever played for any game, ever. It’s also massive in size and scope. Returning to New York and finally getting to the business of hunting Aaron Keener made me smile wide as can be. The mission design and boss fights are some of the best of the entire series and the twist at the end of the story has me begging for more. Bravo, Massive. Bravo.

9. KENTUCKY ROUTE ZERO: TV EDITION – (switch) – I never played this as an episodic adventure, instead choosing to wait until the game was completed. This is the completed version and it’s a brilliantly written adventure game about the idiosyncrasies of life and embracing one’s fate and ultimate death. Heavy stuff but just as poignant.

8. SACKBOY: A BIG ADVENTURE – (ps5) – A launch game for the PlayStation 5 and a beauty to boot. Sometimes we just need an adorable platformer to cut through the difficulties of our daily lives and Sackboy provides this in spades. Wonderfully inventive at every turn and a great showcase for the brand new dualsense controller.

7. WATCHDOGS: LEGION – (ps5) – I love this game. It’s just a video game-ass video game. The ability to recruit to your team and play as any person you see is absolutely awesome. Rampaging around a near-future London is breathtaking. The story is less of a focus (WD2 being a high point for the series) but it’s still a serviceable story. There’s one mission in the game dealing with an advanced AI afraid to die that struck me as particularly insightful. Also, the final mission is batshit nuts and a great showcase for the new consoles’ power.

6. ASTRO’S PLAYROOM – (ps5) – Pure joy. Pure fun. The best “tech-demo” ever. All of these are true statements. A blast from start to finish and the first game I played on my brand new ps5. Also the perfect showcase for the dualsense controller.

5. TONY HAWK PRO SKATER 1+2 – (ps4) – A wonderful trip down memory lane. It’s the Tony Hawk games we grew up with and loved but newly remastered and updated for new technology. I’ll be going back to this game over and over and over again in the years to come, even though I now absolutely suck.

4. GHOST OF TSUSHIMA – (ps4) – The music. The art direction. Memorable characters. The combat. Nearly everything about this game is *chef’s kiss* although the story crescendos a little too early and lets down a bit in the third act. Minor quibbles. Suckerpunch gave us the best Assassin’s Creed game in history with this one. Marvelous.

3. FINAL FANTASY 7: REMAKE – (ps4) – This is the reason I went back and replayed the original again. A remake of one of the most influential and adored rpgs of all-time? Bad idea. Crazy idea. But they pulled it off. By diving in deep and blowing the story and characters out as much as possible, Square created something else pretty special. They also made interesting story choices which somehow still respect and incorporate the events of the original. I now like Cloud! Never said that before, lol.

2. SPIDER-MAN MILES MORALES – (ps5) – Perfect game play. Better than the original in terms of story and how they handle the characters. The game could’ve used some more boss fights but that’s a tiny little complaint in an otherwise extraordinary game. I’ve loved Spider-Man since I was a tiny little child. Superheroes weren’t that big with me growing up, I was a bit more strange and into different things like Voltron and Sandman but Spider-Man always spoke to me. He was a nerdy kid who became special but still often used his brain to thwart enemies. I loved that and still do and Miles Morales, between this new game and the recent Spiderverse film, has become my favorite version of the character.

1. THE LAST OF US PART 2 – (ps4) – I’ve already written thousands of words dissecting this beautiful and brilliant game. It is every bit the equal to the first entry and those unfamiliar are in for a shocking treat when the HBO series adaptation hits our eyeballs (hopefully) sooner rather than later. I love Joel but Ellie has stolen my heart in totality. She is one of my favorite characters in any medium, ever. And now I have two new characters to love with Abby and Lev. I truly hope we either get dlc or a new game featuring Abby and Lev. The persistent danger, excellent combat, complete understanding of story, world building, and tone helps to provide one of the best experiences we’ve ever had with a game. The Last of Us has become the gold standard of storytelling in games. Naughty Dog easily crafted 2020’s game of the year and a contender fo game of the generation, if not all-time. An outright classic.

And now, like Porky Pig says: That’s All Folks!

Next week, films. Until then, love each other.

My Favorite Television From The Pandemic Year 2020

We all had a lot more time than usual to watch television over the course of this past year. Still, this being a new golden age of the medium, I didn’t get a chance to watch all of the shows I intended to give a go. Shows like: The Good Lord Bird, The Queen’s Gambit, and season two of The Boys are still on my to-do list. The rest of this list is comprised of shows I watched and enjoyed for various reasons. They also either premiered, or primarily aired new content in this pandemic year of 2020.

First, my honorable mentions. These are the shows I really enjoyed but because of some arbitrary ruling on my part, they didn’t quite crack my top ten. In fact, list making is kind of crazy, is it not? I’ve been making lists my entire life as my anxiety riddled brain has required this action in order to function. I have lists of books to read, games to play, and movies/tv to watch. I have lists of everything media related I’ve ever consumed, ranked in some way or another. My brain depends on this level of order and websites like Letterboxd and Goodreads have been godsends to me. Anyway, here goes.

The HMs: THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR – I adore Mike Flanagan’s work. He’s a horror aficionado with an enormous heart. This is why he’s been the most successful adapter of Stephen King’s work. Here, he oversaw a heart wrenching ghost love story that worked on every level. TALES FROM THE LOOP – Amazon got in on some awesome sci-fi storytelling this past year. Tales is a show more admired than loved but it’s themes revolving around loss of innocence and grief dug deep. LOCKE & KEY – An adaptation of Joe Hill’s brilliant comic series hit me in just the right spot. Perfectly cast. HIGH FIDELITY – Zoe Kravitz is incredible in this show and it’s an absolute fucking travesty that Hulu canceled it after its debut season. DEVS – Alex Garland is a genius and this short series smoked the new season of Westworld in every conceivable way while covering many of the same ideas.

And now, onward.

10. PRIMAL – Genndy Tartakovsky is a masterful storyteller. Samurai Jack is an all-timer and Primal looks likely to join it’s older sibling in many hearts and minds. This show debuted it’s first five episodes over a year ago but finished it’s season one run recently. It’s about a caveman who lost his family in violent fashion and a dinosaur who lost her family in violent fashion. They team up to survive in a harsh landscape that never relents. Impressionistic to the max.

9. RAMY SEASON 2 – Hulu’s Ramy is a brilliant show. It’s eye opening and thought provoking while still being hilarious. I love every single character in this show and especially love how the show can give entire episodes to side characters without missing a beat. Truly special.

8. LOVECRAFT COUNTRY – Jonathan Majors is a fucking movie star in the making. This show is batshit crazy and tonally all over the god damn map. And I loved every second of it.

7. THE MANDALORIAN SEASON 2 – Improves on season one in every conceivable way. Great villains and even better cameos. Favreau and Filoni are rounding out an entire universe here and it’s something to behold. The Boba Fett reveal was amazing but the appearance of Ahsoka (maybe my favorite Star Wars character) had me near tears. I’m not even broaching the finale for those who’ve yet to see it.

6. LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE – Kerry Washington gave the performance of the past decade in this gem from Hulu. This should be required viewing for white people in order for us to see the ignorant mistakes we continue to make with anyone and everyone who doesn’t look like us.

5. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS SEASON 2 – The funniest show on television. Everything about Jackie Daytona was incredible. Colin’s power trip was insane. The ghost episode left me on the floor. The Superb Owl episode had me howling. In the end, however, Guillermo stole the show all season and finished with one hell of a shift in the power dynamic. Bravo.

4. TED LASSO – The show we all needed during quarantine. Hilarious and heartwarming in equal measure. The show is cast perfectly and written just as well. I cannot overstate the positive energy that flows from each episode of this show.

3. WOKE – The most recent show I’ve watched. Lamorne Morris is one of my favorite people to watch and listen to on camera. The dude has impeccable timing. He was easily the best on New Girl and stole the show in Game Night. (The glass tables bit still kills me to this day) Here, he’s playing a heightened version of a real person and the results are phenomenal. The show is equal in it’s delivery of jokes and it’s need to amplify racial injustice. Brilliant, BRILLIANT show.

2. HOW TO WITH JOHN WILSON – I’m a New Yorker who moved to Texas this year. I miss home more than I ever thought I would. John Wilson perfectly captures New York City and the maniacs who call it home. My wife and I binged the entire season in one afternoon and we’re dying for more as soon as possible, please and thank you.

1. DESUS & MERO – Again, these guys are on my books list and now this list for the same reason: they make me feel like home isn’t as far away as it feels. Watching these two bullshitters (like so many people I grew up with) late at night, while a little stoned and laughing my ass completely off, has been the most fun I’ve had all year. New season in a few weeks!

Annnnnnnnd dismount! We’re done. Go fight with each other on twitter. Just kidding. Stop fighting with each other.

Next week, games. Until then, love each other.

Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood Is A Mess Worth Visiting

Ryan Murphy is a kitchen sink storyteller. Nothing is ever enough for him. The Netflix show, Hollywood, is a perfect example of this. He cannot simply just tell a story through to the end. It’s not enough for the story to be a version of Rock Hudson’s early career, or a black screenwriter, or gay in Hollywood, or closeted in Hollywood, or a black actress, or women in power, etc. — it must be about ALL of these issues. This leads to a story that is scattershot and never lands on level ground. With that said, it’s still a fascinating show full of amazing production design and great performances. Sure, the writing tends to let everyone down but the sheer balls of this undertaking and the full commitment by everyone involved still creates a show better than the sum of its parts.

On the technical side, Hollywood is as good as anything you can watch right now. The production and costume design are top notch and go a long way toward immersing us in the world. I love Murphy’s visual take on early Hollywood, warts and all. It was also interesting to see just how quaint the Oscars ceremonies once were.

Moving on to the actors, they are mostly very good. The standouts for me were Jeremy Pope, playing the screenwriter Archie. He was full of an earnest spirit that I loved — my second favorite character and performance. Next, Samara Weaving and Darren Criss. These two actors could do just about anything and I’d be there for all of it — the camera adores the two of them. Dylan McDermott is also awesome as Ern, the owner of a gas station that doubles as a prostitution ring. McDermott gets better and better each project he takes on — what a marvelous actor. However, I do find the glorification of Ern as this loveable scamp a little troubling. He’s a pimp and a bully who is forcing these guys into working for him — not very loveable if you ask me. This brings me to the character of Ellen Kinkaid, a loyal servant to her studio who grows into a major power player by the end of the show. Holland Taylor’s portrayal is extraordinary, adding in layers of despair and hope in equal measure. She bosses the screen around and it’s terrific to behold.

Now onto the subtext of the story. Murphy and his crew choose to weave in historical figures with fictional ones and the storylines blend in the same way. The show is very, very dark in tone — unafraid to show the nasty, seedy side of Hollywood. It’s grimy and makes the viewer feel gross at times. Hollywood is also very much about the #metoo movement — a noble statement if a bit out of place in early Hollywood. Lastly, Ern’s gas station prostitution ring is apparently based on something that took place in real life. That is absolutely insane to think about.

This all leads to an extremely ham fisted finale where all of the good guys win and all of the bad guys either lose, die, or see the error of their ways. I did not like it because it is simply not true. It’s fun to think about but none of this is happening right now, let alone eighty years ago. My biggest issue is how in the last fifty five minutes or so, Murphy crams in eighty years of Hollywood history and progress into a story that took place over the course of a couple of years in the early days of Tinseltown.

Like many Murphy projects before it, Hollywood is a slick, gorgeous production that is held back by way too many ideas for only seven episodes. It’s a valiant effort and pure of heart but ultimately leaves us feeling worn out and hollow, just like some of the players under the foot of the machine.

Next week, we’ll discuss the HBO doc series, I’ll Be Gone In The Dark. Until then, love each other.

Dark – A Slice Of German Perfection

Dark is a German science-fiction show brought to the United States by Netflix. It involves time travel and the end of the world. During its three season run, it was easily the best show in the world. I’ll die on this hill, especially if that were to happen on this show where I could somehow be resurrected to continue, either in this world or another. I have wanted to write about it for a long time but I find it difficult to articulate exactly why this show is so special.

I’ll give it my best shot.

Dark began with a suicide. It would take a long time for us to understand the ramifications throughout time and space of that action but we would eventually get there. Shortly following the tragic event, a group of teenagers would go exploring a secret cave in their small town. Strange sounds would scare the teenagers away, sending them fleeing until they realized that the youngest of them was missing. This is where things really jumped off. A search would return no results. The viewer is than shot back in time to the 1980s where the missing boy has turned up 27 years in the past. This boy would grow up to be the man who committed suicide at the onset of the series.

It only gets crazier from here.

We soon learn that there are three distinct time periods where children either go missing or are murdered. People begin popping up in various timelines, changing things in the other timelines on a constant basis. A new mysterious figure emerges and is eventually revealed as one of the main characters back from the far future. The timelines begin to expand. The plot becomes more intricate and alliances are formed. It appears we’re getting something superfluous and really only about good versus evil — we are not. This entire time, we are shown that the local power plant will explode and cause the apocalypse. Two distinct sides form, trying to either prevent the apocalypse or create it. Throughout the many different characters we meet and plot lines we follow, there is one main thread — love.

Our two main characters we follow throughout the three seasons are the two teenage star-crossed lovers: Martha and Jonas. Their story is initially sweet and full of young, blossoming love. Ultimately, it’s a story full of tragedy, consequences and sacrifice. In fact, the entire story is one of sacrifice.

The way the writers layer the plot with character is extraordinary. There is so much intricate plotting done here but the overall story is always character first. This is a rare feat and one that should be applauded. I have never seen a show quite like Dark. It gave me flashbacks to LOST, another plot heavy show that ultimately ended up being a multiple character study on our highs and lows as human beings.

With that out of the way, season three was launched worldwide on the exact date of the show’s apocalypse — nifty. Where season one was largely contained, season two expanded the timelines and who travelled between them. Season three introduces new worlds. If you don’t recap or rewatch beforehand, it will be easy to get lost. Two new worlds emerge: one made of Jonas’ creation and one of Martha’s. The two, through their time travels, form opposing factions and in Martha’s world, Jonas does not exist. They find it hard to trust anyone as they are constantly being manipulated by versions of people they once knew and trusted. No matter what they have ever tried, the apocalypse still happens. There is a knot that binds everything together and one faction is desperate to undo the knot, believing the end of all things will be their salvation. The other side seeks to preserve the knot and let the world be as it will. These are wonderful ideological debates to have during a final season as everything around them is ramping up.

I’m now realizing that writing any further about this amazing show and even more amazing final season will require complete spoilers and I don’t want to do that. What I will say is that a third world is discovered and the origin it represents is heartbreakingly beautiful. We fully understand the motivation behind its creation and I totally empathize with its creator.

Where the show ends begins with amazing cosmic imagery and descends into harrowing simplicity. There is no true happy ending to this story but the ending we receive is justified. Strike that, it’s not only justified, it’s perfect. How a show so crazy can stick a perfect landing is beyond my comprehension but the entire crew behind Dark did the impossible.

Love can create and it can destroy. Simple. Beautiful. Perfect.

Next week, a show I struggled with a bit but enjoyed overall, Hollywood. Until then, love each other.

Ramy Season 2 – An American Tale

Hulu has something special on their hands with Ramy. We’re two seasons in and I don’t think anyone who has seen the show is feeling patient about a third season — we want it now. The show has created such a unique blend of comedy and drama that it’s quickly established itself as a breath of fresh air. There is nothing else quite like it, save for Atlanta. It’s in these two shows that we can better understand America, it’s failings and the great promise that it still holds.

The first two episodes of season 2 give us a sobering look at what happens when we forget about our soldiers once they’ve returned home from war. Ramy finds himself at a spiritual crossroads and he’s desperately seeking not only guidance but also affirmation that he’s a good person. He helps this soldier who at first is ignorant of the Islamic faith while also condemning the religion and its followers because of the horrors he experienced fighting overseas. Ramy brings him to the man he seeks guidance from, played by Marshala Ali. The soldier, begins to see the humanity and good spirits of these people, his new friends and ultimately decides that he wants to convert to Islam. It’s here where things get dicey. Their place of worship is under constant protest from others who are still ignorant of the teachings of Islam. The soldier cannot abide this and attacks one of the protestors. The nuance involved in creating these scenes is nothing short of extraordinary. In a few moments, Ramy has shown us all sides of the argument — presented to us for examination and hopefully introspection.

The show eschews plot in favor of digging as deep as possible into all of the characters we meet. Ramy may be the title character but we are treated to whole episodes devoted to supporting characters. The show focuses on his sister Deena, his mother Maysa, his father Farouk and even his uncle Naseem. This is an effective tool in building the world from the inside out. It expands the show’s horizons and ours as well. Deena struggles with growing up while not only being Muslim but also a young woman in a doubly hostile world. Maysa struggles with her place in life and this pull from a part of herself that so badly wants to be helpful — even when she’s being increasingly offensive. Farouk is lost for much of the season as a man who has always supported his family and now being jobless. He’s being affronted by his own brand of chauvinism and ends up being rescued by a rescue dog. Farouk’s story in particular was a real treat this season. Then we have the brash and incredibly offensive Uncle Naseem. This season reveals that Naseem is a closeted gay man which illuminates his daily outward persona as a beard of the highest order.

We root for these people to find their way and the show walks a delicate balance between maintaining what is true to oneself while changing just a little bit in order to better fit in with today’s society.

Notice how Ramy himself hasn’t even come up yet? His story of course runs throughout the season but he is so lost and nearly beyond hope. He’s suffering from undiagnosed depression while constantly trying to fill the void with either sex or pats on the back. He doesn’t just want to get better and be better but he also needs to be told that he is better. It’s tough to watch. He gets so many things right but never quite addresses his lack of stakes in anything he attempts. Ramy’s problem is that he lets himself off the hook at every turn. He’s in love with his cousin and eventually cheats on his fiancée the night before his wedding. This is all horrendously selfish but upon the end of his wedding night, having gone through with his marriage and even taking his new wife’s virginity, he decides to come clean. It’s the single most fucked up slide into wrongheadedness that Ramy has ever engaged in. Mahershala Ali, Ramy’s now father in law, shows up the next morning and brutally takes Ramy to task. He’s so overcome with grief and anger that he almost physically hits Ramy. It is a testament to his inner strength that he withholds and leaves Ramy to his own dark thoughts.

I will always applaud a story that is unafraid to take its main character to task for their failings. There’s never any room for hero worship — that train of thought breeds bad stories. Here, Ramy reels from his family’s cutting remarks, to his wife leaving, to his brutal take down at the hands of his father in law, to the even more brutal take down at the hands of his cousin. Ramy ends up alone in the abandoned, shit covered car left by the homeless soldier he tried to help earlier in the season. He’s adrift with nowhere to turn. It’s sad but deserved. I, for one, cannot wait for season 3 to see if Ramy can pull himself out of this whole he has put himself in.

Ramy provides us as American a story as can be. One full of humor and drama in equal measure, just like our own daily lives.

Next week, let’s tackle Edward Norton’s film adaptation of Motherless Brooklyn. Until then, love each other.

DEVS – Alex Garland’s Brilliant Look Into Past Trauma And Our Impending Future

I am a huge fan of Alex Garland. I have always found his writing to be thought provoking and invigorating. 28 Days Later is one of my favorite horror films of all time and his novel, Coma, is one I re-read on a regular basis. He has broken into directing in the last decade and it comes as no surprise to me that he’s quickly established himself as a clear and unique voice in Hollywood. Dredd rocked and Ex Machina blew the world away. With Annihilation, he deftly adapted the first book of Jeff VanderMeer’s astonishing Area X trilogy into one of the best films of 2018.

Now that we have that out of the way we can get down to the meat of this post. Devs.

Devs is a tv show Alex Garland wrote and directed in its entirety. It aired earlier this year on FX and is easily a landmark achievement in not only science fiction but any genre of storytelling.

What’s so great about it? Everything. I’m not going to dive into many details about the plot because anyone willing to take this journey should do so as blind as possible. It is set at some point in our future where automation has taken over our lives. Tech has evolved to the point that it has caused unemployment to spike up to sixty percent. We live in an age where we are beginning to see the future Garland is showing us as a possible real thing. This is scary. This is also merely window dressing in this rich and rewarding story.

The real story is about a young woman who works for a giant tech company and investigates the disappearance and questionable suicide of her boyfriend, who happens to work at the same company. There is a secret project called Devs and what exactly they are up to is the central mystery of this series. Do we get answers? Yes we do and they are so much more profound than we could possibly imagine. This series rocked me to my core. It plays like a conspiracy thriller when it is actually using that to mask a story about trauma and grief. Devs is a slow burn that peels back layer after layer until we lose all sense of direction. It is a work of astounding confidence and brilliant ideas. We’ve seen works in the past that could execute one of these things but not all of them quite like this. It not only sticks the landing, it changes everything.

The young woman is played by Sonoya Mizuno, an actress about to hopefully become a household name. Garland loves her — he’s cast her in Ex Machina and Annihilation already and here he totally lets her loose. She is amazing — with a face that could tell a thousand stories.

Side note: She was also incredible in Netflix’s Maniac.

We also have Nick Offerman playing the co-lead as the head of this tech company. He is manipulative and borderline evil but is also suffering great loss while maintaining some type of humanity. It’s strange to find his presence and voice so comforting no matter what is happening on screen. The bottom line is that he is a man determined to play out the only hand he believes he has. There is a sort of twisted nobility in this.

All of the characters in the series are fully realized with motivations of their own. This is vital for a story like this — we have to care no matter what. I’m going to have to cut this relatively short because the more I write, the more I run the risk of spilling the beans. I don’t want to do that to anyone.

I will say this: the finale turns everything upside down and around again. Just when you think you have this figured out, Garland ups the intelligence ante and takes you where you secretly wanted to go — without you realizing you wanted it all along. I will die on the hill proclaiming this one of the greatest finales in television history and one of the most profound and deeply moving endings to a story, ever.

Hit print.

Next week, either Tom Hardy or Tales from the Loop — we’ll see. Until then, love each other.

The Last Of Us Part II – Love, Hate, And The World In Between

Love and hate are separated by an invisible barrier. The world of, The Last Of Us, makes this clear. These feelings we all have are seemingly polar opposites but in reality, they are boxed in with nothing but tissue paper. Love and hate are both irrational feelings that we cannot completely control — no matter how hard we may try. We learn to live with both of them and make the best life we can. Some of us are taught to give in to love while others are taught to be led by hate. The quicker we realize the lack of control we have over life, the quicker we can exist peacefully somewhere in the middle. Life is not easy and the only thing we have to hold onto is that precarious ledge our emotions keep us tap dancing on.

I played TLOU2, weaving through a post-apocalyptic landscape, while also playing hide-and-seek with my feelings. To sum up, it was a harrowing and unforgettable experience. I finished, put down the controller, re-joined the world, and then immediately returned for a second run. I wasn’t done sorting through myself and what this story had to offer. I was always going to write about this game but I’ve realized that I need to do this now because I cannot function as a writer with this story still churning up my brain. There is no way for me to properly discuss this story without diving into ***MASSIVE SPOILERS***, so be warned: I am going to talk about it all. I urge you to return to this post at a later date if you have any plans to play this game. This post will still be here.

Again, MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD

Okay

You’ve been warned — let’s dive in.

FIRST, SOME CONTEXT

The story of the original was about a fourteen year old girl, born years after society fell to a destructive virus, journeying across the country in order to reach a hospital. She was immune to the virus and was the only person known to be immune. This girl, Ellie, grew up without much of a family. She was entrusted to a smuggler named Joel for this journey. Joel was a man who watched his young daughter get murdered at the onset of the outbreak. This event broke him and forged an armor around him. Over the course of their journey, Ellie and Joel became a family — the first ever family for Ellie and the first in decades for Joel. Upon reaching the hospital and finding out that Ellie would have to die in surgery in order to potentially create a cure for the virus, Joel snapped. He could not abide losing another daughter. Joel, through grief, slaughtered the entire hospital in a bid to save Ellie. He left with her and when she asked what happened, he lied and told her there was no cure — that everything was a failure. That story ended with Ellie sighing and saying, “okay.” You could see in her eyes that she knew Joel was lying about something but she let that hang for the time being.

That game was revolutionary in the way that it flipped our perception of the hero, Joel. The player ended up complicit in Joel’s despicable acts. His actions were borne from love and grief with a heavy dose of selfishness. To this day, I don’t agree with Joel’s actions but I know that I would have done the same.

ONWARD TO THE MAIN EVENT

I could also spend thousands of words discussing the game mechanics and how they’ve evolved in the years since the first game. I could write about the verticality of the environments, the free flowing combat, streamlined crafting, and the beautiful guitar mini-game (you should YouTube what some people are doing with this mini-game, it is extraordinary).These are all used effectively to further immerse us in this world. The camera is visceral and only shows us the bare minimum at any given moment, which keeps the tension at a maximum. The world is dangerous like I have never experienced before. Every single enemy interaction is brutal, nasty, and leaves the player feeling at sea. The 3D audio, ratchets everything up further, with creaks, clicks, groans, gurgles, roars, gasps, screams, gunfire and the like coming from all, yet singularly specific, directions.

WE BEGIN WITH A GUT PUNCH

The sequel begins in Jackson, the rebuilt town Ellie and Joel returned to at the very end of the first game. They’ve settled into a routine and life is mostly peaceful. Through dialog, we understand that Joel and Ellie aren’t on the best of terms. Ellie, now nineteen and very much her own person, is still grappling with the fallout from the events at the hospital nearly four years prior. She heads out on patrol with her girlfriend Dina when they get waylaid by a snowstorm. They soon find out that Joel and his brother Tommy aren’t responding to radio calls and so Ellie heads out to find them. This is when we change perspective and begin playing as a new character named Abby. We don’t know who she is or what she and her group are doing here but we quickly realize they’re here for Joel. We can infer that she must have a connection to the group from the hospital and we begin to fear the worst. At the same time, this make sense because when you flip a coin, there is always a tails to the heads. The people Joel killed out of his love for Ellie would also have their own people willing to do the same for them. Abby is quickly beset by a horde and is rescued by, of all people, Joel and Tommy. They escape the horde and end up at an abandoned mansion Abby and her group have been holed up in. This is where things get dark. Joel realizes these people know who he is and there is no good reason for that. Before either Joel or Tommy can react, they are attacked — Tommy knocked out and Joel taking a shotgun blast to his legs. Abby then proceeds to beat Joel with a golf club.

We regain control of Ellie again as she reaches the mansion, sneaks in, hears the commotion in the basement and rushes into action. We expect to save the day but are horrified when Ellie is immediately bested and held down as Joel’s torture continues. She calls out to Joel and begs him to get up. And then Abby kills him. It made me sick to my stomach. I wasn’t upset that Joel died because in this harsh world, it’s not exactly surprising when someone doesn’t die of old age. The thing that got to me was Ellie’s pain — it was primal in the most horrible and wrenching manner. Abby leaves Ellie alive because her mission is finished and because, as we will learn later, the cycle of love and hate demand it. Now, I’m not going to rehash the entire plot of this game because that would take forever and also it’s not necessary. The plot is secondary to character and I’ve spoken at great length on my site about my preference for stories told this way. It’s not the what but the why.

THE HERO OF ONE STORY CAN OFTEN BE THE VILLAIN OF ANOTHER.

This is an obvious theme and one we get dosed with early on in the game. What none of us expected was how this story would deepen our understanding of this theme as the rest of the events unfold. We play the first half of the game as Ellie on her odyssey of revenge. She is going to punish those responsible for Joel’s death. We find out quick that Joel’s brother Tommy is already on the same quest for his own satisfaction. What we’re shown over the next dozen hours or so of game is Ellie losing the rational and human pieces of herself. She falls down the rabbit hole because of love and drowns in a pool of hate. She has no room for anything else. She is vicious, cruel, and undeterred by anything. She’s joined by her girlfriend Dina, and later, her friend Jesse. We watch as Ellie begins to unravel and even lose sight of the relationships she holds so dear — the same feelings and connections which bore so much love and happiness to begin with. Ellie kills her way all over Seattle as she fights the militarized group known as the WLF, (aka wolves), the group Abby is a part of. Ellie also has violent encounters with another group of “enemies” known as the Seraphites. They are a group of religious zealots who mainly fight the WLF over territory and philosophy of life. By the time Ellie and Abby confront one another again, we are numb to the killing and exhausted from it. We are in desperate need of catharsis.

BONDED FOR LIFE

Leading up to this point, the story is broken up by sections of Ellie remembering past events with Joel. They are mostly tender moments of the two of them strengthening their bond. Ellie never had a family and even though it isn’t biological, Joel is very much her father. They love each other like only the truest sense of family can love. Through these flashbacks, we begin to appreciate how Ellie could succumb to hate so fully. This in no way excuses her actions but given our perch and availability to be objective, we can be honest with ourselves in understanding that we could easily follow in Ellie’s footsteps. Like I said at the top, it is an invisible barrier. There’s further context that some later flashbacks reveal. Ellie always suspected Joel had lied about something. She revisits the hospital and finds out what happened. She questions Joel and later doesn’t let him off the hook, demanding the truth. Joel gives her what she asked and she hates him for it. Their relationship is seemingly severed. It’s just about the most upsetting thing I could think of, how irrational love can lead to equally irrational hate. Except Ellie finds the bond between her and Joel unable to be severed. We learn why guitars mean so much to her, Joel taught her how to play and it was something they both cherished. The guitar keeps her tethered to him and the love they have for each other. She needs this not just to fuel her rage but also as a lifeline protecting her from being completely consumed by the hate she feels. We don’t have to agree with her actions in order to empathize with them. She is in so much pain and it it hurts to see her like this. At first, we think her revenge is fueled by guilt because she wasn’t able to reconcile with Joel but we later learn that she went to Joel and told him she wanted to try and forgive him. They had reconciled. It then becomes obvious that guilt plays a different part in this story. Ellie wasted so much time hating a man she loved more than anything in this world. Ellie thought they had more time and was robbed of the only family she ever had. When Abby killed Joel, she killed a piece of Ellie’s heart.

TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

After Ellie and Abby confront each other, we’re left with a cliffhanger. Abby has killed Jesse, Tommy is possibly dead on the floor, and her gun is trained on Ellie. Cut to black.

We then pick up with a flashback scene of Abby and her father. By the end of this flashback we learn that not only was Abby a part of the group at the hospital (the Fireflies) but that her father was the doctor responsible for creating a cure through Ellie. Joel killed him. This moment flips the entire story on its head. We suddenly have so much more insight into who Abby is as a person and what fueled her own rage. Abby spent the subsequent years with the WLF, receiving military training, and preparing for the day she could avenge her father’s murder. Like I said, the hero of one story…

What we learn over the next dozen hours, playing as Abby, is that she has her own family of friends. They care for each other. They are not that much different from the people of Jackson. Love leads to hate and the cycle continues. Abby becomes embroiled in a fight against the Seraphites and is nearly killed in horrific fashion by them until being saved by a couple of Seraphite outcasts. They bond, especially Abby and the young boy named Lev. This closely mirrors the relationship growth of Joel and Ellie from the first game. We begin the game hating Abby and end the game loving her because we understand her motives and pain. There is enough pain and suffering in this world that one’s sun could be blotted out by it. Abby gives in to her hate but as her story unfolds, love creeps back in and begins to take hold. We learn about her relationships with her friends, namely Owen, Mel, Manny, and Alice the dog. She lets Lev into her heart and begins to care about him as well. So when she finds out most of her friends are dead, the switch is primed. She watches Manny die right in front of her, killed by a revenge-fueled Tommy. She finds Alice, Mel, and Owen dead — then finds evidence it was Ellie. This sets Abby off once again on a quest for vengeance. She is now at odds with the WLF because she’s become so protective of Lev, a Seraphite. Abby is beset on all sides by people attempting to cause harm to her and those she loves. We also see that she cannot quite shake a bit of humanity because Lev has had such a remarkable influence on her mindset. She’s forever changed. These two women, Ellie and Abby, are so full of pain, it hurts us to see them bested by these feelings. Pain lends itself to hate by holding your hand and walking you to the threshold. Some find the strength to turn back while others give in to the false promise of catharsis.

We end up back at the cliffhanger moment and, playing as Abby, engage in a boss fight of sorts against Ellie. It puts us in a rocky boat as we’re fighting against the one person we’ve always fought for. Abby defeats Ellie but lets her live. This is different than the encounter early in the game because this is Abby again fueled by hate except she doesn’t allow it to fully consume her. Abby chooses to go live a peaceful life and warns Ellie to not come for her again. At a glance, this seems like a typical warning but when you dig deeper, it is more of a recognition of oneself in another. Abby now sees that her and Ellie are one and the same, sees the same hate but also the love. We come to realize that Abby’s warning is more philosophical. By the end of this section, the wolf has become the shepherd.

This all requires a mature understanding of life, what we hold dear, and the limits we are required to exceed. The only way out is through and when you’re walled in by love and hate, that particular hallway is a precarious jaunt. The game exemplifies this by repeated journeys down the same hallway as Abby and staircase as Ellie.

YOU GO. I GO. END OF STORY.

We can’t go further without discussing some of the side characters. This is part of what makes this story and world so rich and rewarding. Dina is Ellie’s girlfriend and after Joel, the most important person in her life. Dina supports Ellie but is also there to try and keep Ellie from being consumed by vengeance. In fact, Ellie’s darkest moments are when Dina is not around. There’s a saying: No man is an island. This is another theme TLOU2 deals with in depth. We are all made up of our friends and family. What I mean by that is that left to our own devices, each of us are not at our best. We are taught and continue to be taught, every day, by those we surround ourselves with. Dina teaches Ellie to see light in the darkness — she helps Ellie be the best possible version of herself. Where Ellie has Dina, Abby has Owen. This is particularly evident in Abby’s flashbacks where Abby and Owen run the gamut of blossoming love. In the present, they are no longer together, mostly because they remind each other of their hateful actions against Joel. They still have love for each other but it’s no longer enough to hold them together as a couple. Ellie relies on her loved ones to keep her away from the dark side while Abby shuts them out in order to protect them from her own darkness. It’s different but both women operate from a foundation of love. We then spend so much time with Lev. He is a stand-in for a younger Ellie. Abby becomes Joel and her change is brought about by a new understanding of what she, like Joel, would do for someone she primally needs to protect.

CATHARSIS

Ellie heeds Abby’s warning and is satisfied to live peacefully on a little farm she and Dina have set up. They’re raising a little boy together and also a flock of sheep. Ellie still suffers from PTSD over what happened to Joel. She doesn’t feel whole but is still willing to try and live this new life. A visit from a still alive but handicapped Tommy changes everything. Tommy has lost most of himself to hate. He is even angry with Ellie because she is unwilling to finish the job against Abby. We don’t want Ellie to listen to Tommy but she does and sets out one more time.

Ellie is desperately searching for the closure she can’t find — it is like an open wound. She tracks down Abby in California, only to discover she and Lev have been captured by a sadistic group of people who call themselves the Rattlers. They enslave anyone they find in order for themselves to live in comfort. They torture and crucify those who disobey. By the time Ellie reaches Abby, it’s been months. They travel along the beach together with Lev until they reach two boats. Abby and Lev are emaciated from their months of abuse while Ellie is in bad shape do to her being impaled earlier by a trap set by the Rattlers. They at first seem content to go their separate ways — Abby and Lev to Catalina Island and Ellie back home. Ellie sets her pack in the boat and sees a flash of Joel dead on that basement floor. She gives in to hate again and tells Abby they need to finish it. Abby says no because she’s seen what the cycle does and has made it out the other side. Ellie threatens Lev’s life and Abby capitulates in order to protect the only person she has left to love. They fight in the surf, brutally and ugly, until Ellie pins Abby’s head under water. It is then that another image of Joel flashes in her mind — Joel on his porch with his guitar. It’s the same moment when Ellie says she wants to try and forgive him. Ellie finally lets go and lets Abby and Lev go while she sobs in the water. The cycle is finally broken. We last see Ellie back at the farm, now abandoned, and she plays Joel’s guitar once last time before setting it down and beginning her trek back to Jackson — back to her family and back to love. She let the guitar go and with that she let Joel go. By being able to do this, she let the hate go and gave herself a better foundation to rebuild her life. It is an astonishing moment in a game/story brimming with astonishing moments. And it’s here where we gain further understanding of what the story has been telling us all along with some of its imagery. The opening screen is a boat in the water, we at first think this is representing the calm before the storm but ultimately reveals itself as a metaphor for the two leads being at sea. Once the game is finished, the opening screen changes to the boat beached on Catalina Island. Following this thread, we also realize that every loading screen we see is a lesson in searching for the light. Most of the screen is shrouded in darkness while a group of moths gather around the lone light source. We are all like the moths, desperately trying to flee the dark.

LOVE IS STRONGER THAN HATE

By the end of this story, we are left loving characters at odds with each other because their stories are largely like our own. Everyone has a story and everyone begins a new story every day. Most of us get the opportunity to change our lives for the better and try and leave this world better for it. I played the first game in a world where I had no children in my life. I still found it engrossing and one of the best stories ever told in a video game. There is a reason HBO has secured the rights in order to make it into a new series. Shortly after, my family began having children. I am now an Uncle to five girls and one boy and my entire world is different. Being around children is like being a time traveler — I get to watch them experience millions of things for the very first time. It reminds me of how I grew up and I am in constant reflection of my own experiences. I didn’t know I could possess the love in my heart that I now possess and both stories now hit harder. My understanding of this world has deepened and more importantly, I better understand the person I am and the person I want to be. I love Ellie and Abby because I see myself in them. I see them with people they love and who love them back — people they would go to the ends of the earth for and vice-versa. They are awkward around those they don’t know and can be easily consumed by their own feelings. These two brave and powerful women each found their light and I try every day to follow their lead. Great art cannot make the world a better place on its own, it can only take our hand and lead us to the threshold. It is up to us to choose the proper doorway. Just because love and hate share an invisible barrier doesn’t mean we’re destined to be lost.

Next week, it really is DEVS time. Until then, love each other.

Dispatches From Elsewhere Is About You, Me, & Everything In Between

It took a long time for me to come to terms with my thoughts and feelings on Dispatches From Elsewhere. I’m still grappling with the show and likely will continue down this path for some time to come. It’s rare for a show, for anything, to grip me so fully so quick. The show hooked me within five minutes and then continued to tickle my brain over the course of ten episodes. I was left shaken to my core at times, laughing at some more, crying for various reasons, and most often it left me feeling reflective.

What’s it about?

It’s based on a documentary from earlier in the decade titled, The Institute. The doc was about the Jejune Institute which roped people into playing a real world AR game/experience/experiment in San Francisco. Jason Segel and his crew transported the setting to Philadelphia and fictionalized the story. But let’s start at the start.

The story is about four people who could be you or me. In fact, we are told at various times that we should think of these people as us. Do we relate to them? Of course we do because there is a piece of each of these characters in every one of us.

The cast is universally phenomenal. Richard E. Grant kicks things off for us as Octavio, the narrator and presumably the man behind the curtain. He’s pulling all of the strings, or is he? The show takes so many twists and turns, playing with what is real and imagined, that we’re left wondering who Octavio really is. We find out, of course, and this is where Grant’s mesmerizing performance goes even deeper. He runs and runs and runs with wonderful dialog and simple back drops. Most of his scenes are focused on his face, speaking directly to the camera, and Grant never lets us down.

Jason Segel plays Peter, who could be seen as our main main character. He’s depressed and sleepwalking through life. He likes and dislikes nothing. A tabbed flyer changes his life and we watch Peter continue to live underwater until he decides to begin swimming. We watch and wait for Peter to take a chance on new things — on living a real life. There is pure joy and crippling heartache. There is a whole lot of bullshit with Peter and his comeuppance is shockingly honest. This role and entire project from Segel is magnificent to behold. Rarely do we see an artist being so naked and honest on screen. And yes, the fourth wall is broken in ways we’ve never really experienced before. I don’t want to spoil too much because this show is best taken in completely blind.

Eve Lindley is the second of our core four we meet. She is instant charisma. Her character, Simone, comes across as a risk taker and a no-fucks-given player of this game but oh do the layers get pulled back on her. There are LEVELS to Simone. She is fierce and vulnerable in a moment. Eve Lindley is a revelation. I would expect offers to be flying her way like a ticker tape parade. She is THAT good. Simone, even when she thinks she has everything figured out, still has much to learn — and us along with her. Her scenes, late in the show, with Janice are tremendous. It’s fun watching her go toe to toe with Sally Field.

Speaking of Sally Field, between this and Maniac, we may have to do a Sally Field appreciation post. Wow, is she still bringing the heat. Janice is the heart and soul of this group. She is optimism in the face of the opposition. Janice’s home life is incredibly difficult yet she exudes warmth and a shock of spirit the group would otherwise miss. She asks important questions and proves her worth to the group countless times — even when they’re taking her for granted. Janice is the hope inside all of us. She has a few scenes in the second half of the show with Andre Benjamin that will produce crying fits.

Last but certainly not least is the character I most identified with, Fredwynn. Played with give-him-all-the-trophies precision by Andre Benjamin, Fredwynn is the hardcore player. He’s the guy too smart for everyone around him and sometimes even himself. Fredwynn is always searching for more and cannot take things at face value. He’s a detective’s detective. He’s the bloodhound with a Mensa membership (or not, lol). Fredwynn is the one to drive the group ever forward. I would put Andre Benjamin in any and every project I could ever think to produce — he’s just that good.

And now you may be wondering why I chose to highlight the actors and their roles — and you’d be correct to wonder this. These are the five main roles and the five main actors. There are more roles worth discussing and more actors worth applauding. There are plenty in the crew who deserve recognition. We could discuss how personal this show feels at all times partly because of the dreamlike scenes sprinkled throughout the proceedings. This show is shot with a mixture of standard camera placements and shots and then super-saturated shots, odd angles, slow motion, fuzzy cameras and visually interesting focuses. They use inspired music cues to mix up our feelings and then they cut those cues off to further alter our inner balance. All of this is effective — the intent lands with force.

The entire production comes together to create something extraordinary — unlike anything tv has seen beforehand. It plays with our perception of reality and shades that perception constantly. But I focus on the characters and the people who played them because that is what Dispatches From Elsewhere is really about — everything else is window dressing. This show, this wonderful work of art is, above all, about you.

It’s about us.

Next week, I tackle the film, First Reformed. Love each other.