The Sinner

[Bronn]

Anyone else watch this show? We binged the first season over two days on Netflix and season two is starting next week. It is very well written and acted, and I'm excited for season two. Carrie Coon will be on this season, and she's awesome from both Fargo and The Leftovers.

This show is a good substitute for True Detective. It has a very similar feel and grit, and USA knocked it out of the park by getting it.

Also, USA did well with Colony. It is another one of our favorites.

[Dex]

True Detective Season 1 is my all time favorite. Just finished The Night Of which is VERY good. I'll try this next and give you my thoughts. Thanks!

[Zaximus]

4 hours ago, Bronn said:

Anyone else watch this show? We binged the first season over two days on Netflix and season two is starting next week. It is very well written and acted, and I'm excited for season two. Carrie Coon will be on this season, and she's awesome from both Fargo and The Leftovers.

This show is a good substitute for True Detective. It has a very similar feel and grit, and USA knocked it out of the park by getting it.

Also, USA did well with Colony. It is another one of our favorites.

Sadly Colony got cancelled.

[Bronn]

47 minutes ago, Zaximus said:

Sadly Colony got cancelled.

Seriously? I hadn't heard that! I do feel like they didn't really have an end in sight, though, so I can see why.

Oh well. The Sinner, so far (8 episodes) is up there already with my top shows of all time tbqh. I know it is still early, but if they keep it up this could rival some of the best.

It was a very pleasant surprise, to say the least.

[Zaximus]

8 minutes ago, Bronn said:

Seriously? I hadn't heard that! I do feel like they didn't really have an end in sight, though, so I can see why.

Oh well. The Sinner, so far (8 episodes) is up there already with my top shows of all time tbqh. I know it is still early, but if they keep it up this could rival some of the best.

It was a very pleasant surprise, to say the least.

Yeah I wish Colony could get a proper ending, and I'm not sure it's popular enough for another network to pick up sadly.  

[Moorgan]

22 minutes ago, Bronn said:

Seriously? I hadn't heard that! I do feel like they didn't really have an end in sight, though, so I can see why.

Oh well. The Sinner, so far (8 episodes) is up there already with my top shows of all time tbqh. I know it is still early, but if they keep it up this could rival some of the best.

It was a very pleasant surprise, to say the least.

That's very high praise indeed. As soon as Shark Week is over I'll check it out.

[Bronn]

I mean, maybe it is just too fresh in my mind or I'm overstating it. It is only 8 episodes after all, but it really felt like I was watching True Detective at certain moments.

Jessica Biel did a great job both running the show and starring in it. Bill Pullman did a great job.

It was just really really good. We binged it, like 4 episodes back to back in two days, and were left wanting more.

The previews for season 2 look great.

I hope you all like it as much as I did. So far, it is up there with Breaking Bad, GoT, and True Detective for me at times.

[cookinbrak]

"Sharp Objects" on HBO is similar to True Detective, only it's a reporter instead of a detective.

[Dex]

2 episodes in.

 

Acting is top notch (outside of Mason). Everything else is mediocre to bad. The story doesn't have my attention whatsoever. Cinematography and editing is just plain bad. (You can tell this is a USA show). Writing and dialogue is believable. I really enjoy Pullman's quirks. I can see where the story is heading (at least I think). I'll keep trudging along, it'll be interesting to see how my perspective changes once I'm done with the series. 

[Dex]

Just finished episode 4. Now I'm hooked. Everything is improving including the atmosphere. Feels true to what they're trying to accomplish. 

[Dex]

Just finished season 1 (I didn't have much to do today lmao)

Before I break down my thoughts let me just say, I thoroughly enjoyed this show and I look forward to season 2. Thank you for the recommendation. 

 

The good.

- Stellar performances by Biel & Pullman.

- Story was highly predictable but I still found myself entertained. They purposely drew out a story in what could have been done in 4 episodes by use of non linear storytelling and it worked very well.

- Soundtrack. It gave me a Twin Peaks/Stranger Things vibe. It seemed wildly out of character for this type of show but I think that's why I liked it. It also helped retain a mysterious atmosphere that made you revisit what caused all this. (the song)

 

The bad.

- Awful cinematography. It improves over the course of the season but I'm amazed by their blatant lack of using lighting correctly. Perhaps it was deliberate?

- Editing didn't help the atmosphere. It was abrupt and untimely. The opposite of what they should have been going for when cutting a mystery.

- Characters. Outside of Biel, Pullman and JD the characters and development of those characters was not at all fleshed out. We get one scene with Mason & the cop. Mason hardly gets any screen time in the second half of the series. What happened to Cora's son's separation anxiety? Cora's father's infidelity? Tension with Ambrose and his partner? There was so much filler that could have been cut and should have been utilized for side stories to help carry the main themes. I literally did not care about any of the characters or what happened to them.

- A lack of a genuinely memorable scene. There isn't one scene in the entire season that sticks out. NOT ONE. That is mind boggling. An example would be True Detective's "Who Goes There" tracking shot in season 1. 

 

Final Verdict

The first two bads aren't that big of a deal unless you're a film guy like me. But the last two are killer. This series had so much potential to be so much more. A couple of uses of the word "fug" and the soundtrack save this show from being a Lifetime Movie of the Week miniseries. Yet through all of its flaws I still liked it. Pullman's quirks, Biel's tears, the non linear storytelling and the soundtrack really saved it.

 

7.5/10

 

As a measuring stick The Wire's Season 4 & True Detective Season 1 are both 9.5/10 which is the highest rating I've ever given.

 

[Bronn]

16 hours ago, Dex said:

Just finished season 1 (I didn't have much to do today lmao)

Before I break down my thoughts let me just say, I thoroughly enjoyed this show and I look forward to season 2. Thank you for the recommendation. 

 

The good.

- Stellar performances by Biel & Pullman.

- Story was highly predictable but I still found myself entertained. They purposely drew out a story in what could have been done in 4 episodes by use of non linear storytelling and it worked very well.

- Soundtrack. It gave me a Twin Peaks/Stranger Things vibe. It seemed wildly out of character for this type of show but I think that's why I liked it. It also helped retain a mysterious atmosphere that made you revisit what caused all this. (the song)

 

The bad.

- Awful cinematography. It improves over the course of the season but I'm amazed by their blatant lack of using lighting correctly. Perhaps it was deliberate?

- Editing didn't help the atmosphere. It was abrupt and untimely. The opposite of what they should have been going for when cutting a mystery.

- Characters. Outside of Biel, Pullman and JD the characters and development of those characters was not at all fleshed out. We get one scene with Mason & the cop. Mason hardly gets any screen time in the second half of the series. What happened to Cora's son's separation anxiety? Cora's father's infidelity? Tension with Ambrose and his partner? There was so much filler that could have been cut and should have been utilized for side stories to help carry the main themes. I literally did not care about any of the characters or what happened to them.

- A lack of a genuinely memorable scene. There isn't one scene in the entire season that sticks out. NOT ONE. That is mind boggling. An example would be True Detective's "Who Goes There" tracking shot in season 1. 

 

Final Verdict

The first two bads aren't that big of a deal unless you're a film guy like me. But the last two are killer. This series had so much potential to be so much more. A couple of uses of the word "fug" and the soundtrack save this show from being a Lifetime Movie of the Week miniseries. Yet through all of its flaws I still liked it. Pullman's quirks, Biel's tears, the non linear storytelling and the soundtrack really saved it.

 

7.5/10

 

As a measuring stick The Wire's Season 4 & True Detective Season 1 are both 9.5/10 which is the highest rating I've ever given.

 

I could see a lot of your points, too.

I think the lighting was intentional. The show overall has some pretty dark undertones, and I therefore felt a lot of what you were talking about here was on purpose. That's what gives me the TD vibes, I think, is the atmosphere/feeling of a lot of the shots.

I agree, too, about a lot of the supporting cast, but I'll chalk it up to being a first season and trying to pack/fluff more into the story. 8 episodes isn't a lot, especially when the two biggest characters need more than a little exposition.

Season two starts this week, although I may wait and binge it.

I have high hopes, though, as I am a big fan of Carrie Coon. It also looks like Pullman's character will be the lone holdover.

[Shocker]

On 7/27/2018 at 1:19 PM, Dex said:

True Detective Season 1 is my all time favorite. Just finished The Night Of which is VERY good. I'll try this next and give you my thoughts. Thanks!

TD Season 1 was a fuggin masterpiece.  I would second "The Night Of" as well..pretty good.

[Dex]

37 minutes ago, Shocker said:

TD Season 1 was a fuggin masterpiece.  I would second "The Night Of" as well..pretty good.

The first 2 episodes of The Night Of had me FREAKING OUT. I thought we had another True Detective Season 1 on our hands. But it fizzles a bit. It was still very good but my expectations after that incredible start were not met.