So, I don’t know what HBO MAX is doing, but they dropped a bunch more episodes of Our Flag Means Death. Which is good because after seeing the first few they released I thought it was a relatively amusing pirate comedy that would be a fun distraction.
The extra episodes they dropped though seem to show it growing into something a little deeper and stranger. Still very funny, I think they are trying to do a little more that just make jokes. I am really enjoying it now (and it is a great post Severance pallette cleanser/cheer-me-up).
I am very sad though that apparently Claudia O’Doherty has appeared in her last episode for the season (she is credited with three). I first ran across her in the Netflix show Love and she is such a delightful comedian. I highly recommend her YouTube series Sarah’s Channel
I just started watching The Afterparty and was immediately hooked. The clues don’t seem obvious where I am at episode 4. But I’m interested in seeing what you’re saying about it. Mystery stories are a relatively new interest of mine. One of the main things that kept me out of the genre was the fact that they often don’t seem fair. Would you say The Afterparty’s solution is fair?
(This won’t dissuade me from finishing if it’s not. I’m learning that these stories don’t actually have to be fair. It’s all dependent on how to solution serves to story or, more importantly, the character who figures it out. Really shouldn’t have taken me this long to understand and accept that.)
I think that it probably is, even without a rewatch to look for the clues. The solution doesn’t seem out of the blue and adds up - I just don’t know if it was all breadcrumbed since I am terrible at noticing that sort of thing while watching - I get too distracted by the character stories.
Somebody somewhere thought “How can we make Highlander even more stupid?” to which somebody clearly replied “We’ll put Mark Wahlberg in it!” and then the first person said “No, more stupid than that!!” and the second person said “Challenge accepted,” and then they made this awful piece of nonsensical trash.
The director has made some good movies with Denzel Washington before so I gave it a go.
I warned everyone, but if someone needs a really, really dumb movie to just go WTF at then cool
I finished the series, and it is fair. Motive and means were the primary sells for me. The clues? Way too subtle to register, especially given the fact that everyone’s account of events was purposefully distracting.
How I feel about the reveal is another thing. But most of the suspects were enjoyable enough (and relatable in different ways) that I don’t think I would have enjoyed it being any of them. And the more obvious ones wouldn’t have felt satisfying.
I’ll watch Ben Whishaw in anything but he is superb in this and the series is both funny and yet distressing as you can imagine when being on the front lines of the NHS.
I’m four episodes into ‘From’ and loving it. Just the right combination of scares, gore and general “WTAF is going on here?” Plus almost George RR Martin enthusiasm for killing off characters.
It really is… it’s basically a couple of middle aged men who can’t get over their HS rivalry dragging a bunch of teenagers into it… but it’s self-aware enough to constantly call that out. And then you get actual stakes and people actual learn shit. Well worth the time, if you ask me.
On the topic of middle aged men and getting over (or not) their issues, I’m watching Our Flag Means Death (on HBO Max), and I adore it so far, which is episode 6. On the main characters’ side it’s basically “Midlife Crisis: Pirate Edition” and it kind of plays out as a weird workplace comedy most of the time. The story in short: Stede Bonnet leaves his life of luxury to become a pirate, except he’s gotten all his knowledge about pirates from romances and has no idea what he’s actually doing. And then he comes across the dreaded pirate Blackbeard… who is just really burned out on the whole “mad devil pirate Blackbeard” thing and is looking for a change.
The characters are charming and endearing (with the two leads, Stede and Blackbeard absolutely dominating each scene, especially when they’re together, their chemistry is over the roof). It starts out a bit slow but by episode 4 it really hits its stride and from then on it’s on. It’s not barrage-of-laugh-out-loud-jokes type funny, but just kind of gently funny, and even cute, somehow. Exactly what my frayed mental state needs right now.
Also, it’s unabashedly queer and alternative-lifestyle friendly: it has queer characters, one who may or may not be nonbinary (the jury is still out but the character is played by Vico Ortiz who is in fact nonbinary), one pirate lady with a harem of husbands, etc.
Trailers:
(I’m trying to pimp it everywhere I can, because I need this to have a second season.)
totally loving this show! agree on all your points above and I can only add that Taika Waititi is brilliant! as Cpt. Teach (that’s Blackbeard to you landlubbers what aren’t familiar).
fun fact: Stede Bonnet was a real person and he did, in fact, become acquainted with Cpt. Teach. fer reelz!
