matthewbrenwick

We all guessed the killer by last episode (I hope) so there wasn't really any tension for the mystery in this one. As a result, the episode was mostly just fluff. The scene where Charles makes his impassioned speech but is revealed to still be under the influence was genuinely funny, but other than that there was nothing compelling in the episode. All that would be forgiven, but the episode took one turn so egregious it makes my blood boil.

Starting a series with one of the main characters covered in blood and promising that it will be explained should mean that the show will develop in such a way that this crazy circumstance makes sense within the narrative. This mystery framed the entire season and most of the tension within ...how can we trust Mabel if she eventually ends up covered in blood? Sure, she is helping with the podcast but since she is covered in blood by the end, clearly she is hiding something!....Is there some explanation? Was it an accident? ..........

Turns out none of that matters, because that is a problem for next season. This was all a ploy to create contrived tension and get us hooked. The show lied to us and thought the chemistry the leads develop throughout would compensate for a dishonest set-up that is never paid off. This is a lazy move that spits in the face of viewers. I still liked the show, but it will forever be tainted by this obvious manipulation.

Acting was brutal. Plot was so predictable it may as well have been a lifetime movie. None of the characters acted like real people...in some movies you struggle with who to root for. Here, everyone was awful and it was more or a struggle to force yourself to care. I'm all for campy silly movies, but my wife and I were both yelling at the screen about how ridiculous everyone was acting for no good reason. Probably one of the worst movies I have ever sat through (although at least that means I was compelled enough to watch the whole thing, I suppose)

It isn't scary, it isn't funny, it isn't thrilling, it isn't interesting. The only thing I liked was the soundtrack, but even then it felt so hollow as if they just googled "music from 1994" and called it a day (case in point, Bush didn't release their debut album until the very end of 1994).

It tried so hard to be stranger things (but the 90s) but failed to include anything to actually make someone nostalgic. The movie seemed to forget that just adding nineties stuff doesn't make it good. None of the characters were particularly likeable...by the end I was actively rooting for them to just die so it would be over. And no one in this movie acts like a real person. "Wow the girl I had a crush on was just murdered right in front of me, no big deal imma just order some pizza, chat with my friend online and call it a night aha"...."dang my boyfriend and two of my friends were murdered tonight, better go make out with my ex and listen to this sick mixed tape". Also, their whole plan was to restart Samantha's heart, and instead of using a defibrillator (you know, like the one in the ambulance they had already stolen) they thought it was a better idea to make her OD and hope for the best?

I could go on and on. Basically, this movie is a hot mess. You know there's a problem when the trailer you shoe horn at the end of your movie is more interesting than the movie itself.