Solos

It's essentially a series of philosophy class lectures dressed up with sci-fi fixings. The sci fi factor is definitely secondary to the philosophical factor here. Way too much time spent on famous actors pontificating about a mix of contemporary social issues under the guise of science fiction, and not in a meaningful or poignant way.

Not sure why people make reference to Black Mirror. The only similarity is that each episode presents a stand alone story.

Anyway. I thought these were mostly interesting tales that make you think. 7/10 is an honest review but marking it 10/10 just because I think the reviews achieved so far are undeserved. I also think where you are in life will change how you feel about each story. I would be curious to see the demographics of the poor reviews. Watch them. They really are entertaining and thoughtful.

This is a fascinating and superb piece of experimental drama. I recall the first time I ever saw something similar as a child. Whoopi Goldberg did The Telephone in 1988. I was mesmerised, as a love of both screen and theatre, it was the perfect presentation and merging of both mediums.

Then in 2002 Johanna Lumley did Up in Town. It is seldom we see performers of this calibre doing theatrical work on screen like this and living in South Africa makes is difficult and expensive to travel. So now we get to see these performers at their best as well. This might be a product of Covid, but I sure hope that we get to see more of this in the times to come.

This series is not for the average audience, but for an audience who are more discerning and enjoys higher end drama. If during these times, if we can't have anything else, we can at least have some culture.

I decide to watch this show because of Anthony Mackie , I am never truly impressed with his acting and i wanted to be unbiased and try one of his new shows. That being said i really enjoyed this show as an avid reader and someone slowly but surely getting into musical theatre.

The reason i suggest not to binge it is due to the fact that all the episodes are practically monologues with a minimalistic set and one or two actors at most per episode. However each actor did justice to the story they were telling and i found myself crying, laughing and at times feeling completely terrified (episode 6 ) along with the actors (yes every single one of them).

This show is not for you if you only enjoy action or romance in your TV series. This show is however seven simple stories beautifully acted and slightly linked together , meant to replicate experiences that many of us go through (ie. Inability to handle loss, paranoia etc.).

The themes that echo through each episode, and there are so many, are perfectly timed and toned for an "almost at the end" pandemic release.

While Solos is an anthology-style series, it is not a series of standalone episodes. It is a comprehensive mini-series telling a single, self-contained story with a specific ending.

The writing is really stellar, and the acting is superb, both of those skills coming together to create something that is a series of monologues that rarely feel monologue-ish.

I'd love to go over each of the themes but it would get spoilerish, but I can say that for those who get this and understand what they were doing with it, the themes are poignant and meaningful and deeply emotional.

The tie-together at the end is almost perfect, except that the episode "Nera" is only vaguely referenced, and also didn't seem to share a mini-connection to any of the others, as the rest of the episodes all seemed to do. It is the most isolated of all of the episodes and has had me rewatching and pondering why. Was it editing that removed its connection from the rest or was it intentional? There is so much about it that doesn't fit with the rest. It does contain nearly all of the themes, but it has a really strong "one of these things is not like the others" feel all the way through it.

The final episode is so rich and full of meaning and reference... it's astounding. The acting is perfect. Morgan Freeman's subtle face changes are brilliant.

I think my favorite episode is the one featuring Constance Wu. The emotional journey she takes us on is a gut punch. It is also the first episode that really gives us a clue as to what is happening on the larger scale.

I loved the re-use of specific language in different settings, with different meanings, but meant to echo back to the things we'd previously seen, sometimes casting new light on them and bringing out different understanding.

Two things to watch for that you might not think of on the first watch: 1: listen to the narration Morgan Freeman gives for each episode. Once you realize he's not just a narrator but a character, and what his role is in relation to all of them, the narration takes on new meaning. 2: look at the pictures they selected to fill the letters that open each episode.

Oh, and this is not Black Mirror. It's not meant to be anything like Black Mirror. Comparing it to Black Mirror is like comparing ET to Arrival. Just because they're both sci fi and anthology series doesn't mean they're both apples. You can enjoy both equally without trying to compare them to one another.