It's like a nightmare that won't end. It flourishes through star power. Through the years, they have recruited so many celebrities that it's always star studded. On a positive note, at least they have been providing a lot of work even for forgotten veterans of the industry.
While we are on a positive note, let me tackle that first since there is very little. Aside from providing work for lots of people, it once in a while provides good acting from some great performers. It becomes impressive as these few actors manage to thrive through stupid story lines, unbelievably terrible direction, and silly scripts. Still, at least you get to see some stars shine even if they are in the trash bin of a show it is.
Another possible positive note: it appears to be some sort of social commentary. The main character is a policeman who struggles dealing with crime and corrupt government and police officials. It positions the populace to question corrupt government. Cardo, might subtly be teaching people to not tolerate corruption in government by standing up to it. With the monstrous present government flooded with corruption, incompetence, and public treason, it may be serving by alerting people to this reality.
Unfortunately, this positive has been muddied by terrible direction and storyline. Cardo had turned into a rebel but has resorted to crime and terrorism, often unjustified. He is still being portrayed as a hero when taking the law into his own hands even with reckless disregard for the safety of others. Some fans cheer with misplaced hero worship that even when the hero turns terrorist, he is still seen as right. Great danger here.
A massive continuing failure is the lack of consistency, logic, and common sense that pervades the entire show. Each episode is loaded with an endless parade of stupidity. We do know that some element of suspension of disbelief is expected in shows. But when the story and script is loaded with obvious implausibilities, it becomes a monumental display of stupidity.
The first implausibility is the role of Cardo as heroic wherein other police officers superior to him act as if he is the leader. They drop their personal lives to follow him and this without justification in any way. He has been outcast and labeled a criminal, public enemy number one. He is in hiding. Yet, the utterly silly story line has all the most powerful politicians and crime lords in the land are portrayed as worried as Cardo is their main enemy. Plausibility, probability, no matter what math you do, it doesn't add up.
Of course other unrealistic scenarios. They portray the police as standing around the office most of the time and not working. That now-criminal Cardo can walk into a heavily guarded police center while carrying a long firearm in a bag without being checked while walking so suspiciously is the type of lack of common sense the people behind the show operate with. Suffice it to say, that's just a speck of sand in the immense treasure chest of stupidities in this show. If I would start to list it down, I can fill up several volumes of stupidity.
Unfortunately, many serious actors have been subjected to swim around this septic tank of a show. Add to this, it is littered with so many beautiful men and women casted as police, sadly many of them can't act. Period. So, how some veterans are forced to endure this, is heroic. Like poor Susan Roces, veteran superstar. She has been turned into a perpetual insertion of melodrama. They literally insert her to cry over anything and everything. Poor waste of such talent.
One mustn't forget that about a fifth of the show is wasted on ridiculous close ups of the various characters in the scene. No dialogue, just a round robin of close ups to waste time.
Now, I can't skip the most ridiculous fight scenes. Absolutely no common sense, no logic, no realism, no intelligence. It's either they have the stupidest directors that ever walked the face of the earth or they think that their audience is stupid beyond measure. The enemy is waiting in ambush, they are dug in, hiding behind protective barriers. They are a few feet away. Cardo and his gang are standing wide open, nothing protecting them. A firefight begins and Cardo and his gang shoot down almost everyone surrounding them, even if 90 percent of their bodies are protected behind barriers. Yet, Cardo's team are not hit even if they are in full unprotected view. Of course, you have the monumentally stupid acrobatics they do to avoid being hit by gunfire. So here comes a machine gun spraying across the scene, and the way they get out of it is do acrobatics. I don't think there are enough adjectives to adequately emphasize how stupid this show it.
To fans, I sound like I'm bashing the show. Depends on your perspective. It's not that I am saying that this show shouldn't continue. If a lot of people love and enjoy it, then sure let them enjoy. But I'm just giving my review, so that maybe one day TV shows can improve. That if this show can't be improved, at least others can. That hopefully there can be good stories driven by logic and common sense and supported by realistic scripts and directed by competent directors. This show lacks all of those.
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