Orpheus_exe

It's hard to judge the overall quality of an anthology project like this.

On the one hand. I can say that probably less than half the episodes in the show are really great. On the other hand, all the episodes are disconnected plots and so the variation in quality really doesn't affect individual episodes.

The Twilight Zone is, without a doubt, one of the best TV shows to ever exist and I think it's fair to say that this show has earned its spiritual successor reputation excellently.

Where TZ was all about the surreal and often supernatural weird tales and folk legends of its time, Black Mirror excels at exploring those same parts of the collective psyche using the medium of Science Fiction and the themes of Futurism.

This show has some of my all time favorite episodes of TV. White Christmas, The Entire History of You, and San Junipero being my personal favorites.

And yeah, this show suffers from a dip in quality after a certain point. And I don't love the newer episodes trying to veer into the realm of supernaturalism like the Twilight Zone.

But overall, the process of exploring this show's different offerings was a total pleasure for me with many pleasant surprises.

Idk if Bandersnatch counts as this show, but if it does, I also wanna highlight that really interesting and fun project because it was really cool and enjoyable.

Some episodes are real stinkers but I think most people watch this show more based on recommendations for the best episodes anyways. So I'm gonna just rate it based on my experience with episodes that I thought were above average. Which is quite a few of them.

I know this will be an incredibly unpopular opinion, but I just don't understand the appeal of this show's story.

I absolutely see the appeal of its production and style. It's EASILY one of the best animated projects of any kind that I've ever seen.

The lighting, color work, directing, digital cinematography, 2D effects animation, character model acting, music, and everything else is absolutely spectacular on every level.

It is without a doubt a technical marvel that showcases some of the most creative and inventive leaps forward in the medium of animation.

And yet... When it comes to the story, I just find myself unable to get fully invested.

I watched the first season when it came out and I barely remember anything that happened in it. With the exception of Jynx's origin story, I remember literally none of the plot. Which just speaks to how little I cared about it. In general, I have a fantastic memory when it comes to storytelling. I just didn't care to remember any of Arcane's story because I never was invested.

I just didn't care about any of the dynamics or relationships or characters. And I can't even put my finger on exactly why.

It just never gripped me. I still think the acting was great and the direction was always elevating the scenes, I just never really cared about anything that was happening.

So yeah... I just don't know what I'm missing. I REALLY want to love this show and have the 10/10 experience that everyone else does but... I just can't.

I appreciated it for its obvious technical merits but, as a story, I found myself totally uninvested and feeling nothing.

It's a shame. I wish I knew what I was missing.