Thinker365

I read some of the Alex Cross series a kid and what made them worthwhile was their pacing and the depiction of the central character of Alex Cross, the intellect.

Here, in this series, these two elements are its greatest failings. If the plot pacing were any slower it'd be moving backwards, that and the character being played ultimately isn't recognisable as Alex Cross - good actor, woeful characterisation. (His partner may have been a better choice for the role).

The cast in general is great and the production quality high but the choices made seem poorly thought through and contrived. The prologue alone was dire - particularly given the ramifications it has for and on the character.

The makers seem to have wanted to infuse the show and character with a greater sense of blackness or black identity. Not being black, as a casual viewer, it seems to engage in obvious and unnecessary stereotyping but perhaps, it lends a greater authenticity that was missing in the books.

In the series, the police seems to be primarily run by women and staffed by black men, yet the story backgrounded focuses heavily towards discourse and action around police brutality and issues of race relations. It seems obtuse, if the police were run by women and staffed by black men then it would be much less likely protesters would be calling for its defunding. As a non-American, this all becomes tiresome and distracting very early on.

The conscious choice to absent white men almost entirely, the unending lighting choice being that of a romantic dinner setting, and the music choices are all likely to wear on many viewers over time.

Not sure I'll make it to the end but hopefully it improves as it proceeds and has legs - it's likely not for me or at least not meant for me - but picking up the pace and infusing Cross with greater intellect would likely lead to vast improvements.

Giving Cross a 7 as I'd like to see it succeed but 3 episodes in, it mostly seems a wasted opportunity.

Great to see Johnny Ray Gill in anything - someone give him better material, a lead role, and a much more substantial character to play.

The Newsroom is easily the worst of Sorkin's offerings. It is a muddle of contrivances and contradictions and by its end, I not only despised most of its characters, its aftertaste impacted my enjoyment of its actors in other projects. The only actor that comes through it unscathed is Sam Waterston who is terrific throughout, he being its saving grace.

The conceit of using real life events possibly could have worked but it ends up being odd and oddly sensationalist. The sense of self-importance of the Newsnight staff, Sorkin's proxy, is both stultifying and absurd and the 'relationship dramas' are endless and endlessly embarrassing. Nearly everything feels contrived. Purporting McAvoy to be a Republican, to the viewer, reads as the height of disingenuousness.

The moments of 'goodness' are lost in all the muddle.

The story arcs of each season are poor and poorly resolved, particularly the 2nd season, and arguably leave the viewer questioning the worth of Newsnight and its staff and the rest of the plotting is bogged down by the nonsensical relationship drama. David Harbour and Marcia Gay Harden do admirably jobs with thankless roles but other secondary characters are largely worthless and underdeveloped.

The main cast of characters are universally awful, though Dev Patel infuses the dud character of Neal with a hint of his charm, and Jeff Daniels has the odd good moment with his psychiatrist played by David Krumholtz. The female characters as a rule are awfully written.

As a non-American the jingoistic patter can at times be stomach-churning. I consider the Bin Laden episode in the 1st season likely the worst episode of TV I have ever watched - an abomination to sit through - but lesser flaws are in abundance from start to finish.

I'm sure many may be able to overlook its many flaws but for me, it is a case of endless missed opportunities and squandered potential and in its execution, can be found a total absence of self-awareness. At best, its rating should be struggling to break a 7.

Enjoyable dark comedy that drags its way through to its inevitable end. This is a well-made series with a good cast that has a number of moments highlighting how suspenseful and sharply funny it might have been.

I'd happily have rated it higher if the number of episodes were reduced to 8 with few changes. As it is, and as the story proceeds, the suspense fades and impatience begins to set in, and at times, the humour while probably never trying isn't particularly sharp.

It is still better than plenty of TV being made at the moment though, but it is hard not to watch it in its entirety and not think that there was a great high quality 6 episode series that has been extended to the detriment of the suspense, humour and storytelling. (I also probably could have done with one less sister as I never fully warmed to the two younger sisters).

I think the creators should have considered it job well done and moved on as I don't think it warrants a second series. Perhaps a brand new story centring around the insurance agent(s) could be fun but the sisters are best off left swimming in the sea. Don't flog a rightfully dead JP.