367. Web-series Reviews – 182

More web-series reviews…

DI Ray – Came out in 2022. Newly promoted DI Rachita Ray takes on a case that forces her to face a lifelong personal conflict.

A review from IMDB...

A top-class police drama series.

I was most impressed with this police drama series. Excellent acting, supplemented by tight and focused writing that aptly contained all the high drama to four episodes and completed by very intelligent directing that succinctly brought all parts together.

Parminder Nagra was superb and carried this drama series in large part. I hope I speak for many in saying we want to see more of her on TV. She simply lives the parts she acts.

I thought both the direct and not so direct leanings on racism were extremely well portrayed and a credit to all in the production of this top-class drama series.

That anyone - male, female, straight, gay, transgender, white, black, Asian, able-bodied or not - should be subjected to the direct and indirect shameful innuendo that DI Ray was subjected to, is something that should outrage all who are decent, honest and have integrity.

I highly recommend this excellent series.

My Take – Worth a watch!

 

Dark Winds – Came out in 2022 and 2 seasons so far. Follows Leaphorn and Chee, two Navajo police officers in the 1970s Southwest that are forced to challenge their own spiritual beliefs when they search for clues in a double murder case.

A review from IMDB...

The first five episodes were great but the last episode tanked. I suspect two things: they got short on money, and 2, they modified the books' story to make a more politically correct ending. Those are my guesses and I could be wrong in both counts.

All of the acting was excellent. I really liked seeing Zahn Mcclarnon again since his days at Longmire, and he got the same role! I hope he enjoyed it as he does fine work. The entire cast was generally good. The scenic views were nice. The story lines included the right amount of Navajo customs to make it both informative and interesting.

The bad: 1) The trite and re-used story of a corrupt FBI agent. What!? Did they need to add another bad white guy to balance out the bad Indians?

2) The sudden "redemptive heart" of Hoski at the end? What!? Did they need to make the murderous Indian a better person before he kills himself? That was either real screwy or poorly done.

3) Nakai lives again! Having a rifle bullet go through your chest and running off carrying a heavy load of cash was unbelievable. That works in comic books or action movies but not here.

All in all I would have given the show a 9 but that last episode was such a drop off. I'm not sure what caused the producers/directors to drink a cup of stupid on this one. Both the actors and the fans deserve better.

My Take – Worth a watch!

 

Dark Matter – Came out in 2024.  A man is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Amid the mind-bending landscape of lives he could've lived, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from a most terrifying foe: himself.

A review from IMDB...

1) Biggest quality here : No filler episodes. Almost every tv show, especially during the last 10-15 years, has a lot of filler episodes. DARK MATTER hasn't. And that adds up to its entertainment value, this is a very entertaining tv show. Personally, i am eager to overlook plot holes/inaccuracies, even things which don't make much sense, as long as i am being entertained. Not every scifi tv show can be FRINGE/BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA etc. And it doesn't need to.

2) Joel Edgerton has a big disadvantage as an actor : His face is too "hard" and "stiff", so he has limited facial expressions. And that's exactly what makes him a great actor, the fact that this characteristic didn't prevent him to pull this off here. His role in DARK MATTER was extremely demanding, i won't say anything else in order to avoid spoilers. Yet, he did it. DARK MATTER could be a tv show very difficult to watch and follow due to its script. However, you just have pay a little attention and you won't get confused even for a second.

3) Connely and Bragga are so classy and capable actresses. Jimmi Simpson always nails it. Still, casting director should do a better job because some other actors here were not convincing. I don't want to name them but their performances were mediocre at best.

4) Overall, it's not a brilliant tv show. It started strong, in the middle it was even better but the last two episodes kinda dropped in quality. The main concept/theme here was very good, yet i think the writers didn't capitalize on their own great general idea. That doesn't mean the ending was not good, on the contrary, it was satisfying and maybe it could not have been better. It's a clever sci fi tv show which could have been great : It didn't make it but still, it was much better than i expected. There was action, twists and turns, jaw dropping moments, tension and emotion.

4) If there is gonna be a second season : The less political propaganda, the better. I am not American, i don't have a horse in the race but i can tell when a tv show is shoving political things on my throat. Not only propaganda in Art is cheap. But it also doesn't achieve its own goals. If you keep saying "VANILLA IS BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE" in hundreds of tv shows and movies, know this : People will start liking Chocolate more just because you irritated them. So much propaganda doesn't help the "product" you want to promote. Instead, the opposite is happening.

My Take – An excellent series!

Adios till next time😊!