(790-word review) Without much consideration and on a surface level, part of me wants to say this was the best episode so far, mainly because of Henry and Sam, of course, including the last half. Once some thought's applied, that sentiment starts falling apart a bit, even though this episode was engaging, albeit on a certain level, despite the potential of being better, and I'll explain why.
First, as far as Henry and Sam are concerned, they should've had more screen time. People seem easily emotionally swayed concerning this show, and most would disagree because they found the amount of their screen time sufficient; they probably even bawled.
But they felt like an afterthought by the writers. Bill and Frank got more focus, while instead of doing the same with Henry and Sam, the writers decided it would be better to create a new character for the show who wasn't in the game, which concerns my second point.
Kathleen had screen time in the previous episode that should've revolved around Henry and Sam and even more in this one that shouldn't have been there. It's like the writers cared more about her. For some reason? Her character was a waste of screen time in the end. She and her faction both were a waste of screen time. What was the point?
And the way Melanie Lynskey has been praising her is a big head-scratcher. Were there hundreds of hours of screen time with Kathleen, which would make Melanie's reaction more understandable, except all that was headed for the grimiest dumpster ever?
We could've had some of Henry and Sam at the end of Bill and Frank's episode if it was much more condensed. At the very least, we could've had more screen time with them in the previous episode. And more in this one if Kathleen didn't exist: creating a better flow of events and more hard-hitting impact in this one because of a more solid sense of familiarity due to more screen time.
And depending on whether or not I glossed over a vital (probably subtle if I did) piece, what was the point of showing the hole in the building's floor in the previous episode? All I can assume is that it was foreshadowing, albeit sloppy foreshadowing, for what happened in this one: making you think something big will happen there, then subvert expectations by doing it elsewhere.
But there was no need. What happened in this episode would've been more surprising and impactful, which seemed to be the purpose, without the foreshadowing. It wasn't necessary. That sequence also played out too conveniently.
It conveniently happened as Kathleen was about to kill Henry. The Infected are generous enough to wait until the last moment to make their grand appearance, giving her that false sense of completion. They didn't even make noise when the vehicle exploded (but when it sunk; convenient timing) to add to that overwhelming element of plot convenience.
They also conveniently didn't run through everyone immediately: despite being that many, and that close, giving Perry his 'not a no-name character like everyone else, therefore an important character' moment; everyone also seemed to have infinite ammo without the need to reload.
And the slow-motion shot of his face when the big bad boss shows up was comical.
I can see why a critic or two mentioned 'rushed.' That was concerning the final two episodes, although it can apply to this one. The writers would prefer to waste screen time doing something different (the third episode) when they could've condensed that with the same result. Then, they'd favor wasting more time by creating new characters instead of using that screen time for characters from the game, which isn't precisely rushed: it's incompetent decision-making. And even then, they still managed to accomplish some rushing.
While I believe that Henry and Sam's involvement should've been done better, particularly by giving us more time with them instead of what we got, part of me liked it. Part of me also considered it slightly better than the game, which was more due to the performances by Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Woodard. But there was more to be desired; more potential there. And that was stolen by Kathleen's character, and for no particular reason either, which I didn't like.
It is what it is. I found this episode engaging, and I'd say it was the second-best one, right behind the premiere, which I consider the best so far mainly because of everything before the 20-year time skip. That isn't saying much: the show has been decent, but it still hasn't gone beyond that for me. At least most people seem to think it's the best thing ever, and nothing will surpass it in their lifetimes.
First, as far as Henry and Sam are concerned, they should've had more screen time. People seem easily emotionally swayed concerning this show, and most would disagree because they found the amount of their screen time sufficient; they probably even bawled.
But they felt like an afterthought by the writers. Bill and Frank got more focus, while instead of doing the same with Henry and Sam, the writers decided it would be better to create a new character for the show who wasn't in the game, which concerns my second point.
Kathleen had screen time in the previous episode that should've revolved around Henry and Sam and even more in this one that shouldn't have been there. It's like the writers cared more about her. For some reason? Her character was a waste of screen time in the end. She and her faction both were a waste of screen time. What was the point?
And the way Melanie Lynskey has been praising her is a big head-scratcher. Were there hundreds of hours of screen time with Kathleen, which would make Melanie's reaction more understandable, except all that was headed for the grimiest dumpster ever?
We could've had some of Henry and Sam at the end of Bill and Frank's episode if it was much more condensed. At the very least, we could've had more screen time with them in the previous episode. And more in this one if Kathleen didn't exist: creating a better flow of events and more hard-hitting impact in this one because of a more solid sense of familiarity due to more screen time.
And depending on whether or not I glossed over a vital (probably subtle if I did) piece, what was the point of showing the hole in the building's floor in the previous episode? All I can assume is that it was foreshadowing, albeit sloppy foreshadowing, for what happened in this one: making you think something big will happen there, then subvert expectations by doing it elsewhere.
But there was no need. What happened in this episode would've been more surprising and impactful, which seemed to be the purpose, without the foreshadowing. It wasn't necessary. That sequence also played out too conveniently.
It conveniently happened as Kathleen was about to kill Henry. The Infected are generous enough to wait until the last moment to make their grand appearance, giving her that false sense of completion. They didn't even make noise when the vehicle exploded (but when it sunk; convenient timing) to add to that overwhelming element of plot convenience.
They also conveniently didn't run through everyone immediately: despite being that many, and that close, giving Perry his 'not a no-name character like everyone else, therefore an important character' moment; everyone also seemed to have infinite ammo without the need to reload.
And the slow-motion shot of his face when the big bad boss shows up was comical.
I can see why a critic or two mentioned 'rushed.' That was concerning the final two episodes, although it can apply to this one. The writers would prefer to waste screen time doing something different (the third episode) when they could've condensed that with the same result. Then, they'd favor wasting more time by creating new characters instead of using that screen time for characters from the game, which isn't precisely rushed: it's incompetent decision-making. And even then, they still managed to accomplish some rushing.
While I believe that Henry and Sam's involvement should've been done better, particularly by giving us more time with them instead of what we got, part of me liked it. Part of me also considered it slightly better than the game, which was more due to the performances by Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Woodard. But there was more to be desired; more potential there. And that was stolen by Kathleen's character, and for no particular reason either, which I didn't like.
It is what it is. I found this episode engaging, and I'd say it was the second-best one, right behind the premiere, which I consider the best so far mainly because of everything before the 20-year time skip. That isn't saying much: the show has been decent, but it still hasn't gone beyond that for me. At least most people seem to think it's the best thing ever, and nothing will surpass it in their lifetimes.