My thoughts on "Chasing Theo" on first watch when Season 18 first aired in my country was mostly positive. Wasn't wowed or in rapture with it but of my first time viewings of Season 18's episodes it was one of the better faring ones of a mixed to negative overall general reaction to the season overall. On rewatch, where my general reaction of the season was on the whole the same, there was the hope that it would continue the improvement that the previous episode showed after being so disappointed in the five ones prior to that.
"Chasing Theo" thankfully did continue the improvement seen with "Next Chapter" and not a regression in quality. My feelings for it are still positive and for pretty much the same reasons as before. As far as the mostly disappointing first half of Season 18 goes, it is one of the high middle episodes and close to being one of the better. With less of the major flaws that frequently plagued Season 18 and the best things being done very well indeed.
Am going to start with the good. The production values are slick and have a subtle grit, with an intimacy to the photography without being too claustrophobic. The music isn't used too much and doesn't get too melodramatic. The direction is sympathetic but also alert. The script is taut and intelligent, with very little sense of melodrama or awkwardness.
The story on the whole compels and starts very intriguingly, the turns in the plot stopping things from being too predictable. The detective work is cohesive and intrigues and entertains, while the personal life stuff balances very well instead of being too dominant or soapy. The acting is very good and really appreciated Rollins' sympathetic attitude towards the mother.
For me, the whole Olivia seemingly not allowed to have a happy relationship is getting repetitive.
Did feel too that the case did get predictable later and that it ran out of gas a little before the end. What further stopped "Chasing Theo" from working perfectly was that to me the mothers were too self absorbed to root for their plight and while sort of understanding the perpetrators point of view the way they acted was too extreme.
Overall, good if not great. For Season 18 that is not too bad a position to be in at all. 7/10.
"Chasing Theo" thankfully did continue the improvement seen with "Next Chapter" and not a regression in quality. My feelings for it are still positive and for pretty much the same reasons as before. As far as the mostly disappointing first half of Season 18 goes, it is one of the high middle episodes and close to being one of the better. With less of the major flaws that frequently plagued Season 18 and the best things being done very well indeed.
Am going to start with the good. The production values are slick and have a subtle grit, with an intimacy to the photography without being too claustrophobic. The music isn't used too much and doesn't get too melodramatic. The direction is sympathetic but also alert. The script is taut and intelligent, with very little sense of melodrama or awkwardness.
The story on the whole compels and starts very intriguingly, the turns in the plot stopping things from being too predictable. The detective work is cohesive and intrigues and entertains, while the personal life stuff balances very well instead of being too dominant or soapy. The acting is very good and really appreciated Rollins' sympathetic attitude towards the mother.
For me, the whole Olivia seemingly not allowed to have a happy relationship is getting repetitive.
Did feel too that the case did get predictable later and that it ran out of gas a little before the end. What further stopped "Chasing Theo" from working perfectly was that to me the mothers were too self absorbed to root for their plight and while sort of understanding the perpetrators point of view the way they acted was too extreme.
Overall, good if not great. For Season 18 that is not too bad a position to be in at all. 7/10.
