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AlbertTurgenev
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One Tree Hill: With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept (2006)
Heartbreaking, Brutal and, above all, Necessary
The red flag was raised by 'Law & Order: SVU' in 2004 with the episode 'Mean' (S03E16), where bullying was taken to its ultimate consequences. Two years later, One Tree Hill took a stance, proving once and for all that it was more than just a typical teen show. 'With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept' stands as the most heartbreaking episode of One Tree Hill and offers one of the most brutal and grueling portrayals of bullying within our educational system.
This episode is a showcase where everything comes together perfectly. The entire cast delivers superb performances, yet Colin Fickes, who portrays Jimmy, truly steals the spotlight. It is a striking performance, and his pain and agony are delivered in the most brutal and raw way possible. It is a tribute to all victims of bullying, translating their despair in such a realistic way that those who are watching can feel their despair on their own skin.
Similar to the plight of many bullying victims, this episode offers no room for happy endings. It concludes with what would become known as the Darkness Poem, recited by Lucas Scott. It's easier to label those committing vile acts as monsters, to open the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and say "here you are, you were born like this, your monster". Yet, the poem reminds us that the reality is far grimmer, and the true horror is that barbarity is most often carried out by ordinary human beings ('Does this darkness have a name...is it your name?').
Unfortunately, six years after the episode aired, darkness struck in all its strength. The video in which Amanda Todd tells her story using a series of flashcards went down in history as one of the most disturbing tales of bullying ever seen.
The current year is 2024, and, with no end in sight, bullying has become an epidemic. One day I do hope that we see this episode only from the rearview mirror, as a reminder of how the "dark times" were. Unfortunately, 18 years later, we are still "sending our children into the world like we send young men to war, hoping for their safe return but knowing some will be lost along the way".
Medium: Raising Cain (2006)
Cleverly Circumventing the Trolley Problem
The psychic ability to foresee future events has been addressed in numerous movies throughout history. Some delve deep into the consequences of such abilities, with "The Dead Zone" being one example. On the other hand, "Medium" tends to refrain from the most controversial aspects. With its compelling title, "Raising Cain" sets itself apart to some degree from the general approach of "Medium", presenting the ethical trolley problem in its own unique way.
In this episode, a mother fails in her attempt to murder her own 7-year-old son. As the story progresses, Allison dreams that the boy will commit a mass murder when he reaches high school. Realizing that the mother is also capable of predicting the future, Allison comes to understand the reason behind the mother's actions. She is then tormented by the dilemma of whether the mother should be arrested or left free, possibly to attempt to kill her son again (in Allison's words: "maybe I am not supposed to stop her"). Following this, the mother takes her own life, and the investigation is closed without any conclusive proof against her. As a result, the son grows up unaware of his mother's attempt on his life, as does the rest of the world. In the end, Allison has a new dream in which she foresees the boy thriving and becoming the valedictorian at his high school graduation. In this manner, the episode does not completely break away from the show's usual approach, and the writers specifically avoid confronting the most grueling consequences of the trolley problem by providing Allison - and, by extension, themselves - way out. This narrative maneuver cleverly removes the burden from Allison of having to decide whether to "pull the lever" or not, effectively resolving the dilemma she faces without directly engaging with the hardest moral questions it poses.
Overall, the episode is a good one, as is its conclusion. However, it also underscores "Medium's" consistent tendency to shy away from fully exploring the most controversial consequences of Allison's abilities.
Dude (2018)
Dude misses the mark, but Lucy Hale delivers a strong performance
In this Netflix movie, 28-year-old Lucy Hale plays Lily, a Junior/Senior high school student (the movie spans over two years). It is kind of a stretch, but Hale pulls it off with ease, her acting closely mirroring her role in "Pretty Little Liars".
While still a junior, Lily is shown to be in love with James, the brother of one of her friends. However, right at the beginning, James dies in a car accident, and the plot stems from the consequences of his death on Lily. Unfortunately, they share less than 3 minutes of on-screen time together before his death, making it too brief to forge a connection with them and to truly feel the impact of his loss on Lily. As a result, the ensuing rollercoaster of fights with friends, parties, and drug use in Lily's life feels misplaced. It's meant to portray her self-destructive way of coping with James's death, but the lack of a previously established deep connection makes it hard to really get why she's acting this way. The fact that the movie tries to juggle comedy with drama doesn't really help either. Striking the right balance between the two is always tricky, and, in the case of "Dudes", it just doesn't work out. The jokes thrown in throughout make it even harder to connect with Lily's pain. In most cases, they fall flat, either because they clash with the movie's dramatic side or just don't land at all. For example, there's this scene where a girl asks to leave a meeting because she's on her period, and the guy leading the meeting goes, "Menstruation is a miracle. I'm jealous I can't experience it myself".
Throughout the movie, we meet Noah, who has a clear interest in Lily. He makes a grand gesture by writing and performing a song to ask her to prom. Initially, she turns him down, but after they bump into each other at a party, things heat up, and eventually, they sleep together. It seems like they both really connect, both physically and emotionally. However, after that, Lily hooks up with another guy and Noah returns to his "crazy ex", in his own words. Fast forward to the end, Noah's at a party with his girlfriend, and they get into a fight because she wants to snoop through his phone messages. She storms off (hinting they're done for good), and it doesn't take long for Noah and Lily to find their way back to each other. But again, it's hard to buy into their relationship. It feels like they end up together more because of how things unfold than any deep realization of how much they mean to each other.
In summary, "Dudes" struggles with its plot development, awkwardly navigating the line between comedy and drama. On the other hand, Lucy Hale delivers a striking performance.
Love (2016)
Derailed Offensive Fantasy
The tragedy begins with the title: 'Love.' It must be some sort of twisted joke, as the series embodies everything except love.
In the very first episode, Mickey Dobbs, a very pretty woman played by Gillian Jacobs, is shown having sex with a guy that seems to be the absolute antithesis of who a woman would typically find attractive. Nonetheless, maybe there is an explanation. Is he an interesting and charismatic type? No, he is drug-addicted and extremely annoying. Well, maybe she is a gold-digger? No, the guy is penniless. Okay, but maybe the sex is great? Quite the opposite. This sequence of scenes must be what an incel's dream looks like: some kind of perverted fantasy in which women don't have any standards and fall all over for guys that have nothing attractive.
The other main character is Gus, a thirty something year old guy who lacks both confidence and charisma. Also, by social standards, he would hardly be considered physically attractive. He is also a terrible human being who doesn't care about other people's feelings. As a result, Gus could be described as the combination of a nice guy with a bad boy, but in his case, with the worst of each. However, still on the very first episode, he gets invited to a threesome with two attractive college girls. And this is just the beginning. There is an influx of hot women that, for no reason, fall for Gus throughout the show. Professionally, Gus is terrible at his job. He works as an on-set tutor and, at some point, the girl whom he is tutoring has to do a test. If she fails, she can't continue working on the show and Gus would lose his job. So, he cheats and does the test for her.
This show has no resemblance to reality, nor is it funny or interesting.
Lehiyot Ita (2013)
Amazing
The series is truly amazing. We all know the story. But it doesn't really matter. What makes a remarkable romance is the way the story is told. The small details. The nuances. And they are all there.
The chemistry between the leading characters is great and so is the balance between romance and comedy. Another great thing is that the characters are relatable. Their mistakes, their dreams and the way that people fight so hard for someone but can put everything at risk in a moment of jealousy.
I strongly recommend this series. Like another review stated "it's a piece of gem" and I couldn't have said better.