Reviews

As always, the series finale of Fear is filled to the brim with this show's most awful tropes. Stupid contrivances, stiff unnatural dialogue, unnecessary flashbacks, bad acting, unearned characterisation, desperate exploitation of nostalgia, and a severe lack of anything that feels honest, real and human. This is such a far cry from where the show started and all I'm left feeling is sadness that amc and those behind the franchise let this terrible quality tarnish the brand so vehemently. It's a disrespect to the fans and creators who do genuinely care about this series. I simply don't understand how they could be content with this nonsensical, low effort travesty of "entertainment" unless they just didn't care. And unfortunately that is most likely the case.

Most noteworthy of all though, considering this is supposed to be a character drama, the way everyone drives off in different directions at the end is perfectly indicative of the lack of connection and sturdy relationships between the characters. They end just as separated as they've always been, never truly cohesive as a whole or unique on their own, simply remaining lifeless mouth-pieces for the writers to announce how important thematic messages and second chances are. These showrunners had five seasons of chances to make a good show and failed almost every step of the way. They had five seasons to explore these themes in a believable and engaging manner and never did. So if anyone has a right to talk about second chances and the importance of stories, it certainly ain't these guys. Quite bluntly, this is a bad story and these writers failed at their jobs.

Also, Alicia coming out of nowhere and reuniting with Madison after five seconds of rushed build up (in a random tent of all places) is so lame and lifeless of a reunion. They just immediately start talking about the themes of the show and outside of the actresses trying their best, they barely have a real and human piece of dialogue between them. This is a sad, amateurish, bad ending to a sad, amateurish, bad show.

Just like every season since the fourth, the final season continues to deliver bad TV, and while this may be harsh, I won't settle for this clearly inferior trash when we all know how amazing this show started out as under Dave Erickson's reign (not to mention this is coming out right after Daryl Dixon, which has proven to be an especially solid show). The acting is still particularly weak, Troy's right hand man is another terribly unintimidating villain, there's way too much reliance on flashbacks, the dialogue is stilted and low-effort (it's just characters constantly saying the same things; "I had to kill who I was.", "You and I aren't so different.", "I can't go back to being that person.", etc.), the pacing is awkward, Troy's return will never not being stupid and desperate, the ensemble cast have very little presence (e.g. It barely feels like Daniel is present in the final scene despite his extreme motivations against Troy. Also, why does no one else say anything about Alicia's arm? They all just stand there like NPCs), Strand and Madison's reunion was completely soulless, and nothing sums up the fall of this show better than Strand and Madison having a heart to heart conversation while two feet away from a horde of walkers that conveniently slow down their approach so they can talk about their feelings. The thrills, horror and nuance are nowhere to be found as generic, lazy daytime TV soap opera takes over and renders this show so weak, boring and inexcusable.

They've finally done it. Chambliss & Goldberg had already systematically destroyed all of the original Fear the Walking Dead characters we loved so much from the beginning, but now they've reached right back to the beginning of The Walking Dead itself and ensured there is nothing left that they haven't mutilated with their writing.

Lennie James is truly trying his best here, and any emotional weight present is purely because of the work of much better writers and storyline's from TWD's past, but everything else is let down by the immense and shameless flaws of this show's writing. Its dialogue is without a slither of subtlety, always explaining every minute detail or characterisation and symbolism to the audience so that there is not an ounce of credit given to the audience. Not a single chance for us to interpret or think about these events ourselves or for the actors to deliver their emotions through performance alone. They can't even let the potentially heavy and dramatic moments linger without constant unfunny jokes about how much Morgan smells like a skunk...Are we serious, right now? You're taking one of the most iconic and effective emotional pillars of TWDU, the very heart and drama that kickstarted this entire franchise, and you feel the need to undercut it with dumb jokes? Even after Morgan commits one of the most difficult acts any parent could do, putting down his own son, Mo doesn't hug him or console him, oh no. Instead she is smiling and shouting "You did it, dad!" like he just won a prize for a race. This is honestly a disgrace and I can't believe these showrunners have been allowed to maintain their position after practically screaming at us that they don't care about this franchise and its characters in the slightest. It's downright insulting and embarrassing to us fans who have stuck by this franchise. Aside from its first three seasons, this show will go down as one of the worst television series of all time because of these showrunners.

'Rest in Peace' delivers the impactful, climactic emotion that is fitting of a finale in spades. The horror surrounding the zombies is effectively revitalised, the SFX are solid, the score is wonderful, the scale is impressive, and the acting is phenomenal. The bittersweet sadness of it all permeates through the characters and the actors performances as they fight together one last time.

Maggie and Negan's development is a highlight, resolving their history in a mature, impactful manner. Rosita's fate is tragic and fitting - giving a fitting closure to her and Eugene's relationship. Daryl and Carol's intense bond is a source of great power and their final moments together truly hits hard - excellently encapsulating the unforgettable journey they have been on. And, of course, seeing Rick & Michonne once again couldn't be more exciting and satisfying.

It isn't perfect, of course. Primarily, 11C has suffered from a severely rushed pace, leading to a lack of lingering, depthful character work that the show would normally deliver over a steady amount of time. Characters like Max, Virgil, Jerry, Lydia, Elijah, Aaron and more receive very little time or are completely forgotten in the rush to the finish line. The Oceanside cliffhanger is largely unresolved and the presence of the variants is barely even acknowledged by the characters. It's rather easy to say the show started better than it ended.

However, despite its issues, this episode still delivered The Walking Dead's iconic mixture of painful, melancholy loss and uplifting reaffirmation of life. I'm excited for the future of the franchise and forever thankful for this series. It had me crying, laughing and jumping with joy one last time. Thank you to everyone involved for making my favourite TV show of all time 🖤

This marks the first time The Walking Dead Universe has ever attempted something that is a through-and-through comedy, and to my complete surprise, it works amazingly well. Posey & Bell's performances and chemistry is a joy to watch (their reactions to the increasingly absurd events are perfectly humorous, and their comedic timing is on-point), the wacky premise is leaned into with just enough self-awareness, the music is at times both fun and heartfelt, and the narrative takes its time to develop a genuinely sweet and enjoyable relationship between the two leads. And while the plot does distractingly rely on the police agent being completely incompetent, Blair/Gina is a ultimately a really nice story about the painful mundanity and pettiness of life being uprooted by an apocalypse and freeing two people, making them become their better selves.

This is a particularly grim episode between the many tears shed and the growing sense of darkness overshadowing many of the characters. Billy is awful, Eleven's psychic connection to her mother is heartbreaking, and the government pervasiveness over the town is unsettlingly tense. The acting is as strong as always, and the cinematography is a particular highlight for the episode, especially the final twisting shot in the Upside Down tunnels. Things like putting Will's drawings together come across as rather obvious, Nancy's determination to burn down the Hawkins lab does feel a little abrupt and overzealous (like, maybe burning down the entire facility with the demon-world gate inside it, which you have little understanding of, isn't the best idea?), and the overall plot is continually building and still yet to kick off into somewhere as enthralling as the first season.

The relationship between Hopper and Eleven only grows sweeter through flashbacks, Bob continues to be naturally likeable, the humour is fun, the design for the Upside Down demon haunting Will is memorable, there are a number of emotionally effective moments (Mike almost seeing Eleven, Joyce discovering Will's visions are real, etc.), and the episode retains the show's comfy, endearing 80s style. However, the flashbacks to Bob's story at the end of the episode were totally unnecessary, and while none of the character drama and stakes are bad, the gradual rediscovering of a new Upside Down conspiracy (much like the first season, including Will being "taken" again at the end) does make the plotting a little repetitive and not quite as captivating overall.

The first half of the episode is largely more "catch-up" storytelling which, while good, isn't quite as engaging as much of the first season as it just leaves me wanting to see the story progress into new areas. However, the humour is fun, the childhood/teenage/Halloween spirit is perfectly captured and relatable (particularly how juvenile teenage parties seem once you've outgrown them), Bob continues to be a likeable addition to the cast, Max slowly grew on me by the end, and the final act of the episode is incredibly impactful in its execution (the score, the heart-to-heart scene between Will and Mike, Nancy's incredibly realistic drunk breakdown, and Eleven trying to contact Mike are all emotionally powerful scenes, solidifying these characters and their traumatic drama for this season). Also, shame on Jonathan for not knowing Siouxsie Sue!

The opening is intriguing, the new glimpses of the upside down are effectively eerie, hearing the iconic synth tracks from the first season again is wonderful, and there are plenty of enjoyable character moments: Will missing Eleven and having to give away some of his toys, Nancy dealing with the loss of Barbara and her mournful parents, Jonathan comforting Will about being a freak, the likeable introduction to Bob, and the final scene between Eleven and Hopper is simple but heartfelt.

However, there is still some jarring editing (sometimes cutting to establishing shots in strange ways), the visuals and lighting are much cleaner and brighter than before which loses a bit of the first season's 80s aesthetic, there's a complete over-abundance of licenced music used in back-to-back scenes, and some of the reintroductions of characters are a tad overdone and overwritten in their execution in the opening half (almost as if it's going through the motions in terms of re-establishing character tropes and dynamics in a very obvious manner). There's also a strange uptick in how many people are smoking? I'm unsure if that's just a time-period thing or what but it stuck out to me, not that it's necessarily bad.

Overall, 'Madmax' is not an outstanding episode, perhaps the weakest of the series yet, but it's still filled with plenty of the show's typically solid acting, character-work and intrigue.

The direction continues to be solid and engaging, Steve is effectively thrown into the fantastical plot (which excellently balances that 80s vibe, horror and excitement), Hopper's brief flashbacks are just enough to make finally saving Will all the more emotional, Mike and Eleven's relationship is heartbreakingly sweet and tragic, the conclusion of all the boys playing D&D in the basement is a wonderful throwback, and overall, the episode is filled with a hefty amount of effective emotional highs and lows. Papa's death is rather abrupt though, leaving a certain finality missing from the episode in that regard. Otherwise, the first season of Stranger Things concludes with an amazingly strong cast of characters and a memorable journey that is to be applauded.

All of the characters collide and piece everything together in such a satisfying and natural manner, the pacing is near perfect in its swiftness and excitement, the synth score is outstanding, the action is mesmerising (the van flip moment is unforgettable), the SFX are solid, Steve gets another well-deserved redemptive sequence (it was just great seeing him and the show acknowledge how awful Tommy and Carol are), the beats of humour are nice (Scott continues to be great), Joyce really proves how loving of a mother she can be with Eleven, the direction is strong, the sound design is on-point, the kids making-up in the opening is incredibly sweet (and it's good to see Lucas apologising for his mistakes, it's a solid first step for him to become a more likeable character), and overall it is an emotional, engaging and plain fantastic episode of television. The ending in which Nancy and Jonathan sneak into the police station is a little easy, and it's silly how Hopper thinks they can just break into the Hawkins laboratory again but I can excuse those hiccups given just how excellent the rest of the episode is.

Eleven's flashbacks finally revealing how the gate opened is satisfying, Jonathan and Steve's fight is solid, the climax at the quarry is enjoyable (especially when Eleven, Mike and Dustin all embrace), and the closing hook for the next episode is gripping. Again, some of the editing is a little choppy at times, the repeated flashbacks to Eleven when she was revealed to be Ives' daughter were totally unnecessary, some of the VFX were great (the Demogorgon), and some were rather poor (Eleven's reflection in the water, Mike floating in the air, etc.), and some of the dialogue was just...incorrect? The episode claims Mike drew "first blood' against Lucas in the previous episode but it was actually Lucas who pushed him first (the show acting like everyone else was just as much at fault as him was total nonsense), and the idea that Jonathan beat up Steve because of his "love" for Nancy was a bit silly considering we know he attacked him because Steve insulted his family and Will. I still don't quite buy their romance, their chemistry continues to be rather thin. Overall, 'The Monster' is a solid episode and better than the last, but still stumbles with a few issues.

'The Flea and the Acrobat' is filled with plenty of the show's typically great sequences: Hopper not allowing himself to be fooled by the government and subsequently telling Joyce she was right all along, Scott being such a great guy helping out the kids with a nice expository lesson, memorable visuals of the black "bath" void Eleven enters (akin to "Under the Skin"), Steve having a nice little redemptive scene, and Nancy and Jonathan have a great bonding scene together when training with the revolver (helping us get more of an insight into Nancy's family history).

However, there's still some minor choppy/inconsistent editing at times (Steve showing up out of nowhere in Nancy's garage, the deer being pulled into the bushes also out of nowhere?), and a lot of the drama in the final act feels a tad forced. Lonnie's "betrayal" makes sense but it is just a rather unnecessary minor setback for Joyce in the grand scheme of things, Lucas getting enraged at Eleven neither feels earned or warranted (it basically just relies on him being a total ignorant prick despite everything Eleven has done. His new plan is just to piss off the girl with superpowers and walk off to who knows where?), Jonathan and Nancy's argument just needlessly comes out of nowhere (they're both being rather annoying in this circumstance, particularly Jonathan, so it kills a lot of potential chemistry they may have had), and Nancy going into the tree alone without Jonathan is just stupid. I mean, come on, yeah you had a little squabble but there's also a faceless monster out there! You're really gonna pull this right now?

Anyway, it's still a great episode with some nice progression, but is unfortunately held back by a few elements.

The relationship building between the kids and Eleven is incredibly sweet, the beginnings of an interesting government conspiracy grow, the dramatic moments feel genuine, the 80s vibe feels stronger than ever (also nice to hear some Joy Division, which fits perfectly), and the overall narrative really starts picking up speed as all of the characters begin putting the puzzle pieces together in an incredibly entertaining and engaging manner. There is some continuity/editing errors here and there (Mike looking over pages that change between shots, Mike talking from behind but there is no audio, choppy editing with Hopper punching the State Trooper outside the bar, etc.), and it's a little silly how none of the teachers notice the fight growing in the gymnasium right beside them, but with every scene furthering the narrative and characters so effectively I can't help but love the episode regardless.

The acting continues to be top-tier, the humorous dialogue is fun, the use of music is outstanding (both in the opening and especially the use of 'Heroes' in the final scene), and the way in which all of the various plot-lines (Joyce contacting Will, Jonathan trying to comfort her, Nancy realising Barb's absence, Hopper uncovering pieces of a conspiracy, Karen trying to connect to her children, and the children searching for Will) all comes colliding and crashing down in a truly emotionally riveting, tragic, beautiful and memorable sequence which really makes the episode.

'The Killer of Killers' is an entertaining mixed-bag of an episode. It was neat seeing a skeleton deadite again, although the CGI lacks the charm that Army of Darkness's stop-motion/puppet skeletons had. Ruby's sudden exit in the opening is also rather abrupt and strange. There is some solid laughs from Ash, particularly in regards to him being afraid of the others dying at the cabin. Yet, the humour does get a little too goofy at times, having an abundance of one-liner puns that are just groan-worthy ("Let's dine and dash!"). Amanda liking Ash joining the team is also a little rushed. The insane violence and deaths when the Demons attack the diner is great fun though. So, yeah, there's some great stuff and some not so great stuff.

The pacing almost drags in the middle of the episode (Ruby and Amanda's brief scene is just too disconnected from the rest of the plot to hold much weight), making it the weakest entry thus far, but it's still an entertaining time. Pablo's innocence makes for enjoyable humour, Ash and Eligos' final clash is satisfying, the soundtrack is strong, and the episode is noteworthy for being the first one to focus less on the humour and incorporate more emotional depth. Most crucially are the moments when Eligos tries to trick Ash into killing Kelly, and El Brujo's death, which not only ups the stakes of the deadite threat but also allows for Pablo's own growth as a character.

Features an exciting opening, a welcome reincorporation of Eligos (who is even more threatening and creepy this time around), and a hilarious trip for Ash. The quirky visuals and the endless comedic lines from Campbell are just gold, as well as providing a neat insight into his mind and past. Meanwhile, the reintroduction of Ash's old hand and a surprise Knowby family member nicely ties the story together. The episode concludes rather abruptly, but the rest of it is so fun that I can't help but love it.

Another fun episode, growing the group's bond and intersecting Amanda's storyline in an enjoyable manner. Eligos is easily one of, if not the best demon in the franchise. His design, visual glitchiness and ability to teleport in and out of spaces is just plain cool. He's dealt with in a rather easy manner (Kelly smacking him with the Necronomicon) and Jill Marie Jones' is frequently subpar in her line delivery, but overall it's an entertaining continuation of the season.

'Bait' continues the first episode's swift pace, over-the-top violence (with even more blood this time), and endless memorable and hilarious moments from Ash. Seeing his uncaring bluntness contrasted with a casual home dinner setting is so much fun, all the while fleshing out Kelly and Pablo's characters. Everyone has their moment to shine and, by the end, a solid new gang is formed.