Necrotongue

Following the disastrous first episode, the second one was a pleasant surprise. I didn't anticipate learning anything new from this series, but today was an exception. I discovered that Nicolas Cage is an utterly incomprehensible personality and that a prison riot can unfold within a college. Plus, I learned that if someone struggles with Excel, their diet may be limited to meatballs. / Lesson learned: The moment you start enjoying your work, you find yourself on a slippery slope. 3*+

So, let me break down what I just witnessed. The first episode of the fifth season was, to put it plainly, mind-numbingly dull and devoid of humor, while simultaneously managing to be incredibly stupid. I couldn't endure sitting through this debacle as the creators concocted a story so outlandish it bordered on the absurd. Although... this creative team might just surprise me and expand my horizons, which genuinely terrifies me. / Lesson learned: Jumping into something that's essentially over is always a tricky business.

I've been dropping hints in my reviews of each episode, but let me say it loud and clear. I never thought Netflix could pull off a series based on Michael Connelly's books in a satisfying way. And yet, here we are. I guess anything is possible; sometimes it rains frogs or fish. The creators won me over by more or less sticking to the source material without going overboard on political correctness. As I've mentioned a bunch of times, I'm all for strong female characters, and the casting of both ex-wives hit the mark for me. My only hang-up was Detective Raymond Griggs; I was hoping for a connection with Bosch (2014), but I get that Maddie might outshine her cousin. Minor hiccup aside, I enjoyed every aspect of the first season and can't wait for what's next. / Lesson learned: Stay true to your principles.

Who would've thought? Netflix's brain trust hung in there till the end, proving my skepticism wrong, and I gotta say, I'm pretty pleased with how the final episode of the first season turned out. The plot kept its groove, the events made sense despite being slightly different from the source material, and it's clear the creators put in the effort. They even explained Mickey Haller's surfing accident by changing the case order. This also means that they dropped some hints about what's brewing in the second season, though I'm getting this nagging feeling it's gonna take a different road than the book version. / Lesson learned: Certainty is a rare commodity.

Yep, it's still got that spark. Even in the ninth episode, the second-to-last of the first season, there's no easing into the calm before the storm, which is something I've come to expect. It's not like they're prepping for some grand finale; the plot chugs along at its usual pace. While some things get a bit clearer, others linger in the shadows, and I'm digging it. Sure, the deviations from the original are more pronounced, but it's still well within my tolerance zone. I gotta say, my satisfaction stuck around longer than I expected. Unless the creators drop the ball in the finale, I might just be a surprised but content viewer. / Lesson learned: If all surprises were pleasant, would they even be surprises?

This episode focused primarily on the ongoing courtroom drama, with the kind of loopholes that lawyers are famous for. Even in the eighth episode, the narrative kept a solid pace, and the creators made sure there were meaningful developments rather than just filler. I genuinely hope it stays that way. However, this time, there was an ominous creak because the final events involving Izzy struck me as pretty foolish. It's what happens when "genius" Netflix socialist ideas get grafted onto a solid story rooted in a quality source. I wanted to go all out, but four stars will have to do. / Lesson learned: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The seventh episode shifted part of the story to the courtroom, and I don't mind it at all since I enjoy the playful dances of the prosecution and defense. Besides the seemingly obligatory nod to a Russian oligarch, whom I'd suspect to be Serbian based on the name, the creators, from my viewpoint, once again delivered a lively episode with a decent atmosphere. It occasionally stirred a slight feeling of disgust in me, fitting for a court case involving a double murder. / Lesson learned: Never fall asleep in a dumpster.

The season might have been shorter with only half the episodes, but the plot, for the most part, left me uninterested and bored to the point where it felt like it would never end. The show's creators heavily recycled old ideas, meddled with the characters' personalities and dished out an excessive dose of morals and supposed universal values, all the while forgetting a tiny detail – humor. / Lesson learned: Even if something officially takes less time, it can still feel endless.

Connecting the original and darkest timeline could've been a brilliant move, but the creators would have to infuse more dynamic plot elements into the episode. Instead, they halted the action and buried all humor by delving into lengthy speeches for three-quarters of the runtime, which were probably supposed to jerk tears out of me. Well, given that I didn't shed a tear even during a war movie like We Were Soldiers (2002), this approach was bound to fall flat. / Lesson learned: Living in your own fantasy world isn't such a bad idea after all.

I usually don't rate music videos, but I couldn't help myself this time. It wasn't a music video, it was a short film. And as far as I'm concerned, it was a high-quality short film. I saw it about five minutes ago and I'm still full of impressions. This thing doesn't even clock in at seven minutes, yet I've witnessed numerous feature-length films that can't hold a candle to its opening seconds. Sure, gods and faith might not be my cup of tea, but Death and I are on a friendly basis, and the Sands of Time have always intrigued me, so this is a truly powerful experience. / Lesson learned: This can't be described. You really have to see it and hear it. / 23.11.2022: Alright. Even after three days, I can't shake it off. A genuinely intense experience. It got under my skin. I watched it at least thirty times; turns out, I surprisingly have a positive relationship with Norse mythology. Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld completely entangled me with their thread, and every time I see this short film, despite the many repetitions, it gives me goosebumps. I can't recall when moving pictures made such an impression on me. The only thing that comes close is Wołyń (2016).