I’m so behind on this Watched in 2023 posts, which is weird because I feel like I haven’t been watching that many things in 2023, but I guess that’s not entirely true. This time, I’m particulary excited to talk about some tv shows that I was highly anticipating.
The White Lotus Season 2 (3,5 stars): it took me a while to get into this, I was not engaged while watching the first couple of episodes and I even thought about not continuing with it. But in the end, while it wasn’t as good as season 1 to me, I ended up enjoying it. Part of the problem was that this time I didn’t find anyone particularly likable, and I didn’t find it easy to root for anyone. But I got over that, and I realized that what makes this series so interesting is that the characters are clever caricatures, they are all complex, not good or bad. I especially enjoyed the storyline with the two married couples, which depicts different types of power, cheating, and gender roles in relationships, because it was the storyline that shocked me the most and left me thinking. In terms of the twist at the end, I saw it coming but it was still bizarre and it didn’t entirely make sense.
Shadow and Bone Season 2 (4 stars): I had a bit of a hard time getting into this at first, the pacing was a bit off during the first few episodes, and I think it had to do with the fact that Alina and Mal’s storyline and the Crows storyline felt so disjointed in those episodes. I understand they wanted to keep part of the original plot of the Six of Crows duology but it made no sense with the general plot of the series and they ended up rushing through Kaz’ storyline and it lacked the emotional depth that it had in the book. Once the “made-up” storyline for the Crows started, the series flowed more naturally. Beyond that, the series was entertaining, I didn’t mind the changes they made to the plot of the books because I felt that it made the series more cohesive, the acting was SO GOOD, the character development was great, Inej and Kaz were fantastic and had some incredible scenes from the books, and the cliffhanger ending was great (if we get another season, if not, it sucks). The one thing I didn’t love about the ending was what happened between Mal and Alina, they made me like them which I didn’t in the books, and then that ending was kind of dumb.
Crash Course in Romance (3,5 stars): I’m not sure how to talk about this kdrama because I overall had a good time watching it but I had a couple of issues. The two main things that bother me were: 1) that they kept trying to pretend that the main female character was this young woman raising a daughter and that she looked so young, when the actress looks her age (she is in her 50s) which is not bad at all, but the fact that they kept talking about how young she looked took me out of the story because it was obviously not true. 2) While the love story was sweet, I didn’t feel any chemistry between the two leads. 3) the romance that came out of nowhere at the end between the main character’s brother and her best friend felt forced. Still, there are so many things I enjoyed about this. The performances of the lead actors and the rest of the cast were amazing. The storyline revolving the daughter and the two guys that liked her and in general her slow-burn romance with one of the guys was so sweet and fun to watch. I also really appreciated the depiction of the academic pressure that teens in Korea have to face and how toxic the mothers obsessed with their children’s grades are. In general, the impact on teens’ mental health of all this academic pressure was well depicted.
Broker (4 stars): Great performances, a very unlikely and messy found family that it was easy to feel invested in, morally ambiguous characters, emotional plot, and a thought-provoking look at the cyclical nature of socio-economical vulnerability. The climax at the end felt rushed and the epilogue wasn’t my favorite, but overall, a touching and tender film.
What Have I Done to Deserve This? (4 stars): I think Almodovar has created his own genre of movies of women killing men that have been shitty to them by accident and then chaotically dealing with it, and I LOVE it. Honestly, this movie is funny, bizarre, very random at some points, and above everything CHAOTIC. My main issue with this was the casual pedophilia, which added nothing to the story and wasn’t really addressed all that much, it was just there.
Bookish Wanderess 