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[posted this in the TV section, but not much traffic over there..
]
Billy Bob Thornton, starring in the 1st season of Goliath was enjoyable-- a different approach with a quirky setting in a familiar story: a disgraced attorney takes on a David vs. Goliath challenge, and prevails. It was more or less a treatment of The Verdict along with The Lincoln Lawyer.
The second season started well, but eventually began coming apart from a plot scattering and wandering all over the place. There were too many subplots and confusing characters which in turn received too much focus. The needless character (or lack thereof) studies could have easily been cut, and in fact the season would have been satisfying enough with two fewer episodes. Once the main “issue” was resolved, the story could have ended.
Perhaps it could have worked better if the editing would have been arranged differently. As it was, many of the episodes began with “24 hours earlier”, “3 weeks earlier”, “2 years earlier”, and the like. This added to the confusion, and promoted discontentment.
And why must every series now feature some sordid sexual fetish? In this case it is acrotomophilia which is given plenty of screen time (sexual interest in amputees). In another recent series, Mr. Mercedes, explicit mother/son incest is showcased. Is it that the writers are sick, or do the producers actually believe that the public thinks frank sexual deviancy is interesting, or “hip”? Another constant blemish is that hardly a sentence was uttered from any of the characters without use of the “F” word. Adjective, adverb, noun, we are treated to a veritable grammar course in gratuitous filthy language usage. After awhile it gets to be like fingernails on a blackboard.
Still, the acting from all was phenomenal. Thornton is reliably good, and a disturbing but well acted part was performed by Mark Duplass (of the Duplass Brothers). Nina Ariana almost steals the show as Thornton’s paralegal. The casting could have been better for the Mayor part, and also the young accused boy.
There was a good series in there somewhere, but the editing and some of the lesser decisions dragged it down into B-minus territory. I’m a fan of Billy Bob Thornton’s, but I hope they don’t venture into a 3rd season.
Doc’s rating: 5/10
]Billy Bob Thornton, starring in the 1st season of Goliath was enjoyable-- a different approach with a quirky setting in a familiar story: a disgraced attorney takes on a David vs. Goliath challenge, and prevails. It was more or less a treatment of The Verdict along with The Lincoln Lawyer.
The second season started well, but eventually began coming apart from a plot scattering and wandering all over the place. There were too many subplots and confusing characters which in turn received too much focus. The needless character (or lack thereof) studies could have easily been cut, and in fact the season would have been satisfying enough with two fewer episodes. Once the main “issue” was resolved, the story could have ended.
Perhaps it could have worked better if the editing would have been arranged differently. As it was, many of the episodes began with “24 hours earlier”, “3 weeks earlier”, “2 years earlier”, and the like. This added to the confusion, and promoted discontentment.
And why must every series now feature some sordid sexual fetish? In this case it is acrotomophilia which is given plenty of screen time (sexual interest in amputees). In another recent series, Mr. Mercedes, explicit mother/son incest is showcased. Is it that the writers are sick, or do the producers actually believe that the public thinks frank sexual deviancy is interesting, or “hip”? Another constant blemish is that hardly a sentence was uttered from any of the characters without use of the “F” word. Adjective, adverb, noun, we are treated to a veritable grammar course in gratuitous filthy language usage. After awhile it gets to be like fingernails on a blackboard.
Still, the acting from all was phenomenal. Thornton is reliably good, and a disturbing but well acted part was performed by Mark Duplass (of the Duplass Brothers). Nina Ariana almost steals the show as Thornton’s paralegal. The casting could have been better for the Mayor part, and also the young accused boy.
There was a good series in there somewhere, but the editing and some of the lesser decisions dragged it down into B-minus territory. I’m a fan of Billy Bob Thornton’s, but I hope they don’t venture into a 3rd season.
Doc’s rating: 5/10