0
Great post, Holden! They were clearly trying to do something different with the show, as you suggest, and I agree that they do it well, but kind of feel like, while the approach is interesting, this didn't need to be done as a Perry Mason vehicle. I've read a few of the novels as well when I was much younger, so let me know if you remember something differently, but the portrayal of the character in the novels is also very different from the depiction in the HBO show. I haven't gotten to the second season, since I was kind of turned off with the massive changes they've made to the character in Season 1, so I haven't seen him making turns to becoming closer to the original depiction. I think all the things you cite are true, but what I didn't like about the show. They've kind of turned a paragon of moral virtue and propriety who fights for justice for the wrongfully accused into a morally ambiguous and scarred private detective set in a very seedy, dark, and depraved setting, which is all quite different than any other iteration of the character that I have read or seen. I actually like Matthew Rhys, as I am a big fan of "The Americans", which is among the best spy shows that I have seen, along with "Homeland". I'm also a fan of Perry Mason and Raymond Burr's take on the character, so when I first heard of this new show, I was looking forward to it, and so I think that may have added to my disappointment seeing how different it was.