Netflix limited series with Giancarlo (Gus Fring, Moff Gideon, Stan Edgar, Cellmate #2 in Trading Places, and one of the kids who sang the theme to Electric Company) Esposito as the mastermind behind an Ocean's 11 style heist.
What's unique about this is that everyone (supposedly) will have a different viewing experience. You'll get the episodes queued up and delivered in a different order than I will. Interesting concept but I don't think it will have the effect they think it will. Without it unfolding chronologically, there are details and callbacks (call forwards I guess) that won't have the same impact or will be lost. It requires you to remember some small seemingly insignificant component from something that occurred two or three episodes before and only now makes sense in context.
Giancarlo is good - as always - but not as good as he has been. Part of that is the story which ( perhaps again because of the scattershot organization of the narrative) seems lazily written. It doesn't have the depth it should have. His character suffers because of that.
His supporting cast (with one notable exception) also drags him down. None are really convincing in their roles. One is so abysmal every second he's on the screen threatens to completely wreck the show.
First the exception: Rosaline Elbay, an Egyptian actress making her first real foray into American fare, is seriously engaging. Probably not everybody's taste, but she does more with a single look or an expression than the rest of the actors in the series (save Fring) do with their constipated grunting efforts at acting. She's effortless. Should have been given far more to do.
Now the abysmal: Jai Courtney. Who keeps thinking this steroid-choked lummox should be cast in anything? Literally anything. I wouldn't cast this drooling oaf to pick up my garbage. His atrocious, obnoxious presence drags every scene he's in two or more levels and honestly comes close to destroying the entire exercise. There was no need for or value in his character and the piece would have been much tighter and had a better flow without his dumb ass even being in it.
At one point I thought I might re-watch this in a few months but do it in a different order just to see if there's a difference. Now I don't think I will. I didn't hate it, but it's not worth the second turn.
1 Replies
443 Views