First - this would not normally be my kind of show. I am not into gory stuff. However, the queer component of the overall story was what drew me to watch this series. If you struggle with the gore, but want to watch, I recommend a couple things - first, usually, you can tell it's coming, and I either look away or shield my screen and adjust the sound. Second, take it in steps. Although I did watch the whole set of episodes in one go. Oops. Either way, the violence can get a bit intense and, given one of the characters, downright cruel at times. So just be warned. For comparison, it is not gratuitous gore à la Suicide Squad, it does go with the story.
This show was well worth it and I've watched it probably 3 times now and am anxious for more. The character dimensionality and interaction is SUPERB. Not trite, and I love Nathan's witty comebacks. The banter between the characters is great, and the chemistry between Nathan, Annalise, and Gabriel builds naturally and very well. The LGBTQ component of the storyline is woven in naturally, and it is so rare to get stories where that is part of the story, not THE story, and as a queer person, I love it. I am so tired of the stereotypical queer stuff.
The actors excelled in their roles and in carrying the story forward.
Now - a few downsides. The first couple episodes did drag a bit. Also, why must there be loud techno pop music over certain scenes? There were just places it was unnecessary. Plus, in some instances, the music was not adjusted well so it was difficult to hear the dialogue and/or it was unclear if the music was background or in the scene. The shot on the boat with the dancing is the major example.
Lastly, there are questions (and this really should have been addressed better) about the age difference between Nathan and Gabriel. From what I have read, in the books, it is only a couple years. The show does not do a good job on clarifying this, and in fact, makes it seem more of an issue. The actors themselves are much older than the age of all of the characters. Some people have expressed concern over the age gap. I held concerns myself until I understood the novels' background. Also, there's not really predatory behavior between Nathan and Gabriel, which eased my concerns. Also, I think that, as you watch, you can see that Gabriel has an image of himself as older/more worldly that may not actually be true. In contrast, I was creeped out by the age gap in Call Me By Your Name, and that is not the dynamic here.
What I think is actually ignored as a result of the lack of clarity on the age gap is that Mercury clearly has predatory and abuser vibes, which becomes obvious from nearly every interaction between her and Gabriel, as well as her semi-interaction with Nathan. That downright creeped me out. There's still quite a bit of mystery about Mercury in this season (PLEASE LET THERE BE MORE SEASONS, AND A DECENT ENDING). Also the age gap controversy overshadows how almost every Fairborn adult mistreats and adult-ifies Nathan, especially Soul. I could go on more about the skin color dynamics and how that plays in as well, but this isn't that kind of review for now.
Do watch if you can.
(edited to add comparisons to other films for reference)
This show was well worth it and I've watched it probably 3 times now and am anxious for more. The character dimensionality and interaction is SUPERB. Not trite, and I love Nathan's witty comebacks. The banter between the characters is great, and the chemistry between Nathan, Annalise, and Gabriel builds naturally and very well. The LGBTQ component of the storyline is woven in naturally, and it is so rare to get stories where that is part of the story, not THE story, and as a queer person, I love it. I am so tired of the stereotypical queer stuff.
The actors excelled in their roles and in carrying the story forward.
Now - a few downsides. The first couple episodes did drag a bit. Also, why must there be loud techno pop music over certain scenes? There were just places it was unnecessary. Plus, in some instances, the music was not adjusted well so it was difficult to hear the dialogue and/or it was unclear if the music was background or in the scene. The shot on the boat with the dancing is the major example.
Lastly, there are questions (and this really should have been addressed better) about the age difference between Nathan and Gabriel. From what I have read, in the books, it is only a couple years. The show does not do a good job on clarifying this, and in fact, makes it seem more of an issue. The actors themselves are much older than the age of all of the characters. Some people have expressed concern over the age gap. I held concerns myself until I understood the novels' background. Also, there's not really predatory behavior between Nathan and Gabriel, which eased my concerns. Also, I think that, as you watch, you can see that Gabriel has an image of himself as older/more worldly that may not actually be true. In contrast, I was creeped out by the age gap in Call Me By Your Name, and that is not the dynamic here.
What I think is actually ignored as a result of the lack of clarity on the age gap is that Mercury clearly has predatory and abuser vibes, which becomes obvious from nearly every interaction between her and Gabriel, as well as her semi-interaction with Nathan. That downright creeped me out. There's still quite a bit of mystery about Mercury in this season (PLEASE LET THERE BE MORE SEASONS, AND A DECENT ENDING). Also the age gap controversy overshadows how almost every Fairborn adult mistreats and adult-ifies Nathan, especially Soul. I could go on more about the skin color dynamics and how that plays in as well, but this isn't that kind of review for now.
Do watch if you can.
(edited to add comparisons to other films for reference)