Season 1

My mother has been incessantly recommending this show to me, so I finally broke down and began watching. Interesting setup, I'm curious if this show has actual answers or if it's more meant to be how people deal with something ineffable. I'm somewhat of a sicko for that sort of thing (if Cube were a good movie, I would gesture towards it as an example of what I mean). My suspicion is that we do indeed have some sort of answers we'll be able to arrive at. Or some end goal in mind. Whether that be actually escaping or something along the lines of destroying the place.

I don't know that I'd call it great TV. Certainly more pulpy, less serious. I think the biggest negative is that the acting doesn't feel great. Not sure if it genuinely isn't very good or if I'm just high off proper prestige TV at this point. But there were some deliveries, particularly in the first couple episodes that left a lot to be desired. I've been getting into the habit of predicting what people are going to say. They've been pretty by the books.

Season 2

This show is so goddamn slow. 4 or 5 episodes in and we're having conversations that should have taken place within the first 15 minutes of episode 1. The acting has not picked up. And while I'm interested in learning more about this mystery box, I dunno if I'm gonna get it. I'm starting to kind of hate it. The problem is that so many people's problems could be fixed if they'd just fucking say words at each other. But the thing is is that even when they do talk, they never manage to say anything of note. "It's not your fault. It's this place." There's some real frustrating moments. At the very beginning of season 2, sheriff discovers an ancient of days man manacled to a wall outside of town. Instead of asking him quite literally any questions about what he may know of the situation, he repeatedly shushes him, wasting all time, until the man is dead. I already wanna scream at the fact that nobody in this godforsaken place will ask Victor what he knows, given he's been around longest. But that scene was astounding. We finally find some unknown person outside of town who clearly knew something and we just...let the opportunity drift by. Horseshit.

What these fuckers need to do is to start writing shit down. Literally the most top priority. And yet over the course of at least decades they haven't managed to do even that! What do you do if you are in a dangerous situation that you do not understand where you know you are very likely to be killed? Write down what you know for others! Write down literally everything! Say "This person in this house got killed. We saw these monsters that looked like X, Y, and Z. This monster we see all the time, but this other one we don't see often at all. The monsters said this to us when we spoke with them. We went on an expedition outside of town and found this and that." Is it relevant? I don't know and you don't either. But the sorts of questions the people on this show ask are the kinds of things that could be easily answered if they just had some record they could look back on. It amazes me that hasn't happened in the past. It amazes me more that they haven't started it. If everyone died off right now and some new people got brought to the town, literally no one would know about the whole talisman thing. Are you fucking kidding me? The Mesopatamians could figure this shit out, yet you can't get it through your thick skulls how to pass information on? Jesus. There's been no evidence that the monsters give a shit what people do with the houses, the only time there's been some direct intervention is when they tried the radio (and never tried again?!). Collect your stupid books together into a library. Start writing down everything you know and what you suspect in between each of the book lines and in the margins. Make some clay tablets if you have to! Guess what, it ain't that hard! Humanity figured it out before we knew what a zero was. You've got literally 16 hours a day of largely free time and no video games. What are these people even doing all day?! So frustrating.

People are stupid and say stupid things and do stupid things. I hate listening to them interact with each other. This is a bad show that I'm watching out of obligation. This entire season should have been like 3 episodes at most. We did not cover anything of note. In particular, I hated the moving the goalposts with the monsters. They are not remotely frightening with their whole schtick of letting out the animals. I hate that we keep seeing the same couple monsters as well. When the show began I got the sense that what we were seeing were "stock characters". There's a milkman, an old lady, a cop guy. Things that were generally human-shaped but so stereotypical that they actually stick out. The sorts of creations of something that can recognize humans but doesn't have a great grasp on them. But by the end of season 2 we've dealt with these monsters so directly, there's no mystique. Hated the scene where they physically ambush sherriff and Tian-Chen. Just holding him like this is some bullying situation. I dunno, I think they're far more interesting as faraway threats that draw you outside. Do not like talking to them. The progression with the monsters reeks of writers having no idea what to do with them and so needing to come up with random things to up the stakes. Now, your dreams are coming to life and killing you. Now, the monsters have destroyed your food and poisoned the water supply. Now, they're raising the rent well past inflation!

Season 3

Show bad, do not watch. I'm tired. The point that we're at by the end of the third season feels like we should be early season 2 if not end of season 1. In terms of how much progression should have happened by then. I have trouble imagining why someone would enjoy this show. It they like puzzle boxes, go watch a Dark or a Lost. If you like people drama-ing, watch like...literally any number of character dramas. If you want horror, go watch a Hannibal or something. Or if you're wanting horror but something that's a bit stupider and more direct to put on in the background, The Walking Dead is right there.

"It's not your fault" makes me laugh my ass off at this point. Say the line, Bart.

Season 4

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