Screen Stuff Podcast

Succession.

Elgin and Paul chat about #SuccessionHBO:

HBO’s Succession, created by Jesse Armstrong (with executive producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, among others) and starring Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Alan Ruck, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, and Hiam Abbass as the Roys — a rich, powerful New York family that runs a global media empire.

Does this latest prestige drama from HBO say anything new about privilege and dysfunctional family life, especially in our present age, with the Trumps and Murdochs taking center stage?Already deemed successful enough, Succession has been renewed for a second season. But we question whether that decision was a wise move, given all the choices the creatives have made thus far (including the character development and the documentary shooting style).

Dietland

Paul and Elgin review #Dietland:

Dietland on AMC, created by Marti Noxon, based on the novel by Sarai Walker, and starring Joy Nash and Julianna Margulies. This show is a dark satire about dealing with the beauty industrial complex during the #MeToo era. We discuss Nash’s central performance as Alicia “Plum” Kettle (the show’s plus-size protagonist, who ghost-writes an advice column for her Miranda-Priestly-type boss played by Margulies); the complicated plot lines involving several supporting characters and multiple feminist groups vying for Plum’s attention or allegiance; and the show’s debts/homages to Fight Club and Mr. Robot. Do all the key performances, complex story lines, and formal pyrotechnics add up? We discuss.

Pose, with briefer takes on Solo: A Star Wars Story, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Incredibles 2, and MoviePass (user experience, plus upcoming changes and competition for the service).

Elgin and Paul review #PoseFX:

Pose (22:00) on FX, created by Steven Canals, Brad Falchuk, and Ryan Murphy and starring Mj Rodriguez, Indya Moore, and Ryan Jamaal Swain, along with Evan Peters, Kate Mara, and James Van Der Beek. Set in late ’80s New York, against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, Pose follows the lives of three main protagonists — Blanca, Angel, and Damon — in and out of the downtown ball scene. Cast with actual transgender and gay actors, this show chronicles and dramatizes a part of New York life we’ve rarely seen on mainstream television. What did we take away from watching the first few episodes?

The Letdown.

Paul and Elgin review #TheLetdown:

The Letdown on Netflix, created by Sarah Scheller and Alison Bell (originally for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and starring the latter as Audrey, a woman facing the challenges of being a new mom. A dark-ish half-hour comedy about the pressures of modern-day motherhood (and fatherhood), this new show tackles some topics rarely covered on small or big screens anywhere (though Jason Reitman’s Tully recently came out too).

We talk about Bell’s and the support cast’s performances; why it matters that women have penned the scripts; and the contrasts between the relatively quieter, perhaps more sensitive handling of dramatic plot points of the show and how they may have played out differently on an American program. The show was a bit of letdown for one of us: Guess which one.

Cobra Kai.

Elgin and Paul chat about #CobraiKai:

YouTube Red’s Cobra Kai, created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg and starring William Zabka and Ralph Macchio. A sequel set some 30 years after the events of the original The Karate Kid, the hit dramedy has already been renewed for another season on YouTube’s paid streaming service.

We discuss the tone, performances, and the original characters’ relationships with each other and the new generation of characters (played by an ethnically diverse cast, including Korean American Jay Seo). We also chat about the fan service the show clearly provides, as well as the long legacy of the Karate Kid film franchise.