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Post by Andrew on Feb 17, 2013 20:26:14 GMT
Now at 105 and it's an interesting view of Tess and Stina and Falon. I think what's interesting about the show is that humans live among the monsters. It feels a little bit of True Blood (I didn't really watch) but it was like vampires living among humans and they still did their business among them. I thought the ending and the moment where the vampire went down by the stake and Falon was completely upset. This wasn't as good an episode but it still kept me interested.
6/10
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Tony O'Black
Evolution Participants
Writer. Reader. Lover. Chicken, mostly.
Posts: 60
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Post by Tony O'Black on Feb 20, 2013 13:25:03 GMT
1x03:
Dead City Blues is turning into a strange beast, one that seems to be ignoring its potential, having created quite a vivid conceptual world. I confess I'm finding the overtly erotic approach a bit jarring, at the expense of exploring the more intriguing aspects of the quite fascinating world Alden Caele has here created. I'm hoping that might change.
Nonetheless this was better than 'Tess', ever so slightly, with a soupçon more in the way of action and exploring the world around them. It allows for Kellan and Tess to get a little more together too, while again Shane displays that ruthless streak that will surely not bode well for later episodes. The climactic reveal of Jakob is pretty inevitable, and it's becoming clear while Caele may attest the show isn't specifically telling any story, he is stitching a narrative between these episodes and that pleases me more than were these completely disconnected, random conversations.
I confess, normally by now all the eroticism would have led me to tune out, but I have hope Caele may level all this out and actually start exploring the bigger supernatural world of this city.
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Feb 20, 2013 15:16:05 GMT
Excellent review, Mr. Black! 1x03: And now I address the sex... After your 1x02 review, I took a look at the sexual content of those opening two eps. That sexual content being a handful of sexual references, an implied bit of oral sex and two men kissing and then walking down an alleyway. And now you offer this commentary after an episode that, erm, contains no actual sexual content at all. Except for some macho 'my dick is bigger than yours' flirting, of course. :-P I'm sorry, but I'm gonna call double standard here. If either were a female character, I really don't think anyone would see this as the wild overindulgence of erotic fantasy. A little oversexed, maybe, but this ain't exactly Dante's Cove or True Blood here. The show specifically isn't explicit; the sex is important to the story being told. I'd point to the US Shameless as a good example of the bar we're using: the sexual identities and behaviours and dynamics of the characters are integral to the story. And I think, because all this, you're distracted from what my main intention is: to explore what type of person this city molds people into. Shane (and Jakob, presumably), are macho zombie killer types, a personality that gets off on adrenaline rushes and sexual conquests. Killing things is a game for them; Shane and Jakob's little action sequence in the stadium, for them, was essentially the same thing as sex, though neither would admit it. That behaviour, and Shane's callousness, and Shane and Kellan's symbiotic relationship, is the story, and I'm not just sexing things up for kicks. In a way, you're clearly getting the story (your character comments are typically spot on ), but you're also taking other storytelling elements as affectations instead of purposeful story elements. I don't want to tell the story of the dead city: I want to tell the story of the dead city blues: the emotional toll, as well as the occasional sublime, of being in this place. And sometimes, the effects of living in this city are an overactive sex drive and a penchant for killing the shit out of zombies because, hey, you're not exactly gonna be able to join a lacrosse team to blow off steam, and life is short and brutal, so why not have a lot of sex. And the difference between how Shane experiences life in the city, versus someone like Kellan, is important. I'd rather not lay this stuff out so bluntly, so as to let the reader get it on their own, but I felt this needed a proper response. "Creates great worlds then often has no idea what to do with them" is a rather damning comment made pretty flippantly, after all. It basically boils down to "has a great imagination and has no idea how to tell a story" - which, though you're a friend, is a pretty shitty comment to toss out so casually. You're free to not like the story I'm telling (and I'm happy to admit flaws when it comes down to that), but I want to make sure you get what you're reading first. That said, though the 'love triangle' (though I'm loath to call it that, and hopefully you'll see why as things progress) is a central part of the story we're telling, the sex pulls back a bit after this episode. And when we do go to that well, it's for clear character reasons, so hopefully it will grate less. Aside from the sex issue, I'm glad the episode worked better for you. The best scenes of the show, for me, are the conversations between folks like Shane/Tess or Kellan/Tess, and I typically enjoy both reading and writing them the most. And yeah, I'm definitely telling a narrative here, though I'm doing my best to ground it in character first, plot developments second. We'll see. I definitely have plans to explore the city in greater detail as time goes on. My hope, in return, is that by the end of the season you'll be hooked into these characters regardless of the wider worldbuilding. That said, I'm thinking you'll probably like episode 5, which does start exploring a bit more of the titular city. Cheers!
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Tony O'Black
Evolution Participants
Writer. Reader. Lover. Chicken, mostly.
Posts: 60
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Post by Tony O'Black on Feb 20, 2013 16:50:26 GMT
Review edited, as on MZP.
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Post by Andrew on Feb 20, 2013 17:16:57 GMT
106 was back on track for me in the story. At the end of this episode I saw the part with Shane seeing the disfigured woman like...I've seen this so many times this is the world I live in. I think that shows how long they have been at this. Anyways, the Jakob character is starting to make me think. It's like he wants to get what he wants and he openly admits that he would do the ultimate thing to get whatever he wants. I'm sorry that I'm not a big reviewer like some are but I at least like to come on show that I read the episodes (LOL)
7/10
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Feb 22, 2013 6:15:55 GMT
Andrew, I don't have any specific responses, but thank you so much for reviewing each individual episode. The staff appreciate it, definitely, as do I.
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Tony O'Black
Evolution Participants
Writer. Reader. Lover. Chicken, mostly.
Posts: 60
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Post by Tony O'Black on Feb 23, 2013 11:05:23 GMT
1x04:
Ah now this was somewhat better. I got a real sense here that Alden Caele has begun to get a stronger sense of who Shane and Kellan are, and the writing reflects that. Dead City Blues continues to focus much more on the character interrelationships than the bigger picture, but in this case it worked for me; 'Dance With Me' is full of simmering recriminations, tensions, threats and unspoken truths, and is all the better for it.
I don't really give a stuff about the Shane/Kellan/Jakob triangle to be entirely honest, though Caele is writing it perfectly well, I'm just enjoying the sweet irony of perceptions - Tess believing Shane would cheat first, for one - that made this one that tad more unpredictable. And here Caele had flashes of that greater world around him - a quite superb three lines of direction describing a vivid take on a vampire, but there isn't enough of Shane/Kellan blowing people away on motorbikes - a jolt of action could nicely balance alongside the character beats that are the shows stock in trade. Speaking of characters, Stina was nicely icy & Falon I could see myself falling for quite quickly.
Altogether though, despite how the romantic angle still dominates, Caele does manage to inject a little more threat & danger into a series that still needs to capitalise on its potential.
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Feb 23, 2013 11:48:46 GMT
Now, this review was heartening! Excellent! I was hopeful that this episode would start to turn the tide for you, as it introduces the wider ensemble and kickstarts the major plot (with Jakob making his intentions very clear to Kellan). Plus, after a trifecta of episodes that oozed sex, we're able to pull it back a bit to play with the characters more. I'm not surprised that the S/K/J stuff isn't setting your world alight. Their dynamic has been divisive even among the staff, with some sad when we move away from the pulpier, sexier tone of this plot and some much more at ease with the action elements. I like to think we balance that pretty well throughout season one, and ideally looking forward into season two. Those bits where we open up and see little bits of the world around them are often my favourite parts, whether it's the montage in episode one or the flicker of worldbuilding we get here. Since you've read the entire season, I feel comfortable telling you that in season two we broaden our view of this world significantly, and it keeps going from there. Hopefully what you find is, every episode balances the character and action beats. Some episodes are heavy on the character and/or sexuality (this ep, for example), while others are blasters. I expect episode 5 will be much more your style, as it both gets away entirely from the triangle and tells a standalone little hunt story that Li had a lot of fun bringing to life. Very pleased these characters both left a mark! Falon in particular took a few drafts to calibrate, and though she often finds herself on the very edges of the ensemble, first to be underserviced, she's one of my favourites. Very fair review here, Mr. Black, and I'm pleased the show's started to turn a corner for you. The show will never entirely drop the romantic angle, but I think it'll always have something for both the fans who like the soapier character aspect AND those who just want to see the cast ripping through zombies and other supernatural beasties. I have to admit, I was a little worried the show would be a miss entirely for you. I can't predict how you'll feel at end of season, but I'm pleased that you're enjoying things more as of this ep.
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Tony O'Black
Evolution Participants
Writer. Reader. Lover. Chicken, mostly.
Posts: 60
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Post by Tony O'Black on Feb 27, 2013 6:46:30 GMT
1x05:
It makes a nice change here to not only get away from the main love triangle, but also focus on Dead City Blues' female contingent - the benefit of Li Robb popping up to lend his writing skills. As a result, Robb's trademark conversational style and comfort writing strong, sassy women is all in evidence - even if 'The Family Business' ultimately is just a conversation effectively between Tess & Falon, with a sprinkling of plot thrown in at the end. It does however prove this show could quite easily be an ensemble piece, flitting between characters each time, and it wouldn't lose a step.
Robb gets a good handle on the characters certainly, and the wider world of the city - where Alden Caele favours portraying it as a darkly erotic dystopia, Robb's city is grungy, vile and desperate, and it almost feels more real as a result. I like how he came in and wrote his version of the concept here, providing a little exploration of Falon's vampirism in relation to Tess' hunter values, even in the short time placing a moral issue in front of Falon which ice queen Stina resolves, nicely suggesting future character conflict on the horizon.
Talky as this was, it's a decent read simply for the fact Li Robb puts his own stamp on the material, and frames the piece around the supporting female characters, giving us a breather from the male aspect. Nothing outstanding, but solid in a show still in the process of figuring out what it is.
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Feb 27, 2013 8:13:26 GMT
Thanks again for the great review Tony! As on MZP, I'll leave it to Li to respond in depth, just want to commend Li on nailing the episode.
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