Joanna Gannon

Season 1 was a bit of a slow start, but it was pretty darn funny. Season 2 has really hit its stride, and they’ve developed the characters and story well.

Dystopian futures in a wasteland earth are not new. But the cast and director bring a sense of realism and novelty to this story. Juliette, the protagonist. She’s clever and strong, but not in some unattainable way. Many scenes reveal her struggling to pull herself up or lift heavy objects, like even the strongest women we all know would do; gasping and pausing under the strain.and, yes, even requiring help. I get the sense that they had her actually use her own strength for many of the scenes, and not cgi or some steroided-out stand in. It’s such a relief after 2 decades of near-immortal twiggy “girl-bosses” on the screen taking down men 3x their size. Women today are much more engaged in active pursuits like Thai kick boxing and jujitsu to accept such unbelievable characters. We don’t want to be pandered to, we want to see a REAL woman win. The other characters respond to what’s happening in believable ways, too. Wanting to be brave, but fearful of impending and almost guaranteed consequences. They don’t just blindly follow the leader, come hell or high water. They have real autonomy and struggle. They have depth. The story itself is almost believable, in the sense that most of these dystopian dramas seem so far off from our actual lifetime, but still distant potentials. But that’s just it. You get the “fantasy” aspect without all the fantastical characters. All the characters (and actors) drive their arcs to pull the viewer in and make it feel real. The director clearly had a vision that has been well served but his cast and crew.

I am the unreached audience. I’m not a gamer, but I LOVE some games. I especially love loved the open world and explorative nature of Odyssey, Origins, Valhalla, and Mirage. Shadows is beautiful. The story is rich. I love the switching between characters. It keeps it fresh in an otherwise repetitive genre. There’s a few things, as a nongamer gamer that I would have at least toggled. Leveling up: it’s not very clear from the levels of certain regions from the map. You get a basic overview, but nothing as concrete as previous maps. Road follow: oh my goodness. If there was ONE thing I’d fix in this game, it would be automatic road follow. The horse is muuuch more responsive, sure, but I’ve spent soooo much time just riding to the next destination. I miss being able to just follow the road and look around while I do so. Just make it an option like in Origins. You don’t have to, but it’s a nice perk. My thumbs are tired. Objectives: I don’t hate the way objectives are laid out, but it would be nice to have the option to list them. I feel like I spend so much time in the menu, and between that and the over abundance of cut scenes, it’s too much of me just sitting scrolling and/or waiting. Those are the big ones. No eagle? Not a fan, but I’m open to the new (old) style. Wish I could zero in on specifics marks and not just a bunch of gold dots, but I do appreciate having to actually work for my goals. Again, these would be better as a toggled option. With so much being a departure from past games, it felt a bit too much like a major learning curve. At least allow to toggle these back. I always increase difficulty as I go along, but I can see how others who are just entering AC could find it confusing and wanting. I do really enjoy this game, though. I just feel like it could have won more people with more options for game play.

Sooooo woke. Like, all the woke

I really enjoyed the movie, and the ending. It takes you on Sarah's journey right up to the end, leaving the viewer questioning reality, much like Sarah had. It was beautifully shot and the use of color, music, and rhythm were excellent. It was rather uncomfortable to watch, as you develop genuine concern for Sarah, but this served to keep you engaged and questioning on her behalf. Allison Brie delivered a beautiful performance and I rather liked that the other characters remained more or less undeveloped. This was not meant to be tied up with a pretty bow, and what could have been a messy and chaotic tumble into the recesses of the unhinged mind, ended up being what I felt was a deliberate unfolding of the delicate blossom that is the fragile human mind. Well done. Side note: People will hate it, like they did Donnie Darko when that came out, and now that's a major cult classic.