Tom Boyer

I tuned in almost by accident and then couldn't stop watching. It's really well written and the ensemble cast is strong, every one of them. Just a good production. A show about investment banking and toxic masculinity and greed and sex and drugs could be so boring and potentially preachy, but this one isn't. The characters are wonderfully conceived -- complicated people who are mostly a mixture of good and bad. Some of the most toxic men turn out to be capable of looking out for others, and some of the senior women who talk a good game about trying to improve the culture are just as power-hungry and ruthless as the worst of the men. They're all just human beings. The main two characters, Harper and Yasmin, are nuanced and interesting people and it's fun to watch them as they try to navigate this crazy world.

I don't understand the negative reviews at all. These are vignettes so there's no time to fully flesh out the characters but the performances are excellent. Scenes with Helen Mirrin and Kiera Knightly are wonderful. Mickey Rourke is brilliant as the loser absent father who encounters a young woman who bears resemblance to his daughter -- very tricky scene but they pull it off. Yes the whole thing is a little lightweight and a little syrupy at times but the filming is beautiful and the writing is solid. It's set in Berlin but it's not really about Berlin, it's about love in its many forms.