K O

There is always a need for documentaries that boil down complicated financial dealings, but therein lay a fatal flaw, just the corruption on the US end, the bankers and brokers is complicated enough and we know and understand the culture that produced them. The film makers have ommited a big disincentive for corrupt Chinese businessmen, and that is the tax department of the CCP. it may not be illegal to lie to foreign investors, but they are liable to pay a flat tax rate, if China wants to punish shady/embarassing businessmen. tax evasion lands many rich and poor in jail. the notion corruption is unchallenged is false. Equally not mentioned is President Xi"s anti-corruption campaign. he is the most conservative leader since Mao, and is now President for life. Just as the election of Trump vastly changed the financial regulations, so, too has Xi's election changed theirs.

You measure a democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists. Abbie Hoffman

It's dark; it gets better as the episodes unfold, but it fails to shake off the "cheesy" impression of the variety of creatures that inhabit Carnival Row, particularly THE monster. A bad remake creature from the Black Lagoon. It would have been better to set up the viewer with more history/back story of who these creatures are and how they jumped Darwin's grave to speak with English/Irish accents and wear Victorian duds. It wasn't good enough for me to hook into season 2. It's not fair to compare it to GofT, but every time I see a character actor from GofT (House of the Undying warlock is now a monk) I am reminded how good that show was.