Shari R. – Google

I half heartedly tuned in to my Starz app to watch the final episode of Shining Vale…the episode that would tie it all together and a cliffhanger to beg for season 3. What I found was that episode 8 was the season finale. It was so silly and not-done that I really don’t care if there is a season 3. Each episode just got sillier and sillier. Not entertainment. Not anything. I did give it 2 stars because the actors are very talented. Even they couldn’t save the goofy writing!

I’ve only watched the first episode, and did a bit of googling to learn the extent of this man’s crimes. I’m commenting now because I’m not sure if I will watch the other 2 episodes. And I question why this documentary was even made. I think it’s because she is a tv producer or whatever it is she does in “the business.” Sadly, this isn’t a phenomenal story! Thanks to the “me too” movement, more women are coming forward, and that includes high school students, thank goodness. Any newspaper has small articles withholding the name of minors in high school who were brave enough to come forward. Just because his wife was unaware and he seemed like such a nice guy? Again, typical. Not newsworthy. MANY pedophiles are charismatic. Most sex addicts are charming to get what they desperately crave. Not unusual. It seemed, at least in the first episode, that the wife was the star of the show. There was too much focus on how she deals with all of this. Why in the world would she want to have all that stuff out there anyway? The man does have kids…I’m sure they don’t need any more publicity on this! I, too, had a husband who was too good to be true. He did half the housework, never got mad at me, took care of the kids… He ended up crossing lines with his daughter. I believed her and took action to keep her safe. Nobody wanted to believe my ex husband would do such a thing. They thought I was making it up. I had ended up being the one in our marriage who had to say no to people, as my Mr nice guy husband wouldn’t. So it was easy for others to believe what felt best to them. I didn’t have that luxury. I had a kid to protect. I’m not alone in what I went through, I found out. Neither is the star of this show. Maybe I will watch the other 2 episodes and find out this guy is somehow extra hideous, over the top…or maybe the focus will shift to where it belongs: on how we help high school kids who are targeted this way to heal, and not let this creeps actions destroy their self image. Or maybe we could do something really crazy, like start looking into treating sex addiction, and get EFFECTIVE treatment for the perpetrators because as sickening as it seems…this stuff will keep happening until we address the sickness beyond simple punishment. I doubt the guy came out of prison healthier than he was when he went in. Who knows what deviation he experienced and learned in prison. Ok, long review. Got carried away. I kept waiting to see why this was making documentary status. I don’t recommend this show. It’s focus is off. I know others, in real life, with similar stories who are more interesting than Jenifer with one “n”. They don’t work behind the camera though.

Cheesy. The book was awesome. The ways they changed things to make it fit the screen and time limit made it kinda hokey. That wasn’t “their” fault, but the entire undercurrent was changed to lovey dovey high school romance . This isn’t real. Telling his side of the story to his classes over the day? Please! The car accident when they were looking for each other? The cheering crowds of onlookers….come ON! The background violins were silly. I loved the book! It stayed with me forever. I actually read it twice. It was real, and down to earth. I felt the chemistry she had with each of these guys. They did all realize that moving through life, surviving, had changed them. She fell in and out of love with both men several times until she realized what she must do. It was an adult book about all kinds of love. Casting. Jesse was cast as I imagined him. And Emma’s sister. Everyone else…not even close. It started out as the book started out. By the end of it, it was a movie very loosely based on a book. If you haven’t read the book, I guess this would be an entertaining and forgettable escape. But I did read the book, and it’s one of my all time favorites. So….nah. Wish I’d skipped the movie. Hope the author was well paid.

I noted in the first episode that the plot is unrealistic. The bad guys went from savvy to naive, things happened that just don’t fly in real life. I eventually watched to the end, because the acting was good, but I did a lot of eye rolling and heard myself say, “yeah, right” many times. Not a good show for the highly intelligent to enjoy, nor will you learn anything. But for some fluff watching when you don’t feel like fully paying attention, it’s ok. And the casting is almost caricature-like, which I found mildly entertaining.

SPOILERS AHEAD! The ending was a real letdown. The story was very good up until then. I was amazed when I found myself having so much empathy for Rose. She was conniving and cunning, dangerous it seemed. Then I witnessed her being rejected and abandoned time after time by different people who should have loved and cherished her…such evil and hateful things they said to her as a child! I felt huge understanding for her. Only a truly good movie can elicit such feelings. I felt things coming together and making sense, always a the mark of a well written tale. And then the ending ruined it. Am I to believe Leah is a smart, stable good sweet person and Rose is an evil and screwed up vixen who was born evil? Nah. All I saw was Leah abandoning Rose, too. Forgiving their father. Was I supposed to get chills when Rose ordered her other father killed? As far as I’m concerned he was the evil one, blaming and emotionally rejecting a 6 year old because of what her mom did to him. With that ending, there are no good guys or girls in this series! I got excited thinking we were going to learn that actually, both Rose and Leah killed Adam, not sure who made the lethal jab. There was a quick scene of Leah showering the blood off herself, right after the quick show of the weapon coming out of the neck. I thought it would be that Rose killed in self defense, Leah came home and found him…not sure if he was dead, and stabbed him again, showering, and calling authorities. Each woman thought she was framing the other. And somewhere in there, Rose would be loved and accepted by people other than creepy-Ben! Yeah…great series until halfway through the last episode. Bummer.