C'lynn Lynn

I am a binge-watcher of TV shows and series. I like to wait for an entire season to finish before I start watching the first episode, that way I don't have to wait an entire week to see the latest show. "1883" is one of those I chose to binge watch. Note: I did watch the entire season. I find it usually takes a few episodes to establish characters and storyline, so I continued to watch this series despite the first show being way over-the-top. It was seemingly bent on checking all of the stereotypical boxes related to western movies. Unfortunately, "1883" got continually worse with each episode after around the 3rd show. I feel it was the writing that was the problem. Though the writing was lacking, so was the direction. The Elsa character was wrong in nearly every possible way. I understand the point the writer drove [too] hard in nearly every scene: Elsa was a rebel teen who balked at compliance to "prim and proper ways" and would only comply to her own ideas. But this character was completely unbelievable. It's likely the way she dressed was to draw in younger viewers, but there'd been no way the character would have dressed in such a state of undress -in plain sight of others, especially in that setting! Although I think the beautiful Isabel May played the character as it was written, her accent was straight-up New Orleans or maybe southern Mississippi, but no where near any place in Tennessee, and was completely different from that of her parents in the show. The artsy narrative was nearly impossible to listen to and I hit the mute button on more than one occasion. MAYBE in a show called "Teenage Wild-Child Angst in 1883" this narrative would have made more sense. I understand James Dutton wanted a better world for his family, but this character was either too harsh -or too liberal. The character: Shea pained me most because Sam Elliot's acting skills were nearly untapped here, really more of the same in each scene. LaMonica Garrett did an awesome job, but his character was not fleshed-out at all. The whole season was filled with incomplete storylines, yet the scenes dragged on endlessly in some episodes. With so many characters in the show there was opportunity to build additional storylines that would draw the audience in. Instead, the writers chose to dwell on Elsa, while ignoring "the whole picture" and most notably the People taking this journey. Without giving away details -in case Someone has not watched it yet- the finale was super rushed. It was as if all of these characters (Shea, Thomas, and Josef...even Margaret) were only worth a gratuitous quick nod to their part in the series. THE BEST PART OF THIS SHOW was the beautiful scenic views. WoW! Lastly -and most importantly- the foul language was truly upsetting to Me. Its troubling to hear God's name taken in vain. Especially, REPEATEDLY. The "F bomb" was dropped over and over in every single episode, by various characters...to the point of ridiculouslness. When the Margaret character reprimanded the cook for saying the "F" word in front of her child, yet she said that same word several times and even used the worst word one can utter, that bothered me. Then to have a LITTLE CHILD say that word in the show!! Nope, that wasn't right. At all. The foul language is a distraction if nothing else. I would think these actors with the name and influence they have would be able to refuse to speak this way. Maybe it doesn't matter to them, but it matters to me. I love to see a movie or TV show that tells a story without offending my ears or my heart ... and one that is well-written. "1883" ain't none of that.