DEAD TO ME SEASON 3 | FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE | MISSING
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 18/11/2022
Hello there and happy Friday, everyone! I can’t help, I need to poke fun at the Twitter situation. We’re not only watching a massive Social Media company being destroyed but we’re also witnessing the downfall of a narcissistic douchebag. And it is awesome! I do feel bad for everyone who lost their jobs though. However, I was never a big Twitter fan and I’m glad is dying. I’m also enjoying very much that Elon Musk is being exposed for what he is, a grifter. Anyway, in this week’s newsletter, I share my thoughts about two TV shows, DEAD TO ME and FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE. I also talk about the really good Korean film MISSING. And as always there is a playlist with five songs I listened to last week.
QUICK THOUGHTS
DEAD TO ME third and final season was a bit disappointing to me. This is a shame because I really enjoyed the previous 2 seasons. It's difficult to say much without setting off a ripple effect of spoilers, but season three of DEAD TO ME continues to create chaos for Jen and Judy, heaping on one complication after another as they attempt to avoid getting in serious trouble. But something is off this time. The show became almost a parody of itself. It also felt rushed and a little over the top. Don’t get me wrong, the series always had the absurdity of a soap opera and a lot of dark humor mixed with a sense of grief and forgiveness. And I loved that. However, the creators and writers used the final season as a chance to push these characters and the viewers to maxim anxiety levels. And, in my opinion, that made me not love this season. It is not all bad though. There are some fun scenes and great one-liners. Also, Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini are once again outstanding. Their humor is effortless, and their dialogues are on point. I believe that their incredible chemistry together is due to their real-life friendship and the two seasons they spent working together. And Without such great actors playing these parts, it's doubtful that viewers would empathize with a duo as intense as Jen and Judy. Overall this was not a great season finale but if you are invested in the show since the beginning like I was, this is a must-watch.
FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE is a Hulu limited series based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner's 2019 novel of the same name. Brodesser-Akner also produced the series and wrote seven out of its eight episodes. The cast is fantastic, Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes, Lizzy Caplan, and Adam Brody just to name a few. The show primarily follows recently divorced Toby Fleishman (Eisenberg), whose story is relentlessly narrated by his college classmate Libby (Caplan). To support his wife Rachel (Danes), a powerful theater agent, Toby sacrificed his medical career. He now lives in a small apartment, while his ex-wife is in a luxurious big house. And he looks pretty resentful about that. He feels deflated by his wife's success and now finds comfort in the multitude of sexual partners offered by dating apps. I have watched only two episodes of this series so far, but I’m very impressed with what I saw. The cast is amazing, the visuals and cinematography are awesome and the storyline is intriguing. I have no idea where the story is going, but I’m already invested and can’t wait to learn more. I think that FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE will appeal to audiences most interested in complicated people, great storytelling, and mysteries. I know these things make the show sound like a very pretentious joint. But I think you guys should give it a chance because it has a lot to offer.
MISSING is the second feature film from South Korean director Shinzo Katayama. It tells the story of Santoshi (Jiro Sato) who is depressed and in debt After his wife passes away. But one day, he tells his daughter that he has found a way to get rid of his problems. He then begins tracking down the notorious serial killer "No Name" (Hiroya Shimizu) to cash in the reward that is being offered. But when he vanishes, she starts to worry about the worst and has to go chasing him. MISSING is a serial killer thriller that will fascinate and tear you apart in equal measure. It contains some stunning twists and shocks, and a lot of sorrow too. The study of a father-daughter relationship is also quite fascinating. Although its length is noticeable, the time spent watching this human drama masquerading as a thriller about serial killers is worthwhile. If you like Korean movies and don’t mind reading subtitles, you will love MISSING.
TOP 5 SONGS
These were the 5 songs on heavy rotation in my house last week. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube.
