Series Review: Insatiable

"Being skinny, don't mean sh*t if you are ugly on the inside" is probably the best thing to come from the Netflix Original series "Insatiable" -which I am probably dropping from my #NowWatching list (I officially gave up on episode 6) but just continued watching so my review will have some merit. 

The dark comedy from 'Dexter' producer Lauren Gussis tries to be relevant and earn "woke points" by having an overweight lead character who deals with themes like body image and bullying. The show having a racially diverse and queer cast but they seem to be doing more harm than good as they present a plot wherein the female lead, Patty Bladell (Debby Ryan) -who used to be overweight; can only be happy if and when she becomes thin. She loses the weight by punching a homeless guy who was trying to take her chocolate, breaks her jaw and goes on a liquid diet for a number of months. 

The show manages to make fun of religion, sexual identity, body image, Southern society, statutory rape, molestation, adoption, pageants and honestly, abortion and honestly every topic under the sun. 

Patty says: "Now that I'm thin; its my turn to get the guy"  

I actually know of couples wherein the cute boy next door goes for the chubby girl. There is such a thing as "chubby chasers" you know and its disappointing to think that the boys in the series only take a second glance at Patty now that she's thin and pretty but wouldn't have given  her the time of day before. 

Now that Patty is thin, all that she wants to do is to get revenge on all those people who ever made fun of her but she ends up just hurting everyone around her. She is a selfish character with no redeemable quality whatsoever. Its so hard to root for her, when all that she thinks of is herself. 

When the trailer dropped I didn't that there was a lot of backlash with the possible fat shaming that the show will be projecting. It got so bad that there was even a call to cancel the show and probably Netflix should have. 

With the backlash from the series, Netflix has defended it saying that it is all 'satire' but the thing with satire is, in order for it to work, it has to be intelligent, your audience must be in on the joke, you must be winking at them and they should be laughing with you and with "Insatiable" trust me - no one is laughing. 

The characters are all annoying, they are all selfish and seem to live in their own bubbles, its so suffocating that they all seem to run circles around each other, as if their small town in Georgia is the smallest place on earth. They all seem to all have done some twisted, sick, unforgiving thing to each other. 

One of the few things that I liked about the show was the relationship of Patty's pageant coach Bob Armstrong (Dallas Roberts) and his social climber wife Coralee (Alyssa Milano). Yes, they both are weird in their own insatiable needs, him to  be the best pageant coach and her to be the ultimate Southern socialite but they are both partner in crimes who love and support each other, until the show ruins it. 

Also, all the parents in this show seem to allow their children to run wild and do as they please and alright just abandons them. No wonder these kids are so confused and just keep finding themselves in one bad situation after another.  I hate how the show leaves so many plots hanging and unexplored. Its as if the writers are just throwing everything at the wall and trying to see whatever will stick. 

3/10. Given that the finale was a cliff hanger-I am curious about what will happen next but not out of concern for Patty that's for sure. You just never get to like her to care about her. If the series survives another season, they should think of a major overhaul. 

TV Review: Luke Cage: Season 2

Luke Cage has always been different from its Marvel-Netflix counterparts by tackling real-world issues affecting the black community and featuring what could arguably be T.V.'s most badass soundtrack. 

The second season continues on with these traditions and even adds more diversity and flavor with the inclusion of one of the season's antagonists, a worthy adversary for Luke Cage - a Jamaican purveyor of the dark arts; the capoeira master John "Bushmaster" McIver; played with such intense passion by the incredibly talented Mustafa Shakir. You will see a lot of Jamaican influences this season and I'm not just talking about the accent but the music and lifestyle as well. 

Driven by the strong belief that Harlem is his birthright, the Bushmaster is hell bent on taking what is his-and that is everything that Mariah Dillard (Stokes, Mariah Stokes) who is played by Alfie Woodard owns and loves. It must be said that Woodard delivers powerful performances in this season, that I think are even deserving of an Emmy nomination. Woodard is on fire and you know that she just loves playing the villain, or the Queen of Harlem" as she sees herself.  

Despite of his witty comeback of "This is my show" Luke Cage is sidelined to make way for growth from the diverse characters which join in the second season. We have a badass Misty Knight (Simone Missick) She has to come to terms with the loss of her arm and in the process is reborn like a phoenix from the ashes with her new bionic arm (thank you Danny).

We already talked about how Alfie Woodard brought a fiery Mariah in this season, her performance will give you chills but we should also talk about Theo Rossi's Shades who has gone from Mariah's goon, to lover, to partner-in-crime and in this season, just a real significant character and I must say, while their characters and actors were just so-so for me in the first season, I have so much respect for them now and I'm just glad that they were given really meatier arcs and lines and scenes. Can we also say hello  Tilda Johnson (Mariah's estranged daughter) played by the also talented Gabrielle Dennis. A quick Google search also hints that Tilda (is also known as Nightshade in the comics) and could therefore bring more to the table (possibly season three maybe?) and I'm looking forward to seeing that. 

While the season features a lot of strong performances and a big highlight on its characters, I really can't say the same for the Power Man, his journey this season just isn't that convincing for me. Even his struggles with his "anger" just felt "meh" and wasn't really a driving force or interest in the story. I found the Stokes-Bushmaster grudge, which appears to have a deep seated family history and goes back a couple of generations have more appeal and interest. 

Unfortunately Claire Temple played by Rosario Dawson and who is Luke's love interest also feels a little "out of steam" - she is of course the factor which ties all the Marvel-Netflix characters together and well, I'm afraid you can be the glue that holds characters together for so long. 

Aside from that, there is a lot to love about season 2 of Luke Cage-from the acting to the character development, to the music, to some of the stunts which were performed plus a delightful cameo from the Iron Fist himself, especially since he is less annoying here and we see more of a build on the relationship between Luke and Danny, which is an effective way to acknowledge their "Defenders"     

I almost jumped out of my seat during the "Godfather" reference, it was a big surprise and I think that its a good way for the season to come full circle, in Luke Cage's journey and I just can't wait to see how things will go for the third season (there should be one!) Season 2 ends with so many exciting possibilities for its characters and I want to see where they go and if you feel that way, then you know that the story works.    

I love how they ended the season with a voice over from the late Reg E. Cathy (he passed away before Season 2 aired) who plays Luke's father (James Lucas). They used a conversation that the Reverend James Lucas has with Luke, which I think is a beautiful exchange and I think speaks volumes of what the season is all about. 

"Your strength is from God, Carl. I have no doubt in my mind about that. 
But with that kind of power comes its share of pain,"


"Science? Magic? God? That power flows from within. From inside.   What comes out when that pressure is heaviest? That's the real magic. That's what defines being a man. That's what defines being a hero."

The screen then fades to a photo of Cathy with the words: "Forward, always". 

8/10 Season 2 of Luke Cage is #NowStreaming on Netflix. 

Heroes Reborn: Second Chances

When the original series of "Heroes" came out in 2006-2010 I wasn't the big TV Geek that I am now and one of my regrets was not getting to follow the original multi-awarded and highly acclaimed TV series. 

It's a good thing that there are second chances-Fast forward to 2015 "Heroes Reborn" is described as a 13 episode event mini series which will be the continuation of the original Heroes TV Series. Lucky me right?! 

I was able to catch a few episodes of the original series just so I wouldn't be completely lost watching Reborn but the challenge with continuing series, or spin offs is that it should be able to stand on it's own while still maintaining the same feel and tone as of the original. 

So after the two hour premiere how did I find Heroes Reborn? 

Well- as the first episode started it felt really rushed like you are suddenly thrown into the fray and so many things are happening at once (you're traveling from one place to another dealing with different characters and story lines) but I guess with an established myth, existing characters and new ones it was going to be crazy, very fast. 

I just love Zacharay Levi! I loved him in Chuck and I love that he's such a big and proud Geek. I was excited that he'll be in Reborn but just sad that he'll be playing the antagonists (well, so far). 

Miko Otomo was really cute but she dresses up like the Pink Ranger and what's up with that CG transformation? Not so sure on how to feel about her plot. Are they trying to re-create Masi Oka's popularity in the original series? Most probably. Will they succeed? That is something that is left to be seen. 

Yes- there are a lot of characters new and old and different story lines that overlap with each other but things manage to intertwine, sort of and you get a grasp of things but it was hard to feel empathy for any of the characters, since they threw in so many of them in one go. 

The episode opens with a peaceful existence of humans and EVOs (you know, another word for mutants) but then a bombing kills thousands, EVOs are blamed and now they are in hiding. Mercenaries in the form of Zachary Levi and his wife are off killing EVOs. Noah Bennett has his memory erased, becomes a car salesman but is soon back to what he does. There are many other characters and new EVOs but we'll have to wait and see how everything plays out. Like I said it's confusing but I'm hoping everything will tie up soon and fast. 

Will I watch episode 2? Most probably yes. Am I worried about the series? Honestly - I am but remember that the first episode will always feel a bit confusing but things should get better along the way. Still giving this one a chance.