Succession

I recently began watching HBO's Succession and have found myself completely enthralled. I feel like it's been quite some time since a drama has captivated me to this extent. It's been mostly sci-fi or fantasy shows that have dominated my interest. This show gets everything right, starting with the excellent cast and terrific acting. They really make the intricate dynamics of family life feel real, while also entertaining.

The show follows the Roy family, a fictional combination of every powerful family in America. The family empire is a part Rupert Murdoch's FOX, part Disney. Logan, the patriarch and builder of the empire, is right bastard who finds himself at odds with his grown children who are poised to take his place.

While the show incorporates the intrigue of wealth and business, at the core it's about generational gaps, sibling competition, and dealing with parents when you are no longer a child. 

I absolutely love every flawed character on this show, and that quite a rare thing. None of the characters get short changed when it comes to their plotlines, and none of the actors shortchange the viewer with their delivery.

Given that I'd heard very little about this show, I felt the need to share my thoughts.

Somewhere West of Here

"I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I?" -Alice

So this was the week when I finally had a little time to delve into the HBO series Westworld, and is it ever a hell of a ride! I'm just four episodes in, but I'm completely hooked. It's one of those slow-building, carefully crafted plots that grows addictive. This is a format that HBO has perfected with Game of Thrones, and here they adapt it to a sci-fi idea, with subtle psychological horror elements. This is perhaps the best sci-fi show since Battlestar Galactica. 

Watching this show, I find it stimulating my mind in ways that I enjoy shows to do. It makes you constantly question the ethics of the world it creates and brings up questions of what is real and what isn't. In our current world of fake news, this is interesting and provocative topic. 

Excellent scripts, outstanding acting, and incredible vision make this one the most exciting shows this year. I can't wait to season where it goes from here on in...I bought the ticket and now I'm along for the ride.