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I didn't finish a lot of 2021 tv this year and I've burned enough on Disney that I'm not putting Wandavision on the list out of protest. Despite that, Wandavision really is a good show and if my 10th ranking doesn't fit within the rules, feel free to replace it with Wandavision in the official tabulation. 10. Ranking of Kings  Okay yeah, I know, but bear with me. I haven't really consumed anime in several years and generally lost a all my patience for any kind of anime cliches or tropes. Ranking of Kings blows any expectations of what it is out of the water in one of the most gorgeous, gripping shows I've ever seen. The story follows Bojji, the son of a mighty king Bosse. Bosse's strength and might has created a culture where it's expected for kings to be fearsome warriors who fight on the front lines. Unfortunately, Bojji was born physically weak and deaf. He's considered the embarrassment of the kingdom and treated like a complete idiot. Bojji aims to prove himself as a proper king and maintain a peaceful, prosperous nation. The central theme of the story focuses on expectations. Bojji is underestimated and dismissed because of his disabilities and even when he uses his disability to his advantage, the culture views it as sneaky and cowardly. The stakes against Bojji are massive and all-consuming. But even beyond that, the show asks you not to judge every character too harshly. The evil prince and the wicked stepmother initially seem like exactly the villains they appear. Yet as the show goes on, those initial impressions are proven completely wrong. The "wicked stepmother" genuinely loves Bojji and proves to be an incredibly selfless, caring person. She just struggles to communicate with her stepson and overprotects him to the point of strictness. Bojji's evil brother comes off as a spoiled brat, but he's completely internalized the culture's negative worldview and how its tainted the love he used to feel for his brother. These are just two characters: the entire cast and world is so complex and well-realized. This would easily rank on the top of my list if it was 1) finished and 2) I feel like anime doesn't really fit in TVIV. Again, replace this with Wandavision if it doesn't fit, I just have a lot more recent thoughts about this than Wandavision. 9. Taskmaster  One of the most creative, brilliant reality shows in years. After watching this year's Series 11 on a whim, I binged numerous other seasons with a fierce passion. But Series 11's cast is really worth showcasing. All the comedians approach the tasks in such interesting ways and Mike Wozniak's charming, relaxed air makes him a stand-out in an already jampacked season of charming figures. If you're looking for a series of absurd tasks to laugh at, this is the one to add to your list. 8. Jellystone  One of the sharpest, funniest kids cartoons I've seen in ages. Jellystone takes the vast world of the Hannah Barbera universe and crams them all together in a chaotic mess of a city. The Yogi Bear cast are the central players as the city's main doctors, which gives the show plenty of excuses to shove them right in the middle of absurd, dangerous situations. But each reinterpretation of these classic characters just completely soars. I thought Doggie Daddy's obsessive helicopter parenting over his daughter Augie would get old, but every time they were on screen was a total delight. It makes you care about forgotten characters like Top Cat or Loopy De Loop or all these other weird animals. It always escalates an episode's premise to the highest possible conclusion, with quick, razor-sharp precision. I needed some stupid joy in my life this year and this gave it to me in spades. Speaking of joy: 7. Lupin  Goddamn Lupin. Its charming, its smart, but most of all its fun. Its things like Lupin and Jellystone that still make me excited for adaptations and reboots: writers can find incredible ways to reinvent these stories for a new audience. When done right, these stories can still appeal to a wide audience in profound, incredible ways. I think the real brilliance of Lupin comes together as Assane gets everything he dreamed for. He's cleared his dad's name, he's put his enemies in jail, and he's finally a gentleman thief like he wanted to be. But becoming a gentleman thief means being on the run, making MORE enemies, and wrecking havoc on his personal life. Its willing to highlight the actual problems with being a Lupin, even as it delights in having fun with it. Its just really well done. 6. Kevin Can F Himself  Probably one of the best executions of a gimmick I've ever seen. Both this and Wandavision really got me thinking about the structure of filming tv in ways I never had before. How lighting and cameras can change an entire mood, how subtle changes can make the same scene look colorful and funny in one shot, followed by depressing and bleak in another. What really sells the show is its complete commitment to the sitcom portions of its premise. If Kevin's sitcom ever winked or nodded at the camera, acknowledging the wackiness of it all, the show would be worse for it. But no, they genuinely crafted a terrible sitcom within its gritty crime comedy and it elevates the show from good to great. The only thing not pushing this show higher is that I kind of want to see the complete picture before I could recommend it to others. I assumed going in that it was a complete miniseries, and I think there's only so far it could take its premise before the show could get tiresome. But at the same time, the show also feels too smart to falter. The show is as much a deconstruction of Allison as it is of Kevin, as it shows how Kevin's world has made her own personality so devastatingly toxic. The show's penultimate episode is one of the bleakest character studies I've ever seen as Allison attempts to act "normal" for appearances and slowly shows that her identity is so tied to being a clumsy gently caress-up, its the only way she thinks she can still hold people's attention. Its heart-breaking. Its beautiful. It could be one of the greatest shows on tv. 5. The White Lotus  gently caress. Skin-crawling. Uncomfortable. Hilarious. Devastating. Its a show that balances all these tones with a pointed knife pointed directly at the corporate Hawaiian resort structure and how they break people. Brilliant, depressing, and more. I watched a lot of bleak tv this year and this is the only one I might consider nigh-unwatchable in just how devastating it is to behold. I'll rec Succession to people, I'll rec Kevin Can F Himself, I'll rec The Boys, or more. But this is a show I'd really need to see how a person was feeling before I could send it their way. It guts you. 4. Adventure Time: Distant Lands I'm not sure how to talk about this. All the specials are great, but I'll just firmly state that Together Again is one of the most beautiful, poignant finales I've ever seen for a tv show. Its a bold ending, reaching incredible heights, masterfully crafted and powerful. The perfect ending to such an influential show. 3. Doom Patrol  I've felt pretty burned out with superhero content. Wandavision lost me towards the end, Loki needed to be much longer to sell its emotional beats, and my opinions on the other Marvel shows are really hard to define. Yet Doom Patrol continues to soar as one of the greatest executions of that genre I've ever seen. Its not quite a real superhero show, more about superpowered people than heroes. Its a show about broken, abused people and how they do or don't lash out against the world around them. Three seasons in, it would be easy for the show to begin to wear out its welcome. Cycle through the same traumas, the same failures, the same obstacles holding the cast back. Yet, season 3 finally offers its characters major steps forward into their future. It changes them in risky ways that no other show would consider doing. Vic/Cyborg's decision to become human is one of the boldest story decisions I've ever seen a show commit to and I can't BELIEVE they genuinely committed to it. No new accident, no last second plan to back out. Vic is finally free of his weaponry and metal skin. That's his new status quo. Wherever the show takes him from now on is a journey I've fully ready to invest in. 2. Ted Lasso  What's there left to say about Ted Lasso that others haven't said better? Its thoughtful, its caring, and its hysterically funny. But in its second season, its not willing to rest on its laurels either. When a first season wraps up so many character arcs and journeys, its hard not to feel like the characters are in a state of purgatory as season 2 begins. As the arcs churn forward, Ted Lasso continues to prove its a brilliant examination of adult relationships and adult struggles. From Rebecca struggling to date again, to Ted confronting his inner demons and fear of therapy, to Nate's brilliantly executed unraveling as he allows his internal fears and frustrations take over his soul. It gets a reputation as an overly soft show about white people hugging each other (which isn't entirely wrong), but it also understands that it can't all be lollipops and roses. There's real challenges and real struggles that need to be faced. Its through those struggles that the show earns its emotional catharsis. It earns those hugs every step of the way. 1. Succession  There was a period of time for about two months where I was physically incapable of thinking about anything except Succession. Every drive to school, every night hunched over a desk working on college papers, every single waking second my mind was fixated on Succession. Friends of mine who had no interest in Succession would send me memes they found in the wild. That image above this post is one of those memes, and it resulted in me going on a ten minute explanation of how Roman's realization he sent a dick pic to his father was one of the most harrowing moments of television I've seen in years. Every episode would keep my full attention. Every power play, every one liner, every stupid decision made by these awful rich people. I was relieved when the season ended, because my brain could finally focus on other things in my life. There's so many scattered thoughts and ideas that have been trapped in my every waking moment, I don't know where to begin. Each episode is more impressive than the last, all spiraling together into a perfect picture. But I think, ultimately, the central strength of the show is the very careful line it walks. It never wants you to sympathize too much for these people. Every time a character does something vaguely honorable or every time they suffer through an emotional breakdown, its quick to remind you that everyone here is an absolute piece of poo poo. It doesn't want you to like them too much. It doesn't want you to root for them too much. It wants you to pity them. It doesn't show too much focus on the lower class people the Roys have hurt because it assumes you can take that for granted. Of course they're destroying the world, of course they're thriving on excesses while people starve. We all know that. Instead, the show is about commiseration. Its about pointing at these miserable fucks. It just takes in how they have everything we could ever desire to improve our lives and they're still empty. And it doesn't make this point too overtly with a speech or a monologue that's too well-written to break the realism. It just asks you to crack open a beer, sit down, and watch these complete idiots self-destruct. The show of a generation. Nerdietalk fucked around with this message at 21:40 on Jan 4, 2022 |
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Jan 4, 2022 21:35
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 13:32 |
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