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Forever S1 (Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen show on Amazon Prime)

Started by Ant Farm Keyboard, September 17, 2018, 06:33:20 PM

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Ant Farm Keyboard

Last Friday was the premiere of the new show by Alan Yang (Master of None) and Matt Hubbard (30 Rock, Parks and Rec), which was a little buried by new seasons of both BoJack Horseman and American Vandal on Netflix. It stars Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen, with Catherine Keener joining the cast around the fourth episode.

I'm also at this point watching the show, so I've reached the twists that the showrunners have asked not to mention. I'll try to honor their word.
The main issue, so far, is that the show feels like an extended sketch of Portlandia. Sure, it starts with a great wordless montage about the years Oscar and June spent together, but after that we reach Peter and Nance territory, with Armisen as the insecure middle-aged guy with a slight stammer. Rudolph manages to get a little more depth into her character, and she's apparently the real emotional core of the show, especially in the second half, which I have yet to see.
There are also pacing issues around the third and the fourth episodes. The show handles big existential questions, with a few big twists, but when there's another conversation between June and Oscar about pottery or macs & cheese, it starts to feel repetitive. Part of it is done on purpose but it still feels like watching a Portlandia retread.

I'll update my feelings when I reach the finale, presumably this weekend.

Mark, the skater boy, is played by the same actor who is also the startup company boss from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Jack Shaftoe

Ohhh, I thought he was familiar, but I wasn't quite bothered enough to look him up on imdb.

I'm on episode seven now, there have been a couple of truly outstanding episodes, and the rest have been intriguing enough to keep me watching. Some beautiful direction as well. I think if it was a tad less well done, it would have been quite irritating and self-indulgent, but instead it keeps pulling me in.


Small Man Big Horse

I enjoyed it a fair bit, it's a very gentle series but I found it quite heartwarming and funny in places. Felt the ending was a bit nothing-y, and they reconciled all rather quickly, but I'm fond of it as a whole.

steveh

I thought I was going to hate this from the first episode - Fred Armisen often irritates me as an actor outside short sketches and the start was very much comfortable couple having ordinary relationship and life issues which didn't seem to make it very special. However, it then repeatedly takes it in directions you don't expect and ended up being quite moving.

Amazon's comedy side has been a bit variable so it's good to see them doing something like this. Given the people involved all seem to be involved in other bigger things I hope this doesn't end up being sidelined.

Ant Farm Keyboard

I've finished the season. It just took me longer than expected. The second half is much better, because the story focuses more on Rudolph, and Armisen becomes much more tolerable in smaller doses. Like everybody else, I found that episode 6 was a standout, and it actually lays the main themes of the show they were just alluding to until that point.