Man, this show is something else. It's very confusing yet surprisingly compelling from a first-time watching perspective, which was certainly the case for me, and would probably be even more compelling from the established perspective of watching it a second time. I think everything was wrapped up very nicely, perhaps better than any other finale of any other show that I've seen. With that in mind, in hindsight, IF you can manage to muster the willpower to continue watching, there should be a sense of satisfaction combined with the obvious feeling, which is understanding everything. At the same time, I can completely understand why you'd be turned off from the show, perhaps permanently, and perhaps after the premiere itself. On top of that, there's the possibility that you wouldn't feel the same way that I did/do and won't have that sense of satisfaction, as well as that feeling of finally understanding everything that initially confused the hell out of you or that feeling that makes you think it was worth it if you do the crazy thing of watching it to the end. But I loved it. There's just something about shows like this one, that while it confuses the hell out of me, probably more than the average, in a general sense, and possibly still so even after things have been revealed, and maybe also to the point of angry frustration, sometimes, I'm drawn to such shows. I guess that's exactly why I end up liking them, deep down. Anyway, I consider this show to be a hidden gem, one that isn't well-known, especially as much as I think it should be, and one that should be appreciated. I expect a lot of you would disagree with that, and may even hate the show, and that's fine.
Critic Andy Greenwald made a TV show. It's solid and if USA decides to renew it, I do feel like it could be the next best TV drama (so few of those now, I think Succession and Better Call Saul are the only ones that fit the bill for me).
The first season of Briarpatch (probably my choice for the worst title to a series since Terriers and Halt and Catch Fire) was a solid neo-noir venture that blends the quirky character traits of Twin Peaks with the layered plotting of Elmore Leonard. Rosario Dawson and Jay Ferguson made an amazing duo who I'd love to see more of on a weekly basis with different plots.
What didn't work and prevents me from labelling it as an excellent first season like that of The Sopranos or The Wire, is that towards the conclusion Greenwald loses his grip on how we're supposed to see each of the characters. The Kim Dickens character is heroically fighting [Gene] and starts telling Allegra she's been on to him and we see her as a hero but this is retconned in the finale when we're told she made the second bomb. Such scenes feel like cheap tricks to make the audience think differently even when Dickens character represents a fabricated persona when hugging Allegra and running for Mayor. Also, the mystery becomes quite convoluted and hard to follow (I think it was around the dream sequence, which is a terrific scene, that I saw Felicity driving and said: "Oh yeah, her murderer is still out there"). I also feel like the cat death was supposed to be intentional foreshadowing but really gave it away. I haven't read Ross Thomas's book, but I am now tempted.
I will say Greenwald showed more love for the world rather than the story (the emphasis on the Jarritos rip off soda and the math detective series). Greenwald nails style, and although some complained about how it was shot after Ana Lily Amanpour left I never saw a setback in the show's visuals afterwards. I also just loved how each character even had their own wardrobe (like on Breaking Bad) and this is only enhanced by the performances. And the animals roaming all over the town, this show was nearly brilliant.
I do believe Dawson, Ferguson, Edi Gathegi and Alan Cummings deserve recognition for their turns here but seeing as to how the Limited Series category is packed (Devs, I Know This Much is True, Mrs America, Normal People, The Plot Against America, Unbelievable and Watchmen) I don't expect any of them to receive such recognition. My only hope is that USA moves the series to their streaming service Peacock, where Esmail's other producing credits (Evangelyne and the Battlestar Galactica reboot) will find a home. As a critic once wrote about Mr Robot and Fargo during their first seasons, neither is a great show...yet (Fargo did turn into a masterpiece in its second outing where Mr Robot unfortunately never grew to become one of the best American dramas like Breaking Bad or Justified). Anyhow, I do hope USA considers renewing it or at least shopping it elsewhere because it can turn into the next great drama.
Odd, confusing and totally compelling, love it .
It's too bad this has already been canceled. This is a very interesting show. The characters all have their secrets and there was so much potential depth to characters and storyline. Probably the best part of the show was its subtle quirkiness.
Shout by Kizz'n'TellBlockedParent2020-12-20T19:37:24Z
This is a pearl found by accident by me. The world needs more shows from this kind of 'tell a story in one season'. It's still hella engaging but it's wrapped up amazingly and with logic. Nowadays, there a ton of shows which soudn't be picked up for 3rd, 7th or even more seasons. We need sth fresh and that's one of the fresh ideas.