![]() ![]() My second quibble lies with Mary-Louise Parker's portrayal of Janey, the sister of one of the killer's victims. I can't help but wonder if it could have been scripted differently, as that felt odd. Then the story seemed to move forward at a breakneck pace during episodes 9 and 10. This didn't bother me much - I took it as "slow-burn" horror, and it matched the very slow pace of the book. It's actually quite slow for the first eight episodes - enough, I think to lose some viewers. ![]() The directing shined as well - especially for a key sequence in Episode 7, "Willow Lake." Even the soundtrack was excellent. There were also some great moments of humor, and the subtexts here dealing with friendship and loyalty were surprisingly moving. (It was so disturbingly presented that I almost had to switch the episode off - and I knew it was coming, as I'd already read the book.) But the horror punctuates the unexpectedly touching drama among the story's protagonists - and the sad relationship between the killer and his disordered mother. There is certainly enough horror here - including one particularly cringe-inducing plot twist late in the game. The script was nothing short of terrific. ![]() But even they are outshined by Treadway's frighteningly goddam perfect portrayal of the titular "Mr. Lynch is amazing and perfect in her role, and is even talented enough make her onerous character truly sympathetic. ![]() Gleeson was who first made me interested in the show, and his performance is outstanding. We see the extended aftermath of slaughter, throughout the lives of people connected to it - including one victim's family, the now- retired investigating detective (Brendan Gleeson), the young killer himself (Harry Treadway) and his alcoholic, incestuous mother (Kelly Lynch). (There is a plot-driving horror set- piece at the start of the pilot episode in which he mows down a crowd lined up for a job fair.) What follows is a drama of surprising depth and authenticity. It's a depressingly real-world story about a mass murderer whose weapon of choice is a stolen Mercedes. It also doesn't have any overt connection to King's overarching, interconnected "Dark Tower" multiverse. I tend to think of this as more "mainstream King." As with the book, the story here is devoid of the supernatural elements that usually characterize King's work. (I really liked 2014 novel, but I loved the show.) I might have a couple of minor quibbles about the ten-episode season, but they're not enough to stop me from rating it a perfect 10. Season 1 was not only one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever, I think it has the rare distinction of being even better that its source material. I wish he would bring that back, as it's evident, including from Conan Needs a Fan and Conan Without Borders, that he's a broadly curious and literate guy.It amazes me how little fanfare that "Mr. One thing that he lost, however, was intellectual diversity, as he now mostly interviews folks in Hollywood/comedy. While I wonder what led to that, I'm glad that his podcast guests make up a broader spectrum, at least in terms of gender, race, and age. I noticed that every guest is similar to Conan in 3 ways: middle-aged white guys. It includes 14 1:1 interviews (many authors and historians, some comedy folks, too) and one roundtable with 4 Simpsons writers, a total of 18 guests. I found this playlist on YouTube, uploaded by Team Coco (is it complete?). To sate my appetite for more, I delved back into Serious Jibber-Jabber (his Charlie Rose style long-form interview series). Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend has been my favorite podcast of late. ![]()
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