Necrotongue

The first episode of the first season kicked off the series in a fantastic way. The creators focused on creating a high-quality atmosphere and subtle tension, only to fill the ending with brutal action, thus setting the viewer up for the continuation, which they succeeded in doing with me. The casting of Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo and Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard was absolutely brilliant, as these two give their characters the opportunity to truly come alive.

Time has taken its toll on this film in places, but I was expecting that. I commend the filmmakers for the result even today. The only thing that puzzled me, given my interest in wars in the Pacific from the Russo-Japanese War to the end of WWII, was the filmmakers' "ability" to get only three names out of six right regarding the carriers that formed the backbone of Nagumo's First Air Fleet. Despite these minor issues, I enjoyed travelling back in time, not just on screen but also in my memory, to a time when I was in elementary school and saw this film for the first time.

From the series Doc Martin, I expect primarily dry humor. Although it was only presented in limited doses in the sixth episode, it was sufficiently compensated by a dramatic story that added depth to the titular character and explained many things. A very solid plot for a relaxing series.

After the first season, I'm very happy. I've always liked great stories about kids’ groups, even though, paradoxically, I'm actually not a huge fan of child actors in film and on TV. However, the creators took it in the right direction, obviously inspired by Stephen King’s stories and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. They set up an atmosphere of subtle nervousness, escalating suspense and convincing action, which was right up my alley and I can't rate it other than five stars.

The final episode of the first season was very successful, with a superbly dark atmosphere that the creators have been able to maintain since the pilot episode. It combined intensified tension and excellent action once again. The creators answered most of the burning questions, although they did not hesitate to pose new ones, which we will have to wait for the next season to be answered.

The expected connection of plot lines happened and all the heroes of the series started pulling together. If the previous episode reminded me of King's stories, the chase in the seventh episode evoked the movie E.T. The plot is clearly approaching the resolution and I can look forward to the final episode.

The sixth episode strongly reminded me of King's stories with child heroes, and therefore I naturally liked it, as I can really enjoy "kingovky". Each group is still searching for their own goal, although it is quite clear that there will be a fusion and a final joint approach. Despite this predictability, it is full of action.

In the fifth episode, the atmosphere thickened once again, with three groups independently investigating, each with their own goal (finding Will, the monster, government conspiracy). Although one would expect a decent plot chaos, the whole thing works excellently as a puzzle, slowly forming a clear picture.

The creators successfully managed to create a dark atmosphere combined with paranoia associated with secret government actions. They also heightened the tension, and the only disruptive element remained Winona Ryder's over-acting performance, as she really tries to attract attention to herself. She succeeds in doing so, as she already caught my attention in the first episode, but at least thanks to that, the acting abilities of the child actors and David Harbour can shine more.

Similarly to the previous episode, I missed a larger amount of humor, but this time there was a stronger story. I also have to appreciate that there was more space for Katherine Parkinson, who is excellent in the series just like in IT Crowd. Nevertheless, I had a good time and the new teacher contributed to that as well.