Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of fitzie’s film and tv reviews, where your hoddler-in-chief reviews the things he’s seen on the telly and in the cinema.
Today we’re finalising two ratings your hoddler-in-chief rated a few months ago – Ted Lasso, and Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. Lots of episodes have passed since then, which means it is time for a fuller review. The two shows moved in diametrically opposed directions.
Ted Lasso, series 4: The second half of this season really grew on me in that it hit a lot of what makes Ted Lasso Ted Lasso. I was worried there was a growing focus on the core cast of characters, but we get a really nice look at the new crop of players at Richmond FC Women.
It just about nailed the landing. There are plenty of new characters to be invested in – most of all the assistant coach Alice Chilton and her becoming the latest pet project to blossom under the former Tottenham Hotspur manager.
However the show suffers from what became its primary antagonist, Zelda, and the storyline about the club’s shares. Running a women’s football club is a captivating enough story on its own and doesn’t require a zany executive to swoop in with her scorpion-like tendencies. And the payoff is extraordinarily weak, making it a waste of time. There was more than one scene with Zelda that I felt like I had to skip.
3 out of 5 Fitzies
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe: Now, this is one that totally fell off the rails.
I enjoyed the first two episodes because they were insane, they didn’t bend to the laws of standard sitcoms and introduced enough characters from the original Big Bang Theory to keep things interesting.
But week after week it became clear this show has no idea where it’s going. Even the creators admitted that.
Even worse, the episodes spanned between 14 and 16 minutes long, which is insulting for an HBO show. Sure, do that if you’re airing this on TBS, but not on a platform where there are no commercials. And then to have to sit through this week after week, with no idea where this is going and with the same story pretty much retold in a different universe.
There are laughs, for sure. Maybe one per episode, which makes it just interesting enough to tune in again. But then you remember the next episode will only be another ponderous 16 minutes (if you’re lucky).
Apparently it’s been renewed for a second season. I’m not looking forward to it. I don’t know what the resolution will be, and I don’t think the writers do either.
It’s a waste of time.
1.5 out of 5 Fitzies
Fitzie’s track of the day:Home Depot, by Medium Build
And now for your links:
The Athletic ($$): “Richarlison scores for Tottenham Under-21s after exile from first-team squad”
The Guardian: “Barrios strikes after 53 seconds as Atlético pile misery on 10-man Manchester United”
BBC: “Swans’ Eom the target of alleged racism at Millwall”
The Independent: “Majority of English football clubs ‘on the edge of financial disaster’, landmark report finds”