Epic episode but I don't know how I feel about it as the wrap to the show. I've thought the whole time that the acting/character building/humor etc has been strong enough to carry the show and this doesn't change that, but I was hoping for a bit more concrete resolution.
all had some time to think about things I think that Asher cursed Whit unknowingly when he was singing with the flashlight and said “that’s a little me in there”. Like his subconscious that knew he was being exploited did. So he died to be reborn as his own baby thus becoming a life long burden of curse on Whit.
I dug the audacity of it. Almost Lynch-ian with how it did its own thing and avoided out-right addressing any of the questions hanging over the show. Stone and Fielder were great. I would love to see a BTS on the amount of training and choreography went into prepping for the episode.
Just finished the finale, that was fucking wild. I still don’t know what to make of it, but my initial reaction was with the baby being born Whit got all that she needed out of Asher, so he metaphorically and literally got sucked out of her world. Symbolically at least that’s what happened. As for how he got sucked up, maybe it was what Dougie was thinking when he cursed Asher at the end of ep 8? The whole chicken thing made it seem like they wanted you to believe the curses were real.
Perfect finale to a perfect show. I’ll be thinking about this for a while. Idk guys. Isn’t that so much more compelling than just having all your questions answered? It is for me. Glad I get to have this show in my brain for a long time before I end up watching it again.
Whitney crawling around the house had me cracking up. “I feel air on my back!” The childbirth scene was really beautiful. Emma Stone seriously outdid herself, throughout the whole series really. Also WTF at Vincent Pastore and Rachel Ray cameo and their weird sexual tension. Absolutely wild.
Holy shit, well there was the fucking payoff I was hoping for I've never felt such a combination of humor and absolute fucking terror as this episode did. Did nobody else in here feel incredibly anxious that entire time? The way that it was played so "realistic" really got to me. Nathan both acted and directed the hell out of that segment I have a feeling that finale is going to outshine the rest of the show in most people's memories but this whole thing just felt so audacious and unapologetically weird and artsy that I still don't even really know how I interpret or feel about it yet. I do know I have never seen anything like this before and I am absolutely blown away at the artist that Nathan Fielder has become (not to take away from Safdie of course, I love all of his work and he was amazing here too)
Truly nightmare comedy. I don't know if it really came together for me, and I think it's a little smore silly and a little less groundbreaking than other folks seem to (saying that as a fan of both creators), but I enjoyed the hell out of it and certainly won't be forgetting it anytime soon. I think Dougie cursed Asher and I think what happens to Asher is a flip on how he and Whit/Fielder staged life-changing things to create "reality" TV. Now, everyone thinks he's staging something that is actually happening and changing their lives forever.
I know I just posted lol but I can't stop thinking about how much dread the whole last 40 minutes of the episode gave me. My entire stomach dropped when the woman started cutting the branch and Asher was desperately pleading with Dougie to make her stop. I can't remember having such a visceral reaction or feeling so genuinely disturbed by a movie or show in a long time I'm seeing online that some people were dying laughing for the entire finale too which is crazy to me but also shows the genius of Nathan/Safdie that people would have such vastly different reactions
Wow, I loved that ending a lot more than I expected to. Loved the unabashed weirdness and perfect balance of comedy and terror. Looking at it as a new dad myself, I thought it perfectly captured that sense of your world turning upside down in ways you can't really understand no matter how well you think you've prepared for it. To go from something I was sort of trudging through out of appreciation of the craft and the people involved to a truly emotionally resonant ending like that is incredible.
This really made it into my dreams last night. Definitely up there with shows like Atlanta, The Leftovers, The OA, Twin Peaks, and maybe even The Sopranos in terms of totally forging its own path and committing to it, and maybe (hopefully) opening up the doors to more undefinable television in years to come. Beyond the phenomenal finale, the show as a whole is truly magnum opus-level shit. Everything worked for me here—the tense atmosphere (how restrained it felt despite not actually being restrained), the balance of horror and comedy, the performances, the music, how completely unpredictable it was. I could go on. I really am amazed by the artistry on display.
Man, Sopranos comparison the day after the show ended is wild lol but I am very, very happy that people fucked with this
Not in style or execution at all. Just the utter disregard for audience expectations. That’s the only comparison I’m making with those shows I listed.
I'm a Safdie/Fielder sap but my god, that was an incredible time. Outside of Better Call Saul, I can't think of anything that has come close as a season of TV like this in, so, so long.