Posts: 34,414
Threads: 2,563
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
Anthony Mackie does his best Eddie Murphy. Stephanie Beatriz revisit Rosa of 99 but with little humor and a lot more bloddshed.
This is a post-apocalypse tale based on a video game (red flag). The opposite of Escape from NY, this envisions walled metropolises and Mackie plays a ‘milkman’ who drives the badlands outside the walls delivering special supplies like medicine, while facing armed bandits everywhere. Mackie gets tasked by SF to pick something up in Chicago it’s a lot of car chase scenes where all the cars have full auto guns and rocket launchers.
It’s gratuitous, and tries a bit too hard with the humor - it feels forced in places - but the visual are decent.
10 eps, all under a half hour - I’ll watch more. Stephanie Beatriz / Rosa / Quiet / there’s more but I can’t remember them all - she’s killing this role.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 34,414
Threads: 2,563
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
I’m on e3 of this now. It’s starting to work for me. Mackie and Beatriz have a spark of chemistry, and I really like Beatriz’s character. It’s like Rosa from 99 but on steroids. Rosa was my fav 99 character so that makes it really work for me. Thomas Haden Church plays a tyrannical cop who has created his own twisted law enforcer cult - e3 tells his back story and it was solid. Plus the way he tortures John (Mackie) & Quiet (Beatriz) is hilarious. It’s like the DMV but bigger forms in triplicate with the Barbie theme song playing super loud.
Still watching…
This is on Peacock btw. We just renewed that for a bit and let go of Brit Box and YouTube (no commercials sub).
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 34,414
Threads: 2,563
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
E4 introduces a caravan - a community built in moving trucks that can connect to each other. Kinda dumb conceptually but amusing if you don’t think about it too hard. There’s a strangely poignent moment with the caravan granny leader. John & Quiet start to bond. Not much blood in this ep, but there’s some gratuitous barfing.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 34,414
Threads: 2,563
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
04-05-2024, 11:13 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-05-2024, 11:15 PM by Drunk Monk.)
5 was the return of Sweet Tooth, the giant from Vegas. (Ep 2?) who thinks it’s all a show and is into the ultravi. He wears a clown mask and an almost b&d outfit and chops people up with a huge post-apocalyptic machete. His presence ups the sanguineousity and tied together some of the earlier arcs. Quiet makes a move on Agent Stone in Topeka, but it’s too early for that to succeed.
6 has John & Quiet hooking up which didn’t feel necessary but it made for some funny sex scenes. They shelter in a fast food joint and it bugs me that there’s still power, but this is not a show to dwell on such plot holes or it’ll all come apart, so I try to deny it. Quiet’s backstory comes out and it’s alright.
Next ep - Chicago (the milkman’s goal).
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 34,414
Threads: 2,563
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
7 - ouch. Dog murder. Brutal. It’s off screen but usually that’s a dealbreaker for me. However, it’s backstory and fills out a main character astonishingly well, so I’ll allow. The Nut House (milkman pit stop) had some colorful characters including an snl not ready for prime time player who is clearly ready - she’s a great villainess. The shift in chemistry between John & Quiet isn’t quite working for me because John is pretty much the same. Quiet is developing giving Beatriz more range to play with, but I still think it would’ve been better if they hadn't succumbed to that old coupling cliche.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 34,414
Threads: 2,563
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
8 - John’s backstory, or perhaps his car EV3LYN’s backstory. And is that B99’s Pimento? Sure it but now his playing the coked-out ex-priest leader of a post apocalypse gang, complete with B&D hood masks and whip wielding dominitrixs. The coked up fight between him and John is funny. Quiet’s character continues to open up allowing Beatrix to show more acting range even if it’s super campy. John & Quiet part ways, but I suspect they’ll reunite by the next ep.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 34,414
Threads: 2,563
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
And we’re done. There was a big climactic car battle, an echo to road warrior, and the key villains were dealt with. Then there was a moment of resolution as John & Quiet settled into their post-delivery lives. Then the twist cliffhangers which were quite good and open the door to a second season. Should that get green lit, I’ll probably tune in.
Mildly D00M recommended.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 34,414
Threads: 2,563
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
