I'll continue my look at television shows that I've watched over the course of the past year by beginning my list of my top five viewing experiences. This can be a full series or a single season, depending on what I've specifically watched over the past twelve months. Again, not all of these shows are "new", just new to me.
I'll list a few of my favorite episodes from each one after the review, with the one in underlined bold being my absolute favorite.
5. Mr. Robot (Season 1)
I generally hate shows created by people with obvious political agendas that don't present their ideas with any level of nuance or subtlety (actually, this is one of the biggest reasons I think Family Guy went downhill). Mr. Robot pretty much beats you over the head with GRRRAAAHHHH!!!! CAPITALISM BAD!!!!!! ad nauseam and does it in the least creative way possible -- direct dialogue. As if they weren't obvious enough with the writing, the biggest corporation in America on the show is named "Evil Corp" (it's actually called "E Corp", but we're supposed to see most of the show through the main character's eyes, and he automatically replaces the "E" with "Evil" in his head, or whatever, so that's how characters refer to it). Seriously. "Evil Corp." It's not a spoof show, I swear.
/end rant
Anyway, Mr. Robot follows the story of Elliot Alderson, a brilliant computer hacker working for Allsafe Cybersecurity that loathes the unfair realities of capitalist society along with the aforementioned Evil Corp, which controls most of the country. Allsafe is charged with protecting their client, Evil Corp from cyber terrorism. In the first episode, Elliot gets tangled up with the enigmatic Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) and faces a decision to join forces with him to unleash a plan that would effectively destroy the economy along with Evil Corp (so, hey! conflict of interest!), relieving millions of aggrieved Americans of debt that they'd otherwise never be able to pay their way out of.
As you might have guessed, I don't find the show's premise particularly fascinating, but the acting and character design are both top notch. Elliot is socially inept and awful at relating to people, but thanks to his hacking abilities, he's often able to understand people around him better than they know themselves. Many times, he feels like an information-based superhero that's able to take advantage of any "exploit" in a given person or situation, and seeing him solve the intense problems he's faced with throughout the season is edge-of-your-seat thrilling.
What makes Elliot's challenges so fascinating is that his morals are constantly getting in the way of what he feels he needs to do. He repeatedly needs to decide whether accomplishing what he wants is really worth the means necessary, and much like a real person, he doesn't always make the same choice between achievement and righteousness. Elliot is an outstanding character on a show filled with compelling ones, and Rami Malek's performance drives one of the best new shows of 2015.
Essential Episodes: eps1.5br4ve-trave1er.asf; eps1.8m1rr0r1ng.qt
4. Louie (Seasons 1-4)
Louie is on its surface a comedy, but that doesn't really do it justice. In this single-camera adventure, Louis C.K. plays a fictionalized version of himself and he's really the only regular cast member. There's recurring characters, such as his two daughters, his estranged wife, and a love interest played by Pamela Adlon, but by and large, the show focuses solely on Louie's experiences and how he takes in the world around him.
Most episodes (particularly early in the series' run) involve short stories about Louie interwoven with his character performing stand-up in various venues. While the stand-up is often very funny, the most interesting episodes are compelling when we get to experience Louie interact with the various characters that pass in and out of his life. The stories handle a wide range of topics, particularly aging, parenthood as a divorcee, the dating world for a man in his 40s, love, and facing the reality that one's career has probably peaked.
At last year's Emmy Awards, I remembered someone describing Louie as "jazz", which is a comparison that works on plenty of levels. Louie's creativity knows no bounds and has been lauded for its camerawork and music. Some narratives are more mundane, such as Louie being bothered by a heckler at a small comedy club, and other storylines include him making a run at David Letterman's job and being flown to Afghanistan to entertain the troops. Except for a few strings of serialized episodes, Louie mostly lacks continuity and that allows the show to freely pursue any situation that enters C.K.'s vivid imagination. Some moments are surreal, some are grounded in harsh reality, but the experiences are mostly relatable, and I often found myself spending plenty of time after certain episodes wondering what I would do given his situation. It's not a perfect show, and sometimes could be dull when it became more artsy than plot-driven (think Breaking Bad's "Fly" episode), but overall, a great viewing experience. I'm excited to see Season 5 when it becomes available on Netflix.
Essential Episodes: Bully (s.1 ep.9); Duckling (s.2 ep.11); In the Woods (s.4 ep.11-12)
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