21/20
Here’s my problem
Story
Series adaptation of James Patterson’s novels about the complex and brilliant detective Alex Cross. In episode 2, Cross tells Sampson that he smells “like mothballs and old spices.” In real life, Isaiah Mustafa appeared in the big Old Spice commercials as “the man your man could smell like.” I started following Aldis Hodge’s career when I fell in love with her character in Leverage. Her performance as the “hacker” Hardison was excellent, and I totally buy her performance as Alex Cross as well. The script is solid, the performances are excellent across the board, and the direction and editing are top-notch. The lighting stinks. I don’t know anyone who lives every moment of their inner life in such darkness.
Three scenes in particular stand out
I’m only 40 minutes into the first episode, but I’m already having trouble seeing the details in many scenes. The first was the cocktail bar. I don’t frequent bars and cocktail lounges, but even the darkest restaurant I’ve ever been to was lit enough that I could see the faces of the other people at the table. The second was the bandit’s lair. Would someone working on detailed plans and designs really do that in such dim lighting? Surely a perfectionist would want to see everything he’s doing clearly.
Why so dark?
The third is the house where Alex shows up for dinner. This is not a romantic dinner for two. This is a gathering of family and friends. The entire house is dark: the foyer, the living room, and the dining room. Also, every room in the police building is dark. Wouldn’t a forensic scientist have a very well-lit operating room?
My dad certainly couldn’t
If they’re trying to create atmosphere, I’m more focused on the fight to see than the plot and dialogue. This is a choice many shows have made in recent years. You know, anyone with vision problems simply couldn’t watch this. That said, I could be wrong about the reason for the darkness. I stopped watching “How I Met Your Father” on another streaming service because it was also so dark that it wasn’t enjoyable. A little internet research revealed that the problem was with the service, not the show.
Check out our November schedule for more!
When the show aired on the network, the lighting was stunning. A new season of “Silo” is one of the biggest TV and streaming premieres this month.
