Sharp Objects

Sharp Objects was so close to getting a much higher score from me,
It's a southern gothic slow burner that drew me in immediately, so much so that i binge-watched all eight episodes in a day. The story is that an alcoholic reporter played by Amy Adams is working on a case taking place in her home town, where she must return and stay at the home of her estranged mother played by Patricia Clarkson and face the demons of her past.

The cast is great, particularly Adams and Clarkson, Five minutes into this show I knew exactly what kind of a person Clarkson's character was, she is a self-absorbed communal narcissist. Having had experience with someone like this in my family it resonated a lot with me.

The performative dramatic displays of emotion that are so disingenuous and manipulative, the constant gas-lighting and guilt-tripping when you've done nothing wrong. The constant incessant need for attention and lastly and most significantly, treating their children like they have something innately wrong with them in order to feel powerful.

Watching this, I honestly don't think i have hated a character more in a tv show, obviously because of my own background seeing a person like this so expertly played was frustrating, as it should be. They are self-centered, horrible and vacuous people.

If a show can evoke that kind of emotion out of you its worth seeing.

So, onto the negatives, I think a lot of people wouldn't enjoy the pacing and if i were to watch it over the span of a week i think i would notice it more, but my viewing experience wasn't affected by it, it's a drama first and foremost and i think if you go in with that mindset you'll get more out of it.

The biggest negative occurs in literally the last five seconds and it cheapens what is a beautiful ending. I understand what they were going for but it did not land for me at all.

If you're going to go with a shocking heart-breaking twist you have to make sure that that's where the story needs to go, here it comes off as if its thrown in because the writer wanted to include one, not because that was where the characters needed to be at the end.  So for that, it gets marked down a lot in my estimation.

It's still a very good show but it could have been great.