I don't see why a lack of queasiness is a reason for disliking an episode in the first place. This season is more nuanced, and explores worlds in which the characters are in varying degrees of rebellion against social mores.
Good the first season, with the tension building up to a peak in the season finale, with the two main characters revving their engines to clash in battle. Perfect for a second season to erupt with unrestrained fighting, and eventually resolve and end the series. Instead, the makers began the "let's draw this out" procedure. :-|
There's a bit of a lull after the end of season one, and towards the end of season 2. However, it really starts to pick up after that, and season 4 is something special.
It feels that they really nailed it at that point. The tension, sound, cinematography, etc.
The tight plotting is, in a sense, something that makes it difficult to recommend to people these days. Because there really are some clunky episodes, particularly early on, but they all have something important going on, even if just in the C plot, so you can't easily give someone a simple list of must-watch episodes.
...and episodes like Severed Dreams or And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place just don't land the same way if you've missed those character moments or buildup.
I really enjoyed this season. Maybe the fact that is 6 episodes long (I spaced them out throughout a couple of weeks) made me spend more time thinking about it, than the first seasons.
I don't think that the quality has slipped. Maybe you are being too critical because it has lost its initial shock factor?
I think that's still a very surface-level element. Nothing of the details or the actual tone of the stories generally survives. The atmosphere is rarely oppressive in the show, it's typically clinical. The Ushers themselves are generally content, calm and collected throughout, up until the moment of their final murder. The oldest brother is the only exception, and is by far the most interesting character for it; his is the only story that really seemed to catch more than the surface level.
Yeah, I think that's the real issue. People complain about 6 episodes not being enough, but the truth is that a lot of those 6-8 episodes now feels like filler - probably because some constraints (ad cuts on scenes...) have disappeared, so writers feel emboldened. Not everything can be The Wire.
I was so nervous when I saw they were being done with Netflix and in a massive season of six episodes. I actually don't think there was a truly weak episode in the bunch. Literally my only complaint was the stupid little explanation taglines Netflix shoved in my face meaning I didn't get to go into most of them completely free of expectation.
First half of the final season was great, but the writing in the last half felt rushed and at times cheap. It ended up being predictable, where the rest of the show was the complete opposite. They had the ability to write better, first half of that season and prior seasons proved this, but came off as if they were trying to wrap it up too quickly and finalize the loose ends :/
The unlimited energy becomes a little more realistic from season 2 onwards, but I was annoyed too, and maybe even felt guilty... prompting me to address those emotions. Totally on point for the show
IIRC, season 4 was the torture season. It actually laid it on so thick, it became cartoon funny. Pretty sure that season caused some controversy and after that they toned it down a bit.
To me, the third episode (Shut up and dance) is the outstanding episode, at the end I was mentally exhausted and incredibly saddened. San Junipero is different, without ruining things, it's the only episode where at the end, I wasn't considering the "where" that we're heading towards as a society (though on further thinking, it's a question of whether something good is also something moral.) – It's just very different in overall tone.
The first episode I found really difficult to watch because it felt too much like real-life (Uber, especially.) – there's one episode which I didn't finish as it just didn't interest me, it was the army-type episode, I got bored incredibly quickly. The last episode (which is set on Twitter, I suppose) is incredible.
I think there were maybe too many episodes, the VR episode, whilst good, just felt like filler to me, though it made me phone my mother. I'll watch the fourth season, it's still one of the better shows on television.
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