The Looming Tower: Season 1, Episode 2 “Losing My Religion” (B-)
Episode two of this show did nothing to change my feelings about it, which is that I’m still moderately interested in how it’s all going to play out, but I think that the focus seems to be all wrong on what’s important to the story. John thinking over whether to take communion with one of his three wives doesn’t add anything to the story, especially since he called his actual family when he said he had to leave the country for a bit while the other two women in his life probably have no idea that he’s headed to London. We’re running up against many more interagency conflicts, with John successfully arguing for jurisdiction over the case with the caveat that he himself didn’t go, and more potently, him expressing such fury at Martin when he found out that the embassy may have gotten a walk-in tip a year earlier about the Nairobi bombing. Martin does seem to have a systematic view of things rather than a moral or empathetic one, casually describing how up to one thousand casualties were acceptable in his book. It’s interesting to see how his reaction to Clinton preparing to testify in a criminal case was excitement that he would be seeking a distraction and therefore greenlight their takedown of Al-Qaeda, something that seems so far gone in today’s society since all the White House seems to do is release inexplicable policies that many argue are distractions from what they’re really up to but has yet to officially reach a real courtroom of any kind. Ali getting angry and shouting in Arabic at the owner of the fax machine was an intense moment that shows how personal this is for him, and Robert also seems to be having a hard time dealing with it. I don’t think I need to keep going with this show but may change my mind in a week when I decide whether or not to watch episode three.
Showing posts with label The Looming Tower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Looming Tower. Show all posts
Friday, March 9, 2018
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Pilot Review: The Looming Tower
The Looming Tower (Hulu)
Premiered February 28
Hulu is amping up its television slate these days after achieving a historic best series win at the Emmys ahead of rivals Netflix and Amazon, and here we have one of its more high-profile shows, billed as a miniseries. Osama Bin Laden and the September 11th terrorist attacks have understandably played a huge part in American cinema in the past twelve or so years, dating back to the concurrent releases of “United 93” and “World Trade Center,” the first films to truly dramatize the attacks on a large scale. I was extremely impressed by Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty,” which traced the search for Bin Laden after the attacks, and I still contend that it was the subject of unnecessary backlash about some of its content and is considerably better than most people think. Now, this miniseries does its best to blame the lack of cooperation between the CIA and the FBI for the fact that Bin Laden was able to pull off the attacks. While theoretically intriguing, we do know how it all ends, making how things get there less enticing. What’s most notable about this first episode is that it was directed by Alex Gibney, the master documentarian who won an Oscar for “Taxi to the Dark Side.” While I did recognize the likes of Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg (by his voice only), Tahar Rahim from “A Prophet,” Wrenn Schmidt from “Person of Interest,” and Bill Camp from “The Night Of,” I suspect that this series, based on a book by Lawrence Wright, might have worked better as nonfiction. Jeff Daniels, who has lately become known for a certain type of role, is at his least snappy and sarcastic, and the revelation that he has three separate families to come home to doesn’t add much since he still seems focused on his work whenever he needs to be. I’m moderately interested in watching the second episode, which has already been released along with the third in typical Hulu fashion, but I’m not optimistic after this.
How will it work as a series? There seems to be a focus on the testimony that came much after the events of September 11th occurred, and so that seems like the best way to anchor the story since everything has to lead to communication failing so miserably that the attacks do in fact happen. It could be worthwhile to watch, but there’s something missing here.
How long will it last? Technically, it’s a miniseries, so I don’t see a reason why it would continue. Another show of the same sort from Gibney, however, might be in the cards if it’s successful. Ratings data is never immediately available for streaming shows, but the most measurable figure is how good the reviews are, which in this case appear to be relatively positive.
Pilot grade: B-
Premiered February 28
Hulu is amping up its television slate these days after achieving a historic best series win at the Emmys ahead of rivals Netflix and Amazon, and here we have one of its more high-profile shows, billed as a miniseries. Osama Bin Laden and the September 11th terrorist attacks have understandably played a huge part in American cinema in the past twelve or so years, dating back to the concurrent releases of “United 93” and “World Trade Center,” the first films to truly dramatize the attacks on a large scale. I was extremely impressed by Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty,” which traced the search for Bin Laden after the attacks, and I still contend that it was the subject of unnecessary backlash about some of its content and is considerably better than most people think. Now, this miniseries does its best to blame the lack of cooperation between the CIA and the FBI for the fact that Bin Laden was able to pull off the attacks. While theoretically intriguing, we do know how it all ends, making how things get there less enticing. What’s most notable about this first episode is that it was directed by Alex Gibney, the master documentarian who won an Oscar for “Taxi to the Dark Side.” While I did recognize the likes of Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg (by his voice only), Tahar Rahim from “A Prophet,” Wrenn Schmidt from “Person of Interest,” and Bill Camp from “The Night Of,” I suspect that this series, based on a book by Lawrence Wright, might have worked better as nonfiction. Jeff Daniels, who has lately become known for a certain type of role, is at his least snappy and sarcastic, and the revelation that he has three separate families to come home to doesn’t add much since he still seems focused on his work whenever he needs to be. I’m moderately interested in watching the second episode, which has already been released along with the third in typical Hulu fashion, but I’m not optimistic after this.
How will it work as a series? There seems to be a focus on the testimony that came much after the events of September 11th occurred, and so that seems like the best way to anchor the story since everything has to lead to communication failing so miserably that the attacks do in fact happen. It could be worthwhile to watch, but there’s something missing here.
How long will it last? Technically, it’s a miniseries, so I don’t see a reason why it would continue. Another show of the same sort from Gibney, however, might be in the cards if it’s successful. Ratings data is never immediately available for streaming shows, but the most measurable figure is how good the reviews are, which in this case appear to be relatively positive.
Pilot grade: B-
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