I don't disagree with your read but at the end of the season, I think that "brooding" vs "boring" equation ended up tipping to the latter for me. Like I said, it's not like I disliked his character but I just found him uncompelling though that scene where he's play-shooting with Chris and Snoop in the factory was pretty sick.
I guess I am interested to see where they take him in Season 5. Actually, I'm interested to see how many of the S4 kids will make it back into S5.
Aside from the traditional "have you ever known a kid who descended into 'the game'" questions, is there some criticism of the way the show portrayed it?
I felt Michael's issues were by far the most complex and gripping. As he emerged as the leader of his crew I found myself feeling a little more confident that some of them might live to tell the tale.
JP - it's not that I found the narrative weak or unbelievable...I didn't think Mike "sold it" in terms of the performance. That might have been a limitation in the acting or how the character was sketched out but his impassivity made it hard for me to really get a sense of the complexity you speak of.
I don't know if I agree with that. The kid is 13, and a ball of fucked up emotions. You can see him lose it when he smacks up Namond, when he yells about Prezbo and Cutty ("everyone just wants to be too fucking friendly!") and as Dookie watches him gettin' his. But for the most part he is moody and into his own thoughts. I felt his performance was amazing - it's hard to pull off "brooding" without giving us "boring".
You know what wouldn't be believable, is if he turned into some outrageous corner combination of Bodie and Kenard.
The basic point his character is trying to illustrate is how the neighborhood and 'the game' take the fun and the overall emotion *out* of growing up. By the end of the season he can barely afford - or even summon the effort - to show much emotion.
I saw it all as being intentional, and well-done.
I guess I am interested to see where they take him in Season 5. Actually, I'm interested to see how many of the S4 kids will make it back into S5.
Why?
Aside from the traditional "have you ever known a kid who descended into 'the game'" questions, is there some criticism of the way the show portrayed it?
I felt Michael's issues were by far the most complex and gripping. As he emerged as the leader of his crew I found myself feeling a little more confident that some of them might live to tell the tale.
JP - it's not that I found the narrative weak or unbelievable...I didn't think Mike "sold it" in terms of the performance. That might have been a limitation in the acting or how the character was sketched out but his impassivity made it hard for me to really get a sense of the complexity you speak of.
I don't know if I agree with that. The kid is 13, and a ball of fucked up emotions. You can see him lose it when he smacks up Namond, when he yells about Prezbo and Cutty ("everyone just wants to be too fucking friendly!") and as Dookie watches him gettin' his. But for the most part he is moody and into his own thoughts. I felt his performance was amazing - it's hard to pull off "brooding" without giving us "boring".
You know what wouldn't be believable, is if he turned into some outrageous corner combination of Bodie and Kenard.
The basic point his character is trying to illustrate is how the neighborhood and 'the game' take the fun and the overall emotion *out* of growing up. By the end of the season he can barely afford - or even summon the effort - to show much emotion.
I saw it all as being intentional, and well-done.
