B-Minus
Netflix’s new series, “God’s Favorite Idiot”, released yesterday and there are 8 episodes in total. The first impressions from the season premiere are that the show is set in a small town in Maine and revolves around a man named Clark (Ben Falcone) who is struck by lightning and starts to see strange things happening around him. The only vague details that become clear from the episode are that Falcone’s character is starting to experience changes, such as an eerie glow and Harry Styles’ song “Sign of the Times” playing in the background. At this point, it’s unclear what direction the show will take, but hopefully future episodes will give more light on what those possibilities might be. ..
Episode 1
The cityscape is captured in a drone shot as the first episode of God’s Favorite Idiot begins. A strange light can be seen glowing against the backdrop of a cloud, dangerously close to the roof of a house. It zeroes in on Clark, a single man living with his two cats. He goes outside, searching for the other one when suddenly, a bolt of lightning hits him. He falls to the ground and the cloud dissipates. A small outcome is that when he leaves for work, red traffic lights suddenly turn green as they see him coming. Harry Styles’ Sign of the Times strangely plays on any electronic device near him. ..
Amily’s story begins with a bang: she’s just turned eighteen and has just won the lottery. She spends her days biking around town, taking drugs, and “glowing.” One day, she comes in late at night to work and notices Clark sitting at his computer. His glow is in quite literal terms- it’s as if he’s been turned into a lightbulb. The other day, when she comes in late at night into work, she notices him sitting at his computer and “glowing.” His glow is so bright that it can be seen from across the room. Amily is skeptical of what he could be doing on his computer at this hour of the night, but her friends convince her that it must be something important.
Frisbee, the management in the office, a.k.a., the boss, bring teasing discussions about Clark, revealing that he had once tried to ask out Amily but wasn’t confident enough to do so. Wendy notices the glow too, while Clark works at the computer. He finally asks Amily out to dinner. The feeling seems mutual and they share a warm conversation. The climax at the restaurant sees the two having dinner, and suddenly, out of nowhere, Clark starts glowing. ..
This is a story that is happening right in the middle of the public eye. People are taking videos of him and some are also gasping in horror. He then turns back into normal but the seeds have already been sown. Amily wasn’t influenced by drugs when she saw it and now the world has seen it too.
The Episode Review
The premiere of ‘God’s Favorite Idiot’ was a letdown. There was very little action taking place due to the lack of development. However, this is not a problem because the project has a lot of talent behind it. expecting good writing is something that is expected, but unfortunately this was not the case.
The new McCarthy series is a major disappointment. The acting is lackluster and the plot is trite. ..
The show has been struggling to find its footing and it seems like episode two may have had the least impact on that. Creators need to make sure that their premise is clear to the audience from the beginning, as this is something they are expected to do. Hopefully, episode two has more bite and quality.
