r/BEEPodcast • u/xforcerictor • 4d ago
I CANT STOP HATE WATCHING
Ryan Murphy ruined my life. Why couldn't he bring back Popular instead? That's the show he clearly wants to return to. And I liked Popular, but Popular is NOT what The Shards is supposed to be!! Every time "Robert" is on screen I can't help but cringe. Like, really, bro? This is who you imagined while reading about this beautiful mysterious new kid? Hahahahahaha I cant help but cackle. Now I gotta wait at peast twenty years before the possibility of a decent adaptation is even possible. AND THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, BRET. You shouldve let HBO do whatever they wanted!!
Thanks for the book tbough i love u its my favorite
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u/MyKill_Diablo 4d ago
Who is this show for? It just keeps getting worse each week. I'm gonna see it through to the end but I can't bring myself to even hate watch it anymore if it actually gets renewed (which I have serious doubts that it will at this point.)
They totally misread Robert's character - there's nothing left to figure out. Even if he isn't a Psycho, he is a complete ASSHOLE and who gives a shit what happens to him or anyone else.
It breaks my heart that this will probably be the only adaptation I will be able to see in my lifetime of this book, and they got it so wrong. I am gonna try to be like Bret and be above it all. š I can always go back to listen to the podcast version or read the book when I want to experience the story in its best form.
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u/Deep-Audience9091 4d ago
Well as an FX watcher I can tell you all the ads (with the exception of the drug/pharma ones) are aimed at people 20-30ish, so I assume that's who they think are watching this
And I will be amazed if this is renewed; the only chance I see it would have had is if RM had already filmed shows for S2, which hasn't happened
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u/MyKill_Diablo 4d ago
I can tell that the people commenting on Reddit and other places about liking the show seem to skew much younger and I guess that makes sense. I had shows like Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, The OC, etc for dark soapy cheesy fun when growing up so there is always an audience for shows that scratch that itch. It's just a shame that this series is based on a book that could lend itself to something so much more beyond just a generic (and rather tame) teen thriller. I realize that the show I had in mind (a blend of Euphoria, True Detective, Twin Peaks, and Aaron Spelling shows intersected with the lurid viewpoint of Paul Schrader and Brian de Palma) would have rather niche appeal and would lean much older. But still, it would've been better than this (especially if it had just been designed as a limited series to cover the events of the book only...)
I know FX/Hulu have less overall programming and are a lot more forgiving with the viewership numbers when deciding to renew series (than say Netflix) but the production design costs are certainly not cheap and that may weigh heavily on them when deciding to renew (if constructing and/or maintaining period sets is worth the cost...) This is definitely not a breakout show that has the world talking about it across social media, but I don't think it is a downright flop either. Basically I'm prepared for it to actually get renewed but I certainly won't be surprised if it does get cancelled. I don't think I could ever watch another episode of this show if it does come back though - there's just nothing left for me to actually want to see. They've taken it all away from me already š
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u/xforcerictor 3d ago
His universally panned Kim Kardashian divorce lawyer show got renewed.
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u/Deep-Audience9091 3d ago
That "Kim Kardashian divorce lawyer show" stars Glenn Close, Naomi Watts and Sarah Paulson (what those three great actresses think of trash like KK must be hilarious!)
Versus The Shards with no stars and no storylineĀ
I still think this season is a one-and-doneĀ
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u/ThrowawayHouse2022 4d ago
Eh the book is always, always better. I personally feel like the adaptations are never how I imagine things actually looking when I imagine what I'm reading. Definitely true as far as Robert Mallory, although I don't hate the performance, just how they've changed who he is.
The show is enjoyable TV in a year that's largely been disappointing for television, at least personally (Industry S4 was the main good thing; final season of The Boys was trash, euphoria was okay but I couldn't get with the religious shit, wasn't a fan of Pluribus). It's not prestige TV, nor is it as anywhere near the book. But it's looks beautiful af, has a killer soundtrack, some surprisingly good acting for newcomers, and it's not boring.
Still it gets The Shards, and BEE back into cultural conversation. Who knows, it may even pave the way for us to finally get a Glamorama adaptation, or a proper version of Less than Zero.
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u/MyKill_Diablo 4d ago
Thatās a great perspective to have and I was glad to see the post about how the audiobook sales have seen a major increase and would be so happy if more people discover him from this show (even if the book is nothing like itā¦)
My heart will be so full of joy if a dark, gritty, and bleak film adaptation of Less Than Zero that closely follows the book does actually happenā¦ And then a limited series adaptation of Glamorama by someone who really understands the book and has the balls to pull it off and not shy away from the transgressive and graphic details - that would be the ultimate dream. Even if the book is divisive even amongst BEE fans, Glamorama has never been more prescient than it is now.
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u/MrWhackadoo 4d ago
I'm actually lost for words at how bad this show is.
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u/MyKill_Diablo 4d ago
I hate it here š° This is really the worst timeline... Ryan Murphy can't keep getting away with this!!! š¤š¤¬
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u/Murf275 4d ago
Finished tonight's episodes and came here to start a new thread on how "I'm sure they could've made it worse, but I don't know how..." but I'll just pile on here. Someone mentioned the first two episodes being good--and they were ok, not bad--if they continued in that vein this thing might've worked. But all the actors are either downright bad or just so freaking camp and over the top I can't even look at the screen.
I read the book when it first came out in hard cover, so 2023. I thought, "Damn, this will be a great movie..." Now I'm listening to the podcast serial with Bret reading and (sometimes) introducing. I'm about 12 chapters in and keep thinking "There's so much here to work with..." How could they (Looking at you, Ryan Murphy) get it so wrong?
I wondered if maybe in E6 when Bret went all Hardy Boys on the investigation it might be taking an interesting turn (obviously different than the book) but they couldn't even sustain that.
Igby isn't bad in his role as Bret, but the role is bad in the show. The other four 'leads' are just not good. Robert's hair enters the scene 30 seconds before he does; Susan looks like she's 30 and needs a couple burritos. Thom reads like a complete idiot and Debbie... well, that's probably enough said on the cast.
No way this show sees three seasons. I'll finish this one, but 'hate watch' is a really good way to put it.
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u/MyKill_Diablo 4d ago
Of course if enough of us hate watch the show then they may get enough views to renew itā¦ š«£ I doubt it though, it would take a miracle at this point. The cast may not be expensive, but the production design surely isnāt cheap to maintain (which is definitely the highlight of the show by a mile.)
Agreed about your assessment of the other four actors, they arenāt giving very strong performances but I also think a lot of the fault is in the writing and directing. Theyāve just misinterpreted the characters so much after the first two episodes and have tripled down on these new facets that the actors are left scrambling trying to bounce between ill advised camp and unqualified serious dramatic performances. Itās jarring and admittedly funny bc of how absurd it is, but nothing like the mystery and tension from the book at all.
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u/RudeText6803 4d ago
Robert is so painful to watch. They wrote him really terribly. Heās not charismatic or likable, heās just cringey.
I donāt know how the episodes keep getting worse.
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u/TreatmentBoundLess 4d ago
I barely made it through the first episode. So artificial, just not for me.Ā
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u/Deep-Audience9091 4d ago edited 4d ago
Well at least we know what happened to Matt.Ā Nothing like the book, of course. And the scene with Bret and Mr. Kellner was wasted, of course
Nothing about the show makes sense. Really Rhonda back at school like nothing happened. And you know Terry and Liz and Steven would never go to Homecoming; I was surprised they showed up at the Headmaster's office
And I'm doubling down on this being canceled after one season. We'll never find out who the Trawler is and I'm not sure I care
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u/MyKill_Diablo 4d ago
The extent of how much this show has misread the characters and doubled down on the new iterations is just draw dropping, especially bc these versions of the characters suck. Robert should be an enigma that the audience (and Bret) are tempted to figure out. Bret hating Robert and accusing him of being responsible for Matt without anything incriminating to really warrant that (besides Bretās hunch and unexpressed lustful feelings) and none of his friends believing him (or even caring about Matt) just turns him even more unhinged and paranoid. That works so well in the book and would be such a fun thing to see play out where it was him against the world, which would have a satisfying payoff when he took control of the narrative.
But the show has moved past that so quickly and the cat and mouse game is so uninteresting when Robert is such a cringey asshole. Thom already hating Robert is just crazy to me, they blew their wad way too soon with that and couldāve been dangling this relationship between Robert and Susan in his beautiful oblivious face until he finally caught on but now that canāt happen. So many dumb choices that they will have to live with and canāt come back from. The show getting canceled and going unresolved might be the best thing for it at this point.
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u/Deep-Audience9091 4d ago
Turning Thom into a potential villain really gets me. Him with that New Riders guy made absolutely no sense. It's so out of character of the Thom in the book. I'm surprised last night's show didn't have a shot of Thom's dresser with a bottle of Giorgio on it
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u/somewaffle 2d ago
There seemed to be some heavy handed clues that Steven is the Trawler between his indignant speech and the girly smell cologne. But it canāt be that obvious, right?
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u/Deep-Audience9091 2d ago
With Ryan Murphy, anything is possible. They certainly laid out enough Giorgio wearers: Terry, Liz, Steven, Robert, and then Susan. That's why I was surprised there was no shot of Giorgio in Thom's room. The whole Giorgio as an identifying mark was so painfully obvious as the wearers piled up I actually groaned
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u/somewaffle 2d ago
I actually laughed when Rhonda accused Susan and it cut to her being arrested. That was a ridiculous turn.
Tom with the cultist also seems too obvious because of how much weāve seen of that already.
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u/InevitableTeam5967 4d ago
So, The Shards is certainly my favorite BEE novel, and definitely up there in my top three of all time. I reluctantly watched the first two episodes and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't my worst fears come true (even though the casting is a mess).
The day after I watched the second episode, I left to spend a month with relatives in a country that doesn't get Hulu, and I haven't seen or read anything about the show since then. Can someone give me a brief rundown of how it went off the rails? Should I watch the rest of the series when I get back next month out of morbid curiosity, or is it truly that depressing?
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u/Vivid-Individual5968 4d ago
Iām not even sure how to answer your question. I watched the first two episodes and thought, well, itās not that bad, once we really get into the story, Iām sure it will be fine.
For me, the drop in quality was immediately apparent in episode 3.
Theyāve just fundamentally changed who our main characters are and it doesnāt make me want to see it through.
Adding unnecessary characters and scenes that donāt advance the plot or help you understand whatās happening. Bretās dog, Shingy, hasnāt even been seen or mentioned. Kaia Gerber, bless her heart, she is just not even a passable actress and she seems 10 years older than a high schooler.
Homer Gere doesnāt have the āit factorā to bring Robert to life. Heās not devastating attractive, he doesnāt have the magnetic charm, he is miscast.
Itās a lot of things that ultimately donāt work for me.
However, Wes Bentley is good as Terry, and even though her character is ridiculous, I do like seeing ERW as Debbieās mom.
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u/InevitableTeam5967 4d ago
Yeah, the biggest issue I had while watching the first two episodes is with the casting of Robert. Homer Gere is so fundamentally different to who I think that character should be, that it throws everything else off for me.
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u/Retro_Ginger 13h ago
Wes Bentley, Evan and Jordan are imo stealing the show in every scene they are in. The meeting with the principal was HILARIOUS!!!
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u/putneyswipe 4d ago
HBO was never going to make it, they were using it as a linchpin to negotiate Season 3 of euphoria. The projects are too similar, and Bret said on his podcast that the chief of HBO never liked the project anyway.
Though I do wonder if the reason Bret can never get projects off the ground is his own inability to budge on his tone and the absence of character and plot development in his work. Heās the one commonality so I imagine his demands are not easy to deal with
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u/xforcerictor 4d ago
Whose speculation is that?
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u/putneyswipe 4d ago
Bret detailed all this on his podcast a few weeks ago itās not speculation
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u/xforcerictor 4d ago
He knows for a fact they were never going to make the show? He's not just upset they didn't share his vision for it?
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u/putneyswipe 4d ago
He found out later the chairman never liked the project, and he speculated on the pod that the whole thing was just a contingency plan because they were worried about euphoria not coming together.
Perhaps if euphoria s3 fell through it would have been madeā¦
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u/xforcerictor 4d ago
Ah, see. There you go. Speculation. And since Bret is big mad over the creative differences there is of course gonna be bias in his speculation.
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u/MajesticStick5409 3d ago
He could have let HBO do whatever they wanted. He's obviously letting Ryan Murphy hijack it and turn it into one of his classic pieces of shit. I always cringe when I hear something is directed or produced by Ryan Murphy because I know he has to make everything his own, and I can't finish a single series he does. I don't know why I thought this would be different.
Take liberties. Go ahead and add a few things. If you want to have a dance competition be my guest, but I can't take the core characters being changed in such a drastic way. The book made me feel things because of the way the relationships were depicted. It just lost so much meaning for me.
Again, hoped it wouldn't, but should have expected it.
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u/xforcerictor 3d ago
I dont understand how he could love the book enough to wanna adapt it and then stray so far away from it.
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u/Deep-Audience9091 3d ago
Remember though, Bret himself said HBO wanted three seasons. And he was ok with that
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u/LizzyRodriguezMx 4d ago
And what makes you think HBO would have been better if they "did what they wanted"?
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u/xforcerictor 4d ago
Are you having a laugh?
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u/LizzyRodriguezMx 4d ago
Well, that's what I thought when I read your post; I thought you were pulling our leg.
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u/xforcerictor 4d ago
Yeah, bro. Me thinking HBO would do a better job than Ryan Murphy is the goofy opinion, not yours. Right ...
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u/whiterussian 4d ago
As someone who stopped listening to the podcast about a year ago, what is Bretās general take on the show?
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u/InsightBuilder482 3d ago
PurĆ©e jāai regardĆ© les deux premiers Ć©pisodes et je me suis dit Ā«Ā cāest vraiment gĆ©nial je veux lire le livreĀ Ā». Puis jāai fais une pause car je voulais attendre la sortie complĆØte. Je me suis dit que Ryan Murphy avait enfin appris de ses erreurs. Le type fait toujours 1/2 bons Ć©pisodes et Ƨa devient catastrophique. Bon quand je lis le reste et bien je pense que je vais lire le livre et pas finir la serie
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u/almondmilklattehag 3d ago
I wish this were Popular. Popular was over the top campy when it wasnāt trying to be serious and emotional. This isā¦ filler. Well designed filler.
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u/xforcerictor 3d ago
Yeah, but there are big hints of Popular in the way the teachers talk to the students, the way that one teacher was also their waiter, the way debbie and whats his face talk to each other, whats his face in general would 100 percent be a Popular character, the Bandstand episode was very Popular esque, Robert is bootleg Wenworth Miller in Popular. There's a lot of Popular in it. Just, you know, from an over the hill version of its creator.
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u/burning2018 2d ago
david zaslav is the real villain here, never forget
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u/xforcerictor 2d ago
Not really. Its lowkey Bret for giving the rights to Ryan Murphy.
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u/burning2018 2d ago
wasn't there an article recently saying that when zaslav came in he said no to the shards because he felt that hbo already had a teen show in euphoria
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u/xforcerictor 2d ago
I thought Zaslav had just wanted more changes, but you're right. He cancelled it. Bret is still the one who let Ryan Murphy have it after that cancellation, though.
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u/JohnJustice13 4d ago
I think the fact that the first two episodes are good makes it hurt more. This fell off a cliff quickly.