Plan B Forum

Sue and Guin mentioned Sharp Objects in other threads, but this show is excellent enough to earn its own thread. Amy Adams, wow, like you have not seen her before. Incredible acting and writing. If you don't have HBO, you can see it on Amazon Prime.

LR--while I enjoyed Adams' performance, I found the show very slow moving, almost glacial, as the episodes progressed. I've seen about half the episodes and have the rest on my DVD--does it move any faster in the second half or do you see the slow pace as part of its charm? FWIW, I usually don't mind if things take time to unfold, but there's something here that makes me think they slowed it down to get the required number of episodes (Trust, IMHO, did that a different way adding a few episodes that were little more than filler). However, it has proven to be popular, so maybe some like it that way.

I'll imagine I'll watch the rest of it eventually.

Who is Sharp and to what does he or she object?

Big RR wrote: I found the show very slow moving, almost glacial, as the episodes progressed.

Yes, the first episodes take a bit to tell the back story and allow you to piece everything together, but it does pick up toward the end. I thought the character development and outstanding acting made it a good watch even as the plot took time to unfold. Usually it the Sesame Street crowd that can't pay attention, and those of us in the Captain Kangaroo/Mr. Rogers educated group can actually appreciate a buildup.

Well, I imagine I will give the end a chance and eventually watch the rest; thanks for your comments on it picking up. FWIW, I don't see it as Sesame Street/Mr. Rogers/Capt Kangaroo. I always like a slow and steady pace, and can think of a number of times when I really appreciated it; I just don't get that feeling here. Indeed, for what little Adams' character appears to be getting done as a reporter, I can't even comprehend why she is there and why she chose to stay with her horrible mom. Sure she's depressed and damaged, but this is pretty ridiculous (as is why the murder of two pretty white girls wouldn't generate more media interest than just her coming to the town). But I will give it a second chance as I'm 4 or 5 episodes in.

Has anyone else watched it? I'd be interested in your perspectives too.

LR--I watched the last 3 episodes and I agree it did improve. And I wonder if the directors decision to inject the majority of the reveal into the last few minutes was intended as a counterpoint to the slow pacing of the previous episodes. In any event, it paid off, and I enjoyed the questions the ending raised. What I did not like was the post-credits scenes as in Marvel comics movies; IMHO they were unnecessary, and if the director wanted to include them, I think they should have been added before the credits. Perhaps this was an accommodation to HBO to provide additional explanation, but I thought the way it was done was just silly.

In any event, I still loved Adams' performance, and grew to appreciate the performance of the sister as well. I didn't love everything in the series, but it did have some very good parts.

I’m embarrassed to admit I read the book and now don’t recall anything at all about the plot. So I suppose at some point I’ll rent the channel for a month and check it out, sounds satisfying.

As I said in the Actors thread, I thought both Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson did superb work in Sharp Objects, even though the series itself was annoying the bejesus out of me while I was watching it. I don't mind slow-paced, but I felt there was so much storytelling that was just being missed in the first 134 episodes of noodling around. I get the art of the slow crawl to the suddenly-dizzifying ending, but man that was a long time coming.