This is series that wants to portray ballet, that's not a bad idea. But as we know, a proper TV series is not really about it's main subject, it is mostly about human interactions and stories. It's about character development and their evolution.
Well, "Flesh and bone" properly show us part of the ballet world, the dancing is good, the dancers suffer (from anorexia, physically, etc). Problem? The plot is rather thin, the characters are quite dull and there is no identification, dreaming or attachment towards these struggling characters. Okay there is only 8 hours, but still, the plot move at a rather slow and weird pace. It feels like some random stuffs happening without any end goal or logic. Characters don't have enough dirt on them to make them interesting. The character development is limited to say the least. It feels like botched and fast writing for producing fast.
Claire? She's whining and crying throughout most of the series. She does some striptease, she kisses the mirror with blood on her lips and make us believe she's a virgin then has sex with her brother ... why? It doesn't make sense. She hates her home, her brother and her father, it is shown at the beginning of the series. Why else would she leave in a hurry? I would have loved to see her getting more confidence more quickly instead of her insipid whining and crying. There was a part which was interesting when she gets to embrace the darker part of herself then it suddenly stops then it's back to whining and crying before saying the final "No!".
Trey? I'm gay, black and I'm happy about it. Talk about preconceptions. Isn't there more to this character than this? Really, there are better and more interesting portrayal of gays, I almost found it offensive for some of my friends.
Mia? Dull. There is nothing there but a whining b****.
Pacha? Mia's confident. There is nothing else about him.
Kiira? She could be even be more interesting. She's an aging prima who is getting replaced. She doesn't put much of a fight for her last dancing season. She could at least be darker and more manipulative. We see some intent to manipulate the artistic director but she kinds of give up without much of a fight. That's not what I would have expected from someone who worked really hard like hell for decades to get to such a level of dancing. After all, it is better to end a beautiful career in a bang rather than in a duh.
Daphne? She is the most interesting in all this cast of characters. Crazy apartment, troubled relations with her father, which she kinds of replaced with Sergei who she works for. She does this in order to afford her lifestyle. She is pretty confident about herself, manipulates Jessica to get to be soloist knowing there are some moves she doesn't master. She gets to do her thing. She really fights and go till the end of what she really began.
Sergei? Happy and "nice" mobster. He's kind of okay as a character.
Romeo? Weird crazy guy. He doesn't make sense most of the time and is quite irritating. Then for whatever reason, he gets to kill Bryan. Whaaat?
Bryan? He's a PTSDed soldier who's incestuous with his sister. OK. Something else about him? That's it? Well ... like I said, limited character development.
Tony? Nothing to say about her. She's a cool dance teacher, there is not much else about her.
Paul? He's a sadistic and abusive art director. OK, is there a reason for that? Why isn't it more explored? It could be quite interesting.
The rest of the characters are always whining and b*******. They are all jealous of Claire, that's it. Nothing to see there.
All in all, it was pretty disappointing for a TV series even though it portrays magnificent art.
Well, "Flesh and bone" properly show us part of the ballet world, the dancing is good, the dancers suffer (from anorexia, physically, etc). Problem? The plot is rather thin, the characters are quite dull and there is no identification, dreaming or attachment towards these struggling characters. Okay there is only 8 hours, but still, the plot move at a rather slow and weird pace. It feels like some random stuffs happening without any end goal or logic. Characters don't have enough dirt on them to make them interesting. The character development is limited to say the least. It feels like botched and fast writing for producing fast.
Claire? She's whining and crying throughout most of the series. She does some striptease, she kisses the mirror with blood on her lips and make us believe she's a virgin then has sex with her brother ... why? It doesn't make sense. She hates her home, her brother and her father, it is shown at the beginning of the series. Why else would she leave in a hurry? I would have loved to see her getting more confidence more quickly instead of her insipid whining and crying. There was a part which was interesting when she gets to embrace the darker part of herself then it suddenly stops then it's back to whining and crying before saying the final "No!".
Trey? I'm gay, black and I'm happy about it. Talk about preconceptions. Isn't there more to this character than this? Really, there are better and more interesting portrayal of gays, I almost found it offensive for some of my friends.
Mia? Dull. There is nothing there but a whining b****.
Pacha? Mia's confident. There is nothing else about him.
Kiira? She could be even be more interesting. She's an aging prima who is getting replaced. She doesn't put much of a fight for her last dancing season. She could at least be darker and more manipulative. We see some intent to manipulate the artistic director but she kinds of give up without much of a fight. That's not what I would have expected from someone who worked really hard like hell for decades to get to such a level of dancing. After all, it is better to end a beautiful career in a bang rather than in a duh.
Daphne? She is the most interesting in all this cast of characters. Crazy apartment, troubled relations with her father, which she kinds of replaced with Sergei who she works for. She does this in order to afford her lifestyle. She is pretty confident about herself, manipulates Jessica to get to be soloist knowing there are some moves she doesn't master. She gets to do her thing. She really fights and go till the end of what she really began.
Sergei? Happy and "nice" mobster. He's kind of okay as a character.
Romeo? Weird crazy guy. He doesn't make sense most of the time and is quite irritating. Then for whatever reason, he gets to kill Bryan. Whaaat?
Bryan? He's a PTSDed soldier who's incestuous with his sister. OK. Something else about him? That's it? Well ... like I said, limited character development.
Tony? Nothing to say about her. She's a cool dance teacher, there is not much else about her.
Paul? He's a sadistic and abusive art director. OK, is there a reason for that? Why isn't it more explored? It could be quite interesting.
The rest of the characters are always whining and b*******. They are all jealous of Claire, that's it. Nothing to see there.
All in all, it was pretty disappointing for a TV series even though it portrays magnificent art.