308
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #81,485 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★☆
Don't Give Up
For those who don't think they can make it past episode 5 of Season 3, I sympathize. Push forward anyway. After the first several appallingly vacuous episodes, during which the writers abandon every good idea they had previously honored, the season swerves back to many of its earlier charms. Why would a unique show about a Symphony Orchestra, its talented maestro, and a simmering love story between an oboist protegee and her mentor in NYC choose to become a drab show about a Symphony Orchestra ON STRIKE, a maestro NOT conducting, in ITALY, with a new female "interest" opera singer who is not at all interesting? None of the actors seem happy with the way things are going--the rock concerts, the electric guitars, the bubble machines, the frenzies of unfocused slapstick hysteria, the sparks not flying in a labored sex scene, the lack of serious dialogue, the oboist turned costume girl, the long--REALLY LONG--tracking shots of Rodrigo walking around. (It seemed like the writers may have wanted to spend some time in Italy instead of being true to their show....?) La Fiamma is just a character repeat of R's ex-wife, but Belucci is without the sublime sense of humor that Nora Arnezeder brought to her over-the-top pitch perfect performance. Bernal is--as always--a glorious gift, throwing himself into his role and scenes no matter what the writers descend to, he raises everything to his unfaltering, enthused level. He is a star in every divine, disciplined, and nuanced way. Such a relief when the season turns back to center on Rodrigo's conducting, to NYC, to his suppressed love for Hailey, and to his deeper conflicts about his own mentor and future. I'm not sure it's possible to waste Bernal's talent--he refuses to waste himself, he gives everything with dignity and commitment and appeal, and it's worth watching the show just to witness his integrity as an actor.
