I missed the ball when the series EASTBOUND & DOWN began
a few years ago. I heard good things about it and wondered if it lived up to
the hype. Having just watched most of season 3 I can honestly say no, it comes
nowhere near the hype. This show is just plain terrible.
The story is based around Kenny Powers, a baseball star who
got kicked out of the big leagues when his fastball began to fade and due to
his obnoxious personality. From what I've read the first season had him return
to his hometown to teach gym. Apparently between then and now he's received a
second chance and is now pitching in some minor league. The episodes I made it
through didn't really touch much on this, only enough so you were aware.
True to form Kenny is still an obnoxious character. He seems
to spend more time getting high and trying to hit on women far too young for
him and definitely out of his league. For the most part they seemed more turned
off by him than interested. The bragging about what a great star he is comes
more from Kenny than from anyone else.
Here we have a central character that there is no way anyone
could like or even care about. Kenny is a narcissist with a capital N. In his
mind there is no one more important than Kenny, even his child. He is the most
unlovable character I've seen in some time.
To make this series even worse is the performance by star
Danny McBride. McBride has fallen into the same trap that so many before him
have, most notable Jack Black. He apparently has a staff that tells him no
matter what he does he's funny even when he's far from it. I've seen several
things with McBride in the past few years and as an actor he isn't. He portrays
every role the same way with the same characteristics and same problems. When
it seems there aren't enough laughs he resorts to vulgar language. I have
little doubt in my mind some half wasted college kid finds this hilarious. Until
proven wrong the only thing McBride can do for me is give me a clue which
movies/shows to avoid since he is in them.
I found nothing in this series that would make me want to
come back and watch it each week. I honestly found myself stopping halfway
through this season knowing that there was no way it would get any better than
what I'd already witness and that was terrible. All it made me do was wonder
how something like this could get made when so many great series were canceled
or never even made it on the air. Would the show have been funnier or more
enjoyable had I seen the first two seasons? Perhaps. Then again maybe if I
decided to start smoking weed I'd find this series funny or even tolerable. I
think I'd rather save the brain cells and just pass it by.
But one thing is certain. I'm sure that there are some out
there who think McBride is a genius. I'm sure that there are some out there who
think that this series is the funniest thing on the face of the Earth. And with
that in mind I know that someone will take me to task for talking about how bad
this show is, for revealing that the king isn't wearing any clothes. I'm sorry
if you're a fan of this show and of this actor. My only hope is that one day
you'll experience something that actually IS funny.
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