We really lazed out on the direction here.
Impressions:
Like the previous show, the middle exposition dump was such an anchor for me. The story wasn’t moving all that fast to start with, and then comes about eight straight minutes of sitting around a table, listening to characters explain every single detail of the setting while one obnoxious idiot overreacts to everything. Why not just cut that out entirely? Go straight from the evil stalker brother to everybody in turn fighting him to protect them without the godawful premise explanation. Start with flash, save the unneeded explanation for once you’ve got people on board. Or better yet, never.
Speaking of the protagonist… He spends twenty minutes alternatively blankly staring and yelling, then finally at the end of the episode, puts in the first effort to exist, and that’s the grand protagonist triumph. Not trying, failing, trying again, failing again, snatching victory from the claws of defeat. Just… the first attempt is good enough. That’s so unsatisfying. Even ignoring how his hand suddenly becomes magically clean of blood the very next shot. Not even the first time the direction was just bad. “I’ll buy time! Run away!” they scream, as everybody just stays standing there, watching it all play out, before casually moseying out of the room when the half-animated scene finally ends.
