The Curse - Showtime - Emma Stone

A strange, oddly compelling example of the 'television of discomfort'. Takes its time to get where it needs to go, is full of odd little tangents, and is often excruciating to watch (some of Fielder's scenes have made me shudder with unease). But it feels like a strong harmony between Fielder's school of absurdist cringe satire and the Safdie school of slow-burn tension-building. Great to see Emma Stone also using her movie stardom to such ends - she's a very capable comedian (that jumper scene 😓) and, between this and The Favourite / Poor Things, is clearly unafraid to 'go weird'.

Had heard the last episode was wild before watching, but if you’d given me a thousand guesses I probably wouldn’t have come close to guessing how it played out.

Obviously a big a swing as any show has taken in its final moments, but I think a successful one: it stays true to the show’s eccentric mix of dread, cringe comedy and character humiliation. It’s even oddly poignant in its bizarre conclusion: