catherine
Carried by PangWave
The shining beacon of light in this drama was Pang & Wave, whose chemistry was just off the charts. I absolutely loved their development from enemies in the first season to being an unbreakable duo in this one, I loved how their personalities and plans complemented each other, and I loved that no matter it was these two characters together who were not only the most dependable when shit hit the fan but were also the most fun and domestic when they were just hanging out together. PangWave shined in every single scene they were in.
Aside from that, I definitely felt like The Gifted: Graduation was inferior to its prequel in every way.
While the new additions to the cast did grow on me, I didn't like how much the show focused on them at the start. They were simply annoying and felt very obviously like plot devices. The show got better once the main cast returned — not just because of the nostalgic factor but just because the characters were better developed — and the new characters were more suited in their secondary roles.
Still, I really didn't enjoy how some established characters from Season 1 had spiralled downward in their character arcs; while it was hinted at in the original series, development here just felt very sudden and out-of-character, as if they were being used for the plot's shock factor instead of having their characters grow naturally in one direction.
In terms of the plot, I really think it tries to do too much in too little. There's a good story in here somewhere with the Director's backstory but it has one twist after another and at some point you stop feeling shocked that there's another betrayal or another moment of in-fighting. (There was a lot of infighting in this one, which I didn't enjoy and it felt like it was simply there for drama.) There's some parts of the plot that feel too convenient or characters that suddenly disappear because they're not useful anymore. And maybe I think there were just too many characters, and sometimes the show chose to focus on the ones that were the least interesting. I could not find it in myself to care at all about what the government was doing and I felt like those roles could have been given to characters in power we already knew and it would've had the same impact.
Still, it does wrap up the story nicely and I think the moments between Pang and Wave were well worth the watch.
Aside from that, I definitely felt like The Gifted: Graduation was inferior to its prequel in every way.
While the new additions to the cast did grow on me, I didn't like how much the show focused on them at the start. They were simply annoying and felt very obviously like plot devices. The show got better once the main cast returned — not just because of the nostalgic factor but just because the characters were better developed — and the new characters were more suited in their secondary roles.
Still, I really didn't enjoy how some established characters from Season 1 had spiralled downward in their character arcs; while it was hinted at in the original series, development here just felt very sudden and out-of-character, as if they were being used for the plot's shock factor instead of having their characters grow naturally in one direction.
In terms of the plot, I really think it tries to do too much in too little. There's a good story in here somewhere with the Director's backstory but it has one twist after another and at some point you stop feeling shocked that there's another betrayal or another moment of in-fighting. (There was a lot of infighting in this one, which I didn't enjoy and it felt like it was simply there for drama.) There's some parts of the plot that feel too convenient or characters that suddenly disappear because they're not useful anymore. And maybe I think there were just too many characters, and sometimes the show chose to focus on the ones that were the least interesting. I could not find it in myself to care at all about what the government was doing and I felt like those roles could have been given to characters in power we already knew and it would've had the same impact.
Still, it does wrap up the story nicely and I think the moments between Pang and Wave were well worth the watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
