Review of a TV series "Florida Man":
"From Florida comes a man. Without a roof, corpses litter the surroundings, and the tolerance displayed is seemingly boundless. The main character, Mike Valentine, a former police officer fired from his job, works for a gang. Despite his infidelity, his ex-wife, the police detective Iris, still loves him and wishes to reconcile."
"The Netflix series 'Florida Man' features a police system that showcases extraordinary cops, many of whom engage in illegal activities such as drug dealing, murder, and robbery. However, this depiction may not be entirely accurate since the line between good and corrupt can be blurry, as is the case with some security services in the world. It is not uncommon for the police to collaborate with gangs or criminals in reality, or for retired officers to engage in smuggling and drug trafficking, such as 'old Sonny,' who was once the head of police in a Florida town."
The series portrays the moral ambiguity that exists in society and challenges the viewer's perceptions of right and wrong. It sheds light on the complex and corrupt world of law enforcement, where the line between justice and criminality is blurred.
The Florida Man series is a stark reminder that corruption and criminality can exist in any profession or institution, and the line between the good guys and the bad guys is not always clear-cut. The show's gritty realism forces the viewer to confront uncomfortable truths about the world we live in and raises important questions about the justice system and the role of law enforcement.
Despite its controversial subject matter, the Florida Man series has received critical acclaim for its powerful storytelling, compelling characters, and thought-provoking themes. It has sparked discussions about corruption and morality, and its impact on society and the justice system. The show's popularity serves as a testament to the power of television as a medium for social commentary and cultural critique.
The series "Florida Man" centers around Mike Valentine, portrayed by Edgar Ramirez, a former cop and gambling addict who returns to his hometown in Florida to find the girlfriend of a runaway gang leader and pay off his debts to a gangster. Despite grappling with his past and dealing with his family, local authorities, and others who catch wind of his search for a sunken Spanish treasure that his family believes to be in central Florida, Valentine can't resist the temptation to seek it out.
While the main theme of the series is tolerance, the inclusion of numerous characters in various work spaces and small conflicts that do not significantly impact the drama of the series are unacceptable. These elements appear to be inserted into the work to serve as assets in future parts of the series, and the dramatic threads they may create are not necessary.
The series embodies the interplay between traditional and social media and creative drama on the screen, which began with the term "Florida Man" coined from the strange news headlines featuring Florida men. This term has become a stereotype that Florida is a state filled with peculiar and unconventional people. Notable examples of "Florida Man" headlines include "Florida man arrested for attempting to rob a bank with a spider" and "Florida man arrested for attempting to trade a live crocodile for drinks." Although these headlines may seem amusing and led to the creation of a comedy, they can also involve violence and bloodshed.
Ready recipe:
The Florida Man series offers an easy recipe for creating an exciting and classic work that appeals to teenagers, featuring adventure, action, and suspense. However, the creator of the series, Donald Todd, delves deeper into the story to produce another level of the work, exploring the transformations of his characters and the deep crises inherited by children from criminal or dysfunctional families.
The series is packed with thrilling elements such as crimes and gang conflicts, the main weakness lies in the slow pace in some dramatic spaces, which is necessary but can be frustrating for viewers. The seven-episode series ambitiously combines the ready-made recipe for mass appeal with the desire to monitor and analyze the development and transformations of its main characters, requiring careful attention and reflection at times.
The series succeeds in following the path of social and psychological analysis, but it falls short dramatically by including seemingly unreasonable coincidences. For instance, when the father and son team, who are planning to rob a treasure next to a church, encounter one of the workers in an addiction program, they claim to participate in the program to avoid being exposed. They then present confessions that represent a dramatic peak and reveal the secrets of their feelings towards the family and each other. While this is a prominent element in the development of the two characters, it seems too coincidental to be plausible.
Tolerance without a roof:
The series aims for a seemingly limitless level of tolerance, a level that may be impossible to achieve even in the most morally bankrupt societies. The main character of the show, Mike Valentine, is a gambling addict who was fired from the police force and now works for a gang of murderers and thieves.
Despite his flaws, Mike's ex-wife Iris (played by actress Lex Scott Davis) still loves him and wants to be with him again. Iris has become a detective and has witnessed Mike's infidelity firsthand.
Mike's father, Sonny (portrayed by Anthony Lapagalia), is a former police chief who now works in the drug trade and runs a criminal business through his restaurant. The show's makers attempt to portray Sonny as a loving and loyal person, despite his criminal activities. They ask for forgiveness by showing that Sonny helped his wife commit suicide to relieve her pain from cancer.
Patsy (played by Otmara Merero) is Mike's sister and Sonny's daughter. She is portrayed as the innocent and meek daughter of the family who has done nothing wrong except kill a young man to protect her brother. The murder charge was fabricated to shield Mike from prosecution.
The series reaches a peak of unreasonable tolerance when Mike's ex-wife is shot and hospitalized, and his false treasure is pursued by the gang leader and their mutual lover, Daily West (played by Abby Lee). After Daily and Mike kill the gang leader, he accuses her of conspiring against him, not betraying him. Daily delivers a memorable monologue, stating that Mike wanted a real partner who was not a shepherd, not a father figure who lent her money, and not a false friend like the murdered gang leader who provided her with money. Despite this, Mike abandons Daily for his ex-wife, proving to her that she no longer needs him or anyone else.
Construction Game:
Netflix productions have become a platform for a new culture, centered around the game of building and editing. In this culture, creators present key scenes from each episode of their series before the show, either from the past or future, to offer context and interpretation for events. However, the dominant use of flashback scenes in the work is a new experience for viewers, creating a mental system that contradicts the natural hierarchy of time and events.
This technique seems contrived and loses some spontaneity, with clear fingerprints of the creator throughout. Despite this, there are simple creative solutions to reorder scenes into their natural chronological order, which could improve the viewing experience. The desire to keep the viewer engaged by selecting attractive scenes for each episode may motivate this editing game.
The unconventional storytelling, "Man from Florida" still manages to attract and entertain viewers, often with unintentionally comedic situations, such as the characters' endless tolerance for murderers and traitors.
