Wasn't going to do this but decided to have a little fun with The Dynasty on Apple TV, which started on Friday night with the first two episodes. These aren't going to be comprehensive reviews, but quickie recaps via categories. What I have so far (you can make suggestions for new ones in the comments):
Synopsis
Best Quote
I Didn't Know That
That Was Cool
Goosebumps Moment
LOL Moment
Biggest Nitpick
I Wished They Asked
Belichick Watch
Kraft's Moment of Glory
Episode MVP
Lingering Question
I will say, I think Patriots fans are going to love it. It's really meant for you guys. The direction and editing are outstanding. I have a few issues with it, as we'll get into, but it's really well done and worth the money. If you're interested in purchasing (if you haven't seen Ted Lasso and Black Bird - Hijack and Silo were solid as well - it's a good excuse), following this link to purchase will help BSJ.
Episode 1 - Backup Plan
Episode 2 - The Snow Bowl
Episode 3 - Borrowed Time
Episode 4 - Spygate
Episode 5 - Torn
Episode 6 - At All Costs
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EPISODE 7: UNDER PRESSURE
Synopsis
Envy and jealousy take root, putting Brady and the Patriots at the center of a two-year media spectacle known as Deflategate.
Best Quote(s)
Bedard: "I was looking at Russ, and I was like, 'He's looking over here too much. He's looking too much.'" - Malcolm Butler before his INT vs. the Seahawks.
Giardi: "We always felt like 'they can't be this successful.' So we spent a lot of extra time trying to figure out or see if they were doing anything special." Adam Vinatieri on the Colts' hatred of the Pats and how that contributed to the beginning of Deflategate.
I Didn't Know That
Bedard: Revis recounting Brady speaking and crying in front of the team before the Super Bowl about Deflategate.
Giardi: "It felt like everybody's hope was gone. ... God damn, if we lose, it's my fault." - Malcolm Butler recalling Kearse's ridiculous catch against him that put the Seahawks within a couple yards of winning the Super Bowl. We know what happened next.
That Was Cool
Bedard: Brady and Butler during the Super Bowl celebration. ... And Butler's reaction.
That Was Cringeworthy
Giardi: I created my own category here. The Jim Gray sitdown with Brady in front of the live audience (he took a helicopter there) was incredible in how awkward and nails on the chalkboard it was.
Goosebumps Moment
Bedard: "My wife ... it crushed her. Because he's not a liar." - Tom Sr. on the effect of Spygate on the family, especially his wife who was battling cancer.
Giardi: "I felt for him." - Danny Amendola talking about how Brady's kids were hearing it from classmates and teachers, etc. As he's talking, they're showing a hand-written and drawn picture next to his locker, "Love you Daddy."
"When the shots are being fired at you, you can handle it. When they're being fired at people you care about, that's when it gets hard." - Brady
LOL Moment
Bedard:
Giardi: The awkwardness of so many of those reporter/Brady exchanges at his first press conference after the story broke. "I'm not sure - what would you like me say?" asks Brady.
Reporter: "You say whatever you'd like. You're the guy."
Nervous laughter.
I'm only laughing now because the whole thing was a flippin' mess.
Biggest Nitpick
Bedard: Brady doesn't comment on the text messages to The Deflator and Dorito Dink?! He's given a chance to respond to any allegations in the Wells Report and his response was just, 'No'? He has to do better than that, if he's completely innocent. Obviously he was not.
Giardi: They needed to spend more time on the Seahawks game. Seriously. And don't give me this isn't a 3 Games to Glory DVD. Bite me. I would take a director's cut going through the play-by-play.
I Wished They Talked About
Bedard: No discussion of Belichick not taking a timeout during the final Seahawks series? Nothing on Dont'a Hightower stopping Marshawn Lynch with an incredible play?
Giardi: What an asshat the national reporter was who asked Brady what he wanted to say to the children. I don't think I ever knew who he was, and I'm not about to look him up, but I remember the moment thinking: "What the hell is happening here?"
Belichick Watch
Bedard: He's completely absent in this episode on Deflategate.
Giardi: What Greg said. As an aside, this episode stunk.
Kraft's Moment of Glory
Bedard: They got Rupert Murdoch to come on to basically service Robert Kraft. "The story of the Patriots is success through great leadership. And that's Robert Kraft." He went on as well ... The American dream? Started with very little? He's from Brookline! Plus, we got the Putin ring story again. I mean, come on, what are we doing here?
Giardi: 100% agree with Bedard. The Murdoch thing literally brought nothing to the table yet we had to include it? Waste. Of. Time.
Patriots Hardo Moment
Bedard: Has to be David Portnoy and the Barstool boys, and this: "What people need to understand about Barstool is we're not the most thought-out organization of all time." - Portnoy. That was great, and very self-aware.
Giardi: The Putin ring theft and the press it received (press initially generated by RKK's people dropping a dime to the New York Post) led to a hardo quote from RKK: "To tell you the truth, we were used to all of this attention at this point in our lives." Bossman feeling himself in that moment.
Episode MVP
Bedard: This is a tough call, no one really comes through with a bunch of good, new stuff. ... Do I have to say Tom E. Curran? I mean, he was pretty good, but it was not peak TomE. He's so damn good on camera, especially off the cuff. I'm jealous of his ability to do that. No Mike Reiss? (No, I was not asked to appear.)
Giardi: The Super Bowl win over the Seahawks. Best game I've ever seen. Two heavyweights exchanging blows from start to finish.
"That was a clash of the titans."
Yes. Yes, it was. Good video. Good commentary.
Lingering Questions/Comments
Bedard:
No Mona Lisa Vito? Come on, that was great BB stuff.
"He was not at his best." - Kraft on Brady's Deflategate press conference.
So Ernie Adams doesn't get props for his scouting like in Do Your Job?
I mean, no mention of DeflategateInContext.com?!
How about any footage of Kraft laying down for the league at the owner's meetings? We're just going to skip over that? I wonder why.
I thought it was a really good response by Goodell when Kraft's boy, the director, asked something about how it looked to the outside world ... Goodell's response was perfect. What very few people in New England comprehended at the time was, it doesn't matter what you think, or what a court of law might think ... the only thing that matters is what the league thinks, and the Patriots were guilty in their eyes. This is not justice. It's NFL justice. Two completely different things. I warned people at the time.
Nothing from Kraft and Goodell about how this all linked back to the light Spygate ruling? Again, I have to say, geez, I wonder why.
Oh, Jonathan, the NFL chose to drag out everything? How about Brady pressing the issue in court to the point that Goodell only emboldened his power?
Howard Bryant linking Deflategate as a coverup so the NFL could cover up domestic violence and labor issues was straight-up contrived BS.
Giardi: Failing to get into Kraft turtling so he could remain 1 of 32 was a swing and a miss. And why didn't we hear about the other owners and the shots they took at Kraft and the Pats? Only Jackie Mac and Holley spoke on that, and they weren't in any rooms.
I'm telling you, I liked this episode the least. I swear the producers spun a randomizer about what to put in and what to leave out. FAIL. FAIL. FAIL.
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I'm just going to leave this here every week just as a reminder:
