Why is the acting in this show so bad? Does it get better after episode 1? It's almost unwatchable...

Why is the acting in this show so bad? Does it get better after episode 1? It's almost unwatchable... I can't tell if it's the dialogue or the weird fucking... stunted delivery. The whole thing at the bar... both of them are acting like they are just reading their lines. Is it just me?

Seen this complaint a lot, but I thought the acting was good.

the first 2 episodes were pretty bad. I noticed it right away. After 3, it's smooth sailing desu.

Ok so I am not the only one, then. It's so weird. It's so hard to describe but so pervasive... it's the acting and the dialogue. Yeah I hope it gets better after ep 3. I had to stop it a couple times and I've just come back to it after a few days. I gave it another chance. Is this really any better than just watching all the real serial killer interviews on youtube?

yeah the first episode was really fucking strange to watch. it felt like i was reading a book. the language and tone is so pretentious and self indulgent. i think it gets better though. or maybe after the first couple of episodes i got used to it. i do know that none of the other characters or character interactions are this stiff. its worth it if you can get past the dialogue between the two.

Im going to refrain from calling you an autist, even though that was my first instinct.

Mindhunter shines in it's realism. Of both story and characters. Its supposed to be a real dialogue between two real characters.

Its not some monologue of a rambling alcoholic about smelling the psychosphere, synethesia and time is a flat circle.

Its realistic. The dialogue in the bar scene fits both characters perfectly. Hes a innocent and naive boyscout and shes a jaded "STRONK" bitch.

>pretentious and self indulgent
I seriously hope youre still in school kiddo. Got a lot to learn.

I just watched the first episode too
I thought it was pretty shit.
Like, what they should have done was make a tight Fincher style episode about you know, fucking crime and the nature of insanity.
But instead they tried to cram so much into the first episode
They set up Holden meeting his gf.
They set up Holden going to college. And apparently he goes to a whole bunch of classes after that first scene.

It's just messy and all over the place. The fact that the acting is bad and Holden is a total bitch doesn't make it any better.
They should have cut everything about the gf and the school and go straight into Ford and Tench on the road and use that to explain his backstory.

>responds to an opinion with an "insult"
yikes

Why do hacks use the excuse of "realism" to try obfuscate the fact that their shit is shit? Same with that mumblecore garbage.

I really like the dialogue desu. It has a unique rhythm to it.

I seriously hope you get hit by a bus

This is exactly how I felt. LIke that conversation between the main character and his buddy in the bar... it was almost as if I could not believe what each of those characters were saying. Like they could not pull it off. The things they were saying were just... idk, things that would not be said in normal conversation. It was like they were reading really contrived lines in a book to one another, just like you said. I had to shut it off there. And it WAS very pretentious.

He just fucked that girl he met for the first time. It's not gotten any better, idk... it's just fucking weird.

But yeah, other anons have said it gets better starting around episode 3 so I'll keep going with this one.

please nobody take this bait

Yeah we agree that the acting is bad. It's honestly taking my attention to a lot of other things in the show. It's like it's all I can pay attention to. It almost plays out like one of those bad dramatizations on those crime shows on ID.

To each his own... in ep 1 at least, I'm not alone in the opinion that the dialogue/delivery/acting are awful.

Once Tench comes in it gets much better

I think Holden is just kinda supposed to be an autist bro

so t b h = desu now? wat

nah these scenes are all shit, the ones with him and his girlfriend, just skip them - it makes the show 100 times better

The dialogue with Holden and his utterly meaningless gf are absolutely awful. Watching it constantly put me off by how wooden it was and how the two of them have literally no chemistry.

Tench makes it worthwhile though, I think, he and Kemper are by far the best characters, it's a shame we have to go through Holden's perspective and not Tench's.

The first two episodes has that strange dialogue, particularly between the love interest of the main character.

I noticed it only with her scenes and I think the rest of the show is fine considering the academic nature of the themes presented. But yes, her scenes were atrocious, I couldn't believe it was presented as real dialogue to the viewer.

The writer & showrunner, Joe Penhall, previously only worked on plays/theater. So the writing has that theater feel, where is feels slightly less natural. I'm 7 episodes in and i understand the complaint

Its really the first episode and the scenes with the gf. Shes wooden, he doesnt react since she does nothing, their dialogue is garbage. I dont even know why shes in the show except to demonstrate holdens personal issues, she otherwise contributes nothing.

Outside of those, its fine. Legit almost shut it off after that fucking atrocious bar scene though, its mind boggling that made it into the pilot. Probably lost a lot of viewers.

This! That's what it is. They have no chemistry... they are just saying lines. IT is completely wooden! That's the word.

Okay then yes that explains it. If this is true, it really fucking shows. This is bad news for me, though... because one other user says it gets better around ep 3. If you're at ep 7 and understand, I take that to mean it doesn't really get any better.

Yes. The fucking bar scene. That's the part where I had to shut it off. I returned back after about a week and am still going.

I'm gonna keep watching now. If the thread is still here later, and anything comes up, I'll be posting.

I'm actually really happy that we can still have normal discussions about television shows here. Thanks for being awesome, guys.

I think it's just a bizarre style of dialogue. I don't think it's bad. It's not ridiculously over the top and it's somewhat believable. I like the banter between Tench and Holden and I love almost all the interviews.The girlfriend scenes are admittedly painful to watch though. And the professor feels like a really underdeveloped character that doesn't seem to fit in the show.

Tench is a slightly better actor, but the dialogue still feels wooden and unnatural to me. The delivery is just off. Another user said the director had only directed theatre before this... taking that into account, it all makes sense.

Where have you been for like almost 2 years

ah that makes sense. The thing that felt wooden and stiff to me was the blocking which might make the dialogue itself feel bizarre.

just got to ep 5, prime Anna Torv, small town comfy, and good dialogue desu. I have no idea who cast the girlfriend but she is not necessary.

I don't know what audience Fincher is going for.
seems like Kemper is the only character that /tv identifies with.