The Crowded Room

The first few episodes slowly hooked me. Cleverly constructed with many time warps, relying on the audience to work things out.

Of course the "based on" credit is something of a spoiler, but I tried to ignore it. Then in episodes 5 and 6 it became great.

Seeing one of America's greatest screen actresses performing in the background (on a TV), really woke me up. Then I knew why Holland wanted the role. It was a similar part that gave Joanne Woodward her Oscar, and this one could be an Emmy for Holland.

Now he showed his acting chops. Not in-your-face, but subtly. And at last I was genuinley moved, as opposed to fascinated, coming close to tears.

So glad I gave it a chance, and stayed with it.

Never really thought of Tom Holland as an actor since, Billy Elliot. But, boy oh boy was this a good role for him to flex those dramatic muscles. The story line is really good. The undermining sense of revolt, disgust. Hoping you are wrong, but knowing you are not. Holland plays the victim with such ease, you are pulled into his struggle and route for him. The true horrid nature of school bullies, how they seem to sense a person who is going through difficulties, then pounce on them as well. The chap from Israel, is fantastic as He is in everything I've seen him in. I can not wait for the next episode. There are some brutal scenes, but the friend coming back to save him was such a sense of relief. I just hope they do not do the usual of making an ending miserable just to flow in line with most series endings these days.

Would I recommend this so far, definitely.

I just started this and it looks like it's going to be really good. But ... When I was a kid , my mom took me to see Grease. She was extremely annoyed having grown up in the 50s , that the dialogue being used and how they acted was not accurate to what she remembered in the 50s. Of course back then, I was thinking " Geez mom, you're so old. Lighten up!" Now I get it. There are so many shows I have watched recently that are set in the 90s ,80s or 70s. Yet they are using dialogue that didn't exist or the teenagers are behaving like kids do now, not necessarily as they did in the 70s. Use of the word "literally " literally just became popular in the last few years. The word "dude " wasn't an east coast term. I know this because I grew up in California and when I went to live on the east coast in the early nineties, people were fascinated that we called people " dude" . I got made fun of for being a typical Californian . If they wanted to really be authentic, they would only have needed to watch the Brady Bunch. Or another show popular in the 70s. Other than that being a pet peeve of mine. This looks like it's going to be a great show.

This is a solid show with solid characters and actors. Tom Holland nails the role of Danny. It has a slow build, but it's never dull, never boring. It's like a giant puzzle and you're putting the edges together the first couple of episodes. By the third episode you're recognizing colors, patterns, connections; it's falling into place. I, like many, typically judge a show by its IMDb rating, but I'm glad I followed my instincts and read other reviews so I didn't miss a chance at seeing this one. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Tom Holland receives some nominations for his performance. The majority of the other characters are likable, and if not likable they're relatable.

The Crowded room is a tough watch, it's good just tough. This is a psychological thriller that takes place in Manhattan in 1979. It follows the arrest of a young man named Danny Sullivan (Tom Holland) after a shooting at the Rockefeller Center. An investigator named Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried) starts to unfold Danny's life through interviews. Those interviews start to show a very mysterious past that led Danny to be who he is. Danny himself starts to understand his own mental heath problems and the events that led to the shooting. Emmy Rossum also stars as Holland's mother in this. There's no denying the star power on screen here and all do an excellent job, the writing is lacking a bit but because of the performances the actors give it still makes for a good watch. Playing this character was so emotional for Holland and since he's having such a hard time letting this character go that he's taking a year off of acting to clear his head.