This definitely isn't on par with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but I still enjoyed the whole aesthetic and every episode of this show (the show only currently has eight episodes, so you can get it done in a couple of days or so. Maybe a whole day. Do whatever that floats your boat). I also enjoyed both its comedic and dramatic elements. They are almost perfectly balanced. It tells the story of the dancers and artistic staff of two world-renowned ballet companies, one American and one French, embarking on an ambitious gambit to try and save their storied institutions by swapping their most talented stars. The name of the show, Étoile, is French for Star. It can be referred to a celestial body or a shape resembling a star. In the context of ballet, "étoile" also refers to the principal dancer or prima ballerina. The character of Cheyenne Toussaint (played by Lou de Laâge) is the so called Étoile, or Star, of the show.
Most characters in the show, including Cheyenne, I didn't really like. This was probably due to them being either bitches, god awfully annoying, or perhaps both. It definitely isn't the show's fault, it's just me being picky and having taste. The only character that I actually liked was Jack McMillan (played by Luke Kirby obviously). I felt like he was the only character that was full developed and had a human-like personality. He looked like he really cared about his ballet company and the future of it and his job. Everybody else just felt so inhuman and somewhat poorly developed. Let's take Tobias Bell as an example, the absolute worst character in the show by the way. He is constantly emotionally unstable and gets pissed off at his dancers all the time. There is a particular scene in the final episode of the show that is so unhinged and would never happen in real life. I won't spoil the whole scene in heavy amounts of detail, but I'll describe it as vague as I possibly can. Tobias is a famed choreographer who is best known for losing his absolute sh1t at his dancers for very little things. Think Terence Fletcher from Whiplash, if you know you know. There is a scene in episode 8 where Tobias interrupts a performance that HE choreographed by entering the stage, has a hissy fit and changes the choreography on stage while the audience in the theatre and the whole of France watches. I'm sorry, but that was probably one of the most unhinged and most second-hand embarrassing moment in television history. This does not happen during any theatre performance whether it be a musical, ballet or even an opera. Yes, protesters invade the stage and interrupt a performance, I've seen that happen a couple of times online, but the CHOREOGRAPHER of a production does not rehearse while the audience and everybody else watches. What made the scene worse was that the audience didn't even leave the the theatre during that scene. They just stayed in their seats. To be fair, if the audience were to try and leave, Tobias would stop them in their tracks and probably tie them up to their seats. He is that much of a psycho. Somebody better make a Tobias Bell mentality video otherwise I'll have to make it myself.
It is clearly obvious that Amazon Prime is trying to appeal to younger audiences through the references of TikTok and gender neutral toilets (If you watch the show, you'll know what I am talking about). I completely get that it is 2025, gender neutral toilets are on the rise and the definition of a woman has to be relooked, but I know damn well that people will think that this show is "woke" and that it supports left-wing beliefs. I DON'T CARE! I JUST WANT TO WATCH A SHOW AND BE ENTERTAINED. POLITICS IS BORING!
The theme song and the songs chosen for the soundtrack are actually really good. I had never heard of Sons of Raphael until I started watching this series. They actually do pretty good music and I might have to start reviewing their albums or something.70s rock band Sparks also performed their song I Married Myself and was completely blown away by that performance too. I think this show has completely altered my music taste. Some of the songs were classical music and French pop songs, obviously because ballet dancers dance to classical music and also some of the characters are French and some of the scenes were filmed in Paris. Speaking of France, some of the characters speak in French in some of the scenes as well as English. The majority of the show is spoken in English. Because I can't speak French, I couldn't get on board with the characters speaking French. Even thought the subtitles translate the conversations, I still feel like those scenes were unnecessary and worthless to the story. This is not because of the language, but because of the context of the scenes. I was quite slow at understanding them.
This is the part where I talk about just Luke Kirby and how amazing he is. I just found out while I was writing this post that he is married, which definitely doesn't upset me at all, like at all. I was introduced to him when I watched him play a fictional version of the real life comedian Lenny Bruce in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He was only in a couple of episodes, but I still enjoyed his performance. Overtime, I would watch him in a bunch of stuff such as Boston Strangler opposite Keira Knightley and in No Man of God where he plays Ted Bundy. TED BUNDY! THE SERIAL KILLER! He is an incredible actor in literally anything he does, especially this show and No Man of God. Honestly, I don't know how he does it. I need to find out who his acting coach is or whoever taught him to be an exquisite performer. To be honest with you, I can see him being nominated for an Academy Award one day. If he wins one, I will fly to the moon and back. There was a film that he was in called Little Woods (titled Crossing the Line in the UK) where he stars alongside Lily James and Tessa Thompson and I need to watch it so badly. It's just sat there on my Amazon Prime watchlist. He is such an underrated actor that needs more appreciation and love from the cinephile community. Trust me when I say that he is one of the best actors of this generation. I would never lie.
Anyways, overall, this show is pretty enjoyable if you enjoy music and dancing and if you have a patience for bitchy and annoying characters. It is definitely not the best show that I ever watch and if they make a season 2, I'm more than happy to watch it...only for Luke Kirby (sorry, it's becoming an obsession). ;)
6/10
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