Friday’s premiere consists of two episodes, which is good, because two hours is about how long it takes you to acclimate to the tone and intent. In the third episode, a doozy, the show’s grip on you really tightens.
When Emerald City builds much of its narrative around how weird and edgy the place is, it just feels tired. You’ve seen this take on Oz before--and done better.
Emerald City's ambitious pretensions of being the next great adult dark fantasy keeps colliding with childish, clumsy tendency toward unpleasant shock value. [2-15 Jan 2017, p.19]
We soon begin to see the method behind this show’s storytelling: If there’s a way to pump more pretentious gas into the story, Emerald City will find it.