"The Philistines"/screenshot, Network 13
Time is passing him by, and it seems that television is tired of all this grief.
Prime time raised its hands, and the gap between it and the sad current affairs is getting bigger than ever.
You can drown in war all day, and in the evening on the screen people prepare chef's dishes, humiliate themselves in Laos and dream of Eurovision.
the good life.
You can go crazy.
Into this extreme mix entered last night a new slot, "The Philistines", a new docu-reality of the familiar type: a glimpse into the "real life" of people with a lot of money.
The formula is known: a little drama, a lot of trash.
But there's a twist: this time, it's (mostly) criminal defense lawyers.
That is: lawyers who specialize in representing the bad guys.
Rapists, abusive nannies, people of the underworld, politicians and businessmen who were disgusted.
In other words: on paper, these are characters you are asked to hate, and that's even before we start talking about the eye-popping wealth.
But like a determined advocate, the "felilist" is trying to break this image.
She asks us to suspend our judgment towards all the characters.
that we accept serious criminals as people who have been wronged by the establishment and as soul mates;
Let us understand that all this wealth does not buy happiness;
And all in all, "not seeing with the eyes" and "leaving the conscience at home" is part of the job, which of course has moral and legal justification.
And in general, these are successful women who built an empire in the blink of an eye, and who are you to dare to say something to them.
One hand points a finger in the eye, the other scolds us for daring to get angry.
"The Philistines"/screenshot, Network 13
It partially works, and the defense arguments are not that bad.
It's true, every person is entitled to good protection, and a defense attorney often protects weak people who need help.
True, everyone is entitled to earn as much as they earn and do what they want with it.
And yes, when you break the cover, some interesting stories and interesting dilemmas arise in the series about this role, and also the entry into the various files, which creates moments of the "true crime light-light-light" series, it is very likable.
But the genre of the series fails it.
Everything is drowning in trash, brands, luxury cars, watches, countless close-ups on heels, forced conversations that lead to forced explosions.
Surrendering to this side betrays the truth: the conscience can be left at home when they come to represent rapists, but the worship of wealth cannot be renounced and the series does not wish to humble it at all.
On the contrary: she focuses on her.
You can enjoy the "philistines", you can like the heroines, be interested in their personal stories and their family life.
really.
But in the end, it is not clear what is the center and what is the margin.
In the criminal law there is a whole life, destinies are determined, the most terrible offenses are condemned and in the end all human nature is put on trial every day.
When television strips even this world and turns it into a setting to show glamor and create celebrities - it is understandable that Israeli prime time is not interested in restoration.
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