A lot of people have complained that, based on the trailer, the new Harry Potter series on HBO looks way too dark. Even as someone who quite enjoys both dark images and dark rooms, I mostly agree.

But I would characterize the problem differently. It’s not just that it’s dark. It’s that it’s dark — for no reason. Like so many of the pointlessly grim comics that came after The Dark Knight Returns, it has adopted a moody pose it doesn’t seem to have earned. It’s a stylistic signifier, a lapel pin that says “serious.”

It’s also bland and colorless. After we taped this episode, I watched PROJECT HAIL MARY for the second time. Grieg Fraser’s wonderful low-light photography is actually quite dark, with deep, inky shadows seeping into nearly every frame. But it’s also incredibly colorful at times, especially (but not only) during the big atmosphere fishing action finale, which is so vivid with neon greens and ethereal reds. Dark, high-contrast images don’t have to be drab!

Anyway, fun as always to chat with Alyssa Rosenberg & Sonny Bunch