I saw this thread, and then looked if I could find the episode online. I found out that NBC has a live stream, and it was reairing the episode. So, that made me happy.
The good IMO:
Bringing back Howie Mandel honestly is a really great touch. That brings me back to when I was watching reruns on GSN.
I know there is going to be outright filler, and I think that this iteration does a better job without feeling like it was just stalling for time.
For the most part, I like what is being done with the set. The main gripe I have is that the models look more "trapped" as opposed to the old set.
The bad IMO:
I really don't like the direction they are going with the banker. I'm fine with the direction they are going with by having a female banker, but the white screen behind her reveals more of her appearences. I'm going to sound like a jerk for saying this, but I really don't think the banker should have outright applauded when it was revealed that her mother was a breast cancer survivor. I feel like there were other gestures she could have done that were more stiff, yet more in character.
From the behind-the-scenes trailer, it was an underlying idea that the models should be more expressive. However, I remember the plugs for every model's Instagram over interactions with the contestant.
The meh:
I don't really think the cases needed to be changed. Unlike the phone, which understandably needed an update, the original briefcases are more iconic.
I feel like the banker should have a couple more monitors on her desk, similar to all the background graphics that occurred in the original.
Overall, I'm really fine with the overall game, and am more thrilled for it to be back, despite the shallowness of the maingame.
From the maingame of this show, I got a little frustrated at the offer Luis was going to counter with a certain offer that was greater than the expected value of the cases remaining on the board. Despite that, I still really liked Luis's story.
No gimmicks tonight, but the family moments are still there haha.
I mean, the end credits stated that "A specialty prize package added to the second offer and other portions of this program, not affecting the outcome of the competition have been edited/removed/recreated". That disappoints me a little because the bonuses added to the offers always stood out to me the most. However, judging from the teaser, I think there are going to be more prize packages...
