Genre: Documentary
The series kicks off with a small compilation of highlights until the 1997-1998 season. These are facts that are undoubtedly known to the target group of this series, so no spoilers for that matter. After all, we see alternating images of the run-up to the season, including images of a demonstration tournament in Paris and how Jordan is making a career at the University of North Carolina. Anyone expecting a one-man show from Jordan from here on is missing out on the rest, especially looking at the first part of the series. For example, in the second episode forward Scottie Pippen is the central figure, and later episodes include the eccentric Dennis Rodman and coach Phil Jackson. Each episode focuses on an individual, with recently recorded interviews and archive footage, with the 1997-1998 season as the red thread.
Not only do the unique images give a nice insight into what happened behind the scenes that season, but the new interviews certainly add to this. However, the successful and not uncontroversial Jerry Krause is missing because he died in 2017.
It’s nice to see how the knowledge of today, together with all those involved, looks back to the absence of Isiah Thomas at the Olympics and the operations of Pippen at the start of the season and the moment chosen for this. Clearly there was a lot going on at the time, but actually none of the team was doing well. And even Rodman doesn’t seem to be the player of previous years at the time, with the low point being a game in which he was sent away. it turned out to be a turning point, and the tide seemed to be turning from that moment on; whey won again. Attention was also paid to Rodman’s infamous vacations, such as the time that he was missing for 48 hours.
We also get some insight into game tactics. For example, the notorious Joran Rules, an aggressive defensive strategy to keep Jordan on the field under his thumb, and later th triangular attack; a tactic where the focus in the attack is not only on Jordan, but also teaches Jordan to trust his teammates. The second part of the series covers all the main pillars of the series and, of course, in addition to the current season and looking back on the previous years of success, the focus is more on Jordan. We’ll see how he grows into a brand, including Nike’s legendary Air Jordans. We also see how NBA gets a big boost in this period, not only by Jordan, but also by the success of the Dream Team at the Olympics.
We see the dark side of the success story as well; the disappearance of Jordan’s father and how his decision in the middle of the investigation into his gambling leads to many speculations and conspiracy theories. A step to baseball seems too high at first, but it’s the right way to change his mind. He eventually returns to basketball, but a year and a half absence is palpable. And so it’s time and again that focus on Jordan who is in between everything, it’s almost a miracle that the shuffle between subjects and people works and that he never lost sight of it.
“The Last Dance” is a nice overview of a team for eternity. The overview of the Chicago Bulls in the 1997-1998 season and the road that led to it is a joy to watch. Of course we see a lot of Michael Jordan, an alpha male as you’ll hardly see them on the sports fields these days. A man competitive to the bone, doing almost anything to win. Still, this documentary is very carefully constructed, giving all the important characters and their part in the dream team room to shine. In addition, the history is not forgotten, not of the Bulls and not of the road the players had to take. And this is precisely where the series excels. Just like the Bulls in their glory days, where the sum of elements made for an unbeatable team, it’s the sum of elements that makes for a cast-iron and all-encompassing series from one of the best sports teams ever. A fascinating series.
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