A lot of it depends on if you are a reporting officer or part of the support staff (Foreign Service Officers vs Foreign Service Specialists). The reporting or “substantive” officers are constantly looking for opportunities to impress and advance, while support staff (like admin, maintenance, medical, etc) are just doing their jobs. The problem I found with some of the FSOs is that they seemed to think that I was somehow vying for their jobs. Patently ridiculous and not even possible, but they can’t seem to help themselves. We finally resigned after only six years to escape what is a constantly toxic environment.
Watched the first episode of the second season of Somebody Somewhere, and it’s as good as the first season. I have real belly laughs and the feels when I watch it. After binging The Detectorists recently I’ve decided they both have a similar vibe – one in Essex and one in Kansas.
So, I watched S1E1 of Somebody Somewhere and… is it a drama? A comedy? A “quirky people in a small town” show?
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Do watch at least one more episode. The first episode just sets the stage.
I rewatch The West Wing every few years. Allison Janney was definitely the most interesting and entertaining actor on the show!
I was stuck at home for two weeks earlier this month with COVID, so I was pretty desperate for entertainment. I watched a lot of crap on Netflix, but I actually enjoyed The Recruit. I binge watched it in a day. Glad there will be another season.
We blew through 3 seasons of Barry, what a ride, and now onto season 4
Watched the last episode of Owlhouse on Disney+. Kids show but quite good. One can imagine it in the Gravity Falls universe.
We just finished Joe Pickett, and really enjoyed it. It’s been renewwd for season 2 on Paramount+.
Somebody Somewhere on HBO. A wonderfully quirky series starring people you’ve likely never heard of (Bridget Everett, Jeff Hiller), who kill it in every scene. Funny and poignant, it’s about a woman who returns to her hometown in Kansas when one of her sisters becomes ill, and decides to stay after her death (I’m not giving away anything here). Two seasons and highly recommended.
I guess we’ve given up on Mythic Quest. It seems like a retread of the first (two?) seasons. The dynamic between Ian and Poppy in particular just feels played out.
Haven’t watched much of The Last of Us either. It’s not a bad show by a long shot, but it is pretty bleak and kind of exhausting. And I still don’t see it breaking a lot of new ground in terms of the genre.
I really enjoyed The Diplomat but was disappointed they didn’t wrap up any of the storylines this season.
I’ve watched all the Law & Order SVU episodes up until now through On Demand. Tried to watch this season’s episodes and have given up. Realized I don’t care anything about the new cast and couldn’t even casual watch the most recent episodes. The final straw for me was having Fin appear for 10 seconds only to be told he wouldn’t be working the case!
PLONK!
Agent Elvis - Sort of a low-grade Archer vibe with less witty banter and more references to 1960s and 1970s pop culture. I’m enjoying it, but it really doesn’t bear much thinking about.
Spy x Family - Basically Disney-level anime: more family friendly, less (but definitely not no) violence, and a rather silly premise. Elegant!
I just started watching “Succession” on HBO last night. It didn’t grab me right away, but I’ll give it about half a dozen episodes before I decide to stick with it or not. Also, the 90’s called and they want their NYPD Blue style jumpy camera work back.
I’m almost done with Fleishman is in Trouble (Hulu). Jesse Eisenberg is a NYC doctor, recently divorced from Claire Danes (no redeeming qualities whatsoever) with 2 young children and an active social life.
I’m enjoying it despite the fact that there is little evidence that Jesse Eisenberg can actually act. A graduate of the John Agar School of wooden expressionlessness.
Netflix show called Woman of the Dead. 6 episodes about a woman trying to track down the people who killed her husband. Nice twists and turns to the story, which seems to wrap up at the end. Beautiful locations in Austria, it’s enjoyable enough.
Wife and I started House off the Dragon over the weekend. Pretty ok, but no GoT.
Then they swapped a bunch of the cast, supposedly because they are older now, and it took me right out. I’ll give it one more episode, but I’m not sure I’ll keep going.
I watched the first half of the latest The Boys, and I found that I don’t really care anymore. I will finish it eventually.