I think Murderbot is a fun series, too.
Couldn’t get through the first ep, I’m afraid.
My husband wants to bail on it and I’m not sure. I read the first Murderbot book and it was fun in a campy way but didn’t offer much in terms of compelling character development, and I didn’t read on in the book series. I feel similar about the TV series. Like it’s reaching for substance but not quite getting there.
The first book was pretty short, and like a lot of first works, it had to do a lot of heavy lifting to introduce the setting, the character, and why the character is so different. Later books expanded on that to tell better stories. The TV show seems to have the same problems. I suspect it will get better as time goes on.
YES!!! I did. As I said upthread, BCS is my entry point to the BB universe. Had it not been the certain knowledge that Saul would return, I don’t think I’d have made it through BB season 1 on its own merits. Saul keeps me going.
Better watch Better Call Saul!
I was going to start Murderbot—probably still will—but went with Your Friends & Neighbors instead. It’s… ok. Honestly, if it weren’t for Jon Hamm reprising his role as Don Draper (not literally), I don’t think I’d be sticking with it. But he adds just enough to the mix (mostly bland writing—the other performances are fine too, but not enough to make up) to see me through the season.
We’ve been watching Your Friends and Neighbors. It started out well but we’re cooling on it. Episode 6, in which Coop and his ex-wife take their daughter to a college orientation, was yawn-inducing up until the last minute or so, when something violent happened unexpectedly that changed the whole vibe of the episode.
I have one personal gripe about this series. I’m pretty liberal about such things, but this series just has too much fu----g! Two or three times in just about every episode, people are fu----g! Like rabbits. And it’s pretty graphic. Please, stop fu----g and get on with the story already.
I watched the first two episodes then decided to wait until they were all out. I’m definitely going back to finish it. SKB is incapable of being bad in anything.
Department Q on Netflix
Highly recommend. Well drawn characters (even minor ones) elevate a mystery that unfolds a little too quickly. I really hope this is picked up for another season.
We’re about 3 episodes into this and enjoying it, though you can see Netflix scrabbling for their own Slow Horses (based on books, quirky, deadbeat characters).
Interesting you should say it plays out too quickly as it was such a major complaint about streaming shows in pre-Covid times that they had too much filler!
OB
I’m loving this as well. From the Faux Columbo opening credits to the variety of twists and turns they put in, it’s a very well done show.
One nitpick, if you know someone is a violent murderer, don’t be in a room with them alone when you say you’re going to the cops.
That’s a Columbo thing, too. All the time he would be alone, unarmed with murderers telling them that they were caught.
That’s funny. I mentioned to my wife last night that there seemed to be an excessive amount of faux humping going on in this thing.
That’s one nitpick I have with the show. When she makes her accusation, she often does it in a situation where, if the person were to react violently, she’d be in trouble. However, I can handwave that away as it’s a nice little summary that brings together what we knew, what she knows, what the suspect lied about, how she knew it was a lie etc and ends the show there. It’s not a terribly realistic show in the first place, so this isn’t that big of a deal. Besides, if you want to see her in danger, she’s usually running from someone at some point anyways.
But, yeah, in general, don’t accuse someone of murder when they’re still holding the gun and you’re the only two people around.
On Psych, when Shawn would wrap things up, the suspect would often run away, to which Shawn would sometimes comment/joke that you’re basically admitting guilt when you do that.
And it’s basically the same thing there. It’s more of a wrap up/summary for the audience than anything else.
You are stronger than me. I was only able to get 1.5 episodes into the Jodie Whittaker series and watched the first 2 specials of Ncuti Gatwa’s run. The writing and plots have not been good for quite some time.
So I shouldn’t be disappointed that I haven’t been able to watch Doctor Who since it moved to Disney+ (which I don’t subscribe to)?
Usually, she’s already alerted the cops and they arrive before the killer can act.
Columbo was threatened on more than one occasion at the end of episodes (Bill Shatner with a shotgun in his car I think it was, where Columbo had plain clothes cops standing by at a discreet distance, and the one with the dobermans that Columbo had sneakily had retrained to lick him to figurative death at a particular command word, instead of maul to actual death).
We just finished the latest (third) season of The Chelsea Detective on Accorn. They only do three episodes per season, so you get through them quickly. I like the characters, and the stories are pretty good usually, alhtough the second episode with the American ambassador was a real dud. They actually film in Chelsea, so it’s also great site-seeing via TV. There’s a deaf actress who plays their coroner (?) evidence specialist (?) … not sure what her title is. Her role was expanded this season which I was happy to see, because I like the vibe she brings to the show.
Columbo was a cop who was known to all and sundry to be investigating a murder. Charlie is a drifter sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.
The last one I saw (from season 1) had Charlie being physically attacked by multiple murderous assailants, and hit a variety of times in ways that could have resulted in a quick death. Yes, the cops showed up shortly after her improvised signaling, but it required improvised signaling, and if the cops were there, why weren’t they, you know… there?
But, it’s just a nitpick, I’m loving the show.