Untamed (Netflix). Rather standard murder mystery with a few gaping plot holes, but not bad despite of them. Pretty scenery, ‘city person learns outdoors life’ trope abounds, the ending came out of left field, there were some plot threads which did not need to exist, but, whatever - it was engaging for the hour each night we dedicated to it, and at 6 episodes, not a major commitment.
I was surprised at how little swearing there was, but then I remembered my last series was Deadwood, which undoubtedly caused this cocksucking confusion, lol.
It may be relevant that The White Lotus started as a show that was able to be produced during the COVID shutdown, because the cast and crew were isolated in a tropical resort. And the show was very much about idea of the resort guests and how they behave versus the regular people who staff the resorts and how they need to pretend to behave around the extremely wealthy resort guests.
Have started s2 of The Sandman. The lead has toned down his “I’m Batman” delivery somewhat from s1 but is still annoying, but it remains lovely to watch Gwendoline Christie and Kirby Howell-Baptiste on screen. BTW I’m only at the end of the Season of Mists bit but they introduced a gaping (and completely unnecessary) inconsistency that wasn’t in the book when
Choronzon got eaten.
The whole “Neil Gaiman is a horrible person” thing continues to bother me but if I don’t watch it it will trigger some low-key OCD about completism.
I’ve never read the book(s?) so found I had to concentrate a fair bit during s1 of Sandman. It seems like ages since that was on Netflix so do you reckon I’ll struggle with s2 if I can barely remember the first?
I’ve been watching Smoke on Apple off and on. A fairly creepy series about a couple of arsonists. Well acted but somewhat uneven on plot. Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine has the most riveting character.
I finished watching Bookish, and it’s quite delightful. It’s a murder mystery series created by and starring Mark Gatiss as a nerdy antique bookshop owner. It’s set just after WWII, which gives it a nice musty atmosphere without being grim, and is generally a cosy feelgood series with charming comic undertones. My favourite character was Nora, played by Buket Komur.
Well worth your time. Three stories told over six episodes, it’s out on Alibi.
I’ve watched every episode of this so far and I’ve enjoyed it. It’s an archetypal example of “just power through the first two episodes and the series really takes off.” Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine did give an absolute tour de force in the most recent episode.
Rude, crude, smutty, outrageous… and very funny. A good way to go out, it touched me (no, not like that). It’s been decades since I was a teenager and I don’t have kids so haven’t experienced it second hand either but I could identify with the characters’ insecurities and doubts because, despite the over the top nature of the programme, each main character was a properly rounded person with their own worries and fears.
I do recommend this if you haven’t seen it but it comes with a warning that it is definitely not for the faint-hearted or easily offended.
Started watching Code of Silence on Britbox last night. Very engaging and well-acted. I don’t know if this is the first TV series to star someone with a disability, but it’s the first one I’ve seen. I’ve noticed that a lot of British TV series employ supporting actors who are disabled.
Lord of Mysteries - A man from modern Japan finds his soul transmigrated into an alternate-history pseudo-Victorian steampunk world of bizarre mysticism and magic and strange gods, where he becomes a policeman. It gets…complicated. But it’s fascinating storytelling. Lots of gore, as one might expect.
Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show - the animation is so-so but it’s a weird and whimsical comedy-horror show involving the Lovecraftian Great Old Ones. Definitely a creative and unique take, but not one for the purists.
Also: S2 of DAN DA DAN continues, which is also just plain wacky. Ghosts and aliens continue to abound.
I do watch more mindless stuff (The Shy Hero and the Assassin Princesses, Detectives These Days Are Crazy!, Witch Watch, Dealing With The Mikadono Sisters Is A Breeze, and - yes- that vending machine one) but none that you’re missing anything special if you don’t see them. Although I wouldn’t mind a Witch Watch “Onions” mug…
I’ve seen several on a number of UK series. There was a a woman in a wheelchair that was part of Vera’s squad on her eponymous show. Currently, there’s a woman who’s missing the lower half of her right arm on Grantchester. Chelsea Detective’s coroner (? she’s more than that – she does a lot of sciency stuff) is deaf. I saw her on another one-off show where she was the murderer.
Watching Foundation as they release the new episodes. I got over the whole ‘it’s not the same as the books’ thing in S2 and we are enjoying this season.
We binged S2 of Silo and are looking forward to S3. I haven’t read the books and I still have no idea if the whole cleaning thing and what people see makes any sense, no doubt it did in the books and I am just assuming it will eventually make sense in the show.
We just finished Zero Hour. Mrs Mollusc kept snoozing, but I liked the pace and the overall story. They could have maybe dialed back the degree they explicitly stated the premise, it was a bit of smashing in a message with a sledge hammer , I’d think if someone sat through it all they would get it.
Episode 1 of Leanne done , meh it’s what you would expect , but not offensively dumb for what it is. I guess we will finish it up when nerds gummy clusters for the brain are needed.
We accidentally watched the first episode of Stick when it started auto playing. Almost switched it off but then Marc Marons character turned up and we stuck with the episode and will likely get back to it.
Tried to watch Chief of War, but really couldn’t get into it or into seeing Momoa’s butt in every other shot. Also, they inexplicably have some of these folks wearing what look like bear claw necklaces.
We just finished Destination X, which was better than we expected. Most of the games or tests were knowledge based, as they traveled thru Europe. It has been greenlit for Season 2. But there are Euro versions also,
One I saw recently was Shardlake, based on a book series about a disabled man in medieval times who solves a murder, and played by a disabled man in the show, Arthur Hughes. He has radial dysplasia.
Finished the latest season of Hacks. I’m still enjoying this show, but it’s had its ups and downs. This season, they took a novel premise and turned it into a TV show about making a TV show, which is well-trod ground. But the performances of the two leads continue to make it worth watching.
Deborah actually showed some real character growth by the end (which they already started backsliding a little; I hope it sticks) - but she did enough shitty things on the way there that Ava continuing to put up with her abuse becomes more and more of a stretch as the series goes on.
On the other hand, Ava can be insufferably pretentious in her own right.
But they manage to keep re-centering the characters just enough to keep you feeling for them.
I thought this was to be the final season, but there will be at least one more.
well done and engaging