It still blows my mind that Ricky says Derek isn’t disabled…at all, or even slow? Come on.
A new season of Bookish with Mark Gatiss is out in the UK this week. More post-wartime shenanigans abound.
I’m guessing he doesn’t want to be accused of appropriating disability culture or something.
Just saw that Orphan Black is leaving Netflix at the end of the month, so I rewatched the beginning of the first episode:
Young woman, train platform, night. Watches the only other woman put down her purse, take off her shoes, look straight at her (and she’s her doppelgänger)… and walk in front of a speeding train.
Now I’m hooked… even though I bought the first season on DVD the last time this happened.
Did a re-watch about a year or so ago, otherwise I’d totally watch it again. The later seasons that I found draggy in real time when I was watching them on TV, worked much better binged. It actually rose in my estimation from fairly good to very good. Quite the tour de force by Maslany.
I think I’ve started it 3 times now. Each time I get a few seasons in and then sort of lose interest. No idea why, I really like it and her acting is phenomenal, but for some reason, at some point, I’ll realize I haven’t watched an episode in a few weeks and a few years later I start it over.
My general thoughts at the time was that the first season was absolutely awesome and the next seasons ranged from awesome to kind of lame and slow. I should probably give it a shot.
Tatiana Maslany was something else, though. You genuinely forget she is playing multiple roles. They are all so different from each other, you just accept it.
The first time I watched it I think I knew the doppelganger at the train station was the same actress, but I don’t think I put together that ALL of them were her, especially Helena. Even as Alison (the soccer mom), she looked and acted so differently than the rest.
Renewed for a second season.
“Lanterns”. An amusing take on Green Lantern that I was unfamiliar with. Only two eps have dropped, but so far it’s enjoyable, and I’m in no way a fan of the superhero genre.
MGM+
J.K. Simmons is the leader of the New York, Irish gang. This show has many layers. The uneasy truce with the Italian mob, a FBI task force investigation, and lInks to the IRA.
Plus there is a generational power shift as John Gotti rises to power.
Ep 1 aired Sunday, July 12. Season 1 wrapped with E8, Aug 23
Fingers crossed Season 2 gets green lit.
I’ve enjoyed the characters and stories. I’m already binge watching the entire series.
Monsters of God on HBO. The maker of Tiger King and Chimp Crazy turns his eye on reptile smugglers. As with the other two shows it has more than it’s share of offbeat characters. The 5 episodes run almost an hour each, without the padding (some of which is admittedly gorgeous shots of various reptiles) I think they could’ve told the story in 100 minutes.
I was a little heartbroken to learn the San Diego Zoo knowingly acquired illegallly smuggled animals for its collection. The Reptile House with it’s rare specimens was one of my favorite things about the zoo when I was a kid.
That’s the revelation in this series. The reptile smugglers knew they were breaking the law but didn’t consider it was wrong because there were no consequences. Not just enablers like zoos and reptile enthusiasts but inspectors unwilling to open a crate of scary animals, regulators who had zero resources to enforce the ESA, and courts who doled out slaps on the hand. No one in this show admits doing anything wrong…besides getting caught.
On the old show I loved when they went to couples therapy.
Sona: I think there is a mental block I have about helping him because…
Conan: She has a mental block about helping me. She’s my ASSISTANT!
I’ve been watching a lot of Hoarders (recently added to Netflix Canada). You would think that it would become repetitive after a while (and there are certainly patterns that get repeated), but each person has their own idiosyncrasies that keep it interesting.
It can be a pretty sad show, sometimes. A lot of trauma being coped with by buying things.
I feel for the people. It does feel good to get new things and I’m not a hoarder at all, but get how you can become attached to items.
Watched the first two episodes of Ride or Die on Prime last night. Liking it thus far.
Forgive me for being repetitive and perhaps tiring, but I’ve become almost obsessed with the old Perry Mason series, which ran from 1957 to 1966. I watched a few episodes, liked it, watched a few more, and now I’m halfway through Season 3. It’s become a nighttime habit where I watch several episodes at a time in bed on my tablet. At this point I’ve probably seen about 70 episodes of around 55 minutes each.
They’re really well written, despite the necessity of pigeon-holing them into the formulaic slot where there’s always a murder, Mason’s client is so obviously guilty, and (usually) Mason forces the real villain to break down and confess in court, or sometimes outside of court. Mainly because they’re genuine mysteries, and the court scenes were written by those who knew well how those proceedings worked, guided by lawyer and author Erle Stanley Gardner. Each episode is duly credited either to Gardner or as “based upon characters created by”. Either one is fine drama.
I love the authentic period cars. In earlier episodes, Perry Mason drove a 1957 Cadillac convertible with ridiculously comical huge tail fins. When those became unfashionable it was switched to something less ostentatious. Faithful detective Paul Drake used to drive a white Corvette, which later became a Thunderbird convertible as, presumably, sponsorship changed. Older cars also appear, and if it’s a battered old car you can generally be sure it’s being driven by a Bad Guy. I just love the whole ambience!
One quote that stuck with me:
“Wouldn’t it be awful to die buried under a thousand dolls?”
I finished watching Ride Or Die on Prime. An entertaining tale of assassinations, intrigue, crime, and broken friendships. Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer play the lead roles. Recommended, with a caveat: there is LOT of killing.