What are you going to do about Season 4, the one not on Netflix? Bootleg it?
East of Eden, Netflix.
Didn’t know a thing about this one, never read even a synopsis of the book. It was quite enjoyable, possibly even thoughtful.
But… much of the latter half depends upon 2 people not running into a well-known, notorious, third person in a town of 3,500 people, nor hearing rumors about this third person. For years. And I assume this was a premise even in the book, and while I quite liked this one and recommend it, this still bothers me.
The Dropout, Hulu.
Inna and I are seeing the Fielder doc today or tomorrow, so we checked this one out. It was pretty good, so we decided to visit…
Dopesick (also Hulu).
Inna’s reaction at the end of this: “What a horrible country.” I noted that we saw two stories of medical malfeasance where:
- The woman who bilked old, wealthy, powerful white men was thrown in prison.
- The family which killed tens, hundreds of thousands of poor whites via addiction was not in danger of imprisonment.
I have the MGM channel so I’ll be fine- I just forgot about it ( a coworker recommended it a long time ago) until it was on Netflix.
I was surprised and very happy to see a new season of Midnight Diner appear on Netflix.
For those not in the know, it’s a cozy, somewhat melancholy Japanese show about a diner open from midnight til 7 where the stoic but kind proprietor will make anything you want (if the ingredients are on hand).
I don’t think the first couple seasons are on Netflix right now, but it’s easy to pick up–the episodes are largely self contained, and the characters are easy to get to know–so if you’re looking for something a bit quirky but comforting, I’d recommend it.
Has it been 7 years? I loved that show. It was a handy half-hour-to-kill-before-bedtime show.
Another Midnight Diner fan. Every episode featured some delicious food and a crying man.
Thanks for the recommendation @Hoops - I hadn’t heard of it, but will check it out.
I finished season 5 of For All Mankind. While it is deeply flawed, I found it entertaining to watch so long as you don’t think to hard about various plot points. I did really struggle with the storyline involving Kelly Baldwin, as I think the actress is terrible - her only facial expression is “oh no, someone kicked my dog!” I was not sad to see that character finally go.
The next season is the final one but it’s sometime next year before it will get released. I can’t imagine trying to watch this season as it released with such long gaps between seasons, and I hear that’s common with Apple shows for whatever reason.
Next up is the latest season of Slow Horses!
Redlettermedia released its annual Halloween Best of the Worst.
Best of the Worst is probably my favorite television show.
From beginning to end it is 5 seasons in 6 years, 7 months, which isn’t really that bad on modern streaming shows. (5 seasons of Stranger Things took 9 years, 5 months.)
As my Perry Mason marathon continues – now well into Season 9 – I continue to be impressed by the creative writing and some of the period drama. A great example is the Season 9 episode “The Case of the Fugitive Fraulein”. Much of it takes place in East Berlin and as a period piece, it paints a pretty grim picture of the regime there in the early 60s. Mason is made relevant by ostensibly being granted authority by the State Department to negotiate with an East German official for a hostage release.
There’s an interesting subtle change in the famous Perry Mason theme somewhere around Season 8. There’s a distinct undertone of (I think) saxophone in the opening theme that wasn’t there before.