What was the last TV show you watched?

[belfastboy]

Finished 'Chernobyl' last night. Thought it was a wow.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

Sharp Objects. HBO. Watched the pilot when it was first released and didn't find a lot of enthusiasm for it at the time. Felt like a one-trick pony. Watched the second episode a couple nights ago, and it felt the same way. I don't know. Maybe one more episode and be done with it if I feel the same.

The Handmaid's Tale. Hulu. Been on my list to give a go because of Elisabeth Moss, but since finding out she is a Scientologist, it's been a hurdle. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to care for it and went into it ho-hum. I was pleasantly surprised and have so far gone three episodes deep. I guess I'm in a phase when dystopian sci-fi is appealing. Loved Starz Counterpart, and this is hitting me in that empty space.

 

[Mister Cairo]

Netflix original from Spain, HIgh Seas (Alta Mar). Set in 1944, ship sails from Spain en route to Brazil, Agatha Christie-type murder and mayhem ensues. Not high art, dubbed vice subtitles which was annoying to start but wears off (at least they used English voice actors), but stunning art deco ship interiors, great clothes, fabulous looking actors, of course. Story intriguing enough.

Not quite finished yet but getting there (eight episodes). Has been renewed apparently, wonder if it'll be an anthology type thing.

 

[The Jackal]

Legion
Episode 2 of the final season was last night. The show was like a bad acid trip at first. Very disjointed and confusing, with only my knowledge of the character bringing me back each episode, but I eventually found that there were some really interesting concepts being thrown around.

Once the mind trip of the first few episodes cleared up into a more coherent storyline, the show really became something I've enjoyed.

 

[Julian Shellhammer]

With some spare time on my hands, it was a single episode of a. Yancey Derringer, b. Tombstone Territory, and c. Tanks!

Later that night, the Missus and I watched the next Crime Story followed by the next Pushing Daisies.

 

[belfastboy]

Watching the 20+ year old Ken Burns doc 'The West'. The usual high standards of Burns and a compelling subject make for a must watch TV. Then also watching a Netflix series..."The Last Czars". Interesting format that works well....a docu drama with narration. More good TV

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

The Handmaid's Tale. Hulu. I'm four episodes into season two. I'm considering not watching any further. It's very tense. It's very good. It affects me in dark ways. Some of it feels all too possible in this moment. I can't imagine being a woman watching this.

 

[Stormy]

I've just binge-watched the Spanish tv series "High Seas" season one. It's ok, though a bit cheesy around the edges. If there's to be a season two, I'm all in.

 

[Fading Fast]

I've just binge-watched the Spanish tv series "High Seas" season one. It's ok, though a bit cheesy around the edges. If there's to be a season two, I'm all in.

How'd they do on the period details?

 

[Mister Cairo]

I've just binge-watched the Spanish tv series "High Seas" season one. It's ok, though a bit cheesy around the edges. If there's to be a season two, I'm all in.

I finished it as well. There is a season two coming, a continuation of the current story. As I note above, I wondered if this would be an anthology type thing. Apparently not!

Did you know the brunet sister is the girl from Pan's Labyrinth?

 

[Mister Cairo]

How'd they do on the period details?

No idea how accurate they were, but they certainly were gorgeous to look at!

 

[Mister Cairo]

On temporary duty (again), staff college, re-watched Our Mutual Friend, BBC/CBC co-production. Steven MacIntosh as Julius Handford/John Rokesmith/John Harmon, Keeley Hawes as the lovely Lizzie Hexam and the lovely Anna Friel as Bella Wilfer.

 

[Mister Cairo]

Started for the umpteenth time on TD Little Dorrit, 2008 miniseries from BBC and PBS. Matthew MacFaddyn (sp?) as Aurther Clennam, Claire Foy as Amy Dorrit, Andy Sirkis as Rigaud/Lagnier/etc. Great stuff!

 

[M Brown]

currently half way thru season 5 of Weeds.

 

[Fading Fast]

currently half way thru season 5 of Weeds.

I enjoyed the first 2 season and then thought it lost its way so I gave up - how's it doing by season 5?

 

[Edward]

Working my way through the latter half of Stranger Things season three. Enjoying it more as each seson goes past - it's almost living up to the hype now. The period details all see maccurate, though I don't remember all fourteen year old boys having such dreadful haircuts - is it just how weedy the main protagonists are?

 

[Worf]

On the subject of Game of Thrones hotties I'm enthralled by I'd have to say Brienne of Tarth is first on my list. I mentioned this to a long time friend of my who's even more excremental of thought and word than I am (we both climbed out of the projects together and talk to one another in nothing but insults, curses and slights) and he was astonished! He loved the Blond Targaryan girl, I did not... He confronted me on my choice by asking:

"You want that big assed bear fighting *****? What the hell you gonna do with her, she'd kick your *** everyday and twice on Sunday!"

I said "Yeah yeah... she'd probably kill me at my age but I'll go down swinging!"

Worf

 

[Fading Fast]

The first (and, so far, only) season of In The Dark (via Netflix, originally on the CW network).

It's off to the races right from the start in this crime mystery wrapped inside a drama about a young, very attractive blind girl, Murphy (played by Perry Mattfield) - early 20s, smokes, drinks, has (lots of) casual (and meaningless) ***, is rude, but, and kudos to the writers and Mattfeld for this, shows enough humanity (and more as the show goes on) to keep you intrigued and, mainly, rooting for her - and her devoted but weary parents and small circle of friends - you'd be weary too; she's pushes everyone's buttons, often too far.

But the catalyst for the plot is the murder of her young, still just a minor, teenage male friend and extremely small time drug dealer and Murphy's obsession to find his killer - you don't want to get in this blind girl's way when she's on the hunt for a clue.

Modern TV - when done well, as this show is - knows how to slowly unfold complex plots over several episodes while equally building three-dimensional characters and relationships where everything - the murder mystery, the characters and the relationships - continue to change in (overall) surprising but (mainly) believable ways.

As Murphy's world of friends, family and coworkers slowly gets entwined with the crazy dangerous world of drug dealers and both honest and dirty cops that Murphy engages with to solve the murder, the tensions rise and conflicts increase. This smashing together of two worlds flips everybody's "normal" upside down as when Murphy's kind veterinarian roommate finds herself accidentally teaming with drug dealers to hide a body and chase a suspect for a putative greater good that would knock any normal person's gyroscope way off balance.

And that's why you watch - everyone's gyroscope is rocked to tilt as a force-of-nature blind woman, who had an atypical but wonderful and deep friendship with a young drug dealer, pushes herself and anyone in her orbit to question their morality, their physical abilities and everything they believed about themselves and the world whether they want to or not, while, Murphy - ultimately - is forced to do the same.

It's not always easy watching, but few things that challenge you are; however, a surprising amount of light humor and warm friendships - that come from unlikely places - keeps it from draining you and there's also this: Murphy's companion dog has one of the best dog names ever - Pretzel (and he's as handsome a dog as you'll find). Oh, of course, it's not missed that Murphy's life and the crime mystery are all just one giant pretzel.

There's too much modern TV out there - some of it's garbage - but the good stuff, like In the Dark, is better than almost every movie made - quite a switch from a time when the quality was in film and TV was almost all mindless fluff.

 

[Bushman]

Watched the entire 6 episode season of Good Omens. Hilariously satirical in a way only the British could accomplish, the series stars David Tennant (of Dr. Who fame) as the demon Crowley and Michael Sheen as the angel Aziraphale. The two have traded wits and acquaintance since the days of the Garden of Eden (which Aziraphale stood guard over and where Crowley tempted Adam and Eve with the Forbidden Fruit), and their wits and bumblings over the millennia have seen the greatest of mankind's miracles and misdeeds. But their greatest blunder turns to be Earth's saving grace when they mix up the Antichrist with the child of a normal small town British family.

I was turned on to this series after seeing a commercial for it, making it look mirthful and entertaining, which it very much was, but the catalyst that got me watching was after a petition by several hundred ultra religious fanatics demanded Netflix cancel the Amazon Prime produced limited series. Netflix promised not to make anymore episodes.

 

[Edward]

Good Omens was beautifully done. I've long had mixed feelings about TV adapatations of Pratchett's work (in this case, Pratchett's collaborative work with Neil Gaiman) because the joy of his stuff was always how he used language, and that never crossedcto other media so well. This, however, was a triumph. Great casting (though part of me would have loved to have seen Tennant and Sheen cast the other way around as it would have been interesting seeing them play against type, but that's a small point). Sheen's Azrael bore distinct echoes of his Tony Blair, which amused me. Have to admit, as a mere Methodist, I do struggle to see how anyone could reasonably take offence, I found it's theology fairly sound, lovely, gentle humour. But then I like to think God has rather a sense of humour (see not least Moses and where he grew up!) - those who object to such series rarely do.

The appearance of Elvis was cute; it's just a shame the punchline for the gag - Death standing at the cafe's quiz machine and saying, in answer to the obvious question, "I don't care what you say, I never laid a hand on him!" - didn't make the script edit. Minor point, though.