TV You Have Watched

[fallenangle]

Started but won't be watching again BBC2/iPlayer the 'new' Japanese co-lab series Infamy: The Terror.

Japanese-American setting just before and during WW2, where, as has become a tired cliche in Japanese story telling they've managed to shoehorn in the supernatural in the form of demons and ghosts, this time plaguing a small fishing community. No doubt there will be reasons for this but was I made to care or be intrigued? No

A few good-ish horror-lite scenes, I particularly enjoyed one where a demon/ghost sewed her own face up after accidentally tearing it but otherwise I just couldn't get into the story.

I was hoping for a drama that dealt with the problems Japanese-Americans at that time when many were, completely without justification, herded into what were little more than concentration camps, often despite being US citizens.

But no, we can't have a straight forward drama examining and dealing with these matters from a Japanese-American perspective which could have been interesting. Instead they decided to go down a supernatural horror route rather than the real horrors of the war.

[fuse]

It's a little surreal, paced quite slow and steady, and its sense of humour is quite dark; all of which lead to us having taken our time watching Severance. Having now finished it, I cannot recommend it enough. It has been a very long time since I enjoyed a show this much. An excellent season that somehow got better for its finale.

[Family Fry]

Watched season 2 of Undone on Amazon, after season 1 was pretty self contained I didn’t think it needed a season 2.
So imagine my shock when I saw last week season 2 was out now, had no idea they were even making it but after watching it, I was more than happy with season 2, it was just as good as the first and it’s had an open/definitive, they can do season 3 if they want but the main story is over.

If you’re going to watch don’t look up season 2 trailer just go straight in with watch season 1.

Basic 1st season premise, young woman (played by Rosa Salazar) has a car accident and when she wakes her dead father is talking to her, she can also seemingly time travel, so her father (played by Bob Odenkirk) is trying to train her to use this power so she can go back and save him from dying, real good show well worth a watch.

Also the show is rotoscoped so it looks pretty cool all round and means they can do a lot with surrounding environment and get pretty trippy.

[QualityChimp]

Bit more Inventing Anna (Netflix) which is really well written, drip feeding us information, but it doesn't feel like it's being strung out.
I can't stand Anna and I'm really hoping she gets her comeuppance! 2 episodes left.

[QualityChimp]

Finished Inventing Anna (Netflix), which was a decent watch and a good one to put on the "watch-with-your-other-half" list.

I found the finale frustrating because, to me, it felt like they flipped the narrative at the last moment.
I guess it's the format of the show, telling the story from the perspective of those around her, then finally from her viewpoint, showing that all those others that were scammed by her got something from her too, so that makes it all okay.

My wife and I disagreed on this point.

I wanted something silly to change the pace, so tried The Pentaverate (Netflix), which was just stupid, so I loved it.
The "Key or Pill" joke had me proper lolling.

[Finsbury Girl]

I have discovered courtesy of the Netflix algo The Way of the Househusband - OMG it is brilliant. Constant LOL. It is about a legendary Yakuza who leaves his life of crime to become a househusband ; it comprises little vignettes of a few minutes each ; loads of social commentary and parody. So, so good

[Lebowski]

Kotaro Lives Alone - this is awesome stuff, there is an underlying sadness and loneliness and it is sometimes almost unbearable but the glimpses of hope and happiness as the neighbours bond together around Kotaro and comfort to each other in their own different ways more than offsets this. It is uplifting. I have no idea how it will end though!

Absolutely loved this, its funny sad and compelling all at the same time, Kotaro's world view and optimism is massively uplifting, here's hoping they do a season 2.

[fallenangle]

A bit late to the party but after the current (UK) run of the latest NCIS season shown here ended there was a gap in my Monday evening TV viewing schedules.

Luckily they've filled the slot with a worthy replacement: The Blacklist.

I'd heard about the series and knew it has been well reviewed but never bothered to find out anything about it except the bare bones of the story. Two episodes of the first series in so far and I'm really enjoying it.

[QualityChimp]

I've got analysis paralysis with what to watch at the moment.

I have about 14 gazillion shows I could watch.

Just renewed D+, so might watch the Marvel shows with my son, but of a night I want to binge something.
Dark seems good, but maybe a bit deep!

[fallenangle]

Missed the first episode but not difficult to get into the 4 part BBC2 series Life After Life an odd and quite imaginative take on the multiple lifetimes fantasy theme.

Apparently based on a 2013 novel by Kate Atkinson it is about an unremarkable middle-class girl/woman called Ursula who dies but is reborn at various critical times in the 20th century principally during WW1 and WW2 but only with an inkling of her past lives, the intersections that sometimes occur and the trauma of her many deaths.

Little real plot and no conclusion, philosophical or otherwise it just seems to be an observation piece about the futility of lives often cut short but also the resilience of the human spirit hoping everything is going to turn out well, all set against believable period backdrops.

Watchable, quality piece if mildly depressing.

[QualityChimp]

Bingewatched Peacemaker (2022 via NowTV) and loved it.
Don't overanalyse it and you'll be good, as it's essentially a story with comicbook depth, which I say as both compliment and criticism.

I genuinely really enjoyed it though, and there's a brilliant ensemble cast.
John Cena > The Rock, IMHO, and he's really great as Peacemaker here.
A slightly different take on the Gunn Suicide Squad version, who seems more confident and deadly, here we have a fairly broken man.
His unwavering belief in peace at all costs lost him his allies from the Suicide Squad and almost lost him his life.
His dad is horrible to him and he wonders if he'll be rearrested.

A minor investigation turns into a giant conspiracy theory and it's great seeing this thrown-together misfits stumbling through becoming a team.

Some big laughs along the way, but plenty of swearing and gore and a few titties means it's not for the kids!

The soundtrack is great, packed with hair metal tracks. I found an Amazon Music playlist and listened to it whilst cooking tea!

Special shoutout to the opening sequence, which is the first one in years I've not skipped, but watched every time.
I ended up watching a different characters' moves for each episode, it was so great.

Episodes are fairly short (about 20-30 minutes?), so the whole 8 episode series was easy to get through and a joy to do so.

[randombs]

Servant of the People

I’d been waiting for this and it popped up on Netflix yesterday and I’ve watched six episodes so far.

Putting aside the fact it stars Zelenskyy, it’s a brilliant programme in its own right with a big budget and great acting. The intro, with its beautiful shots of Ukraine, is bittersweet considering the devastation that Russia’s been causing:



It’s very funny and I love the humour. Here’s a bit when the president’s family head to the mall to buy clothes for his inauguration ceremony:

Dad:” All the parking spots are filled. There’s nowhere to park. Yet there’s an economic crisis!”
Daughter: “Everybody’s tight belts split, so they’re buying new ones”

[fishbowlhead]

I have discovered courtesy of the Netflix algo The Way of the Househusband - OMG it is brilliant. Constant LOL. It is about a legendary Yakuza who leaves his life of crime to become a househusband ; it comprises little vignettes of a few minutes each ; loads of social commentary and parody. So, so good

I watched this whole thing in one go non stop, it’s so good and had me chuckling the whole time, then my other half walked in on the last epp, started laughing so we watched the whole thing all over.

I hope it gets more episodes in the future.

[Lebowski]

Bingewatched Peacemaker (2022 via NowTV) and loved it.
Don't overanalyse it and you'll be good, as it's essentially a story with comicbook depth, which I say as both compliment and criticism.

I genuinely really enjoyed it though, and there's a brilliant ensemble cast.
John Cena > The Rock, IMHO, and he's really great as Peacemaker here.
A slightly different take on the Gunn Suicide Squad version, who seems more confident and deadly, here we have a fairly broken man.
His unwavering belief in peace at all costs lost him his allies from the Suicide Squad and almost lost him his life.
His dad is horrible to him and he wonders if he'll be rearrested.

A minor investigation turns into a giant conspiracy theory and it's great seeing this thrown-together misfits stumbling through becoming a team.

Some big laughs along the way, but plenty of swearing and gore and a few titties means it's not for the kids!

The soundtrack is great, packed with hair metal tracks. I found an Amazon Music playlist and listened to it whilst cooking tea!

Special shoutout to the opening sequence, which is the first one in years I've not skipped, but watched every time.
I ended up watching a different characters' moves for each episode, it was so great.

Episodes are fairly short (about 20-30 minutes?), so the whole 8 episode series was easy to get through and a joy to do so.

Absolutely loved this from start to finish, you never get to see a really dysfunctional super hero and Cena plays him perfectly too he really is dumb as a rock at times. The fact that they double down on Peacmaker being one of life's big looser really helps build him up as an interesting character too. The supporting cast is fantastic too, Vigilante is very funny and unhinged but Robert Patrick steals the show by being an absolutely horrible father to peacemaker.

[QualityChimp]

It's brilliant, isn't it?
He's not a perfect person, but he's not mean spirited and you want him to see him succeed because a lot of his issues aren't his fault and has a misguided belief in peace at any cost, which he starts to question.

Agreed, a great cast and they all play their part in the story, rather than being "Peacemaker and Friends".