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Speak Up Saturday
Welcome to the weekly roundup post! What are you watching this week? What are you excited about?
If you haven't had the chance to check out our friending meme yet, feel free to join the fun if you're interested!
Welcome to the weekly roundup post! What are you watching this week? What are you excited about?
If you haven't had the chance to check out our friending meme yet, feel free to join the fun if you're interested!
The Pitt: still a solid hour of great tv! I cried a little bit at the end of the last episode.
The Apothecary Diaries: a friend recced this to me and I've watched 5 episodes so far! It really hooked me around episode 3 of the first season with its storytelling and twists.
American Primeval: watched the last 2 episodes and found them a bit underwhelming after all of the action and tension from the first 4 episodes. I expected more from the final episode than what was delivered.
The Girl with the Needle: this movie was MESSED UP. Beautiful to watch, but MESSED UP AND UPSETTING. Utterly miserable. I'm hesitant to rec this to people because I feel like I would be causing them great distress??? It was really good, though.
The Apothecary Diaries: a friend recced this to me and I've watched 5 episodes so far! It really hooked me around episode 3 of the first season with its storytelling and twists.
American Primeval: watched the last 2 episodes and found them a bit underwhelming after all of the action and tension from the first 4 episodes. I expected more from the final episode than what was delivered.
The Girl with the Needle: this movie was MESSED UP. Beautiful to watch, but MESSED UP AND UPSETTING. Utterly miserable. I'm hesitant to rec this to people because I feel like I would be causing them great distress??? It was really good, though.
I watched (in order of enjoyment):
Yellowjackets S3 E1-3: This show revolves around a high school girls' soccer team whose plane crashes in the wilderness. In the past timeline, the survivors struggle with primal instincts and dark secrets. The present timeline shows us the haunting aftermath of the ordeal many years later. And we're so back, baby! Totally forgot how much I love Shauna Shipman and this entire crazy train of a show.
Mo S1 E1-3: This show centers on Mo, a Palestinian refugee, who dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian in Houston, Texas, all while trying to secure his family's immigration status. This show explores its characters and central themes with heart and a keen eye. Episode 3 was much darker than I had anticipated from the tone of the previous two episodes but that made the show only better.
The Witch E1&2: The titular "witch", Park Mi-jeong, started isolating herself from the world after everybody who approaches her (mostly guys with a crush) comes to suffer a tragic fate. Lee Dong-jin, who has loved her since they went to school together but never approached her about it, wants to solve the mystery around Mi-jeong's "curse". No idea where this is going but the premise intrigues me!
The White Lotus S3 E1: Editing this in late. I finished none of the previous seasons but remain curious about this show. Again, there are several characters to despise... Natasha Rothwell's character, so far, was my favorite. I'm also interested in the three BFFs, the two LBH daters, and the weird siblings dynamic.
My Dearest Nemesis E1&2: This show is about a man and a woman who meet in an online game in their teens. Their relationship ends when their first meeting ends catastrophically. Sixteen years later, they appear in each other's life again, this time as boss and employee. This could be an absolute banger of a show if several parts of it didn't feel so immature. I'm not entirely sure if I should feel charmed by the (almost?) old-school ridiculousness of a chaebol with a secret rocker slash gamer identity, or if I am simply too old for this.
The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract E1-2: The plot of this show is truly wild. A Joseon noblewoman widow time-travels to modern Seoul and enters into a contract marriage with a chaebol who looks like her deceased husband. I have heard good things about this show and finally decided to give it a chance despite the sageuk parts and the time-traveling which are usually not my thing. Unfortunately, the ridiculous chaebol politics already got on my nerves at the beginning of the third episode, so I'm reconsidering if this show is for me.
Yellowjackets S3 E1-3: This show revolves around a high school girls' soccer team whose plane crashes in the wilderness. In the past timeline, the survivors struggle with primal instincts and dark secrets. The present timeline shows us the haunting aftermath of the ordeal many years later. And we're so back, baby! Totally forgot how much I love Shauna Shipman and this entire crazy train of a show.
Mo S1 E1-3: This show centers on Mo, a Palestinian refugee, who dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian in Houston, Texas, all while trying to secure his family's immigration status. This show explores its characters and central themes with heart and a keen eye. Episode 3 was much darker than I had anticipated from the tone of the previous two episodes but that made the show only better.
The Witch E1&2: The titular "witch", Park Mi-jeong, started isolating herself from the world after everybody who approaches her (mostly guys with a crush) comes to suffer a tragic fate. Lee Dong-jin, who has loved her since they went to school together but never approached her about it, wants to solve the mystery around Mi-jeong's "curse". No idea where this is going but the premise intrigues me!
The White Lotus S3 E1: Editing this in late. I finished none of the previous seasons but remain curious about this show. Again, there are several characters to despise... Natasha Rothwell's character, so far, was my favorite. I'm also interested in the three BFFs, the two LBH daters, and the weird siblings dynamic.
My Dearest Nemesis E1&2: This show is about a man and a woman who meet in an online game in their teens. Their relationship ends when their first meeting ends catastrophically. Sixteen years later, they appear in each other's life again, this time as boss and employee. This could be an absolute banger of a show if several parts of it didn't feel so immature. I'm not entirely sure if I should feel charmed by the (almost?) old-school ridiculousness of a chaebol with a secret rocker slash gamer identity, or if I am simply too old for this.
The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract E1-2: The plot of this show is truly wild. A Joseon noblewoman widow time-travels to modern Seoul and enters into a contract marriage with a chaebol who looks like her deceased husband. I have heard good things about this show and finally decided to give it a chance despite the sageuk parts and the time-traveling which are usually not my thing. Unfortunately, the ridiculous chaebol politics already got on my nerves at the beginning of the third episode, so I'm reconsidering if this show is for me.
Edited 2025-02-22 21:25 (UTC)
Damn, I haven't seen all that much lately.. I lost my Amazon Prime subscription sometime in January, so I haven't realistically been able to watch too much TV. (Plus, my job hunt has resumed and that also makes it hard to find time for TV..)
Honestly, I'm kinda curious about the newest Doctor Who season - even though I absolutely don't have the ability to watch it at the moment. I've heard not that much about it and I'm curious to see if it's really worth the bad reviews I've parsed online.
I dunno if I wanna finish up Person of Interest later - I was kinda watching through Season 3 last time I picked it up, but I ain't really sure if I wanna keep watching. Finch is a bit weird for me.
Honestly, I'm kinda curious about the newest Doctor Who season - even though I absolutely don't have the ability to watch it at the moment. I've heard not that much about it and I'm curious to see if it's really worth the bad reviews I've parsed online.
I dunno if I wanna finish up Person of Interest later - I was kinda watching through Season 3 last time I picked it up, but I ain't really sure if I wanna keep watching. Finch is a bit weird for me.
Most of our fall shows are back from their winter breaks, so my family's picked back up with Ghosts (US), S.W.A.T. (the final final season), Fire Country (S3), and Tracker (S2).
Most of my grumbling about this season have been around virgin jokes for Sasappis (Sass). It's not even like he's the one making some sort of joke, and the humor is about how he died before he had sex with anyone, he hasn't had ghost sex, and he's a 500 year old virgin. The process of Sam doing ghost therapy also took a humorous swing at the idea a woman could be married and a virgin and not-weird for that which comes across like there's no awareness of ace people from TPTB.
It felt like Gabriela was finding new ways to spiral down in the first half [before winter break], but she's finally not caught in that downward spiral. A part of me is relieved that TPTB have stopped trying to get Gabriela and Bode together, and I'm side-eyeing the relationship they're trying to start between Audrey and Bode carefully. (I'm not torn up on Jake still being single, even if this past episode made it seem like he's unfortunately still holding onto Cara after her death.) Eve and Francine don't have half the drama that the writers devoted to Gabriela and Bode, which I don't mind.
For all that I've grumbled about Sharon suddenly being magically cured of any post-kidney transplant realities, the show has moved on to a new medical thing to focus on: Walter, Vince's father, has the early stages of dementia. He actually initiated a discussion about seeing a doctor because he was worried (which isn't something to scoff at when this character is the epitome of 'crochety old man who refuses to see a doctor'), and we're hearing more about Riley from him.
Woven throughout the case-of-the-week plots, Colter has spent quite a bit of the first half of this season trying to solve an old case where he never found the person he was asked to find (the sister of his then-girlfriend). I haven't found that quite as compelling as I suspect TPTB wanted it to be. He engaged in anniversary-of-disappearance harassment, his gut instinct was sorta right (which seems to justify the harassment), he got a retired cop to help go over the case who physically tortured someone for info, and it was only satisfying that the case was finally finished so all this could stop. It probably wasn't supposed to come across like an escalation of lines being crossed, but I just didn't get this 'how nice that he'll stop at nothing to help someone' reaction.
In terms of shorter PBS Masterpiece shows, we're almost done with All Creatures Great & Small (US airing of S5) and have finished Vienna Blood.
It's been a bit interesting to see how a show that caught on in popularity partially due to cosy, countryside vet cases has handled WWII. The franchise wasn't ever supposed to be strictly autobiographical of the original author, but this James Herriot gets brucellosis and is declared unfit to fly before finishing his training due to unpredictable bouts of fever/delirium. Tristan also has a bit of an argument with Siegfried about 'not experiencing enough suffering' in E6, and while this isn't locked in for the rest of the war, some of this does appear to be that Tristan is getting more of the 'not great but also not directly life-changing' depiction of service.
We're also giving two recently started shows a try: Watson and The Hunting Party.
My family's reaction has very much been: Huh, what an unusual case... That's the actor for Nichelle; no wonder she hasn't been on S.W.A.T. as much lately. Wait, is that a Sherlock Holmes reference we didn't get?
This feels like the premise says more about a societal level worry than being super realistic, really. A secret prison for serial killers where the military has been trying different therapy "fixes" experiences an explosion, some prisoners escape, and now the main lead needs to help re-capture a different serial killer each week. Most of each episode is the weekly serial killer capture which isn't too far off from other killer capture shows with a slight tweak of knowing the identity from the start (and some of these prisoners have officially been put to death), but it's possible that uncovering a particular military secret and/or coverup [of something other than the prison's existence] will be a larger side plot.
(I'm not holding my breath that we'll see anyone from this prison actually be 'fixed' or not be a stereotypical danger to those they encounter. It could be possible that someone will want a fresh start to life and won't go on killing spree, but the premise just isn't forewarning that possibility.)
Ghosts S4
Most of my grumbling about this season have been around virgin jokes for Sasappis (Sass). It's not even like he's the one making some sort of joke, and the humor is about how he died before he had sex with anyone, he hasn't had ghost sex, and he's a 500 year old virgin. The process of Sam doing ghost therapy also took a humorous swing at the idea a woman could be married and a virgin and not-weird for that which comes across like there's no awareness of ace people from TPTB.
Fire Country
It felt like Gabriela was finding new ways to spiral down in the first half [before winter break], but she's finally not caught in that downward spiral. A part of me is relieved that TPTB have stopped trying to get Gabriela and Bode together, and I'm side-eyeing the relationship they're trying to start between Audrey and Bode carefully. (I'm not torn up on Jake still being single, even if this past episode made it seem like he's unfortunately still holding onto Cara after her death.) Eve and Francine don't have half the drama that the writers devoted to Gabriela and Bode, which I don't mind.
For all that I've grumbled about Sharon suddenly being magically cured of any post-kidney transplant realities, the show has moved on to a new medical thing to focus on: Walter, Vince's father, has the early stages of dementia. He actually initiated a discussion about seeing a doctor because he was worried (which isn't something to scoff at when this character is the epitome of 'crochety old man who refuses to see a doctor'), and we're hearing more about Riley from him.
Tracker
Woven throughout the case-of-the-week plots, Colter has spent quite a bit of the first half of this season trying to solve an old case where he never found the person he was asked to find (the sister of his then-girlfriend). I haven't found that quite as compelling as I suspect TPTB wanted it to be. He engaged in anniversary-of-disappearance harassment, his gut instinct was sorta right (which seems to justify the harassment), he got a retired cop to help go over the case who physically tortured someone for info, and it was only satisfying that the case was finally finished so all this could stop. It probably wasn't supposed to come across like an escalation of lines being crossed, but I just didn't get this 'how nice that he'll stop at nothing to help someone' reaction.
In terms of shorter PBS Masterpiece shows, we're almost done with All Creatures Great & Small (US airing of S5) and have finished Vienna Blood.
All Creatures Great & Small
It's been a bit interesting to see how a show that caught on in popularity partially due to cosy, countryside vet cases has handled WWII. The franchise wasn't ever supposed to be strictly autobiographical of the original author, but this James Herriot gets brucellosis and is declared unfit to fly before finishing his training due to unpredictable bouts of fever/delirium. Tristan also has a bit of an argument with Siegfried about 'not experiencing enough suffering' in E6, and while this isn't locked in for the rest of the war, some of this does appear to be that Tristan is getting more of the 'not great but also not directly life-changing' depiction of service.
Vienna Blood
Instead of tackling one case per episode, this season focused on one large case for four episodes. Due to a surgery for a gunshot wound, Max spent like half the season communicating with Oskar in this sort of dreamy mind-space, and Oskar and others got more of a chance to show off their crime solving skills instead of relying on Max's deductions. This show hasn't used this mind-space tactic before, so it was tolerable in a small amount, but I'm glad it wasn't used previously.
It felt like the season was wrapped up in such a way that the show could easily come back for a future season at some point, but it also worked as the current series finale. I thought I'd heard that another book in the original book series was in the works, but at this point, I don't think anyone's expecting that soon. It does feel like like something has ended when a show that doesn't flinch away from historical antisemitism or apologise for humanising this Jewish family is no longer airing. Mr and Mrs Liebermann have a moment where they propose the idea of returning to London instead of trying to remain in Vienna, and this feels like a time where I can understand. (The quote from an actor about this timeliness is in the post-season section.)
Instead of tackling one case per episode, this season focused on one large case for four episodes. Due to a surgery for a gunshot wound, Max spent like half the season communicating with Oskar in this sort of dreamy mind-space, and Oskar and others got more of a chance to show off their crime solving skills instead of relying on Max's deductions. This show hasn't used this mind-space tactic before, so it was tolerable in a small amount, but I'm glad it wasn't used previously.
It felt like the season was wrapped up in such a way that the show could easily come back for a future season at some point, but it also worked as the current series finale. I thought I'd heard that another book in the original book series was in the works, but at this point, I don't think anyone's expecting that soon. It does feel like like something has ended when a show that doesn't flinch away from historical antisemitism or apologise for humanising this Jewish family is no longer airing. Mr and Mrs Liebermann have a moment where they propose the idea of returning to London instead of trying to remain in Vienna, and this feels like a time where I can understand. (The quote from an actor about this timeliness is in the post-season section.)
We're also giving two recently started shows a try: Watson and The Hunting Party.
Watson
My family's reaction has very much been: Huh, what an unusual case... That's the actor for Nichelle; no wonder she hasn't been on S.W.A.T. as much lately. Wait, is that a Sherlock Holmes reference we didn't get?
The Hunting Party
This feels like the premise says more about a societal level worry than being super realistic, really. A secret prison for serial killers where the military has been trying different therapy "fixes" experiences an explosion, some prisoners escape, and now the main lead needs to help re-capture a different serial killer each week. Most of each episode is the weekly serial killer capture which isn't too far off from other killer capture shows with a slight tweak of knowing the identity from the start (and some of these prisoners have officially been put to death), but it's possible that uncovering a particular military secret and/or coverup [of something other than the prison's existence] will be a larger side plot.
(I'm not holding my breath that we'll see anyone from this prison actually be 'fixed' or not be a stereotypical danger to those they encounter. It could be possible that someone will want a fresh start to life and won't go on killing spree, but the premise just isn't forewarning that possibility.)
The last episode of Severance really did a number on me. Phenomenal hour of television.
I also watched the 11 minute sneak peak of Wheel of Time season 3. A lot of folks seem to be loving it and saying it's as good as the show has ever been, for me it was a 6 out of 10 🤷🏻♀️ Pretty though! And I'm no less excited for the new season.
I also watched the 11 minute sneak peak of Wheel of Time season 3. A lot of folks seem to be loving it and saying it's as good as the show has ever been, for me it was a 6 out of 10 🤷🏻♀️ Pretty though! And I'm no less excited for the new season.
I haven't binged anything this week, again. I did get around to watching the first two episodes of Watson. So far I'm not impressed. It is a medical drama which, for some reason, has a Sherlock Holmes connection. The cases are (as expected) over the top. The characters are also a bit of a weak spot for me, especially Morris Chestnut as Watson which is unfortunate. The one potentially interesting choice is their Moriarty.
I'll give it one or two more episodes since I'm not watching much else that's airing week to week.
Speaking of, I have only seen the first episode of Reacher. Solid start. I'll always miss the cast from previous seasons though.
I think I haven't mentioned this season of Mayfair Witches yet. I have no idea how blind I was during the first season. This show is really bad. I thought S1 was fine, weirdly entertaining and I enjoyed it. S2? So bad. The episodes without Lasher are watchable, but the beginning of the season and the most recent episode? Wow. The funny thing is, I've seen people online say that S2 is an improvement...
I'll give it one or two more episodes since I'm not watching much else that's airing week to week.
Speaking of, I have only seen the first episode of Reacher. Solid start. I'll always miss the cast from previous seasons though.
I think I haven't mentioned this season of Mayfair Witches yet. I have no idea how blind I was during the first season. This show is really bad. I thought S1 was fine, weirdly entertaining and I enjoyed it. S2? So bad. The episodes without Lasher are watchable, but the beginning of the season and the most recent episode? Wow. The funny thing is, I've seen people online say that S2 is an improvement...
Oh, I hadn't heard that we might have just seen the end of Vienna Blood. That would be too bad, but I could see how it might work as a series finale.
Finished the last season of Billions -- very satisfying! I think the show had run its course so I was fine with it ending but the last episode was perfect at wrapping everything up in a good way. I wish there were more of this type of show out there. I really like stories about equally gifted opponents outsmarting one another.
Finished Your Honor, which went to a variety of places I wouldn't have guessed from the first episode. It was an intricate plot weaving together culpability and revenge. But it too had a very satisfying finale. (Both Showtime shows via Paramount+)
Watched Sly Lives on Hulu. On the one hand, had the usual pattern of self-destructing celebrity. It had an interesting early part about his initial years. The saddest moral to come out of it is how little performers can trust business people -- either to do right by them or to have the needed skills and insight to do so.
At one point a former manager said that no one could see the value of hanging on to his music rights, because there wasn't a market for songs in movies or TV. This seemed utter bullshit. Pop songs had been used in advertising (abroad if not in the U.S.), and were usually limited more from the performers not wanting to seem like commercial sellouts than because there was no market. For example an incredibly successful one was done by Carly Simon in 1973 from her 1971 album title track. What's more the doc itself shows Sly having a song on the Soul Man soundtrack.
The other claim was that older artists rarely knew when their works were sampled in new pop or rap songs. That may be true as the legal case against 2 Live Crew wasn't until 1992, but earlier uses didn't compensate the original performers so that wasn't much of an argument for holding onto song rights.
Ultimately the doc wasn't a must-see to me because it left out so much about Sly's life. Only at the end do three kids appear to discuss him as their father and only then is it revealed that one of them was by his bandmate.
Watched a bit more of various shows such as All Creatures and Ghosts (US), and am up to S6 of L.A.Law.
Finished Your Honor, which went to a variety of places I wouldn't have guessed from the first episode. It was an intricate plot weaving together culpability and revenge. But it too had a very satisfying finale. (Both Showtime shows via Paramount+)
Watched Sly Lives on Hulu. On the one hand, had the usual pattern of self-destructing celebrity. It had an interesting early part about his initial years. The saddest moral to come out of it is how little performers can trust business people -- either to do right by them or to have the needed skills and insight to do so.
At one point a former manager said that no one could see the value of hanging on to his music rights, because there wasn't a market for songs in movies or TV. This seemed utter bullshit. Pop songs had been used in advertising (abroad if not in the U.S.), and were usually limited more from the performers not wanting to seem like commercial sellouts than because there was no market. For example an incredibly successful one was done by Carly Simon in 1973 from her 1971 album title track. What's more the doc itself shows Sly having a song on the Soul Man soundtrack.
The other claim was that older artists rarely knew when their works were sampled in new pop or rap songs. That may be true as the legal case against 2 Live Crew wasn't until 1992, but earlier uses didn't compensate the original performers so that wasn't much of an argument for holding onto song rights.
Ultimately the doc wasn't a must-see to me because it left out so much about Sly's life. Only at the end do three kids appear to discuss him as their father and only then is it revealed that one of them was by his bandmate.
Watched a bit more of various shows such as All Creatures and Ghosts (US), and am up to S6 of L.A.Law.
I'm with you on Watson. It has not impressed me and actually, it feels a bit like a House reboot but with Watson instead of Sherlock (house), but I am not finding the characters all that interesting. Shinwell seems very out of place to me too. I can't pin point why exactly except that he seems a bit over the top.
Billions was so good! Such a smart clever show. I had very little interest in stock trading or politics etc but the show was so well done with its twists and turns it kept me interested the whole series.
Reacher - first three eps of S3 which were good, but I didn't realise at first it was going to be weekly eps. I would have waited to binge it lol
Hudson & Rex - was very saddened to hear about the passing of Diesel vom Burgimwald, who played Rex. What a great animal actor he was! This week's ep was ok but a bit lacking, as Charlie wasn't in it and I don't think Sarah can carry an episode on her own.
The Crow Girl - uk series, pretty good but was a bit predictable.
Chicago PD - I've been watching the entire series, from s1 on. Up to Season 6 this week. It's my least favourite of the Chicago series, the only one I don't watch week to week right now (as I am so far behind), but its good background noise tv to put on when I don't want to pay 100% attention.
otherwise its just been the normal weekly stuff, nothing noteworthy though.
Hudson & Rex - was very saddened to hear about the passing of Diesel vom Burgimwald, who played Rex. What a great animal actor he was! This week's ep was ok but a bit lacking, as Charlie wasn't in it and I don't think Sarah can carry an episode on her own.
The Crow Girl - uk series, pretty good but was a bit predictable.
Chicago PD - I've been watching the entire series, from s1 on. Up to Season 6 this week. It's my least favourite of the Chicago series, the only one I don't watch week to week right now (as I am so far behind), but its good background noise tv to put on when I don't want to pay 100% attention.
otherwise its just been the normal weekly stuff, nothing noteworthy though.
Edited 2025-02-23 00:37 (UTC)
I'm in a television slump? Nothing is really grabbing me?
Tried:
* Severance - I can't get past Episode 3 for some reason. My attention keeps wandering, and I get bored and find myself playing on my phone, on the internet, or doing something else while its playing in the background. I think it may be because this is a work place satire, and those rarely work for me? Also I don't like the lead actor. And I figured it out pretty quickly (because I've seen and read a lot of similar things). There's a post elsewhere on this site that explains what it is about - a whole lot better than I can here. (In the US - it's on AppleTV)
* Poker Face - it is getting a second season (surprise, surprise). Season 1 aired in 2023. It's streaming on Peacock. It reminds me a lot of Columbo. And is kind of a subversive take on the "fugitive helps people on the road trope", in that people are initially kind of nasty to the lead, and they become nice to the lead - after the lead starts helping solve the murder or crime. I'd say it is "fugitive helps people on the road" meets "Murder She Wrote" by way of "Columbo". It made me miss Columbo - now I want to track down Columbo and watch it. (The 1960s-90s had some of the best mystery and detective series, now? We get serial killers in all of them. This one is interesting because - it's back to the parlor room mystery set up - and no serial killers or rapists in sight.)
Also the fugitive is from the Mob not the cops. But she can't go to either - because the mob has painted her as the bad guy - and both are kind of after her.
Why so long between seasons? Ah - apparently it's because they jump around the US and film on location, and that takes a lot of time. Instead of filming in studios, they actually film on locations. The first two episodes appeared to take place in Nevada. I will most likely go back to this one. It's short and episodic, and easy to jump in and out of at random.
* Ginny and Georgia (I keep wanting to call it Ginny and Frannie) - it's on Netflix, highly popular. I couldn't get past the first episode. I think I'm the wrong demographic? A lot of Netflix's programming tends to be geared towards 16-35 for the most part, with a few exceptions. So it's a bit too young for me. And I found the older characters to be grating.
* Emily in Paris - See Ginny and Georgia. It is trying to be like Sex in the City except in Paris, but it doesn't work for me. Actually few of Darren Star's television shows have? I can't get past the first episode without my attention wandering.
* The Waitress -The Musical - this is the filmed Broadway Musical adaptation of the movie the Waitress. Sara Bareilles, the singer/songwriter/actress - decided to adapt the Waitress into a musical and managed to get someone to produce it and put it on Broadway with her in the lead role. Then they filmed the Broadway production. It's on HBO Max, I was surprised to find it there of all places. It's not very good. I eventually gave up on it.
I remember thinking at the time - this is not a good idea for a musical adaptation. It has problematic subject material - it's about a Waitress who loves to bake and create pies in a diner, as a means of escaping her abusive marriage. Upon discovering she's pregnant, she visit her gynecologist - and it turns out the gynecologist retired, and has been replaced by a new doctor, a hot young male doctor, and they fall in love and have a romance. So basically she's being abused by her husband, is pregnant, and is now having sex with her gynecologist in his office, and this is depicted on stage with songs filtered throughout. I expected the songs to be better than they were? They are not memorable. The actors try hard - but it doesn't work. (I wish they'd film the better Broadway shows, or the award winners?)
Re-watching:
* Northern Exposure reruns on Prime. It doesn't hold up well, and I gave up after the fourth episode. It doesn't work for a Post Me#Too audience, nor does it work on the POC or Native American level - it kind of uses the Native Americans as comic relief. And well, it's 1990s? So forget about LGBTA, nothing on television prior to roughly 2000 handled homosexuality well. Some did better than others, but not well. (I did watch it off and on up to the fourth season in the 1990s, when it went off the rails, and I gave up.)
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1 - on Hulu (this is among the few 1990s shows that actually holds up, mainly because it aired in 1997-2003, and the writers were busy subverting and commenting on the problematic tropes of the 1990s and 80s and 1970s television series that they grew up with and had issues with. That's not to say it's perfect - it's problematic too in spots - but that's partly due to the network executives, who were influencing casting choices and story direction.) Buffy was among the first series to feature a lesbian romance with a major character. And had the female character be super-strong and the hero, not the male character - he was a sidekick with no powers and constantly having to be saved - a major reversal for 20th century television.
***
Oh, early in the week - I managed to see all of the Oscar nominated animated films. The best by far was "Flow" which is a French film, and independent, with no words or no dialogue, just meow, bark, chirp, animal sounds, and music. It's truly a beautiful film and is currently on HBO MAX in the US. I may watch it again - I loved it. It's about a courageous but loner cat surviving in a post-apocalyptic world - and finding a way to work with other animals to survive a flood.
The others? Memoir of a Snail stuck with me, although I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend it to anyone? It's an uncomfortable film, and by no means beautiful - kind of ugly actually and rather dark. It's an Australian film - takes place in Canberra. And is stop motion claymation, with glass. It is not about a snail. (I thought it was, and was unpleasantly surprised.) It's about a lonely Australian woman who perceives herself as a snail, and is telling her life story. It does end well. But, it's not a kid's film - it's R-rated, and it deserves its rating. Also biting satire, with a lot of dark humor and kind of offensive in spots? I can see why it was nominated - it's definitely innovative. It's $4.99 on Prime, and I think on AMC+ for free, issued by IFC films.
And then there's Wild Robot, which is also a beautiful film, it's for kids. I liked Flow better, although they are very different films. Robot is by Dreamworks and distributed by Universal so not an independent. You can see it on Peacock in the US. Robot's animated style is similar to Flow's and is the closest to Flow in style, but alas, has talking animals, so very Disney in that respect. Flow is the only film that didn't employ a lot of known voice actors. It employed actors - to voice the animal sounds. Someone did a meow.
Inside Out 2 - isn't as good as Inside Out 1 (also I think you need to see Inside Out 1 to understand it?)- but I think it grabbed folks due to "Anxiety" being the villain. The film is about anxiety and coping with it, as a teen girl going through puberty. It's on Disney + in the US.
Finally Wallace and Grommit: Vengeance Most Fowl - it's better than Memoir of a Snail, in regards to the stop motion animation. (Or I enjoyed it more. But I've seen better Wallace and Grommit's and this is by no means the best of the series.) Also independent. But I liked Flow better, not that they are at all comparable - very different films in multiple ways. Only thing they have in common is they are both animated.
Tried:
* Severance - I can't get past Episode 3 for some reason. My attention keeps wandering, and I get bored and find myself playing on my phone, on the internet, or doing something else while its playing in the background. I think it may be because this is a work place satire, and those rarely work for me? Also I don't like the lead actor. And I figured it out pretty quickly (because I've seen and read a lot of similar things). There's a post elsewhere on this site that explains what it is about - a whole lot better than I can here. (In the US - it's on AppleTV)
* Poker Face - it is getting a second season (surprise, surprise). Season 1 aired in 2023. It's streaming on Peacock. It reminds me a lot of Columbo. And is kind of a subversive take on the "fugitive helps people on the road trope", in that people are initially kind of nasty to the lead, and they become nice to the lead - after the lead starts helping solve the murder or crime. I'd say it is "fugitive helps people on the road" meets "Murder She Wrote" by way of "Columbo". It made me miss Columbo - now I want to track down Columbo and watch it. (The 1960s-90s had some of the best mystery and detective series, now? We get serial killers in all of them. This one is interesting because - it's back to the parlor room mystery set up - and no serial killers or rapists in sight.)
Also the fugitive is from the Mob not the cops. But she can't go to either - because the mob has painted her as the bad guy - and both are kind of after her.
Why so long between seasons? Ah - apparently it's because they jump around the US and film on location, and that takes a lot of time. Instead of filming in studios, they actually film on locations. The first two episodes appeared to take place in Nevada. I will most likely go back to this one. It's short and episodic, and easy to jump in and out of at random.
* Ginny and Georgia (I keep wanting to call it Ginny and Frannie) - it's on Netflix, highly popular. I couldn't get past the first episode. I think I'm the wrong demographic? A lot of Netflix's programming tends to be geared towards 16-35 for the most part, with a few exceptions. So it's a bit too young for me. And I found the older characters to be grating.
* Emily in Paris - See Ginny and Georgia. It is trying to be like Sex in the City except in Paris, but it doesn't work for me. Actually few of Darren Star's television shows have? I can't get past the first episode without my attention wandering.
* The Waitress -The Musical - this is the filmed Broadway Musical adaptation of the movie the Waitress. Sara Bareilles, the singer/songwriter/actress - decided to adapt the Waitress into a musical and managed to get someone to produce it and put it on Broadway with her in the lead role. Then they filmed the Broadway production. It's on HBO Max, I was surprised to find it there of all places. It's not very good. I eventually gave up on it.
I remember thinking at the time - this is not a good idea for a musical adaptation. It has problematic subject material - it's about a Waitress who loves to bake and create pies in a diner, as a means of escaping her abusive marriage. Upon discovering she's pregnant, she visit her gynecologist - and it turns out the gynecologist retired, and has been replaced by a new doctor, a hot young male doctor, and they fall in love and have a romance. So basically she's being abused by her husband, is pregnant, and is now having sex with her gynecologist in his office, and this is depicted on stage with songs filtered throughout. I expected the songs to be better than they were? They are not memorable. The actors try hard - but it doesn't work. (I wish they'd film the better Broadway shows, or the award winners?)
Re-watching:
* Northern Exposure reruns on Prime. It doesn't hold up well, and I gave up after the fourth episode. It doesn't work for a Post Me#Too audience, nor does it work on the POC or Native American level - it kind of uses the Native Americans as comic relief. And well, it's 1990s? So forget about LGBTA, nothing on television prior to roughly 2000 handled homosexuality well. Some did better than others, but not well. (I did watch it off and on up to the fourth season in the 1990s, when it went off the rails, and I gave up.)
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1 - on Hulu (this is among the few 1990s shows that actually holds up, mainly because it aired in 1997-2003, and the writers were busy subverting and commenting on the problematic tropes of the 1990s and 80s and 1970s television series that they grew up with and had issues with. That's not to say it's perfect - it's problematic too in spots - but that's partly due to the network executives, who were influencing casting choices and story direction.) Buffy was among the first series to feature a lesbian romance with a major character. And had the female character be super-strong and the hero, not the male character - he was a sidekick with no powers and constantly having to be saved - a major reversal for 20th century television.
***
Oh, early in the week - I managed to see all of the Oscar nominated animated films. The best by far was "Flow" which is a French film, and independent, with no words or no dialogue, just meow, bark, chirp, animal sounds, and music. It's truly a beautiful film and is currently on HBO MAX in the US. I may watch it again - I loved it. It's about a courageous but loner cat surviving in a post-apocalyptic world - and finding a way to work with other animals to survive a flood.
The others? Memoir of a Snail stuck with me, although I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend it to anyone? It's an uncomfortable film, and by no means beautiful - kind of ugly actually and rather dark. It's an Australian film - takes place in Canberra. And is stop motion claymation, with glass. It is not about a snail. (I thought it was, and was unpleasantly surprised.) It's about a lonely Australian woman who perceives herself as a snail, and is telling her life story. It does end well. But, it's not a kid's film - it's R-rated, and it deserves its rating. Also biting satire, with a lot of dark humor and kind of offensive in spots? I can see why it was nominated - it's definitely innovative. It's $4.99 on Prime, and I think on AMC+ for free, issued by IFC films.
And then there's Wild Robot, which is also a beautiful film, it's for kids. I liked Flow better, although they are very different films. Robot is by Dreamworks and distributed by Universal so not an independent. You can see it on Peacock in the US. Robot's animated style is similar to Flow's and is the closest to Flow in style, but alas, has talking animals, so very Disney in that respect. Flow is the only film that didn't employ a lot of known voice actors. It employed actors - to voice the animal sounds. Someone did a meow.
Inside Out 2 - isn't as good as Inside Out 1 (also I think you need to see Inside Out 1 to understand it?)- but I think it grabbed folks due to "Anxiety" being the villain. The film is about anxiety and coping with it, as a teen girl going through puberty. It's on Disney + in the US.
Finally Wallace and Grommit: Vengeance Most Fowl - it's better than Memoir of a Snail, in regards to the stop motion animation. (Or I enjoyed it more. But I've seen better Wallace and Grommit's and this is by no means the best of the series.) Also independent. But I liked Flow better, not that they are at all comparable - very different films in multiple ways. Only thing they have in common is they are both animated.
Edited 2025-02-23 03:53 (UTC)
I completely agree on The Pitt - I loved that. That's the last good television series I've seen.
Okay where did you find The Apothecary Diaries?
The Girl with the Needle - I'm going to have to look up to figure out what it is about, because now I'm curious. But I don't think I want to see it. I did see it somewhere while looking about, and gave it a pass, most likely because the description and trailer was distressing.
This reminds me of how I felt about the animated film Memoir of a Snail - I couldn't stop watching, but not sure I'd rec it to anyone.
Okay where did you find The Apothecary Diaries?
The Girl with the Needle - I'm going to have to look up to figure out what it is about, because now I'm curious. But I don't think I want to see it. I did see it somewhere while looking about, and gave it a pass, most likely because the description and trailer was distressing.
This reminds me of how I felt about the animated film Memoir of a Snail - I couldn't stop watching, but not sure I'd rec it to anyone.
Hmm, thanks for the review of Mo, been flirting with it. I think it's on Netflix here, I have to remember where I saw it. Also White Lotus S3, I'm flirting with because I love the cast. S2 bored me, so we'll see - but I also did not like S2's cast that much. I tried S1 and gave up early on. So not sure it's for me.
I have to get back to Yellowjackets - I've only seen S1, haven't made it back - because I had dropped Showtime, but now Showtime is included with Prime, also I think Yellowjackets is also streaming on Netflix.
I have to get back to Yellowjackets - I've only seen S1, haven't made it back - because I had dropped Showtime, but now Showtime is included with Prime, also I think Yellowjackets is also streaming on Netflix.
That's good to hear, I kinda got worried but I feel a bit better about it now.. not that I've got Disney+ to watch it! 😭
I do like the Christmas episodes of Doctor Who though. Twice Upon a Time is still one of my big favorites, ehehe.
I do like the Christmas episodes of Doctor Who though. Twice Upon a Time is still one of my big favorites, ehehe.
I'm still slowly catching up on Leverage and rewatching Twin Peaks.
I've started a new anime, "Raven of the Inner Palace", I like it for now.
I visited my sister this week and so I could see what my niblings are watching these days. "Mermaid Magic" was... Well I got the feeling it's exclusively designed to sell to little girls and there's nothing personal in the story. It's not objectively bad but it feels empty to me.
"Oum the white dolphin" is repetitive and quite naive in tackling serious issues.
"Nate is late" is still one of my fave shows for elementary school kids.
I've started a new anime, "Raven of the Inner Palace", I like it for now.
I visited my sister this week and so I could see what my niblings are watching these days. "Mermaid Magic" was... Well I got the feeling it's exclusively designed to sell to little girls and there's nothing personal in the story. It's not objectively bad but it feels empty to me.
"Oum the white dolphin" is repetitive and quite naive in tackling serious issues.
"Nate is late" is still one of my fave shows for elementary school kids.
I didn't hear about this until recently, but as of June 2024, Endor Productions announced it will close and "will focus exclusively on the completion of current productions". I'm not familiar with the books, but I thought S4 covered the last book (with the author not currently talking about publishing more). Neither of these rule out a different production company/network picking the show up or original material taking the place of a book adaption in possible future seasons, but I haven't heard of anyone specifically talking about a rescue.
Good luck! If you want any content warnings, let me know \o
The Apothecary Diaries is on Crunchyroll for me :D
The Girl with the Needle is up for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars! I do think the trailer does a good job of showing what the general tone of the movie is without giving too much away. It's based on a true story as well so you can definitely find more information about its subject matter online.
The Girl with the Needle is up for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars! I do think the trailer does a good job of showing what the general tone of the movie is without giving too much away. It's based on a true story as well so you can definitely find more information about its subject matter online.
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