Speak Up Saturday

[feurioo]

Welcome to the weekly roundup post! What are you watching this week? What are you excited about?

Comments

[shadowkat]

Excited about checking out:

1. Andor S2 - finally going to start watching it.

2. Department Q on Netflix - starring Mathew Goode as a down on his luck grumpy Scotland Yard Detective - it's gotten weird reviews. The critics seem to love it.

3. Captain America: Brave New World - the movie.

4. The Last Showgirl - on Hulu.

***

Currently watching as episodes drop:

Murderbot on Apple + - which I'm really enjoying. Alexander Skarsgaard is perfect casting, and I loved the books, but read them long enough ago, that it appears to me at least that it's following the books fairly closely.

***

Former series

* Buffy the Vampire Slayer - almost done with S2. Just finished Killed By Death. Take-aways from my re-watch? Xander is a problematic character who really doesn't age well, but is at the same time a complex commentary not to mention subversion of a problematic and popular 20th Century trope - the nerdy guy who feels he should be paired with the hot cheerleader. Buffy does an excellent job of showing how toxic that trope truly is from various angles. It really deconstructs the heterosexual male nerdy guy who thinks he deserves sex (aka the incel), and it's the first television series or film to truly do it and do it well. This is a ground-breaking series, it did things no one else did back then, and it got away with it - because it was on a back lot at the WB, a start-up network, and no one was paying that much attention.

Other take-aways? The pairing of Angel,Dru,and Spike was gold. They hit gold with those three anti-heros/villains. The casting, the writing, everything just sparks. I can't take my eyes off them and rewind whenever they are on. And it's not just one thing - it really is the music (Translyvania Concubine is the song Dru asks for in one episode and it is pitch perfect for her), the set design, the makeup, (Marsters hair is bleached white and it was a painful process repeated every eight days and he wears eyeliner and mascara, and a black trench duster, red shirt, and black t-shirt - he looks amazing), the stunts, the writing - one liners and dialogue you want to quote back.

This is truly the rare series that stands the test of time. I couldn't make it through a re-watch of Northern Exposure done during the same time period, and struggled with Ally McBeal. But this one works.

****

Old Movie - The Four Seasons by Alan Alda, staring Alda, Carol Burnett, Jack Weston, Rita Moreno, Sandy Dennis, Bess Armstrong, and Len Cariou. 1981.

It's better than Fey's Netflix series of the same name, loosely adapted from it. For one thing, the characters aren't as wealthy and more relatable. They carpool, often crammed into small cars with each other. And the sight gags in this one are hilarious. Also Will Fort and Tina Fey can't compete with Alan Alda and Carol Burnett in the comedy department. I laugh and feel joy just watching Alda and Burnett laugh, which they do with their whole bodies.

Yes, it is dated in places - it aired in 1981. But for the most part it works and dates fairly well. I'd say it works better in some respects than it's successor.

[jo]

I checked out the first episode of a new detective show called Death Valley that the Guardian said would appeal to fans of Ludwig. I wasn't entirely sold after the first episode, but admittedly was a bit distracted, so maybe that was more a me thing. I will try another episode or two to see if things improve.

I also watched a 3-part documentary on the 1980s Tylenol murders, Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders.

Yesterday I watched the first ep of the new adaptation of the Jussi Adler Olsen Department Q novels, Dept. Q and LOVED it. Can't wait to watch the rest.

Other than that, it was Criminal Minds Evolution, Leverage, Murderbot, baseball and tennis. I'm taking two weeks off in July so that I can watch Wimbledon all day.

Also found out that season 4 of Star Trek Strange New Worlds starts July 17, so really looking forward to that!

[violateraindrop]

Change of plans. I caught up on my other currently airing shows (which are now over lol), but haven't started Poker Face. I still had a bit of Netflix time left. I went with The Residence and I'm halfway through the season. I love it! I don't think I've seen Uzo Aduba in anything so far, but she is so awesome in this and I love her wardrobe/suit. The whole cast is great. Apparently, the show is not doing as well internationally as it is in the US. Allegedly due to the setting, but it doesn't feel too America-centric at all? I mean, the setting is "state dinner" and that would be a big deal everywhere.

The second season of The Last of Us has ended. The season ends on a huge cliffhanger, but we all know that the show will continue. This season did not feel as consistent in quality as the first one, but definitely had some well-written, well-acted, and well-shot scenes/episodes. I don't want to complain, because it was still great. S1 just set the bar very high.

spoilers

I wouldn't say it was the lack of Joel, no matter how much I missed him. To me, everything regarding Ellie's and Dina's relationship felt a bit off.

Bella is a great actor. So I feel like they should be able to carry the show. The hate they get online though? Absolutely unreal.

The start of the upcoming season (as suggested by the very last scene) will probably be the three days in Seattle from Abby's POV. I'm kinda hoping that will only be one episode, probably without any of the other main characters. I'm not really looking forward to that, but maybe we'll get more Jeffrey Wright.
I hope we won't have to wait for too long since S3 should be a direct continuation of S2 (even partially runs parallel to it).

The Handmaid's Tale is over after six seasons. In a way I still can't believe that it went on for this long when only S1 covered the book. A lot of this final season felt a bit empty, like nothing really happened. Then everything happened at once during the last few episodes...

spoilers

I kind want to applaud them for not redeeming Nick and even running with him being just as bad as all the other Commanders as long as he is not doing things for June. The fact that he died on that plane while fulfilling some shitty duty when Lawrence sacrificed himself for Mayday was a bit poetic. They did a cheesy flashback in the finale, but I suppose June is allowed to have conflicting feelings about the father of her child dying.

I'm not too happy about June explicitly saying "I forgive you" to Serena. Yes, she was the bigger person, but Serena proved over and over again that she doesn't deserve it. She was always on the Gilead bullshit, even on the train at the beginning of the season when it nearly cost her her life and son. She was one of the few true believers. I mean, the Commanders obviously weren't. They just liked this system that was oppressing women and benefiting them. For me, she was always the worst character. Serena was one of the builders of Gilead (without getting any credit!) and had a couple of opportunities to break out, but never did. She was also portrayed as a very intelligent woman which in this religious context is another point against her imo.

I'm not sure I love how the show ended. There is so much left open, so many threats that still exist. I really would have liked it if the show ended with June hugging Hannah. I have no idea what will happen in The Testaments, so that's probably why that kind of ending wasn't possible or rather a completely closed ending wasn't possible anyway.

That said, the last 10-15 minutes were a bit strange with June returning to the Waterford house, her place of pure torture. It was a nice touch that they added the opening words (at least that's what I read in a recap^^) from episode 1.

I was very happy to see Emily again, even if it was just for a few scenes. Alexis Bledel was so good on the show.
June burning her awful red robe was also an awesome moment. But it was an odd choice to put her in teal for the scenes at the Waterford house when there are plenty of colors not associated with Gilead.

[tinny]

HPI! Three out of four eps of season five have now aired, and I adored every single one of them. One ep to go before a longer break until September.

Tout Va Bien (2023) (English title "Everything is Fine"). Um, I know I said I'd watch this over the summer, but then it sucked me in and I watched all eight eps this week. (I knew if I stopped, I wouldn't finish it, because the subject matter is dark.) It's about a family dealing with their child's leukemia. I only watched this because Mehdi Nebbou is in it (and he's cute and dead sexy in it so totally worth all the tears), and I liked 90% of it very much and have many thoughts about it, so I'll write up a review. It's on hulu.

Mann/Frau - I finished this 2014 youtube series of 40 5-minute eps, and by the end very much loved all the main characters. I never noticed that none of them have names, until I watched an interview with producer Christian Ulmen at the end. :D I was especially delighted by the polyamory, and by how quirky and funny (and often indecent) the dialogue was. Playlist here, only in German without subs. (The auto-generated and auto-translated subs leave a lot to be desired.)

Murderbot - I watched episodes 2 and 3 this week, after rereading the first novella. I think they're really close to the book, except that I feel like they've added some sex that wasn't in the book? Which confuses me, because Murderbot explicitly says it doesn't care for sex, so why did they think they had to add that? To annoy Murderbot (and its fans) more? I guess it's a valid trade-off between the existing Murderbot fans (who are going to watch it anyway, lets not kid ourselves) and trying to attract new fans by adding more sex. Anyway, that's a minor complaint. I like it so far.

[feurioo]

Our Unwritten Seoul was my TV surprise of the week. It's a show about two burnt-out twins--the job-hopping tomboy Mi-ji and the brainy overachiever Mi-rae--swapping their lives with each other. I hadn't planned on watching it because the premise is not exactly up my alley, but I nevertheless decided to check it out for Park Bo-young.

What I like about it:
- The complicated friends-to-lovers romance the show is teasing between Mi-ji and her friend Ho-su (the flashbacks between them are super cute, and the angst in the present becomes more understandable the more you learn about their backstory).

- Ho-su is also one of the few (or maybe the only?) ML with a disability I've seen so far in a K-drama.

- While I generally prefer my comfort K-dramas to be fluffy, this show has introduced some serious subject matter that could become truly interesting if explored with the necessary nuance. I'm really curious about episodes 3 and 4.

I also watched:
- Taskmaster AU/UK
- the new 9 Perfect Strangers episode: I was surprised by Mark Strong's German skills.
- the first two episodes of Industry S1: Not sure I'll stick with it, but it's interesting for sure!
- the first episode of Sirens: A friend spoiled me for this one, and I am no longer interested.

Movies:
- A Simple Favor: I liked the beginning, but the second half was really silly. Will watch the sequel later today.
- The Ugly Stepsister (Den stygge stesøsteren): I liked it well enough but I had hoped for far more body horror.

[sireesanwar]

There is a lot coming in June that I'm looking forward too.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4
Ginny & Georgia Season 3
Ironheart
Resident Alien Season 4


I don't know if I should be excited for the Black Dagger Brotherhood show... I mean I like the books but I don't know if the show will be worth it.