The new Black Mirror is good. I wont say its a return to form but it is bleaker and more British, which addresses a lot of recent criticism.
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Two episodes in on this season, I agree. Itās not at its best, but the last season felt like the episodes were sorely underbaked and the pilots downright nonsensical or dull (or both). The first one was very good, if a bit convoluted. The second one was meh, but had one great moment I found out about online that added a meta layer to things. Still, even that one was still a massive improvement over the Aaron Paul space one. That was just yikes.
Curious to see us return to the Callister. That was a favorite episode before.
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Black Mirror. Common People was predictable and a little by rote after six previous seasons, and, er, Netflix doing exactly the same thing for years. A āwhat if your nan ran on batteriesā sort of dilemma that the show has been doing for a while now. This is followed by Bete Noire which leaves a little to be desired, but every complaint can be answered by the central MacGuffin. Neat, but cheap. Hotel Reverie was a lot of fun, but also youāre not getting a film out of that process, not least because the central actress needs prompts to act. Plaything was okay and nothing more. Eulogy was excellent, Giamatti hauling almost the entire episode on his rounded shoulders. Into Infinity still has the same interesting central concept, but then makes sure it makes no sense at all by the end.
Iām a little baffled how the show is so technologically ignorant for a show about how technology is affecting us. Itās still too generic (compare Common People to an episode like National Anthem), and has softened appreciably, probably to appeal to a wider audience.
Andor S2. Iām happy with it. While a certain story thread went on an episode too long, the rest of it is wonderful and Iām overjoyed at the way the series has returned; hijinks in a hijacked TIE fighter, the benefits of a fascist girlfriend, embezzling the easy way, you name it, Iām on board and loving it, to say nothing of the great cast and music.
The Last of Us S2. Dangerously close to having a competent response to a zombie attack, only for it to be promptly ruined by utter and complete stupidity. Fucking write-off.
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Really enjoying the new Jon Hamm one on Apple TV+
Flowers. A very dark, funny, touching comedy about a severely odd family, brilliantly depicted by Olivia Colman, Julian Barratt, and a fantastic Will Sharpe, amongst a wholly excellent cast. Awkward, poignant, ridiculous, but relentlessly amusing. Watching Barrattās depressed author fumble his way through social interactions and half-heart everything with his family, as the eccentrics pile into each scene and complicate everything further is a delight.
If I wanted anything else from this series, itās to watch Forrest Whitaker go fucking mental as Saw Gerrera, and I have had my wish fulfilled.
Fully agreed on Black Mirror. No longer the edgy show that it once was and in fact has fallen so far as to be aptly described as boring as fuck. Idgaf about any of the characters and the ātechā lacks imagination.
Also a disappointment is the Apple TV+ show The Studio, which is predictably being fawned over by critics far and wide. Meanwhile Iām over here wanting to absolutely drown Seth Rogan in a puddle of flaming gasoline, cause Geezus FUCK that guy is irritating. Also the show is also boring.
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Godfather of Harlem. This has some surprisingly soft edges for a series around a crime lord, and feels more like a re-telling of feel-good mythology around Bumpy Johnson and co. Itās an interesting setting, but none of the actors are really up to playing their characters (Malcolm X in particular), and they shuffle in and out with little presence; Whitaker is solid but even stalwarts like Luis Guzman, Giancarlo Esposito, and Vincent DāOnofrio, are punching well below their weight; the fairly low average standard makes me believe itās more of a production issue than an acting one.
Iād also like to point out actors like Chazz Palminteri and Paul Sorvino have been playing crime bosses longer than those crime bosses were around.
Common Side Effects. Finally got around to the last episode, and itās a corker. Visuals that I havenāt seen the like of since Akira or Paprika, a wonderful story, and an excellent sense of humour, all wrapped up in a deepening sense of connection. No notes.
Andor has effectively cemented itself as the best Star War series, and itās not close.
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Started watching Andor on the plane todayā¦. Season 1.
Super fun, but holy cow it was slow to get cranking. Like 5 episodes before we got going?
Still lots to learn about old mate I am sureā¦.
Love the authoritarian regime vibe!
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Season 2 is similar. Starts slow (first couple eps jumped storylines wayyyy too much) but when it got going, it got going.
Arch?
Mischievous, trying to be funny.
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Learned something new today. Britishāism, I assume?
How dare you, sir.
No longer in common usage, though, certainly.
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Knew the first. TiL the second and third lol
I was also disappointed by the tone. There is a certain level of humor in the books, but the overall tone there is serious, even brutal at times, which makes the moments of humor more enjoyable. The TV series appears to want to be humor-forward. I can only assume they audience-tested the crap out of it before settling on the humor tone.
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Iām afraid of that, but I also know Iāve tried and failed for years to get my kids to read the books, and they seem interested in the trailers. So Iāll rejoin Apple TV+ when the seasonās out, and give it a go. Iād love the tone of the books in TV form, but a goofier show I can enjoy with my teens would also be a treasure.
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Finally wrapped up Andor.
I was secretly hoping for a Jedi in disguise somewhere and was sorely disappointed.
Is there anything that comes after this?
I often feel this way about every day life : )
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Thatās a shame, as the background universe is distinctly dark. Grim, even. The books balance this out as all the focus is on PreservationAux, a benign and humane society, but I agree you need the contrast for the stories to work.
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