The tangled mess that is my love for TV shows and mini-series, all bundled up in one neat category.
I’ve been watching a ton of Korean dramas this spring — so many of the classics have been on German Netflix for a while, and they’re now also adding shows produced in 2020 and 2021, so I have a looong list still to go. Here’s my ranking of what I’ve watched so far.
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SOLOS is about 8 people, from different times but the same universe. Eight people who drift together or apart, who are tied up together in the fabric of space. Each episode stars one person, only the finale features two. Each protagonist has someone to play off of, either themselves in a double role, or sometimes, an AI companion, a disembodied voice. Each performance is stellar, and each script is tangled up in speculative fiction tropes. Time travel, humans and bots, space and the advancements of technology. The good ones, and the bad ones.
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Why casting a Black man rather than a smug-ish prick white guy in the role of the famous French gentleman burglar is timely social commentary and adds a much needed layer of depth to the aspect of disguise and social stealth & playing roles.
Warning: the end of this post contains spoilers for the cliffhanger of the series!
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In Season 4 of The Bold Type, the writers manage to build up and then summarily destroy the credibility and joy of its bisexual protagonist, Kat Edison, by neglecting the intersections of race, class, and queer identity at every turn.
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The Queen’s Gambit is an American drama television mini-series based on Walter Tevis’s novel of the same name, starring Anya Taylor-Joy. It was created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott and premiered internationally on Netflix in October, 2020.
Let’s do things differently this time. Let’s start with the ending.
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How the French crime/horror drama series gleefully subverts key moments & concepts from the 90s cult show as it flirts with the genre and parallels.
Warning: contains major spoilers for Season 1, minor spoilers for Season 2, of Black Spot; as well as for Twin Peaks.
1. The new district attorney, Siriani arriving in town — tall trees, fog, grey skies. For a moment, it could be déjà vu. It’s could be Agent Cooper’s arrival in Twin Peaks. But where Coop’s first appearance and entrance into that small Washington town, extended and filmed from the passenger seat, was by far the most peaceful of his experience, the DA’s car stops without warning before we ever meet him. He has to get out. He has no reception, but there is a telephone pole just down the road, vandalised. A thing fallen out of time, just like so much in Twin Peaks — like so much in Villefranche; like the town entry sign that is as quaint as can be.
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So, what happened was that Series 10 so far has been really solid mystery storytelling, and I’ve been enjoying it a lot. And then, apparently, Steven Moffat had an idea for a blockbuster. Continue reading →
Doctor Who Series 10 is shaping up to be a true mystery series — rather than the only challenge being to outsmart an obvious villain, a lot of work is being done by Bill and the Doctor to figure out what they’re even fighting and/or running away from. In these two episodes from early May, that set of challenges comes in the shape of a haunted house and murderous capitalist spacesuits, respectively. Continue reading →
In another exceedingly solid mystery episode, the Doctor and Bill save the London Frost Fair of 1814 from turning into a watery grave. Continue reading →
In this episode, the Doctor breaks his vow: he goes off-world, taking Bill into the future — into a brave new world in which everyone must be happy. Or else. Continue reading →
So here we are, back for some proper Sci-Fi after a long, long time of living the slow path. I was skeptical after Series 9, but: I really liked it? I think it’s gonna be a good final series for Peter Capaldi? And Bill — oh, Bill. She’s the best. Continue reading →
On April 26th, Hulu is premiering the first episode of its TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s prize-winning novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. Frankly, an extensive adaptation of that work couldn’t have come at a better time, and while it’s horrifying that it’s necessary, I’m nonetheless looking forward to it. The Handmaid’s Tale is an excellent novel telling a compelling story; and there’s a reason why now’s the time to tell it. Continue reading →
Crime and Relative Dimension in Space 