Some more of the TV I’ve been watching recently, and what I thought (or think) of it.
The Third Day (Mystery, horror, suspense)
Meh. I was wary of this from the fact that Jude Law is the main protag, but it was getting so many good reviews I thought I’d give it a go. The premise is pretty ludicrous - man trapped on some sort of island by virtue of the road by which it is approached being waterlogged, ie swamped, overnight, forcing him to remain there, for some reason, for days while his wife worries - and the story seems a poor rip-off of movies like
Children of the Corn and
The Wicker Man. You know the kind of thing: simple folk living apart from society decide for whatever reason that the old gods were best, and the old gods demand sacrifice blah blah. Gave it up after three episodes.
Status: Unknown; possibly self-contained as it’s described as a serial rather than a series. If so, then complete.
Verdict: 4/10
Vagrant Queen (Science Fiction, dark humour)
Find of the year, so of course they cancelled it. Hip, sexy, funny, topical and irreverent, like an even better Killjoys. Great acting (and bad acting which is so bad it’s great), clever storyline, good aliens, great ships (“We have a doorbell?”) and enough fun to fill a galaxy. Based on the comic series, sadly ended on a cliffhanger and was scrapped. Bastards.
Status: Cancelled
Verdict: 10/10
Resident Alien (Science Fiction, comedy)
Another real find here. Alien crashlands on Earth with a mission to wipe out humanity. Only one problem: he’s lost the destruction device he needs, and it’s winter so it’s lost in a lake of ice. He’ll have to wait till the ice thaws to find it, and meanwhile he has to pass as a human. Cue mucho hilarity as he tries to fit in, and slowly becomes assimilated into humanity - until one kid sees through his disguise, then cue mucho more hilarity.
Status: New (first season)
Verdict: 9/10
The Bridge (Crime, drama, mystery)
Most of you probably know about this series from Scandinavia. I did, too, having heard a lot about it, but I kept waiting for it to restart so I could watch it from the beginning, which I felt was essential if I was to enjoy it properly. I was right, as it happens. Four seasons of unremitting gritty crime drama, and an amazing lead character. Highly recommended.
Status: Finished
Verdict: 10/10
The Valhalla Murders (Crime, drama, mystery)
Set against the starkly beautiful backdrop of Iceland, this series carefully handles the idea of child abuse and the use of authority in a senstive way. A great story which seems to have resolved quickly, until you find it hasn’t. Very enjoyable.
Status: Finished (I think)
Verdict: 9/10
Younger (Comedy. romance)
Yeah. I was on a hiding to nothing with this one, and I knew it but gave it a shot. Woman tries to return to work at age 40 after having brought her daughter up, finds the world has changed and nobody’s interested. Stretching a suspension of disbelief almost to breaking point, she passes for 26 and suddenly everyone wants to hire her. But what of her - really - 26-year old new boyfriend? How does she get around to telling him he’s sleeping with someone who could be his mother, or at least his aunt? And how does she fit in at her age into a world of dizzy twenty-somethings whose biggest worry is how many followers they have on Twitter or Facebook or some damn thing? And does anyone care? Not me. I gave it three, four episodes, then went grumbling back to the old folks home. Kids these days, don’t know they’re born etc.
Oh, and I see it ran for - count ‘em - SEVEN seasons! Jesus!
Status: New
Verdict: 4/10
What We Do in the Shadows (Horror, Comedy)
Based on the movie, the series just makes it better. The story of three hapless vampires sharing a house who do not get on very well, and who find adjusting to life in the twenty-first century hard to say the least. Lots of laughs, and some decent storylines.
Status: Renewed for third season
Verdict: 10/10
Monsignor Renard (War, drama)
Four-part series following the return of a priest to war-torn France where he tries to keep his flock safe while still tentatively helping the Resistance against the occupying Nazi force. It’s good, and John Thaw in the title role is excellent, but it needed to be longer. Storylines begun tend to peter out and suddenly you’re looking at the end credits for the final episode and thinking is that it? Yep, it is. That’s all she wrote, folks.
Status: Finished
Verdict: 8/10
Devils (Drama, high finance, conspiracy)
It’s always the problem with shows that focus on the workings of Wall Street - hard to understand the basic concepts, though to be fair the writers here do explain some things. A decent mystery/conspiracy which has definitely legs for a second season, which has been greenlit. An Italian production, but not too much in the way of subtitles - most of it is in English.
Status: Renewed for second season
Verdict: 8/10