Category: TV

German, French, Spanish, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, Russian, Japanese, South Korean. I’ve really enjoyed the polyglot of languages on Netflix programming. (Some Americans would add the U.K. and Ireland to the list of countries whose TV programming requires subtitles.) Netflix has made international programs accessible and easy for many who previously might have shied away from subtitles. (Notice I’m not even acknowledging the choice to watch any of these programs in dubbed English.) I’ve recently discovering some good Israeli shows, so now I can add Hebrew to my list.

Hit & Run

A man’s wife is killed in a hit-and-run accident. His search for the truth takes him into a dangerous web of secrets stretching from Tel Aviv to New York. Lior Raz as Segev leads a strong international cast within a compelling story with lots of side plots. It gets a little ridiculous but no more so than others of this genre. Hit & Run starts off with a jolt and keeps the action rolling before it loses some energy in the second half of the season as the hunt for the killer takes Segev to New York. The parallel threads become more complicated and unresolved. The show’s creators had two-three seasons in mind to wrap up all the loose ends, but Netflix surprisingly canceled it after the first season. So, one season with a cliffhanger ending may not be enticing for many, but if you’re looking for an intriguing, entertaining hour (9 episodes) it could fill a slot in your TV schedule.

D² Rating ◼◼◼☐☐

Black Space

Black Space opens up on a beautiful morning at a Tel Aviv high school. Instantly, the ordinary day turns into a nightmare as anonymous figures wearing unicorn masks storm into an assembly opening fire on the students and killing four of them. Rami Davidi (Guri Alfi) is the lead investigator and an alumnus of the school with his own life-changing experience on campus as a student. He’s consumed by work 24-7 even as his pregnant wife needs him at home. Conventional wisdom in a hotbed of terrorism points to the two Palestinians arrested in the vicinity. Davidi thinks it’s someone else.

The subject matter is obviously violent and disturbing; Netflix begins each of the eight episodes with a trigger warning basically acknowledging that the show is not for everyone. The rogue cop is certainly not an original concept. The teenage actors are pretty good, it’s their motives and actions that are hard to believe.

If you can handle the school shooting aspect, Black Space is a suspenseful, engaging multi-faceted drama. Issues of bullying, parent-teenager relationships, and the influence of social media on the behavior of young people are all explored. Unlike Hit & Run, Netflix has announced a second season for Black Space, with no details at this time. Not sure where the story goes from here, but that quandary doesn’t stop television producers.

D² Rating ◼◼◼☐☐ (Trailer video not available…at least not one I was willing to share.)

Hit & Run and Black Space are full of twists and turns and binge-worthy, particularly if you like crime thrillers in international settings. If you’re familiar with Israeli shows, you’re probably wondering why I haven’t included Fauda. I haven’t watched it yet, but plan to! The worldwide hit addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict just ran its 4th season with #5 on the way next year. Fauda was created by the Hit & Run team and also stars Lior Raz. According to Israel21c, its complex, realistic storytelling doesn’t gloss over the violence while portraying likeable characters from both sides. It has dominated the Israel TV Academy Awards in recent years. (Note: this article was written just before the October 7th attack on Israel.)

Trivia: What long-running, award-winning Showtime drama was based on an Israeli series?

Answer: Homeland, starring Claire Danes, one of my all-time favorites, based on the Israeli program, Prisoners of War.

Career diplomat, Kate Wyler (Keri Russell, The Americans), reluctantly accepts reassignment to the U.K. as U.S. ambassador. Her husband Hal (Rufus Sewell, The Man in the High Castle), also a diplomat, accompanies her to London. He’s got swagger, a high profile, and a penchant for the limelight. Their roles have reversed; she’s driving the relocation this time and he’s the trailing spouse. It’s immediately apparent that he will have a hard time being the second fiddle. And as they struggle to adjust to their new life in England, their marriage is unraveling; depending on which one you ask and when, they’re done.

Ambassador Wyler immediately finds herself trying to defuse an international incident. A British Navy vessel has been bombed and the death of British soldiers has the Prime Minister (played by Rory Kinnear) seeking retribution. The U.S. President (Michael McKean) has to support its major ally without triggering a wider conflict. And of course, politics underlies everything. The behind-the-scenes diplomacy may be a little far-fetched but it’s riveting and reflective of current events.

While the couple is forging strategic alliances, there are uncomfortable moments and mischief afoot at the palatial residence of the Ambassador. Kate Wyler is not suited for living in a castle, the English pomp and circumstance, or fancy photo-ops. Watching her handlers and stylists preparing her for a ceremonial appearance in a white gown is hilarious. (“I have a black dress and another black dress.”) The couple tries to keep their marital troubles under wraps, but that doesn’t last long under the prying eyes of household staff. And then for all to see, their verbal jousting turns into a full-on, knock-down, drag-out brawl on the front lawn. It’s part cringeworthy, part hysterical. This blend of geopolitics and a wicked sense of humor is where the show excels.

You’ll enjoy The Diplomat if you liked The West Wing, Madame Secretary, or Borgen (see previous post on the excellent Danish program Borgen: The Engrossing Danish Political Drama and Its Well-Deserved Encore). But The Diplomat is not as refined. It lacks grace and subtlety. The selected diplomatic path is often not the moral high ground. The Diplomat posted big numbers for Netflix and was renewed for another season right out of the gate. Where will season two go? Well, season one concludes with Kate in an elegant red dress attending a grandiose ball…

D² Rating ◼◼◼◼☐

Trivia: Keri Russell won a Golden Globe in 1999 playing the lead role on what WB network show?

Answer: Felicity

“Backup. What backup? We have 50 tribal officers for over 27,000 square miles.” That captures the isolation of the Navajo Nation in 1971, the setting for AMC’s crime thriller, Dark Winds. The series is based on the Leaphorn and Chee books by Tony Hillerman. Zahn McClarnon (Longmire, Fargo #2) stars as Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn. It’s inspiring to see McClarnon as the lead after his long career of supporting roles. His Deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon, The Twilight Saga), is a college boy returning to the reservation after 10 years. He has more in mind than just fighting local crime. Sgt. Manuelito (Jessica Matten) is rightly skeptical of the returnee.

In season one, the Navajo Police investigated the murder of two native residents. At the same time, a brazen bank robbery occurred in Gallup, N.M. and the getaway helicopter landed that investigation onto tribal lands and the FBI along with it. These seemingly unrelated crimes were intertwined. By the end of the first season, these crime links were explained, but despite the final violent confrontation justice is still outstanding. Season two will find Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito reckoning with a lack of trust within the Navajo community, the shifty actions of the FBI, and a missing body. FBI agent Noah Emmerich (The Americans) returns, as does Rainn Wilson (The Office), the sleazy used car salesman slash missionary. New cast members include Nicholas Logan (Dopesick) and Star Trek series star Jeri Ryan.

Dark Winds encompasses multiple perspectives in a surreal murder mystery. Native American traditions, augmented by spiritual mysticism, convey a genuine picture of the Navajo people. While George R.R Martin and Robert Redford are among the producers, the cast and crew are Native American from the actors, writers, to the film studio. Adding to the authenticity, Dark Winds is filmed on location in New Mexico, Native American Pueblos, and Navajo Nation, which includes the iconic movie backdrop of Monument Valley.

We’ve seen these crime procedurals many times before, including jurisdictional conflicts between the Feds and local authorities. Only this time, it’s the FBI and Navajo tribal police. The show’s appeal is the dynamic culture clash, but also the complicated relationships within the Navajo Nation. The three tribal cops were all born on the reservation and struggle to balance Native allegiances with their law enforcement role. Leaphorn’s personal dilemma is evident; the more he probes, the more he uncloaks the wounds of his past. Dark Winds is an absorbing cultural immersion into the land of the Navajo.

(Season two of Dark Winds premiers on AMC, Sunday night July 30th; a short six-episode season like the first. Stream on AMC+)

Reboots continue to be the go-to for many a television studio. You name it – comedy, drama, reality, animated – no genre is safe from revisiting the well of a hit TV show. Night Court, Dexter, Beavis and Butthead, Will & Grace, and Party Down, just to name a handful, have been brought back to life. Reboots are tricky. How to recognize the original series and update it to attract new viewers without turning off the longtime fan base? Some are good (Perry Mason), some not so good (X-Files). Coming up, True Blood and Frasier. Yikes! So, what to make of the Justified reboot? One of the best shows of the 2010s is back in a completely different setting with only the main character back from the original series. And the lead character is not in the novel that inspires the reboot. Hmm….

Justified was based on Elmore Leonard’s (Get Shorty, Out of Sight) stories about U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, particularly the short-story collection Fire in the Hole. The Marshal, played with pithy perfection by Timothy Olyphant, dispensed his own brand of morally muddy justice in Kentucky, from the backwoods of the hollers to the civic halls in Lexington. He was known as “quick draw” for a reason. A unique and modern take on a western, Justified ran for six seasons on FX from 2010-15. The stellar cast of supporting actors included Walton Goggins, in the role of a lifetime as Boyd Crowder, and Margo Martindale, Kaitlyn Dever, Natalie Zea, among others.

In Justified: City Primeval Marshal Givens has left Kentucky for Florida, adjusted to fighting crime in Miami while helping raise his daughter. After a chance encounter on a highway, he soon finds himself in Detroit pursuing criminal Clement Mansell, aka the Oklahoma Wildman (played by Boyd Holbrook, Narcos). Mansell has been evading the local police with the assistance of his lawyer, Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard). Adelaide Clemens (Rectify) portrays Sandy, Mansell’s cannabis-loving girlfriend. And, in what has to be a family highlight, Olyphant’s daughter, Vivian, is Givens’ daughter Willa.

Leonard’s City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit inspires the adaptation. Givens is not a character in High Noon but is inserted into the story of the novel. Based on the first two episodes (and not having read the novel), the screenwriters seem to have created an enjoyable fresh take on a popular character. The Marshal still has his wit, charming smile, gleaming eyes, and distinctive hat. The unforeseen detour to Detroit is ensnaring him more than he anticipated and is ruining the road trip plans with his daughter. Plus, how does he keep a 15-year-old out of trouble when she’s left alone all day in the hotel? His sojourn in Detroit appears indefinite as a prominent judge is killed putting Givens, Wilder, and Mansell on a collision course. The suspense, humor, and twists of the early episodes will undoubtedly be elevated as the story plays out. So far, it’s both an edge-of- your-seat experience and a satisfying feeling.

(Justified: City Primeval premiered with back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, July 18th at 10:00 PM Pacific Time and then will shift to single shows on Tuesdays for the duration of its eight-episode season. Hulu subscribers can watch each new episode the day after it airs on FX. If you want to start from the beginning, all 78 episodes of Justified are also streaming on Hulu.)

D² Rating (based on the first two episodes) ◼◼◼◩☐

Trivia: What TV series did Timothy Olyphant star in along with Drew Barrymore as their suburban lives are upended when she becomes a zombie?

Answer: Santa Clarita Diet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6KEgWSFfaE

I’ve marveled in previous posts about the number of unknown and unbelievable stories from our history. World War II is particularly full of heroic human accomplishments (see one example in a previous post Operation Mincemeat: Netflix’s Absurd, Extraordinary, and True WWII Drama). We all know the basics of Anne Frank’s life during wartime thanks to her inspiring and heartbreaking diary. The television limited series, A Small Light, explores the relatively unknown story of Miep Gies, the young woman who risked her life every day keeping the Frank family safe from the Nazis.

Bel Powley (The Diary of a Teenage Girl) stars as Miep in a sensational performance. When we first meet her in 1933, she’s a 20-something party girl in Amsterdam living with her parents and no job. Fast forward to 1942 and she’s shepherding her sister, Margo, through a Nazi checkpoint to get to their hideout. The series jumps back and forth as Miep transforms from vivacious to pragmatic to courageous as embodied through the doe-eyed gaze of Powley. She charms her way into a secretary job with Otto Frank (played by Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan). She meets Jan at a bar (Joe Cole, Peaky Blinders) who is on board with her mission to shelter the Franks, their dentist, and another family in the secret annex above their office. Jan begins using his Social Service government connections to help the Dutch resistance carry out counterattacks. Miep and Jan’s relationship starts out as convenience and grows into love bonded by the horror of their surroundings. Powley and Cole have a great rapport.

In addition to the primary objective of providing food and supplies to the annex, Miep (and her several helpers, employees of Otto’s firm) provided company, emotional support, and news of the world to the sheltered group. The relationship between Otto and Miep is a highlight of the series. Schreiber’s low rumbling voice has Otto speaking volumes. It’s a beautiful unspoken and paternal friendship. Anne (played by Billie Boullet) is a precocious 13-year-old who begins writing in her red-and-white checkered diary to chronicle life in the annex and her hopes for the future. Miep is part sister, part mother as Anne experiences boredom, frustration, and her first kiss.

The series balances the gripping close calls of being discovered with the warm, humanity of daily life in the annex. Their moments of togetherness and celebrations of small triumphs almost allow us to envision a different ending. Miep’s determination to keep the Franks and friends secure were extraordinary. They didn’t set foot outside the annex for over two years. It all came to an end on August 4, 1944, when Nazi police raided Otto’s business and discovered the entrance to the hiding place behind a bookcase. Anne and Margo were put on a train to Auschwitz and later transferred to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where they died probably of typhus in February or March 1945. Otto was the only one of the eight to survive the concentration camps. Miep made sure he got Anne’s diary. She lived to be 100 years old and said in her later years: “Even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, in their own way, turn on a small light in a dark room.”

(If you missed A Small Light’s initial run on the National Geographic channel, you can stream it now on Hulu or Disney+. The series runs eight episodes at 52-53 minutes each.)

D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐

I was late to Black Mirror, Netflix’s anthology based on the Twilight Zone. My wife and I caught up on the show during the pandemic. It launched in 2011 on the British network Channel 4 and ran for two three-episode seasons. (I’ll stick to calling them “seasons,” not the confusing term “series,” that Netflix uses.) Netflix picked up the series (see the confusion?) in 2016 with a six-episode season, followed by the same in 2017, and then a three-episode season in 2019. Four years later, they’re back with a five-episode season premiering today, June 15th.

Black Mirror tackles a variety of topics, but most episodes are set in a near future dystopia and highlight technology to comment on contemporary social issues. There’s crime fiction, psychological horror, political satire, romantic comedy, and even a space opera. Some examples of storylines include:

• A U.K. Minister is blackmailed into having sex with a pig;
• Citizens rate their interactions with people (on a 1-to-5-star scale) that determine their socioeconomic status;
• An animated cartoon Waldo places second in a U.K. election;
• A police procedural where robotic bees are the killers;
• The consequences of a hit-and-run accident;
• A Recaller device that can view another person’s memories.

Black Mirror has a stellar parade of guest actors: Daniel Kaluuya, Romhnall Gleeson, Bryce Dallas Howard, Mackenzie Davis, Kelly Macdonald, Jesse Plemons, Miley Cyrus, Jon Hamm, and many more. You’ll be saying, “Where do we know that guy from?” more than a few times. Salma Hayek leads off the sixth season, with Aaron Paul, Annie Murphy, and Michael Cera also starring.

In addition to being an actor showcase, Black Mirror carries on the Twilight Zone tradition in a couple of other ways. The prescience of the storytelling is uncanny at times, such as foretelling the reach of artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Also, where both shows created some remarkable episodes, they weren’t all must-see TV. At times the themes of Black Mirror can be a little predictable, the metaphors a touch heavy-handed, and the suspense lacking. But that’s the beauty of standalone programming that can be watched in any order. You’re not locked into a long season storyline, or multiple seasons, or spin-offs, or universes. No asking yourself time and time again, “Ok, where did we leave off?” If you don’t like a particular episode, you’ll probably like the next one with its whole new plot and cast. Black Mirror foretells a future that is chilling, disturbing, and the technological conundrums it posits are terrifyingly possible.

D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐

Trivia: Who starred in the Twilight Zone episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.”

Answer: William Shatner

(This is a re-post from 2021 to recognize Never Have I Ever’s fourth and final season which Netflix just released on June 8th. It’s a cute, satisfying show if you haven’t checked it out yet. Season four is ten episodes, each running about 30 minutes. As with some other high school shows (Sex Education, for instance), the cast has aged into their 20s (one lead actor is early 30s). But they pull it off because you’re having too much fun with them to notice. And now there’s a new bad-boy heartthrob on campus…just what Devi needs.)

Never Have I Ever is a Netflix coming-of-age comedy-drama loosely based on show creator Mindy Kaling’s childhood. Devi is an Indian-American high school student in Sherman Oaks, CA. Played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Devi had a horrible freshman year; her loving father died, and her grief was so severe that she lost the use of her limbs for three months. As she comes out of her grief, she wants to shake up her social status as a sophomore. She dreams of a boyfriend, being a member of the cool kids, and independence from her family. These dreams collide with the realities of high school and Indian traditions.

Her Mom, Dr. Nalini (played by Poorna Jagannathan, The Night Of), is strict, traditional, and conservative. Devi’s new life plan runs right into this brick wall. Devi’s cousin, Kamala, lives with them while she attends Caltech. She has beauty, brains, and struggles with her arranged marriage and lack of opportunity in the boys club of Caltech. In the second season, Devi’s grandmother leaves India and moves in with them bringing with her a lifetime of Indian customs.

As if the roadblocks at home weren’t enough, navigating the social circles of high school is too much for Devi. She leaves a trail of broken friendships in her wake as she makes one bad decision after another. Her two besties, Eleanor and Fabiola, have lost patience with her. For a girl who longed for a boyfriend, she ends up with two…at the same time: Ben, her wealthy scholastic nemesis, and Paxton, the junior star of the swim team. Needless to say, she doesn’t juggle the situation well at all. And, just as she’s making some headway in affirming her identity as the Indian girl, in walks new student Aneesa; smart, pretty, oh so effortlessly cool…and Indian.

John McEnroe Narrator. First, just the idea of a narrator. Often, an unnecessary copout to advance the story. And second, John McEnroe? Okay, great tennis player, but narrating teen drama and humor? If you haven’t seen the show you’re crossing this one off your list right now. And, if you do watch the show, you’re still trying to figure out what you think about the narration and before you know it two seasons (20 episodes) have gone by and you… like the show! The reason John McEnroe is the voice of the show is disclosed and actually makes sense. He makes fun of his voice-over, gets out of character as a parent and tennis player, and thanks to the writing delivers some good laughs.

Devi is an A-student, destined for a major university and stellar career. Her temper and impatience get in the way, however, and she’s in trouble again and again (Eleanor to Devi: “You really ‘Devi-ed’ up this one”). You feel for her as she tries to make it better with a grand gesture, but that only makes the situation worse. Her self-made predicaments are hilarious and painful. She’s more than “the Indian girl” and that’s what fosters the show’s real mix of emotions. Poorna Jagannathan puts it best, “the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete.” The show “is a tightrope between outrageous comedy and intense grief.” ¹ There you have it.

¹Lorraine Ali, Television Critic L.A. Times interview with Poorna Jagannathan July 18, 2021

D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐

Trivia: Mindy Kaling is known for her work on The Office and creating and starring in what romcom about the life of an OB/GYN in New York City?

Answer: The Mindy Project

“The following is based on a true story. No names have been changed to protect the innocent because nearly everyone was found guilty.” Then as you see a band of misfits failing to gain entry through a locked door, “There were four Watergate break-in attempts. This was number two.” So, begins HBO’s tale of the bizarre, bungling, and oh so serious affair known as Watergate: the hapless espionage scheme that toppled a Presidency and spawned the suffix “gate” as the go-to namesake for future political scandals. From the creators of Veep, it’s a five-episode limited series running Monday nights at 9:00 p.m. PDT from May 1-29 (HBO runs repeats throughout the week and it’s also streaming on HBO Max, or I guess it’s just Max now). So, this is an early review just based on the premier episode.

Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt) plays E. Howard Hunt and Justin Theroux (The Leftovers) is G. Gordon Liddy. They’re ex-CIA and FBI, respectively and seemingly hired for their ultra patriotism as opposed to their expertise and success in secret missions (their previous attempt to silence Daniel Ellsberg is shown to be a complete bust.) They’re the masters of operation for the Special Investigative Unit charged with bugging the Democratic National Committee offices. They’re joined by a ragtag trio of Cuban expats. Their equipment consists of crude lock-picking tools, over- the-top disguises, and pure static walkie-talkies. Liddy is so excited that he makes a letterhead…for the top-secret assignment. They pick “The Plumbers” for the sign on their door because they fix leaks. It’s all hilarious, but true. This dichotomy sets the tonal dilemma for White House Plumbers: does it run with the farce and caricatures or stay grounded in a more serious character and historical study?

Harrelson as Hunt looks like he’s going to explode at any minute. With his jutting chin and raspy voice, he’s conflicted, unfulfilled, and emotional. Theroux as Liddy is almost cartoonish with his thick black mustache, blatant Nazi sympathies (e.g., playing Hitler’s speeches at full volume for dinner company), and irritable demeanor. Hunt is a mad man, while Liddy is truly a madman. Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) plays Dorothy Hunt, a CIA agent herself, who looks like she may break out of the common lonely wife at home portrayal. Judy Greer (Married) as Fran Liddy not so much yet. Domhnall Gleeson (Run) plays John Dean. Kathleen Turner, F. Murray Abraham, and Kiernan Shipka will appear in future episodes.

Bugging the opposition party’s headquarters…seems so quaint these days. It’s enough to make you yearn for simpler times. How will it play out today, particularly for the younger generation? Do they know much about it or care to? Who are these people? Well, they’re the odd couple of hatchet men who took orders from on high to do the dirty work and get Nixon re-elected. Their inept shenanigans are funny in an ambiguous way. You don’t know whether to laugh out loud or shake your head at the whole pathetic situation. We’ll see in future weeks how HBO knits together the tragedy and comedy of it all.

D² Rating ◼◼◼☐☐

Trivia: What was the pseudonym for, and identity of, the secret informant that provided critical inside scoop to Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein?

Answer: Deep Throat was revealed to be Mark Felt, FBI Associate Director

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuKM2sTTmHg

Some of you have probably seen this series starring Christina Applegate (Married with Children) as Jen Harding and Linda Cardellini (ER) as Judy Hale. For those of you who haven’t, Dead to Me is uneven at times, but the compelling and endearing lead women make it all worthwhile. They’re confounding and irresistible. James Mardsen (Robot & Frank) also stars as Judy’s ex-fiancé and Jen’s love interest as his twin brother. Dead to Me ran three seasons of 10 episodes each with season three premiering on November 17, 2022.

Jen’s husband was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Her outlet for grief is anger and resentment. At a support group, she meets Judy who claims she is mourning the loss of her fiancé who died of a heart attack. In reality, she was the hit-and-run driver, and her fiancé broke up with her. Jen becomes more unhinged as she unravels the mystery of her husband’s death and Judy’s secrets. The women make increasingly bad decisions, keep more secrets, and tell more lies. There’s a lot going on, probably too much: FBI and local Police investigations, Jen’s kids rebelling and missing their dad, Judy’s relationship with Michelle (Natalie Morales), and the most jarring tangent, stolen paintings and Greek mafia involvement. The twists and turns compound to the point of self-delusion and absurdity.

No matter their latest predicament, however, the bond between the women is immutable, engaging, and heartwarming. They share an affinity for wine and The Facts of Life. Tipsy, grief-stricken forty-somethings attempting to outfox the FBI is hilarious and dumbfounding. Put the two women together – whether in the kitchen with full wine glasses, at the neighbor’s front door, or explaining their whereabouts to the cops – and it’s perfectly-timed poker-faced comedy.

The bond between the two women takes on a new dimension of togetherness when you realize what was going on behind the scenes. After a delay due to COVID-19, the series was about halfway through filming the final season in the summer of 2021 when Christina Applegate was diagnosed with MS. They had filmed out of sequence meaning some of the final scenes of the series had already been shot. As Applegate said, “They were gonna pull the plug, you know? But I was like, no, no, no, no, no. We have to finish this story. It’s too important to our hearts; too important to our souls.”* She went to treatment, gained weight, used a wheelchair and cane to get around while filming, and literally leaned on Cardellini off set and on. Season three is emotional and bittersweet. The show began with grief, and it ends in grief. But it’s the healing kind that they control and not the out-of-control circus they were stuck in earlier.

* Insider 11/14/22

D² Rating ◼◼◼½☐

Trivia: Christina Applegate co-starred with Will Ferrell and Steve Carell in which 2004 film and its sequel in 2013?

Answer: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Trivia #2: Linda Cardellini’s career was jump-started when she starred in which highly acclaimed but short-lived NBC sitcom?

Answer: Freaks and Geeks

A girl being chased through a snow-covered forest is suddenly impaled by falling into a hole filled with large, sharp sticks. Fast forward 25 years and a journalist asks, “what really happened out there?” This was the enticing and foreboding opening of Showtime’s Yellowjackets, the network’s latest outstanding contribution to Sunday night TV. It completed its 10-episode first season in January of last year and is back for season two on March 23rd. (Catch up by streaming on Showtime or adding the Showtime channel to your Hulu or Amazon accounts). Here’s a recap of season one to get us primed.

In 1996, a girls soccer team flies to Seattle for a national tournament and their plane crashes into the Canadian wilderness. They are left on their own for months. The series depicts their descent into madness and cannibalism and toggles back and forth from survival in the forest to the current lives of those that made it home. In 2021, the survivors are receiving mysterious postcards that could expose the long-held secrets about what they had to do to survive.

The right cast is essential for a show portraying the same people a quarter century apart. The cast of Yellowjackets is spot on, both the young and older actors. The 2021 survivors are haunted by their experience, despite some initial suggestions of a happy family life or successful career. The decisions they had to make in 1996 still distort their actions today. Melanie Lynskey (Togetherness), plays Shauna, a suburban Mom with a husband who she thinks is cheating on her and a rebellious daughter. She lives her own secret life re-connecting with fellow survivors to find out who is blackmailing them. Tawny Cypress (Unforgettable) plays Taissa, a State Senator running for re-election, who sleepwalks herself right back into the wilderness and dines on dirt. Christina Ricci (Wednesday) is unrecognizable as Misty, who on the plane appears sweet, but a little odd. In the forest, she single-handedly takes everyone’s fate into her hands, and by 2021, is basically a sociopath. Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers) is Natalie, an angry substance abuser guided by revenge. Yes, Ricci and Lewis together. It’s a treat watching them tear each other apart as they have very different ideas on how to pursue their mission.

As great as the adult cast is, it’s the young ensemble that really pulls you in. They are teenage dead ringers for their older counterparts, particularly Shauna (played by Sophie Nelisse) and Misty (played by (Sammi Hanratty). They goof around, hunt and forage, find some shelter, and embark on scouting missions to seek help. The attempt to find civilization in episode eight, led by Laura Lee and her belief in God, is both hopeless and awe-inspiring. The girls (there are three guys, as well) embody the evolving emotions of being stranded: carefree at first, assuming they’ll be rescued shortly, to the gut-wrenching realization that help is not on the way, to facing starvation as the Canadian winter approaches. This is the situation when season one ends. It’s going to get very dark.

D² Rating ◼◼◼◼☐

Trivia: Melanie Lynskey starred in what long running CBS sitcom?

Answer: Two and a Half Men

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” A salient quote from one of history’s great thinkers leads off each episode of the terrific Danish political drama, Borgen. Originally, a DR production (the Danish public broadcast company that previously produced The Killing), Borgen is “The Castle,” the informal name of the Christiansborg Palace, home to the Danish government. Its first three seasons of 10 episodes each seemingly wrapped up in 2013. In 2022, to the delight of many, Netflix brought it back for an eight-episode encore with the title Borgen: Power and Glory. (All four seasons are available on Netflix.)

Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Knudsen) becomes the first female Prime Minister of Denmark. She’s a minor left-center politician who surprisingly ends up on top as the compromise candidate thanks to her exceptional deal-making skills and Denmark’s coalition-based parliamentary democracy. Similar to what we see in England and Israel with never-ending battles across multiple party lines to maintain alliances. It can be a shaky structure; new elections are called at a moment’s notice and held three weeks later! The parties are fictional in Borgen, as are the broadcasters and newspapers, but all have real-life equivalents. It’s probably a combination of life in Denmark and that the first three seasons are set in the early 2010s, but a handful of traditional media outlets – TV networks and printed newspapers – have a huge influence over Danish politics and its public perception. Borgen brings to life the drama and suspense of daily politics in Denmark. Not just in Denmark; the series has uncanny timeliness and mirrors policy questions facing other western democracies.

Knudsen is fantastic as she navigates the political maze while struggling to maintain her marriage and spend time with her children. You can’t help but notice that the male ministers in Borgen don’t seem as bothered by life balance dilemmas. Kasper (Pilou Asbaek), her spin doctor (they call it what it is), throws himself into protecting Birgitte’s public image 24 hours a day while avoiding his own horrific childhood trauma. Katrine (Birgitte Sorensen) is the anchor for Copenhagen’s #1 news channel. She and Kasper have conflicting goals professionally and a volatile relationship personally. Torben (Soren Malling, the lead in HBO’s limited series The Investigation) runs the news division trying to thread the needle between journalistic integrity and the corporate pressure for good ratings. His personal life is a mess, too. The series is a spirited mix of personal quandaries and inside politics. Somewhere in the middle between the idealism of West Wing and the brutal manipulation of House of Cards (in Borgen, people aren’t killed for political advancement as in House of Cards).

Nine years later, Birgitte, Katrine, and Torben are still entrenched in the world of politics and media. The discovery of significant oil reserves in Greenland is the overarching storyline in Borgen: Power and Glory. (The world’s largest island is part of the Kingdon of Denmark.) The oil is located in an environmentally sensitive area and drilling for it conflicts directly with Denmark’s climate change goals. Conversely, the oil could be worth billions of dollars; energy security and wealth-generating for Denmark and life changing for the indigenous Inuit of Greenland. And fundamentally, is it Denmark’s oil or Greenland’s? In a show about compromise – in politics and home life – an agreeable settlement on the staggering discord associated with oil extraction in Greenland may not be possible. And the Russians are involved…

D² Rating ◼◼◼◼☐

Trivia: Who said the quote at the beginning of this post?

Answer: Winston Churchill

“Months after the Dodson case has come to an end, the scion of a powerful oil family is murdered. When the DA goes to the city’s Hoovervilles to pinpoint the most obvious of suspects, Perry, Della, and Paul find themselves at the center of a case that will uncover far reaching conspiracies and force them to reckon with what it truly means to be guilty.” That’s HBO’s teaser for the long-awaited Season Two of Perry Mason, premiering on March 6th. The re-boot provides an origin story for the iconic character, most famously portrayed by Raymond Burr in the CBS drama from 1957 to 1966.

Season One introduces Matthew Rhys (The Americans) as Perry Mason, a despondent private investigator struggling with post WWI nightmares, divorce, and excessive drinking. It’s 1932 in L.A. when E.B. Jonathan (John Lithgow) hires him to investigate a gruesome child kidnapping case. His journey for the truth takes him through the dark underbelly of Depression-era Los Angeles and its corrupt Police Department. His partner Pete Strickland (Shea Whigham, Boardwalk Empire), evangelist Sister Alice McKeegan (Tatiana Maslang, Orphan Black), secretary Della Street (Juliet Rylance, The Knick), and beat cop Paul Drake (Chris Chalk, Justified) all play pivotal roles in the eight-episode first season.

The first season of Perry Mason is a slow burn with some holes in the story, a tedious subplot, and a drawn-out court scene. But these are minor quibbles for a show that looks so good. For an L.A. native and film noir fan (see previous post Film Noir: Kiss of Death and TCM) it’s a visual delight. Welcome to L.A. Noir with the dark places and shadows of the big city, while crime and corruption lurk around the corner. It’s got private eyes, femme fatales, and morally-flawed characters. History pervades; the Great Depression, Prohibition, gubernatorial election of 1932 (Frank Merriam v. Upton Sinclair), and the landmark Angels Flight funicular in a starring role. Rhys is outstanding as the rumpled, downtrodden, yet persistent investigator. The supporting cast all embody their characters.

This is not your grandpa’s Perry Mason. Raymond Burr commanded the courtroom and guided the jury to a happy ending every week. Matthew Rhys, on the other hand, goes home one night to his dying farm adjacent to a fledging airport, herds a cow off the runway, and has rambunctious sex with his landlady, all with the whiskey bottle close at hand. It’s risky re-inventing a role model of legal justice. (The novels of Erle Stanley Gardner – 80 of them! – have been adapted into numerous formats: TV, movies, radio, and comic books.) Did we need an origin story? I say yes, particularly if it’s such a stylish, creative rendition with fine acting. Much of the main cast is back for the new season (also eight episodes), with Hope Davis, Katherine Waterston, Sean Astin, among others joining the lineup.

D ² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐

Trivia: Matthew Rhys co-starred with Tom Hanks in what 2019 film?

Answer: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5O3cMmg3JQ