What Are You Watching/Binging/Streaming Now?

[ChitHappens]

 

Sigh.  What an incredible series.  I will wait until you finish to rant about why the final season makes me cringe.

[Cat]

 

I may be ranting right along with you! 

[Taoboi]

Same. Loved her in THE FAVOURITE. 

 

 

OMG yes!!!

 

I've been trying to get around to it for years since I want to say my library has all of it. At least Season 1. And I've been intrigued since people did not like Jamie Dornan in FIFTY SHADES, but he sinks his teeth (pun unintended) into his cat and mouse character here. 

 

You and @ChitHappens stay having good taste. 

[Forever8]

Yesterday afternoon I restarted  L.A. Law Season 7 where I left off. Now I'm about to be on Episode 16 of the season (if it's available) 

 

I have thoughts... 

[Forever8]

Now on Season 8 of L.A. Law ... Wish me well!!!

[Forever8]

On Episode 19 Of Season 8 Of LA Law. 

 

Lawd this season and series is almost over... What a relief! 

[All My Shadows]

I plan to spend my afternoons and some weekends rewatching all of Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush, and I fully intend to write tons of filthy, messy, bitchy fan fiction about it this summer. I'm ready, boys.

Edited April 11, 2021 by All My Shadows

[ChitHappens]

Found one of the most incredible series and its called Home Fires.  Set in 1939 and war has been declared.  The WI (Women's Institute) have to plan on how to keep things going when the men leave.  Incredible from beginning to end.  Only 12 eppies so once I finished it, I immediately started watching it again.  I just don't have enough words to describe the acting, writing and the overall production.  Spectacular!  

 

ITV canceled the show, not because it did poorly in the ratings, but because it skewed older.  Not sure who thinks themselves intelligent when bringing this to tv expecting young folks to watch.  Idiots!  I'm so tired of getting the short end! 

 

[victoria foxton]

The Spanish netflix series You Cannot Hide was pretty good. Lots of action. And soapy elements.

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[victoria foxton]

 The Innocent was really good. Another well done Spanish thriller. With many twist and turners.

[dragonflies]

Been binging L&O: SVU. Only till Elliott leaves of course, after that pfffttt

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[Taoboi]

Oooooooooooo

[Forever8]

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[Cat]

 

ChitHappens, I am ready to hear your rant anytime! 

 

So here are some of my thoughts -- I watched all 3 series in succession. 

 

First of all, each series changed in tone, which wasn't a bad thing. The first season was very cinematic (directed by a Belgian movie director), mirroring Paul's murderous 'aestheticism.' There is one particularly good scene where the camera floats above the rooms of Paul's house as he goes through bedtime reading with his kids, almost like the ghosts in his attic (where he hid his Kill Diary!!) watching him play out the role of Loving Father. There was criticism about the objectification of the women's bodies in S1, so I understand the direction S2 went in giving the victim a voice (in the form of Rose Stagg) and not prettying up the true nastiness of Paul's crimes.

 

Having said that, S1 is close to perfect IMO because the tension is SO TAUT. It is practically filmed in real time, but every second counts. Cutting between Stella leading the police hunt and Paul both hunting his prey and avoiding detection was nail-biting.

 

The most fascinating for me was focusing on Paul maintaining his family life with his other, dark, murderous secret life, and watching his psychopathy deteriorate, to the point where he could no longer manage his day job, so all-consuming had his obsession become. None of this would have worked with any actor. After watching the show, IMO Jamie Dornan is one of the best Irish actors of his generation (previously I had dismissed him as a model-turned-actor, entirely based on Fifty Shades). He did not have a lot of dialogue. So everything had to be reflected on his face, in his eyes. That is no easy feat. I felt I was practically reading the internal dialogue in his head in some scenes -- that's how strong he was in completely inhabiting the part and communicating Paul's thoughts to the audience. The scenes with his daughter were especially moving/terrifying, because she is essentially his 'normal place.' And yet, when he asks her to lie to her mother, you realise how much he is going to traumatise and mess up that little girl! 

 

Watching those scenes, taking time to play every beat, the suspense building and building, as a viewer I felt like a stalker also, but utterly powerless to prevent the carnage you know is coming.

 

The fact that it is set in Belfast, which has those wounds from The Troubles festering at the surface (not to mention the catastrophic legacy of those church-run 'children's homes') added another layer. Belfast was like another character on this show.

 

The supporting actors were top notch, especially John Lynch as the Assistant Police Commissioner fraying at the seams, and Bronagh Waugh as Paul's wife. My god, that scene in S2 when she makes that terrible decision! As annoying as she was, Aisling Franciosi as Katie also inhabited her role perfectly. It was too bad they didn't pursue Archie Panjabi's role in S1, but it seemed TPTB did not know what to do with her, other than some The Good Wife Alicia/Kalinda wish fulfilment.

 

Gillian Anderson as Stella Gibson. In some ways, she is way too glamorous to be playing a DSI in the police. Gillian Anderson has this old-school Big Star aura about her, and I love actresses like that because we don't get that so much anymore in TV/movies. Her charisma is powerful. In some ways, Jamie Dornan is just too gorgeous to be playing a serial killer also -- or is he? Isn't the point that a killer could be anyone, with normal family relationships and the looks, hiding in plain sight? Similarly, I would say that Gillian Anderson's big-screen charisma is not out of place in The Fall. I've been in workplaces where a female manager can have massive charisma and inspire their team, and suddenly, they seem movie-star gorgeous and fascinating for a hot minute. Stella Gibson is that kind of leader, who manages to have people crush on her and follow her to the ends of the earth.

 

Second season felt more like really good UK soap -- again, taking time to play every beat, draw out the time horizon for maximum tension. I really liked that.

 

Season 3 -- ok. Should I put this in spoiler tags?

 

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Edited May 14, 2021 by Cat

[ChitHappens]

For me, the shift in the dynamic of the relationship didn't work.  She went from hunting him to find justice and getting a serial killer off the streets to feeling sympathy for him and even cradling him in her arms as he died.  I was absolutely sickened by that.