Binge watched tv shows (Part 2)

Parent Cafe Entertainment
701

I finally finished All Her Fault. What a ride! It felt a little slow at times but kept me guessing with all the twists. I liked it.

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702

I was binging The Change the other day on Brit Box. I enjoyed it, but not sure my husband would (he was out of town).

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703

I liked it up until the end, I enjoyed the acting, but as someone who loves mystery/suspense novels and movies, the last couple of episodes were so implausible (which drives me nuts if I’m reading a book, I’m more forgiving with shows with less time invested). My husband disagrees with me.

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704

I love Britbox :grinning_face: - trailers or articles included to help you decide or make a priority list.

I know you said no crime show but I would be remiss if I didn’t start by destroying your next nights sleep with Line of duty. It involves cops investigating corrupt (“bent”) cops so it’s not quite a crime show as in procedural find the killer - more an edge of your seat, have-to-watch-one-more-episode type of show. :joy: Each season sees the AC12 unit trying to figure if an officer is corrupt or not and/how/why. Mega popular for a reason.

Ludwig is more a puzzle/comedy than truly crime show but there are crimes.

Mr Bates&the post office - a real-life scandal and a tv show that actually changed things for victims.

Call the Midwife Midwives and midwives-nuns live in the East End (poor and working class area of London, heavily bombed during the Blitz), in the 50s and 60s. Doesn’t shy away from endings that are realistic for the era but will make you mad, or glad we’re in the 21st century. (Too many babies for my taste so I watch in small doses, but it’s beloved show with 14 seasons and still going).

Happy Valley is a masterpiece. Again, there’s a cop, but as a DS (sergent, below inspector) she just sees problems to solve and isn’t “investigating”. The stories are about her family and the valley, which is NOT happy since deindustrialization has led to unemployment, drugs, despair. It’s by Sally Wainwright, one of the best British TV writers out there. It’s dark. It’s also tender, beautiful, and deeply affecting.

January 14 you’ll have Sally Wainwright’s next show, RiotWomen, my favorite of the year. Promoted as a sort of comedy, which it is NOT despite lots of humor and one-liners: it’s about creativity, writing, and music as a way to express yourself AND about all the awful things men can do. (Although creativity isn’t synonymous with genius: “I’m writing bits of a song”-> camera pans to Jess’ scribbles: “you can all die” “b
” “F..off”.)
A just-retired cop, a publican (pub-tender), a teacher, and a midwife form a punk band to express their anger at becoming invisible, kids who won’t talk to them, having to deal with parents’ care and the heartbreak of dementia, etc. Also it takes place in a small town and rolling countryside, very picturesque. So you have everything together - light and heavy, pretty and ugly.
The darkness is based on real things that happened with the MET police and various forms of abuse, shown realistically for their impact and not voyeuristically.
For examples of what to expect if you’re concerned, look up for instance “Bradford, England” (+ drugs, gangs, abuse) or “Sarah Everard”.
https://collider.com/riot-women-sneak-peek-britbox/

The actors had to learn their instruments so it looks real -

except the lead singer who’s an award winning musician, still had to go from “musicals” to “punk”. Her character, Kitty, is a fantastic creation
– “shaped by trauma, defined by resilience”.

At the same time, the show starts with TW SUICIDE
two different women attempting to commit suicide, Beth the teacher by hanging and Kitty between combination of 2 bottles of vodka, 2 packets of pills and a large kitchen knife. How they find and save each other through writing/singing is the heart of the show.

705

Niche question–I have never watched Mad Men but would like to now that it is on HBO Max. I have read that there are errors in the actual pack of episodes that are airing, which they are apparently in the process of fixing.

If you have seen the show, and know of the errors, can you tell me if starting it now will be marred by these until it is fixed? I don’t care if a crew member shows up in the background, which apparently happened, but if there’s something that will affect my understanding of the show, I’ll wait.

Thanks for any info.

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706

Pluribus is scaring the heck out of me. I can’t stop watching (love Carol!). I know Vince Gilligan wrote a lot of the XFiles, in addition to creating Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but as I’m watching Pluribus, I can’t help thinking of his film The Lone Gunmen, which came out in March 2001 and presaged 9/11. Yikes!

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707

I don’t recall any huge errors. I’m envious that you get to see it for the first time! I’m thinking about watching it again.

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708

To be clear–the errors weren’t in the original showing–they are in the specific copies of the show that were provided to HBO this time, by the production company. Apparently they are driving the fans crazy.

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709

Finally getting around to watching TASK. Oh my, the acting is wonderful. The characters are gritty . . .great writing.

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710

On a side note, beginning with season two of Mad Men, Tom and Lorenzo began writing weekly reflections on each episode, and shortly thereafter began writing a weekly examination of the costume design that was very well done.

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711

I never watched Mad Men when it came out and I’m thinking I will start watching it.

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712

I love, love, LOVE Mad Men. Watched a couple years ago. You have to not let the workplace treatment of women bother you - unfortunately it was to a degree reflective of the times.
It’s a long haul but I fully intent to watch again .

(I don’t know anything about the errors)

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713

I never watched Mad Men when it was first airing, but in the spring of the final season I found it (not sure if on tv or some streaming service) so I started binging and ended up just as the last 2 or 3 episodes were released, so I could watch then finale with the rest of the world. Loved it. One of my favorite endings ever.

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714

H and I binged watched Mad Men at the beginning of Covid. Just the other day H suggested we rewatch it since we both enjoyed it so much. If you’ve never seen it you do have to remember that this was how women were treated in the 60’s and 70’s.

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715

Thanks! Yeah I get that it is historical. :slight_smile:

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716

I didn’t know this, I’ve been trying to find it streaming for no cost to me for years, I saw it but wanted to watch it with H. Just turned it on.

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717

I loved MadMen and stopped watching at some point, I don’t remember why, probably “life happens”. It’s a historically rather accurate show with great care being taken on characters, sets, clothes, etc., that’s why it’s so interesting.

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718

On another note, still Britbox, they also have comedies! I think they just added Mammoth, about a 1970s gym teacher who is unfrozen in 2023 and gets his old job back (forgot the way it happens but it’s silly, it’s a comedy not scifi). Cue anachronisms, adjustment issues, etc.
They’re very different from typical US sitcoms and different one from the other so you need to test a couple to see if which comedy’s sense of humour matches yours.

719

I have a friend whose Dad was one of the Mad Men in real life - she said the show is very realistic.

My mom was a legal secretary during that era. She should have been an attorney. :frowning:

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720

You mean McMahon & Tate wasn’t representative of Madison Avenue in the '60’s?!? :rofl:

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