'Weekend' TV post
Killing Eve 1.7 Don’t Want to Be Free
So good! Poor Kenny with all the discoveries about his mother. I didn’t see Carolyn being in the 12 coming, because I’m an idiot. Villanelle got wins over Inga (whoa, intense and gross) and Anton (obviously), but Konstantin outwitted her, and she’s no nearer to liberation. Meanwhile, Eve met Anna (Sandra Oh was so careful with the pronunciation) of the similar hair and complicated history with Oksana, with clear similarities to what’s been going on between Villanelle and Eve. Susan Lynch’s accent…wavered.
I was all ‘let it go’ with Eve about Carolyn wearing the same clothes as the night before.
Sausage? Ew, Konstantin, no.
Villanelle’s glee at the big, destructive rescue all for her, and her institutionalised ‘friend’ talking herself into her own death was A Moment.
Duly noted: the threat for Nico in Anna’s husband. I feel like the line about Oksana’s literalism may be important.
Monarch of the Glen update: I thought I’d seen the end of the second series, but I hadn’t - there were two more episodes left, featuring some awful costumes: Lexie in a saltaire-based gown, Lexie in a blue and white denim jacket and, worst of all, Kilwillie in tartan trousers that I hope Julian Fellowes did not nick from the set. On the other hand, unfeasible though it might be, they should dress Archie in a black shirt and kilt combo. (I am hoping that the different tartans they have the MacDonalds wear were properly researched and meaningful.)
There was also quite a bit of poorly executed ideas that didn’t gel with what had come before. I was cross with Archie, Lexie and sorry for Katrina, until I wasn’t, although touched by Lexie trying to make up for ‘speaking out of turn’ to Katrina and get the emotionally constipated Archie to express his feelings about Katrina. Which he notably hadn’t managed for ages. That is more of an act of love than barging in on someone and forcing them to listen to you burble on about your feelings without much of an invitation to.
This time, I think we really are done wth series 2,
The Little Drummer Girl - episode 1
I called Berlin Station ‘stylish’ so when I say this was stylish, imagine the font is embossed bold type. This is even though it is set in the 1970s, which I’ve been conditioned to think was a decade style forgot. Good eye, Park Check Name - this whole, get non-British directors of some repute to adapt LeCarré plan continues to work.
MICHAEL SHANNON! I’m pleased he’s got a juicy character (a spymaster, a soldier, an impressario), because I thought his actorly chops were underserved in The Shape of Water. He’s going to be fighting for our attention with Florence Pugh’s feisty Charlie.
Gorgeous locations - I mean that ‘how will I ever fall in love now?’ line after the helicopter shot of the Parthenon (it was the Parthenon, right?) was entirely understandable. It was all a bit busy at first, or certainly in terms of the investigation into the bomb, although not much except character intro was happening with Charlie until Peter turned up with his 1970s driving habits.
Promising, because I don’t think it’s going to oversimplify the Palestinian-Israeli context based on the handling of the Israeli characters in Germany.
Black Earth Rising 1.8 The Forgiving Earth
Again, this had to battle my tiredness, so some emotional distance came from me. The scene where the village came to help Kate dig (for 50,000 bodies) was indubitably powerful.
Things had been left so bleak, but Frank’s insurance came through - boy howdy did it. I liked the link with Michael’s daughter, and that Blake, probably out of vindictiveness, gave Michael evidence. The little case he built to the mandarin was one of the better lawyerly moments on the show, even if a lot of that was all new to us.
Lots of personal vengeance that I wouldn’t quite call justice ensued. I got to be righteously disgusted at Ganimana ruining an ambulance driver’s life to avoid dying of cancer. David got killed by a cobra and Florence gouged someone’s eyes out, which I am sure totally helped him find a redemptive way back to being a Rwandan at peace with himself. Oy.
The women got more grace, with President Bibi forced to connect with her daughter, Alice (although she’s the president’s foster sister, so watch it with replacing despotism with nepotism, hmm?) released (again, as he noted, heh) and back in government, and Kate in Rwanda, fighting for justice. I was glad that she was there and Michael, with some self-awareness was still in London.
Thought-provoking, absolutely, with many, many scenes that made most TV look ordinary, but difficult in many ways.
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/355106.html.
So good! Poor Kenny with all the discoveries about his mother. I didn’t see Carolyn being in the 12 coming, because I’m an idiot. Villanelle got wins over Inga (whoa, intense and gross) and Anton (obviously), but Konstantin outwitted her, and she’s no nearer to liberation. Meanwhile, Eve met Anna (Sandra Oh was so careful with the pronunciation) of the similar hair and complicated history with Oksana, with clear similarities to what’s been going on between Villanelle and Eve. Susan Lynch’s accent…wavered.
I was all ‘let it go’ with Eve about Carolyn wearing the same clothes as the night before.
Sausage? Ew, Konstantin, no.
Villanelle’s glee at the big, destructive rescue all for her, and her institutionalised ‘friend’ talking herself into her own death was A Moment.
Duly noted: the threat for Nico in Anna’s husband. I feel like the line about Oksana’s literalism may be important.
Monarch of the Glen update: I thought I’d seen the end of the second series, but I hadn’t - there were two more episodes left, featuring some awful costumes: Lexie in a saltaire-based gown, Lexie in a blue and white denim jacket and, worst of all, Kilwillie in tartan trousers that I hope Julian Fellowes did not nick from the set. On the other hand, unfeasible though it might be, they should dress Archie in a black shirt and kilt combo. (I am hoping that the different tartans they have the MacDonalds wear were properly researched and meaningful.)
There was also quite a bit of poorly executed ideas that didn’t gel with what had come before. I was cross with Archie, Lexie and sorry for Katrina, until I wasn’t, although touched by Lexie trying to make up for ‘speaking out of turn’ to Katrina and get the emotionally constipated Archie to express his feelings about Katrina. Which he notably hadn’t managed for ages. That is more of an act of love than barging in on someone and forcing them to listen to you burble on about your feelings without much of an invitation to.
This time, I think we really are done wth series 2,
The Little Drummer Girl - episode 1
I called Berlin Station ‘stylish’ so when I say this was stylish, imagine the font is embossed bold type. This is even though it is set in the 1970s, which I’ve been conditioned to think was a decade style forgot. Good eye, Park Check Name - this whole, get non-British directors of some repute to adapt LeCarré plan continues to work.
MICHAEL SHANNON! I’m pleased he’s got a juicy character (a spymaster, a soldier, an impressario), because I thought his actorly chops were underserved in The Shape of Water. He’s going to be fighting for our attention with Florence Pugh’s feisty Charlie.
Gorgeous locations - I mean that ‘how will I ever fall in love now?’ line after the helicopter shot of the Parthenon (it was the Parthenon, right?) was entirely understandable. It was all a bit busy at first, or certainly in terms of the investigation into the bomb, although not much except character intro was happening with Charlie until Peter turned up with his 1970s driving habits.
Promising, because I don’t think it’s going to oversimplify the Palestinian-Israeli context based on the handling of the Israeli characters in Germany.
Black Earth Rising 1.8 The Forgiving Earth
Again, this had to battle my tiredness, so some emotional distance came from me. The scene where the village came to help Kate dig (for 50,000 bodies) was indubitably powerful.
Things had been left so bleak, but Frank’s insurance came through - boy howdy did it. I liked the link with Michael’s daughter, and that Blake, probably out of vindictiveness, gave Michael evidence. The little case he built to the mandarin was one of the better lawyerly moments on the show, even if a lot of that was all new to us.
Lots of personal vengeance that I wouldn’t quite call justice ensued. I got to be righteously disgusted at Ganimana ruining an ambulance driver’s life to avoid dying of cancer. David got killed by a cobra and Florence gouged someone’s eyes out, which I am sure totally helped him find a redemptive way back to being a Rwandan at peace with himself. Oy.
The women got more grace, with President Bibi forced to connect with her daughter, Alice (although she’s the president’s foster sister, so watch it with replacing despotism with nepotism, hmm?) released (again, as he noted, heh) and back in government, and Kate in Rwanda, fighting for justice. I was glad that she was there and Michael, with some self-awareness was still in London.
Thought-provoking, absolutely, with many, many scenes that made most TV look ordinary, but difficult in many ways.
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/355106.html.