(no subject)
I have given myself permission not to watch the new XF season; I've read enough reviews from all of you who have. I was half-tempted, because it looked like it was going to call back to a lot of the mytharc stuff that I really liked, like the virus and vaccine stuff. Were there bees? I never did understand what was going on with the bees. But it also seems to have had a lot of the things which I hated about the series by the end -- especially the way it always comes back to Scully's body and its manifold uses by other people. The Fall taught me that there is a limit to what I'll put up with for the pleasure of seeing Gillian Anderson on my TV, and that at least was well-written.
If they'd brought back Krycek and Marita, I would have watched it, though. Possibly through my fingers, but I would have watched it.
In any case there is all of a sudden a lot of TV to watch. The US shows are back (The 100, Agent Carter, Agents of Shield, Gotham, The Walking Dead, Brooklyn 99, probably some other things I can't remember -- oh yes, Killjoys!). Also back, the last season of Fresh Meat, which is still the only thing Jack Whitehall is in that doesn't make me want to hit him. And soon, Raised By Wolves! Also various subtitled things:
Spin, AKA L'Hommes de l'ombre, which is a French political thriller sort of thing. Thriller may be taking it a little to far. It has some very West Wing moments, although since it's French everyone is a bit more stylish and has more affairs. Also, it turns out from Season 2 that that time that Jed was in the hospital and Margaret offered to forge his signature for Leo would have been totally OK in France. (Probably not, I assume, in the real world.)
Occupied (AKA Okkupert) This is hands-down my favorite thing that I am watching right now, although it is very very odd. The idea is that Norway has stopped producing natural gas (for environmental reasons), and the EU has teamed up with Russia to deal with the resulting shortfall -- by authorizing Russia to take over Norwegian natural gas production. So now Russia is occupying Norway. (My real-world questions: why would Russia ever do that? Also, is this something Norwegians actually worry about? A and I do call the show Norwegian Red Dawn) It has all been kind of leisurely, but in a car-crash kind of way -- the prime minister can't remember whether his name is Quisling or not (this is unfair to him), the Norwegian resistance has been a bit slow getting going, but now everything is escalating quickly (it isn't entirely clear how involved the Russians are in this escalation, but there are, conveniently, attacks whenever the pressure on them to withdraw their people gets too heavy.) The characters are a bit broadly drawn but sympathetic, even the ones who are clearly headed for a bad end. Anyway, it is very enjoyable, but I don't think anyone else has watched it.
ETA: Also, Trapped, from Iceland, which I am less sure about because it is another murder mystery and those are a little tiring. But it is very atmospheric and the plot is (possibly over-) complicated.
Not subtitled, but pretty, is The Night Manager. In tonight's episode, I suspect that Tom Hiddleston will stare mournfully at Hugh Laurie, while Tom Hollander looks fed up with everything. Olivia Coleman will, as usual, steal every scene she is in, even from the scenery porn. There is a lot of scenery porn. By the end, we will all feel both worthy and satiated.
This entry has also been posted at http://vaznetti.dreamwidth.org/54007.html, where it has
comments. Please comment here or there, as you like.
If they'd brought back Krycek and Marita, I would have watched it, though. Possibly through my fingers, but I would have watched it.
In any case there is all of a sudden a lot of TV to watch. The US shows are back (The 100, Agent Carter, Agents of Shield, Gotham, The Walking Dead, Brooklyn 99, probably some other things I can't remember -- oh yes, Killjoys!). Also back, the last season of Fresh Meat, which is still the only thing Jack Whitehall is in that doesn't make me want to hit him. And soon, Raised By Wolves! Also various subtitled things:
Spin, AKA L'Hommes de l'ombre, which is a French political thriller sort of thing. Thriller may be taking it a little to far. It has some very West Wing moments, although since it's French everyone is a bit more stylish and has more affairs. Also, it turns out from Season 2 that that time that Jed was in the hospital and Margaret offered to forge his signature for Leo would have been totally OK in France. (Probably not, I assume, in the real world.)
Occupied (AKA Okkupert) This is hands-down my favorite thing that I am watching right now, although it is very very odd. The idea is that Norway has stopped producing natural gas (for environmental reasons), and the EU has teamed up with Russia to deal with the resulting shortfall -- by authorizing Russia to take over Norwegian natural gas production. So now Russia is occupying Norway. (My real-world questions: why would Russia ever do that? Also, is this something Norwegians actually worry about? A and I do call the show Norwegian Red Dawn) It has all been kind of leisurely, but in a car-crash kind of way -- the prime minister can't remember whether his name is Quisling or not (this is unfair to him), the Norwegian resistance has been a bit slow getting going, but now everything is escalating quickly (it isn't entirely clear how involved the Russians are in this escalation, but there are, conveniently, attacks whenever the pressure on them to withdraw their people gets too heavy.) The characters are a bit broadly drawn but sympathetic, even the ones who are clearly headed for a bad end. Anyway, it is very enjoyable, but I don't think anyone else has watched it.
ETA: Also, Trapped, from Iceland, which I am less sure about because it is another murder mystery and those are a little tiring. But it is very atmospheric and the plot is (possibly over-) complicated.
Not subtitled, but pretty, is The Night Manager. In tonight's episode, I suspect that Tom Hiddleston will stare mournfully at Hugh Laurie, while Tom Hollander looks fed up with everything. Olivia Coleman will, as usual, steal every scene she is in, even from the scenery porn. There is a lot of scenery porn. By the end, we will all feel both worthy and satiated.
This entry has also been posted at http://vaznetti.dreamwidth.org/54007.html, where it has
comments. Please comment here or there, as you like.