April Streams - My List
Here are some of the shows I'm looking forward to streaming this month
This post will be comprised of the top shows/movies I’m looking forward to watching this month.
HBO Max:
Made for Love: Byron Gogol is a young entrepreneur who has amassed a tech empire (think Marc Zuckerberg but if Zuckerberg and Bezos got together and had a “Google” son). At first glance, he and his wife of ten years, Hazel appear cloyingly in love but upon second glance we see the distaste and distrust in her eyes and the controlling, fake smiles in his gestures.
They are a couple on the verge of breaking up. Not because Hazel has been 10 years locked up in “the hub” tech campus where they live, but because Byron insists on having them be the beta couple and her (user 1) of his latest tech innovation: a chip implanted in couples’ brains so they can constantly monitor their partner’s emotions, feelings and essentially what they are thinking at all times. It’s data overload - it’s stalking but it can also backfire. The best line in the 2nd episode was when Byron wants to understand (from his truck en route to Hazel’s dad’s house) why Hazel’s data dashboard is showing ‘red’ during her encounter with a bartender- His assistant tells him, “that means she’s aroused.” Naturally sometimes with knowledge, comes pain and heartache. Perhaps Byron wasn’t counting on that...
The book, on which the show was based, was published in 2017 by Alissa Nutting and it’s worth noting that Cristin Milioti as Hazel is fantastic. She is the queen of “high concept” programming these days (I read this somewhere and it holds true). Stints on Black Mirror and most recently Palm Springs which saw her play opposite Andy Samberg as a similarly trapped human, showcase her range of talent and she can present as sweet, cynical, smart, sassy and person on the edge of a breakdown - all at the same time, rather convincingly.
Milioti’s Hazel is escaping “the hub” and Gogol…or so she thinks. Ray Romano plays her dad, who she is estranged from and who, we get the sense after 2 episodes in, had a wife who died of cancer. These days, his female companion is synthetic. No, for real. She is. But even that is dealt with in a way which grates on you less than it might in other shows or movies. As Ray as Walter, says when explaining to Hazel why, Diane, his doll can’t come into the bar with them, “These people [in the town] are close-minded. They don’t understand.” to which Hazel responds to the likes of, “Oh…It took getting a plastic blow up doll for you to realize that?” Yes, it’s father-daughter moments like this that keep you watching.
Survey says: Yes, watch it. It falls in the super espresso dark comedy genre. There’s scenes in the first episode where you cringe watching Hazel being prompted to rate the orgasm she just received that morning from Byron. It might seem comical but it also speaks to the sinister truth of just how “connected” humans really need to be. Is there such a thing as “too connected”? How will this data ultimately serve Hazel or is it just a lever for Byron to control her and the rest of the universe? Yes this question is rhetorical.
On the Spectrum: This Israeli import centers around 3 roommates - all of which are on the Autism spectrum and dealing with life together and navigating the social challenges of adulthood. There are other shows that have broached Autism in a thoughtful way that I’ve enjoyed (BBC One’s The A Word being my favorite - Watch Seasons 1 and 2 on Prime.) but this one intrigues me as its focus is adults which is a different from a lot of the other shows out there.
As a caveat, I haven’t yet watched it but looking forward to it. As an aside, HBO Max has been importing many Israeli shows (I reviewed Possessions earlier this year), which is a coup for me because Israel has a rich history of creating compelling programming - many of those series are then recreated for U.S. audiences as they are gobbled up by U.S. producers. Think Homeland, Euphoria, Your Honor, In Treatment . I had the fortune of watching the original Homeland (called Hatufim) and it was better than the Showtime series - well at least the first 6.5 seasons I watched of Homeland before I tired of it.
Netflix:
Last Tango in Halifax: In emotional age, I’ve always been at least 60 which probably explains my devotion to Acorn TV and why I flocked to this BBC One, Comedy-Drama about two former teenage lovebirds that find one another again in their 70s and decide to get married. This show is such fun diversion from the heavy stuff (see the ones above) and Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid are darling as the two “old fogies” who remind us that while the love part can be easy, it’s the rest of the equation (family included) that makes life complicated but ultimately worthwhile.
Credit for giving this show a go, goes to my friend Shruti. We generally steer each other in thoughtful show recommendations. We’ll always stand by our love of MSG and My Brilliant Friend, another HBO show (also a great book series).
That’s it for this week, my readers. Enjoy the outdoors and if you happen to be in the market for trying out some new shows, check the ones I recommended out and let me know what you think.