February Shows I'm Watching: Laughing, Loving, Crying, and Spying
A host of shows and a few movies that are keeping me sane and hopefully do the same for you. Opinion filled but spoiler-free.
For Crying Out Loud: In The Name of Life-Affirming, Aspirational Period Dramas Centered on Chosen Family & Doing Right by Others
If you haven’t yet watched Anne with an E on Netflix, you don’t have any excuses unless it’s not available in your country, and then you legitimately do. Either way, the adaptation of the later 19th Century series set in Prince Edward Island, Canada, and based on the beloved L.M. Montgomery books, Anne of Green Gables, gets a modern update in this version, and to witness AmyBeth McNulty’s acting alone, makes the watch worthwhile. [Bookmark My Series to Catch Up]
All Creatures Great and Small on PBS released its 5th season recently, and it still holds if my binging four episodes in one sitting is evidence. The first few seasons were set in the interwar, seemingly politically peaceful period in the 1930s, but this season’s storylines take us to the WW2 front with two main characters actively on duty. The premise of the timeless tale is one of two brothers: Siegfried, the older, stick-in-the-mud, protective one, and Tristan, the much looser, wilder younger brother.
Source: PBS - All Creatures Great and Small / Yes, I wouldn't mind escaping to the Yorkshire Dales for a few years or so. Maybe just a mini vacation. Siegfried is a vet, and his brother is becoming one if he can pass his exams. [Spoiler: He does!] Then there’s James, from Scotland, a new vet, introduced in season 1. As these men all come together in service of animals and one another, they open themselves up to platonic love, as well as romance. Plus, there are so many good animal storylines, gorgeous backdrops of the Yorkshire Dales in northern England, delightful and wholesome humor bits, and historical/social elements. It hits a lot of feel-goods in one sitting.
Here for the Laughs: SNL is Celebrating its 50th, and its parent company streamer, Peacock is having a MOMENT because of it, but so is Netflix (sorry, Emilia Perez fans..)
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night [Trailer] on Peacock | Description: Behind-the-scenes Saturday Night Live fan fodder for the ages. Each episode of the 4-part documentary features iconic highlights from current and former cast members, production staff, and cultural high and low watermarks (e.g. The Cowbell sketch) spanning the show’s history. If you have to pick one episode to watch, episode 1 is the winner. It highlights the audition videos for cast members and their current-day reactions, which is priceless. Standouts: Bill Hader’s audition is worth watching, as is Amy Poehler’s reaction to hers.
My Verdict on Jason Reitman’s homage to SNL: Saturday Night: Frenetic, “Night of” energy, set to the pulpy, jazzy, tick-tocking tunes of instrumentalist Jon Batiste [listen here] frames the beat of this 90-minute wild-ride seated adventure, which depicts the hours leading up to the show’s first taping in October 1975. Buckle up and tape those eyelids open, or just snort some Coke, like Belushi. Disclaimer: Don’t really mess with your eyelids, or do Coke. Belushi died of an overdose, administered by his girlfriend at the time.
The SNL Universe Has a Strong Hold: You’re Cordially Invited on Prime [Trailer]: Valentine’s Day Rom Com but with an emphasis on the “Com” which, given Will Ferrell’s presence here as a lead, is wholly welcome. I appreciate it when middle-aged characters play characters their age (and you know what I mean by this).👇
More Love & A Well-Told Story with PARTICULARLY Strong Performances by Christina Hendricks (Mad Men, Good Girls) and David Arquette (Scream movies), not the top-billed leads:
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikrey [Trailer] on Netflix | Description: A.J. Fikry's wife has died, his bookstore is in trouble, and now his prized rare edition of Poe poems has been stolen. However, when a mysterious package appears, its arrival gives him the chance to start his life over and see things anew.
Who's it for? Bibliophiles will relate hard to this story, given the love story of the bookseller and book agent, but it’s more about the townspeople and how to heal and live again after loss.
Side Note: The book and screenplay were written by best-selling author Gabrielle Zevin (Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow). David Arquette reprises his earnest, loyal and ethically-driven cop role (Scream) and it’s working for him. A note to casting agents: Hire this man, please!
Here’s to Spies: We Can Never Have Enough of Them
Rogue Heroes [Trailer] on MGM+ and BBC | Description: Based on the larger-than-life story of the SAS, a renegade, rough-and-tumble-esque Special Forces unit created in WW2 to take out Axis planes prior to them taking off. They were wildly successful and went on to launch the covert invasion by foot in Italy, starting in Sicily. That’s season 2 stuff.
Side Note: It’s based on Ben MacIntyre’s best-selling book, SAS: Rogue Heroes
Who's it for? War buffs, Peaky Blinders fans (same showrunner), and creative individuals with wild imaginations who like stories where reality is far stranger than fiction. If you like the band ACDC, there’s a lot of blowing-up and shooting-up sequences in this very theatrical show set to their music.
A special thx to
for the reco!Highly Watchable & Nothing to Write Home About at the Same Time (Could Basically Describe any Netflix Hit Show)
As Fangirlish calls out, The Night Agent [Trailer] is “still landing all the punches” in its second season release on Netflix. It is based on the idea of a night agent, a low-on-the-totem-pole FBI agent whose job is to sit in a secure room in the White House basement waiting for the landline phone to ring all night long, which it never does until it finally does, setting off White House conspiracies and moles leaking valuable intel. It’s all about intelligence buyers and sellers and the lengths they will go to to secure their power.
Who's it for? It might help to fill the “decent political thriller” hole left by The Diplomat as we wait for the next season. [You could also read my take on The Diplomat’s Keri Russell’s “Eras”]
Paradise is Out There. Or Under WHERE?
A Score for Mathematicians Who Love Prime Numbers, But Bad for Ridley Scott
Not even the Gen Z rizz appeal of Leo Woodall (One Day, The White Lotus S2, and the upcoming Bridget Jones movie) can save this show from self-detonating. Then again, I’m all up to date with episodes and actually find myself saying out loud, “Is there a new episode of Prime Target yet?” most weeks. This is more of a commentary on my sentiments regarding Silo ending for the season and holding off on Severance S2 till I can binge-watch. Martha Plimpton, the greatest Gen X reimage and makeover actress in recent years, plays a tough-as-nails NSA Paris Station Chief and that’s exciting, but yeah, not enough. Woodall, playing a Cambridge-trained PhD candidate whose work on prime numbers threatens international cybersecurity at such a grandiose level that people are getting killed off left and right for it, feels far-fetched. It’s watchable, though, for thriller/spy fans who are anxiously awaiting with bated breath the next season of Slow Horses.
Note to Self: I should have just titled this section, “Sub-Par, But Watchable Fill-In for Slow Horses”
Finished Watching & Thought It Could Have Been Better:
The Agency [Trailer] on Paramount+ / Showtime
Wiki Description: A covert CIA agent is ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites.
Final Verdict: Fassbender has zero chemistry with Jodie Turner Smith’s character, on which the whole plot hinges. To boot, Gere’s treatment is the real crime. He is a fine actor who is underutilized as a CIA London Station Chief here and, to add further insult gets stuck with the worst fictional last name in spy history, making him a target for derision: Bosko. What is he? A clown? Actually, scratch that. Upon further research, the name is pretty problematic [see here]. Did this show do its homework?
NOT Enjoying as Much as I Thought I Would, & Sorta Not Still Watching:
What I’m Super Looking Forward to Watching this Month:
The best line in the trailer comes to us courtesy of Justified’s or Fallout’s Walton Goggins (of course):
“Gluten-free rice and coconut balls? What are we at a f*cking fat farm?”
Haven’t Started Watching Because I’m Waiting To Binge:
Other Show Recommendations
For all my curated watchlist recommendations, [go here] 🔗
What shows are you watching? What’s on your watch list?
Feb/March Film Club
Last month, our subscriber chat Film Club theme was twin films, the Elvis edition. [Catch up here] 🔗
This month, you get to vote on D films you’d like to watch and discuss. Here are some options based on Notes and comments I’ve heard from subscribers, including a few of my own:
I’m surprised you are waiting to binge watch Severance as it’s a total IT/event show that will likely have faded from the cultural limelight by the time you get to it. It’s also in my opinion one of the best shows to savor and not binge. I’m actually grateful that they don’t release them all at once.
I have no idea how you have time to watch all these shows. I guess when you really want something you find the time, right? :-) Severance is the only show I’m watching right now so I will just read your posts in ignorant admiration for the time being. :-)
I LURVE "The Night Agent". Me, Sis, and my Dad binge-watched the first season over a weekend. I saw Season 2 is out, so I definitely need to catch up. I've seen "Anne with E" but don't remember how many seasons there are. I feel like I watched them all and was waiting for the next one, but it never came. Maybe? I dunno.