It’s “What have you been watching?”, my chance to tell you what movies and TV I’ve been watching recently that I haven’t already reviewed and your chance to recommend things to everyone else (and me) in case I’ve missed them.
The usual “TMINE recommends” page features links to reviews of all the shows I’ve ever recommended, and there’s also the Reviews A-Z, for when you want to check more or less anything I’ve reviewed ever. And if you want to know when any of these shows are on in your area, there’s Locate TV – they’ll even email you a weekly schedule.
December’s here, Christmas is nearly upon us and a lot of series are coming to the end of their current seasons or have had their mid-season finales. The only new shows hitting our screens now are either trying to get in under the wire by box-setting us or are mere previews for shows that will get their full runs next year. Cases in point are South of Hell (US: WE tv) and Superstore (US: NBC), which I reviewed earlier this week.
That means that after the jump, given I’ve already passed a third-episode verdict on Into The Badlands (US: AMC; UK: Amazon Instant Video), I’ll only be looking at Arrow, Bron/Broen (The Bridge), Doctor Who, The Flash, Grandfathered, Legends, Supergirl and You’re The Worst. I’ve made a start on The Man In The High Castle but I’ve only got a couple of episodes in, so I’ll save them up for a full review next week or the week after. Some time before Christmas anyway.
Shows I’m watching but not recommending
Grandfathered (US: Fox)
1×9 – Jimmy & Son
You can tell this is for old people: it has advice like “Don’t follow your dreams. Your dreams are stupid. You need to get a proper job, a really crappy one at first, but over time, you’ll get better and better ones. You’ll need to do this because of rent.” I like this show. Not sure about Paget Brewster’s new boyfriend. She also needs to get more to do.
Where can I watch it?
Reviews: First episode; third episode
Legends (US: TNT; UK: Sky1)
2×4 – The Legend of Ilyana Zakayeva
And Legends thankfully returns to spy show mode, rather than ‘homeless dosser ambling around Paris’ mode, with Sean Bean getting to be all shady and sneaky, without becoming too much like Jason Bourne. It does feel like this is a turning point episode, with the writing off of the fall out from the season 1 format nearly done and the show properly embracing its new scenario. Fingers crossed, hey?
Where can I watch it?
Reviews: 2×1-2×2
Supergirl (US: CBS; UK: Sky1)
1×6 – Red Faced
Again, as with last week, the show is improving, both in terms of effects and general writing, with Kara’s final fight scene actually a bit spine-tingling in place. After The Devil Wears Prada-ing Callista Flockhart at the beginning, the writers are now transforming her into a sort of mentor, and the Jimmy-Lucy-Kara love triangle at least has some legs and is better than anything in Smallville with Lucy, despite some odd messages (“Give up your career to be with your boyfriend!”). It’s still as daft as a brush, though. Guest DC villain of the week was Red Tornado, played by Iddo Goldberg, who really hasn’t got any better since Bye Bye Harry.
Interesting note of the week: I could be wrong, but it looks like the writers have decided to bring in some nu52 concepts from the comics, although one from Superman rather than Supergirl, with (spoiler alert) Kara losing her powers at the end, shortly after going super-psycho with her heat vision. Used up all her solar energy in one go, perhaps?
Game of the week: Take a drink every time someone say Superman. You’ll be hammered by the end of every episode, I promise.
Where can I watch it?
Reviews: First episode; third episode
The recommended list
Arrow (US: The CW; UK: Sky1)
4×8 – Legends of Yesterday
You should probably read The Flash entry first as this was the second-part of the crossover. Done that now? Good. Okay, so in a week that a movie studio issued a formal apology for ‘whitewashing’ ancient Egypt in the forthcoming Gods of Luxor, this was a badly timed episode to say the least, with not only the reincarnated Egyptian prince Hawkman played by white East German actor Falk Hentschel and the immortal Egyptian priest Vandal Savage played by white Danish actor Casper Crump, but pretty much everyone in ancient Egypt bar the slaves played by white actors, too. Oh dear. It doesn’t help that Arrow has form on this with Ra’s al Ghul, either. That minor problem – and some Greek that’s clearly come from the miracles of Google Translate, rather than anyone who speaks it – aside, a good conclusion to the story that takes some of the best bits of The Flash and adds them to an Arrow episode to give us a Run, Barry, Run do-over piece. Daft coda to it all, but necessary for Legends of Tomorrow, of course.
When’s it airing near me?
Reviews: First episode; third episode
The Bridge (Bron/Broen) (Sweden: SVT1; Denmark: DK1; UK: BBC4)
3×3-3×4
Lovely stuff, and shaping up almost to be my favourite season so far, with the show avoiding having any devious masterminds, so far, just whack jobs, and some decent detective work going on, too. New Danish guy feels at times like he’s simply inherited Martin’s old storyline, but there are obviously extremely interesting points of divergence. Meanwhile, Sofia Helin and the writers have clearly been reading up on Asperger’s, judging by how much more they’re playing on it. Great stuff.
Interesting note of the week: Whatever you do kiddies, never play Russian Roulette with a blank, because it’s still going to kill you.
Where can I watch it?
Reviews: First episode
Doctor Who (UK: BBC; US: BBC America)
9×11 – Heaven Sent
We’ve already discussed this quite a bit in the comments section of last week’s entry, but just for the record, I loved this one. Easily my favourite Capaldi story (not that I can remember almost any other Capaldi stories, which tells you something), it’s basically a modern day version of The Avengers‘ The House That Jack Built and almost as good, with a great payoff when the mystery is solved. There are obvious holes (does chaos theory mean nothing to these people?), but you can plaster over them if that’s what you need, since it’s clearly a modern classic.
Where can I watch it?
The Flash (US: The CW; UK: Sky 1)
2×8 – Legends of Today
Just come here from Arrow? Good choice. So this was the much-heralded two-parter, in which everyone from Arrow comes over to The Flash and vice versa. A more robust crossover than previous episodes, with everything integral rather than bolted on, sadly it still had to revolve around building up excitement for the forthcoming Legends of Tomorrow, by introducing Vandal Savage, Hawkman, Hawkgirl et al, and then having the whole story revolve around that. Still, it did enable the Arrow crew to crack even more funnies than usual and for The Flash posse to make cracks about Arrow‘s more arch qualities (On Malcolm Merlin: “Does he always enter the room like that. Can’t he just use a door?”). Also on the plus side, the show did remember to carry on with its usual storylines, with Harrison Wells, Patty, Jay and co all getting a look-in, too. Now you can go back to the Arrow entry.
When’s it airing near me?
Reviews: First episode; third episode
You’re The Worst (US: FXX)
2×12 – Other Things You Could Be Doing
I really wasn’t looking forward to this after the events of the previous episode. I even put it off for a couple of days. But it turned out to be delightful. The interesting thing about You’re The Worst is that even though the people in are pretty awful, you still end up loving them, because there is an element of decency in them, at least with each other. So while Jimmy is pretty awful to everyone else in the episode, ultimately he’s almost tear-jerkingly lovely to Gretchen at the end. And actually, everyone else was great, too, and it wasn’t the miserable episode I was expecting at all.
Interesting note of the week: the ending’s almost exactly this comic, which I assume was the point.
When’s it airing near me?
Review: First episode
