Cabin Pressureis one of the finest sitcoms ever to grace the radio airwaves. It ended a few years ago now (gah, 2014!), mainly due to Benedict Cumberbatch’s sudden fame thanks to Sherlock but also because each episode started with a different letter of the alphabet and they ran out of letters.
It is much missed.
But there seems to be a lot of Cabin Pressure about, all of a sudden. Inept air steward Arthur Shappey’s grandson is currently piloting spaceships on Avenue 5 (US: ABC; UK: Sky1).
And Arthur himself is currently trying to help us all survive quarantine with Cabin Fever, the first episode of which is naturally set in Fitton.
It’s “What have you been watching?”, your chance to recommend to fellow TMINE readers anything you’ve been watching this week
Previously on TMINE
TMINE was clearly on speed or something this week, since it served up reviews of not one but two streaming Boxsets: the first seasons of Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet and Netflix’s Ragnarok.
Meanwhile, in the film world, Orange Thursday… didn’t happen. Sorry, I forgot I was actually supposed to be having a day off on Thursday. Still that does mean I definitely have a double-bill lined up for tomorrow…
Next on TMINE
It’s Part II of Spring 2020 in the US and after the jump, I’ll be reviewing literally all the new shows that aired on broadcast TV this week: Briarpatch, Indebted, Interrogation, Katy Keene, For Life, and Tommy.
However, don’t be surprised, given I’ve watched all of that as well as two entire boxsets (plus half of another, which I’ll tell you about in a mo), that I didn’t quite have time to watch all of Netflix’s Locke & Key. But I am two episodes in and I’m hoping to get through the rest of it within the next week – who knows, maybe next week will be another Boxset doubler because…
…also coming up in the next week are new shows High Fidelity, ZeroZeroZero and Utopia Falls, while Narcos: Mexico is back for a second season. That’s four shows from which to pick a second boxset, so expect at least one of them, maybe two, to get a review, too.
Meanwhile in movies, tomorrow’s Orange Thursday will be reviewing A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2020) and Parasite (2019), as I don’t have a day off this week. Definitely.
The regulars
The regulars list is now small enough that I’m pretty sure I’m only watching some as a result of experimental error: Avenue 5, The Outsider and Star Trek: Picard. And one of those is for the chop this week, too – you can see which one after the jump, but it probably won’t take much guesswork.
As you might expect, even with two boxsets, a third on the go, movies being watched and a whole bunch of new shows to watch, I found myself with time on my hands and ironing to do. Naturally, I started watching Marvel’s IronFist again – I’m now midway through my fifth viewing of season one, and yes, I’m still seeing new things in it and no, I’m not certifiable, thanks for asking, imaginary voice in my head.
But after a few eps of Iron Fist, with an ironing pile that wasn’t diminishing, I suddenly remembered that the second season of Netflix’s Altered Carbon is due to hit the Internet in a couple of weeks, so I decided to give season one a re-watch.
Altered Carbon: the rewatch
Unlike my rewatch of season one of Marvel’s Daredevil, my rewatch of Altered Carbon hasn’t made me reconsider my original view of the show: it’s still a beautifully made bit of sci-fi with a colossal problem with women (that may or may not be inherent to it or a critique of the patriarchy) that has six or so fabulous episodes that collide with the brick wall of the seventh as soon as we reach the big part of the narrative that wasn’t in the book. I’m on that episode at the moment, so I’m not going any further – or I’ll skip it and head straight into episode eight.
But on the plus side, my rewatch has reminded me of how good those first few episodes were, as well as some of the plot. It’s also interesting to rewatch more or less remembering not just whodunnit but why they dunnit, to see what clues the show leaves and how well the whole ‘universe’ holds together (pretty well).
All the same, watching the trailer for season two today, it’s noticeable that all the plot highlights seem to suggest that rather than going with one of the other books in the series, the show’s producers are doubling down on their own created mythos. So while Anthony Mackie looks like a good replacement for Joel Kinnaman in the lead role, I can’t say I’m 100% looking forward to the next season.
It’s “What have you been watching?”, your chance to recommend to fellow TMINE readers anything you’ve been watching this week
This week’s reviews
Netflix decided to unleash a slew of new shows on us last week. Elsewhere, you’ll have seen TMINE’s verdict on The Stranger, thanks to Boxset Monday. Onisciente managed to keep me interested for one episode at least, and you can read about that after the jump.
But I’m still working my way through Ragnarok, which is going to be next week’s Boxset Monday or Boxset Tuesday, and I didn’t get a chance to look at Luna Nera (Black Moon) – I’m not convinced about its chances, given what’s coming over the next week.
Meanwhile, in the film world, Orange Thursday covered The Personal History of David Copperfield (2020) and X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019).
What’s coming next
It’s Part II of Spring 2020 in the US. Over the next week, we’ll be getting more than a few new shows, including Briarpatch, Indebted, Interrogation, Katy Keene, For Life, and Tommy.
Meanwhile, from Friday, we’ve got Locke & Key on Netflix and Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet starting on Apple TV+.
I doubt I’ll be able to give everything my undivided attention, but I hope to give at everything a first glance at least – hopefully more.
Meanwhile in movies, tomorrow’s Orange Thursday will be reviewing A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2020) and… something else. I knew my Christmas viewing would run out some time.
The regulars
The regulars list, which is already pretty small, is going to start getting even smaller soon, since this week, I’ll be covering the season finales of both Evil and Stumptown. However, that still leaves 9-1-1: Lone Star, Avenue 5, Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, The Outsider and Star Trek: Picard, the latest episodes of which I’ll also be covering.
I wonder if I’ll be dropping any of them, too, making the list even smaller. Let’s find out… in just a moment.
It’s “What have you been watching?”, your chance to recommend to fellow TMINE readers anything you’ve been watching this week
This week’s reviews
We’re entering week three of TMINE’s coverage of the Spring 2020 season and still the new shows keep coming, with a deluge set to hit in February. So far this week, I’ve covered the first episodes of 68 Whiskey (US: Paramount) and 9-1-1: Lone Star (US: Fox).
But there’s more to come after the jump as I look at the first episodes of Avenue 5 (US: HBO; UK: Sky Atlantic), Medical Police (Netflix), Little America (Apple TV+), and Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (US: Freeform). And although it’s not a new show, since it’s such a big change from the first season, I’ll also be considering season two of Miracle Workers (US: TBS; UK: Sky Comedy).
What’s coming next
Looking ahead, coming in the next week, I’ll be covering Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens (US: Comedy Central), Outmatched (US: Fox) and Star Trek: Picard (US: CBS All Access; UK: Amazon).
And tomorrow’s Orange Thursday will be reviewing Knives Out (2019) and Angel Has Fallen (2019).
The regulars
The regulars list remains small but is still growing. Joining Evil and Stumptown this week are new shows 9-1-1: Lone Star, Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector and The Outsider. Will any of them make it to week three?