The Simpsons (1989) – TV Review

Following Disney+ finally releasing in the UK, and the fact that the world is currently in essentially a lockdown, I thought this would be a good opportunity to gradually rewatch the entire ‘The Simpsons’, starting here with Season 1.

‘The Simpsons’ is arguably the most worldwide recognisable TV show of all time, and it has been so influential that it’s true impact on modern pop culture is hard to even comprehend.

However, here I am specifically looking at season 1 of the show. It is undoubtedly a well written and amusing show, but many of the things we came to love about the show are only just in the works here.

Many of the character relationships do not exist in the way we know them to, and some characters seem to have very different personalities, especially the supporting characters.

However, the main family itself is well established and even more than ever, they carry the whole show.

You can very much see the makings of the great show that followed, but this season itself is far from perfect.

Rating = 3.5/5

Thirteen (2016) – TV Review

Before exploding to global stardom on ‘Killing Eve’, Jodie Comer had her break out role on another BBC show, ‘Thirteen’.

The show revolves around Ivy Moxam (Comer), a woman who had been hled hostage for 13 years after been kidnapped at 13 years old. She escapes and the hunt is on to find her attacker after her takes another young girl.

Comer plays Ivy brilliantly, she presents her as a woman out of time, emerging into a new world. She is packed full of trauma, resentments, fear, and deception. We never know if we can trust her or even if she can trust herself. It is fascinating and heartbreaking to watch.

Richard Rankin and Valene Kane are the other two leads of the series, playing a pair of detectives determined to find Ivy’s abuser and save the missing girl. The sexual chemistry between them is simmering throughout and provides a real unpredictability to complement Comer’s performance. The only downside is that the show decides to essentially ignore all real police procedure.

The show takes multiple unexpected turns which keeps it constantly engrossing, and the dynamics between characters feel compelling throughout.

The show is a very good mini-series in its own right, even more notable for the very distinct feeling you get when watching that a star was truly born here.

Rating = 4/5

Killing Eve – Trailer and Early Premiere

The much anticipated launch of the Killing Eve season 3 trailer not only delivered some great and fascinating scenes, but also a huge shocker, as the show will launch two weeks earlier than originally planned, now on 12th April.

This is great news for fans, and just for everyone in general who will now be able to watch this spectacular show while they are in isolation.

The trailer itself features quick flashes of action but mostly on Jodie Comer’s Villanelle moving on with her life under the assumption Eve (Sandra Oh) is dead, until she finds out that isn’t the case and all hell breaks loose.

This is one of the best shows on TV right now, and features Comer giving one of my all time favourite TV performances, and I can’t wait for what the show has in store.

https://twitter.com/killingeve/status/1243555878588026881?s=21

Girls (2012) – TV Review

Lena Dunham’s hit breakout comedy was a huge deal for the years it was on air and made many of its cast and crew into household names. However, in more recent years, due to some of Dunham’s questionable comments and retrospective criticisms of the shows lack of racial diversity and problematic presentations of sexuality, the response has been much more mixed. However, I am going to take it on a season by season basis and give my honest opinion.

The first season is packed full of undoubtedly good writing, a very strong cast, and a very pleasant and enjoyable side to New York. I love seeing the bustling streets, the skylines, the unique parks portrayed in film or TV, and this may make me slightly bias from this perspective.

The writing, mostly done by creator/director/writer/producer/star Lena Dunham is very quick, sharp, and often funny. The characters have very distinct personalities and interact with each other very well, although they are packed full of privilege while seemingly acting as though they are the worst done to people in the world, and as I continue with the show I will keep an eye on whether this is intentionally ironic or Dunham is just blinded to the actual realities of many lives.

As for the cast, the main four girls (Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet) are all clearly talented actresses who create interesting characters, although this is very much focused on the characters of Hannah (Dunham) and Marnie (Williams). The other stand out, and the man who has gone on to have easily the biggest and most respected career since the show is Adam Driver, and his character here is an odd mix of creepy, charismatic, and unpredictable.

I would say so far, so good, but time will tell where the show decides to go from here.

Rating = 3.5/5

Avenue 5 (2020) – TV Review

HBO’s new star-studded comedy from creator Armando Iannucci is on the face of it a large scale, sci-fi comedy, but like many Iannucci shows, it is much more about the characters and their interactions and situations they get themselves in, and that is where it thrives.

Following a reasonably slow start, the show really found its feet and became consistently engaging and entertaining series. The writing, as you would expect, is packed full with stinging one liners and distinct characters with unique personalities.

The whole cast are good, and they especially work together well. Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad are the two big name stars, and they both fit their characters very well, with Laurie especially being able to shine as the show goes along. However, this is very much an ensemble, with people like Zach Woods and Lenora Crichlow more than holding their own alongside their more famous fellow leads.

The season had a strong finale with a big cliffhanger that immediately sets up the status quo for an already commissioned second season. Iannucci is very much now one of the all time great comedy writers, and I look forward to what he continues to produce.

Silent Witness Season 23 (2020) – TV Review

Silent Witness has become an incredibly rare beast, a continuing crime drama on the BBC that has now lasted into its third decade, with seemingly no sign of it slowing down (it has been renewed for two more seasons, which will include its 25th anniversary season).

This is a show I watched from my early teenage years, but in the last couple of years I had stopped watching due to my frustration at how involved the pathologists were getting in police matters and therefore making the show unrealistic, but I decided to give this season a chance, and I am very glad I did. The show is now much more realistic again and this season was packed full of important, inventive, and gripping stories.

This season tackled many different subjects, including domestic abuse, police corruption, chemical warfare, and much more, and found a compelling take on each subject.

The guest cast was notably strong this season, with many recognisable and talented character actors popping up in each episode to really help add a sense of prestige to this BBC drama.

Emilia Fox has now been leading the cast of this show for over a decade, and she continues to be an incredibly likeable and talented actress to carry the show. However, this season especially, was very much an ensemble with all four leads getting their chance to shine. David Caves offers much of the comedic relief with his sarcastic and wise-cracking performance that fits perfectly to the tone.

*Spoilers Below*

However, the two stand outs this season are the two cats members who departed at the end of the season, Richard Lintern and Liz Carr. Carr often provides strong comedic moments but in this season she tackled many emotional scenes and knocked them out of the park. She is a shining light and inspiration for disbaled actors everywhere, and her presence will be missed in this show.

As for Lintern, he has often had to play the ‘straight man’ throughout the show and be the non-emotional, brain of the team. However, in the finale where he sacrifices his life to save his colleague, it is absolutely heartbreaking and his acting is a big part of that.

This show keeps finding ways to stay fresh, and this is why I believe it is one of Britain’s most loved and longest running shows.

Rating = 4/5

Veep (2012) – TV Review

‘Veep’ is one of the most respected and awarded comedies of recent times, but it never became a huge hit in the UK (mainly because we had already had ‘The Thick of It’) but with the world now essentially in lock down, I decided it was as good a time as any to give the show a watch.

Created by Armando Iannucci, as an adaptation of his hit British comedy ‘The Thick of It’, ‘Veep’ is a sharply written, superbly acted and genuinely hilarious show. While it deals with people at the very top of world politics, the focus of the show stays on the main characters, with very low stakes and plenty of great character interaction.

The writing, as you would expect from an Iannucci show is both quick, incisive, boundary pushing, and funny. The episodes are short anyway but they fly by in no time due to the energy the scripts have, and it is exactly what you want in a show like this.

The whole ensemble work together so perfectly that it is flawless, with Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, and Timothy Simmons especially shining. However, the undeniable star here is the irrepressible Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the former Seinfeld star who turned herself into an awards machine with this show, and you can see why. Her comedic timing is inch perfect and she has a unique way to make a potentially unlikable character into one you can’t help but root for.

I will gradually continuing working my way through each of the show’s 7 seasons and will provide a review for each season, but this is certainly a strong start.

Rating = 4/5

Elizabeth Is Missing (2019) – TV Review

Alzheimer’s/Dementia is one of the most difficult and emotionally shattering illnesses that a family can deal with, and it is therefore not shown very often in the correct manner on screen. 

However, in the BBC’s feature length adaptation ‘Elizabeth is Missing’ the genius decision to have a dementia sufferer essentially trying to play detective and piece together a situation from her past and one from her present, all while her condition worsens, allows for the audience to properly understand the intricacies of the illness. 

Glenda Jackson, making her return to TV after nearly 3 decades, is simply remarkable in the lead role and it’s tough to think of anyone delivering  a better performance in the coming year. The whole cast is great and Sophie Rundle is used perfectly to create a real feeling of love and mystery in the few scenes she is given. 

A real triumph.

Rating = 4/5

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