I realised that I haven’t posted a Watchlist since Feb as it turns out – but since the summer hols began:
- I have watched some great telly (see below)
- I haven’t been to the cinema for so long, except for NT Live screenings in Abingdon School’s theatre (All My Sons 👍, Playboy of the Western World 👎, Les Liaisons Dangereuses 👍👍) however, those were in May/June.
- I did go to see Jesus Christ Superstar at the Palladium in July – and I sang along the whole way through (mostly, but not always under my breath), and rocked it in my stalls seat at a midweek matinee mostly surrounded by people way older than me. Richard Armitage was my Herod – and he was bizarre – playing it as a gold-jodphur-clad, camp and totally mad panto villain. Sam Ryder was in fine voice, as was my favourite, David Thaxton as Pilate.
But back to the telly. Since that Feb watchlist post, I started and finished a rewatch of the entire 15 series of ER on Netflix, and I could remember so many of the episodes so clearly – The Pilot episode, Doug Ross rescuing a boy in a storm drain, the shock of ‘Rocket’ Romano’s arm amputation and later death by helicopter, Carter – from student to respected colleague and his awakening in Africa, Benton’s shy smiles and fiery righteousness, and the touching Mark Greene’s death scenes amongst them.
I’ve now moved on to rewatching The Sopranos on NOW TV from the beginning, and never skipping the theme tune (Woke Up This Morning by the Alabama 3).
One classic American author I’ve never really explored fully is John Steinbeck. I’ve only read The Grapes of Wrath, and Of Mice and Men by him some decades ago. I devoured the new high-class soap of Netflix’s East of Eden though, starring Florence Pugh as the book’s antiheroine, Kate. Zoe Kazan’s adaptation concentrates on Kate, an arch manipulator who abandons her husband and twin sons to become a brothel madame. Christopher Abbott and Mike Faist play the brothers Adam and Charles Trask, who both fall for her, Adam marrying her while she carries on with Charles unknown to him. The twins’ parentage is thus never confirmed, but they are named Aaron and Caleb, continuing the Cain and Abel brotherhood allusions. Welcome relief is provided by Hoon Lee as the Chinaman manservant Lee, and a couple of super cameos from Ciarán Hinds as neighbouring landowner Hamilton. I had no idea of the plot, and hadn’t realised it was so dark, but I did enjoy its seven episodes thoroughly.
Also on Netflix is Season 4 of The Diplomat. As a huge West Wing fan, anything with Alison Janney and Bradley Whitford in would get my vote anyway, and I just love Rufus Sewell – always have ever since the BBC’s Middlemarch (which I’m currently rewatching too). In this season, there is a memorable episode with Rory Kinnear as UK PM Nicol Trowbridge on the way out, but I won’t say more for spoiling it for you – there are cliffhangers aplenty, best watched unanticipated. I binged all the episodes over a couple of days, as soon as it was released.
I was also pleasantly surprised by Olive Kitteridge, made in 2014 for HBO (now on Prime) from Elizabeth Strout’s novel. Starring Frances McDormand as Olive, and Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) as her husband, both shine. The book initially was a DNF for me – couldn’t get into it, but having found this four parter after reading and loving Strout’s Booker shortlisted latest, The Things We Never Say, I’d happily give it, and Strout, a proper go.
Apple TV continues to offer quality delights – with Season 6 of Slow Horses being the absolute highlight of my autumn viewing – it gets very dark. Combining books six & seven into one series, we have the continuing fall out from River’s meeting his mercenary father Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaver) and his grandfather’s funeral, mixing with a Russian agent taking out Slough House spooks, former and present, one by one. It ends on a cliffhanger for River.
I also watched and still loved the fourth series of Ted Lasso, in which Ted is lured back to Richmond AFC to manage their ladies team. Tanya Reynolds is a welcome addition as coach Alice Chilton, whereas Tracy Ullman as the awful Zelda Southport was too cartoonish. Silo Season 3 was so confusing, but I stuck with it – spotting Laura Innes (Kerry Weaver in ER) as one of the present day ‘baddies’. Not sure whether I enjoyed it or not, and I won’t be reading the books by Hugh Howey I think. Whereas, the comedy thriller Mayday, starring Kenneth Branagh, playing a former KGB hard man, and Ryan Reynolds as a US pilot trapped behind enemy lines was great fun. Branagh’s fight scenes were huge fun, and I really laughed when they had to hide in a cupboard when a Russian politico came home early with his mistress, then getting her to hide in the cupboard when his wife turned up. Branagh’s Russian accent hasn’t improved though since his last outing as a Russian in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014).
And finally – don’t you just love Richard E Grant? His monumental gaffe in Celebrity Traitors (series 2) first episode meant he was never going to be in the castle for long, but my it was a fun but short stay.
*** Spoilers for recent episodes ***
I’ve loved the irony of Ross Kemp’s paranoia at being murdered in plain sight, then being murdered in plain sight, and Miranda’s Miss Marpling, James Acaster’s reluctant traitor, and I suspect that Maya and Kenny may win for the Traitors, but with 2 episodes to go, it could all change. Don’t you just love James Blunt in it too. He’s so funny and self-deprecating, and always the height of sartorial elegance, even in tracksuit and headband!
What have you been watching lately – do let me have your recommendations.