Recently I've been watching... THE AMERICANS and more

My occasional telly round-up :)  Click the series name for more info.

I so looked forward to this, and it lived up to my expectations: series 4 of
The Americans.  It's set in the 1980s, and stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as two Russian spies who live in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC, posing as a normal American couple with two children.  One of their close neighbours is an FBI agent...

I watched the whole series over a period of 2 evenings, but you need to start at the beginning.  It's quite low key for series these days, a proper old fashioned spy drama/thriller without a ridiculous amount of car chases, etc; it's just brilliant scripted and acted.  Keri Russell as Elizabeth is fab, another fictional woman I want to be (after Lagertha in Vikings and Michonne in The Walking Dead).  Highly recommended!

*****Five Stars***** 

I just watched the first series of Alone, which is a reality show in which ten men are dropped onto Vancouver Island in British Columbia to survive alone, in winter, amongst cougars, bears and wolves, for 90 days.  I loved this, as I'm fascinated by survival in adverse circumstances.  It's good because there's no annoying presenter; it's all filmed by the contestants themselves.  They have an emergency phone to ring if they want to 'tap out' (ie, if they've had enough).  One wimped out in 12 hours, another on the 2nd day (okay, they did have bears and wolves outside their tents...), but four of them kept going for nearly two months.  One guy made a yurt and a canoe - the difference in their capabilities was amazing.  Definitely watching the next series.  Only downside was that you don't find out what happened afterwards; it would have been nice hearing what the four who really made a go of it thought of it all, and how it affected them when they got home.  You get to see this about the winner, but not the others.

****Four and a half stars**** 

I quite liked The Whispers, about an alien race who invade the minds of the children of important people in the government, etc, in order to manipulate their parents, because the aliens want to take over the planet.  Yes, it sounds pretty silly, but it's good.  The main problem is that so many of the cast are kind of irritating, especially the main female character, Clare, and some of the children are a bit ghastly (though others are very good, in particular Henry, a little sweetie), but I watched a whole series without being made to!

***Three and a half stars*** 

I've watched the first three episodes of New Blood, a new BBC detective show.  It's fairly entertaining and the plot of the first story was good, but it's a bit too self consciously 'twenty-somethings in 21st century London' for me.  A tad lighter than I like, too.  Familiar faces are Mark Addy (Robert Baratheon in GoT) playing the sterotypical old school detective who resents the 'new blood' and wants everything done his way, but then looks an idiot when aforementioned New Blood solves the case, and Anna Chancellor (Duckface in Four Weddings and a Funeral).

***Three Stars*** 

More coming soon.... 

Recent Telly Round Up

I haven't watched ordinary telly for years now; I can't stand the adverts and most of the stuff that's on the 'normal' channels (give or take the odd history documentary), but one of my greatest pleasures is leaving a series to see all at once, which seems to be the way forward for telly viewing these days.  I'm a Netflix etc addict!  It's hard not to watch a favourite programme as soon as a new series starts, but worth it when you have twelve episodes to escape into ~ few things are as enjoyable as a duvet-binge-watch day :) (nb, I only watch telly after 9pm, generally - am not a total sloth!)

Billions ~ my new favourite programme

Last week I caught up with The Walking Dead, which I thought was one of the best 'seasons' so far.  Rick, Rick, you should have known the die was cast when you started getting over confident about your ability to protect your community... so who do you think Negan killed?  I don't think it was one of the main characters at all, but perhaps Eugene or Rosita.  We'll see!

It's never not a good time for a picture of Norman Reedus

I've also just finished watching the first series of BILLIONS.  I LOVED it!  I adore Damian Lewis anyway, having lusted after him throughout the first three series of Homeland, but he's even better as Bobby Axelrod, brilliant yet corrupt billionaire.  Very clever of the writers to make him likeable, and a dedicated family man, rather than a philanderer, I think, and (to me, anyway), he's the baddie you want to win, even more so than JR Ewing, my all time favourite baddie-I-loved.  Paul Giamatti is terrific as his arch enemy, US Attorney Chuck Rhoades, but....  

Five Stars

Malin Akerman, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff and Paul Giamatti

...one thing that has occurred to me is how Maggie Siff (Wendy Rhoades) might be feeling about her TV husbands.  Like, "how come in my previous main role I got to fake having sex with Charlie Hunnam, but now...."

Charlie Hunnam vs Paul Giamatti ~ there's really no comparison

Last night I watched the first six episodes of Outsiders, a Kentucky based thriller about a community of hillbilly mountain men whose home is threatened by a ruthless development company who want to blow up the mountain to extract the coal within.  It's great, starring David Morse as a particularly objectionable redneck, and Opie (Ryan Hurst) from Sons of Anarchy.  Talking of JR Ewing, we've already cast David Morse's character Foster as JR, 'Opie' as Bobby, and Foster's mum as the all powerful Miss Ellie :)

Ryan Hurst might need to cut his hair if he doesn't want to be typecast...!

....and let us not forget the hunk of gorgeousness that is Joe Anderson, as Asa Farrell!  My husband said he expects to see him on my desktop any day now (a position currently held by Bobby Axelrod).  Those arms, those arms... 

Four stars

Joe Anderson ~ one for the ladies

I've also watched the first couple of episodes (okay, I can't always wait for the whole series!) of Marcella on ITV ~ serial killer thriller starring Anna Friel as a slightly barmy cop.  A role played better by Claire Danes in Homeland, I think, but I do like this series.  My only complain is this:  THE COAT.  Throughout, Anna Friel wears this furry hooded parka affair, which is seriously getting on my nerves now that I've noticed it.  My question is this: if it is cold enough for such a coat, why does she never do it up?  Okay, I know, I need to get out more...

Three and a half stars

Anna Friel as Marcella, in The Coat of Irritation

Oh yes, and if anyone hasn't seen Better Call Saul, because they think it has to be rubbish after Breaking Bad - it's not, it's great.  The second series in particular.  Bob Odenkirk and the guy who plays Mike whose name escapes me are brilliant, and it's every bit as funny and cleverly plotted as BB.

Four and a half stars

Now.... how do I get through the next nine months to a year before the next series of Billions???  Aha  ~ Vinyl will finish soon (I couldn't resist seeing the first episode!), and then there's series 4 of The Americans, and....