The fifth season of American Horror Story is set in the Hotel Cortez in down town Los Angeles. Having been build in the 1930’s by a property magnate, the once glamourous hotel has become a vintage relic with some rather unusual long term occupants who are mostly on the wrong side of dead.

Central to the hotel are The Countess (Lady Gaga), a powerful vampire, her paramour, Donovan (Matt Bomer) and his mother, Iris (Kathy Bates) who works at the hotel as a way of staying close to her son. Then there’s James March (Evan Peters), the man who built the hotel and uses it as his hunting ground, Hypodermic Sally (Sarah Paulson) a junkie ghost and Liz Taylor (Denis O’Hare), its transgender receptionist.

Meanwhile Detective, John Lowe’s (Wes Bentley) marriage to his wife, Alex (Chloe Sevigny) reaches breaking point following the disappearance of their son and he moves into the hotel while he investigates a series of murders.

Soon John is seeing strange things in the hotel, including what seems to be his unchanged son and all the occupants realise their existence is at risk when a fashion designer buys the hotel and threatens to remodel.

Hotel, is a bit of a mixed bag. There are bits that are brilliantly creepy and dark and the way John’s connection to the hotel unfolds is gripping. It has an added bonus of James March’s story and his dark hotel design being loosely based on the truth and the Halloween episode where March entertains a load of serial killers is horrifying in the best way. I loved the central theme of parent-child relationships and felt like it was well explored and once again Kathy Bates, kills it. For me Hotel is O’Hare’s show though. Liz Taylor is going to go down as one of my favourite TV characters of all time. She’s bitchy and evil but also extremely sympathetic and loveable.

On the other hand there are a lot of threads that are undeveloped and don’t really tie up, for example the addiction demon and The Countess’ son. Some of the performances are a bit patchy. Lady Gaga is either brilliant or awful and Matt Bomer gets a little bit too into overacting. For the first time I didn’t feel Sarah Paulson’s character and both Chloe Sevigny and Angela Bassett are underused.

I am still undecided on whether those who die on the hotel grounds being trapped there forever is a clever nod to the mythology of Murder House or if it’s just a bit unoriginal. I get the impression though that the seasons are tying up more and more with character cross-overs so there is no doubt that it’s intentional.

I loved parts of Hotel and rolled my eyes at others. I would still recommend  it but it’s no Asylum.

3/5

The seventh season of American Horror Story is a very different beast from its predecessors. For the first time the focus is not on humans interacting with supernatural elements but rather the monstrous things we do to each other when we are afraid.

The season is set in the lead up to and aftermath of the 2016 US Presidential elections. Lesbian couple, Ally (Sarah Paulson) and Ivy (Alison Pill) are deeply shaken by the result with Ally’s phobias and anxieties spiralling out of control. It’s not long before Ally is seeing clowns everywhere, which impacts the couple’s young son, Ozy (Cooper Dodson) and hampers her ability to work at their restaurant.

Meanwhile local oddball, Kai Anderson (Evan Peters) is fascinated  by the concept of fear and how he can use terror to his advantage. Kai intends to build an army of followers to help him rise to power and create the anarchy he craves.

As a series of terrible murders occur, the residents of Brookfield Heights are drawn to the apparent security behind his radical ideas but who exactly is behind the clown masked murderers?

It’s kind of hard to describe this season without giving too much away as not knowing who is and who is not in Kai’s cult is part of the shock factor of what is happening. There are some very interesting, very current themes at play in this season. Gender politics are high on the agenda, as is liberalism, rape culture, fake news and the rise of the alt right.

Cult is very much Peters’ show and he does a great job of portraying a damaged, yet very intelligent narcissist who is strangely compelling. Sarah Paulson is once again a stalwart performer but her character’s mid-season transformation is quite hard to swallow. I think this is more a factor of writing than performance though. I loved Billie Lourd as Ally and Ivy’s nanny, Ivy and Adina Porter brings a kind of crazy intensity to reporter, Beverley. I can’t say I was as enthusiastic about Leslie Grossman and Billy Eichner playing their neighbours and Cheyenne Jackson was a bit flat as Ally’s therapist. I also missed Kathy Burke, Angela Bassett and Denis O’Hare so much.

Overall this season is a bit of a mixed bag. I loved the concept but some of the execution went astray. The thing with AHS is that even when it’s gone a little wrong, you still can’t stop watching. Although it took several episodes to get going once it really did it was just about worth the build up.

3.5/5

This is another highly acclaimed BBC drama where I am a bit late to the party. I have heard of Luther before but never got around to watching it until loads of my friends started raving about the new season. I decided I had better catch up and see what all the fuss was about.

John Luther (Idris Elba) is a policeman on the edge. After a high profile paedophile case ended with the suspect in a coma, his explosive moods and unorthodox methods have reached new levels. With his marriage to, Zoe (Indira Varma) on the rocks, a series of disturbing crimes that come ever closer to home will push him to the edge.

There is no question that Luther is Idris Elba’s show. Luther is a very complex character who makes a lot of questionable decisions and Elba does a good job to really give him heart. His focus is always on the end goal and he has no problem with doing whatever it takes to reach it. If that means, breaking and entering, planting evidence, borrowing evidence or even consorting with criminals, in the form of sociopath, Alice (Ruth Wilson), it’s all on the table. Of course this puts his long suffering co-workers in constant peril, none more so than his boss (Saskia Reed) and partner (Warren Brown).

It’s easy to get hooked because you are constantly left wondering just how far Luther will go, especially when he finds himself playing cat and mouse with his fellow DCI, Ian Reed (Steven Macintosh). It also leaves you asking the question of how many times a good man can do a bad thing for good reasons before he becomes a bad man? Paired with dark and disturbing criminal cases and Luther and Alice’s strange fascination with each other it’s a great mix.

I would highly recommend Luther for anyone who likes a bit of edgy cop drama… or who thinks Idris Elba is sex on legs. I will be diving straight into the second season since the first ends on a major cliffhanger. Yay for Netflix binges.

4/5

A friend of mine who is really into true crime series recommended this to me knowing that I am a fan of American Horror Story. American Crime Story shares the same producers and follows a similar anthology format, although this time each season dramatises and particular very public criminal case. In this case, the murder trial of O.J. Simpson.

I think most are fairly familiar with the O.J. Simpson trial… but just in case, O.J. Simpson (Cuba Gooding Jnr) is a once very celebrated extremely famous American football player, TV presenter and actor who was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole and her friend, Ron Goldman. The case was extremely high profile and turned into a media circus and ran for months and months.

The series does not really speculate whether or not O.J. was guilty but is more interested in the legal process that the case went through. It focuses equally on the prosecution, lead by Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson) as it does the defence, initially mounted by Robert Shapiro (John Travolta). While the defence believes that a mountain of physical evidence is likely to guarantee them victory, the prosecution puts its energy into bringing in a high profile team including Johnny Cochrane (Courtney B. Vance) and exploiting every possible legal loophole.

Race plays a huge part in the trial with the still simmering tensions of the L.A. riots in the background as well as serious concerns about LAPD behaviour. It touches every element of the case from the selection of jurors to the selection of the defence and prosecution teams, witness behaviour and public perceptions. There is also an examination into Marcia’s struggles as a female prosecutor in a very powerfully male world alongside her challenges of balancing work with family. There is even some examination into O.J.’s own feelings about his “blackness” and his attempts to integrate himself into typically “white” spaces before the trial.

While the case is central to the show, it is as much commentary on American society and in particular its legal system, which is what makes it fascinating.

Gooding gives an astounding performance as a man who is an endless array of juxtapositions, seemingly equally confused and cunning at all times. Paulson is solid and sympathetic as the powerful yet vulnerable Marcia Clark and Sterling Brown brings really heart as her co-prosecutor Chris Darden. Some of the most interesting parts of the series involve their interactions with each other. Vance captures the ministerial Vance perfectly and Travolta is delightfully slimy as Shapiro. It’s also worth mentioning David Schwimmer who plays Robert Kardashian (yes, that one), O.J.’s lifelong friend who starts out convinced of his innocence but finds his belief in his friend crumbling around him.

I found it to be addictive and disturbing viewing and I would highly recommend the series to anyone who enjoys true crime and legal procedurals.

4/5

Season 4 of Outlander sees Claire (Catriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) attempting to start a life in colonial America. As always things are not easy. They lose all their money to a robbery by a pirate called Stephen Bonnet (Edward Speelers), face serious moral questions when it comes to slavery, are forced to choose sides between the ruling redcoats and the rebellious regulators and have to negotiate with the indigenous locals.

Meanwhile in 1970 Brianna (Sophie Skelton) is trying to figure out what to do with her life and with her relationship with Roger (Richard Rankin). A shock discovery leads her into the past where she will finally meet her father and go down a path she never imagined for herself.

I am a big Outlander fan and I love Claire and Jamie together. That part of the show is still the absolutely the best thing about it. Balfe and Heughan’s chemistry sizzles and the way they interact is just a joy to watch. Unfortunately the rest of the series is less impressive.

[WARNING, HERE BE SPOILERS]

I get that part of the charm of a show like Outlander is having old favourite characters and antagonists come back but the level of coincidences has started to stretch well beyond the realms of reasonability. I know it’s a show about time travel so disbelief needs to be suspended but I had far too many, “ffs, really?” moments.

I also cannot stand Roger or his relationship with Brianna. Brianna is a strong-minded, free spirited woman who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself. Roger on the other hand is a slut shaming, self righteous prick. He is forever storming off in a huff because Brianna won’t conform to his ludicrous, outdated ideals and then landing himself in a mess because of his stupid decisions. Although he suffers through some intense scenarios because of his supposed love for Brianna, his motivations seem to be focused on what he wants and I couldn’t understand why Brianna was so in love with him or what message the show runners were trying to send. Just because someone is capable of grand gestures doesn’t negate all kinds of other unhealthy behaviour. I was livid when Jamie and Catriona agreed to trade the Mohawk Young Ian (John Bell) for Roger. Young Ian is awesome. Roger is a human testicle and he should have been burned at the stake like the French priest.

Anyway… for me the series has taken a dive in quality with this season. I am hoping the next season will bring better but overall I am really disappointed.

2.5/5

I quite enjoy a bit of true crime and when people started talking about the Ted Bundy tapes on Netflix I found it irresistibly intriguing. For those who don’t know, Ted Bundy is an American serial killer who was executed in 1989 after being convicted of the murder of over 30 women.

Throughout his trial Bundy maintained he was innocent and refused to entertain discussing the crimes with anyone until a journalist eventually convinced him to give a theoretical account of what the murder might have been thinking. The result is hours of tape of Bundy surmising what would have driven someone to commit a series of brutal, sexual attacks.

This series shares not only content from the tapes but also looks at our fascination with serial killers and also white male privilege. Although Bundy was arrested and held for various crimes he also escaped incarceration more than once because no one was watching him properly… him being a fairly mild-mannered, inoffensive looking white man. This also allowed him to fly under the radar and gain the trust of some of his victims.

It’s a very interesting account that uses members of the legal teams that fought the case, law enforcement who worked on it and even a kidnap victim who escaped Bundy to share their views. I particularly liked the fact that there was an attempt to dispel the assumption that Bundy was a smooth talking, ladies man of unusual intelligence as a sensationalist media fantasy.

It’s gruesome, dark viewing, particularly the part where Bundy, acting as part of his own legal team, cross examines crime scene witnesses and appears to revel in the gory details of his own actions.

I did flag a little in the end and I am glad it wrapped up after four episodes. With this kind of thing one has to be very careful of becoming too interested in the perpetrator and forgetting the victims.

3.5/5

Season 2 sees Luther (Idris Elba) struggling to cope with his wife’s murder and considering leaving the police force. Of course starting a new life is not as easy as it looks, especially when there are killers on the loose.

This time Luther is facing a masked killer intent on wrecking havoc and drawing attention to himself in the most devastating possible way along with a violent attacker who sees crime as a game.

If that wasn’t enough he gets drawn into caring for Jenny (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) of a man he once arrested. Jenny has some pretty hardcore enemies who aren’t afraid to use her as leverage to get what they want from Luther. This will test his resourcefulness to the limit but also draw the attention of DCI Erin Gray (Nikki Amuka-Bird) who is desperate to prove that Luther is dirty. Loyalties are tested to the limit and one has to ask just how long Luther’s ability to get the job done will keep his closest allies turning a bling eye to his methods.

Once again I absolutely loved this season. The two major criminal cases that ran through them were so creative and intriguing, especially the one with violence as a game that I was hooked. I also loved the relationship between Luther and Jenny. Although Luther makes a lot of questionable decisions, he has a very soft heart and is ultimately desperate for someone to take care of. With Jenny he gets to take on a father role and it gives him real humanity and makes you root for him even harder.

Although Erin is a bit of a loathsome character, Nikki Amuka-Bird does a great job with her. You can see her frustration and disappointment throughout. She wants to play by the rules but Luther only cares about results. The rules are irrelevant if you are not catching the bad guy.

Idris Elba remains the star of the show. He was born to play Luther. Anyone else might have made him into a villain but in Elba’s hands, you always want him to get away with whatever he’s been up to this time.

Even better than season 1. Get on it now.

5/5

From the moment aspiring writer, Beck (Elizabeth Lail) walks into the bookshop Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) is obsessed with her. From his inner monologue we discover he’s decided it’s love at first sight. He quietly believes he already knows everything about her and what is missing from her life is him.

Joe will stop at nothing to find a way into Beck’s life and sets about using every means at his disposal (all of them creepy) to worm his way in. He even goes as far as to “remove” obstacles that he sees as being in the way to their happiness.

It’s not going to be as easy as Joe hoped though. Beck is pretty good at keeping secrets herself and her behaviour regularly confounds Joe, leading him to drop little red flags all over the place. Beck’s high society friends aren’t very keen on Joe either. In fact her friend, Peach (Shay Mitchell) is extremely suspicious of Joe’s intentions.

As the relationship progresses, more and more questions are raised, most importantly what happened to Joe’s ex, Candace (Ambyr Childs) and is Beck being honest about her family and where she gets her money?

I got totally sucked into this show. Although Joe was as creepy AF, I wanted to know what he was going to do next. His use of social media is ingenious – horrible and disturbing but ingenious and it shows you how easy it is to manipulate the “truth” using the internet. I liked the fact that Beck was not some perfect Mary Sue character. She was flawed and fucked up and very real… and sometimes a bit annoying to be honest. Pretty much every character in the show has twisted motives and watching them be revealed is addictive. It is also one of the negatives of the show. There were parts where it got a little bit too over the top and I got a bit eye rolly. When it got too dramatic it started to feel a bit stale, where the rest of the format with the voiceovers and the social media inputs felt really fresh. A little restraint would have probably pushed it from good to great.

I had conflicted feelings about Joe’s relationship with his neighbour, Paco (Luca Padovan). It helped to create balance within Joe as a character and tied in with hinting at a neglected and messed up childhood that might have pushed him over the edge. At the same time I mean trying to humanise a predator is a bit problematic.

Penn Badgeley is definitely the show’s MVP. Joe makes your skin crawl but at the same time he is fascinating. Elizabeth Lail’s Beck is charming in a way that makes you see why she is so attractive to Joe but she’s also real and relatable. I also thought Shay Mitchell was excellent at making Peach into a complete bitch while still making you think, she might have some good points here.

The cliff hanger ending was epic and unexpected and I will totally be tuning in for season 2… although I have a suspicion it’s going to get even crazier.

3.5/5

One beautiful summer’s day on the beach, young mum, Cora Tannetti (Jessica Biel) snaps and murders a man with seemingly no provocation. Cora pleads guilty but detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) is convinced there is more to the attack than what is immediately obvious and sets to uncover the truth.

As Harry tries to unpick a reluctant Cora’s past, we see flashbacks of her traumatic upbringing as well as an insight into Harry’s own confusing personal life. And the question is raised as to who is truly a sinner and who gets to judge?

I found it hard to stop watching because the show does such a good job of building suspense. It is obvious that something terrible has happened to Cora but the fact she doesn’t seem to know what that is makes it even more intriguing. Cora’s past is drip-fed to the audience and every episode leaves you feeling like you are on the edge of finding out something huge.

The actual conclusion is fairly satisfying considering all the build up but it left me with some questions of logic that I’d be happy to discuss with anyone else who has watched this. I really don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t. I liked the fact that all the characters had flaws that could mean that they were seen as sinners and that no one involved really had the right to judge anyone else’s behaviour.

Apparently there have been criticisms of Biel’s performance as being wooden but I think it is masterful (as annoying as I usually find her). Her character is suffering from severe PTSD, which has caused her to repress her memories, she is burdened with hiding her past from her husband (Christopher Abbott) and obviously depressed. Of course she is subdued, closed off and vacant. Pullman is also brilliant. He is dogged when it comes to his cases and the care of his beloved plants but it’s obvious his marriage has suffered as a consequence and his outlet for his guilt makes him a sinner too.

The use of music in the series is exceptional and if you don’t end up obsessed with Hugs and Kisses by Big Black Delta by the end of this I will be shocked.

The use of music in the series is exceptional and if you don’t end up obsessed with Hugs and Kisses by Big Black Delta by the end of this I will be shocked.

Logic fails and some questions around how much work a detective would actually do on a case with loads of witnesses where the defendant has pleaded guilty aside, I loved The Sinner and I am very interested in what the second season will bring.

4/5

After her humiliation in season two, Erin Gray (Nikki Amuka-Bird) has a new partner in trying to investigate Luther’s (Idris Elba) alleged corruption. DSU George Stark (David O’Hara) is ruthless, vicious and will stop at nothing to get his man.

With Luther unwilling to play ball, Gray and Stark attempt to turn Ripley, (Warren Brown) creating tension between the two partners.

Meanwhile once again terrible crimes are afoot. This time there’s a killer murdering women who escaped from a past crime, an internet troll killed after pushing a woman to suicide and a raging vigilante desperate for public approval.

As Luther’s past reappears to confront his potential future, Stark and Gray’s investigation starts to impact every area of his life.

I absolutely loved this season. It was great to see a softer side of Luther in his relationship with Mary (Sienna Guillory) and the chemistry between the two of them was electric. I so badly wanted Luther to have a chance at love with someone who isn’t a sociopath. It also had the best cases we have seen so far. There were several moments where I was terrified watching Paul Ellis (Kevin Fuller) stalk his victims and the behaviour of Tom Marwood (Elliot Cowan) raises a lot of moral questions.

The final episode of the season is thrilling and action packed and I was left desperately wanting more. Another excellent instalment of this series. Idris Elba continues to shine and the long-standing supporting performances get better and better. Warren Brown, Dermot Crowley and Michael Smiley are all so good and the show would not be the same without them.

5/5

In July 1997 Andrew Cunanan (played by Darren Criss) murdered world famous fashion designer, Gianni Versace (played by Edgar Ramirez) outside Versace’s  Miami mansion, sparking a nation wide manhunt. This murder and the events that preceeded it are the topic of the second season of American Crime Story.

While the first season of American Crime Story was very focused on the OJ Simpson court case and how the American justice system can be manipulated by lawyers and the media, this season is much more about what makes a murderer.

Working backwards from Versace’s murder to Cunanan’s childhood, this season explores what happens when the American dream goes wrong and a person’s belief in what they deserve diverts significantly from reality.

There are a number of themes at play here. First is Cunanan’s mental health. A lot of his behaviour suggests that he might have suffered from bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder, exaccerbated by childhood that he left him disconnected from his family. This leads into the theme of family because it is such a big part of who Versace is and his connection to his sister, Donatella (played by Penelope Cruz) and mother is essential to his success. At the same time his lifelong partner, Antonio (played by Ricky Martin) is rejected and ostracized by Donatella.

There is also a strong thread about sexuality and self-acceptance. Cunanan and Versace were both gay and struggled with this element of their lives. Versace more with public perception and the potential impact on his business. Cunanan more with conflicted feelings of self-loathing while simultaneously taking advantage of other gay men. I was left wondering if there was more societal acceptance of queerness at the time if Cunanan would have been less successful in his predatory behaviour.

The decision to work backwards is intriguing, as is getting to know the major players in Cunanan’s life and his victims. The whole series is bathed in candy colours and opulence which reflects Versace’s aesthetic as well as the life Cunanan believes he deserves. It is an exceptional use of colour and ensures that it looks significantly different from the first season. Criss gives an outstanding performance and it truly feels like he has thrown himself completely into the role. Ramirez is also really compelling. I found Cruz’s performance distracting but I am not sure if that’s more because the real Donatella was distracting too.

Overall I think I liked the OJ season slightly more but this is a great addition to the anthology and very much worth a watch.

4/5

Season 4 of Peaky Blinders begins with the Shelby family and their associates separated by the terrible deal Tommy (Cillian Murphy) made at the end of season 3. Feeling betrayed, they are keen to start their own lives away from Tommy and his relentless ambition. When a threat is made by the Changretta family, they will have no choice but to bury their differences and come together.

Season four pulls no punches. Right from the outset there is a shocking death and seeing the once united Shelby family, disillusioned and no longer trusting each other is really upsetting. Every member of the family is obviously traumatised and Tommy is struggling to hold it together, having failed to deal with anything that happened to him during the war or since.

This season brings new enemies and associates, with varying degrees of success. Luca Changretta (Adrien Brody) is excellent as the smooth New York gang leader. He’s obviously a big De Niro fan and has been hitting the Scorcese hard, but it works. The remaining Changretta gang members are totally disposable.

Tommy also faces opposition from the communists around his factory conditions, which leads him into an interesting flirtation with Communist leader, Jessie Eden (Charlie Murphy) but I am not sure I buy their chemistry.

There’s a new association with a gypsy leader called Aberama Gold (Aiden Gillen) who’s boxer son, Bonnie (Jack Rowan) brings some light relief. Aberama gave me the absolute heeb but a completely unleashed, Aunt Polly (Helen McCrory) obviously had a different opinon and their rabbit hunting adventures are quite something.

Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy) is also back, so is May Carlton (Charlotte Riley). As always Tommy is unsure if Alfie is friend or foe as his loyalty is forever ready to turn on a dime and the interactions between them continue to be one of the best things about the show.

I had mixed feelings about this season. It is exciting to see the Shelbys come up against a foe that actually seems like a real threat. Tommy is clever but the Changrettas are clever too and they have almost unlimited firepower and no qualms when it comes to killing. The family being at odds with each other is uncomfortable to watch although realistic considering what has happened and I struggled a bit with the sense of gloom this cast over the season. One of the things I loved about the earlier seasons was that it was dark and gritty but also very funny and that family trumped all. There is little light in season four. It was great to see a bit more of what Tommy was like before the war and to learn about Polly’s gypsy past but Tommy has become so hard and cold that he is bordering on unlikeable.

That said, it’s a significant improvement on season three and I am excited to see what they do with season 4 and the launch of Tommy’s political career.  I am also interested to see if the taint of being associated with the family continues to spread. In this season its mostly Arthur’s (Paul Anderson) wife Linda (Kate Philips) who is impacted. I wonder if there will ever be a point where it is all too much and Tommy’s dream of respectability is eternally crushed.

4/5

Season 4 of Luther is short and intense, comprising of just two episodes, which I think were a Christmas special when they were aired. Although there is no festive content in the episodes.

It starts with Luther (Idris Elba) on a leave of absence and living a quiet life in a remote village. However the peace is shattered when two detectives arrive from London requesting his help with an extremely disturbing case.

On arrival in London, Luther discovers that Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson) has been killed. This drives him to seek out gang boss, George Cornelius (Patrick Malahide), who may have had something to do with her death,

Meanwhile someone is killing and eating his victims and Luther will need to unlock the secrets from a cold case to connect the dots and catch the perpetrator. That’s if he doesn’t get distracted by Megan Cantor (Laura Haddock), who claims to have a message from Alice from beyond the grave.

After the absolutely magic of season 3, I felt like the fire was gone a little bit with season 4. Although the actual case that Luther was following up was really compelling, I found the whole psychic manipulation bit quite convoluted and I didn’t feel like Luther’s temporary partner Emma (Rose Leslie) was particularly memorable, His recklessness when it came to getting on the wrong side of George Cofrnelius felt like a frightening look at a future with less of a moral compass and there were moments where I felt like it was taking away from the thing I like most about Luther – his relentless desire to catch the bad guys and protect the vulnerable. This was more like a personal vendetta.

Although it didn’t live up to season 3, season 4 is still exciting and packed with outstanding performances. Elba, is as always, a standout and John Heffernan is impressively creepy as Steven Rose.

3.5/5

After Saxon Uhtred’s (Alexander Dreymon) father is killed by marauding Danes he is taken as a slave by Earl Ragnar (Peter Gantzler) and his lands are handed over to his opportunistic uncle. Ragnar becomes fond of Uhtred and chooses to adopt him raising him as a son alongside his own son, Young Ragnar (Tobias Santelmann). Uhtred is happy living as a Dane but when Ragnar’s enemy Kjartan (Alexandre Willaume) murders him and Uhtred is blamed he has no choice but to escape with, fellow slave, Brida (Emily Cox) and return to Saxon land.

Now Uhtred will have to convince pious Christian King, Alfred (David Dawson) that his knowledge of the Danes makes him an asset rather than a liability and that his loyalties can be counted on. It won’t be easy though as most of Alfred’s advisor’s are horrified by Uhtred’s arrogance and wild pagan ways and Brida longs desperately for her old Danish life.

This series is based on the Bernard Cornwell novels of the same name. For those who don’t know, Bernard Cornwell writes historical fiction that blends actual events and historical figures with imagined ones. I read quite a few of his novels when I first moved to the UK and greatly enjoyed them so when fellow blogger, Cindy recommended this Netflix original I decided I had to check it out.

On the plus side, the story is really exciting and full of epic fights. Also Alexander Dreymon is outrageously hot. I think you could cook an egg just standing in the same room as him. I mean I would watch him watch paint dry. I like the fact that it’s semi-historically accurate and the culture clash between the carpe diem Danes and the super religious Saxons is really interesting and compelling. I loved the friendship between Uhtred and Saxon solider, Leofric (Adrian Bower) and I would go as far as to say that Leofric was my favourite character.

The female characters are strong, Brida in particular and I enjoyed seeing what influence both Alfred’s wife, Aelswith (Eliza Butterworth) and Uhtred’s multiple wives and lovers, especially Iseult (Charlie Murphy) had on these two powerful men.

It’s not all positive though. Dreymon’s acting starts out a bit ropey and he is massively overshadowed by David Dawson. The result is that Alfred is initially a much more interesting and exciting character than Uhtred, which I don’t think is intentional. Dreymon definitely improves as the series goes on but it took me a while to warm to Uhtred’s personality rather than just his beautiful face… which isn’t helped by the fact that he starts out immensely arrogant and with the capacity to be a bit of a dickhead. There is also a bit of a lag in the middle of the season but it picks up so much at the end that I am glad I stuck with it.

I am looking forward to jumping into season 2 and I wanted to say thank you to Cindy for the recommendation!

3.5/5

Season 5 sees Luther (Idris Elba) back in the field with new partner. Catherine Halliday (Wunmi Mosaku) comes from the private sector and Schenk (Dermot Crowley) tells Luther under no uncertain terms he needs to play by the book.

As the two investigate a series of brutal, bizarre murders, Luther starts to realise that Halliday might have a streak of “pragmatism” within her and that working together might not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately a fresh start is not on the cards as Luther’s past simply will not rest. With Alice (Ruth Wilson) back in the picture and George Cornelius (Patrick Malahide) out for revenge, Luther might have finally bitten off more than he can chew. As he frantically tries to fix things before his carefully constructed web of lies comes crashing down, more and more of the people around him start to get sucked in and the case starts to suffer.

The criminal case in this season is probably the best ever. Hermione Norris is just incredible playing psychiatrist Vivien Lake and her strange relationship with her clients and her creepy surgeon husband (Enzo Cilenti) is so deliciously shady. They are a truly dastardly trio and watching them is like watching a car crash that you just can’t look away from.

I thought Halliday was a great addition to the cast and a bit of a breath of fresh air after the hole left by Ripley and her dilemma in trying to figure out whether or not to trust Luther is much like that of the audience’s.

This time we get a look into what really happened between Luther and Alice. It casts a fairly unpleasant light on John, questioning whether his desire to solve crimes at any costs is about the victims and justice or if it’s more about his own desire to triumph and his belief in his superiority. I have to admit that I struggled a little with that element of this season because some of Luther’s behaviour borders on making him unlikeable. His saving grace thus far has been that although some of his methods are questionable he has a good heart. In this season I started to wonder if he had any kind of line he wouldn’t cross to protect himself. I also started to feel really sympathy for Alice. I mean yes, she is a sociopath but Luther has really put her through the ringer… and is he that different from her?

The season ended on a cliff hanger and I honestly don’t know where the showrunners are going to go with it but I guess we’ll see in due course.

4/5

Season 3 kicks off with Michael (Ted Danson) intervening in the four humans’ lives to prevent their deaths. His hope is that by giving them the opportunity to live their lives again that they’ll live better lives and get into The Good Place legitimately.

Unfortunately things don’t quite go to plan and Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson-Harper), Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto) soon fall into their old habits. Michael is forced into more and more interventions as he realises that the reason the four became better in the Bad Place is because they were together. But is it possible the entire system is flawed?

The Good Place really is the gift that keeps on giving. At the end of the last season I had no idea where they were going to go with this season and once again I was pleasantly surprised with the direction.

On one level The Good Place is a silly, surreal comedy but on another level it is a deep exploration of the human condition, morality and what it means to be a good person. By exploring this from the banal angle of a points system beholden to an endless bureaucracy, the show highlights the complexity of modern life. You can just as easily ignore this and just laugh at Jason’s utter stupidity, Eleanor’s self-serving vulgarity, Janet’s (D’Arcy Carden) forthrightness, Tahani’s self-obsession or Chidi’s endless neuroses.

This season also brings a lot of tenderness as the group becomes more and more tight knit through their shared experiences, which leads to some very challenging decisions.

Although to a large extent all the characters, except maybe Janet, are questionable human beings the performances from the actors that play them ensure that they are sympathetic and that the audience can identity with them and laugh with them. Danson continues to be the MVP and seeing him overcome his demonic nature, while using his cunning to his advantage is great.

One of my favourite recent comedies that I am happy to recommend.

4/5

Three times divorced, Debra Newell (Connie Britton) feels like she has finally found the real thing when she meets John Meehan (Eric Bana). He’s successful, intelligent and attractive and treats her like a queen. Debra is head over heels in love and John has an answer for evetyhing so all the early red flags and her children’s disapproval seem unimportant.

As the relationship moves ahead at breakneck pace, Debra’s daughters, Veronica (Juno Temple) and Terra (Julia Garner) become progressively more worried that John is not who he says he is. Now they will have to convince their mother that John is a monster posing as her knight in shining armour before someone gets seriously hurt.

At the same time the series explores John’s past from his childhood through his first marriage and his various other relationships and run ins with the police, painting a very dark picture indeed,

There are lots of elements at play in Dirty John. The first is around coercive control, gas lighting and how one person can manipulate another into believing their version of reality. It also looks at how hard it is to break away from this kind of control. Despite the fact that Debra is a beautiful, intelligent, successful woman she keeps turning back to John no matter how much evidence she has that he is shady AF.

There is also an examination how of how someone can mercilessly play the system and other people for their own benefit and to feed their addictions. John is so slippery and astute that he manages to escape the consequences of his actions at almost every turn. He is ruthless in using everything at his disposal to destroy anyone who might be getting in the way of his goals. From accessing their devices remotely to leaving dodgy yelp reviews, nuisance calling their places of work and raising questionable lawsuits.

The way family dynamics also under scrutiny. Debra’s family is close knit to the point of almost creating claustrophobia but this is ultimately what saves Debra’s life. Their duty of care to each other means that they take care of each other no matter how bad the circumstances get. Although some of Debra’s mother’s attitude towards relationships and men are very unhelpful. John, on the other hand, does everything he can to keep his family away from his victims as they know his true nature. He uses and abuses them when he needs to but there is no love or loyalty anywhere in his life.

Connie Britton is outstanding as Debra, She completely embodies this softly-spoken, gentle, yet strong woman who always wants to believe the best of everyone. Bana is just as good as John. He’s never been my favourite but he pulls off every facet of John’s character and makes him extremely believable. He goes from charming to menacing in a flash and you can see why Debra fell for him… when he’s not making your skin crawl.

Apparently the intention is to make this into an anthology series where a different “Dirty John” is examined in each season. I think that could go either way but if you are looking for a story contained within a single season and based on real happenings, this is a great one. If you have ever been the victim of coercive control though it is likely to be extremely triggering so approach with caution.

Both Temple and Garner are really good as Debra’s daughters but I had moments where I found them both very annoying. I think because they are both fairly spoiled and high maintenance but their love for their mother shines through. Sprague Grayden also turns in a strong performance as John’s first wife, Tonia.

Apparently the intention is to make this into an anthology series where a different “Dirty John” is examined in each season. I think that could go either way but if you are looking for a story contained within a single season and based on real happenings, this is a great one. If you have ever been the victim of coercive control though it is likely to be extremely triggering so approach with caution.

4/5

Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) is called back to his home town of Keller, New York to advise the daughter of his childhood friend. It’s Heather’s (Natalie Paul) first case as a detective and it’s a weird one. Two adults have been found poisoned to death and the only suspect is a teenage boy named, Julian.

As Harry helps Heather investigate they realise that Julian was a resident of Mosswood, a mysterious local community who live cut off from society. It also happens to be the community that Heather’s former best friend, Marin (Hannah Gross) disappeared into several years before. Harry realises that to get to the bottom of why Julian did what he did he will have to find out what has been happening at Mosswood. The deeper they dig the more they realise that a lot of Keller’s residents know more about Mosswood than they have been letting on. Meanwhile Harry’s demons are resurfacing all over the place and he might not be able to escape the past before he escapes Keller.

So what I liked…

The whole Mosswood cult story line was really interesting. Seeing how their goal got twisted and changed and how a lot of the town’s leaders were complicit was really gripping. Vera (Carrie Coon), Mosswood’s de facto leader is a great character and Coon does an incredible job with someone so complex.

I also liked getting a feel for Harry’s past and understanding why he seems wracked with guilt and also why he has so much compassion for those that are accused. Bill Pullman continues to be stellar and his and Coon’s interactions are dynamite.

This season got a lot of flack compared to the first one but I was still gripped. Maybe because I’m just interested in cults. Thematically parent-child relationships, and what it means to be a parent, are once again at the forefront. It seems that as a whole the message The Sinner is trying to send is that the way we are raised shapes our futures.

It wasn’t all sunshine though. Once again the plot is full of holes and unresolved questions. I am still somewhat unsure as to why Julian actually did poison Adam and Bess. It seems almost incidental to the “what’s up at Mosswood” story line. I also don’t get what happened to “The Beacon” (Brennan Brown). I don’t buy that he just “wandered off” one day. It is disappointing that The Sinner is so focused in some ways and then just straight up lazy in others and it suffers somewhat in the fact that you know from the first season to question every “fact” you are presented. I found Heather to be a bit meh in comparison to Harry and Vera and I am not sure Paul’s performance stands up. Finally I know this is fiction but really Julian looked absolutely nothing like his ultimate biological parents, which was just odd.

If you enjoyed the first season of The Sinner, I imagine you’ll enjoy this one too. I know I did. I am not sure that a third season is warranted though.

3.5/5

On the night of her thirty-sixth birthday New Yorker, Nadia Volkova (Natasha Lyonne) is killed in an accident. Then she wakes up her friend, Maxine’s (Greta Lee) bathroom at the start of her birthday party… and it keeps happening over and over with Nadia dying over and over doomed to relive the same day.

Desperate to know what it all means Nadia attempts to investigate what may have trapped her in the endless loop but it is not until she meets Alan (Charlie Barnett) that she starts to make any progress. Alan has died after his proposal to Beatrice (Dascha Polanco) is thwarted by his discovery that she is cheating on him with Mike (Jeremy Bobb) and he too is reliving the same day.

Soon the two realise that their lives have crossed over many times before but what does it all mean? And how do they make it stop?

Russian Doll is such a complex show that it is hard to do a review that will do it justice. Nadia and Alan are such interesting characters both damaged, neurotic and buried in unhealthy coping mechanisms but also absolute polar opposites. Lyonne is beyond amazing as the disaffected, brash, defensive Nadia. It feels like a role she was born to play. She is ably supported by Barnett who embodies Alan’s obsession with order, cleanliness and routine covering up a fear that he might be a complete failure at life.

Digging into the underlying message and meaning of the show could be a dissertation but the essence is about people needing other people both for support and perspective. It is also about the need to make peace with elements of your past and forgive both yourself and others. By reliving the same day Nadia and Alan both have the opportunity to grow and to deal with challenges and truths they have been avoiding.

For me the best part of the show was the friendship between Nadia and Alan. They are not two people who would naturally befriend each other but they come to care for each other intensely and also to drive each other’s healing.

The only thing I wish there was more of was a look into Alan’s past. Nadia’s backstory is very clear and cohesive and it is easy to understand what has made her the way she is. Alan’s is less so and it feels like a missed opportunity to understand him even more deeply.

I absolutely loved this show. It is nothing like Maniac but it reminded me of it in that it is an alternative look at mental health and the damage we all sustain just by being alive. If you have ever experienced even the edges of an existential crisis it is a must watch.

5/5

Morty (voiced by Justin Roiland) lives with his warring parents Beth (voiced by Sarah Chalke) – a horse heart surgeon – and Jerry (voiced by Chris Parnell) – an unemployed ad exec. Also in the Smith household is Morty’s popularity obsessed sister, Summer (voiced by Spencer Grammar) and his alcoholic scientist grandfather, Rick (also voiced by Justin Roiland).

Rick is both a genius and a sociopath with an endless taste for outlandish adventures. With his portal gun he is able to open pathways to multiple dimensions but roaming the multiverse is boring without a companion/lackey so Rick decides to bring Morty along for the ride.

When I say outlandish adventures I really mean it. From wandering into the dreams of monsters to impregnating alien sex dolls, a theme park inside a homeless man and the accidental creation of hyper-intelligent dogs, it gets crazier with every episode.

It is rude, crude and crazy and watching anxious Morty and devil-may-care Rick’s personalities clash is absolutely hilarious. There are so many layers though. Beth and Jerry’s resentment soaked, love-hate marriage is dark and brilliant to watch as is their interactions with their children and with Rick. Rick constantly confounds their lives with his inventions but they cannot resist interacting with them with horrible and bonkers consequences.

It is very easy to see how this has become a cult classic and Mr O and I binged the whole first season in under 48 hours. It is hard to describe just how creative the premise is. It is impossible to predict what is going to happen next and we found ourselves equally disgusted and amused at every turn.

Mr O described it as Futurama meets South Park but I think it’s better than both. I cannot wait to watch season 2.