After six months, Rick (voiced by Justin Roiland), Morty (also voiced by Justin Roiland) and Summer (Spencer Grammar) decide to unfreeze time and reconnect with the rest of the world, including Beth (Sarah Chalke) and Jerry (Chris Parnell). This time the whole family gets involved in Rick and Morty’s adventures making for an even crazier collection of experiences than in the first season.

If you though season one was dark and hilarious, season two takes it to a whole new level. This time we get a look into Rick’s past love life, consider slavery in the context of a spaceship battery, see couples therapy at its most disturbing, ask ourselves if something is real just because we remember it, participate in a bonkers singing competition and uncover a galaxy wide conspiracy.

Rick continues to be an selfish bastard but there are little glimmers that show that he may not be pure evil after all, particularly through his bond with Summer. There are a lot of hints towards a dark past filled with terrible sacrifices which suggest that Rick may be suffering from PTSD. While Morty is as weird and jittery as ever he starts finding his voice and his moral compass (not that it steers him very well) and Beth and Jerry… are well, Beth and Jerry – two people who should never have met or had children together. Beth’s daddy issues start to come to the fore, while Jerry fights Beth’s perception of him as much as he fights his perception of himself.

On the surface the show is pure absurdist comedy but if you look a little deeper it’s really questioning the way we see the world and the underlying power structures that keep it running.

We laughed, we felt a bit sick, we got even more hooked. Roll on season 3.

5/5

Narcos follows the rise of notorious Colombian drug kingpin, Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) from a handful of jungle based labs to full blown war against the Colombian government. Exploring Escobar’s story from his perspective as well as the Colombian government and the US DEA, the series highlights the pervasiveness of the drug war and how it took over the whole country.

Narcos gives a really interesting insight into Colombian society, the US war on drugs and Escobar’s psychology.

It delves into a systemic legacy of corruption as well as vast differences between rich and poor that make it easy to understand why Escobar was a hero in Medellin and throughout impoverished parts of Colombia. It also shows why tackling the issue became such a challenge for even the bravest and most honourable of politicians and law enforcement. With almost unlimited resources to bribe, murder and manipulate anyone who got in his way Escobar was bordering on all powerful. There are notable performances from Maurice Compte as the incorruptible Colonel Carillo and Raúl Méndez as César Gaviria, a president backed into a corner.

The US DEA’s involvement through agents Peña (Pedro Pascal) and Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) looks at how far good men will go to achieve their objective. It is a classic theme but always one that is exciting to watch play out. Pascal does a great job with the slick, womanising Peña but it is Holbrook’s delivery of the super arrogant Murphy that really gripped me. Murphy is so sure of his own abilities that he steps into danger with no regard for his wife (Joanna Christie) who he has dragged to Colombia or the daughter they adopt. He won’t even learn Spanish despite being stationed in a wholly Spanish speaking country.

Of course the most powerful performance is that of Wagner Moura, playing Escobar himself. He is such an interesting character. Having grown up with nothing it is impressive how shrewd Escobar is as businessman and how easily he charms his fellow Narcos to join his cartel. He is also absolutely ruthless and will stop and nothing to achieve what he wants. It doesn’t matter how many people have to die. Moura is able to switch between the genial man of the people and the ruthless warlord, aptly demonstrating that underneath Escobar’s lust for power is a desperate desire to be accepted by the high society oligarchs he hates.

While Narcos is an engaging series about an intriguing topic it does suffer from lulls in pace. I started out really excited, then lost interest a bit in the middle before eventually getting drawn in again at the end. Maybe its because a lot of the series is focused on men posturing and warring and scheming. I guess it all depends on how into the gangster genre you are.

I am planning on continuing watching further seasons and trying to resisting Googling Escobar so as not to find out in advance what happens.

3.5/5

Things are not really going according to plan in Fleabag’s (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) life. The cafe she opened with her best friend, Boo (Jenny Rainsford) is tanking since Boo died, she can’t get a loan, she’s having trouble connecting with her sister, Claire (Sian Clifford) and father (Bill Paterson) and she hates her Godmother (Olivia Coleman) – who has shacked up with her dad – with a fiery passion.

Her usual coping techniques of breaking up and making up with her boyfriend, Harry (Hugh Skinner), sleeping around, drinking too much and provoking Claire aren’t helping this time, which makes her wonder… what is the point of everything, really?

It’s kind of hard to describe Fleabag. It is essentially a comedy series about a woman who finds herself in a series of bizarre situations – wanking to Obama speeches, going to a sexhibition that features her father’s penis, visiting a retreat where men yell at sex dolls that represent the women in their lives, sending pictures of her undercarriage as bait to potential suitors… all of this is very funny as is the amazingly British passive aggressive way that her family members all deal with each other. It’s further enhanced by Fleabag’s little insights to camera and her relateable insecurities.

On the other hand it is so much more. It is a study of people isolated by grief, both from themselves and each other. It shows how failing to engage with loss eats us from the inside. Everyone in the show is struggling with unresolved loss, which manifests itself in their behaviour. Finding out what happened to Boo is like a gut punch.

Waller-Bridge is amazing as Fleabag. Although Fleabag attempts to portray a kind of happy-go-lucky persona it is always abundantly obvious that she is deeply unhappy and on the brink of losing it. Clifford is excellent as the highly strung Claire. Although Claire drives Fleabag mad and she could come across as mean, Clifford manages to make her sympathetic and rounded. Of course Olivia Colman is always pure magic. She plays the Godmother as a cheerful, sweet, earthy hippy but there is an undercurrent of jealous rage that simmers below the surface.

It’s clever, thoughtful comedy that gets under your skin and makes you wonder about the characters and your own life. I can’t wait to get stuck into the next series.

5/5

Stranger Things is one of the shows I tried to watch when Little O was a tiny baby and abandoned because I kept having to go an tend to him and I had the attention span of a gnat due to lack of sleep. I felt like I was missing out so recently I decided to revisit it and see if I was right.

One night after a game of Dungeons and Dragons, young Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) goes missing on the way back to his home in Hawkins Indiana. On the same night “Eleven” (Millie Bobby Brown) a strange young girl with a shaved head appears and is taken in by Will’s friends when they realise some very bad people are after her.

As the search for Will continues, his mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder) becomes convinced that Will is attempting to communicate with her through lights and static on her telephone.

Meanwhile more and more people are disappearing and the town sheriff, Jim Hopper (David Harbour) is becoming very suspicious about the secure facility on the edge of town. Could Eleven be the key to what is happening in Hawkins?

There were a lot of things I loved about Stranger Things. The 80’s setting feels very nostalgic and very accurate. I loved the clothing, music and pop culture references. The friendships between the children are charming. The intensity of their bond and their desire to find their friend is untainted by the cynicism of adulthood. Joyce’s desperation to find her child and how she quickly starts to unravel was very relatable. Ryder gives a stunningly believable performance and she’s well matched by the child actors and Harbour. The main characters have great back stories and the flashbacks into their pasts help to build up their motivations. Hopper is a great friend to Joyce and seeing them support each other without a forced romantic connection is heartening.

I thought it was interesting that while Joyce is thought of as a bit of a deadbeat mom that her relationship with her children, including her older son, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) is much closer than that of the seemingly perfect Wheelers, who don’t even realise that their son, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) is harbouring Eleven in the basement or that their daughter Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is rarely where she claims to be. I loved Nancy as a character. She was feisty, true to herself, a bit naughty and not afraid to fight for what she stood for.

Eleven’s past and the motivations of the mysterious Dr Bremmer (Matthew Modine) are less clear. I feel like maybe some of this is being held back for the second season but that was the one place things felt like they were lacking. I also wondered why no one was suspicious of the mega government facility in the woods prior to the disappearances. And surely Hopper couldn’t have done as much sneaking around as he did just by punching people in the face.

I am glad I gave the series a second shot and I will definitely be carrying on with season two before the new season comes out.

4/5

Season 2 kicks off with Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) in a much better place than before. The cafe is thriving. She’s no longer using sex as a weapon. And since Claire (Sian Clifford) refused to believe that Martin (Brett Gelman) made a pass at Fleabag, she’s been avoiding both of them. Life is good… or is it?

Dad (Bill Paterson) and Godmother (Olivia Colman) are engaged and they’ve decided it would be fun to get married by a priest (Andrew Scott). After the engagement party turns explosive, Fleabag finds herself thrust back into Claire’s life and very much drawn to the priest. Now she will have to navigate a sea of confusing feelings without losing the progress she has made.

I have no words for how incredible this series was. Essentially there are two core relationships under scrutiny. First is that between Fleabag and Claire. As the sisters realise that they could actually be a great support to each other if they just started to listen, they become a force to be reckoned with. It is beautiful to watch. Second is the relationship between Fleabag and the priest. Their chemistry is sizzling… tangible and adorable without being saccharine. Andrew Scott is so sexy in a completely non-obvious way and it is easy to see how Fleabag cannot stop herself from seeking him out.

Of course it continues to be absolutely hilarious. Claire’s hair emergency had me sobbing with laughter, as did chatty Wednesday. Once again the infamous statue plays an important part and leads to an excellent exchange between Fleabag and Belinda (Kristen Scott Thomas) about women and ageing.

If the ending doesn’t rip your heart out and stomp all over it, you are unquestionably made of stone. If you have ever been in love with someone you could not have, be warned, it will knock the breath out of your body.

Apparently there won’t be anymore Fleabag, which makes a lot of sense. Although there is no tidy ending we finish knowing that Fleabag has the skills and support to carry on with her life and thrive, even though it won’t be easy. I guess that sums up almost all of our lives.

Perfection.

5/5

Season 3 of Rick and Morty sees Beth (Sarah Chalke) and Jerry (Chris Parnell) are getting a divorce and Morty (Justin Roiland) and Summer (Spencer Grammar) will have to adjust to a new way of life. Rick (also Justin Roiland) takes it on himself to try and keep all his family members functioning, but when you are a self-serving sociopath, acts of compassion don’t always go as planned.

This seasons adventures include Summer taking on a Mad Max style post apocalyptic society, Rick and Morty joining an unconventional allegiance of superheroes, Beth questioning whether she is clone and Jerry falling in love with a three-boobed alien.

It is also the season that brings us the iconic Pickle Rick episode where Rick turns himself into a pickle in order to avoid family therapy and ends up in a bit of a pickle himself. There is no episode that more embodies who Rick is as a character than Pickle Rick and it is an absolute riot from start to finish. You may not think you want to see a pickle using the body of a dead cockroach to decapitate sewer rats… but you do.

This season also demonstrates just how similar Beth actually is to her father, even though she thinks she isn’t. It also proves that Beth and Jerry truly are utterly hopeless.

Some of the episodes are not quite on a par with the previous seasons but Pickle Rick is so good that it is impossible to mark it down. Apparently there is a fourth season in development and I can promise you, I will be all over that.

5/5

After his daring escape from prison, Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) is forced to go to ground, hiding from not only the DEA but also his former associate, Judy Moncada (Cristina Umaña). Of course Pablo has no intention of stopping his operations, leading to every craftier ways of moving his merchandise around but as the stakes get higher and higher will the price of success become to high?

Season 2 of Narcos is all about crossing lines and about obsession. Pablo is so obsessed with being a kind of Colombian statesman that he will put his family at risk and commit ever more disturbing acts of terror against his enemies. Peña (Pedro Pascal) is so obsessed with catching Pablo that he is willing to get in bed with the devil. Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) is facing life without his wife and child, living, fuelled only by coffee and cigarettes. And Judy has ended up running the Los Pepes death squad with the nefarious Cali cartel and assisting the DEA.

In this season I quite enjoyed the descent into chaos as well as the endless cat and mouse games between Pablo and the DEA, alongside Los Pepes and the performances are better than ever. Pedro Pascal is a standout and the moment where Peña makes the decision to start sharing information with Los Pepes is so powerful. Holbrook does a great job portraying a man with such tunnel vision that he can’t see that his end goal might not actually be worth what he will have to give up to achieve it. His mental and physical deterioration demonstrate his vulnerability in equal measure. It is absolutely the Wagner Moura show though. Pablo Escobar is a character of such duality and Moura captures both sides perfectly. He is ruthless, unforgiving and brutal but by the same token he adores his family and is kind, gentle, affectionate and devoted. When he is separated from Tata (Paulina Gaitan) and his children he can barely cope.

There is a great subplot following the character, Limon (Leynar Gomez), a hapless taxi driver who gets unwittingly dragged into Pablo’s inner circle, ruining the life of his childhood best friend in the process. Limon demonstrates how one decision can change your life completely and how quickly violence wears away your humanity.

In the end Narcos proves that obsession turns everyone into bad guy. It doesn’t matter whether your end goal is noble if your methods are so destructive that the outcome is irrelevant. In the end the people of Colombia are the ones who ended up in the crossfire between Escobar, Los Pepes and the US government.

I think I enjoyed this season even more than the first. It didn’t suffer from the same lull in pace and knowing the characters made seeing their development even more interesting.

4/5

With Alfred’s (David Dawson) health failing he starts to prepare for his son Edward (Timothy Innes) to become king but Athelwold (Harry McEntire) continues to lurk in the shadows, convinced he should be king. Meanwhile wracked by grief, Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) crosses a line that sees him banished from Wessex and returning to his Dane brothers. Things are not quite going to plan for the Danes though as no army has ever prospered with three conflicting leaders and Uhtred will be will be forced to question where his loyalties lie when he discovers that his beloved Aethelflaed (Mille Brady) is in danger. If that wasn’t enough, he’s been cursed by Skade (Thea Sofie Loch Næss), a powerful witch who wants Uhtred for her own.

If season two of The Last Kingdom was about loyalty, season three is about leadership and what makes a good leader.

There is no question that Alfred is a good king. He is steadfast, strong and often willing to compromise for the greater good. His fears that Edward may not be ready to lead cause him endless worries and drive him to some questionable decision making. Dawson once again gives an outstanding performance as a man facing his mortality and fighting through extraordinary pain.

Uhtred too is a strong leader but of a very different variety. He leads through charisma, charm and an unerring belief in his own judgement. His loyalty to those he loves is unshakeable, which can be seen in his inability to let Aethelflaed perish. Dreymon’s performance has gone from strength to strength and the chemistry between him and Dawson is part of what makes this series so special. Although they are very different characters with very different ways of doing things the love and respect they have for each other is another facet of true leadership and there is one scene between them in particular that had me on the verge of tears.

It is Aethelflaed’s leadership that enrages her husband, Aethelred (Toby Regbo). He is unable to inspire the love and loyalty that Aethelflaed does because his motivations are always purely selfish. His lack of leadership means the only recourse he can ever see to resolve is problems is to eliminate them, aggressively, which eventually even impacts his relationship with the ever loyal Aldhelm (James Northcote).

The Danes are also beset with leadership issues. Ragnar (Tobias Santelman) is full of life but far too easily swayed and much too fond of games. It is Brida (Emily Cox) who is the true leader but her inflexibility is also her downfall. Haesten (Jeppe Beck Laursen) is selfish, mercenary and changes rainbows every five minutes. And Bloodhair (Ola Rapace) is so deep under Skade’s spell that he can barely function without her. All of this leaves them open to Aethelwold’s bitter influence, never to the good.

In this season Uhtred’s merry band of loyal followers get a bit more character development. I became particularly fond of Finan (Mark Rowley) who is more often than not the voice of reason, despite his happy-go-lucky demeanour. Osferth (Ewan Mitchell) also finds his feet and makes steps to becoming a warrior and well Sihtric (Arnas Fedaravicius) marries a prostitute and looks cute.

For me this was the best season yet and I cannot wait to see what happens in the fourth season, which is currently being filmed.

5/5

Seven years after she went missing, Prairie Johnson (Britt Marling) reappears in her home town covered in strange scars. She has also regained her sight and insists that her name is now the OA.

Her baffled parents (Alice Krige and Scott Wilson) attempt to get her to explain where she has been but she seems distracted fragile and confused with her only interest being getting online. Here she puts out a plea for “travellers”, bringing together a group of damaged souls in an abandoned house to hear her story.

As she tells an ever more fantastical tale over a series of nights, the misfit group bonds together in assisting The OA in her quest to travel to a different dimension but is any of what she has told them true?

I don’t want to explain too much of the story line of The OA because the less you know the more incredible each insane reveal is. And trust me… it is insane and weird as fuck. This show is only going to appeal to a very small, select set of viewers but to those who are interested in the idea that there might be more to the universe than we know right now, it could be a game changer.

Britt Marling wrote, produced and starred in this alongside her friend, Zal Batmanglij and it is very obvious the love and passion that goes into her performance and the storytelling. The rest of the cast is just as strong and the young gang she pulls together are easy to care about. Patrick Gibson is a standout playing the destructive but sensitive, Steve Winchell and Phyllis Smith is great as a teacher struggling with a loss. Jason Isaacs appears as a doctor who will go to any lengths to continue his research and he gives a powerful and seductively sinister performance.

I felt invested in the story from the get-go and found it hard to stop watching even through this was my second watch (in preparation for the second season because it is such an intricate mythology). At the end of my first watch I felt very disappointed with the ending because it felt incomplete and I questioned what it was all for. This time knowing there was more to come I was left feeling excited rather than deflated.

The OA has cult status for good reason and I am a huge fan, whether you will be depends on how willing your are to just go with it and accept its utterly bonkers moments. I can’t wait to dive into season 2.

4/5

On 1 October 1989 41 women around the world suddenly gave birth without showing any former evidence being pregnant. Sir Reginald Hargreaves (Colm Feore) adopts seven of these children, discovering that they all have special abilities… except for one.

With a help of a robot nanny (Jordan Claire Robbins) and chimpanzee butler (voiced by Adam Godley), Hargreaves raised the children into a superhero team called The Umbrella Academy. Hargreaves’ methods are somewhat unusual and by the time the children have reached adulthood, all but Luther (Tom Hopper) have left home and are distanced from each other.

On the night that Hargreaves dies, they come together and the usual bickering ensues until their long lost time travelling brother, Five (Aidan Gallagher) reappears trapped in his childhood body to tell them the apocalypse is night. Now they will need to get past their differences to try and stop it… but only if they can avoid the besuited, animal mask wearing assassins on Five’s tail.

I was intrigued by The Umbrella Academy because the comic books it was based on were co-created by My Chemical Romance band member, Gerard Way. I was a big My Chemical Romance fan and saw them live many times. The band always had a very cool aesthetic and I wanted to see if this would carry through to the show.

On the plus side, despite being a superhero story, the actual story line manages to be unique and fresh. Five’s run ins with his former employers, a weirdly bureaucratic organisation of temporal assassins run by the ruthless, Handler (Kate Walsh) is both dark and hilarious. The members of The Umbrella Academy have really interesting abilities and the impact of their weird upbringing on its mental health provides depth to what could be a superficial adventure.

On the downside it takes a lot of getting into. I think this is because the characters are quite hard to warm to. Their humanity and vulnerability does not shine through until far into the series and even then it is only certain characters that really inspire affection. I loved drug-addled, medium, Klaus (Robert Sheehan), but only once he had accidentally gone back in time and had a transformative experience. I also warmed to assassin, Hazel (Cameron Britton) through his sweet romance with doughnut shop owner, Grace (Jordan Clare Roberts). Ellen Page does the best she can with powerless Vanya but her story of exclusion and rejection should be more engaging than it is. Gallagher’s portrayal of an old man in a pre-teen body is very impressive but Five is quite hard to like.

I wanted to know more about Hargreaves’ past, which was very vaguely hinted at and I wondered what happened to the other 34 children that were not adopted and why they were born in the first place. I guess we might find that out in the second season as the first ended with a cliffhanger.

I think it is a bit of a case of style over substance and the whole adding u to less than the sum of its parts. It’s not bad but it could have been so much better. I am hoping for a second season.

3/5

I have to admit that I was in two minds about continuing on with Narcos post season two. The first seasons were focused almost exclusively on Pablo Escobar and with him out of the picture, what was the point really? But we soldiered on to find out what happened with the Cali Cartel that filled the gap left by Pablo.

The four leaders of the Cali Cartel are very different from Escobar. Pablo focused very much on violently and publicly decimating anyone who got in his way while cultivating a powerful public presence. The “gentlemen” of Cali are much more business focused, running their empire like a fortune 500 company and staying out of the limelight.

Well until Cali head honcho Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela (Damián Alcázar) decides to surrender. He gives his brother, Miguel (Francisco Denis) and their partners 6 months to make as much money as possible with the intention that they will retire gracefully rather than “dying on a roof”.

Unfortunately the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Agent Peña (Pedro Pascal) is back on the scene, hell bent on getting the Orejuela brothers behind bars and not all of their partners are so keen to give up their lives. At the same time Miguel decides that letting their security chief, Jorge Salcedo (Matias Varela) retire is a bad idea. Soon there is a perfect storm of chaos and cat and mouse games that will push both sides of the War on Drugs to their limits.

Initially I wasn’t that bothered about the Cali Cartel but the tension that is built in this series is something very special. Salcedo is such an interesting character. He is essentially a good man who has gotten into the wrong crowd and ended up torn between two worlds. As his fate becomes ever more precarious, you end up glued to the screen wondering whether one wrong move is going to signal the end.

I also really enjoyed the way Peña’s two new young deputies used financial records to trace Cali was very exciting to watch and showed the progression in technology from the Escobar days. They made up for Murphy no longer being around.

When it all comes down to it, I think this was actually my favourite of the three seasons. While the first two seasons was all about Escobar this season allowed for way more development of other characters. It became less about one stellar performance and more about storytelling.

Next up we’ll be checking out Narcos: Mexico, which is a whole new kettle of fish…

4.5/5

A group of moms who attend the same mom and baby group reach the end of their maternity leave and prepare to return to the world of work. None of them have realised just how much motherhood has changed them or the challenges they will face trying to balance parenting, their careers or their relationships.

The premise I have described here probably sounds a bit stale, if not potentially twee and cheesy and overdone. We’ve all seen this working moms thing before, haven’t we? Well, this one is a bit different. Or maybe I am just seeing it a little bit differently because I am now a “working mom” myself.

Anyway, the moms in this dramedy are all facing different challenges that are very representative of modern motherhood and the identity crisis that can come with it.

Kate (Catherine Reitman) is a PR dynamo who is looking for a step up into her next role but while she’s been away everyone seems to have forgotten she existed. Acerbic therapist Anne (Dani Kind) has discovered she is pregnant with her third child only months after her second was born and will now need to decide whether she’s going to keep the baby… while also trying to bond with her stroppy pre-teen daughter. Frankie (Juno Rinaldi) is suffering from undiagnosed post-partum depression that is threatening to destroy her relationship, her career as a realtor and her grip on reality. And Jenny (Jessalyn Wanlim) is feeling trapped by motherhood, which is causing her to act out in a worryingly rebellious fashion.

There are some very funny moments in the show but the characters feel very real and what they are going through is very real. I connected with the self-doubt and mum guilt they experience on a visceral level. While my child is older and I feel like I have survived the identity crisis that happens immediately after having a baby, seeing these women try to figure out who they were as people was so familiar and relateable.

The central performances are really strong but the side characters, mostly partners and co-workers are also well written and complex characters. Even the ones just played for laughs are fun. I really loved Mean Nanny (Jess Salgueiro) and Kate’s hapless assistant, Rosie (Nikki Duval).

This one isn’t going to be for everyone but it was definitely for me. I did think the character of Stormager, a working mom from a different era was probably a bit too much. But overall it was a great show and I am looking forward to Netflix getting more seasons.

4/5

Part two of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina sees Sabrina starting her new life at The Academy of Unseen Arts. She’s now a fully fledged witch involved in a burgeoning relationship with her classmate, Nick Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood) and throwing herself into her studies. It’s not long though before she realises that letting go of her mortal life won’t be that easy.

With Father Blackwood (Richard Coyle) ready to do whatever it takes to bring about his own backwards misogynistic tenets to the church, Sabrina comes directly into his firing line. It’s not helped by the fact that her Aunt Zelda (Miranda Otto) seems intent on marrying him. If that wasn’t enough, there are witch hunters on the loose, the Dark Lord has plans of his own for Sabrina, Lilith/Ms Wardwell (Abigail Cowen) is up to no good and Harvey (Ross Lynch) and Roz (Jaz Sinclair) are becoming more than just friends .

Last year the first season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was my favourite show of the year. I was so excited for the second season that I could not wait for it to come out so I could devour it.

Honestly I was a little disappointed. Although this series still has some interesting storylines that reflect the idea of the Church of Night as a metaphor for the patriarchy it meanders around so much in the middle that I kind of wanted to just skip to the end. And the last couple of episodes really were very exciting… it just felt like it took too long to get there.

I hate to say this but I also started to find Sabrina herself a bit annoying. Morally torn part one Sabrina was so relateable but fully witchy Sabrina is so self-assured that she borders on arrogant.

Fortunately Ambrose (Chance Perdomo) is still a delight and Aunt Hilda (Lucy Davis) is my forever fave. She is basically pure #mumgoals.

While a lot of people don’t enjoy the socially conscious element of the show, I am a big fan. I like the fact that the show looks at relationships, sexuality, feminism and gender identity. People can pretend that these topics are not relevant to a teen fantasy show but they are part of human life and the more these topics are treated as normal the more conscious people will be.

The show has been renewed so there will be a further season. I definitely want to see more from Sabrina but I can’t help but feel like it could be on a downward slope.

3.5/5

In April 1986 a nuclear reactor exploded in the Soviet town of Chernobyl. In the wake of the devastation that occurred a group of scientists and one brave administrator worked to try to get to the bottom of the cause while also coming up with strategies for limiting the damage. But in a world where the truth will do anything but set you free, it’s like swimming upstream with no fins.

When Valery Legasov (Jarred Harris) is brought in to assess the “fire” at the Chernobyl power plant he is expected to ratify the official report and close down the issue. However he feels compelled to insist on further investigation which thrusts him into the path of Boris Shcherbina (Stellan Skarsgård), a party man who wants nothing to do with Legasov’s ideas. As Shcherbina realises that Legasov’s suspicions relating to the reactor are real, he throws himself wholeheartedly into looking for solutions to what could be world ending problems.

Meanwhile, Legasov’s colleague Ulana Khomyuk (Emily Watson) attempts to piece together the happenings of the night because everyone knows RMK reactors don’t explode.

Chernobyl is every bit as extraordinary and compelling as every review has told you it is.

Underlying every theme that the series approaches is the unique “personality” of the Soviet Union. Appearance is everything. The idea that the Soviet state is infallible is not subject to question and anyone who does question the agreed line is dealt with swiftly and without mercy. This makes for a nation where secrecy and manipulation of the facts is part of every societal interaction at every level. Underpinning this is a concept of a duty to the state which lives in the heart of every Soviet citizen. The combination of these factors leads to a perfect storm resulting in what was ultimately a completely preventable tragedy.

There is a seemingly impenetrable mystery that surrounds the explosion. It never should have happened. There were so many fail safes that should have prevented it so for Khomyuk even knowing where to start is a challenge. Seeing her piece together the clues is fascinating. She is met with resistance at every stage, especially by plant supervisor, Anatoly Dyatlov (Paul Ritter) who believes he will be executed regardless and would rather spare himself the indignity of her questions.

Second is the human cost of the explosion. At every turn the truth is obfuscated, ignored or misdirected. This means that exposure for many of the first responders and their families is horrifying. It also leads to a situation where some of the recovery mission must be undertaken by men who know what they are doing is likely to kill them or sigificantly reduce their lifespan.

All of this comes to a head in one of the best courtroom scenes I have ever witnessed… and we all know I watch a lot of TV and movies. Who would have thought the inner workings of a nuclear reactor could be that exciting.

Jarred Harris gives a career defining performance as Legasov. He is torn between wanting to do the right thing and wondering if there is any point. The Chernobyl incident makes him question everything he believes about life and himself and he is expressive in a perfectly restrained manner. Emily Watson is equally impressive as the series’ heart. Khomyuk’s bravery in the face of an enemy that could literally make her and everyone she has ever known vanish is inspiring. Skarsgård’s character goes through a transformation from an insignificant administrator, bored with his lot to someone who realises he can use his influence to truly make a difference. He gets the balance between Shcherbina’s past of always toeing the line to finding his own voice just right. Finally, I must mention Paul Ritter who really embodies the loathsome Dyatlov.

I was glued to the screen from beginning to end. The pace is exceptional, the storytelling inspired and the impact lingers long after it is finished. This is a story that had to be told and a strong reminder of what happens when you take away people’s voices and punish independent thought.

5/5

I am a huge fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race. I love the artistry of the participants as well as their boundless self-expression and the way they interpret the weekly runway categories in such a creative fashion. The show is the epitome of fierceness and I am living for it.

My love of Drag Race lead me to the documentary Paris is Burning which looks at underground “ball” scene that formed a huge part of the New York LGBT community in the 80’s. I have watched this documentary several times because it is beautiful and heartbreaking and gives such a deeper understanding of the inspiration behind the TV show.

Pose is set in the world of Paris is Burning so you can imagine I was like a moth to a flame.

In a New York ballroom dominated by the House of Abundance, star performer, Blanca (Mj Rodriguez) dares to break away from house mother Elektra (Dominique Jackson) to start her own house. Blanca’s first adopted child is Damon (Ryan Jamal Swain), a talented dancer disowned by his family because of his sexuality. She is joined by former House of Abundance daughter, Angel (Indya Moore) and the House of Evangelista is born.

Blanca tries to navigate the cut throat ballroom world, while building her house and providing love and support to her “children” and the family she has built for herself. Elektra strives to achieve the on thing she has always wanted, a complete sex change, even if it costs her her relationship and security. Angel is wooed by Stan (Evan Peters), a married exec who works for Donald Trump. And Damon tries to find the balance between dance school and the excitement of the ballroom scene.

All of the glamour and the bitchiness have a backdrop of the horrible reality of the growing AIDS epidemic that is tearing the community apart.

The show has some really strong themes – self acceptance, the true meaning of family, appearance versus reality and of building a future in world that doesn’t want you.

There is a lot of glitz and glamour and some utterly epic “reads” mostly from Elektra who hides her vulnerability behind an icily impenetrable wall of class and bitchiness. What makes the show special is the performances though. Every actor brings so much heart to their character. I think this comes from the fact that they have been through what they are portraying. By casting transgender actresses Pose ensures an authenticity that makes it really special. For me the stand out performance comes from Billy Porter, who plays the ballroom compere, Pray Tell. Pray is an older gay man who has lived through many changes within the community and provides a sage wisdom as well as a lot of joy. However he cannot escape the devastation of the virus, leading him to lean on the people he has always mentored.

The only bum note for me was Evan Peters. I just didn’t buy him as Stan. I didn’t understand why he was drawn to Angel apart from her beauty. His performance didn’t have the power of any of the other characters and I wasn’t particularly interested in his internal struggle or his relationship with his wife (Kate Mara) or his slimy boss (James van der Beek). He just came across as a naive and somewhat selfish tit.

Overall I loved it. It was a celebration as well as a sobering look at the struggles the LGBT community has faced. Things have come a long way but nowhere nearly far enough.

4.5/5

The second season of The OA picks up directly after the first one ended. Having successfully jumped after she was shot OA (Brit Marling) finds herself in a new dimension in the body of a Nina Azarova that never experienced the bus crash that changed Prairie’s life. Confused by where she is and how she got there OA ends up back in the clutches of Hap (Jason Isaacs) and is horrified that he has rounded up her former fellow captives to continue his research. The worst part is that Homer (Emory Cohen) doesn’t seem to remember his former self.

As OA tries to make sense of her life and its purpose, the gang she left behind begin to receive messages from other dimensions.

Meanwhile Private Investigator, Karim Washington (Kingsley Ben-Adir) takes on a case to find a missing girl that leads him to a mysterious house.

Once again The OA delves deep into all the core philosophical questions that humans ask themselves. What is the self? How are we all connected? What is reality? Where do we go when we die? What is acceptable collateral damage when it comes to making a great discovery? It proposes some answers but introduces just as many questions if not more.

This season is equally as bonkers as the first and the ending is even more of a head scratcher than the first season’s was. Personally I find it completely intriguing. I love the mysteries and connections that Marling makes alongside her co-creator Zal Batmanglij and I am totally on board for the journey.

Marling gives another impassioned, sensitive performance and she is well matched by Ben-Adir, who plays a character as caged behind his own walls as Prairie was caged by Hap. They have a wonderful chemistry and seeing the relationship between them build gives the series new freshness.

If you are up for talking octopuses, communication through dreams, houses that are also puzzles and flowers growing out of people’s ears then you’ll love this. If not… maybe steer clear. The ending is once again completely open, which is a little frustrating. As far as I am aware the show has been renewed but if another season did not happen in many ways it would all be for naught.

I will be re-watching this before the proposed next season comes out in the hope of finding some clarity but I already cannot wait. Marling and Batmaglij are excellent storytellers and I am ready for the next chapter.

4/5

After three seasons of focus on the Colombian drug trade, the Narcos franchise turns its eye to Mexico. This time the focus is on Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (Diego Luna), Mexico’s first ever cartel leader. In theory Félix is a fascinating character. He is a former police officer who became involved in the Sinoloan marijuana trade, in practise the whole seems to be a bit less than the sum of its parts.

Historically the Mexican drug trade was fractured, decentralised and fuelled by feuds, which meant the DEA invested very little resource or effort into stopping it. Félix’s ambition to bring the families together started as a radical idea. His business skills, connections, cunning and ruthlessness heralded a new era allowing him to slide a lucrative trafficking deal with the Colombians under the table with barely any notice.

Unfortunately for Félix some of his associates were not amazing at collaboration, in particular Rafael Caro Quintero (Tenoch Huerta), a loose cannon with a penchant for shagging high society politicians’ daughters and helping himself to the supply. He’s also failed to factor in the dogged determination of DEA agent, Enrique “Kiki” Camerena (Michael Peña), who was just as determined as Félix.

There are strong parallels between Félix and Kiki’s lives. Both take massive risks, both are determined to do things that others are convinced cannot be done and both are at risk of losing their families through their own ambition.

It sounds like a recipe for a great show and in some ways it is. Mexico is very different from Colombia and seeing how the Mexican drug lords, government officials and DEA interact with each other is interesting to watch.

It doesn’t all come together though. Félix is nowhere near as charismatic as Pablo so that element is missing. Peña’s potrayal of Kiki is good but he doesn’t get you in the feels the way Salcedo did. I actually thought Alyssa Diaz was more compelling as his wife, Mika. In the end Don Neto (Joaquín Cosio), Félix’s wise older advisor is the most interesting character. There are no new themes introduced. Once again it’s about how far a man will go to achieve his ambitions and how ambition can turn into something deadly. In many ways the whole series felt like a set up for what is to come in a future with Chapo (Alejandro Edda), the most famous Cartel leader of all time at the helm. Chapo is a bit player in this series but we all know his time is coming.

Too much filler, not enough killer. Take me back to Medellin/Cali!

2.5/5

When I found out Taika Watiti and Jermaine Clement had decided to make a TV series version of the unexpected 2014 smash hit film, What We Do in the Shadows I was dubious. Although everything Watiti touches seems to turn to gold, turning movies into TV shows is very hit and miss, especially when you change the setting, characters and actors.

It turns out I had nothing to worry about. Waititi’s reimagined fly on the wall vampire mockumentary is just as funny as a series as it was as a film.

In this iteration the vampire clan in question is based in Staten Island. Nandor (Kyvan Novak) is a bit of a dandy who spends most of his time bossing around his put upon familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén). Guillermo dreams of becoming a vampire but the chances of Nandor actually turning him are slim to none. Married couple Laszlo (Matt Berry) and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) are more Married With Children than Twilight and the new addition of energy vampire, Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) is genius. Colin is that guy who sucks the joy out of every social situation. He is such a familiar character and every one of us can think of a Colin we know in real life.

The situations the group find themselves in are a perfect juxtaposition of mundane and outlandish, which is what makes them so funny. The episode where they attempt to plan an orgy had Mr O and I rolling on the floor. It is second only to the one where they take the ancient Baron (Doug Jones) on a night out and get wrecked on drug blood.

The actors throw themselves wholeheartedly into their roles, which makes them totally believable. They get caught up in random day to day issues but are still totally weird and vampiric. Demetriou in particular is outstanding. She is in equal parts sexy and revolting and her weird obsession with her reincarnated lover, Gregor (Jake McDorman) and Laszlo’s jealousy are especially funny.

Look out for the trial episode where famous vampires from film and TV appear, played by the super famous actors that originally played them on screen.

There is blood, gore and a lot of bad language and sexual references so it won’t be for everyone but I already can’t wait for the next season.

5/5

After his ex-wife and son leave to start a new life in Australia, Joseph (Stephen Graham) decides to track down his long-lost sister, Anna (Helen Behan). This means going back to Ireland and facing some of the horrible things that happened in his past after the death of his parents.

Anna is shocked to see Joseph, believing him to be dead and unsure as to how to integrate her fragile, emotionally damaged brother into her own family. Meanwhile Joseph finds himself drawn to, Anna’s sister-in-law, Dinah (Niamh Agar) who is dealing with her own problems.

Initially The Virtues is much like Joseph’s mental state, muddled, lost between the past and the present and beset with inexplicable flashbacks to previous incidents. I believe this is intentional from creator, Shane Meadows, to try and put the viewer into Joseph’s head space, which is a broken chaotic place.

As the episodes unfold and the background of what Joseph has endured comes to light his story becomes more and more compelling. Dinah’s desire to redress the wrongs of her past are just as compelling and you can see why these two lost souls are drawn to each other. Both Graham and Agar give outstanding performances and it is easy to see why Meadows chooses to work with Graham over and over again. He is one of Britain’s finest character actors. Behan is great too and she manages to capture Anna’s mixed elation and anxiety at Joseph’s sudden reappearance perfectly.

This is a dark and depressing tale that comes to a hauntingly open conclusion that shows just how damaging the long term effects of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and neglect are. If you are looking for something to restore your faith in humanity, this is not it.

I have some issues with the pacing. I am not sure why the series is broken into three 45 minute episodes and one 75 minute finale. There is a lot of build up over the first three episodes and the pay off is there but there was a long period of time where I wasn’t sure where it was all going. I wonder if possibly three hour long episodes would have made more sense. I also really struggled with the heaviness of the Irish accents. I am normally okay with even quite strong accents but the speed at which the actors were talking made me wish there were subtitles (The Channel 4 closed captioning is useless).

Overall this is a story that needs to be told but I can’t suggest it is enjoyable because the subject matter is so miserable. It is intense and very well acted but be warned that you are likely to be left rather depressed if you choose to watch this.

3.5/5

Angel, Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon, Crowley (David Tennant) have been quietly co-operating for millennia. They’ve both become rather fond of earth-life and humans and the bureaucracy of both of their higher powers has enabled them to fly under the radar and enjoy life.

It’s unsurprising that they’re not best pleased to discover that the final battle between heaven and hell, resulting in Armageddon, is imminent. The two decide they must band together to prevent the end of days at all costs, before either side gets wind of their plans. But they’re not the only ones, Anathema Device (Adria Arjona), descendent of Agnes Nutter… a witch who made a series of accurate but bizarre prophesies has arrived to fulfil her destiny. And what if the Antichrist, eleven year old Adam Young (Sam Taylor Buck) doesn’t even want to rule the world anyway?

This Prime Original mini-series is based on the novel of the same name by legendary fantasy authors, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I enjoyed the novel when I read it but I never bought into its enormous hype. My feelings on the TV series are very much the same.

Don’t get me wrong, the premise excellent. The idea that pure good and pure evil are actually impossible and that all things in the universe are ultimately balanced is very attractive. And heaven and hell represented as monolith bureaucracies focused on policy and procedure rather than outcomes is so relatable.

The production value is outstanding and both Sheen and Tennant were made to play their roles. There is some great support from Anna Maxwell and Ned Dennehy as demons, Beelzebub and Hastur and John Hamm makes a perfect Archangel, Gabriel. I was less sold on Arjona, and the childhood actors tend towards the side of annoying.

Like with the novel, if you sit back and enjoy the bonkers ride and all the cleverness and the banter between the prissy Aziraphale and the rockstar like, Crowley you’ll love it. It is truly a bromance/possible romance for the ages. My problem is that I am a bit of an over thinker and I started wondering why the various supernatural elements sometimes performed miracles to get the outcomes they wanted and were bound by the laws of physics at other times. I kept getting distracted by my own brain, which for me means a show just isn’t immersive enough for me not to care about some of the holes.

I think I am in the minority though as most viewers seem to have loved every second of it. I liked it… I just didn’t love it.

3.5/5