Decoy. Amazon Prime. Beverly Garland as a NYC police detective. It was filmed on the cheap and features a lot of late 50s NYC without a permit. She is solid and there are a lot of great character actors in it.

Dexter (org) s2

Jessica Jones, season 1 rewatch

Running Point - Netflix. An effortless binge, and I hope we get a second season before 2+ years goes by.
Cassandra - Netflix. On the third episode.

Dexter (org) s3

Season 3. Never got around to the final seasons of any of the Netflix Marvel shows and with the new Daredevil, figured this is the best one to start with. Probably watch Punisher Season 2 closer to when the new "special" comes out, but the final seasons of Jones, Cage, and Iron Fist aren't really priority for now.

Dexter (org) s3

Silo: Both seasons

Dexter (org) s3

Dexter (org) s3, DARK s1

Say Nothing: Limited Series (2024) – Feels like a very odd adaptation at times, as it seems to sometimes generate a mood that is completely at odds with the one presented by the book. The fantastic non-fiction book by Patrick Radden Keefe is a very somber, very matter-of-fact, very serious and in-depth look at “the Troubles” and the disappearance of one particular woman, who was mysteriously kidnapped by the IRA one night, in front of 8 of her 9 children, and never seen or heard from again. The book goes on to interview a bunch of the “key players” at the time of the kidnapping, many of whom either clammed up completely or opened up for the first time and kinda/maybe gave their “version” of the events, or at least what they “claimed” happened. The book was fantastic. This starts off strong, but then by the second episode it almost falls off the rails because it presents the film as more of a pseudo-action film, in which the IRA is presented as a group of rock stars (seriously, the soundtrack plays this up and ratchets up the beat accordingly). It felt almost like The Baader Meinhof Complex or Carlos, in how they highlight the somewhat “celeb” status as persons involved in those various groups would attain. There’s even a robbery sequence that wouldn’t have seemed out of place in a mainstream action picture, and some routine chase sequences that, I’ll admit, offer a welcome reprieve from the sometimes tedious monologues. The series does manage to course correct, at least somewhat, after episode two. The acting is typically great throughout, with the two lead actresses portraying the sisters involved with the IRA acting as standouts. It’s directed well-enough, with a plot that bounces around the timeline and is a mixture of actors portraying their characters giving interviews to the author/researcher years/decades after the actual events took place, coupled with flashbacks to those days at the height of the Troubles, and the seemingly never-ending violence that marred Northern Ireland. In most respects it’s good at providing the viewer with context and at least making an effort to show both sides, even though there’s one side the series obvious leans towards. The problem I sometimes had was that it does deviate from the non-fiction book and seems to maybe…dramatize things is probably the nicest way of saying it; maybe either conflating events or characters or simply making up little scenes or details, which is fine and kind of expected (I don’t think they ever really guaranteed that everything on screen would be fact. Hell, the author of the book didn’t either because even that was ultimately just a bunch of people sharing their opinions about what they believe transpired; There won’t ever be a definitive ending, I feel.), but it does lessen the impact and makes you question other aspects of the film that are actually, verifiably true. It also tapers off in the final two episodes, which should’ve been building to some sort of crescendo, but then just largely play out how you would’ve expected them to, even if you hadn’t read the book (and it’s not like I knew everything that was going on; I last read the book probably like 3 or 4 years ago). So it’s frustrating. Because the book is sooooooo good I almost wish that they could’ve just turned it into a 6-part documentary series or something like that. And there’s enough to like about the series to at least give it a mild recommendation…But it just could’ve been so much better. If the direction between the individual episodes wasn’t so disjointed at times, and a more consistent tone was set (preferably a serious one, given the morbid and dreary subject matter) throughout, I think it would’ve been really special. As it is, I think once around the block with this one is enough, and it’s never going to be the sort of series I’d pick up to buy, even if it unlikely did come out on Blu-Ray…But those interested in that part of Ireland’s history (and fans of true crime, in general) will probably find the series pretty fascinating…

Hawkeye: Season One (2021) – Definitely in the upper echelon when it comes to Marvel Television shows, the series is a swift six-episode look at Clint Barton’s experiences at vigilante “Ronin” during the “blip.” Also introduces Kate Bishop, as his overly-enthusiastic, wannabe protégé. Trained in martial arts, gymnastics, fencing, and archery since a young child (and with a childhood memory of her first glimpse of Hawkeye in action), she essentially stumbles up the Ronin costume and dons it, without realize the repercussions of her actions, including those criminal elements that maybe just hold a grudge against Ronin and are none-to-pleased to witness the character’s sudden reappearance. Jeremy Renner was always a great choice as Barton, but the standout here is without a doubt another great performance from Hailee Stanfield. She’s proven she can tackle both humor and drama but here it is her comedic talents that truly shine. And the show is clearly aimed at young adults/teens, so don’t expect a wide dose of realism in this one. It’s still compelling and kind of quirkily cute as it doesn’t take itself too seriously, despite its occasionally dark subject matter. And the fight scenes, obvious not as brutal as you’d find in something like Daredevil, are handled quite well. Now obviously I’m biased as Hawkeye has always been probably in my top-three favorite Marvel characters of all-time (I have the entire first-run of the original Thunderbolts series, and almost an entire run of West Coast Avengers, which featured him prominently), but I have to say I had a blast with this series. And I cannot wait til we get to see more of Stanfield’s Bishop character (wish it wasn’t going to be a Young Avengers movie, as some of her best scenes in the series were going up against Florence Pugh’s Yelena Russian agent, which sooooooo makes me wish she was included with Pugh in the upcoming Thunderbolts* movie, but obviously it’s too late for that). A great, succinct show that resembles a Marvel Comics Limited Series run. Also gotta add that I loved the addition of “the Swordsman” character…that was a nice and very faithful adaptation of the smug comic book character…

Secret Invasion: Season One (2023) – Another Marvel show that probably gets a little bit more hate than it deserves, even though in the end it does prove to be extremely lacklustre and largely ends on a whimper. One of the ongoing issues with the series (which is only addressed intermittently) is the ever-hovering question of why exactly Nick Fury doesn’t just pick up the phone and ask some of his Avengers buddies for help? It’s the obvious question and the film tries to address it but it doesn’t do anything to convince the audience that the obvious reason is that they simply couldn’t afford to hire those now giant star actors for this Limited Event Series. It just wasn’t gonna happen. Plus they had been promising Jackson a more prominent or solo project for his character to shine. But to take a story like “Secret Invasion”, which was very compelling and had tons of different avenues to explore (all about the Kree/Skrull War and the infiltration of the government and intelligence agencies by rogue Skrull agents), and kind of reduce it to THIS(?) feels like a shame. With that said, Jackson still perfectly embodies Fury, even if some of the emotional beats his character is given here seem a bit contrived and forced. Mendelsohn is a great actor and is fine here, even if his character isn’t very distinctive. Emilia Clarke was hired strictly because of the name she made for herself on Game of Thrones, but she’s mostly lifeless here. She’s serviceable, sure, but there’s little about her that stands out. Dermot Mulroney played the President but was surprisingly bland (and dumb) in the role. And Don Cheadle returned to play Rhodes (aka “War Machine”) but with a character arc that understandably pissed off a number of Marvel fans, including myself (and I’m more of a medium-level fan, not a die-hard). It is nice that it is a mere six episodes, but to be completely honest it probably could’ve been reduced to four eps and it wouldn’t have lost anything…Also have to point out the weak CGI (as many others have), particularly one of the final battles which was clearly just composed in a computer, with CGI-generated actors and backgrounds…and it just looked dumb and ridiculous…

Boss (Starz 2011-12)

A number of great shows were inexplicably cancelled after only 2 seasons (Rome, Carnivale, Counterpart, Magic City, The Ropers () to name but a few. One can add Boss to that list, as well. Kelsey Grammer gives a tour de force performance as Chicago mayor Tom Kane, a man who rules his city with an iron fist and will stop at nothing to maintain that power. The series begins with Kane receiving a devastating medical diagnosis informing him that his mental acuity will begin to deteriorate irreversibly in the very near future and that there is no known cure. Never one to back down from a fight, Kane decides to power through and maintain business as usual while keeping his condition a secret from everyone but his doctor, putting not only himself but everyone around him at risk. Throw in some political coverups, family intrigue, civic scandals, a race for the Governor's seat, alliances and betrayals, and a young journalist looking to uncover the truth and you have a recipe for a very interesting and entertaining series. Grammer, who did double duty as an executive producer, does not hold back here with arguably his finest work (Sideshow Bob notwithstanding, of course). Some great performances from the supporting cast as well, including Connie Nielsen as Kane's wife, Martin Donovan as Kane's senior political advisor, Kathleen Robertson as Kane's personal aide, and Sanaa Lathan as a senior aide. Highly recommended for fans of R rated political drama.

Satan, your Kingdom must come down ... 🎵

Dexter: Original Sin (Paramount+)

The Rig, season 1

Dexter (org) s3, DARK s1

Doc on Fox. Glad they wrapped it up pretty well, I'll tune into season 2 but I don't think they can keep using the same hook for much longer.

Dexter (org) s3, DARK s1

Mad Men S5 - Some tough episodes in this season.



But there was also Zou Bisou Bisou, leading to one of the funniest scenes in Mad Men:

Adolescence (Netflix)

I recently binged the new Hawaii Five-0, and I loved it.

So now I'm binging the other show in the same setting, same creative universe - the new Magnum P.I., and I'm totally digging that one, too!

Makes me want to move to Hawaii.

Paradise (hulu)

Dexter (org) s4, DARK s2