258. Web-series Reviews – 99

More web-series reviews…

 

Inspector George Gently – Ran from 2007 to 2017.  2 seasons with a total of 25 episodes of about one and half hour each.  Based on Alan Hunter's George Gently novels.  The show throws Chief Inspector George Gently into a maelstrom of murders and mayhem, whilst lovingly recreating the Swinging Sixties as it finally hits the North-East in perfect and nostalgic detail. He and his sidekick, ambitious and undisciplined Detective Sergeant John Bacchus make the perfect police partnership, full of warmth and humour.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

There are two massive reasons to like and admire this series.

1. The characters. The solid, thoughtful Inspector Gently is perfectly matched against his hot-headed subordinate Bacchus. I love both these personalities, and the way their peculiar, very 1960s outlooks interlock. Bacchus in particular is a really great creation, because he's likable in spite of his obvious faults.

2. The fact that it's ABOUT something. These are not just mindless whodunit puzzles. Each episode of the show has a strong point to make. In fact, multiple points. About how attitudes have evolved, during and since the 1960s. About human nature. About the law, and policing. This is a show that works as a police procedural, but also works extremely well as drama.

Apart from those two strengths, the show has atmosphere, a unique style, great dialog, and seething emotional confrontations. It's thoughtful, yet never slow. In fact, it's good on every conceivable level, including many that are rarely present in mere TV entertainment.

In short, this is one of the best cop shows ever to come out of the UK. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

Another review from IMDB...

I foolishly didn't watch George Gently during its transmission as I didn't fancy it. I was terribly wrong.

This is a wonderful series, excellent from beginning to end. The stories are captivating, I always feel there is a sense of realism in some of them.

Some episodes make you feel genuinely uncomfortable, but they don't shy away from sensitive issues. My favourite episode will forever be Gently in The Cathedral, but so many are superb.

Incredible production values, exquisite cars and costumes, each episode is a visual feast.

Shaw and Ingleby are tremendous, always accompanied by great guest actors, so many good ones, I can't highlight one in particular.

What gives this show the edge over so many, is the dynamic between Gently and Bacchus, you get a little conflict in most shows, but nothing like you see here, at times they seem to actually detest one another's values and beliefs, Bacchus often has issue with his boss's moral sense.

We needed more. 9/10.

My Take – Not to be missed😊!!

 

Marnow Murders – Came out in 2021. German series.  The city of Schwerin is sweltering under a heat wave never seen before. Detectives Lona Mendt and Frank Elling are on the trail of a serial murderer, who seems to choose his victims at random. But nothing is what it seems.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Hi, my review is based on seeing the original German production. Germany has a long history of producing fine crime dramas, it is the most popular genre in television. The series "The Toten von Marnow" is in my opinion, one of the best shows ever made in this genre. Everything about this series has been beautifully crafted and I'll list some of my reasoning below.

Firstly, the realism of the characters. The cops in this show are absolutely not like your typical Hollywood maverick cops who seem to win every fight, have an IQ of 150 and are disrespectful to their bosses. The main protagonists are just ordinary detectives, both with tragic back stories, which become involved in a conspiracy reluctantly. Each bad decision they make leads to further unforeseeable consequences. They are portrayed brilliantly with a full range of emotions by the leads Sascha Alexander Gersak and Petra Schmidt-Schaller.

The antagonists are equally well portrayed and their motivation, based on misdeeds of the bankrupt former East German government at the end of it's reign, is understandable. There are not hoards of minions being thoughtlessly slaughtered on the way to solving the crime. The people behind the conspiracy are not evil masterminds or one dimensional villains, they are just ordinary people too, who just want the story buried, so they can go on with their new lives in the West.

The pacing of the series is almost perfect. Each episode ends leaving you wanting to see how it develops further. There are plenty of truly unexpected moments in the series, and the conclusion, where the reason for the crimes and the actions of the perpetrators is revealed is both poetic and understandable.

Definitely worth watching if you're a fan of realistically portrayed crime dramas.

My Take – A good watch!

Mukhbir – The Story of a Spy – Came out in 2022.  After the Sino-India war, a highly trained Indian spy enters Pakistan on a mission to gather crucial intelligence and stop Pakistan from launching an attack against India. Will he succeed?

One of the reviews from India TV...

When speaking about Mukhbir- The Story of A Spy, Prakash Raj and Adil Hussain maintained that the web series is their tribute to the unsung heroes of India. While men and women at the borders are credited for their adulation and commitment to the country, not many take into account the ones to cross borders to safeguard lives in their native lands. Zee5's new show Mukhbir is just that.

At a time when OTT is a crowded space with genres and multiple releases, it is indeed difficult to pick and choose a title for the weekend. Mukhbir can easily be on your list. The story is straightforward, the soundtrack is fabulous and the actors have the capability to hold the audience through the eight episodes.

Zain Khan Durrani plays the role of Kamran, a young, shrewd, no-strings-attached kind of guy. He isn't darting for something extraordinary but is surrounded by people with great ambitions. He has been working for KSK Murthy (Prakash Raj) as a small-time spy in the city without realising the senior agent's plans. During the tense notes of the 1960s, Kamran is asked to cross borders, be in Pakistan and give intel on warring situations. Be it his imbecility or Murthy's pep talk, he decides to take the plunge and becomes Harfan.

In his head, he is a detached man void of emotional quotient, but when he has to live with a dysfunctional family, murder an innocent and watch gullible men die, his heart aches, his hands shake and he screams hard. Zain, makes Kamran/ Harfan empathetic. He brings out the naivety of his characters to the surface holding the charm. He carefully toes the line between brilliance and periodic lunacy.

The series, however, is constructed by the supporting actors. Atul Kumar is fantastic as a crude, unpalatable Brigadier Habibullah while Harsh Chhaya is ominous as ever as Major General Agha Khan. Prakash Raj and Adil Hussain are dependable as ever playing senior bureaucrats.

It's an obvious question to ask, how Mukhbir is different from Alia Bhatt's Raazi. Both the spy thrillers have been adopted from novels, Raazi from Calling Sehmat and Mukhbir from Mission to Kashmir: An Intelligent Agent in Pakistan. However, Harfan and Sehmat's are nowhere parallel. Their jobs might be the same, but their reasons differ. While Alia's character stemmed from convoluted politics, Harfan cannot justify why he wants to risk his life.

That is a significantly debatable facet of his character, he has no backing to justify why he wants to do what he does. Unlike other characters, he is neither patriotic nor greedy. He is a conman who believes he can spy but doesn't know how. He goes off-track, makes mistakes, thus humanising a spy more than ever.

Mukhbir benefits from its screenplay. The show is fast-paced and the story advances at such a subtle rate that you wouldn't want to skip episodes. More than the characters, the show focuses on the story. It doesn't want to delve into the psyche of the people you see on the screen until the climax. We simply see a man put to work. It is only in the last episode when the pandora's box opens and Zain screams out the mental trauma of a spy.

Shivam Nair and Jayprad Desai's directorial gets hold of its tonality. Despite flaws, it appears meaningful. The show can feel outlandish at times but with its unreserved insignia, it faithfully manages to present the times and nations hit hard by wars.

My Take – A good watch!

The Morning Show – The first season came out in 2019 and the second in 2021.  The 3rd season is supposed to come out in 2023.  After a fallout with their previous morning show co-host, the popular but #MeToo-scandal-ridden Mitch Kessler, a New York City TV station hires a new spunky journalist, the progressive and hotheaded southern girl Bradley Jackson, as the new co-host. The scheming station head manager Cory Ellison sees in her the chance to push his career further. The show's other popular co-host Alex Levy, disgruntled by the fact that she has to take in a newbie, tries to use this new situation to make her own power move and turn Bradley into an ally. Meanwhile, Mitch refuses to accept defeat and tries to take everyone in the station who knew about his sexual abuse scandal but said nothing down with him. Other characters include Chip Black, the show's cynical top producer and program organizer, Hannah Shoenfeld, the station's employee and Mitch's emotionally gutted silent victim, Yanko Flores, a romantic and the Morning Show's most popular reporter, Claire Conway, a British junior employee of the station and Yanko's smitten secret girlfriend, and Fred, the station's sleazy chief executive who tried to help Mitch cover up the scandal.

Starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

"Apple TV" has really hit a home run with this series "The Morning Show" as the drama is full of life like twist and turns involving central characters as it goes behind the scenes showcasing a spotlight on both their personal and private lives. As a viewer you see the work and preparation each day of how things go at a national news network as the reporters and anchors are always out on the field covering the best and most interesting stories, many hot button issues along the way something more lies with each. The acting and cast chemistry is super tag team news dream duo was lead by Alex Levy( a fine turn from Jennifer Aniston) who 's super hot and looks fine and melted in front of the camera, and top anchor man Mitch Kessler(Steve Carell) who's world comes crashing down once a scandal is revealed involving him.

Later it's soon revealed that many more dirty skeletons were present in closets at the network as it was a company that had a toxic work environment. In a good supporting and wild card like turn enter young eager small town reporter Bradley Jackson(awesome work from Reese Witherspoon) who's a new fresh informative face who rocks the network boat even more.

One may can relate this series to present day headlines and compare it to other real life scandals also still the series is interesting, entertaining and compelling a great drama that shows the highs and lows of both private and work life as they both mix for crazy drama. Watch the "Morning show" it's highly enjoyable and entertaining as it's story keeps you eyes glued in the meantime it searches for truth and exposes secrets.

My Take – Worth a definite watch!

Cheers till next time😊!!