259. Web-series Reviews – 100

More web-series reviews…

The Inspector Lynely Mysteries – Ran from 2001 to 2007 with a total of 23 episodes.  British crime investigation series based around aristocratic, Oxford-educated Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his working-class assistant Sergeant Barbara Havers. Based on the book by the same name by Elizbeth George.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

I do admit it is not my absolute favourite of all detective shows, Inspector Morse gets that honour, but The Inspector Lynley Mysteries is a very underestimated and compelling one, made possible by the superb performances of Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small, who play two somewhat mismatched detectives Tom Lynley and Barbara Havers. Their chemistry was very believable and grew in the show's run. All the episodes were very well shot, and the locations were beautiful. The story lines were interesting, some are slower moving than others, and there were one or two disappointing final solutions, but other than those two minor problems the stories are fine. The dialogue is well written and delivered, the banter between Lynley and Havers always working a treat, and the direction of each episode is convincing enough. Overall, a very good detective show, not the best, but the worst? No. 9/10

Another one from IMDB...

It's a very good series, one that seemed to run for longer than it's twenty three episode run.

Based on the novels of Elizabeth George, the Series saw Highly educated, suave Inspector Lynley solve crimes alongside his colleague DS Havers, a little more down to Earth. Known for being hard to work with, Havers would form an unlikely, strong bond with Lynley.

I like the earlier episodes best, they feel more raw somehow, the later series are still good, but feel a bit too polished.

The acting was always great, I loved both Small and Parker, there were many strong guest performances throughout, Sophie Ward in particular.

It ran its course, and ended on a strong episode, it's not up there with Morse, Endeavour and Vera I would say, but it's not far off. 8/10.

My Take – An excellent watch!  One of the episode stars Saeed Jaffrey😊!!

 

1899 – Came out in 2022.  From the creators of DARK series.  A migrant steamship heads west to leave the old continent. The passengers, a mixed bag of European origins, united by their hopes and dreams for the new century and their future abroad. But their journey takes an unexpected turn when they discover another migrant ship adrift on the open sea. What they will find on board will turn their passage to the promised land into a horrifying nightmare.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

As this eight-part series opens we see Maura being dragged to a room in what appears to be an asylum... then she wakes up. It turns out she is a neurologist who is a passenger ship 'Kerberos' taking emigrants from Europe to the New World in 1899. The crew are mostly German and the passengers are from a variety of countries; as the story progresses we learn that many aren't exactly who they claimed to be. During the first episode the ship receives a message from the 'Prometheus', the sister ship of the 'Kerberos', which had gone missing four month previously. They head to the given co-ordinates and find the ship completely empty apart from one young boy who they find locked in a cupboard. From that moment on things will gradually become more and more strange and the passengers and crew will face increasing dangers.

Given that this series is from the people who made the German series 'Dark' it isn't too surprising that little will be quite as it seams and what is real and what is not is far from obvious. Various details are drip fed to the viewer so one will probably change your mind about what is going on more than once as the truth is revealed. The multinational cast of characters is interesting and gets more so as we learn more about them. Those playing the parts do a fine job. As the eighth episode comes to a close, certain questions are answered in a way that provides an interesting ending while leaving the possibility of further seasons open... I've read the makers are hoping to make two more; I hope they do. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to this who enjoy reality bending mystery.

Another one from IMDB...

Amongst a plethora of flattering facets (as well as a few contraries; the most highlighting point of them all is probably how good the character developments truly are. Akin to their prior work (DARK; which to me was and still is one of if not the most compelling pieces of narrative ever put together) Every one of those personalities brought something worthy to the table, greatly helped by a terrific array of performances from all leads and supporting cast correspondingly.

This was quite a unique assortment of potent multiculturism and impervious diverseness that made way for an elongated yet enchanting watch.

As far as the technicalities are concerned, it duly lived up to expectancies. The visuals are stunning so is the work with the sound; without them, this would not have been as effective as it ended up being. Now when it comes down to the fundamentals of the narrative; it could be confounding, and hard to keep up with but if you hold on to it, overlooking the wearisome pacing and the complexness of the non-linear layout; rest assured, the experience would be rewarding.

My Take – An excellent watch!

Meet Cute – Came out in 2022.  Charming first encounters leads to new experiences and pleasant discoveries in this heart-warming anthology series. Swathi, Saru, Padma, Shalini and Anjana's meet-cutes open them up to whole new perspective on life.

One of the reviews from MSN.com/Indian Express

There is something about filmy meet-cutes that we can't have enough of them. These moments have an in-built charm; a promise of the beginning of something wonderful and fascinating. They draw us in and make us emotionally invested in the relationships of the characters on the screen. But, not all meet-cutes pay off. Even the greatest moments in this category might fail if the ensuing narration fails to elevate the opening excitement. But, debutant filmmaker Deepthi Ghanta has steered clear of that risk by creating a five-part feel-good romantic anthology with just the episodes of memorable first meetings. And she has unambiguously titled it Meet Cute.

Meet-cute is the running theme of all five short movies in this anthology. But, these meetings do not necessarily take place between couples who would form a romantic relationship in the future. That is a refreshing element as it diversifies and expands the scope of our emotional response to this ensemble of short stories.

In Meet The Boy, an overbearing mother prevails over her unmarried daughter Swati (Varsha Bollamma) to go on a date with a boy, who she picked for her on a matrimonial site. It's not the first time she has pulled this off; for Swati, it has become a routine of sorts. She plays the obedient daughter to buy herself some time to mount an escape from the maternal trap. She has at least gone on 10 dates before this one. She knows the drill and methods to get out of such dates quickly. After all, this is just a formality. She is never going to like the boy picked by her mother or so she thinks. But, she is in for a surprise when she finds out the boy, Abhi (Ashwin Kumar), was 10 steps ahead of her in this game. Her expectations are subverted when she understands the genesis of this meeting. The film, however, is quite shallow compared to the following movies. The 30-minute-long conversation between the couple has no stand-out moment.

In Old Is Gold, we meet a young woman, Saroja (Ruhani Sharma), who's quarrelling with her husband on the phone. As she visits a consulate to get a visa for her long-awaited Europe trip, her brimming enthusiasm gets a reality-check in form of her fussy, annoying husband. At the consulate, she runs into Mohan Rao (Sathyaraj), an old man who comes with a rich experience in all matters conjugal. Soraja offers to help Mohan after noticing his motor skills are impaired. And the two strangers begin to discover their lives mirror each other. The conversation provides Saroja with a wonderful opportunity to assess her life through Mohan's rear view mirror. She gets to understand the importance of little annoyances and fights, and the pleasure that comes when the war ends and peace returns to the relationship. It's a cute story.

So is In L(AW)OVE. Padma (Rohini), a single mother, is in for a surprise when she finds out her son is dating a woman named Pooja. Padma comes across as a quintessential woman with a conservative mindset. She appears to be a very protective mother, who may be under the impression that no woman is good enough for her son. Padma masks her identity and meets Pooja (Aakanksha Singh). She is not just sizing up her son's future wife but is seemingly on a mission to fish reasons to reject her. And she finds a few. One, Pooja is much older than her son. Two, Pooja is a divorcee. The film foreshadows the main conflict when Pooja discusses adopting pet dogs from a rescue shelter. She notes that when a pet is 'young, cute and healthy' people will easily adopt it. But, to care for pets with problems, i.e herself, it takes a person with a big heart. Does Padama have a big heart to rise above her biases and accept Pooja into her family? This film strikes a chord, thanks to the amazing chemistry between Rohini and Aakanksha Singh. Both of them bring their A-game to their characters and seamlessly complement each other's performance.

Star Struck, the fourth film in the anthology, is a variation of Notting Hill. Adah Sharma plays a movie star, who ends up hitchhiking a car ride with a total stranger. Late in the evening, Meera's car breaks down amid pouring rain. Meera's stylist thinks it's safer for the actress to take a ride alone in a stranger's car as opposed to calling an Uber. You may read into it what you will. As it happens, Aman (Shiva Kandukuri) is a nerd who seems to be out of touch with current pop cultural trends, so he can't identify Meera. After an awkward exchange inside the car, Aman offers her an invitation to come to visit his apartment, which is closer than her place. He promises her warm clothes and good food. Aman seems to have all the qualities of a man from Meera's dream. He is tidy, he can cook and has a taste for finer things. Meera gets star-stuck by a non-celebrity man, who spends his time doing mostly non-glamorous things.

The anthology series ends on a positive note with Ex-Girl Friend. It's not a story about an ex-girlfriend, who tortures her lover for dumping her and moving on, while she's still stuck in time. It's a heartwarming story of an ex-girlfriend who comes to the aid of her former lover. Kiran (Sunainaa) meets Anjana (Sanchitha Poonacha) out of nowhere and saves her from making the mistake of destroying her marriage with Ajay (Govind Padmasoorya).

All episodes of Meet Cute overwhelmingly feature women characters. But, the core idea is all about highlighting the qualities of modern heterosexual men that make them Mr Perfect, straight out of the world of fairytales. Episode after episode, this anthology implores women to see the complex emotions behind men's every action and not make the mistake of booting out the right men for the wrong reasons.

Even though the film has problems, it offers a convincing vision of urban life. Not many filmmakers have succeeded in capturing the pains and pleasure sans pretension or exaggeration. Deepthi does a solid job in that respect. All characters in the film are undeniably charming and beautiful. Like the men in this film, it may not be perfect, but it will leave you feeling good.

My Take – An excellent watch!

Bhoomi Ennai Suthudhey – Came out in 2022 as the dubbed Tamil version of the Telugu series Kudi Yedamaithe in 2021.

One of the reviews from 123telugu.com...

Story

Aadi(Rahul Vijay) is a delivery boy who wants to become an actor. He gets stuck in a time loop and understands that the day of Feb 29th is coming to life, time and again. The same is the case with CI Durga (Amala Paul) as well. In all this, there are several kidnappings that are happening in the city and a young pregnant lady is in danger of getting killed. How Aadi and Durga’s time loops are connected to real life and how they stop things from going wrong is the whole story of Kudi Yedamaithe.

Plus Points

One of the show-stealers of Kudi Yedamaithe is young actor Rahul Vijay who gets a clever role in the show. This series gives him a lot of scope to perform. Rahul gets the same situations time and again but has to give different expressions each time and he did so well in the series and is the best part of the show.

Amala Paul plays the cop who has a drinking problem. The star heroine looks a bit rustic at the beginning of the show but manages to hold the fort by the end. All her investigation scenes are just about okay. The supporting cast is all new and does their job well.

The first two episodes are brilliantly narrated and create a curiosity factor in the show. The production values and night effect is showcased well in the show. The whole kidnappers’ angle and the way they deal with the crime is also impressive.

Minus Points

One of the biggest minuses is the loop factor in which the story is narrated. A single day is showcased multiple times and this looks good on paper with different happenings. But the director has wasted so much time that he showcases one scene at least four times which was not necessary at all.

The emotional angle in the show is missing as the crimes done or the way the cops deal with the whole crime angle is weak. The screenplay is quite unique and the repetition of scenes could have been avoided.

The connection between the characters of Aadi and Durga is not showcased well and why they are in a loop is explained inefficiently. The series gets boring from the 4 and 5th episodes and only catches interest in the last three.

Technical Aspects

Production values of the series are top-notch. The BGM is decent but could have been a tad better in the end. Dialogues are good and so was the production design. The costumes, makeup, and camera angles showcasing the night effect are good.

Coming to the director Pawan Kumar, his concept is good. He starts with a solid bang but confuses the audience with the multi-layered screenplay which is hard to understand for a common audience. Also, he does not complete the twists and rushes the ending. More than the crime angle, he focuses much time on the time loop which bores the audience in the mid parts.

Verdict

On the whole, Kudi Yedamaithe is a web series that has a very interesting premise. It starts with a bang and creates an intriguing factor for the audience for the most part. The mid-episodes with some repeated scenes get a bit dull but the rest of the series has interesting thrills and taut performances making it a decent watch this weekend.

123telugu.com Rating : 3/5

My Take – A decent watch

Cheers till next time😊!