291. Web-series Reviews – 124

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No Escape – Came in 2023.  When a yacht is found adrift in the seas around Queensland, Australia- the galley fully stocked with plenty of food and everyone's personal items but with nobody onboard police launch an investigation.

One of the reviews from Digitalspy...

No two words have the capacity to inspire terror in parents quite like the words "gap" and "year", in that order. Given the freedom of a year abroad in a country far from watchful eyes, those once bouncing bundles of joy could and often do get up to all manner of mischief.

That is exactly what unfolds in No Escape, when best friends Lana (Abigail Lawrie) and Kitty (Rhianne Barreto) board a one-way flight to the Philippines, albeit with monkey business behind them in London as well as in front of them in Manila.

Armed with stolen credit cards and a perfectly forged signature, the pair quickly tick off the gap-year delights: roof-top bars, casual sex, beachside raves, then add in a bit of fraud and petty theft. But there is more to this than meets the eye.

The new Paramount+ drama opens in the style of many thrillers these days, with a mysterious flash-forward – a yacht aimlessly floats in the coral blue waters of the Philippine Sea, following a distress call to shore.

The police who come upon the modern-day Mary Celeste, adrift and deserted, find nothing but a creepy anguished message – "I confess" – written in what is a toss-up between ketchup and blood, or an unlikely mixture of the two.

When the thriller flashes back six weeks, we see how Lana and Kitty came to be on said party yacht The Blue and meet its eccentric crew of wayfaring misfits.

Once the two Brits abroad agree to stay the course on the creaky yacht, The White Lotus-style tale of insecurities and burgeoning sexual tension unfolds in its claustrophobic cabins, with newcomers Kitty and Lana taking up the mantle of Sicilian double act Lucia and Mia.

They're told by the domineering unofficial captain Aaron (Jay Ryan) – who has taken a hiatus from the domesticity of his wife and child to sail the seas of south-east Asia – that there is absolutely, positively, no sex between the crew members of his majestic liner.

Meaning there absolutely, positively, will be sex had between the crew members.

Amid the bubbling chemistry between Lana, Kitty and their cabin cronies, the drama of No Escape gets going when they come across an abandoned ship at night. The crew decide to make off with a smells-like-drug-money bundle of cash stored on board and their seafaring idyll goes pear-shaped.

No Escape may not boast the dark satire or build the tension quite as exquisitely as Mike White's powder-keg hotel sojourns, but that's a tall bar to clear. Yet just as in White Lotus, the characters that gather as part of this wandering motley crew turn out to be harbouring secrets that start to unravel.

While the flash-forward is a reminder that this drama is leading nowhere good, the pace of the show is slightly hampered by the multiple timelines.

We see Lana under interrogation in Australia, once The Blue has been discovered. When the detectives play her Kitty's distress call from the yacht, she frets for her friend behind a poker face claiming to know nothing of the deserted vessel.

While we understand Lana and Kitty are besties, because they say as much, we're not shown much evidence beyond that. When we get a greater understanding of each – quiet and calculating Lana, brash and hard-partying Kitty – you wonder if they're the type of friends that met as tots at school and, despite becoming radically different people, never had the nerve to sever ties.

And now they're trauma-bonded over whatever happened in London and on The Blue.

Much like The Beach before it, the drama of No Escape is occasionally upstaged by the lush backdrop of Thailand, where it was shot. Mesmerising offshore rock formations and characters lolling in hammocks half asleep draw the eye away from the principal drama, leaving you to wonder whether the intrigue and mistrust aboard The Blue could really be that bad.

The needle drops are another high point, with Brit musicians Mahalia and Joy Crookes bringing a fresh party feel, while also reminding us of whatever it is Lana and Kitty are on the run from.

That urge to bring each of the questions left up in the air plummeting back down to sea level is enough reason to binge all seven episodes.

My Take – Worth your time! I binge-watched all the episodes together😊!!

 

Working – What We Do All Day – Came out in 2023.  For some, it's a paycheck. For others, it's a calling. This docuseries explores the meaning of work for modern Americans in a time of rapid change. 4 part documentary.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

A great watch on today's community

Loved the series, all of its episodes. Obama, who held one of the highest offices in the world and touched so many lives, narrates it perfectly in his deep voice.

To see what people do, go through and think about work at different levels from the so-called "low-paying" jobs to being the bosses, is enlightening. You don't seem to appreciate enough at times what people at the bottom go through physically and emotionally doing what they do and earn low pay. It gives you a great perspective and lots of knowledge definitely with insight on different jobs.

The 4 episode series covers jobs across different levels in services, hospitality and home care industry. No matter what you do now, you would be able to connect with each of the individuals and if not, you would definitely get cognisant of what different people at different positions do whether below or above yours, or in your community.

It doesn't just cover their roles, and responsibilities but shows what the job means for the individuals at each of this level. When you are at the bottom, the job is typically just a means for you to survive. It may not be what you wanted to do or like doing, but you do it to pay your bills and provide for your family. Sometimes you may have to do 2 or 3 of these jobs to meet your expenses.

As you go up, you earn more and can satisfy most of your needs and then it starts becoming about your job satisfaction, aspirations and recognitions. You don't have to worry about your bills now, and you start thinking, are you making an impact or are you being recognized enough? And when you are the ultimate boss in the chain, you have to carry the aspirations of people that work for you, and of the community at large.

The series also highlights the increasing gap between the earnings of the top jobs and the low-paying service jobs. While the pay at the top and that of the "knowledge workers" has been increasing and the bosses' salary can run into millions of dollars, the pay at the bottom hasn't increased much. The price of real estate, education, and healthcare has increased tremendously and is unsustainable for a large fraction of the population.

While AI and automation can claim to make many redundant or low-end jobs obsolete, we will still need people doing some of these services. It is important to realise everyone's effort and aspirations and somehow bridge the gap of the opportunity they lack to make the society inclusive and a better place.

My Take – Worth your time😊!!

 

TVF Pitchers – Came out in 2015.  Four friends Naveen Bansal (Naveen), Jitendra Maheshwari (Jitu), Yogendra Kumar (Yogi) and Saurabh Mandal (Mandal), decide to enter the start-up world by launching their own start-up. Things are kicked off by Naveen who, angry at not being given his due at work, resigns in a drunk state. At the same time, he receives news of his B-Plan reaching the final round of the NASSCOM start-up conclave. This begins a series of situations in which the four friends rediscover what they really want in life and the challenges they face in getting their start-up idea off the ground.It's story is inspired from HBO TV series "Silicon Valley" but the plot is well designed in accordance with Indian audience who are not well aware of the Idea of Startup.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Brilliant show, excellent performances

I will try to keep it short:

1. Excellent dialogues- Well written and dialogues that are relevant to the audience go a long way in making this an excellent show.

2. Acting- Everyone excels in their roles. TVF has come a long way and this is a sleek product with top-notch performance (hat tip to Jeetu for his scenes with his father).

3. TVF- The hype surrounding TVF and their TV shows (a highly recommended "Permanent Roommates" included) is completely justified. Just like the character "Naveen Bansal" says about being fearless as a kid, TVF is just that even now and we as audiences benefit from that.

4. Entertainment- It is very easy to get preachy while dealing with subjects such as entrepreneurship (and end up being documentary like in tone) but TVF is true to its promise of delivering quality entertainment that is laced with acidic yet witty commentary about the malaise and issues surrounding entrepreneurship.

5. Production Value- The show looks very polished and the hard work TVF has put into making the show look absolutely realistic shows.

My take – Worth your time😊!!

Cheers till next time😊!!