302. Web-series Reviews – 135

More web-series reviews…

 

Death in Paradise – Came out in 2011 and have run for 12 seasons so far:-)!102 episodes in total.  Scotland Yard DI Richard Poole is sent to the Caribbean island of Sainte Marie to solve a fellow policeman's murder. Having done so, he is seconded to the local police force as the dead man's replacement. Poole proves to be a brilliant detective, solving several complex murders. He's not quite suited to, and doesn't like, the pace of island life or the heat and the sand; he also doesn't like seafood. That aside, the place is just great. In later series, other English and Irish police officers head the investigative team, namely Humphrey Goodman, Jack Mooney, and Neville Parker.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

British TV viewers have been spoiled with great detective shows over the past decades. Bergerac, Inspector Morse and Frost have trained us to expect quirky, interesting shows with characters who become part of British culture. It's early days yet, but I think that 'Death in Paradise' has the chance to join them.

Backed by Danny John-Jules, Sara Martins and Gary Carr, Ben Miller brings the quintessentially quirky detective to life in this brilliant show. A fish out of water, DI Richard Poole must handle the transition from safe, temperate London to the bright colours of a small French Caribbean island, St. Marie, and bring the essence of British policing to its very un-British environment.

The show's funny, interesting and very addictive. The writing is great and the acting just perfect. Carr and John-Jules bring the underdog policeman to life in the time-honoured way (complaining whilst showing just how much more they know than their boss believes) and Miller plays the lost Brit abroad perfectly whilst adding that touch of off the wall brilliance that a British detective is meant to bring to a show. Martins adds a sparkling performance as his sidekick with a wonderfully wry view of the British policeman's inability to adapt to the island's lovely lifestyle.

This show's one to watch and one I hope will carry on in this vein. If it does, we'll see it treated with the same respect as the big names in British detective shows.

My Take – Worth a watch. Watched the 1st season in full and have put it in watch-later bucket list😊!

 

Succession – Ran from 2018-2023. The Roy family controls the biggest media and entertainment company in the world. As they fight for control of the company, and each other, their lack of morals is exposed at every turn. This family has no redeeming character values, and neither does any person attached to them. Watch them as they fight for the front seat on the bus to hell.

A review from IMDB...

Watched 'Succession' after hearing nothing but great things from trusted word of mouth (despite being understandably polarising on here). And also because of the hugely talented cast, with a particularly high opinion of Brian Cox, and the major awards attention it's garnered. Had no doubt it would be at least good, with a concept this great and scarily relevant and one that would have been hard to mess up, while acknowledging that it was not a show for all tastes.

'Succession' on the whole is hugely impressive, with most of the numerous good things being outstanding. Can totally understand why it is not for all tastes though and do share some of the criticisms, but for me the acclaim is a lot more understandable and the things that are especially praised (i.e. The acting) that others have observed are things shared by me. Personally was hooked by the first two seasons while finding Season 3 not as strong.

Do agree about the slowness, though it was only an issue at times in the later episodes where there was a running out of ideas feel. Meaning that it was too over-deliberate.

And also about it being repetitive, too much of Season 3 goes too far on the predictability and repeats itself.

However, there are so many outstanding things. First and foremost, the acting. Cox is absolutely tremendous as one scarily loathsome yet fascinating character that reminds me of why my opinion of the media is as low as it is. Kieran Culkin has never been better than here, with some gloriously funny moments as well as a few touching ones. Jeremy Strong has the character that is the closest to having any form of likeability and he plays Kendall poignantly. The character dynamics are utterly riveting, including in Season 3, and while the characters are a reprehensible bunch they do grow quite layered. And not cartoonish as there are people like that out there with that dysfunctional a family dynamic and above everybody else complex.

Visually, 'Succession' looks great, with a very stylish look that never looks static or filmed play like. The heavy use of close ups actually didn't bother me. Absolutely concur with everybody praising the music score, which amplifies what goes on without over emphasising. The main theme is very memorable. Loved the cutting edge of the dialogue, which is almost chilling in its truth while also being blisteringly funny at times and heartfelt in others. The storylines on the whole do compel and are elevated by the way the characters interact, they are slow and repetition heavy later on but full of intrigue and tension most of the time. Love the relevance and how well it captures how frighteningly ruthless this industry can be.

Concluding, very good and nearly great. 8/10.

My Take – Worth a watch. Watched the 1st season in full and have put it in watch-later bucket list😊!

 

The Jengabaru Curse – Came out in 2023.A London-based analyst returns to Odisha in search of her missing father. Her quest leads to a conspiracy involving bauxite mining, secretly backed by an international nexus, leading to unexplained deaths and a displaced community.

A review from IMDB...

First of all I don't get why most of the reviewers are calling it a cli fi because it has nothing to do with the climate. However I am not surprised since most of the accounts the reviews are from are 2 days old and made specifically to copy/paste some version of the same narrative,

I really liked the first 6 episodes, there has to be some considerable suspension of belief and quite a few loopholes but the story seemed sincere and it is good for a one time watch.

The ending however was totally nonsensical and rushed, something straight out of a C movie but all things considered it is a good one-time watch.

My Take – You can give it a miss. Saw the first 3 episodes and left it!

Cheers till next time😊!!