318. Web-series Reviews – 149

More web-series reviews…

Master Peace – Came out in 2023.  The tale of an unconventional family led by Binoy, a determined yet struggling businessman, and Ria, a dedicated homemaker striving to hold their unique family together.

A review from IMDB...

Nithya Menen & Sharaf U Dheen unleash delightful havoc in this fun, over-the-top and chuckle-worthy comedy about dysfunctional family dynamics. Maala Parvathi is the standout in a star-studded supporting cast with Renji Panicker, Ashokan & Shanthi Krishna also pitch-perfect in their roles.

Master Peace touches upon key issues of personal space, individual choice and career aspirations that become points of contention in any relationship and neatly critiques the Indian tradition of over-involvement of in-laws in any newly married couple's lives.

An enjoyable gag-filled narrative makes sure that the laughs are as hard-hitting as the social commentary. Recommended!

My Take – Worth a watch!

 

Bodies – Came out in 2023. A murder in Whitechapel. Four different detectives are trying to solve the murder in different time periods: 1890s dedicated police officer Alfred Hillinghead, dashing 1940s adventurer Karl Whiteman, kick-ass female 2020s detective Sergeant Shahara Hasan and Maplewood, a detective from post-apocalyptic 2050, who brings a haunting perspective.

Based on the 2015 eight issue mini series of graphic novels from Vertigo / DC (Detective Comics).

A review in IMDB...

Having watched all eight episodes, I'd say that Bodies is worth a watch.

It's a clever story, that spans different time periods. In each, the exact same body appears dead, or close to death. You eventually meet the dead person when they are alive, in a well constructed scene that left me thinking about how I would react to a similar situation. How the various time periods and events are woven together is the clever part. In some ways, the time travel facilitates the story, rather than driving it. And as you make your way through the episodes, what you thought was happening has to change. The reveals causing these changes in direction were nicely pitched. It's hard to explain without spoiling, so I'll only add that it is a story that is only completely told by the very last episode. You do need to pay attention.

I got to episode six and thought that was the end of it. I didn't realise there were another two episodes. These last two pivot, telling the story from another angle. But eventually rounding things off with a satisfying conclusion.

It's set in London, and I very much liked how they characterised the same location over time. There was not one stand-out performance, all the cast were strong. That said, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd's portrayal of a slightly corrupt police officer was great. But there are a lot of characters to keep an eye on who are portrayed at various ages.

This is solid telly, and I think I'll rewatch. I'm fairly certain that I missed some of the small clues that were scatted across the episodes. I'm vacillating between an 8 and a 9 but will go with 9 because I liked the sets.

My Take – Worth a watch!

 

Kaala Paani – Came out in 2023. When a mysterious illness descends upon the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a desperate fight for survival collides with a race to find a cure.

A review from IMDB...

What a wonderful surprise on Netflix

This is an intense, wonderfully constructed series that pulls no punches.

Kaala Paani is the smartest and most intense reflection on what happened during the Covid-epimedic with people and those that carry the responsibility to govern them. The story centers around the outbreak of a deadly infection that happens on the Andaman and Nicobar islands, which are a part of India.

The story follows characters on all levels of society. Tourists, that are caught unaware by the epidemic. Doctors that try to fight it. Public officials who try to manage the situation or try to exploit it for their own gains. Corporate executives who try to cover up their role in spreading the disease. A group of natives who play a very special role in fighting the disease.

The writers of Kaala Paani created wonderfully rich and layered characters, each of them with their own meaningful challenges, flaws and abilities. And as a viewer, I was heavily invested and interested in their individual fates.

Kaala Paani has a meta-theme that glues together all these story elements. A meta theme that is introduced with a little side story at the beginning of the second episode: Which decision will you take if there are only bad solutions, you have the power to choose between those bad solutions and whatever you choose, the result of your decision will be the loss of life (the "trolley problem").

Most of the characters we follow - whether they are people in power or everyday people - are confronted at some point in time with such a decision, some of them even more than once. And in Kaala Paani those decisions have stark consequences. People we viewers might assume are "save", because they are essential for the story will die. The actions of seemingly unimportant side characters might have ripple effects that can change the whole scenario.

In short: Wonderful story telling 😊

Side note: As someone who has never been in India, I highly enjoyed this small window into Indian culture and society that is given by this series. Thanks a lot to the creators and writers of this story.

Final Verdict: Watch this series if you enjoy intense and gripping character drama that centers around the outbreak of a deadly disease and is set up on a beautiful island archipelago.

My Take – Worth a watch!

Cheers till next time😊!!