Television programmes [2]

A curiosity. I'll give it a look. The production values feel like Cowboy Bebop, also based on a manga.

{{ I found this a lot more interesting than I had originally anticipated I would. I had no idea gardens were so scandalous!
Its not a normal Time Team, its not an excavation, its more just a documentary with Tony Robinson, but oddly fascinating}}.

Funny. I just watched that the other day. I like all those kind of doco's.

{{ Time Team premiere an episode every Sunday evening Chris on their youtube channel, either a doc like the garden one above, or a classic episode, or even a new one like this weeks on a Templar Hospitaller. It's well worth keeping an eye on their channel, my go to comfort tv }}

It's good to know about that channel. I think well made documentaries are among the highest achievement of the video arts.

When Lucy Worsley's royal programs first came out I thought at firs she was preening to the audience, overplaying the glow and intrigue of royalty, and I wasn't having it.  Then I found out she was totally bonafide as curator of the royal palaces, and was able to watch her work with the interest and appreciation it deserved.

Now she's come out with an agatha christie series, and I went through the same stages of refusing to watch it because I thought she was completely outside her wheelhouse, then caught a few minutes of it and found her powers had grown immensely, and after the style of her subject kept dropping hooks that make it impossible to stop watching.  Turns out she's written a book about Christie, so has every right to make a documentary about her, and it's damn good.

We learn for example that the famous drawing room denouments that are her trademark came from her publisher's suggestion to her first book The Affair at Styles.  Her first version had Hercules Pierrot appearing in the courtroom doing his typical things.  The publisher protested, saying it was not proper courtroom procedure, and she should either change the setting or consult an expert.  She switched the setting to a drawing room, and the fate of detective novels was sealed.

{{ Long time fan of Lucy Worsley, and yes she is the genuine article on the history front, particularly royalty and their homes. I saw her Christie series too.
She is one of a bunch of female tv historians and archaeologists who all started turning up at about the same time, others I can recommend are Bettany Hughes, historian and archaeologists-



Alice Roberts-



Mary Beard-



and anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota (who Ive had a crush on for years when she first showed up in Time Team ) -

I knew Bettany Hughes - quite hard for anyone of the male persuasion to miss actually, but wasn't aware of the others. Thanks.

In the same vein on youtube you'll find a whole host of young female science and math explainers, and they're very good. I think people who are all down on the younger generations are missing their main strong point, which is passion for what they chose to do.

{{ In terms of female youtube presenters I watch Dr Becky Smethurst, she's an astrophysicist and very good at explaining to the layman like me what stuff means,



and History with Kayleigh



among others.

edit add this one belongs in list in above post, Dr Fletcher, dont know offhand her first name, specialises in ancient Egypt and Middle eastern history-



I find the Odyssey youtube channel very good for quality documentaries, theirvplaylist is well worth a browse, you're bound to find a period of history that interests.}}

{{ Trailer for the Fallout tv series based on the games series. I'm a little mixed on the games, but I love the aesthetic of them. Basically take the most optimistic wide-eyed 1950's American view of what the future would be like - all atomic power, Mr Handy robots helping in the home, jetcars with fins and all powered by nuclear power, that whole 50's future ideal - then imagine the future really was like that- then blow it all up in a nuclear war, with the story being set around those who were in Vaults protected emerging hundreds of years later into the Wasteland of what was the USA and finding it full of mutated creatures and various factions fighting for power, because war, war never changes.



and this was a trailer for Fallout 3, for mood comparison- }

Just watched Mr Bates vs The Post Office. It made my blood boil. The absolute bastards who did this must pay.

{{ Yeah, and not just a Tory mess, Labour too. Government ignoring the working people and blanket accepting the word of corporations out of fear of them pulling out of the country. An utter disgrace, there's folk should be jailed for it.
And big shout out to the original journalists whose work the drama is heavily based on. A testament to the occasional good journalism we have left in this country. And to the effectiveness of well written, researched and acted drama in even altering a government's course.
If there is one personality trait broadly shared among all the nations of this isle, one ting that could be truly said to be quintessentially British, I think it's the sense that we will put up with a lot, if it's fair. This wasn't fair, the game was rigged against the little guy from the start. And that inflames the British public in a way few other things seem too. So much so that within a week of its broadcast the government is exonerating all those wrongfully charged, even they know they've broken the sacred rule of being British, they've been caught rigging the game. }}

At least one Tory came out of it looking like a decent chap. James Arbuthnot. Ed Davey comes out of it looking like a bit of a shiter. His recent refusal to say sorry was a cringefest.

Dont know if anyone is watching the True Detective series. First one with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey? its great stuff.
Also watched a Canadian production, (probably for women) called Family Law. wow, Canada really is as woke as fuq. totally gone off at the deep end wokeryfuckery.

{{ That's because there is an element of pantomime villain in her performance, there has been in every Master since the start, but mostly in classic with the Ainsley Master. The problem with the RTD era Master is that's all there is to him, he's just a pantomime villain, over-the-top in every single scene, ranting and raving in every single scene, ridiculous in every single scene, constantly laughing like a maniac. There's nothing else to the character.
Every other Master has more to them than just that, pantomime villain is one element in the character, it's not meant to be the only one.}}

Well thats what I get from her, just panto, whereas Simm gave me The Master, he gave a wonderful performance.

{{oops seem to have hopped theads! Sorry Amarie, sure you can um sort it out. Now I'm drunk what's your excuse Figg? (My money is on you broke out a bottle or three of Italiashire vino )}}

Watched 6 episodes of Reacher series 2 on the bounce. Great show. Watched episode 7 yesterday. One more to go.

Reacher does look great. I have read a lot of the books too. I believe the author had a lot of input into the show, and I am glad that Amazon hasn't messed things up by interfering and pushing The Message. Only problem is I don't have Prime.

Neither do I. 🤭

Local TV station is having an X-Files marathon every night for at least a week.

{{ Its been years since I watched X-Files, does it hold up? }}

At the time it was singular for its cinematic camera moves and textures.  TV has caught up in the last decades so it doesn't stand out so much for that anymore, but still a good watch.  Not as gripping as the Twilight Zone which had more self-contained focus.  It's fun to be reminded just how young Scully and Mulder were.

I was glad the marathon was confined to the evening so I could get something done.  Now I see the same station is running a Stargate marathon during the afternoon.

Those who know X-files know that once or twice per season they have an episode that's just for fun, and the actors play it expertly tongue in cheek.  I'd never seen the season 5 episode "Bad Blood", but it's definitely worth searching out for some giggles.  Ranks up there with The Great Mutato.

I used to enjoy watching X-Files, one episode sticks in my mind more than others and thats when Tooms spies on Scully, in fact anything to do with Tooms