Lucy

It’s the Netflix show everyone is talking about, and for good reason... I don’t think I’ve ever shouted at a tv show so much, or got so passionately involved in a documentary before - watching the show has been a real eye opening journey into the world of the morality, ethics and justice.

So some background: The show was filmed over ten years and documents the case and trials of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey in regards to a murder charge. However, Steven had previously been falsely convicted of a rape charge for 18 years and this fact casts a shadow over him before the murder trial evidence has even it the courtroom.

The show itself uses its documentary format to impeccably to slowly drip feed the audience an absorbing mystery with many dynamic twists. The storytelling is enthralling, with many episodes ending with bombshells of pivotal information that make accidentally watching the next episode so easy...

The focus is on the defence side of the case, Steven’s family and his lawyers are at the heart of the shows interviews and storytelling and across the 10 episodes we really get to know their lives quite intimately. This contrasts with the stark black and white of the law in the courtroom and makes the judgements in the case seem even more inhumane. Although focusing on the defence does present a slightly skewed view on the trials, the prosecutions arguments are still hotly debated and presented with almost an equal amount of screen time.

What really makes Making of a Murderer so gripping is the amount of first hand evidence they use - phone conversations from prison are used to hear Stephen’s take on the court proceedings, evidence photos and reports are shown, typed transcripts and key pieces of evidence are presented to us on screen, tv news bulletins from the case days are used to present verdicts to the audience for the first time (similar to how the public would’ve found out information at the time) and the film crew goes to the actual locations discussed in court to make the documentary a very immersive experience.

Stephen’s lawyers Jerry and Dean provide confident and enlightening insights to the case and are genuine, likeable guys who inject some warmth into the cold subject matter of the cases. They provide nurture and guidance for the Avery family and also conduct themselves in a professional and intelligent manner that only consolidates the humanity of their actions during the trial. I found their comments and concerns (and that of their investigators too) the most interesting and insightful of the entire show. I can certainly see why they are fan favourites!

Without giving too much away, there are many shocks and surprises throughout the collection of evidence, court cases and even the aftermath of the trials that make you feel sick to your stomach. There is no such thing as a perfect system, but The American Law and Justice system appears to have a few gaping holes and the handling of the Stephen Avery cases is downright heartbreaking, whether or not you believe he is guilty.

As the film makers constantly remind you, right up to the final shot of the series, the series is a documentary, this is about real people and real lives. The reality of the trials becomes more shocking when we go forwards in time to the present day and see the consequences of everything that has happened to Stephen, Brendan and their families. It was perhaps the final episode that it really hit home for me how many lives had been dramatically altered by the Avery trials, as well as how many other people are living out similar sentences in America. It’s enough to make you quite emotional about the way we treat those convicted of crimes in this world.

If this documentary does nothing else, it reminds you that the law and the truth are two very different things, which can cost people everything they are.

Hannibal was hard to stomach at times, but a thrilling and immersive show with rich cinematography, nauseating plot lines and characters delving beyond their limits to present a show unlike any other. (Thoughts on season 3 and the show as a whole below).

Hannibal is definitely a ‘one episode at a time’ show, and it’s taken me an age to watch and even longer to review, but I’ve finally realised how powerful the performances are in the show as certain scenes have stayed with me all this time. The actors who portray Will Graham, Hannibal and BeDelia all encompass the very souls of their characters and give absolutely stunning performances all season that evoke the complexities of their three way relationship as well as the facades they present to other characters.

Hannibal is the focus of the first few episodes as we see his new life in Italy, where he tricks every new character there as well as he has done in the US. He and Bedelia make an unusually perseptive team, and exploring their fascinating with human flesh in a different location was equally gross and fascinating. Bedelia hides and exposes different parts of herself - we see less of the therapist and more of her innate curiosity into psychopathology (specifically Hannibal and Will’s). She certainly plays an complex female character with a strong presence throughout the season, which was great!

Will Graham goes on quite the journey in the final season, he goes from despising, to searching, to capturing, to admiring, to working with, to loving Hannibal across the season. Will begins the season by recovering from injuries sustained at the end of series 2, and searching for Hannibal across Europe for the first few episodes, piecing together a very introspective backstory of Hannibal and his origins in eating people. He discovers on this journey how connected he is with Hannibal and that he “has never known himself better than when he is with Lecter” - a phrase that couple sum up the all consuing relationship the two men have with each other.

It takes a few episodes for the two men to actually meet, but the mutural pining for each other and electrifyingly charged meeting at an art gallery was well worth the wait. Each man trying to determine how much had changed in their relaionship, whilst simlatenously wanting to consume and destroy each other was a real masterpiece.

Their intense focus on each other continues when Mason Verger has them transported from Italy back to the US and the pinnacle episode “Digestivo” begins. Now, I’ve watched Hannibal and become slightly immune to the cannibalism and gore but being choked by eels, a foetus growing in a pig amongst other gory elements really did make me gag and leave the room. Hannibal has always been a show about strong visuals and pushing the bounaries of human form but this season really went far out.

After the brutality and gore, the season does a 180 and introduces new characters and plot lines for the final 5 episodes. The Red Dragon was an arc that felt far more like previous Hannibal seasons - an unusual serial killer case that required Will/Hannibal’s unique perspective to solve. I felt the final 5 episodes were much better paced than the first part of the season, purely s all the main characters were in the same location and most were either recovering from the earlier events of the season, or were actively working on the case.

I enjoyed how Will was more of a FBI profiler and thinking more clearly than he has down for a long time whilst working on the Red Dragon case. Seeing Will retreat from Hannibal’s influence and turn their relationship around so he is more in control was an interesting change in dynamic and certainly gave the scenes where Will and Hannibal were together a different ambience. Alana comes more into play in the latter half of the season - she and Frederick (how is he still alive?!) do a compelling job at trying to get one step ahead of Hannibal (and to some extent Will) but ultimately are no match for the key players of Hannibal and Will - they dance round each other and play each other so well, it was hard at times to work out who knew what and who was helping whom.

By the end of the season, it is clear that neither Hannibal or Will can live without each other. Their co-dependency is completed by the joint murdering of The Red Dragon, in an exemplary two vs one fight scene next to a dark cliff face with the sea swirling below. The tender moments shared between the two men just after the fight, before the fall to be engulfed by the sea, was heartbreaking and deeply moving. For all their dark, twisted and perseptive minds, these two characters have a passionate connection that held each other up, and allowed them to truly be themselves. Their final harmonius act of falling into the sea was a poetic masterpiece, even if it left the series with little closure as to their fates and that of many other characters.

Although the storyline of the season was jarring and confusing at times, the characters were strong and true to their individual natures. By only allowing glimpses of the outside world, Hannibal is a show that is suspended in it’s own mythology and desires of its main characters - which gives the audience a greater sense of immersion and does get you thinking deeply about many of the horrors showcased, almost treating them as ‘normal’.

Once again, I cannot fault the music, ambience or cinematography of the show. Everything flows together effortlessly to highlight the inky darkness, shades of grey and few light specks in the narrative as well as create an emotive atmosphere where characters shield and twist their true intentions from each other. The musical interludes injected horror, thriller and heightened emotion in every scene and perfectly accompanied the acting of each character, to convey additional depth to their actions.

Overall, I did enjoy watching the conclusion to the show, and I was pleased that the main theme of the entire season was on the ups and downs of Hannibal and Will’s intense relationship. These characters are so well written and acted, I still get shivers every time I see Mads Mikkelsen! The Red Dragon arc gave us a glimpse at how Hannibal could have gone down the Silence of the Lambs route, with Hannibal in prison but still controlling everything he could. The after credits scene gave a hint of a possible continuation of the story, but I feel it’s unlikely we’ll get to see more of these characters, and actually I’m okay with that. Ending on a high point narratively is a truly impressive feat, and I take my hat off to everyone involved the show for creating something on tv which we won’t ever see the likes of again.

Everyone should watch this show if only for Claire Danes extraordinary acting ability, which covers the whole range of human emotion in such heartbreaking form, what a talent. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on Homeland season 6, and although I watched it eagerly every week, looking at the series as a whole is actually a bit disappointing. The show has so many avenues it can use and yet it ended with death, backstabbing and a huge change for all characters that will have repercussions next season (a whole year's wait away...)

As with most seasons of Homeland, it takes a few episodes to set everything up, but season 6 waits until episodes 4/5 to really get going. It’s a lot of slow build up of Carrie’s new job, introducing the new president and finding out where Saul, Dar and Peter are now. Inkeeping with the US election (and I hefty rewrite I hear), the show is very political focused this season, which was a refreshing change but Homeland isn’t known for being a political thriller and the season suffered from a lack of presence from the CIA and other agencies. As usual, everything in Homeland links up eventually, but it was episode 11 & 12 before we truly saw the scale of all the links, and their greater impact. Although there were plenty of excellent edge-of-the-seat cliffhangers for most episodes, overall working out how everything linked and who was really pulling the strings was a real slow burner...

However, it was lovely to see Carrie back in the US bonding with Franny, and making strides with her new venture of helping immigrants. Though it was heartbreaking to see her being drawn into politics and back room drama, so early on in the season. Carrie doesn’t really change or grow this season as much as she’s done previously. She’s commited to being a caring mother, and learns the hard way not to trust politicians but aside from that, she’s very similar to how she started the season (though great changes at the CIA and with Quinn may cause changes for season 7).

Thankfully Peter Quinn and Max’s character arcs were better and kept the plot rolling, in their usual style. I enjoyed how it was shown that previous seasons events had impacted Max and made him more determined to do something to help protect others. Peter Quinn on the other hand returns as a wounded veteran of the CIA and acts his socks off all season, showing that the soldier in a veteran never dies. He had such a sad story arc, trying to recover from injury, find his place in the world and trying to single handedly save America. Loosing Astrid and trust in most of his friends along the way was horrible to watch him suffer through. Amazing acting by Rupert Friend and it’s a travesty he didn’t get nominated for an Emmy!

The biggest revelation this season has been the introduction of new President Elizabeth Keane. She came across as very much involved with America and trying to reform several wrongs, but even as early as half way through the season, Dar says “there’s something not right about her” and this explodes into focus in the finale with a thrilling coup and assination attempt. It felt like Keane was very much behind/involved in her failed assassination and dismantling of government agencies. A powerful play by her but also incredibly crafty - it must have taken her a lot of planning (and I wonder whether that's why she was always insistent on having her staff with her at all times during the series, were they the only ones in on the true plan?) The power hunger Keane that emerged in this final episode sets up the next season for quite a different tone to ones we have had previously. It's certainly going to be a dark time for the CIA, and I can see Carrie going abroad with Franny for a while...

Dar is turned into a villian in this season, at least until the final episode. An interesting turn for a reoccuring character who’s been with the show from the start, but his central commitment for keeping America safe fitted with his more villianous attitude. However, lines in the script about being an abuser where poorly constructed and seemed only there to horrify and destroy his previous character - if they are followed up in more depth I hope the issue is treated more sensitively. I didn't think I could ever find it in my heart to feel sorry for Dar again, but his eerie prediction about Keane coming from a prison cell really hit home. I hope he gets out for season 7, but it will take quite some writing to get Saul, Dar and Carrie back working together!

Speaking of the gang getting back together, I had an inkling that Quinn might not survive the finale but watching him go the way he did was startingly abrupt. I was really hoping for some glimpse of his memorial or at least some of the characters discussing it more but alas they're scenes we won't ever get - his passing felt a little brushed over considering he's been a series regular since season 2. However his photos hidden inside Great Expectations was a nice touch :)

I've definitely enjoyed parts of this more political season of Homeland, lots of well knitted together story lines and a tight plot definitely helped when all the action took place in the final episodes. However, I would definitely like a bit more focus on the CIA and the intelligence community next season as I did miss Carrie and co. doing all their covert intelligence operations abroad! I'm sure Carrie will analyse and strategise the best way to get things back on track next season - if there's anyone I have faith in to make things better it's her!

After season 1′s fantastic villain Wilson Fisk is incarcerated, Hell’s Kitchen’s underworld is ripe for the taking and the season starts with several gangs fighting for territory, which was very realistic and immediately gave us a sense that the danger is far from over. It soon emerges that the one to watch is Frank Castle aka The Punisher, who obliterates all the competition quite literally using a range of semi-automatic weapons with precision accuracy.

The Punisher himself is a complex character (amazing acting from Jon Bernthal, truly a captivating performance) who the audience begins to like very early on in the series, by episode 3 or 4 I was sold on the goodness that is somewhere inside The Punisher. His tragic back story and internal rage parallels nicely to the original comics and his transformation from page to screen is almost effortless. Whilst Wilson Fisk was at times a little larger than life (excuse the pun), The Punisher feels very down to Earth and a genuine person of interest whose goals side effects terrify the city in a eerie echo of modern terrorism. A truly powerful force in the show.

Despite all the makings of this, The Punisher is apprehended in EPISODE 4?! I understand that the series wanted to get his trial, escape from jail and revenge all in one series but it did feel a very rushed story arc. Thank goodness Jon Bernthal is such a capable actor, I doubt many others could pull off the speed and deepth of The Punisher’s emotional story arc without making it feel shallow and fake. He’s also helped by having great on screen chemistry with Daredevil (as well as some spectacular fight scenes) and surprisingly Karen Page, where they have a sort of respectful friendship over the course of the series, helping each other to ultimately keep New York safe.

The overall storyline for this season is a real mixed bag of chop and change story lines that only really pull together after episodes 9/10, which is a good two thirds of the way into the season. Not ideal, and the middle section (episodes 5-8 in particular) suffered from hanging in limbo as lots of slightly dull legwork had to be done to get the main trio from being The Punisher’s attorneys to tracking him down after his escape from jail.

Thank goodness for the introduction of Elektra at this point! She was a fantastic addition to the show and her and Matt’s history was shown in some great flashbacks, grounding her as a major player in the series. I loved the mystique surrounding her, I was not sure for a long time whose side she was on, but I knew I loved her kick ass take-no-prisoners attitude to everything. Having her and Matt sneak around New York like a crime fighting superhero team was a great nod to the comics and also providing some greatly amusing comedic moments, which the darker tone of the season greatly needed. Her story, and surprising reveal as the ‘black sky’, fitted in nicely with the mythology arc of the series and also allowed her to have moments of doubt and sincerity with Matt throughout, especially in the season finale.

However overall Matt Murdock has been a bit of a dick to his friends this season. Part of me can see why he’s been written this way - to show how difficult it is to keep his two lives separate, the burden of a secret identity, the feeling of responsibility etc - however the Matt from series 1 would have eventually realised his mistakes and grieved for the loss of his support network, then tried to make amends. Season 2 Matt Murdock seems to be thinking more like his mentor Stick and putting ‘the mission’ and the future of Hells Kitchen before any feelings he has for his friends/family. The constant changing of his mind e.g. who he trusts/works with or wants to be in the season gave me a bit of whiplash and the inconsistency didn’t really help his character grow as much as he could have. All this cold heartedness and indecisiveness made Matt a bit inhumane and was a weak writing choice for his overall character development. It came together a bit in the finale when he realised how much having Elektra in his life meant to him and giving Karen the truth about his secret identity but it felt a little too late.

Speaking of weak writing choices, the most unbelievable romantic pairing of the year of Matt/Karen was written in for what reason exactly??! If it was done to show Matt had moved on from Claire then Elektra turning up and being flirty would have solved that. Was it introduced to drive a wedge between Matt and Foggy? Well Matt’s behaviour on the The Punisher court case did that just fine. Was it to build Karen’s character into a more well rounded individual? Nope she was doing that just fine on her own becoming an investigative journalist and continuing Ben’s legacy (which was a real highlight of the season for me). So after exhausting all these and many more options, I still have no clue why this romance was forced in, Matt cares for Karen a lot yes and Karen finds Matt attractive yes BUT this doesn’t mean they would end up together after only a couple of episodes?! It was truly cringe worthy to watch.

Although some of the character development was a bit off this season, lots of characters did get the development they deserved! Karen working with the editor of the New York bulletin was a route I really hoped the show was going to go down and I hope they continue to have Karen play a more investigative/journalist role in the upcoming seasons! Foggy finally got the lawyer recognition he deserves and showed his true potential in the court room scenes as well as using his inner legal dictionary to get the gang out of some tight spots. I really feel his character has stepped up from being the comic relief to a fully functioning part of the lawyer team. Brett, Claire and Melvin were all nicely rounded out this season, especially Claire, who has had some screen time in Jessica Jones since last season, continues to show that she is her own woman and will fight tooth and nail to save lives - whether it is that of her patients or that of Matt’s own mental and physical health.

The action scenes this season have been amazing. The set pieces and stunts have been more daring and far more refined compared to season 1, demonstrating the progression in Matt’s fighting skill as well as the heightened risks he’s taking in Hells Kitchen and the formidableness of his opponents. I love the different styles in Elektra, Matt and Frank Castle’s fighting and the way their tactics were shaped by their characters back stories with Castle having a much more brutal military style, whilst Elektra is flowing and deadly. There was a recreation of the infamous ‘hallway fight scene’ form season 1 where the camera tracked Matt fighting down a set of stairs - it was impressive but didn’t quite live up to the lofty heights of the hallway fight scene!

The mythology aspect of the series stepped up a notch, almost too quickly as suddenly Daredevil was dealing with not only ancient rivalries (plausible) but silent ninjas, blood sacrifices, immortality and err... killer zombies (very Implausible). I appreciated the inclusion of The Hand and the Chase as well as Stick’s larger role in the destiny of Daredevil BUT the mythology was chucked in over halfway through the season without the groundwork it needed and it turned the show into an episode of Supernatural where spookiness overrules plausibility.

In the finale it was a good old ‘boss battle’ with an army of ninja foes to provide enough drama and action to fill a feature length movie. The heartfelt moments between Elektra and Matt felt genuine (much more so than any of the Matt/Karen stuff) and I really liked how even though Matt has changed this season, he still puts innocent civilians lives first - that’s the Matt Murdock I know and love! The ending of the show was open ended, and I am curious to know exactly which characters will be back for season 3 (or The Defenders, which ever is made first!) Foggy and Jerry Hogarth (as seen in Jessica Jones) now working together implies that Foggy will thankfully be around for a while longer and Karen’s new position as a journalist in Hell’s Kitchen cermets her role as an audience POV for the remainder of Marvel tv universe.

Although I probably enjoyed season 1 of Daredevil a smidge more, I’m loving all the Jessica Jones and Daredevil crossovers already, and with Luke Cage less than 6 months away, it feels like Marvel is still on a role and there is promise of such more to come.

This rebranded "Bake Off Creme de le Creme" has an almost identical structure and is equally, if not more satisfying, than its predecessor. Lots of exciting tasks, great critics from the judges and interesting designs help to give the show a modern feel and gives you enough patisserie information to help you understand all the baking lingo.

For this season, the bakers work as duos (rather than teams of three) which definitely helps us get to know all the contestants better and root for your favourite chefs. The new hosts come across as likeable and genuine whilst also being much more amusing than previous hosts. There are new mystery tasks every third week (similar to the GBBO technical challenges) to accomplish too, which really push the professional chefs' skills. It's certainly a tense watch as the chefs dash around to create precision pieces in the time limit!

This was an intriguing mystery/thriller series that got cancelled way too soon. The series premiere set up an explosive start to the show and asked a lot of questions that were mostly answered during the first season (although there was plenty of scope for another season or two)

It's been a while since I watched it but I remember the different characters were pretty well developed and their different lives and flashforwards intertwining were fun to watch. Josepha Finnes and John Cho carried the show well as the series main characters, leading the investigation for the reasons behind the mass blackout/flashforward.

Bryce and Keiko's star-crossed lovers story will always be my favourite bit of the show though. Bryce turning his life around and truly living for his future is something not often seen on television and it was rewarding to see him live his flashforward in the finale. Why couldn't we have had more of this ABC?!

Friends is a great show. It's perfect for any time of day, whatever mood you're in, it's real comfort tv. It's just such a well written and acted show, and although it's a little dated and some of the jokes now fall a bit flat, it's still quick-witted and the 6 friends are such great characters, watching them all interact feels like coming home. (I can't believe it's taken me so long to do a complete re-watch!)

I am a huge sci-fi nerd, so watching Star Trek: Discovery was a no-brainer for me. I have really enjoyed watching the rebooted films, so came into the series really positive. The show wasn’t quite what I expected it to be, which in some ways was great and in others not so much. However, I am SO GLAD I stuck with the show, as the latter half really kicked things up a notch and made for some compelling sci-fi viewing.

Introducing us to Michael Burnham so intently over the first 3-4 episodes definitely helped ingrain us to her exact character, but is also prevented us from getting to know any of the other characters on the bridge - the bridge team and their relationships being the core part of what makes classic Star Trek so successful. The introduction of the Klingon element to the show seemed to take forever too. Lots of Klingon meetings about hierarchy and bloodlines and prophecy that really weren’t exciting tv. I almost gave up on the show after episode 4, as the slow pace and dark ‘doom and gloom’ atmosphere weren’t making for compelling viewing.

Thankfully after almost 5 hours of tv, episode 5 finally felt like the series was going somewhere, with some 'proper' Star Trek problem solving and relationships between ship members becoming more established. We actually got to know most of the crew a bit more this episode and watch the characters interact and bond, yay! Further to this, the ‘groundhog day’ episode follows soon after which is a great interplay between crew members and really utilises the sci-fi setting of Star Trek! Hooray, this is the show I wanted!

The second half of the season picks up really well and after establishing the characters, their relationships (and constant discussions about spores) after the mid-season finale, the show comes back a lot stronger in both writing and direction. The use of the mirror-verse and alternate universe characters for several episodes was great as was finally discovering the secrets of Ash Tyler and Captain Lorca.

Lots of the plot lines during the season were predictable, but then Star Trek has always been a bit predictable and convenient at times so I don't mind that too much. I am hoping that the show expands the Star Trek universe more next season to visit new galaxies, planets and new aliens (Klingons are getting a bit old hat as villains) and more Philippa Georgiou being badass with a sword, please!! I am pleased with how much this series turned me around and captivated my interest - hopefully this continues!

Runaways was a bit of bland show, easy background tv and likeable enough, but certainly not one to tune in for. Nevertheless, I got through the first season fairly quickly and was impressed with the acting by all the kids and the CGI/animatronic dinosaur was very cool!

Not a lot actually happens in the first season - it's definitely a slowburner of a show, and this season set up PRIDE, Jonah and the children and their powers with little room for anything else. We find out how why Molly's parents and Amy died but aside from that, nothing actually happens outside of character building/development arcs. Thankfully, some good acting from the children and occasional humorous moments help to move the show along to a predictable finale.

The kids and their friendship pull together really nicely over the first few episodes and I like how the show develops their friendships and the group bond before really showing and using their superpowers. The powers were used sparingly too, relying on the children's own detective skills and snooping most of the time to get answers. It did feel a wee bit convenient at times that Alex could hack into things so easily, but hey I guess he needs a superpower too.

It wouldn't be a teen superhero drama if there weren't several relationship pairings/love triangles going on. Thankfully the show keeps to the comics and makes sure Karolina interested in girls, but Gert's constant hankering after Chase gets a bit tiring after a while (though I am very glad they ended up together). Part of me is hoping there is less 'will-they-won't-they' with the romantic relationships in season 2, but somehow I think they'll be even more...

The show's split focus between the group of children and the 'evil' group of adults kind of ensured that we didn't really bond with either group very deeply - I certainly didn't care about any of the drama between the adults and would have much rather have this time spent on developing the relationships between the kids. Thankfully the show itself seems to realise this and about 2/3 of the way through the season drops all the adult's subplots to give greater focus on the children, which definitely helped give the season a stronger ending.

Hopefully, after establishing the characters and universe this season, more action can happen in season 2. I'm curious enough to return to the show to find out what happens to the Runaways and whether things with PRIDE and Jonah get solved.

The original and the best one out of all the 'Educating...' series. Full of lots of touching moments, and stark realities of teaching and learning in England's secondary schools. Interesting to see certain children progress well throughout the show and the teachers learn and adjust too (one of my friends is a teacher featured on the show!) Very well filmed and edited, the episodes are just the right length and themed appropiately.