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Shivoncarla
Reviews
SEX EDUCATION - SEASON ONE
At first the tone of this confused me – set in a kind of Americanised version of a UK "secondary (high) school", with hallways full of lockers, homecoming balls, theatre-style assemblies, jocks and geeks, and all the things I recognise from US media and never saw in any actual British schools. The Welsh landscape even makes it look like it was filmed in America at times. But the language and the attitudes are very British, and completely won me over – in the end it comes across as a sex-positive and down-to-earth European dynamic that is surprisingly refreshing. It's impossible to imagine a comparable American show doing some of the things in Sex Education – like the fantastic third episode, which focuses undramatically on a teenage girl's abortion and finds humour, emotion, and unexpected togetherness in the entire process. Everyone seems like they are having a lot of fun, and for once there are actually several people in the ensemble cast that I am interested in. I could watch this kind of thing all day long.
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MY SO-CALLED LIFE - SEASON ONE
Angela Chase became the voice of a generation of privileged children filled with angst and uncertainty.
Y: THE LAST MAN - SEASON ONE
It takes the strong, humorous tone of the comic book and trades it in for a generic end-of-the-world ominousness that makes it seem like a forgotten season of The Walking Dead.
UNBELIEVABLE - SEASON ONE
This is a faithful adaptation that plainly lays out the victims' stories and lets the audience see for themselves how differently they were treated, down to every question. Unbelievable isn't just a gripping story, it's an incredibly compelling argument for why we need to take a frank look at the way victims of sexual assault are treated and how seriously we take them.
ALWAYS A WITCH - SEASON ONE
Absolutely disgusting. 'Always a Witch' is the story of a young slave girl (also a witch) that travels back in time -- wait for it -- not to end slavery.. but to save her white slave master/ former lover from dying. I'm going to end this review here because I honestly do not feel that any more needs to be said.
OUTLANDER - SEASON ONE
Outlander succeeds admirably, and partly that’s because it follows the bent of both of its creators: It refuses to sit comfortably in any genre. It has the look and feel of a sweeping “Game of Thrones” kind of epic filled with romance, intrigue and violence. There is very little urgency in the storytelling--layers of voiceover bits don't help, even--and therefore Outlander can hardly be described as compelling. In many ways, this is a story well and thoroughly told but with almost none of the smart pacing of similarly dense fictions like Game of Thrones. And yet the world created in Outlander is not without interest.
SUPACELL - SEASON ONE
Supacell brings something truly unique and intelligent to the table. It has cutting social commentary that simmers throughout, and balances a slow-burn approach with the action-packed to bring you characters, big and small, you desperately root for.
FOOL ME ONCE - SEASON ONE
Another round of applause for Harlan Coben. Fool Me Once ticks all the usual boxes, but it’s also slightly elevated by a compelling lead in Michelle Keegan and a fun foil in a game Joanna Lumley. In none of Coben's novels everything is believable, there is always a questionable decision... But everything falls into place thanks to the skill of the cast or the functionality of the mise-en-scene servicing the mystery.
MAID - SEASON ONE
Maid is grimy, with a hint of gloss and goofiness; it provides moments of rest between hammer blows while reality abounds as Alex tries to negotiate the Catch-22s of poverty.
I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS - SEASON ONE
Sydney: The hero we didn't know we needed.