Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

[Sly Boots]

Couple of interesting ones on Netflix currently.

Bodies

We're only halfway through this (8 episodes) but really enjoying it. A dead body turns up in the same location in four different timelines, past, present and future, and four detectives try to investigate. Quickly becomes apparent there's a mysterious conspiracy behind things. Good fun, well cast and acted and some twists and turns along the way. Recommended.

Last Stop Larrimah

Two-part documentary looking into the disappearance of a 70-year-old man in the Australian outback 6 years ago. The main point of interest here is the town only has 10 remaining inhabitants, and they all have reasonable motive for murder. It's really interesting, a great snapshot of rural Aussie life and attitudes and the various people involved make me think back to what Bill Bryson was once told about folks from the outback: "madder than a bag of cut snakes"

[Wrathbone]

Last Stop Larrimah

Two-part documentary looking into the disappearance of a 70-year-old man in the Australian outback 6 years ago. The main point of interest here is the town only has 10 remaining inhabitants, and they all have reasonable motive for murder. It's really interesting, a great snapshot of rural Aussie life and attitudes and the various people involved make me think back to what Bill Bryson was once told about folks from the outback: "madder than a bag of cut snakes"

Might have a gander at this one! Part of me thinks if a town in the middle of nowhere only has 10 people and they're all potentially murderers, maybe just leave them to it. A good old sweep under the rug.

[Animalmother]

I remember being in an Outback town that only had 5 people in it, think it had been an old rail stop. That sounds like an interesting show alright.

[Wrathbone]

Just finished watching it. Fascinating viewing, but Christ, they’re a bunch of psychopaths!

Spoiler

I can’t believe the police recordings didn’t lead to Owen being arrested. It does feel like he literally got away with murder, though I can’t shake the feeling that Fran was either in on it or knew exactly what had happened. There was a knowing, smug smile she gave at one point which seemed deeply odd.

The whole bunch of them appear to be dog-killing, fire-starting, vengeful maniacs, though. The bit where Bobbie said that if she saw Barry (with terminal cancer) in an accident then she’d step on his neck until he was dead was the sort of thing I’d expect to hear from the bloody mafia!

[Sly Boots]

Just finished watching it. Fascinating viewing, but Christ, they’re a bunch of psychopaths!

Spoiler

I can’t believe the police recordings didn’t lead to Owen being arrested. It does feel like he literally got away with murder, though I can’t shake the feeling that Fran was either in on it or knew exactly what had happened. There was a knowing, smug smile she gave at one point which seemed deeply odd.

The whole bunch of them appear to be dog-killing, fire-starting, vengeful maniacs, though. The bit where Bobbie said that if she saw Barry (with terminal cancer) in an accident then she’d step on his neck until he was dead was the sort of thing I’d expect to hear from the bloody mafia!

Haha, it's mad isn't it, a study of how a small community of people can grow to truly despise one another over the course of a few decades.

Spoiler

The Owen stuff is odd, but I guess the police probably felt it wouldn't count as an actual confession, and in the absence of any physical evidence wouldn't stand up in court. I'd imagine they're hoping a body or some forensic evidence will surface eventually.

On Fran, my belief is she didn't encourage Owen to do it, probably more likely her constant moaning about Paddy gave Owen a coloured view of the man and was predisposed towards disliking him, then the clash over the dog eventually spilled over into violence. My guess is he snapped at the dog's barking, bashed it in with a hammer (as he mentioned one in the recording), Paddy caught him in the act and got killed with it too. Owen then used the nearby payphone to ring an old mate or accomplice or something to help him dispose of the bodies, or possibly even just sling them in with the crocodile.

She may not have encouraged him then, but I do think Fran either knew or suspected what had happened, her sheer panic at her septic tank being searched spoke to at least a suspicion that's where the body ended up, and her overwhelming relief whenever police were unable to find evidence in her house, Owen's car etc.

At the end it felt a bit like it would end up as a ghost town when all the old-timers eventually died off, which maybe wouldn't have been a bad thing given it's past, but it actually was kind of sweet to see new blood coming in right at the end.

[Animalmother]

The Haunting Of Hill House
Just started this after finishing the very enjoyable The Fall of the House of Usher. Bits of the first episode put the willies up me (uh er matron) several times and it's genuinely creepy. Half seen or slightly out of focus things lingering in the back of a shot and that never a jump scare but your expecting one tension in many scenes. I'm guessing it gets pretty full on in later episodes.

[Sly Boots]

The Haunting Of Hill House
Just started this after finishing the very enjoyable The Fall of the House of Usher. Bits of the first episode put the willies up me (uh er matron) several times and it's genuinely creepy. Half seen or slightly out of focus things lingering in the back of a shot and that never a jump scare but your expecting one tension in many scenes. I'm guessing it gets pretty full on in later episodes.

It's still the best of Flanagan's shows imho, certainly the scariest.

[Snowy]

Agree. The sheer number of ghosts that you see in the show - faces in mirrors, peering between bannisters, glimpsed in doorways etc, kept my wife and I from relaxing while watching it, partly because it was spooky as hell, partly because we didn't want to miss them. The number of times one or other of us would cry out "Oh did you see that?"

Sadly I have not felt any of the subsequent shows have come close to this one. Not seen the house of Usher one yet.

[Animalmother]

I really enjoyed Midnight Mass, like someone knew how to adapt a Stephen King story without making a mess of it. Usher is good but it does jump all over the place at times, basically each episode is based on an Edgar Allan Poe story.

[Mantis]

I liked Usher. The way it ties all of his stories together into a single narrative was very good. The characters are a bit cartoon like in how utterly horrible they are at times, but there's some decent acting in it too.

[Animalmother]

Solar Opposites S4
New season with a new voice for Korvo. Watched the first episode and it was very bland, feels more like American Dad now. I'm hoping they pick up the storyline of the people living in the wall which was the best part of the previous seasons. I'll watch another few and see how it goes.

Also finished The Haunting of Hill House. Was excellent but did sort of run out of steam towards the end. Episode 5 "The Bent Necked Lady" was genuinely unsettling to watch, that's how you do scary.

[Alan]

House Of Usher
For the first half of the series I don’t think I was that on board but by the time it wrapped I really liked it! I feel it does has some swings from trash (gorilla on the phone) to really great visuals (bodies out the window). Hamil and Gugino are great in the finale.

From best to worst I currently have the Flanaverse;
Hill House
Midnight Mass
House Of Usher
Bly Manor
Midnight Club

I prefer Bly to Usher but I think Usher is the better made/written.

[Lenny Solidus]

[Sly Boots]

Blue Eye Samurai (Netflix)

Animated show about a 'half-breed' (half-white) warrior in 17th Century Japan, after it had closed its borders and foreigners not tolerated on its soil, and their mission to get revenge on the men that wronged them.

I don't really want to spoil anything further about the premise or the various revelations we're shown, but suffice to say this is one of the best shows I've seen this year, certainly the best animated show I've watched since Arcane, and that's saying something as I came off the back of Pluto (also on Netflix) which was also excellent and highly recommended for any watchers of anime.

I'm only halfway through but very much looking forward to the rest.

[Animalmother]

For All Mankind S4
Season 4 of one of the best TV shows that nobody watches is back. If you haven't seen or heard of this, it's an alternative history drama about the space race starting in 1969 and each season spans a new decade. The effects are top notch and it tries to keep a realistic foundation in science. Characters die and retire over the span of time, real life historical people are featured but since history is different you don't know what will happen. Season 3 got a little soap opera in places but not enough to ruin it. Great stuff.

SAS Rogue Heroes
Another historical drama about the formation of the SAS in WW2 North Africa. Historical accuracy takes a bit of a back seat, everyone is too good looking and often talk in long monologues. It's good fun though and very sweary The characters are all nutcases and some are borderline psychotic in places. Action is gritty mixed with silly but always good fun. Have 2 more episodes to go so looking forward to that.