My Week in TV
An explosive (emotionally) finale. Some unsettling business. An Avg. Apple TV comedy that I may or may not quit.
Shogun
(FX/Disney+ Hotstar)
10 weeks ago, a group of English & Dutch sailors arrived in the Japans, with their captain, John Blackthorne at the helm. Our Anjin has had quite the journey over these 10 weeks. In the quiet finale, Toranaga’s plan has come to fruition. The Anjin’s ship has burned down, and he is tasked with rebuilding it, along with a fleet for Toranaga. Yabushige’s final deception has unravelled, and he commits seppuku, while Mariko’s sacrifice pays huge dividends for Toranaga.
The emotional stakes of the show are its highest. The show truly delivers on that front. I think the endless Game of Thrones comps have us expecting a big battle which is only hinted at in this episode. After weeks of seeing Toranaga’s scheming, I mildly craved a Toranaga v. Ishido ‘Battle of the Bastards’ set-piece.
But this episode works on all other fronts. The series is spectacular and is my favourite of the year so far!
Baby Reindeer
(Netflix)
I’m only 3 episodes in and want to dive into this once I’m done, but OMG this is a tough watch. There’s so much to break down with this exchange. What would we do if we were in Donny’s position? Should he have established boundaries sooner? Where was Martha when this gesture was offered? Why didn’t Donny shut all this down? It’s so much more than a victim & perp show.
Excited is the wrong word, but I look forward to watching this very soon.
Under The Bridge
(Hulu)
This is a very unsettling show and episode 3 doesn’t do anything to make you feel settled. There’s lots more to uncover with Reena’s murder. She walked away and was assaulted a 2nd time. It turns out Jo was ‘bragging’ and didn’t kill Reena. Was it Kelly and Warren? There are so many questions that I have about the murder. Why Reena? It’s clear why, but why Reena?
The drama between Cam and Becca could have been distracting but it’s clever to insert Becca into the investigation and align their unresolved teenage trauma that resurfaces with the murder in town.
I appreciate that the teenagers aren’t let off the hook even in the attempts to observe and understand their troubled lives, broken homes, absent parents etc.
This is the best small-town mystery show since Mare of Easttown.
The Sympathizer
(HBO/Jio Cinema)
The show is still in setup mode. We’re still establishing what the Captain’s mission is in the US and planting the suspicion of a spy in the ranks.
What’s clear is that the captain is an unreliable narrator and we shouldn’t trust everything we see. Both episodes are non-linear so the narrated events are suspicious. I like it but I’m not fully there with it yet.
Sugar
(Apple TV+)
Sugar is such a frustrating show. It’s not the show we expected it to be. There is the potential for a prestige neo-noirish modern LA miniseries about the seedy underbelly of Hollywood and the crime world. There was lots of material there for it.
Episode 5 doesn't further the plot since Davy’s association with Stalling in 4 hints at what happened to Olivia. The mystery of Ruby’s character and the spy organisation they’re a part of is the key to this big twist we have coming up in 6. Frankly, I’m quite annoyed at how cryptic this show is being. Just be the show you’re supposed to be.
But we do get the twist next week, so I’ll reserve my thoughts until then.
I still haven’t finished Fallout. I’m just not vibing with it but I’ll get over it. A busy week and a growing watchlist means I’ve had to remove The Big Door Prize from my rotation.
I may add A Man in Full and The Tattooist of Auschwitz to the next edition of My Week in TV but I’m most excited about the return of Hacks! I’m going to try to do a weekly recap as I watch season 3.
See you next week!