Hiya friends! It’s been a bit but I’m back for the standard End of Year Wrap-Up/What Have We Learned/Well-Wishes For the New Year shebang. Except, you know, after the new year has already passed and all that.
Just because I haven’t been updating every week doesn’t mean I’ve stopped watching things. Faaaaaar from it. While in a frenzy to finish my roommate’s holiday present I discovered that Star Trek: TOS makes wonderful background viewing. I’m now late into Season 2 and my roommate loves her cross stitch masterpiece.
I think the quality of story in Season 2 is overall better, although there are still some clunky episodes that revolve around sensationalism (or maybe I just watched “Gamesters of Triskelion” last night). There’s definitely more of a throughline regarding the larger universe – Andorians, Klingons, and Romulans all appear multiple times. Also there are episodes willing to be completely wacky and out there (evil sentient force in the universe responsible for Jack the Ripper, looking at you) while a good number of episodes seem very grounding and science-based space problems that are fun to watch the crew solve. It feels like a lot more high concept premises but mixed in with deeper character stuff that allows the show to feel more fleshed out and whole. Spotting the UNCLE crossover guest actor is also a treat for me now. Despite having watched the first two seasons of Star Trek first (many years ago) I’m very much recognizing from UNCLE -> Trek and not the other way around. Although watching “Wolf in the Fold” and Fitzwilly two days later I immediately recognized John Fiedler. I mean, sounding like Piglet definitely helps. And obviously there was Barbara Feldon.
Bridgerton
Like many out there I spent a solid few days watching the entirety of Bridgerton. The costumes are gorgeous and the characters are really well developed and complex. I did find the middle of the season dragged a bit as a lot of conflict stemmed from characters who were supposed to be best friends just…refusing to talk to each other. And that aspect ruining some otherwise really big life events. Like, did Daphne really need to feel so depressed and anxious on her wedding day? Is that really fair? While there are some lighthearted moments that lift the series up, there was a lot more bubble and fizz to the first half of the season that made it addictive. Less of that in the second half as I felt there was a lot of unnecessary drama weighing it down. I’m cool with couples fighting and taking a turn for the serious! But not at the expense of essentially ruining the core principles of the central relationship.
I do wonder if this is going to be a common theme with romance novels-turned-series. I felt like Outlander did much the same thing sometimes. Taking what was lighthearted in the books and cranking up the angst in the television show for maximum drama. I know romance is supposed to be fraught and full of longing and passion but translated to screen in this way it’s extremely frustrating.
Ghosts
Biggest and best discovery of December was for sure Ghosts on BBC. Each season is 6 half hour episodes and it took me…two days? Definitely doable in a day, though. It’s a wonderful blend of history jokes, character comedy, ensemble shenanigans, and a great British comedy throwback because all the ghost characters bring in those aspects of other shows. (The Captain is Dad’s Army, Lady Button is any period piece, etc.) Obviously Tom the Byronic poet is my favorite character because he speaks to my deep dark sad soul (I often long for a sighing window) but it’s really the power of a large cast working together a la Community that makes it incredibly watchable.
Holiday Affair (1949)
I didn’t do much for the holidays outside of hang out with my roommates and drink eggnog, but I did participate in TCM’s annual airing of Holiday Affair with Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum. I find the movie really refreshing (in terms of holiday classics) and Mitchum has an airiness to him that isn’t present in other characters. The depiction of a wartime widow raising a son in a tiny Manhattan apartment adds a lot of groundedness and insight into daily life that I prefer from older romantic comedies. Despite the good chemistry between the leads, I think my favorite scene is near the end when Leigh in the car with her fiance, Wendell Corey. Corey plays the platonic ideal of the safe, steady bet and nicest guy you could know. It’s not very realistic but the way he breaks up with Leigh is a masterclass of “don’t make the audience feel guilty.” Then, of course, there’s the knockout comedy scene that drew me to the film in the first place.
I’ve also become quite attached to the music.
EOY Watch Stats
Since it is the beginning of the year, I put together some lists of the movies and seasons of TV I watched:
+ is new-to-me
I didn’t include movies I only partially watched, either starting and never finishing or just catching a bit of it (or running in the background) while I do other things in the living room. This system hurts me much more in my round up of complete television seasons, as there are many shows I’ve watched many episodes of yet haven’t completed entirely. Still, I seem to have leaned on TV way more in the last year than film.
In similar time-related news, I’ve finally flipped over from Nov 2016 of my catch up to Dec 2016. Only took a year or two. In the process I finished Class (meh), season 1 of 3% (unexpectedly fantastic), Queen Sugar (I think I’m more excited for S2), and almost done with Dirk Gently. Exciting times.