tv catchup, part 2
Saturday, June 27, 2020
Devs. A creation of Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation), Devs is just as ambitious and unusual as those films. It looked great (some of it filmed at UC Santa Cruz), the cast was stellar (especially Nick Offerman and Stephen McKinley Henderson), and while it tended to be obscure, that seemed appropriate for a show that was about philosophical truths. It was also slow moving, if that matters to you (I am much more tolerant of slowness in television series, for some reason).
Euphoria. A show that is right up my alley. Wikipedia describes it: "Euphoria follows a group of high school students through their experiences of sex, drugs, friendships, love, identity and trauma." If that doesn't sound like something I'd like, you don't know me very well. Happily, Euphoria is also good, with a terrific Zendaya in the lead and a breakout performance by trans actor Hunter Schafer. Euphoria is a bit overboard on the brutal details of high school ... if a parent of a high-schooler watched this, they'd want to lock their kid in their bedroom until graduation. Like I say, right up my alley.
Gentleman Jack. Not a show that is clearly up my alley, Gentleman Jack is a based-on-fact historical drama set in England in the 1830s. It's created by Sally Wainwright, who also created the terrific and dark Happy Valley. The lead is played by Suranne Jones, who I am embarrassed to admit I had never heard of, despite her acting for 25 years. Well, I've heard of her now, and I won't be forgetting her soon.
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