kc bob: TV

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The 2020 Binge Report

My binging of all things Netflix and Amazon Prime kicked into high gear earlier this year when my wife was quarantined in a nursing facility for 7 weeks. Here are a few thoughts, and some feedback, on the things that I binged.

In the Star Trek Universe, I watched a lot of Trek movies. Always enjoy the newer Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto versions of the movie franchise. Here are a few shows that I watched.

👍 Enterprise - a great 4 season prequel to the series

👎 Picard - a really disappointing and maudlin sequel for TNG fans

👍👍 Discovery - a great series featuring a few of the original characters.

Here is my non-trek binge list.

👍 ALF - we have enjoyed working our way through this heartwarmingly funny 80s classic

👍 Alias - 5 seasons of action filled espionage - and Rambaldi!

👍 The Crown - the season four take on the Royals is troubling on so many levels

👎 Firefly - Nathan Fillion before Castle as a spaceship captain

👍 Halt and Catch Fire - great take on the beginnings of PCs, networks & the web

👍👍 Hanna - Ann and I enjoyed watching two seasons of teenage spydom together

👍 House MD - 8 seasons of orneriness got me through Ann's quarantine

👍 Kingdom - a mostly good, but racy, mixed martial arts cage fighting series

👍 Law and Order SVU - more like the original Law and Order than I thought

👍 The Mandalorian - guess I am a sucker for Baby Yoda, or whoever he is.

👍👍 The Mentalist - one of the best tv detective series ever made

👍👍 The Queens Gambit - I loved this take on a female Bobby Fischer

👎 Watchmen on HBO - a really confusing take on the comics

Apart from those things, this retired guy enjoys binging on HGTV and the Food Network. How about you?

The Young Pope | ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

I recorded this series thinking that I might not really enjoy it all that much. But the IMDB rating was 8.5 out of 10. So I began watching. I thought it to be an interesting take on the Papacy and religious power structures.

The series was typical for HBO. A bit racy. F bombs. Yet the characters were complex. The plot was interesting. The acting was pretty good.

The story begins with the ascension of a young cardinal who becomes pope as a compromise between different factions in the college of cardinals. Early on it becomes obvious that this young pope is very different than the affable young cardinal that the other cardinals knew. He soon becomes a polarizing figure as he embraces a demanding leadership style. Here are a few thoughts:

Power and position can change people. Not all are ready for power.
People are complex. I loved the way that this young pope danced between doubt and belief. And how he seemed to grow into the role of pope.
Woundings from our childhood can follow us into our adult life. Lenny, the young pope, was troubled by his abandonment by his parents. This gave him empathy for children and judgment for those who hurt children.
Leaders react differently towards a new boss. It was interesting to see how the various cardinals reacted toward Lenny. Some conspired against him but were humbled by Lenny's piety and love for God.
Miracles come through the prayers of wounded people. I loved that Lenny prayed even when he doubted.
Lenny was someone that I really did not want to like. The more I got to 'know' him the more I understood who he was and eventually gained an appreciation for him and how he fought his 'demons'.
Jude Law did a great job in title role. He made Lenny a believable young pope.
I thought that the series had a pretty weird ending. It felt contrived and pretty unbelievable.

Not sure that this is a series for everyone. Even so. I liked it and, on a scale of ten, give it ★★★★★★★☆☆☆.

Catch my other mini-reviews by selecting the Movies link in the menu bar above.

The Crown | ★★★★★★★★★★

Ann wanted to watch this ten part Netflix series. I was not thrilled but watched with her anyways. And I am glad that I did. Here is a list of things that I absolutely loved about The Crown.

The transparency and honesty of the script. I thought that this would be a puff piece of adoration towards the English monarchy and all things royal. Oh my. I was mistaken. The portrayal of royal life was not cast in the best light.
The relational way the story was told. Four relationships dominated the storyline. The narrative emphasized the interactions between Queen Elizabeth and her father, her husband, her sister and Winston Churchill.
The maturing of the young queen. I was shocked to find out how poorly educated the queen was in her early life. It seemed to be both a reflection of the times and of the monarchy. Her passion to grow as a human being was impressive.
The resistance to change by the British government. It was difficult to watch 'statesmen', Churchill included, manipulate the young queen the way that they did. They resisted everything from TV cameras at he coronation to which royal secretary the queen could hire to who her sister could marry.
The responsibility that the queen felt to choose 'The Crown' over her family. This seemed to come to bear frequently. It began when her uncle was banished from the realm when he abdicated the throne and continued on into many decisions Elizabeth had to make.
The acting. Claire Foy recently won a Golden Globe for her performance and John Lithgow was nominated for one. The way that these two humanized Elizabeth and Winston was so amazing. The gloves came off and these two showed us a compelling and raw image of these people. I also loved the acting of Matt Smith as Prince Phillip and Vanessa Kirby as Princess Martgaret.
Finally, and I could wax on, each of the ten episodes seemed to speak to the difficulties of making hard decisions even when they are made for 'royal' purposes. The series showed us dysfunction in families, in governments and in ourselves. Each of us feel that we know the 'royal' thing to do but in the end find ourselves questioning the nobility of those decisions.

I really liked the series and, on a scale of ten, give it ★★★★★★★★★★.

Catch my other mini-reviews by selecting the Movies link in the menu bar above.

Bingeworthy TV

I once considered the idea of binging was something to be avoided. Then came old unwatched TV shows on Netflix. ツ

Here is my list of ones that I have found to be bingable followed by my ratings.

Person of Interest - for those who enjoy intrigue with a bit of conspiracy theory. (Netflix PG-13)
House of Cards - seasons one and two were pretty good but three kind of bombed. (Netflix R)
Daredevil - if you like the super hero genre this one is pretty good (Netflix PG-13)
The Americans - kgb spies in 1980s America posing as travel agents with kids. (Prime R)
Breaking Bad - probably the most addictive tv show about addiction and personality change out there. (Netflix R)
Battlestar Gallactica (2004-9) - a brilliant re-imagining of the 1970s series for sci-fi geeks like me. (Netflix PG-13)
The Killing - intense crime drama set in Seattle over three seasons (Netflix R)
Continuum - great series for anyone who like time travel plots. (Netflix PG-13)

Afre you a binger? Anything you might add to the list?

Sports Watching for the Rich

Today's American League playoff game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 so anyone who does not have cable TV will be unable to watch the game. It was the same last year. Sad. I remember the days when people could watch their home teams on broadcast TV.
Sporting events on free broadcast TV have given way to big money from cable channels and companies. The big dollars are lining the pockets of execs and players alike. Gone are the good old days. And lest I forget. Go Royals! Beat the Astros and tie the series up.

When I Walk | ★★★★★★★★★★

Last year Ann and I watched this amazing story of a young man fighting against all odds to share his journey from good health to disability. A few weeks ago this brave young man received an Emmy for his work. Here is a bit of his story.

I love New York. When I was younger, the city was my playground. You could find me on any given weekend catching brunch with a friend at a café, going to an East Village restaurant for dinner, and then hopping the subway, headed to a nightclub in Chelsea. But at age 25, nine years ago, I was told I had multiple sclerosis, and I saw my freedoms slowly vanish. All of a sudden, I found myself using a walker—now, a motorized chair—and planning daily activities with precise schedules and strategies for getting from one place to another, trying to maintain some semblance of the spontaneous city life I loved to live.

I wanted to capture this transformative experience—becoming disabled—in WHEN I WALK because I hadn’t seen it done before, and people need to see how a degenerative disease impacts the lives of those living with it.

Jason DaSilva has my admiration and respect. What he did was so difficult. I recommend it to you. It is [here] at Netflix until October 15. It is an uncomfortable journey but so very inspiring. On a scale of ten, give it ★★★★★★★★★★.

Ego and Embellishment

I can relate to Brian Williams. Albeit not in such a public way. I have allowed my ego to skew the words that I spoke. In retrospect I am ashamed of such embellishments.

I wonder what it is about the ego that compels us to embellish our experiences? What lies deep within us that is not satisfied with them? Perhaps it is simply pride?

The Birth of Crazy TV and the 24-hour News Cycle

Can you even remember a time before American Idol, Survivor, The Amazing Race, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News?

"Twenty years ago this today, OJ Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a friend, Ronald Goldman, were found stabbed to death in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. Simpson, a famous actor, running back and Heisman Trophy winner who was one of the most recognizable personalities in the country, was implicated in the killings and would soon be charged with double murder.

What came next — the slow-speed white Bronco chase, round-the-clock television coverage, a riveting trial and not-guilty verdict that split the country along racial lines — offered the United States a gateway drug its residents eventually couldn’t live without.

“What I realized is, this is entertainment,” said Gerald Uelmen, one of Simpson’s defense attorneys. “This is not news.”

In the years since, the lineage of so many cultural phenomena - the 24-hour news cycle, a never-ending stream of reality television shows and many Americans’ unquenchable thirst for celebrity gossip - can be traced to this nearly 16-month span." This post was excerpted from a Washington Post article. Read more here.

Call the Midwife

Last year Ann and I began watching the first season of this beautiful TV show. It comes on Sunday evenings (before Downton Abbey) here in KC and I could not recommend it more. It is about the lives of a group of energetic and caring young nurses/midwives living with an order of Anglican Nuns in East London in the late 1950s.

Even more, it is a story of faith filled people caring for "The Least of These" in the midst of poverty and despair. It is based on the book "Call the Midwife" by Jennifer Raines and recounts her memories of what it was like serving the poor as a Midwife. I love how it presents such a realistic and magnificent picture of faith-filled people.

Each week I find myself being moved deeply as I watch these beautiful women (older nuns and younger nurses) bring compassion to young women who are expecting babies. The show does not present us with an image of perfection but one where God uses flawed people to bring hope to those who need it most.

Star Trek Actor Trivia Quiz

Here are the answers in alphabetical order:

Majel Barrett

James Doohan

Michael Dorn

Leonard Nimoy

William Shatner

Patrick Stewart

George Takei

Here are the questions in no particular order:

Which Star Trek Actor Is Responsible For Inventing The Klingon Language?

Which Actor Has The Most Appearances In The Star Trek Universe?

Check your answers here and here . Please let me know how you did.

... a tip of the trivia hat to the How to Geek for this one.

The Sound of Music Live! | ★★★★★★★

I was so happy when I heard that NBC was airing a live performance of my all time favorite musical. The casting of Carrie Underwood was a brilliant move as she has a wonderful voice and the star power necessary to attract a huge audience - which it did. Some compared her with Julie Andrews but I tried to stay clear of that.

I loved the songs - even the new ones added seemed to help tell the story. The kids were great and the supporting cast did a credible job. Who knew that some of these TV folks had such great voices? The show was different from the movie as it was based on the stage version. I thought the scene transitions were done well.

All that said, who is not moved by "Climb Every Mountain" or does not feel joy when the kids sing "Do, Re, Mi"? To me the joy was more in the story and not in critiquing or comparing the performances. In the end, the story won out for me.

I really liked the show and, on a scale of ten, give it ★★★★★★★.

Catch my other mini-reviews by selecting the Movies link in the menu bar above.

The Daily Show :: Satire not News

Anybody else find the message in this image to be closer to reality than any of us ever want to admit to? At one point I do not think that I would have ever thought that anyone would think this show to be news. Then a really intelligent person, who I respect, told me that they felt that "The Daily Show" was a pretty good news source. I had to remind that person that getting your news in 10 second sound bites may not be the best way to go. I watch it regularly and enjoy the political satire in it. But someone who does not understand satire, or the show's extreme left leaning bias, could really be misinformed. Guess that is it for my rant of the day. ツ

Where no man has gone before ...

ZDNet wonders if we should thank Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry for many of the advances that we see these days. I must admit that many of these inventions do bear a resemblance to things found on the Starship Enterprise. Consider ...

Flip cellphones do resemble that "Beam me up Scotty" Communicator.
The ear piece that graced Uhura's ear is a predecessor of current bluetooth ones.
Gigantic flat screen televisions of our day were once imagined by Roddenberry.
Remembering those tablets used by Captain Kirk reminds me of an iPad.
I talk to my Android phone like I am interacting with the Enterprise computer.

The article goes on to speak of medical advances that look like a Starfleet Sickbay and how we are a long way away from Replicators and Transporters. Even so, you have to wonder if maybe Roddenberry saw further into the future than we can imagine. :)

The Bible in Sound Bites

What kind of mini-series would you produce if you only had seven hours of video to tell the entire story of the bible? Which parts would you include and what would you leave out? That was the dilemma that the makers of the History Channel's "The Bible" mini-series were faced with. Ann and I watched and enjoyed all five installments of the series. Here are a few afterthoughts in no particular order:

Was interested by the stories that they chose to tell.
The ultra-white teeth of the actors really bothered me.
The ninja fighting angels that saved Lot in Sodom made me smile.
I loved that Jesus smiled and showed the loving side of God.
Seems like they could have cast a few less European actors.
I was moved by the scourging and the crucifixion.
Thought that they could have had Paul in more scenes.
Enjoyed the interpretations of the stories and how they made me think.
I would have enjoyed seeing the stories of Joseph and of King Solomon.
Wonder if there was a Catholic influence in how Peter and Mary were written.
Loved that the series broke all sorts of ratings records.

Overall, I liked the way that they weaved the story of Israel all the way from the Exodus from Egypt, exile in Babylon and the Roman occupation of the Holy Land. There seemed to be consistency in the way that they told the story.

Did you watch all or part of the series. I would love to hear your thoughts about it. Suspect they be different from mine. :)

The First Rerun Quiz

What was the first TV show to be rerun?

    1) I Love Lucy
    2) Star Trek
    3) Leave It To Beaver
    4) Family Feud

Think you know the answer? The How-to-Geek has the answer!

Ancient TV Quiz

I suggest that you are probably as old as I am if you get this cartoon. It reminds me of some of the great TV shows from the 50s. Do you remember any of these?

    •  The future Monkee who played Corky in Circus Boy;
    •  The brother of Peter Graves (aka Jim Phelps) who played Marshall Dillon;
    •  Timmy's mom in Lassie who also played Will Robinson's mom.

Did you get the cartoon? How many of these folks did you know? Let me know!

Vulcan Salute Quiz

William Shatner might have been a dashing Star Fleet captain and all around beloved intergalatic explorer in his role as Captain Kirk but there was one thing he just couldn’t master. What do you think he needed to perform the Vulcan Salute?

    1) Hypnosis
    2) Super Glue
    3) Fishing Line
    4) Physical Therapy

Check your answer here and let me know how you did.

Lincoln the Brit

Anyone else think that it is odd that a British actor (Daniel Day Lewis) is playing President Abraham Lincoln in the new Steven Spielberg movie? One might think it strange unless you consider all of the British actors that are playing Americans these days. This year British actor Damien Lewis won an Emmy for his portrayal of US Army Sergeant Brody Lewis. Here are a few other King's English speaking Brits and Aussies who have played Americans:

    1) Hugh Laurie magnificently spoke American as Dr House
    2) Alex O'Loughlin masks his accent as Steve McGarrett on Hawaii Five-0
    3) Simon Baker is great in The Mentalist - one of my favorite shows

Movies are filled with the likes of King's English speaking Sean Connery, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and others who have played Americans. It may not usually be a big deal but I do wonder why a Brit was cast in the role of Lincoln. That said, I cannot think of another who might have been cast as Lincoln. Can you think of a better actor to play him?

My new basic cable reality tv friend ...

Being retired I tend to watch a bit more TV than when I was working. This summer I have discovered HGTV. Yeah, I know that it has been around for years but did they really have all of these reality tv style shows way back then? Here are a few of my favorites:

House Hunters and House Hunters International - like seeing the way folks live in other parts of the world.
Love It or List It - fun seeing the alternatives of remodeling or relocating. Hillary is a bit of a drama queen but the drama often points to the challenges of remodeling.
Property Brothers - opens our eyes to the way that a house can be purchased cheap (sometimes anyways) and made to be the house you want. I can relate to fixing up my first home in Jersey.
Income Property - interesting how some people will buy a home with the purpose of renting a part of it out. Enjoy the creative ways that rentable space is made to assist with the mortgage payments.

Are you a HGTV fan? Have you watched any of these shows? If so which do you like best? Or maybe you like another one of these basic cable tv shows?

Strong Women on the Tube

Sometimes commercials for TV shows just cannot get out of my head. Such is the most recent adds for Damages' star Glenn Close. In these TV ads she is portrayed as a tough woman yet I cannot say for sure as I have never seen the show. The commercial reminds me of the many television characters that came across as tough women. Here is a short list:

Lucy Ricardo in "I Love Lucy" played by the amazing Lucille Ball in the 50s and 60s. In the middle of all the comedy and slapstick an amazingly strong woman emerged. And make no mistake about it, though Lucy often deferred to Ricky, she was the strong one on the show.
Mary Richards in "The Mary Tyler Moore" show played by the wonderfully talented MTM herself in the 60s and 70s. This might have been one of the first shows that accentuated working woman. Though she worked for a man there was little doubt that Mary was a strong woman.
Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in "M.A.S.H." played by Loretta Swit in the 70s and 80s. I loved the way that Swit played this nurse with sexy humor, tenderness and toughness. The character highlighted the role and courage of nurses in our military in a funny but serious way that had not been done before.
Claire Huxtable in "The Cosby Show" played by Phylicia Rashād in the 80s. Clair was representative of tough women who balance careers (she was a lawyer), motherhood and family life. The show was so funny yet the reality of family life was so representative of the times because of the way that it showcased a strong woman.
Murphy Brown in "Murphy Brown" played by Candice Bergen in the 80s and 90s. I loved the way that her toughness so often gave way to her gentle side. Her pregnancy caused quite a stir but surfaced an issue so prevalent in culture.
Peggy Olson in "Mad Men" played by Katherine Moss since 2007. The character is a bit retro as the setting is in the 60s. Yet Peggy's struggle to be seen as an equal in a male dominated corporate world is timeless. I like the way that she is shown as a very competent, though sometimes struggling, ground breaker in that world.
Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson in "The Closer" played by Kyra Sedgwick

When I think of these characters I am amazed at how so many of them are characters in situation comedies and not in TV dramas. Maybe that is the message in these characters? Maybe strength is all about what we do in the normal things of everyday life?

Who would you add to the list of strong TV women. What draws you to them?

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