Here are some things we are enjoying one way or another.
- Gavin & Stacey (on Hulu). A British comedy featuring James Corden and Rob Brydon, about a young couple from Essex (Gavin) and Wales (Stacey) and their odd crew of family and friends. Sad to see it end after the third season.
- Gregg Allman’s final album Southern Blood. I was never a huge Allman Brothers fan, but their music is part of the soundtrack to my youth. Allman knew he was dying when he recorded this, which lends a poignancy to an already solid album of mostly covers.
- Jericho of Scotland Yard (on Acorn TV). Crime drama set in 1950s London. It’s full of tropes, but they’re not too distracting, though if you’ve seen Pacino’s “Sea of Love” things will start looking mighty familiar in one episode. Downside: It didn’t get picked up for a second season, so we’re left hanging on a major plot point between our protagonist (the eponymous Jericho) and a cocky, crooked vice detective played by Downton Abbey’s Bates (Brendan Coyle).
- Line of Duty (on Acorn and Hulu). A British crime procedural following the investigations undertaken by a police anti-corruption unit, each season tracking one story arc. Solid entertainment with enough twists and turns (some of them outright red herrings) that I’ve given up trying to figure out whodunnit. **SPOILER ALERT** One frailty: that the writers/showrunners felt the need to tie seasons together. It feels very forced by season four.
- Happy Valley. Yup, another British crime drama. What can I say, we’re hooked. This shows takes place in Yorkshire and features a very relatable female lead. Good stuff, plus, you get to see O’Brien from Downton Abbey not being a biatch.
- Shetland. British, crime, drama. C’mon, guys. Darned good though.
- American Vandal (on Netflix). A VERY good satire of Serial and the like.
- Vacationland, by John Hodgman. We saw Hodgman perform his one man show of the same name last year. This book takes all the stories he told on stage and expands on many of them. I think Hodgman and I might be very good friends.
Thought we’d given up television? No freakin’ way! Here’s a few new things we’ve enjoyed:
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Angels in America (HBO) I don’t know what took us so long to get around to watching this, but I’m glad we did. It has a special resonance in the Trump era.
Occupied (Netflix) Subtitled. Two seasons. This is the story of the soft invasion of Norway by Russia over oil. It takes place in an alternate near-present time, and (again) has a special resonance in the Trump era.
Babylon Berlin (Netflix) Subtitled. It’s Berlin in all its weird glory of the interwar years. Noir, flawed heroes, cabaret, murder. Good stuff!
Dickensian (Netflix) A very clever program weaving together various Dickens characters into a crime story. It was fun seeing some characters’ backstories and recognizing minor characters here and there.
A Very Secret Service (Netflix) Subtitled. This show follows a new French secret service agent as he learns that the service is only accidentally effective, being more consumed with paperwork and boozing than actual spy work. Great commentary on colonialism. **Season 2 is now available, and while it’s still pretty good, it’s not as cutting as season 1.**
Nobel (Netflix) Subtitled. The war in Afghanistan follows Norwegian soldiers back home.
Music, too:
The Decemberists; I’ll Be Your Girl.
First Aid Kit; Ruins.
John Prine; Tree of Forgiveness.
Reading, too, but mostly crusty, boring stuff, except for:
Roddy Doyle, “The Guts” This is the fourth book in the Barrytown Trilogy (nope, not a mistake). We now find Jimmy Rabbitte approaching middle age, still loving his music, but now diagnosed with cancer. I did some pretty heavy highlighting in this book.
J. Robert Lennon, “Broken River” An interesting novel about . . . a murder mystery? small town life? marriage? Hard to say, but I liked it.