krankydoodle

I subscribed to PBS just to watch DI Ray and was so disappointed. I remember loving Parminder Nagra in Bend it Like Beckham, but she seemed so stiff here. There were also too many things that didn't make sense. On a more positive note, I finally checked out and enjoyed The Chelsea Detective which someone posted about here a while ago. It's just a shame that Sonita Henry apparently isn't returning as the co-lead for season 2. The relationship between her and Adrian Scarborough's character was so refreshing.

Jonah is almost comically terrible. It bugged me that he instigated the conflicts in this episode. I feel like I might have missed something, though. When Jonah asks Billy to give him something better to write about, I was expecting the article to include something she had confessed to Billy especially since he might've wanted to get back at her for spilling that he had been in rehab. Instead, it just seemed to be Jonah's observations about Daisy. They weren't flattering so I get why she'd be upset, but it seemed like it was set up as a betrayal by Billy. Or are we meant to think Billy told Jonah about the pills Daisy takes? I just figured she was doing that pretty openly anyway so Jonah would've seen it himself. Speaking of terrible, there's also Billy for writing that song for Daisy and then kissing her to get her back into the studio. Lol at Eddie for being unable to face Billy after presumably sleeping with Camila and getting kind of shifty-eyed when asked what he did during the post-Aurora break.

This is my favorite episode so far: Daisy shaking things up immediately and the other members agreeing with her takes while still trying to tread carefully around Billy, Daisy and Billy confiding in each other and figuring out how to collaborate, the song coming together at the end, Graham starting to suspect that Daisy and Billy working well together might become a bigger problem than if they didn't. But I didn't like that Graham and Karen got together because she only realized her feelings for him after seeing him with someone else. And they were both kind of jerks to Caroline. I do like them as a couple, though.

It felt like we could've used a few more scenes, like Simone reacting to Daisy's success. And there's a brief glimpse of Terry's boss looking on happily at the group's first performance but I don't think we've heard him say anything since he rejected Billy's original version of Honeycomb. I did appreciate that they paid off Warren mentioning the fur vest as his first big purchase by showing him wearing it later. It was hideous. Nabiyah Be as Simone is doing a lot with the little screentime she has. I teared up when she found out they had someone else lip syncing to her voice. Seeing Camila and Daisy interact was fun, especially how Daisy seemed so fascinated by her.

I'm bummed that was the last of Ron Perlman on the show. That was also disappointing. I thought for sure she was playing him. The confrontation with Clea DuVall was fantastic, though. It was kind of devastating, especially how she acknowledged that Charlie is lovable and good-hearted but still ultimately rejected her. I'm looking forward to finding out what caused their rift. I don't love that the arc for next season is kicked off by another person who contorts a situation to blame Charlie for the consequences, but I do really like the show and am glad it's coming back.

I like Humphrey ok but between him buying the houseboat without first consulting Martha and the fact that his apparent rival is played by Jamie Bamber, there's no way I'm rooting for him. Also, hasn't it only been a week since Martha rented the space? How did they get the cafe up and running so quickly? She also somehow found time to string up lights on the boat. I also thought it was stupid that Humphrey didn't notice the car rolling away immediately, and that no one seemed to spot the husband leaving the car beforehand. I'll probably keep watching, but I'm not loving this so far.

I didn't read the book and this isn't the kind of show I usually watch, but something about the messy drama here is pulling me in. I'm frustrated the rest of the episodes will be released in batches, but oh well. There are some things I wish were done differently. I love Tom Wright's Teddy Price and wish we got a better sense of why he was so invested in Billy. Similarly, I wish we got more of the dynamics between the other band members. Does anyone else know how Eddie feels about Camila, or that Graham still likes Karen? These people spend so much time together, but their interactions often don't reflect that. I also wanted to see more of Eddie trying to be the front man and the reaction when that was taken away. But anyway, I think the leads have good chemistry and really liked that Billy's interest in Daisy only seemed to spark when he listened to how she had altered his song. I was also glad to see that Karen was supportive of--or at least open to--Daisy's involvement from the start. I'm also enjoying the songs so far. I just hope Timothy Olyphant's likable sleazebag character comes back soon.

Joe Cornish and the 3 leads did an AMA on Reddit yesterday: https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/11a0s3n/hello_reddit_im_joe_cornish_the_creator_writer/ I think it fell off Netflix's top 10 tv shows after 2 weeks, which doesn't necessarily mean anything because not everything can do Wednesday or Squid Game numbers, but it does make me worry that it won't be renewed.

I've been rereading the first book and there isn't any suggestion of that. Her mom in the book is much less ruthless than in the show. She's single and raising 3(?) kids without much money or support so she's neglectful, but she's not hateful towards Lucy like she is in the show.

I'm glad Vera called for backup in this one since I've complained before when episodes have ended with her going off on her own to confront the villain. I used to think that was a show invention, but I read both The Darkest Evening and The Rising Tide and IIRC she does that in both. It was especially frustrating in the latter because of how dangerous the villain is. I still enjoyed reading them, though. I will say that I've gotten so used to Vera being the central figure in the show that it took me a while to adjust to the multiple POVs in the books.

I just realized that the new pathologist is played by Sarah Kameela Impey, who's also Saira in the wonderful series We Are Lady Parts. No wonder I was inclined to like her.

I think he'd been working for the family for a while and Phoebe seemed like the kind of person who would at least comment on it, if not try to track him down to get him back. But maybe it's just another way of showing how disposable or interchangeable underlings are to even the more likable members of this circle. Anyway, it's just a nitpick. I still had a lot of fun with the show and am glad we won't have to wait too long for the second half of the season.

I checked this show out because the season 4 trailer reminded me of Hannibal and even though it didn't match my expectations on that front, it was still entertaining. I expected Joe to be a lot smarter considering how much he's apparently gotten away with, but instead he just seemed to flail around and get lucky. It was fun to see actors I've liked in other things like Ed Speelers and Ben Wiggins. And Charlotte Ritchie is great, but I didn't think she had much chemistry with Penn Badgley. I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying Adam and especially Tilly Keeper's Phoebe. Also, did anyone even mention Sean Pertwee's character disappearing without giving notice? Strange that his role was so small.

This is my first time watching this show and I didn't realize how funny it can be. Joe panicking after finding Malcolm's body, stuffing him in the car trunk, then telling himself "I've got till dark to figure out what the hell to do with him. And mentally prepare to drive on the wrong side of the road" cracked me up.

I had my quibbles with the show, but enjoyed it overall and am concerned that it doesn't seem to be getting enough buzz for Netflix to renew it. Based on how quickly they made a decision about 1899, I guess we'll find out in another month or so.

I liked the fight at the end, but think this episode would've worked better if Flo and George had more scenes together earlier in the season and if we'd seen more of George gradually losing it. I also thought they took the easy way out by letting Lockwood off the hook for the agent's death when the bad guy admitted he had already revealed he was undercover.

Sorry to see them go, but I wonder who they'll get to replace the departing cast member. I saw from Wikipedia that one of the episodes this season will be based on the book The Darkest Evening, one of the few Vera books I've read, so I'm interested to see how faithful it will be.

I thought Lucy was 16 and now that you mention it, I vaguely remember hearing or maybe reading somewhere that Lockwood is 19? I'm not sure, though.

George finally believes Lucy about hearing the skull, but won't share what's been happening to him after looking into the mirror. And Lucy doesn't tell him or Lockwood that the skull hinted to her about that. Oh, well. I don't remember any hint of romance in the first book, but they're playing it up in the show. I think it works, but just hope they don't go full love triangle.

The vibes between Pamela and George were kind of uncomfortable given their respective ages. I'm guessing she's a villain. Lockwood continues to be frustrating by not listening to sound advice and being dismissive of poor George who's already having a hard time because of his Uzumaki-like preoccupation with spirals. It was fun to see Alice Lowe and Ben Crompton as the vicious Winkmans. I also liked Flo and hope she's a recurring character.

This episode was kind of frustrating. Aargh, find out more details/confirm what's being agreed to before taking on a job! Apart from Lockwood sneaking in the bomb in the last episode, it feels like they keep getting caught unawares. To be fair, some of that is down to the clients or because no one really knowing what's going on, but the team could also do better prep. George and Lockwood both being jerks to the others in the cemetery even if Lockwood was able to smooth things over later. George getting close enough to the grave to accidentally pull the net off the coffin. The guys not listening to Lucy when she thankfully told them about the skull, and everyone turning on one another. Thank goodness Lockwood came around at the end. George going off on his own wasn't great, but him showing up the other team made up for it. I'm still enjoying the show, but hate that Lockwood couldn't help making the search for the mirror such a high-stakes competition and am not really interested in watching the rivalry between the two teams play out. Hopefully that's another subplot that gets sorted out quickly.

I'm surprised they resolved the screaming staircase haunting so quickly since that was the centerpiece of the first book. The build-up to it in the book was well done and there were some genuinely scary moments. After Lucy's insistence on Lockwood not keeping secrets from her, it did kind of bug me that she didn't tell him about Barnes's call or that she took the ring again even if I got why she did it. Although, as she pointed out, Lockwood didn't tell them about the bomb he was sneaking in so eh. I just hope that the skull in the jar talking to her isn't going to be something else she keeps from the others for more than an episode (possible book spoiler:

It doesn't seem like much time has passed since Lucy got there, so it's weird to me how much they seem to have bonded already. Granted, they've been in a few perilous situations together, but I wish there'd been a little bit more breathing room. Anyway, I'm glad the misunderstanding between Lucy and Lockwood didn't get dragged out.

I felt the same. I liked the world and the writing but didn't really connect with the characters and still haven't picked up the second book. They did a great job casting the 3 leads who are appealing individually but also have nice chemistry with each other. I was particularly impressed after learning that this is Cameron Chapman's (Lockwood) first onscreen role. It's been a while since I read the book, so I'd forgotten how horrifyingly callous all the adults are. The scenes with Lucy's mother were especially upsetting. I'll definitely keep watching and am looking forward to seeing Luke Treadaway show up.

I was surprised we didn't see a scene where Gregory told his father he wanted to stay at Abbott instead of joining him in the landscaping business. Maybe they're saving that conversation for a later episode, or did it happen here and I just missed it?