Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. Citadel - This is a BAD show. Not in the so bad it's good kind of way, either. I'm a big fan of Priyanka Chopra - I even watched that dumb FBI recruitment show, for her, mostly. I didn't realize that she added the "Jonas" part to her name until the credits for this appeared, but also I'm still a bit shocked that this gorgeous as fuck woman married...a Jonas brother. I'm also a fan of Richard Madden simply because he's hot. I was hoping for more from him, acting-wise, after I watched Bodyguard (by the way, what happened to that show? I thought they were going to make more? Was it a victim of Covid?). He's very good in that show - but he's not been good in anything else (I would even say he is the weak link of Rocketman). But, again, he's hot and Priyanka is hot, so I'm gonna watch this. And I'm gonna keep watching it, but I have a feeling it's not going to last longer than maybe another season (if that? I don't think it's received good reviews and it seems expensive to make). The only thing it has going for it are some really strong action-sequences and some well-choreographed fight scenes. The first episode is actually not that bad either - I was a little intrigued with the Alias-esque plot and the cliffhanger (it's also got some humor - "you can't even remember to put the toilet seat down and now you think you're Jason Bourne", I laughed really hard at that). But then it pulls out every cliched plot twist in history and conveniently lays them out into a really convoluted storyline - *some spoilers ahead* - like how the one woman's cover is blown the *exact* moment that the ops team shows up and how he finds out he has a daughter about 2 seconds before finding out that she's been kidnapped. Priyanka is definitely carrying the show too because Madden is really, really awful in this. He's so stiff and lifeless, and his accent goes wildly in and out for no reason at all (In the first and flashback scenes he has his natural accent, and then he does an American accent because he lost his memory??? I think? or is his American accent just that bad that I can't tell the difference?). By the 5th episode, I stopped paying attention to all the twists because it's all really boring and the timeline is starting to get confusing. But I'll still watch hot people doing spy stuff. Always and forever. 

2. Fatal Attraction - I saw the movie once and it was a long, long time ago. I'm going to guess that it was about 25 years ago. I remember being really creeped out by it, and I think I was probably a bit too young for it. I am interested to watch it again as an adult (eventually...). I was interested by the cast for this - Lizzy Caplan and Pacey! I do think that Joshua Jackson has proven himself beyond Pacey, with The Affair, Fringe, and Dr. Death, but he'll still always be Pacey to me. I also like Amanda Peete and I think they make a really good, realistic married couple (although those bangs got to go!). I've watched 4 episodes, and so far, it's ok. Not really something I would recommend to anyone because there are too many brilliant shows on television right now (and within the last few years). But it's sufficiently...ok. I think it would be better if they didn't make Pacey look so much older than 40 (I think it's the hair?). Like, there are so many hot and steamy sex scenes (YES!), but I don't think he's hot so it all seems a bit pointless. I like that they don't just straight copy the movie - they just continue a new story about a "fatal attraction" and they play with the timeline a bit. This allows for the show to grow and also keeps it suspenseful. 

3. The Last Thing He Told Me - I've only seen the first two episodes of this, and so far it's a bit slow, but I like it. I feel like it's a slow-burn story and it's going to have a strong payoff (I might be wrong, though). I love Jennifer Garner so much - she has such a strong screen presence and an instant likeability to her. It would be very interesting to see her in a more villainous role, but I also appreciate when actors find their niche and stick to it (she does "girl next door" and "bad-ass action heroine" roles so perfectly, which is why Sidney Bristow is my favorite female television character OF ALL TIME). She is great in this - her vulnerability shines through this character as she's trying to form a bond with her step-daughter during the worst time of their lives. I also really like Nikolaj Coster-Waldau because... uhhh...he's really hot. I think he's most famous for Game of Thrones, but I remember him well from Headhunters (because, again, HOT). The supporting cast consists (so far) of Angourie Rice (from The Nice Guys - she's building up a nice little resume for herself) and one of my faves, Aisha Tyler. I like the mystery that is building - whether her husband was a part of the fraud and ran, or maybe he found out and threatened to expose it and is now dead or captured? It's definitely intriguing. And also the boat house that they live on is COOL AS FUCK. I WANT IT. 

4. The Watcher - So the only reason that I added this to my list is because my husband told me about it and said that he wanted to watch it. Considering that he never wants to watch anything, this caught me by surprise until he explained that the "watcher house" is in the next town over from us (and where he grew up) and it's one of those unexplained mysteries that caused a lot of gossip and intrigue within the town and surrounding area. He knew all about the history of it so he wanted to see how they put it all together in a series. But then he bailed, so I was stuck watching it by myself (he doesn't stick with many shows unless they are sci-fi or comedies. If it's a drama it has to be a really, really good drama or he's bored). Anyway, the house is about 2 miles away from where I currently live and is apparently a popular spot for the curious (and the interest has peaked again with this series). It's certainly a bit creepy, but I don't really believe in supernatural stuff, so I think it's all sort of dumb. It didn't even happen that long ago - it started in 2014 and I moved here in 2017, so I kind of feel like if the whole thing keeps going it could be a turned into many future supernatural stories (like the Amityville house). I used to love Naomi Watts, and I still do, but she hasn't really done anything strong lately and her peers are just flying past her in terms of strong roles and performances (like Cate Blanchett, Jessica Chastain, etc.). I also had no idea that her and Billy Crudup are together?? They just announced their surprise nuptials, and I was like...uh isn't she married to Liev Schreiber??? Where have I been? Anyway, I also adore Bobby Cannavale. There are definitely things to like about the series - like the cast and the mystery, but overall I can't really say that I enjoyed it. It plays out almost like a season of AHS (which makes sense because it's a Ryan Murphy show), but way less campy and not fun at all. Nothing really happens for the first 4 episodes, then there are few good episodes, then the last few episodes has a million endings. Seriously one million. It twists and turns, back and forth, endlessly. It was you! No it was you! It was both of them! No it was me! It made my brain hurt. I also think it's super weird to do a story about a famous house and not film it in the town it's supposed to be in??? I could tell right away that it wasn't filmed in Westfield - the walk on the ocean boardwalk is a huge giveaway. But it all looked very familiar to me - because it was filmed in Rye, NY (which I lived very close to while I was in college). I will say that I was happy to see Jennifer Coolidge actually act and not just play a version of herself. Like, she's better in this than in The White Lotus, and yet she got an Emmy for that! Make it make sense.  

5. The Diplomat - I really, really like this show. There are some dumb, unnecessary scenes within it (more on that in a second), but overall I think it's really good. I watched the whole thing on my flights to and from my trip to Yellowstone, which is rare for me to binge just one show (I had several downloaded because I expected to want diversity, but this show just dragged me in). First, it's AWESOME that both of my favorite tv actresses are in current shows (Garner and Keri Russell). I would like to think that Sidney Bristow is a little bit of an inspiration for Russell's character in this - just someone caught up in political bullshit who is trying to cut through it and save humanity from nuclear war. Russell plays a very realistic female politician in this - someone who falls into certain clichés of a woman in power, but also consciously plays against them. She's often the smartest person in the room, but still holds back and lets men talk over her - it's infuriating to watch, but also real to life. Her strained marriage is also a focus - and is, again, very realistic. They have clear love and respect for one and other, and have created a really solid partnership within this political atmosphere, but they don't trust each other which is essential for a marriage. I really like all of the supporting characters (all fully-fleshed out and interesting), and how quickly the storyline moves with twists and turns along the way. And I really like that it ends with a gigantic cliffhanger (ballsy move for a Netflix show, considering their history of cancellations - I looked it up, though, and there is a season 2 in the works. *phew*). I think the only criticism I have is that some of the episodes feel bloated and as mentioned above, there are plenty of unnecessary scenes (the whole scene with her husband and the sister is so awful and felt like a little too fantastical for such a grounded show). I think these scenes tend to spell things out instead of letting the audience interpret things (like the scene in which her and Dennison share "a moment" for way too long - I already saw the sexual tension a mile away, don't assume your audience is dumb. And if they are dumb, then maybe this show isn't for them?). Those scenes are far between, though. Overall, it's great.