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Reviews
Doom Patrol (2019)
Quirky Psychological Weird Character-Driven FUN
Perhaps people who dislike this show outright or gave up after season two expected a more action-driven blow-em-up show? I've seen it negatively compared to The Umbrella Academy or The Boys (which are both fantastic). I had zero expectations coming into this show and fell in love with it immediately. Doom Patrol ostensibly keeps pace on the current super-hero-show highway but on closer inspection it's really merrily speeding along on a parallel road doing its own weird thing. The characters are well cast (particularly Brendan Fraser, Alan Tudyk, Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby and Michelle Gomez), the writing is filled with sardonic wit and quirky subplots woven into a long play-out of deep psychological (and highly dysfunctional) character development. As a fan of Monty Python, Kids in the Hall and Supernatural (so good to see Mark Sheppard and Ruth Connell here!), suspending belief for some of the oddball storylines and details is easy. Season three threw oddity and dark humor into overdrive and sometimes it feels like fishbowl scripting: write a bunch of nouns, adjectives and verbs onto slips of paper, throw them into a bowl, pull out a handful then write a story using it all. Visually it's simple and beautiful by turns, with great sets and effects that are high on the practical side, using CGI where it enhances the story rather than engulfing it. It has a hip retro vibe helped by amazing hair/makeup and costume design fabulously pulled from every decade back to the 1910s. The only reason I don't give it a full 10/10 is because there are some loopholes and unanswered questions, and just an ever-so-slight whiff of tiresomeness in the characters' self-pity even after three-plus seasons of heavy duty soul searching.
Marple (2004)
Let Go of Your Expectations
My best advice for viewers of this series, especially for diehard Christie fans? Let everything you know about Miss Marple GO. Let it go, forget what you've read, what you've watched. Give up on comparisons. Let the 30's become the 50's. Let the artistic liberties override the canon. Stop being the Christie aficionado, expert, fanatic. Put your expectations in the bin and relax.
I basically learned to read with Christie novels...she introduced me to a lifetime obsession with detective stories, especially British-based adventures. I grew up loving Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence, and Miss Marple. I read and reread all of the stories. I also watched all the PBS/BBC adaptations over the years and yep Hickson was, in my mind and obviously in the minds of the majority of the raters here, the best personification of Jane Marple.
But in letting go of what I expected to see, and in allowing myself to NOT compare McEwan to Hickson and canon to plot changes, I was able to enjoy this series for what it is: a delightful, campy, visually wonderful entertainment opportunity. If you have any questions about how the look and feel of this series is, just watch the introductory titles.
Just. Let. GO. And allow yourself to enjoy the fun. If you can't, well, you're definitely going to be disappointed, which in and of itself is....disappointing.