Review - Slow Horses

The next series of Slow Horses is rumoured to be released on AppleTV+ in November 2024. So... are we looking forward to this?

Absolutely. It's a bit of a weird show. Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) heads up a team of 'frowned-upon' government agents, ones who are being punished for messing up in some way. But, of course, this is the team that, under Oldman's character's guidance, continues to successfully take down 'baddies' where other agents have failed - and without any praise or acknowledgement, obviously. 

Jacson Lamb's boss, Diana Taverner (Kristin ScottThomas), is the only one who appreciates the team's worth but it suits her to keep it to herself, a kind of secret backup team. 

The main characters are:

• Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb
• Jack Lowden as River Cartright
• Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner
  

It's not obvious why River Cartwright is the agent who is singled out for top billing but he is certainly the agent who is featured the most in the series. 

When I've suggested to friends that they might enjoy this series, I've felt compelled to warn them about Gary Oldman's character. He's repulsive - you can almost smell him when he appears onto your TV set. Eventually, though, this renegade makes you appreciate his experience, tactics and so much more. 

And the humour makes me smile. 

If you're thinking of watching the new series, take the next few months to bring yourself up to date with the three previoius seasons. According to AppleTV+

      

Fool Me Once (NetFlix Series)

I'd never come across author Harlan Coben until recently when his name kept cropping up - his work is all over Netflix. I've not yet read any of his books and, so far, I've seen only one TV serialisation of a book, Fool Me Once, by screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst. This was compelling and I watched the eight episodes over two evenings. 

The book was set in/near New York but the Netflix series was set in England, starring Joanna Lumley, Richard Armitage, Michelle Keegan, Marcus Garvey and Adeel Akhtar. 

The plot has twists and turns and the main storyline is essentially about the rich and powerful buying off (or killing off) anyone who could damage their reputation and therefore wealth. Knowing who to believe and who can be trusted provides the tension. 

A secondary storyline is about the ordinary people whose lives are disrupted by events from the main storyline. This provides the break between the shenanigens of the 'unreal' world of deceit and death, which is as far from the ordinary viewing public's lives as any sci-fi. That said, it's a gripping series and worthy of inclusion in your list of things to watch. 

Feel free to leave a comment if you agree, disagree or wish to add your views in any way. 

Ted Lasso and Wrexham

I often confused one story with the other. Ted Lasso was a brilliant TV series about a fictional football team based in London, whereas the other was a documentary of a real team in Wales, Wrexham.

Both were of interest to me, with my roots in both places.

I first discovered Ted Lasso (10 years ago - before the series hit the TV screens) when Jason Sudeikis played the character as coach at Tottenham Hotspur.

(My nephew is also a coach, currently employed by his dream team, 'Spurs. He appears in several of their videos, social media, etc.)

Moving on to the Wrexham story, Rob McElhenney persuaded Ryan Reynolds to jointly invest in the club and they have made such a difference! They've thrown themselves wholeheartedly into every aspect of the club and community. I'll be interested to see how far they can go.

And, yes, I've visited the ground at the invitation of the then owner Pryce Griffiths. Following his retirement and sale of the club, Wrexham AFC suffered years of turmoil until fans raised the money to rescue the club from administration. Rob and Ryan stepped in when finances were low and the rest will eventually be history.

As for Ted Lasso, it was always going to end after the third season and it was a great finalé. 

 

Tough Guys with a Soft Centre

I really, really do not like traditional heroine stories from a bygone era. This also extends to most romance books and films, traditionally written from a woman's viewpoint, where she falls in love with the strong silent hero, for example.

That doesn't happen these days, does it? Oddly, I find myself fascinated by certain characters who are tough guys with a soft centre.

To focus on two actors who play these characters very well, Adam Baldwin and Christian Kane (both who were up for the part of Jayne Cobb in Firefly and, I believe, are friends), I'll refer to the TV series (plural) Chuck and Leverage.

By the end of Chuck, I found that the story of the main two co-stars had played out but I was left wanting to know more about John Casey, whose character developed brilliantly as the series progressed. 

In Leverage, Eliot Spencer was a straightforward yet complex person and I wanted to see more of him. But... did I want to know more about him? Debateable, given his brief descriptions of his past deeds. And it was great to see that Adam Baldwin had a guest appearance in S5. As far as Eliot goes, I'm delighted that, not only has Leverage:Redemption now aired but Christian Kane has the lead role in Almost Paradise, where he plays a similar character - tough, soft, not quite loveable.

Having read an old interview with Christian Kane about adapting to his role in The Librarians (a series that I've been trying to watch for a while, having seen a Librarians movie, but it's an additional cost over and above paying for Prime/Freevee), I'm even more intrigued to watch his portrayal. There's a rumour of bringing back a new series of The Librarians but, of course, everything from the 'States is taking forever because of the Writers' strike. Money-grabbing studio execs are trying to save money on paying writers and supporting actors/extras. Wow, big businesses are greedy - who would've guessed!

I haven't seen Angel, where both actors have roles, because I wasn't keen on Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I guess that has to be on my list? I'm just curious to see how AB & CK fit these different characters.

Conclusion: the strong, silent hero is alive and well in the 21st Century. In the UK, Chuck, Leverage and Leverage:Redemption are free with Prime (I think that Firefly and Serenity are also available - but to buy).

Your relevant comments are welcome.

Star Trek & Picard

I've been simultaneously re-watching Star Trek: The Next Generation and watching Picard for the first time. Still many series to go with Next Gen but, before I begin watching Picard S2, I decided to review S1. 

The first episode was a bit of a struggle as the story was being established but, as the series progressed and the characters were introduced, it became very good. 

Bruce Maddox was featured in Picard and, by coincidence, he popped up in the episode of Next Gen that I was watching. Without giving too much away, there were some 'old friends' from the USS Enterprise popping up in the series, too. 

Picard 'died' in s1 but, obviously, there was no panic over this storyline if watching it now because s2 is already available and s3 has just been wrapped. That, incidentally, will be the final series. 

The new characters bonded throughout series one and now I'm looking forward to the next adventures of Jean-Luc with Chris Rios on his ship, La Sirena, with Elnor, Soji, Raffi, Seven of Nine, and Agnes. 

Meanwhile, lots of re-watching to do for the Next Generation. Then maybe Deep Space 9 and maybe Enterprise. I've never seen Discovery or Voyager - would anyone like to recommend them to me?

UPDATE

I've now watched S2 and it was darker, with Chris Rios bringing a little light relief. It ended OK-ish though. Now waiting for S3...

British Comedy Awards 2012

I'm pleased that my new BFF Jo Brand won an award and Lee Mack was deservedly Best TV Comic (male).

However... many of the nominations/awards went to programmes that I've never even heard of!!! Hunderby - what/when/why? If this was completely off my radar, despite TV promos, twitter and internet browsing, who voted for it?

Also, the clips shown for nominated sit-coms that I hadn't seen certainly didn't make me feel I'd missed anything. Were they badly selected or can un-funny stuff win awards? (Well, yes it can.)

I'm disappointed that I couldn't agree with most nominations or winners but, because I hadn't seen these (new?) programmes, I couldn't disagree either. Weird.