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Ahsoka (2023)
Fell short of expectation
I had been looking forward to this series having thoroughly enjoyed Andor, The Clone Wars and Rebels (I never thought at my age I would enjoy cartoons!). I had particularly liked the Ahsoka character superbly voiced by Ashley Eckstein. The advance publicity raised expectations and the fact that it had been described as basically the 5th season of Rebels was an additional draw.
At first watching I awarded a reluctant 7 stars but was encouraged by a Star Wars podcast to view it for a 2nd time to fully appreciate it. I duly did so and its faults became even more apparent and hence a final 6, which I still feel is generous but does acknowledge the positives.
With regard to those positives, it was visually superb and cinematic quality, as you would expect these days. Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll dominated the screen on each and every appearance. Not far behind him was Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati. Even though she did not have many lines, she projected an intriguing personality and one I look forward to seeing more of in the future.
Lars Mikkelsen also did a great job in his role as Thrawn. It was pretty much the character seen in Rebels and in some ways surpassed it. When any of these 3 characters appeared on screen the show received an uplift in entertainment value.
As for the average, Ezra Bridger came across well and Sabine Wren just about made the grade. Hera was ok but I found her a little irritating, not something I experience in Rebels.
I would not necessarily describe as a fan of Star Wars but I certainly enjoy the franchise. In that vein, the appearance of Anakin Skywalker did not particularly excite me as it apparently has with fans.
Now the negatives! The overall pacing of the show was at times painfully slow. Especially some of Ahsoka's scenes. There were frequent pregnant pauses in her conversations with others, which although no doubt were done for effect, but I found myself on the verge of shouting "get on with it", at the screen.
And then there is the absolute howler in the show, the depiction of its main character Ahsoka. I do not know whether it was miscasting, direction or scriptwriting but I found her to be truly dreadful. I understand that as she is much older now she will have lost some of the spark of her youth (superbly depicted by Ariana Greenblatt in a rather pointless flashback) but this was pretty dire. Her all-knowing superior air that she projected reminded me of people I have met during my lifetime of similar characters who like to think everybody else is beneath them. Dig beneath the surface and you find most of those are pretty clueless. This is nothing like the Ahsoka in Clones or Rebels. Rather than root for her, my feeling was more of "what an irritating arrogant so-and-so".
Despite all this I am looking forward to the next season in the understanding that there is nothing they can realistically do about Ahsoka other then perhaps better direction/script writing. There are sufficiently engaging characters elsewhere in the show and there was a fascinating ending!
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
A Missed Opportunity
If you are going to spend vast amounts of money on a flagship TV series based on one of the best and best loved books ever written with many millions of fans worldwide, then there is little room for error. Especially when it will inevitably be compared with Peter Jackson's superb films.
Visually it was stunning in parts and in this respect did justice to Tolkien's world. Although there were plot holes, the timeline was a mess and it failed to accurately follow the events described by Tolkien, I nevertheless quite enjoyed it particularly the last episode.
Now for the negatives. Music is very important and when done well significantly enhances the experience. Think back to the music of LOTR and GoT as well as many other iconic films and TV series. Having swirling orchestral and choral pieces does not on their own cut the mustard which is what has happened here. Music was bland throughout with nothing of note.
Other faults included poor scripts leading to some very cheesy dialogue, particularly by Galadriel. Overcooking the slow motion which at times was rather odd. Casting decisions was also rather strange. There were few characters that you could connect with and found myself not particularly caring about the fate of any of them. And then there was the rather random insertion of people from different ethnic backgrounds which made little sense. Middle Earth consists of different distinct races and I would suggest that to reflect that you make them look different and not intermingle them. Peter Jackson got it and his casting was near perfect. The same can be said of Game of Thrones,
I understand the producers wanted to reflect the world as it is now. Bizarre! It may be fantasy but it is historical fantasy not present day!
There is much more that could be added, including how Galadriel has become a ninja warrior, but these inexcusable errors have prevented this production from joining the list of the all-time greats. It is very frustrating because you can clearly see what it could have been. There is enormous potential including countless spin-offs. As it is you wonder if it will continue past season 2. Tolkien was a master story-teller and has produced a rich world in which to explore. For goodness sakes just follow what he has written and be true to the folklore. The screen writers simply do not have his talent!
Overall then I gave it a generous 6 acknowledging the visual aspect and, despite its many faults, I still enjoyed it up to a point and keep my fingers crossed that they raise the game for season 2.
Killing Eve (2018)
Great drama with one deeply irritating character.
I nearly stopped watching this series part way through Season 1 due to the massively irritating Eve. This is a shame because the rest of the show is great with Jodie Comer lighting up every scene she is in. Truly outstanding performance and Jodie will be the one to watch for the future. Most of the rest of the cast were also very good although some of the characters playing MI5 or MI6 operatives stretched credibility a little too far at times. Back to Eve. I am mystified by the attention and praise that Sandra Oh is receiving. While I am sure she is a competent actress this really was a case of miscasting for this role. I found myself wishing throughout much of both season that Villanelle would just finish her off! Overall this show would have been worthy of an 8 or 9 stars but I am being generous awarding 7 due to Eve's poor character.
Game of Thrones: The Bells (2019)
An excellent penultimate episode
I more often than not, find my own views of any particular TV programme or film more or less chiming with the overall scores awarded to them. This is the first time I am completely at odds with it. The low scores given are utterly ridiculous and can only be put down to the story not proceeding in the was certain fans wanted.
This episode, while not the best, is nevertheless spectacular and with some fitting endings. I will not go beyond this to avoid spoilers but all I would say is the cinematography, the sheer spectacle, is everything we have come to love and expect from this truly groundbreaking TV show. Do not believe the whiners among these overly negative reviews.
We can only guess as to what is in store for the finale. Fingers crossed it will be a fitting end to what has been one hell of a ride.
Brexit: The Uncivil War (2019)
Superb drama by a Remainer.
Taken purely as a drama, this is a great piece of television. Benedict Cumberbatch produced another top notch performance as Dominic Cummings. Overall it kept you hooked and fascinated by the machinations leading up to the referendum.
To a degree, it struck a degree of balance highlighting how out of touch the establishment had become from the electorate. It's overarching problem though, as is the case for much of the discourse on Brexit, is that it is London centric and views the issues through that prism. It therefore fails to understand the motivation by large swathes of the public for voting for Brexit. It falls back on the poor, ill-educated, elderly left behind trope as the primary reason for the vote. Little or no mention of the primary reason for many being the democratic deficit of the EU and the concern in the direction of travel of that institution.
Add in the fact that most of the Brexiteers were portrayed as eccentric buffoons (particularly unfair and Nigel Farage without whom there would have been no referendum) and all those on the Remain side were level-headed rational individuals the bias of the writers and producers are laid bare.
I have given it a generous '7' recognising the quality of the production. Had it displayed better objectivity and understanding of the real issues outside London then it would have been worthy of a '9'.
They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
Absolutely breathtaking
This is one of the most outstanding films/documentaries/anything I have seen on WW1. The images you watch combined with the recollections of old soldiers who were there sear themselves into your memory. I cannot recommend this highly enough even if you have no interest in that period of history. Peter Jackson has produced a masterpiece that brings to life those young men as though it was yesterday.
Britannia (2017)
Certainly not history but a reasonable fantasy
I had a low expectation of this having read many of the negative reviews. On the whole I was pleasantly surprised. It was certainly a poor start with the first episode decidedly naff. However it gradually picked up and certainly the final 3 or so episodes were very good.
I am though at a loss as to why film and TV producers, screen writers, directors etc. struggle to make historically accurate productions when so many authors of fiction do so splendidly. There was so much potential lost here with the concentration on hippy spaced out druids and a tribe living, not in a hillfort, but in Helms Deep in a quarry! And what the hell was the opening and closing soundtrack? I thought I was watching an episode of 'Strike Back' when it first played. Music is an important element and helps set the scene. This does none of that and simply adding 'Hurdy Gurdy' into the lyrics does not make it any better.
Then we had the tribe wearing blue medieval uniforms. An overabundance of Numidians in senior positions in the Roman Army. Kent looking rather mountainous. Numerous powerful women including tribal leaders (yes there was Boudicca but that's it). Do I detect that diversity checklist in the background?
This is all a great shame as there is clearly a high quality series here hidden under this nonsense. On the positive side, I do not agree with those who say the acting is poor. It is not and in Eleanor Worthington-Cox as Cait we may well be seeing a star of the future.
I have given this a generous 7 stars as I would recommend people watch it and stick with it to the end. You simply have to discount any notion it is historical and it is purely fantasy which will improve your viewing pleasure.
Godless (2017)
Sheer Quality
This was programme making at its finest. Everything from the storyline to the score, the filmography, the casting, the acting and the script was of the highest order. The final scene was very moving and a perfect end. I do like a good western and this certainly fitted the bill.
If this is an example of what is to come from Netflix then the main TV channels have plenty to worry about.
More Westerns of this calibre please!
Doctor Who (2005)
The Doctor Falls Indeed
For me, Seasons 1 to 6 were a revelation. Doctor Who was back and in superb form with engaging stories and great characters. I was well and truly hooked and supported the view that this was up there with the best in TV viewing.
Season 7 took a noticeable downturn with the utter drivel of 'The Rings of Akhaten' providing a foretaste of what was to come. The gushing 'love conquers everything' theme was dangerously close to producing projectile vomiting. It appeared that the PC brigade were starting dominate the scripts and they clearly thought that the viewers needed to be front-loaded with this nonsense.
Season 10 appears to be the culmination of this twaddle superseding the need for excellent storytelling. Take 'Thin Ice' as an example. On the plus side they got the British infantry uniform of 1814 correct complete with the Belgic Shako which had only been introduced a couple of years earlier, although they did get the Union Flag wrong. Having taken the trouble to get the set looking something like 1814 London they then filled the characters and extras from every ethnic background you can possibly think of. You could almost see the BBC bod in the background ticking off the diversity check list. It not only insults the intelligence of the viewer it detracts from the story. Which in this case was pretty poor anyway.
During the course of this season we have had adverse references to Donald Trump, a stereotypical and one-dimensional view of the British Empire, an implication that racism is the number one problem facing the human race, and a companion who has reminded us in every episode that she is a lesbian. Added to this is a noticeable drop in the quality of scripts, repeatedly poor use of CGI, and the loss of Murray Gold has lead to a decline of the quality of music that so enhanced the atmosphere of earlier seasons.
The final 2 episodes were an improvement but overall I get the sense that Doctor Who is sliding back into oblivion. The reboot may offer an opportunity to recover its excellence but given the prevailing attitudes within the BBC I am not holding my breath. A starting point would be avoid politics and tone down the Political Correctness. There is so much quality TV drama around these days, much of which is now eclipsing Dr Who in just about every department, the BBC's credibility is on the line.