Sweeney's TV Dump: December Post-Podcast

I'm back! A combination of trying to focus on more significant video game reviews for another site as well as starting up grad school, and generally life getting more busy, all made me want to take a hiatus from the Back-Blog. Since then Stan's started doing these combo-posts, and I'm a fan of the style, so I'll try it out myself. This first post will focus on seasons of t.v. shows I finished between our year-end tv podcast 2 weeks ago and New Year's Eve.

Homeland: Season 5

While I caught the flawless first season of Homeland almost immediately after it first aired, it took until the fifth season before I finally watched the show live, and to piggyback on what Stan mentioned in his post, I think the show is really helped by watching it live over the course of the season. This was the most invested I've been in Homeland in years, even if the show definitely has its share of flaws- Quinn basically spent the entire season getting the shit beat out of him and doing little else, and several main characters made uncharacteristically dumb decisions just to ensure the season's main antagonist stuck around in power up through the finale. Still though, I really enjoyed watching paranoid Carrie, stern Saul, and their crazy and topical espionage adventures in Germany.

Bojack Horseman: Season 2

The first season of Bojack Horseman was a decent but insignificant watch for me, one that took a few attempts to really get into. While the first season felt like a generic send-up of life in Hollywood, the second season grew into something much better, looking at the depression of a washed-up celebrity who finally gets the comeback role of his dreams only to find his life still painfully empty. I thought the addition of Lisa Kudrow as an owl who just got out of a 30 year coma really helped fill out the cast, so I'm hopeful she comes back in some way for season three. There were still a few awkward moments (Aaron Paul's Todd just doesn't quite fit yet) but Bojack definitely made some major improvement in its second season- I'll marathon season three when it comes out next year.

Transparent: Season 1

This show has earned a stellar reputation, tackling head-on a taboo that not many shows are willing to go anywhere near- coming out as transgender. Jeffrey Tambor stars as Maura, transitioning to be a woman in her late sixties, and before I watched the show I assumed the main focus was just on the obstacles one would encounter when transitioning. Not the case! Honestly, the show seems to focus on Maura's son and daughters' relationships and their own sexual hang-ups just as much if not more than Maura's. I also assumed that as a comedy with Jeffrey Tambor that all sorts of wacky hi-jinks would ensue, but most of the time the humor in Transparent is a bit more subtle. I respect that this show is doing things no other shows are and still presenting it in a way that's pleasant to watch, but I'm not yet convinced this is one of the best shows on t.v. Still worth watching though!

Peep Show: Series 1

Peep Show is a show that I've seen and heard recommendations for for years- it's on something like it's ninth (and potentially final?) series right now I think, so I might be jumping in a little too late. It's a low-stakes British comedy about two young guys moving in together and just experiencing life as a couple of young bachelors- there was really no unifying theme here, as some episodes focused on them trying to get better jobs, hook up with women, and throw a party. The jobless slacker Jeremy has some great moments, but already it feels like the breakout star has to be dorky Mark- he really nails a level of awkwardness that toes the line between relate-able and cringe-worthy. Oh yeah, the show also relies on a gimmick where every shot is a first-person point of view, a fact that I quickly forgot about unless some rapid-fire changes in point of view were happening. The series are a mere six episodes each, so I'll probably burn through the rest of the show pretty quickly.

Making a Murderer

Here's Netflix's first foray into true-crime documentary series- Making a Murderer, the true story of Steven Avery and his ridiculous battle with Manitowoc Wisconsin police department. To spoil a little bit, Steven's a bit of a troublemaker and not too bright, but in the 80's he was sent to prison for a sexual assault he didn't commit, getting out 18 years later when new technology helped prove his innocence. The whole case was handled sloppily and is frustrating enough to watch, but by the end of the first episode Steven's finally free in 2005 and on his way to a multi-million dollar lawsuit. This is when things get much, much worse, as he's again accused of a major crime by the same police department, again with little to no evidence. Almost everything that happens in the ensuing investigation and trial is fishy and perplexing. While the show does feel very biased, and I still haven't made up my mind over what actually happened, the series made me extremely angry over how clearly the justice system failed Steven and his family over and over, and the potential conspiracy theories tossed out by some of the talking heads don't feel all that far-fetched. But don't take my word for it, watch it now! Everyone else is!