I feel like I’ve written far more of these posts recently than posts about the things I’ve been reading, but hey, life is busy and a girl’s got to have some down time.
And I have to say, Netflix has been churning out some pretty great shows recently. Here’s a few of my favourites.
Stranger Things
Obviously I have to mention everyone’s favourite 80s set supernatural show. Stranger Things came back for series two this Halloween and it was definitely scarier second time around.
In fact, the only thing I didn’t enjoy about the second season was the addition of Billy to the cast. What was the deal with him? I spent the entire series expecting him to be more significant somehow because every time he came onscreen he was given such emphasis, but nope. In the end, I think he existed just to show how much Steve’s character has developed since the show began.
Stranger Things has such a fantastic ensemble cast that it’s hard to pick out one person for credit, because they’re all amazing (except Billy).
I’m hoping in series three we’ll find out more about Eleven’s mysterious ‘sister’, as that seems the natural direction for the story to take.
The Sinner
This slow burn drama has had me on the edge of my seat, thanks to Jessica Biel’s powerful performance and the creeping sense of dread about just what secrets the story will reveal.
I don’t want to tell you anything about the story other than it follows an outwardly normal woman who finds herself in an extreme situation, which stirs up memories of a dark past that she has spent years concealing from her family. The story twists and turns, as Cora isn’t always a reliable narrator and her memories aren’t always accurate.
It’s beautifully and shot and full of tension, with some really shocking moments. I spent a lot of time dreading what was about to be revealed, but desperate to know the truth about Cora.
Bill Pullman is also brilliant as the detective determined to help her, but who is drowning in the sadness of his own life.
Watch this, but don’t read too much about it beforehand.
Dark
A German Stranger Things, this new show is actually much darker and more sinister.
In a small town in Germany, a boy has gone missing and the police have no leads. It reminds police detective Ulrich of the disappearance of his younger brother, 33 years earlier. But when Ulrich’s son vanishes in mysterious circumstances, the town’s residents are drawn into a shocking series of events that they will struggle to explain.
Without giving too much away, this drama has a strong supernatural vein and the story is so compelling that I binge-watched the whole series in less than two days. At times, it can be a little hard to follow, as the story covers three generations within the same town and characters are shown at different ages, played by different actors, so I wasn’t always totally sure who was who.
But this is certainly a show that stays in the memory. It has a soundtrack packed with beautiful, melancholy songs and a gorgeous look and feel. My only quibble was that, as it’s dubbed into English, the out of sync speech can occasionally be distracting. But it’s a small complaint that doesn’t distract from the show overall.
The Punisher
The latest series from the Marvel universe follows Frank Castle’s Punisher, who we saw last in Netflix’s Daredevil. After returning from a covert mission with his military unit, Castle’s whole family were killed in what appeared to be a drug deal gone wrong. But he learns that something else was really going on and is determined to seek revenge on those involved.
This is one of the darker Marvel series, with a vigilante hero who murders his way through New York without remorse, taking brutal revenge on gang members, criminals and soldiers alike.
It’s full of brutal action sequences and Jon Bernthal is brilliant as the broken soldier with his unforgiving moral code.
What have you been watching lately? With the Christmas holidays coming up, I need recommendations! Feel free to leave them in the comments!