The first half of this week has been pretty busy. As I am writing this, I’m curious to see how many shows that we will have to list between us. That said, I think by the end of the week we will have finished a few shows and moved on to some others.
Make sure to let us know what you’re watching. What do you like and what did you turn off because it wasn’t worth watching? We want to hear what you think we should be watching! You can let us know here in the comments or through our FB page when we announce this post.
Want to check out last week’s WWW? Here it is!
Ashtyn
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
I finished the last four episodes of Monarch this week. I am not sure that they have announced a second season yet, but if they don’t give us one with the ending they had, it would just be mean. Do you hear me, Apple TV? It would be mean! Anyway, there were some great twists here as the ending grew closer. Each episode managed to hold my attention a little bit more. The acting was stellar and the creature work was both amazing and humbling. Getting to see more of Godzilla was fun and it makes me want to watch other movies and shows about him. I am so glad that I started watching this. Fans of action and sci-fi should enjoy it. If that doesn’t do it for you, the love triangles might.
You can watch Monarch Legacy of Monsters on Apple TV+.
The Great North
We haven’t seen this before, so we started with the pilot. Originally, Dom wanted to check it out because Nick Offerman plays the single-dad of a large family living in Alaska. I’m not even sure I knew anything about it, other than having heard the name in passing. Either way, my initial impression is that it has some Bob’s Burgers energy, and I love Bob’s Burgers. The show is in its fourth season, but we’re starting back at season one. I don’t know how fast we will watch this, but I know that if I caught it on TV, I wouldn’t turn it off. There are plenty of voices you’ll recognize and the acting and timing are on point. We’ve made it through the first season and it’s the only show that I watch that I not only leave on the theme song, I sing it, too! After this first season, I feel like I’m liking it a little bit more than Bob’s Burgers even. It’s pretty great.
You can check out The Great North on Hulu.
Miss Scarlet & The Duke
We only have a couple episodes of Miss Scarlet left. I’m hoping for a time jump, because a certain character is missing and they can’t keep him gone for long. Can they? The Duke is currently off in New York City and Scarlet is left in London to deal with the likes of Nash. Nash isn’t a bad guy, but he’s no Duke. He’s sort of a pain, but also has moments of likability. Honestly, if we’re talking likable, I think my favorite character might be Ivy. The cases that Scarlet ends up investigating are always interesting, though with the Duke gone, and Phelps taking his spot, that part of her job becomes more difficult. She has to remain on his good side, as hard as that might be for her. She can’t afford to lose any cases, as she barely gets any as it is!
This show is nothing short of fantastic. You can watch Miss Scarlet & The Duke on PBS or streaming online through Amazon with the PBS channel add-on.
The Exorcist: The Believer
What could go wrong with an Exorcist reboot? A lot of things, actually. It’s not all bad. There are some okay moments, but this is kind of what you get when someone wants to reboot a series and pay homage to the original, without having much of an idea beyond that. The result is that two girls get possessed – one Christian and one not. The two girls leave school for a seance in the woods and are found 3 days later in a barn. From then on, one goes to a psychiatric hospital and the other terrorizes her family home, until they are brought together for a good old fashioned exorcism. I didn’t mind the addition of Ellen Burstyn, but she was underutilized and clearly only brought back for one reason, which was nice, but didn’t enhance the story much, if at all.
Also, during the exorcism, which should be creepy enough, all things considered, there is a lot of experimental imagery (flashing lights, skulls cracking, close ups of things, blood) that is flashed on the screen between shots of the girls. Not only did this make it less scary, it was just entirely annoying. It was clearly for audience benefit and it failed. The biggest problem is that things moved too slowly in the beginning and then the exorcism picked things up a bit, and then it was done. It’s not the worst scary movie I’ve ever seen, but it’s far from the best. If you want to see an Exorcist movie, you’d be better off sticking with the original.
You can watch The Exorcist: The Believer on Peacock.
Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale
We started this in the middle of the week. I honestly don’t know what to say about it. It’s about a town, Sanctuary. The town has allowed witches to live openly without fear of persecution for years. Sarah is a witch and most people in town know and love her, but when someone dies, and witchcraft appears to be the reason, Sarah becomes Public Enemy #1. We’ve only watched the first episode and it starts out pretty slow. It’s clear that Sarah herself did not murder anyone, but she is a witch. In the first episode it’s impossible to not know that because she crushes a lot of herbs and does a lot of incantations and spells. Basically everything in this town revolves around her being a witch and whether or not people like her or think witches are bad. There are some confusing issues in the first episode, which I’m not sure if they are plot holes or what. There is a flash to a time when something happened and then back to the present when the murder happens. The investigator that is sent to investigate had worked in Sanctuary and handled a case with Sarah and other people (the one from the flashback), but six years later, she doesn’t seem to know them or the town very well. It’s odd how it plays out and I kept saying, “Well, didn’t she work here? How does she not know this or that?”
The trailer for the series makes it looks like a real mob is going to come after Sarah, including people that were some of her best friends. Honestly, I want to be more excited about this one than I currently am. Something like this should be right up my alley, but after the first episode I was left a little under-wowed. The acting is decent, for the most part, and the story is compelling, but I’m even bored talking about this right now. I hope the second episode picks up otherwise we’re in trouble with this one.
You can watch Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale on AMC or streaming online through Amazon with the AMC+ channel add-on.
Freud
This is one of the random shows that I came upon looking for new (to me) things to watch. As you might guess, this series is all about Sigmund Freud. The series has him getting involved with investigating crimes with an actual inspector and a psychic. It initially gave me some Vienna Blood vibes, which I liked well enough, but this definitely seems like it could be darker. In this incarnation, Freud is trying to convince his colleagues that hypnotism is the medical thing of the future. He’s also a raging cocaine addict. A woman is murdered and everyone that sees her, including her relatives, ask if she was a whore. I guess those were the times. There’s also some secret gays floating around, so I’m interested to see what happens there. In terms of disability related content, there are quite a few men with facial scars, an obvious cocaine addiction, and some really unfortunate talk about mental issues – hysteria being the popular one. So far, we haven’t seen a lot of hysteria, but I expect that we may at some point. I imagine, considering the series is about Freud, the “hysteria” thing will get worse. If that’s the case, we will see some problems with representation there, but for now, things weren’t too out of pocket. I’m not all too sure how this is going to play out yet, but I’m willing to go in for another episode.
You can check out Freud on Netflix.
Suncoast
So, full disclosure, we were aware that this movie is propped up by disability, so we made the call that one of us needed to watch it. Essentially, because the trailer made us think that it would be about Glass Child Syndrome, I lost the coin toss because these movies tend to be horribly traumatizing to disabled people. Now, onto the movie. The film is centered on Doris and how her life is affected by having a disabled brother. At the same time the Terri Schiavo case is making headlines and Doris meets an activist who is protesting the case.
In the beginning of the movie, they are putting Doris’ brother, Max (not that you would know his name because it’s barely spoken), in a nursing home/hospice. Doris has to be late to school because her abusive mother can’t take care of her disabled child without making Doris the caretaker. As a result Doris has no friends and no life. To be clear, Max’s portrayed disability is not, and has never been, the problem. The problem Doris has is that her mother is abusing her and only loves one of her children. That’s not Max’s fault or Doris’ fault. It’s her mom’s fault. Blaming Max is what we call ableism, kids.
It doesn’t take long before Mom decides to sleep at the nursing home, Suncoast, with Max, because according to mom he’s trapped in his own body. He can’t move or think. Yes, that is how she describes him.
First, this is all 100% inaccurate and it’s dangerous to pretend that it’s true. The inclusion of this hurts entire populations of people. But anyway, Doris would have to stay home alone – that’s not a problem though because she would be in her own home (alone) and can think and isn’t trapped in her body, so it’s no big deal (again according to mom). It’s cool for her though, because she is able to make new friends at school and have parties and experience life, which is impossible when you’re the forced caretaker of a disabled sibling.
There is even a brief scene where Doris stands in what is presumed to be Terri Schiavo’s doorway and watches her sleeping. As she lays there, her lip is droopy. Doris stands there, looking at her with sadness, contempt, and pity. All messages that people already lacking in understanding and empathy will soak up like a sponge.
Even the conversations that are supposed to counter ableism are steeped in ableism, so it’s a rough watch. And while I hate to say this with some of the names in this, frankly I’ve seen some better acting in film school. In some ways, Suncoast attempts to get the viewer to determine whether or not disabled or sick people are better dead than disabled. That’s the wrong question to ask. It’s been asked before and it’s been asked better.
What it comes down to is that this film wouldn’t be possible without disability. The disability is there to prop the story up and it would not be possible without it. Add in that the disabled character is the prop and is barely shown (and even less with dignity) and you get a story about disabled people that is inhumanely pointless.
You can watch Suncoast on Hulu.
Reacher
Needing to get Suncoast out of my brain, I watched one more thing this week – or rather, I started it. I got through a couple episodes of the first season of Reacher. I’d been meaning to watch it, but with the study, if something is not on your list, you don’t often have the time. This series is based on the popular book series about Jack Reacher. I think there were some Tom Cruise movies, too, but I have to imagine this is better because Alan Ritchson is just the right amount of entertaining. Willa Fitzgerald is also a fun addition as a police officer in a sleepy town that gets interrupted by a boatload of murders upon Reacher’s entrance to the town. He was just passing through until one of the body’s turned out to be his brothers. And that’s about where I am. I don’t know much more than that. Oh one more thing, Harvey Guillén plays a medical examiner, and he’s just as wonderful as he is on What We Do in the Shadows. This is one of the most enjoyable things I’ve watched all week and look forward to finishing up the first season soon.
You can watch Reacher on Amazon Prime.
Dom
Fool Me Once
So I finally finished Fool Me Once. I watched the last four episodes this week and what a mess of a show. So much happened in the last two episodes, none of it particularly good, which makes me question why I started watching the show in the first place.
The disability storyline was not actually a disability. I knew they might do this and it might not be as big of a problem if we had more disability storylines, but since most of the messages we get in the media are negative about disability this adds nothing to the discussion.
All I can say is that the show was a far-fetched mess that relies on shock, twists, and suspended disbelief. The main shock was supposed to be who the killer was, but I found it so ridiculous that I just laughed at the revelation. If you like messy psychological family dramas, this might be a fun way to pass eight hours, but honestly I wouldn’t hold your breath. Find something better with greater disability representation. We don’t need more cop outs or disability as a plot device. Oh, and the epilogue at the end was pointless.
I don’t know why I’m supposed to care about any of these characters, because I don’t. Sorry Michelle Keegan. Not even you can save this.
You can watch Fool me once on Netflix, but I recommend you find something else
Miss Scarlet & The Duke
We are at the point in the show where we have to wait for episodes because we are all caught up. There are only a few episodes left and I’m getting kind of antsy because it’s the fourth season and I’m ready for the Duke and Scarlet to finally get together. If they are not getting together, what is the point of the show? I’m not really big into romance all that much, so when I want a couple to get together it’s really frustrating when the powers that be keep them apart for whatever reason. I get kind of exhausted with the cat and mouse that goes on with a lot of these couples and shows.
I don’t know if the actor who is Duke had a conflict but they sent him off to New York. My hope is that he will appear through a time jump, and things will happen in the last few episodes of the season but if that will happen is anyone’s guess. I’m sure we will all know how I feel about the show in a few weeks.
You can watch Miss Scarlet on PBS on Sunday nights when it’s airing or you can catch it on Amazon through the available PBS Masterpiece channel they offer.
Aliens 3
As I mentioned in our first What We are Watching segment, I have a usual weekly movie screening with a friend. We’ve been working through the Aliens and Predators series’. I currently like Aliens better but still think Predator is a good time. Also RIP Carl Weathers. You were great in Predator!
So, I did not realize that I had seen Aliens 3 many years ago. But I had at least seen many parts of it, if not all of it. I didn’t remember anything about it until after I watched it. I was really interested to see how David Fincher added to the Aliens franchise and he did not disappoint. I believe that he takes the series to a whole new level of scary with his rendition. The alien is even more terrifying looking. The writing is great and I feel like all of the movies have built upon each other. They just keep getting better.
The first Aliens will always be my favorite but this is a superb addition to the franchise. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley, only to discover that her crew from the last movie is dead and she has arrived on a prison planet. It’s a decommissioned prison colony that is still running because the prisoners took a vow of celibacy and want to keep the facility running. As such, it takes a week for transport to get there to bring supplies. There is a warden, his assistant, and a medical professional.
Needless to say, allowing a woman amongst men who haven’t seen a woman in a while, especially men who are rapists and murderers, creates a huge stir. I always say that Aliens is a perfect character study in gaslighting non-cisgender men. It’s a case study specifically in gaslighting women. Well this entry into the franchise adds another layer – victim blaming. The warden specifically blames Ripley as though she had a choice in her damaged pod crash landing on the colony. Throughout the movie, all the onus is placed on her to protect herself, because it’s her fault she was there anyway, right?!
At the end of the day, Ripley once again saves everything. But there is a lot of action and fantastic writing and acting to go along with it. I highly recommend you watch Aliens 3, but only after watching the first two which are also fabulous. And watch Predator and its sequels. Not just for Carl Weathers (although he is always worth it), but because they are really fun action flicks. Can’t wait for the next film – Alien Resurrection. I’m sure you’ll be hearing about it next!
You can check out Aliens 3 on Hulu.
Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale
As Ashtyn mentioned we started watching Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale. I was excited because I love anything about fantasy, witches and wizards, or magic. I knew the premise was that the town was supposedly home to witches and was considered a sanctuary, but that something happened and a modern-day witch was being accused of something horrible like murder or something to that effect. That witch is Sarah. She comes from a long line of witches, and sometimes it skips a generation.
You learn that Sarah has been using her friends for spell work, which allows her to increase her power and help others. She also gets permission to keep pieces of people’s hair, in case she has to whip up any type of magical spell to help them. She is huge into consent. It’s very by the books and she seems very dedicated.
Sarah has a daughter named Harper who they believe has no magical powers. Harper’s boyfriend, Daniel (really I think an ex-boyfriend because he and his mates are kind of cruel to Harper but the nature of their relationship is completely unclear other than they were dating and there was a sex tape exposed at the party featuring them) dies at a party and magic appears to be present, Sarah is accused, as is Harper.
Of course a witch hunt is just beginning. You would think with all this action it would be a bit more exciting, but the show is actually a very slow burn at this point. I want the action to pick up and I really like Sarah. However you can see her friends, particularly Abigail, the mother of Daniel, turning on her and things getting really ugly. Hopefully, in the next few episodes, things will get more exciting.
You can watch Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale on AMC/AMC+ or through Amazon’s AMC channel.
The Great North
Here it is – the shining jewel of our television watching week. We’ve already made it through the first season and are cruising well into the middle of the second season. We will be caught up to start the fourth season, which has just started airing probably later this next week.
I vaguely knew about the show but with us watching live-action for our disability representations study we hadn’t really been watching anything animated for a while.
When we made a list of all the shows coming out I went through and watched trailers for everything. When I learned that Nick Offerman was in this I was immediately interested in watching. I’ve been a huge fan of his for a while. I’m really glad I took the chance to watch this because what a freaking delightful show. Ashtyn is not lying when we sing the theme song all the time, and I often sing it when the show is not on!
My favorite character is Ham but I love so many of the characters especially Honeybee and Wolf but Beef and Moon are also fabulous. Even Judy doesn’t get on my nerves as much as other characters that are written similar to her. Plus it’s totally fun that Alanis Morrissette is her imaginary friend.
I started watching this because it reminded me of Bob’s Burgers, but where almost every character but Louise and Gene get on my nerves on that show, most of these characters are so hilariously wholesome I can’t not love them. I love Ham’s honesty. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was growing up. And I love that he’s gay as well. He and his boyfriend Crispen are so cute.
I highly recommend this if you like Bob’s Burgers style of comedy. The show is so much fun and really funny as well. If you want some lighthearted comedy this is the show for you. I can’t wait til I’m caught up to the fourth season
You can check out The Great North on Hulu.
That’s what we’ve been watching! Now it’s your turn to tell us. See you next week for another episode of What We’re Watching!
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