“To Binge or Not to Binge: The Streaming Shows You May Be Missing Online"

“To Binge or Not to Binge: The Streaming Shows You May Be Missing Online"

Netflix

  

13 REASONS WHY

(2017, TV-MA, 13 episodes approx. 59 minutes each, NETFLIX ORIGINALS/KICKED TO THE CURB PRODUCTIONS)

In yet another example of why the entertainment industry needs to pay close attention to what Netflix is doing. The streaming service has produced a show that reaches even further than anything they have done yet. 13 REASONS WHY is the story of Hannah Baker, and the thirteen people which, in some way, contributed to her suicide. If this sounds like a heavy subject matter, it is. As good as this show is, it is not one I recommend binge watching. In order to fully appreciate the story, you need to take each truth, each story, each degradation and injury as individually as you can. There is much to absorb, to understand. The show hits on several levels; it can be grim, funny, bitingly satirical, and dark. It will make you sad, angry, occasionally happy and lighthearted… which is where the heart of this show lies. It takes great writing and a truly effective cast to tell a complex and detailed story of this type. To give you too many details would be to soften the scope and message of this program, so, as usual, no spoilers here. But this cast… Hannah is played by newcomer Katherine Langford. The show is strongest when either she or Clay (Dylan Minnette) are onscreen; they capture the doubt and struggles and the stress of high school beautifully, so much so that it is horrifically brilliant at times. Have no doubt—this is a serious show, with serious messages, all of which need to be witnessed, experienced, even mulled over. And yes, it is something you should watch with your teenagers, have you any; discussing the episodes afterwards may give you a better sense of what they are going through. After all, you went to high school way back… when you had to catch a brontosaurus in the morning…

Series Grade: A - (there is something about that ending, but I won’t get into it here—the entire show is worth the ride!)

Amazon Prime

FORTITUDE

(2015-, TV-MA, 21 episodes approx. 55 minutes each, FIFTY FATHOMS PRODUCTIONS/AMAZON STUDIOS)

Fortitude is the northernmost town in the country, and, apparently, sucks. Not only is it cold, but everybody sleeps around, the Russians are rowdy, and people are being killed. Oh, and someone dug up something that is killing the residents. Yeah: the town sucks. But watching it is fun as hell! With a stellar cast—my two favorites being the curmudgeonly Henry Tyson (the lovely Michael Gambon), a photographer who knows one of the darkest secrets of this tiny community, and investigator DCI Morton (the wonderful Stanley Tucci), who starts piecing together the intricate society and way of life in Fortitude. Their presences on this show, which is chock full of mystery, suspense, snow, and atmosphere, are welcome beacons of light when things start getting a bit gory. This is an interesting and rather intricate character study, but it also goes places you wouldn’t expect (like, say, INSIDE the thawing remains of a wooly mammoth), and the payoff is a climax straight out of Hollywood. Excellent production, and season two was just released this last week—this time with Dennis Quaid in the starring role. This show is rather absorbing, and is worth binge watching. The acting is great for what seems like a slow boil, low-budget thriller at first—I would like to stress the words “AT” and “FIRST”, by the way—but once you get to the latter-third of the first series, well… it’s like a really excellent book that you cannot put down.

-- T.S. Kummelman