“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
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