Looking back at old media roundups it seems that the last time we watched a Borgen series was before I started writing these! Season 3 (released in 2013, but only added to Netflix in 2020) is a magnificent return to
Stateless
Fairly harrowing dramatisation of true events at an Illegal Immigrant Detention Centre in South Australia. I’ve long been critical of Australia’s policies and practices regarding refugees and this 6 part series saw many of those stories, manifest. Most gruelling of
Little Fires Everywhere
Earnest drama set in borderline caricature town, starring Reese Witherspoon as a genuinely unpleasant mother figure. Great performances – esp. from the 2nd half of the series with the 20-somethings playing younger versions of the parent characters. Lots going on,
Greyzone
I really admire a series crafted to be self-contained like this – Birgitte Hjort Sorensen (Borgen, Pitch Perfect 2, very briefly Game Of Thrones) – leads this FBI-equivalent terrorist drama set in Stockholm/Copenhagen, which while seemingly straightforward contains enough plot
Run
Sweet/amusing-enough story about ppl approaching middle-age activating a youth-sealed pact to ease the drudgery in their lives, which takes a turn for the more sinister once it’s got its hooks in you. I found the appearance of Phoebe Waller-Bridge playing
Dead to Me – Season 2
One of those shows where seemingly normal people get caught up in an unusual but plausible circumstance, and then have you watching agape at how they choose to respond and the decisions they make. Sometimes difficult to watch because Christina
Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
We were really starting to settle into this before abruptly learning it was a 4-part miniseries. Spencer gives a solid portrayal of a principled, driven woman who wants to take life on her own terms, and finds the men in
Homeland – Seasons 1 to 7
Compelling CIA thriller following a sometime-unbalanced agent in her counter-terrorism work, in which she becomes very personally entangled – and also caught in the machinations of higher-level Machiavellian scheming by career spymasters. Famously slow in seasons 3 & 4, taken
COBRA
Massive solar flare causes nationwide power blackout – and this 6-part drama follows PM Robert Carlyle dealing with it. Decent bit of TV in the end; the opening blows were fairly predictable, but by the end I had a good
Goliath – Season 3
If season 2 was difficult to describe, season 3 has upped that ante quite a bit. Ostensibly about some farmers who come to Billy McBride about water rationing in their area, the story quickly becomes entangled & starts dropping into