Nerdie (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nerdietalk) wrote2018-12-31 10:37 pm
nerdietalk) wrote2018-12-31 10:37 pmFiction of 2019
Hell yeah, a new and improved obsessive list
nerdietalk) wrote2018-12-31 10:37 pm
TV Shows
January
A wacky trial farce starring a big city cop coming to a Parks and Rec style eccentric town, doing his best to save a man who keeps shooting himself in the foot. Utterly hysterical with laughs almost every minute. The cast is amazing and the way they bounce off each other is astounding. Has an astounding level of continuity but it works really well. That's an A+ from me.
A Very English Scandal
I haven't always been the biggest fan of Russel T. Davies but this miniseries plays to his strengths. He's great at gay whimsy and gay tension and he uses that to tell the fascinating tale of the Thorpe Affair. Both sides of the scandal are understood and sympathized with, while not downplaying Thorpe's horrible actions or Norman's tendency to be vain and self-destructive. Whenever you get a little too relaxed into how happy these men are to be gay, it reminds you exactly how hard it was to be gay in the strict straight world. Its a gripping journey points out the absurd but doesn't ignore the real emotions behind it all.
Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Season 3)
Fuck, what a show. The book series has been near and dear to my heart and the final books are hard to get through. Sometimes, the bleakness of it all gets to be too much. But this show offers a path for characters the books didn't. It doesn't promise them happy endings. The show never claims that the Baudelaires never had trouble again after the show. It doesn't claim that the Widdershins had a pleasant family reunion. It doesn't promise the survival of dozens of its characters. But it promises a future. The show never shies away from the cruelty of the world it presents. How ignorance is more dangerous than malice. And it never claims that things will end happily. But, unlike the books, it promises the audience that it is important to keep going. That there could be a happy ending for you and for all of us. And that means a lot.
Parks and Recreation (Season 7)
I haven't watched mooooost of Parks and Rec? But I like what I've seen and I really enjoyed this season. It wraps a bow on each character respectfully, giving all the characters a future to look forward to. Its so heartfelt! And passionate about doing good for the future! Its great!
Nailed It!
A fun show about people screwing up baking. I dumped a good five hours into this and had a swell time with it.
The Good Place (Season 3)
When you go big, sometimes its good to go small. Season 3 goes for smaller stakes and its all the better for it. We get to see how the cast interacts in different situations and how they can try to improve the system for everyone. The season even ends with them in a more powerful position than before, no longer in the whims of fate. But it doesn't come without cost. The final mind-wipe of the season puts the knowledge of the cast out of wack with each other, a slower stakes twist to a slower stakes season. And it works! It needed to go back to the simple stuff for the future stuff to land. Bravo.
February
Del Toro really revels in cliche and its really apparent in this show. Still, it does try to take risks and those risks can be breathtaking when they work. Its a show that doesn't always work or even grab my interest. But I can't deny its kind of fascinating for another (albeit successful) attempt at a franchise.
3Below (Season 1)
About the same as Trollhunters. Its Fine, harmless fun. Some good character moments among lots of cliches
Netflix's Carmen Sandiego (Season 1)
GOD. Stunning character art, amazing backgrounds, genuinely funny and stylish. The whole thing is just buckets of fun. Its got the thrill of a Saturday morning cartoon. Absolutely adored it.
Babylon 5 (Season 4)
What a fucking season of television. I'm still coming right off of Deconstruction of the Falling Stars but it really is a brilliant show. Its so ambitious and its doing its hardest to reach for the stars. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but its never boring. It covers so many complicated topics across history and all the things that will happen again and again. There's depictions of propaganda taking the truth and spinning it to their own racist, homophobic ends. There's metaphors for dealing with evil government administrations (Trump): its like taking a bit of poison everyday. Eventually, you get used to it.
But I think what really got me was the finale. The heroes won and had relatively happy endings, sure. But the ending says "hey, the future isn't going to be good forever. Horrible things are going to happen. But that's okay. There's always going to be hope too. Its worth it to fight. Its always worth it to fight. Even millions of years later, its gonna be okay."
This and Legend of the Galactic Heroes are one of the most important science fiction shows of all time.
13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo
It... was super not was I was expecting. With all the hype around it as the "demonic" Scooby show, that conservative parents hated. But its really goofy. Its proto-Pup Named Scooby Doo. Lots of wacky shenanigans and dancing and so on. Flim-Flam gets WAY more flack than he deserves. Scrappy is doing a lot better. There's a lot of gags they just do to death. But its charming in its strangeness. A piece of Scooby history, for sure.
May
I love this show a lot. Its a great bunch of fun. Its also really gay and its characters are all so compelling. This season was much shorter but it still had interesting developments in understanding Hordak and Shadow Weaver. I'm hoping other characters get the limelight soon too because they're all great.
Moominvalley (Season 1)
I've been rocking that Moomin life for a bit now. This 2019 season takes a different approach to some characters: Moomin's a bit of a moody teen trying to be cool, Snufkin's aloofness is more attached to social anxiety. But these changes generally work? Its telling a modern version of these philosophical tales and it kinda comes together really nice. I probably prefer the soft comfort of the 90s show over this one's zany antics, but its still really compelling in what they decide to do with it all.
Leverage (Season 1)
Its very "early 00s USA network show" but sometimes I need that in my life. Rob the rich, give to the poor, inject those anticap themes into my veins.
Doom Patrol (Season 1)
My favorite superhero show. Its so GREAT and BONKERS and never loses its humanity in the middle of all the wacky shit it does. Every character shines and how they move past or succumb to their faults is always absolutely fascinating to watch unfold. I'm never mad when the scene shifts to another character because I care about every character. Even the side characters are total delights. Give me more Flex Mentallo, give me more Danny, and give me more Joshua, and definitely give me this Kate character, she sounds GREAT.
One of the plot points episode is that a rat and a cockroach make out in a sentient street thanks to a beard fetishist. Its perfect.
Leverage (Season 2)
Oh, loads better than season one. The camera direction is actually superb in this show in general, with really creative and energetic shots to keep the pace exciting. The lead up to the season finale is well-paced as you just know characters are going down a bad path that will spell disaster, but there's just no avoiding it. Its exhilirating and a fun ride along the way.
June
A delightful romp with whimsy to spare. There's several characters I can't really make myself sit through, but the characters that do work make it really easy to care about their fates. David Tennant's Crowley and Michael Sheen's Aziraphale have unbelievable chemistry and they fully embrace the weirdness and charm of the entire show. What a wonderful show.
Leverage (Season 3)
Show keeps getting better! It really does understand the importance of character moments. Elliot picking up his gun is terrifying because it relies on seasons of set-up and what it means for him to be put back in the position of needing to use it. I kinda wish it got a more understated moment afterwards: one of the crew trying to calm him down after his big gun moment. It feels like a sacrifice, but I think they could go harder into it too. Still, the villain arc is really strong and the show does what its going for really well.
July
Somehow, it got even better. Some of its most powerful episodes were in this batch. I was completely blown away. Aldis Hodge should be in so much more, holy shit what an incredible actor. Remind me to start City on a Hill because that man can fucking ACT. One of the most underrated stars in the business by far. He spent an episode playing, instead of himself, a past version of special guest star Danny Glover. And NAILED IT. FUCK! Aldis Hodge is the best!
Lupin the Third
This is pure, concentrated, goofy joy. Feed it to me like grapes.
August
I got emotionally ruined in a way I haven't in a long time. I was literally curled up in a ball on the couch, devastated. Fuck. It hit me so goddamn hard. What an incredible show filled with incredible characters.
Aggretsuko (Season 2)
Beneath the goofs, the show depicts the struggle of maintaining adult relationships. Things aren't always easy. Things fall apart. But its necessary to put the work in. And this show is willing to have real conversations about it.
Infinity Train (Season 1?)
After Over the Garden Wall, I've been craving another dark but psychological Cartoon Network miniseries. Infinity Train easily nails that specific craving. Tulip's struggle to accept the illogical in herself and how she lashes out to feelings and discomfort is such a strong through-line of the series. The villain's motivation needed a little bit more polish but the direction they take the core premise of the show is incredible. I definitely can't wait to see what other places the show could go.
Cannon Busters
You see more and more of these kind of anime inspired shows from people who grew up in the 90s. They have a lot of ideas to throw around and it ends up kind of a mess? But its also kind of a fun mess? Its very strange. Anyway this was fine I guess. I like Sam.
September
I waffled back and forth on this a lot but I think ultimately I enjoyed it quite a bit. I don't think anything else in the 90s was this psychological and philosophical to this degree. And its dedication to character over plot is really something to behold when it goes so far in its examination. Good lord. But really...
End of Evangelion
It was EoE that sold it for me. Everything that worked about Eva slams together for a thrilling finale. The Third Impact sequence set my veins on fire. The criticism of its own fans was electric. Its a stunning, fascinating display that builds on what they've done before in one final "fuck you for not understanding." Holy shit what a journey.
Harper's Island
This was so fucking stupid. I loved it.
Revue Starlight
THAT WAS GAY. LOVED IT.
October to December
catra please get better.
Fillmore
HOLDS UP. HIGH ART. DESERVES ALL THE ATTENTION