Weekend Binge

After Life

Ricky Gervais brought his newest show back for a second season on Netflix. The first season dealt with Gervais’ character, Tony (basically just Ricky Gervais), and the aftermath of his wife’s death. We see his character change from rude, onboxious, gruff and arrogant to a slightly lesser version of those things. The second season begins and Tony is trying to be a nicer person. However, he is still not over the death of his wife. More personal tragedies and a crossroads that must be met are almost too much for him. He can feel himself slipping into the dark hole again and we are not sure whether he can pull himself out.

This show is specifically for Gervais. There are a variety of characters in the supporting cast that enter the frame for one line jokes, uncomfortable stories that Tony laughs at, or indeed just to be laughed at. Each scene comes back to Tony and his struggle. While that is what the show is about, sometimes it can be shoehorned in to almost remind the viewer that the only person worth caring about is Tony.

Wow. That looks harsh and almost as if I didn’t like the show. I did. I really enjoyed the show. I agree that there are some needless jokes about weight in there. They are sometimes a touch cruel. However, Gervais’ observational humour is brilliant in this series. It is also an easy watch. Each episode is no longer than a half an hour.
There are some upsetting scenes and some mentions of personal loss that could affect vulnerable people. Other than that, though, watch away and enjoy! Do not fret if you haven’t seen the first season as I reviewed that last year. Click here for that post. Amn’t I a great reviewer? Thanks guys. Appreciate it.

Paranoid

This was something that I threw on purely because of the subject matter. K and I were on a BBC (British Broadcasting Channel, ye doorty feckers 😏) binge, fresh from watching Happy Valley and Bletchley Circle. We needed another crime show set in a small English town protected by detectives that aren’t used to the dramatic violence about to visit their doorstep. Paranoid did not disappoint.

Despite the first episode not being very convincing, the series as a whole is fast-paced, exciting and thrilling. Stick with this show past the first episode. You will thank me.
The show takes place in a rural village in England, where the murder of a GP in a playground takes Detectives Nina Suresh (Indira Varma), Alec Wayfield (Dino Fetscher) and Bobby Day (Robert Glenister) on a cross-country investigation. Bobby goes to Germany to link up with Detective Linda Felber (Christiane Paul) to investigate a death linked to his own case. The international pair uncover a conspiracy that neither detective could have envisioned. Danny Huston plays Nick Waingrow, an executive at a pharma company heavily linked to the deaths and the conspiracy.

For a show with so many moving parts and loose threads, everything is done and dusted by the final episode. You don’t feel as if anything is too rushed. You almost wish that there was another season to continue the story. That’s right guys. This one is a ‘one and done’. There will be no second season from what I can see. Tat is the one problem with BBC productions. The actors are tied to so many other shows and series that they probably can’t commit to long projects. Indira Varma was appearing in Game of Thrones at the time.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this to people. K and I loved it. So did some of my coworkers once I told them about it. It’s only one season. What have you got to lose?