Category Archives: TV

The Hour (TV Series)

‘The Hour’ is about a new current-affairs show on BBC in 1956, and what happens in the lives of the team members involved in the making of the show. The series takes us through the journey of the show from a staid newspaper presentation to the visual and ‘breaking’ news reportage. With spies, honey traps and corruption thrown into the mix, danger is just around the corner for the intrepid Producer Isabel (Bel) Rowley ( Romola Garai) , and the journalist Frederick (Freddie) Lyon ( Ben Whishaw).

Well written and acted, this series is a good watch. The only crib being at times, the writers try too hard to fit it into the thriller genre, and dumb down the proceedings a bit (like the last episode of season 2). But in the end, it is still engaging enough and keeps you hooked throughout.

Related Links

The Hour writer wants to revive the show for a third series set in the 1960s

Game of Thrones Season 8: Episode 1

jonsnow

(Spoilers ahead) The much anticipated season of Game of Thrones is here. GOT is popular all over the world as a show with all its elements, particularly its audacious storytelling. It stays true to this aspect even in the final season. One of its key features of the storytelling is the ability to surprise audience both with the twists to the key characters’ journeys and their sudden exposition.

If it were to left to someone else they might have kept Jon Snow ( now Aegon Targaryen) in dark about his legacy. But this is no  ordinary show. So the first episode ends with a definite chance for the character arcs to go haywire based on this new twist. What’s also very remarkable about the show is how consistently all characters seem to chase the throne once they attain a certain power. Eventually,  will Samwell Tarly will go after the throne too?

Suits- Season 1 & 2

suits-tv-show-1535529681

‘Suits’ is one heck of a TV series and shouldn’t be missed. ‘Suits’ (created by Aaron Korsh) is about how a seasoned lawyer in a top law firm in NYC and a rookie law associate solve tough cases, even though the law associate never went to a law school. What happens to them as the firm undergoes many changes, and how they tackle their individual personal relationships forms the crux of the story.

Brilliant cast and terrific writing are the hall marks of ‘Suits’. The entire key cast are a treat to watch—Harvey (Gabriel Macht), Mike (Patrick J. Adams), Lous (Rick Hoffman), Rachel (Meghan Markle), Donna (Sarah Rafferty) and Jessica (Gina Torres).

What’s very special about the series is how esoteric business concepts and related contests are condensed into a single episode of less than an hour. Some situations dealing with mergers etc stretch into multiple episodes, but even the writers do a very good job of covering enough ground in any given episode, providing the audience a very satisfactory experience. There are enough personal sub plots that form the continuity, with the legal situations being concluded at regular intervals. Internet is full of memes and quotes from the TV series, which serves as an indicator of the show’s popularity.

suits

Dialogues are worth mentioning…let it be the insert of popular culture in all conversations, specially movie related between Harvey and Mike (from ‘The Godfather’ to ‘The Shawshank Redemption’), or the tit for tat banters between Donna and Louis, or the super charged chats between Jessica and Harvey or the seething stuff involving Daniel Hardman…writers get it so damn right.

Tailpiece: It’s interesting to compare ‘Donald Draper’ from ‘Mad Men’ with ‘Harvey Specter’ from ‘Suits’. Both are immaculately dressed and pretty popular in their circuits. If Donald Draper deals with a lie from his past, Harvey does his best to save Mike from his. Both have an interesting relationship with their bosses. Clients love them, and so do all the women around them. Both have ambivalent feelings towards key people in their offices (Pete Cambell, Louis Litt )

Related Links:

Apples and Oranges: Donald Draper v/s Harvey Specter