What to Watch: The British are Coming, the British are Coming! Volume 2
Volume 1, here
This is a continuation of session 1 about my obsession with everything British on Netflix.
6. The Fall
I never really watched the X Files, and had no desire to do so. So I wasn't a Gillian Anderson fan, just because I hadn't really been exposed to her. She's so good in this show. It's dark, she's not perfect, she's a little selfish and gritty with a past, but she's amazing in it. The plot is thrilling and she's just so good.
Metropolitan Police Superintendent Stella Gibson, a senior investigating officer tasked with the reviewing of investigations, is seconded to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in order to assess the progress of a murder investigation that has remained active for longer than 28 days. When it becomes apparent a serial killer is on the loose, local detectives must work with Stella to find and capture Paul Spector, who is attacking young professional women in the city of Belfast.
7. Broadchurch
Another BBC drama. This one takes place on the coast of England. A police detective comes to town and takes a leadership role that a local detective thought would go to her. A boy is murdered, that local detective's son's friend. They begin to investigate and the town's secrets start to unravel. It's so sad and intriguing, the acting is great. A media frenzy ensues, and you see it from the town's perspective. So many sad stories in the US become media frenzies, this was an interesting perspective--from the inside.
A seemingly calm and friendly seaside town becomes a town wrapped in secrets when the death of an eleven year old boy sparks an unwanted media frenzy. As the town's locals start to open up about what they do and don't know, it falls upon the police to catch the supposed killer.
8. Sherlock
Benedict Cumberbatch's break out role. I love the quirky characters, the fun of having smart people play smart characters. I love that these episodes are long and involved. You root for Holmes. You root for the land lady. You root for the supporting cast but also, secretly, for Sherlock and his jerk-y know-it-all ways. Because at the crux of it, he's endearing.
In this updated take on Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved mystery tales, the eccentric sleuth prowls the streets of modern-day London in search of clues.
9. Peaky Blinders
Cillian Murphy is so great in this story about a gang in England post WWI. He's the head of a family gang and he is ambitious and dangerous. It's dark and moody--a little like Boardwalk Empire, if you're a fan of that.
A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.
10. Island at War, a miniseries
Did you know that the Channel Islands were invaded during WWII? I read the Potato Peel Society book a couple years ago so this series appealed to me. And, it has Anna from Downton as one of the characters... It follows some of the people on the Channel Islands as they are occupied by German soldiers during WWII. Pretty interesting for a history nerd like me.
Island at War is a British television series that tells the story of the German Occupation of the Channel Islands. It primarily focuses on three local families: the upper class Dorrs, the middle class Mahys and the working class Jonases, and four German officers. The fictional island of St. Gregory serves as a stand-in for the real-life islands Jersey and Guernsey, and the story is compiled from the events on both islands.
Bonus: Foyle's War (which has been removed from Netflix, but you can catch it on Hulu)
I know, I know, another historical detective story from the BBC (set during and after WWII). When you do it well, why change the formula?! It does go beyond the formula--you see into the lives of the detectives and those around them, which makes the Foyle is SO endearing. His sidekick / driver Samantha Stewart embodies the word plucky (and the actress' name is HONEYSUCKLE WEEKS, has there ever been a better name for an actor?).
As World War II rages on, criminals try to take advantage of the resulting chaos. In Hastings, they aren't having much luck, thanks to Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle. As Foyle's son Andrew, a fighter pilot in the RAF, fights the enemy at war, Foyle battles the black market, profiteering and murder on the home front. He is dogged in his pursuit of justice, honest to a fault and frequently underestimated by his opponents. Together with his sergeant and his driver, Foyle wages his own war on crime.
This is a continuation of session 1 about my obsession with everything British on Netflix.
6. The Fall
I never really watched the X Files, and had no desire to do so. So I wasn't a Gillian Anderson fan, just because I hadn't really been exposed to her. She's so good in this show. It's dark, she's not perfect, she's a little selfish and gritty with a past, but she's amazing in it. The plot is thrilling and she's just so good.
Metropolitan Police Superintendent Stella Gibson, a senior investigating officer tasked with the reviewing of investigations, is seconded to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in order to assess the progress of a murder investigation that has remained active for longer than 28 days. When it becomes apparent a serial killer is on the loose, local detectives must work with Stella to find and capture Paul Spector, who is attacking young professional women in the city of Belfast.
7. Broadchurch
Another BBC drama. This one takes place on the coast of England. A police detective comes to town and takes a leadership role that a local detective thought would go to her. A boy is murdered, that local detective's son's friend. They begin to investigate and the town's secrets start to unravel. It's so sad and intriguing, the acting is great. A media frenzy ensues, and you see it from the town's perspective. So many sad stories in the US become media frenzies, this was an interesting perspective--from the inside.
A seemingly calm and friendly seaside town becomes a town wrapped in secrets when the death of an eleven year old boy sparks an unwanted media frenzy. As the town's locals start to open up about what they do and don't know, it falls upon the police to catch the supposed killer.
8. Sherlock
Benedict Cumberbatch's break out role. I love the quirky characters, the fun of having smart people play smart characters. I love that these episodes are long and involved. You root for Holmes. You root for the land lady. You root for the supporting cast but also, secretly, for Sherlock and his jerk-y know-it-all ways. Because at the crux of it, he's endearing.
In this updated take on Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved mystery tales, the eccentric sleuth prowls the streets of modern-day London in search of clues.
9. Peaky Blinders
Cillian Murphy is so great in this story about a gang in England post WWI. He's the head of a family gang and he is ambitious and dangerous. It's dark and moody--a little like Boardwalk Empire, if you're a fan of that.
A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.
10. Island at War, a miniseries
Did you know that the Channel Islands were invaded during WWII? I read the Potato Peel Society book a couple years ago so this series appealed to me. And, it has Anna from Downton as one of the characters... It follows some of the people on the Channel Islands as they are occupied by German soldiers during WWII. Pretty interesting for a history nerd like me.
Island at War is a British television series that tells the story of the German Occupation of the Channel Islands. It primarily focuses on three local families: the upper class Dorrs, the middle class Mahys and the working class Jonases, and four German officers. The fictional island of St. Gregory serves as a stand-in for the real-life islands Jersey and Guernsey, and the story is compiled from the events on both islands.
Bonus: Foyle's War (which has been removed from Netflix, but you can catch it on Hulu)
I know, I know, another historical detective story from the BBC (set during and after WWII). When you do it well, why change the formula?! It does go beyond the formula--you see into the lives of the detectives and those around them, which makes the Foyle is SO endearing. His sidekick / driver Samantha Stewart embodies the word plucky (and the actress' name is HONEYSUCKLE WEEKS, has there ever been a better name for an actor?).
As World War II rages on, criminals try to take advantage of the resulting chaos. In Hastings, they aren't having much luck, thanks to Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle. As Foyle's son Andrew, a fighter pilot in the RAF, fights the enemy at war, Foyle battles the black market, profiteering and murder on the home front. He is dogged in his pursuit of justice, honest to a fault and frequently underestimated by his opponents. Together with his sergeant and his driver, Foyle wages his own war on crime.
Someone at work was just raving about THE FALL! I have to check it out!
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