luther, season 2 (neil cross)

enjoyable only on a very superficial level, so much so that i actually had to watch it whilst checking my tumblr or i felt i wasn't making use of my time wisely... it gets extra points for having stringer bell, being set in london and having sudden bursts of violence.... but it's also full of sensationalism in its plotlines, luther's logic is not logic but clairvoyance and all in all i found it a bit too daft. so yes, just so-so. only to watch if you want to watch some rubbish tv without feeling insulted.

Rating: 4.5/10

game of thrones, season 1 (david benioff and d. b. Weiss)

the first post-wire tv series that has surprised me. when i first knew they were adapting the books, i expected it to be a bit too 'hercules' looking, but that couldn't be further from the truth. the production values are really top-notch and the story, well, i can only say that all the hype is deserved. i love how it deconstructs most of the stereotypes of the genre (apart from the rather cheesy sex scenes): basically, you cannot predict anything plotwise. you have all the fantasy archetypes, but they are all twisted, full of grey shades and... well, real. i also welcomed the almost complete absence of obvious cgi. the whole thing totally blew  me away. pity about the horrible horrible horrible opening credits, i hate them, i really hope they change them for future seasons. roll on spring 2012!! can't wait for the second season.

Rating: 9.5/10

the shadow line (hugo blick)

obviously this is really far from being 'the wire', but i was quite surprised by its quality. i admit that some of the dialogues can seem a bit cheesy and over the top, but in general the script is rather good, and the performances are not bad. my favourite character is, of course, gatehouse, but i also like the mannered pshyco gangster... and eccleston (i always tend to like his roles). the final episode can seem totally unbelievable, but i actually liked it, i have nothing against stories about conspiracies. and the truth is that plotwise the story demanded something as spectacular as that for a season finale. good it was only 7 episodes, though, i don't think it could have maintained the momentum for much longer. but good, very good.

'beep!'

Rating: 8/10

psychoville, season 2 (reece shearsmith, steve pemberton)

'not now, silent singer!' is the new 'i done a bad murder'; these guys create the darkest humour shown on tv. again, a masterpiece. the tina turner sketch will always stay with me. and i don't think i'll be able to forget the episode with mr jelly and the kidney. my smile kind of froze half way through, but i liked it! oh, and ladybird-face!! i love her to bits!!
i found the storyline a bit too all over the place at the beginning, with the mix of old and new characters, couldn't see where the new ones fit into place; but after a couple of weeks everything started making more sense. i'm sad it's over, i want more episodes!

'did you masturbate in my tea?'

Rating: 8.5/10

the crimson petal and the white (marc munden)

i wasn't 100% convinced when i saw the first installment, mainly because i had problems with chris o'dowd playing a dramatic character. i couldn't help but smile when i saw him. but after a while i kind of got used to it. as a whole, this is a brilliant adaptation. i'd even say that it might be better than the book. i liked the book, i enjoyed reading it, but i didn't think it was amazing (especially reading it after faber's far superior 'under the skin'), but i actually think the visuals added something to the story. i loved the colour palette, especially the burnt summer lights so present in the last two episodes, and it's always a joy to see actors like shirley henderson, richard e grant or... gillian anderson! (i know, i know, she's not the best actress in the world, but c'mon, she's scully!). Jokes aside, a very pleasant surprise.

Rating: 8/10

damages, season 3 (glenn kessler)

i wasn't very impressed, to be honest. i liked the first two seasons when i watched them, but this all felt rather repetitive, more of the same... and i couldn't care less for any of the characters. i found the flash-forwards 'trick' that worked really well in the first seasons quite simply tedious. still, good(ish) quality tv, the script is ok, it's only 13 episodes and it's all well done. but they should stop here, though.

Rating: 6/10

psychoville (reece shearsmith and steve pemberton)

i liked it even better on the second viewing. the humour is just so spot-on. 'i done a bad murder' and 'fuck pig' are two phrases that will make tv history. all the characters are just brilliant. obviously, i have my favourites (the serial killer mother and son combo), but all have their strengths. i particularly like the hitchcock homage, but most of the episodes are really high standard. i have to admit i felt a bit disappointed by the open ending, i'd have prefered a more solid grand finale, but hey, i guess they just wanted to leave doors open for a possible second season. pity they didn't include the hallowe'en special in the dvd extras, though.

Rating: 8.5/10

afterlife, season 2 (stephen volk)

what a disappointment, to be honest. still enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but nothing like the first season. maybe my expectations were too high. the main theme was annoying (everything with alison's mom haunting her) and the individual stories are not that interesting at all. moreover, you spend half the time shouting "fuck off, robeeeeert!", whenever he opens his mouth. still, the series really picks up at the end and the two last episodes are really good, back to season 1's standards. the series also has two of the most annoying female secondary characters in film history, you just want to slap both jude and barbara. so yes, now that i think of it, it inspired some kind of aggresiveness in me. maybe it's a ghost haunting me, with an unresolved issue. yes. and the issue is "watch better programs on tv!"

Rating: 5/10



jeeves and wooster - the complete series (clive exton)

what ho! well, this dvd boxset has certainly provided some delightful entertainment in my household. we´ve savioured every bit of it. thank you so much, mr christopher, for letting it us borrow it. what can i say? it's so funny. i love both fry and laurie, they are so well cast, but also all the secondary characters (tuppy, aunt delia,  fink-nottle,. aunt agatha, spode... i love them all!). and the use of the language is so rich (i know we probably have to thank mr p.g. wodehouse for that, but it's such a joy to hear). there are episodes in the first two series that are definitely some of my favourite moments in all tv history. they should have stopped after season 3, though, as the last series is really not up to the standard. oh, and, i warn you all: jeeves has become my ultimate fashion icon, he´s just awesome. i also want to speak like him, but i guess that will take me quite some time... oh well. toodle-oo, guys, i'm going to practice my newt dance.

Rating: season 1: 10/10
           season 2: 10/10
           season 3: 8/10
           season 4: 6/10

Average rating: 8.5/10

christopher and his kind (geoffrey sax)

i enjoyed this, but not sure if for the right reasons. it ticks loads of boxes for me: 1930s europe, nazis, hot gay sex and literature. and i like the story itself... and matt smith's almost absence of eyebrows. so yes, i enjoyed it, but i found it all too glamourised, everybody and everything was too pretty and clean for me, to be honest, but i guess that's the only way of showing it on bbc1 on a saturday evening.

Rating: 7/10

afterlife, season 1 (stephen volk)

i was greatly surprised, this is actually very good. the brits do have a way of portraying the supernatural that's really subtle and therefore generally creepier than american attempts. i love the premise, i like the characters (i wasn't very convinced by her acting in the first episode, but then she totally won me over) and some of the episodes are truly excellent, especially 'daniel 1 & 2' and the season finale. thank you simon for finding this. can't wait to see the second season.

Rating: 8.5/10

being human season 3

i kind of enjoyed season 1 and 2, the story was kind of daft and entertaining, with a touch of good, perfect for a sunday evening. some of the episodes were indeed excellent. i couldn't help but feeling a bit disappointed with season 3, though. the story is all over the place, far too many new characters (i welcomed robson greene, he is great, but there were too many that appeared just for one episode and that's it), and the balance tilted more towards the daft than towards anything else. but, as usual, it has a couple of good episodes. however, the worse bit is there is not enough werewolf bum at all in this season! i think he renewed his contract and deleted the clause that said you have to appear naked in every other episode. bummer.

Rating: 6/10

punk: attitude (don letts)

 it was only after the first 5 min that i realised i had watched this before. i loved it the first time and i loved it again. i really appreciate the fact that they talk about something else than british punk, as i've always preferred the american bands. so seeing the ramones, the stooges and mc5 on the screen was a total joy. i'm not that keen on the last part of the documentary, when they talk about east-coast hardcore and the like, never been a big fan, but, yeah, two thumbs up for this wonderful documentary. Also, it's always a pleasure to hear sensible people like thurston moore, siouxsie and henry rollings speak.

Rating: 9/10

cambridge spies (tim fywell)

well, i was bound to like this, wasn't i? at least the first episode: 1930s britain + cambridge college + some boy on boy action: perfect combination. i had loved it when it was first aired, and i loved rewatching it again. i have to admit the second episode is rather weak, especially when kilby goes to spain, but 3 and 4 manage to get back on track. i know it's incredibly glamourised, everything's shiny and dramatic and nice, but i think it succeeds at making the viewers want to know more about these guys. or, well, at least that's how i feel. apparently anthony blunt's version of the story (after he was exposed by thatcher in 1979) is going to be disembargoed in 2013. now, that's going to be an interesting read...

Rating: 7.5/10