What I've Been Watching

So is anyone watching the same TV series? 

What I've been Watching

Things have been hectic around here lately and I haven't read that many books. I do plan  to record here the ones I did read even if with shorter reviews. In the mean time here's what I have been watching:

Seasons 7 to 14

What I've Been Watching: Castle - Season 5

As I've mentioned on my review of the 4th season of castle I was wondering if they could successfully continue the series after that final twist.

I have recently finished the 5th season and I am very happy to say that I enjoyed it very much and in my opinion they did a good job. A lot can go wrong when you no longer have the tension of unrequited love but I think Castle and Beckett manage really well in their new relationship. Castle is less immature but still funny and open minded and Beckett is less troubled but still sharp and focused on her job.

I did like the mysteries presented in each episode and the relationship between the main and the secondary characters, both those in the precinct and Castle's family. I actually think the secondary cast is part of what makes the hole thing work. 

And we are treated to another twist in the final episodes. I won't say I was completely surprised by it because I think Beckett really deserves something more but I am curious to see who they will make it work.

You can find the DVD here 

What I've Been Watching - Midsomer Murders

One of my aunts really enjoys this series and although she has tried to get me to watch it in the past I was always deterred by the fact that each episode is about 2 hours. Since I'm always on the run and watch TV mainly while I'm doing house work or otherwise occupied I usually watch shows that last for an hour tops. But I've been having more free time and one of these days I decided to sit down and watch an entire episode.

I loved it! It felt a bit like a Miss Marple mystery (that I do so love) because it is set in the British countryside -  Albeit a fictional one - and there are plenty of senior citizens around, often with major knowledge of human nature or at least the latest gossip, thus leading DCI Tom Barnaby in the right direction to successfully find the murderers.

The plots of this "whodunit" TV series deal mostly with the way of life of the small villages that populate the fictional Midsomer County. It's mostly a rural setting and the landscapes and buildings are truly enchanting. Exactly the place where any nature lover would like to live except for the fact that is does seem to have such a high crime rate. :-)

There are several reruns on TV at the moment and I've been watching episodes of the first 6 series but the TV show is still growing strong in the UK with season 17 set to air in December 2014.

The main characters are DCI Tom Barnaby and his Sergeant, Troy but Barnaby's family is also prominently featured in every episode.

I highly recommend it to everyone who enjoys cosy British mysteries!

You can find the DVDs for sale at Amazon:

Series 1

Series 2

Series 3

Series 4

Series 5

Series 6

What I've Been Watching - Body of Proof 3

It's been a while since I've written one of these "what I've been watching" posts but I'm planning to catch up on the several TV series I'm following and so I'll be doing a few of these.

I just finished the 3rd season of Body of Proof and I enjoyed it very much. I'm actually surprised by how much  enjoyed it because while I love love forensic medical shows I have a hard time believing the actual ME would spend so much time solving crimes and so little performing authopsies. Not only that but Doctor Megan Hunt is always so well dressed and runs around in such high heels that I keep wondering how she can help falling off of them.

It should be ridiculous really but despite everything I like Megan's approach to life and work, even if she sometimes sounds a bit too agressive. This season I particularly liked her new partner - I thought these two really had some chemistry - and I did like the story arc about her father.

Regarding the acting departing I always enjoy Dana Delany's work and I found the rest of the actors gave very competent performances. Favourite guests stars were Luke Perry and Ivan Sergei.

I was sorry to discover that this was the final season because I found it such an entertaining series. Dr Megan Hunt always made me smile with her comments.

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

NCIS LA - Season 4

I don't think I have ever mentioned my enjoyment of NCIS - LA here on the blog. Maybe because when I started watching it I wasn't immediately hooked. In the beginning I had already watched a few episodes of NCIS but wasn't following that series, when I heard that a spin off was in the works and that it starred Daniela Ruah I just couldn't resist sitting in front of the TV screen.

At first I thought that undercover house a bit silly and Hetty Lange a bit cartoonish. And the main characters didn't seem to have the necessary spark to make me follow their adventures.  But I persevered and episode by episode they won me over. Now, I love Callen and Hanna's interaction and of course Deeks (a late addition to the series) and Kensi's relationship. I enjoy the action but also the humour, the jokes and funny dialogues. It's not one of those serious TV series, here they all seem to be having a good time and I found that I liked that.

In season 4 we see the return of several of the bad guys that this team fought in previous seasons. They team up to get their revenge on the NCIS agents and in the final episode they do seems to have the upper hand. But besides chasing bad guys the adventures of this team also revolve around finding out Callen's past and true parentage, Hetty Lange's unorthodox recruitment methods and, in later series, Hannah's dealing  with his wife who is a fellow agent. Besides Hannah none of them seems to have much of a family life and that is addressed at different moments in the series.

As the previous seasons this one closed with a bang and now I am waiting for the next one to see whether everyone will make it (I peeked and everyone has signed up so yes they do make it) and what is going to happen next in their lives. Anyone else watching it?

Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4

Criminal Minds - Season 8

Is it just me or this series is getting darker and bloodier? I still love watching this show and I loved how we got to know more about the agent's private life this season but some of the cases are feeling a bit too much to me.

Having said that, I loved to have a subplot that continues through the whole season, although the replicator did replicate some gruesome cases I liked the idea of them having a stalker of sorts. After so many guys put away it seemed almost to be expected that they had managed to attract the attention of a bad guy.

I did miss Prentiss a bit and, maybe because of that, I didn't warm up to Blake immediately. She seems to pale in comparison to the other characters who are all so familiar and well defined. Loved knowing more about Reid's love life, Hotch's family and seeing how Rossi and Strauss' relationship seemed much stronger than hinted. I feel sorry that we didn't get more about them.

I started writing this piece thinking that maybe season 9 would be the one where I would give it up if the cases continue as bloody as in this one but thinking about all these characters made me miss them and I can't wait to see what is going to happen to them next.

In the mean time I think I'll go pre-order the DVD so I can revisit some of the key moments of the season.

And if anyone knows of any other good profiler shows out there feel free to drop me an email. Thanks!

What I've Been Watching: Cold Case

I was aware that this series was showing on TV but I never paid great attention till I started watching season 3 and got hooked. The series follows a group of police officers in Philadelphia who investigate cases that have been shelved as unsolved. When a new piece of evidence is found linked to one of those crimes they reopen it and go over every clue and testimony again to uncover the truth.

Each episode starts with a flashback showing the victim in some event and then dead. Then the detectives come across what makes them reopen the case and we see their investigation unfold and the new information the witnesses provide is shown through more flashbacks. The cases can be relatively recent or from the beginning of the 20th century and the motivations are as varied as the periods they are set on.

 There's really no happy ending at the end of each episode but justice is done for the victims. At the end of each episode the victims appear looking approvingly to the Detectives. In the first episodes it was just detective Lilly Rush who saw them but now I think all of the characters see these ghosts.

Besides Lilly the investigative team includes Scotty Valens, Will Jeffries, Nick Vera, Lieutenant John Stillman and, the most recent addition to the team, Kat Miller. The series also shows a bit of their private lives and their past. I particularly enjoy detective Vera's scenes!

From what I’ve read only the first seasons seemed to focus more on Lilly and I am thinking that after I am finished with the last season I’ll go back to watch the 1^st and 2^nd. I think this is a really good series, albeit a bit bittersweet most of the times.

Sadly I couldn't find DVDs for this series or an official website so I'll leave you the IMDB page Cold Case

What I've Been Watching: Wallander - Season 3

I've been a big fan of Kenneth Branagh's Wallander since Season 1. I'm not familiar with Henning Mankell's books yet (they are in my future plans) so I can't really comment on this has an adaptation but I love Branagh's portrayal of a middle aged Swedish detective who feels keenly the burden of having to investigate the darker aspects of human nature and who is completely devoted to his work.

Branagh's Wallander (there are also Swedish films about the same character) isn't so much hardened as left exhausted by what he sees. I particularly like the slow paced action that gives us time to appreciate the landscape, the setting, the colours... Unlike other police procedurals where characters seem to be running one way or the other, in Wallander there's time to think about the crimes, to investigate and put two and two together and for those tidbits of family or social  life that make it even more real... I does help that the episodes are almost two hour long, it gives the scriptwriters time to develop the action and the viewer more time of good drama. 

Despite the violent murders shown, that part of Sweden seems very nice for a holiday. The landscapes are beautiful and I loved the house Wallander lived in during this third season. One of the episodes takes us to Latvia which was an interesting change of scenery. My only complaint is that each season only has three episodes and while quality is better than quantity I wouldn't have minded to have both. I'm very happy that they decided to do a fourth season!

The DVDs for Wallander can be found here: season 1, season 2, season 3.

Any other fans out there?

What I've Been Watching: The Chicago Code

I am a big fan of crime dramas and when I see a new one announced I try to catch an episode on TV to see how much I like it. That is what happened with The Chicago Code although I missed the first episode and only managed to catch the second one.

I was immediately drawn to this show because not only we have the police at work, cruising the streets fighting crime, but we also have the political aspect that top public servants have to deal with. And we have a very strong female character in the new superintendent of police, Teresa Colvin (played by Jennifer Beals) , who is determined to fight corruption on the highest levels. Colvin and detective Jarek Wysocki, the leader of the anti-corruption unit who was once her partner, will try to bring a corrupt Alderman to justice even if that means sacrificing family time and having a few skeletons brought out of the closet. 

I really enjoyed watching this and was actually sad that it was cancelled after one season. I think the screenwriters much have had more seasons planned because, while tying up some of the plots, there was still  an open ended feel to it.  I was looking forward to see where they would take us next.

I'm finding that I also enjoy watching Jennifer Beals act very much. I remembered her from her star role in Flashdance but I don't think I watched anything else with her for a very long time. This year I watched her in The Chicago Code and in Lie to Me and enjoyed both roles immensely.

Sadly there's no DVD available at Amazon but you can watch the episodes through Amazon Instant Video.

What I Am Planning to Watch: Downton Abbey 3

I am really curious about what is going to happen next in Downton Abbey! 

What I've Been Watching - House 8

It's been a couple of weeks since I watched the last episode of House... It was a show I followed faithfully every season and that I enjoyed very, very much. However, I have been thinking about this last season and, while I enjoyed it as a whole, I really missed having Cuddy around!

My favourite House team was the one from the beginning, with Cameron. I still enjoyed it when she left as the House/Cuddy and House/ Wilson relationships were as important and interesting as his relationship with his team and what kept me watching. In a way House was a sad figure who kept everyone at arms lenght except Cuddy and Wilson. No matter how brilliant the writing and acting this last series had one big problem - no Cuddy!

I wasn't totally convinced with the new addictions to the team but Foreman as Dean of Medicine wasn't that bad, at least not as bad as I thought it would be. I really liked that House came through for Wilson in the end. He was the one who helped him face everything, the good and the bad things, and the one who was always there even when House made fun of him. 

To be honest I think it was time to end the show and I'm glad that House and Wilson had that finale. I really enjoyed the Swan Song episode (not really an episode but if you've seen it you'll get my meaning) but, as with this season, I think Lisa Edelstein really needed to be there.

The DVD will be released later this month.

I need to fill the void that House is going to leave so if anyone has any recommendations of good Tv shows I would love to know about them. So far I'm thinking of following Body of Proof, The Chicago Code and Blue Bloods.

What I've Been Watching - Death In Paradise

Ben Miller and Sara Martins

Portuguese actors with a main role in a foreign production are still a relatively uncommon occurrence. Besides Joaquim de Almeida and more recently Daniela Ruah I can't think of other such cases. Imagine my surprise when I saw a new series announced and the magazine mentioned a Portuguese actress in one of the main roles... I just couldn't resist watching the first episode!

It seems they got it wrong though as most sites mention  she is actually french but that she was born in Portugal and has a portuguese name. The actress is Sara Martins. And the TV series is BBC's Death in  Paradise. So far only 3 episodes have been aired here but I have to say I am really enjoying it. It's a detective series set in a fictional island in the Caribbean. A British detective is sent to work there and he definitely has trouble adjusting to island's temperature and life style. He definitely doesn't think he was sent to work in paradise. Sara Martins is a local sergeant who is his partner on the job. It has a rather cosy feel; I like the twists and turns in the investigations and of the bits of humour thrown in. I think Ben Miller does a really good job portraying the awkward but competent detective and he has good chemistry with Sara Martins. Looking forward to watch the rest of this series...

 

What I Am Planning To Watch - The Hobbit

Although I never read Tolkien I really enjoyed The Lord of The Rings trilogy. It made me want to grab the books but then this or that happened and my TBR pile is always so high that I never did. I knew that The Hobbit was being filmed, and was vaguely curious about it, but today I finally watched a trailer and it does look good. I loved the song they are singing...

Are you planning to watch it? Am I missing a lot by not having read the Lord of The Rings books and should I pick up The Hobbit book before watching it?

What I've Been Watching - Criminal Minds - Season 7

There are not many series that I've followed as faithfully as Criminal Minds and for as long as seven seasons. It was a series that fascinated me from the beginning because I love books and movies about profilers in particular, and mysteries and thrillers in general. I have to say that my favourite character was Gideon who abandoned the series early on... but I was interested enough to keep on viewing every episode and, in time, I guess I warmed up to all of them. It's not an easy series to love as some of the episodes are very disturbing but I always find myself glued to the screen every monday evening. I think, by now, I like the cases as much as I like knowing things about the cast and see their relationship evolve. I don't want to play favourites but I really like Reid, Hotchner and Emily!

For a while it seemed the series was going to loose part of its interest with characters leaving and others arriving but everything got into place again for this season. I really enjoyed watching the show this season and I can't help but be sorry that we are going to have some cast changes again. On the other hand I am curious to see what will happen next season...

You can find the DVD here although it's only available for pre-order at the moment.

Next on my list is the season 8 of House

What I've Been Watching - Castle - Season 4

I don't think I have ever mentioned here how much I enjoy watching Castle. I started watching it just because it had a writer as a main character. I must admit that I was dubious that a writer assisting the police would make for an interesting TV series (unless you are Jessica Fletcher that is...) but the truth is that the stories and especially the cast kept me interested and soon I was hooked. I just finished watching season 4 and, without going into much detail, it did bring an interesting and much awaited development to the story. I can't wait for season 5 to be filmed so we can continue watching Castle and Beckett and find out more about the case that had been haunting Beckett for so long.

I recently found out that two of the books that supposedly Castle wrote are actually available and I am quite curious about them. Is Nikki Heat really as good as Beckett. I guess I'll have to find out!

You can find the DVD here

What I've Been Watching - Titanic

It's not every time we get to see a period drama as soon as it comes out. Surprisingly, or maybe not, Julian Fellowes' Titanic aired here on TV on April the 15th. I was very curious about it, having enjoyed Fellowes other works like Downton Abbey or Gosford Park. Titanic follows the line of those two shows by showing us an upstairs/downstairs version of the events.

The mini series has 4 episodes but they were shown here all in one afternoon. That made it a bit awkward as the ship sinks at the end of each episode (and so we saw it go down 4 times in one afternoon) but it also had one advantage. The characters were not that likeable, especially those shown in the first episode. I'm not sure  I would be that moved with them going down with the ship or if I would have been that interested in continuing the series if it had been just one episode a week. This way I had more time to get to know them and find out whch characters I liked the best. Some stories felt a bit rushed but in the end I thought that contributed to the urgency feeling we have as we know what is going to happen and how little time they have.

I did like that they focused on people in third class and on the stewardesses and waiters that worked on the Titanic. All those people are not usually remembered and that's truly unfair as they were the majority of the victims. Just that made it worth my while.

What I've Been Watching - Titanic

Look what I found was airing on TV last night. Quite appropriate for the Titanic Centennial. I've only seen the first half and I am curious about what follows and how they portray the actual sinking. So far it's been mostly light fiction. The "Unsinkable" Molly Brown makes an appearance here as do the Astors and the stories of some other passengers are also familiar stories from the tragedy. The main storyline follows a 1st class passenger (Zeta-Jones) who meets an old lover aboard and young thief who has stolen a third class ticket to come aboard. 

I'm curious about Julian Fellowes' Titanic, as I've enjoyed Downton Abbey so much, maybe they'll surprise us with it one of these days...

You can find more information here

What I've Been Watching - Downton Abbey 2

Just finished! Christmas episode and all!

I loved it, really did, but I have to say it seemed a bit lighter, with a more convoluted plot, than series 1. Having said that the Dowager Countess of Grantham is my favourite character. She has some of the best lines and Dame Maggie Smith is just perfect delivering them! I hope that series 3 doesn't take too long...

What I've Been Watching - Game of Thrones

And I have to bow and thank everyone who told me that I had to read the books. I resisted till now but after starting to watch the series and enjoying it so much I decided to pick them up. Thank you all!