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Reviews
Murder, She Wrote: When Thieves Fall Out (1987)
I love MSW, but this episode destroyed Jessica Fletcher's character
I can't believe Angela Lansbury agreed to act it out. She must have known her character intimately, and the attitude expressed by Jessica in this episode was completely out of character and appalling.
It feels like whoever was behind this episode had their own ideals they wanted to push. Or was there something going on at the time that this was reacting to? Whatever the reason, everyone involved in supporting the narrative should be ashamed.
Classic blame-the-victim mentality to the nth degree and 'circle the wagons' to defend our own, regardless of what they have done.
It's hard to like Jessica Fletcher after this episode. And it serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting the character for the actor. Matthew Perry did that in Friends when he refused to act out a story line where he was supposed to cheat on Courteney Cox's character. I'm so grateful to the actors who care enough to push back.
Insatiable (2018)
An intelligent dark comedy series that leaves the moralizing up to *you*
In ep 2, when Patty learns a guy she wanted revenge against was set on fire and her BFF gasps and asks if she did it:
Patty: "I dont' know! I cleaned out the mini-bar, watched Fire Starter, and the rest is a blur." 😂
It sets the tone for things to come, which get darker and darker until...
They cancelled the series. 😭 But it's worth watching even so. There are no nice and tidy moral lessons--but there are plenty of things to chew on.
And Dallas Roberts in particular shines, especially as his morality (what little ever existed of it) is challenged to ever greater degrees as he alternately uses, empathizes with, and is horrified by Patty.
I'm rewatching it now.
The Secret Kingdom (2023)
Magical story with depth and sincerity
This story addresses serious matters through magical allegory--and doesn't undermine the lessons by being preachy or self-righteous.
I loved the small clues from the beginning shown through the boy's abnormal reactions to seemingly benign events. I thought he was a child with OCD or perhaps just not neurotypical, and the magical events kept me wondering up until the end.
The child actors did a great job, and I'm not sure why so many are harsh about them when the child acting coming out of the US these days tends to be so over the top. These kids felt believable in their environment and their connection as siblings was so nice to see.
It's a warm-hearted, touching story that might make you a little sad but feels very wholesome. It deserves a much better overall rating than what it has, so my 10 stars is an effort to provide some balance. I probably would have given it an 8 or so otherwise.