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Will Trent, episodes 1 and 2. Hulu.
Honestly I think this is a good show, evaluating by the writing and acting, and I appreciate that the women dress in a kind of normal way; I liked all the costume choices. I liked that Will Trent has dyslexia and has found work-arounds for that.
But the copaganda is strong in cop shows, just generally, and it's almost worse now that the writers are wink-winking about the Black Lives Matter movement and the increasing cultural consciousness re police brutality. In these 2 episodes (which are one story), the protagonists were doing all kinds of illegal shit. One cop tells another, "you can't do that anymore," implying that it used to be OK to be rough with suspects. Even if I try to tell myself it's a fantasy, I can't tolerate it any more. I also dislike the focus on murder. So, there is a lot to like in this show but it's not for me.
Heart of Invictus, Netflix, 5 episodes.
A docu-series focusing on several participants of the Invictus Games, which are an event to uplift and celebrate disabled veterans. I really liked this a lot. These games and the documentary are hosted by Prince Harry, so if you don't like him you may find that annoying (I like him though!!). There is a lot of focus on mental and emotional health. Particular athletes are highlighted, one from each of the Netherlands, Ukraine, the UK, Canada, the US, and South Korea. This series is about the lead-up to the games and then event itself, which took place in the Hague; and it's also about the war in Ukraine to a certain extent. I thought it was very well put-together, very interesting, and lets disabled people talk about their own experiences. The athletes are not selected by who is the best, but rather by "who will benefit the most from the experience." Which is a bit vague and not fully explained, but it seems to mean that these people are ones in need of support, and are getting support through the coaching, the community, etc.
I also recommend this for concussion-recovery viewing as there aren't a ton of bright flashing lights, spinning camera, that sort of thing. And the woman from Ukraine is legendary, a very memorable person with a fantastic face and an amazing story.
I noped out of Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal, for concussion reasons, it starts off with loud bangs, sped-up camera footage, club dancing, and Sue saying that her biggest fear is feeling "stuck". hard pass sorry!
I had a very mixed reaction to another documentary about disabled athletes, called Rising Phoenix, about the Paralymics. What I liked: hearing from the actual athletes and seeing them perform. I also learned some history about the Paralymics, which were founded by a Jewish doctor, Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who escaped Germany and went to the UK. He advanced care for people with spinal cord injuries and started sports competitions for disabled people. His daughter says that the Paralympics are so-called because they are "parallel to the Olympics."
I didn't care as much for the parts about the politics of the organizing committees, though other people might find that interesting.
What I found off-putting was the inclusion of Oscar Pistorius (in historical footage, and talked about), without any contextual information. There's a young sprinter who says, "At that time, he was my hero," and they leave it at that, without mentioning that Pistorius is a murderer.
They also seemed to give more time to the Italian fencer (who has this big star quality), and less time to the African athletes. One of the African athletes appears randomly with a cheetah, and this is not explained. Why is there a cheetah?
This one was a frustrating watch, lots of weird little random things that made no sense, and I seem to find I have the most to say about media I'm frustrated with.
Honestly I think this is a good show, evaluating by the writing and acting, and I appreciate that the women dress in a kind of normal way; I liked all the costume choices. I liked that Will Trent has dyslexia and has found work-arounds for that.
But the copaganda is strong in cop shows, just generally, and it's almost worse now that the writers are wink-winking about the Black Lives Matter movement and the increasing cultural consciousness re police brutality. In these 2 episodes (which are one story), the protagonists were doing all kinds of illegal shit. One cop tells another, "you can't do that anymore," implying that it used to be OK to be rough with suspects. Even if I try to tell myself it's a fantasy, I can't tolerate it any more. I also dislike the focus on murder. So, there is a lot to like in this show but it's not for me.
Heart of Invictus, Netflix, 5 episodes.
A docu-series focusing on several participants of the Invictus Games, which are an event to uplift and celebrate disabled veterans. I really liked this a lot. These games and the documentary are hosted by Prince Harry, so if you don't like him you may find that annoying (I like him though!!). There is a lot of focus on mental and emotional health. Particular athletes are highlighted, one from each of the Netherlands, Ukraine, the UK, Canada, the US, and South Korea. This series is about the lead-up to the games and then event itself, which took place in the Hague; and it's also about the war in Ukraine to a certain extent. I thought it was very well put-together, very interesting, and lets disabled people talk about their own experiences. The athletes are not selected by who is the best, but rather by "who will benefit the most from the experience." Which is a bit vague and not fully explained, but it seems to mean that these people are ones in need of support, and are getting support through the coaching, the community, etc.
I also recommend this for concussion-recovery viewing as there aren't a ton of bright flashing lights, spinning camera, that sort of thing. And the woman from Ukraine is legendary, a very memorable person with a fantastic face and an amazing story.
I noped out of Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal, for concussion reasons, it starts off with loud bangs, sped-up camera footage, club dancing, and Sue saying that her biggest fear is feeling "stuck". hard pass sorry!
I had a very mixed reaction to another documentary about disabled athletes, called Rising Phoenix, about the Paralymics. What I liked: hearing from the actual athletes and seeing them perform. I also learned some history about the Paralymics, which were founded by a Jewish doctor, Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who escaped Germany and went to the UK. He advanced care for people with spinal cord injuries and started sports competitions for disabled people. His daughter says that the Paralympics are so-called because they are "parallel to the Olympics."
I didn't care as much for the parts about the politics of the organizing committees, though other people might find that interesting.
What I found off-putting was the inclusion of Oscar Pistorius (in historical footage, and talked about), without any contextual information. There's a young sprinter who says, "At that time, he was my hero," and they leave it at that, without mentioning that Pistorius is a murderer.
They also seemed to give more time to the Italian fencer (who has this big star quality), and less time to the African athletes. One of the African athletes appears randomly with a cheetah, and this is not explained. Why is there a cheetah?
This one was a frustrating watch, lots of weird little random things that made no sense, and I seem to find I have the most to say about media I'm frustrated with.
