Even though the weather is nice and it’s finally possible to do things outside, we’ve got a little something for rainy days and for watching TV in the evenings, since the new Last of Us season is coming one episode per week, so you’ll have to spend the rest of the time somehow anyway.
The Residence
The obvious thing to do is to pull up Netflix and see what’s ready to binge. You can rarely go wrong with a good murder mystery; and if true crime isn’t your style, this is a great series for you. In the lead role is none other than Uzo Aduba, who has appeared in a number of good and not so good roles since Orange is the New Black. The Residence falls into the former category. A murderer must be found at the White House, while staff works to pull off the perfect state dinner for Australia. The victim is the head of the White House presidential staff, and the detective is Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba), who solves the mystery representing the local police. The series is produced by the Shondaland production company (known for Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19), which is basically a guarantee that we won’t be bored and that there will be well-written female characters. Overall, this is true; the story is refreshing and the character of the lead detective is downright excellent. It’s not boring and I personally didn’t know who the killer was until the very last moment.
Past Lies
It’s rare, but if I come across a non-Anglo-Saxon drama, I’ll give it a chance; and that’s what happened with Past Lies. When you feel you’re over the American detective series and want a slightly different type of crime show, this one is worth picking up. The life of a small Spanish town is turned upside down by the homecoming of a ‘lost’ member of a former group of friends, as the rising sea levels lead to the discovery of the body of a long-lost teenage girl. The group has grown up, but their teenage wounds have not healed; they were just buried and left to fester. The dead girl’s detective sister tries to untangle the threads while everyone’s busy protecting their own lives. It starts out as an interesting drama, it tackles serious issues, it’s not happy, but it absolutely works as a thriller. It can be watched on Disney+.
Orphan Black: Echoes
A spin-off from Orphan Black, the story follows the story of Kira (Keeley Hawes) years later. The main attraction is Krysten Ritter (Lucy’s character) herself, as after Jessica Jones, practically anything with her name attached is on my watch list. That’s how I ended up binging all 10 episodes in a single Sunday afternoon. It goes a lot deeper into the possibilities of human cloning and has a much bolder concept than what the story can support, and the characters aren’t the best either. Overall, the series is more interesting than outstanding, just raising the possibility of something it can’t actually do justice, so it certainly won’t be as big a hit as Orphan Black. The characters are mostly well written, and Kira is definitely likable, but a couple of good performances can’t salvage the whole series. If you liked Orphan Black, you’ll enjoy this one; it’s worth a watch, even if it’s not as definitive or original.
Translation by Zsófia Ziaja
