Stuff I Watched: 22nd Nov – 25th Nov 2009

I feel to knackered to actually do this post any justice, but I’m forcing myself to do it anyway.  My sincerest apologies for any subsequent mistakes\crapness.

Generation Kill: Channel 4 (Recorded 18th Nov Watched 22nd Nov)

I run the risk of being the world’s worst TV reviewer, but I don’t really have a lot to say about this episode.  I only mention it at all as it was the final episode and it would be totally remiss of me not to at least say goodbye.

The final 15 minutes, including the The Wire-style montage, were incredibly moving and a fitting end to what has been a truly outstanding series.  I just hope that you were all watching.

The Greatest Ever 3D Moments: Channel 4 (R 22nd Nov W 23rd Nov)

Really?  These were really the greatest ever 3D moments?

This programme brought Channel 4′s week long gimmick-fest to a close and it brought the whole concept of 3D in to question.  Most of the clips shown were incredibly lame and the whole thing was utterly pointless.  Even the appearance of several notable “talking heads” specialists (who I actually like), including Andrew “Mitford Sisters” Collins, could do little to relieve the tedium.  Possibly the worst nostalgia/clips show ever.

In Treatment: Sky Arts 1 (R 23rd Nov W 23rd Nov)

The penultimate week of the season began with a shocking episode.  It was partly shocking because there was the surprise death of one of the major characters, but mainly because it was set entirely outside Paul’s office.  It was, however, based at a funeral, and although it was a bit depressing, because it seemed very real, you can’t really criticise because it was so well done.

If you don’t want to know who died, don’t read the bottom review.

Miranda: BBC2 (R 23rd Nov W 24th Nov)

This was actually episode 3 of the series and there’s a reason I haven’t mentioned it sooner.  It really annoys me when people slag off sitcoms that they’ve only seen about 5 minutes of, so I thought I’d watch a few episodes before I decided whether I’d pass judgement or not.  Luckily, I like it, so I’m free to comment.

It’s a very silly, mainstream, studio-based sitcom, and so takes a bit of getting used to.  Once you do get in to the swing of things, though, it is very funny.  It’s helped enormously by Miranda Hart being both funny and likeable.  She’s also not afraid to make a complete fool of herself, and takes a mean pratfall.  Don’t be afraid to like it.

Lie To Me: Sky One (R 17th & 19th Nov W 25th Nov)

I had two episodes of this to watch on my planner, so I thought I better watch one.  I was shocked when, a few minutes later, I decided to give up on it.  I realised that I’ve only been half watching the episodes this season (I’m usually online when I watch it), and I found I had no enthusiasm for it at all.  I did the sensible thing and deleted them, and the series link.  If only I had learned this lesson when I endured the whole first season of True Blood.

It’s hard to say what went wrong with the show, and I’m not actually sure that it has got any worse.  I think that the gimmick probably only had a limited shelf life before it wore off and became effectively another police procedural.

In Treatment: Sky Arts 1 (R 24th Nov W 25th Nov)

I couldn’t help but comment after seeing this episode, so I could praise the performance of Glynn Turman (Mayor Royce in The Wire) as Alex’s father.  It’s the day following Alex’s funeral (following a plane-based accident) and he wants to confront Paul as to his son’s state of mind.  He also brings the value of Paul’s profession in to question and it gave the episode an interesting dynamic.

Alex Sr. seemed to be relatively calm on the surface, but his grief was all too apparent.  It was an incredible, subtle performance by any standards, let alone for a ‘guest star’.  There were times when he seemed frighteningly similar to Alex, especially in the way he made some of his points to Paul, and I don’t know how much of that was due to skill or to a happy coincidence.  The performance culminated in a heartbreaking collapse, towards the end, and was some of the finest acting I’ve seen on TV.  I hope that Turman got some kind of award for it.

We got to see the other side of the man who Alex Jr. painted as a bit of a monster, and why he behaved the way he did.  An exceptional episode of a generally brilliant series.