Books:
The Appeal by Janice Hallett
The is a very amusing logic-puzzle-book mystery. I'm noting (and perhaps inventing) that subgenre because the context of the book is that a partner at a law firm is asking two of his associates to review a series of texts and emails between various people, one of whom ends up murdered, i.e. the lawyers are in the same position as the reader and they're trying to pick apart what happened and why, neither of which is really all that clear. The book is fun for several reasons. First, because of the setup you're immediately reading for clues (and, in my case, not finding any) and trying to figure out what's really going on from all these missives between various characters. Second, the writing is amusing because the characters are pretty particular and, after a while, you can easily tell from the writing who's doing the speaking plus there’s the entertaining literary schadenfreude of hearing people talk about each other behind their backs. Third, the author has a sense of humor and that infuses many of the characters. I wouldn't say there's a huge story per se but rather a series of milestone events with a lot of drama leading up to them. I'm being somewhat obtuse for spoiler reasons, not that much of the driving plot could really be spoilered, but rather because part of the enjoyment for me was kind of not knowing anything about the book and thinking it was about one thing and slowly realizing it was turning into something else. Also while I was initially turned off by all the email and text headers, after a while my brain kind of tuned them out and I found myself zipping right along. As noted, it's a big logic puzzle, in the vein of the Sarah Cauldwell books though more modern and less arch. The book is structured such that the bulk of it is the email/texts to/from the people involved but the last quarter or so are the emails/texts to/from the lawyers trying to theorize what happened as well and using everything we've just read as their evidence and that, too, was very pleasurable to read because, even though I didn't see anything the lawyers saw when I was reading it, once they talked it out, it made total sense. I thought this was a solidly entertaining book and will definitely be checking out this author's other books.
TV/Streaming:
ER (Season 8):
Well I continue to love this series which was definitely not a given despite its popularity (or it was popular enough to last 15 seasons at any rate). I've reviewed previous seasons (here and here for example) and noted that while there was a dip around season threeish or so, they've otherwise all been very solid and this season is no exception. And BTW the reason I review this show at all, to hardly mention each season (or most - I’m sure I forgot to post some reviews along the way) is that sometimes you just want something where you know what it is and you know it’s consistent and there’s a lot of it. This is mostly what I like about Turkish soap operas (like this one for example) - I know what I’m gonna get and because the episode count is so huge I’m basically guaranteed something I’ll like for a loooong time. Starting a new show or not knowing if a series is worth your time investment because future seasons may tank can be annoying thus all these ER reviews because I think it’s worth knowing, with a show this long, whether or not it sustains. Anyway, what this show does so well is craft ongoing drama not only within a season but across multiple seasons, i.e. a plot point introduced three seasons prior might rear its head in an unexpected way once again, and allow the characters to grow and change - sometimes for the better but often into a kind of season-long tailspin - in ways that make total sense while also allowing for uncertainty as to where it's all going to wind up. Like is the alcoholic who fell off the wagon going to wind up in rehab? or work it out on their own? or get into some messy co-dependent relationship? or drag someone else down with them? etc - the show is pretty open to sending the characters anywhere interesting as long as it's logical and grounded in reality. To me its closest analogue is The Good Wife, a show that did something similar character/plot-wise but in law rather than medicine, and I think it's pretty impressive how the writing staff has managed to sustain drama at this level for so many seasons. And let's be real: much of this show is standard (or standard now because I think this show established a new standard for the genre when it originally aired) medical stuff - medical mysteries, recurring medical problems, medical issues that become thorny ethical or social issues which often span multiple episodes, traumas, stuff like that - so what makes the show work is the investment in the character drama. And there's plenty of that plus the series is unafraid to have its leads be abrasive and unlikeable which also makes this show work because it sets up a lot of natural character clashes and unpleasant behavior but all within the context of reality (think: you're going through a crisis but your dick boss whom you've known for years just doesn't care and won't cut you any slack with your work which then causes you (and I don't why it's you but it's you now!) to have to readjust things at home which, because you're not home enough, causes more drama there which pulls you away from work and where you try to get others to cover so your dick boss won't know but one of your co-workers makes a mistake that’s really your fault... etc. etc.). In any event, if you like character drama and don't mind a hospital setting I really don't see how you can do better than this. Of course it could all go south somewhere in the remaining 7 seasons - and I will natch report back either way - but this far in I have enough confidence in the standards of the writing team to feel like they'll see it through all the way to the end. (Teaser note from future me: famous last words!)
Gentleman Jack (Season 2):
As with the first season of this period drama based on the life of an 18th century lesbian who lived as a "man" (quotes referring to the gendered notions of the time), so with this second, i.e. whatever you thought of Season 1 you'll think of Season 2. Without spoilering, the plot of this season picks up more or less on the heels of the last but with more family and relationship issues tossed in. What's interesting about the show is the way the lead character - Anne Lister - dresses as a man all the time and does very admirably brave "mannish" things such as being totally in control of her business and money and speculating on other businesses and running a coal mine etc. and yet also manages to be hideously inconsiderate, totally self-absorbed, somewhat self-oblivious, and in general highly manipulative. In other words, the writer crafted a real character meaning, in addition to seeing how she butts up against the sexism of the time, there's a ton of other interest in the way she treats her relationships and business and what then happens as a result (yes, vague to avoid spoilering). The show is pretty dialogue-heavy rather than plot-heavy meaning most of the interest is in how the characters behave in particular circumstances rather than those circumstances themselves. For example, there's a whole subplot involving a division of property in a will but it's primarily about one of the characters finding the inner resolve to fight for what she wants and how the sexist attitudes towards women and the attendant social pressures created emotional difficulties, i.e. it's not some major courtroom drama but rather a lot of scenes of people sitting on couches being politely berated by sexist aunts. This is not an insult - I loved it - but rather just a means for you determine whether or not this show is your bag. The other component, beyond its interest in character interactions and social issues, is it has a kind of jaunty tone with random fourth-wall-breaking, something that was annoyingly present in season 1 and still equally annoyingly present here. The tone I didn't mind really but the asides to camera were very strange because they seemed to be from an entirely different show plus they were used so infrequently as in episodes would go by then someone would make a face to camera for a second then that would vanish for a few more episodes that it begged the question of what this device was actually meant to serve since the show basically got along fine without it. Again I'm noting it because I was annoyed by it but it really doesn't get in the way. If you're into slowish period drama with a sense of humor and a character and situations that are pretty unlike any period dramas out there, then this is well worth checking out.
Movies:
The Tribe - This movie about a brutal gang of deaf Ukrainian schoolkids told entirely in sign language and with no subtitles is not the kind of thing I'd normally choose to watch and was, in fact, imposed on me by a fellow Janice who absolutely despised a book I loved and told me I had to watch this movie as a form a media-recommendation revenge. And, fine, it took me a few years to get around to it - revenge is a dish best served cold (and hopefully not too moldy or maybe that doesn't matter given the circumstances) after all - but I made it through and it was... weird. I'd like to be able to tell you the basic plot and I'll do my best but in all honesty, given that the whole thing, as noted, was in sign language, I'm really more inferring the plot (and maybe I Wikipediaed a little) which I think was the point. Plot aside, the idea of the movie, I believe, is to capture the feeling of watching a silent film but in a much more modern, seedy way. I think what went on is this: a new kid goes to a high school or maybe college for the deaf where there are gang guys there stealing stuff from locals and pimping out the girls to truckers (though the girls seem like willing participants so maybe they were pimping themselves out and brought in the guys for protection - it didn't seem coercive though then again I don't really know), and the new kid is indoctrinated into the gang where he starts a relationship of sorts - I thought it was just sex but I don't know - with one of the hookers who, according to Wikipedia, is the girlfriend of the gang head honcho though I had no idea that was the case from watching, in part because I couldn't tell who the head honcho was but also because when you're seeing people together like, yeah, you can infer two are dating from the way they hang on each other, but beyond that it's difficult to tell the true nature of the relationship just via body language and facial expression. There's also a transactional relationship between the new kid and the hooker/gang-leader’s-GF in that he keeps throwing money at her though it isn't clear if the money is specifically for the sex or if the money is a show of some larger interest on his part, like he's demonstrating to her that he's really really into her - I think that's what it was, that the money served to display the depth of his interest though again not 100% sure. I think she was interested in both him and the money though perhaps it was just about the cash? It will come as no surprise by this point in the review that I don't know because I couldn't really tell how she felt about her relationship with the honcho guy and thus wasn't clear on what was happening in her mind with this relationship. In any event, the gang guys eventually come after the new kid and the new kid does something spoilerable (and pretty creepy to watch actually, especially so because, while we, the audience, could hear certain things, no one in the movie could and that juxtaposition was especially discomfiting in the spoilerable finale circumstances) in return and it ends. I can't say this was a total waste of time - thanks (kind of), Janice! - but I also can't say I really enjoyed it. I mean it was a filmic experience I guess in that the movie just sort of tosses you in and leaves you to find your own way through it and on the one hand isn't super interested in making sure you understand anything but on the other has a top-level story where you can easily figure out the basic shape so the act of watching it is this strange combo of knowing you're watching a familiar story - gang, new kid, girlfriend - while also knowing there are non-generic details all of which you're missing but which you're still trying to parse. And just to clarify filmic, I don’t mean arty really but rather it used the medium and its relationship with the audience to put you, the viewer, in an uncomfortable place in a way only film can I think in that it made me feel kind of like an eavesdropper on a half-overheard, half-understood conversation between strangers the whole time and then somewhat like a silent and powerless observer by the end. That's the experience of watching this movie, and so if you're in the mood for something cryptic and filmic, then you might like this, and fair play, Janice, because it was definitely an equal response to the book experience you were avenging and golf claps all around!