Month: October 2021

When a pizza delivery man is gunned down on a London street a newly promoted detective, Kip Glaspie, is assigned to the case. The more she digs into the investigation, the more complicated and entangled the truth becomes. This is Collateral, a limited series, originally from BBC.

The murder of Abdullah Asif, the delivery driver, is complicated as it is discovered that the shooting occurred on the doorstep of the ex-wife of a high ranking government official. When Glaspie (Carey Mulligan) questions the ex-wife it becomes evident that she is withholding the truth. It is the why behind the lie that concerns DI Glaspie more than the lie itself.

As Galspie digs deeper into the identity of the victim she uncovers more questions than answers as to why the man was killed. With each new suspect the motives for this murder remain murky, at best. And once those suspects start showing up dead, the case goes from bad to worse but that doesn’t deter Galspie. She is in it until the bitter end.

Carey Mulligan does a superb job at the helm of this diverse and talented cast. While this is a police drama, Collateral skips the formulaic plot and standard cop banter in favour of a strong, character driver narrative that is full of intrigue and unexpected twists. Mulligan sets a strong pace and John Simm gives a formattable performance for Mulligan to play off of. Billie Piper also gives a brilliant performance as the ex-wife of the government official who is at the center of the murder mystery.

Collateral isn’t afraid to dive into complicated themes and ask questions without readily providing answers. Upon its release this limited series became a fan favourite and drew praise from critics, as well. It was nominated for British Academy Television Awards in its debut year.

All in, Collateral is a well-paced and interesting watch that makes for a brilliant binge watch. Check it out now on Netflix.

On October 5, 2021, Netflix dropped the last in a series of specials from comic, Dave Chappelle. The Closer was meant to end the multi-million-dollar-multi-year deal the comic had with the streaming service but instead of finishing things off, this special has opened a whole can of worms for Dave Chappelle and for Netflix.

While Chappelle has a long history of stirring the pot with his politically gray humor, this time he has landed in hot water. When Chapelle’s first specials dropped in 2017, there was a bit of a stir regarding his use of anti-trans slurs but, overall, most chalked it up to Dave being Dave.

Chappelle’s subsequent specials over the following years provided more of the same type of humor with little comment or backlash. In 2019, Chapelle released Sticks and Stones where the aim of his punchlines were a little harder and a little more pointed. This time he aimed at alleged victims of sexual violence and the #metoo movement. When pushback came, trans comic Daphne Dorman jumped to his defense on Twitter.

Fast forward to October 5. The Closer drops and the reviews were mixed, to the extreme. Chappelle humor found its spot with his usual audience while critics panned his performance as being sour and manufacturing a false panic as he spoke broadly of cancel culture and freedom of speech.

The day after the show dropped, Tara Field, a Netflix employee publicly condemns the streaming service for releasing the anti-trans special. Following field’s statement a transgender showrunner resigned from Dear White People in protest of Netflix’s support of Chappelle.

By October 11, Netflix suspended three employees, citing a breach of company protocol. The company later walks back its suspension of Field but the damage was done. By October 12 employees had organized a walk-out for all trans employees to occur the following week. In the midst of all of this Netflix’s CEO issues a statement in support of Chappelle.

On October 13, a trans employee was fired for leaking viewership numbers for Chappelle’s special. Coincidently, perhaps, this is the same employee who was at the helm of the impending trans walk-out. The firing of this employee did not put off the walk out, it carried on, as scheduled, on October 20.

The trans employees’ protest outside Netflix’s LA offices on the 20th was met with a counter protest of Chappelle supporters. While there was somewhat of a scuffle during the protests, both parties dispersed without injury or arrest.

The icing on this chaotic cake is a statement Chappelle released on October 25. He contradicts reports that he refused to meet with trans employees and spends quite a bit of time bemoaning cancel culture. He does, in the end, agree to meet with members of the trans community but the words were no sooner out of his mouth before he made a list of ridiculous and offense demands for said meeting.

Suffice it to say, Dave Chappelle will continue to cash in on controversy but only time will tell if Netflix will be signing the cheques.

Following the sudden death of their infant, Jack and Lilly Maynard struggle to hold on to their sanity and to each other as they find their way forward. In the midst of learning to live again, a wee bird becomes the key to the couple finding their way back to each other. This is The Starling.

While Jack (Chris O’Dowd) recuperates in a mental health facility, Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) struggles to find herself again as she grieves. Work, at the local grocery store, is nearly overwhelming for her so she strives to simplify her home to regain some sense of control. In the midst of reclaiming her space at home she finds herself at odds with a persistent little bird. The starling sets up camp in Lilly’s tree and, in the end, reminds her that life is still full of possibilities and hope.

Melissa McCarthy gives the best of herself in this Matt Harris dramatic comedy. She is funny and earnest and so full of grief that it breaks your heart to watch as she brings Lilly Maynard to life. Through heartache and hilarity, McCarthy works her magic and fills her performance with such authenticity that recalls some of her very best performances.

The minor players in the cast are embodied by some of the finest actors going these days. Daveed Diggs, Timothy Olyphant and Kevin Kline all provide worthy performances for the leads to play off of. They each, in their own way, bring life and light to this endearing tale.

All in, this is a beautiful and quirky tale of resiliency and love that will evoke a wide range of emotions and, in the end, bring joy and hope to the surface. The Starling is a wonderful watch. Don’t miss it.

A woman embarking on a new path to independence and self-sufficiency following a narrow escape from an abusive relationship finds herself engaged in a daily struggle to find her footing on her own. Netflix’s newest limited series, Maid, tells the story of Alex and her hard-fought journey.

Based on Stephanie Land’s memoir, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive, this series examines the complicated route women emerging from abusive relationships take when setting out to rebuild their lives. Adapted for screen by Molly Smith Metzler, Maid is full of complexities and frustrating yet entirely relatable false starts as main character, Alex (Margaret Qualley), struggles to find her way on her own.

Part of Alex’s journey involves getting employment for the first time since becoming a mother. Alex discovers that finding a job and shelter and childcare all seem like insurmountable obstacles after years of being controlled and manipulated into isolation. While several people offer help and support, ultimately, its up to Alex if she will sink or swim on the road to independence.

Maid is an engaging and compelling watch. Well acted performances from well written material is only one element of this intriguing series. The realism in the portrayal of the complicated issues and the difficult systems that face women who are looking for support and independence from abusive partners has been both liberating and triggering for viewers who have walked a similar road.

This series does a brilliant job in highlighting the subtleties of abuse and the effects of gaslighting that so many women face. There has been broad discussion, since the release of this series, about how authorities and frontline support workers interact with and support. Whether through anecdotal reports or from documented statistics, it is plain to see that more help and understanding is needed to adequately assist women who find themselves on the start-line of a new chapter.

Maid is a compelling watch and a step towards greater understanding of the broader issues that surround the reality of abuse and recovery.

Small town murder mystery sounds par for the course for a Netflix series but this one is anything but formulaic series. There are complicated sub-plots and unexpected happenings throughout – more than enough to keep you guessing right through to the end.

After the discovering of a murdered high school student, the tight knit community is thrown into a tizzy when whispers of a serial killer circulate. Five years earlier another teen was discovered murdered in a similar fashion and with more questions than answers, local detective, Mike Serrato (Aden Young) is relentless pursuit of truth and justice.

Serrato isn’t the only community member who is compelled to seek answers. Local high school teacher, Leo Doyle (Sam Trammell) is viewing the mystery from the eye of storm as he is both a concerned teacher and a person of interest in the mystery. Swirling with gossip and conjecture, the town is falling more out of sorts and paranoid with each passing day.

The plot is interesting and full of unexpected findings but it is the tension and chemistry of the series leads that truly sells this series. Trammell is a True Blood favourite who has more than earned his stripes during his career and Young has chalked up quite a career since his debut in 1991’s Black Robe. Together, in Reckoning, they build intrigue and dynamite tension as they go toe to toe to find the truth.

The Reckoning is a binge worthy and delicious treat filled with suspense and intrigue. Be sure to catch it on Netflix this month.