I’ve been a bit lax when it comes to reviewing all the media I’ve been consuming this year. Sometimes there’s just not enough to talk about (or I struggle to articulate what I’m feeling). So I thought, like the Mega Movie Catch-Ups, I’d compress some of the TV/streaming shows into a similar mini round-up!
Doctor Who (season 1/series 14 – 2024)
After all my hype and excitement, this new era of Doctor Who turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag for me…
Don’t get me wrong, I ultimately enjoyed this re-launched and revamped return to the TARDIS but at the same time I was somewhat underwhelmed. I love Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and his portrayal is an absolutely refreshing take but not only did that frustrate me in how so few episodes there were this season in order to get to know him, it also had the effect of making me resent the three specials leading up to the new series. In hindsight, I feel like Russell T Davies wasted all of our time dragging both David Tennant and Catherine Tate back seemingly for a fake out.
Millie Gibson is certainly charming and adorable as Ruby Sunday and her interactions with Fifteen are some of my highlights (it comes off as “straight girl hanging out with her gay BFF” and I have zero issue with that dynamic). However, outside of those interactions there’s something missing about her, almost as if the character disappears into blandness. The only exception to that is the episode “73 Yards” where she carries that entire story but even then you sort of don’t have much to hold onto other than the mystery.
I don’t think Davies has “lost it” because, in the broad strokes, so much of this new era “feels” like the first time he held the reigns nearly two decades ago but I suspect (a little like latter Torchwood and the Eleventh Doctor era under Steven Moffat), the larger budget meant fewer boundaries, and perhaps RTD works better with restrictions. His larger ambitions distract from making sure the story is water-tight and memorable. Either that or (as I’ve come to realise) I think I may prefer Moffat’s take on The Doctor, in particular his writing for the Twelfth Doctor era because the episode Moffat wrote (“Boom”) was pitch-perfect Twelve and Clara.
Also, like Eleventh era Moffat, there’s a sense of trying to be clever for the sake of being clever. I don’t think the final reveal of the season’s “big bad” and its resolution particularly worked for me, nor did the reveal to the mystery of Ruby’s origins (I know it was a response to how JJ Abrams screwed the pooch with Rey’s origins in Rise of Skywalker – and although I agree with RTD I don’t think the execution of said response worked). There are fun episodes like “Space Babies”, “The Devil’s Chord”, and “Rogue”, which aren’t perfect but highly enjoyable. And then there’s the steaming turd “Dot & Bubble”, which is just clumsy and out of date (clearly a Boomer take on the “dangers of social media” mixed with “Oh by the way: racism!” – and to see people fawn over such lazy social commentary reminds me that media literacy may actually be dead).
This new “season 1” had all the ingredients of a great new start and was enjoyable enough thanks to its leads but being distracted by ambition and attempts at being “too clever” ultimately undermined the experience.
Doctor Who (season 1/series 14) is available to stream on Disney+ outside of the UK.
Shogun (2024)
This limited series (for now) was so bloody good I feel like I have so much to say about this show but too limited a vocabulary to articulate any of my points.
I’m not huge into historical or period dramas nor do I seek out any similar kind of fantasy (sure I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings films but I just couldn’t get into Game of Thrones). Also I was only vaguely aware of the original book by James Clavell and the 1980s mini-series adaptation. And yet despite how little fanfare there seemed to be for this, the first trailer instantly grabbed my attention.
Although it is a slow burn it all feels very deliberate in its restraint and confident in its pacing. Nothing feels padded or stretched for time and each episode is a satisfying enough chapter to hold onto your attention and interest all the while making you want more. Going between graphic action and violence, to political intrigue, to personal drama, nothing feels out of place nor does any of it drag or speed by. It’s a very delicate balance that is synonymous with what we often associate with anything Japanese.
Much of the authenticity comes from one of its leads, Hiroyuki Sanada (Lord Toranaga) who also served as producer, with his insistence of said authenticity resulting in the use of experts in all aspects of Feudal Japanese history and culture. From the costumes and the sets, to the traditions and even the manner in which people talked back then. All Japanese characters were played by Japanese and (almost) all of them spoke only Japanese throughout the show, with the only English being spoken by the English and Portuguese characters and the single Japanese translator (Lady Mariko amazingly played by Anna Sawai).
That consistency also does not take you out of the story so you get to remain in it and focus on the drama. Nothing feels too foreign nor does any exposition feel to out of place or inappropriately spoonfed, it all just flows in such a seamless manner that you cannot help but get wrapped up in this world. That’s helped by a story that is both rivetting and educational at the same time with a climax that is so clever and somewhat unexpected for a story such as this.
This was only meant to be a limited series (we used to call these “mini-series” back in the day) because it does retell the entirety of the original book. However, this was apparently so successful (even in Japan, where the authenticity was praised) they are currently working with Clavell’s estate to write a season 2 and 3).
Many have compared it as a Japanese Game of Thrones and while I may not have clicked with that show I definitely think this series fantastic enough to recommend it to everyone!
Shogun is currently streaming on Disney+ (in Australia).
Star Wars: Ahsoka (season 1 – 2023)
This one’s a holdover from last year because back then I could not believe how disappointing this was and felt like an outlier in that opinion.
More background here too… I never got into the animated side of Star Wars, so while I was aware of the popularity of Rebels I just didn’t care enough to seek it out. However, I did try The Clone Wars when it first premiered and I just flat out didn’t enjoy it (apparently it got better but I’m dubious of that). I lay this out because I think Ahsoka was really only meant for those with a history and attachment to the aforementioned cartoons because there is nothing here for anyone else other than obvious references and seeing some of these characters in live action.
I was originally excited for this because I’m a fan of Rosario Dawson, and the cast all looked great and promising but the story was quickly very… crap. It was a lot of meandering, it was a lot of “remember berries”, and a lot of dull story beats and shitty choices. I cared so little about anything that was going on in this story, even Ahsoka herself despite being one of my favourite aspects of The Mandalorian. Whatever people may have found interesting about them previously didn’t seem to be present here.
I’ve expressed my frustrations with Dave Filoni before, I think it’s a great ideas person but he’s not a very good story teller (writer, director… at least in live action) and that was really born out here when I noticed that the few episodes I did enjoy or thought the quality had lifted were the ones Filoni didn’t direct. I also don’t think he is capable of writing women very well because one of them did the weird thing by bringing her young son along on an obviously dangerous mission (although that’s par for the course in Star Wars), two of them were plagued by unresolved feelings for men that were no longer in their life, and the “breakout” character was one trope away from being “manic Pixie dream girl” if she didn’t look so cool swinging a lightsaber. The men don’t fare too much better but the only one with any actual depth seems to be the droid voiced by David Tennant.
Overall, Ahsoka is dull and pretentious and the result of someone who has let this all go to their head.
Ahsoka (series 1) is streaming on Disney+
Star Wars: The Acolyte (season 1 – 2024)
Amazing fun with a compelling mystery to follow, this fresh take on “a galaxy far, far away” is ironically let down by the flaws inherent to Star Wars itself.
Ignore the review bombing, ignore the rage-bait Youtube grifters, and that Facebook “friend” that keeps complaining about “wokeness” ruining media, The Acolyte is a helluva lot of fun and is perhaps the only show in this current era to actually feel like Star Wars… the prequels at least.
Look, I’m still not a fan of Episodes 1, 2, and 3, even after 20 years, where fans (who were children at the time) are now re-writing history and suddenly claiming that the prequels were “always good” (even Filoni has been spending his career “justifying” those movies) but I do appreciate how gorgeous and expansive those films looked. I have a similar appreciation for The Acolyte as it feels refreshing yet familiar by getting away from the Skywalkers for a while with the bonus that the story is actually really interesting and fun to watch. It’s somewhat of a Rashomon-style of tale with a mystery that is slowly revealed from different perspectives, and while it does have it’s own share of callbacks and references these don’t feel too out of place.
The cast are all great but the standouts are definitely Lee Jung-jae (Sol) and Manny Jacinto (Qimir) because they both steal the show and add a different type of characters intensity I’ve not seen or explored properly (or with success) in Star Wars. I’m especially impressed with Lee’s performance because he apparently spent four months learning English just for this role! Props also to Amandla Stenberg for playing double duty on this one in a way that works so well to enhance the mystery.
While I love and appreciate what it takes from the prequels (the look and design as well as showing the Jedi in their prime) I also think the show is let down by said attachment to those films (some of the dialogue is a bit stilted, it too has an inability to explore the political aspects of the Jedi in a way that makes sense, etc). But that seems to be a problem with Star Wars and George Lucas’ limitations as a storyteller rather than that of Leslye Headland as a writer. If anything, Headland seems to be the anti-Filoni in that she’s a fan that hasn’t let it go to her head, knows how to tell a good story, and is able to extract the more interesting aspects of Star Wars and turn it on its head (much like Rian Johnson did for The Last Jedi) instead of just regurgitating A New Hope like JJ Abrams did twice.
It is sad that the show won’t get a second season, however, I’m not too bothered by that as I feel this story was well encapsulated. Also, there’s nothing that says the story can’t continue under a new title because technically… yeah I won’t spoil it but this is definitely some sci-fi fantasy fun!
The Acolyte (season 1) is now streaming on Disney+
Star Trek: Discovery (season 5 – 2024)
It’s unfortunate that the series was ended just as it was finding its feet again.
I still defend Discovery’s debut season despite all of its flaws because it truly did kick down the door and restart the Star Trek franchise. And while not every choice and executed idea landed properly it had every right to try new things in order to catch up and find its place in the era of “contemporary” television/streaming. It’s just ironic that with every comprise it makes to appease the loud fanboys and pivot to more “traditional” Trek stylings, each subsequent season felt like diminishing returns.
Season 5 felt like an upswing in that the cast and crew finally found their footing (the massive change in status quo – travelling forward from the 23rd to the 33rd century at the end of season 2 made it almost like a reset) and you had mostly fleshed out main characters, an identifiable setting, and a compelling enough story. While I miss the darker, edgier elements from the debut season, I also welcomed the brighter more fun aspects of this season too and the serialised nature of the story telling seemed to also settle and find its pacing and balance that also felt episodic (think along the lines of how Deep Space 9 did it as opposed to any show in the last decade). I love that this was the show to finally tackle the Breen properly even if it was a touch ham-fisted but I appreciate the effort.
The only issue I found with this final season is that it wasn’t originally meant to be its final season… and it’s glaringly obvious. Most of the season feels like “business as usual” even up to the climax, characters that should’ve had a more prominent role were missing because of actors’ scheduling (which they would not have been if they knew this was going to be the last time), and the ending/epilogue was obviously tacked on many months (maybe even a year) later as a way to say goodbye. Also I didn’t like THAT character reveal, that was utter rubbish.
A fun if frustrating finale to a show that deserved more and should be better appreciated for what it tried to do.
Star Trek: Discovery (season 5) is now streaming on Paramout+
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