With the Christmas holiday slowly drawing to its natural end some of the box sets we've been watching have ended too.
I know not everyone watches box sets on Netflix and the like but for those that do or are interested then here's a summary of what we've seen without spoilers. Let me know what you thought if you have caught them on the box.
Wednesday: Tim Burton's homage to the Addams Family, this American series has the Addams daughter centre stage and sleuthing her way through some nasty business at her boarding school. High production values and sumptuous sets, Wednesday will bring out the goth in you!
Dark: with the Missus and me coming late to this particular five years-old German party, the set had already spawned several seasons and been lauded across the globe as the 58th greatest Sci-Fi series of all time. It is credited for opening the door to international science fiction for mass worldwide audiences like Squid Game and the like. As for the programme itself, Dark started brilliantly and the dubbing is just perfect but after managing half of the many episodes across all the seasons we faltered and didn't recover. Groundhog Day for Einstein, we may return to it later!
1899: the latest offering from the makers of Dark, one which we persevered with as it wasn't as long as its predecessor. Like Dark, 1899 was beautifully made with high production values and plenty of dosh. Again, like Dark the sets are gorgeous and the imagery of the Titanicesque ocean liner on the high seas is stunning. Alas, it was a cruise we wondered if we should have taken once we reached the end. What was it all for? What did it all mean? Do we care? The final ruse in the closing minutes should have tied it all up with a nice crisp bow but alas it only served to show us what could have been. Perhaps there's a sequel? 1999?
The Boys: I don't know where to start with this American box set. Not one for the Missus, I saw this 'alone' [with headphones on my laptop] and enjoyed every single second of it across three long seasons, around 24 fabulous episodes in total. I was gripped from the get go and one particular character, Homelander, is without doubt the most riveting on-screen character I've seen for years. So unspeakably conceited and foul was he that he made the entire series and propelled it to greatness. Not for the squeamish or easily offended, The Boys is a real hit for Amazon Prime. Imagine the Watchmen crashing into the Long Good Friday and you might get near the Boys. I so hope they make more.
Count Magnus: not really a box set, this latest BBC Ghost Story for Christmas was shown late on the 23rd December on BBC2. The latest in a decades-long and applauded line of seasonal ghostly TV shorts, most often based on the tales of M.R. James, Count Magnus was this year's annual treat. It was brought once again to the screen by the brand's superfan and current custodian, Mark Gatiss, the wunderkind of modern British horror, who studied theatre with his League of Gentleman chums at the now defunct Bretton College, just down the road from Moonbase. If you like half-hour slices of televised M.R.James then Count Magnus is for you, once more pitching an arrogant academic against things that really shouldn't be prodded!
