Hello world! Welcome back to another blog, where once again I will be giving out my reviews of what I've been watching recently! One of which is the return of a thrilling crime drama, one based on quite possibly the biggest scandal in British history and one based on someone's life at university.
Trigger Point:
The first show in this review is Trigger Point, casted by Des Hamilton.
This follows the journey of Lana Washington, a bomb explosives expo who uses her skills to stop terrorist related attacks from happening.
Nottingham royalty Vicky McClure took on the role of Lana Washington, who after having a lot of events happening in series 1, series 2 sees her come back from a 6 month tour only to be part of a mission to take down a group known and the Terror Cell. And I think it’s definitely taken it’s toll of the investigation, after speaking the truth about how she feels on a day to day basis with her parents Val and Jeff (played by Tamzin Griffin and Kevin Eldon), who are also suffering after the events of a loved ones death.
There were other characters in the show that stood out to me. I won’t go into full detail as I want you all to see for yourself, but here are a quick over view of some them. These include Hope (played by Bethan Cullinane, the leader of the Terror Cell who is a force to be reckoned with, Commander John Francis (played by Julian Ovenden), who had a few clashes with Lana, but appreciate the work that she and the team are doing, Alex (played by Tomiwa Edun), who you could see was trying to find meaning in his life again but has found himself in too deep into their plan, and DS Helen Morgan (played by Natalie Simpson, the newbie who is in a relationship with Lana's ex Thom Youngblood, but you could also see when she interviews a suspect on how daunting this job must be.
I think the only downside of the show was the ending. As even though there were hints of Helen forgiving Lana for not coming clean about Thom and her sooner, it would’ve been nice to see them at a colleagues wedding getting on again as friends. There was also a moment where Lana was shaking at the end, whether she was just traumatised by everything that’s happened or if she’s hiding a hidden agenda is another question. Although for someone in her line of work it can be traumatic.
Overall I would give the show a 4.95. It was high stakes, there were unexpected moments, and after the last series where yes it was a slow burner (but as the series progressed it got good) this one gave me double the anticipation.
Mr Bates VS The Post Office:
The next show I’m going to review is Mr Bates VS The Post Office.
This is based on one of the biggest British scandals in history, as hundreds of sub-postmasters and subpostmistresses face a crisis that leads to wanting to be cleared of their names, after being accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to a new IT system.
Toby Jones took on the role of Alan Bates, the man who led the charge on fighting for those that have been affected by this affect. I can't imagine how much research has gone into this real life activist, but after seeing Toby in The Long Shadow, he was sure to do a brilliant performance, and he did not disappoint. The passion he has without kicking off was just insane, and that if the real Alan Bates was like this in real life, then Toby definitely did it justice. He also showed the side to focus on what happened in his personal life, where after his wife got ill (where in this series, she was played by Julie Hesmondhalgh), he also found the time to be there for her when it mattered.
This really was an ensemble show as even though it’s based on one person bringing people together, you do get to see the backstory of each person affected. These include Lee Castletown (played by Will Mellor, and totally different to his role of Harvey in Corrie and his comedy shows he was in) Jo Hamilton (played by Monica Dolan and Michael Rudkin (played by Shaun Dooley). All of these characters really do help bring the piece together and also are there for each other when some of the sub-postmasters and postmistresses lived were taken due to this horrible event. Equally, Paula Vennells (played by Lia Williams) Angela Van Den Bogerd (played by Katherine Kelly), also tried there best to keep the reputation of the post office alive during this historical moment in history.
I don’t have any downsides for this show other than the after affect of it, but more observations but in a positive way. I was surprised by how many lives were taken, one of which was in the show, and I was not expecting that at all. But I think another thing that would be interesting to know is what scenes and characters were true and which ones were made up. But then again I think that it’s or of those shows where it leaves the viewers guessing.
Overall I would give the show a solid 5. There were moments of highs and lows and that Alan is still raising awareness to this day just shows how once you put your mind to something, you don’t give up. Which I admire.
Big boys:
The final show I will be reviewing is Big Boys casted by Rachel Sheridan.
This focuses on student Jack Rookie (where it was written on his life at university) and his friendship with mature student Danny King, both on different ends of the masculine spectrum navigating life at university.
Dylan Llewellyn took on the role of Jack Rookie, an awkward gay student who tries to navigate life in university after the death of father Laurie. And why is it that it’s characters like him where I can relate to in some of the awkward situations. These include having a crush on a teacher, but maybe not as far as going to his house. That is extra level creepy. And when it comes to the art of romance in particular, it is awkward to make a moment happen when other things occur. But after coming out to his mum at the end of series 1, and exploring his sexuality in series 2, it doesn’t get any easier. But at least he’s got some support from his friends he makes.
The supporting actors in the show have also made a wonderful job of bringing jacks story to life was also lovely to see. Jon Cooling played the role of Danny King, who jack refers to as “you” during the narration of the episode, and is someone who may seem like a player on the outside but really a vulnerable human being on the inside. Other characters in the show include Corrine (played by Izuka Hoyle), who is deeply blunt and has honest views, but really it’s just a barrier for her personal life, Yemi (played by Olisa Odele), the gay friend who shows Jack how to express his gayness along with being sucked into many affairs in the “sexual area” and Jacks family. Finally there is Peggy (played by Camille Coduri), Jacks mum who loved Laurie so much even in death, and when she heard about Danny’s situation, she is a true example of having good people out there in the world.
I don’t think I have any downsides per say but more observations but in a positive light. One of them being the events before Jack started uni, and how the death of his dad affected him on his journey to discovering his sexuality. Another positive observation was the development in the charters, one of which being Danny, and how after taking the advice from Yemi following the news of his nans illness and the true agenda of why his dad really returned, passing it onto people like Corrine (who told a heartbreaking revelation at the end of series 2), just showed how much he’s matured throughout the two series.
Overall I would give the show a 5. It had moments where you’d laugh until it hurts and then burst into tears the next, the narration set the story and the fact it’s based off of someone’s life is just insane.
And those were my thoughts on these recent tv series. Let me know your thoughts on them and be sure to watch out for other reviews of shows I've been watching plus more weekly highlights on the way!
See you soon for another blog. Until next time...
This is The Autistic Actress Signing off :)
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