Hello world! Welcome back to another blog, and my final set of TV Reviews for 2024. And it's safe to say I'm ending it with a bang! This review will consist of a high hitting drama featuring acting legend Michael Socha, a true-life drama based on the book Living With A Serial Killer, and a second series of a comedy genius! So without further ado, here are the three final shows of 2024 I've been watching.
Showtrial:
The first show I’m going to review is Showtrial, starring Michael Socha and Adeel Akhtar.
As stated on TV Guide, the synopsis of the show goes as follows:
In the new five-parter, high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood is left for dead in a violent hit and run. However, in his dying moments, he appears to identify his killer - a serving policeman
I knew that Michael Socha would be good in this, and you can tell he’s into the role of Justin. And Adeels role of Sam Malik, whose character themselves has had some problems of his own outside of the case, in some ways balanced out the roles nicely. They even take over from each other every now and then when it comes to class, which they’ve both done very discreetly, but towards the end of the series Michael was able to bring his vulnerable side, with the tough exterior he was putting on slowly breaking down. You can also see how it’s affected his partner Sandra (played by Anna Próchniak) who reveals some shocking information later on in the series.
Outside of the case, you could see the other characters lives and how they use the case as a coping mechanism. These include Leila (played by nathalie armin), and her turbulent relationship with half sister Tamara (played by Anna Wilson-jones) and Sam’s son mani (played by Ali khan), how he always checked in on his dad either with his health or how the controversial case is going which following the death of his mum before the events of series 2, shows that family is so important. So I can totally get why he got angry in the penultimate episode where he discovered a shocking secret Sam was hiding. I also liked a little moment between DI Miles Southgate and PC Becky Hollis (played by Joe dempsie and Kerry hayes) breaking the horror of the case and in the show very nicely. Felix Owusu (played by Fisayo Akinade who was also in Heartstopper), was also someone who was heavily involved in the case. He along with the other activists who want justice for Marcus (and whatever they used to bring to their roles they took it very seriously), would do anything to make sure that Justin pays for what he’s done. And I certainly do not want to get on their bad side.
I don’t think I have any downsides to the show. But I think my only thing I would like to see would be a montage of the other characters getting on with their lives after the events of the case. These can include Leila and Samantha fixing their sibling relationship, Sam, Mani and Claudia spending some quality time together, possibly Southgate and Becky Hollis maybe coming together and Felix setting up his next blog series.
Overall, I would give the show a full house. It had suspense, it had moments of emotion and snippets of how for many people their job is used as an escape from their personal lives. And now I have to watch series 1 to see why the second series came to be.
Until I Kill you:
The next show I’m going to talk about is Until I Kill You, produced by the people who did Line of Duty.
This is based off the book Living With A Serial Killer by Delia Balmer, telling the journey of her relationship with John Sweeney.
Maxwell-Martin did a brilliant job of taking on the role of Delia. I can tell she’s a very free spirited person, and when the trauma took place I’ve noticed that her stubbornness was in some ways used as a defense mechanism. Yes as someone who’s autistic it’s hard for me to read people’s thoughts, but after watching a lot of shows where they have stories of rape and assault, I know that a lot of the stories may not be taken seriously due to others thinking they’re overreacting, which in turn can lead to frustration. So I totally get why Delia feels the way she does during this horrific event. Shaun Evans took on the role of John Sweeney very seriously. And you know when they’ve done a good job when you don’t like the character in the show. I don’t know how he felt when he was given the role, but he did a brilliant job at it. But overall a brilliant pair to take on historical figures from a true story like this.
The other characters in the show really helped Delia's journey to get through her horrific time. I’m not sure who was a real life figure in delis life and who wasn’t, but we all need people like Delia's friend Leah (played by Amanda Wilkin who’d been through something similar, therefore she could help her see John was a bad man. I also think we all need a David in our lives (played by Kevin Doyle) as he made Delia's believe that finding love is possible again, and also the support of Delia's brother Stewart (played by Cory English), who despite being in another country, he was still there to support his sister. And I also admire the hard work and determination from the team over in Amsterdam, one of which would do anything she could to help solve the murder of Melissa Halstead, who was also one of johns victims.
I don’t think I have any downsides to this show, but it was more about how heartbreaking things were when Delia at first didn’t get the answers she wanted. And it was a shame her relationship with David came to an end because of it. But it was refreshing when they told us what Delia is up to now, and a most recent picture of her. It was also refreshing to see what goes on behind the scenes with the police force on a case like this, especially for someone like Delia who was too fragile to enter a court again.
Overall I would give the show a full house. It had drama, it had suspense, and it had highs and lows. It also made me aware of how to be treated in a relationship and also show how much impact it’s had on the victim.
Alma’s Not Normal Series 2:
The final show I’m going to review is series 2 of Alma’s Not Normal, created, written and starring Sophie Wilan and casted by Catherine Willis.
Following a brilliant first series, series 2 sees Alma’s adventures continue, as she decides to venture into the world of stand up comedy!
The Nuthall clan well and truly have made their mark yet again. Sophie once again portrayed Alma brilliantly, because as well as her awkward and relatable antics (especially when’s he ordered a takeaway out of depression), we got to see a more vulnerable side to her when it came to a setback with grandma Joan. But Lorraine Ashbourne managed to keep Joan’s humour going despite this adversity, and Siobhan Finneran was still her usual psychotic self but surprisingly found a way to healthily release all those negative emotions at the end of the series!
We saw other characters growth during series 2. Leanne in particular (played by Jayde Adams), who managed to launch her own business but managed to come to Alma’s aid when needed. We also got to see Alma’s drama teacher Ian (played by Dave Spikey) lead her way to stand up comedy, and we also got introduced to her agent David (played by Kenneth Collard), who has the most unusual of offices. And speaking of introductions, we got to see Alma’s extended family! These involve Aunty Ange (played by Julie Hesmondhlagh who like me is abit sensitive), Aunty Evie (played by Selina Mosinski who was abit of a rebel), and the humorous Uncle Dickie (played by Steve Pemberton). It was also an example of how the people you surround yourself with make you unique. And Alma used this as her USP, which certainly paid off.
I don’t think I have any downsides but I’ve noticed it was more emotional than the first series. But I find it interesting as most comedians write their material coming from a place where things are not the best, so kudos to Sophie for adding those heartfelt moments that made Alma the person she is now.
Overall I would give the show a 4.95. Whilst there wasn’t many moments to chuckle along to it made up for all of the heartfelt moments. But overall a brilliant show and one which I guess was the origins for Sophie’s career as an actress and comedian.
And those were the three and last tv shows of 2024 I’ve seen. Let me know your thoughts on them, and if you haven’t seen them, then hopefully those will fulfill the rest of the festive season and going into the new year.
See you soon for another blog. Until next time…
This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)
Comments