Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. Today here are some reviews of some tv shows I've recently watched, and as always this is my personal opinion on the shows I'm about to talk about. All of them from 3 different channels, so it's great to have watched these shows in different styles of genre. So without further ado, lets get cracking!
The Couple Next Door:
The first show of this blog is The Couple Next Door, starring Hugh Dennis and casted by Rae Hendry.
This tells the story of Pete and Evie, who move to an idyllic neighbourhood and quickly become friends with new neighbours, Becka and Danny. Soon they discover a huge secret, who has a big impact on their relationship.
What I love about this show is that you can feel what’s about to come, but when it doesn’t happen that’s when it hits you the most. An example of Evie making her move on Danny, as even though it happened once, the build up to it and the aftermath was just gripping to watch. And I also relate to Evie as during college I had a crush on someone who was in a relationship and after they split, something happened, but it soon came to an end after a wake up call from my peers at the time. As I nearly turn 24, I’ve now learnt from that past mistake and also am more aware of how I interact with people in general. But I’m not sure if Evie who is older than me has learnt throughout the series.
Another actor that stood out to me was Hugh Dennis, who is quite common for playing Pete Brockman in comedy sitcom outnumbered. He played Alan, a completely different character, who is so quite creepy, as he has a weird obsession with Becka, leaving me feel sorry for his wife Jean (played by Kate Robbins). But as the series progressed it shows that he didn’t realised he had everything until he lost it. If there is a series 2, it’ll be interesting to see if he learnt from his mistake after a setback linking to his health.
Overall I would give this show a 4.75. It was thrilling, the stakes were high and the performances from every actor was amazing.
Changing Ends:
My next show to review is Changing Ends, starring Alan Carr and Oliver Saville as his younger self, and casted by Catherine Willis.
This tells the story of the young comedian we all love, growing up in a town where his dad Graham Carr was the captain of Northampton Town F.C. aka the Cobblers, and hoped Alan would follow in his footsteps, but Alan himself wanted other dreams.
Oliver Saville is literally a star in the making, as the mannerisms, his quirks and gestures do resemble Alan himself. You can also see how he struggles to be himself at first, as growing up in the 80s, being someone who people would say “not normal” he tries to blend on. However it is a superpower to be hold, and as we can see now, it made him the person his is today. And it’s the same with me and my autism, as yes I didn’t get it at first, but after learning about it since I was 15, I’ve tried to being more awareness to the subject. And the way he said certain words and phrases made me chuckle.
I also admire Alan himself narrating each episode, bringing his present version into the past, which I think gives a real flavour of the era it’s set in. And also given the fact that at first I struggled to get into it, once I settled in I actually enjoyed the series. I think my only downside to the show is that the ending wasn’t what I was expecting. I won’t say what happened but the way it ended could’ve been better. However this is subjective as he hinted himself that that’s how Alan’s life continued before he became famous, and I guess that’s what art is all about. Turning a negative into a positive.
Overall I would give this show a 3.75. Yes it was a slow burner but once I got into it I thoroughly enjoyed it. And the fact that it’s based off of Alan’s childhood is also something to admire and respect. And with a new series in the making I can’t wait to see how young Alan’s career in showbiz will develop.
Vigil:
The final show I’m reviewing today is series 2 of Vigil, starring Suranne Jones and casted by Kahleen Crawford. This is second series, where DCI Amy silva investigates into the attack of a practice session in Dundair which leads her to the fictional country of Wudyan where she investigates what has happened.
This is a very different scenario, as the first series was set on a submarine called the HMS Vigil. I wasn’t sure how it would top off the first series, but it really did not disappoint. The writing, the cliffhangers, the plot twists, it had it all. I also did not expect some of the surprises coming, like the ending of the second to last episode and the connection between two of the soldiers in Wudyan. I also had my suspicions on one character but not with sergeant Eliza Russell. I won’t give the game away but let’s just say you’d be surprised.
Surrane jones has really developed the character of Amy, and let’s just say I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side. Being a DCI of course you need to have some authority, and like the previous series she has captured those elements perfectly. I can also see how she has coped with her past, as the first series saw her having flashbacks of her loosing a loved one and how it affected her time on the submarine. It also showed the relationship with Kirsten Lonagre before the first series began, and now that they were back together prepping for a new addition to the family along with Amy’s daughter poppy, it seems they have helped Amy got through her trauma.
I think my only downside to the show would be the ending. As without giving anything away, the ending is what Amy would’ve hoped for, but if they showed Amy and Kirsten with their new addition to the family, then it would’ve made the series even more wholesome.
Overall I would give the show a 4.80. It had twists, shocks, some incredible talent and the storyline left me on my seat. And if it had the ending I was expecting then it would get the full house.
And those are my TV reviews of these shows. As I said before everyone is different when it comes to these shows, so if you like this read, please share and let me know your thoughts. And also let me know what other shows you want me to watch and review, as it'll be great to have some suggestions for you reading this wherever you are.
See you soon for another blog. Until next time...
This is The Autistic Actress Signing off :)
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