Hello world! Welcome back to another blog! Here are some more reviews of some shows I watched, two on the BBC and one on Netflix!
Kin:
The first show I'm going to talk about is series 1 of Kin, Starring Charlie Cox, casted by Louise Kiely and the first four episodes directed by Diarmiud Goggins.
Following the death of a young boy, this show follows the crime family in the form of the Kinsella's in their quest to take down the people that did this and their ring leader.
This may be my new favourite action show as it’s literally the Irish version of Peaky Blinders. And the leading actor Charlie Cox did a brilliant job of playing main character Michael. Even though at the beginning he tried to redeem himself and reconnect with his daughter, he soon slowly falls back into the world of crime, and along with his brother Jimmy (played by Emmet J. Scanlan) and Amanda (played by Clare Dunne who I swear they still have feelings for each other), they seek revenge and justice for Amanda’s son.
There were also characters in the show that added the tension to these tied as it progressed.
One of them included the evil Eamon Cunningham (played by Ciaran Hinds). His presence alone was just intimidating to see, so I can’t imagine what would happen if you get on his wrong side. The other family members around the Kinsella's which are Eric aka Viking (played by Sam Keeley), Frank (played by Aiden Gillen), who I feel used drugs as an escape from everything that’s happening, and Birdy (played by Maria Doyle Kennedy) all have different views on how to best tackle revenge. And that’s what great drama is all about. Birdy in particular is literally the Irish version of Polly Shelby. As her strong leadership, bravery against Eamon and trying to do what’s right by her family shows how crucial she is, and it would be a great shame if she was to be lost forever.
I think my only downside of it was in the 6th episode. This was where Eamon had a vision of his kids drowning and Amanda was there to attend to them. It never revealed the relationship between her and Eamon, and it really annoyed me that I’ll never get to know.
One Day:
The next show I'm going to review is One Day, based on the novel with the same name by David Nicholls, casted by Rachel Sheridan and starring Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod!
Based on the novel and the film with the same name, this tells the story of Emma Moorley and Dexter Mayhew, weaving in and out of eachothers lives for 19 years, with each moment taking place on the same day, which is 15th July.
I quite liked how each episode took place one year later, as even by looking at the characters facial expressions, you could see how much has happened since the last time they met, regardless if it’s good and bad. It also affected their chemistry in the process as well. Ambika and Leo have really good chemistry on screen, and they do say that opposites attract. In this case Dexters personality to influence Emma to not take life to seriously, along with Emma calming Dexter when things get tough really creates a nice balance to their relationship.
Other characters in the show stood out to me as well. These included Dexter's dad (played by Tim McInnerny), his stern but caring father who after his wife/Dexter's mum dies, tries to hold him back together, Sylvie (played by Eleanor Thompson), one of Dexter's lovers who has a child with him who at first loves him but once she met Callum it did not go down well with him, and Ian (played by Jonny Weldon), a struggling stand up comedian who became one of Emma's love interests. Jonny in particular stood out to me out of all of them. Normally he's seen on X formerly twitter doing sketches about the industry, but after getting One Day off of the back of the sketches, I've seen a completely different side to him, and that is when you know how much they've grown as an actor and as a person. So for that all I have to say is well done Jonny!
I think my only thing I would've like to have seen is what happened with Dexter's business after Emma's fate is sealed. As in the second to last episode Dexter did a good job on taking the big step into making his own business, and hoe passionate he was about turning his life around.
Overall I would give the show a 4.5. It had highs lows, happy moments, sad moments and overall a really good drama to watch
Boarders:
The final show I'm going to review is Boarders, directed by Sarmad Masud and casted by Rosalie Clayton.
This tells the story of 5 kids who receive a scholarship to one of the most prestigious schools in the UK, and soon must adjust to their new lifestyle.
The leading actors themselves each have their own unique personality. And when together it somehow makes them an unbreakable group. We have Jaheim (played by Josh Tedeku), who you could say is the leader and somehow finds his way in trouble. Then there’s Omar (played by Myles Kamwendo), a shy but talented artist who tries to find a special society in the school. Followed by Leah (played by Jodie Campbell), someone who wants equality and doesn’t stop until she gets what she wants. This is followed by Toby (played by Sekou Diaby), a bright lad who can do anything to make money. And finally there’s Femi (played by Aruna Jalloh), someone who will go to drastic measures just to keep his family happy.
But there are other characters who do have an influence on the choice the five students make. These include quirky Mabel (played by Georgina Sadler and someone who I could see myself as), cocky but shy girl Beatrix (played by Tallulah Greive), bully Rupert (played by Harry Gilby), firm but fair school master Bernard (played by Derek Riddel), his daughter Abby (played by Assa Kanoute), and Yelena (played by Ruxandra Porojnicu).
I think my only downside is wondering if there is another series of this show. As with the appearance of Rupert’s mum (played by Niky Wardly), becoming the new temporary head master after the incident at the end of series 1, I need to know what will happen and if she can be stopped. I also didn’t get a laugh on some of the comedy moments, as I wasn’t sure where to laugh and I think there was one moment where I laughed at the wrong moment. But that didn’t mean that it was all enjoyable, as there were moments of high stakes and heartwarming moments.
Overall I would give this show a 4.25. It was adventurous, modern and overall a really good show in which I wasn’t going to watch but I’m glad I did.
And those are my reviews of some of the shows I've watched. Hope you enjoyed this read and let me know what you think of these shows.
See you soon for another blog. Until next time...
This is The Autistic Actress Signing off :)
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