TV Tuesdays Free Talk

I've been watching the following on Netflix:

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich. It's one of those things that I knew that Epstein was a pedophile but I wasn't aware of the specifics. I guess I shouldn't be shocked that wealth buys power, and with power comes serious abuse, but yet here I am. Still shocked.

One thing I will say is that watching the documentary, the whole "Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself" thing sort of stood out. I'm unsure whether he killed himself or not (I'm leaning on doubt), but what I will say is that I think it was an intentional act by Epstein himself - he wrote a will 2 days ago to give all of his money to a trust. This effectively meant that the survivors of Epstein couldn't and wouldn't get compensation.

That seemed incredibly on brand for Epstein. I suspect he organised something where he would be killed before going through trials, as the FBI found diamonds and a fake passport, which seemed like Epstein planned on making an exit during the trials. With that confiscated, it pretty much left someone like him with one option if he were to "win".

Trial by Media. This is actually a tough series to watch at times. The two that stick out for me is "41 Shots" - if you haven't seen, watch it. It is probably more relevant now than ever with the Black Lives Matter movement.

The other one is "Big Dan's", which I'm struggling to get through due to the horrible nature of crime (rape) and the horrible responses back ("she was asking for it", "what was she doing there at that time?", etc. All those shitty excuses). There was a segment where the suspects were all Portugese, so the newspaper outlets kept reporting the crime as a Portugese vs the victim. And then came the incredibly racist, bigoted comments. As someone in the UK who is a British Pakistani with a Muslim family, it really reminded me of 9/11 and the atmosphere surrounding it. The episode is a lot to unpack.

Binged on Space Force (Netflix) and loved it. Wasn't a fan of The Office (mockumentary + cringe situations format just didn't sit with me at all) so was a bit apprehensive here, but the show nailed the comedy (slapstick + situational + geeky) vs seriousness (underlying themes merit examination), plus I'm interested in the current spaceflight advances.

After going through a few movies from the Studio Ghibli catalogue, continued my anime fix by watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (yes yes, late to the party for all of these :) So far, lives up to the hype!

30-for-30 has been absolutely killing it this season.

"Be Water" is the most recent episode, documenting the life of Bruce Lee. It's really well done and is wall-to-wall footage with interviews over top.

The previous two-parter was on Lance Armstrong, and it is also excellent.

I've taken to consistently watching The Shield. I always had it in my mind that The Shield was... better. The music is awful rap rock, corny metal, etc. The theme would be better suited if the series took place in Florida -- but that's nitpicky.

The thing I hate about a lot of cop shows is when they bring in a lot of unnecessary family drama. Is it realistic? Maybe... but I don't give a crap about your over-dramatic home-life and your wife who is either nagging or crying. If you're going to have a wife and family in a series, give them some personality that goes beyond fuel for the fire of your juggling act.

The series isn't bad, though. Goggins is excellent, as expected, and Dutch has grown on me. It's nice to see him have a good balance of wins and losses as he goes mostly unrecognized as the best/only criminal profiler in the department.

The music, though... oof.

Lastly, I've been pacing my way through Star Trek: The Animated Series -- and I love it. I love the recycled cells, the quick stories, the goofy characters.. it's all great. There are some stories that could have been made into really great TAS or TNG episodes, too.