More or less what it says on the tin...
This has been the year of Netflix Streaming, apparently. When the new year broke, they updated their contracts, it seems, and now there's a ton of stuff on Streaming. This equals a happy, if not less productive, Sara.
Downton Abbey
This is pure crack. I mean, the production values are nifty, and Dame Maggie Smith is awesome (she is a Dame, is she not? If she isn't she should be) but that's down to the fact that she's generally awesome. It's interesting, you can tell which actors are acting and which are WORKING at acting in this, which I find rather disappointing. It isn't their fault, poor dears, but sometimes you just have to WORK at something to get through it and make it even remotely passable. Case in point: Bartholomew Fair at the Young Vic in 1999. It's not the world's greatest play, but the actors gave it a shot and well, you could tell. The lead (whom I thanked profusely afterwards - he was also the villain in Measure for Measaure that year at the Barbican) was exhausted by the end of it and you could tell. Don't think I'll be watching the second series of DA - unless I have a break like I did this February where that is ALL I did.
Doctor Who
It's all about the nerd cred, really. I mean, how can I call myself a nerd in good faith if I haven't watched Doctor Who? I mean, really.
Eccleston is still my favorite, and I'm almost done with Tennant. This isn't the post where I talk about how I have a lovely masochistic relationship with the writers and producers, 'cuz, that could take forever and would involve a lot of fangirling on my part. Suffice it to say, I think I shall quote John Finnemore when he said, "I want to be the man who makes the noise of the TARDIS." And failing that, "be a very useful engine."
Which brings me to the title of the post. Up to a few months ago, I had only seen Tennant in Harry Potter and Hamlet. Two roles that, unfortunately, require the actor to appear to be batshit nuts. Or, really, really unhappy. And yeah, every actor wants to play Hamlet, but really, on balance, it's not the best vehicle out there for displaying your chops. So, in effect, Tennant nailed it by loafing around looking moody and crazy by turns. Which is pretty much all there is to Hamlet.
(Overexposure much? Maybe - I've only seen the damned thing a million times - at this point I'll watch a production for the tech, not the acting. SPOILER ALERT: Rocks fall, everybody dies.)
So, ok - 10th Doctor. WOW. He not only has really good acting chops, he's also adorable. And insane, and sad, and beautiful, and all those things wrapped up into one messy TARDIS riding um... thing. So, for what it's worth, I'm a fangirl - he does have range, lots of it, and I'm glad I was wrong about him.
Favorite episode so far? Blink. Didn't scare the daylights out of me the way I thought it would, but it did make be start on occasion afterwards when I saw the little gargoyle magnet on the fridge.
Forsyte Saga
Couldn't finish this - maybe some day. Mostly because the ongoing angst and drama makes me want to hit things. I know I'm supposed to be invested in these folks lives, but again, I feel like the actors are workig too hard. The dude playing Irene's lover missing the bloodpack on his death scene kind of clinched it for me. Or was I the only one to notice that? He turned it into a nice dying twitch, but the repeated biting and then oh! there's the blood was a bit of a mood killer. Oh, and I don't like Rupert Graves with an arty!beard.
The Comfort Food
Black Books, FortySomething (aww, Rory!batch, still my fav), Arrested Development. Mostly I use these when the writers of Doctor Who have ripped out my heart and done the polka on it. Which, I'm happy to say, happens quite regularly.
And of course Sherlock - naturally. Although having seen S2, Ep 3, I will confess to hyperventillating over the phone. Just a little bit. Whoooargh.
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