Over the week leading up to Halloween, I watched three things that provoked lots of feelings, shall we say. Therefore, I thought I’d pull together a review of all three. They were the following (and if you want to skip to the review you’re most interested in, here are some links): Doctor Who: The Power… Continue reading Reviews of The Power of the Doctor, Halloween Ends, and The Devil’s Hour
I just finished watching the third and final series of the British/French cop show, The Tunnel (a remake of the Danish/Swedish show, The Bridge), starring the excellent Stephen Dillane and Clémence Poésy. It got me thinking about fan service versus fan disservice, or what I’m going to refer to as fan-punching-in-face (just because it’s more… Continue reading Drawing the line between fan service and fan-punching-in-face: an examination of The Tunnel, Line of Duty, Game of Thrones, and Star Wars
The other week, my partner Katherine and I binge-watched Wayward Pines on Disney+. Being a fan of Lost, I love a story about a mysterious place where nothing is what it seems. And my next book, The Puddle Bumps, also has a mysterious town with a dark secret and a lot of weird shit going… Continue reading TV Review: Wayward Pines – the anti-Lost that’s great… for 5 episodes
Seems a shame to look back on the Jodie Whittaker era of Doctor Who when the last episode that aired, her penultimate outing, stands as one of her weakest. Legend of the Sea Devils was a rushed mess. It's particularly sad given that the previous special, Eve of the Daleks, was bloody brilliant. Actually, though,… Continue reading My honest thoughts on the Jodie Whittaker era of Doctor Who, Russell T. Davies coming back, and Ncuti Gatwa as Doctor 14
SPOILERS AHEAD! Doctor Who Series 12 has come to an end after an all-too-brief 10 episodes and it's been a mixed bag. I was super-underwhelmed by the opening two-parter, Spyfall, which had 45 minutes' worth of story drawn out into two 60-minute episodes. And new aliens the Kasaavin (which, uninterestingly, just looked like shining humanoids… Continue reading TV Review: Doctor Who – Series 12 and the Timeless Child arc
I really thought this was gonna be a good'un. The trailers made it look great. And for the first few episodes, it was genuinely compelling, with lots of plotlines you expect to come together. Until they don't. The fact that new Netflix show The Stranger was billed as a conspiracy thriller made me assume something… Continue reading TV Review: Netflix’s The Stranger – not a good example of a conspiracy thriller, frankly
It’s possible that the Game of Thrones finale has been more divisive than Brexit and that fluffy orange turd currently running America. The way I see it, the whiners who hated the ending and have been petitioning HBO to remake Season 8 boil down to two groups: People who don’t like what happened (Daenerys losing… Continue reading The Game of Thrones finale and why everybody needs to stop whining
Crikey. Season 8 of Game of Thrones is sure taking a battering. Fans are slating it. Critics are slating it. For a show that once earned almost universal acclaim, things have taken an unexpected turn. Is all this criticism deserved? Frankly, no. I’m not going to talk about how incredible the acting and special effects… Continue reading Everyone’s wrong! My thoughts on Game of Thrones’ final season (so far)
... Million Eyes begins! Yes, yes, yes, I totally realise that I’m making it sound like my forthcoming conspiracy thriller novel Million Eyes is going to be the next BIG thing. I’m under no illusions how unlikely and pipe dreamy that is. I’m confident that a lot of people will enjoy Million Eyes given the subject… Continue reading Hey 2019. The year Game of Thrones and Star Wars end. And…
This six-part 2017 British TV series is everything a good conspiracy thriller should be. And it’s everything 2016’s Paranoid was not. SPOILERS AHEAD FOR FEARLESS SEASON 1 Paranoid felt like it was written by a five-year-old with a big book of conspiracy clichés close at hand. Risible characters, panto performances, juvenile—sometimes nonsensical—dialogue, and a plot… Continue reading TV Review – Fearless Season 1 – everything Paranoid wasn’t
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a TV series so gripping that I just couldn’t turn it off. The sort of series that, when you start catching up, you panic that you’re going to run out of episodes, and you’re not entirely sure what you’re going to do with your life after you do.… Continue reading TV Review: Designated Survivor — Season 1
In an extra blog for this week, I’m reviewing the first three episodes of new ITV conspiracy thriller Paranoid. Why I’m choosing to review the series at this point will become clear. Spoilers ahead. I’m not going to mince words. Britain’s televisual output is pants. Apart from some comedy gems and one decent sci-fi series,… Continue reading TV Review: Paranoid – a terrific example of how NOT to do a conspiracy thriller
C.R. Berry 