We Recommend: The Best Of Netflix TV, Part II
Netflix is not available in Australia. Unless it is? (It kind of is.) In which case, here are some great shows you can watch, recommended by Junkee contributors.
A few weeks back, ahead of the Netflix dump of Arrested Development‘s fourth season, we published an easy-to-follow guide to pay for access to the America-only streaming service. Geoblockers like Media Hint go against the intention of distributors like Netflix, but they turn a blind-eye because you’re paying them to stream, and adding eyeballs to their content.
Until Australia catches up and offers a competitive distribution service, streaming through Netflix is the easiest and most ethical way to go, outside of buying the DVD — especially for shows like season four of AD which aren’t available anywhere else. This way, you can pay to watch something you might have otherwise have torrented.
With this in mind — and with a whole new library of TV shows at our fingertips — we asked our contributors for their pick of the Netflix batch. We published part one yesterday; here is the second half.
–
Twin Peaks
Recommended by: Nicholas Fonseca
When Twin Peaks weaselled its way onto the air in 1990, TV shows weren’t supposed to confound people – let alone scare the bejesus out of them. But this was a David Lynch production and, well, if David Lynch wanted to conquer television, who were ratings- and prestige-hungry network executives to stop him? The result was a revolution: an unclassifiable (but brilliant) drama about the dark underbelly of the titular Washington logging town, where all manner of bizarre goings-on unfold each week, and the mystery of high school cheerleader Laura Palmer’s murder casts a pall. Surreal, uproarious, heartfelt, terrifying – Twin Peaks ticks all those boxes at once, and changed the face of television forever. This is a singular (and necessary) viewing experience.
What to know: That it shatters convention, veers from high camp to breathtaking horror with little warning, and doesn’t often make sense. So be patient. Don’t expect easy resolution. Roll with the weird stuff (and there’s lots of weird stuff). And whatever you do, watch this puppy with the lights on. Because one word: BOB. Oh my God, BOB.
Favourite episode: It’s hard to top the pilot, but if you want to know who killed Laura Palmer, you need to stick around for ‘Lonely Souls’ (season two, episode 14), which features a brutal, agonisingly paced and brilliantly shot reveal scene that puts Game of Thrones’ Red Wedding to shame. 23 years on, and I still can’t believe it aired on free-to-air TV, let alone at all.
–
The West Wing
Recommended by: David Wild (‘How To Light Up A Sydney Harbour Bridge‘)
Politics is supposed to be boring, right? Not in The West Wing of Aaron Sorkin’s imagining. His White House was one of snappy dialogue and light humour, tackling the difficult issues through an outstanding cast of principled lead characters led by President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen): everything that George W. Bush, the man sitting in the Oval Office for much of The West Wing’s TV run, was not. Its success owes a little to the fantasy of an efficient administration, which is why you should get round to watching it while Julia G is still the boss here. No political drama has bettered it yet.
What to know: It will make you sick that you aren’t as intelligent as the senior staffers, and that you are unable to put people in their place as artfully as Bartlett.
Favourite episode: ‘Two Cathedrals’ (season two, episode 22) – we discover more about what makes Jed tick, and it builds to a sublime season finale.
–
Alias
Recommended by: Stephanie Van Schilt (‘Why Parks & Recreation Is My Food Porn‘)
In true J.J. Abrams’ style, Alias is thriller, action, romance, sci-fi and family drama rolled into one. It’s spy-pageantry with (endearingly lame) gadgetry, big bad guys and massive explosions, and it’s a lot of fun. Following the missions/allegiances/personal turmoil of SD-6 agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner), alliances in Alias change as often as the main protagonist’s wonderfully terrible accents or flashy (at times trashy) costumes. And with a cast of brilliant supporting players – Bradley Cooper is Sydney’s BFF Will Tippin; Victor Garber is her stoic Spy Dad; Michael Vartan is her handsome CIA-handler/love interest; and Melissa George kills it as Sydney’s competition in the third season – it’s great to watch. At times the crazy storylines or counter-counter-counter-trust issues may feel a little convoluted, but if you embrace the show’s over-the-top nature, you’ll be rewarded. In the age of the anti-hero, it’s really satisfying to invest emotion in a genuinely good character: a super-fit, arse-kicking female spy in a wig.
What to know: You may not be a Jennifer Garner fan and that may have kept you away, but you will end up falling in love with her. Caring for Sydney made me a convert (her cryface kills me), and now I’m a total Garner girl. Also, if you enjoyed The Americans, are counting the days until the new season of Homeland hits, were a Lost devotee way back, or flirted with Felicity as much as Felicity flirted with Ben/Noel, you have to get onto Alias.
Favourite episode: Alias is so spoiler heavy it’s impossible to list here. As a show structured on spectacle, it’s unsurprising that big season cliff-hangers form some of my favourite viewing memories, particularly the final moments of the season two and four finales that involve kidnapping terrorists, real identity reveals and, of course, amnesia. Also, two words: Fake Francie.
–
Wallander
Recommended by: Mel Campbell (‘On Being A TV Bystander In The Age Of #GameOfThrones‘)
From Law & Order: SVU to Top Of The Lake and Hannibal, procedural shows have long-questioned the personal toll taken on law enforcement professionals who bring empathy to their work. This British adaptation (2008–) of Henning Mankell’s popular novels stars Kenneth Branagh as rural Swedish police detective Kurt Wallander, whose deeply introspective, existential personality dogs both his casework and his relationships. Wallander cleverly uses the familiar narrative rhythms of the police procedural to explore its protagonist’s interior mysteries. For instance, Wallander’s distinctive mobile ringtone doesn’t just signal scene transitions; its anxious, descending xylophone symbolises his workaholism and his constant buzz of anxiety. Despite the English-accented cast, the production design and intimate, gestural cinematography capture a distinct Swedishness: its seasonal light and gorgeous countryside trace evocative moodscapes. Branagh’s performance is superbly subtle and intuitive: Wallander’s emotions make him frustratingly self-destructive, yet Branagh never loses the viewer’s affections.
What to know: Each movie-length episode adapts an entire novel and is a self-contained story. Filmed on location in Sweden, it’s performed in English, but the documents and signs appearing onscreen use a modified form of Swedish. The first six episodes also co-star the babelicious Tom ‘Loki’ Hiddleston.
Favourite episode: Tough call. I love the uneasy relationship between Wallander and his surly artist father (the perfectly cast David Warner), but ‘Faceless Killers’ (season 2, episode 1) dramatises how viciously Wallander blames himself for the way his work and life intertwine and conflict. The episode is full of richly symbolic ruminations on mortality.
–
Bob’s Burgers
Recommended by: Steph Harmon (‘What Not To Wear To A Custody Hearing‘)
From the team behind Dr Katz and Home Movies comes the story of Bob Belcher, his wife Linda, and their three ridiculous children, who live above Bob’s burger joint, where they struggle to make ends meet. I can’t pinpoint what I love so much about this show. I think it’s how sweet-natured it is behind all the hilarity. Voiced by H Jon Benjamin (Archer in Archer; Dr Katz’ son Ben in Dr Katz), Bob is such a wonderful put-upon dad and husband; at once appalled and delighted by his kids, and always trying to be a better father, husband, and man. Linda (voiced by comedian John Roberts) is his uber-positive/hyper-embarrassing wife, always ready to make the most of the humdrum life she doesn’t realise she’s living. And their kids, oh my god — have them washed and brought to me. Kristen Schaal (Flight Of The Conchords) plays the machiavellian Louise, the youngest and the best; Dan Mintz plays Tina, the over-hormonal/perpetually randy deadpanned and stilted teenager; and Eugene Mirman is Gene, the over-enthusiastic dumb loudmouth of the bunch. The timing shares the off-kilter, semi-improvised patter of Dr. Katz, and there’s in-joke’s a-plenty: keep your eye on the ‘Today’s Specials’ board, and the show’s very own opening credits couch gag — the changing shop-front next door.
What to know: New characters are generally played by someone noteable, including Jon Hamm, Paul F. Tompkins, Kevin Kline, Zach Galifianakis, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally. Many boys are played by girls, and vice versa — especially the awkward kids at Wagstaff Middleschool (voiced by Sarah Silverman, Aziz Ansari, Jenny Slate and co.). And snippets of song soundtrack dream sequences (click that link), montages and transitions, and they’ve all been purpose written (and some even covered, by the likes of St Vincent, The National and Stephin Merritt.)
Favourite episode: ‘Dr. Yap’, from season two. Linda’s unhinged sister Gayle (Megan Mulully) picks up a heavily-medicated Bob from the dentist; he mistakes her for his wife and lets her attack his face with hers. Gayle falls in love with Bob, Dr. Yap wants to do it with Gayle, Tina has a crush on Dr. Yap — and Linda accidentally spurs the whole thing on. Meanwhile, Louise and Gene engage in a sibling challenge over a jawbreaker that’s so completely on-point you’ll want to go back in time and nipple cripple your brother.
–
Black Books
Recommended by: Hannah Wolff (‘What Are The Real Life Bling Ring Kids Doing Now?‘)
Starring comedians Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey, this acclaimed BBC sitcom is all about a doomed and dusty London bookshop. Located somewhere between last night’s haze and the morning after’s pain, the show is the perfect demonstration of how, in the face of calamity no matter how great or small, wine is always a good idea. While there is no linear plot progression or narrative — rather one giant, rhizomatic bastard of a hangover — each episode involves continually inventing new and cruel ways to aggravate an already dysfunctional trio: Perpetually drunk, sucks-at-life scalliwag Bernard, shop assistant Manny the man-child (Bill Bailey), and their drinking compadre Fran Katzenjammer (Tamsin Grieg). And each features an equally hysterical/ill-thought-out plan to A) avoid work, B) torture Manny, C) unsuccessful increase book sales, or D) get stay drunk.
What to know: Black Books was written by Moran, ran for three beautiful seasons, won a BAFTA for Best Situational Comedy in both 2001 and 2005, but was cancelled in 2004.
Best episode: ‘Elephant and Hens’ (season 3, episode 2). Alcoholic Little-Miss-No-Friends-Fran goes on a hen’s trip away for the night, leaving Bernard and Manny to write a children’s novel. The first draft proves to be a “little too long” at 1000 pages (covering Joseph Stalin and a broken marriage), while their second attempt, The Elephant And The Balloon, is sure to be an instant hit and bring with it the perils of fame.
–
House Of Cards
Recommended by: Nic Holas (‘Blaming A Deadly Disease On Grindr Is A Dangerous Thing To Do‘)
Oh, you better believe this one’s on the list, House of Cards is the kingpin of the Netflix “Original” series, based on an English mini-series of the same name — and it has some serious creative pedigree behind it: produced (and occasionally directed) by commercial cinema genius David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac, Benjamin Button), and written by Beau Willimon (last year’s deftly handled Ides of March).
House of Cards is everything I love about TV: rich white people destroying each other because they are white and rich and love power. Imagine if Macbeth and Lady Macbeth lived in cold, grey Washington DC instead of cold, grey Scotland, and you’ll get the picture. Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright play Frank and Claire Underwood, a Washington power couple. He’s a Southern Democrat high up in the White House food chain, and she runs a clean water not-for-profit, but that’s where the charity and altruism ends. The supporting characters/cast are just as brilliant — notably the conflicted and sexy-balding Peter Russo (Corey Stoll) and the plucky, sharp journalist Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara).
What to know: 1. A little bit about US government helps. 2. Your hairdresser’s number. You will want Claire’s hair.
Favourite episode: Any of the episodes where Claire flirts dangerously with her hot photographer side piece. Oh God, I have a Claire problem. As a gay man, I want to BE HER.
–
My So-Called Life
Recommended by: Dijana Kumurdian (‘Not-So-Accidental Racism And “Comfortable” Discrimination In The Lucky Country‘)
There’s nothing that prompts indignant groans (and these days, internet whining) more than a TV show that just won’t go away. Community’s doing it, The Simpsons has been at it for more than ten years, and even the beloved 30 Rock managed to make Alec Baldwin tiresome to behold. Cancelled after only a season, mostly because it was competing with Friends and the long-forgotten Mad About You, My So-Called Life is now a classic: in a single a season we get to fall in love with Jared Leto (yes, really) and have him break our hearts, only to fall in love with him all over again. The bad boy and bad girl of 1994 television, Jordan Catalano (Leto) and Rayanne ‘smoking-in-the-bathroom’ Graff (played by real-life bad ass Patti D’Arbanville), lead the disgruntled, confused but still-relatable Angela Chase (Clare Danes) into sketchy, teen situations – like overdoses and getting drunk in a car and almost losing her virginity – from which she’s often rescued by her embarrassing yet understanding mom, or the requisite best friend character who’s struggling with homosexuality (Rickie Vasquez played by Wilson Cruz). Ultimately, this show is worth a watch for its brevity, surprisingly grown-up morals, and endless supply of plaid shirts – and because we’ve all been friends with a Rayanne at one point in our lives.
[UPDATE: My So-Called Life is no longer on Netflix. BUY THE DVDS!]
What to know: Jared Leto was way less insufferable back then.
Favourite episode: Episode 19, ‘In Dreams Begin Responsibilities’, because of the line “Help me, Brain”.