TV Series-Post-mortem and Continuing Series

I have just watched a couple of US TV series which ended in April-May 2014.

I am watching another three series.

Let's talk about the first one.

Ragnar and Lagertha 

Vikings chronicled a band of sea marauders led by Ragnar Lothbrok who invaded the easterly coast of England such as Wessex. While it tends to be graphically violent and show that the early Vikings are blatant killers and sacrifice humans to their gods such as Odin and Thor, it still play on the familiar close family bonds and the conflicts with  other earls such as  Jarl Borg. It ended on a high note with the revenge on the back-stabbing King Horik. The next season will be worth watching to see the possible kingship of the protagonist of Ragnar and the machinations of King Ekbert in England. Travis Fimmel plays a coy Ragnar; Clive Standen, his courageous brother Rollo, George Blagden as Athelstan and Gustaf  Skargard as  Floki.  Katheryn Winnick plays the pretty heroine, Earl Lagertha, Alyssa Sutherland as Princess Aslaugh, Jessalyn Gilsig as ex an Earl's wife, Siggi and Gaia Weiss as the delectable Porunn.

Juliana Margulies as the adorable Alicia Florick

The Good Wife also ended a fortnight ago. While it had a good run for 4 seasons, the excitement sort of leveled off and maybe went down a wee bit after the sudden write off of Will from the series. Michael J Fox could not fill the gap nor was the other character, Finn played by Matthew Goode. The final episode saw a possible chance for Diane to run for Attorney General, Cary trying to stop the merger between Florrick Agos and and Lockhart-Garder, and the attempt to take control of Lockhart Gardner by David Lee and Louis Canning. For me, the Fifth Season is experimental and does not have a focus story line; playing on the periphery. It could be exciting if Diane takes on as Attorney General. Otherwise, it may just be the last season!

The current series that I am watching are Fargo and VEEP as well as watching the earlier two seasons of Hannibal. 

Icy  Death in the Snowy Grave

Fargo is tastefully done with Allison Tolman as the police women protagonist, Molly Solverson. The horrific portrayal of the arch-villain  Lorne Malvo by Billy Bob Thornton  is electrifying. Slow dialogue but well paced and getting more interesting as the new episodes rolled by.  Martin Freeman in the role of Lester Nygaard who set the story on fire is in all silliness, good. Death in the snow. Mafia in tow! Chillingly exciting TV series.

Selena Myers and the VP Office

VEEP tells the bungling efforts of the Office of the Vice President of America, Selina Meyers and her kooky office team as she takes on the other contenders for the post of the President of USA. Funnily stupid characters but do watch this series for the laughs as Julia Louis Dreyfus reinvents herself from one form of silliness to another as she changes hair-styles and bungles on her foreign missions and meetings with the Press. Supporting her are the pretty Anna Chlumsky as Amy and Reid Scott as failed campaign manager, Dan Egan.

Bon Appetit!

I am currently watching Hannibal Season 1 and the graphic depictions of crimes is superb, just like on the big screen. Mads Milkelsen  play the cannibalistic psychopath psychiatrist and his morbid taste for human organ gourmet. I think the story is getting better as the police pursues him. Great acting by Hugh Dancy as Will Graham, the visionary investigator who can re-enact crime-scenes with his special God-given qualities, Laurence Fishburne as the persistent Jack Crawford and Mads Milkelsen as Hannibal the Cannibal.

Selena Meyers-Parodying the Office of the VP

Oddball VP

Though it started slow and is full of oddballs, Veep is one series that will slowly but unconsciously  latch on to you and soon you would be rooting for every ensuing episode of this silly series.

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss stars as Senator Selena Meyers who was elevated to Vice President of the USA and brought in a few characters into her office that are wholly inefficient and always doing the wrong things and at odds with each other.

Yes, there are sexual expletives which tend to wear off as the series progress.

I guess it must still have a wide following and continue to attract the advertisement buck for it to go into Season 3.

Currently, Senator Meyers have announced her candidacy to run for the next President of the USA after the current sitting President decided not to run after his first term.

The series airs of Monday in the USA and I guess if you do not have other exciting series to watch,Veep can certainly be a  worthy filler!

Secrets of Top of the Lake

This mini-series of six parts features Elizabeth Moss as Detective Robin Givens in a small New Zealand lake town.

A Detective with a history

A suicidal bid by Tui, a 12 year old half Thai girl to drown herself in the lake because of an impending pregnancy set the stage for a twist and turn tale of a "village bully" called Matt Mitcham who had the small rural town in tenterhooks because of his violent ways.

Tui-half Thai descent suicide attempt

The fact that the town detective sergeant is also involved in murders of woman campers as well as the revelation that robin is also the daughter of the bully provide the suspense into this mini-series.

The Village Bully 

Elizabeth Moss playing the protagonist role deserves the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama series.

Top Lake

Moss in a sexy attire

On the Romp

Trigger Happy

Comtemplative

The Paradise Sanctuary run by GJ

The Current US TV Series-Wonderful!

Sure, some of the series can be downright engaging, taut and suspenseful.

Then there are the other almost documentary and light stuff too.

Let us look at the suspenseful ones first.

Cat and Mouse

The series Homeland takes the cake here;followed by Boardwalk Empire.

While the first is CIA-centric, fast paced and cat and mouse stuff, the second one based on the life of Nucky Thomson and Al Capone in Prohibition era  Chicago is razor-sharp and bristling with excitement. Both have ended their current season last week and will sea their next seasons in 2014.

Blood and Gore

The second type of series is the smart-talk category. Here we have the English Lord and Lady setting for the fictitious Downton Abbey as well as the legal wrangle called The Good Wife. Both are great series with its twists as well as riveting and downright engaging dialogue.

Naughty and Sexy

Then, there is the lighter series, Witches of East End. A lot of mumbo-jumbo and it can test your patience. It may have its last seasons in 2014 unless it can get a slew of great writers and better editing. Quite fun to see what unfurls in the parallel world.

Hocus Pocus

Of special historical significance is the docu-drama Treme chronicling the rebuilding of the city of New Orleans after Katrina and how the community begin to re-built their lives amidst corruption in the police force and City hall..

Antoine Batiste and his Trombone

Currently in the 4th Season and four more episodes to go before it goes off for good.

Great series.

Halcyon Days

Then, we have another docudrama of historical relevance, The Vikings. It chronicles the early days of Viking society and their raids to bring home bounty. It has just completed Season 1 and Season 2 will be released in 2014.

Violence and tradition

Making No Bones About It

Bone Readers

Actually I do not watch TV series;not on our local networks anyway.

The closest to a series was American Idol.

What I do these days is to watch backdated series.

So, this afternoon, I just went back to the First Season of Bones to see whether this series has chemistry since it started way back in 2005.

They must have done something right to last this long.

Was there magic between Emily Deschanel and David Boreneaz?

As I have just watched the pilot, I think if at all the chemistry is there, it is as yet latent.

The pilot was so-so and really did not stand out.

Perhaps watching the full season may change my mind.

Covert Affairs-Season 1-Cool Takings

Neutralising Reality of the CIA

A cool sleuth tv series, one can really enjoy the slow pace of its action.

No, I do not believe that CIA actually works in such a manner.

Unspoken Charms

There is just too much focus on using the youngest operative in all operations that is dear to the motherland.

I did enjoy the fun though of the charming lass in the persona of Annie Walker and Oggie, the blind maverick behind situation resolutions.

Walker and Oggie

The series ended with the shooting of Ben as a cliff-hanger but everyone expects him to live to put the zing back into Annie Walker's love life.

Otherwise the Piper Perabo character will just go wasted!

Homeland-An Explosive Finish!

Edge of the Seat Suspense!

Though Season 1 was slow; trying to work out the background details; Season Two was nail biting with a  cat-and-mouse game played by Congressman Brody, CIA agents Kerrie, Saul and David Estee.

Nicholas Brody

The introduction of Israeli agents into the picture also created additional suspense.

The Second Season ended with a bang when Brody's car blew out a memorial service for the deceased Vice-President. The hundreds of dead victims was quite a sight.

Carrie Mathison

It also help tie loose ends with Brody leaving the country and Kerrie deciding to continue her service with the CIA.

Jessica Brody

Family-wise, it also allows a new beginning for Brody's family to have a new surrogate father through Mike.

Saul Berens

Let us see whether the Third Season can sustain the suspense.

Piper Perabo-Covetous Affairs

She is not exactly an archetypal Miss Universe beauty. Though she had her times as an up-and-coming starlet,Piper Perabo has moved on.

Annie of a Thousand Charms

And so, it was welcome sight to see the cheeky side of Piper on Covert Affairs. A cool, smooth CIA-based series,it shows the lighter side of the Agency with Annie-the Piper persona being given choice assignments.

Dialogue is witty and Piper continues to show spunk.

The Sexy Side of Piper

Lovable Piper Perabo-you will root for her.

Engaging series with a touch of Mike Longstreet.

Downton Abbey-Crawley Family Heads for the Highlands

Great Dialogue and Pacing

The Christmas Special 2012 of Downton Abbey is a prelude to the new season that starts in January 2013.

As the heir to the Crawleys is born, Matthew met with an untimely death so it seems.

With the action takes place both in Downton Abbey and in the Highlands of Scotland, the dialogue and goings-on still appear crispy and engaging.

Let us see what twists and turns they will lay on us poor mortals that follow the series into its fourth season.

Hart of Dixie-Rustic Banter

A Pixie in Dixie

If you love those bygone times you had with the earlier tv series displaying rustic background and attitudes, you have come to the right tv series-Hart of Dixie.

The slight banter of rural heartland of America and the slow pace of the Andy Griffith Show is what you get here.

Simply Beautiful

There are twists and turns in the First Episode with Zoey Hart relocating to Bluebell from the Big Apple and finding her true father.

Spontaneous Attraction

I think the forthcoming episodes should be interesting.

Dolly Dame

Meanwhile enjoy the effervescent beauty of Rachel Bilson as she shows the punky side of youthful exuberance.

Turned, Traitor and Homeland

Michael Cuesta may have directed a good plot line for a movie based on the Israeli stories of Prisoners of Wars.

However, there is much down-side.

Casting-wise I think they have a great line-up of stars from Claire Danes to Damien Lewis as Nicholas Brody the POW, Morena Baccarin and Mandy Patinkin.

However, they got drown in information overload especially the background to get the show going.

I do hope that Season 2 will be better edited and faster moving to get the excitement  onto the edge of our seats.

Damien acted well but I do have my misgivings of the Claire Danes-Carrie character as too over-dramatic for a bipolar character. Mandy was well paced and so was David Harewood as Estee, Head of the CIA.

Let us see whether Season 2 will be cast in a more solid mould.

Mayhem on the Boardwalk

This is the latest Prohibition cum  rat-a-tat-a-tat mini series to hit the small screen.

Packed with overwhelming violence, it is tight and does not do injustice to the liquor wars that flamed the eastern seaboard of the USA in the 1920s.

Helmed by the wizard of cinema magic, Martin Scorcese, this series is an on-going never-ending tale of Nucky Thompson who ruled with an iron fist and  handfuls  of cash for everyone from runners to the candidate for the US Presidency and his key staff.

Great series.

The fourth season will begin next month.

Watch it to savour the magic tale as played out by Steve Buscemi as Nucky and his horde of gun-toting villains.