Pasckie Pascua's Nerdy Squirrel Reviews: TV Series.

“Fisk” (Netflix) Australian comedy series. Co-created and co-written by comedian Kitty Flanagan , who is also the lead star, takes its name from its central character Helen Tudor-Fisk, who joins a small legal firm after returning to her hometown, Melbourne .          This is an old-school but very effective sitcom. The sort of TV comedy that never failed to drive us to laughter before television humor evolved into “political humor.” This little show doesn’t meddle with “culture war” tropes although it nudges some. The ensemble team of Ms Flanagan , Marty Sheargold , Julia Zemiro , and Aaron Chen don’t do physical antics or wild, boisterous jokes. They just are the characters, hilarious as they are. Helen’s oversized coat and pair of pants and Ms Zemiro’s Roz’s hairprayed lump of hair are already funny. Then there go the guests, who are as laughable as individuals. 🎥👍📽 “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (Hulu) Season 17, sitcom that foll...

“Apple Yard Tree” (Hulu) British psychological thriller , adapted from the 2013 novel of the same name by Louise Doughty . The series follows the story of a conflicted, moderately unhappily-married fifty-something scientist, who begins a covert yet flagrant affair with a man, whilst completely unaware of his background.        Provocative, compelling, polarizing. But largely enlightening. That's what this disturbingly magnetic series creates. And Emily Watson's powerful performance is the perfect channel to project writer Louise Doughty 's double/triple-edge razor of a message.         Check it out yourself. An intensely alluring weekend porch discourse subject, indeed. 🎥👍📽 “The Bletchley Circle” 2 Seasons. / “The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco.” 1 Season. Amazon Prime. British historical mystery drama series, set in 1952–53, about four women who worked as codebreakers at Bletchley Park . Dissatisfied with ...

“Hostage” (Netflix) British political thriller miniseries . Premise: An international summit between the French and British leaders goes awry when the husband of the British Prime Minister is kidnapped and the French president is blackmailed. Truly an edge-of-your seat thriller, anchored on the magnetic synergy of Suranne Jones (as the British PM) and Julie Delpy (as the French President).        Good that the series is compressed into just 5 episodes, so we don’t get to bear with melodramatic interludes and stereotypical dialogues–without losing the compelling intrigue of the political power play between two traditional European rivals and on/off friends. It’s all business, done. No qualms, no chasers, no blah in between.         But a few scripting flaws in the last two episodes, such as why would a trained professional soldier who's part of a conspiracy leave her laptop as she fled? And why does the leader ...

“Squid Game” (Netflix) Season 3, South Korean dystopian survival thriller . Seong Gi-hun and the players fight for survival in ever-deadlier games. Of course, you know that. In-ho welcomes the VIPs while his brother Jun-ho continues the search for the island, unaware of a traitor in their midst.         The Finale Season received positive reviews but I am not impressed. The easy ruthlessness and soap-operatic dramatics are no different from the two previous Seasons. It’d seem writer/producer and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk ran out of bloody confections and side-stories? I also don’t concur with the early elimination/deaths of the more interesting characters; those who remained except Seong (of course!) are all clowns in monotone grunts.         And those non-Korean wackos who are supposedly the gamblers watching the mayhem are simply irritating. And what’s the deal with the baby? Was that necessary?  ...

“Mrs Biggs” (Britbox) British television series based on the true story of the wife of the Great Train Robber , Ronnie Biggs . The series covers Mrs Charmian Biggs' journey from naïve young woman to Biggs' wife and the mother of three young sons.         Stand out in this series is Sheridan Smith as Mrs Biggs. Her performance received widespread critical acclaim, and she ultimately won the 2013 BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress. Deserving indeed! Sheridan's lovely face both exuded hard-headed gullibility and love-struck vulnerability. Yet courageously defiant. It is not that hard to believe that that was the real Charmian.         My main problem with this series though is its length. From a normal 2 to 3 episode British true crime, this series went 5. So it suffers from soap-operatic sequences and redundant character expositions. Yet still, “Mrs Biggs” is a fine watch. 🎥💻📽 “Maxine” (BritBox) Briti...