Pasckie Pascua's Nerdy Squirrel Reviews: TV Series.

“Scarpetta” (Amazon Prime) crime drama, based on the book series of the same name by Patricia Cornwell .         Kay Scarpetta is a brilliant forensic pathologist. Inspired by former Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro , she employs advanced forensic technology to unravel mysteries and solve crimes. Throughout the series she navigates her investigative journey across various settings, including Florida, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina.        The back and forth in time or two Scarpetta stories (1990 and 2021, with 8 or 10 in between) interfaced in one is a little disjointed and distracting, and can be confusing. I had to situate myself in the continuity each time Scarpetta goes to Rosy McEwen and then back to Nicole Kidman again.         Then there's the side story of the sisters, Kay and Dorothy (Jamie Lee Curtis), in collision one day, a...

“Memory of a Killer” (Hulu) crime drama . About an NYC hitman, who is living a double life as a suburban father and copier salesman. Diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, his two worlds collide as he races to save his family from threats connected to his past while battling his deteriorating memory.           Patrick Dempsey is sharp dresser cum contract killer Angelo Doyle, fresh from a GQ cover onto the next hit. He doesn't talk much, just like the Bee Gees’ “I'm a woman's man, no time to talk.” But Mr Doyle is more into his job to really focus on romance and such.         Michael Imperioli is his boss Dutch, who is of course Italian, and a chef. How stereotypical can you get! But what he does here is pretty much what he did in “The Sopranos,” but this time he is a less bombastic gangster Boss.         This series, which is supposedly based on the 2003 Belgian film “ ...

“A Thousand Blows” (Hulu) Season 2. British historical drama about the Forty Elephants , an all-female crime syndicate who clash with the world of illegal bare-knuckle boxing in 1880s London.        Season 2 follows Hezekiah Moscow, Sugar Goodson, and Mary Carr through a bleaker, more brutal 1880s East End, roughly one year after season one. The plot features Hezekiah seeking revenge and returning to boxing, a broken Sugar seeking redemption and sobriety, and Mary reassembling the Forty Elephants for a massive art heist.        The storytelling remains crafty and tight, and the acting, topnotch. The grit and grime of 17th century London is textured and nuanced, heightened by the stellar performance of leads Erin Doherty as the spunky Mary Carr, Malachi Kirby as the cool and calculating Hezekiah Moscow, and Stephen Graham as the torn and troubled Sugar Goodson. 🎥💻📽 “The Lady” (Britbox) British drama. Partly ficti...

“The Capture” (Amazon Prime) Season 1. British mystery thriller . Deals with the terrifying, modern-day dangers of AI, deepfakes, and manipulated surveillance footage.         Storyline: After his conviction for a war crime in Afghanistan is overturned on appeal, former British army Lance Corporal Shaun Emery finds himself accused of kidnapping and murdering his barrister Hannah Roberts, backed by CCTV evidence. Whilst Emery works to clear his name, fast-tracked Detective Inspector (DI) Rachel Carey of Homicide and Serious Crime Command begins to uncover a complex conspiracy surrounding Emery, calling into question the validity of the footage.        The timely subject offers a binge-watch allure and it didn’t disappoint. Although the characters are pretty much cliches, Holliday Grainger as lead cop Rachel Carey and Lia Williams as cool villainous DSU Gemma Garland manage to inject their individual charm ...

“Dark Winds” (Netflix) Season 3. Crime thriller based on the Leaphorn & Chee novel series by Tony Hillerman . The series follows three Navajo Tribal Police officers, Joe Leaphorn , Bernadette Manuelito, and Jim Chee , in the 1970s Four Corners area of the American Southwest .         With George R. R. Martin and Robert Redford as co-Executive Producers, this engaging series banks on the lead anchor of Zahn McClarnon as Joe Leaphorn . Cool, composed and sans the macho bravado of most starring roles, Zahn keeps the story alive and thrills low-key but nevertheless, engaging.         Season 3 follows Joe, Jim, and Bernadette in 1971, six months after Season 2. The plot centers on the search for two missing Navajo boys, a conspiracy involving border patrol, and a drug-smuggling operation that threatens to destroy the community, while Leaphorn battles personal grief and haunting, almost supernatural, t...