Nerdy Squirrel Reviews by Pasckie Pascua

“Fargo” (Hulu) Season 5, black comedy crime drama , inspired by the 1996 Coen brothers film of the same name . Set in North Dakota and Minnesota in 2019, the plot has been teased with the following questions: "When is a kidnapping not a kidnapping, and what if your wife isn't yours?”        Primarily in North Dakota and Minnesota in late 2019, a housewife was kidnapped, escaped, and kidnapped again. The hyper wifey who is also some sort of half-MacGyver and half-Catwoman is portrayed by a kickass Juno Temple, who should have won a deserved acting award.         Then there's another breed of crazy, Roy Tillman, a cold and surreal Jon Hamm. A matriarch, Lorraine Lyon, who can be as deadpan scary as Don Vito Corleone but still sweet and homely as Julia Child. That'd be a fun to watch Jennifer Jason Leigh.        But the character that is real intriguing is Ole Munch, an apparently deranged dude who laboriously mouths wise epithets like a Buddhist mentor. Acted by Sam S

“Line of Duty” (BritBox on Amazon) 6 Seasons, British police procedural . Best-performing U.K. drama series in years, from 2014. I do agree. This series is definitely a Top 5 on my best detective/crime shows of all time. (Currently, I am on Season 6, the last season.)        The sparse action but edge of your seat cerebral thriller is created by Jed Mercurio whose A1 work portfolio includes “Bodyguard,” “Bodies,” and “Cardiac Arrest.” The shoe         “Line of Duty” follows DS Steve Arnott, an authorized firearms officer who is transferred to Anti-Corruption Unit 12 (AC-12) after refusing to agree to cover up an unlawful shooting by his own team. At AC-12 Arnott is partnered with DC Kate Fleming, a highly commended undercover officer with a keen investigative instinct. Their boss is Superintendent Ted Hastings.         Performance by Martin Compston ( DS Arnott), Vicky McClure ( DC Fleming), and  Adrian Dunbar ( Superintendent Hastings) are diverse in tone, demeanor, and intensi

“Scoop” (Netflix) British biographical drama, a dramatic retelling of the process of securing the 2019 BBC television interview of Prince Andrew by presenter and journalist Emily Maitlis and the production team at BBC Two news and current affairs programme Newsnight .         The significant character here though, as projected in the run of the mill, nearly boring exercise, was Sam McAlister (obligatorily played by Billie Piper).         Raring for a scoop and gain the attention of TV hostess/star and editor Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson, usual her), Sam sought Amanda Thirsk (Kelley Hawes, firm and focused), Prince Andrew's assistant. Ms Maitlis delivered the questions but they interview was brokered by Ms McAlister.        The story, of course, is all about Prince Andrew's friendship with financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the royalty's alleged assault of a minor. If you have seen the 50-minute November 16, 2019 BBC Two interview, there's nothing mu

“Alias Grace” (Netflix) historical miniseries, based on Margaret Atwood 's 1996 novel of the same name , which was based on real Oct 1843 murders in Canada.        The real story: The 1843 murders of Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery in Canada West . Two servants of the Kinnear household, Grace Marks and James McDermott, were convicted of the crime. McDermott was hanged and Marks was sentenced to life imprisonment.        In Ms Atwood's fiction, a doctor, Simon Jordan, who researches the case is added as a main character. While Jordan conducts research into Marks’ criminal behavior, he slowly becomes personally involved.         The fiction exploration of the crime doesn't make Grace less guilty. But it does “humanized” her with the provision of life’ back story, which could be fiction as well. But that's what a novel is all about. Navigation of past to present that we don't get to read in police blotter or true crime reportage.         Sarah Gado

“Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” (Hulu) drama series, based on the book “Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era” by Laurence Leamer .         As do the real Truman Capote's work, we don't know when fact ends and fiction begins, and they other way around. This series though wasn't written by Truman but by Mr Leamer about Truman and his high society frenemies.         But then all cinematic (re)readings of history or people/events past take liberty in warping truths and reworking facts. As we know it, “Feud” anthology creator Ryan Murphy is more known as creators of theatrically gory horror screamfest, so we know what to expect here. The first series though about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford was simply allrighty.        Anyhow, Flobelle Burden, granddaughter of Babe Paley, said in an interview with New York Times, that she doesn't recognize her grandma in the series.         Also, Margaretta “Happy” Rockefeller ( wife then veep Nelson)