It’s time for our second installment of “What We’re Watching.” Basically, we give you a sneak peek of what movies and TV shows we’ve been consuming for the week. Depending on our workload for the week, some weeks will have more viewed content than others. Also, as we watch a lot of TV, there will be some duplicates from week to week. I rather like that part though, because it gives us a precise look at when a show gets better…or worse.
You can always feel free to let us know what you’ve been watching, too. You can do that by commenting here or on our FB Page. We always post these articles there, so you can just add your comment to the post. We look forward to finding out what you’re watching!
Want to check out last week’s WWW? Here it is!
Ashtyn
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: I watched four more episodes of Monarch this week. I am really enjoying things so far. I love Wyatt and Kurt Russell playing the same role. It’s pretty funny that Shaw (Kurt Russell) is supposed to be in his 90s and he jokes that he looks good for his age. Someone makes an offhand comment that he was on a mission that went haywire and was classified. I don’t think they will ever explain what the mission was, so it’s a funny way of explaining the age difference in appearance, if nothing else. I love the back and forth and how the two time periods seem to play together pretty seamlessly. No word on a second season yet, though I would love to see this one continue. I’m looking forward to the last four episodes. The last couple of episodes have given a few more glimpses of Godzilla so I’m definitely looking forward to more of that.
You can watch Monarch Legacy of Monsters on Apple TV+.
Echo: When we finished the fourth episode, I remember feeling immense sadness because there was only one episode left. I’ve liked a lot of the MCU shows that have been released on Disney+, (not Wandavision, but most of them). This one is by far the best. I’ve uttered the phrase about wanting a second season before, but I’d really love to see one for this. I love how Echo offers pushback on the disability narratives that are often left alone in other shows. In Echo, Maya has a special relationship with Kingpin. He has an interpreter that follows them around so that he can communicate with her. Later, he creates a device so he can understand what she says and she can see holographic hands signing to her. It’s almost jarring because everyone in Maya’s life signs to her, but him. This is brought up and I couldn’t have been happier when it was. Watching the finale was bittersweet. It was so good, but I also concentrated on the fact that this is the best Disney+/MCU show since the invention of the streaming platform and it’s also the one most likely to not get a second season. It really needs more. I need more.
You can check out Echo on Disney+.
Miss Scarlet & The Duke: We started watching Miss Scarlet for the study when it got started a few years ago. Now in its fourth season, Miss Scarlet & The Duke is one of the most entertaining and well paced shows on television. The only bad part is that it has episodes paced by British TV, so there are only typically 6-8 episodes per season and I’d love to see more. The dynamics between leads Miss Scarlet (Kate Phillips) and the Duke (Stuart Martin) are nothing short of fun. These two have such wonderful chemistry and the fact that she challenges everything he knows about women makes it even more fun. Miss Scarlet is a private detective in Victorian England, so as you might guess, she gets some interesting cases. William, the Duke is an investigator at Scotland Yard. Together, on purpose, or by accident, they work together to solve some crimes and avoid the mystery that is their love lives.
In the fourth season, Scarlet has taken over Nash & Sons as the lead detective. Nash is off to Paris and he didn’t have any sons, so it’s just her. Unfortunately, all of Nash’s clients and detectives have left the office, because they aren’t working for or with a woman. Her and William are as close to and as far away from love as they ever have been. My guess is that something will happen one way or another this season and I can’t wait to find out what it is. By the middle of the season, something indeed happens that will change the course of their relationship – for better or worse. I’m four episodes in with nothing more to watch and I can’t wait to find out what comes next.
This one is definitely worth a watch. You can watch Miss Scarlet & The Duke on PBS or streaming online through Amazon with the PBS channel add-on.
Bob’s Burgers: “The Pickleorette” – I’ve been watching Bob’s Burgers since the beginning and I have to say, it’s somehow managed to get better over time. In this episode, Linda drags Bob into a scheme helping Gretchen throw her little sister a bachelorette party. They leave Tina in charge and she forces the kids to play “Veterinarian”, a new board game she found, but she doesn’t like it as much as she thought she would. This is classic Bob’s Burgers. Gretchen is a glorious hot mess and Dob might get annoyed by his family, but he loves his wife enough to pretend to be an Italian or otherwise accented (poorly) limo driver who is single. If you need a laugh, check this one out.
“Running Down a Gene” – The fourth episode of the 14th season, doesn’t disappoint. Gene is in an online songwriting competition and he dreams up the perfect song, only he can’t remember it. Between Gene trying to relive his dream to get his song on paper and Linda’s growing fascination with an interloping cricket that won’t let her get any sleep, this episode is pretty great. In fact, it might be one of my recent favorites!
I originally assumed we were only watching two episodes, but we love Bob (or at least Louise), so we ended up watching a few more. All of the episodes are worth watching. The earlier episodes (we’re talking back in the Season 1-3 days) are a little more ableist and the jokes don’t always hit as well, but in the later seasons, things tend to run like a well oiled machine. If you’re into animated comedy and you haven’t watched Bob’s Burgers yet, you should check it out.
You can watch the entire Bob’s Burgers series, including these episodes, on Hulu.
Krapopolis: “All Hail the Goddess of Likeability” – This is one of the new Fox adult animation shows. It’s set in an ancient time and is filled with voices you’ll recognize including Hannah Waddingham and Matt Berry. The premise is pretty simple, a mismatched group of humans, gods, and monsters need to live together and work together without killing each other. In terms of a comedy, my worry is that I didn’t laugh too much. Matt Berry is a treasure, as always. Likewise, the other voice actors are generally on point. The thing that I found most hilarious was the relationship between Tyrannis and his parents, Deliria and Shlub. The relationship is contentious, but well timed and has the potential to be a highlight. Also, I love, beyond everything, that Hermes is a gigantic gay. He’s God level gay and I’m here for it. The show gets better the longer it goes on, as far as the first episode goes. That said, unless it improves a little more with each episode, I’m not quite sure yet if I will be sticking around much longer.
“The Stuperbowl” – Tyrannis decides to have a series of sporting events (like the Olympics) and all the neighboring villages are invited to attend and participate. There’s also a side story with a murder. At the end of the day, Krapopolis has a specific kind of humor. It’s mocking. It reminds me of an animated version of Borat, honestly, and to be frank, I was never a fan. This isn’t something that I would automatically turn off if it came on, but I don’t think I will be seeking out anymore episodes on purpose.
You can watch Krapoplis on Hulu.
The Brothers Sun: We just started this, but as a GBBO lover, I was hooked from the first scene. The acting is fabulous, with a mix of entertaining characters. Michelle Yeoh is always amazing, (seriously, I’d watch her read the phonebook). The story (at least from what I gather, so far) is about a family and their criminal enterprise. Brother Charles (Justin Chien) is being hunted and he leads a group of assassins to his Mom’s door. While there, Charles connects with his brother, Bruce (Sam Song Li). These two couldn’t be less alike and it’s one of the most marvelous things I’ve seen all week. We’re just getting started with this, but I can’t wait to see where it goes. I mentioned that we just started this, but it was so good, we ended up watching the entire thing! It only managed to get better with each additional episode, and the ending while sad (mainly because it was over) was equally satisfying. We usually will watch two episodes of something a day until we finish it. We couldn’t wait to finish this so we ended up watching the last four episodes on Friday. I cannot stress how wonderful this show is. I really hope that they get a second season, because I’d definitely watch it!
You can check out The Brothers Sun on Netflix.
Law & Order: Organized Crime: For the study, I had to watch all of the Law & Order series. I can’t really stand the original because there’s too many teaching moments and not enough character development. SVU was good, but mainly because of Benson. They don’t show enough Ice-T these days and the storylines are sometimes good, but 20+ seasons of SA are rough. Organized Crime is the only one I watch. The cast is the best from Christopher Meloni to Danielle Moné Truitt, Rick Gonzalez, and Ainsley Seiger – everyone plays so well off each other and it shows in the finished product. This season, Organized Crime gets less episodes than the other two Law & Order shows, which is unfortunate because it really is the best of the three shows. I watched the second episode of the season, which was all about a mosque that was bombed, but there’s more information to suggest it’s not a hate crime. The return of ME Melinda Warner (Tamara Tunie), even if it’s not on the regular, was one of the highlights of the show.
You can check out Law & Order: Organized Crime on Peacock.
Cunk on Earth: This is a mockumentary and it’s quite possibly both the most hit or miss thing and the most hilarious thing I’ve watched this week. Philomena Cunk is off interviewing experts to explain to the common viewer how the world came to be. From the earliest conception of humans and towards today. The fun thing is that her questions are pretty terrible and I think the experts have no idea of what they’ve gotten themselves into. My favorite ones are the experts that receive a question and just stare into the abyss with that “What have I gotten myself into” look etched on their faces. So, it’s funny, at times, but the jokes don’t always hit. I highly doubt that this is something that I would go and rewatch, but it is worth checking out if you’re not sure what to watch.
You can check out Cunk on Earth on Netflix.
Dom
Fool Me Once:
So I’m on the cusp of finishing this show. I wanted to finish it this weekend but I just didn’t get the time to do so.
Let’s just say the disability story I wrote about doesn’t get any better. In fact, by the end of the sixth episode you have a sense of what is going on with Sami. That being said, he is still driving around and doing whatever he wants despite the fact that he could be passing out and possibly harming someone. I also was very angry because after he found out he was I don’t know sick or disabled – at this point it’s still unclear. I will get to that in a minute – he is mean once again to his pregnant fiancée.
She of course is fine with him treating her like trash once she realizes he’s diagnosed with… whatever. Of course she is the most reasonable of all of them about all of this. She tells him their child deserves a father for as long as he’s alive.
Now let’s get to the actual diagnosis because he doesn’t have anything that’s been heard of. In fact, they’ve made him have a “vague degenerative sickness or disability that affects his cognitive function.” I say I don’t know because this is something that television and film does where they want to give someone a disability or illness but they don’t know anything about disabilities or illness so they make up something and make it sound vaguely possible, so they can use it as a plot line. That’s exactly what’s happening here
Regardless, I still want to know what is going on with Joe. Is he dead? Is he alive? What happened to his brother Andrew? There’s a bombshell that Maya receives at the end of the sixth episode about Joe and all it does is raise even more questions. I guess I will get the answers as I finish the show. Hopefully I won’t be too angry about the ridiculous disability storyline by the time I finish.
You can check out Fool Me Once on Netflix. Also check out my latest recap here,
Krapopolis: “All Hail the Goddess of Likeability”
Being a part of the polytheist community, who dabbled in Greek polytheism for a little while, I was already hesitant about the concept of Krapopolis. Nobody wants their culture needlessly made fun of. However, like every good media expert, I try to watch as much as I can. I really tried to give this one a go, but the first episode was only worthy of a few laughs.
One interesting thing I noticed was that one of the primary characters is a fish man. A child of a God that is part animal, that uses this kind of interesting walker device so they can be on land. They also have a fish bowl on their head, so they can breathe. There is no mention of the accommodation here. It’s always interesting when characters are accommodated and there’s no big deal made about it. That was perhaps the most interesting part of the show.
At the end of the day, the jokes were not funny. Everything was about making fun of Greek culture, Greek religion, etc. If you wouldn’t want your own history/religion/etc. made fun of, maybe consider how this might feel to others? I’ve been thinking about all my friends who are Greek, who would be disappointed in the show.
It doesn’t feel like appreciation or parody. It feels like making fun of and denigrating a culture.In the end, for me, that was just not funny.
Bob’s Burgers:
We’ve been watching Bob’s Burgers from the beginning. The show has come a long way and there are definitely some problems but overall I find it to be one of the more funny comedies. It definitely is relatable in some ways, as a weird, poor person. I know people like Bob and Linda.
This season is the 14th season and there were some fun episodes. I always enjoy Mr. Fischoeder, because he is a perfect representation of wealth. In one episode, he gets Bob to go with him as his personal chef at a private retreat on an island that turns into old men getting drunk and one of them going feral and trying to bite each other in a rainstorm. Another has Louise imagining that she is a film star, and director. She directs a zombie apocalypse movie that is really fun.
I appreciate Gene and Louise the most and Tina is always interesting. Bob and Linda alternate between getting on my nerves, but Teddy really drives me up the wall. He wasn’t too bad as a zombie or in the episode where he is trying to take photos for a handyman website to get more work and every picture makes him look like a serial killer. Linda works with him to get photos where he doesn’t look like he wants to chop off someone’s head. I will say though that one of the episodes with Gretchen reminds me why I don’t like Teddy. They are basically the same character – and the least funny characters of all. I can usually stomach them in most episodes, but I mainly watch for the kids.
Echo:
We finished watching Echo. I am so supremely sad. Seldom do I get wrapped up into a story the way I did in Echo. The acting is fabulous. The inclusion is next level. The story is just good storytelling. I was really excited to see that the Choctaw Nation was actively involved in telling this story. You can tell that people who understood both Indigenous and Deaf culture were involved. Also, how often do we get a totally bad ass WOMAN hero who is a disabled and/or Deaf person? Never! I want a second season. We deserve a second season. The community deserves a second season. Indigenous people deserve a second season. Let’s hope Disney and the MCU makes the right decision and brings this amazing show back.
Star Trek Prodigy:
I’ve just watched the first episode of the first season of Star Trek Prodigy. Because we had been focused on live-action television for so long I missed this when it initially aired. With the new season coming out this year, I wanted to try to get caught up.
I have experience with multiple Star Trek titles. Certainly all of the new shows excluding Lower Decks (I watched an episode or two…it’s on my list!) and I’ve watched part of TOS, most of TNG, and most of Voyager. I’ve watched a few episodes of Enterprise and Deep Space Nine, and I’ve seen some of the movies including Khan.
So, I was certain I would probably like the show but I was also a little curious because it has been advertised for a younger audience or at least those who don’t know Star Trek that well. I was hoping that it would not be filled with less storyline as a result. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised.
The show begins in the Tars Lamora prison colony. You are quickly introduced to Dal R’El, a teenage prisoner. Dal has no idea who he is or where he is from – he doesn’t even know what species he is and he speaks a different language than most everyone else so he can’t be understood or understand others.
Dal has tried to escape, but has been recaptured. He is facing severe punishment unless he can help them find a convict named Zero, who is an energy-based life form who must wear a containment suit and has been creating havoc around the colony.
Instead, he and Rok-Tahk, a large, strong, child Brikar, discover an abandoned Starfleet ship the USS Protostar. As of this episode it’s unclear what will happen next other than the two of them, as well as an unexpected third guest, may be trying to escape on the ship?
I was a little worried that the storyline would not be engaging because it’s for a younger audience, but I was sucked in right away. The storytelling is great and the characters are interesting. I’m really excited to see what the first season has to offer.
You can check out Star Trek Prodigy on Netflix.
The Brothers Sun:
This show had been recommended to me and I was excited to watch it. I have been a huge Michelle Yeoh fan ever since I saw her as a young person in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. I have sought out her work since then.
You really gotta watch The Brothers Sun for two things – the amazing fight scenes and the food.
If you don’t like violence you will not like this. Fair warning. It’s about the Asian Triads. You should figure it’ll probably be violent because of that, but in case you didn’t know this show will not be for you.
The food references are off the chain though.
I really love Charles. He’s my favorite character, and I just feel for him deeply in my heart as a character. I really wanted him to succeed. He really does things because he feels like he has no choice. He’s had to be strong for his family. He was trained to be strong for his family and the sense of obligation he feels for that is present in everything he does.
I found it harder to like his younger brother, Bruce. I felt like there were times where he didn’t understand what family loyalty was. At the end of the day though Bruce got things done when he was most himself.
Michelle Yeoh though is amazing. People have talked about how they feel she was underutilized but I personally feel like she was giving a very specific performance. She was meant to be quiet. She was meant to be seen as non-threatening so that when you realize who she really is it’s like, yes! The badass is emerging. I believe we will see much more of that in the second season.
I’m not gonna tell you that you’re not gonna have to suspend your disbelief with this show. It’s an action show about Chinese gangs. If you go into it looking for a really good time, you are going to love it. Otherwise, you might be disappointed. Luckily, I was not. Bring on Season 2!
Miss Scarlet & The Duke:
I originally had to watch this as one of my PBS shows for the study. I’ve covered every single season. While not particularly ripe with disability representation, I do enjoy the show for the chemistry between Scarlet and Duke!
As Ashtyn mentioned above, the show is about a female private detective in the 1800s and is filled with sexism, obviously. The show is also filled with whiteness, and that’s kind of to be expected for most British shows, sadly.
There is definite stereotyping when talking about non-British people such as Irish immigrants. They are portrayed how you would expect Britain to treat immigrants, especially immigrants from places that have been colonized by Britain or similar powers.
Last season they had a few characters including a regular named Moses, who were Black, but he is gone this season and sorely missed. Also, it’s not great to tokenize characters either. So, this is the biggest fail of this series in my opinion – more diversity needed.
I also like how horrible the police always look. Duke is thrust into a power position at Scotland Yard, but Scotland Yard is trying to expand its reach with no money and no incentives for new employees. So, more area, more of the same corrupt police. They don’t follow the rules and are often at odds with Scarlet who they see as a silly woman.
Honestly, the show would be better if Duke joined Scarlet’s operations and helped to run the detective agency because they make a really good pair.
This season, Scarlet again struggles to be taken seriously. As someone who is constantly underestimated I really empathize and understand her perspective all of the time. People often consider her a silly little woman. I was often considered a silly little girl. I want so badly for her to be taken seriously because she’s really not a bad detective.
That being said, I really hate the ‘will they or won’t they’ storyline. It’s been so overplayed that I never plan to do that story ever in any of our work. Maybe an initial flirt, but dragging things on for four seasons? We want a love story! Sometimes we just want a simple love story. I just hope they will give us that. That is why I keep watching.
Cunk on Earth:
Y’all, this show is utter ridiculousness. Imagine an uneducated British woman teaching you the history of the world. That’s basically Philomena Cunk. She is an expert of something but nobody knows what. I really do hope that these experts have no idea that they are getting interviewed for something that’s not legitimate, because they both look horrified, and also it’s hilarious to watch.
Philomena asks the experts such titillating questions as did they build the pyramids from the top down or the bottom-up? She also asks an expert on ancient Greece if they invented or improved anal bleaching and when he said neither she told him he had to make a choice so he said improved I guess!
While not all of the jokes were hits, if you like silly ridiculous comedy you will probably like this. It’s nothing to take particularly seriously and it’s definitely not gonna teach you accurate world history, but it is worth a laugh if you’re looking for one.
So that’s what we’re watching. What about you?
