Recently, I thought that there was no better way to watch TV while being mildly proactive than by writing a Tattler article reviewing some of Netflix’s original series. As the Netflix empire grows and grows, more and more series seem to be flooding the browse section. I thought I’d do everyone a favor and test these shows out. While some of Netflix’s series receive enormous hype, some of them just aren’t worth the time. If you’re going to procrastinate on that APUSH, at least make it time well spent.
Narcos
I recently learned that you use less brain power watching TV than while sleeping. Narcos is primarily in Spanish though, so my hope is that by watching it with subtitles, I’m basically reading a book. Set in Columbia in the midst of its cocaine boom, the show follows Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug lord, and the American DEA agents who pursue him.
I don’t know if the point of the show was to make me like the bad guy, but Pablo is simultaneously cool and collected and ready to blow your head off in the turn of a second. Pablo’s glamourous life is everything you’d imagine of someone exploiting the sale of cocaine, and his constant outsmarting of law enforcement makes you root for him—but then you’re a little sad because you like the DEA agents, and you know that cocaine is bad and that Pablo, too, is bad.
Added bonus to this already-great show: the DEA agent who narrates has a really nice voice, and he speaks English, so it’s not all subtitles. My bet is that Narcos becomes Netflix’s next big thing, up there in the top three with Orange is the New Black and House of Cards (both of which are not included in this review, because duh, they are fantastic).
Degrassi: Next Class
Truly, so bad it was good. I accidentally watched 3 episodes—I was just so intrigued by the fact that the characters kept using “crap” as their expletive of choice.
Previous Degrassi series have been known for their raw and edgy nature, and while this series claims to explore “groundbreaking stories such as cyberbullying, mental illness, dysfunctional families, sexuality, online harassment, feminism, racial discrimination, life-threatening diseases, and drug use,” it was very TeenNick. The over-stylized, straight-out-of-a-J.C. Penny-catalog clothing, made-up social media site, and overuse of hashtags (episode titles include #nofilter and #teamfollowback) were all are very reminiscent of iCarly, but lacking the cool set and trying way too hard to be hip.
I can’t really figure out if Netflix’s target audience is preteens or if they are honestly trying to interest high-school students. Either way, between the bad acting and writers who are obviously clueless about modern-day teenagers, if you’re looking for some angsty adolescents, try Degrassi High/Next Generation, or better yet, Skins.
Bloodline
I’ve come back to this show at least three times, trying to like it, but really struggling to get into it. However, it’s my goal to finish it, because I can’t give up on Kyle Chandler. I think it’s hard for me to follow this show because it’s generally so vague.
Following a family of four grown siblings and their parents who own an inn in the Florida Keys, the show keeps making hints at the past. I’m on episode 7 and I still don’t really get it. I think my problem is that I didn’t just dive in. Maybe this is one to binge watch until the big secret is figured out. Overall, I’d still recommend Bloodline for good acting, crime/family drama, pretty island scenery, and Kyle Chandler’s face.
Sense 8
While I get that Sense 8 is about telepathy from the initial description of the show and obvious scenes, I’m still waiting to figure out how the various characters will come together. After watching a few episodes of this and Bloodline, I think Netflix has a thing for being vague. Or maybe I just don’t have it in me to be patient and watch a show. If patience is your virtue, this may be the show for you! I’ll be coming back to this one, if only as a challenge to myself to pay attention, but you have to be at least semi-tolerant of sci-fi to get into it.
Jessica Jones
I’m not a Marvel gal, so I’m completely unaware of this comic. As someone ignorant to all that this show is about, I can say that I unknowingly stumbled upon something great. From David Tennant to Krysten Ritter, the actors have that special something, keeping a show about the supernatural so completely real. The thing about this one is that while it keeps you guessing about its vague plotlines, there is enough action on the surface to keep you entertained.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Just not impressed by the mole people as everyone else seems to be. Personally, Ellie Kemper is a bit much when she’s not just a supporting actor with fantastic one-liners like on The Office. This show is good for a laugh, but (as we see as a bit of a recurring theme with this review) I had trouble committing and coming back to it.
Making a Murderer
Initially, I watched two minutes and then stopped. After about a week, I came back to it to write this article. While my first impression was “ohmygod I can’t watch an hour of compiled evidence reminiscent of an episode of 48 hours and people dressed in outdated midwestern fashion,” it started to grow on me.
The Wisconsin accents, like that of a little chipmunk, are adorable and definitely won me over, and the fact that the show is largely interview-based gave me plenty of opportunities to listen to the character voices. After the initial judgment on Steven Avery, a man who spent 18 years in prison after being wrongly accused as a rapist, you begin to feel so sorry for him. When he’s suspected of another crime, you’re instantly torn—you had just believed in his potential, but now who do you believe?
A documentary mixed with mystery, the crazy amount of evidence and interviews provided make Making a Murderer into something far from a cheap murder-mystery show.