We’re not locked down or anything, so really I’ve no excuse. But I have spent quite a lot of time in front of the telly recently. My beloved Luci, who has adored this show since it was unearthed, persuaded me – well, no. That’s not quite true. They wanted me, and I took my time, but then I agreed – to watch Brooklyn Nine Nine. Previously when it was on (and Luci has watched it all the way through about half a dozen times already) I hated Jake Peralta so much there was nothing else in the program that I could endure. I admit now, I was missing out. Watching it recently, in its entirety, I see him for who he is, and in fact I admire him. And his boss, Captain Holt, is a hero (and a very hilarious man) and Holt’s husband Kevin is wonderful, and Detective Peralta’s colleagues each I admire for their own qualities (with the exception of Gina Linetti, about whom I can’t find a decent word to utter. But doesn’t comedy thrive on contrast!).
Having finished this, Luci and I moved on to City Homicide, which we’ve both seen a couple of times but which remains one of the great achievements in Australian television. The plotting, the casting, the direction and shooting – it is all amazing. I had to show Lu a clip of Shane Bourne as he used to be on Hey Hey It’s Saturday to demonstrate just what incredibly mature work had gone into the creation of Detective Senior Sergeant Stanley Wolfe. The gloriously beautiful Nadine Garner as Detective Senior Constable Jennifer Mapplethorpe, the suave Daniel Macpherson as Detective Senior Constable Simon Joyner, the spunkrat Aaron Pedersen as Detective Senior Constable Duncan Freeman (I’d love to mention Damien Richardson as Detective Sergeant Matt Ryan except that he turned into such a ghastly right wing nut job), the heroic Noni Hazlehurst as Commander Bernice Waverley, and the unbelievable Shane Bourne as Wolfie – I mean there are so many others too but what a bunch.
Then something reminded me of Tangle. so these two are running concurrently; Hommers with Lu out the back and Tangle in the study on my own. Again – incredible casting, and the music by Bryony Marks is extraordinary, and the plotting is totally gripping all through. Written and directed by women, most of the blokes are deadbeats but there is enough about them that’s decent to keep you engaged. And even the women don’t get it right all the time. It’s a fabulous show, and its intergenerational thing is really powerful; paying attention to young people not just as props or accompaniments to ‘adults’ but as people.
Then Sall went away and I watched Adolescence. I’m sure I can’t say anything about this show that hasn’t been said already but what an achievement. Casting, acting (three !!! required here), scripting, and of course shooting, with each episode done as an unbroken take – of course Alfred Hitchcock started this in I think 1948 with Rope, where each scene was a single reel of film, and that was (and still is) astonishing. But there is so much in this show that everyone needs to think about and respond to. I found it gripping and so deeply thought-provoking and I’m grateful to have seen it.