Baby Reindeer one of the programs I’ve been watching lately

Welcome to my regular update on what I’ve been watching lately on television. I like to share the programs and films I’ve been watching every now and then, the first program I’m sharing is Baby Reindeer.

Baby Reindeer

I went straight into this when it first dropped on Netflix and there was not much hype. Boy, did it explode after a while! I saw a preview and thought okay I’d give it a go. At first I wasn’t too impressed but it did draw me in and by the third episode I wanted to know what was going to happen. By the fourth episode I wished I’d never even started watching it, but I was too invested and I persisted to the end in one weekend.

I had no idea it was based on the true (ish) story of the main character. I guess it was good he took some of the responsibility of what happened to him rather than putting all the blame on the others who harmed him. But despite the story being a complete shocker, I do think that people should have just left it there.

There have been so many fake Social Media accounts set up pretending to be the ‘real’ Martha (the stalker) that it’s sad that people actually fall for it. I think it’s sad that she’s been exploited. There were certain other characters in the program who were even shadier.

At first I thought Richard Gadd, the writer and star of the show, was brave to share his story. Now, I’m not sure if it was the kind of fame he was hoping for. Maybe it was?

All in all, it’s not an easy watch, but a good insight into how sad some people’s lives can be.

The Dead Boy Detectives

I was really looking forward to this as it sounded like my kind of program. But, I wasn’t overly impressed. It had it’s moments, it was scary in parts and quite a good concept and I did eventually warm to the characters, but it took me way longer than I expected to. The acting felt a little wooden at times and it seemed like a kind of kid’s program with adult themes. Maybe it’s the type of things teens enjoy these days?

The basic premise is two dead boys who have escaped the afterlife and they help ghosts solve their problems. They team up with a medium and another girl after her near death experience. There is also a very weird butcher girl (who is not a murder, but owns a butchers shop) a witch, a cat demon and plenty of other after life personas. And talking cats!

Dark

I watched all three seasons of this which took up a lot of my viewing time. I like time travel programs and the premise drew me in. I found it really difficult at first because it is a German program dubbed American English. It just feels awkward at times, but you eventually get used to it. It’s better than subtitles anyway.

This was one of the most complicated programs I’ve ever had to follow. The characters are in a loop of time and during the first series it gets really complicated as to who is who in what time, but eventually you get used to it. Then just when you think you’ve got the hang of it in the second series you are introduced to a whole new dimension, so you have the same characters in different time zones living different lives. I actually had to consult a timeline map which I found on Wikipedia several times. Even that’s complicated and there are more than one of them.

It was really interesting though and totally addictive watching. Certainly thought provoking. The ending made me think of Sophie’s World, the philosophical book by Jostein Gaarder. If you want something to twist your brain and make you think as well as keep you entertained then this is for you. I will warn you though, there are quite a few trigger warnings and the third series has quite a lot of harsh violence.

Other Programs I’ve Been Watching

I love Taskmaster but I’ve not really warmed to any of the contestants in the latest series. I’m still watching it though. I’m also watching Masterchef, which is reaching the final, I do feel that over the years the contestants are way more talented straight from the start. I used to enjoy the ones that hadn’t a clue what they were doing, it was more entertaining.

I’ve watched some of The Fortune Hotel but I missed the beginning so I may catch up on it, it looks interesting but there are not enough hours in the day sometimes.

What have you been watching lately?

Here are some of my previous posts:

What I’ve been Watching lately the ramblings of a television addict (Leave the World Behind, Boy Swallows Universe, Black Cake, Domino Day)

What I’ve been watching Lately This Year (The Tourist season 2, Fool Me Once, Somewhere Between, Traitors season 2,