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flichopkinson
Reviews
Shardlake (2024)
A good historical mystery
I enjoyed this series. Occasionally, I was slightly ahead of the protagonists, but that just meant the twists were credible.
Some reviewers have taken exception to the colour blind casting, yet are seemingly ok with anachronisms such as characters' good skin and dentistry, their clean washed hair, and hairless female underarms. These people might better spend their time researching 'Black Tudors' and 'Black Stuarts', as well as England's 16th century trade with Morocco and West Africa (and even the 8th century African Abbot Hadrian).
Even were they anachronistic, the inclusion of actors of colour being interpreted as "forcing an agenda" and enough to ruin the series for certain reviewers says more about those reviewers than the show.
I thought the cast to be excellent across the board, including of course Sean Bean who chews the scenery every minute he's in screen.
I hope we get more series of Shardlake.
Bones: The Master in the Slop (2014)
Reminds me why I'd previously quit watching
Having long been a fan of the books, I watched Bones from the beginning and was a fan of the characters and stories, even though they are so different from the books. But every now and then there's an episode with a side of misogyny so big, you wonder how it's even in the show...
I'd previously rage quit when Brennan was willing to forgo the large house they wanted for their family to assuage Booth's fragile male ego (he refused to live where he couldn't afford to pay for half, as the 'man should be able to provide for his family', despite her being wealthy enough to buy their dream home for them).
Now we're expected to believe that three outstanding women in science are _flattered_ that the only way they can be recognised for their achievements is through a bikini photo shoot? I've studied science and know a lot of women still working in science who've had to fight to be taken seriously in what can still be a male-dominated area. That these women wouldn't be insulted and appalled at this is unrealistic and pretty insulting to the audience as well.
These might just be small things, but successful women performing these jobs can be great role models - you can't be what you can't see. To show that even these women are unquestioningly willing to be sex objects or subjugate their family's welfare for the ego of their male partner is really disappointing. And not even good scripting, as more drama could be elicited from the conflicts in these situations than just including a "funny" twist at the end of an episode...