Netflix Binges

The Crown
The Crown is beautifully shot, beautifully acted and beautifully written. It is absolutely as good as everyone says it is. Don't miss out on this gem. I can't wait to see more of this. If you haven't already heard about this one it follows Elizabeth in the last years of her father's reign and the early years of her own as she struggles with being a public figure and being a devoted wife and mother. It stars Claire Foy and Matt Smith. If you have any interest in character development and even a passing interest in twentieth century history this is a must see.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
The BBC made a pretty good mini series from Douglas Adams' books just a few years ago so I was sceptical about this American version which is inspired by the characters and the world of the books rather than a straight remake. However it is very, very funny and well worth a look. If you are a fan of wacky screwball sci-fi comedy, like You, Me and the Apocolypse then this is right up up your street. It stars Elijah Wood as Todd a penniless former musician now working as a bell hop who seems to lurch from one disaster to another. On the same day he discovers a grizzly murder at the hotel where he works he also meets eccentric English 'holistic' detective Dirk Gently played by Samuel Barnett, much confusion, adventure, hilarity and casual violence ensues. Despite the laughs there are some disturbing scenes of violence in this series so it's not suitable for youngsters. However I found it thoroughly enjoyable and I hope there'll be more to come.

The OA
The OA is a strange show, which arrived on Netflix with little or no promotion in December last year A young woman who has been missing for seven years suddenly returns home; Prairie Johnson was a young blind girl adopted by an older childless couple, she disappeared on her 21st birthday and arrives back 7 years later with her sight restored. Refusing to tell her parents or the FBI anything about her ordeal instead she gathers together a group of misfit teenage boys and a female teacher and tells her story bit by bit each night. To say much more than this would give away too much about the plot. I almost gave up on this one because I expected it to be something dark and harrowing about captivity and rape. Thankfully I was wrong. this is one for fans of science fiction that will probably leave you with more questions than answers. Its hard to find anything to compare to except to say it's a kind of adult Stranger Things. Definitely worth a watch but it won't be for everyone.

The Expanse


This was addictive viewing combining space opera, mystery, science fiction and drama. Set 200 years in the future the solar system has been colonised and humans live on Mars and across the asteroid belt in a number of space stations. Mars has broken away from Earth and the two planets are now in a 'cold war' state competing for the resources of the asteroid belt where 'belters' toil to provide air and water. The ship The Canterbury is an ice hauler due to dock at Ceres station when it responds to a distress call and finds an empty ship. Meanwhile on Ceres, Miller is a detective tasked with finding a missing girl Julie Mao, daughter of one of the richest men on Earth and on Earth we meet Chrisjen Avasarala a United Nations executive who is working to prevent a war between Earth, Mars and a terrorist group called the OPA. I loved this show it's full of interesting characters, great writing and brilliant plot twists, it's based on a series of novels by James S. A. Corey so with plenty of material available lets hope this show runs and runs. One of the best things about the show is that there are a number of interesting women in the cast including Chrisjen who is a powerful and at times dark character and it's refreshing to see an older woman with a central and powerful role to play. Top Notch stuff and I can't wait for series 2.