Tag: TV Review

“Donkerbos” – Series Review

“Donkerbos”, the title of this eight-episode South African miniseries is Afrikaans for “dark forest”. That’s proper, since it’s where the most significant action in this procedural about multiple child homicides occurs, as well as being the name of the small town in Limpopo in which the story unfolds. The series opens with one boy being chased through the woods and possibly killed. Next, the head and partial remains of an unidentified child are found. Then the bodies of six others are unearthed among the roots of a large tree, with indications of ritualistic motives for those horrible crimes.

The main cop is Fanie (Erica Wessels), who had been transferred from her last position in Pretoria for some non-favorable reason that takes a while for us to learn. Her main colleague among the locals, Sybrand (Wilhelm van der Walt), is easing his way back into the job after six months of psych leave for some incident of his own. Her new partner, Detective Tsedza Tshivenga (Sanda Shandu) has been assigned from Pretoria to help with this case due to Sybrand’s uncertain status.

A whole bunch of subplots are tossed into the package, ranging from the fact that one of the six kids is the police chief’s daughter, to unraveling the mythology behind the group murders, to several current issues among the adults and kids in the rest of the community. It also gives us a fairly large serving of media frenzy, and some of the sleazeball tactics reporters may use to get their scoops.

As is often the case, the series runs longer and unfolds more slowly than it should have. A plethora of vague flashbacks and time shifts make plot progression harder to follow than need be.  The dramatic tension would have been significantly enhanced by a tighter package, without sacrificing any of the character arcs or story lines. There’s a lot more melodrama in the mix than some might prefer enroute to learning backstories and reaching solutions.

If you’re in the mood for a series that presents multiple stories among a large cast of players, this may suit you. Performances are solid all around, and the production delivers many visual assets among the rural environs – especially in transition scenes. A binge is advisable, since there are so many moving parts to keep track of.

“Donkerbos”, in Afrikaans and English, streams on MHz Choice beginning October 7, 2025.

RATING: 2 Out of 4 Stars

“Almost Paradise: Season 2” – TV Series Review

(L to R) Art Acuña, Christian Kane, and Samantha Richelle star in “Almost Paradise.” Courtesy of Amazon/FreeVee

Christian Kane has played essentially the same character in four delightful light crime series. In “Leverage” and its successor, “Leverage: Redemption,” he was Elliot. In “The Librarians,” he was Jake. In this incarnation, “Almost Paradise: Season 2,” he’s Alex. All have some sort of military or intelligence background to prepare them for the current undertakings. Each time Kane’s character is smarter than he looks, does his thing with a grim sense of humor, and is tougher than all he must oppose. Underneath the surface of surly, he’s noble, loyal to his colleagues, and hell-bent on helping whoever needs it. He’s always reluctant to use violence but in just about every episode of each, he has to. And does it well. 180 times, collectively. Yet even after all those cloned outings, Kane’s character is still fun to watch.

Dean Devlin was the creator and/or producer of all four series. The two make a dynamic duo without infringing on superhero turf. In both generations of “Leverage,” the crew conned rich, slimy assholes who’d bilked the helpless, undoing the harm the crooks inflicted. “The Librarians” was sci fi-fantasy, grounded on Earth, with a mission to protect civilization from dangerous supernatural forces. This offering places Kane more front and center than when he was part of a team.

Kane plays an ex-DEA agent who tried retiring to a peaceful life in the Philippines but winds up having to help the local cops with more crime and threats than a small resort town would have anywhere but on TV. “Season 2” brings ten more 45-minute episodes, maintaining all the qualities that made the first successful. Scripts consistently deliver challenging crime scenarios with bits of warmth and levity, generally non-lethal action, and evolving relationships with several excellent supporting characters.

Kane’s character works, often reluctantly, with two police detectives. Samantha Richelle’s Kai is beautiful, tough and smart. Arthur Acuna looks like a bookish schoolteacher but his Ernesto is deceptively skilled in martial arts. A running theme is the department trying NOT to involve civilian Alex in their professional duties but eventually doing so, one way or another.

No pressure to binge, since each episode is a stand-alone case, though a couple of minor characters and plot threads recur. Best of all, the season ends in a way that will satisfy fans if the series ends there, while leaving the door wide open for a third round. In these days of surprising non-renewals throughout the broadcast and streaming industry, that type of season finale has become increasingly important to those who crave closure for any set of characters we’ve chosen to spend considerable time with. Like this bunch.

“Almost Paradise: Season 2” streams on Freevee/Amazon Prime as of Friday, July 21.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

“Homicide Hills” Season 3 – TV series review

Caroline Peters as Sophie, Meike Droste as Barbel and Bjarne Mädel as Dietmar, in “Homicide Hills” on MHz Choice. Courtesy of MHz Choice

The German TV crime-solving comedy series “Homicide Hills” debuts its third season on streaming service MHzChoice on June 27. Previously, I’ve reviewed the first two seasons of this German crime comedy series on this site, and in the previous seasons, Sophie Haas (Caroline Peters), a tough, brash cop from Cologne, was shipped off to become the police chief of a sleepy German village named Hengasch. Season 3 opens with Sophie’s wedding to Hengasch’s local vet. True to form, things go wildly awry, resulting in “marriage interruptus,” then morphing into another crime to solve in the series’ light-hearted fashion. Her charming father (Hans Peter Hallwachs) moves with his “nurse” to Poland, removing one of the reliable cast members from the equation. That’s a loss.

Sophie continues leading her three-member force in solving 14 episodes worth of crimes. Actually, the streaming release is 13 hour-long episodes from 2014, plus a longer movie that aired the following year to provide closure for story arcs of these now-familiar – and mostly likable – characters. There is a fourth season but it came out in 2022, with an almost totally different cast, so this batch is the swan song for our protagonist police pals.

As before, Sophie’s weekly sleuthing challenges are mixed with romantic developments and her ongoing efforts to get reassigned to the major leagues – the Cologne force from whence she came. Hengasch has too many lulls between crimes of import, so she almost jumps for joy whenever a new murder relieves the tedium. Barbel is coping with pregnancy and other personal distractions. Dietmar’s life is truly cursed when his demanding mom has to move in with him and his wife – the similarly-annoying Helga. The overkill of demands from the elder explains why he married shrewish Helga. It supports the axiom about men tending to marry women like their mothers. They’re two of a kind, and constantly compete stridently for his allegiance over the other in squabbles large and small.

The crimes and the levity surrounding them are comparable to the first two seasons, except for a bit more of the running-time focused on their personal lives. And it seems as if they stressed the comedic side more than before, including moments of madcap. But each outing continues to be cleverly written, mixing the mystery with the merriment.

A village historical event that’s re-enacted every 5 years goes awry when the pretend killing within it turns real. A safe-cracker escapes from prison, resulting in a very unusual sort of crime wave. Another involves a man killed during a parade, when it’s not clear who the bullet was meant for. The movie-length finale is a murder in a nearby village for which Sophie finds herself the main suspect. It’s presented in a RASHOMON style, alternating among the different perspectives of our principals under interrogation by another tough cop (Nina Proll), who is basically a humorless version of Sophie.

“Homicide Hills” Season 3, mostly in German with English subtitles, begins streaming on MHzChoice on Tuesday, June 27.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

“First Responders” Season One – TV Series Review

A scene from season one of the Swedish rescue/medical drama series “First Responders.” Courtesy of MHz Choice

The first season of the subtitled Swedish TV series “First Responders” introduces us to a surprisingly diverse group of doctors, EMTs, firemen and police in a small, idyllic town, with a full array of professional and personal challenges to face. The setting is lovely, as we meet them during their summer off-season, in a village that apparently thrives on winter sports tourism. So this should be a less-pressured time for the crew. Not exactly the way it works out. Bad for them. Good for viewers.

Each episode presents a few crises calling for some combination of dramatic rescues, medical intervention and/or crime solving. Everyone in the ensemble cast gets his/her turns in the spotlight. Since they are mostly young and attractive (could it be any other way?), there is a fair share of romantic activity, as well, with some story lines unfolding throughout the season. Besides the main theme of their duties, a separate plot thread involves luring a big investor for economic growth that may, or may not, be good for the community.

Compared to our domestic network counterparts, like “911” and “911: Lone Star,” these events play out with relatively little splash. Background music highlighting major scenes is largely absent from “First Responders,” which keeps the focus more on the visuals, and lets viewers feel the urgency of their efforts without that audio prompt. Other than a couple of shockingly gruesome displays of medical yuckiness in Episode 3, the romantic encounters and assorted injuries are shown without much graphic detail. Or levity.

Viewer’s enjoyment of these 10 hour-long episodes will depend on the extent to which they bond with the characters. Everyone is presented in relatable human scale. No super-jocks or mega-villains, and nobody cast strictly for eye candy. The season ends with a few open questions, but without any cliffhangers that leave viewers in the lurch if Season Two never materializes. Overall, the series seemed engaging, though not riveting.

“First Responders: Season One,” mostly in Swedish with English subtitles, is streaming on MHz Choice starting Tuesday, May 31.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

“First Responders” cast on MHz Choice

“Deadly Tropics” Season 2 – TV Series Review

(L-R) Gaelle (Beatrice de la Boulaye) and Melissa (Sonia Rolland) in “Deadly Tropics” on MHz Choice. Credit: ©Sylvie Castioni – Best Image. Courtesy of MHz Choice.

Season One of this light procedural from French TV, “Deadly Tropics” (“Tropiques Criminels”), was released for streaming and covered here last month, on Mar. 21. The “Deadly Tropics” Season One review and favorable recommendation, which remains useful for appreciating this second eight-episode season, can be found by scrolling through “Reviews” to that date.

Welcome back. Your indulgence is appreciated. Now that you’ve either been reminded or brought up to date, Season Two opens with Gaelle (Beatrice de la Boulaye) returning from a long self-imposed hiatus while nursing some emotional wounds. Melissa’s (Sonia Rolland) teenagers are still a pain in the butt; same, in a different way for their grumpy, misogynistic commissioner, who gripes far more than he contributes.

The first several episodes mix in a higher percentage of character comedy than we saw in Season One, particularly via an expanded role for Phil (Valentin Papoudof) the forensics expert. A new source of amusement/irritation comes from the unexpected arrival of Melissa’s first ex-hubby, Franck (Arie Elmaleh) – a charming layabout musician, supposedly searching for song-writing inspiration after a long dry spell. As I’d hoped before, the third team member, Aurelien (Julien Beramis), plays a larger part in each week’s outing, including a featured role in one.

As before, each of the eight episodes brings a self-contained crime to solve, with several subplot threads running through the season. The writers manage to shift the tenor of their scripts in opposite directions, broadening the appeal of the package. After the early increase in humorous sidebars, the latter episodes dive headlong into more global cultural topics than before, tackling abortion, gay and trans rights, computer hacking and social media frenzies. All the macro-scale issues mesh well with the crime(s) they revolve around, keeping them legitimately entertaining as procedurals, rather than polemics. The result is a season of shows that engage the social conscience without losing any of the entertainment value from Season One that made me eager for this continuation.

Most importantly, at least for some of us, there are no cliffhangers! The season ends with everyone in a satisfactory place if there’s not to be a Season Three, while leaving a few directions of interest for future exploration if there will. That’s the right way to wrap. Merci.

SEASON TWO of the French TV series “Deadly Tropics” (“Tropiques Criminels”), mostly in French with English subtitles, is available streaming on MHz Choice starting April 26.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

(L-R) Gaelle (Beatrice de la Boulaye), Melissa (Sonia Rolland) and Aurelien (Julien Beramis) in “Deadly Tropics” (“Tropiques Criminels”) on MHz Choice. Credit: ©Sylvie Castioni – Best Image. Courtesy of MHz Choice.

Review: ‘Torchwood: Children of Earth, Day Four’

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Warning!: If you haven’t seen the first three episodes “Children of Earth” do NOT read this review!

Day Three may not have been the most stunning but it lead into Day Four which is by far one of the most dramatic and stunning Torchwood events of all time. Over the past three days Gwen has been trying to figure out how Clement McDonald, the only adult who was linked to the aliens the way the children were, was connected to it all. But now, in episode four it appears that his only reason for being in the show is to reveal how Jack Harkness was connected to it all.

Day Four shows us what Jack knows about the aliens known only as “The Four Five Six”. It’s a reveal that is quite disturbing and will put Jack in a different light to fans, forever. Much of Day Four reveals some of the truth behind the “Four Five Six” and why they’re back on Earth.

Most of the scenes in Day Four revolve around government officials figuring out what they’re going to do and whether or not they can truly give over 10% of all the world’s children to the “Four Five Six”. It isn’t until the last ten minutes or so that the episode truly starts to take off and we have one fo the all time great heroic moments in Torchwood history.

Review: ‘Eden of the East’

eden of the east

Strange cell phones, secret organizations and 20,000 unemployed Japanese citizens suddenly disappear and a school girl gets pulled into the middle of it when she’s rescued by a nude man suffering from amnesia and brandishing a cell phone in Washington DC. This is how we’re introduced to Eden of the East. Yeah it’s a lot to process, but the journey is well worth it.

Saki Morimi is a college graduate on a trip to the United States when Eden of the East starts. She leaves her fellow graduates in New York to head over to Washington DC to see the White House. It’s not long after her arrival that she gets into some trouble with the police over throwing something and a naked man distracts them, saving her. The man is Akira Tokizawa, or he soon will be. After Akira helps Saki, she gives him her coat and they end up back at his place. He has no idea who he is or where he comes from, but he does find a small apartment filled with weapons and explosives and several passports with many different names. Assuming one identity (Akira) and burning the rest he runs back to Japan with Saki and their adventure begins.

Eden of the East is about a game. A game that has twelve players called Selecao (Selaso). These Selecao are all given special cellphones and 10 billion yen in digital currency. They can spend it any way they see fit, but with the goal of “saving Japan”. Each player can see what the other players are spending their money on, but none of them know who each other are. Akira is a Selecao and his trail of spending is his only link to who he was in the past. The evidence in the USA leads him to believe he’s a terrorist, but he doesn’t quite believe it, or he doesn’t want to.

Saki comes with him when they reach Japan to help him piece his life back together and figure out who he is. That’s where things really start to get weird. He lives in a shopping mall, is obsessed with movies and has a dog with angel wings strapped to it’s back. What’s interesting is how many references to obscure films are made. Obscure French films like “Le Grande Blue” are mentioned and more than once.

What really starts to become clear is that Akira might be responsible for rounding up 20,000 uneducated and unemployed citizens called “NEETS” and killing them all in a missile attack. Is Akira the kind of guy to kill thousands of people based on their cultural status to make Japan a better place? Or did he have other motives? That’s where the mystery is.

The other Selecao all have different motives. Some don’t want to play the game, but rather use the money to better their own lives. Others want to help a very small part of the Japanese community by helping hospitals and the elderly and some want to bring criminals to justice instantly without the law getting in the way.

The way they all go about their plans is rather interesting. Each player has a direct line to “Juiz” a woman who can make anything happen. When I say anything, I mean pretty much anything. You want the prime minister to say something, Juiz can get him to do it. Want some one dead, and Juiz will have a sniper ready in a matter of seconds. It does take a stretch of the imagination in some of the instances, but it also shows the viewer just how powerful the people running the game really are.

The title itself actually refers to a group of characters you don’t meet until about half way through the series. Eden of the East is a group of students who came together to repair old equipment, recycle it and sell it again giving it new value. Many of them are actually NEETS. They developed a piece of software called Eden of the East that will take any picture and identify any person or object in it. It’s very cool stuff and comes in handy about half way through when people start to wonder who Akira really is.

The animation here is extremely clean. The characters all have very unique   but realistic looks, and the scenery is all painted very beautifully. There’s a smattering of CGI for cars and water, as well as large crowds, but it’s all done   with cell shading so it fits the style of the show very well. The audio is great as well. A terrific soundtrack and one of the better opening themes in a long time. The opening credits remind me of a James Bond movie and the end credits are some of the more imaginative I’ve ever seen.

Where the show suffers is that it’s not all wrapped up in the end. There are a few too many loose strings and unexplained occurrences. Some characters just don’t feel like they belong at all, and some are given a little bit too much importance without actually doing anything. It’s likely the show will have a sequel though.

As a TV Show this series has a lot of ambition and a lot of great writing. It’s finale is satisfying but makes you want more. If you’re looking for a good mystery to sink your teeth into filled with missing people, secret organizations and a woman that has an obsession with cutting off peoples “Johnnies” then please check this series out when it hits your shores. 4 out of 5 stars.

Review: ‘Torchwood: Children of Earth, Day Three’

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Warning!: If you haven’t seen the first and second episodes of “Children of Earth” do NOT read this review!

A lot has happened with or Torchwood team in this series. They’ve been shot at, blown up, had their homes and lives completely destroyed and only now do they start to realize why. Day three is the inevitable arrival of the “Four Five Six” aliens. And sadly most of this episode revolves around the governments of the world trying to figure out what to do about the creatures and who should officially talk to them on behalf of Earth.

What is good about this episode is the light humor that returning show creator Russel T. Davies brings. He hasn’t been too hands on with the Doctor Who universe this year, and many fans find it sad that the man who brought the show back, and gave it an equally good spin-off is stepping away. When Davies writes the Torchwood characters he has more fun with them. There are some great moments between Jack and Ianto and the two finally come to the realization of what their relationship will be like with Jack’s immortality.

A character named Lois Habeeba who was introduced in the first part of the series finally gets her moment to shine and it feels like she might be the next person to join the Torchwood team. Her character isn’t as strong as Owen’s or Toshiko’s (members of Torchwood who died last season), but she is a fun character to watch and her conflicts with doing what’s right, and her duty to her country are well written.

My absolute favorite part of this episode was seeing the Torchwood team reassemble and show how good they are at what they do. They’re masters at getting what they need, and I actually like their makeshift base of operations. I hope it becomes a reality in the next season (if there is one).

Review: ‘Torchwood: Children of Earth, Day Two’

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Warning!: If you haven’t seen the first episode of “Children of Earth” do NOT read this review!

Now that that’s out of the way let’s get into it. When we last left our heroes Jack was blown up, Gwen was on the run and we weren’t sure if Ianto was going to make it out or not. Truth is, it wouldn’t be much of a mini-series if they killed off any of the remaining characters in the first part of a mini-series. Sure it’d be gutsy, but that’s just not Torchwood’s style of writing.

Our new episode picks up with both Gwen and Ianto making it out of the explosion alive, but soon afterwards Gwen is attacked by government agents posing as ambulance drivers. Ianto gets out of the rubble a little bit after Gwen and is suddenly attacked by a sniper. They both get away and now they’re on the run from who ever it is that’s attacking them. What they don’t realize is that it’s the same government that they work for.

Much of the episode is about what happened to Jack. It’s a well known fact in the Torchwood world that Jack hasn’t been killed by anything yet, but now it’s just a matter of seeing how much like Wolverine he really is. Can he be blown apart from the inside and still live? The other mystery in the episode is what are the transmissions that the aliens (dubbed the Four Five Six) are sending to Earth? Turns out they’re a box of some kind, but who knows what.

Much of this episode is our heroes figuring out who’s after them, but there are some truly great moments for some characters. If i said anymore I’d be giving away spoilers. The episode isn’t as strong as Day One, but it’s good and Day Three promises to really get things going. So far it’s turning out to be one of the better Torchwood stories and really pushes the limits of our remaining trio of heroes.

Review: ‘Entourage’ Season 6 Episode 2

It’s almost tradition in Entourage to have an episode about Vince’s new movie premier. This time around it’s for “Scorsese’s Gatsby”, which everyone in the show is calling Vince’s best work yet. The episode doesn’t really accomplish a whole lot or push much story forward but it does give some of the guys great moments. Turtle and Jamie-Lynn are officially stepping out as a public couple, Sloan and E are still sort of a couple and of course Vinnie can get any woman in the world and has the best movie he’s done in years.

The biggest piece of drama comes when Ari learns his new partner might be having an affair with one of the many agents at the Miller-Gold office. This of course can bring down an entire angency if a sexual harassment lawsuit is presented. It’s amazing how many scruples a jerk like Ari can have when it comes to his business and keeping it all in tip top condition.

The only other real piece of plot involves E’s new neighbor Ashley having a crush on him. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but E and Sloan obviously still have feelings and E is claiming that he wants to stay single for a while. It could get complicated. Alexis Dziena plays Ashley and I honestly can’t stand her. I think it has somethign to do with how she looks, but here she’s also playing an annoying stalker type character, who dresses horribly and is very rude.