Short Takes on Apple TV+ and Disney+ series with a rant

The Apple TV+ series I’ve been watching week by week are Home Before Dark and Physical. Disney+ just released the first episode of Turner and Hooch. Let’s take a quick look at each one before I subject you to a rant about binge watching.

Home Before Dark

Season 2 of this series is now streaming. My review of season 1 was favorable, but season 2 wasn’t grabbing me in the same way. This series stars Brooklynn Prince as a young reporter (very young).

Last week’s episode, “Just a Bird,” finally got my attention. It was the 7th episode of season 2 and I almost gave up on the show before I got there. But “Just a Bird” brought the season 2 issues and themes to a head in an exciting adventure on an island where danger waited for our heroine and her dad (Jim Sturgess).

I’m starting to resent streamers that make you wait week by week for a series. I think that affects my feelings about this series and the next one, Physical.

Physical

When this series began I reviewed the first 3 episodes. I’ve been surprised and pleased by where the story has gone. It’s more about Sheila’s (Rose Byrne) mental health than about aerobics videos. Sheila is a mess. She has an eating disorder, she lies to everyone, she’s in a rage at her parents because they didn’t believe her or support her when she was sexually traumatized. She’s stealing money from her husband’s political war chest. She’s close to a total meltdown.

The performances from everyone in this series are excellent and the writing is devilishly clever. But it aggravates me that I can’t watch the entire series at my own pace and in my own time.

Turner and Hooch

The best thing I can say about Turner and Hooch is the dog does a swell job. Everything else about this series is deadly mediocre. Episode 1 is the only episode I’m going to watch.

If you love this series for some reason, feel free to argue with me in the comments.

The binge rant

I’d also love to hear how you feel about streamers who could give you a whole series in one drop but don’t. It doesn’t bother me on network TV where it’s been that way since the beginning of television. But on streamers where it’s possible to defy schedules, days of the week, time slots, and neverending commercial breaks, I want it all. Now.

Perhaps it’s a symptom of my age, but binge watching a series helps me get the subtle points and connect the plot elements. For example, I watched season 4 of Wynonna Earp live on SyFy. I saved it to my DVR and have watched it a few more times. But now that season 4 is on Netflix and I can binge watch it without ads I’m amazed by how much better I understand the crazy plot. It’s like a whole new show that suddenly feels more coherent. I want that from Home Before Dark and Physical, too.