The British series Happy Valley has been an outstanding triumph of great writing and brilliant acting. It returned after a long wait of almost 8 years for its 3rd and final season. It was worth the wait. There are spoilers ahead in this discussion.
Julia wrapped up season 1 with the “Chocolate Soufflé” episode. But celebrations are in order, because just before the episode aired, HBO Max announced the series will get a second season! Even more Julia Child is coming.
The “Foie Gras” episode of Julia was directed by Jenée LaMarque. In this episode Julia Child (Sarah Lancashire) went to New York City to give a keynote address at a gala for public television. During her visit she met both pleasant and unpleasant people.
Julia, episode 5, “Crepes Suzette” happened to be released during the same week as the finale of Killing Eve. Instead of recapping or reviewing the episode, I’m going to look at some parallels between the two TV shows and their respective casts.
Julia, the drama series about Julia Child, uses episode 4 to bring in more humor and an awareness of what Julia’s growing popularity would mean to Julia and Paul Child. This episode was directed by Erica Dunton. Instead of discussing the entire episode, I want to concentrate on Julia’s growing fame and her ahead-of-its-time marriage of equality.
Julia on HBO Max dropped the first 3 episodes of the 8 episode series on March 31. Future episodes will air weekly on Thursdays. The way Julia Child became “The French Chef” on public television is explored in these first episodes. It’s her origin story as a celebrity.
Seeing Red, a British TV movie from 2000, is currently available on YouTube. The 22 year old film stars Sarah Lancashire in a story based on true events in the life of actress Coral Atkins.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is a musical fantasy based on a true story. It was first a stage play, now adapted for film. The story is about a young English lad who dreamed of becoming a drag queen. It’s streaming on Prime Video.
Last Tango in Halifax season 5 came to me as a gift on my birthday. I don’t intend to review it or recap it, I simply want to talk about a few bits. It will be a little spoilery, but not in any large sense. A few scenes, and a few remarks, and I’ll be done.
Sarah Lancashire, Joanna Scanlan, and Sidse Babett Knudsen star in The Accident, the final series in a trilogy by writer Jack Thorne. A lot of vocal Brits on Twitter hated it when it aired on Channel 4 in the UK. I found it gripping, complex and nuanced.
