I’ve been meaning to get this post out now for like two months! Here it finally is. Thoughts on make-up on Murder, She Wrote and Dynasty, random thoughts & notes on The Staircase, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Shining Girls, Downton Abbey: A New Era and Westworld season 4.

Murder, She Wrote & Dynasty – The Make-up

As I’ve been watching these two tv series there’s one thing that I didn’t notice at all during my previous watches: the women’s make-up. It’s so, so strong even in middle-of-the-day scenes – strong eye shadow, bright red/pink shiny lips, red cheeks – even in casual settings, and when it’s a party scene it’s reaally caked on! Every time a man kisses Alexis on the lips I shudder in disgust because of her lipstick! Maybe it’s just because I never use make-up myself, but to me it’s all so strong and thick even on characters like Krystle who are less made up that I keep going “What’s that gunk you have on your face? Time to wash up!”

It’s odd because when I watch say Star Trek TNG which first seasons were made around the same time, I do note the make-up is quite strong but I don’t get the instinctive “get that gunk off your face!” reaction I do with the other two. I’m going to be watching/re-watching other things 1980s things such as Magnum, P.I. (never seen it that I can remember) and Miami Vice at some point – I wonder which reaction those cause in me!

I have to say I much prefer the way the actors are done up today, it seems to me the make up is much more natural and looks less caked on, whether that’s how it is or not.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

I LOVE the first season! It’s so happy and colorful. It feels like the first real Star Trek since VOY; that the characters are happy and excited to be exploring space and happy to do it together and are enjoying each other. There’s a feeling camaderie which is IMO lacking in DSC, AOS etc. I enjoy all the SNW characters, love that if feels a true ensemble the way TNG and DS9 always felt, love that the episodes are episodic with but with continuing character plots and arcs. So far the only thing I don’t like is the obsession of having lighting fixtures **everywhere** which is a problem I have with all the nu!Trek. There’s so much lighting glare that I have trouble forming an accurate mental bluprints of the environs: such as the bridge – I know it follows TOS, but is bigger and the lights glare from everywhere makes it fuzzy to me. I already love SNW a lot more than I ever did ENT and probably even VOY – except for 7of9, I like the SNW characters much better than VOY characters, I pretty much love them all so far! And it’s the only show of the new Treks that’s made me laugh outloud frequently 😀 I do miss Spock’s violet eyeshadow though – they should totally put that on Peck!

I loved the attention given to Spock and T’Pring, it’s fun to see how Vulcans do relationships and I love that this modern T’Pring has her own motivations and interests and that her life life doesn’t only revolve around Spock/love interest. I’d actually happily watch a T’Pring show if they made one! I’m also so happy to see Vulcan again! I hated what the AOS movies did with Vulcan and Vulcans and could never forgive that.

I’m sad Hemmer didn’t get an episode of his own, but he did have good stuff in a couple of episodes, especially with Uhura. Sam Kirk is being annoying – first he was like a TPTB’s humorous fuck you to the audience by not making him THE Kirk after all the noise and basically being a damsel in distress in the first episode he was in. But in episode 9 he was written as an annoying, panicking almost-coward. Nobody else was losing their cool even though everyone was scared, only Sam. I don’t like him! He’s useless/meaningless as a known character, they could have just as easily created a new character for the series and have it mean the same – he’s done nothing so far that would justify bringing THE Kirk’s brother aboard. I did worry a little that he’d get a lot of screentime because of that, so I’m relieved and also amused that he’s been absent most episodes.

I hope Ortegas gets an episode in season 2 – it really stands out that she didn’t even get a secondary plot episode, much less a dedicated episode. I like the actor a lot, so that’s why I’d like Ortegas to get more to do as well! I also hope Chapel gets her own proper episode next season, one that doesn’t revolve around her crush on Spock.

I was so disappointed there’s only 10 episodes in season 1… somehow I thought there’d be a full season. I’d have happily watched a full season!

Not sure about Paul Wesley as THE Kirk. First, he’s too old to Play Kirk IMHO at this juncture – shouldn’t Kirk be in his mid-20s at this time? And I’m not sure I like him being in the show… okay, the I can accept that it made sense to have him in the season finale considering the plot which stemmed from Pike’s character arc. But I don’t want to see him in season two; this is not his show. He’s had his show, and movies too. There are other stories to tell, with other characters.

Also, majorly kinda regretting adopting out my Star Trek site now… SNW is available in 4K/UHD too unlike PIC and I’d love to cap it in 4K for fans!

The Time Traveler’s Wife

Finally Rose Leslie has a starring role 😀 I liked her a lot in Downton Abbey, loved her in Game Of Thrones and been delighted her showing up in a few random things I’ve seen since then. I kept hoping she’d be cast as the main in something and here it is. She’s really great in this, and the actor who plays the time traveler is good too or at least I like him in this, never seen him in anything else. I’m always there for time travel shenanigans, and this is looking interesting! And because it’s based on a book, I doubt it’ll be prolonged past it’s life.

Shining Girls

I loved this supernatural thriller series, based on a novel by Lauren Beukes. It’s really well done and written. I loved that it didn’t treat the viewers like we’re idiots and need to spoon fed what’s going on. Elizabeth Moss is again really really good, just like in The Handmaid’s Tale, as the main character who lives in a shifting reality and is haunted/hunted by a mysterious, brutal serial killer. I do kind of hope The House would have been explained more, what it is and where it came from, but I’m also good with the ambiguity. I think I’ll read the book at some point, a big part of me wishes I’d have heard of the book before the tv series so I could have read it first. This sort of story is right up my alley.

The Staircase

Colin Firth plays the main character, and boy! He’s so grey and your-boring-next-door-neighbor looking in this that I have real trouble recognizing him! There’s no nothing left of Mr Darcy anywhere to be seen! And also… he got old at some point! Shock! LOL In my mind he’s the handsome and charismatic Mr Darcy from the 1995 Pride And Prejudice… How dare he get old?!

The story is based on true crime, and at this point, I have no idea what the truth is as shown in the series! Maybe the owl did do it. I can say I’m happy to see Sophie Turner again even if it’s a minor role – I’ve only ever seen her in Game Of Thrones and Dark Phoenix (and maybe some other X-Men movie? if she was in one. I can’t remember.) but mainly I remember her as Sansa Stark on Game Of Thrones. It’s so nice to see her allowed to emote again – reminds me of the first four seasons of GOT. For the rest of the seasons, as far as I can tell, she wasn’t allowed to move her face.

I have no idea how many episodes this series has, there’s been at least three episodes so far that I thought was the finale. I feel like it’s sort of meandering on, endlessly. I’m vested enough to watch a few more episodes in hopes of Sophie Turner getting bigger scenes, or getting a final resolution to the murder. But if it goes on for much longer, I’ll drop it.

Edit to add: I did watch to the end. I felt it dragged a bit there and could have used some tightening up – I felt like it was about two episodes too long. The ending was ambiguous, I guess. I think he did do it.

Downton Abbey: A New Era

I enjoy spending time with these character in their world! It’s so carefree, a total escape from reality! It was fun to see how films were made in the silent film era moving to voice movies era, and the troubles and worries the change brought to actors when suddenly not only good looks were important, but having a nice, compelling voice and manner of speaking as well too. Reminded me a lot of Singing In The Rain in that. I did enjoy this movie a lot, almost as much as the first season of the tv show which has always been my favorite one.

Westworld – Season 4

Westworld’s season 4 has been awesome! I did enjoy S3 as well, but it wasn’t as great as the first two seasons. But season 4 is excellent! I’m so happy the series wasn’t cancelled although after the end of season 3 I thought that might be the best so that it wouldn’t go bad. It’s interesting how Maeve has become my favorite character – that wasn’t something I ever thought could happen while watching season 1; the character seemed quite rudimentary, a side character that wasn’t interesting enough to become a main one but man, how wrong I was! Maeve’s development has been so profound and hard won, and Thandiwe Newton has been giving an outstanding performance since her very first scene!