All it took was a well taken photograph published in a widely circulated newspaper...a picture of a grinning girl in chef's whites holding a trophy with confetti flying all over her and an equally ebullient group, to end the month long suspense that kept me glued to the idiot box come rain or sunshine. All it took was that one photo, published before the actual episode got aired on TV. Talk about raining on a parade. They had given a spoiler alert in teeny tiny letters instead of blazing it across the newspaper as good folks should do.
I wanted to tear the paper apart, but you don't live on earth for 39 odd years without some maturity kicking in. So I folded the offensive piece of recycled pulp as calmly as I could and tried to look for the silver lining. Yeah, Ben was not going to win MasterChef Australia 2017. It was Dizey...dear old Diana who was going to walk away with the coveted trophy and prize money. Now that I knew the results, the only thing left was to see how the results came about. As S sauvely pointed out, it was not the result that characterized the show, was it? Of course it was. All those mystery challenges, group challenges and eliminations had no meaning if one knew before hand who was going. Oh well, it was difficult explaining to someone whose interest in the show peaked only when he had to keep watch to give me an update. Sigh. Bad, bad, bad.
For about 2 months I hadn't been burdened with burden of choices. Monday to Friday prime time was MasterChef Australia. Everything else revolved around it...even my blogging. And Saturdays and Sundays were dedicated to movies or reality shows. Simple. But now with the slot going empty I am left to twiddle my thumbs a bit. And then I realized that after taking on my Amazon Prime Video membership I have only watched the very funny Pushpavalli mini series (7.5/10 on IMDb) completely. Everything else, though very good has been left half way.
I intend to rectify that status this year. The shows which I have shortlisted to watch on Amazon Prime Video are -
The Man In The High Castle - came highly recommended from friends in US of A and had got very good reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (96%) and IMDB. This post WWII dystopian premise has an alternate history which starts from the ending to WWII where USA is divided into two states. Though the program has been very well made and has been very watchable it was a bit too serious for my end-of-a-hectic day viewing in the year 2017. I needed something more humourous, romantic and light. This year however, I seem to be having a mind for the out-of-ordinary. And this series is high on my must-watch list.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - might not be new to many as it has been the talk of the town after winning two Golden Globes (for Best TV series Comedy/Drama and Best Actress) 2017 and has been nominated for others. True to popular views the story and the execution is very good and it is what I am presently watching on my Prime Video. I love the old 1950s American setting and the irrepressible Jewish American Mrs. Maisel. From suddenly finding herself in a domestic crisis to stumbling into her vocation in an unprecedented field, the episodes sparkle with humour and Rachel Brosanah's winsome portrayal of the Miriam Maisel. This is definitely a must-watch for me.
The Night Manager - was something I stumbled into while browsing Amazon Prime Video in 2017. It had Hugh Laurie (Dr. House) and Tom Middleton (Loki) in the posters. How can one resist even one, leave alone the two? Even though I was disappointed by Tom's outing in Kong Skull Island, this racy, thriller has him in the lead and very much hands on. Hugh Laurie looks as delicious as ever in a negative role. (heh heh spoiler alert). I have only seen two episodes of this series, but I intend to rectify it ermmm...once I finished the above two. This comes highly recommended with a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Not only has it been nominated for so many awards, it has won two Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes.
This is Us - When Season 1 of this series aired on Star World India, I probably had my head buried in some hole in the ground. I don't know how this gem passed me by. On my bestie P's insistence and after it came on Amazon Prime, there was no reason to put it off too long, even though there were three other programs I had left mid-way. This one had everything I generally look for in a program - love, family values, humour, and eye candy. I am almost through first season and it has been fraught with surprises and twists in the story, starting from the very first episode. This is one of those series that will get you to binge watch.
The grandest and the most pressing of the above programs is the mother of all series - Game of Thrones Season 7. You might think I am a TV hermit to have missed this too, but such is the life of a responsible parent (ahem). The irony was, that I was so absorbed in sidestepping a minefield of spoilers related to Game of Thrones Season 7, that the MasterChef one sneaked in on me. Till date I have been avoiding all discussions or news related to this much watched series, and have been successful so far.
Of course I wouldn't put it past our spoiler agents to ruin it for me before I can take in a cold breath and say "Winter is Here." But I am definitely going to win this battle.
What programs are you watching? Please suggest some good ones if it is available on Amazon Prime or on TV.
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| MasterChef Australia 2017 |
I wanted to tear the paper apart, but you don't live on earth for 39 odd years without some maturity kicking in. So I folded the offensive piece of recycled pulp as calmly as I could and tried to look for the silver lining. Yeah, Ben was not going to win MasterChef Australia 2017. It was Dizey...dear old Diana who was going to walk away with the coveted trophy and prize money. Now that I knew the results, the only thing left was to see how the results came about. As S sauvely pointed out, it was not the result that characterized the show, was it? Of course it was. All those mystery challenges, group challenges and eliminations had no meaning if one knew before hand who was going. Oh well, it was difficult explaining to someone whose interest in the show peaked only when he had to keep watch to give me an update. Sigh. Bad, bad, bad.
For about 2 months I hadn't been burdened with burden of choices. Monday to Friday prime time was MasterChef Australia. Everything else revolved around it...even my blogging. And Saturdays and Sundays were dedicated to movies or reality shows. Simple. But now with the slot going empty I am left to twiddle my thumbs a bit. And then I realized that after taking on my Amazon Prime Video membership I have only watched the very funny Pushpavalli mini series (7.5/10 on IMDb) completely. Everything else, though very good has been left half way.
I intend to rectify that status this year. The shows which I have shortlisted to watch on Amazon Prime Video are -
The Man In The High Castle - came highly recommended from friends in US of A and had got very good reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (96%) and IMDB. This post WWII dystopian premise has an alternate history which starts from the ending to WWII where USA is divided into two states. Though the program has been very well made and has been very watchable it was a bit too serious for my end-of-a-hectic day viewing in the year 2017. I needed something more humourous, romantic and light. This year however, I seem to be having a mind for the out-of-ordinary. And this series is high on my must-watch list.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - might not be new to many as it has been the talk of the town after winning two Golden Globes (for Best TV series Comedy/Drama and Best Actress) 2017 and has been nominated for others. True to popular views the story and the execution is very good and it is what I am presently watching on my Prime Video. I love the old 1950s American setting and the irrepressible Jewish American Mrs. Maisel. From suddenly finding herself in a domestic crisis to stumbling into her vocation in an unprecedented field, the episodes sparkle with humour and Rachel Brosanah's winsome portrayal of the Miriam Maisel. This is definitely a must-watch for me.
The Night Manager - was something I stumbled into while browsing Amazon Prime Video in 2017. It had Hugh Laurie (Dr. House) and Tom Middleton (Loki) in the posters. How can one resist even one, leave alone the two? Even though I was disappointed by Tom's outing in Kong Skull Island, this racy, thriller has him in the lead and very much hands on. Hugh Laurie looks as delicious as ever in a negative role. (heh heh spoiler alert). I have only seen two episodes of this series, but I intend to rectify it ermmm...once I finished the above two. This comes highly recommended with a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Not only has it been nominated for so many awards, it has won two Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes.
This is Us - When Season 1 of this series aired on Star World India, I probably had my head buried in some hole in the ground. I don't know how this gem passed me by. On my bestie P's insistence and after it came on Amazon Prime, there was no reason to put it off too long, even though there were three other programs I had left mid-way. This one had everything I generally look for in a program - love, family values, humour, and eye candy. I am almost through first season and it has been fraught with surprises and twists in the story, starting from the very first episode. This is one of those series that will get you to binge watch.
The grandest and the most pressing of the above programs is the mother of all series - Game of Thrones Season 7. You might think I am a TV hermit to have missed this too, but such is the life of a responsible parent (ahem). The irony was, that I was so absorbed in sidestepping a minefield of spoilers related to Game of Thrones Season 7, that the MasterChef one sneaked in on me. Till date I have been avoiding all discussions or news related to this much watched series, and have been successful so far.
Of course I wouldn't put it past our spoiler agents to ruin it for me before I can take in a cold breath and say "Winter is Here." But I am definitely going to win this battle.
What programs are you watching? Please suggest some good ones if it is available on Amazon Prime or on TV.
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