Things I've Watched Lately, and What I Have to Say About Them

I grew up saying, "I know you are, but what am I?" and "That's my name, don't wear it out!" so I thought I'd really like the Pee-Wee documentary. To be honest, I never finished it, so I can't really give a final opinion of it, but I've watched the first half and haven't felt drawn back to it at all. 

Do I recommend? Not really.

The Essex Serpent is based on a book (which I've never heard of, so obviously have never read). I watched the show and considered it "just okay" - something to pass the time at work. But then after it ended, I kind of missed it. Isn't that such a weird phenomenon? I am confused about some of the story, though, and need to go read a Wikipedia page or something. 

Do I recommend? Not sure. 

You know I had to watch the documentary about the poop cruise! Oh.my.heck. I couldn't stop thinking about this for days. 

Would I recommend? Well... I can't really recommend poop. But if you watch it, let me know. 

Con Mum was a really interesting story, but I've already forgotten a lot of the details. It’s a documentary about a man who is contacted by his supposed birth mother, and well… the title is kind of a spoiler.

Would I recommend? If you need something to pass the time. I more listened to it than watched it. 

The Mortician absolutely fascinated me. It’s a documentary about a family that ran a generations-old mortuary in the 80’s and ran some pretty sketchy schemes. It's a level of macabre that intrigues me. It also made me feel sick. 

Would I recommend? Not if you're squeamish. 

This documentary made me realize that, while I have a certain love for Robin Williams, I don't actually find him very funny. I was kind of put off by his foul language and crassness. 

Would I recommend? There are better ways to spend your time. 

This is a really short documentary about some prisoners who make quilts for foster kids. 

Would I recommend? Maybe. It's only about 30 minutes long, but it has some language. 

I loved the Barbara Walters documentary. I used to watch a lot of her interviews on 20/20, and I used to regularly watch The View when she was on it. I enjoyed learning more about her career. I especially liked seeing the footage from her last episode of The View. It was a real “girl power” moment. 

Would I recommend? Yes, if you're into this sort of thing. 

The New Look is about Christian Dior and Coco Chanel during WWII. It’s interesting from a historical perspective and explores some intriguing ethical questions, but Coco drove me nuts, and in the end it kind of felt like homework to try and finish the series. I did like the exploration of creativity as a healing mechanism, though. It made me think of Elder Uchdorf’s talk, Happiness, Your Heritage, where he talks about the fulfillment that comes from creating something that didn’t previously exist and how it’s one of our greatest human yearnings. 

Would I recommend? Not with great enthusiasm, but I know there are some people who would really like this show. It does have language and war time violence, though.

Scotty and I just started watching Untamed yesterday, and we are three episodes in. I’ll say this: the opening scene is one of the most catching I’ve ever seen. It is so gripping. Now I need to finish the limited series so I can have a full opinion of it.

I have simultaneously been listening to the podcast, Uinta Triangle, which makes for a compelling wilderness curriculum. In some ways, Uinta Triangle makes Untamed more interesting, but in other ways, it makes Untamed far less believable (oh really, you immediately found that itty bitty scrap of evidence in a National Park that’s the size of Rhode Island, yet it took five years to locate any remnant of Eric Robinson in a much smaller area of the Uinta mountains?)

But one must be somewhat forgiving for the sake of TV. 

As a side note, Scotty was backpacking in the area where Eric Robinson went missing when he went missing, so Scotty has always had a significant interest in anything to do with the missing Aussie. Likewise, I was in the Uintas when Garrett Bardsley went missing, so Scotty and I have independently had the experience of being off the grid and being met with a search and rescue effort, and it definitely makes you obsessed with the outcome. Garrett would be 33 years old now, and he has never been found. 

But back to the TV show… would I recommend? Maybe. I still have work to do.