What Are You Currently Watching (on tv/dvd)?

[Ian]

Wicked Science: Meet the Parents. With Toby about to meet Nikki's parents for the first time, Jack makes a deal with Elizabeth that he can ruin it and split them up in return for the secret behind their genius. But not only does Elizabeth not have any intention of honouring that agreement, she decides to add her own brand of trouble to the occasion... This is a fairly lame episode to be honest, one of the weakest of the season, mainly because "meet the parents" scenarios are always cringeworthy to watch and Nikki is a dull character anyway. The most significant thing is Elizabeth's obvious jealousy finally clueing Jack in to how she feels about Toby, giving him a potential way to manipulate her. Though he's kind of right when he says at the end of the episode:

"Why do you like him so much anyway? He doesn't appreciate you... Maybe you should be looking somewhere else."

He's right, but he's still a creep!

[Santi]

I now have Netflix (which my sister-in-law rents), HBO (free for a year) and MovistarPlus (which leaves me a friend.
Netflix is ​​the best of all.

I asked HBO if I could connect to Swedish and Norwegian HBO too for free and they told me not possible.

[Ian]

Secret Army: Prisoner. Trying to escape a Nazi sweep-up of people to "conscript" as slave labour, Alain is caught and taken to Gestapo HQ as a suspected terrorist. Things do not look good for him or for Lifeline if he cracks under interrogation - but returning British Major Bradley (Paul Shelley) determines that Alain is too valuable to lose and must be gotten out - no matter the cost. Oh, I like this guy. He's a ruthless b*****d. I wholeheartedly approve.

[Ian]

Ghost Stories for Christmas: Lost Hearts. A young orphan goes to live with a wealthy and eccentric distant relative, only to begin seeing spectres of previous "wards" with a terrible warning. Creepy adaptation of the MR James story.

One Foot in the Grave: The Wisdom of the Witch. The 1995 Xmas special and probably the best (along with Starbound). A cracking good laugh.

[Santi]

I think that you also like Christmas-Gore

[Ian]

Doesn't everybody?

Wicked Science: Jack Makes His Move. Increasingly disconsolate over Toby and Nikki and the growing realisation that Toby might never want to be with her, Elizabeth is easy prey for a manipulative Jack. Initially agreeing to "hang out" solely as a last-ditch effort to try and make Toby jealous, Elizabeth is soon sucked in by Jack's seemingly sincere attention and affection, much to Verity's horrified disbelief, and even lets him into her secret lab...where Jack finds exactly what he's looking for: The secret to how she and Toby became geniuses. The first part of the 2-part finale is great stuff. It's telling how much Elizabeth is in desperate need of some positive attention and affection, and rather cruelly ironic that it's her softening this season that makes it so easy for Jack. Anger-driven Season 1 Elizabeth wanted fame and fortune and power, but all she's wanted this season is someone - preferably Toby - to share things with. Poor Elizabeth.

[Ian]

Father Ted: A Christmassy Ted. The FT Xmas special. Funny stuff, with the highlight being the eight priests trapped in "Ireland's largest lingerie" section of a department store and unable to find their way out...

[Santi]

Father Ted: A Christmassy Ted. The FT Xmas special. Funny stuff, with the highlight being the eight priests trapped in "Ireland's largest lingerie" section of a department store and unable to find their way out...

When the priests have managed to leave the store, half of the lingerie is missing.

[Ian]

Secret Army, season 3, eps 7-9. Things are going to hell in a handbasket for everyone as the Allies are on the doorstep, the Nazis begin their withdrawal - while lining Brussels streets with explosives - and Reinhardt closes in on Lifeline. I usually watch one ep of this a week, but went through three last night, this s**t is getting f*****g intense! There was literally a scene toward the end of episode 9 that had me gasping out loud "F**k! Oh f**k!"

[Ian]

Wicked Science: End Game. Now Jack has the secret to becoming a genius there's just two more things he wants to do - engage the process... and then remove Toby and Elizabeth. The season (and series) finale is a very strong episode. Jack comes across as outright evil, utterly cold-blooded and gloating as he destroys Elizabeth's trust in him, but it's good to see that while initially obviously devastated, Elizabeth's anger kicks back in (albeit in a healthy and positive manner) with a "No one treats me like that!" The King Kong homage with the giant koala is very fun - even if the CGI is terrible lol - and it's a great Toby and Elizabeth episode, with her finally getting to plant one on him. While he doesn't entirely recipricate, he doesn't shove her away either, and even returns one on the cheek. Aww. It's perhaps telling that Nikki doesn't even get a look-in in this episode, because screw her. :p

It's a shame we didn't get a third season, but I loved season 2, and just plain like it a lot more than 1, and this is a much more satisfying series finale too, if perhaps not as conclusive as you might hope. The episodes just seem generally stronger, and Elizabeth has a great character journey and is just a lot more likeable in general. Loved revisiting this for the first time in 15 years, rather sad there's no more now.

[Ian]

Kessler. Part 1 of this six part mini series. It's such a clever move to have a follow-up/spin-off of Secret Army set more than three decades later and to use that show's principal antagonist to tell the story of a Nazi war criminal who got away with it and has been living under a false identity and is now being suspected/discovered. Didn't expect to actually see three of the SA principals as well, though I suspect their roles will be limited (if not done already). Very good start though, the older/old age makeup is very convincing, and Clifford Rose is as icily chilling as ever as Kessler.

[Santi]

I'm swallowing all Netflix documentaries

[Ian]

Marathonning Pretty Little Liars again. Lurid, ludicrous, OTT and very entertaining.

[Ian]

Things That Make You Go "Hmm": A 2015 episode of Person of Interest, where an outbreak of a deadly flu-like virus is deliberately started, leading to mass vaccinations that are a cover for getting everyone's DNA on file for nefarious purposes.

Hmm....

[Santi]

sounds close