The Spy Who Came from FX

A Spy with Issues - Pic courtesy of FX

by blogSpotter

PERSONAL UPDATE

My blog has recently turned into more of a personal journal -- today I’ll just continue along that line. We’ve had a beautiful weekend and I had to work in a lot of errands around my play time. My yard was impacted by our record cold, dry winter.. I had to replace several bushes and some ground cover. I’m not a big enthusiast of yard work, so it’s best if my yard survives a dry season. I may actually spring for a sprinkler system this year.

Indoors, I’ve turned into a “televidiot”. There are so many good shows on so many channels that it’s hard to keep up. Netflix has given us both the blessing and the curse of “binge watching”. If I discover a show that ropes me in, I’ll be tethered to the TV for hours on end. I have two recent discoveries and I’m amazed that they escaped my detection for so long.

ARCHER

Archer is an animated FX series loosely (very loosely) based on James Bond. Sterling Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) is a handsome, athletic spy who works for the private agency ISIS. ISIS is headed up by Sterling’s cold, steely, iron-fisted mother Mallory (voiced by Jessica Walter). If you were wanting a serious spy series keep looking -- Archer is more like an over-sexed, incredibly silly Get Smart. The employees of ISIS are variously alcoholic, sex-addicted, bipolar or dealing with character issues that defy easy description. The animation is excellent -- it resembles some of the 60’s op art depicting comic book super heroes. The backgrounds are nearly photorealistic. I wondered how they captured movements so well -- they have the voice actors physically stage some of the scenes for artists to render. Adam Reed, the lead writer and show’s creator, says he isn’t even a big fan of animation. That’s ironic because he has some of the best animation on TV now. This gem has been on since 2009 -- I have 5 seasons to catch up with. We’re looking at a lot of binge hours here.

CALIFORNICATION

I was vaguely aware of this SHOWTIME series, if only because the series title is so provocative. I’m not particularly shocked by the title or the content but some people may be reaching for smelling salts. I’m only on season one of this excellent series. I’m having to pay big money for a season pass on iTunes since it’s unavailable on Netflix. Californication depicts the foibles of the well-meaning if alcoholic novelist Hank Moody who is dealing with a failed relationship and a stagnant writing career. The show lives up to its name with frequent depictions of sex. It would almost qualify as “softcore” porn. Nonetheless, the human relationships are deftly, deeply drawn. Between lurid encounters and hilarious repartee, you might have your heart broken a time or two by a character like Becca, the 12 year old who is collateral damage in her parents’ separation. Much like real life, there is a serious dramatic undertow in all the laughter and levity.

STARBUCKS AND WHATNOT

I have to fess up -- I didn’t have a lot to cover today. It’s 5PM and the Starbucks on Knox Street has a line out the door. In Boston, Dunkin Doughnuts is the great purveyor of coffee. In Washington D.C., Caribou Coffee gives Starbucks some competition. But in Dallas, pricey brew only comes from one place -- Starbucks. I may have landed on a blog topic, but one that must wait for another day.

If you haven’t already, invest in Netflix’ streaming service. $9/month is practically free when you consider the endless hours of good movies and TV shows they offer. There may soon need to be a 12-step program for us binge-watching “televidiots”. For now, I’ll enjoy my own addiction -- think I’ll settle in for an hour of Archer now..

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