What I binge watched Summer 2016

Last season I wrote what I'd watched over Spring and mentioned at the end of the post that I'd started watching Shadowhunters and Preacher.  Well now summer is over and so are both those programs; I also caught The Betas and Stranger Things.

Shadowhunters

Not really a fan, and I wouldn't be that surprised if this is not repeated for a second season!  I know that sounds harsh, and I did watch the entire series, but I could take it or leave it.  In fact, I put it on hold to watch Big Brother!! (I know, right!).

It's based on the novel series The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, and whilst it sounds great - I just don't feel the program has executed it very well.

Synopsis for Wiki "Clary Fray has just enrolled at Brooklyn Academy of Arts. On her eighteenth birthday, she learns that she is a Shadowhunter, a human born with angelic blood who protects humans from demons. That night, Clary's mother, Jocelyn Fray, is abducted by a group of rogue Shadowhunters of "The Circle". Their leader is Jocelyn's husband, Valentine Morgenstern.

With her mother missing, Clary turns to Luke, a person she trusted, only to seemingly be betrayed. Clary joins up with a band of Shadowhunters to save her mother and discovers powers she never knew she possessed. Clary is thrown into the world of demon hunting with the mysterious, narcissistic, and attractive Shadowhunter, Jace, and also her loyal and geeky friend, Simon. Now living among faeries, warlocks, vampires, and werewolves, Clary begins a journey of self-discovery as she learns more about her past and what her future may hold"

Preacher

LOVED this so much!   I can't really explain why!  I love all the characters, it's dark humour too.  This is on Amazon Prime and I didn't really binge-watch this as it was released every Monday... but after catching the first couple of episodes I couldn't wait until all episodes had been aired to watch it all in 1/2 evening, so I settled for Monday night = Preacher night!

Jesse (the preacher) returns to his home town to become the preacher (as his father had been before him), he's a bad boy turned good(ish), but then something happens to him that gives him the power to command others to do as he wishes.  I'm not going to go into great detail because I don't want to spoil it, but would recommend watching the first couple of episodes, each of which will leave you with soo many questions, you have to watch the next!

My other favourite and main character is Cassidy, who's a vampire!  But he's not like any vampire we've seen before!  He doesn't live in a coffin, sparkles or flies... but he does burn in sunlight - and he's the funniest character in the show.

Betas

I caught this on Amazon Prime at the weekend.  I found it to be a cross between the films The Social Network and The Internship, with the humour of the Internship and the background, storyline etc of The Social Network.

I really enjoyed this, easy watching and light humour.  Originally shown in 2013 and unfortunately only 1 season.  I think I could have watched another season or 2 quite happily.

Stranger Things

The program of summer!  Trending on Twitter, Facebook and well everywhere, I felt it would be rude not to give this show a watch.

Episode 1 and I was not feeling it.  I put a shout-out on Facebook as to why everyone was rating this program so high, and all I got back was 'great 80s references'.  This is fine, but I lived them too, and I can see the Pretty in Pink reference straight away with the older kids, Alien and Goonies reference with the younger kids, but what am I watching here?  A mash-up of the 3?  Now on earth is that going to work??

Episode 2 still not feeling it, now we're quite clearly on to ET ... so I stopped watching for a week.

Found the chocolate pudding.... just without the frozen dead guy...

I decided to NOT look for any references, and just watch the show.  I watched episodes 2, 3 and 4 back to back - and LOVED IT!  I don't know if it's because I gave the show a chance to grip me, or because I fell in love with the 80s references subconsciously or it's just bloody brilliant!

Watched the whole thing in 2 days, and of course, there are Stand by Me references too, whilst one is very easy to spot, I do feel the scene with Dustin having a knife to his throat was more of a reference to when Ace wants to cut Chambers more than the Goonies reference shown in the video below.

There are loads of references, a great soundtrack and the tune at the funeral will ring a bell with any 80s kid - as the same tune from Pretty in Pink - brilliant!




I'm leaving you with Elegia by New Order - because it's amazing!!!  and Andrew McCarthy's character there quite clearly the inspiration behind Steve's character.

So what have you watched over the summer?