The hive mind happily accommodates the wishes of those who remain unaffected, but admits that it will ultimately seek to assimilate them when it figures out how to do so. Carol is adamantly against their efforts as she searches for a way to reverse the Joining. …
It wraps up Dec. 23rd on Apple TV.
Personally, I would probably have gone all Samba Schutte as Koumba Diabaté. He definitely understood the assignment. 😀
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made a memorable cameo as himself in episode 9 where he shared a powerful, emotional monologue about how his early oil and gas ventures. His genuine emotion, including tears, made the scene incredibly impactful, with many feeling he stole the show from the main cast.
I understand there’s some truth to the depressing environment of the PetroToxin industry down there.
Landman is set within the world of oilfields in West Texas, where “roughnecks and wildcat billionaires are fueling a boom so big it’s reshaping our climate, our economy, and our geopolitics.”
The lead character, Tommy Norris (Thornton), can be abrasive, as is the out-of-town lawyer Rebecca Falcone investigating a fatal accident early in the season.
Rotten Tomatoes approval 78% based on 37 critic reviews. That sounds about right.
I can see why some wouldn’t like this show. The only positive role model for women is Paulina Chávez.
On the other hand, the men are pretty much all disreputable and/or immoral, as well.
Colm Feore as Nathan, an oil company attorney, is about the only man you can cheer for — aside from Billy Bob Thornton.
Helen Mirren as Elizabeth Best, a retired MI6 officer
Pierce Brosnan as Ron Ritchie, a retired twice-divorced union leader
Ben Kingsley as Professor Ibrahim Arif, a retired psychiatrist
Celia Imrie as Joyce Meadowcroft, a retired trauma nurse
Ibrahim is my favourite, for sure.
Four pensioners, friends at a retirement village in Kent, England decide to solve murders as a retirement hobby.
This book is a little different. They investigate a crypto scheme. Not a bad plot.
In her Library Journal review, Liz French wrote, “The crime, though ingeniously plotted, with many red herrings, is not the main attraction. It’s the growing love and respect among the Thursdays and their kith and kin, including a few criminals and cops, that is the biggest draw.”
Like pretty much every Canadian, I was a huge fan of SCTV, the low budget, super hilarious, Canadian television sketch comedy show about a fictional TV station.
Many of those comics went on to have great careers, including John Candy.
John Candy: I Like Me is the 2025 documentary on Prime about his all too short life. He died age-43 while filming a movie in Mexico.
I saw most of his TV bits and films, but — looking back — it’s Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) that I remember best.
Some feel that Uncle Buck (1989) was even better at portraying John the man.
I haven’t cancelled J.K. Rowling as she’s not ALL bad. She’s donated much to charity. And may even be a good person who somehow stumbled into this issue, getting it way wrong.
Themes explored in the plot involve Freemasonry, human trafficking, the silver antiques trade, corruption in the media, secrecy surrounding the military and intelligence services, mental health issues …
That said, the book is too long, as are most of her books in this series.
The relationship between Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott is agonizing and stupid. I can’t believe so little has progressed over 8 books.
I used to be sympathetic for Robin, as Strike is such an asshole. But she’s just as bad.
The only person to cheer for is Office Manager Pat. 😀
Worse — perhaps — is the plot. WHY did they take on a case to identify a mutilated corpse? WHY spend so much time and manpower on this case?
Who cares?
Story line convoluted and hard to follow. At the end, I read some explainers ➙ and still can’t be bothered to understand the plot.
IF you can get past those flaws, I actually enjoyed this book.
It’s something of a sequel to Fool Me Once (2016) which was adapted into an excellent TV series.
Sami Kierce, a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends, wakes up one morning, covered in blood. There’s a knife in his hand. Beside him, the body of his girlfriend. Anna. Dead. He doesn’t know what happened. His screams drown out his thoughts—and then he runs.
Twenty-two years later, Kierce, now a private investigator, is a new father who’s working off his debts by doing low level surveillance jobs and teaching wannabe sleuths at a night school in New York City.
One evening, he recognizes a familiar face at the back of the classroom. Anna. It’s unmistakably her. As soon as Kierce makes eye contact with her, she bolts. For Kierce there is no choice. He knows he must find this woman and solve the impossible mystery that has haunted his every waking moment since that terrible day.
His investigation will bring him face-to-face with his past—and prove, after all this time, he’s nobody’s fool.
Rick McCharles 