All Forms of Art

  Man vs Baby , starring Rowan Atkinson , is a short Netflix comedy series that immediately feels familiar.  That’s not surprising — Atkinson is, after all, the unforgettable face behind Mr. Bean , one of the most iconic slapstick characters in television history. But while familiarity can be comforting, in this case it’s also the show’s biggest weakness. A Familiar Formula That Wears Thin From the very beginning, Man vs Baby tries to present something new. The character has a different name, a slightly different setup, and a new situation. However, as the episodes progress, it becomes increasingly clear that this is essentially Mr. Bean all over again . At first, that nostalgia might bring a smile. But after a while, it becomes tiring. The character’s exaggerated stupidity, which once felt fresh and clever, now feels  forced and repetitive . Some moments were mildly funny, but I must admit: I didn’t really laugh . The humor leans heavily into silly, physical co...

  Netflix’s The Abandons arrives dressed like a prestige western: dusty landscapes, simmering grudges, and a cast stacked with recognisable faces. What could go wrong? A frontier setting plus morally grey characters is a formula that has delivered everything from Deadwood to Godless . In practice, though, The Abandons feels like a checklist of Western clichés stitched together without much conviction. From the opening episodes, the show signals its intentions clearly — land disputes, revenge, rugged individualism — but rarely digs deeper than the surface. What should feel raw and dangerous instead plays out flatly, as if the series is going through the motions of the genre rather than engaging with it. Even Big Names Can’t Save It One of the main draws of The Abandons is its cast. Lena Headey, forever associated with the steely menace of Cersei Lannister ( Game of Thrones ), brings her usual intensity. Gillian Anderson, whose career ranges from the cool intelligence of Dana...

  When The Handmaid’s Tale first aired, it felt sharp, terrifying, and painfully necessary. I wrote about the first season as a dark and brilliant adaptation, one that used restraint, symbolism, and dread to tell its story. Now that I've finished the third season, my opinion has shifted — not wholly, but noticeably. The show is still good . Sometimes very good. But it also became frustrating, uneven, and less powerful than it could have been. June Osborne: From Survivor to Exhaustion Let’s talk about June (Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men ). I understand the idea behind her arc. She was meant to evolve — to become more confident, more assertive, more dangerous. A woman shaped by trauma who stops surviving and starts fighting back. On paper, it makes sense. On screen, however, it often doesn’t work. June becomes reckless to the point of irresponsibility. She repeatedly puts others in danger without seeming to fully care about who might be caught in the crossfire. Her actions feel impuls...

  Savage River is a tightly constructed Australian crime drama that succeeds by doing something many thrillers forget: it stays intimate.  Instead of stretching itself across dozens of subplots, it focuses on one central mystery and one deeply conflicted protagonist — Miki Anderson ( 13 Reasons Why ) — who returns to her rural hometown after serving time for a crime committed in her youth.  When All You Know Is Against You From the moment she arrives, the show cultivates a palpable tension: the town feels both familiar and hostile, like a place frozen in time except for its lingering resentments. The real strength of Savage River lies in its atmosphere . The cinematography leans into misty forests, open fields, and the quiet eeriness of small-town life, creating a sense of isolation that mirrors Miki’s emotional state.  Good Performances The performances are grounded and understated, with the cast delivering a believable depiction of community dynamics in whic...