grantss

New York. Dr Joan Watson is assigned as a companion to eccentric Englishman Sherlock Holmes to ensure that he is drug-free. Holmes is a consulting detective and is soon embroiled in a murder case. Watson initial thought is to drop the assignment but she sticks around and discovers that she and Holmes make a good team.

I watched this because of the high rating and rave reviews but even before watching I suspected that this is a Hollywoodization of Sherlock Holmes. Turns out that it is, but it's reasonably entertaining.

There's nothing revolutionary about it, just your usual classic character contemporised. It's basically Sherlock Holmes shoehorned into the formulaic, standard-American-TV trope of a quirky murder detective, a la Monk or The Mentalist.

On the plus side, the reimagined Holmes-Watson combination works well and the pace is good. The case is fairly intriguing and there's some good red herrings, twists and turns.

Overall, okay and watchable though far from a must-watch.

An action-packed, entertaining, intriguing end to Season 2. When S2 landed I was worried that it S2 wouldn't be able to replicate the freshness and quirkiness of S1, that much of the allure of S1 was the novelty of it and that this would wear off with S2. However, from Episode 1 of S2 it was clear that this isn't the case.

The plot as immediately interesting and engaging and the addition of Steve Buscemi iss a masterstroke as he is fantastic as Principal Dort.

Breaking the season into two parts is a negative as the one-month break stunted the momentum of the season somewhat. When the season recommenced it seemed to lack focus.

However, once the season gets into its stride its fantastic, culminating in this absolute ripper of an episode and ending.

Can't wait for Season 3.

Shot by his son, Harrison, and left for dead, Dexter Morgan eventually awakes from his coma. Harrison is long gone, working at a hotel in New York. However, a dramatic event will change his life and see Dexter trying to track him down and reunite with him.

The original Dexter series ran from 2006 to 2013 and was superb, an intense mix of action, intrigue, subterfuge and psychological drama. However, it was soured by a weak final season and one of the worst endings in TV history.

That seemed to be that for Dexter but then in 2021 along came Dexter: New Blood, picking up Dexter's new life that the ending to the original series set out. I didn't expect much, figuring it was just a cheap way to cash in on the success of the original series, and possibly atone for the ending, but it turned out to be excellent.

The plot was clever and solid and the series was engaging and tension-filled. Contrary to many other viewers feelings, I even didn't mind the ending, finding it quite poetic and providing closure.

As that series ended with Dexter's (seeming) death, I thought, well, now it truly is finished. Then in 2024 along came Dexter: Original Sin, a prequel showing Dexter's young adult life and his first steps to becoming a serial killer. It wasn't bad but wasn't great either, mixing some interesting sub-plots with some clumsy developments and scenes. If there is a Season 2 of that I won't be watching it.

Hardly had that been released than we have Dexter: Resurrection. By this time I am over Dexter - the sequels and prequels just don't seem to stop. Plus the fact that he is still alive, for the sake of a sequel, makes me feel cheated as his death in Dexter: New Blood was so poetic and final.

I was thus hoping this series would be weak, and quickly apparent that it is, so that I could give up on Dexter for good. No such luck - Dexter: Resurrection is brilliant.

The series starts slowly as we see the courses Dexter and Harrison's lives have taken. However, from a point, about an episode in, it becomes very intense and engaging and never lets up. From a sedate start the plot becomes very clever and unpredictable - seemingly going down one path only to head in different direction.

The writers make full use of the other three series, using these to colour Dexter's thought processes and psychology and to inform Harrison's character too.

By the end the series is as good as the original series, filled with close-run escapes and tight, seemingly inescapable situations. Having actors of the quality and presence of Uma Thurman, Peter Dinklage, Krysten Ritter and Neil Patrick Harris helps too as it adds polish to proceedings.

So much for ditching Dexter - I'm hooked.