#SetTheVCR: October 14-20, 2024

No need for Hysteria! #SetTheVCR is here with many TV recommendations. It’s 10 p.m. do you know where your TV shows are?

Monday, October 14

Lonely Planet (Anytime / Netflix)

A reclusive novelist (Laura Dern) arrives at a prestigious writer’s retreat in Morocco, hoping the remote setting will unlock her writer’s block. While there, she meets a young man (Non-Thor-Hemsworth) — what starts as an acquaintanceship evolves into an intoxicating, life-altering love affair. Netflix’s Idea of You.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: SENTENCED (ANYTIME / PEACOCK)

The documentary is an immersive and vulnerable exploration of the epidemic of childhood illiteracy through a series of braided character driven stories.
~~~

I don’t understand how illiteracy is still a thing in 2024. Poverty, sure. Racism, sexism…these societal elements will be with us forever. They’re human nature. But how is illiteracy still a thing in 2024?! This documentary is “an immersive and vulnerable exploration of the epidemic of childhood illiteracy through a series of braided character driven stories.” Each story is filmed from the point of view of a different person who never learned how to read.” I assume Sentenced will highlight the urgent need for effective education and community support. But how critical is it when comes to education reforms i.e. piss poor teachers. We have so many rubbish teachers; most of the narratives we circulate about cops equally applies to teachers. Schools suck. How are we gonna fix that? I hope this documentary concludes with effective and measurable ways for educators, advocates, and literacy experts to end illiteracy. You don’t hafta become an avid reader but ya gotta at least know how to read. Reading is FUNdamental.

Tuesday, October 15

Beyond Black Beauty: Season 1 (Anytime / Prime Video)

This series follows young equestrian Jolie Dumont, whose Olympic dreams are dashed when her mother moves them from Belgium to her family’s urban ranch in Baltimore. An angry Jolie wants to escape until she bonds with a spirited horse named Black Beauty.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: SWEETPEA: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / STARZ)

A quiet wallflower who develops a vengeful and intoxicatingly liberating taste for murder.
~~~

The “need to be seen” is brutally cringey; online it’s a major red flag. It’s a cheap shortcut: validation without doing The Work. Sweetpea cashes in on that gross online trend: a wallflower resorts to murder. What an idiot: you can’t claim credit for that. So, now what? You’re even more stupid, now. This is where we’re at: “Suddenly, the wallflower is gone, and in its place is a young woman capable of anything… Rhiannon’s life transforms as she steps into a new, intoxicating power, but can she keep her killer secret?” Silly. This all sounds about as clear as pea soup. With no doubt lots of Fallout.

Wednesday, October 16

Daddy’s Head (Anytime / Shudder)

In the wake of his father’s untimely death, a young boy is left in the eerie solitude of a sprawling country estate with his newly widowed stepmother. His stepmother, struggling to navigate the overwhelming task of parenthood, grows distant, leaving their fragile bond at risk of collapse. Amidst the growing tension, the boy begins to hear unsettling sounds echoing through the corridors. Soon, he is haunted by the presence of a grotesque creature bearing a disturbingly familiar resemblance to his late father. But as the boy’s warnings are dismissed as the imagination of a grieving child, the sinister entity tightens its grip on their crumbling lives.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: SHRINKING: SEASON 2 (ANYTIME / APPLE TV+)

Shrinking follows a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives…including his own.
~~~

Did you see Season 1 when the series premiered on January 27, 2023? Jason Segel (who co-created the show), plays a therapist grieving the loss of his wife. Where he has hit his breaking point. Thus, he begins to tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Soon, his blunt truths begin changing both their lives and his own: classic therapist hijinks. While Harrison Ford portrays Dr. Phil (for real…), a by-the-book therapist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy and has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. I mean it’s Jason Segel and Harrison Ford in this 10-episode comedy; you’d be crazy to overlook this show. (Poor Harrison Ford a new Indy movie and stuck doing TV, even though this looks decent. The end is not as strong as the start.) Programming Note: The 12-episode second season premieres today with the first two episodes, followed by one new episode weekly, every Wednesday until December 25, 2024.

Thursday, October 17

The Midwich Cuckoos: Village of the Damned: Season 1 (Anytime / Acorn TV & Sundance Now)

One summer evening, every person inside the small English village of Midwich suddenly and inexplicably falls unconscious. As they recover from the devastating effects of the blackout, a horrifying discovery is made. Something deeply disturbing and supernatural has taken root – and the idyllic town will never be the same again. As you can tell from the title: this is all based on the iconic John Wyndham novel that inspired John Carpenter’s chilling film adaptation.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE LINCOLN LAWYER: SEASON 3 (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller, an iconoclastic idealist, runs his law practice out of the back seat of his Lincoln, as he takes on cases big and small across the expansive city of Los Angeles.
~~~

You may recall the 2011 movie of the same name, starring Matthew McConaughey. That movie was an adaptation of the 2005 novel The Lincoln Lawyer (aka Book #1) by Michael Connelly. This Netflix series created by TV stalwart David E. Kelley. The first season in 2022 was an adaptation of the second book in The Lincoln Lawyer series: The Brass Verdict. (I’ve never read any Michael Connelly. Is he any good?) “When his former law partner is killed, Mickey Haller is left to take over the firm, including a high-profile murder trial.” I didn’t expect The Lincoln Lawyer to deal with a murder case; figured with him driving around LA for 10 episodes he’d be…an ambulance chaser. #RimShot! I’ll cease and desist these bad puns; I’m sure they’re “driving” you up the wall! Now then. The second season (2023) was based on the fourth book in the series: The Fifth Witness. This third season is based on the fifth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series: The Gods of Guilt. Remember how Season 2 ended? “When Mickey learns that the victim was his own former client, a prostitute he thought he had rescued and put on the straight and narrow path, he knows he is on the hook for this one. He soon finds out that she was back in LA and back in the life. Far from saving her, Mickey may have been the one who put her in danger. Haunted by the ghosts of his past, Mickey must work tirelessly and bring all his skill to bear on a case that could mean his ultimate redemption or proof of his ultimate guilt.” Bonus Hook?! Holt McCallany (Mindhunter) appears in Season 3. Yo. Dope dude. I have no objections with that casting.

Friday, October 18

The Devil’s Hour: Season 2 (Anytime / Prime Video)

The Devil’s Hour Season Two sees Lucy and Gideon (Peter Capaldi) forming an uneasy alliance in order to prevent a recurring tragedy and hunt down an elusive monster. So The Doctor and his companion? Heh.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: HYSTERIA!: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / PEACOCK)

When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the “Satanic Panic” of the late 1980s, a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts realize they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band, until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings, and reported “supernatural activity” triggers a leather-studded witch hunt that leads directly back to them.
~~~

Ah, yes: the embarrassing Satanic Panic of the late 1980s. So many grown, educated adults crying wolf. Over nothing. However, the Satanic Panic sadly destroyed lives and tore families apart. This is “Hysteria!” is back in Hysteria! “‘What are those kids up to? Whatever it is, it can’t be good.’ That fear haunts every generation. Children of the Atomic Age went on to [terrify] their families by turning on, tuning in, and dropping out in the sixties,” said executive producers and writers Matthew Scott Kane (Stitchers) and David A. Goodman (The Orville). Those same “free spirits” went on to vote for Reagan and called for censorship of the “obscene” and “satanic” heavy metal bands their own kids worshiped. Now, those kids are adults who rail against pronouns, TikTok, and a movie about Barbie. The stupidity cycle doesn’t end. And it’s hard to escape the feeling that someone, or something, is sitting by watching it all, and laughing. But this time…what if the evil is real? That would be, finally…a legit panic.

Saturday, October 19

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory: Season 2 (Anytime / Netflix)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Set after the events at Camp Cretaceous, members of The Nublar Six struggle to find their footing off the islands, navigating a world filled with dinosaurs and people who want to hurt them.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: WOMAN OF THE HOUR (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

The strange-but-true tale of an aspiring actress in 1970s Los Angeles who becomes a contestant on The Dating Game and finds herself paired up with a man who turns out to be a serial killer.
~~~

“Where is the most unusual place that you and your husband have ever made whoopee?” “It’d be the butt, Bob.” That’s an urban legend from The Newlywed Game. (Though true, the clip is online.) While The Dating Game’s urban legend is Tinder matching chicks with a serial killer. LA in the ’70s was wild: serial killers was the primary gig economy. Indeed, check out City of Angels, City of Death on Hulu/Disney+ Canada: “From the mid-1970’s through the mid-1980’s, over twenty serial killers terrorized Los Angeles.” That docuseries is surreal. So is this saga: In 1978, Rodney Alcala appeared on The Dating Game — the popular game show where three eligible bachelors vied for a date with a bachelorette. Apparently producers did not conduct a background check, so they didn’t realize Alcala had already murdered at least two women in Southern California. (Ironically for being on The Dating Game; he’d been put on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.) The Dating Game worked…he was charming and Cheryl Bradshaw, chose him for a date. (Honestly, if you’re married work on your marriage this is what’s out there, people!). He was arrest in 1979 and in 1980, Alcala was sentenced to death. Horrifically, after the verdict, authorities released more than 100 photos of young women and girls found in Alcala’s possession in hopes of linking him to other unsolved murders around the country. His body count is remains unknown. He died on July 24, 2021 of natural causes. So with that creepy background, shall we check out Woman of The Hour?

Sunday, October 20

MaXXXine (Anytime / HBO Max)

In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE CATFISHING OF TEGAN AND SARA (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)

This documentary follows a catfishing scheme that targeted fans of the indie rock band Tegan and Sara, exploring the dark side of fandom. It is a thriller, a caper, a whodunnit, and an intimate personal journey rolled into one.
~~~

High School is a 2019 memoir by twin sisters Sara Quin and Tegan Quin, aka Tegan and Sara. It was published on September 24, 2019 and as you can tell from the title: it recounts their childhood and adolescence in Alberta plus their musical beginnings. That biography was adapted into a TV limited series biopic in 2022 for Amazon Freevee. I’ve not seen the TV series not read the book. Though, Tegan and Sara have some fresh tunes…still: as this documentary can attest they’re not made for me. Tegan and Sara’s sonic success allowed them to establish an online safe space especially for LGBTQ+ women. In practice it all sounds noble. The reality was a horror movie. A catfisher—known as “Fegan”—pretended to be Tegan online. This anonymous con artist built fake relationships with fans, shared false personal details, and stirred up chaos in their tight-knit community. Again this is a social media problem but this isn’t the standard criticisms of short attention spans or teenage girls fashionably picking up eating disorders. Online communities can connect us to the celebrities we enjoy and whose work we admire but…we’re not friends. It’s all a lie and an illusion. You could very well be the No. 1 fan but that don’t mean anything. We want to connect with these people so badly and that desire leaves us vulnerable and open to be taken advantage of. In this case…this is what happened. (My primary online rule has never changed from Day 1: if I don’t know you I cannot trust you. I’m keeping my wallet in the my front pocket so I don’t get pickpocketed.)