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This Week: A Cancellation Bloodbath

Billie Doux: So Agents of Doux, what are you watching this week?

With the exception of my new and beloved Strange New Worlds, I don't seem to be liking TV shows much these days.

I didn't click with Arcane, probably because it's (1) an animated (2) fantasy (3) adaptation of a video game, and I'm not a fan of any of those three things. I tried the first two episodes of The Wilds, and the girls all seem mean and interchangeable, unless they're victims and interchangeable – have you guys seen it? Should I stick with it?

I did see a couple of terrific movies. The sublime Cumberbatch made me love The Courier, a true story about an ordinary salesman who gets swept into espionage just in time for the Bay of Pigs missile crisis in 1962. And in The Dressmaker, Kate Winslet goes home to her minuscule hometown in Australia to resolve an incident from her childhood. I can honestly say that I've never seen a movie quite like it before.

What about you guys?

Mark Greig: I finally finished the second season of Tangled: The Series and even though I knew the final betrayal was coming (thanks to Disney+ UK taking forever to add the last two seasons) that didn't make it hurt any less. The highlight of the season was getting all the crucial backstory info from a possessed fortunetelling monkey with the delectable voice of Timothy Dalton.

Hate to say it, but was really disappointed with the final episode of Moon Knight. The deadly curse of the underwhelming Marvel third act has struck again. The whole thing just felt so incomplete, like they ran out of time and money and had to make do with whatever footage they had. Such a shame because the two episodes before it were amazing.


This week's comic art is in memory of the legendary George Perez, who sadly passed away this weekend after a long struggle with cancer. Perez was one of the all time great comic creators, who shattered world in Crisis on Infinite Earths and wiped out half the universe with just the snap of Thanos' finger in The Infinity Gauntlet. He started out work at Marvel, producing classic runs on Fantastic Four and The Avengers. He eventually moved over to DC where he help turn The New Teen Titans into a sales juggernaut and reimagined Wonder Woman for a new generation. He returned to The Avengers in the late 90s and later brought them together with DC's Justice League in the company crossover JLA/Avengers. So thank you, George, for all the wonderful (pun intended) memories you gave us.

Billie: Mark, I am enjoying your weekly comic art contributions, mostly because I'm not familiar with these artists. Please keep them coming.

Sunbunny: I really liked the last bit of Moon Knight. I suppose the end was a bit lackluster but at least there was no skybeam! But episode five... I mean I just don't see how that could be topped. I'm back at my Daredevil rewatch. Foggy has just discovered Matt is Daredevil! Heavens!

I've also been watching (and actually enjoying) The Equalizer with my mom. It reminds me of the early seasons of Person of Interest. It's pretty procedural but I've really grown attached to the characters. It's cute because Queen Latifah (aka Robyn McCall) is this badass avenging ex-spy but it also includes her home life so she's like trying to balance having home responsibilities and a teenage daughter with her avenging. Not terribly challenging television but it's fun.


Lamounier: This week I watched the first season of The Sinner and loved it. I was looking for a murder mystery and stumbled on it. It's a bit different from the usual crime story, since we know from the beginning who the killer is, a woman named Cora. We even watch her commit the crime. We just don't know why she killed a guy she supposedly didn't know, with no clear motivation to do it. Around the third episode (the season is eight episodes long), I really cared about Cora and needed to know what happened to her in the past that led her to commit the crime. The themes of sin and redemption are well explored in the season, and the conclusion was immensely satisfying from an emotional point of view. There is a significant plot hole in the story, but frankly, I was so immersed in Cora's journey that it didn't matter. The final episode made me cry, and I'm eager to rewatch the season to see how, plot hole aside, the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Highly recommended.

Mark: Today [Thursday] is turning out to be a cancellation bloodbath. The CW has cancelled six shows. SIX!!! NBC and CBS seem to be racing to catch up.

Billie: [listing the cancellations]
The CW: Roswell New Mexico, Charmed, In the Dark, 4400, Naomi, Dynasty
CBS: Good Sam, How We Roll, Magnum PI, The United States of Al, B Positive
NBC: The Endgame, Mr. Mayor, Keenan

I guess the rumors about The CW being sold are probably true.

Lamounier: Oh boy, poor 4400 is doomed.

Billie: The Vampire Diaries spinoff Legacies was just cancelled, too. Is anyone watching it? The only show I'm watching that was just cancelled is Roswell.

Victoria Grossack: Alas, I have not been watching it. This week I binged on the last season of Grace & Frankie. Parts of it were poor, to the point where I was so embarrassed that I turned off the sound and only kept on the captioning. That lets me get through the plot with less emotion, as I rely more on sound than vision for processing. And for the first 75% of the episodes the creators seemed to ignore all the children. On the other hand, some of the episodes were quite touching. I liked the themes, and the very last episode, titled "The Beginning" (the very first episode was called "The End"), had the most wonderful addition to the cast: Dolly Parton! And she sang the closing credits! It was a perfect finish to the show.


Other than that, I've been dabbling in documentaries, such as rewatching Meltdown:Three Mile Island, which I reviewed for Doux. I highly recommend that.

Shari: I'm disappointed that Roswell has been canceled. It's one of the few shows I looked forward to every week. Should I be glad I never got around to watching the 4400? I loved the original and I'd been curious.

As for what I was watching. I finished Moon Knight and The Endgame. I enjoyed both even if neither blew me away. I also started Under the Banner of Heaven. I knew nothing about it other than I liked the cast which includes Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, and Gil Birmingham. It's a dark and twisty murder investigation among the LDS community in Utah. It's also based on a true story. I'm not sure if enjoyed is a word I should use given the topic, but it's well done and I plan to continue watching.

Samantha Quinn: I think the only shows I'm going to miss are Legends and Roswell. I'm also hoping Stargirl survives the carnage. I gave up on Batwoman pretty early on, and I have officially dropped The Flash after sticking with it for years.

Moon Knight was ultimately good, and I ended up liking Marc and Steven by the end, although to be honest, I'm really just hoping for more Layla, she was awesome. Could we get a series focusing on her, maybe? Marc can be there too, I guess.

I still haven't seen Doctor Strange, and I may not see it until it arrives on Disney+ in a couple of months. I didn't go looking for spoilers but I still got spoiled and I was not thrilled with the direction the movie took certain characters.

I'll admit to watching the occasional reality TV show. The one I tried recently is the newest season of The Circle on Netflix. The thing that really made it fun early on is two of the Spice Girls joined the house as contestants... it's complicated to explain. I haven't finished it, but I'm liking it so far.

Well into season four of Agents of SHIELD and I had forgotten about Aida and the Darkhold being tied together. I can't remember the details, just the vague memory of enjoying the back half of the season more than the front half.


Shari: I saw Doctor Strange. There were definitely moments of geeky goodness but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Although, there were plenty of hints about where the story was going. I can't say much more without getting spoilery.

Lamounier: Samantha, I watched Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness yesterday and was so disappointed. Today a friend of mine who went to the movies with me asked if I was still thinking about a particular character arc, and my response was "Yes, still frustrated."

Shari, agreed on the good moments of geeky goodness. I also liked an unexpected gag near the end of the movie, from the trailers I thought it was going to be something very different than it was. There wasn't much else I liked, though.

Coincidentally, this makes me appreciate the fourth season of Agents of SHIELD even more. It has a much stronger android villain than Age of Ultron and uses the Darkhold as a plot device infinitely better than Doctor Strange does.

Mark: I enjoyed Multiverse of Madness, much more than the first film, and even rather liked that character arc, although I can see why many didn't. In fact, I'm going to be really controversial and say I liked it more than any of Raimi's Spider-Man films. Not Darkman, though. That is just a sheer cinematic masterpiece. No other superhero movie will ever top that.

Shari: I didn't have a problem with the way it was directed. I wasn't crazy about the story. Particularly that character arc. As Lamounier said. Still frustrated!

CoramDeo: I didn’t have a problem with the parts Sam Raimi actually directed. The corporate IP shuffling has started to bother me more than get me excited by this point. And I miss the simplicity of the first one, which felt like a single cohesive story that was the result of one person’s vision.

Billie: All this about the second Doctor Strange gives me pause. I haven't seen the sequel yet but I really liked the first one, more than I've enjoyed most recent MCU offerings. Or maybe I just loved the cape.

Sunbunny, before I forget, I'm enjoying The Equalizer, too. I like every member of the cast (except one, who is now gone) and I like the sort of stories they're doing. I'm glad it just got two more seasons. Especially considering the recent cancellation bloodbath.


Okay, readers, your turn! What are you watching? Any comments on what we just discussed?

4 comments:

  1. Forgot to mention that Somebody Feed Phil, the Netflix food show I like, just got another season. That made me happy. The show is just really enjoyable not just as a food show, but as a travel show.

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  2. Re-confirming that Sex Education on Netflix continues to be a lot of fun. As well as a little glimpse at our Doctor in waiting

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  3. I can't say I'll be sorry to see the bulk of the Arrowverse go. The Flash ran out of gas a while ago, I just hope they give it a decent send-off next season. I never really enjoyed Legends once they went full-on bat guano crazy. Naomi & Batwoman never clicked with me. On the other hand, Superman & Lois and Stargirl have been fantastic from their first episodes, I hope they stick around for a while.

    I enjoyed Moon Knight, even if I don't think they quite stuck the landing. I hope they have more plans for the character, because it would suck if that was all we get. Honestly, I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed by the MCU these days. It just doesn't feel very coherent. In Phase One even though we didn't have an Avengers team yet and hadn't met Thanos, it still felt like they were building towards something. All it took was those little moments of connectedness with characters like Fury and Coulson.

    If anyone else is feeling burned out by television these days, the remedy is quite simple: The Repair Shop. A BBC show, it airs in the US on Discovery and Discovery+. They have up through Season 5 on streaming, and are airing Season 6. Honestly, it's the most heartwarming, thoroughly enjoyable thing I've seen on TV in a VERY long time, and it alone is worth the subscription to Discovery+. BBC has committed to the show through 2025, so hopefully the rest of it will come across the pond eventually.

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  4. I ADORE the Dressmaker! It's such a weird movie but it's so so good. Everything from the score, to the costumes, to Kate Winslet, to random Liam Hemsworth is wonderful!

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