Watching the Detectives

[thisbluespirit]

First things first: the week wound up being unexpectedly tiring/ill-making but for good reasons if also stressful ones, so that made me erratic again. But at this point it would be erratic of me not to be erratic, I suppose.

Anyway, got a lovely yuletide assignment, so fingers crossed, but I was very happy not to be an initial pinch hit! Not in itself, because that can be very cool and the only time I was a fairly early (I don't think it was initial) pinch hit I got 3 treats, BUT I went all out for 4 super-obscure requests and I nevertheless matched with someone! There was a visible offer for Enigma which also made me happy, but that means nothing, as bucket offers are invisible & visible ones may well be offering/not offering characters that would prevent matchability. BUT STILL. Someone not me also looked at it and went, yes, there should be fic! XD


I'm determined to catch up a bit with my watching posts, and we now enter the point that it really did become the summer of the cosy detectives, and this is still not all of them, and I didn't even bother including s3 of Beyond Paradise which I also watched in this same stretch, or started, anyway:


* The Drama channel finally came through with s2 & 3 of Miss Scarlet & the Duke! They showed s1 in 2023, which I loved, and I've had to wait all that time for more & I thought they'd lost the rights to it or something. It felt like at least three years! Unfortunately, I did accidentally manage to miss the first two episodes, but overall, again a thoroughly engaging run & I enjoyed it a lot. My favourite ep was where she and her rival detective guy (not the Duke) got snowed in a hotel in France or somewhere and had to work together and against each other to solve it. Top notch, full marks for trapped together and rivals forced to work together tropes done v well.

Not technically a cosy though. It is a lot of fun and isn't especially dark but nevertheless nothing with this banger of an opening credit sequence can be counted as cosy. Only downmarks being for William and Eliza clearly never going to be getting together, although, tbf, they do have good reason for it. Anyway, excellent, would totally be fannish if I was writing much and could get hold of it properly.


* Ch5 then chimed in with Murder Most Puzzling, which was only 4 episodes long and my DVR bailed on recording two of them (there were a lot of things all on TV at the same time, it was difficult for it), but this was daft yet surprisingly good in many ways and starred Phyllis Logan, finally freed from Downton Abbey and allowed to swear and also solve crime as the famous Puzzle Lady, with the complication of her not in fact creating her own puzzles - her brilliant introverted niece with relationship issues actually did that. Is a bit hard to rate exactly due to missing half of a very short series.


* Drama's original series Outrageous, about the Mitfords, which I mentioned several times while I was watching it, and does remain one of the best new TV series I've seen in a while - lively, engaging, able to navigate the more serious aspects pretty well too & a great cast.


* Finally gave up on Ghosts (US) about two or three eps into s4, though, because while it can be fun and sweet itself too, there's just so much painfully formulaic writing in so many of the episodes, the scales tipped from fun-if-flawed to just not worth it any longer and I remembered that I can just tap out if I want to, so I did. (I mean, it does make me appreciate how damn good UK Ghosts was, but I can do that by rewatching it).

Then there were some films I watched upstairs (whether by iPlayer on my tablet, or managed to get to on the dvd despite summer) which I will write about and some I watched downstairs which I cannot write about because I watched them. They were good. I was extremely tired (ill). It was summer. It is ridiculous with the ME/CFS to note that, at the same time, with the same level of brain and (lack of) energy, I took in significantly more of the things I watched upstairs on a bed whereas things I had to watch downstairs sitting up, I'm just *shrug* I watched it. (I listed all these in a post once before, so I mentioned them already). But, yeah. It's ridiculous. It's no wonder people always just wind up thinking we're making it all up. (Please don't open the window, all my energy will depart and I need to be lying down to watch films, sorry. By myself. Quarter of an hour at a time. Very slowly.)

Comments

[persiflage_1]

Sorry to hear your week was tiring/ill-making, even if for good (stressful) reasons!

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! <3

[sovay]

It is ridiculous with the ME/CFS to note that, at the same time, with the same level of brain and (lack of) energy, I took in significantly more of the things I watched upstairs on a bed whereas things I had to watch downstairs sitting up, I'm just *shrug* I watched it.

I think it's nice that watching things upstairs on a bed is reliable, since if it were variable it would be much more obnoxious.

I don't know your mileage on Joe Orton, but when I saw that Clive Francis had done a 1968 ITV Entertaining Mr Sloane with Sheila Hancock and Edward Woodward, I was not expecting to discover that it had survived and the telerecording is on YouTube if you skip about eight minutes of stills from the film version, I don't know, I didn't upload it.

I hope the Enigma offer does produce fic!

[thisbluespirit]

Well, nothing's reliable, but it was interesting and made me feel slightly less hypochondriacal to see how marked the contrast was when I looked at the list! Some days I can watch downstairs just fine and other days I can't anything much at all, though.

and the telerecording is on YouTube if you skip about eight minutes of stills from the film version, I don't know, I didn't upload it.

That's cool! I have no mileage on Joe Orton, because I've never actually seen anything of his, though I've heard of him. I know he liked watching Frazer Hines in a kilt on Doctor Who in the Sixties, though! I think Entertaining Mr Sloane was the one James Maxwell was in the 80s at the Royal Exchange with Adam Ant, but I might be getting muddled.

[sovay]

Well, nothing's reliable, but it was interesting and made me feel slightly less hypochondriacal to see how marked the contrast was when I looked at the list!

I truly feel at this point you can cross hypochondria off your list!

I think Entertaining Mr Sloane was the one James Maxwell was in the 80s at the Royal Exchange with Adam Ant, but I might be getting muddled.

No, that's it, with Sylvia Syms. I've read but never seen a version of it. Obviously the chances of the latter are improving.

[thisbluespirit]

No, that's it, with Sylvia Syms. I've read but never seen a version of it. Obviously the chances of the latter are improving.

Ah, I thought it was, but I was too lazy to look it up just then! XD I've seen publicity shots of the three of them.

[romanajo123]

I’m behind on Ghosts too. I watched it pretty frequently during seasons one and two, but keep forgetting it’s still on and available to stream. It’s in that category of Stuff I Don’t Have to Think Super Hard About. 😂

So are there more cozy shows? I’ve seen Miss Scarlett onnAmazon Prime while browsing ( I like to read cozies sometimes , and I’ve dubbed Hamish Macbeth “ Cozy Mysteries: the Show”. Until it isn’t :( )



I kind of wish iPlayer worked here. It’s odd. I’ve been able to access the Sounds or Radio ones before, just not the TV one. And there’s several shows I’ve wanted to see.

[thisbluespirit]

It’s in that category of Stuff I Don’t Have to Think Super Hard About. 😂

It certainly is! I've decided to not think about it at all and give it up. XD

So are there more cozy shows? I’ve seen Miss Scarlett onnAmazon Prime while browsing ( I like to read cozies sometimes , and I’ve dubbed Hamish Macbeth “ Cozy Mysteries: the Show”. Until it isn’t

*hugs* Ah, yes, the fun shows that turn round and make you cry! Sometimes those are the best.

Lots!! And I watched loads this summer, lol. I mean, there are loads of US ones that are very cosy indeed, I gather, but on the UK TV front - Agatha Raisin, Shakespeare & Hathaway, all the Paradise shows, Sister Boniface, Father Brown and no doubt more I'm blanking on right now, besides a whole lot on top of that I haven't watched. Sister Boniface is particularly sweet and engaging - you might enjoy that one if you can find it.

I'm afraid the British Broadcasting Company is region locked, even the Sounds version as well now! It's our public broadcasting station, so it is limited. But the shows usually get about somewhere on streaming these days! <3 It is annoying when you can't get at things, though, I know.

[scifirenegade]

Sending you some hugs. Nice to see there's someone out there to match with you on Yuletide!

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! It's great not to be quite as obscure as I thought I was, yes! <3

[liadt]

*hugs*

I'm glad you got a good Yuletide assignment and hope you get all the fic!

I got to see all the 'Miss Scarlet' eps when NowTV back when sent me £1.99 offers, now they won't go below £4.99. I remember the hotel one being good and it was good to have another private detective in the mix. I like all the side characters too, apart from the evil ones.

'The Puzzle Lady' was a bit silly, but then the premise is a crossword puzzle setter could be become famous enough to have their own biscuit range. I did enjoy it though and would watch any more if they came along.

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you!

'The Puzzle Lady' was a bit silly, but then the premise is a crossword puzzle setter could be become famous enough to have their own biscuit range. I did enjoy it though and would watch any more if they came along.

Maybe it was really the biscuits that made her famous or she went viral or something? XD It was definitely a daft one, but I did have fun with the bits I saw. Actually, then I watched Ludwig and he was a famous puzzle-setter as well, so there was obviously something in the collective TV water.

I got to see all the 'Miss Scarlet' eps when NowTV back when sent me £1.99 offers, now they won't go below £4.99. I remember the hotel one being good and it was good to have another private detective in the mix. I like all the side characters too, apart from the evil ones.

Yes, they definitely have some good side characters and it's an easy watch but not daft like some of the cosies, either. Presumably Drama will cough up the rest in about 2 more years...

[liadt]

I watched 'The Puzzle Lady' after 'Ludwig' (better than I expected) and I was like 'Why all the crossword setters?' lol. I know Colin Dexter set crosswords puzzles but a strange quirk of fate to have two at once.

It's a hard life being a freeview-er!

[ragnarok_08]

Sorry that your week was busy and tiring, even if for good reasons!

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! <3

[scripsi]

I've been thinking of watching Outrageous, and if you endores it, I think I will watch it. :)

[thisbluespirit]

I mean, I don't know a lot about the Mitfords in detail rather than in outline, but I loved the show so far - and it does have Anna Chancellor and James Purefoy as the parents! But, yes, I really loved it - YMMV, of course!

[scripsi]

I really like Anna Chancellor! I'll give it a chance. After all, I can just stop watching if I don't like it. :D

[thisbluespirit]

Ha, so true! XD