CJayT

The only thing to say about this Freaks and Geeks TV Series from Judd Apatow & Paul Feig. It is as near-perfect a series as you can get. The casting, the acting, the stories, the cadence. I cannot for the life of me figure out why it was not a huge hit when first released. It has always been my favourite TV Show ever. 10/10. Superlative. There are others with a similar tone, like The Wonder Years, plus just lately Stranger Things. But this is leaps and bounds better. Highly recommend.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

What I love about this series is Natasha Lyonne’s take on the central Anti-Hero character Chuck. The wrong person. Ending up at the wrong time and place. Most of the time. She is definitely not perfect. But the character still has a big heart of gold. She is always trying to right a wrong. She hates injustice. It is her pet peeve. Even if the characters she avenges are not your regular pure Mother Theresa types. Charlie (or “Chuck”) is like a modern version of Robin Hood. Trying to take what little she has and still trying to stretch it to go further. And just maybe it will make a bad situation a little bit better. No matter how she does it. Even if in the end. She is a hair's breadth away from a really “bad” situation herself. Natasha Lyonne is superb at acting out this character. The mannerisms and the eccentricities of Chuck add to the story. But it is her “secret” superpower of knowing if someone is lying. Like a human lie detector. Quite literally. That keeps the stories interesting and hilarious. She could use it for “bad”. But errs on the side of “good”. Because she knows it is a slippery slope otherwise. There is also throughout the series a mix of a whole other miscellaneous, weird and wonderful characters. Poker Face is never dull. It keeps you guessing how Chuck is going to get herself out of the many precarious positions. Chuck's ultimate gambling game.

What I like about Ted Lasso is the position the characters find themselves in. It is not entirely comfortable all the time. Sometimes, downright uncomfortable. But that's its charm. Ted is a classic fish out of water. But he still tries to rise to the occasion. He is not in his natural environment or native country. Or chosen sporting profession. However, he shows an innate willingness to learn and be a better version of himself. That inspires the ones around him. There is a charm in that. So he has a point to prove to his boss and the football media. He believes that he can coach any sport. When it boils down to it. As a coach, Ted Lasso believes in most sporting games and their team mentality. Are all the same at their core. It is about building belief. Especially, self-belief in the face of losing or being lost. But on the flip side, having the hunger to win. It is a fine balance facing most sporting teams and the people who surround them. Season in and season out. In England, it is the dreaded " Football Relegation. With the added headache of football being so intrinsically a part of English culture and life. It is a great sporting comedy series about life in England. Yes, Ted is positivity overload sometimes. This can be annoying in the cynical and harsh world we tend to live in today. But he shows some people have different ways of looking at a bad situation. Sometimes you can not change a person who always looks at the glass as half full. Not empty. It is just the way they look at the world and the challenges it presents.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Stranger Things reminds me of an amalgamation of most of the older TV series I used to watch on television as a kid. When I was growing up. But a bit better, because of its mish-mash of sci-fi and teenager-y coming-of-age story lines. It is like the innocence of the ‘Wonder Years’. Crossed with the laugh-out-loud stories of Aptow’s ‘Freaks and Geeks’. It also crossed with the scary science fiction of ‘Doctor Who’. But it is also unique in its own universe. But they do have better special effects and budgets nowadays. I will admit I watched way too much television as a kid. When I should have been doing homework. I think most viewers will like Stranger Things no matter what. It has likeable characters. As well as being nostalgic. Whether for the music involved or the clothes. The brands of junk food, or that one bad hairstyle for that period in time. Especially if you grew up in the 80s. It wears the American 80s cultural spirit on its sleeve. Likewise, we can relate to the naive awkwardness. Plus, the friendships forged and formed throughout. But no matter. More than anything. It keeps you on the edge of your seat in most episodes. It says what it says on the label. When you think “things” could NOT get any “stranger”, it does.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]