Ahh, March 23rd, 2020. Happy Lockdown Day! In all honesty, I wasn’t that disappointed when Boris Johnson broke the news to the UK that we had to remain inside for the foreseeable future. After all, being inside is generally where I like to be most of the time. However, when you have no other environment to dwell in other than within the walls of your bungalow situated in the middle of nowhere for three months, the boredom kicks in pretty fast. And so, Nicola Sturgeon’s continuous three-week extensions began leading me to think, ‘How many TV series can I squeeze in before the next review’? Alas, here is the list of what I achieved, and the only shred of productivity which emerged from being locked in the house with nothing else to do.
Grace & Frankie
Every year begins with a new season of Grace & Frankie. Luckily, I held off from its January release this year and, relieved by my ‘thinking about future me’ choices, was able to spend the first few days of quarantine consuming its wholesome glory. If you haven’t seen Grace & Frankie, but love all things cosy and pure, then this show is the one for you. Centred around the friendship of two aging ladies which blossoms after the discovery that their husbands are actually gay and leaving their wives for each other, the Netflix series is guaranteed to bring you at least a little smidge of joy – which we all definitely needed during the Great Quarantine of 2020. (Also, Lily Tomlin deserves the world.)
Quarantine Rating: 4/5
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
My discovery of Tiger King was made at peak lockdown. Featured on the Netflix homepage, I told myself I’d watch the first episode, probably hate it, and find something else to do with my endless amounts of time. I was so wrong. Something about Joe Exotic’s genuinely worrying mind is strangely endearing and as soon as his precariously placed eyebrow ring caught my eye, I couldn’t stop. Bingeing the entire series over a day and a half (breaks to process that everything I was watching did actually happen were required), I could only conclude that Netflix literally cannot make a bad documentary. If you’re into murder mystery documentaries of any kind, then this show is probably for you. Embrace the redneck, zoo-owner culture. It’s gross and I hate it, but it’s weirdly interesting.
Quarantine Rating: 3/5
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Recommended to me literally three days before lockdown officially commenced, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has always been one of those shows that everyone around me knows and loves, but I could just never get on board with. The humour from the clips I caught while visiting friends never really clicked with me and, generally, I didn’t think a detective sitcom could ever really be something I would find entertaining. But I was so wrong. Thank God for the Great Quarantine of 2020 for bringing this beautiful series into my life. Sitting with a cup of tea and watching an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine contributed to a great deal of my lockdown stress-relief, and Boyle’s ridiculousness constantly gave me a chuckle when nothing else would. I love you, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Quarantine Rating: 5/5
Gavin & Stacey
There’s no time for a full Gavin & Stacey re-watch like lockdown. Getting drunk and watching Gavin & Stacey? Practically therapy, right? Weirdly, my only issue with Gavin & Stacey is… Gavin… and Stacey. They’re hands down the most boring characters in the show, practically irrelevant, and Stacey’s voice grates on me like bad parmesan. The show should really be called Bryn, Pam, Smithy, and Vanessa, but we can’t have everything.
Quarantine Rating: 4/5
100 Humans
Not really worth your time… even in quarantine. Hard pass.
Quarantine Rating: 1/5
Killing Eve
And so began my unexpected love of Mondays. When lockdown officially began, the BBC moved the release date for season three of Killing Eve forward, releasing a new episode on BBC iPlayer every Monday morning. While I was slightly frustrated that I couldn’t binge the entire thing in one go, I was grateful for the tiny speck of structure it gave to my week. Even if the rest of the week was in shambles. If you haven’t watched the series, not only are you seriously missing out on some quality entertainment, but you’re missing out on the glory that is Jodie Comer as Villanelle. Even if you don’t enjoy storylines that involve assassins and MI6, watch it for Villanelle. Even if you hate BBC original TV series, watch it for Villanelle. All in all, watch it for Villanelle, and then come back to me and tell me you wouldn’t consider dating an assassin.
Quarantine Rating: 5/5