Bonfire Of Destiny' is a crackling gem you wouldn't expect!

During this quarantine, my endless scroll of streaming websites has become more intense and nit-picky. What do I want to see? that? maybe this? maybe. Maybe not. But one perk of being stuck at home is that I am revisiting shows that I didn't give a chance to checking out yet. 'Bonfire of Destiny' is one of those.

I love a good period drama and French television always tends to be pretty good! I had never heard of anyone talking about this show and however that usually checks boxes for me, I was still a little unsure whether to take the plunge because sometimes I come across some really bad doozies. On researching that it was based on a real event 'The Bazar de la Charité' which was an annual charity event organized by the French Catholic aristocracy in Paris from 1885 onwards. It is infamous for the fire at the 1897 bazaar that claimed 126 lives, many of them aristocratic women I was compelled to know more, and see how this unfurls in a reproduction of events.

The show focuses on three main women who are in very different positions and affliction before the fire begins. And their lives are flipped around in the aftermath. I have to really shower compliments to the show for the gradual, and uneasy way they presented the fire and the bad side of humanity from how the crowds race and throw each other aside to an attempt to escape. The acting is so good to the point that I felt ill and I felt my heart beat hard from the claustrophobia and the good use of space and build-up that the creators showed. And from that point, everything in the show is gripping and scenarios of abuse are aplenty and you find yourself rooting for the heroines are every turn to escape their affliction.

None more so then Rose who is kidnapped by a grieving mother who in discovering her daughter died in the fire, desperately takes Rose who has a striking resemblance to her in order to look after her grandson. Rose had been set to leave for new York with her husband so this creates a complicated situation that presents all kinds of morality questions. Should Rose stay and look after this boy and be subjected to unhappiness, or leave and face being rejected by her husband for her burns?

This show is clever and steadfast. I enjoyed the characters - especially the children. Camille - who receives a letter from her mother who is presumed dead from the fire is brave and daring in the face of her father who is violent. The storylines are very interesting and you definitely invest in these women. The costumes are great and the dialogue isn't your standard Victorian style. These characters are dynamic although, at times, maybe slightly inaccurate to real Victorian women of the time but believability is never lost. It comes across as if it is.

Drama that is not in English is sometimes looked over but I would implore you to give 'Bonfire Of Destiny' a go. See what you think, and I would love to hear back from you about what you thought.

Find 'Bonfire Of Destiny' on Netflix now

Malory Towers brings oodles of nostalgia and fresh perspective

If you are a child that grew up in Britain then you would be familiar with Malory Towers. Or, you have at least heard of it. The one with the boarding school? No? well, there are many books like it. However, Malory Towers is one of the most popular. And with good reason.

When I heard that this series was being remade I was eager to see how it would turn out. I was the type of kid who craved going to a faraway school filled with friends who I could have endless fun, and midnight feasts with. Nothing sounded better than having a sleepover with classmates every day! And that is exactly the feeling that CBBC so effortlessly brings to the table. CBBC, you say? They are hardly known for top quality television that should perk the interest of adults. But that is a false statement. And Malory Towers is the perfect example why. Following in the success of products like Sarah Jane Adventures, The Worst Witch...Malory Towers is another notch on CBBC's belt and it should certainly make you race to your nearest device and open BBC Iplayer,

Malory Towers centres around the arrival of Darrell Rivers at Benenden School in the Cornish countryside. And from the get-go there is a flurry of characters at the school that perk your interest as a viewer. From teachers to students there is a wide range of extremely lovable characters to the darn right detestable that make your toes curl. This remains faithful to the greatness and the innocent and vivid descriptions of children's literature that is often tricky to depict on the screen. This version doesn't make you feel like that. In fact, it grabs your face, and makes you never want to leave. Just as Darrell never wants to leave the school. Nothing ever feels strained or forced. It's just all round lovely.

The plot of each episode usually focuses around drama within Darrel and her associates. There is talent that springs from every actress as they weave a web of fun, and relatability. Themes from the painful and awkward ways of making friends-to being scared of ghosts, spiders to more serious topics like estrangement from parents, class divides - Malory Towers has it all. Occasionally television for children can be dumbed down - or bought to extremes in attempts to rehash or modernise classic stories but Malory Towers was directed to perfection. (Just like 'Anne with an E' on Netflix. Add that to your list!)

The filming locations and the glaringly headstrong actresses make every twenty minute episode a delight and it just makes you feel at home. As a viewer, we learn to begrudge yet adore characters like Gwen and it is all done so in a bloody great, feminising experience wrapped up in a bow. I start every episode humming along to the theme tune and feeling like I am skipping into school with them. The escapism is strong in this show and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something that appeals to their inner child. Even if you don't think you are, please do yourself a favour and check it out anyway.

Watch Malory Towers on BBC Iplayer. It's available for a year.

Miss Fisher And The Crypt Of Tears

You have heard of Miss Marple, Nancy Drew, Jessica Fletcher but you have never truly seen the full potential of a female detective until you have seen Miss Fisher and her show named 'Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'. That is just fact and I would expect to find those words written deep underground in a cave somewhere. Even early human civilisation would agree. If this is the first time that you have heard of Miss Fisher, I would recommend watching the first three seasons of the show first before reading this review about the film that follows it.

For fans of Miss Fisher, it was an agonising wait waiting for the crowd-funded film to be produced and then released across its retrospective countries but anything involving the gold-gun wielding force of nature is worth waiting for. I gathered my things and I set the scene. I dimmed my lights, lit some candles and got myself ready for the engrossing experience I knew I was in for. The film starts with, of course, Miss Fisher racing Palestine to free a girl from unjust imprisonment. In a matter of moments, we are reunited with Essie Davis (Phyrne Fisher) donning a fabulous wardrobe and quick, dry wit and allure with anyone she comes into contact with. Ah, what bliss!

Miss Fisher is a tough cookie to hold down and we are immediately treated with many scenes involving high speed chases, and a classic run across the top of a train! With 'Miss Fisher and The Crypt Of Tears' there is an obvious sense of using crime and detective tropes which the original show tends not to. The juxtaposition of the film with the show is slightly jarring as the plot of the film including mysterious emeralds is almost not good enough for our beloved Miss Fisher. But it is a lot of fun and is a throwback to the detective stories that were actually being written about at the time during the 1920s. And it's almost like Miss Fisher knows it, and is whisking us along for the ride.

After the train escape, Miss Fisher fakes her death and many of the people who have loved and admired her throughout the original series travel to a London estate to pay tribute to her - including her, "will they or won't they?" love interest Jack, and her Aunt Prudence. Naturally, Miss Fisher flies and parks her plane at her own funeral to the shock but not the surprise of her family members. The relationship with Jack is rocky to say the least since we last see them in the series but the love-hate relationship and how Jack always gets roped into Miss Fisher's cases unwillingly is a prime part of the plot. Ultimately, that is what carries the film through the most.

The absence bar from one quick sighting of characters such as Dotty, Hugh and Mr Butler makes the film feel colder and emptier. It is like Buffy without the "scooby gang". These empowering women are fantastic on their own but so much richer with their team around them. And that is what the film sadly lacks. However, it does give well deserved time to Miss Fisher and Jack who are almost on a holiday of sorts together through the film. And the film ends with lots of mushy revelations between them involving an imaginary spider which is thrilling to any fan of the series. I utterly adored that.

The plot was hard for me to care about as much as I did the characters but you can't tick every box. I longed for more but a second film has not been ruled out and there could be much more to come. And the whole film as a package is incredible considering how the film almost appeared from nothing and entirely fan support. The film exudes class and pure cinematic splendour. From golden desserts to zazzy one liners the film is just a good time and a true testament to the investment of the creators. They are not afraid to change things up a bit- in a way that Miss Fisher would be oh so proud of!

Have you seen 'Miss Fisher and The Crypt Of Tears' yet? Are you "yay" or "nay"? Let me know.

'Miss Fisher and The Crypt Of Tears" is available on AcornTV or the Alibi Channel in the UK

'Feel Good' did what it says on the tin!

It's no secret that when I see a gay mini series with a hint of comedy yet realism and grit I will be there. Day or night, I will sniff it out! 'Feel Good' entered my radar a few weeks ago when I saw it on my feed. 'Feel Good' seems to follow a certain pattern of LGBTQ+ shows that I have noticed lately, and it is interesting to think about why this has become popular.

'Feel Good' revolves around a young gay comedian called Mae Martin. With many of Channel 4 Comedies obviously she is struggling quite a bit. Sound familiar? Well, if you have seen 'One Missipi' featuring  Tig Notaro it is a similar formula. But obviously, it works. Female gay comedians are important as they are usually mainstream's gateway to lesbian acceptance. This is highlighted most famously in the case of Ellen DeGeneres. Sandi Toskvig, Hannah Gadsby are a few others that do an amazing job bringing exposure to the masses.)

This is a great thing. Before pressing on episode one I did think to myself that the subject "felt a bit stale" but the trailer looked great and I wanted to see how it went. And I am glad I did. The leading plot of the show is Mae meeting a woman called George at one of her shows and they hit it off from there. Sometimes when I watch a show that portrays the lifestyle that I have, I feel concerned and clammy handed because the expectation is higher. The stakes are higher when you want reality reflected back at you. But that feeling of tension lifted very fast and I grew to love the commentary it had how their relationship begins, grows, and all of the bumps in between.

Mae suffers with an addictive personality and the whole way that this is handled in the show is very great to see. Humour is spread throughout the show peppered around the serious moments like a delicious buffet of script that I wish I could kiss. Little nuances like coming out to family, and your partner's perspective of what their future would be are all explored in such a thoughtful way. The cast brings some unexpected diamonds- such as Sophie Thompson who plays Maggie, Mae's eccentric "sponsor" and amazingly- Lisa Kudrow who plays Linda, Mae's mother. These are two actresses which bring an extra kookiness while helps the shows turn sprints into leaps. Not to mention- Charlotte Ritchie who plays George in an understated and quietly genius way.

Needless to say it's just a good show that hits you in the groin with your feelings. There is nothing shy about this mini-series and the sex talk is also aplenty and gives it an edge and an accuracy to what a real relationship looks like and the trials and tribulations which come with really getting to know someone. It's raw. And it reminded me of my favourite show of all time "Please Like Me" in some ways. I was pleased to have seen this and I think it's one of the best things I have seen from Channel 4 in a while. I consider myself a fan of Mae Martin now too, and I plan on finding more of her stand-up. In a section of media that still thirsts for representation, this is a show I am glad is available for all ages alike to see!

'Feel Good' is now streaming online on All4

'Thirteen' Episode 1 Review

I heard about 'Thirteen' a while ago but I forgot about it so it was a nice surprise to be reminded about it especially with a trailer I have never seen before and the fact that I could watch it today. The concept is used a lot but it's hugely relevant. The strongest draw I had to 'Thirteen' is Jodie Comer who plays the main character, Ivy. I've been excited about Jodie Comer since knowing her from E4's 'My Mad Fat Diary' which is one of my favourite recent series from the UK of all time and she's incredible in it. So, I trust that every show she does is as real and raw as that show is, and I was right. She was a secondary character but now her talent brings her to the forefront and it really shows.

Everything about her is authentically English which sounds weird because characters are universal but something about her is so representative of english mannerisms. It's not easy to explain. BBC Three/E4 and many more are extremely good at finding those people and she's one of the best. Onto 'Thirteen' it's about a girl who disappeared when she was thirteen and all that transpires once she's escaped but mystery and darkness immediately surrounds her as she returns to a world which we're consistently reminded she doesn't belong to. This suggestion is put forward, in fact, I almost started to believe that it was just highlighting skepticism especially within the two detectives which are on her case.

But we don't know. We never know. Her story is very straight and unconfused, and British eeriness surrounds everything. Ivy, bright-eyed and hollowed compels the story is hard-hitting and believable, despite what is we are going to end up believing about her. Something is really classic about the way that episodes move, and the steady pace with clues hiding everywhere to add to the tension and the rising unrest about everything.

The role of the family and the persistence of the mother that it is Ivy and refusing DnA evidence is very real. It's happened in real cases. I just wish that it was someone other than the mother who believed beyond reason. Her sister, maybe but it makes sense that the sister would be the opposite, and she is. (It actually reminds me of an episode of 'Elementary' I recently watched about a girl who pretended to be a found missing girl. Check it out 'Miss Taken' episode seven of season four. Yes, the pun is amazing.)

Breaking into the house that Ivy was 'kept' in, the emptiness is chilling but only because the show makes it that way and I'm starting to suspect Ivy might have lived there alone. You go back nd forth on Ivy's story a lot. Suspiscion is giving to you outright by the show but Ivy's photos looking so perfectly her and everything checking out so well makes it hard so as a viewer, in my experience, I kept changing my mind. It's a nightmare, but it's thrilling. Ivy definitely has purpose in who she lets in and doesn't, but then it just feels like she just radiates to the people that are most unchanged and that makes sense.

'Thirteen's is definitely interesting for its location. We're used to seeing how cases like these go down in places like America and like the show says "There's never been an escaped kidnapee before." and they mean in the UK which, there has, but it's interesting for them to point that out; that it's less common here which is dark and scary. It's remote from America but the same in nature. There are a lot of beautiful moments in the show which involve Ivy. Small conversations like the conversation of being given fish to eat sometimes and the facts she knew about it regarding pregnancy and also including the assumptions that the detective displayed about whether or not Ivy had been made pregnant. "He gave me fish until I didn't need it."

It was tender, just like Ivy being given a pink cardigan and she asks "Like a present?" which makes your heart vibrate with soreness. The show gives extra dimension such as in the male detective and caring about Ivy's case a lot suggesting he is interested in her. What the show does well is put what has changed on trial and how it quickly overwhelms Ivy and she runs to find a place of solitude in a small garden in the middle of town where she went with her childhood sweetheart Tim who follows her there and knows where to go. If Ivy isn't Ivy then there is some next-level intelligence how she works in this knowledge. The cinematography of Ivy sat with Tim is beautiful here.

There are so many ways this show can go. Ivy could have been brainwashed to believe she is that person, she could have been kidnapped by someone closer (someone like the mum or dad, for example which explains the blind acceptance but I hope it isn't that predictable), She could be Ivy, then started to believe she isn't and then pretend to be Ivy when she really is which alright, I acknowledge that could be a bit far but interesting none the less if I nailed it! Lies coming to a head and Ivy coming to find out that the world built around his is artificial is extremely emotional and a great perspective for 'Thirteen' to take.

I predict that the teacher they are trying to prescute for taking Ivy is taking the blame for a reason because kidnapping being linked to a school is far too easy for a storyline. The mother's connection to the headmaster (which seems like an affair right now) is worthy to remember, I think. In the 'next time' look ahead to the next episode we learn that another young girl is missing so the second episode might uproot everything I'm thinking and change it all. Humour - if any- comes through slightly and I laughed a lot when Ivy tells her mother "It's ok mum, I'm twenty-six" because of the strangeness of the situation that she has to say it.

The accents are slightly 'Broadchurch' and the feel of it also reminds me of it too which is not a bad inspiration and is it just me but does Tim look like he just stepped out of 'The Returned'/'Les Revenants'?
To summarise it's really exciting BBC Three have their first original series to be purely broadcast online. 'Thirteen' comes at a good time due to the recent success of 'Room' and the spotlight and human interest in kidnapping stories right now. (It's weird to say that things like these come into 'media fashion.' It's not nice to think about, but true and for good as long as it stays in people's attention and memory.) I have felt like BBC Three on Iplayer won't get the attention that it thinks it will but with series like these, I hope it will. With the news 'Thirteen' might be making it onto BBC Two slightly undermines that but it's a great credit to the quality of the show. The hashtag #FindTheGirl and the interactive experience is cool too.

You can watch 'Episode one of Thirteen' on BBC Iplayer now.

11.22.63 seems to be the best choice Hulu has made

I have been waiting since it was announced that '11.22.63' was going to be adapted. I adore everything Stephen King and it's one of his novels I haven't gotten around to reading yet and I wanted to wait to experience it through its new television form. I watched the trailer more than three times.

It all starts with an ordinary man. Not the main character, but another called Harry. In the first few minutes of the episode he reads his memories "It was 1960 and I lived in Holdon, Kentucky. I loved zynut bars and my sister loved Big Roost bars. My little brother Toga loved everything. I don't loved Halloween anymore...the blood smelled like pennies." For a split second you think that the whole story is going to rest on what this man, Harry has gone through as a child but it unzips into a classroom where we meet meet Jake: clearly grading people's experiences as an ex-writer and divorcee who praises Harry as he sits down and exposes 11.22.63's main theme: the past and its part in being unchanged.

Through Jake, we meet Al. A friendly diner-owning guy, a little overly-interested in Jake's burger-choices and divorce at first glance, and the next falling out of the back room and leading Jake to his head, cancer-striken and looking sorlorn and world-bearing at the fridge where a heart is stuck is stuck to it. The emotion and history between these two characters is interesting and the way Al breaks them apart and brings Jake into the knowledge of please stepping into his adult Narnia behind green diner doors is fast, and Jake finds himself in 1960.

Jake takes it pretty well at first until Al informs him of his research and just how long he steps out into the sixties for. The Kennedy assassination. Well-loved by television shows and anything narrative-like in general. Jake questions Al's thinking and incredulously asks for proof on how saving Kennedy could have prevented events such as the Vietnam war. Al, in a truly pointless way, asks Jake to go back and carve on a tree and come back to show the lasting effect which I think he already established by sending Jake out there for the first time but from that point, Jake is encased in Al's plans and in a scarily-timed death of Al the next day, Jake has no choice but to respect Al's wishes. He insulted his career enough times.

I like the discourse on the fate of everything resting on Kennedy's death that the world fixates on. It's an interesting subject and it's clever that in order to change anything permanently, you can't come back otherwise it will be erased. The show is really impressive without being too overly-edited - the sixties aren't completely sensationalised but we see the way it is through the eyes of Jake as he embarks on life there. Jake leaves the life of a world where his friend and older student Harry graduates but won't be given a chance and possibly to escape from the world of out of date burgers which is a dialogue I loved a lot.

"You spent all of your time gambling?"

"That, ad there was a butcher I really liked on main street."

"I've been eating hamburgers from 1960?!"

A short time with Al and Jake together left a lot of humour which is carried on with Jake. We seen him drop his modern Iphone in a suit shop to be discreet, we see him cruise around in a new car with Al's rulebook which he probably pay less and less attention to as time goes on. Hope shifts and Stephen King-style tension appears when Jake underestimating how easily Al lived, steps into a bar to bet against residents on a boxing match 35 to 1. The local guy who Jake enters the bet with is 'Lil Eddie who doesn't take it well. Perhaps, slightly, in a cartoon-y way rather than credible for someone who wins just once but I suppose that can only be a bet that it's obvious is from someone with inside knowledge. Lil Eddie tracks down Jake's hotel where Jake impossibly escapes and leaves an iphone playing a bird who dances to 'I don't care' we previously saw in a scene at school of student paying more attention to which is a funny reference and a homage to the idea of Jake starting to embrace the idea that not doing work is not always what life is about.

Another plot turner is the sinister guy who appears every so often and tells Jake "You shouldn't be here!" I'm not sure what it has to do with him. Jake could simply be having a holiday. He appears quite a lot almost as much as the world tries to destroy Jake when he gets close to learning something. It almost seems like the man follows Jake more than he ever followed Al which is interesting, or maybe Al didn't disclose the stalking detail because Jake didn't need any more reasons not to sit in the sixties for a couple of years. We gets lots of nice, enjoyable moments of seeing Jake (his actor James Franco continuing to put his James Dean lookalike resume to use) get away with things and taking a tour throughout sixties America, eating corn on the cob, and with a song to do with being a road-runner croons on the radio.

The entertainment and the feel-good feeling of everything is evened out with the tasks that loom over Jake and scenes of when he checks into a bright yellow boarding house makes me begin to theorise that it will ultimately be Jake that kills Kennedy, accidentally or by intention through what he discovers. I don't know what about a yellow place told me that but it probably had something to do with movie moments voice-overs of Al's advice we hadn't heard yet. Another theory I have is that 'Lil Eddie who the storyline has moved on from, I think might also be from the future in some capacity and might be an answer to why he was intimidated by the competition posed by Jake but he would also know the results. It would be interesting if he hadn't thought about checking and is unable to return because he can't remember where he entered the timeline.

A car smashes into a telephone box Jake tries to use, chandeliers try to fall on him, where he lives burns and he loses all of the information Al gave him. The theme that springs out to me is that no matter how close you get to something, there are some things you can't hear and History protects them. Jake enters a Kennedy party with the wrong name and gets questioned. It's amusing how he gets himself out of it professing he is a number one fan, but it doesn't completely explain why they hit him to question him and let him go so fast.

I'm really positive about this show and I really can't wait to watch more of it. The same scene in the beginning gets slightly repetitive but you will get used to it and it doesn't last long. The final scene is of Jake sitting outside Harry's childhood house and watching as the dad, who murdered everyone but Harry picks up the children to take them to get ice cream. We know Jake is going to attempt to stop it. My prediction is that he will unintentionally fall into a relationship with Harry's mother and will protect them that way and he will then struggle with balancing that prerogative with the Kennedy case.

Some people might feel that 11.22.63 is just another example of a show which focuses on someone going back in time and becoming attached to it but I don't think that's a bad thing as long as it's done well and in my opinion, it is. I'll finish with my favourite line of the 80 minute episode. "You could tell it was an important night because History pushed back."

11.22.63 Episode One is available now on Hulu
What are your thoughts so far?

Lucifer Pilot Review

I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman and as it comes to noticing when his material has been used, I can scan anything and find it. Obviously 'Lucifer' is a character from 'Sandman' and wasn't wholly endorsed by Gaiman to be made as the rights were sold a decade ago but I am going to try and look at the pilot of 'Lucifer' objectively because good or not, it's been inspired by Neil Gaiman and if the dry, dark rougeness comes through then I will probably find that I enjoy it. Ok *hooks myself up to the episode like it's a hospital drip.* Lets see if my system can reject you. Also fascinated to see if people believe it to be 'stepping on Supernatural's turf.'

Starting with biblical-style font and the antagonistic and accepting of darkness texas-sounding 'Cage the Elephant - Ain't no rest for the wicked' is a typical introduction to a TV episode but it's understandable for the subject matter and really entertaining how it makes everything begin. The year loitering at the bottom of the screen with 'AD' is a nice touch and it's the first of man nice details like that which appear and say "Hello" time and again in the pilot such as the 'Falling' numberplate which refers to Lucifer as a 'fallen angel'. Lucifer is set up to be everything you would imagine - tall, dark, rye joy-rider undermining the law with an accent that could content on same wavelength as Ichabod Crane from 'Sleepy Hollow.'

Lucifer isn't bad, although serving nothing which brings anything too new to the character he embodies but they could have made him anyone. Especially someone not so universally 'good-looking' because I would have liked to have seen things transpire differently in a more unique, layered way but it works in the favour of the rhetoric and it's funny because of course, it's Lucifer. So you can't be too mad at it because it fits but I did long for it to break that a bit. There's a lot of jokes which made the pilot really satisfying. Groan-worthy at times but not always painfully. Little quirks like the people he surrounds himself  complaining about things like "I didn't leave hell to be a bartender" are silly and nice although again, not revolutionary which 'Lucifer' might need to be to make it into another season.

Lucifer as the father-defying son I love because it works so well. The problem, at times, was that I didn't believe that the quick-talking smooth-mover was really the devil which I suppose is the point. You'd expect Lucifer to be evil to the point of not appearing as it. He's mastered that, after all but there was something unconvincing about it. Especially because he seemed, although misandry tendencies, pretty nice aside that. He almost appears as a jokester charming everyone especially when his powers don't work. It veers into the comedy edge and of course it's going to be amazing to watch him grapple with losing his identity and probably getting a lot more evil once he's realised he can't go back which would be ironic and interesting.

The theme that people blame the devil for everything and the way Lucifer lets everyone know that is great and topical. "God-given, I'm afraid", "Say hi. It's been a while" to a priest and phrases like it at the utter embarrassment and disassociation and humour of his conception stirs engrossment in the dialogue more than anything else. Some of it is so recognisable, it hurts but again, not a huge crime. There just needs to be more originality. As for the detective. She is a stock-type from the factory of american detectives which isn't a fault of just this show. Her back-story as an actress is slightly captivating but the mention of the films she's been in is a way for Lucifer to objectify her. Although she's not having any of it, it still exists for that purpose. I'm hoping that more will be revealed for her to stop that within Lucifer but at the same time it would be disappointing if he only makes the exception for her but again he's the devil, yada yada so you can't take any of this too seriously from a realistic representational standpoint but I believe it does.

Again, for her, I would have liked to have seen somebody who wasn't pretty, thin and blonde. Layers that could have been formed have been missed and that's a a bad decision that has been made because there is no reason for it. We have those representations. I am wondering if Lucifer will shift attention onto the cop who is the ex-husband which I would hope for an impartial sexuality standpoint but also a range of dimension from Lucifer (such as if Chloe dies) because the 'player' element will get old fast and I'm not sure if I, or anybody else will want to always stick around for that. Another thing that let the episode down was the racist stereotypes employed which included hip-hop, drugs and violence for Lucifer to criticise and could have been cleverer if it was something not so flat and void of truth that has moved past media's go-to. I'm slightly holding my tongue if the people he encounter steadily becomes unstereotypical and somehow showed that was his own views and racism warping it would be a good way to go but obviously can't remove what TV keeps doing and adding to it.

A plothole that I kept revisiting throughout the pilot was questions like "Why would Lucifer even want to solve mysteries?", "Will he stay that way or was he just attached to the girl who died?", "If so, why?" I'm convinced he's just been on Earth too long. His crime-scene ethos almost turns into Sherlock (the 'Elementary' version) when he's there. The scene, dealing with Chloe's daughter's bully intimidated by a less than pure stranger isn't new. Lucier's smiling face in the back of the police car gives a glimpse into what Tom Ellis can do when it comes to playing a dark character which counteracts the chipper 'Morningstar' English-engulfing aspect of him. Although, more paradoxical questions arise like "Why does he judge the activities that land people in hell, the place, the only thing he knows?" Is an attempt to separate him from it fot rebellious reasons or is his mind actually shaping? It feels a bit soon for that character development but it works, I guess.

The psychology appointments Lucifer might start attending is promising and the question the pyscologist asks him "You find it disturbing, don't you?" in how he can 'read' women or hopefully how he finds his sexism (because it is, disturbing) can take the show in any different directions. Lucifer when extracting information from an actor: "You're going to have to have get much better at lying if you want to be president." and the actor responds "I know, right?" is awesome commentary and I liked that. The information that pain in hell isn't being inflicted or, at least in the same way, because Lucifer isn't there. I'm looking forward to seeing if this will entertain, or bruise the ego of Lucifer. The episode ends with the good/bad partnership cliché but overall, I'm not compelled to through my laptop out of the window because there is a quality that I like about Lucifer.

It's difficult to defer what is Neil Gaiman's thought and what isn't. The majority of what is canon to Neil Gaiman is stripped back and losing from when it could be winning. There's no grit; just a safe slightly more soul-less interpretation. For now. Hopefully? At least the soundtrack is great.

I mean: this poster. Why, just why?

You can watch 'Lucifer' on FOX in the US, For free on Amazon Prime in the UK or FX in Australia.

Come and Marvel at the 'Serial Television Watcher.' She'll probably be locked up some day for too much Television but she hasn't been caught yet. She's already onto the next one. Follow for more.