Things I Escaped With in October
As always, when things are bad in the world and life, I turn to culture, this time thanks to Acorn TV which has UK, European, Australian, and New Zealand shows.
Support for Lewiston-Auburn shooting families and survivors
A Note on Halloween: Those who know me best know that I DO NOT DO Halloween. Except for the candy. I love that. One bag of candy corn a year. I wore Indian clothes and said I was “an Indian princess” in high school (My culture IS my costume) cause I was not yet comfortable embracing my Halloween grinch and trying to “fit in.” I have no whimsy, I accept that, and I used to think adults in costume was ridiculous, but really it’s me in costume that I find ridiculous. And, I love kids in costume and pets in costumes. I enjoy an over the top Halloween decorated house/brownstone/street - NYC folks do this very well - especially smart, quirky and snarky costumes and decorations - no appropriation please! Like this actual pumpkin display from 2014 that I saw one block from my place, I proudly sent it to my OB/GYN mom.
“We, the Halloween grinches, cannot exist without an equal and opposite force of cultish enthusiasm. Halloween may do nothing for us, but if it were to slip by like any other day, uncelebrated and unobsessed over, we would spend all of fall waiting for something to happen and feeling low on blood sugar. Thanks to you, the Halloween people, we can enjoy the more laid-back elements of this holiday — rating jack-o’-lanterns, judging dog costumes, downing fun-size Twix by the fistful — without having to put in any of that exhausting effort you seem to enjoy so much. The second Megan Thee Stallion starts sticking her entire head into a pumpkin, a feverish tingle shoots up my spine: The candy-corn harvest is upon us…So if you thrive on plunging your hands into pumpkin gunk and hearing passersby scream in terror as they pass your fake-blood-soaked window, this one’s for you. Come October 31, when I am boiling a very normal pot of weeknight pasta and Googling “least scary horror movie,” I’ll be thinking of you and wishing you an intense Halloween. I will never understand, but I stand.” - I Hate Halloween, But I Love Halloween People
Balthazar (Acorn TV): I am a huge fan of this French crime procedural with a charming, yet anguished, chief coroner, Raphael Balthazar solving crimes while totally annoying his colleagues, his boss and the cops he is supposed to be working with. The lead actor, Tomer Sisley, is the charismatic and talented reason I was drawn to this show but the rest of the cast kept me there, along with the 5 season long search for his wife’s murderer. The show is now over after 5 seasons. At least once a year I activate a 7 day free trial to ACORN TV to watch the latest season (of this and other shows), and I’m sad the show is over.
Mrs. Sidhu Investigates (Acorn TV): This is a brand new series that I was excited to watch with Meera Syal as a caterer who also solves crimes! Sure! And yes, I timed my 7 day free trial to Acorn this month to watch the first season (4 episodes)! I’m a big fan of Mrs. Sidhu the character and the interactions with her son who is trying to find his way, and the interactions between Sidhu and the two cops she continually bumps into, and annoys, and helps, around Slough area always great, and the banter is, as always, top notch.
One Lane Bridge (Acorn TV): This New Zealand show is, at least for me, strangely engrossing, I generally don’t like shows with supernatural elements but this show does it well and thoughtfully while also accounting for the very real bias that Māori people face in their work and life. The lead actor Dominic Ono-Ariki is very compelling and the character he plays is very complicated and often frustrating! Currently 3 seasons, and not sure if there will be another season.
The Cry (Acorn TV): This is a short four episode series with the always excellent Jenna Coleman, who I loved in Victoria and the Serpent, is about a couple dealing with a tragedy on a visit to Australia, and the uncovering of truths and lies.
The Indian Doctor (Acorn TV): I came to this show for all the obvious reasons, an Indian doctor comes to Welsh town to be the town doctor, the lead actor Sanjeev Bhaskar who I love especially from the show Unforgotten with my fav Nicola Walker, and then as always with these shows, the characters in this quirky small town forced to ignore their racism and uneasiness to get medical care!
Other Shows on Acorn TV that I recommend: If you decide to get a longer subscription to Acorn, here are other shows I’ve watched that I recommend.
Black Snow: Australian show that starts off very strong solving an unsolved case from 25 years back, but peters out a little towards the end. I really enjoyed the portrayal of the Australia South Sea community in Queensland, and the cast was quite strong as well. One season so far.
Conviction: The Case of Stephen Lawrence: This stand alone series about the true story of Stephen Lawrence, a Black British teenager murdered by racists in 1993, and the consequent police cover up and “investigation.” It is a pivotal case in the history of race in the UK and I learned about it from this series, then once i knew about about saw how much was impacted by it - I saw art inspired by the his life, his parents fight for justice, and the police cover up in multiple exhibits here and the UK, and so much more.
The Lost King (Movie): This is about the amateur historian who figured out where to find the body of Richard III (in a parking lot it turns out). She was mocked during her search and then pushed aside by the local university and government when she was right. Great cast as well.
The Summerdahl Murders: Danish crime show which I honestly only started because the lead actor was one of the villains from my favorite Danish show Borgen (a Danish West Wing), and then kept with it!