Baptiste (serial)

Season 1

Julien Baptiste is a retired British policeman currently living in Amsterdam. He is old friends with a local police commissioner and is asked to consult on a missing persons case. In the process, nothing is as it originally seems (surprise?) and Baptiste is pulled further into a web of deceit and danger. His original missing person (a missing niece) turns into a sex trafficking and money laundering case for an infamous multinational Romanian organized crime operation. Throughout, Baptiste is a calm and confident, knows no fear and seems to somehow direct the investigation from the perspective of both the police and the criminals. A strong character. Looking forward to season 2. 

4 stars (out of 5)

The Matrix Resurrections

Number 4 in The Matrix trilogy, almost 20 years later (60 years in storyline time). I would describe this as an adequate action thriller. It in no way stands on its own, and in fact is very much like Bill and Ted #3 in terms of reliance on knowledge of the backstory. In fact, probably more so as the Matrix trilogy has reached such meta-status in terms of philosophical pondering that in this episode, the characters are having the same discussions that viewers have likely had about the importance of the trilogy. Unfortunately for me, I'm not an avid fan, and don't remember most of the details, putting me on the outside for much of the motivation and meaning for the characters actions. The story is Tom Anderson is back in the matrix, with a life as a video game designer who designed "the matrix", the most popular immersive video game of all time. Then he is again "set free" and meets up with Trinity to again change the rules of the matrix. 

2 stars (out of 5)

The Wheel of Time (serial)

Season 1

The long awaited production based on Robert Jordan's fantasy series. It has been nearly a decade since I read the novels, so I clearly don't remember many details. Which is probably good since it seems like the plot mixes elements from different timeframes of the novel series in order to tell a coherent story for serial television. The basic story is classic good v evil, where the magical One Power (wielded by women of the Aes Sedai) has been tainted for men. In true epic fantasy style, there are many characters and many concurrent storylines. The main cohort of friends (Rand, Matt, Perrin, Egwene, Nynave) are led on a journey by mysterious Aes Sedai Morraine. By oath, she cannot tell a lie, but we all know that she does not need to tell all of the truth. So the friends (and viewers) are doled out information "as needed" along their travels, with everything pushing toward the goal of defeating the Dark One. I really enjoyed the casting, the storytelling, and the character development. And this season was a great intro to the series while also standing on it's own (it didn't feel like a full season preview, and didn't end with a giant cliff hanger). 

5 stars (out of 5)

Kung Fu (serial)

The CW series that follows protagonist Nicki, who left her unsatisfying life to live and train in a Shaolin monastery in China. After three years, she returns home (tragedy at the monestery) and is pulled into a magical sword / ancient historical mythology quest with new acquaintance Henry. Not sure if this is meant to be a CW remake of prior Kung Fu properties, but it is truly CW in feel. If you are looking for a lightweight comic book mythology, it is enjoyable and complete as a season. 

3 stars (out of 5)

van der Valk (serial)

Feels like a British police procedural, but set in Amsterdam. The season is 6 episodes, which is 3 cases, 2 self-standing episodes each. van der Valk is a detective and has his team and can pretty much do what he wants (he has built the reputation of closing cases which gives him the latitude with the bosses). A solid, if not overly enticing, series.

3 stars (out of 5)

Emma (serial)

This is really only a couple of episodes in what seems to be an aborted French TV series. A french police detective is assigned a new intern only to find out that she is in fact an android. We start to get the development of the relationship between the two and a hint at a backstory for Emma (the andoid). Alas, only two episodes so I can't give it a rec.

2 stars (out of 5)

Amsterdam Undercover (serial)

A German police officer (Alex) is the handler for an undercover agent embedded with a drug smuggling, corporate tax evasion bad guy in Amsterdam. Alex teams up with local cop Bram to take this international scourge down. A very European feeling drama in the approach to action/thriller story telling. The cop relationship is straight forward and business like, but slowly develops. Not goofy or overly violent. Subtle. A fun short series. 

4 stars (out of 5)

The Princess Bride

It still stands alone among giants. 

5 stars (out of 5)

My Name (serial)

Oh Hyejin is a mob affiliated young woman embedded in the police as a drug enforcement detective. Her primary goal is to find the police officer who killed her father. I like these types of plots since it is clear that not everyone tells the truth. As the characters begin to realize that their initial circle of trust is broken, they must learn again who to trust. And with any good story, the machinations and lies pile up in ways to make even the viewer wonder who to trust. In many ways, a classic police v gangster series with a super badass protagonist. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Lawless Lawyer (serial)

This K-drama hits the right balance between story and action. A gang affiliate lawyer returns to his hometown to exact revenge on the powerful and corrupt officials who murdered his mother 18 years ago. He enlists another local lawyer (cue romance) and some low level gangsters (for comedic interludes). The "Lawless Law" firm uses the law to punish the lawless... which means that this becomes a battle of planning and coercion instead of street fights. I like how the story plays out, with twists and setbacks. But you never doubt who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. 

4 stars (out of 5)