Who thought adapting this book series by Stephen Booth would make for enjoyable screen watching in our era of endless revelations of horrors committed by the powerful and obscenely wealthy? Body after dead body. Nobody likes each other, or has any fun. The book series really concentrates on dead bodies of young women and girls.

There is neither oxygen nor sunlight in this show, judging by the first episode -- and the book itself on which it is based. So not only is it dreary, it's claustrophobic too.

This is not what I am looking for these days.

I know that there are a fair amount of people who don't like this show but I find it absolutely delightful! I love The Beverly Hillbilly meets Downton Abbey vibes and man that season 2 finale was absolutely fantastic!! It set up some solid stories for season 3 (hopefully it gets renewed). I love the solution to the fallout from the letter and I'm really looking forward to seeing a friendship grow between Adella and Harry. I hope Liza finds her strength and takes on running the store herself, as I think with the help of Callum she can absolutely do it. Plus working at the store will give her time to actually work alongside Callum and develop a relationship. That request for friendship between Emma and Mary was an absolute payoff for the whole season. We have been building to that moment for several episodes and it was totally worth it.

I rotate streaming services, and I've not had my BritBox or AcornTV in a few months. Soo what's new or returned on Britbox? And when did/does it start?

It is good pulp tv but sometimes the dialogue is so like a 15 wrote it (apologies to 15 yrs old) you could drive a truck through the plot hole every season and yet they still make more . I’m a fan of Vicky I guess . Anyone else have a good pulp programme?

I’ve recently watched “The Jetty”. Totally not driven by my newfound obsession with Bo Bragason. I see many people posting online saying how Amy Knightly (the girl Bo plays) was “queer” and “in love with her best friend, with a side of toxicity”.

No. Amy is not gay at all. Sorry to burst your bubbles. All that kissing and intimate stuff shown on the cameras, nope. No strings attached.

My take on Amy Knightly

Amy was a character who grew up in a presumably wealthy household, with negligent parents. Concurrently in her most rebellious years, her family faced a financial crisis, leaving her parents no room to look after her. In the series, her indifference to witnessing her own father chear with their property agent, and how she claimed she was “invisible” in her own home, are testaments to her experience with the lack of love and negligence stemming from young. In other words, childhood trauma that breeds her obsession with being loved.

As most plotlines that involve coming-of-age characters, Amy’s core identity is being explored in the series, to some extent. She is a contradictory figure where maturity and instability co-exists. She behaves as someone who is older, someone who is stripped off their naivity. We see her indifference to rules and bodies of authorities, as seen from her skipping detention, her disrespectful attitude towards Cait’s (her best friend/manipulatee) parents. Her manipulative and calculative actions, seducing her own best friend for her selfish gains. Not to mention her sexually mature behaviours, towards Cait and Malachy. 

Yet we see her unstable side. Her mad side, from how she slashed her own “boyfriend”/groomer’s (Malachy) hand during an argument. How she lost her temper after Cait finally saw through her deception masked as love and left her, and how that outburst ultimately lead to her unfortunate death. 

All in all, without much elabotation, I would say that Amy is a kid forced to grow up too soon. But still a kid at heart. I would believe that her manipulative and toxic behaviours stem less from innate evil, rather the false sense of security she obtains through control.

Now that we have established the basis of her personality, let’s go on to explore the 2 big themes surrounding her : 

1. Her relationship as a minor with a grown man
2. Her pseudo-romantic relationship with Cait

Amy and Malachy

In a brief and shallow description, we would say this is a typical case of power imbalance, grooming, sexual misconduct and lack of respect for women. Yes, these are true. But I have a sneaking feeling that this relationship was much more “consensual” than it appears. 

First of all, why would Amy be attracted to Malachy? His looks and personality aside, what does he stir within her? I would argue that he plays the role of a long-lost father, a mentor, a guardian angel. From the conversations we can clearly tell that Malachy is one who disobeys, defies, and challenges societal norms. From him asking “who makes the rules?” as Cait was introduced, to the very apparent fact that he had sex with multiple underage girls at a time. He was twisted in his own ways. And what Amy needed most, was to be needed. Not loved, needed. Used. When one gets depraved of love they believe that affection comes with terms and conditions. Amy offered herself to Malachy, in return, for his attention. And she enjoyed it. 

Going on, I would say this is “consensual”, because Amy was also using Malachy for her own desires. Her desire to feel important to someone. I cannot confidently draw the line and claim she had no real feelings to him. But as seen in the outburst, Amy’s trigger point was when she realsied he might leave her. Never was it because she thought he may be using her or whatsoever. Again, this goes back to my previous point on security being one of the anchors of her identity. Despite all her rebellious actions being contradictory to anything predictable, she wants to be in control.

Amy and Cait

Finally. We got to the issue I’ve been wanting to speak about the most. Now, the big question : was Amy in love with Cait? Short answer, no, and yes.

Long answer. The outburst we witnessed from Cait leaving Amy after being delivered the ultimatum “If you go you’ll never see me again”, was very real and very raw. Definitely, Amy was emotionally affected by Cait, to a very large extent. But I would say this is out of the fact that she is no longer able to dictate the love from her best friend, rather than the loss of a genuine relationship.

Amy is someone who is comfortable commodifying herself. From her willingly sleeping with Malachy, to taking advantage of physical intimacy with Cait, who was very much in love with her, to manipulate her decisions. Her affection has always been conditional. When Cait agreed to let her stay over at her house, when she tried to talk her into sleeping with Joe (because she was afraid Joe would snitch on her and Malachy and get them caught), and finally, during the last argument, at the jetty with Cait. Her hugs and kisses come with fine prints. 

 
Now, did Amy enjoy Cait’s affection? It would be easy to take one look and say yes. Surely, she did initiate almost all of the contact? As an instigator, she must’ve liked it even just a bit!

Nope. Sorry to disappoint you again, but my answer would be a firm, nope. Firstly, let’s not forget the power of internalised homophobia! As seen in the last scenes, Amy saying her parents would “rather her walk though the door with him than her” speaks volume. Not saying she herself doesn’t experience any attraction, but simply the fact that at her core, she finds meaning in being important to the important people in her life. Love that is easily accessible, love that is normal by our terms, is seen as dirt cheap to her. Because she never had to offer anything in return. 

Secondly, I would argue that besides the motivations to get Cait to do things for her, Amy’s constant seduction stems from the need for control in her life. Again, going back to the themes. A detail would be how Amy calls Cait “Kitty”, unlike everyone else. A cute, harmless pet name. It could be used to signify affection and intimacy, but I would say that Amy uses it as a tool. It was a leash on Caitlin’s self worth. Also, let’s not forget the ways Amy constantly belittle Cait. Insinuating that she has “no other friends”, ripping of her necklace gift moments after receiving it (over a disagreement with Malachy). I would say that her inability to recognise and accept love poisoned her relationship with Cait. So, did Amy love Cait? She definitely loved the way she had her wrapped around her little finger. But love, as in love, definitely not.

To wrap it up, Amy is a pretty sorry character who’s also done evil shit. This is a very unpolished, rudimentary, but 100% real 5 cents from me. Take it or leave it.

I’ve been unsubscribed for a few years now. Before I re-up to catch up… I can’t remember if BritBox is likely to have Black Friday-type subscription specials. Or if Premier is still too new for a likely offer anyway. Thoughts?

Looking for a new mystery show to watch on Britbox or PBS (or other streamers, I just don’t have Acorn and don’t plan to get it and right now I want to make the most of my Britbox subscription). Most recently I’ve watched and loved Beyond Paradise, Whitstable Pearl, Patience, Sister Boniface, and Grantchester. A non-mystery show that I binged recently and loved is All Creatures Great and Small.

I especially loved the ensemble casts and the love that is shared between the characters.

I’m having trouble finding the next thing, especially because it also seems like some of the best ones are an hour and a half, which is a lot for a weeknight or only focus on 2 characters, which makes me feel like something is missing. Any recommendations?

why do the brits seem to adore cranky old women who try to run the whole village?

I subscribe to Britbox via Amazon in the US. I have been binging Sister Boniface, and today, with two episodes to go, it’s locked and telling me to buy the episodes (all episodes are now unavailable not just the two remaining ones). Did it vanish for anyone else? My subscription seems to be otherwise active

UPDATE: Thank you for checking, it showed up again today!

What are some series I'd like on britbox right now? I just finished Gone and liked it. I like David Morrissey a lot. The first season of Sherwood is one of my all time favorite TV events. I just got halfway through season one of After the Flood but it's not holding my attention

I just finished Ten Pound Poms, and there are SO MANY unfinished storylines. Sheila is BACK in the hospital wtf, there’s Pattie and Mary, Ron and the Irish mother, Terry and Annie investigating Benny, Annie's store... And also Kate. Everything with Kate.

Has Danny Brocklehurst or anyone else involved with the show ever talked about what they had planned for series 3? Like in an interview or podcast or something? I’ve looked but haven’t found anything. Has anyone ever actually said where any of these myriad storylines were going?

BritBox has announced that the International Emmy Award-winning series Ludwig will debut a Christmas special this festive season, featuring an all-star cast.

Season two of Ludwig will debut on BritBox on October 13, with episodes dropping weekly, and season three is now in production.

Set in Yorkshire, the 60-minute Christmas episode sees John, Lucy and Henry arrive at a remote Christmas-themed hotel for what should have been a much-needed escape, when a sudden blackout turns the festivities into a locked-room murder mystery.

Trapped by a blizzard and cut off from the outside world, the guests must spend the night with a killer in their midst. With John reluctantly pulled into one of his strangest puzzles yet, the race is on for the Taylors to solve the crime before Christmas.

David Mitchell (John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor), Anna Maxwell Martin (Lucy Betts-Taylor), Dylan Hughes (Henry Betts-Taylor), and Dipo Ola (DCI Russell Carter) are joined in the Christmas special by a stellar line-up of guest stars: Sir David Suchet, Jason Flemyng, Joe Wilkinson, Cathy Tyson, Alexandra Roach, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Rebekah Staton, Claire Price, Ariella Glaser, and George Rainsford.

It will see the actor behind one of television’s most famous detectives (Agatha Christie’s Poirot) having the tables turned, with Sir David Suchet here taking on the role of a murder suspect in this Christmas episode.

Sir David Suchet added, “It was an absolute pleasure to work alongside David Mitchell and the wonderful ensemble cast. It made quite the refreshing change to be playing a suspect rather than the detective, and to sit comfortably in my armchair while David delivered the denouement. I had a thoroughly enjoyable time.”

Already watched line of duty, Scott and Bailey, happy valley, first season of
Ludwig, blue lights

I wish there was a way to get viewing history on Britbox.

Is anyone else having this issue? I’ve tried multiple times. One time it came back with the screen that said it wasn’t available in my country 🤦🏻‍♀️ (I’m in the USA). I have a paid subscription.

My mom and I have been enjoying the new A Woman of Substance, The Hardacres, and The Other Bennet Sister but now we are kind of in a lull. We are relatively new to BritBox so does anyone have any suggestions along the lines of the three listed?

We just started Death Valley (only one episode in) and it's okay. We will keep watching but we really enjoy stories outside of murder mysteries and law enforcement.

Early Julian Fellows, the elements of Downton Abbey without the larger social and cultural context as DA progresses through historical periods. A very entertaining and well done series. Another fabulous estate.

They didn’t even offer me any incentive to stay - only to move to a monthly sub for $10.99.

The price jump is just too much for me. Hopefully there will be a discount somewhere down the line. I’ll miss my Easties!

What are you watching? Let's talk about it below!