This week, and for a number of the weeks to follow, we will be doing Fall Television Secret Santa. We each “randomly” chose a name and were given the job of gifting a television show to that person. This week we will be discussing the person we drew, the show we chose for them and why. In the coming weeks we will be pairing down our roundtable to two and interviewing our Secret Santa about the show they were gifted (or forced) to watch. The rules state that you may watch as much or as little of the show as you like and that the gift giver must have seen at least a portion of the show as well. 

Kerri

1. What name did you pick? Jane

2. What show did you pick for Jane to watch? Broadchurch

3. Why did you make that choice? Like Katie, I was swayed by Jane’s love of mysteries and procedurals. Broadchurch is a nice combination of character study and procedural where the stories of the central characters are just as important and the mystery they are trying to solve. Beyond its mystery and the procedural aspects, Broadchurch is an extremely well crafted and written show. The way the show sets up and expands the world of Broadchurch is astoundingly good and the characters are all equally intriguing and well played.

4. What do you think Jane will like about the show? I am convinced Jane will love the relationship between the two detectives, Hardy and Miller. There is so much bubbling up from under the surface with these two. The tension and the banter is beautiful and the acting of David Tennant and Olivia Colman is always precise, human and spot on. I think Jane will like the central mystery of the show, the murder of young Danny Latimer, but just as much I think she will like the smaller mysteries that all of the residents of Broadchurch have. To my mind, these small mysteries are what makes Broadchurch different from a standard procedural and round out the characters that would otherwise just be peripheral, red herrings. Also, they makes an otherwise quite dour show pretty damn fun.

5. What do you think Jane might not like so much? The ending, like most mysteries, could be, for some, not the most satisfying. That being said, without spoiling anything, I thought that it all added up. There were enough hints and clues and foreshadowing for the ending to work for me. Additionally, the show’s last scenes ring a bit schmaltzy for an otherwise quite grounded, sometimes gritty drama.

Katie

1. What name did you pick? Kerri

2. What show did you pick for Kerri to watch? Spaced

3. Why did you make that choice? Picking a show that Kerri hasn’t already seen seemed like a daunting task. She is usually my go-to for new shows to watch. Spaced came to mind, because it is a really fun, really short show, so even if she doesn’t like it then there is no big loss of time.

4. What do you think Kerri will like about the show? I hope that Kerri will find the show funny. Spaced has a great sense of comedic timing and an imaginative style. It’s a playful show, and not at all mean spirited, so I think that’s right up Kerri’s alley. I also think that she will love the leading lady, Daisy.

5. What do you think Kerri might not like so much? Jeez Kerri, what’s not to like about Spaced? But seriously, I think she may find some of the humour hokey.

Jane

1. What name did you pick? Katie

2. What show did you pick for Katie to watch? Twin Peaks

3. Why did you make that choice? I was on the fence about giving this one to Katie. I know she has some issues with David Lynch and Twin Peaks is really Lynch-y. I’m sure my own love of the show (and Lynch) contributed more to my decision than I realize, but I do think that Katie will have fun uncovering all the secrets and horrors Lynch has hidden for us in Twin Peaks.

4. What do you think Katie will like about the show? It’s an edge of your seat soap opera with lots of sex and a great mystery. I know Katie likes all of those things. Also the show is freak’n hilarious and, I think, well-suited to Katie’s sense of humor. I think she will love the eccentricities of the people that populate the town. They are the best kind of weird and the show does an excellent job of introducing us to the fairly large cast of characters early in the pilot episode.

5. What do you think Katie might not like so much? I think Katie might have issues with the pace of the show (especially early on). Twin Peaks is wandering and dreamlike, taking it’s own time to drift around the people, places and objects that occupy the seemingly sleepy town. That being said, I think the pace is something Katie will come to appreciate and sink into as she moves through the series.