‘Frankenstein Chronicles’ on Netflix, a Freedom Summer Reunion on ‘We’ll Meet Again,’ ‘Detour’ Gets Fishy
A selective critical checklist of notable Tuesday TV:
The Frankenstein Chronicles (Netflix): This grisly period-piece British import, starring Game of Thrones’ Sean Bean, was originally set to premiere on A&E before that channel abandoned all scripted programming. Both six-episode seasons are now available for binge-watching, and this re-imagining of the classic horror legend gets underway in 1800s London when Inspector John Marlott (Bean) discovers a corpse comprised of the body parts from eight missing children. Anna Maxwell Martin (The Bletchley Circle) plays original Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, with Tom Ward as then-Home Secretary Robert Peel (a real-life figure who as future Prime Minister plays a major role in the current season of PBS’s Victoria).
We’ll Meet Again (8/7c, PBS, check local listings at pbs.org): Ann Curry’s poignant docu-series revisits the civil-rights era with stories involving people who met each other during the Freedom Summer of 1964, when volunteers headed South at great risk to register African-Americans to vote. Curry interviews Fatima, who was a teenager from New York when she signed up to register voters in Louisiana. She’s now hoping to reconnect with Thelma, the daughter of her host family who inspired Fatima with their courage against the violent racism of the era.
The Detour (10:30/9:30c, TBS): In one of the more extreme detours yet for this wacky family on the lam, doofus dad Nate (Jason Jones) goes all Deadliest Catch by signing up for a seven-month stint on an Alaskan fishing trawler. The rotting fish and meth fumes are one thing, but what can he expect to find upon his return?
Inside Tuesday TV: Weather permitting, the highlight of NBC’s Winter Olympics prime-time showcase (8/7c) promises to be skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s attempt to repeat her 2010 gold-medal win in Women’s Downhill at age 33. … Correspondent Martin Smith explores the historic context of Middle East conflict in the two-part Frontline report Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia (9/8c, check local listings at pbs.org), with a two-hour opener tracking the rivalry between the two nations from the 1979 Iranian revolution to today’s uprisings in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. … Cult-TV alert: Bret Harrison and Tyler Labine from The CW’s short-lived Reaper reprise their roles on a new episode of ABC’s Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (10/9c), one of the few original episodes of any network series airing during the Olympics.
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Netflix is pushing the Frankenstein Chronicles hard, and I'm tempted, but I'm feeling rather "once bitten, twice shy" after trying out the last British production that was dropped by an American TV channel and subsequently picked by a streaming network: Amazon's "Electric Dreams".
"...was originally set to premiere on A&E before that channel abandoned all scripted programming"
Which was really a shame as A&E had some solid scripted programming. I still wonder what heights Longmire could've reached if A&E had kept at it instead of punting it to Netflix.
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Re The Alienist.... (no big spoilers)
I was confused about the dinner scene, when Sarah met up with Kreizler at the fancy-shmancy restaurant. What was the thing about the whiskey? No big deal that she drinks whiskey rather than wine or port, but it seemed that Kreizler hesitated, almost as if he didn't want to drink it. I watched the scene twice, and that's the impression I had. Did anyone else see or notice that? Was it supposed to mean something?
Also, not sure what the point was about the Isaacson's dinner. Just fleshing out some side characters? (not sure why, at this point) The only thing I got out of it was the juxtaposition of their modest, home-spun meal and table, compared with the white-tie, linen table-cloth, expensive wines and dishes dinner that Kreizler was having... alone.
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I think she was just showing him she could be as tough as a man by drinking the whiskey. Maybe he hesitated because he doesn't really care for whiskey.
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Yeah, I think the "I can drink whiskey like a man" thing was obvious, but why didn't he simply decline to drink the whiskey if he doesn't like it, like a normal person would. I guess they wanted to show him feeling insecure. "Doctor, heal thyself," etc.
Still not sure about the Isaacsons' dinner. I don't think it advanced the plot in any way, so possibly just 'character development.'
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He probably didn't want to "wimp out" in front of her. Maybe he thought declining it would make him look weak in her eyes.
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I'd noticed that Kevin Probably was the only new scripted show on broadcast TV tonight. Hasn't that show been cancelled yet? Are they just burning off the remaining episodes? I gave up on it after two episodes.
I'll just watch the figure skating, Undercover High, and Baskets.
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I've enjoyed We'll Meet Again so far, so I look forward to this episode as well.
I'll be back later with some commentary (more like questions) about last night's The Alienist.
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