I know, I know, it's an old show, but it's new to me. Jason Hirschhorn hipped me to the fact that it was finally on Netflix. Oh, I was aware of it, but I'm not buying a TV show, I'm on strike, we already subscribe to too many TV services.
Now if you haven't seen "Borgen," you should. For the lessons. Like "House of Cards." Politics is a game, how do you stay in it? Compromise is key. If you just stand your ground you get nowhere. But if you compromise, your constituents hate you for it. It's a conundrum. But the game-playing, it's akin to all other industries, even walks of life. You see there are bullies and manipulators and the only way they respect you is if you stand up to them, if they can roll over you they just laugh and take further advantage. I know, I know, it's the opposite of what you'd think, but if you want to have respect, you've got to be able to say no. And the work/family balance, and the way the prime minister's husband helps her sort out the issues...I guess too many shows are about murders and war, situations which you'd never experience in real life, but you can identify with "Borgen," I recommend it.
But I can't really recommend "Nobel," which we finished before "Borgen." It's a Norwegian show about the war in Afghanistan and some say there's too much talking and not enough action, not that I'd agree, and it's interesting but it's not absolutely top drawer, put it on your list if you've seen absolutely everything.
But what we watched before "Nobel"...IT WAS FANTASTIC!
"The A Word." My buddy Don Elford in Australia recommended it.
So I immediately researched the reviews. I'm sorry to say, if you recommend something that's got a bad rating on RottenTomatoes, under 80%, the odds of me watching it are about zero. Actually, unless I know you well, the show you recommend must be in the nineties, or high eighties, why waste so much time on subpar viewing, life is short, it's gonna end before you know it, sink your teeth into the good stuff!
"The A Word" had a 93% Average Audience Score and an 89% Average Tomatometer score so we fired it up, it's on Amazon Prime. No, it does not cost extra, if you pay for Prime you can view it for free, and you should.
"The A Word" is in English. So if you hate subtitles, you've got no excuse. But I'd recommend you leave the subtitles on, because the accents can get heavy.
It's shot in the Lake District. It is so beautiful, it will positively blow your mind. I did not know it was so close to Manchester, which I've been to multiple times, I wish I'd made the excursion.
So, living in the Lake District is like living in the country. Not everybody went to college, but everybody finds a way to survive.
Joe is autistic. That's the premise of the show, I'm not giving anything away. But Joe's parents won't accept this, they want to will him to be normal. They believe with just enough attention, he can overcome...once they admit that he's on the spectrum to begin with.
How do they find out? Well, they go to doctors, but really it's the sister-in-law, Nicola, who points to Joe's behavior. Nicola is one of those people who is smart, who is educated, but has no tact, cannot help herself from stating the truth, straightforwardly, sans nuance. You know, the kind you hate. Which Paul and Alison do. But she's right.
And Nicola is married to Alison's brother Eddie, who can't get over the fact that she had an affair.
And Alison and Eddie's father's wife died and he copes by trail-running.
And the music teacher's husband moved on and she misses intimacy and...
I don't want to give too much away. But the point is, these are normal people.
Maybe you have autism in your family, maybe not. But seeing the disappointment when Paul and Alison realize the hopes and dreams they had for Joe won't come true...it's heartbreaking.
But Joe is a music savant. Yes, he lives for eighties ditties, the songs his parents grew up with. If you grew up in the States, you'll know some of them, maybe if you grew up in the U.K. you'll know all of them.
So what we've got here is a family drama. But what makes it so great is the characters are 3-D and they don't always do what you expect them to.
You know American TV shows...it's all kumbaya, everybody loves everybody, everything works out, or if it doesn't someone is a villain who needs to pay the price. But that's not how life works!
I'd love to get into the details with you, but I don't want to ruin anything.
If you're human, if you're in touch with your feelings...
Or, if you're human and you're not in touch with your feelings...YOU SHOULD BE!
"The A Word" does not bludgeon you with messages. These are just people living their lives, dealing with the unexpected, trying to cope.
Alison is beautiful, but during the first season you want nothing to do with her.
This is not American TV. Sure, there are some great U.S. shows but the truth is it's a great big world out there with a lot of great stuff just waiting for you to watch it. Hiding in plain sight, like "Borgen."
Like "The A Word."
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