It's a modern-day "Sopranos."
For those playing the home game, you know I've written rapturously about the three seasons of the Belgian-Dutch production "Undercover," about the travails of Ferry Bouman, and law enforcement's effort to nail him.
Bouman is an antihero, just like Tony Soprano. Someone who can kill on a whim, yet be warm and affectionate moments thereafter.
However, Tony Soprano comes from a long line of Mafiosi, whereas Ferry Bouman is a self-starter, making it up as he goes. Starting with nothing, and climbing his way up the ladder on his wits.
What I like most about Ferry is his ability to stand up to people. We live in a nation, a world, of suck-ups. I just read a review of the new Ray Dalio biography, wherein they eviscerate the self-made myth of this hedge fund titan. They say Dalio is an untalented bully who made his way up the ladder by kissing butt. And to survive in his organization, you have to do the same.
And that's what we're taught in America, for all the veneration of the self-starting entrepreneurs, in truth we're told over and over again to be a member of the group, not to raise our head, not to say something unpopular, to get along. We're told that's where the rewards are. And you might make a living being a cog in the system, but that's not where the fun is.
Which is kind of the story of the British Invasion bands. They were doing it on a lark, they didn't expect to get rich, they were just forestalling a job in the factory.
As for the Silicon Valley titans... Let's be real, these are the people who dropped out of Ivy League institutions. They were the best and the brightest, and were always told so. That's what I've always loved about the music business, it was loose nuts and bolts who didn't fit in anywhere else, people who couldn't work for anybody else, who did it their way. And although we still see this in the ranks of managers, corporate ownership has eviscerated that ethos. Lucian Grainge? Rob Stringer? Even Rob Light? They're working for the man, they've got no skin in the game. When it's your money, you play differently. That's the story of great entrepreneurs like Ahmet Ertegun, Chris Blackwell and Jerry Moss, never mind Jac Holzman. They made it up as they went along. And one thing they all exuded was self-confidence. They didn't care how anybody else did it, they hewed to the beat of their own drummer, they did it their way.
Like Ferry Bouman.
Now after the three seasons of "Undercover," there was a prequel movie. And now there's a prequel series. It's eight episodes. Not a huge commitment. And the first is set-up, it's so-so, not that gripping, and then...
There are two episodes that are so intense, they have you sitting on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what happens while simultaneously wishing you could shut the TV off, not being able to handle the anxiety. This is great television, the last time I've seen episodes this intense was in "The Bureau," the French TV show, which you've got to pay extra for, subscribing to AMC+ or Sundance Now. Meanwhile, is there anybody without a subscription to Netflix?
So Ferry deals Ecstasy. And he's up against the titans. And you know that the government is now sophisticated, which makes it difficult to get the precursor ingredients. And the kingpin has got the market locked up and...
That's my favorite part of the series. When Ferry is caught red-handed, by those well-financed and with a bigger footprint.
Most people would wimp out at that point. Beg for mercy. But Ferry bites back, owns his position, pushes his vision down the throat of the superior. He's got balls. All men have balls, but they're afraid to whip them out, to show them. But real men do.
Ferry Bouman is a real man.
Business is dark and dirty, rules are bent and intimidation is rampant. And it's not only in illegal businesses. If you read the business news you know the most respected corporations are crossing the line constantly. It's a dirty game. And you're told you can't compete.
But Ferry does.
Without a net.
Now in truth, those of Ferry's stripe don't always win, the chutzpah falls flat, they get snuffed out. But they're not going to let the world get one over on them. They're grabbing life by the horns, and it's inspirational.
There are the dumb criminals working for Ferry. It's hard to get the best and the brightest in crime. And it's these dummies that oftentimes get you in trouble. But Ferry is the overlord, he keeps it all going, keeps his compatriots in check. He's like a coach, but sans the guaranteed salary of these college men paid millions in supposed educational systems. You know the world is messed up when a university football coach makes seven million dollars a year.
Most of us will never have that opportunity, but we can make our own opportunities.
And is morality everything? If so, Ferry's in trouble. But Ferry is loyal. Never forget, when it comes to criminal enterprises, loyalty is everything. Scratch that, loyalty is everything in life. Except maybe for artists. What did Bob Dylan say, to live outside the law you must be honest? That used to be the credo of the artist, but today the artists are sold-out whores who think that money and publicity are everything. But it's never the gross, it's the work. And if you do it right, there's plenty of money.
Now you can watch "Ferry" in English, but I wouldn't recommend it. Best to watch it in Dutch with English subtitles.
And because of this, because it is a foreign language program, most people will say no-go, as they consume the week by week dross of HBO and Apple. Man, you've got to marinate in a series, you've got to be captured by it. Its all about mood, an alternative universe, you can't sustain that feeling week by week.
But the bean counters think that's best. I could argue with that, but they can't handle the truth.
It's all about the binge.
And you should binge "Ferry: The Series."
This is what movies used to present, but in a longer form, deeper in character, in story, you truly get to know the players, you're involved, attached. This is the golden era of TV. Zaslav scratched foreign production. Netflix was affected less by the strikes because it's producing shows all over the globe.
And it's these shows that have me keeping up my subscription. It's rare that an American show hooks me. Because American shows are made with the audience in mind, they play outward instead of inward. Ferry has no illusions he's a matinee idol. He's a regular guy, starting from the same line as you and me. He's making it up as he goes. He knows what he wants and he's doing his best to get it. He'd be a role model.
If he wasn't a criminal.
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