Back In Business, Keeping It In The Family & Going Into The Final Round!

Hello world! welcome back to another blog. In this blog I will be another one of my tv reviews. These include a second series of a BBC comedy, a new drama on Paramount+ that had me on edge, and the third and final season of the Korean life or death thriller that was also the end of an era. So, without further ado here are my thoughts on these three amazing shows! 

The Power of Parker:

The first show I’m going to talk about is series 2 of The Power of Parker, starring Sian Gibson, Conleth Hill and Rosie Cavaliero. 

Following a brilliant first series, this show continues the adventures of the two sisters and businessman Martin getting into all sorts of trouble.

The sisters Kath and Diane (Sian Gibson and Rosie Cavaliero), may have had their differences like in the first series, but as always, they do care about each other and only want what’s best for them. Kath is still the quirky sex driven party goer, but this time we got to see a more vulnerable side to her after meeting old friend Ash and getting words of wisdom from good friend Gladys (who I’ll mention in the next section of this review). These events made her realise that she needed to put herself first for once. And on the other end of the spectrum, Diane is literally me when it comes to worrying about certain situations and overthinking, particularly on the romance side of things. Whilst she may feel intimidated due to being in the world of business surrounded by mostly men, once she gets into her flow she doesn’t take herself too seriously. A little bit like me in both situations. And one thing they have in common is martins (Conleth Hill), mischievous ways. He was also in one of those moods where after Diane revealed she was seeing Vinnie, if he couldn’t have Diane then no one can. But I have a feeling that was his male pride talking, and eventually he did get found out for it.

Once again, the supporting characters from the last series really made an impression. These include Sandy (Steve Pemberton), who after having a near death experience thanks to Diane, Kath and Martin (where he tried to sneakily get out of it but failed miserably), he would do anything he could just to gain money and power, and Vinnie (Louis Emerick who is best known as Donny Clark in Hollyoaks), who struck up a romance with Diane and shows what a proper gentleman he was much to the annoyance of Martin. There was also care worker Bev (Rhiannon Clements), who was just iconic when it came to bending the rules, and Gladys (Sheila Reid), who tried to make Kath realise she needed to live for herself, and her death gave Kath the wake up call she needed.

There was also store worker Jules (Abby Vickey-Russell), who was pregnant with Diane’s sons Tom (Dominic Holmes), baby, but that didn’t stop her from being the ditsy colleague she is (which is me when I’m around certain people). There was so Kath and Diane’s dad Dougie (George Costigan), who got himself into abit of trouble after being evicted from his home, but he managed to get it sorted by the end of the series. Which brings me nicely to new characters being introduced in the show. One of them included policeman and Kath's old friend ash (Navin Chowdry previously known for being the evil Nish Panesar in Eastenders, so it was refreshing to see him playing a good guy), who I think fancied Kath, and along with Gladys, he also made her see she needed to think for herself. There was also businesswoman mic (Diane Morgan), who let’s just say you don’t want to get on her bad side, and also the stuff she sells is not what you think it is… there was also drag queen Matthew (Kate Butch), who helped Diane when it comes to romance, and also made martin realise that his daughter Alison’s (Lani Heywood), sexuality is nothing to be ashamed of but instead embraced.

I think my only two downsides were the following…. The first one being that it didn’t make me laugh out loud, but it made up for it by having some twists and turns which I wasn’t ready for. I also wished that Kath would go away with ash, but the ending where ash got the postcard from Kath said it all really.

Overall I would give the show a 4.95. It had moments that made me chuckle, a surprising plot twist, and it also showed growth in each character and what their main life goal is. I don’t know if it’ll come back for a third series, but if it does it would be great to see the new Kath and the new Diane. 

Mobland:

The next show I’m going to talk about is Mobland, casted by Des Hamilton, and starring Tom Hardy, Pierce Bronson and Helen Mirren. 

As stated on IMDb, the synopsis of the show goes as follows:

"Power is up for grabs as two warring crime families clash in a battle that threatens to topple empires. In the crossfire stands Harry Da Souza, a street-smart 'fixer' who knows too well where loyalties li when opposing forces collide.'

Harry Da Souza (Tom hardy) is known as the fixer and assigned to help the Harrigan's. And with him being a former offender, he knew how the system into landing in a cell works, so when it comes to making threats, he knew exactly what to say to keep others mouths shut. But sometimes his methods and ways of working are criticised by wife Jan (Joanne Froggatt), who goes to therapy throughout the series for reasons which I can’t say as I want anyone reading this to see for themselves. Harry’s daughter Gina (Teddie Allen) also gets roped into the situation when Harry takes her and Jan to the Cotswolds for safety. I also liked how clever she is and her dreams to be a psychologist, so I do get why she got mad at Harry for putting her education on hold. But she soon forgot about it when she gets into a relationship with Eddie (Anson Boon), who was the catalyst for the events that involved following a night out with Tommy Stephenson (Felix Edwards), which ended fatally, and his behaviour only continued with the influence of the Harrigan's (with a secret at the end being the reason why he may be like he is), who I will get onto just now. Conrad and Maeve (pierce Bronson and Helen Mirren), we’re the definition of the top gangsters. Although Maeve definitely wears the trousers in the relationship, as she was the one who practically caused a lot of the distraction and made threats to anyone who gets in the way, and what she says to Gina in particular was quite nasty. Conrad meanwhile under Maeve influence, also shows everyone who’s boss and will “take care of a problem” if anyone gets in his way. Kevin (Paddy Considine) also had a story to tell, as he had a blast from the past from former police officer Alan Rusby (Nigel Lindsay), where unless anyone reading has watched it,  I won’t say what happened, but what I can tell you is that it’s abit of a horrific watch. This only then drilled him after being made to feel like a disappointment from Conrad, and by the end of the series, Kevin finally managed to stand up for him and gained support from wife Bella (Lara Pulver), who also had her own dramas going on in the show (and even tried to flirt with Harry in the process). I also wanted to shout out paddy for making the autistic community proud, as even though he played a neurotypical character, he is living proof that no matter what boundaries you’ve got you can use it as your superpower. Half siblings Serephina and Brendan (Mandeep Dhillon and Daniel Betts), also had their own little plot in the show, and I can imagine her reaction when Maeve mentions which one she prefers, but none the less, she is the definition of girl power. Brendan on the other hand, may make out to be a tough guy, but deep down he does feel scared. And Richie Stephenson (Geoff Bell), was the definition of a number 1 enemy. His already pent-up anger was only fuelled even more by the death of son Tommy and his wife Vron (Annie Cooper), and let’s just say that if I was with him, I do not want to get on his bad side. 

There have been many supporting characters who have helped the main cast in telling their story. One of them is Conrad’s henchman Paul (Emmet J Scanlon). I really do hope that next season Paul will be more featured, as he has suddenly been my favourite character. Not only because he can create amusing moments (as even though the show isn’t a comedy, nice little bits of humour helped break the story along) but you do not want to get on his bad side. There was also Harry’s colleagues Kiko and Zosia (Antonio González Guerrero and jasmine Jobson, where one of them met a fatal end), who helped harry with his dangerous tasks, and Alice (Emily Barber), who only pretended to be Jans friend to stop the Harrigan's. But she too met a gruesome end organised by Colin Tattersall (Toby Jones), who teamed up with her and Ritchie I got taking down the Harrigan's. Officers Ivan Fisk and Mukasa (Luke Mably and Gemma Knight Jones), also had their mission with Alice’s help to take down harry, and I still don’t know the conflict between Kat McAllister (Janet McTeer), and Harry, but with season 2 recently being announced I do hope we get to see some backstory. And there was also Harry's lawyer O'Hara Delaney (Lisa Dwan) who's agenda I was not expecting throughout the show...

I don’t think I have any downsides to it, but even though there’s been mentions of Conrad being in prison before, I would’ve wanted to see how the war between the Harrigan's and the Stephenson's started. Unless I skipped some Easter eggs (which is probably the social cues), I’d be eager to see how the feud started before Tommy's death. 

Overall I would give the show a full house! It was tense, there was surprises and I can see why it’s one of the most watched shows on Paramount+. And with season 2 in the world, I can’t wait to see what unfolds next, and hopefully work into getting on the show as a certain day player role. 

Squid Game:

The final show I’m going to talk about is the third and final season of Squid Game, created and directed by Hwang Dong-huk, and starring Lee Jung-jae, Lee Bryung-hun and Wi Ha Joon. 

Following the cliffhanger from a brilliant and intense season 2, season 3 sees the games come to a dramatic climax. 

Seong Gi-hun's (Lee Jung-Jae) journey finally came to a close as his mission to stop the games came to a dramatic heat. At the start of the season, we saw him have no hope, taking his anger out in player 388 Kang Dae-ho (Kang Ha-neul), following his PTSD attack and met a fatal ending, but it was the upsetting actions of player 149 Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim who begged him to not give up hope following leaving her no choice but to murder her own son player 007 Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun), during a game of hide and seek) who help him see the light. We also got to see his confrontation with the front man Hwang In-ho (Lee Bryung-hun), who may have shedded a tear or two after Gi-hun's sacrifice and also tried to help him after getting to know him during the games. We also got to see segments from his past on his journey in the games, and at the end of the season I’m not entirely sure if he is a changed man after seeing something similar in LA after seeing Gi-huns daughter Seong Ga-yeong (Cho Ah-in). His brother Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), was still determined to thrive the island and find his brother. Now I must say he is definitely my hero, as not only did he figure out Captain Parks (Oh Dal-au), true intentions, despite not getting full answers from the front man, but the ending may have given a hint that he slightly changing his ways, and I hope this next chapter in his life will give him some happiness. We also got to see Soldier Kang No-el (Park Gyu-young), help player 246 Park Gyeong-Seok (Lee Jin-wook), in escaping the island and eventually got in contact to find her child, even though it stated that her child met a fatal end (but I’m not sure if it was the front man’s ways of luring her in). Like Jun-ho, I do hope she gets the happiness she deserves following the brutality of the games. 

We knew it was going to be an emotional one, as the supporting cast would meet a fatal end. One of the most upsetting one for fans was player 120 aka Cho Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), who met a fatal end what's trying to help player 222 Kim Jin-hee (Jo Yu-ri), who gave birth to her beautiful baby, and made Gi-hun promise to look after her if she gets into trouble. And you know when someone is bad, when the circle guard takes better care of the baby better than the dad, and 333 Lee Myung-gi aka MG coin (Im Si-wan), was one of them. As despite being the father of Jun-hees baby, he was still thinking of the money, and that is what you call an evil character. Player 100 Im Jeong-dae (Song Young-chang) also showed his desperation through the games, as his tough exterior gradually slipped. Player 124 Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won), suffered from withdrawal symptoms following Thanos pills (TOP who made a cameo appearance in the series), and 125 Park Min-su (Lee David), slowly followed suit, which then led to his fatal dismiss after getting flashbacks of Thanos and Se-mi from season 2 (TOP and Won Jj-an). The VIPs (one of which was an actor who I had the pleasure of seeing in a live show), made their mark too, but even they were stunned by Gi-hun's sacrifice. We also got to see Jun-Ho's colleague Choi Woo-seok (Jeon Seok-ho), try and find evidence of captain park being linked to the games, and despite being arrested, without him, Jun-ho’s quest wouldn’t have been possible. 

I think my only downside was despite getting flashbacks when he took part in the games, we still didn’t get a glimpse as to how the front man actually became the iconic character. So I would love to see a prequel on how the front man came to be, flipping between the past and present (like Queen Charlotte when they had younger actors to play their version of the present characters showing her journey to the throne), but it would give my mind some ease as to how the front man came to be. And I've also seen some creations of an American version with Cate Blanchett after seeing a cameo of her in the final episode. Who knows...

Overall, I would give the show a full house. It was epic, it had tension, and I must say, along with adolescence, it was the best show I’ve watched this year. Having first watched it back in November 2021 when I had Covid, it really showed me what true entertainment is. But it’s also showed me the themes of trust, friendship and the lengths people would go to get what they want. And well-done Dong-huk for gracing us with such pure magic. Those 10 years of waiting, not giving up and being patient had been worth it. 

And that was it for my review of these shows I’ve seen. Let me know after reading this if you’ve seen any of these shows and let me know your thoughts on them.

See you soon for another blog. Until next time…

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)