Still Watching...

"I'm A Virgo" from Boots Riley, "Full Circle" from Steven Soderbergh, "Drops Of God" is a stunner, plus more "Kleo" and "Alice In Borderland."

When you watch television out of order or rhythm or, to be more clear, not in an organized fashion led by the zeitgeist — you know, “The Bear,” or that show that used to be good during the pandemic, etc. — then strange patterns emerge; coincidence arises.

It’s a little spooky. Also it’s the most fun way to watch television because it’s just a jumble of madness, like trying to stream everything that’s available to you when you’re several seasons behind on your own life. Who attempts that madness? Who says, “In the next two weeks I’m going to listen to every song ever recorded and now available on Spotify"? Only one — me, and that’s a lie but I’m going to say it anyway. So, nobody.

Which is my strange way of looking back at my life as a TV critic and thinking, “Who thought it was a good idea to read reviews of 56 shows a month and then try to keep up?” Hoo, we were all so kooky then.

Because life in an ocean of options is madness. It creates fractures in logic and meaning.

Here’s an example:

As some of you know, I watched the very first episode of the Apple TV+ series “Drops Of God” — a show about wine which also has modernist architecture so duh — and then backed off waiting to watch the rest of it with my wine guru and friend, Dan.

It didn't exactly work out. Watching with other people is like merging an Escalade into Thai traffic. It’s just too complicated and it’s best to figure something else out.

(If you’re curious, this was where it was mentioned):

"Drops of God," "Dead Ringers," "Cunk On Earth," "Tiny Beautiful Things," more on "The Diplomat" and some dangerous ideas.

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But follow me on this. So I keep watching “Drops Of God” and I keep loving it, after having watched the trailer ages ago and finding it (the trailer) really terrible. There is a character who is from Japan, named Issei, played stoically by the actor Tomohisa Yamashita. Without giving anything away — not even a drop — Yamishita must be said stoic — almost robot-like — because Issei is closed off, emotionally shut down. Brilliant, but not passionate.

OK, now let’s cut back to me watching the second season of “Alice In Borderland” on Netflix ((always a great sign when you watch something random via the “Deep Dive” recurring feature and then keep at it); it’s one of the gems unearthed so far.

(If you’re curious, this is where it was first mentioned):

Introducing: Deep Dive Netflix.

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As the second season begins on “Alice” a new character — naked and out there — is introduced. He’s the King of Clubs and his character is…well, in a former life he was a wannabe rock star in Japan. Living life to the fullest and being naked (not yet literally) was his thing. But I digress: He’s played by…Tomohisa Yamashita.

Now, it’s true that this happens enough to maybe not be something to get all excited about. I mean, actors in shows you love pop up in other shows you love all the time. But in my world, “Drops Of God” and “Alice In Borderland” are both current shows, for me personally. In reality, only the former is new; the latter finished its second season in 2022. But again, I’m watching TV not like I did in the past but as most of you do now — I get to things when I’m finally interested enough to turn them on. And to me, Yamashita playing vastly different characters in shows I’m jumping back and forth on — the premise of “Still Watching…” — was brow-torquing with intrigue.

Ah, but it paled in comparison to watching the first two episodes of Boots Riley’s “I’m A Virgo” (Amazon Prime) and then watching “Full Circle” (Max) immediately after and realizing that actor Jharrel Jerome is both the 13-foot-tall teenager of the wonderfully quirky “I’m A Virgo” and a rising gangster in Stephen Soderbergh’s “Full Circle” (Max).

Listen, people, BOTH OF THOSE SHOWS JUST STARTED.

Little bit of a mind fuck that this cross-casting/cross-appearances happened on four shows that I watched less than 24 hours apart.

Hats off and enthusiastic clapping to Jerome and Yamashita.

As for the shows themselves, which I’m (reverberating sound effects)… Still Watching…well, here’s the lowdown: