Still Watching...

The end of "Bodies" and "Bad Sisters," the continuing of "Deadloch," "The Courier" movie and how to escape the world.

I think there’s something very helpful in today’s world to find yourself immersed in a quality distraction — creative TV series, wonderful books, art, non-stop musical salvation coming through the headphones, etc. — while we tell ourselves the white lie that looking away might make things better in the world by the time we look back again.

It doesn’t, because we are not magical. But even if it doesn’t help the world, I’ll tell you want it does do — it helps you, personally. I think everybody is feeling a certain weight, on multiple fronts, from the world and our fragile mental health, barely recovered (if it is) from the raw pandemic era, is getting savaged about yet again.

I’ve certainly failed the “don’t doomscroll” incantations I made to myself (which means that I’m just a couple of months shy of turning that self-suggestion into a full blown 2024 Resolution).

I’ve done less exercising.

I’m ragged and hopeless when it comes to reading these days. I had a pretty good mid-2023 going on that front and now it’s off the crossbar and into the stands, the match halted, the fans walking away in disgust. I join them and slouch home, disappointed in myself.

I’m sleeping less. And I have brilliantly tackled this issue by not just staying awake, but staying awake and doomscrolling (man, that Apple News app is already kicking my ass).

The one thing I’ve managed to do well of late is not allow my monkey brain to jump from show to show (although, technically, that’s kind of doing this job well). As many of you know, starting and not finishing things is hardwired into the professional TV critic socket somewhere in the back of my hardpan. I’m a magpie for the endless new and endless old shows (and movies) that are available to me.

But lately I’ve stayed the course, plowing through episodes of series I’m enjoying, rewinding scenes to understand intent, maybe get a little judgy about decisions; I’ve honed in in incredibly riveting acting performances (so much so that I have an idea for yet another feature for this Substack). I’ve allowed myself to soak, slowly, into stories. And I’ve finished them. I’ve actually watched them, slowly, beginning to end.

The two primary examples: “Bodies” on Netflix and “Bad Sisters” on AppleTV+.