Netflix Recap (Or Rant?)
A short commentary on two TV shows and a documentary I watched this month
This post is a short commentary about Netflix content I’ve watched this month. Don’t expect this to be a structured or nuanced review. You’ve been warned.
Victoria Beckham
Together, they are greater than the sum of their parts.
~ Show narrator
This might seem like a cliché, but it is the case in all good marriages. Probably, it’s the only good reason to marry anyone. That said, the show is kinda engaging.
There are two layers of narrative overlapping over each other in this three-episode documentary.
The first layer is about the relationship and individual growth stories of Victoria and Beckham. The second layer is Victoria’s prep for an upcoming show she has planned for her label in Paris. The backstory is told along with the ongoing story of the show.
Visually pleasing and well-researched narrative shows the vulnerable side of Victoria Beckham née Victoria Caroline Adams. She happens to be one of the key members of the band Spice Girls (now disbanded).
Apparently she was richer than Beckham when they married, but her desire to reinvent herself after the end of Spice Girls led her on a different trajectory.
Her goal was to capitalise on her sense of fashion and start a label in the highly competitive space. Elusive profits and criticism from the public pose significant threats to her business. The show doesn’t delve too much into sub-par business decisions that may have caused the monetary challenges.
But, the presentation of Victoria as an attention hungry public figure and her transformation from a pop star to a sportsman’s wife to a businesswoman has been narrated well. The show is also critical of the media and public who seem to have judged her unfairly.
Victoria Beckham Holdings was valued at £100 million in 2017. Its current valuation is unclear but continues to earn revenues with the aid of capital infusion from several investors and newer products.
Somewhere, I feel Beckham did not give honest feedback or help Victoria set up a better team during the initial years of the business. Or maybe he was not skilled in the domain just like her.
But it is quite clear that Victoria did realise her business problem after a while and fixed it by onboarding a business partner who could help her.
It remains to be seen if the turnaround mentioned in the show is happening in real life as latest reports suggest that the company needed another loan of £6.2m amidst widening losses.
Overall, this documentary expanded my horizons though I’m unsure whether others would enjoy it as much as I did.
The Diplomat (Season 3)
The Diplomat is a show about a power couple facing serious relationship challenges amidst a turbulent foreign policy crisis between the United Kingdom and United States of America.
The third season carries on the saga from the second. People get promotions in the political ladder even as the foreign relations between the two nations dive further.
But the second half of season three is kinda comical as the lead character is horny and just wants to get laid. The Vice President’s wife is in an open marriage and somehow secret service and the president of her sleeping with a shady spy in the British establishment.
The Second Lady makes a very persuasive bid for physical action with a senior British cabinet member during an official party.
The President’s husband is also suspicious of his wife who now holds the top job. However, there are not strong signals to justify this claim till the very last episode.
All of this infantilises the seriousness of the top positions these characters hold. In addition, the British and Americans take big decisions based on a single man’s inputs without trying to cross check or verify from other sources.
I am not sure if foreign policy and intelligence gathering are portrayed effectively in the show. But, some of the twists and turns make in an interesting watch if not a seriously representative one.
As per expectation, the third season ends on a cliffhanger indicating that there will be another season next year.
Brooklyn 99
I've reached season 4 of this show. Honestly, it is a light hearted show full of absurdity and wry humor. I have no complaints whatsoever.
The most adorable character in my opinion is Captain Holt. Jake Peralta is a people-pleaser and an overacting wannabe, though he has his moments of courage.
The on-and-off situationship between Jake and Amy in the first two seasons has been given some sort of stability in the third and fourth seasons. If not, I would have been very disappointed with the growth and evolution of these two characters.
Of course, one does not have to analyse this show. Just enjoy it. Ciao.