DOCUMENTARIES—HEROES & SCIENTIFIC DETECTIVES
Defying the Nazis: The Sharps’ War (PBS)
This film by Ken Burns is a moving portrait of the sacrifices made by American minister Waitstill Sharp and his wife Martha during the Second World War. In 1939, they left their children behind in Massachusetts and went on a secret mission to Berlin to help refugees in Europe escape the Nazis. It was a dangerous undertaking and a noble one, but one that splintered their marriage. They were an amazing couple and one that more people should know about. This film is a testament to their courage and their beliefs.
The Gene: An Intimate History (PBS Passport)
Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee is the author of a comprehensive account of the human gene, how it governs life and its role in hereditary diseases. This series by Ken Burns brings the book to the screen featuring commentary by Mukherjee and others interwoven with real patient case histories. It’s a densely packed series and a good way to update one’s understanding of human biology.
ESCAPISM—VILLAGE CRIME & INTERNATIONAL SPYCRAFT
Whitstable Pearl (Acorn via Amazon Prime)
Based on a book series by Julie Wassmer, these are cozy mysteries. Not much violence and little blood and gore. Pearl Nolan owns a restaurant and bar in small town Whitstable, England. She’s also a former police officer turned private detective. Known to almost everyone, she hunts for missing people and lost items. When detective Mike McGuire an urbanite from London, is assigned to a suspected murder case, Pearl offers assistance. Their unlikely alliance slowly morphs into a fragile friendship.
There are six episodes in Season 1. Many viewers like me are hoping for a second!
Alias (Amazon Prime)
Alias is pretty much the extreme opposite of gentle Whitstable Pearl. Sydney Bristow is a double agent working for both SD-6 and the CIA. She was recruited as a spy during college, but when she discovered that SD-6 were the bad guys she thought she was working against, she went to the CIA. Sydney and her partner Dixson get sent on challenging and dangerous assignments around the world, everywhere from a mountain slope in Chile to Barcelona, Rome, and Cairo. They have nifty technical devices to jam signals, encrypt files, and the like. Despite innumerable physical fights, torture, and nasty encounters with the enemy, Sydney always manages to return home safely to Los Angeles.
Preposterous and fast-paced, with lots of action, this series is unbelievable, but good entertainment. There are five seasons and I’m about midway through Season 1.
FAMILY DYNAMICS
Us (PBS Masterpiece)
Are you yearning to travel abroad? This 2-part series shot in some great European cities: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome, is a visual feast. It’s also a study of a marriage on its last legs and a coming-of-age story. Connie tells Douglas she wants out of their marriage, but reluctantly agrees to carry on with their planned family trip abroad. Albie at 17 is disgruntled, rattled by the tension between his parents, and eager to be on his own. Add in that relations between Albie and Douglas are tense and awkward at best.
I liked this series more the farther into I got. Initially, I found Douglas annoying and my sympathies lay with Connie. But each of them has faults and how they struggle to get along and be supportive of their son is very believable. As one summary put it, there’s humor and heartbreak here.
Note: Header image is waterfront in Whitstable, Kent, England (planetware.com)
