Category: TV

Carolina Capers: Novels & TV Series

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INDIAN FAMILY SAGA

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

(lithub.com)

Abraham Varghese does not write short novels.  His earlier work, Cutting for Stone, which I read and enjoyed was also a tome.  The Covenant of Water is more than 700 pages; one must persevere, and one must endure, but it is worth the effort.  I do believe it could have been edited down some, but I felt that about the earlier novel also.

Covering the years 1900 to 1977 and set mainly in Kerala, India, and somewhat in Madras and Glasgow, it begins with a 12-year-old girl marrying a 40-year-old widower, father of one son, JoJo.  Over the years, she becomes Big Ammachi, the matriarch of the family, presiding over and nurturing three generations at Parambil, the family seat.  Threaded through the generations are an uncommon number of deaths by drowning.  Those who drown have a fear of water and work to avoid contact with any water.  This affliction is known as The Condition, and for decades, no one knows what causes it or why.  

Dense with descriptive prose, detailed descriptions of unusual medical procedures (Vergherse is a physician and a professor), and a host of characters, intriguing individuals seemingly unrelated to the main story, The Covenant is rich and engrossing.  As is his wont, Verghese brings these characters together, connections are made, and the strands become a cohesive whole.  For readers with patience, it’s a rewarding journey! (~JWFarrington)

MAISIE DOBBS REFLECTS

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

(harpercollins.com)

I have read all of Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs’ series and have been a big fan of this author.  About fifteen years ago, a good friend and I went to a small bookstore lunch in Marin honoring Winspear.  It was to celebrate the arrival of her latest Maisie Dobbs.  Not surprising, Winspear was gracious and warm. She chatted with us individually during lunch and then read a selection from the book.  It was a memorable affair. 

In addition to the Maisie Cobbs series, Winspear has written two standalone novels and a poignant memoir, This Time Next Year, We’ll Be Laughing. I recommend these works as well.

The Comfort of Ghosts is the 18th novel in the series and a fitting end to Maisie’s career. It is 1945 and the war is over, but London folk are suffering with bombed out buildings and a lack of suitable housing.  Food is in short supply, some homeless become squatters in vacant homes, and demobbed soldiers are haunted by what they have witnessed.

In her last case, Maisie becomes protector and investigator for four young squatters who believe they’ve seen a murder.  She must call upon all her sources and friends for assistance, while simultaneously reflecting on her own part in both world wars, and on the deaths of friends and spouses.  As always, Maisie is determined, detail-oriented, and perceptive; these traits all come into play.

For anyone who hasn’t read the early works, this one is a valedictory to Maisie’s career and personal life, providing glimpses and explanations about how she rose from lowly household maid to investigator and psychologist. Along the way, readers are reintroduced to Maurice Blanche, her mentor and friend; Pris her longtime friend since college; her father and stepmother Brenda; and Julian and Rowan Compton, parents of her first husband James.  It’s a trip down memory lane, shadowed by old ghosts, and yet reflective of the challenges Maisie and her compatriots face in moving on past the terror and damage of WWII.  

Winspear convincingly portrays both the postwar climate in Britain and the mental struggles those who served must overcome to function again in peacetime.  Maisie Dobbs has her own regrets and concerns, but she is a stalwart, and her first response is usually to provide help.  I found this a very satisfying conclusion to the series, but I will, nonetheless, miss Maisie.  (~JWFarrington)

REGENCY ROMANCE

Bridgerton, Season 3 (Netflix)

Colin & Penelope (eonline.com)

Bridgerton, first viewed during Covid, has now advanced to its 3rd season.  For those who’ve read Julia Quinn’s novels on which it’s based, it’s a logical viewing choice.  Created by the talented producer Rhonda Shimes and Quinn, it’s a romance lover’s delight—complete with lavish costumes, fancy balls and intrigues, frustrated and beleaguered lovers, and, of course, the redoubtable Lady Whistledown’s gossip sheet.  

This season focuses on Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.  She is the youngest and an overlooked sibling in her family, while Colin, the Bridgerton brother she has been friendly with and adored for years, has recently returned from Europe.  This is Penelope coming into her own as a woman alongside Queen Charlotte’s ongoing quest to learn the identity of Lady Whistledown.  The season is steamy and sexy with plenty of couplings, engagements, and even an incipient attraction between Lady Violet Bridgerton and a certain lord.  

It’s fun, it’s poignant, and the women have their day!  I think it’s the best season thus far with greater depth than the previous two.  Enjoy!

OTHER DOINGS

This week we participated in a Juneteenth celebration which included commentary about the holiday, music, and some tasty African-inspired nibbles. Another day, we lunched out with the Adventurous Eaters at La Victoria, an attractive Mexican restaurant in Cary. The waitstaff was friendly, the guacamole fresh with a punch, and the enchiladas verdes I ordered delicious. Add in an afternoon performance of songs from the 1950s, 1960s, and 70s by the BackFence Duo; it was a full week.

Note: Header Juneteenth graphic courtesy of Vecteezy.com

Carolina Capers: Watching at Home and on Stage

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TV SERIES

Sisters in Conflict

Becca & Rosaline (pbs.org)

Maryland (PBS Passport)

When British sisters Becca and Rosaline get the call that their mother has died on the Isle of Man, they are both mystified and sad.  Why was she there so far from home and what was she doing?  On a journey of discovery, these very different people, Rosaline, an independent career woman, and Becca, a put-upon wife and mother, disagree and rub each other the wrong way as they struggle to parse out the strands of their mother’s life and better understand each other.  

I found the tension between the sisters and their disparate world views convincingly captured.  The sisters were well cast.   Seeing Stockard Channing as friend Kathy, she who played stalwart First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the The West Wing, was an added treat.  I found this 3-episode series engrossing and enjoyable.    

French Justice

Bellefond (PBS Passport & Prime Video)

Bellefond flanked by his students (entertainment-focus.com)

Prosecutor Antoine Bellefond is so stunned by a courtroom incident, that he takes a leave of absence.  When his niece in Provence calls him for help, he returns to his hometown where his brother-in-law has been accused of murder.  Along with three of his star law students, he takes up the case and works to prove Christophe’s innocence.  

Bellefond is a diffident yet caring individual whose placid façade occasionally lights up with a smile.  His and his students’ methods are unusual to irregular, and likely not always within the realm of the law.   I found it a different take on crime investigation mixed in with the students’ foibles and attractions, sometimes for one another.   In French with subtitles, the first season is just 2 standalone episodes.  Season 2, also 2 episodes, is not yet available.

RALEIGH THEATER

Justice Theater Project

Cabaret

The Justice Theater Project presents dramas about individuals affected by social injustice.  Their Cabaret, which the Chief Penguin and I had previously seen at the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, was raw and intense.  Although set in Berlin during the rise of Nazism in 1929-30, it is timely viewing for today’s audiences.   

Sally Bowles & Kit Kat Klub dancers (asolorep.org)

Most of this company’s productions are presented on a small stage at the Umstead Park United Church of Christ.  The sets are minimal, and the sound system is basic, but the musicians and actors were passionate and fully engaged.  

I do think that the play itself spends too much time on introducing the Kit Kat Klub and the principals before it approaches the heart of the matter.  It was still a compelling performance, and Fraulein Schneider and Cliff Bradshaw were exceptionally well played characters.  Performances run through June 23rd.

Note: Header photo of TV screen courtesy of applicationsTV.

Manhattan: Politics, Fashion, & History

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VIEWING: UK POLITICAL CRISIS

COBRA (PBS)

Anna & the PM (rottentomatoes.com)

If you like political drama and were a fan of the Danish series, Borgen, then you’d probably also enjoy COBRA.  A massive geomagnetic storm knocks out power to the entire U.K., and there are not enough new transformers to replace all the damaged ones.  Which section of the country will have to wait?  It’s a monumental crisis for British prime minister Robert Sutherland and his team, including chief of staff Anna Marshall.   

This 6-part series is action packed with nail-biting tension and personal drama.  Who is the man who just shows up on Anna’s doorstep?  What really happened to Georgia, the best friend of Sutherland’s daughter?  How far will Home Secretary Archie Glover go in attempting to become the next PM?  Finally, how does the prime minister deal with rioting and destruction and calm the country?

The title, COBRA, stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Room and is used as a code for an emergency meeting of the PM and all the cabinet secretaries.  There are some familiar faces from other British series such as Victoria Hamilton, the elegantly competent Anna, who appeared in The Crown and Lark Rise to Candleford.  

This is escapism that seems eerily possible! We binge watched Season 1, the first of three seasons.

EXHIBITION: EXOTIC FASHION

Sleeping Beauties (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Dior’s Garden with a floral theme

The Costume Institute’s annual exhibit opens after the Met’s May gala.  The gala is always an extravagant display of fabric, color, and celebrities.  The exhibit also sometimes wows but not always.  This year, I appreciated the effort that went into making the exhibit immersive with a wide array of dresses from various periods and designers, but also the incorporation of videos running overhead, voiceovers, and other sounds relative to the theme of individual galleries.  Water lapping in the marine sections, insects buzzing in the nature section and so on.  Nonetheless, it was not an exhibit I loved.

Clamshell gown by Alexander McQueen
Dramatic butterfly gown
Poppies or perhaps roses?

The first space was narrow and very crowded (even though I was there right after the museum opened), so I moved through quickly.  I looked at the fashions but did not do much reading of the descriptive wall plaques.  Overall, I got the general impression of the theme, but made short work of what is a long and large exhibit.  

The gowns here are ones I found particularly striking, several of them showcasing flowers. One does wonder whether a woman could move at all in some of these creations!

EXHIBITION: SNIPPETS OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Isaac Julien’s Lessons of the Hour (Museum of Modern Art)

Tucked away into a small gallery on MoMA’s second floor is Lessons of the Hour.  British filmmaker and artist, Isaac Julien uses ten video screens of different sizes to present scenes of Frederick Douglass’s life and work.  Douglass was a 19th century abolitionist, an orator, and an author.  A Black man, he was the most photographed person of his era.  

Douglass’s life is not depicted linearly, and different images and texts appear simultaneously on the various screens.  It is possible to stand in the gallery for just a few minutes or sit on the banquette long enough to absorb more of the role this man played in the overall quest for equal rights for all people.  A worthwhile experience and one that is available into September.

Note: Header photo is a more traditional yellow Liberty gown from the 1880’s. All unattributed photos by JWFarrington.

Carolina Capers: On Plate & Screen

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CHEESE, ANYONE?

Cary has the distinction of hosting the only pimento cheese festival in the United States.  Last Saturday was the 6th Annual Pimento Cheese Festival in the downtown park.  I don’t know where previous years were held, but this park was the perfect venue.  With live music, food trucks ringing surrounding streets, activities for kids, and, most importantly, an array of tables and tents where one could sample and then purchase tubs of pimento cheese, it was a happening place.

I like pimento cheese and some of the best I’d ever had previously was Cheese Louise’s version from Artisan Cheese in Sarasota, FL.  Last week, I sampled five or so of the ten available, making the rounds and enjoying the mini cup of cheese with a tiny spoon or a cracker.  Many versions included jalapenos in some form, often pickled.  After all my sampling, I ended up buying a small container of Wendy’s Wicked which was the first one I tasted.  The day was lovely, the park was nicely crowded, and it was a fun outing!

TV VIEWING

HISTORIC FIGURES:  A DIPLOMAT & A SEER

Franklin (Apple TV+)

Pensive Franklin (indiewire.com)

Franklin is an 8-part series about Benjamin Franklin’s time in France struggling to convince the French to support America in its war against the British.  It’s based on a book by Stacy Schiff about untrained Franklin’s role as a diplomat.  (Scholar Schiff is also the author of a biography of Cleopatra which received much acclaim and which I found fascinating.)

Here, Michael Douglas plays a very convincing 70-year-old Franklin—clever, sly, and still a printer at heart.  Temple, Franklin’s teenage grandson, accompanies him.  Initially awkward and inept, Temple settles in and becomes a keen observer on Franklin’s behalf.  But these two also have their tussles, reflecting their different generational outlooks and Temple’s lack of worldly experience.  

There are many characters, and it is sometimes hard to quickly know which French official or nobleman it is, and which side of the conflict he is on.  Nonetheless, with close attention, the series offers an inside look at the strategies and machinations required to bring the French on board.  We have watched through Episode 4. 

Einstein and the Bomb (Netflix)

(economictimes.indiatimes.com)

This hour-plus docudrama, Einstein and the Bomb, lays out key points in Einstein’s personal life and his theory of relativity.  It brings together the events that led him to exit Nazi Germany for England, then the U.S., and how the threat posed by Hitler coupled with his scientific knowledge impacted his thinking and his activism.  Starting in Princeton in 1955, Einstein reflects on his life, the aftermath of WWII, and reveals his doubts and sorrow over the use of the atomic bomb.

The film alternates between theatrical scenes and archival film, but all the words attributed to Einstein are his.  It’s a powerful piece of cinema.  One small annoyance is the flashes of numbers that precede the black and white historical film clips.  

This film made me wonder whether leaders in this country are fully cognizant of the damage that would be wrought by a second term for Trump.  Are our seers being heard?  Recommended!

ADVENTUROUS EATING #3

LAOTIAN CUISINE:  SAAP

Thanks to our son and daughter-in-law’s generosity, we had an extra incentive to try this hot new restaurant located just behind the Cary Downtown Park.  SAAP, which means “yummy” in Laotian, is the latest venue for Laos native and now longtime North Carolina resident, Lon Buonsanga.  Previously executive chef at a Laotian restaurant in Raleigh, he now owns his own place. 

Located in a high-ceilinged open space with a bar on one side, SAAP feels contemporary and bright.  It has received much laudatory press, and even early on a Friday night, the place was already busy.  

Crispy coconut rice (GCF)

The Chief Penguin and I ordered from the small plates menu section and loved everything we ordered! Between us, we shared excellent crispy spring rolls, tasty chicken satay skewers, and a new dish for us, crispy coconut rice with bits of pork to wrap in large lettuce leaves.  We will return to try the curries and steamed fish. SAAP is open for lunch and dinner.