What I watched: 2022

Key: (B) = book | (F) = film | (T) = television series | (P) = podcast series | (TH) = theater performance | (M) = musical performance | [R] = reread/rewatch/relisten | (Tk) = talk

• December
• 28
• Finished watching Deadwind s01 T Major misdirection until the penultimate episode, but still rather good
• 26
• Started reading Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr on iBook B Very pleasantly surprised by the price: 99p
• Finished reading The Polish Officer B Engrossing AF, even the non-ending ending.
• 15
• Started reading The Polish Officer by Alan Furst on iBook B
• 11
• Finished reading The Octopus by Frank Norris B Very strange, very interesting.
• November
• 30
• Started watching Wednesday on Netflix T Delightful.
• 27
• Finished watching Yellowstone s02 on Apple TV T A modern fairy tale.
• 23
• Started reading The Octopus by Frank Norris B Hard going, stylistically and attitudinally, and very interesting for all that.
• 21
• Started watching The Crown s05 on Netflix T Too silly? Finally?
• 18
• Finished watching Spiral s05 on SBS T Resolution and closure, French style.
• 13
• Watched Amsterdam at the Cinema Trastevere F Theatrical and mannered and very good. Timely, too.
• 11
• Watched The Conversation on Prime Video F So good, Mamet-like thriller, with everything left unexplained.
• 10
• Finished reading Dark Star by Alan Furst B So engrossing.
• 08
• Started watching Deadwind s01 on Netflix T So far, so procedural.
• 06
• Finished watching Slow Horses on Apple TV T Deeply satisfying.
• 01
• Started reading Dark Star by Alan Furst B
• October
• 16
• Started watching Slow Horses on Apple TV T Pretty good. Nice to see Jonathan Pryce play the Smiley, while Gary Oldman is studiedly sleazy.
• 15
• Finished watching Bad Sisters on Apple TV T Cracking, all the way through. Wonderful. Of course, now I want a second season about Grace and Roger.
• 04
• Started watching Yellowstone s02 on Apple TV T Despite the lack of likeable characters.
• 02
• Finished watching Yellowstone s01 on Apple TV T Not one single likeable character, but fun.
• September
• 20
• Started watching Spiral s05 on SBS T As complex as ever.
• 19
• Finished reading The Last Grain Race by Eric Newby B Lost in the rigging, but utterly thilling and so brutal. Amazing.
• 15
• Started watching Yellowstone on AppleTV T Trouble on the rez, and everywhere else.
• 11
• Finished reading Songbirds, Truffles, and Wolves by Gary Paul Nabhan B A bit meh, and a very tortured view of ”the wild”.
• Finished reading Sourdough by Robin Sloan B Very entertaining, and fun to decode.
• 05
• Finished reading Alibi by Joseph Kanon B Fun to read about post-war Venice, but the denouement was a bit weak.
• August
• 25–27
• Watched Spies of Warsaw on AppleTV T Encouraged by Furst book; two long episodes very well done.
• 20
• Finished reading Night Soldiers by Alan Furst on iBooks B Absolutely gripping and a great new find for me.
• Started watching Bad Sisters on AppleTV T Plenty of hype, but enjoyed the first episode and will gladly continue.
• 19
• Started watching Jeeves and Wooster on YouTube T A glorious antidote to too much Spiral.
• 18
• Finished watching Spiral s04 on SBS T Exhausting work, and can they really all be such bastards?
• 05
• Watched Elvis in the cinema F Tom Hanks in a fat suit and a proboscis cannot kill rock 'n' roll.
• July
• 29
• Started watching Spiral s04 on SBS T Is the theme to be immigration, or terrorism?
• 28
• Finished watching Tehran s02 on AppleTV T Still one, huge loose end unravelling.
• 19
• Started watching Tehran s02 on AppleTV T Even the clichés are tense.
• June
• 06
• Finished watching Ozark s04 on Netflix T Disappointing message. Crime pays if you're rich and middle class, not if you're very bright trailer trash.
• May
• 24
• Started watching Ozark s04.2 on Netflix T Starting to tie up the loose ends.
• 22
• Finished watching Anatomy of a Scandal on Netflix T Very satisfactory ending.
• 19
• Finished watching Undercover s02 on Netflix T Is this rally the end?
• 08
• Watched Takedown on Netflix F Very funny French stupid cop buddy movie.
• 01
• Started watching Spiral s03 on SBS T Everyone here is losing their shit too.
• April
• 29
• Started watching Anatomy of a Scandal on Netflix T Many familiar faces; he said she said with weird editing.
• 26
• Started watching Undercover s02 on Netflix T Everyone is losing their shit.
• 18
• Started watching Severance on Apple TV+ T Almost lost us with too much boredom mirroring the characters' boredom.
• 17
• Finished watching Spiral s02 on SBS T Fewer lose ends, which was nice. Taking a break.
• 07
• Finished watching Spiral s01 on SBS T Far less closure and tidying up than I would have expected.
• March
• 30
• Started watching Spiral on SBS T Absorbing enough despite odd editing.
• 22
• Finished reading The Lincoln Highway on Kindle B The story envelopes you, although the ending is very open.
• 13
• Finished watching Inventing Anna on Netflix T Huge fun, but why was the character of Vivien invented?
• 2
• Started reading The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles on Kindle B Already entranced after only two chapters.
• February
• 28
• Watched Belfast at the cinema! F Extremely good, mesmerising cinematography, fine soundtrack, astonishing performances by the kid.
• 27
• Started watching Inventing Anna On Netflix T Kinda obvious, and entertaining, but what's with all the NY skylines? We know.
• 26
• Finished watching Young Wallender s02 on Netflix T Excellent, even though I don't understand the timeline.
• 18
• Watched The Good Liar on Netflix F Really excellent thriller, even though it did require an awful lot of exposition at the end. Superb performances.
• 08
• Finished watching The Girl from Oslo on Netflix T Not bad at all, though I wonder about the remaining open ending; another series? Surely not.
• 02
• Started watching The Girl from Oslo on Netflix T These Israeli dramas are so good.
• January
• 29
• Watched Inherent Vice on Apple TV F easily as weird as Magnolia, but that may be Pynchon rather than Paul Thomas Anderson.
• 25
• Started watching Munich etc on Netflix F Splendid romp. Deep? Not so much.
• 23
• Finished watching The ABC Murders On Apple TV T Of course the red herring didn't do it.
• 22
• Started watching Ozark s04 on Netflix T L'il Jonah done be all growed up.
• 21
• Finished watching Hap & Leonard s02 on Netflix T And they all lived happily ever after, except for all those who had to die.
• 18
• Started watching The ABC Murders on Apple TV T Poor old Poirot, spurned by those he served.
• 15
• Watched The Tragedy of Macbeth on Apple TV F Absolutely wonderful. Stylish, nuanced, terrifying.
• 13
• Watched Motherless Brooklyn on Apple TV F I'd been waiting for the film since I read the book, and while it wasn't super faithful, it did not disappoint.
• 09
• Finished watching Mare of Easttown on Apple TV T Whoo boy, that was good, and some strong women.
• 05
• Started watching Hap & Leonard s02 on Netflix T So many stereotypes, so much fun.
• 03
• Watched Being the Ricardos on Netflix F Very well handled as almost mock-doc, made me want to know more about Fred and Ethel.