Netflix rave: Grace and Frankie

I've been searching for something new to watch on Netflix recently and I came across Grace and Frankie, a light-hearted sitcom about two ladies who discover that their husbands are more than just business partners: have been having an affair for 40 years.

With a premise like that I was expecting their to be a lot of hilarity in the first episode at least, but I wondered how they were going to retain my interest after the pilot. As expected there was a lot of awkward situation comedy and outrageous one liners ("If anyone's going to sit on Ryan Gosling's face, it'll be me!" Grace's response to her husband's joke purchase of a Ryan Gosling chair). 

However, I found it rather more endearing than I expected. There were humorous moments to be found in those complicated family scenarios we can all relate to: the way we care so much about those we're closest to whilst we simultaneously can't stand them.

Grace and Frankie are the archetypal example of finding friendship with someone who's completely opposite to you in almost every way: what inevitably draws them closer is a mutual understanding of experiencing a giant loss at the same time in their lives, and finding comfort in dealing with that new loneliness.

It's the kind of show you can watch with your mum (as I did) and see elements of your own family life in the characters on screen. It's just the right mix of ridiculous, funny and deep - just my kind of TV show!

Read more »

Suits: my new TV obsession

I had to write a blog post about my current TV obsession: Suits! I started watching it on Netflix with Craig since we worked our way through 2 seasons of Homeland and we were looking for something new to watch together. Inspired by Tanya Burr's recommendation in her recent favourites video, and having heard from countless other people it was amazing and addictive, we decided to give it a go.

It did not disappoint!  Right from season one, episode one, I was hooked. Set in New York, the series is focused around a law firm, Pearson & Hardman. At the beginning, the senior partner Harvey Specter is looking for a new associate and is fed up of all the boring Harvard law grads he usually gets. At the same time we see Mike Ross, a young wannabe lawyer who has an amazing mind, and has learned everything there is to know about law despite never officially passing the bar exam. In high school his best friend convinced him it would be a good idea to sell exam answers, which subsequently got him expelled and prevented him from going to college. Mike is taking part in a drug deal for his friend at the same time as Harvey is interviewing prospective associates, and the two meet. Harvey is immediately impressed by Mike's brilliance and despite his lack of law degree, decides to take a gamble and hire him.

They soon become a force to be reckoned with, taking on cases and winning against the odds. But Mike's lie keeps coming back to haunt him, and Harvey has problems of his own which we learn more about as the series progresses.

What I love about it the most is the way every episode follows a new case - it is so interesting and you actually feel like you're learning about the law which I find fascinating. Not only that - the writing is genius. I find it hilarious, witty and sharp. All of the main characters are excellent and portrayed well by the actors. I love all of them and my favourite characters changes week to week: I'm always rooting for Mike, and Harvey is just so effortlessly cool, but Lewis Litt definitely has the best lines! ("Seals are rodents of the sea", "Note to self: perfect the British accent") He's such a likable character and provides the most comedic value.

There's romance too- between Mike and the sexy and smart paralegal, Rachel Zane. Their "will they, won't they" sexual tension is electrifying to watch.

To sum up, if you have Netflix and you're looking for a new show to get completely hooked on, I 100% recommend it! I've also been enjoying watching it for the shots of New York City which is making me even more excited to visit in November! YEY!

Also the theme song is veryyy catchy. I should've been a lawyer...

Read more »