What I’ve Watched | Humans, Daredevil S3, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Synths, superheroes and witches. I swear, I feel like the only shows I watch about "regular" people are This Is Us and Grey's Anatomy. But what can I say – I love sci-fi and fantasy type shows best!

Humans

credit • available on Amazon Prime

I started watching Humans back in September, a few weeks after seeing Crazy Rich Asians. Like everyone else, I was totally enamored with Astrid and the actress playing her, Gemma Chan. I heard she was in Humans, a sci-fi drama set in a parallel universe where advanced technology has led to the creation of lifelike humanoids called Synths. And owning a Synth in your home to act as a caretaker, nanny or anything you want is the norm. It initially focuses on a family who buys a Synth (played by Gemma Chan) for the first time and how each member reacts to it/her and a widower with a personal attachment to the Synth he's had for years. Of course there’s also a whole backstory and conspiracy with these Synths which underlies everything and the cast of characters continued to expand with each season. It’s an interesting and well-executed concept as it brings up questions about what it means to be human, civil rights and if they’re applicable to Synths, science and more. The show is 3 seasons long and while it had its ups and downs (season 2), the first season hooked me and its third one was particularly strong. I’m looking forward to season 4!

Daredevil Season 3

credit • available on Netflix

Daredevil is the only Marvel show on Netflix that is consistently good (IMHO) and I thought season 3 was incredible. It picks up right where The Defenders left off. Matt wakes up in the church dealing with the aftermath of his injuries and once again struggling with what it means to be Daredevil. That’s my one complaint about the beginning of S3 and it’s the same one I’ve had about Matt in S2 and The Defenders. I wish he’d stop with all his internal drama and turmoil about being Daredevil. Just embrace it, dude. Everyone knows he can be Daredevil and Matt Murdock except him. But again, aside from that, this season was awesome. Fisk is back as the compelling villain Daredevil desperately needs (sorry but the Hand doesn’t interest me). Likewise both Foggie and Karen step up in a way that made me actually care about them and their relationships to Matt. Also the show really upped the ante in terms of fight scenes and there’s one in episode 4 that blew my mind. I can’t wait to see what they do next.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

credit • available on Netflix

I’m only a few episodes away from finishing the season but I think it’s enough to tell you my perspective so far. If you’ve seen the trailers, you’ll know that it is nothing like the 90s show we (or at least I) grew up with. The characters may have the same names and it still involves witches but that’s where the similarities end. This is much, much darker with a strong feminist themes and I’m into it. It’s certainly flawed and I don’t love all the cinematography (although the ones where everything is dark but only Sabrina will be in bright red or white is so effective) but overall, I’m enjoying how the show has set itself apart from its source material and Kiernan Shipka is great in the role. Also one of the actresses from Doctor Who (Missy) is on it and as usual, she is top-notch. In general, the Chilling Adventures delves far more in to magic, witch lore, and what they believe in and I think that’s a huge part of the appeal. Sometimes its a bit on the nose but it doesn’t bother me. Plus I kind of want a black cat named Salem now. If you’re at all curious about the show, I think it’s worth checking out.

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What have you been watching?