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This is what I watched on Netflix during the first quarter of 2019, January to March. I am still very ill. The winters in the UK have really affected me for the second year in a row. I spent most of January and February battling various illness that left me bed bound. This time, I mainly spent watching Netflix and reading numerous books.

January

My husband and I started You even though it was released in December. This was so good, what would you do for love? For a brilliant male bookstore manager who crosses paths with an aspiring female writer, this question is put to the test. A charming yet awkward crush becomes something even more sinister when the writer becomes the manager’s obsession. Using social media and the internet, he uses every tool at his disposal to become close to her, even going so far as to remove any obstacle, including people, that stands in his way of getting to her. I even went and got the second novel out from the library to see where this story went. We both really enjoyed this series and will be watching the next one.

Black Mirror Bandersnatch is a lot different to all the other Black Mirror shows we have previously seen. This one, you dictate where the show goes and there are multiple endings.  A young programmer starts to question reality when he adapts a mad writer’s fantasy novel into a video game. I am not a fan of not knowing what is going to happen. But what can you do. We did started watching again with different choices and that was fun for a while.

DC Titans takes on the “Teen Titans” franchise follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find where they belong. Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, a special girl possessed by a strange darkness, get involved in a conspiracy that could bring Hell on Earth. Hot-headed Starfire and lovable Beast Boy join them along the way as together they become a surrogate family and team of heroes fighting evil. This was enjoyable and I am looking forward to see where the story goes. I loved Starfire, she was my favourite character.

February

Velvet Buzzsaw I was not going to miss. After paintings by an unknown artist are discovered, a supernatural force enacts revenge on those who have allowed their greed to get in the way of art. I am such of fan of Dan Gilroy and this did not disappointment. Visually amazing !

Russian Doll was so funny. It is a comedy-drama series about Nadia, a young woman who is on a journey to be the guest of honor at a party in New York City. But she gets caught in a mysterious loop as she repeatedly attends the same event and dies at the end of the night each time, only to awaken the next day unharmed as if nothing had happened.  I was crying with laughter and did question myself, why was I laughing when somebody died. I would recommend this to anyone, I have not laughed so much.

Detective Inspector Kari Sorjonen is one of the most respected officers at the National Bureau of Investigation in Finland when his wife barely survives brain cancer. Sorjonen then takes a new job leading SECRI, the Serious Crime Unit in Lappeenranta, and moves his family to the town near the border of Russia for a more peaceful life. But life turns out to be less than peaceful there. I watched two seasons of this show and really enjoyed it. Thankful for subtitles, the series was very good and made me want to visit this place in Finland but truthfully, I will never get there.

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes is an American documentary television series that premiered on Netflix on January 24, 2019. The 4-part series, created and directed by Joe Berlinger, includes interviews and archival footage of serial killer Ted Bundy and those affected by his actions. This was interesting, I have always been interested with Ted Bundy since I was a teenager.

Polar a film I picked at random when I could not sleep one night. The world’s top assassin, Duncan Vizla, aka The Black Kaiser, is settling into retirement when his former employer marks him as a liability to the firm. Against his will, he finds himself back in the game going head-to-head with an army of younger, faster, ruthless killers who will stop at nothing to have him silenced. Nothing special and very very violent but probably to be expected.

Star Trek Discovery was back with its second season. After answering a distress signal from the U.S.S. Enterprise, season two finds the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery joining forces with Captain Christopher Pike on a new mission to investigate seven mysterious red signals and the appearance of an unknown being called the Red Angel. While the crew must work together to unravel their meaning and origin, Michael Burnham is forced to face her past with the return of her estranged brother, Spock. I watched the first four, and will wait for others as I am not a fan of watching weekly. I prefer to binge multi episodes in one sitting. I did like that they brought in iconic characters like Captain Pike and Spock.

The Innocent Man was my next pick to watch. Two murders that shook the small town of Ada, Oklahoma. In the 1980’s gained national attention and even led to renowned author John Grisham writing a nonfiction book about the crimes. Now Grisham serves as an executive producer for this six-part documentary series, which shares its name with his 2006 book, that takes a closer look at the notorious deaths. “The Innocent Man” includes interviews with the victims’ friends and family members, Ada residents, attorneys, journalists and others involved in the case. Such a interesting documentary series that reminded me of the Steven Avery show Making A Murderer. There is so much injustice in our world.

The Punisher second season was next. This season was pitting Frank against two big bad’s. On one side, is John Pilgrim, a devout Christian who seems to be taking his marching orders from an evangelical clergy that takes ‘going biblical’ to new heights, John may come off like a small-town bumpkin at first, but as time goes on you learn that he’s every bit a match for Castle, with his own dog in this fight. In the other corner, you have the return of Billy Russo. After showing his hand in the death of Frank’s beloved family, The Punisher finally suited up and messed his face up something awful at the end of season one. He returns in season two to further antagonise Frank. Russo remains a threat, but he may not be the man that Frank remembers. I got to the seventh episode and just had to turn if off. I was so bored. Not sure if I will finish, who knows.

Very adapt that Dirty John was released on Valentines Day. Businesswoman Debra Newell’s life unravels when she falls for the lies and manipulation of con man John Meehan. Based on the true-crime podcast, lies, denial and danger await wealthy businesswoman Debra Newell when she unwittingly falls for handsome con man John Meehan. This was very good, and the true story of Debra and John was even more shocking than this show when I researched them. We watched all eight episodes in one day.

The Umbrella Academy based on a comic series, only ten episodes. A dysfunctional family of superheroes comes together to solve the mystery of their father’s death, the threat of the apocalypse and more. Watched this over two days. Nothing special and not sure if I would watch it if it returned.

Netflix recommended this to me, and I found it quite disturbing. It is an Canadian documentary series, that dramatised reconstruction documentaries on juveniles, teens, who become killers for different needs or psychopathic urges. Alone, duos or groups; single to serial killings. Maybe I watch too many crime shows.

I then picked to watch both seasons of Drug Lords. This documentary series shines a light on some of the most notorious drug kingpins in history and the law-enforcement officials who have sworn to bring them down. While the show profiles cartel leaders with global reach including infamous Pablo Escobar and his nearly 20-year stranglehold on the world’s cocaine market. It also takes a look at drug lords with a lower profile, such as Cornell Jones, who helped to create America’s first “open-air” drug market in Washington, DC, in the 1980’s. The episodes track the criminals stories, which often include them descending into despair, prison or even death.

Unauthorized Living interested me. This is a series from Spain. Nemo Bandeira, a dealer with a clean businessman facade, is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and tries to keep it from his family while he starts to think about who might be his successor.

From Australia, Tidelands. Cal McTeer is a young woman who has returned home to the small fishing village of Orphelin Bay after 10 years in juvenile detention. Upon returning to her hometown, she discovers that it is shrouded in mysteries — the biggest of which is the commune of outcasts who live in a hidden pocket of the bay, the Tidelanders. She hopes to blow the lid off a generations-long conspiracy of silence around murder, drugs and Sirens.

The last twelve episodes of Shadowhunters third season started. The series follows Clary Fray, who finds out on her eighteenth birthday that she is not who she thinks she is, but rather comes from a long line of Shadowhunters, human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons. This is based on a book series that I did enjoy. And I enjoy this adaptation just not a fan of having to wait weekly for them.

March

Early March, The Order was released. A ten episode show that follows college freshman Jack Morton, who joins a fabled secret society, The Order, where he is thrust into a world of magic, monsters and intrigue. As Jack goes deeper, he uncovers dark family secrets and an underground battle between werewolves and the magical dark arts. I did not know what to make of this show. I watched it over two days and was underwhelmed by it.

From Australia, I found two seasons of Secret City which is a political thriller set in a world of secrets, lies, murder and betrayal, based on the best-selling novels The Marmalade Files and The Mandarin Code by Chris Uhlmann and Steve Lewis. This was not bad but did feel quite short.

The Dirt is the story of the misfits of Mötley Crüe rise from the streets of Hollywood to the heights of international fame in the 1980’s. What they got up to was shocking but we did enjoy this film.