THE VIRTUES

We had to sign up for Topic to watch the second season of "Lykkeland," which I'm getting very positive feedback on, so you should check out the first season on Amazon Prime, which seemingly everybody has access to but now I'll get e-mail from people who don't, who hate Amazon or have an issue with the price. It's hard to judge truth based on feedback, because usually it's a particular kind of person who feeds back, one who wants to be heard or one who needs to show you you're wrong or both, not that there aren't those who agree, like with "Lykkeland" above, which I got no negative feedback about.

I'm a researcher. As Logan Ury puts it in her book, I'm a "maximizer." I'll research everything. Because I want the best and usually the best costs no more than the rest. Research will tell you this, but it takes a lot of time. And the question becomes whether the time is worth it. Even worse, it's oftentimes hard to make a decision and I go without, at least for a while. Whereas Felice can make a decision in an instant. And if she gets it wrong... I'm afraid to get it wrong, and this works against me.

Having said that, I recently bought a new electric shaver, after twenty-odd years. And buying a shaver is like buying a mattress, you can't comparison shop. So the research was hell, and took several days, hours really, and I'm not proud of that. But triangulating I found out the top of the line was the oldest, and a younger model was actually more fully-featured. The shaver CLEANS ITSELF! Well, you've got to put it in this pod and turn it on, but this removes an electric shaver headache. And now I'll get people telling me manual razors are better, and they might give you a better shave, but I haven't got time for the pain, or time at all. So I get a lot of satisfaction from this shaver.

Also, I had to buy a new electric toothbrush. Man, that's even worse than razors. But I'll bottom line it, I ended up with a Bluetooth connected one with an app. Yes, overkill. HOWEVER, the app taught me how to brush properly, which I'd never known previously. And my health is important, and although I overpaid, it's worth it.

So, we had to pay $5.99 for a month of Topic. And after finishing the second season of "Lykkeland" I went into deep research, to find out what was worth watching on the channel. And when it comes to foreign shows, they oftentimes don't have RotttenTomatoes ratings, which makes it harder.

So, Topic said its most binged series was "Arctic Circle," a Finnish show. I figured that was worth something, but we're stuck in the first episode of the second season and probably won't complete it. It's not great, and really I want great, it is my time, and they're making no more of it. So...

The "New York Times"'s recommended "Nox."

WOW! These French shows are so far superior to the American ones. Better, much more believable actors. But the core of the plot is a bit unbelievable, so you're on your own. Although the main character, the mother...despite being a pain in the ass, she goes on about testing limits, not coloring inside the lines, not doing what you're told, not playing by the rules. If you want to be truly successful, don't obey the rules if they constrict you from doing your job. But maybe you know this...

Then we watched "Deceit." Which is based on a real English crime story from the nineties. Just when you think it's paint-by-numbers... But, you should first watch "Nox," not that either of these shows are long, "Nox" is six episodes, "Deceit" is only four, whereas too many Netflix shows are too long for the plot.

Which brings me to "The Virtues."

Chances are you'll never subscribe to Topic, but if you do and you hate depressing shows, won't watch them, DON'T watch "The Virtues."

"The Virtues" is only four episodes, and it's heavy, and I don't really want to tell you much about it because I don't want to ruin it for you, but let me just say it involves family and...

Real life, we don't usually see it on TV, certainly not on "reality" TV. But what about those who are working for a living, living to hang out at the pub and drink. What about those burdened by the past. We always see shows about the unbelievable, the winners, but...

Stephen Graham as Joe you might know, he's got American credits, even music video credits, but he's 100% believable in this role. A good sot who has had some hard knocks, not that he's innocent in the direction of his life.

Joe's sister... Is loving, but she's got a limit. Like real people.

And her husband... He first appears to be a prick, but turns out not to be. He's capable of raising his voice, but is not to be feared in everyday doings, he's compassionate.

As for his sister, Niamh Algar...she's the star of "Deceit." And she's wholly believable and...

If you're interested in real life, in the visceral, if you're looking for more from entertainment than escapism, if you want to feel someone's pain and joy too, if you want to see real people in real life situations unaffected by global issues...

Then put "The Virtues" at the top of your list.

I'm not the only one, it's an award-winning show, I just want to incentivize you to watch it. I did the research, please benefit from it.

Trailer: bit.ly/3QWc2c7


THE CONDITION

"Mercy Street," Jennifer Haigh's latest, released February 1st of this year, is her best.

Not that "Heat & Light" from 2016 is not good.

And needing a book that resonated, that I wanted to read throughout, I read 2011's "Faith," which I mentioned previously. Great family story, but the ending left me hanging a bit, too often the case with literary fiction.

In any event now I'm on a Haigh jag, I want to read everything, not to be a completist, but because her work is just that good. This is how it used to be with bands, you bought an album, savored it, and went back and purchased the catalog. Many acts these days don't even have a catalog, irrelevant of whether it's good.

Which brings me to "The Condition," Haigh's 2009 novel.

Did you grow up on the east coast in the era of bluebloods?

Did you grow up in a family that revered education, where where you went to school was mega-important?

Did you grow up in a family with unwritten rules, ones that must be obeyed?

Did you grow up in a family where the mother stayed home and the father worked all the time?

If you resonate with any of the above, you're going to LOVE "The Condition."

It's about family, it's about relationships, but about the upper middle class as opposed to the lower class Joe in "The Virtues."

Maybe you had to grow up in the last century, before income inequality skewed the classes, when it was all about getting ahead via education, which yielded status, when money was just a factor.

God, everybody in this book is flawed, just like regular people. We're imperfect, three-dimensional.

Now when you get together with your family and talk you don't broadcast it on the internet, it's personal and private. But mega-important.

You'd be stunned how many people my age did what their parents wanted them to and are not happy with the results all these years later. There was a path, you could smoke a little dope, drink some beer, but you hewed to it. And these people are not famous, and they're not rich, but they're far from poor, they're not thinking about money every second. They're thinking about fulfillment, status...

Wow, I guess what I'm saying is if you like to read a book about people, relationships, fiction that has more truth than nonfiction, I highly recommend "The Condition." You'll get involved, and the rest of the world won't matter.

Just like the essence of your regular life.

amzn.to/3pLvr3o

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