1
Don't tell me what happens.
We just finished five seasons of "Gomorrah." I wanted to write about it numerous times, but I was fearful people would see the headline and delineate everything that happens. Happens all the time. Even worse are those people who castigate me for not mentioning a song or some other fact in my piece when I did, they just didn't read it. So, once again, we're only three episodes in, SO DON'T SPOIL IT!
But people still will. I'm taking a big risk here. I know from experience.
But I'm so damn excited about the show.
You see it's hard to say anything good about Israel these days. Especially in light of its new far right government that is trying to undercut the power of the Supreme Court. And people believe that the Jews stole the Palestinians' land and...if you're concerned about the lack of veracity in the U.S. news, you've got no idea how bad it is when it comes to Israel.
Because everybody hates the Jews. It's in that Tom Lehrer song. But if we bring up antisemitism it triggers non-Jews, just like talking about racism triggers whites, so it's taboo.
Did you see some guy with a history of Jewish hate shot people outside synagogues in L.A? Probably not, in an era where the shootings in Michigan didn't even make the front page of certain papers.
Then again, you won't see coverage on Fox News of the team broadcasting election conspiracies that they derided off-screen. The news just doesn't reach people these days, unless they're searching for it. And the more established an outlet, the less it is trusted, or even consumed. If I quote the "New York Times" people deride me. They point to outlets like the Gateway Pundit, a conspiracy site, for their truth.
But it's even worse. Did you read Paul Krugman on the right's vilification of education today, speaking of the "Times"?
"The Right Don't Need No Education":
nyti.ms/3lJAqmx Someone in this business, I won't mention their name for fear of retribution, recommended a book on Israel, entitled "Israel": A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth":
amzn.to/3XDRUy2 It's an easy read, but most people won't, read it that is, because it's more satisfying to live in darkness. And here I blame the left, yes, the woke left. I don't want to defend the settlements, but if you think the Palestinians want peace, want to coexist with Israel, you know nothing about the subject. The Palestinians want Israel gone.
But Israel fights back. Something Jews are not allowed to do.
But ever since the Raid on Entebbe, when it comes to terrorism, the IDF, i.e. the Israel Defense Forces, are the gold standard. They don't pussyfoot, they don't mess around.
It's not like America. Where nothing can be done. In Israel, they take action, and that's what "Fauda" is all about.
2
Doron is a star. Bigger and more believable, even more three-dimensional than the vaunted Tom Cruise. Because Doron, played by Lior Raz, is not playing to the camera, the masses, he's only concerned with achieving the goal.
Not that it's black and white. Not that it's Israelis good, Palestinians bad. It's more chiaroscuro than that.
But... How is it that a guy with a scraggly beard who's losing his hair is such a star? Because he's intense, because he's believable, because he's a thinker, because he's a bit of a hothead.
In other words, he's human.
They don't have humans in Hollywood movies, they're literally cartoon characters, two-dimensional. We want people who are flawed, but on the right path.
So...
The Israelis and the Danes make the best television. See how many of their shows are remade for these shores. Like "In Treatment," which was actually sold to HBO by Noa Tishby, the woman who wrote the Israel book above.
You see in Israel, it's not about production values, it's about story. The productions are visceral. You can feel it. And it's all on the line.
That's something we're unaware of in America. We're comfortable. There's a war in Ukraine and we can't feel it. But if you live in Israel, a country the size of New Jersey, you're on high alert all the time. Because your life is at stake. Literally.
And you might also know that Israel is a hotbed of tech innovation. That's where Waze came from.
And you might also know that Israel is not as dependent upon the U.S. as it used to be, if it's dependent at all.
And you put all this in the mix and you have "Fauda."
In America we're rarely in jeopardy. The risks we're concerned with are whether we get into the right college. Whereas in "Fauda," it's life and death, the survival of an entire country.
So you've got a band of brothers (with a sister!) They're an elite team who go in surgically and address problems. And some lose their lives. But they're in it for the cause, and the adrenaline.
You know how you watch lawyer shows and want to be an attorney? Believe me, most of the time it's boring, very boring. Ditto being a cop.
But this Israeli team...
They're on the cutting edge of life all the time. It could be their last moment at any second. They're down with the cause. They've got something to believe in, whereas in America we fight culture wars.
"Fauda" rivets you. The Israelis get things done. They don't get caught up in red tape, they're looking for the solution. They know that time is of the essence. They know what's at stake, like in the '72 Olympics.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Many times bitten, always on high alert.
Even if you're antisemitic you won't be able to take your eyes off "Fauda." A big thumbs-up!
3
"Fauda" is on Netflix.
"Gomorrah" is on HBO Max. I get e-mail about "Gomorrah" all the time. And I highly recommend it. Sure, there's blood and gore, but watch for the thinking.
Like in "House of Cards."
In America, the action heroes act on instinct. Whereas the Mafia dons in "Gomorrah" constantly kick back and think in a crisis, they just don't shoot. And there are so many lessons. Like not to trust anyone, ESPECIALLY family.
The last season is substandard, almost chewing the scenery, but before that...
4
Don't fall for the HBO buzz. That's old school. And old people, who control the media. You see these viewers still have cable, which youngsters don't. They're inured to an old system. Whereas in truth it's all about on demand. Streaming. For all the buzz about "White Lotus," there's none about "Gomorrah," which is far superior.
Then again, many people don't like blood and guts. But "Gomorrah" is closer to real life than most of the shows on HBO.
Welcome to the new reality. Where the mainstream media is not in touch with the buzz. I'm not reading about this new season of "Fauda," but I'm hearing about it in my inbox. You're your own barometer these days. Don't fall for the highly-hyped lowbrow. You probably already know about "Fauda," but if you don't, check it out, from the beginning.
And I highly recommend "Gomorrah," at least the first four seasons.
It's no longer about movies. Music is about singles, visual entertainment is about albums, i.e. series. Movies scratch the surface, series go deep, they make you think, at this point movies seem so hit and run.
You can watch the Oscars, but that'd be missing the point. Even Barry Diller says the movies are over:
"Barry Diller: The Oscars Are Over and the Movie Business Is Finished":
bit.ly/3S5s5Wo The ball keeps moving. Keeping up is a full time job.
And maybe you don't care, but there's a plethora of riches out there, if you just dig a little deeper.
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