Episode 21: The Hour, Happy Valley, Black Mirror
THE HOUR, ( England, Netflix) a two season drama set in the 1950s, looks at the lives and loves of three journalists working for the BBC as they create The Hour, a new kind of show for that time…a kind of 60 Minutes with real investigative reporting. Both seasons interweave world-shaping events such as the Suez Canal and the establishment of nuclear bases in England. As The Hour is created there is romance, murder and of course sharp humor.
HAPPY VALLEY ( England, Apple TV) chronicles the last days on the job of a feisty, but weary policewoman who refuses to compromise in her efforts to protect her teenage grandson, the result of a disasterous relationship of her daughter who has committed suicide. The policewoman is battling against the efforts of he grandson’s charming, devious and psychopathic father who’s trying to bond with his son as the father seeks to escape his time in prison.
BLACK MIRROR ( England, Netflix) is an anthology series combining reality, fantasy and solid drama, all based just enough in real life to make each stand-alone episode deeply disturbing. Sometimes they’re funny, sometimes, whimsical but most often they offer a very dystopian view of society whether set in the past, present or future.
What did you think of these series? Tell us: