Kathleen Lyons

The Buccaneers story line is based on fading English lineages and their estates needing an infusion of cash, found in wealthy American families with marriageable daughters to be matched with young lords and dukes. The dance begins on the wrong foot and gets worse from there. Reasons to be annoyed by and dislike this series: Music that clashes with the period. Improbable black characters. Prolonged scenes that could be condensed. Unattractive big lump of a girl who inspires the undying, all-consuming love of a young Duke and his best friend. (??) Never-ending horseplay behavior of the gaggle of American girls. Poorly matched lovers. Fake feminism. And, there is more. Take your pick. I'm saved from viewing S.2 by not being an apple tv subscriber. I was done though when Nan let Guy in through her bedroom window. She killed any chance of love with Theo, which had kept me going. 'Bye, girl. Who cares? Unfortunately, fine performances from some quality actors are wasted on this farce but I give them their due. Christina Hendricks as Mrs. St. George, whom I remember from Good Girls, gives us one of two soulful characters. Amelia Bullmore as the Duchess of Tintagel brings dignity and wisdom to the role. Among the young people, Josh Dylan as Richard gives poignance and pathos to the young Lord Brightlingsea (the other soulful one). Simone Kirby, Fenella Woolgar also honorable mentions, seen in many other quality productions. Gorgeous Aubri Ibrag as Lizzy shows promise. If the intention of this production was to spoof more authentic period pieces, then they went too far into absolutely trashing the genre or should have called it a Comedy. A tragic one.

One star for the gorgeous outback and cinematography. Otherwise, it's a simple story told in ultra-melodramatic fashion. Kidman's crying and screaming deserve a minus rating. Okay, the Parkers are bad parents and their daughter snuck out at night to meet a man and rode away on the highway. That's it. Tommy knows what happened but why should he trust any of these "adults" with the truth? The heavy breathing phone calls were from the dudes at the Skate Park. As for the diary, teens have vivid imaginations. However, the locale is beautiful and not everyone there can be immoral or whacko, right? Find something to do, read or watch that is cleansing.

Okay: the kid. Completely unlikeable and not an actor. Did his real-life Dad bankroll the movie? Grates on my nerves every time he calls his step-mom "Helen." Also, I tried hard to remember why Jennifer Connolly was ever a big thing, but she was. She, Keanu, Kathy B. have the most awful script to enact. In spite of the hokey plot devices and effects, I was intrigued as to how it would all play out and it's a rainy Sunday afternoon. Then, when we got to the lecture about how humans need to be destroyed to save the Earth (I.e., the "climate change" alarmism we're now browbeaten with), the movie lost me and I didn't care how it turned out. What a turkey.

If you are aesthetically inclined and easily charmed, the absolute beauty draws you in. Therefore, I fell in love with Episode 1 but by the end of Episode 2, I am wondering, where is the story here? The development so far could have been told in 10 minutes. It drags and drags. Yes, I'm accustomed to British and other Euro productions, but this is exceptionally slow... and it's not promising of much plot nor much character beneath the affectations. So, I enjoyed the wonderful acting, makeup, decor, costumes etc. but not encouraged to watch more.

Delightful. I was completely charmed, could watch without fear of murder, cruelty, explicit sex and enjoy a gorgeous setting. Great dialogue. Early on, I realized Killwillie looked familiar, then in the credits saw this was none other than Julian Fellowes, who went on to create Downton Abbey!! Yes, and his acting in Monarch is spot on. So you know it's a quality production. I only got through E5 or 6 in Season 3 before Amazon Prime abruptly took the entire program down. I saw enough to have vastly more appreciation for Scots and Scotland than before, so thank you for that.

A treat for romantics. Sarah Snook as Anna is a brilliant, giving actress, Benedict Samuel well cast as her improbable lover, the tender, smitten Skeets. Roger Corser splendid in a different turn from that cheeky fella in The Heart Guy. It's not just a love triangle; four families intersect as life events unfold. I keep hearing Skeets say "It's just walking" and "It's just driving"... kinda like telling yourself "If I stick my hand in the fire, it won't burn."

Sadly, this wonderful production was not renewed. I recently purchased the streaming option on Prime Video. I remembered seeing parts of it approx. 10 yrs. ago and thought I may have missed some of it. I learned I had in fact seen all of it but didn't mind viewing again, not at all. There should have been more, no question. It's a much more relaxed Downton Abbey; the characters are all much more accessible. The realities, joys and tragedies of family life are all there; the aspirations of the serving class to live their own lives cut short -- but not forever -- by impending war. The friendship of Lord Holland and the king's brother adds glamor. Period dramas are my favorite. The acting is all top shelf, can't ask for more.

Is euthanasia legal in India? As far as I can find, it is not, especially as the euthanasia practiced in this series was assisted deliberately and the patient was not in acute distress or even pain. Vanity was the key factor. This has upset me because I was enjoying the Series as Season 2 came to a close and, then, Bam! The producers are clever enough and dishonest enough to not reveal the actual transaction that took place that led to the concoction in the glass on the table. The "good karma" doctors held hands while the potion took effect. Wow. Following that, Lydia lies about the death briefly and glibly, then appears dressed up, laughing and dancing at Ram's wedding reception. Whew. Really. Are these British values or Indian values or just doctors playing God. Are we to take it in stride? I have other observations about Good Karma Hospital -- such as Mari being the center piece, the actual star -- but they are overshadowed by this deed done in such a matter of fact way. Move on, nothing to see here.

Hang in there. It's a journey, sometimes funny and relatable, at other times disturbingly dark and amoral, but there are enough warm and engaging characters like Barry, Sue, Bianca, Denise to keep coming back for. Later on, Fergus becomes more likeable. Barry is the most consistent and steady aspect of the show. I really missed Bianca when she left but gave us 4 good seasons. Besides being colorful and uber-affectionate, Bianca was surprisingly capable domestically as well as relatably compulsive: always a sunshiny delight, our Bianca. Lisa, the heroine, is a rough around the edges ditz who deep down longs to be posh but true blue-collar husband Dan keeps her anchored. He's an easy-going angel. Final season neighbors Cameron and Jenna are a plus also, rounding out the show for the finale which was great but a little too Hallmark-y for me.