Hulu trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBpDGJkjSdk I was laughing uproariously watching this last night. (Is that the proper use of the word? I'm gonna leave it in, you'll tell me.) We were up to the final episode of "Berlin and the Lady With an Ermine," but it was an hour and twenty one minutes long and that would be past Felice's bedtime so we hopped over to Hulu for "Alice and Steve," which I'd been reading about, which I wanted to see primarily for the inclusion of Nicola Walker. Now I was a big "Money Heist" fan, but this second prequel is not as good as the first, and the first wasn't even in the league of the original series. Is it the absence of the Professor? Or Lisbon, who switches sides from police to robber? I'm not sure. But it's slower, much slower. And the funny thing is I read no press about it. Which is unusual, especially for a hit show. I just saw it on the Netflix homepage, however they trick you, they say there's a new season of one of your favorite shows, like "Bonus Family," and you get all excited and fire it up and find out you've already seen it. If you're a diehard "Money Heist" fan, watch "Berlin and the Lady With an Ermine,” otherwise I'd skip it. But I HIGLY recommend "Alice and Steve," even though I've only seen two episodes. I know, I know, I should wait until I watch all six, but by then you will have heard about it elsewhere, and I will lose my first recommender advantage, and I wouldn't want to do that. So Nicola Walker... Where do we start? Well, I'd begin with her star turn in "The Split," about divorce and divorce attorneys. Right now it's on Hulu and Disney+, you always have to check with these foreign shows, they move around (JustWatch.com is your friend). And from there I'd go to "Collateral" and then "River" and if you're already a fan you may have personal favorites I have not mentioned here, Walker is far from an unknown, but the interesting thing about her role in "Alice and Steve," at least in the beginning, is SHE PLAYS AGAINST TYPE! Most of Nicola Walker's roles are serious, often with a hint of darkness. But in the beginning of "Alice and Steve" she's positively FRIVOLOUS! It's a revelation, the range she's demonstrating, and unlike with our American hero, Meryl Streep, she doesn't eclipse the role, she fades/blends right into it. As for Steve... Felice immediately recognized him from "Flight of the Conchords." I must say I've never seen that. But Jermaine Clement as Steve radiates the vibe of a less outrageous Austin Powers. He walks between the verge of drama and comedy, you're not quite sure whether you're going to wince or laugh and he might be sliding into a New Zealand accent here and there, but my radar on accents is not that good, you'll decide. As for the main plot line... It's been everywhere but I'm not going to lay it out here. Felice went in raw and her experience was different from mine, so I believe you're best going in fresh, but even if you know the set-up, it doesn't detract from your enjoyment. Now the thing about comedy is it's hard to do. And I don't know, with so many offerings I find recently it's been hard for me to stick with a show, to be entranced right away so I continue watching. I don't want my viewing to be a chore, just the opposite, I want it to be THE PEAK OF MY LIFE! Now "Alice and Steve" gets funny in the first episode, but it reaches its peak in the second. Marcia Warren as Val, Nicola Walker's mother... She's a fount of wisdom and in many ways laissez-faire and more hip than Alice. That's the thing about oldsters, some become set in their ways and others go in the opposite direction, they've seen the movie, been to the circus, and it has liberated them to be in the moment and speak their truth. And when Val nods off while the shenanigans are ensuing...I laugh just thinking about it, it's these little touches that put a show over the top. (And speaking of touches, when I saw Alice drinking Coke for breakfast I was thrilled, because I do. But when I saw a Coke pointing face-out when the fridge was opened, I realized it was probably a paid placement. Why, how much cash could this generate?) So it's the clash between generations that really got me going, both knowledge and mores. You've got Rome, who knows all the answers, even though she's only a teenager, showing up everybody else in the room. You've been there. But then there's the issue of cancellation. Steve drops a reference to a cultural hero who is now a pariah and the kids pooh-pooh and then excoriate him. And to watch him squirm is exquisite, Steve doesn't realize he can't possibly say the right thing. First he tries to argue his position, saying there was not absolute proof, but there's proof enough for the younger generation! Now "Alice and Steve," unlike "Berlin and the Lady With an Ermine," has gotten a good amount of press. If you pay attention to these things, and I do, because I'm always ferreting out what to watch next, you're aware of it. Now if "Alice and Steve" were on Netflix, it would have the impact of "The Four Seasons," but it's on Hulu (it's also on Disney+, the two are supposed to merge, it's so confusing...), which doesn't have the same cachet, never mind an equal number of subscribers. Will I tell you to sign up for one of these two services just to watch "Alice and Steve"? Well, before you do that, you should get Paramount+ to watch "The Bureau," which in terms of sheer quality is a solid A on an absolute scale (not the one employed at Harvard, where everybody gets an A). I saw it on a different service, I've never even watched Paramount+, although I do think we get a free ad-supported version with cable. However ,"The Bureau" is drama. But if you already have Hulu or Disney+, check out "Alice and Steve," it's six half hour episodes. If this was an American show it would be the talk of the town. Then again, Americans can't do this kind of show, either it's too broad or stars famous people who trump the plot or... I'm looking forward to more laughing tonight! What does "Reader's Digest" say, laughter is the best medicine? -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
