Category: Television

Goodbye SWAT

I think I’m officially giving up on SWAT.

One of the things I told myself this year was that I was going to finish everything I started. Books, movies, TV shows
 if I started it, I was going to see it through to the end.

Well, apparently, that rule has an exception.

I came for Hondo. I stayed for Bishop. Somewhere along the way, I ended up really liking Street. And now that Street is no more, I think that has made it even worse for me.

I don’t think I’m going to continue watching SWAT.

And I’m sorry, Bishop. I really am. I could have stayed for you. I tried. But somewhere along the way, I stopped getting it. The excitement is gone, and watching another episode has started to feel more like an obligation than something I actually want to do.

I even found myself stopping SWAT, going to other shows, and then coming back to it. From the time I started watching it till now, it has been too many months. I can’t be on one show for this long. At some point, I need to finish a show and move on to the next one.

And honestly, life is too short to force myself through a TV show.

I think what makes it worse is that when I compare it to The Rookie, I never had this feeling. Even when characters came and went, I still wanted to know what was happening. I still looked forward to the next episode. With SWAT, I’m now at the point where I’m asking myself why I’m still here.

So, SWAT, thank you for the memories. I’m letting you go.

Bishop, I’m sorry. I could have stayed for you.

But I just don’t get it anymore.

I think I’m going to go back to The Rookie instead. I hear Season 8 is out, so maybe that’s where I should be putting my energy right now.

Some shows you finish because you started them.

Others
 you just have to accept that the relationship has run its course.

John Jim Jack

I first knew John Krasinski from The Office, and I liked him immediately. I liked how Jim just minded his business… You’d always see those memes like “This is Jim. Jim minds his business, be like Jim.”

I also loved him and Pam together. His patience, the softness, the waiting. Their relationship was so genuine.

So when John Krasinski became Jack Ryan, I noticed immediately… Yup.

The thing is, I’m actually not new to Tom Clancy’s world, I’ve read The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games, and I’ve seen some of the older Jack Ryan movies too where Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine did real good in that role… But because it was John Krasinski this time, I wanted to experience it differently. I kept telling myself I should properly sit down for the series and maybe even revisit the books again before starting. Then life happened, and I kept postponing it… For years.

At the beginning of 2026, though, I remember telling myself I was finally going to watch all four seasons of Jack Ryan… And then the 2026 movie debuted. Jack Ryan: Ghost War…

…And now I think I actually will.

There’s just something interesting about seeing someone you first knew as quiet, funny, observant Jim become a serious intelligence analyst thrown into so much global chaos.
So yeah. I think I’m finally ready for my John Krasinski Jack Ryan era.

John Krasinski

I’m writing this at the end of season two…

Wyler Duo

Kate Wyler is not too nice… In my opinion.

I was going to finish up the third season of The Diplomat and say nothing about it… But here I am. Saying something.

A little over a week ago, I was looking for something I could watch, I went through my list on Netflix and realized I had marked The Diplomat sometime ago, and so I started.

The Diplomat is a political drama about an experienced diplomat navigating an unexpected ambassadorial role during a global crisis. She does all this while balancing her complicated marriage. It’s tense and intelligent. It’s also a very fast-paced drama, everything happens quickly, there’s no unnecessary feet dragging. One thing that drew me in is how it reveals how power, politics, and personal lives collide behind closed doors.

In the entire three seasons I watched, Kate (US Ambassador) paints Hal (Her husband, also a former US Ambassador) as the evil person. The one who always does the wrong thing. But it turns out, Kate isn’t so innocent herself.

Hal and Kate are such a rich pair. This is one of those relationships that keeps working on you after the episode ends. It’s been three days and they are still stuck in my head.

Kate finds Hal to be frustrating, I don’t disagree. But I find him to be very fascinating as well. Hal is brilliant. He’s politically sharp, experienced, and often right. That’s part of the problem. Kate’s problem.

Hal is also addicted to relevance, he’s sometimes uncomfortable not being in charge and he’s often convinced he knows what’s best. I wouldn’t blame him completely… He has loads of experience.
But here’s what I think matters; He genuinely loves Kate… A bit too much if you ask me.

Here’s why I feel Kate isn’t fair.
1. She underestimates his identity loss.
Hal didn’t just lose a job; he lost a sense of self. Kate understands this intellectually, but she doesn’t always hold space for it emotionally.
2. She uses distance as control.
When overwhelmed, Kate shuts down instead of engaging. To Hal, that can feel like punishment rather than boundaries. I personally dislike this method.
3. She assumes he’ll adapt quietly.
Kate expects Hal to accept a secondary role with dignity, but doesn’t fully acknowledge how hard that is for someone like him.

At the end of the entire show I realized, Kate isn’t trying to hurt Hal. She’s just being Kate.
Hal isn’t trying to sabotage Kate. He’s just being Hal.
They’re both struggling with a power shift they never renegotiated out loud.
Kate wants partnership without interference.
Hal wants relevance without becoming invisible.

So why does Kate try to paint a different picture?

Kate and Hal Wyler in The Diplomat, Portrayed by Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell.

Olitz

So wrong for each other, but so right together.

The most toxic relationship I have witnessed on television. I shouldn’t love it, but I do.

I wish I could watch it again for the first time. The emotions…my emotions, were all over the place.

Empathy…compassion…passion…sadness…anger…

Shonda  Rhimes sat back and watched us, “good people” root for infidelity…without remorse….season after season.

The show was good.

The pair was great.

Olivia

Fitzgerald

Olitz

Keri Washington and Tony Goldwyn as Olivia and Fitzgerald in Scandal

This and then that

I like to read books and then watch the television adaptations. I’m not sure when I decided I liked this but in the last six months, I’ve gone from the Lost flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland to The Idea of you by Robin Lee and then  Beth O’Leary’s The Flat Share.

I love The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. The book taught me a few new things and then it made me think too…I love it when a book makes me pause just to think. The television series was just okay.

I had a lot to say about The Idea of You in my posts The Idea Of You  and The Idea of You
2… book and film were lovely.

For The Flat Share, I loved the book but I think the television version could have been better than the attempt that was made. You see, it’s such a good story line, two people who share a flat but never get to see each other until they finally do of course. Tiffy gets the Flat from 6pm to 8am on weekdays and weekends. Leon, who actually owns the Flat works nights at a hospice, so he gets 8am to 6pm on weekdays and spends the weekends at his girlfriend’s place. Convenient and economical for both of them. The novel plays out nicely and it ends well. I can’t say the same for the film, a six part series, forty five minutes each.

Next in line…The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, I’ve got a forty pages to go with the book. I hope I enjoy the television series. I already love the fact that the Main role is played by Jennifer Garner and it’s a thriller.

I wish

Pam told me…

She said she wished I was there.

Epic moment…

Michael…trying to make things right…

But of course…making a big mess.

But I was so far away… In Stamford.

Running… As far as I could, from Pam.

And I missed it.

The day Michael kissed Oscar.

I wish I was there…

I would have made the best face.

Better than the one Ryan had on.

My Jim thoughts from The Office…Season 3, Episode 1; Gay Witch Hunt

Why I love The Queen Charlotte Story

I learned a new trick some time ago fron a movie where a girl was asked to write a paper on the story ‘The Frog Prince‘ but from the frog’s perspective.

Ever since then, I unconsciously find myself doing so about many situations; I tend to make out what the other party’s version of a story could be…

I found that I had been curious about Lady Violet Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte from the Bridgerton series . So I was really thrilled to see a diversion from everyone’s expectations…Every viewer has been waiting for the third season. This was meant to focus on Benedict Bridgerton.

The first thing I love about this spin off is how it gives me a chance to see how Charlotte and also Lady Danbury were also human. I no longer see them as insensitive match making old women. 😁

Another thing I love is having to see more of Lady Violet. Her face makes me smile. She’s so sweet and calm. She reminds me of someone; Ogonye.

Finally, I love that I had to pause and do an actual study on the lives of the real Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and George III (George William Frederick). It gave me an opportunity to learn a bit of history. I get excited when I learn something new.

Source: wikimedia commons

There are a few things I do not like about the story… I’ll share that some other time

The Social Dilemma

My son’s teacher got married this afternoon and I had done a lot of peopling earlier from the wedding; a few of my son’s classmates and their parents were present as well. Peopling for me meant I was going to have to do quiet time before I sleep.

I had a few chores waiting at home and when I was finished with the chores, it was time for my alone time and I was looking for a movie and boom… I clicked on The Social Dilemma

The 2020 Netflix Documentary was exactly what I needed on this Saturday evening when I wasn’t too sure about what genre I wanted to view.

The information there was so scary. It was worth every minute.

The documentary relays how social media has affected and controlled us humans, using us as tools and promoting addiction with the sole aim of making profit.

According to Wikipedia, “The documentary examines how social media’s design nurtures addiction to maximize profit, and its ability to manipulate people’s views, emotions, and behavior and spread conspiracy theories and disinformation. The film also examines social media’s effect on mental health, in particular, the mental health of adolescents and rising teen suicide rates“.

One line I have been ruminating on is the one where Tristan Harris says; “You have to ask yourself, Is this normal? Or have we all fallen under some kind of spell?”

Tristan Harris is a the former Design Ethicist at Google. Harris is a tech guy with a lot of conscience and moral values and just like him, I think we are under a spell. The people behind every social media platform build it in a way to keep you glued to your screen. The longer you stay there, the more they make.

I think social media is important in a few ways but I believe I need to have a life that does not depend on social media entirely. It is totally doable.

A few quotes that stayed with me:

“If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product” — Daniel Hövermann

” There are only two industries that call their customers “users”: illegal drugs and software.” — Edward Tufte

Want to cut back on social media a bit? First of all, you should watch this documentary and secondly, read my recommendations on Social Media Fasting

Cliffhangers

Tully and Kate

One thing I don’t appreciate about Television series is being left on the edge. The months or even the year I get to wait to see what happens in the next season is real torture.

For this reason I decided to put off a few popular series from my watch list until the series finale and then I binged.

I should have just done the same thing with the Netflix series ‘Firefly Lane’…but I guess Katherine Heigl was too tempting for me to avoid.

It wasn’t until I finished the ninth episode of the second season on a cliffhanger that I realised they were far from done.

Apparently there are seven more episodes of season two that are yet to be released. From what I hear, I don’t have to wait too long, release date for the final episodes of the series is set for 27th April, 2023.

Firefly lane leaves me hurting for Kate. A hurt she caused for us all because she wouldn’t stop being bitter and unforgiving. As she lay on the floor crying, my heart broke and I really wanted to give her a hug.

It’s been 4 days and my heart still aches from the pain.

I can’t tell the story, I don’t want to ruin it for those who have not and may want to see it…but I will say this; call that friend, sister, brother, father, cousin or mother… forgive…let go of that grudge.