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2025 has been a fabulous year for Batshit British Crime Thrillers: shows that can be best described as why must TV be good? Is it not enough to watch a haggardly hot, grumpy British guy have a really bad week?, with a tidy 6-8 episodes, really good actors, and wildly implausible plots.
Dept. Q stars Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck, an acerbic police detective in Scotland reassigned to investigate cold cases with a misfit team while recovering from physical and emotional trauma. The plot is completely bonkers and impossible to talk about without major spoilers, because the first episode ends with the reveal of what happened to ambitious prosecutor Merritt Lingard, whose disappearance Morck and co. are investigating: ( ... ) There's also definitely a vibe of maybe the real mystery was the friends we made along the way; the fact it closes with an instrumental cover of Radical Face's "Welcome Home, Son" really captures the emotional tone. So, yeah, 10/10, had a great time watching this.
Lazarus stars Sam Claflin as Dr. Joel "Laz" Lazarus, a forensic psychologist who is either having a mental breakdown in the wake of his father's apparent suicide and unresolved grief over his twin sister's unsolved murder twenty years earlier, or is being haunted by the ghosts of cold-case victims from his home town, leading him to investigate their deaths and whether they were related to his father's and sister's. ( Spoilers! ) This show is, objectively, not very good - it ends with multiple twists so stupid I did laugh out loud - but I actually really enjoyed the timey-wimey-ness of it, between the concept of flashback-based hauntings - the ghosts, when they appear to Laz, seem to think they are a. alive and b. having therapy sessions with Laz's father - and the way the show cuts between the characters as adults in the present day and the teenagers they'd been when Laz's sister was murdered. The big names in the cast are, of course, Claflin, and Bill Nighy as the late Dr. Lazarus Sr., but I was delighted to see Edward Hogg as the twitchy town loner who has lived under suspicion of Laz's sister's murder for decades, and David Fynn - who I've mostly seen as the goofier characters in Shakespearean comedies - in a more serious role as Laz's childhood friend, now a local police detective; I was unfamiliar with Alexandra Roach, who stole the show as Laz's wounded, woo-woo surviving sister.
Black Doves is technically stretching the definition a bit, as it's from 2024 and more of a spy thriller, co-starring Keira Knightley as a spy ten years' deep into her cover as the wife of a rising politician and Ben Whishaw as an assassin with a broken heart; I'd procrastinated on watching this for a full year, which actually meant I watched it at the best possible time (i.e., last week, over Christmas) because it is specifically set at Christmas. (Move over, Die Hard!) Absolutely spaghetti-at-the-wall plot - it's conspiracies all the way down, ( vague spoilers ) - and everyone in it is, like, so bad at the first rule of Being A Spy (don't freaking tell people you're a spy!!!) but both Knightley and Whishaw act the hell out of their roles and the writing is fun and there were a bunch of other great characters, including the incomparable Kathryn Hunter as a London crime boss and a delightful pair of snarky zillennial hitwomen.
Dept. Q stars Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck, an acerbic police detective in Scotland reassigned to investigate cold cases with a misfit team while recovering from physical and emotional trauma. The plot is completely bonkers and impossible to talk about without major spoilers, because the first episode ends with the reveal of what happened to ambitious prosecutor Merritt Lingard, whose disappearance Morck and co. are investigating: ( ... ) There's also definitely a vibe of maybe the real mystery was the friends we made along the way; the fact it closes with an instrumental cover of Radical Face's "Welcome Home, Son" really captures the emotional tone. So, yeah, 10/10, had a great time watching this.
Lazarus stars Sam Claflin as Dr. Joel "Laz" Lazarus, a forensic psychologist who is either having a mental breakdown in the wake of his father's apparent suicide and unresolved grief over his twin sister's unsolved murder twenty years earlier, or is being haunted by the ghosts of cold-case victims from his home town, leading him to investigate their deaths and whether they were related to his father's and sister's. ( Spoilers! ) This show is, objectively, not very good - it ends with multiple twists so stupid I did laugh out loud - but I actually really enjoyed the timey-wimey-ness of it, between the concept of flashback-based hauntings - the ghosts, when they appear to Laz, seem to think they are a. alive and b. having therapy sessions with Laz's father - and the way the show cuts between the characters as adults in the present day and the teenagers they'd been when Laz's sister was murdered. The big names in the cast are, of course, Claflin, and Bill Nighy as the late Dr. Lazarus Sr., but I was delighted to see Edward Hogg as the twitchy town loner who has lived under suspicion of Laz's sister's murder for decades, and David Fynn - who I've mostly seen as the goofier characters in Shakespearean comedies - in a more serious role as Laz's childhood friend, now a local police detective; I was unfamiliar with Alexandra Roach, who stole the show as Laz's wounded, woo-woo surviving sister.
Black Doves is technically stretching the definition a bit, as it's from 2024 and more of a spy thriller, co-starring Keira Knightley as a spy ten years' deep into her cover as the wife of a rising politician and Ben Whishaw as an assassin with a broken heart; I'd procrastinated on watching this for a full year, which actually meant I watched it at the best possible time (i.e., last week, over Christmas) because it is specifically set at Christmas. (Move over, Die Hard!) Absolutely spaghetti-at-the-wall plot - it's conspiracies all the way down, ( vague spoilers ) - and everyone in it is, like, so bad at the first rule of Being A Spy (don't freaking tell people you're a spy!!!) but both Knightley and Whishaw act the hell out of their roles and the writing is fun and there were a bunch of other great characters, including the incomparable Kathryn Hunter as a London crime boss and a delightful pair of snarky zillennial hitwomen.
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gizmodo2_feed Dec. 28th, 2025 03:30 pm)
gizmodo2_feed Dec. 28th, 2025 03:30 pm)People are loving the new Absolute takes on Batman, Wonder Woman, and other heroes that've been hitting comic stores every month.
This one has a great premise, excellent characterization, and is a lot of fun.
Q Switcheroo (10660 words) by V_NUS
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: William Riker & Ro Laren
Characters: William Riker, Ro Laren, Geordi La Forge, Data (Star Trek), Q (Star Trek), Beverly Crusher, Deanna Troi, Miles O'Brien, Jean-Luc Picard, Worf (Star Trek:TNG/DS9), Guinan (Star Trek)
Additional Tags: Mission Fic, Canon Compliant, Takes place between Disaster (5x05) and Conundrum (5x14), POV Multiple, Bodyswap, Enemies to Friends, Bajoran Culture (Star Trek), Q Being Q (Star Trek), Minor William Riker/Deanna Troi
Summary:
Q Switcheroo (10660 words) by V_NUS
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: William Riker & Ro Laren
Characters: William Riker, Ro Laren, Geordi La Forge, Data (Star Trek), Q (Star Trek), Beverly Crusher, Deanna Troi, Miles O'Brien, Jean-Luc Picard, Worf (Star Trek:TNG/DS9), Guinan (Star Trek)
Additional Tags: Mission Fic, Canon Compliant, Takes place between Disaster (5x05) and Conundrum (5x14), POV Multiple, Bodyswap, Enemies to Friends, Bajoran Culture (Star Trek), Q Being Q (Star Trek), Minor William Riker/Deanna Troi
Summary:
Q is sick of listening to Commander Riker and Ensign Ro arguing. To fix this, he forces them to swap bodies-- and if anyone finds out what's happened, they'll be stuck as each other forever...
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Some Yuletide recs. I am saving a bunch of longer stories and some that are puzzles for when I have more focus.
I'm so out of the whole exchange scene, I forgot Yuletide fics are online. Not sure how I feel about that.
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The Roku Stick 4K Drops to its Lowest Price Ever at Just $24.99 – 50% Off! – A Great End-of-Year Str
(cordcuttersnews_feed Dec. 28th, 2025 02:27 pm)
cordcuttersnews_feed Dec. 28th, 2025 02:27 pm)The Roku Streaming Stick 4K has plummeted to an unbelievable $24.99, exactly half its regular $49.99 price. This is all apart of Roku’s big end of year sale. You can find the Roku Stick 4K on Amazon HERE. The timing couldn’t be better. With colder weather keeping more people indoors and families already planning movie […]
The post The Roku Stick 4K Drops to its Lowest Price Ever at Just $24.99 – 50% Off! – A Great End-of-Year Streaming Deal appeared first on Cord Cutters News.
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I've been having a lovely ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
yuletide, in the right sort of place to do reading through it, if not much else! So much so, there should be a recs post to follow soon. But first of all, of course, my lovely gift!
It was for Enigma, which I was excited enough about just for that, but it is also excellent - a really well-done layered look at Tom & Hester running into Wigram a few years post-canon. Plus, my recip turned up to leave a comment on my assignment, so Yuletide 2025 is a win! \o/ (Even more so, as that other Enigma ficlet I mentioned? The author replied to my comment to say that they'd watched the film because of my promo post, so double yay and bonus outside-of-Yule ficlets!)
After the End (1472 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Enigma (2001)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Tom Jericho, Hester Wallace, Wigram (Enigma 2001)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon
Summary: Summer 1949. An encounter in a Parisian park.
yuletide, in the right sort of place to do reading through it, if not much else! So much so, there should be a recs post to follow soon. But first of all, of course, my lovely gift!It was for Enigma, which I was excited enough about just for that, but it is also excellent - a really well-done layered look at Tom & Hester running into Wigram a few years post-canon. Plus, my recip turned up to leave a comment on my assignment, so Yuletide 2025 is a win! \o/ (Even more so, as that other Enigma ficlet I mentioned? The author replied to my comment to say that they'd watched the film because of my promo post, so double yay and bonus outside-of-Yule ficlets!)
After the End (1472 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Enigma (2001)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Tom Jericho, Hester Wallace, Wigram (Enigma 2001)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon
Summary: Summer 1949. An encounter in a Parisian park.
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How goes the decluttering? Have you shifted anything out of the house? Found something to sort through? Had thoughts on things you can let go of?
Comments open to locals, lurkers, drive by sticky beaks, and anyone I've forgotten to mention.
Congratulations to everyone who has found and/or disposed on any clutter in the last week! I haven't had the oomph to come and post replies to celebrate you, but I cheer each comment notification when I read it.
ps: would anyone like a lowkey challenge for January? I have some ideas...
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LINK: https://i.imgur.com/y492nbl.jpg
Next: The Avengers (2012)
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I placed an order online on December 22 -- I wasn't really expecting it to even ship until next week, so I was surprised to see an estimated delivery of December 27. (Spoiler: it did not arrive on the 27th.)
According to yesterday's tracking, the package started in New Jersey, then went to Tennessee. According to TODAY's tracking, the package started in Tennessee, then went to New Jersey. Which is true? WHO KNOWS!
My favorite part is that after being in New Jersey and Tennessee, the package traveled all the way to Arizona. (That's where it was scanned yesterday, the original estimated delivery date. Humorously, that's also the farthest it's been from its intended destination state of New Hampshire.)
Today it was scanned in Massachusetts, which certainly is much closer than Arizona!
I'm just glad my new lunchbox is having such an exciting journey.
According to yesterday's tracking, the package started in New Jersey, then went to Tennessee. According to TODAY's tracking, the package started in Tennessee, then went to New Jersey. Which is true? WHO KNOWS!
My favorite part is that after being in New Jersey and Tennessee, the package traveled all the way to Arizona. (That's where it was scanned yesterday, the original estimated delivery date. Humorously, that's also the farthest it's been from its intended destination state of New Hampshire.)
Today it was scanned in Massachusetts, which certainly is much closer than Arizona!
I'm just glad my new lunchbox is having such an exciting journey.
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Heated Rivalry S1: I feel somewhat ambiguous about this. On the one hand, I totally get the hype – it's live action gay romance that's both smutty, mildly kinky and also emotional, which is a combination that mainstream TV rarely offers. And, regardless of whether it's actually fanfic with its serial numbers filed off or not, it feels very fanfic-cy, so naturally it appeals to the fandom audience. And I'm very much part of that, so I did enjoy it. The sex scenes were super hot, and I liked the feels!
Having said that, for something that's supposedly enemies/rivals-to-lovers, the rivals part feels very unsatisfying to me. We don't see them being at each other's throats (even figuratively speaking) for any significant amount of time before they hook up, which is what I need for the trope to actually feel rewarding. And I don't enjoy established relationship stories, so my interest peaked in episode one and two and then dramatically dropped. It was revived briefly at the very end of the season because I like 'people find out' stories, but I don't really see the show holding my attention through further seasons.
On a shallow note, I find the protagonists painfully unattractive, Ilya in particular, and not interesting enough to make up for it. My favorite episode was Scott's episode because François Arnaud has more sex appeal in a single lock of his hair than the other male cast combined (serious, how has he got even hotter since The Borgias?! it's extremely unfair!), and also because Scott just appeals more to me as a character. I could take or leave Kip, but the coffee shop romance was very cute.
Overall, this sounds more negative than I felt watching the show. I had fun, I was entertained, but I wasn't as into it or fannish about it as I would have liked to be.
Mozart/Mozart S1: This got terrible reviews – a big magazine dubbed it the worst TV show ever, which made me think the reviewer hasn't watched many TV shows. Mozart/Mozart is… fine. It's the typical faux-history drama that prioritizes drama over historical accuracy. It doesn't pretend otherwise – it even says so in the opening credits – and IMO if that's not your thing, you should probably steer clear of it, rather than say "oh no, this show does what it's set out to do, but I don't like that genre, so it's bad" – that's like watching splatter horror and complaining about gore.
It was fun, the acting was good, Maria Anna is a likable protagonist, her brother is a troubled genius who annoyed me at times but ultimately got his shit mostly together, and the show is doing a good job as showing them both as victims of their circumstances. I really liked the ambiguity of both Leopold's portrayal, who loves his kids but in his attempt to do what's best alienates them, as well as Marie Antoinette's – she's wasteful and decadent and scheming, but also vulnerable and trying to escape a terrible situation. And I was very very much into Maria Anna's and Salieri's storyline – now that's an enemies-to-lovers romance for me to sink my teeth in with them genuinely working against each other despite their attraction, and so much betrayal and misunderstandings. Salieri is super hot too, and blorbo material! I really felt for him, because everyone was pulling him in different directions. And he did come through for Maria Anna at the end! I have lots of feelings about him and them as a ship. ♥
The one thing I didn't like was the weird infusion of modern electro-pop during some (but not all? and there was no pattern for when it would happen?) of the performances, which seemed really unnecessary and felt jarring.
Considering its negative reception, I highly doubt that we'll get a second season, which I'm somewhat sad about, but at least it ended in a mostly good place.
Having said that, for something that's supposedly enemies/rivals-to-lovers, the rivals part feels very unsatisfying to me. We don't see them being at each other's throats (even figuratively speaking) for any significant amount of time before they hook up, which is what I need for the trope to actually feel rewarding. And I don't enjoy established relationship stories, so my interest peaked in episode one and two and then dramatically dropped. It was revived briefly at the very end of the season because I like 'people find out' stories, but I don't really see the show holding my attention through further seasons.
On a shallow note, I find the protagonists painfully unattractive, Ilya in particular, and not interesting enough to make up for it. My favorite episode was Scott's episode because François Arnaud has more sex appeal in a single lock of his hair than the other male cast combined (serious, how has he got even hotter since The Borgias?! it's extremely unfair!), and also because Scott just appeals more to me as a character. I could take or leave Kip, but the coffee shop romance was very cute.
Overall, this sounds more negative than I felt watching the show. I had fun, I was entertained, but I wasn't as into it or fannish about it as I would have liked to be.
Mozart/Mozart S1: This got terrible reviews – a big magazine dubbed it the worst TV show ever, which made me think the reviewer hasn't watched many TV shows. Mozart/Mozart is… fine. It's the typical faux-history drama that prioritizes drama over historical accuracy. It doesn't pretend otherwise – it even says so in the opening credits – and IMO if that's not your thing, you should probably steer clear of it, rather than say "oh no, this show does what it's set out to do, but I don't like that genre, so it's bad" – that's like watching splatter horror and complaining about gore.
It was fun, the acting was good, Maria Anna is a likable protagonist, her brother is a troubled genius who annoyed me at times but ultimately got his shit mostly together, and the show is doing a good job as showing them both as victims of their circumstances. I really liked the ambiguity of both Leopold's portrayal, who loves his kids but in his attempt to do what's best alienates them, as well as Marie Antoinette's – she's wasteful and decadent and scheming, but also vulnerable and trying to escape a terrible situation. And I was very very much into Maria Anna's and Salieri's storyline – now that's an enemies-to-lovers romance for me to sink my teeth in with them genuinely working against each other despite their attraction, and so much betrayal and misunderstandings. Salieri is super hot too, and blorbo material! I really felt for him, because everyone was pulling him in different directions. And he did come through for Maria Anna at the end! I have lots of feelings about him and them as a ship. ♥
The one thing I didn't like was the weird infusion of modern electro-pop during some (but not all? and there was no pattern for when it would happen?) of the performances, which seemed really unnecessary and felt jarring.
Considering its negative reception, I highly doubt that we'll get a second season, which I'm somewhat sad about, but at least it ended in a mostly good place.
(cordcuttersnews_feed Dec. 28th, 2025 01:38 pm)
cordcuttersnews_feed Dec. 28th, 2025 01:38 pm)Target Corporation has endured a challenging year marked by declining sales, reduced foot traffic, and a significant drop in stock value, positioning it as one of the underperformers in the retail sector. Customers have increasingly shifted their spending to competitors like Walmart and Amazon, drawn by the allure of lower prices and perks like free […]
The post Target is In Trouble, And Streaming Video Is One Of The Reasons Why appeared first on Cord Cutters News.
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I Have Been Using a Roku for Over 10 Years & Here Are My Top 5 Pro Tips for Roku TVs & Roku Player O
(cordcuttersnews_feed Dec. 28th, 2025 01:23 pm)
cordcuttersnews_feed Dec. 28th, 2025 01:23 pm)Roku dominates the U.S. streaming media player market, but many users are only scratching the surface of its capabilities. As a longtime Roku enthusiast, I’m excited to share five tips and tricks to elevate your streaming experience. With 2026 almost here, we are updating this list with some new ones. Bonus: How to remove the […]
The post I Have Been Using a Roku for Over 10 Years & Here Are My Top 5 Pro Tips for Roku TVs & Roku Player Owners For 2026 appeared first on Cord Cutters News.
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What is the Best Smart TV To Buy in 2026 For Streaming? Roku vs Samsung vs Google TV vs LG vs Vizio
(cordcuttersnews_feed Dec. 28th, 2025 12:47 pm)
cordcuttersnews_feed Dec. 28th, 2025 12:47 pm)Looking for a new smart TV? Not sure what brand you want with built-in streaming apps? The 2025 Cordie Awards, an annual recognition of the top tools and platforms for those ditching traditional cable, revealed compelling insights into consumer preferences for smart TVs when they want to stream Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and more. Based on […]
The post What is the Best Smart TV To Buy in 2026 For Streaming? Roku vs Samsung vs Google TV vs LG vs Vizio vs Fire TV & More appeared first on Cord Cutters News.
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I did not go downtown today. Instead I was out shoveling the sidewalk by about 7am. (At least the snow was over so I only had to go out and shovel once.) Pip, sick as he is, was blowing snow (the driveway and walking trails). And then he went up to the garage to plow that out.
I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, ran a load in the dishwasher, swept and mopped the dining room and hallway, went for a walk with the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. We had more of the chicken noodle soup for supper.
I read fanfic and watched some HGTV programs. Dr. Pol was my evening background tv. Today I tried the pomegranate tea. It was good, though I was familiar with the flavor because I've had pomegranate tea before when I went to the local coffee shop (that is no longer there). It came in a tin, I think Harney & Sons, or something like that? I looked it up, their Pomegranate Oolong.
Pip had cold sweats this morning and wasn’t able to keep his breakfast down, but he seemed to do better as the day progressed.
Temps started out at 17.4(F) (a whopping 10 degrees warmer than yesterday morning!). According to the ruler I stuck in the snow in different areas, we got about 8" of snow overnight. Thankfully it was not wet and heavy, but even light snow is a pain when you’ve got go shovel 8" of it! Temps reached 25.3.
Mom Update:
Mom sounded pretty good when I talked to her. She’s actually eating more! More being relative. She had some protein drink for breakfast, and some mashed potatoes and peas for lunch. Eating anything solid like that has been a real trial. She was thinking about what to have for supper when I called. One of her friends visited and Sister A called her so she did have some social time.
I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, ran a load in the dishwasher, swept and mopped the dining room and hallway, went for a walk with the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. We had more of the chicken noodle soup for supper.
I read fanfic and watched some HGTV programs. Dr. Pol was my evening background tv. Today I tried the pomegranate tea. It was good, though I was familiar with the flavor because I've had pomegranate tea before when I went to the local coffee shop (that is no longer there). It came in a tin, I think Harney & Sons, or something like that? I looked it up, their Pomegranate Oolong.
Pip had cold sweats this morning and wasn’t able to keep his breakfast down, but he seemed to do better as the day progressed.
Temps started out at 17.4(F) (a whopping 10 degrees warmer than yesterday morning!). According to the ruler I stuck in the snow in different areas, we got about 8" of snow overnight. Thankfully it was not wet and heavy, but even light snow is a pain when you’ve got go shovel 8" of it! Temps reached 25.3.
Mom Update:
Mom sounded pretty good when I talked to her. She’s actually eating more! More being relative. She had some protein drink for breakfast, and some mashed potatoes and peas for lunch. Eating anything solid like that has been a real trial. She was thinking about what to have for supper when I called. One of her friends visited and Sister A called her so she did have some social time.
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