Colonial Spies Return Tonight

Where by AMC else can you get American spies and Generals George Washington and Benefict Arnold together for a night on television? With tonight's return of the third season of Turn: Washington's Spies, we will look deeper at the divisions within and without Washington's camp. Add to that the ongoing trama of slavery, and you have an amazing window on a piece of America's history that is often glorified yet seldom understood.

Ian Kahn, who plays the role of General Washington, noted in a recent interview how he studied for the role to get it just right:

Lafayette wrote in his autobiography about it. Alexander Hamilton had an opinion about it. All of these different people, I'm getting all of this different information so that I can hopefully create a well-rounded figure of this man that can be entertaining for modern audiences but also that historians can look at and say, ‘Yeah, that's General Washington. That's the General Washington that I studied’. That's very important to me.

Mr. Kahn also notes in the interview how he went so far as to abandon his dental care to better understand George Washington's struggle with his own teeth. Of course, he had mints near by (Ian that is, since I cannot speak for George).

As with HBO's superb colonial story John Adams, I am glad this story will be part of our historical record for years to come as young and old strive to learn more about this great country's original struggle. 

Rebellion on Sundance

Not that you will have time tonight with all the HBO shows, but you may want to set aside some time for the 3-night special Rebellion that starts tonight on SundanceTV. The show premieres on the 100th anniversary of a real challenge to a real throne, this time the Easter Rising in Ireland against English Crown.  The story follows various families as they struggle internally and externally with the circumstances around them. 

Here is show producer Catherine Magee describing the ongoing struggle:

In our drama, one brother is in the British army trying to support his family; the other brother is a socialist caught up with Connolly. These kinds of splits happen. This kind of fascinating drama happens in the middle of a historical event. So we tried to do what a drama does, which is take a human perspective and not try and be a history lesson. I hope that will make it different and that’s what people will respond to: the human perspective.

You can see a clip from the series here, demonstrating how a daughter conspires against her own father.  

The Irish already celebrated the 100th anniversary on Easter Sunday, though here in the US the celebration happens today.  Why the confusion?  Here is one view from the the website IrishCentral:
 
Why did Ireland mark one day as the 1916 centennial and the rest of the world another? Was it to ensure a tourism boost for the commemorative events? Was it to avoid a St. Patrick’s Day-esque scenario in which Ireland’s leaders seem to be in every nation except the one they represent on the day that celebrates their country? It can’t be the latter, as only one government minister is traveling to the US for the 1916 celebrations.

Regardless of the scheduling of celebrations, the event itself is well commemorated in the SundanceTV series.  

GOT is Coming!

In fact, season six of Game of Thrones arrives tonight on HBO.  The latest trailer gives you some sense of what is to come.  And if you are a little lost since last season, you can catch up this this New York Times piece titled "Game of Thrones' Season 6: Here's Where We Left Off."  For instance, we are reminded about Brandon Stark's story: 

Bran took a gap year to focus on his studies with the Three-Eyed Raven, who will be played by Max von Sydow this season. Perhaps you’ve been puzzled by photos and trailers from the new season that show the paraplegic Bran standing. The explanation is that he is able to walk in his visions, which we’ve previously seen in bits and pieces but will be more substantial this year, as Bran comes into his own as metaphysical force. 

The latest news is seasons seven and eight will be shorter as they wrap up the series - sounds like one season divided into two, as was done with the final seasons of Mad Men. 

And don't forget to also watch the third season of Silicon Valley and the fifth season of Veep.  Both shows have already been renewed for another season.

Yes, a very busy night on HBO.

From Ramsay to Hitler

Okay, here is more about Game of Thrones as the Sunday (April 24th) premiere of season six approaches. But instead of discussing loved characters like Jon Snow, let's focus on Iwan Rheon, better known to you as Ramsay Bolton, the sadistic butcher strategically married to Sansa Stark.

In a New York Times interview with Mr. Rheon, we learn he will be playing a young Hilter in a new BBC drama. That's a stretch. And his character is less liked than Hannibal Lector. All good for the show and maybe limiting for Mr. Rheon. 

Mr. Rheon knows he is good at dark parts, but I recommend you take a look at his character in the British sitcom Vicious, where he is a mild-mannered neighbor to a gay couple. He has been in quite a few other shows, And he also has a separate gig as a folk singer.  

So it is not all gloom and doom. In fact, he is a talented actor that I hope to see in many roles to come. 

And remember, like everyone else on Game of Thrones, his character will meet a gruesome fate soon enough. 

RIP Jon Snow

It is called a ‘pupillary sphincter,’ as a matter of fact, we looked this up on the Internets and it said that your pupillary sphincter relaxes and that your eyes dilate, and if you look carefully, Jon’s pupil dilates — the one that’s in the light dilates.

--Game of Thrones co-creator D.B. Weiss in a Variety interview on the status of Jon Snow 

Update:  Of course, you know that is not the last word.  That Jon really dies is the lesser issue.  Whether Jon rises again is the real issue.  Here is another convincing view that more it to follow - see the video "Jon Snow's Return & Why It's Not Melisandre Who Brings Him Back."

Spies and Plagues Tonight

Get ready for a new batch of shows starting tonight.  First, on AMC you can watch The Night Manager, a John le Carre spy story about modern day gun-running in the Middle East.  While we remember Mr. le Carre's tales from the days of the Cold War, his story has been updated to reflect the new international realities.  Here is how AMC defines this six-part miniseries:

...a contemporary interpretation of John le Carré’s best-selling spy novel, which follows hotel manager Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) in his quest to bring down international arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). Pine, a former soldier, is thrust into a world of international intrigue when he is recruited by a British intelligence officer (Olivia Colman) to infiltrate Roper’s inner circle. To get to the heart of Roper’s vast empire, Pine must withstand the allure of his beautiful girlfriend Jed (Elizabeth Debicki) and the suspicious interrogations of his venal chief of staff Major Corkoran (Tom Hollander). In his quest to do the right thing, Pine must first become a criminal himself.

This trailer may draw you in, particularly if you have been a fan of previous le Carre or even James Bond productions. 

And if you tastes run more towards the tragic back home, The CW will be showing Containment.  The series is set in Atlanta during an outbreak of god knows what.  It looks a lot like what we missed in the early days leading to The Last Ship, another plague-driven tale.  The series was created by Julie Plec, who also created The Vampire Diaries and The Originals.  I presume we are not looking at a vampire-induced plague here, but I reserve my comments for now.

The trailer will not provide much more about what affects these people.  However, it looks worst than Zika.  

Season Two of Kimmy Schmidt

If none of the new shows this week captured your attention, you always have season two of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix.  All 13 episodes will be released today, but I recommend you stretch them out and savor them.

This odd ball show about the recently liberated (from a hole in the ground) Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) and her dramatic neighbor Titus (Tituss Burgess) has a fresh-eyed look at the world around us. Doomsday cults or simply living in Indiana will do that to you. 

This production from Tina Fey surpasses her 30 Rock and reminds me more of Leslie Knope's experiences in Parks and Recreation (created by Fey's friend Amy Poehler).  You cannot go wrong with Kimmy.