TV Show Reviews

reviews of TV shows

Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model

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Title: Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model

Language: English

Genres: Documentary

Objectional Content: Body shaming, Sexual Assault

Synopsis: A look behind the scenes of the popular show America’s Next Top Model

My Review

I wasn’t a huge fan of America’s Next Top Model, though I did watch a couple seasons of it near the beginning. I remember some of the contestants that appear in this documentary.

The show starts out by telling how America’s Next Top Model came to be, background on Tyra Banks and why she created the show in the first place. This all seems very positive at first, as Tyra wanted to make the fashion industry more diverse and inclusive. She pushed back a great deal with other judges on the show regarding damaging beauty standards. At first. As the former contestants start to tell their stories, it becomes obvious very quickly, that this show wasn’t about being as inclusive as Tyra made it out to be.

It begins fairly lightly (which should tell you something) with the makeovers. It’s clear that the hairdressers don’t know how to work with curly textured hair and end up ruining one girl’s hair completely. When the contestant tried to speak to Tyra about it, thinking Tyra would understand as a fellow black woman, she was completely brushed off and told she was showing up “ashy.” The contestant goes on to say that was a term previously used against black women in a derogatory way.

Sadly, it gets worse from here. A contestant from cycle 2, Shandi, tells her story as well. Hers, I think, is the most heartbreaking. This poor girl was literally sexually assaulted while no one did anything to stop it and the entire thing was filmed. Then in editing, the entire situation was framed as Shandi cheating on her long term boyfriend. I’m sorry but no! Everyone there, including the producers and other contestants allowed Shandi to drink til she basically blacked out and not one person stepped in to say “hey, I think this is going too far.” The producers of that show should be held responsible for that.

I wish that was the worst of it, but as the show goes in, it does get worse. Another contestant, Dani, was forced to have the gap between her front teeth closed, even though she didn’t want to. She was told she would be eliminated if she didn’t go through with it. The procedure was also a quick fix, not a proper procedure that would close the gap over time like braces would. In the same cycle, Joanie, who had something called “snaggle tooth” had 4 teeth removed to fix her smile. She spent over 12 hours in the dentist chair.

Keenyah Hill was another contestant that faced constant body shaming, experienced sexual harassment from a male model during a shoot, and even had scenes edited to make it look like she was over eating. Other girls got hypothermia from a shoot in a freezing cold pool, another fainted from the heat and not eating. It was all filmed and aired for the drama.

America’s Next Top Model became more and more of a reality show centered on drama than an actual course in how to become a top model. The best pictures were no longer chosen as the end and instead the picture would be chosen strategically to get a girl eliminated.

Not once does anyone who worked on or produced this show take any kind of accountability or responsibility. Jay Manuel blames things on Tyra, Tyra blames the audience for wanting more.

Honestly, I could probably go on and on about the problems on this show and how disgusted I was by it all but I’d really just recommend watching the documentary. It is very well done and it’s very interesting to hear from the contestants themselves and their experiences. The documentary is only 3 episodes but it is packed with so much it’s a bit insane.

Give it a watch and let me know what you thought too!

As You Stood By – Review

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As You Stood Buy Netflix poster

Title: As You Stood By

Language: Korean

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological, Crime

Objectional Content: Domestic Violence, Violence against women

Synopsis: (from MyDramaList) Eun Su works in sales at a luxury goods retailer in a high-end department store. She has carried the weight of a deep-seated trauma since childhood. Her friend, Hui Su, shares a similar burden; both women are haunted by the scars of their pasts. Hui Su was once a promising children’s book writer, but her career has long since stalled. Now, she is trapped in a nightmarish existence due to the violent abuse of her husband, Jin Pyo. Desperate to escape his cruelty, Hui Su lives in constant fear, unable to break free from his grasp. One day, Eun Su reaches a breaking point and decides to take matters into her own hands. She makes the life-altering decision to save her friend by ending Jin Pyo’s life. Together, the two women devise a plan to kill him. As their plan unfolds, Jin So Baek, the powerful CEO of Jingang Firm, becomes aware of their intentions. Sensing an opportunity, he offers his support, becoming a strong ally in their dangerous mission. With his backing, the women feel emboldened, but their journey is fraught with peril as they navigate the dangerous path ahead.

My Review

This drama was very hard to watch at times. It highlights the nightmare of being in an abusive relationship, and how difficult it is to leave one. Hui Su tried to leave. Her husband threatened her mother and killed her cat. Hui Su’s sister in law, a police officer, told her to her face not to bother filing a report, as the majority of domestic violence cases never receive justice. The sister in law framed it as if Hui Su were filing a report for a friend, but it was obvious she knew what her own brother was doing to his wife. Her mother in law was even an advocate for abused women, who did nothing to help.

When Hui Su’s best friend, Eun Su finds out about what’s happening to her friend, she also goes to the police. However, their nonchalant attitude about the report disgusts her and makes her leave. She knew that even if she filed the report nothing would be done. After Hui Su attempts to take her own life, the two come up with a plan to kill the abusive husband.

With no one willing to help, especially the authorities, and those closest to her, is it any wonder these two women decided the only way for Hui Su to be safe was to kill the man keeping her trapped by his abuse?

There is no such thing as the perfect crime, however, and soon their criminal deeds threaten to come to light. Even with outside help, there’s only so much they can do to keep their secret.

This drama kept me engaged the whole time. I had to keep watching to know how it was all going to end, even when I found the violence difficult to stomach. I think dramas like this are important. They remind people how prevalent domestic violence is and what the consequences for turning a blind eye can be.

My rating for As You Stood By is 4 out of 5 stars. There was a thing or two that didn’t quite add up in the grand scheme of things. I highly recommend watching this drama to everyone.

Have you seen As You Stood By? What are you thoughts?

Sean Combs: The Reckoning – Review

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Title: Sean Combs: The Reckoning

Language: English

Genre: Documentary

Objectional Content: Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault

*THIS DOCUMENTARY DEALS HEAVILY WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WHICH MAY BE EXTREMELY UPSETTING TO MANY VIEWERS*

My Review

I literally just finished watching this documentary and I have to say I am absolutely disgusted by it. Anyone who has ever experienced sexual assault or any type of domestic violence would be so disgusted and triggered as well.

Over 4 episodes, this documentary goes over the life of Sean Combs (aka Puff Daddy, P. Diddy) starting at the beginning of his career as a young fresh faced teen who “just wanted to dance.” As he gains fame and fortune, that fresh faced teen turns into a slimy, manipulative predator, who uses that fame and fortune to get whatever he wants.

I knew very little about Sean Combs before watching this. I had heard about the allegations against him concerning his “freak offs” and other types of parties. So, going in to this, I didn’t have much of a bias. I now think that Sean Combs deserves a lot more punishment than what he ultimately got, in my opinion.

The fourth episode is particularly aggravating as it covers the trial and the outcome. There are even interviews with two of the jurors that really got my blood boiling. I honestly don’t know how he could be acquitted for some of the charges and only receive a 50 month prison sentence. For the record, that is less than 5 years.

The jurors expressed disbelief at some of the testimony of the witnesses, calling it “unbelievable” and just dismissing that it could have ever happened. They said things like “well, she went back” about Combs’ long time girlfriend Cassie, who endured years of abuse at his hands. Clearly, that person has no understanding of the cycle of abuse and how it affects the victim.

Combs’ lawyers said she could have left at any time, had she wanted to. Yet, there is video evidence of what happened when she tried to leave. The poor woman was thrown to the ground and kicked repeatedly. Not to mention the amount of influence someone like Sean Combs has. If he didn’t want her to leave, she wasn’t going to be able to with any success without a whole lot of help. That help was basically non existent.

To say that I was fuming by the end of the fourth episode is an understatement. This was a gross injustice to all the people, women and men, who suffered and were traumatized because of Sean Combs. In my opinion, he should be in jail far longer than he was sentenced to.

Every time I see cases like this it reminds of just how little justice there is in this world for victims of these types of crimes. Especially when the perpetrator is someone with a great deal of money. As one of the women in the documentary said “Powerful people can do terrible things.”

Thinking about cases like Epstein and Bill Cosby as well as Sean Combs, it is pretty clear that if you have a lot money, you can do whatever you want and get away with it. And, even if they are caught, their punishment will be light. I can’t begin to imagine the fear the people speaking in the documentary must feel thinking about him getting out of jail. It wouldn’t be surprising if a lot of those people didn’t experience some form of retaliation, in my opinion.

I feel terrible for all the victims in this case, as well as the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence in this world.

Despite it being a very hard watch and it making me so very angry, my rating for this documentary is 5 out of 5 stars and I think as many people as possible should watch it. The awareness of this sort of injustice needs to spread if anything is ever to change.

The Scholar Who Walks at Night – Review

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Title: The Scholar Who Walks at Night

Language: Korean

Genres: Historical, Mystery, Romance, Fantasy

Objectional Content: Violence, Death

Synopsis: from MyDramaList: In Joseon Dynasty, immaculately dressed in scholarly robes, the young nobleman Kim Sung Yeol lives as a vampire to keep his promise to his friends. When Sung Yeol still was a human, he found out about the vampire Gwi who sits above the King deciding the next royal line and has resurrected as a vampire trying to fight against Gwi. And now, he is living as a guardian vampire fighting against the evil vampire without losing his human nature.

My Review

I found this drama after I watched Tomorrow. I loved Lee Soo Hyuk in that show so much I wanted to know what else he was in. Thus I came across the Scholar Who Walks at Night. I wanted so much to like this drama, and at first it was pretty good. The vampire acting and some of the special affects are a bit cheesy, but I could look past that. The problem is, it just goes on for too long.

Most of the show is spent looking for the “secret plan” to kill the vampire Gwi. Then, once they finally get it, they spend multiple episodes agonizing over how it’s to be used. How the plan is to be used is even misinterpreted, resulting in the belief that the Female Lead needs to be sacrificed to Gwi in order to kill him. Even after they realize that is incorrect, it still takes them forever to come up with a plan.

Kin Sung Yeol started out as a pretty cool character. He has been living as a vampire for 120 years, searching for the way to kill Gwi and free the country from the vampire’s grasp. He is mostly closed off and stoic when he first meets Jo Yang Seon, who is working as a bookseller. As Sung Yeol begins to develop feelings for Yang Seon, he becomes annoyingly whiney. He believes himself to be a horrible beast that may lose control and attack Yang Seon.

In turn, Yang Seon is basically useless. She doesn’t do much except need to be saved constantly. She couldn’t even sacrifice herself for the greater good properly.

Truly, Gwi is the only character that I really liked. The Crown Prince wasn’t bad, but not my favorite. Gwi is a straight forward character. You know what his motives are and how he’s likely to react to certain situations. Yes, he a monster that survives on human blood, but I think in the end he was kind of lonely. I wanted so much for Gwi to win, but I knew that was never going to happen. If you’ve seen any amount of Kdramas in your life, you will know what I mean. The ending was also very cliche.

At one point I considered giving up on this drama, but since I only had a few episodes left, I decided to stick it out.

My rating for the Scholar Who Walks At Night is 3 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy historical dramas with overly sensitive male leads, than this may be a drama for you.

Thanks for reading!

Weak Hero: Class 1 – Review

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Title: Weak Hero: Class 1

Language: Korean

Genres: Action, Youth, Drama

Objectional Content: Violence, Bullying

Synopsis: from MyDramaList: Yeon Shi Eun is a model student who ranks at the top of his high school. Physically, Yeon Shi Eun appears weak, but by using his wits and psychology, he fights against the violence that takes place inside and outside of his school.

My Review

I honestly don’t know what to make of this drama. Is it supposed to be against bullying? Is it showing what happens if you stand up to bullies? Or is it highlighting what Korean society is like?

Our main character, Shi-Eun, seems like a quiet person who keeps to himself and spends all of his time studying. This, apparently, is not acceptable to the school bullies and they begin to harass him. However, because he doesn’t react to being threatened, they instead try to mess with his grades. Using a new student to put a fentanyl patch on Shi-Eun’s neck results in him incorrectly answering a question on an exam. This causes Shi-Eun to lose it and attacks the bully. Everything escalates from there.

The bullies can’t accept that they were beaten and need to get revenge, which leads to involvement with a dangerous gang and everything escalates out of control. Resentment flies all over the place and everyone is getting beaten mercilessly.

The show is very well done. The acting is spot on and the production is great. But, as I said at the beginning of this, I’m not sure what to take away from it.

If you have seen this show, I would really love to know your opinion on it as well. So if you have seen it, please leave your thoughts in the comments. If not, give it a watch and see what you think for yourself.

My rating for Weak Hero Class 1 is 4 out of 5 stars. There is a second season but I have yet to watch it. I needed a palate cleanser after finishing the first season.

Vincenzo – KDrama Review

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Title: Vincenzo

Language: Korean, Italian, English

Genres: Comedy, Law, Crime, Drama

Objectional Content: Violence, Murder

Synopsis: from (MyDramaList): At the age of eight, Park Joo Hyeong left for Italy after being adopted. Now an adult, he is known as Vincenzo Cassano and employed by a Mafia family as a consigliere. Due to warring Mafia factions, he flies to South Korea where he gets involved with lawyer Hong Cha Young. She is the type of attorney who will do anything to win a case. Now back in his motherland, he gives an unrivalled conglomerate a taste of his own medicine—with a side of his own version of justice.

My Review

Vincenzo begins in spectacular fashion when Vincenzo, the character, takes revenge on a rival Mafia family after the death of his boss. Refusing to serve the new boss, Vincenzo flies back to his motherland of Korea. There, safely hidden below and old building, is 15 tons of gold. The rightful owner has passed away and the only people who know about the gold are Vincenzo himself and a friend who helped hide the gold. Unfortunately, the building is bought by illegal means, forcing Vincenzo to become involved in with the building’s tenants and their fight to keep the building from being demolished.

Vincenzo as a character is just amazing. He is calm and collected, even when when being insulted to his face or having his life threatened. He doesn’t give in to his emotions and never acts rashly. He is very good at playing the long game. If someone crosses this man, they will pay for it dearly, but stay on his good side and he will protect you when needed. He is truly a scary type of person. Knowing full well he is not any type of hero for justice, he is a villain that will use what he knows to get what he wants.

In the beginning, I didn’t much like Hong Cha-Young. She is arrogant, loud, and has a weird way of walking like she’s better than those around here. However, after he father is murdered, she quits her high profile law firm to fight again Babel and bring down it’s evil CEO. She kind of grew on me by the end.

Jang Han-Seok is a true psychopath as the true villain of this show. One moment he can be all smiles and innocence, the next he’ll be beating someone with a hockey stick. This man is even more terrifying than Vincenzo because he enjoys the pain he inflicts. I don’t want to spoil anything, but he most definitely gets what he deserves in the end.

This drama has so many twists and turns. There were some genuinely jaw dropping moments and times when I cried. I could barely predict what was to come next. Some dramas can be very formulaic, but not this one. Thankfully, the last episode also wasn’t some stupid kind of filler episode with like a dumb amnesia plot or something.

Although it was slightly open ended in it’s last moments, I’d say this show wrapped up quite nicely, with no loose ends to really wonder about. Considering its been 4 years since it was released, I’d be surprised if they suddenly decided to do a season 2.

My rating for Vincenzo is 4.5 stars out of 5 and I’d recommend it to anyone who is looking for a somewhat intense, but also slow burn story about crime and how people will try to cheat the law.

Thanks for reading!

The Uncanny Counter 2 – Kdrama Review

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The Uncanny Counter Season 2: Counter Punch

Title: The Uncanny Counter 2

Language: Korean

Genres: Action, Mystery, comedy, Supernatural

Objectional Content: Violence, Domestic Violence, Murder

Synopsis: from (MyDramaList): Evil spirits from the afterlife arrive on Earth in search of an immortal existence. The story follows a group of counters who are tasked with catching these malevolent entities.

My Review

In season 1 of the Uncanny County, So Mun was the rookie of the team. He had to learn to navigate his new powers while also coming to terms with the death of his parents. Now, in season 2, So Mun is the ace of the team. He has mastered his abilities, improved his fighting skills and can use psycokinesis. When a trio of evil spirits kills and consumes a team of Counters in China and gains their abilities, So Mun and his fellow Counters have their skills put to the test.

Mun has gained confidence in his abilities and the rest of the team rely on him to get them through. A new Counter also joins the team, Na Jeok-Bong, who has a unique ability as well. He can smell evil spirits. Too bad for him, they smell foul. He doesn’t really contribute much else to the team, in my opinion. Do Ha-Na seems to be more open in this season. In the past, she was very closed off and reserved, not wanting her team mates to know anything about her past. In this season, they are all much more like family.

At one point, Ha-Na reconnects with an old classmate. For a brief period she gets to experience true happiness and something of what a normal life could be. Sadly, with her job, she knows it’s something she can never really have.

When someone the Counters know and trust is possessed by an evil spirit, things start to get crazy. This evil spirit is stronger than most they have faced before. When the trio from China start to work together with this new spirit, things get very dangerous for the Counters. They all come very close to dying on multiple occasions.

I have to say that I really enjoyed with show. It was great to see these characters again. The ending felt nicely wrapped up so I wouldn’t expect a third season. Honestly, I don’t think a third season would benefit this show at all. They would have to keep upping the stakes and unless one of the team actually dies, I don’t think they can up it much more.

My rating for The Uncanny Counter 2 is 4 out of 5 stars. It loses a star because I didn’t really like Na Jeok-Bong as a character and there are times when it feels a bit cheesy. I’d recommend this show to anyone who watched the first season, and if you haven’t watched the first season, go watch that first!

Have you watched the Uncanny Counter? I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments!

Dr. Brain – Kdrama Review

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Dr. Brain, Kdrama on Apple+

Title: Dr. Brain

Language: Korean

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Medical

Synopsis (from MyDramaList): An emotional journey that follows a brain scientist who is obsessive about figuring out new technologies to access the consciousness and memories of the brain. His life goes sideways when his family falls victim to a mysterious accident, and he uses his skills to access memories from his wife’s brain to piece together the mystery of what actually happened to his family and why.

My Review

Dr. Brain follows Dr. Koh Se Won as he researches how to communicate between two people’s brains. After a family tragedy, he becomes even more determined and ultimately succeeds. He connects with his wife, who is in a coma, to help find their lost son.

I really did enjoy this show, even if there were some things that I found odd, or kind of just out of left field. For example, it makes sense that after syncing with another person’s brain that Se Won might take on some traits of that person’s personality. What is weird is that after synching with a cat, he’s able jump higher than usual and his reflexes have improved considerably. His eyes even glow green momentarily when he accesses those abilities.

The motive behind the whole plot is also rather far fetched. I don’t want to spoil anything about it, but it just didn’t really make sense.

I did like Se Won and seeing him progress and change as a person the more times he synced with people, taking on some of their traits and learning to feel emotions he previously hadn’t. the very end was also a bit confusing. I think there was supposed to be a second season, but unfortunately, Lee Sun Kyun, who played Dr. Koh passed away.

My rating for Dr. Brain is 3 out of 5 stars and I would recommend giving it a watch if you’re looking for something different and short. There are only 6 episodes so it’s easy to get through.

As always, thanks for reading!

Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing – Review

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Title: Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing

Language: English

Genres: Documentary

Trigger Warning: Child Abuse, Sexual Assault

Synopsis: Documentary about child influencer Piper Rockelle and the kids who were in her Squad.

My Review

Before Watching this documentary, I had no idea who Piper Rockelle was. Why would I? Afterall, I’m a 40 year old woman. Piper’s content is not something I’m interested in. However, I am interested in documentaries, and quite recently, the effects being on platforms like YouTube is having on the younger generation.

Piper Rockelle has been in the spotlight nearly her entire life. Starting with Pageants as a toddler, winning her first pageants as age 3. She was on two different TV shows before the age of ten, and then became the star of her own YouTube channel. Soon, other kids become involved and the Squad is born.

The documentary follows testimony of the former members of the Squad as well as their parents. The kids relate how Piper’s mother, Tiffany, was in control of everything. She controlled the content, the channels and the children. Tiffany was exceptional in manipulating people to get what she wants. She manages to isolate the kids from their parents so they don’t learn just what was going on until much later.

I won’t go into great detail of what these kids endured but it involved spending twelve hours or more a day filming videos, being told what to do, how to act and what to wear. Off camera was even worse as several of the children experienced sexual assault by Tiffany.

Now, I’m not a parent. I’m the type of person who has never wanted kids so obviously I don’t know what it’s like. Still, it baffles me the way the parents in this documentary were talking about everything that happened. It sounded like their concerns were more about the careers of their children as opposed to the trauma they went through. The parents file a lawsuit against Tiffany, but initially, the main concern is loss of revenue from Tiffany and partner sabotaging the other kids YouTube channels. This honestly baffles me. Do these parents not speak to their children? Do they not listen? I realize I’m not in their shoes and I don’t know what is actually going on but from some of the things the parents said, I really have to wonder what they were thinking.

In all of the this, the biggest victim is, of course, Piper. While the other children were able to leave, Piper is still trapped with her mother, being forced to film videos and take photos that get more and more provocative. As of the time of the making of the documentary, Piper was only 15 years old. I don’t understand how people can call people who choose not to have children selfish and terrible people, when there are parents out there abusing and exploiting their children for money.

More and more situations like this are coming to light and being talked about in the media. I really hope this message gets around more and channels like Piper’s, as well as family vlogging channels featuring children, will be banned, or at least demonetized.

This is an excellent documentary and I highly recommend it! 5 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen this documentary? Let me know what you thought of it!

Bad and Crazy – Kdrama Review

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Title: Bad and Crazy

Language: Korean

Genres: Action, Thriller, Mystery Comedy

Synopsis (from MyDramaList): Soo Yeol, a skilled but morally compromised officer in the Anti-Corruption Unit, faces a turning point after meeting K, a righteous but eccentric man. Despite his high school diploma, Soo Yeol has climbed the ranks by catering to his superiors’ desires, often ignoring justice in the process. As promotion time nears, he fears being left behind, especially after his hopes with Congressman Do Yoo Gon are shattered by K’s arrival. Together, the “bad boy” and the “crazy guy” form an unlikely partnership—bringing both chaos and change.

My Review

Watching these types of shows makes me wonder about what the justice system is really like in Korea. Are cops really just covering up things for politicians and sucking up to their superiors? I’d like to hope it’s not like that at all and it’s all just dramatization.

I have to say, though, I absolutely loved this drama. Lee Dong Wook and Wi Ha Joon are amazing together! From the very first moment K shows up, hilarity ensues. His very first appearance involves beating Soo Yeol in a bathhouse. That towel must have been on there really well 😉

It becomes apparent pretty quickly what K is and why he is there. Soo Yeol has allowed himself to become corrupt, to do just about anything to get his next promotion. He’ll brown nose and suck up to whoever he needs to for his own gain. Honestly, in the beginning, Soo Yeol is a complete sleaze. At first, I didn’t like him as a character, even though I like Lee Dong Wook as an actor. It was great to watch him learn and change, all while getting his ass handed to him by K.

Although there were many great scenes in this show, one in particular stands out. Soo Yeol and K get trapped in a very small space while investigating and what ensues is pretty funny. I don’t want to spoil anything there, but I honestly wonder how much of that scene was actually scripted.

Endings to Kdramas can sometimes be hit or miss, but in this case, I think it was a hit. Although it is bittersweet, I understand why it ended the way it did and overall it was satisfying.

My rating for Bad and Crazy is 4.5 out of 5 stars. I’m taking away .5 because there were a few little inconsistencies that I noticed, but nothing major. I’d recommend this show to anyone looking for an action thriller with a good mystery and humor.

As always, thanks for reading!