📺 Daisy Jones & the Six, History of the World: Part II, and The Peripheral
Happy Thursday. Another big week of television is ahead of us: The Last of Us season finale airs this weekend and the long-awaited new season of Ted Lasso premieres next Wednesday. You Season 4, Part 2 is out today and new episodes of Daisy Jones, Shrinking, Animal Control, Abbott Elementary and so many more continue to drop. It’s streaming marathon season — hope you’ve all been taking your training seriously.
In today’s edition:
Daisy Jones & the Six
History of the World: Part II
The Peripheral
— Jenni Cullen and Jess Spoll
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In this segment we each give our take on the same show. Will we see eye to eye?
Daisy Jones & the Six
Keywords:Â musical drama, fictional rock band, romance
Watch if you like:Â Almost Famous, Walk the Line, Begin Again
Length: 60-min runtime, 1 season / 10 episodes (3 available now)
Watch on:Â Prime Video
Daisy Jones & The Six is a fictional documentary miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Set in the late 1970s Los Angeles music scene, the series follows the rise and fall of the titular rock band.
This is an entertaining enough show to watch: it’s glossy and very produced, the cast looks good and the songs are enjoyable. However, having read the book I had high expectations going into it, and it’s not living up to them.
Admittedly, it’s hard to make a fictional band seem fully real, especially when we’re supposed to believe that it’s the biggest band in the world. But the show focuses on the performances, and for them to be relatively mediocre just takes me out of the moment. Sam Claflin and Riley Keough as Billy and Daisy do an impressive job — it’s really them singing and playing the guitar — but there’s no ‘wow factor’.
My other issue with the show so far is that the interview-style clips are only serving as narration, rather than adding depth to the characters or demonstrating how the interviewees may be unreliable narrators. So far, they mostly serve to grind the momentum to a halt. Also, the characterizations of Billy and Daisy are, so far, very shallow. The show hits a high note at the end of the 3rd episode, and I’m hoping that carries through the rest of the series, but I’m worried that it will remain underwhelming.
Jess’s Rating:  B-
I did not read the source material for this show, and from what I’ve heard so far, that seems to be to my benefit.
I’m (mildly surprised to say?) really enjoying the watch. Not for any standout characters or genius plot, but for the sheer simplicity of experiencing a show about people trying to create art and falling in — and out — of love while doing it. It’s fun!
Sure, Daisy and Billy and a lot of the cast almost read more like stereotypes or cliches of 70s artists than real, three-dimensional people, but I’m hoping that changes as they all get more screen time over the remaining episodes. I will say, Camila Morrone’s supporting role is the most compelling part of the series so far.
All in all, I’m really just here to be swept along by fictional band dynamics and the drama of it all. At this point, the shiny, nostalgic ride of Daisy Jones and the Six is absolutely style over substance, but I honestly don’t mind.
Jenni’s Rating: B+
Our thoughts on brand new streaming content, and where you can watch.
History of the World: Part II
Keywords: sketch comedy, history, ensemble cast
Watch if you like: Drunk History, Documentary Now, Another Period
Jenni’s Rating: B+ / C-
After 40 years, Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part I finally has a sequel. History of the World: Part II is a limited series that, like its predecessor, uses sketch comedy to re-imagine key moments in history. It is written and produced by Brooks, along with Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll, and Ike Barinholtz, all of whom appear in the series as well.
The large ensemble cast features plenty more well-known actors and comedians; honestly, you’d be hard pressed to find a scene that doesn’t include a person you recognize. If you’re not a fan of smart, but stupid comedy, steer clear of HOTW: Part II. Its commitment to silliness is pure and unabashed. Some highlights include a Kardashian-esque depiction of the Romanovs and a Curb Your Enthusiasm style retelling of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus.
My enjoyment of the show depends a lot on the ‘bit’ of the moment — one sketch will have me laughing out loud and then the next will have my mind wandering or my fingers itching to scroll through my phone. However, the turnover is quick enough (4-5 different scenes comprise a half hour episode), that it doesn’t matter so much. If you don’t like one, the next is right around the corner.
— Jenni
Length: 30-min runtime, 1 season / 8 episodes
Watch on: Hulu
We reviewed a show in its early days on air. Now that a full season is out, would we still recommend it?
The Peripheral
Keywords: sci-fi, drama, mystery
Watch if you like: Westworld, Outer Range, Ready Player One
Jess’s Original Rating: A-
Jess’s Updated Rating: C-
I reviewed The Peripheral after the first two episodes had premiered last October, and I finally finished watching the first season last month. It’s been bothering me to think that there could be people out there planning to watch the show based on my recommendation, and given how drastically my feelings about it have changed, I find it necessary to give an updated review.
As a refresher, the series centers around a young woman, Flynne (Chloë Grace-Moretz), who lives in rural North Carolina in 2030 with her ailing mother and ex-military brother. Flynne is an exceptionally good video game player, and is given the opportunity by a shadowy tech company to try out their new VR gaming headset in exchange for some much-needed cash. Soon, she discovers that the world inside the headset might be closer to reality — and more dangerous — than she’d thought.
In my last review, I had gone so far as to say that The Peripheral might be one of my favorite shows of the year (after watching only the first 2 episodes). But I also said that these sci-fi mystery shows walk a fine line between being intriguing and letting us down, and unfortunately, my fears were realized. Over the course of the season, the show devolves into a convoluted mess with bland characters, plot holes, and too many exposition dumps. Instead of developing the characters and plot that are introduced at the beginning, it just continues to introduce new characters and new mysteries until nothing makes sense and the momentum has slowed to a crawl. If you had this on your list to watch, you can safely remove it now.
— Jess
Length: 60-min runtime, 1 season / 8 episodes
Watch on: Prime Video
Your shows, returned:
You, Season 4 Part 2: Premieres March 9 on Netflix
Top Chef, Season 20: Premieres March 9 on Bravo
Superman & Lois, Season 3: Premieres March 14 on The CW
Ted Lasso, Season 3: Premieres March 15 on Apple TV+
Shadow and Bone, Season 2: Premieres March 16 on Netflix
Good Trouble, Season 5: Premieres March 16 on Freeform (the following day on Hulu)
Upcoming new releases:
School Spirits: Premieres March 9 on Paramount+
Moonshine: Premieres March 10 on Freevee
Outlast: Premieres March 10 on Netflix
UnPrisoned: Premieres March 10 on Hulu
A Spy Among Friends: Premieres March 12 on MGM+
Gotham Knights: Premieres March 14 on The CW