Zoren: Time to see ‘The Bodyguard’ on Netflix
I have the recent national Emmy nominations to thank for motivating me to pay more attention to show I glanced at more than watched.
The nomination of Netflix’s “The Bodyguard,” which comes to the streamer via the BBC, triggered more curiosity. Here I’ve been spending recent months to see any besides “Stranger Things,” also Netflix, could trigger any interest, and a second, more careful look at “The Bodyguard” filled the bill.
One problem is I tend to sample rather than watch a program. That means I jump around looking for key scenes and dramatic moments and then make a decide whether to commit to a full viewing or let the impression stand. The volume of new shows makes this shorthand necessary, but this time, shorthand shortchanged.
Both me and “The Bodyguard.”
The plot unfolds slowly, then takes so many twists and turns, including genuine surprises and moments of high tension, it becomes a bit like video origami.
Not to be confused with the 1992 movie of the same name, or the musical based on that movie and coming to Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre next spring, this “Bodyguard” builds high intrigue as the title character (David Budd, played by Richard Madden), works to unravel a terrorist plot, the first stage of which earns him to job of protecting Britain’s home secretary (Julia Montague, played by Keeley Hawes).
Writer Jed Mercurio continually adds layers of interest as he shows the inner workings of government, the police, and intelligence offices, at times working counter on in secrecy from each other, while known terrorist threats are afoot.
The morass of official directives, as various governmental departments distrust each other or prefer to go their direction so they can claim credit or just thwart colleagues they disdain more than they value.
Madden’s Budd, though he is often powerless and in the position of following orders, is the honorable, rational one among the mix although he is subject to the buffets of politics and the will of employers and political leaders. Duplicity around him often does him and general policing and public safety harm.
“The Bodyguard’s” languid beginning — Well, not the first scenes on a passenger train, which are fraught with suspense and tension, but the three or four sequences immediately following — is worth slogging through to get the lay of some rather broad dramatic land populated by characters from various divisions who pop in and out of the action and influence outcomes, especially as they affect Budd.
In the fashion of most good drama, personal lives, Budd’s in particular, are woven in amid the mysteries and solutions. The most enjoyment comes from catching on to alliances, conspiracies, and interferences that are often unsuspected and, certainly, add to the texture of “The Bodyguard” and a feeling that these machinations are as much a part of how political systems work as they are engaging plot maneuvers and fictions.
Madden is superb as Budd, a laconic, often unemotional hero whose intensity comes from within and whose competence and patience is admirable.
My preference for the Best Drama Series continues to lead towards “Ozark,” also on Netflix and “Better Call Saul” from AMC, but “The Bodyguard” is a worthy contender and is an oasis in what I’m finding to be a summer dearth.
Perhaps Wednesday’s debut of Hulu’s “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” Mindy Kaling and Matt Warbuton’s take on a ‘90s movie that does share it name, will provide some relief. Kaling showed her producer’s sensibility in the recent movie, “Late Night,” about a talk show that lacks diversity. It will be fun to see what she brings to “Four Weddings.”
Another show I look forward to sampling is Friday’s “Otherhood,” on Netflix of course, in which Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette, and Felicity Huffman costar as mothers who take a road trip to reunite with their grown sons.
Nobody covers Eagles like NBCSP
As the Phillies continue to disappoint against teams that, once rivals, seem out of their league, attention and hope transfers to the Eagles, who opened training camp last week.
All TV sports departments are covering that, but a station with sporadic onair sportscasts can hardly compete with a 24-hour sports outlet. NBC Sports Philadelphia can get Eagles news to its audience the fastest among television outlets and, as usual NBCSP, has comprehensive programming in place from now until the NFL season openers in September.
NBCSP emphasizes its on-line presence as much as its on-air content. Articles videos, podcasts, and photos can be found any time, night or day, on the MyTeams App at www. nbcsportsphiladelphia.com. Podcasts include “Eagle Eye” and “4th and Jawn.” Broadcast shows, such as “Quick Slants” and “SportsNet Central,” which appear year-round can also be found here.
Once the season begins Sept. 8, Eagles Pre- and Post-Game shows will be a staple of NBCSP. Michael Barkann, Ray Didinger, Seth Joyner, and Barrett Brooks, the last two Eagles alumni, will be on the panel for both programs. Derrick Gunn, Reuben Frank, and Delco native John Clark contribute reports from the field. Former Philadelphia chief executive Ed Rendell appears to provide his analysis of the games.
The NFL contracts with various networks, usually the traditional networks — CBS, NBC, and Fox — along with ESPN (an ABC offshoot) to air its games. The Eagles are the only local team whose matches don’t primarily appear on NBCSP.
Undaunted, the station solves that dilemma by airing repeats of the pre-season games and, of course, in its pre- and post-game discussions.
This season, the Eagles pre-season contest vs. the Tennessee Titans, played
7:30 p.m. Thursday, August 8 on Channel 10, can be seen of NBCSP at 6:30 p.m. Friday, August 9 and
12 noon on Saturday, August 10. It will repeat on
NBCSP+ at 9 p.m. Saturday, August 10.
The second pre-season game against Nick Foles’s Jacksonville Jaguars, which airs originally at 7 p.m. Aug.
15, on Channel 10, repeats at noon Aug. 17 on NBCSP and 3 p.m. the same day on
NBCSP+.
The third game vs. the Baltimore Ravens, also showing live on Channel 10 at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22, has a second look at Noon, Aug.
24 on NBCSP and 10 p.m. that evening on NBCSP+.
The final pre-season contest, as always against the New York Jets, reprises Noon, Aug. 31 on NBCSP and 9 p.m. the same day on
NBCSP+. It will have played first at 7 p.m., Aug. 29, on Channel 10.
It’s obvious Channel 10 has rights to all Eagles pre-season matches. Its announcers for those games has a newcomer, Rob Tucker, who has been doing Eagles pre-game shows for the team’s radio home, WIP
(94.1 FM). Tucker will join the returning Scott Graham and Dave Spadaro in the Channel 10 booth.
No debating the debate timeline
CNN is no fool.
The lineup for Tuesday and Wednesday’s debates on the 24-hour news network, each featuring a field of 10 Democrats vying for the party’s 2020 Presidential nomination, includes a joint appearance Wednesday of former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.), whose showdown was the headline-glomming highlight from the first round of exchange on NBC in June.
The disappointment is a third vocal presence, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), once again misses going head-to-head with Biden and Harris, a circumstance that would increase the drama June’s debate generally lacked. Warren is on Tuesday’s panel, which puts her in position to face off for the first time with Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), providing the potential for some fireworks.
Biden, Harris, Sanders, and Warren are so far the front-runners for the Democrat nod. It’s early, but it would be fun to see this quartet on one stage. The difficulty is CNN could be accused of spotlighting the favorites and dividing the strongest contenders from likely also-rans.
The eight appearing tomorrow with Warren and Sanders are Gov. Steve Bullock (Mont.), Mayor Pete Buttigieg (South Bend, Ind.), Rep. John Delaney (Md.), Gov. John Hickenlooper (Colo.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Rep. Beto O’Rourke (Texas), Rep. Tim Ryan (Ohio), and motivational speaker Marianne Williamson.
Jostling for a word with Biden and Harris on Wednesday are Sen. Michael Bennet (Colo.), Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), Sec. Julián Castro (Texas), Mayor Bill de Blasio (New York, N.Y.), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Gov. Jay Inslee (Wash.), and businessman Andrew Yang.
Candidates barred from appearing by Democrat National Committee rules are Mayor Wayne Mecham (Miramar, Fla.), Rep. Seth Moulton (Mass.), Rep. Joe Sestak (from Delco) and businessman Tom Steyer, who is promoting his candidacy via television ads. Relative lack of support or recent entry in the primary race accounts for their absence. Rep. Eric Swalwell (Calif.), who appeared on NBC in June, ended his campaign on July 8. Bullock inherited his place on the debate panel.
Although I imply CNN was smart, it may have been lucky. It chose the debate panels via a drawing earlier this month. Of course, it also weighted matters so two top contenders, and five of the most popular, would be in each group. Both night’s debates originate live from Detroit and begin at 8 p.m. The CNN moderators are news anchor and Channel 10 alumnus Don Lemon, chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper, and anchor/political correspondent Dana Bash. Each candidate will have 60 seconds to answer a moderator’s question and 30 seconds to respond or rebut other participants.
Democrat debates are also scheduled for September and October. DNC rules governing those debates may narrow the field. Several candidates anxiously solicit support needed to qualify on social media. It will be interesting to see who makes the cut.