Ep: 12: Kingdom, Giri/Haji, Perry Mason!

The week we’re talking about two series currently on Netflix. The first is a hard-boiled noir-y genre-bender from the BBC and takes place in Tokyo and London. The second is a South Koreans 17th-century “sageuk” packed with political intrigue and one of our favorite things, fast zombies!

Giri/Haji Duty/Shame

Giri/Haji (Duty/Shame)
This BBC series, streaming on Netflix is jam-packed. At its core, it is a story of family. Filmed in Tokyo and London it is a two-language series, about 65% Japanese and 35% English, It stars Takehiro Hira, Yosuke Kubozuka, with a stellar supporting cast including Kelly MacDonald (Boardwalk Empire) and Justin Long (He’s still not a PC.)

There are secret romances, Yakuza gun battles, animation, surprise deaths, junkie prostitutes, and cockney gangsters.
It’s a coming of age story, a coming-out story, a female road trip story and has a rooftop scene near the finale that you will never see coming.
Duty/Shame may be back for a second season. We’d love to see more from these engrossing and unpredictable characters.

If you think there’s nothing great left to stream, check out Giri/Haji, Duty/Shame. – Netflix

Kingdom – Netflix

Kingdom, not be confused with The Last Kingdom, which is also streaming on Netflix, is a Sageuk (Korean period drama) set in the period around 1600, which was a low point in South Korea’s Joseon Dynasty. In the wake of Japan’s attacks, in this story, a rumor is circulating that the King is dead. But is he? Korean language, so used your Netflix subtitles.

Kingdom is more than just a great period drama filled with nearly as much political intrigue and vying for ascension as Game of Thrones. It is also a bad-ass zombie apocalypse series! And not just any zombies, fast, bone cracking, hollow eyed, ravenous, sleeping, waking. climbing zombies!

Kim Eun-hee‘s Kingdom was so good that Netflix was confident enough to order season 2 before the first season even aired. The cast includes Ju Ji-Hoon (The Crown Prince,) Kim Hye-jun (the beautifully evil queen) and Doona Bae (the female doctor/detective) and Kim Sung-kyu (the mysterious Tiger Hunter.) It is an international sensation that isn’t getting nearly enough attention here in the states.

And now, the moment Elaine has been waiting for: The premiere of Perry Mason on HBO.

We’ve been waiting for a year for the new Perry Mason to hit HBO, and it did not disappoint. It’s a gritty, Depression-era noir. The original TV show was pretty noir-y too. This is Perry’s origin story with a more fleshed out Perry than we have ever seen before. Matthew Rhys, who we love from The Americans, is a down and out Perry, working as a PI in 1930s Los Angeles. We see a few familiar names too, like Della Street and Paul Drake.

Perry Mason boasts a stellar cast of familiar faces, including John Lithgow, Juliet Rylance, Shea Whigham, Chris Chalk, Tatiana Maslany (be still Travis’s heart,) Gayle Rankin, Veronica Falcon, and Lili Taylor and Gretchen Mol. 

Don’t have HBO?

The Perry Mason premiere had the highest ratings for HBO in years, beating out both Watchman and The Outsider.
But if you still haven’t seen it? If you currently don’t have HBO and want to check out the pilot, here ya go!

Let us know what you think of the new Perry Mason by hitting us up on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram! Unless it falls off a cliff (like Penny Dreadful: City of Angels did), we will probably talk about it every week. Two small beefs, where are Lt. Tragg and Hamilton Burger? And the absence of one of the most kick-ass theme songs was noticeably missing. 

Sister Alice is a hit.

Tatiana Maslany is getting rave reviews as radio evangelist Sister Alice who preaches from The Radiant Assembly of God. Although we only see her in a picture in the pilot, it’s clear that it is based on Aimee Semple McPherson. As promised, here is some info on this fascinating real-life character.

For more Perry Mason background, check out our Shorty on Raymond Burr, the first to portray Erle Stanley Gardner’s iconic character.

The latest from our own Johnny Stromboli

Looking for personalized gifts while ya can’t leave the house?

Mike’s Mugs.
Use Etsy, or hit us up on our Facebook page and we’ll put you in touch.

We’ll be dropping more Shorties soon!