Uncharted with Sam Neill

The weather has closed in here, with low and drizzly cloud and a steady 12 degrees has meant the sandals have been swapped for slippers and cardigans and sweatshirts have been dusted off and ready to wear.  I have also decided to clear out the dvr and watch some of the shows I have been hording.

This one Uncharted with Sam Neill follows the voyages of Captain Cook.  I have certainly learnt a lot, about his journeys in the South Pacific and Northern America that I knew little about.  I didn't know that he went to Alaska to search for the North West Passage, sailing through ice and frozen temperatures.  I did not know that prior to coming to New Zealand, Cook and the Endevour had been in Tahiti and he brought with him a Tahitian Priest/ Polynesian Navigator Tupaia, who when he arrived in New Zealand allowed him to communicate with the Maori due to their common Polynesian language.  The show is sensitive to the indigenous people of the countries shown on screen, seeking out their opinion about the explorer and the impact on their people of his arrival.  Such beautiful pictures of the idigenous people and so sad to read about the impact of colonization.  Amazing that people have such great history in their family, enabling stories of first contact to be told by children that has been handed down from over 220 years ago.

Sam Neill is a good host - I like listening to his gentle speech, and he is sensitive and educated in his conversations with the people he talks too. I think as I have got older I value documentaries so much more after years of self centered vain people filling other tv shows, it is nice to actually learn about the amazing world we live in.  5/5

The Walking Dead

Hmmm - I don't know about sticking with this one.  I know so many people looooove it, and i have watched most of it from the beginning.  It's just that i feel that it is going to amble on and on with more or less the same type story lines, without any real passion or emotion - a bit like Grey's anatomy.  There will always be zombies, and they only seem to move at one speed and you don't really get scared by them any more.  I think it comes down to the characters, you see they don't seem hungry enough, they always seem to find some dented cans but they don't look hungry, and if it was me, as well as worrying about zombies and the lack of showers or soap, I'd be worrying about where my next meal is coming from.

So I don't know - not sure if I will invest more of my viewing time when this one returns.  Oh and they seem to have a never ending supply of ammo and arrows - aren't they scared about running out?  Oh and petrol - where does that all come from?

Shameless

Tv is seldom something to write about, but there is nothing like finding good shows buried at 11pm.  After watching a repeat of Happy Endings, which I only discovered half way through the series, I came across Shameless.  I hear it is a US remake of a UK series, but still it was good.  A father who is an alcoholic with a gang of kids, who are more or less bringing themselves up.  There was a fair amount of sex and drugs, so I guess that was why it was hidden at late o'clock, and this is only the first episode - so we'll see how it goes.