February's knitflixing suggestion - Star Trek: The Next Generation

The whole of the Star Trek world has been on my list for quite a few years. As a fan of science fiction and fantasy, it seemed like something I needed to watch. I'm assuming that most people know at least a little bit about Star Trek, with "beam me up, Scotty", red shirts, and other references being pervasive in fandom spaces whether people have watched the original Star Trek or not. I finally got around to the Star Trek world last month, and I'm glad I did. I asked a friend who loves Star Trek where I should start, and she recommended The Next Generation.

The Next Generation focuses on the crew of the starship Enterprise as they travel through space, exploring new worlds. It reminds me a little bit of Doctor Who - a little bit campy, lots of aliens, good characters, and interesting moral questions weaved into the comedy and sci-fi moments. I think the target audience is a bit older (less family-oriented) and there's less time travel, but the overall vibe is very similar. But what really drew me into it was the world building and the characters.

The world building is very secure and well knit. At a first watch, nothing seemed incongruent or badly planned to me. And the characters (and actors) were brilliant. It's easy to fall in love with the crew members of the Enterprise, and while I definitely have my favourite (Data, in case you were wondering), it would be hard to pick a second favourite. Each character is well-rounded, has their own journey, and their character develops well over the course of the show. An added bonus is that the aliens are done with makeup, and not CGI (which is a lifesaver, since this show came out in the 90's), 99.9% there's no distracting computer effects.

Personally, I found the show got better and better as it went on. Considering there are seven seasons, there's plenty of knitflixing time here. The show isn't overly complicated, so you won't miss a ton if you look away, but there's also lots of little details that can be found if you're paying attention. And what made the show perfect for me is that each episode (or two-episode arc) ended well, which is good for when my anxiety is up and I can't handle too much suspense. So go and explore with the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation the next time you need a knitflixing show!

You might like this show if: you like episodes that have good endings; you enjoy a bit of humour and a bit of camp with your sci-fi; you like well developed characters; you like world building that you can fall into and be completely immersed in. 

ICYMI, I started making knitflixing suggestions for Canadian's last year. The goal was to offer a show or movie suggestion to watch on Canadian Netflix while knitting, because there's nothing worse than finding a list of recommendations only to discover that none of them are available in Canada. I plan to continue the trend in 2023, but I figured a round up would be useful if anyone wants to see them all in one place!

(Note that all the links are to my Ko-fi page, but all my knitflixing posts are publicly available, so no membership is needed to read them).

February - Sweet Magnolias

March - Avatar: The Last Airbender

April - Bridgerton

June - Hilda

July - Merlin

August - The Great Canadian Baking Show

September - Into the Spiderverse

October - Locke and Key

November - Tiny Pretty Things

I somehow missed the fact that yesterday was January 5th. Don't know how I managed to do that, but time always feels a bit funky at this time of year. Anyway, I'm only one day late, so I'm gonna count that as a win!

Knitflixing suggestion for January: Star Trek: Downton Abbey

This had been on my list for knitflixing last year, and then it was forecasted to be taken off Netflix. I binged through it one last time, said my solemn goodbyes, and removed it from my list of possible Canadian knitflixing suggestions. And then, last week, I discovered it was still there. Maybe the sudden influx of people rewatching it made Netflix decide to keep it, or maybe it was simply a sneaky marketing technique. We will never know.

Either way, I'm recommending it now. Downton Abbey is one of those British dramas that just captures and envelops the audience into the upright, English sensibilities of the early 1900's. The story focuses on the family and staff living at Downton Abbey, a large manor home and estate. The show takes its time developing the characters and the world they live in, and every detail has been accounted for. The costumes are beautiful, and develop as time passes, and the sets are impressive and realistic. Each character gets their own arch and develops throughout the show, a feat of writing that is difficult to achieve without feeling pedantic. The actors are fantastic, and every time I rewatch the show, I notice more subtle looks and careful facial expressions.

The only major thing I've really heard against the show is that its a bit slow-moving and boring (or that it's "too British", but I'm not really sure what those people were expecting from a British show set in 20th century Britain and produced by a British film company). I personally never found that to be an issue, especially since its kind of the perfect show to watch while knitting. While the details are stunning, they aren't crucial to understanding the plot or enjoying the show, so you can stick this on in the background of whatever project you're working on and not miss too much. Plus, there are six seasons and two movies, so plenty of knitting time available.

You might like this show if: you like period dramas; you enjoy the British style of storytelling; you enjoyed movies like Pride and Prejudice or shows like Call the Midwife.

This one is a bit behind schedule, because November to December chaotic time for university, but here we are! The knitflixing suggestion for this month is: Sense8

This is definitely on the more mature side of the "shows I have suggested" continuum, since there's lots of sex and nudity in this show, so be prepared for that. But I promise, the story is not just fan service, it's also got great writing and an interesting premise. The general idea is that eight people across the globe who share almost nothing in common except a birthday are suddenly psychically connected to each other. There's a shadowy group who is intent on hunting them and taking them out, and plot shenanigans ensue as the story follows the world-wide happenings of each other characters.

I found the first couple episodes to be a bit slow, but it was so worth it to make it through. It's dramatic, it's comicbook-esque, it's an intimate character study of relationships and human connection. And overall, it's just really fun. I've found the moments of simple connection between characters to almost be the best part. Getting to see how completely different people relate to each other and find similarities in their life and struggles is incredible, and the writing and acting is so well done.

In terms of the "knit" part of knitflixing, Sense8 does require a certain amount of your attention, so I recommend watching this show while working on a relatively uncomplicated project. I was knitting long ribbed socks while I watched, which worked perfectly. Also, the show only has two seasons, but I promise that it is still worth it.

You might like this show if: you like found-family dynamics; you want a show with realistic queer characters; you enjoyed shows like Firefly, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, or Marvel's Runaways.

November's knitflixing suggestion is: Tiny Pretty Things

I can't lie, I actually really like this show. And while certain issues in the real ballet world are used in this show, I'm fully aware that the rest is fictional and extra dramatic for extra drama's sake.

And I love it.

So fine, maybe past favourite shows of mine have included Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl. I'm well aware that none of these are masterworks or highbrow, but goddammit they're fun. And I'm a huge fan of having fun. So if, like me, you like slightly crazy girls and the ridiculous drama of poorly handled situations while wearing awesome outfits, I recommend checking this show out.

There's murder and drama and some truly epic ballet dancing. The actors are real dancers for once, so the dance scenes are amazing and beautiful and inspire me to try to get at least some of intermediate-student-ish ballet skills back after I had to stop for a couple years. I love a good murder, or attempted murder (or is it a murder at all?), and there's nothing better than when all the people involved are lying to save themselves and I have to try to piece together what really happened. Throw in the boarding school life, the high pressure environment, and the eerie dream scenes, and I'm hooked.

I will warn you now that the season ends with what was supposed to be the start of the plot for the next season, but the show was unfortunately cancelled. Personally I still think watching this show is worth it, but I'm telling you now so you know what you're getting into. Again, this show is just a lot of fun, and if you don't take it too seriously, there's 10 long episodes of drama-filled knitflixing time in here.

You might like this show if: you enjoy shows like Pretty Little Liars or Gossip Girl; you like murder mysteries and shows with dark vibes; you often dreamed of being a ballet dancer and enjoy watching ballet.

October's Knitflixing Suggestion: Locke and Key

If you're looking for something a little scarier for October (but can't handle super scary stuff, like me), Locke and Key is a great place to start. There are some scarier moments, at least by my standards, but it's also not gonna leave you with nightmares. 

Locke and Key tells the story of a family moving to big house in a small town after a tragedy, and things in said big house start to get weird (as things in big houses in small towns often do). There's lots of strange and unexplained phenomenas, mysterious histories, and magical happenings.

The show was adapted from a comic book series, and so has that comic-book-storytelling feel to it, but it's not beholden to it's source. There are some major differences, which some people may not like, but it means that the world of magic and mystery blossoms naturally and the plot is engaging. The characters are interesting and relatable to anyone who's been part of a family.

The third season came out at the end of August, so there's three seasons worth of knitting in this show. In my opinion, the first two seasons were the best, but  if a fourth season happens, we'll see if it's better.

You might like this show if: you read the Spiderwick Chronicles growing up; you like shows that are a little bit scary but aren't too gory or terrifying; and you enjoy creative magic and world building.

Knitflixing Suggestion for September: Into the Spiderverse

This month's recommendation is a movie! Spider-Man has always been my favourite superhero. My dad converted me early with those little comic books you buy at grocery store checkouts, and I found Peter Parker to be extremely relatable. Every since, Spider-Man has been my favourite hero in all forms. I wasn't super familiar with Miles Morales before watching Into the Spiderverse. I had seen him in cameos in other comic books before, but I'd never read a storyline where he was the main character.

After watching Into the Spiderverse, I'm actively looking for more Miles Morales as Spider-Man. As with most Spider-heroes, he was incredibly funny, clever, and relatable. The story focuses around the multiverses colliding into each other and Miles' journey to discover his powers and his confidence.

But even with the characters aside, the production of the movie itself was incredible. I know almost nothing about animation (other than that it looks extremely complicated), but the various styles of art used added a whole other level to this movie. All the little details made my nerdy little comic book loving self extremely happy. (I won't spoil any, because I want you to see them for yourself). On top of that, the music and sound design was incredible, too. In general the music was just good music, but the nods to other styles and eras were well done and very funny.

In short, everything is incredible. If you like comics, and if you like Spider-Man, don't skip out on this one. It's very different compared to the MCU, but don't let that scare you away. This is an overall great movie and a great watch. Now go watch it!

You might like this movie if: you're a huge comic nerd; you love Spider-Man; you enjoy innovated animation and production styles; you're looking for something light and funny that's also gonna pull your heartstrings just enough.