#towardszero

Wednesday, April 16th:

(exclusive): Agatha Christie's "Towards Zero" (BritBox, premiere, day 1 of three), Mythic Quest (apple+, revised series finale episode available), No Man's Land (hulu, Syrian drama, season 2 available, all 8 eps), I Am Not Mendoza (netflix, Mexican romantic dramedy, all 40 eps), Project UFO (netflix, Polish political drama mini-series, all 4 eps), "The Diamond Heist" (netflix, true-crime docuseries, all 3 parts), "The Dark Money Game" (MAX, 2-part documentary on political donations)

(streaming weekly): The Studio (apple+), Government Cheese (apple+, surreal family comedy, first 4 eps), Good American Family (hulu), Gannibal (hulu, penultimate), Buried Hearts (hulu, next 2 eps, season 1 finale), LOL: Last One Laughing - Colombia (APrime, season 2 opener), Everybody's Live with John Mulaney (netflix, live in late primetime)

(also new): "The Dark Money Game" (HBO, part 2/2, documentary finale, 2hrs)

(earlier - hour 0): The Thundermans Undercover (NICK) / . / Young Dylan (NICK)

(hour 1): Wild Cards (theCW), Chicago Med (NBC), The Conners (ABC) / . / Abbott Elementary (ABC, season 4 finale), The Masked Singer (FOX), Survivor (CBS, 90mins), The Challenge: All Stars (MTV, season 5 finale)

(hour 2): Sherlock & Daughter (theCW, series premiere), Chicago Fire (NBC), House of Payne (BET, season 11 finale) / . / Assisted Living (BET, season 5 finale), Celebrity Jeopardy! (ABC, penultimate), The Floor (FOX), Survivor (CBS, contd) / . / The Amazing Race (CBS, 90mins), Expedition Files (DSC, season 2 opener)

(hour 3): Chicago P.D. (NBC), All the Queen's Men (BET, special time), What Would You Do? (ABC), The Amazing Race (CBS, contd), Ghost Adventures (DSC, season 29 opener, 2hrs), The Stolen Girl (Freeform, psychological drama, limited series premiere)

Ooh, Towards Zero was oh-so-refreshing. It was the last of Christie’s personal favourites that I read, and it was quite the read at that. Definitely a mysterious palate-cleanser. The pale mint-green cover on this edition is very fitting. 

This is a book where it’ll be more fun if you keep guessing. One of my favourite parts of reading a mystery novel is guessing at who the killer is, and this book is awesome for that, because you’ll have a new guess every chapter (or at least, you’ll go back and forth). It’s easy to get involved in this one because it’s so focused on the playing-out of interpersonal issues. I felt like I knew these people so well so quickly, and yet I didn’t at all. That’s the fun! It’s an exceptionally clean and clever yet still pretty classic whodunit. It’s just bright and engaging and...well, really the only word I can think of is fun. The end was a nice burst of energy in that it threw me for a loop in exactly the way you want to be thrown for a loop when reading one of these comfy mysteries, but I truly enjoyed the entire book. It’s an 8/10. 

Oh also - the way I shrieked when I saw Julie Graham in the adaptation?! Between Jean McBrien and the Queen herself Cat Stone (with an honourable mention to Rhona Kelly, of course), her characters will always have a special place in my heart. Plus she just seems like a very cool and socially aware individual, tbh. Basically I’ve learned that if Julie Graham is in it, I’m going to enjoy it. And if you’re here on book 16, I’d say there’s a good chance you will too (seriously, if anyone needs something new to watch right now, check out Queens of Mystery. And then come back here and discuss it with me, because it’s one of my all-time favourites and nobody I know watches it yet! Get in on the ground floor, people)!