SOME ARE spies; others have monstrous secrets to hide. The characters in our recommendations this week pretend to be someone they’re not. All our choices use double lives in thrilling, novel ways. Alter egos help people fly under the radar or become a star. One new film isn’t worth watching, however: the alternate identities aren’t compelling, and nor is the acting.
Netflix
“Amandaland” (on BBC iPlayer)Amanda (Lucy Punch, pictured below) is back—and as pretentious, dishonest and delusional as ever in the second season of this sitcom. (When she declares, for instance, that her non-existent lifestyle brand has attracted “some major Chinese investors, a banking operation based out of Hong Kong/Shanghai”, what she really means is that she has taken out a loan from HSBC.) Amanda’s attempts to make it as an influencer remain extremely entertaining, as her many foibles are sent up in the show’s sharp script.
“The Boroughs” (on Netflix)A retirement village promises to give residents “the time of your life”, but a grieving widower discovers that otherworldly creatures are stealing precious years from the elderly. The Duffer brothers, the show’s executive producers, have said that this has the “spirit” of “Stranger Things”, their previous monster hit. Perhaps that is because in both stories a gang of misfits comes together to save the community. But by focusing on growing old rather than growing up, “The Boroughs” (pictured top) deftly explores death. The most terrifying thing is not supernatural, but the normal, natural process of ageing.
“Ponies” (on Peacock and Sky Atlantic)Bea (Emilia Clarke) is clever, diligent and highly strung. Twila (Haley Lu Richardson) is brash and worldly. They have one thing in common: their husbands are CIA agents in Moscow. When their spouses die in a mysterious plane crash, Bea and Twila volunteer to take over their jobs, posing as secretaries in the American embassy. The KGB surveils anyone of any influence but they, as mere women, would be classified as “people of no importance”, and so arouse little to no suspicion. Thanks to a cold-war setting, ample skulduggery and a witty script, this show is a lot of fun. Ms Richardson, in particular, shows a killer talent for comedy.
And what not to watch:
“Ladies First” (on Netflix)A male chauvinist thinks he has it all. Then he whacks his head and wakes up in a world where gender roles are flipped. Here Harry Potter is Harriet, Don Quixote is Donna and brands have names like Burger Queen and Victor’s Secret. This new film is a remake of a French comedy called “I Am Not an Easy Man”. It is not an easy watch, either. The excruciatingly dated tale offers endless scenes of men being sexually harassed and getting cosmetic surgery, while women eat burgers and pass wind. Even the star-studded cast, led by Sacha Baron Cohen (above left) and Rosamund Pike (on the right), can’t save “Ladies First” from finishing last.
