Saturday, July 9, 2016

What I Learned From TV - July 9


Each time I do a post about What I Learned From TV, I’ll begin with the explanation from the first posting:

Now that my kids are grown, and Tom has retired, I’ve been able to go back to my natural sleep pattern which is to stay up late and get up late. Tom’s natural rhythm is just the opposite. So, he’s the lark and I’m the owl. 

And what this owl does in the late hours is watch television- not in the traditional way but through Netflix, TunnelBear, and Acorn TV, and my own DVDs. Most of the shows are British, though I am a great fan of a few American television shows, and have been watching some from other countries now that we have TunnelBear. Some of these shows Tom will watch in the mornings, but some of them are all mine. So, when I hear a great quote from a show I know he’s not going to watch, I’ll leave him little post-it notes near the computer keyboard. I had a notion this morning to begin a new ‘letter topic’ called What I Learned From TV so I can put up some virtual post-its for you to read and, hopefully, enjoy. Some are funny, some are educational, some are wise.

From Grace and Frankie, two seasons now streaming on Netflix:

Frankie: "I'd give my good knee for a cigarette."
Grace: "Me, too. I haven't had a cigarette since smoking was good for you."
Frankie and Grace together: "Shall we?"

From As Time Goes By,which I watch on my DVDs: 

Lionel says about his father: "I'm not a child. I don't need his help."
Jean replies: "It won't do you any harm. I wish I had someone to help me. ... Parents; even when you're, well, older, you never stop missing them. You never get used to the fact that you can't go to someone and say, 'What shall I do?'"

From Inspector Lewis, which I watch on my DVDs: 
A man has been found dead with a rifle beside him.

Hathaway: "I, er... wouldn't read too much into the absence of a 'goodbye cruel world,' sir. Statistically, suicide notes in Grahame's demographic are in the 12-20% range."
Lewis: "Where do you get this stuff?"
Hathaway: "The back of cereal boxes."
Lewis: "What? Let's just say some days I'm grateful you're on our side."

When series seven of Inspector Morse came along, both John Thaw and Kevin Whately had other projects on the horizon so there were fewer episodes offered for the last years. For two years, Kevin Whately played Dr. Jack Kerruish in a drama called Peak Practice, which I am watching on my DVDs. (Yes, I buy old British television shows on DVD from amazon.uk) I thought this was a funny line in Peak Practice, offering an homage to Whately's Lewis character:
Jack thinks someone is stealing a car, but he isn't. His brother-in-law says: "Good job you're a doctor - you'd make a bloody lousy copper."

18 comments:

  1. I have been reading your posts from time to time, I sense a kindred anglophile spirit, please...how do you get British DVD's that work on US DVD player? Or did you get one of those universal players? Thank you, and I do really, really like your pictures and blog.

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    1. Thank you so much for leaving me a note. Definitely an anglophile. Most likely born in the wrong place. haha. Yes, we have a universal player. We used to have one for just DVDs, but now have one that also works for Blu-ray discs.

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  2. I think it was "All Creatures Great and Small" that was the first British show that I watched on PBS. And then, it was "Upstairs, Downstairs". I think this was in the late 1970's!
    Remember Alistair Cooke on Masterpiece Theatre! HA!, I am working on a post just now about it, so look out for it! xx

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    1. I loved AC's introductions on MT. Did you ever see his America series? I bet it is on youtube. And then the cute homage on Sesame Street - Alistair Cookie. Our earliest PBS shows were Julia Child, The Forsyte Saga, and Upstairs Downstairs. I was already studying British Lit in college, and the British shows offered on PBS just increased my love for all things British!

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  3. When Lewis finishes at the end of the summer, I'm planning on watching all of them again. I have them all on DVD and love them dearly. I may never get over missing Hathaway. LOL

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    1. You don't have to miss him if you just keep watching over and over again! I never get bored because the shows are so intelligent. I swear, I am still learning from the series. I'm always looking things up. Oh, and did you know that Mr. Fox has an album now. I bought it, of course. More here: http://www.laurencefox.co.uk/ And he and his wife broke up.

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  4. Great post, I liked the quotes very much. As we don't have tv feed such as satellite or cable, we only watch the occasional DVD. We love Doc Martin and I don't know if you are caught up or not, but they could have left the series end with the last one. They wrapped up a few things, in my opinion. BUT I am happy there will be one more season.
    We also love All Creatures Great & Small, so much so that we named our son Tristan after Tristan Farnon. Our Tristan is 27 now, time flies.

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    1. I love it that you named your son after Tristan! I am caught up on Doc Martin, and have started watching it all over again on Netflix streaming. I'd be happy if the show never ended.

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  5. We really must expand into Netflix as everyone urges us to. We only have basic cable and I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have Sunday night PBS. I always loved Inspector Morse and also Foyle's War, well almost everything I get by way of PBS. With our basic cable plan, upon moving, they gave us a free year of HBO. I rarely find anything on it that I like but when I do I watch it over and over. And then there is always a DVD in the player to turn on when there is absolutely nothing else and so I watch some things over and over rather than loading a new one. This past week it's been Widow's Peak.

    Nan, how amazing of you to read back on my older posts! I would pin a medal on you if I could!

    Two of my sisters and their husbands have been up from Orlando visiting us for the weekend and I had 3 wonderful days of conversation and good food with them and it lifted my spirits so much. Sometimes just being with family is a tonic.

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    1. That's wonderful that you have more family in Florida! That should really help if you can get together.
      Both Foyle's War and Morse are on Netflix streaming. I'm sure you'd always find something to watch there. Lots of shows that are on in England show up on Netflix soon after they finish over there. It is 10 bucks a month. A bargain as far as I'm concerned. You're sweet about the old posts. Of course I wanted to catch up!!

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  6. "Lewis" has not been on German TV for several weeks now, and I do miss it. Hopefully, I'll get to see some episodes (as well as new "Midsomer Murders" ones) when I'm over in England at the end of this month and early next month! Does it make me a sad person when I say watching TV is something I am looking forward to for my upcoming Yorkshire holiday? :-)
    (It won't be during the day, obviously, but my sister and I enjoy our cosy nights in, cooking, eating and then settling down in our lovely little cottage in front of the telly.)

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    1. Not a sad person at all!! When the kids were young and we traveled, renting houses for usually a week's time, the tv was always a big deal. Stations that were new to them, programs they'd never heard of. It was always a lot of fun for them and for us watching tv! I'm sure you will have a lovely time no matter what you do.

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  7. You and I have so much in common - starting with our names :-) I am so glad I found Acorn this past year. We just started watching a show you might enjoy if you haven't seen it yet: William and Mary. Some familiar faces and perfectly entertaining.

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    1. I have seen it - at least the first two seasons. I've been thinking watching it all over again.

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  8. We got Netflix and Amazon TV for the first time last summer and are still getting used to the joys! Always appreciate your suggestions. Will have to check to see if we ever caught clear up on Doc Martin ... we watched it on PBS, but since PBS schedules are not the same for every station everywhere, we found that Florida was just starting the series, while we had watched at least four or five seasons here in Oregon.

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    1. I'm watching Doc Martin again (for the third or fourth time!) on Netflix streaming. Such a great show.

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  9. Nan - First that beautiful header! Each time it changes it is even more beautiful - although I just loved the peonies!
    I am definitely an owl and an anglophile. Books and tv. Hate when a series ends - but have started to watch over again as you do. Les gave me the complete set of As Time Goes By, so I can always watch a dvd of it!

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    1. SO good to hear from you!! I've missed you. It is such a glorious time of year that I could change the header every day! I'm happy to hear from another owl. I am surrounded by early risers. ;<)) I heard that Les is looking forward to watching it with you when she and Rod move out west!!

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