NETFLIX
Netflix has added How to Become a Mob Boss to its platform. The series, a small documentary narrated and produced by Peter Dinklage serves as a guidebook to achieving the success of its subjects. Netflix has had two similar series before, How to Become a Cult Leader and How to Become a Tyrant, both of which also paced themselves around the rise of several infamous figures in their chosen subject.
Episodes are roughly a half-hour long, and at only six episodes, How to Become a Mob Boss isn’t a huge time commitment. Its biggest weakness however is also due to its length. While the gimmick of the series is that it’s a guidebook using infamous underworld figures as a reference for how to succeed, ultimately each episode is only a rough overview of its subject and finds itself unconcerned with the ultimate fall of its subject. The first episode chronicles Al Capone’s rise in the Chicago underworld and ends with Capone becoming the face of crime. It doesn’t however even touch upon his eventual arrest. The second episode is slightly better at this as it ends on Frank Lucas’ arrest.
Dinklage’s narration is charming throughout and the subjects of this documentary are interesting figures. With interviews with former underworld figures, authors, journalists, police, and government agents there’s plenty of information to be gleaned from How to Become a Mob Boss – though each episode may leave you wanting more.
STAN
Earlier this month Stan premiered Orphan Black: Echoes. This sequel series to the cult-classic Orphan Black takes place in the near future – a few decades after the original series. The focus shifts from Tatiana Maslany’s various clones to Krysten Ritter’s (Jessica Jones, Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23, Love & Death) Lucy. Lucy starts the series with no idea who she is before escaping a facility and going on the run.
Orphan Black: Echoes makes good use of its star, though the concept has altered from the original Maslany vehicle. Ritter doesn’t play multiple versions of the same character, though there is a deeper connection between a few different characters. In some ways this a little disappointing as much of the original’s appeal was in the variety of performances it got out of Maslany. Ritter’s version meanwhile takes a different approach. Some characters from the original manage appearances throughout the season – and the show is still tinged with conspiracy and characters on the run. Ritter’s performance manages to ground much of the show – and she’s joined by a capable supporting cast including Keeley Hawes (Ashes to Ashes, Inside No. 9, It’s a Sin), Amanda Fix (Daisy Jones & the Six, Broken Diamonds, North of Normal), Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap, Tut) and Reed Diamond (Criminal Minds, White Collar, Monk).
PRIME VIDEO
007: Road to a Million also premiered recently. The series seems like a strange choice for a franchise that’s been solely dedicated to films for the last 60 years. Now the producers of the iconic film series put a series of contestants through a trivia-tinged version of The Amazing Race. Nine groups of two – mostly relatives, but also couples and friends – race around the world to find briefcases and answer question that point them towards their next clue. The contestants get to travel around the world, and to the show’s credit – tend to find ways to reference much of the iconography of the 007 franchise.
Each group has a chance to win one million pounds – and each question is worth 5000 by itself. Answering incorrectly eliminates the contestants, and everything is produced in such a way as to be incredibly visual. Questions are answered through billowing smoke – green for correct and red for incorrect – time limits are imposed to reach certain destinations.
Actor Brian Cox (The Bourne Supremacy, Rise of the Planets of the Apes, Succession) plays the Controller, the game show’s host. Cox gets to be enigmatic, and his voice instructs the groups as to their next goal. He makes references to the correct answers after something has been incorrectly guessed and his voice asks every question. His presence is seen in front of a variety of screens that shift between the different contestants. Cox manages to add character to this role – wry smiles when players curse “the voice” as working against them. Little asides as reaction to their answers.
007: Road to a Million is enjoyable. It watches like a more expensive version of The Amazing Race – with more spectacle on display in each segment. There are more puzzles added to the mix – including ways to access the clues than one would ever see on The Amazing Race, and the show rewards problem-solving. While it’s a strange choice for the 007 franchise, it’s also an enjoyable experience.
