Diandra’s 2011 Media Highlights

As for television, I tend to shy away from titles praised everywhere, so I have to wait until the hype in my head fades before I try out acclaimed shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad.

Episodes of the Year

5. The Fades, series 1, episode 4

The Fades’ blend of high school superpowers and undead uprising improved on its awkward pilot at an astonishing pace. This episode examines loss and death, ending with one of the most astounding yet ambiguous conclusions I’ve seen.

4. Misfits – season 3 episode 2

One character’s new super-ability leads to a potent exploration of gender perceptions. I later dropped this  show due to recurring problems with time-travel rules and female characters. Nevertheless, this was an outstanding episode.

3. Southland– season 3, episode 9, Failure Drill

Intense penultimate episode of the season. I thought I wasn’t a “cop show” person, but Southland’s skill for balancing multiple plots and characters creates great drama for all tastes.

2. Black Mirror– episode 2, Fifteen Million Merits

The emotional peak of Black Mirror’s media-tech nightmares. What begins as a sweet possible romance in a sleek but bleak future becomes a devastating onslaught upon manipulated freedom and fame.

1. Standing Up, Moving Forward – Unforgettable (わすれない)

This NHK World Special about the survivors of Japan’s tsunami disaster was aired on PBS in the United States. It is plain and straightforward in telling one family’s story, but that story’s power is undeniable.

—

Other notable shows: Cold War news drama The Hour, medieval fantasy Game of Thrones, the bizarre yet surprisingly morbid comedy Psychoville, and the adventurous cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Special mention goes to: Daniel Kaluuya — who not only starred in Black Mirror episode 2, but happened to be a  main character in both The Fades and Psychoville, the excellent casts and supporting characters of Being Human (UK) and Boardwalk Empire, the genius concepts of Chardee MacDennis (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and the “Yellowverse” (Fringe), and the black-and-white sci-fi style of Syfy webseries, The Mercury Men.

Finally, I wasn’t able to watch many new movies this year, but I did find more films to add to my favorites: boxing noir The Set-Up, spaghetti western A Fistful of Dollars, soccer spectator dramedy Offside, Francis Ford Coppola’s surveillance study The Conversation, and the fevered tale of love and bloodlust Gun Crazy. 2010 animated offerings Toy Story 3 and How To Train Your Dragon were also terrific!

I also became a new fan of Old Hollywood actors, Lew Ayres and Sylvia Sidney. I hope that I’ll be able to catch up on the best films of 2011 in 2012!