Even though BBC Four’s engrossing documentary series Philly DA is about a progressive (aka ‘woke’) district attorney, viewers on both sides of the political divide might learn a thing or two from it.
If you’re a fan of true crime documentaries, you really should spend eight hours devouring this all-encompassing look at Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner’s first year in office because it’s eye-opening stuff.
I particularly liked the way it doesn’t sugar-coat him or the challenges he’s up against to reform the infamously corrupt and old fashioned department.
Krasner is a poacher turned gamekeeper, in that he’s spent almost three decades as a civil rights lawyer butting heads with the very department he now leads.
After a landslide victory in an election where he vowed sweeping and systemic changes to the way the district attorney’s office is run, he now has to deliver on those promises.
Philly DA really brings home that solutions to these widespread societal problems aren’t cut and dried.”
I suspect if you’re someone who is dubious of social justice movements or lean right politically you’d expect this documentary to portray Krasner as a saintly good guy, smashing down The System and taking no prisoners.
What it actually shows is that sometimes The System, as flawed and unwieldy as it undoubtedly is, isn’t always a malevolent force and that the ‘progressive’ alternatives can throw up just as many problems and injustices.
Philly DA really brings home that solutions to these widespread societal problems aren’t nearly as cut and dried as commentators, activists, social media users or politicians would like to suggest. On both sides.
Philly DA argues that things are much more nuanced than that and puts into stark focus what happens when one man’s good intentions and principles crash up against the harsh realities of life.
Retribution versus rehabilitation
Some of the themes explored so thoroughly in DA Philly were examined from a UK angle in Back To Jail: Crime and Punishment (Channel 4).
What to do with someone when they leave prison is an incendiary topic that people have strong, passionate opinions on, and while this programme didn’t claim to have all the answers about retribution versus rehabilitation it did show – as Philly DA did – that these issues are not black and white.
Whether these prolific repeat offenders should have stayed in jail is still up for debate, but what isn’t in doubt is the commitment of the probation team, whose frequently thankless job is to help them start productive lives outside jail.
Do you love Love Island for the right reasons?
As hopes of a foreign summer holiday dwindle away to nothing, the sight of azure seas and white sands on Love Island can feel quite alluring.
I still don’t think that’s reason enough to give up my summer evenings and watch all the sun-baked sexual shenanigans, but they’re not making the show for me – and I’m okay with that.
If you’re one of those viewers who adores Love Island with a passion, fair play. Have at it.
But don’t tune in just to mock and ridicule the contestants. That’s not a good look.
Sadly, the fact that ITV frequently need to tell viewers to “think before you post” on social media suggests that a good chunk of ‘fans’ are watching with the absolute worst of intentions.
A tasty treat of music
I don’t know if it was because the BBC was looking for a cheap and easy way to fill the schedules, but last weekend’s Glastonbury-themed takeover was something else.
Normally there would be the live event to broadcast, but in its Covid-enforced absence we got three days of highlights from through the years – and it was an utter joy.
What a way to whet the appetite for next year. (Hopefully).
Film of the Week: Bill & Ted Face The Music (Sky Premiere)
Not since the third Godfather film has a long-awaited three-quel been so underwhelming.
Like Part 2 of the gangster classic, Bill and Ted’s second outing, Bogus Journey, was even better than the first film. And like The Godfather Part 2, they should have left it there.
I’m not saying Bill & Ted Face The Music is a total waste of time – or quite the crushing disappointment that The Godfather Part 3 was – but it does round the beloved series off with a whimper rather than a roar.
Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are still effortlessly likeable as the now middle-aged metalheads, but the film feels a bit low-rent, especially when it comes to some wobbly special effects.
Devoted fans will probably be more than satisfied that Bill and Ted are back on screen after an almost 30-year absence. For the rest of us, not so much.