This week on Geektown Radio, Dave is joined by Darryl for another packed run through TV and film, with the big talking points led by Swedish thriller ‘Vaka’, oddball sci-fi comedy ‘The Miniature Wife‘, the return of ‘The Boys’, and why ‘Daredevil: Born Again‘ finally feels like it has found its feet. There is also chat about ‘The Pitt’, Netflix’s Italian period drama ‘The Law According to Lidia Poët’, more superhero trauma in ‘Invincible’, and a busy week of TV news.
Darryl kicks things off with ‘Vaka’, a Swedish mini-series on Prime Video built around an insomnia epidemic that spirals into chaos in Stockholm. Which is already a deeply unsettling idea before you add hospitals filling up, government panic, and people slowly losing their grip because they physically cannot sleep. It sounds claustrophobic, grim, and exactly the sort of show that becomes far more unnerving because it feels just plausible enough.
He has also finished Season 1 of ‘Furies’ on Netflix, with Season 2 already out now, and it continues to sound like a very solid recommendation for anyone who likes stylish crime thrillers with a bit of underworld chaos. Set in Paris, and following the daughter of a murdered criminal accountant as she chases revenge through a web of rival gangs and enforcers, it apparently carries a bit of ‘John Wick’ energy, while still making room for proper character work.
There is also more chat about ‘Daredevil: Born Again’, with Darryl now up to date on the current season and both he and Dave agreeing that the show is in a much better place now than it was at the start. Season 1 had its problems, and a lot of that seemed to come from trying to reset the board, bring in newer viewers, and recover from behind-the-scenes production wobbling. But Season 2 sounds more focused, more confident, and much more like the version of the show people were hoping it would become.
Darryl also checks in on ‘The Law According to Lidia Poët’, Netflix’s Italian period legal drama, which tells the story of the woman recognised as Italy’s first female lawyer. It mixes courtroom drama, social history and mystery-solving, with a tone that sounds serious but still entertaining enough to keep things moving. There is also a fairly grim real-world edge to it, given just how long the real Lidia Poët had to fight to be officially recognised.
And then there is ‘Invincible’, which continues to deliver exactly what ‘Invincible’ always delivers, namely blood, guts, existential damage and the occasional reminder that being one of the most powerful people in the universe is not actually all that much fun when you are constantly getting punched by the handful of beings who are even stronger. It remains one of the best superhero shows around, and the latest run sounds like it is keeping that streak going nicely.
On Dave’s side, he has wrapped up Season 1 of ‘The Pitt‘, moved straight into Season 2, and remains completely sold on it. The medical drama continues to sound like one of the standout shows of the year, particularly if you like your hospital series to actually feel like they are about medicine, pressure and impossible choices, rather than just romances that happen to be set near a crash trolley. It is intense, sometimes brutal, and apparently every bit as good as its reputation suggests.
He has also started ‘The Miniature Wife’, which may have one of the strangest setups of the week. Starring Matthew Macfadyen (Succession, Stonehouse) and Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Mrs. America), it follows a married couple whose already messy relationship gets even more complicated when he accidentally shrinks her to a few inches tall. So yes, that is a sentence that now exists. It sounds odd, funny and deliberately built around two fairly dreadful people, which at the very least is one way of making sure it does not get too sentimental.
Dave is also back in the world of ‘The Boys’, with the fifth and final season now underway. The opening episodes apparently waste no time in reminding people that nobody is safe, and with Homelander now effectively controlling the United States in all but name, the final run looks every bit as angry, violent and darkly ridiculous as you would want from the show. There is also the added joy of Jensen Ackles (Supernatural, Big Sky) back in the mix, because one overpowered lunatic was clearly not enough.
Elsewhere, Dave has also been dipping into ‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’, which follows Maul rebuilding his criminal empire in the early Empire era. It sounds like another strong entry in Lucasfilm’s animated run, with polished animation, plenty of underworld intrigue, and Sam Witwer once again proving he was more or less born to voice this character.
There is also a quick reminder in the episode that voting for the Webby Awards closes on Thursday, 16th April, so if you have been enjoying ‘Geekstorians‘, now is very much the moment to go and give it some support.
The news section is busy too. ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ has been renewed for three more seasons, ‘Would I Lie To You?’ is back for a 20th run, ‘Shetland’ is returning for Season 11, ‘Rooster’ and ‘Memory of a Killer’ have both landed renewals, ‘Emily in Paris’ somehow continues its unstoppable march into Season 6, and ABC has handed out new seasons to both ‘The Rookie’ and ‘Will Trent’.
There is also confirmation that ‘Extraction 3’ is happening at Netflix, ‘Dark Matter’ returns to Apple TV in August, and Neil Forsyth’s new Netflix drama ‘Legends’ lands in May with Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge, The Trip), Tom Burke (Strike, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake, The Gold), Aml Ameen (I May Destroy You, Rustin) and Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts, You). Plus, ‘Rick and Morty’ Season 9 is heading to HBO Max UK in May.
On the casting front, Uma Thurman (Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction) is returning for ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ Season 2, joining the already announced Brian Cox (Succession, Deadwood) as the New York Ripper. Netflix has also added Lena Headey (Game of Thrones, Beacon 23), Andrew McCarthy (St. Elmo’s Fire, Less Than Zero) and James Lance (Ted Lasso, The Book Group) to ‘Wednesday’ Season 3, while the BBC is bringing back Philomena Cunk for ‘Cunk on Cinema’, because apparently the history of film had not suffered enough already.
As usual, the episode also rounds up what is coming to screens next week, including ‘Doc’, ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’, ‘Beef’ Season 2, ‘Bergerac’, ‘Big Mood’, ‘DMV’, ‘Hacks’, ‘The Murder Line’, ‘Kevin’ and the return of ‘Tracker’.
So if you want one podcast episode covering ‘Vaka’, ‘The Miniature Wife’, ‘The Boys’, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’, plus a hefty pile of TV news, Geektown Radio Episode 493 has you covered.
Listen below.
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VOTE FOR GEEKSTORIANS!
Also, a quick but important plug for ‘Geekstorians‘, because it genuinely is a pretty big moment for the show right now.  ‘Geekstorians‘ is currently nominated for a Webby Award in the Podcasts – History category, which is a huge deal, and voting is open now for the Webby People’s Voice Award. So if you have enjoyed the show, want to support it, and fancy helping a brilliantly nerdy history podcast make a bit of noise on a very big stage, now is the perfect time to vote.
Voting closes on Thursday, 16th April.
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