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Reviews
Mom (2013)
America's working class AbFab
How has 'Mom' never attained the cult status of other great woman-centred comedies like 'Absolutely Fabulous' and 'Kath and Kim'? Sure, it's from the creator of the decidedly mainstream 'Big Bang Theory' and shares its brash, brightly-lit style. But it has the key elements of hilarity and heart, as it shows the struggles of recovering 'Mom' and daughter addicts Bonnie and Christy, and their Alcoholics Anonymous friends.
Playing Bonnie, Allison Janney is such a gifted comedian she frequently steals the show, using her long lanky body to great effect.
'Mom' stands out among American comedies for centring working class women, who juggle insecure work and housing, family, relationships and staying on the right side of the law. Rich AA friend Jill is largely there, in later episodes, to highlight the contrast between her material comfort and the realities of life for most of the women.
Like much mainstream TV, 'Mom' is not great in its handling of race. A couple of rounded Black characters make brief appearances, but otherwise African Americans mainly appear as service people, or as one-dimensional authority figures. The running gag with the acerbic chef and his silent Latino sidekick is particularly uncomfortable.
On balance however, I love 'Mom'. I'm forever grateful to the 70+ lesbian couple who recommended the show, and trying to cram in a taste of all eight seasons before it leaves Netflix (at least in Australia) on 30 December 2022.
Infiniti (2022)
Worthwhile genre-bender, despite plot holes
An intriguing mix of international crime thriller and science fiction, set in the decaying "Soviet" space and nuclear testing bases in the Kazakhstan desert. Pace is a bit slow to start, and there seem to be significant plot holes, although maybe I missed things due to the lack of subtitling of heavily accented English dialogue. But if you like shows like 'Dark' and 'Outer Range', it's well worth watching for the intriguing mystery, cinematography, incredible twists in the final episode, and some great performances, notably the Kazakh cop. A bonus is seeing Céline Sallette-Julie from the brilliant 'Les Revenants'/'The Returned'-in another lead role.