The Summer Pastime: Netflix Review
Netflix has captured the hearts of millions, with more than 44 million subscribers worldwide. The amount of movies and T.V. series available is abundant. It is almost impossible to pick favorites, but there were two shows in particular that were fantastic for the summer of 2015; the new mysterious series Bloodline and the classic gut-busting show Parks and Recreation.
Due to Netflix’s increasing popularity, the corporation has created some of its own series, identified by the big red “NETFLIX” logo at the top of their title covers. Luckily for Netflix, many of its shows have ended up being very successful, such as the series Bloodlines.
Set in the Florida Keys, Bloodline is centered on the Rayburn family, a very affluent family of five. The two parents, John and Sally Rayburn (Sam Shepard and Sissy Spacek) own an extremely successful hotel in the Keys. The Rayburns have three adult children along with another daughter, Sarah, who tragically drowned at sea as a young girl. The oldest, John Rayburn Jr. (Kyle Chandler), is the Head Detective of the police in the Keys, Meg Rayburn (Linda Cardellini) is a successful lawyer with relationship problems and Danny Rayburn (Ben Mendelsohn) is the troublesome black sheep of the family.
The story of the family’s hatred toward Danny goes all the way back to when the youngest child, Sarah Rayburn, was still alive. It was Danny who took her on the boat and it was Danny who let her drown at sea. An accident? Yes. But forgivable? No.
When Danny comes back into town to celebrate his parents’ award ceremony, he has nothing but revenge on his mind. He plans to create havoc for the whole family, ruining relationships, businesses, and lives.
This show has the perfect combination of suspense, dark comedy and fright. While watching, it will keep you on the edge of your seat as you try to guess the family’s fate. This series may be too frightful for those of us who cringe in movies at the sight of anything paranormal, but it is worth the scare. When you are done watching the first season, you will be anxiously awaiting the release of season two.
The opposite of the serious, spine-chilling Bloodline, is the classic, and extremely witty, Parks and Recreation.
It’s centered around quirky Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, and her gang of other parks and Rec employees in the small Indiana town of Pawnee.
The series begins with Leslie and her team members, including best friend and realist, Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones), the loving yet awkward, Jerry Gergich (Jim O’Heir) and the hipster hopeful, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), fighting to build a park in place of a huge construction pit, despite resistance from the hilarious all-American yet anti-government Parks Director, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman).
The plot starts out simply, but evolves into an undeniably comical series. Over the six years the show aired (much to the chagrin of its many fans, the series finished in February of this year) relationships and careers develop. Even with constant challenges always working against the Parks Department, the team always comes together in the end.
It is this teamwork that makes the show not only funny, but also heartwarming. Whether it’s Ron needing help defending himself from his crazy ex wives, Ann never being able to find “the one,” or Leslie’s short career as a City Council representative, in the end everyone gets the success that they deserve.
If you’re having one of those days where nothing goes your way, this is the show to turn it around. It will keep you entertained and laughing ear to ear for a full thirty minutes while watching the crazy saga of the Parks and Recreation Department in the little ol’ town of Pawnee.
Photo copyright of NBC Universal Productions.
