Fool Me Once – Netflix Web Series

This is a limited web series in seven episodes. It is based on a novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. I learn that Netflix has so far picked eight of Coben’s 75+ mystery/thriller novels for web series. This is my first of Coben’s, either in book or web series format - as of now, that is. I might download a book or two in Kindle.

Like the earlier one, Marked Heart web series, this too keeps one engaged all through, and one could seldom settle down with one episode at a time. The protagonist moves heaven and earth to settle scores for the death of her husband and sister. The series is interwoven with several sub-plots to arouse suspicion on every character that is portrayed, and makes a convincing end.

Is the heroine’s husband really dead? If so, how come he is seen playing with their little daughter in the hidden camera that she has fixed to cover her absence from home? Or, does she suffer from hallucinations because of her controversial exit from military service? Is it that her suspicious looking mother in law or her only surviving son have anything to do with this? How come the accounts of the detective, the captain of the yacht, and a host of others are credited with substantial sums every month by the family’s corporate firm? Or, does the heroine’s sister’s affair before marriage bear any connection to the story? And, last but not the least, how come the Nanny in heroine’s household behaves strangely when questioned and throws pepper on heroine’s face and runs away never to be accessible? 

You will find an answer to these, and many more, if you watch it over the long weekend. As usual, my wife and I both suspected half a dozen characters - except for the real culprit. A never-say-die couple, we are sure to spot the director’s guy one day.

(Thank you once again, Viswanathan, for recommending this. Hope you are enjoying your stay in London.) 

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Aside this, some of us, SFV seniors, watched on the big screen, in the new Forum Mall, the movie Article 370. I was skeptical that it might be a documentary-type - far from it. It was absorbing, informative, and fixed the several loose ends that I had on the subject. More than the movie, we were surprised to see that most of the audience constituted seniors. 

Yes, the trend seems to be movies of this type – Kashmir File, The Kerala Story, Article 370, and now we hear the West Bengal file in the pipeline. Anything that provides us a comprehensive account of the political scenario is welcome.

‘Marked Heart’, an absorbing Netflix Web series

Today’s Times of India’s supplement announces a new Web series, Poacher by Amazon Prime, dealing with illegal poaching of elephants in Kerala for ivory.  

That takes me to the Web series that the lady of the house and I watched last night - till the wee hours to be precise more because of its edge-of-the-seat nature. We were quite satisfied. It is in Spanish but we switched both the spoken medium and sub-titles to English. Thankfully, we found ourselves watching more the movie and reading less the subtitles. Crisp, short dialogues.

Bundled in just two Seasons, one of 14 episodes and the other of 10, it is on illegal organ transplant in Colombia, and how the Organization negotiates its way to get national recognition to its activities.  Until now to me the country was synonymous with drug cartel.

Without robbing you of the edge-of-the-seat discomfiture that accompanies a thriller, I would just say it was fast-paced for a webseries; plenty of twists and turns; the screenplay focuses on thus-far-no-further to keep the audience guessing; the movement is fast still it takes you nowhere. All rolled in one. The series does full justice to its mandatory alert - gory, sex, violence… everything is mixed in equal proportion. 

Each character plays his/her role to a T – overall, time well spent. One actor reminded me of American actor Edward Norton (remember the Academy award nominee for Primal Fear), and another, somewhat, of our Carnatic musician, T M Krishna.

In places we felt we were watching an Indian movie – the heroine leaves for an unknown destination, the chance arrival of the hero there, their chance meeting… Equally so, in the last episode all loose ends being fixed in an undue hurry, as though the Director was given a new directive – phata phat khatam kar.

Regardless, I shall sum it up taking a cue from Carnatic music. In my days when Ariyakudi, Chembangudi, Chembai,  GNB and others ruled the roost. Some excelled in Ragam, some in Taanam, some in Pallavi; yet others in something else.  But I found K V Narayanaswamy giving a decent fare of everything - like you had had a good meal where pachadi, avial, curry, kootu, sambar, rasam, payasam,  curd rice, all fell in place, with no item claiming a special place, or something else doing below par. Fully satisfied, you step out for the last item - paan.

(Thank you Viswanathan for recommending to me this series)

Farewell to a pious lady – Viswanathan’s mother (3161)

It was 31st December evening. Hari (3192) and I thought we would re-invent our skills with carrom board. As we were collecting the coins and striker from Club House Security, we saw Viswanathan escorting his mother to the Club House reception for her to spend an hour with her friends. All of them meet there unfailingly for a chat. I waved at her. I was about to go to her and tell her that I would visit her the next morning for the New Year namaskaram which my wife and I do every year if she is around. But the thought of selecting a good carrom board, before others did, made us hurry upstairs. I wish I had a premonition of what was in store for her for the morrow.

Meenakshi Mami, or Mani’s Athai, as she is fondly known to me and my siblings, she was hale and hearty, though past 89. She had her dinner, which she takes unfailingly at the appointed time, howsoever interesting the programme in TV might be at that time. She went to her room to pick up Maha Periyaval’s book on religious teachings. Usha was tidying the kitchen after dinner; she heard something fall with a thud. She rushed and found Amma lying flat on the floor with the Maha Periyaval’s book on her. 

Viswanathan sought Hari (3192) and Venkat’s help (3174). She was rushed in the ambulance to the hospital in Kanakapura Road, and they followed it in car. Alas, the hospital authorities declared her ‘brought dead’. The trio attended to the rest of the formalities.

‘Anayasena maranam…’, is how one prayer to Lord starts, meaning ‘Give me death without pain’. And that is exactly what she attained, in full measure.  Earlier, as she headed home from Club House, she bid farewell to her friends: ‘okay see you tomorrow,” having the least clue that the next morning her friends would come to her home not to greet her for the New Year, but to pay their homage.

As we waited for the priest to report for the rituals, one of those present who had a better knowledge of spirituality than most of us, explained the nuances of jeevatma, paramatma, mukti, karma, prarabdha karma…  

Mami never spoke unless spoken to. And when she replied it was monosyllabic. Whenever we visit her/them, she would be busy writing ‘Sree Rama Jayam’ in her notebook. What a beautiful handwriting. Once she completes eight or ten notebooks, she probably would have them sent to some institution who supplied her the stationery.  

The SFV Vedic Group of which Viswanathan is the current Team Leader, cancelled the day’s chanting session, for everyone to be able to be part of the last journey. The security staff deserves special mention for a very good job they did in ensuring that the mortal remains were carried in the lift without any hitch. 

Viswanathan whom I have known to be brave and bold, was seen crying uncontrollably like a child. Luckily, bravo, Usha took charge of the situation. The relatives of both Viswanathan and Usha had arrived by then. Members of the SFV Vedic group with their spouses and many of Viswanathan’s/Usha’s  SFV friends paid their last respects to the departed soul. 

Om Shanti.