Quipu

With the abundance of television networks, cable channels, and streaming services available in this day and age, finding one that consistently provides superb output has become as arduous as looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Over the years, there have been standouts in this industry that left in me ineradicable admiration for the quality of their programs. Among them is HBO, which produced Six Feet Under,  The Night Of, and the widely (and wildly) successful Game of Thrones. Another is ABC, which put out Lost, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Once Upon a Time (not counting the seventh season). And, of course, AMC, which wowed me with Breaking Bad (my all-time favorite series), along with its spin-off, Better Call Saul.

In mentioning these three-letter networks, it's good to take note that their success has increased the competition in broadcast media and, as a result, also increased the quality of television, cable and streaming service programming.

One media service provider that I believe is keeping up with the competition is Netflix. Although I haven't seen all the shows and movies they have produced throughout the years, I think I have seen a significant amount of their output to be able to form the opinion I am about to lay out in this post.

My gateway series into Netflix was House of Cards. This was mainly because of its then-lead actor, Kevin Spacey (who, despite controversy, is a phenomenal actor). However, after having seen the first episode, I was hooked on the series because of its exceptional writing and how several of its plot points mirrored real world events. A few more episodes into its first season, I was drawn further into HOC fandom because of the quality of the acting and the calibre of the actors involved, particularly Robin Wright.

Later on, I got quite curious about Netflix's other shows and started viewing their other programs. Being a fan of comic books and superheroes, I naturally gravitated to thier production of the first season of Marvel's Daredevil. And boy was I blown away. Their take on the Man Without Fear was very grounded on character development and quality scripting, and each episode showed it. They also continued to show that they took their casting seriously as evidenced by Charlie Cox's impressive portrayal of Matt Murdock.

As I ventured deeper into Netflix programming -- watching their other series and original films -- I recognized a general pattern in most of their output: they select compelling source material with great stories, develop it through great scriptwriting, bring it to life by casting great actors, capture it with a great production team. And as far as the Netflix stuff that I've seen is concerned, they've most of the time done right by that pattern.

Netflix's quality, in my opinion, has been maintained well, starting with House of Cards, on to Daredevil (both seasons), on to Jessica Jones and Luke Cage (both of their respective two seasons), on to Lost in Space (don't even get me started with that Parker Posey character, and Maxwell Jenkins' Will Robinson!), on to the mindbendingly suspenseful Mindhunter, on to the first season of Bloodline (such a powerful ensemble cast; Ben Mendelsohn really kills it here), on to the 80s nostalgic throwback, Stranger Things (Millie Bobbie Brown is a gem!), and on to the grit and grime of The Punisher (great chemistry between Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach).

The same can be said about the Netflix films and animated shows that I've managed to view. I was enamoured by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny; how they took Shu Lien's story forward; and how they managed to put both Asian superstars, Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh, in front of the camera together again. They also did a superb job with the satirical and social commentary-esque Okja, which showed the shrewdness and soulessness of some companies in pursuit of money and success. They have also managed to update and reinvigorate one of my childhood favorites in Voltron: Legendary Defender, with a better developed set of characters and a more interesting lore behind it (I can't wait to see what they do with their She-Ra reboot!).

I'm still in the process of discovering other show and films from Netflix (something I'm looking forward to doing in the next few years), but my overall assessment of this streaming service so far, as a viewer and as a fan, is that they have enough variety and good quality of series, movies and animated shows to keep one coming back for more and, with every subsequent return, continue to enjoy their programming... and chill!

- - - - -

The blog entry title means 'an ancient Inca device for recording information, consisting of variously colored threads knotted in different ways.'