A mystery lover’s guide to what’s new to streaming this weekend.
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Mystery and Thriller Series to Binge
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The Night Agent, season 3
Netflix
Yes, Peter Sutherland is still out there trying to save the world. The new season, season 3, dropped with all ten episodes yesterday, and reportedly involves more border hopping than ever, with a special cameo from my favorite city for a political thriller, Istanbul. Worth a binge.
The Puzzle Lady
PBS
The British never tire of crossword puzzles and quite honestly neither do I, especially when those expert in the construction and/or solving of those puzzles are also involved in the solving of the world’s other mysteries. PBS has a new offering in precisely that vein, launching this week in the States.
The Last Thing He Told Me, season 2
Apple TV+
A new season of this Jennifer Gardner-led mystery premieres. Her husband’s disappearance is still hanging over the show, and the mother/stepdaughter duo are on the run from Los Angeles and back into hiding. The first episode of the new season is called “Cape Cod,” so my expectations are actually pretty high.
56 Days
Prime
Adapted from Catherine Ryan Howard’s novel, this show follows a bumpy relationship from the beginning to fifty-six days later, when a corpse is discovered. Or I suppose it works backwards somewhat, doesn’t it? In any case, a high, strong concept and a fresh take on the intense romance turned deadly genre, should be worth checking out – just premiered this week.
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Movie Night
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The action this weekend is on HBO/Max, where the two big contenders doing battle in the Oscar Best Feature race are both streaming (and both pretty good fits for mystery / genre lovers, too). On the one hand you have Ryan Coogler’s rich vampire opus, Sinners, and on the other, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Pynchon-inspired odyssey through an alt-American underground, One Battle After Another. And if neither of those suits your temperament this weekend, or you’ve already seen them on the big screen / small screen and don’t fancy a rewatch, consider shelling out the rental/purchase money for the streaming release of one of my favorite cinematic experiences from the winter: Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair. It is, as the title suggests, the whole bloody affair, a new supercut of the Kill Bill movies, which are electric as ever and honestly a pretty fun companion watch to some of the options listed above.
And finally, a pitch for an older movie just added to the primary streaming catalogue: Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, which is freshly added to the HBO/Max catalogue. This is Denzel working at the height of his powers, and honestly, the movie is even more powerful than I remembered from all those years ago. Spike Lee remains, as ever, one of modern America’s most talented, provocative, and entertaining filmmakers.
And 5 more movies new to the streaming libraries
Ex Machina (2014) (Netflix)
Hell or High Water (2016) (Netflix)
Key Largo (1948) (HBO/Max)
Mildred Pierce (1945) (HBO/Max)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) (Tubi)
