Random Fandom: notes

• Much as I loved Michael Emerson in Person of Interest (Harold Finch will always be in my heart) and Lost (because Ben Linus's creepy ambiguity/ambiguous creepiness was delightfully destabilizing), I'm so far not feeling him in Evil. I think it's because the character seems more of a plot device than a character. Even his brief stint as a serial killer on The Practice was more, well, ambiguous -- deniability, sometimes just this side of plausibility, was his hallmark. Or maybe I just miss Harold Finch, and this Leyland fellow is in my damn way. Wouldn't put it past me.
• Can we agree that Martin Freeman is possibly not of this freaking world? The man is routinely marvelous, which should Not Even Be A Thing: it's either routine, or it's a marvel, right? We watched Cargo on Netflix recently, a moderately good movie featuring a stellar (that is, standard) Freeman performance that made me actually weep for his character. A few months ago we saw him in a smallish role as Mike Priddle in Ghost Stories (2017) in which he was subtly but outstandingly creepy.  I now need to watch Breeders, his new comedy-drama (on FX, I think), in order to see his Angry Dad. Odds he'll be awesome are currently set at 1:1 in Vegas.
• Good lord, another Martin-Freeman-related note -- just found out about the existence of an hour-long British TV show from 2018 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the NHS (To Provide All People), which is salted so full of favorites it must be seen: Freeman himself, Michael Sheen, Tamsin Greig, Susan Wokoma, Celia Imrie... I can't imagine anyone has more than 5 lines apiece, but still: it must be seen. Alas, if only they were cast in a comedy together. A Freeman-Wokoma-Greig collaboration could actually warm my frozen soul.
• And another Freeman-related note -- rumors are bubbling once more that a season 5 of Sherlock is planned. I dunno. I love nearly everyone involved, and yet season 4 was a tough sell for me. I'm thrilled at the prospect of another season yet dreading what it might bring. This is clearly an unhealthy emotional over-investment in trivia. How appropriate.
• I know Prodigal Son is crap, practically an avatar of a certain subgenre of American television, I know -- but despite the overreaching psychology, insta-science, massive plot holes, overdressed cast, unlikely procedures and ludicrous plots, it's been endearing itself to me. I think I have a crush on Keiko Agena's coronor. Bellamy Young clearly enjoys sinking her teeth into the socialite tiger mom, and Michael Sheen is having a rollicking good time. And also, Tom Payne manages to make Malcom Bright, damaged almagam (yeah, you say it five times fast) of Batman and the Joker, actually sweet. Sweet, I tell you. Watching every co-worker mock Bright for his tropical-holiday suit game was just charming. I should be annoyed by the entire enterprise, which somehow makes it yet more charming that I'm not.