HERE, THERE & ELSEWHERE. Designated dreams

Bins has gone off for a week, so I revert to my natural state: binge-watching shows on Netflix.

Watching shows with him is no fun because he refuses to pay attention. The other day, we tried to watch a show called Wanderlust starring Toni Colette. She’s a great actress who manages to look beautiful despite her asymmetrical face. The movie is about an English couple who believe that the only way to save their marriage is by sleeping with other people. After watching for five minutes Bins says, “Who is this Picasso-face lady? That old man is her HUSBAND? Why is that guy crying?” And so on.

Once he leaves, I watch a show called The Bodyguard . It’s set in London and stars Richard Madden, from Game of Thrones , in the title role as David Budd. He’s an Afghan War veteran with PTSD, refuses to admit that he needs help but nevertheless lands a job as the bodyguard to the very attractive home secretary (Keeley Hawes). The reason he lands the job is that, in the first episode, he successfully talks down a hijab-wearing would-be suicide bomber. Played by Anjli Mohindra, this character is a great reminder that cultural stereotyping is a more powerful force than most of us realise.

There are only six episodes, but so many moments of high tension, that my bag of tortilla chips goes totally stale — I don’t have time to chew! Budd and the home minister have a super-steamy, top secret affair while in the backdrop, London becomes a virtual war-zone. Budd’s two young children and estranged wife have to be whisked away to a safe house because they become targets. Soon, terrorists are pouring out of every corner. Conspirators lurk in every glass-lined corridor of power. It’s a wonder that anyone gets any sleep at all!

I find the series completely unbelievable even though I watch it with my mouth hanging open. I am fascinated by the gender/ethnic inclusivity — or is it mixed-messaging? Do the producers decide in advance how to balance the browns, pinks and khakis alongside the gender-switching? Can we guess who’s going to survive or be blown apart based on the colour of their skin or their plot-significance as romantic partners? Will there ever be a time when we don’t even notice such things?

The series is so stressful that I calm myself down by watching Designated Survivor next. In season one, the entire US government is destroyed during the State of the Union address. This forces Kiefer Sutherland, the “Designated Survivor”, to step in as mild-mannered, apolitical Tom Kirkman, now suddenly President. Sutherland is so convincing in his role that it’s a constant shock to watch the other actors merely acting. Despite the bombs and mayhem, the vicious terrorists and their dastardly schemes, the series is strangely soothing. Why? Because the man at the helm is such a kind, well-intentioned, right-thinking person. The stuff of dreams, in today’s sad world.

Manjula Padmanabhan, author and artist, writes of her life in the fictional town of Elsewhere, US, in this weekly column

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