Screen Queen TV Reviews: The Assassin, All’s Fair, Black Doves & The New Stanford Prison Experiment

The Assassin

Friday, streaming on Stan

Middle-aged female rage — it’s a subject my husband may, or may not, be quite familiar with.

It’s also a subject being explored, at length, on TV this year, via a number of series featuring ladies of a certain age in starring roles.

In the past few months, we’ve had not one, but two, great explorations: Sharon Horgan’s fantastic HBO series Youth, all about a divorced mum in her fifties in search of a new beginning (she has precisely ZERO time for anyone’s nonsense, and I am so there for it), and the Stan series, Kill Jackie, which sees Catherine Zeta Jones playing an ex-assassin whose life unravels after her cover is blown.

Both these ladies are at the end of their tether, they’re pissed off and they’re taking no prisoners. They’ve decided the only thing left to do is to take matters into their own hands, take control of their life and keep soldiering on despite the fact life keeps throwing grenades their way (in Zeta Jones’ case, in a literal sense).

The Assassin, starring another screen icon of a certain vintage, the sensational Keeley Hawes as a retired contract killer named Julie (are we seeing a theme, here?), is cut from a similar cloth.

In season one, Julie’s life got a whole lot more complicated after it transpired the target she’d been strong-armed into killing had close ties to her son’s new fiance — awks! This season she’s back doing what she does best: putting out spot-fires left, right and centre, her oestrogen patch the only thing standing in the way of all-out Armageddon.

Look, I’ve never killed anyone (though my husband needs to stand on notice), but I have to admit: I identify with each of these women, and I’m loving this menopausal rage TV sub-genre.

Ladies, oestrogen up: we ride at dawn.

The New Stanford Prison Experiment

Streaming now on Netflix

Not sure what this says about me, but I’m obsessed with watching observational documentaries about people banged up in prison.

This unique experiment (why do they always call themselves that?), sees producers recreating Philip Zimbardo’s notorious 1971 study, which took a look at power dynamics and human behaviour.

They’ve tweaked it: in this they’re sequestering 30 real people, split into guards and inmates, into a real life prison for 14 days to see how they fare. Spoiler alert: it’s not a walk in the park.

Why anyone would willingly sign up for this is beyond me.

All’s Fair

Wednesday, streaming on Netflix

I couldn’t stand this show, but a lot of you sickos loved this high-camp Ryan Murphy legal drama, which stars Kim K, Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson and Naomi Watts. Its second season is on the way — knock yourselves out.

Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey

Sunday, 7.30pm, SBS

Before he was off being ridiculous on this year’s Celebrity Traitors UK, Richard E. Grant was being dashing in the Mediterranean, retreading Homer’s epic Odyssey for this series. This man can do no wrong.

Black Doves

Thursday, streaming on Netflix

Keira Knightly and Ben Whishaw — that’s it. That’s the review. This pair of acting legends are returning for a second season of this high-stakes espionage thriller. Adore these two — start getting excited.