Moon Knight
Now while I am a big comic book fan I'm not really into the MCU. There are characters I like and characters I could do without. And I'm here with open arms for the X-Men. Just be nothing like the movies that have come before. Though Hugh Jackman is welcome back anytime. And I have a shocking confession, I have never watched nor plan to watch Avengers: Endgame. Which is problematic on many levels because that movie is so important to the building of Marvel's multiverse and the roll out of whatever phase we are now in. We're in Phase Four right? Right? So the truth of the matter is that the more entwined the universe is becoming the less likely I am to engage with it. The only movie I am actually looking forward to is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3... Kind of. I have Chris Pratt issues, as we all should. But there is one show I COULD NOT miss, and that was Moon Knight. Why? Well, Egypt and Oscar Isaac! I adore all things to do with Egyptian mythology and I adore Oscar Isaac, so this show was a no-brainer. I had to watch it. But here was the most amazing and welcome discovery when I started watching it, it stands alone. You don't need to be versed in the MCU lore, you don't need any other experience with anything Marvel. It stands completely on it's own and is marvelous. Everything you need to know about the world is given to you in a way that fully explains it without it feeling too much like exposition or like it's talking down to you. In fact, my father who sometimes has a hard time following the more fantastical shows I watch understood and loved this show. The world is wonderfully complete and is believable. Egyptian Gods have avatars who act on their behalf and Oscar Isaac and his three personalities act on behalf of Khonshu. That's it. Throw in another human who wants to be the avatar for a rather problematic God and you have the conflict for the series. But the real conflict is two of Oscar Isaac's personalities. The main personality, Marc Spector, developed another identity to protect himself from childhood abuse at the hand of his mother. The Steven Grant personality is Oscar at his most dorky, a lovely British mama's boy who is very much Oscar channeling some serious Bruce Campbell awkward Ash Williams energy. As one review said, the chemistry between Oscar Isaac and Oscar Isaac is amazing. If he doesn't win an Emmy for this he was robbed. And are we in an Ethan Hawke Renaissance? Because his role as Harrow was again perfection. I literally can't think of another actor who could have had the presence to match Oscar, but Ethan does it perfectly. In fact, this is a near perfect series, even the music. Oh, I hope we get more, but if this is all, it was done so so right.
Well if you are really into crime or comic books this past year's swath of television adaptations has been for you. It seems like weekly Marvel is dropping another show on Disney+, and I don't just mean new episodes, but whole new shows. What have we had so far? Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, with She-Hulk and her horrible CGI still to come? And that's not even counting other comic book adaptations from The Boys to The Umbrella Academy to Locke and Key to Paper Girls. As for keeping up with criminal activities, what with so many British imports showing up on a plethora of streaming platforms, I feel like I've spent the last year adding and dropping services just so I could watch them all! And I've barely dented the surface with more being released every week! But I will say this, moody period crime and Roger Allam are all you really need to satisfy me. And yes, the moody period piece I'm talking about oddly is different from the Roger Allam one I am talking about. But one thing was certain about this years adaptations, some really knocked it out of the park and some barely made it to first base. There were a few shows I was dying to see, and well, was occasionally pleasantly surprised. But if there's one thing I know, I'll keep watching and judging adaptations for as long as they make them. And let's put it this way, Hollywood rarely has any original ideas, so adaptations will always be here! But are any of them prizeworthy? Well just have to watch and see... 
