The Honest Courtesan

Probably every bibliophile suffers from that syndrome where they buy books and then take a very long time to get around to reading them.  I’m certainly no exception, but I also do it with DVDs, both movies and even entire TV series.  In the latter case, it’s because I don’t actually devote a lot of time to video (the two-hours-before-bedtime viewing Grace and I have practiced for some time now is the most time I’ve invested in video entertainment since the late Oughts) and I really need to be in the right mood for any given show.  But since we recently finished Blake’s 7, I wanted more late ’70s British sci-fi and we decided to watch this show.  I put it on my wishlist years ago due to the presence of Louise Jameson (who played Leela in Doctor Who from 1977-78) and a reader bought it for me seven years ago, but I somehow never found the right opportunity to watch it.  Well, now I have and I’m sorry I waited so long, because it’s excellent; the series is only ten episodes long, and wasn’t renewed because it attracted the attention of the self-appointed TV watchdogs who were so common in the late ’70s and early ’80s (the kind who raised a huge public stink about any show that might be too intense for a timid 6-year-old with a nervous disorder).  If you enjoyed The X-Files, you’ll probably enjoy this as well because it has many similar elements (members of a government agency investigate paranormal events and uncover a huge and sinister conspiracy); unfortunately, it has dramatically increased in price on Amazon since it was on my list, but sometimes that’s a temporary thing so you may want to keep your eyes on it in case the price drops.  It’s spooky, engaging, well-written, well-acted, often intense, and doesn’t assume its viewers are idiots.