Mitchell Report

A personal blog for Michael Mitchell

A vintage television displays a split screen: on the left, a black-and-white courtroom scene with an older man in a suit; on the right, a colorful modern sitcom scene with a young smiling couple in a cozy living room.

From Paramount+:

🎬 Matlock – Season 1, Episodes 11–19 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ No spoilers!

I just finished the first season. What a different take on the original Matlock. Overall, I liked it and was really pleased that CBS decided to renew it for a second season.

You might remember I canceled my subscription to this service. Well, that’s true, but they offered me two months for 99 cents to come back. I figured, why not take Paramount+ up on the deal and finish the seasons I didn’t get to complete, including this show and the one below. 🎬

🎬 Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage – Season 1, Episodes 14–22 ⭐⭐⭐ No spoilers!

I finished the first season of this one too. I liked it. It fits nicely into the Big Bang Theory universe and is pretty enjoyable. I’m glad it got picked up for a second season as well. Nothing much more to say. It’s just a good show when you want something light and funny. 🎬

#tv #ParamountPlus #entertainment #reviews

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A stylized digital illustration of a man sitting at a desk, typing on a laptop. A soft green glow emanates from the screen, projecting a holographic website interface onto the wall in front of him. The atmosphere is calm and modern, evoking a sense of focused creativity and digital craftsmanship.

I recently made a few updates to the theme on my website at michaelmitchell.blog, which is hosted through Write.as. The goal was to modernize its look and feel while also complementing my micro.blog site.

Feel free to drop by and take a look. I’m really happy with how it turned out. If you happen to spot any bugs or quirks, just drop me a line. Thanks!

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A cinematic oil painting of a 1776 Independence Day parade in a colonial village. Continental soldiers in blue and red march down a dusty road, led by a large Betsy Ross flag. Civilians on both sides cheer and wave flags, with women and children in period clothing celebrating. The warm tones and painterly texture give the scene a nostalgic, historic feel.

Today, we celebrate the 249th birthday of the United States — my home country and my birth nation. Nearly two and a half centuries have passed since our founding, and in that time, we’ve experienced triumphs and trials, unity and division, progress and setbacks.

Some might say we’re not in a good place right now. And yes, it’s true — we are in a turbulent chapter. But I take comfort in history. Nations go through cycles. England, France, and the rest of Europe have weathered centuries of political and social upheaval. They have survived monarchies, revolutions, world wars, and more — and they endure. So will we.

Europe was home to many of history’s greatest empires: the Greeks, the Romans, and the vast British Empire — the largest the world has ever known. In modern times, however, the American nation was instrumental in bringing an end to both World Wars. That matters. We have never been perfect, but we have often stood firm in moments when history demanded courage, sacrifice, and leadership.

Read more...

A cozy digital illustration of a retro TV glowing blue in a dark room, with a striped popcorn bucket and a remote control in the foreground. The scene evokes a nostalgic movie night atmosphere.

From Peacock:

  • 🎬 The Day of the Jackal – Season 1, Episodes 4–10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ No spoilers!

I finished the first season, and all I have to say is: Bravo. There was action, mystery, intrigue—and more action. Some parts felt wildly exaggerated; I can’t imagine all of it happening outside the realm of TV drama. But other parts? Absolutely plausible—though more likely orchestrated by nation-states than rogue, non-state actors.

I hope they make a second season—there's definitely room for it. Maybe even a third. But no more than that.

As I said in a previous post, when it comes to TV, the British really know what they’re doing. 🎬

From Prime Video:

  • 🎬 The Chosen – Season 5, Episodes 2–5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “No spoilers” doesn’t quite apply here—it’s based on the Bible.

Not much to say other than: Wow. It’s been a great season so far—and with such incredible source material, how could it not be? 😊 Fantastic true story, outstanding acting. Best series EVER. 🎬

#TV #Entertainment #Peacock #PrimeVideo

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A cozy living room at night with a TV glowing softly, streaming interface on screen. Light nods to British espionage and biblical themes in the background—European cityscape silhouettes and a desert sunrise. Peacock and Prime Video logos appear subtly in the corners, evoking a relaxed, thoughtful mood for a blog post about TV streaming during recovery.

From Peacock:

  • 🎬 The Day of the Jackal – Season 1, Episodes 1–3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

No spoilers!

I’ve been under the weather this week—caught a summer cold and wrote about it over at mitchelltribe.com. Since I’ve been off work since Wednesday and mostly napping, I dove into a couple of series. This one’s on Peacock, and since I’m canceling the service in July, I’ve got to finish it before then.

That said—this show is really good. I’ve watched the first three episodes, and I have to say: the English seriously know how to make television. Right now, it's better than 98% of what’s coming out of the U.S.—with one exception I'll get to next. Eddie Redmayne is excellent in this, and all the characters are genuinely interesting. 🎬

From Prime Video:

  • 🎬 The Chosen – Season 5, Episode 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“No spoilers” doesn’t quite apply here—after all, it's based on the Bible.

This season is diving into what I’d call fulfillment, sacrifice, and redemption. The casting is spot-on, and while I know not every detail is historically or biblically precise, the spirit and themes are respectfully portrayed. The creators, actors, and entire team are doing an outstanding job, and this is currently my favorite show. I’m glad they’re aiming for seven seasons—I’m especially curious how they’ll depict their take on Revelations. 🎬

#TV #Entertainment #Peacock #PrimeVideo

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Painting of an intense Revolutionary War battle scene showing American Continental Army soldiers clashing with British Redcoats. An American soldier at the center holds a Betsy Ross flag high as smoke and chaos fill the battlefield, with bayonets drawn and expressions of determination on both sides.

Yesterday was a normal weekend day for me. I relaxed and played one of my favorite PC games. I also spent some time troubleshooting my Python weather bot — a little project I built just to post local weather updates from my house. But this post isn’t really about that.

While relaxing, I ended up watching and reading about a few things: the No Kings protests, the U.S. Army's 250th birthday parade, and — from across the pond — the Trooping the Colour (yes, with the British spelling).

Read more...

No Man's Sky Promotional image. Colorful alien landscape featuring a red and pink grass field, exotic plants, and various alien creatures including dinosaurs and flying animals. A humanoid figure stands near a spacecraft while several rockets and ships ascend into the sky. A large geometric monolith floats in the sky with a glowing center, and a giant ringed planet is visible in the background

I saw that No Man’s Sky has released another update. I’ve been with this game since day one—I preordered it and even got the free bonus ship, which I still have to this day. That’s one ship I’ll never give up because it was a launch bonus. I’ve upgraded its storage and technology over the years, and it’s still with me.

I remember launch day—August 12, 2016—very clearly. My first thought was: “This is interesting... but broken.” It wasn’t like what they showed on stage. The experience was pretty basic, and I felt cheated. But I saw that they acknowledged the game’s shortcomings and promised to make things right.

And they did. They went even further and committed to free DLC. True to the word of Hello Games and Sean Murray, every single update has been free, and they’ve added an incredible amount of value.

Read more...

📺 This TV Week’s Watchlist:

From Disney+:

  • 🎬 Andor – Season 2, Episodes 10–12 Season and Series Finale ⭐⭐⭐

No spoilers.

I finished Andor last night and walked away feeling unsatisfied. The characters were strong and interesting, and the actors and actresses who portrayed them were compelling and talented. The problem was the story.

While the season did provide some valuable background, explaining how we got to this point, the pacing felt uneven. Some parts were rushed, while others were overly drawn out. It seemed like they were trying to cram the content of four or five additional episodes into just three.

If you're going to do that, then each episode needs to be treated like a classic TV miniseries—back in the day, miniseries would run across three or four nights, and each episode would be about 90 to 105 minutes (to account for commercial breaks). That kind of format could have helped here.

Yes, technically (not a spoiler), the show leads into the beginning of Rogue One, but it didn’t tie things up in a satisfying way. Rogue One ends with a powerful, climactic bow. Andor, by contrast, left me disappointed and wanting more.

After over two years of waiting, we got about 8.5 hours of content total. For that amount of production time, it deserved either more episodes or longer, richer installments. I understand that the time spent producing, directing, and editing was probably five or six times that—but still, for two years of work, you better deliver great pacing, superior storytelling, and fantastic special effects.

This felt like it had so much potential and tried to hit the right spots, but it was more like scratching the surface and hoping you’d hit the itch. 🎬

#TV #Entertainment #Disney+

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📺 This Week’s Watchlist:

From Disney+:

  • 🎬 Andor – Season 2, Episodes 7–9 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

No spoilers. I thought Episode 7 had a small pacing issue and dragged a bit, but Episodes 8 and 9 picked up nicely. Like I keep saying, I really hope they wrap this up leading into Rogue One with a satisfying conclusion. There are some tie-ins to Star Wars Rebels—might be time for a rewatch. 🎬

Tags: #TV #Entertainment #Disney+

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Studio Ghibli-style illustration of a person counting coins at a table

I just received a notice that my High Yield American Express Savings Account has dropped its rate from 3.80% to 3.60%. I remember it being 4.00% at the end of last year, and even a bit higher when I opened the account earlier in the year.

So, let’s recap:

  • Credit card interest rates are up
  • My pay is stagnating
  • My retirement funds are losing money
  • And now, my savings rate is steadily declining

All this while “he who must not be named” shot the whole economy in the foot with what amounts to the largest tax increase in American history, all while claiming “the other country pays the tariff.”

Read more...

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