Approx length: Six episodes that are each around 50 minutes
Where to find it: It's a bit difficult to find due to bullshit so please feel free to contact me via DW's messaging system if you want a direct link to where I watch it. Otherwise, the internet archive has it right here (minus the last episode)
What is it, in summary?: A mildly fictionalized biopic about the Sex Pistols, the 1970s London band that brought punk rock to the UK. It's centered around guitarist Steve Jones as it was based heavily on his autobiography. Danny Boyle directed it and it stars Toby Wallace, Anson Boone, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Tallulah Riley, Louis Partridge, and many others. I wouldn't say it's a totally accurate portrait of the band or their history but it's a lot of fun and does what it sets out to do well.
What do you love about it?: It's a love letter to one of my favorite bands and one of my favorite periods in history. If you like the look and feel of 70s England or old school punk culture then you'll definitely get a kick out of this show because it's a perfect little time machine back into that era. Fantastic soundtrack, fantastic costume design, fantastic set design. The actors are great too and manage to make the (often misunderstood) people they're portraying both sympathetic and entertaining to watch. There's a level of depth afforded to each character and each relationship that I really appreciate as a long time fan of the Sex Pistols. Though the show is centered on Steve, each member of the band gets their time to shine. Danny Boyle seems to really understand why the Sex Pistols were such a big deal back in the 70s and his love for them shines through in each scene. It's also pretty funny and pretty gay at times so that's a plus.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: The relationships between the various characters, specifically the relationships that Steve, Johnny, and Malcolm have with each other. They're the most fleshed out characters in my opinion and their interactions are all fascinating. The weird one-sided (but not actually one-sided) father and son proxy relationship that Malcolm and Steve have that goes from adorable to incredibly dark and heartbreaking, Steve and Johnny having little moments of friendship despite their rivalry caused by them being opposites, and then the messed up 3D chess mind games that are going on between Malcolm and Johnny. They've all got such strong personalities that play off each other well and fascinating ways of viewing the world. There's a lot of room for missing scene stories or pre/post-canon stories.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: I suggest watching the entire show since it's only six episodes long.
Content warnings: The main character was sexually abused by his step-father as a child just like he was in real life. There's only one scene (relatively short and respectfully portrayed, I should mention) actually depicting any of that abuse and it's right at the end of the first episode. The third episode of the show depicts another real life story of sexual abuse (of the institutionalized woman who inspired the song Bodies) but there's no on-screen assault. Other than that, there's a decent amount of violence and, in the last two episodes, lots of heroin usage and some on-screen self harm.
Pistol (2022)
Media: Miniseries
Approx length: Six episodes that are each around 50 minutes
Where to find it: It's a bit difficult to find due to bullshit so please feel free to contact me via DW's messaging system if you want a direct link to where I watch it. Otherwise, the internet archive has it right here (minus the last episode)
What is it, in summary?: A mildly fictionalized biopic about the Sex Pistols, the 1970s London band that brought punk rock to the UK. It's centered around guitarist Steve Jones as it was based heavily on his autobiography. Danny Boyle directed it and it stars Toby Wallace, Anson Boone, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Tallulah Riley, Louis Partridge, and many others. I wouldn't say it's a totally accurate portrait of the band or their history but it's a lot of fun and does what it sets out to do well.
What do you love about it?: It's a love letter to one of my favorite bands and one of my favorite periods in history. If you like the look and feel of 70s England or old school punk culture then you'll definitely get a kick out of this show because it's a perfect little time machine back into that era. Fantastic soundtrack, fantastic costume design, fantastic set design. The actors are great too and manage to make the (often misunderstood) people they're portraying both sympathetic and entertaining to watch. There's a level of depth afforded to each character and each relationship that I really appreciate as a long time fan of the Sex Pistols. Though the show is centered on Steve, each member of the band gets their time to shine. Danny Boyle seems to really understand why the Sex Pistols were such a big deal back in the 70s and his love for them shines through in each scene. It's also pretty funny and pretty gay at times so that's a plus.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: The relationships between the various characters, specifically the relationships that Steve, Johnny, and Malcolm have with each other. They're the most fleshed out characters in my opinion and their interactions are all fascinating. The weird one-sided (but not actually one-sided) father and son proxy relationship that Malcolm and Steve have that goes from adorable to incredibly dark and heartbreaking, Steve and Johnny having little moments of friendship despite their rivalry caused by them being opposites, and then the messed up 3D chess mind games that are going on between Malcolm and Johnny. They've all got such strong personalities that play off each other well and fascinating ways of viewing the world. There's a lot of room for missing scene stories or pre/post-canon stories.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: I suggest watching the entire show since it's only six episodes long.
Content warnings: The main character was sexually abused by his step-father as a child just like he was in real life. There's only one scene (relatively short and respectfully portrayed, I should mention) actually depicting any of that abuse and it's right at the end of the first episode. The third episode of the show depicts another real life story of sexual abuse (of the institutionalized woman who inspired the song Bodies) but there's no on-screen assault. Other than that, there's a decent amount of violence and, in the last two episodes, lots of heroin usage and some on-screen self harm.