40 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: MAY 2017 Netflix and chill, plus Hulu stuff and more We’ve got the good, the bad and the “Who was the whiz-kid that screwed the pooch on this damn thing?” Netflix: Iron Fist Netflix, at least for those of us that don’t want to get busted out on the bills from those bastard cable “providers,” is awesome. That being said, they’ve unique challenges to face as media platform. For instance, when Netflix produces a Daredevil or a Jessica Jones, the response is so strong and positive that they have to rush too much to finish the second season of a series or produce a new one in the same vein. This appears to be the case with the God-awful Iron Fist. If you’re a kung-fu fan, watching this show is kind of like a really bad trip to the dentist. The action scenes are so clunky they look like they were shot underwater and it’s painfully obvious that none of the actors know a flying sidekick from a flying squirrel. But that’s just part of what makes it so lame. The writing sucks, the acting is so bad it’s some- times painful to watch, and the story (hippie Bruce Wayne returns to fight evil with glowing fist and well- groomed facial hair) man- ages to be extremely vague and ridiculous at the same time. Instead of watching Iron Fist, just punch yourself re- ally hard in the face. You’ll thank us later. • Rating:We give it half a handcuff – or one cuff. Hulu: Fargo; Season 2 (AMC) If you haven’t cut the cord, you’re probably looking for- ward to the third season of Fargo from AMC. But if you’ve got Hulu you can watch season 2. It’s above and beyond what most of us have come to expect as far as television shows. Fargo season 2 is more like a fine film you’d watch on the big screen. Patrick Wilson (Watchmen, Hard Candy) shines as a local cop with a quick wit and an almost total lack of fear. Ted Danson puts in some good work as a local sheriff as well. But the jury-prize goes to the leads, Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst. Both actors hit it completely out of the park. Fargo’s one of those rare shows that you binge-watch because it’s that good, not because your in-laws are in town or you need a way to beat an 11-hour hangover. • Rating: Four full sets of handcuffs – our highest rat- ing. Netflix 13 Reasons Why People don’t really want to talkaboutsuicidemuch.That’s one of the reasons rates of suicide have exploded re- cently–par- ticularly for middle aged Americans. But it’s a serious issue for everyone and police in particular. Confront- ing suicide as a phenomenon or on an individual basis is re- ally, really difficult stuff. And that’s what makes Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why such a valuable way to start conversa- tions when the topic at hand is so painful. A young girl who faces very common problems decides to kill herself. She blames a lot of people for her situation for a variety of reasons. Some people hurt her while others didn’t offer help when she needed or asked for it. So before she kills herself, she makes audiotapes to be played by the people that she blames for her suicide. The show is populated mostly by teenagers speak- ing some kind of Millenia- lese-type language that can be off-putting. But the series is well-acted and executed and it’s a great resource in terms of start- ing difficult conversations about a topic that presents such huge challenges for police and Americans in general. Warning: There are some graph- ic scenes de- picting rape and the sui- cide so be careful if you watch with the kids. • Rating: Two and half sets of handcuffs or five individual cuffs total. Hulu: Into the Badlands (AMC) This series is kind of like if Bruce Lee was in The Hunger Games (which prob- ably would have been the best movie ever, but that’s not the issue at hand). The reason Into the Badlands made the list is not because of the acting or the story – it’s about the action. The fight scenes look like they were done by Yuen Woo- ping (Kung Fu Hustle and hundreds more). • Rating: Two and half sets of handcuffs