Don’t feel guilty for staying inside on a beautiful day — give yourself a break and soak up some television. Just remember to take your Vitamin D part-way through whatever you decide to binge-watch.
As the streaming business continues to collapse, evolve, and transform (did you see Max became HBO Max again?), Netflix has proven itself yet again to be a growing home for more and more licensed and original shows. Beyond the gluttony of reality TV and documentaries dedicated to [checks notes] poop cruises… there’s also a smorgasbord of genre fare that Polygon readers would delight in. Here’s three to get you started this weekend.
Twilight of the Gods season 1
With a brand new Superman reboot flying into theaters this weekend, let’s pour one out for Zack Snyder and celebrate his most successful project since Man of Steel: the animated series Twilight of the Gods.
Steeped in Norse mythology — and soaked in blood — Twilight of the Gods tells the story of Sigrid, a half-giant who watches Thor murder her future husband’s entire Viking clan as a goof. Where most people would mourn and accept that the gods will always have their way, Sigrid instead mounts revenge by banding together Earth warriors and marching toward Valhalla. Snyder’s visual instincts are on full display in the series, which he co-created with Eric Carrasco and Jay Oliva, from fetishistic action to tasteful 2D nudity (the guy loves Heavy Metal, and who can blame him?). The freedom of animation combined with the superpowered saga of deities becomes a sandbox for the director, and one in which he can screw with the traditions. People, thankfully, have much fewer beliefs about how the Norse deities should behave than the DC heroes. Snyder goes for broke in depicting the violent standoff, with godly antics that should play well for Hades fans. —Matt Patches
Temperatures in New York City have been hovering around 90 degrees Fahrenheit and muggy for two weeks now. When I step outside, I am immediately drenched in sweat. But 179 years ago, the crew of the Franklin expedition was trapped in the Arctic ice, suffering temperatures as low as -50 degrees! This is one reason that you should consider binge-watching season 1 of AMC’s anthology series The Terror in the sweltering month of July.
The show’s first season follows the doomed crew of the expedition, who disappeared on an attempt to find the Northwest Passage. It’s a beautifully written exploration of what happens when Victorian society is pushed to its breaking point. The performances are sensitive and compelling, and above all, it’ll make you grateful that it’s not cold out. (Sorry to all my southern hemisphere readers, I see you — feel free to watch The Terror over Christmas, I’m sure it’ll hit all the same.) —Simone de Rochefort
The first season of Dan Da Dan, much like the manga, was raunchy, wacky, and unhinged. After learning about the existence of aliens and spirits, Okarun and Momo’s lives change when the boy gains powers from Turbo Granny (a yokai who takes his sexual organs) and the girl unlocks her psychic abilities. The pair face great danger during the journey to recover Okarun’s “golden balls”, but the greater challenge is to understand the romantic feelings they have for each other. I’m sure you can relate to all this.
Season 2 just kicked off — catch up! — and starts exactly where we left Momo, Okarun, and Jin in the previous season’s finale. Momo and Okarun are investigating what happened in Jin’s house and will soon learn about a long tradition of human sacrifices and hungry gods under a mountain. With the same production value and highly energetic scenes, Dan Da Dan season 2 starts strong, showing more of what we love: Momo Ayase’s punching creepy old dudes with her psychic powers; absurd situations that are laugh-out-loud funny; and loads of paranormal mysteries. Expect to see more of the (super)natural charm of Dan Da Dan as Momo’s and Okarun’s feelings develop this season. —Paulo Kawanishi
