Welcome to What to Watch After, where you’ll find recommendations inspired by your favorite dark shows and movies that the algorithm couldn’t come up with, and only a thinking human brain would suggest.
Instead of more disturbing dystopian serial killer horror, the Watercooler’s after-watch picks work as “palate cleansers” to help clear your head so you can re-emerge back into the world – or fall asleep.
Our picks are related in some way – in theme, subject matter, talent, or era – but are much different in terms of tone, world, visuals, or characters. Think of them as bringing some light to the end of your long binge tunnel.
For this edition of What to Watch After, the show we’re recommending against is See, Apple TV+’s dystopian action drama that returned for Season 2 on August 27.
See is set in a post-apocalyptic future where a virus wiped out most of humanity and the survivors lost their sense of sight. Centuries later, their future-primitive descendants have adapted to live in blindness. When two children are born with the ability to see, their adoptive father, Baba Voss (Jason Momoa), must protect them from people who don’t want anyone to be able to see.
See’s most compelling feature as well as its biggest flaw is the characters’ blindness. The element of blindness raises the stakes and necessitates a different style of action than we usually see, but the inconsistent execution gives the show an unshakeable sense of ridiculousness. (If everyone is blind, why does Jason Momoa put on war paint?)
So if your favorite part of See is watching blind people navigate the world and do astounding things, but you’re tired of the violence and convoluted plotting and watching people pretend to be blind in a way that strains all credibility, we have a recommendation for you: You should watch the 2017 documentary Dealt, which is about the life and career of “card mechanic” Richard Turner, who is one of the world’s greatest sleight-of-hand magicians and, unlike Jason Momoa, is completely blind.
Dealt is an entertaining documentary about a blind, remarkable man
Turner is a fascinating character. The seemingly psychic things he can do with playing cards would be extraordinary even if he could see, and the fact that he’s blind makes him even more impressive. But Turner refuses to embrace being a “blind magician.” He won’t accept that his disability makes people see his accomplishments as more impressive, not less.
He wants to be thought of as a world-class manipulator of aces and eights, full stop, blindness be damned. He’s obsessively hard-working (he practices his craft 16 hours a day, because when he’s awake he almost always has at least one deck of cards in his hands) and confoundingly willful (he refuses to walk with a cane and instead relies on his family to guide him around). He spent most of his life stubbornly and successfully refusing to let his condition define him. But in the documentary, he’s getting older, and finally coming to terms with himself and how the world sees him.
Turner is a charming, funny guy, and you’ll love spending time with him and his family. He’s an inspiring example of perseverance who’d hate to be described that way, which makes him even cooler.
Dealt is available to watch on Hulu. See is available to watch on Apple TV+.
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