Girls season 5 (HBO)

The familiar funny/painful story arcs continue in this fifth season as the girls hit their mid-twenties and shit starts to get serious. All four appear to be getting their acts together, but appearances can be deceptive. Marnie elects to take the ultimate in dysfunctional relationships to the next level of dysfunction and marries Desi. Hannah has abandoned writing for her unique take on teaching and has accidentally found herself living with the terminally nice Fran. Jessa has finally found her passion and plans to become a therapist, but another passion could finally de-rail her relationship with Hannah. Shoshanna has discovered Utopia in Japan, but living a fantasy isn’t always what you expect. Adam, Elijah and Ray provide support and provocation in equal measure. Constantly making terrible decisions, these privileged white New Yorkers are eminently slappable but ultimately loveable. By the end of the series all four girls have circled back to something like their true selves, but are they doomed to keep repeating their mistakes?

A Confusion of Princes, by Garth Nix

Nix once again demonstrates his versatility by entering the genre of science fiction. The empire takes millions of selected babies from their parents, genetically enhances them and raises them in cold privilege as princes of the empire with the potential to one day become emperor. They must constantly compete against each other, with assistance from priests and assassins, and almost anything goes. If the imperial mind deems them worthy they can be reborn to continue the brutal fight for ascendency, if not they are cannon fodder to the imperial machine. The story centres on Prince Khemri, who believes he is destined for greatness. He receives extra assistance in his struggle from the imperial mind that tends to bear out his beliefs. His climb is diverted by a special mission, which sees him learn how much he doesn’t know about the empire. A Confusion of Princes is an apt title as Nix’s empire is a confusing place with a plethora of technical detail sometimes crowding out the exciting plot. A bonus short story set in the same universe adds value to the whole.

Their Finest (2017), directed by Lone Scherfig

London in 1940, blitz bombing is wreaking havoc on the city and the Information Ministry is keen to make films that will keep up spirits. With so many men in the forces opportunities open up for women and young secretary Catrin Cole finds herself in a scriptwriting job, although she can’t be paid as much as the chaps of course. She is recruited to add the woman’s touch to a propaganda film that must also aim to persuade the Americans to join the war. It is Gemma Arterton’s film and she is just right as the wide-eyed Catrin. The chemistry is there with Sam Claflin as cynical senior scriptwriter Buckley. A quite serious and moving story is punctuated with lighter moments throughout, largely supplied by Bill Nighy as a rather precious actor. A host of familiar faces feature in very strong supporting roles, particularly Rachael Stirling. It makes some nicely understated points about the role of women and the reality of life on the home front in a city under siege. The score is occasionally overdone, but the songs are lovely and the colour palette exquisitely depicts wartime London in this clever and appealing film within a film.

Crossbones (NBC)

Edward Teach, the infamous pirate Blackbeard, has set up a ‘republic’ on the island of Santa Campagna. Naval surgeon and spy Tom Lowe has been sent to assassinate the dread pirate and recover the longitudinal device that will cement British control of the high seas. Suitably Machiavellian as Blackbeard, Jon Malkovich has an odd accent but is otherwise convincing as the complex pirate king with a very dark past and seemingly utopian dreams of the future. Richard Coyle is an interesting choice as Lowe and he complements Malkovich. Claire Foy is excellent as usual but does not have enough to do as Lowe's love interest Kate Balfour. Former Neighbours couple David Hoflin and Natalie Blair are among the entertaining supporting cast. Plot improbabilities abound but are largely swept away by the bloodthirsty action and the gorgeous tropical setting in the early episodes. The twists and turns become increasingly ridiculous as the series progresses and it becomes a blood-drenched Pirates of the Caribbean by the conclusion. The ludicrous ending leaves an opening for a sequel, but it is not surprising that none has yet materialised.

Rumours, by Freya North

It is a relief to find a return to form for North in Rumours. Not that it quite has the sparkling wit and magic of old, but there is a warmth and depth to this tale that has been missing in her last few books. Art historian and single mum Stella Hutton has turned to real estate to recover her finances after her disastrous marriage ends in divorce. Selling the local manor house could make her fortune but an awful lot of locals will be put out, especially eligible bachelor Xander. Sexy and entertaining with appealing and delightfully appalling characters, occasionally silly plot points such as a stray Rembrandt do not detract from a romp of a read.

Lost Lake, by Sarah Addison Allen

Food, family and a sense of a fairy tale are the hallmarks of Sarah Addison Allen’s work. Lost Lake adds grief and ghosts to the mix in a tale of widowhood and beyond. The Morris women tend to get lost in love and can’t recover from its aftermath. A year after her husband’s death Kate suddenly snaps back to reality and realises she has lost control of everything that matters in her life. Reconnecting with her great aunt at the dilapidated holiday resort of Lost Lake helps Kate realise she can choose her fate and that of her daughter. In the process ghosts are laid to rest, alligators are soothed and futures are settled. The destination is usually fairly clear early on in Allen’s books, but the journey always has a few interesting twists and turns and it is very enjoyable getting there.

Jessica Jones series 1 (Netflix)

Set in the same Marvel universe as the Avengers, SHIELD and Agent Carter, Jessica Jones is an ultra noir look at people with enhanced abilities coping on the mean streets of New York. A private investigator with superhuman strength, Jessica Jones avoids relationships and relies on alcohol in retreat from a dark past. Those unfamiliar with the graphic novel won’t have a problem with the slow and initially limited reveal of Jessica’s past – what is important is the present and future of a woman with deep flaws. In a clever subversion of tropes such as the troubled PI and the married shark lawyer having an affair with the secretary, it is refreshing to see women at the forefront of the action. Krysten Ritter inhabits the body and soul of Jessica and Rachael Taylor is the perfect foil as best friend Trish, who has a dark past of her own. David Tennant provides an almost comic edge as psychopathic villain Kilgrave. Mike Colter is smoking hot as Luke Cage, Jessica’s sometime adversary, sometime love interest, who now has a series of his own. The bloody body count rises to Midsomer proportions as the series progresses. Sexy, smart, violent and very dark, the show includes occasional bursts of wry humour. Towards the end there are hints of a shady organisation behind some of the enhanced abilities, which sows the seeds for a second series, apparently in the works.

Barking Dogs, by Rebekah Clarkson

This is not a novel but a series of short stories told from the differing points of view of various inhabitants of Mount Barker, a small town in the Adelaide Hills that is gradually being absorbed into the suburbs. The stories are linked by location but also by a sense of dislocation common to inhabitants of a town undergoing massive change. The overall tone is of profound sadness with an undertow of violence. This apparently is modern life - bullying, cancer, widowhood, intergenerational misunderstanding, neighbourhood disputes and loss, loss, loss. Some stories are written in first person, some in second and some in third, a technique that could be annoying but here adds to the necessary variations in tone and voice to make the narrative interesting. A decidedly different book makes for an interesting, if not always comfortable read.

First Frost, by Sarah Addison Allen

The rather strange Waverley family of Bascom, North Carolina made their initial appearance in Garden Spells, the author’s first foray into fantastical romance fiction. Ten years later the Waverleys and their town are revisited in First Frost. As ever the focus is on food and its magical properties, but the story also delves into the burden of family expectations and the importance of a sense of place. Fifteen-year-old Bay’s special Waverley gift is knowing where things and people belong. She knows she belongs with Josh Matteson, but everyone in Bascom knows that Waverleys and Mattesons don’t mix. A mysterious visitor to Bascom seems to have information that could disrupt and undermine caterer Claire’s gift, but it is possible she has been doing that for herself with her self-doubt. Everything usually goes a bit crazy for Waverleys in the lead-up to the first frost of the year, which this year coincides with Halloween. Can the family hold things together until the cold arrives?

When We Rise (ABC)

Cataloguing the struggle for gay rights over more than 40 years, When We rise is based on the memoir of activist Cleve Jones. Starting in early 1970s San Francisco, the series charts the ups and downs of the movement from the points of view of gays and lesbians from all walks of life. It puts flesh on the bones of historical events such as the election and assassination of Harvey Milk, the advent of AIDS, and the fight for equal marriage. Promiscuity, drug abuse and political infighting are not glossed over in an epic tale of discrimination, violence and gut-wrenching loss. Mary Louise Parker and Rachel Griffiths make a smooth transition from the actresses playing the younger versions of Roma Guy and Diane Jones. Guy Pearce and Michael K Williams are less convincing as the older Cleve Jones and Ken Jones, (It’s an odd fact that three of the four key players are unrelated Joneses) partly because the looks don’t quite translate but also probably because the younger actors were so outstandingly good. The cast of thousands boast many familiar faces in mostly small roles, bring to life the real heroes and villains of the struggle. Occasionally didactic, especially in the courtroom-heavy final part, always unashamedly partisan, When We Rise is moving and inspiring television that highlights the cause of human rights.