Thrillers, travel and the cuddly side of the Force. What’s to watch this week on TV

1. Motel ValkiriasRTP1 and HBO Max

It is between Montalegre, close to the border, and Ourense, on the Spanish side, that this thriller takes place. It all starts with an accidental crime that ends up bringing together three women who don’t know each other, but who will have a problem to solve. Carolina (Marina Mota) is the owner of Motel Valkirias, Eva (Maria João Bastos) is an actress and Lucía (Spanish María Mera), a victim of domestic violence, is out of work. They are all in financial trouble and will get into trouble by taking something valuable that belongs to a money laundering group.

Valkyrie Motel, the new Portuguese-Spanish series, co-produced by RTP, SPi, the Galician CTV and HBO, is yet another good example of the internationalization of fiction also spoken in Portuguese. The original idea for the plot belongs to the Spaniard Ghaleb Jaber, but had a “modest contribution” from the Portuguese Patrícia Müller: “What challenged me was the issue of sorority and humanity. Strong, ordinary women who, in their own way, learn to be even stronger.” RTP1 > Premiere Feb 27, Mon 10:30 pm > HBO Max > Mar 1, Wed > 8 episodes

2. Star Wars: The MandalorianDisney+

Buckle up because the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (Baby Yoda) are back for a third trip across the galaxy. Since the end of the second season, in December 2020, in which we saw the duo leaving Tatooine in the new spaceship, more than two years have passed. The destination is Mandalore, so the bounty hunter can be forgiven for breaking the rules of the Mandalorian code – does whoever took off his helmet to say goodbye to cute Baby Yoda deserve forgiveness, or not? Until March 1st arrives, short videos serve as sweet treats for the Lucasfilms phenomenal series that premiered in 2019 and the engine of millions of subscriptions on the Disney+ service. In one of these videos, we glimpse a dialogue between Mando and Greef Karga. But that doesn’t matter at all when we see Grogu going round and round in a chair, bored as ever. The longing we already had for the kid. IB Disney+ > Premieres Mar 1, Wed > 8 episodes, one new every Wed

3. The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene LevyApple TV+

When the production of Apple TV asked Eugene Levy, 76, if he wanted to present a series about exotic hotels in the world, the actor and creator of the award-winning comedy series Schitt’s Creek he replied that he doesn’t love to travel, doesn’t have a spirit of adventure and doesn’t consider himself a curious person. The less he wanted to step out of his comfort zone, the stronger the concept of the new travel series became. The Reluctant Traveler. “There is no place in particular that I would like to see in the world”, he revealed in a British television program.

However, among all the destinations he visited – Costa Rica, Finland, Italy (Venice), Japan (Tokyo), Portugal (Lisbon), South Africa and the USA (Utah) – and the various experiences he had, as a sound bath in the Maldives, floating in the icy waters of Finland, entering indigenous territory in the Navajo Nation in Utah, commanding the helm of a sailboat in Lisbon, tasting Japanese cuisine and walking through the jungle of Costa Rica, highlights the safari experience in Kruger National Park in South Africa. The wild side of the landscape and the drama of the endangered rhinos impressed him. After all, the world he spent most of his life resisting still arouses curiosity. Apple TV+ > Premiere Feb 24, Fri > 8 episodes

4. The Consultantprime video

With most of the action taking place in an office environment, The Consultant fits like a glove to the charisma of Christoph Waltz, 66-year-old Austrian-German actor, winner of two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor for Django Unleashed It is Lawless bastards, which takes the entire series on its back. The narrative is by Bentley Little, winner of the Bram Stoker Prize, in 1990, for Best First Novel, and since then considered a disciple of Stephen King, after being praised by the master of terror.

The sly facial expression of the character Regus Patoff has many sociopathic overtones. Even the office of the boss of CompWare, a company that creates games for smartphones, had not been cleaned of blood after being murdered, and consultant Patoff is already installed there. In fact, he is not hired to improve the company’s results, rather he imposes himself on the owners of several companies, offering them the protection of their legacy. And, as he tells them, “My contract begins when your life ends.” Prime Video > Premiere Feb 24, Fri > 8 episodes

5. LiaisonApple TV+

Action and suspense, romance and secrets, espionage and politics, hackers and cyberterrorism, here are the keywords to be interested in liaison, Apple TV’s first original French and English-language series. Actors Vincent Cassel (black swan, Westworld) and Eva Green (bond girl Vesper Lynd in casino royale), both born in Paris, are the protagonists of the story created by French author Virginie Brac and directed by Stephen Hopkins (24).

By mixing hackers, politicians, mercenaries and secret agents, in several countries around the world, from Syria, France, England and Belgium, the six-episode series becomes multicultural. A political thriller that also bets on the love relationship, experienced in the past by the protagonists, and that when they are put to work together again, to combat international cyber attacks that threaten the United Kingdom, passion returns to meddle in their lives, also affect the safety of millions of people. Apple TV+ > Premiere Feb 24, Fri > 6 episodes, one new every Friday