TV Show Discussion

[Mister Jack]

Mild spoilers for the new episode, but an amusing edit.

 

[TheFlyingGerbil]

I'm watching furries on the crystal maze (euphemistically called cos players) and let's just say they aren't breaking down any stereotypes.

[deanb]

lol.

 

I'm currently doing a rewatch of Arrested Development. It's still fun.

 

Also latest Rick n Morty I'm unsure how I rate it up against Inter-dimensional cable. On-par I guess though the end with Summer certainly helped pick it up.

[Mr. GOH!]

It was better than Interdimensional Cable 2 and consistent with this season's exploration of the Rick-Morty relationship's breaking points.

[danielpholt]

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/electric-dreams

 

This looks interesting. Is anyone else going to be watching it? Episode one is on tonight at 9 (UK). 

[deanb]

Yeah, the first trailer (from the australian network showing it) was a bit shit, but the Channel 4 one sold me a bit better on it. Stunning cast and initial reviews seem to be positive. I guess the alternative is watching/subjecting myself to InHumans.

 

Oh shit still need to watch Humans S2.

[Mister Jack]

So...Rick and Morty.  I think I hated this episode.

 

Spoiler

I never liked Beth and this episode just made her so much worse for me.  Even if she eventually realizes what a shitty person she is, that doesn't make her NOT a shitty person.  The ending is left ambiguous so people can theorize (and I'm interested in hearing what you guys think) but I completely believe 100% that Beth took the clone option and abandoned her family. Her past behavior is just too selfish and mean for me to buy that she could suddenly turn around and become a loving, nurturing parent like that, even after having an epiphany. And now it turns out she was a murderous lunatic as a child too?  God, Beth sucks.

 

And Jerry.  God damn it.  I always felt like Jerry gets shit on too much even though he is kind of a bitch and I was glad to see him get some character development in the Whirly-Dirly episode.  I started thinking "hey, maybe Jerry will be less of a bitch now" but then he comes back and it turns out he's even MORE of a bitch.  He seems better at first, but then he just goes right back to his old ways.  Morty and Summer spend the entire episode shitting on him, too.  Granted, he deserved to get told, but they're so harsh toward him that it just becomes sad.  They have no affection for him at all.

 

It's becoming increasingly harder to like these people.

[toxicitizen]

Have you considered that maybe you're not supposed to like them? Out of curiosity, have you ever watched It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? 

 

I never considered Jerry to be anything but an insufferable little bitch, so it makes me laugh when he gets treated like one even by his kids. And this was the first time in a while that I was entertained by anything Beth did. The only other time I can remember her making me laugh was when

 

she shot Mr. Poopy Butthole and had a breakdown lol.

 

This season's been on point as far as I'm concerned.

[Mister Jack]

You ARE supposed to like the main characters in a tv show, though.  Even if they're bad people, you're at least supposed to be invested enough in them that you want to watch their antics.  If you don't care about the characters, the whole show falls apart.  I have watched It's Always Sunny, and I actually do like those characters.  Not because I'd ever want to hang out with them or anything, but because their scams amuse me.  Plus, their plans usually fall apart by the end, at least in all the episodes I've seen, and that's an important distinction.  I like seeing just how much they can screw up.  

 

Spoiler

This episode started off with potential for me because they finally shit all over Beth, who has been asking to be shit on for three whole seasons, but then they ruin it by making excuses for her at the end.  She's too smart to be evil?  Get the fuck out of here.  She IS evil.

 

[toxicitizen]

Well I guess I'm not entirely sure what you mean by like, then. Because yeah, I don't like the Gang in Always Sunny in the typical "I can relate and empathize with these characters", I just find it hilarious to watch all the awful things they do. And their plans certainly don't always fall apart, they often come out on top or just straight up bail when things become too inconvenient for them. More than a few people have had their lives significantly damaged or even ruined by encountering them. 

 

I watch Rick and Morty with a similar mindset. The only main characters I view as relatively normal are Morty and Summer. Jerry and Beth are just hilarious train wrecks and Rick is simply too entertaining for me to care how he's presented. I have a pretty dark sense of humor in the first place, so the darker the show gets the more I'm going to love it. 

 

Oh and absolutely, Beth is a fucking sociopath lol. I don't think that's debatable. I interpreted that line as Rick just making excuses for her and, by extension, himself.

[Mister Jack]

Rick and Morty finale!  I liked this one!  Not as much as the citadel episode but it was a big step up from the Beth episode that preceded it.

 

Spoiler

FINALLY Rick is seeing some actual consequences for his behavior, just like he's been deserving the entire time.  Watching him and the president square off in a dick waving contest was pretty hilarious, and I'm glad that for once nobody took his side or made excuses for him, not even Beth.  I still believe Beth is a clone despite what Rick claims.  I mean, he's not exactly trustworthy.  But now it looks like that terrible divorce subplot is over, they're finally gonna stop shitting on Jerry all the time, Beth is gonna chill the fuck out, and everyone in the family recognizes Rick for the bitter, pathetic manchild he is.  I wasn't sure if I even wanted to watch season 4 because this season was so uneven, but that ending won me back over.

 

[deanb]

It had Keith David in it, how could it have ever been bad?

[Mister Jack]

Keith David has a voice like melting butter.

[deanb]

https://www.bingeclock.com/

 

Now you can know how long it will take you to binge watch a show.

[Mal]

Finished Stranger Things 2.

 

Overall I rank it a bit less than Season 1 but that's mainly due to the majority of the mystery being gone. There's an odd sub-plot in there that felt more like a Season 3 material. Reason why I call it Season 3 material is that it took up an entire episode then kind of left dangling. 

One thing though is that I am more invested in the characters and how they interact.

[deanb]

I think we all know that "Season 3" stuff is. And I'm kinda looking forward to the super hero show they set up from it.

 

Was kinda funny to see the kind of numerous nods back to the original, mainly in Joyce just abusing her house again. Kinda bummed by how much of an idiot Dustin was. But yeah it was overall pretty good though I feel Mad Max could have done with a bit more growth, it wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been.

[Hot Heart]

Considering I just finished S1 and really got into it, this is some alright news.

http://deadline.com/2017/11/deadwood-hbo-movie-david-milch-ian-mcshane-casey-bloys-1202206774/

 

Definitely got that NYPD Blue vibe off it, just in terms of the great group of characters and they way they interact along with the general grittiness and those monologues (usually to fill episode time, funnily enough). Funny that Andy Sipowicz and Al Swearengen share the same initials, considering the latter was a real person, too.

 

Also, I finally got around to watching Stranger Things S1. At first, while I liked the general premise, I was a bit bored by the really cliche things, particularly the teen romance bit but that had a nice development with Steve. And it's funny looking at it, having seen the stuff people picked out, and realising how relatively minor it was. I suppose it was more a marketing-led thing and just amplified via Netflix Twitter exposure.

Barb was barely in it. Curiosity door is part of a brief but funny exchange. "What do you want to know about sense-deprivation for?" "... Fun." and the lit up letters are only used once.

 

Funnily enough, the '80s homages and references didn't really bother me that much once it got going, even when it was really heavy-handed. Weirdly, my sisters nor cousin got that dressing El up to get into the school (and the general riding on Mike's bike) were ET homages.

 

The child actors were all pretty good, surprisingly; Eleven, especially so. Plus, I really like Hop and was touched by his own little personal tragedy.

[toxicitizen]

I finished binge watching the first season of BoJack Horseman last night. I'd heard about it here and there but it was mostly off my radar. The only reason I even checked it out is because I resubbed to Netflix for Stranger Things 2 and figured I might as well watch some other stuff. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't something this fucking good.  I mean, I don't know if I'd call it as good as Rick and Morty but it's definitely up there. But it seems like people don't talk about it anywhere near as much. Am I just out of the loop on this one? Or are the other seasons not as good or something?

 

Like, I have nothing against cartoons but at times this felt like a "real" show that just happened to be a cartoon. Maybe it's in part because the Netflix model allows them to not be episodic and have some real continuity, but the story definitely went to some darker and heavier places than I expected.

[Mister Jack]

Season 1 is universally agreed to be the weakest season actually, which should tell you how good the others are. I think the fact it's limited to Netflix as opposed to adult swim kept it from getting as much exposure as Rick and Morty. Definitely watch the other seasons though. Bojack is by far my favorite Netflix show.

[Mal]

There's a chalk drawing in the grad student office of BoJack that survived 3+ years. Never been touched or messed with. It even got a border drawn around it as an exclusion zone. Let's say the grad students through multiple generations, including me, love that show.

Edited November 23, 2017 by Mal

[toxicitizen]

Good to know it only gets better! I'm almost done with season 2 and it's also been pretty good. Although, and this is probably just because the first season was so unexpectedly good, but I kinda feel like it doesn't quite hit the same highs as the first season. Of course, now that I've said that the last few eps will probably prove me wrong.

[Hot Heart]

Finished a couple of TV shows. Here are my opinions, man.

 

Stranger Things S2

 

Still good and I think the finale stuff works a lot better with giving everyone more to do. Not 100% on some of the developments and, of course, the mystery is gone but overall, it works.

 

The Night Manager

 

Pretty good overall. The beginning is a bit odd as it sets up a few things across some time-jumps (Four years later, then six months earlier...) but it all comes together well, with a few nice twists and turns along the way. It can feel a little "hollow" and Roper doesn't seem quite as smart as he should be, but otherwise a good thriller. Olivia Colman's Angela makes for a nice change from your typical hero.

[deanb]

So does anyone know of any site that you can like track US TV show relases? Cos like I've no idea when a bunch of shows are starting up (at least without I guess manually researching each of them).

[TheMightyEthan]

http://en.wikipedia.org

[Hot Heart]

Anyone else watching Altered Carbon?

 

I was skeptical about it, mainly because it stars Joel Kinnaman who seems to gravitate towards shit (Robocop remake, Suicide Squad), but a few friends had said it's really good, so I've been giving it a shot.

 

First of all, Kinnaman is actually pretty good here. He captures the world-weary, sardonic character well and has an imposing presence. There's also a nice range of supporting characters from Ortega to Poe the ever eager-to-please hotel AI alongside some intriguing subplots and flashbacks.

 

As a basic pitch, it's a very pulpy Blade Runner (or just "cyberpunk", obviously, if you want to be more technical) that actually shares a similarity with Demolition Man (protagonist from the past). It's the usual cyberpunk world of lowly people down in the slums and the super-rich high above the smog in ivory towers, with the core technological advancement here being that people's identities can be stored in discs that sit in the back of their neck while bodies are referred to as "sleeves". People can be removed from whatever body and put into another, and the super-rich clearly have a lot more options. To say much more would probably ruin some of the surprises since it plays with the concept in a variety of ways, for both comedic and dramatic effect.

 

There's plenty of nudity and gore, like maybe a touch more than Game of Thrones (and certainly within its series timeframe). Part of it sells the idea of bodies as commodities/playthings, or the depravity of certain characters etc. but it can get a little gratuitous at times.

 

It never feels slow or uninteresting as a new twist or development or just a cool little touch will appear at a decent pace. I'm currently on episode 7/10 so I guess it still has the potential to shit the bed in the final stretch, but it's been good so far.