TV Show Discussion

[Thursday Next]

Have you heard the theory that Syrio Forel

Used his warg abilities to posses one of the cats that Arya had been chasing, going on to star as Puss in Boots in the Shrek films?

. No? That's because I just made it up.

[SomTervo]

As per my status; Mad Men. Just rewatched seasons 1-4 with a friend who's a first-time watcher. Absolutely masterful, better second time. And in my mind pretty close to The Wire, surpassing it in a few ways.

 

But season 5... goddamn some of that is weak. Really, really weak, like Desperate Housewives bad. But DH gets away with it because that's what they're going for. MM is supposed to be serious and thoughtful. Not tripey. Tbh the problems are mostly Don's love life and Betty, who's just awful. The overall direction is poor, too, though storywise the rest of it is okay.

[Eleven]

Jessica Pare couldn't save it for you, eh?

 

She's kinda irritating here though. 1 minute she's angry at Don then the next everything's perfectly fine!

 

I hated Betty's weight problem thingy... it all seems so pointless...

 

I kinda like Pete's story in season 5.

 

There is 1 episode I really liked. It has Peggy in it. She's been on the background lately I guess. Also the last few episodes I think are good.

[SomTervo]

Yeah apparently it's stronger towards th end. Peggy's being shoved aside and weakened. Joan's stuff is quite good. And frankly every single thing involving Pete is just unreal. Easily my favourite character. So glad he hasn't been compromised, he's just so strong. Everything he says. I hate how Crane's an annoying big mouth character now, he used to just be a great guy, my old favourite character. Goddamn.

 

Hope this is just an odd transitionary season and there'll be a big improvement in 6 onwards. 1-4 are just some of the best things I've ever seen and 5 has ruined that.

 

Yeah Betty's weight thing was so hamfisted and cringey. The bit with her dream... Christ, that's genuinely amateur stuff.

Edited June 21, 2012 by kenshi_ryden

[P4: Gritty Reboot]

There are some seasons of shows that I just pretend don't exist so they don't ruin the rest for me. Oh, and I forgot to mention Raising Hope in here! So very glad it got renewed.

[deanb]

Me and my mum have being watching Taken. I only got as far as the bit in the burning cabin, so we're now in uncharted territory for me and my mum has forgotten the plot so it's fine viewing. The main grievance is that cos it's over the space of half a century there's a lot of jumps in times n thus change in actors so you're like "so that's the ginger kid then?". Dakota fanning is playing a 9 year old and she's the third actress for her character(if you count the baby, and the 3 year old version(Ellie Fanning) was only in for like 5 minutes). Most of the time for the adults they stick a bit of reverse "Just for Men" in the hair n call it job done as time progresses. It's nice to see how each generation copes with the same events happening to them. e.g the family line of abductees and Crawford men and Clarke women.

 

It's 10 episodes at an hour long each so a nice bit of watching for a lump run. Bit Lost-like(though pre-Lost) in the whole "ooh, mysteries" thing, but cos it's 10 episodes long no disappointments. The Crawfords are my fave line, Keyes kind of a bit shitty until the end (they get abducted, all men have same frenzied reactions) and the Clarkes are..well kinda neat but mainly Allie n Tom.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

Misfits is awesome. I loved that programme. The box set is cheap now so I may treat myself. Love the theme tune too, it's in my head now just thinking about the programme.

 

edit: here's the intro. I think the whole intro is great. It really suits the series and sets you up for programme. I think a great intro really adds to a programme - mad men got it spot on too.

 

The only other boxset I have is Gimme Gimme Gimme which was absolutely hilarious and Kathy Burke's character is one of the most outrageous things I've seen on TV.

 

At the moment I'm watching Spiral II. I'm enjoying it but it seems to completely ignore all the threads left at the end of the first series. The only problem I have is with the red headed woman (not good with names sorry!) as it seems to swing between portraying her as someone who being pulled down a road she doesn't want to go down and just being a mercenary bitch that you can't feel sorry for.

 

Comedy-wise Dead boss which has just started is pretty funny. Glad it's only 6 episodes long, as I think some American comedies seem rather to drag on. Which reminds me of 2 Broke girls which was billed as the biggest hit comedy in the US. WTF, it's absolutely dire the acting makes the first series of Friends seem naturalistic. My favourite recent US comedy is probably Happy Endings. Max is ace.

Edited June 21, 2012 by TheFlyingGerbil

[SomTervo]

Misfits is good. One of those things that looks awful until you watch it, but the style/substance ratio is actually strong. Like the first season of Skins. (But NO FURTHER. NO OTHER SEASON OF SKINS IS BEING MENTIONED HERE.)

 

I met Iwan and whateverhername is, the chav one, at Kapow! comiccon last year. Cool guys. Got a signed copy of season 1-2 box-set, too. And a photo which I haven't put online yet.

 

I didn't watch season 3 though, didn't like the sound of some of it's chat tbqh.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

the third one is the worst of the three to be sure, the new character (I think he was in shameless? but I don't watch that) is kind of annoying especially to begin with. It's a shame as before that they'd managed to have all the main characters be great which is good going as usually there is a weak link in there somewhere. Oh, and put the photo online; Iwan is hot!

 

When I was watching Being Human I kept wondering where I'd seen the werewolf actor before, and it was really bugging me when it suddenly struck me he's the brother of the chav girl from misfits you mentioned, and they look so similar I thought I'd seen him somewhere else before when it was actually her I was thinking of.

[SomTervo]

The brother of the chav girl, and the new character in season 3 (I think) are both in This Is England (the movie and the TV series). Not Shameless.

 

Which reminds me!

 

This Is England '86.

 

Probably the best TV show I've ever seen, if we're talking about 4 parters. Or miniseries. It's fucking sublime. Also one of the heaviest, most harrowing things I've ever seen. This is real shit people. Real life. THIS IS REAL LIFE PEOPLE.

 

EDIT: I should probably add that it's so real that it also features lots of laughter and love and brilliant things. As well as anger and contempt and frustration and violence. It just feels like one of those works of art that really captures life and what goes on in it. Such a masterwork. So much better than the film it's insane.

Edited June 22, 2012 by kenshi_ryden

[danielpholt]

I picked up the entire Misfits collection (1-3) for like £12.50, bit of a bargain if i say so myself. On the subject of Being Human, is it worth my time? And how many season's has it had?

[TheFlyingGerbil]

It had... 4... series I think. Though there is going to be another one. The last series got a little bit silly with it's overarching plot and they seemed to forget to put any episode length plots in so the pacing was a bit off. It was still watchable but I hope they have a bit of a change of direction for the next series.

 

Definitely worth watching though. The tone of it is similar to Dr Who, though it's nothing like that show.

[danielpholt]

Dr Who has never interested me. I get that it's supposed to be a little camp, but it's always put me off. On a different note, I hear Luther is excellent. Not Sherlock good, but not far off.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

Russell Tovey is as camp as a werewolf is going to get but I wouldn't say it's camp like Dr Who, more just the mix of serious and irreverent and the same level of production values. Shame it's not on iPlayer for you to try it out without buying it.

 

Luther was good - but you could get frustrated with the main character at times. He really caused half the mess he was in.

[Eleven]

Glad this topic got active again. I love TV and I don't care for movies. Now I have lots of shows I want to watch, and I remembered to try to watch Taken again since I watched it way back when it released (in 2001?) but never really understood any of it.

 

However all that's gonna wait as I'm gonna replay Lost again!

[SomTervo]

I can't watch Luther.

 

Luther is Stringer Bell.

 

None other.

[P4: Gritty Reboot]

Breaking Bad. Finally got back into it--had watched a couple episodes and dropped it since the wife wasn't interested. Holy cow it's a fantastic show.

[TheRevanchist]

I'm loving Hell's Kitchen! That show cracks me up. No one would hire these people to work in their restaurant. And no one would want to work for a dick like that.

 

In addition to that, you would think that if you auditioned for this show, you might want to practice making 4 things: Beef wellington, scallops, striped sea bass, and rizzotto. These things are always on the menu. No surprises here.

[Chewblaha]

If I have to update my shows, it will go as such. Several of those dropped off a cliff for me when I wrote them.

 

So it'd be:

 

Seinfeld

That 70's Show

How I met Your Mother

Chuck

Arrested Development

Everybody Loves Raymond

Malcom in the Middle

Curb Your Enthusiasm

 

That's about it.

 

I'm going to steal from Hottie, though.

 

 

 

Seinfeld

 

George's secret pin code that he won't share with his fiance turns out to be "Bosco," a chocolate syrup. Kramer guesses it on the spot.

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY03ymgskNI

 

 

 

 

 

Chuck

 

There's an episode where they lead the baddies into some d-box time room created by Jeff and Lester only to have Jeffster's full-length music video revealed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everybody Loves Raymond

 

Frank and Marie are trying to get a toaster that Ray had the names of he and his family engraved on from a local department store. They start to argue and one of my favorite television scenes of all time takes place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That 70's Show

 

 

In the Christmas episode of the first season, Kelso is excited to talk to Laurie to see if he can get laid. Ashton Kutcher runs too fast and when he jumps, well you see what happens.

 

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjvbcb3O15E

 

Edited July 1, 2012 by Chewblaha

[P4: Gritty Reboot]

Seinfeld has held up so well, other than the early '90s pop culture references. It still surpasses most everything on TV. Arrested Development came awfully close, though.

 

Forgot to mention that I really enjoy Better off Ted, even though it died so early.

[MasterDex]

Yeah, I liked Better off Ted myself. I wouldn't mind a new season of that.

 

I just finished watching the latest Burn Notice. I don't care what anyone says, that show is a classic in its own right. It's like MacGuyver crossed with the A team. Love it.

[danielpholt]

Whenever i see that show advertised all i can think is that the guys in post production went a little crazy on the saturation. Is it really that orange/bright in that part of the world?

[Eleven]

I'm too lazy to post some of my favorite scenes so I'm just gonna post scenes I find I really like on current shows I watch!

 

Currently watching Boardwalk Empire. I'm a sucker for period dramas. Like Pan Am, I don't care what people say about it, I love it. If the playboy club wasn't canceled (after 3 episodes? really?) I'd watch it.

 

So back to Boardwalk Empire, this scene really got me excited.

 

 

 

Little background: It's set in the prohibition era. The FBI agent and his wife are very religious people. So they're eating at this restaurant who makes it no secret they stock alcohol:

 

"Tag it, catalog it, and destroy it!"

 

 

 

And then:

 

They had sex afterwards. Who wouldn't?

 

Edited July 4, 2012 by eleven

[Nexus]

Watching Breaking Bad at the moment. It's awesome.

[Eleven]

I NEED MOAR PERIOD DRAMAS! Just finished watching Boardwalk Empire and can't wait for more. Know any other ones? I'm not really picky, I just like that setting. They should make more. I need more! Where are they?

 

Currently watching Legend of the Seeker. All I can say is.... Kahlan is pretty. Also, it feels weird that I'm watching a medieval show where they have an American accent. It doesn't feel authentic if it doesn't have that British accent. It feels cheap! CHEAP!