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arishipshape

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1175 on: January 29, 2019, 10:15:38 am »
0

I just finished Firefly. WHY DID THE EVIL TV EXECUTIVES END IT!?!?
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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1176 on: January 29, 2019, 10:26:02 am »
0

I just finished Firefly. WHY DID THE EVIL TV EXECUTIVES END IT!?!?

So you wanted me to cry today, didn’t you

Also avoid the movie at all costs
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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1177 on: January 29, 2019, 12:56:16 pm »
0

I just finished Firefly. WHY DID THE EVIL TV EXECUTIVES END IT!?!?

So you wanted me to cry today, didn’t you

Also avoid the movie at all costs

Too late.
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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1178 on: January 29, 2019, 01:01:10 pm »
0

I just finished Firefly. WHY DID THE EVIL TV EXECUTIVES END IT!?!?

So you wanted me to cry today, didn’t you

Also avoid the movie at all costs

Too late.

Oh i am sorry...
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Kuildeous

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1179 on: January 29, 2019, 01:30:56 pm »
0

What? Serenity was a great movie. Philistines!

Well, I guess it can't be the best movie ever. I rather enjoyed it.

Firefly was indeed a very witty show. Obviously the network didn't think it paid off, which is a shame. It probably wasn't that expensive to film, but it was still fancier than many other shows. Just not enough people watched it while it was on to justify Fox pumping money into it, though I'm sure they're aware of the missed opportunity.

I was one of those that helped Firefly to fail. I never watched it when it was on. I watched the episodes after it was canceled. It just did not interest me enough to give it a view. When I finally did, I had a great appreciation for the writing and borrowed someone's DVDs to watch the rest.
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silverspawn

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1180 on: January 29, 2019, 07:05:09 pm »
+1

I found a way to watch Westworld!

The first season had one of the most complex plots I've seen in a show so far. At least three major twists (Bernard being a host, William and the old guy being the same person, Ford wanting to "save" (??) the hosts).

The second one in particular really messed with my emotions as I was watching. There's this character I sympathized with a lot, and this other character I was kind of repulsed by even though it was never clear whether he was a bad guy. And then they're the same. Go figure. The fact that two narrative strands (which are shown side by side) are actually 30 years apart was also completely unexpected. I loved everything about that storyline, everything involving Dolors, up to and including the twist. Her maze of disjoint memories after having gone through so many loops may not be realistic, but it was psychologically fascinating.

I liked the Bernard story-line too. Shame that Elsie died, she was super cool.

Then there's the Maeve storyline, which feels really weak, especially compared to the above. It's very simple, just the most straight-forward rebellion plot, and it feels super contrived. Like, this is the most basic way a host would break out: they'd befriend some fatuous people working there and slowly gain access to new rights and stuff. This is exactly the kind of thing you would figure out how to prevent if you designed this place. But even assuming that the security people are incompetent, there's so much you have to buy into to accept how that story went. There's just no way this would ever work out like that IRL. At parts I didn't even understand why the two guys weren't just wiping her memory, except because the plot didn't plan for it. After finishing season 1, it also feels... unnecessary? Maybe there's more to it, but as of now I still don't understand what the big escape plan is, and I would just be as confused without Maeve as with Maeve. As far as I'm concerned, cutting her out entirely would make season 1 quite a bit better.

I also really hated that they have a setting that can just change her IQ. That was the worldbuilding detail I have the biggest problem with. It doesn't seem to fit with how the rest of the hosts operate, and it also highlights the show's biggest plothole, which is that the entire project isn't something that will ever exist. Instead of building hundreds of human-level IQ robots that will amuse rich people, you could just build a single AI with the goal of acquiring power, which will be infinitely more efficient. It's like there's an arms race and one side is content with building nukes only to use in movies. And that's okay, you can't tell this story without having that plot hole, and that's an acceptable price to pay. But Calling attention to it like that? Before, I was assuming that the hosts are still far away from human level intelligence, and the process Dolores goes through comes from her learning like a human would. The idea that they can just set their IQ to a specific level is really asinine. And totally unnecessary, too. Nothing in the story would break if you took it out.

For a good portion of the time, watching the show was a fairly surreal experience, because the things that actually matter are so different from the things that would ordinarily matter in that kind of setting. Like there's all of this surrounding flavor that's totally irrelevant in the long term, and then a few stands in between that are important. Quite fascinating.


Overall, I consider it one of the best, certainly one of the most interesting shows I've encountered. What does f.ds think about it? I don't remember it ever being discussed here. I've only watched one episode of season 2 thus far.

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1181 on: January 31, 2019, 04:55:10 pm »
+3

I just finished Firefly. WHY DID THE EVIL TV EXECUTIVES END IT!?!?

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1182 on: February 01, 2019, 09:43:01 am »
0

I found a way to watch Westworld!

The first season had one of the most complex plots I've seen in a show so far. At least three major twists (Bernard being a host, William and the old guy being the same person, Ford wanting to "save" (??) the hosts).

The second one in particular really messed with my emotions as I was watching. There's this character I sympathized with a lot, and this other character I was kind of repulsed by even though it was never clear whether he was a bad guy. And then they're the same. Go figure. The fact that two narrative strands (which are shown side by side) are actually 30 years apart was also completely unexpected. I loved everything about that storyline, everything involving Dolors, up to and including the twist. Her maze of disjoint memories after having gone through so many loops may not be realistic, but it was psychologically fascinating.

I liked the Bernard story-line too. Shame that Elsie died, she was super cool.

Then there's the Maeve storyline, which feels really weak, especially compared to the above. It's very simple, just the most straight-forward rebellion plot, and it feels super contrived. Like, this is the most basic way a host would break out: they'd befriend some fatuous people working there and slowly gain access to new rights and stuff. This is exactly the kind of thing you would figure out how to prevent if you designed this place. But even assuming that the security people are incompetent, there's so much you have to buy into to accept how that story went. There's just no way this would ever work out like that IRL. At parts I didn't even understand why the two guys weren't just wiping her memory, except because the plot didn't plan for it. After finishing season 1, it also feels... unnecessary? Maybe there's more to it, but as of now I still don't understand what the big escape plan is, and I would just be as confused without Maeve as with Maeve. As far as I'm concerned, cutting her out entirely would make season 1 quite a bit better.

I also really hated that they have a setting that can just change her IQ. That was the worldbuilding detail I have the biggest problem with. It doesn't seem to fit with how the rest of the hosts operate, and it also highlights the show's biggest plothole, which is that the entire project isn't something that will ever exist. Instead of building hundreds of human-level IQ robots that will amuse rich people, you could just build a single AI with the goal of acquiring power, which will be infinitely more efficient. It's like there's an arms race and one side is content with building nukes only to use in movies. And that's okay, you can't tell this story without having that plot hole, and that's an acceptable price to pay. But Calling attention to it like that? Before, I was assuming that the hosts are still far away from human level intelligence, and the process Dolores goes through comes from her learning like a human would. The idea that they can just set their IQ to a specific level is really asinine. And totally unnecessary, too. Nothing in the story would break if you took it out.

For a good portion of the time, watching the show was a fairly surreal experience, because the things that actually matter are so different from the things that would ordinarily matter in that kind of setting. Like there's all of this surrounding flavor that's totally irrelevant in the long term, and then a few stands in between that are important. Quite fascinating.


Overall, I consider it one of the best, certainly one of the most interesting shows I've encountered. What does f.ds think about it? I don't remember it ever being discussed here. I've only watched one episode of season 2 thus far.

Well, if you've only gotten into S2E1 then you haven't even...
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silverspawn

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1183 on: February 01, 2019, 12:20:28 pm »
0

Is it supposed to get better? Because after all of my complicated thoughts on the first season, the second just seems plain bad to me so far. Somewhere in episode 3 or 4 I decided to drop it.

Kuildeous

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1184 on: February 05, 2019, 12:02:46 am »
0

I watched the first two episodes of Deadly Class. I'm still not entirely certain about the entirely ridiculous premise. It certainly puts forth a lot of style, and that's amusing to a point. It does have Benedict Wong, Henry Rollins, and Brian Posehn, so there is some fame attached to this.

It is chock full of cultural stereotypes and school cliques. To the point where one has to wonder what is a secret school of assassins even doing with a cheerleading squad?

I think I'll keep giving it a shot, if only because really bizarre premises can win me over with their sheer absurdity.
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Witherweaver

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1185 on: February 17, 2019, 11:18:37 pm »
+1

The Expanse Season 3 is available on Amazon Prime, and it's really excellent. Some changes from the books, but I'm overall very impressed with how it's been adapted. Apparently Amazon has pricked it up for Season 4. I really hope they do the entire series.
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mcmcsalot

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1186 on: February 25, 2019, 10:13:25 pm »
0

So I watched the umbrella academy this weekend and it was a solid show. Definitely worth the 10 hours, doesn’t blow your socks off but the actors are mostly great, the soundtrack is one of he best I’ve heard for a tv show (and highlighted as a driving narrative force). One thing that stuck out to me was that the sound design was very good.
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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1187 on: February 26, 2019, 01:39:19 am »
0

@mcmc, did you watch the new Sabrina on Netflix?
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mcmcsalot

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1188 on: February 26, 2019, 10:08:34 am »
0

@mcmc, did you watch the new Sabrina on Netflix?

I haven’t, my wife was interested though so we might. How much is there?
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raerae

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1189 on: February 26, 2019, 11:42:31 am »
0

@mcmc, did you watch the new Sabrina on Netflix?

I haven’t, my wife was interested though so we might. How much is there?

1) HOW ARE YOU MARRIED?!?!?!?!
2) CONGRATS!!!
3) There's one season and a holiday episode so far but it's surprisingly good. Absolutely nothing like the original so be prepared. It's not going to be something that stays with your soul and you tell your grandkids about but it's worth a watch.
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mail-mi

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1190 on: February 26, 2019, 11:45:11 am »
0

1) HOW ARE YOU MARRIED?!?!?!?!

Well, you see, when 2 people really love each other....
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raerae

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1191 on: February 26, 2019, 11:51:06 am »
+2

1) HOW ARE YOU MARRIED?!?!?!?!

Well, you see, when 2 people really love each other....

The sass, it looks lovely on you!
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faust

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1192 on: February 27, 2019, 02:28:12 am »
+1

Is it supposed to get better? Because after all of my complicated thoughts on the first season, the second just seems plain bad to me so far. Somewhere in episode 3 or 4 I decided to drop it.
Same for me.
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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1193 on: February 28, 2019, 06:24:37 am »
0

I just finished Firefly. WHY DID THE EVIL TV EXECUTIVES END IT!?!?

I've always felt it was overrated.  It's like the Princess Bride of TV shows.
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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1194 on: February 28, 2019, 09:49:17 am »
+5

I just finished Firefly. WHY DID THE EVIL TV EXECUTIVES END IT!?!?

I've always felt it was overrated.  It's like the Princess Bride of TV shows.

That's a fair comparison but, as we all should know, Princess Bride is in no way overrated.
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Kuildeous

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1195 on: February 28, 2019, 12:20:40 pm »
0

Yeah, I was thinking that comparing it to the Princess Bride is not an insult.

But I will agree that both are hyped a huge amount. Are they worthy of the hype? Well, I feel they are, but I can certainly see where others may not.

Like many people, I also watched Umbrella Academy. I liked it a lot. It has that Watchmen feel in that it explores what happens when super-powered people are out there living life with serious personality flaws. Fortunately, these guys weren't as amoral as the Watchmen (I'm looking at you, Comedian), but in many regards, their backstories were darker than the Watchmen. It doesn't help that the founder of the Umbrella Academy was a terrible human being who justified his abuse as part of the greater good. It's like the X-Men if Xavier were an amoral sociopath.

But the characters were pretty cool. They delved into most of their backgrounds to show us why they became the way they were, such as Allison not using her power anymore and why Klaus became a junkie.

The hitmen were a fun pair to watch even though they were awful murderers. They were perhaps more fun to watch than the two angels in Preacher season 1. They griped about bureaucratic decisions that made life harder for them like they were working in a cubicle or in construction.

I wasn't fond of how the season ended, but I can't think of any other way to end it given the storyline. Fortunately I read that season 2 has been greenlit, which is good because that would be a really awkward way to end the series.

I also watched Russian Doll. Nobody warned me that these episodes were only 25 minutes long. I fell into the one-more-episode trap and accidentally watched the entire series 4 hours later. Honestly, this may work best as a binge since it's really just watching a single three-and-a-half-hour-long movie. Since it has the same conceit of Groundhog Day and Run, Lola, Run, it helps to keep these scenes fresh in your memory, especially to see where the characters deviate. It has a couple of interesting twists that were enjoyable to watch.

I recommend Russian Doll, though I admit that the first episode took a while to hook me. I'm not sure why. I just didn't initially feel a connection with any of the characters, but they warmed up to me, and it was interesting to see what happens in the first episode comes back later. Yes, I know one should expect that in a movie about repeating the same moments, but there's something a little deeper here.

All in all, some pretty good Netflix shows.

I'm also watching Deadly Class. Kind of a guilty pleasure at this point. It's a ludicrous concept, but that hasn't stopped me before. Like, why would a secret school for assassins have a cheerleading squad? What sport are they expected to face other schools? Its absurdity reminds me of Snowpiercer. It's a wacky concept, but that concept really only acts as a backdrop for a story about societal struggles. In the case of Deadly Class, it's all about high school cliques in a world where teachers break students' bones and random pissed-off people could show up and threaten their lives. It's very obviously based on a comic, though I've not read it.

What's really interesting about Deadly Class is that the nihilism of the outcasts speaks to my teenaged self. I was never part of the punk or goth scenes in the '80s, but I felt a connection to them as they continually get bullied. That may explain another reason why I'm still watching this show.

I'm also watching Miracle Workers. Daniel Radcliff is nailing it as the socially awkward, mediocre worker. Steve Buscemi is doing a good job at playing a slacker (reminiscent of the Dude, which is interesting considering his role in the Big Lebowski). I was initially amused by Buscemi's portrayal of God, though I'm getting a little tired of his incompetence. I suppose it could be an explanation of why life on Earth is so fucked up, as the angels work tirelessly behind the scenes to put right a world run by an apathetic and incompetent God. I'm finding the scenes with God to be a bit tedious and overplayed while I'm more interested in the two lower angels trying to influence events on Earth with severe consequences thanks to the butterfly effect.

I also started watching Into the Badlands. It doesn't have great reviews, but I always found the commercials to be intriguing. It's an interesting post-apocalyptic setting where guns are universally outlawed, so you get some fancy kung fu. It has a samurai feel with each baron commanding his army of loyal soldiers with one soldier questioning the morality of his duty. Seems promising enough, though I'm only on like episode 3. 

Sheesh, I've been watching a lot TV lately.
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mcmcsalot

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1196 on: March 01, 2019, 10:39:21 am »
0

Only watch into the badlands if you like watching good fight choreography. I love the show but wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who wouldn’t also enjoy being explaining how important turning your plant foot is when throwing a side kick or how no warrior class in history ever wielded two swords of the same size at the same time. If you like stuff like that you will love into the badlands. The seasons have really high highs and really low lows so if you are along for the ride you get some really nice treats.
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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1197 on: March 03, 2019, 09:06:02 pm »
0

I watched The Umbrella Academy.. it was pretty weak in a lot of areas, but interesting enough to watch. I felt it suffered from over-exposition in many places, which kind of undercut the impact of the scenes.

There were a lot of common elements with Legion (things like use of music, dancing, stylized cinematography, some common plot and character themes), but while Legion uses them to amazing and almost mesmerizing effect, for me they somehow managed to feel felt contrived in The Umbrella Academy.

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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1198 on: March 04, 2019, 08:07:29 pm »
0

Umbrella Academy - Quirky with retero styles and some good characters. Not the best, but I liked it.
Kingdom - Korean zombie period drama. I liked this but I have to admit it ran out of steam by the end of the series.
Nightfliers -  I almost gave up on this as it isn't good but there was some new bloody sci-fi nastiness in each episode to keep it interesting.
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Re: TV shows
« Reply #1199 on: March 24, 2019, 02:34:19 am »
+1

Ran into a German television show randomly, Der Tatortreiniger (Crime Scene Clean-Up), on local public television in the US.

I am wondering what the German or European board members know/think about it. I have watched the first two episodes and the one from the middle. I have really enjoyed them. It has a contextual wit about it that touches, or even delves into, some very compelling topics.

The first episode is hilarious while also exploring the concept of prostitution just being like any other normal job.

Anyone else scene it?
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