# What’s on TV? WikiPost



## Huntn

​
It’s described as a alternate reality story where the space race of the 1960s never ends. Then the first episode throws a zinger up front placing it without doubt solidly in the realm of Alternate Reality. I’m still on Episode One and wondering how intriguing will this story will be, can it be? 

I’m reminded of the Philip Dick story, Man in the High Castle, where alternate realities, basically parallel universes exist side by side. That has a lot of intrigue, because both were possibilities, and it was painful watching an America run by Nazis.

Is anyone a fan of this? Would love to hear about it with minimal spoilers.


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## Alli

New series on NBC: Debris. First episode was mind-blowing. Totally new concept as far as plot goes. I can't wait to see where it takes us.


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## Edd

Huntn said:


> View attachment 3817​
> It’s described as a alternate reality story where the space race of the 1960s never ends. Then the first episode throws a zinger up front placing it without doubt solidly in the realm of Alternate Reality. I’m still on Episode One and wondering how intriguing will this story will be, can it be?
> 
> I’m reminded of the Philip Dick story, Man in the High Castle, where alternate realities, basically parallel universes exist side by side. That has a lot of intrigue, because both were possibilities, and it was painful watching an America run by Nazis.
> 
> Is anyone a fan of this? Would love to hear about it with minimal spoilers.



I’m 2 eps in and will slowly keep going. Pretty well done.


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## Huntn

Edd said:


> I’m 2 eps in and will slowly keep going. Pretty well done.



I was surprised by the woman astronaut event.


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## Thomas Veil

I caught the first episode of _Debris_. It made me think of the character interaction between Mulder and Sculley...and how it's missing in this show. 

The premise is weird enough to be an _X Files_ storyline, though, so I'll continue to follow it for now.


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## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> I caught the first episode of _Debris_. It made me think of the character interaction between Mulder and Sculley...and how it's missing in this show.
> 
> The premise is weird enough to be an _X Files_ storyline, though, so I'll continue to follow it for now.



I‘m not sure these partners will ever get to Mulder Sculley, if only because they’re from opposite agencies.


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## Huntn

I’m now 5 episodes into *For All Mankind *and liking this. I had to first get over the indignation that the Russians beat us to the moon, and continuously telling myself this is not real, but now that I am acclimated to the series, I am enjoying the characters including the Women of Apollo and can go with the parallel universe nature of this story. There are some interesting historical samples that relate to real history and it does a great job of replicating the late 60s-70s. I love all of the astronaut’s Vettes.


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## Alli

Episode 9 of WandaVision. Oh my!


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## Huntn

Alli said:


> Episode 9 of WandaVision. Oh my!



I‘ve waited for 9 to drop to watch 8 & 9, now I need to.


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## Alli

Huntn said:


> I‘ve waited for 9 to drop to watch 8 & 9, now I need to.



You will not be disappointed. And as always, make sure you watch through the credits.


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## DT

Alli said:


> You will not be disappointed. And as always, make sure you watch through the credits.




Both sets of credits ...


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## SuperMatt

DT said:


> Both sets of credits ...



Marvel’s next movie will only be credits.


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## DT

SuperMatt said:


> Marvel’s next movie will only be credits.





OMFG.  2-1/2 hours, 2 hours of credits, 30 minutes of credit/post-credit scenes chopped up into 5 minutes bits ...


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## Alli

DT said:


> OMFG.  2-1/2 hours, 2 hours of credits, 30 minutes of credit/post-credit scenes chopped up into 5 minutes bits ...



Welcome to the new Marvel Universe!


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## Thomas Veil

Alli said:


> ...Totally new concept as far as plot goes.



Not to be obnoxious/contradictory, but I can think of a few other shows that fall into this same vein.

_Warehouse 13_ was about an agency that traced (IIRC) alien artifacts as well as occult objects, though it had a more comedic bent. _Torchwood_ was literally about alien objects (and creatures) that fell through a rift in space and onto Earth, although the Torchwood hub pretty much understood how these objects worked, if not necessarily why. And the most recent show with a similar concept was _Tales from the Loop_, which even had an enigmatic alien artifact that resembled the one in the pilot of _Debris_.

It doesn't take anything away from _Debris_, though. I'm anxious to see where they go with this.


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## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> Not to be obnoxious/contradictory, but I can think of a few other shows that fall into this same vein.
> 
> _Warehouse 13_ was about an agency that traced (IIRC) alien artifacts as well as occult objects, though it had a more comedic bent. _Torchwood_ was literally about alien objects (and creatures) that fell through a rift in space and onto Earth, although the Torchwood hub pretty much understood how these objects worked, if not necessarily why. And the most recent show with a similar concept was _Tales from the Loop_, which even had an enigmatic alien artifact that resembled the one in the pilot of _Debris_.
> 
> It doesn't take anything away from _Debris_, though. I'm anxious to see where they go with this.



Two of my favorite shows ever, Torchwood and Warehouse 13. Tales from the Loop was so far out there I was never even sure they were living in our reality.

But you have a point. It's not so much about the artifacts in Debris, as the origin and the purpose.


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## DT

re: People dealing with alien artifacts, cursed objects, etc., do you remember the Friday the 13th Series?  Absolutely __zero__ to do with the slasher/Jason flicks:









						Friday the 13th: The Series - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




I haven't seen it streaming anywhere either, surprised this hasn't shown up on Netflix, Prime or even Shudder.  It appears to be CBS/Paramount so maybe it'll make it on the new P+ service.


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## Huntn

Alli said:


> Episode 9 of WandaVision. Oh my!



I agree. Great limited series, creative story, and we know about the future of Vision, at least we suspect.   Now I get what @DT  said about the second post credit scene. Happy to see a Skrull and almost missed the second scene.  So this will be the new standard I suppose...

​


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## Yoused

When you say _For All Mankind_, I think of a 30-year-old movie comprised entirely of NASA footage, with a perfect Brian Eno ambient soundtrack. They had 600 hours of footage to go through – there is one short scene from the camera inside the second-stage separation-ring as it slowly tumbles away from staging – to make a theater-length movie. We got to the theater a bit late, just at launch, and holy crap, a Saturn V launch on a big screen will take your breath. If you have the time, I highly recommend the quiet (and loud) beauty of this movie.


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## Thomas Veil

_Debris_ was really intense last night.

Based on the three episodes aired thusfar, the plots seem to have formed a nice marriage between otherworldly horror and human relationships.

It’s kind of odd, though, that for the third week in a row the guest stars seem to me to be more likable than the two main characters. Maybe it’s just the actors I don’t like.

That portal, though, was freaking me out. It was a great idea, well-realized.


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## Alli

I haven’t watched it yet. Now I’m excited cause last week’s episode was rather meh.


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## Huntn

*Behind Her Eyes* (2021 Netflix limited series)- Psychological thriller +, and a twist.  A guy, his wife, the third woman, and a best friend. Who to believe? Who is being manipulated?  Who is the nutter? The story relies on a spiritual theory/mechanism, I can’t say more. It held my interest, but I did not buy the ending. Maybe you’ll buy it!  


​


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## Thomas Veil

_*Q: Into the Storm*_ (HBO Max). I would hesitate to try to binge this six part documentary because it just makes you want to blow your head off knowing how gullible these people are.

Lasting image from episode 1: a husband and wife “research” team that talks about how they devote all their time to Q...while their five year old sits and watches them.


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## Huntn

Thomas Veil said:


> _*Q: Into the Storm*_ (HBO Max). I would hesitate to try to binge this six part documentary because it just makes you want to blow your head off knowing how gullible these people are.
> 
> Lasting image from episode 1: a husband and wife “research” team that talks about how they devote all their time to Q...while their five year old sits and watches them.



It’s either that or the couple who let’s their infant cry in the crib n the other room while they play WoW all night?


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## Yoused

_Looks like a penguin_




(I mean, it had to be said)


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## DT




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## User.45

Watching Exterminate All Brutes.


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## Alli

Wandered into the first season (2nd season coming) of the Netflix show Raising Dion. That has occupied my entire day. What a show!


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## Edd

Falcon / Winter Soldier is getting good. The most recent episode had a scene with Bucky realizing he was no longer brainwashed that was magnificent, and great acting by Sebastian Stan.

Should this thread be merged with the Binge Worthy TV one?


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## Alli

Edd said:


> Falcon / Winter Soldier is getting good. The most recent episode had a scene with Bucky realizing he was no longer brainwashed that was magnificent, and great acting by Sebastian Stan.
> 
> Should this thread be merged with the Binge Worthy TV one?



Nope, cause ya can’t binge a show that releases an episode each week.  And yes, that scene was excellent. Is there anyone who likes this replacement Cpt. America?


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## Edd

Alli said:


> Nope, cause ya can’t binge a show that releases an episode each week.  And yes, that scene was excellent. Is there anyone who likes this replacement Cpt. America?



I think the character is interesting and Kurt Russell Jr is doing a great job with it. Some obvious flaws but that’s the point.


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## Thomas Veil

I was exploring Pluto TV and came across the _Space: 1999 _episode "Earthbound", one of the better episodes. It looked great, too. When the series first ran in the 1970s, I saw it the way most of us did: running from 16mm prints. Pluto, however, has some first class prints of the series it carries.


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## SuperMatt

Thomas Veil said:


> I was exploring Pluto TV and came across the _Space: 1999 _episode "Earthbound", one of the better episodes. It looked great, too. When the series first ran in the 1970s, I saw it the way most of us did: running from 16mm prints. Pluto, however, has some first class prints of the series it carries.



I like PlutoTV as well. Sometimes you just wanna watch old MST3K reruns…


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## hulugu

"For All Mankind," is just brilliant. It just builds and builds, increasing its relationships with its central characters and laying out an alternate history that's fascinating in its own right.

It's the kind of show that drops Lee Atwater into a conversation with a major character, but elides past who he is, and it has an interesting way of dealing with proposed plans for the space shuttle, and the Russian shuttle Buran. 

Just brilliant. 

And, I have that so far the Apple TV+ shows have been pretty good. "Ted Lasso" is a joy, and "The Morning Show" was pretty good—even if it's a very Hollywood examination of the news business.


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## DT

Thomas Veil said:


> I was exploring Pluto TV and came across the _Space: 1999 _episode "Earthbound", one of the better episodes. It looked great, too. When the series first ran in the 1970s, I saw it the way most of us did: running from 16mm prints. Pluto, however, has some first class prints of the series it carries.




Dude.  Dragon's Domain from the 1st season, HFS, it gave me nightmares as a kid for weeks ...


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## Pumbaa

DT said:


> Dude.  Dragon's Domain from the 1st season, HFS, it gave me nightmares as a kid for weeks ...



Dude! Dragon’s Domain! Awesome! Loved that episode, thanks for the reminder, I’ll have to rewatch it soon!

The ending of Earthbound on the other hand, yikes. Well deserved, but man what an ending. If I had to chose one of those two ways to go, Dragon’s Domain probably would be preferable.


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## Thomas Veil

That monster in "Dragon's Domain" was horrific. I think the worst thing about it--aside from the slimy tentacles--was the way it put its victims into a trance, drew them into its arms...and then released them from their trance. Could you imagine "waking up" with that thing's tentacles wrapped tightly around you, drawing you underneath it into its maw? And _then_ expelling your chewed-up corpse? Gruesome!


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## shadow puppet

When I had Apple TV+ I greatly enjoyed _For All Mankind.  _I'm looking forward to S2 whenever I re-up my subscription.


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## Pumbaa

shadow puppet said:


> When I had Apple TV+ I greatly enjoyed _For All Mankind.  _I'm looking forward to S2 whenever I re-up my subscription.



I binge-watched the first season and started following the second season episode by episode when I got my free 1yr trial. Really sad that there is only one episode left now, going to be a long wait for the third season...

_Earth at Night in Color_ is pretty sweet too.


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## Huntn

shadow puppet said:


> When I had Apple TV+ I greatly enjoyed _For All Mankind.  _I'm looking forward to S2 whenever I re-up my subscription.



Most likely when my complimentary Apple + subscription runs out, I’ll revert to hit and run subscribing for specific shows,


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## Pumbaa

Huntn said:


> Most likely when my complimentary Apple + subscription runs out, I’ll revert to hit and run subscribing for specific shows,



This is the way.


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## Huntn

Pumbaa said:


> This is the way.



I do this for most streaming services if I have a choice, examples with some of the watched shows in ( ):
H&R= Hit and run, 1 month subscription...

Netflix- keep, there is just too much there.
Amazon Prime- keep, get as part of my ongoing prime membership
SlingTV- keep, because of channels offered.
Disney + Wife make me. (Otherwise  H&R for specific Marvel content).
Britbox- Wife makes me. (Gardener’s World)
HBO Now- Hit and Run. (Game of Thrones)
Showtime- H&R. (Homeland, Dexter)
Starz- H&R (anticipate for Outlander after I finish Season 4 on Netflix)
Apple+ H&R (For All Mankind)
CBS All access- H&R (Star Trek)
Hulu- H&R (Hand Maiden’s Tale)


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## lizkat

I hang onto Netflix, Prime, HBO MAX, Apple TV, the last because it's still free to me but I'll probably shell out for it as there seem to be enough shows I like to make it worthwhile.  That's all plenty for me because there's so much stuff there I've never seen and some I do want to make time to watch.

Right now I've embarked on watching Shtisel on Netflix and finding I really like it.


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## Huntn

Watching *Night Stalker: The Search For A Serial Killer* on Netflix, an interesting, but disturbing case.    Can it be argued this is insanity or evil? This guy had an awful abused childhood. 









						Richard Ramirez - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


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## Alli

Started the brand new Netflix series Shadow and Bone yesterday. Will watch another episode or two this evening. It reminds me a little of GOT in that it has an alternate geography and ethnic system, but still very much the same problems faced everywhere today (without the magic).


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## lizkat

I'm watching Shtisel on Netflix, liking it a lot, trying not to binge-watch  (or for that matter binge-eat since they keep having scenes with someone either making, eating or serving stuff like Israeli chopped-veggie salads w/ pitas etc and I'm like wait up I got some of that in the fridge...).


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## Huntn

Alli said:


> Started the brand new Netflix series Shadow and Bone yesterday. Will watch another episode or two this evening. It reminds me a little of GOT in that it has an alternate geography and ethnic system, but still very much the same problems faced everywhere today (without the magic).



This is on our list to watch.


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## lizkat

Pondering the next newish TV series to pop in on...    meanwhile went back to The Americans, which I'd temporarily abandoned somewhere around the fourth season.    I still have faint hopes that the weather will finally shift out of this blasted pattern of Really Cold Spring (snow in the forecast yet again this coming Friday, gee) and so I'm reluctant to get too attached to any new series when I know I'll ditch it for the great outdoors as soon as it's not 48º and raining (or worse).   Meanwhile a few episodes of The Americans are once again holding my attention in the evenings.


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## Edd

lizkat said:


> Pondering the next newish TV series to pop in on...    meanwhile went back to The Americans, which I'd temporarily abandoned somewhere around the fourth season.    I still have faint hopes that the weather will finally shift out of this blasted pattern of Really Cold Spring (snow in the forecast yet again this coming Friday, gee) and so I'm reluctant to get too attached to any new series when I know I'll ditch it for the great outdoors as soon as it's not 48º and raining (or worse).   Meanwhile a few episodes of The Americans are once again holding my attention in the evenings.



A most excellent show. It really stuck the landing, IMO.


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## Alli

Found another gold. Upstart Crow available on Prime. It is, of course, about Shakespeare and it is hilarious. Four seasons so far and I'm almost done with the second. Brilliantly done with lots of reference to what it might be like in the future.


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## Huntn

Just started *Shadow and Bone* (Netflix), 2 episodes in, it’s looking good with a vibe and atmosphere I like.

​


lizkat said:


> Pondering the next newish TV series to pop in on...    meanwhile went back to The Americans, which I'd temporarily abandoned somewhere around the fourth season.    I still have faint hopes that the weather will finally shift out of this blasted pattern of Really Cold Spring (snow in the forecast yet again this coming Friday, gee) and so I'm reluctant to get too attached to any new series when I know I'll ditch it for the great outdoors as soon as it's not 48º and raining (or worse).   Meanwhile a few episodes of The Americans are once again holding my attention in the evenings.



Loved that a show, but cursed every season they got away.


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## Thomas Veil

Even though the characters are weak, _Debris_ continues to pull me back in week after week because it's just so damn _weird_.


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## Huntn

Thomas Veil said:


> Even though the characters are weak, _Debris_ continues to pull me back in week after week because it's just so damn _weird_.



The first episode did not pull me in.


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## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> Even though the characters are weak, _Debris_ continues to pull me back in week after week because it's just so damn _weird_.



Last week's arc (2-parter) was wonderful. I don't normally like 2-part episodes, but this was great, even if my husband felt it went on too long and hated the resolution.

Every week is something completely new.


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## Huntn

*Away* (2020 Netflix Series)- Space mission to Mars. I’m in 3 episodes and enjoying this. The series has relatively low critic and audience ratings at Rotten Tomatoes  and was cancelled after 1 season,  so I can’t vouch for it yet. There are some interesting dynamics between the International crew.

​


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## Thomas Veil

I happened on a marathon of the new _*Superman and Lois*_ this weekend. Frankly, I expected not to like it. The CW's slate of shows featuring the world being run by nobody over 25 has never interested me that much.

So I was surprised to see that this is a little different. Yes, it's still a Greg Berlanti show, with all that that implies. Yes, it's about Clark and Lois' sons as much as them. But it has a lot more human moments between the characters, including the parents. I'm not used to seeing Clark in the role of part time superhero, part time befuddled dad, much less with a tiny bit of Clark Griswold in him.



Alli said:


> Last week's arc (2-parter) was wonderful. I don't normally like 2-part episodes, but this was great, even if my husband felt it went on too long and hated the resolution.
> 
> Every week is something completely new.




Doesn't look good for renewal, though. I think there's two more episodes, and then that's probably it.


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## Edd

Thomas Veil said:


> I happened on a marathon of the new _*Superman and Lois*_ this weekend. Frankly, I expected not to like it. The CW's slate of shows featuring the world being run by nobody over 25 has never interested me that much.
> 
> So I was surprised to see that this is a little different. Yes, it's still a Greg Berlanti show, with all that that implies. Yes, it's about Clark and Lois' sons as much as them. But it has a lot more human moments between the characters, including the parents. I'm not used to seeing Clark in the role of part time superhero, part time befuddled dad, much less with a tiny bit of Clark Griswold in him.
> 
> 
> 
> Doesn't look good for renewal, though. I think there's two more episodes, and then that's probably it.



I agree, I binged the 5 episodes in a few days and it exceeded expectations. I‘d bet they renew it.


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## Thomas Veil

Uh-oh. I sense a disturbing new trend here.









						‘SEAL Team’ & ‘Evil’ Officially Move To Paramount+; ‘Clarice’ Remains In Negotiations
					

Two CBS drama series, Evil and SEAL Team, are relocating to Paramount+, ViacomCBS’ streaming service, for their new seasons. Following intense talks, Paramount+ has closed deals with Evil and…




					deadline.com
				




_Evil_’s first season did phenomenally well when Netflix acquired it—a fact which obviously didn’t escape CBS. 

So the new trend? Get you hooked on a network show for one season…then transfer that show to a paid streaming service.


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## SuperMatt

Thomas Veil said:


> Uh-oh. I sense a disturbing new trend here.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ‘SEAL Team’ & ‘Evil’ Officially Move To Paramount+; ‘Clarice’ Remains In Negotiations
> 
> 
> Two CBS drama series, Evil and SEAL Team, are relocating to Paramount+, ViacomCBS’ streaming service, for their new seasons. Following intense talks, Paramount+ has closed deals with Evil and…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> deadline.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Evil_’s first season did phenomenally well when Netflix acquired it—a fact which obviously didn’t escape CBS.
> 
> So the new trend? Get you hooked on a network show for one season…then transfer that show to a paid streaming service.



It bugged me when they decided to put all Star Trek content on “CBS All Access” instead of the local over-the-air TV station.


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## User.45

Pumbaa said:


> _Earth at Night in Color_ is pretty sweet too.



The Chicago episode mesmerized my daughter so much, we had to watch it like 5x already. They shot a lot of it in the area where we used to live so it's absolutely an eye candy to me too. Altough those high-rises slaughtering birds is really sad. I used to see lots of dead birds on morning runs in that very area.


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## Alli

Anyone watching the Netflix series on glass blowing? We watched a glass blowing exhibit while we were in St. Pete and it was magical. My brother and sister-in-law have been watching the Netflix series, and we'll catch up now. I can watch glass blowing for hours.


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## SuperMatt

Alli said:


> Anyone watching the Netflix series on glass blowing? We watched a glass blowing exhibit while we were in St. Pete and it was magical. My brother and sister-in-law have been watching the Netflix series, and we'll catch up now. I can watch glass blowing for hours.



If you’re talking about the competition one, then yes I saw part of it. There were some cool pieces, but also some real head-scratchers. The process was much more complex than I realized, with multiple cooling ovens that cool at different rates...


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## Alli

SuperMatt said:


> If you’re talking about the competition one, then yes I saw part of it. There were some cool pieces, but also some real head-scratchers. The process was much more complex than I realized, with multiple cooling ovens that cool at different rates...



That is the one. Yes, glass blowing is an extreme art that can rarely be done solo.


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## Eric

Alli said:


> Anyone watching the Netflix series on glass blowing? We watched a glass blowing exhibit while we were in St. Pete and it was magical. My brother and sister-in-law have been watching the Netflix series, and we'll catch up now. I can watch glass blowing for hours.



Absolutely loved this show but the uber stuffy judge and the person they chose as the winner was the most utter bullshit I have ever seen. I won't spoil it if you're still watching but if there is another season with those same judges I just won't watch again.


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## Alli

Eric said:


> Absolutely loved this show but the uber stuffy judge and the person they chose as the winner was the most utter bullshit I have ever seen. I won't spoil it if you're still watching but if there is another season with those same judges I just won't watch again.



The day we saw the glass blowing demo, we all sat out on the veranda of our B&B and watched episode 1 of season 2 on my sister-in-law's laptop. (Not optimal, but it was fun.) Generally I despise reality shows and don't watch them, but I'd like to watch this just to see what they all make.


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## Eric

Alli said:


> The day we saw the glass blowing demo, we all sat out on the veranda of our B&B and watched episode 1 of season 2 on my sister-in-law's laptop. (Not optimal, but it was fun.) Generally I despise reality shows and don't watch them, but I'd like to watch this just to see what they all make.



oh so there is a season 2 now? I'll have to look. Did you finish season 1 then so we can talk about it?


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## Thomas Veil

*Mission: Impossible* (Pluto TV), which I find more enjoyable than the movies because the concentration is not on action but the intricate plot. We know the mission, but only the outlines of how they’re going to lay the trap.

It’s enjoyable even though the idea of American spies nation-building by running around the world secretly subverting banana republic despots and Balkan dictators is hopelessly out of style.


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## shadow puppet

Anyone else watch The Handmaid's Tale?  The last (2) episodes have been pretty amazing.


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## Eric

Thomas Veil said:


> *Mission: Impossible* (Pluto TV), which I find more enjoyable than the movies because the concentration is not on action but the intricate plot. We know the mission, but only the outlines of how they’re going to lay the trap.
> 
> It’s enjoyable even though the idea of American spies nation-building by running around the world secretly subverting banana republic despots and Balkan dictators is hopelessly out of style.



Still one of my favorite older shows to watch, couldn't agree more that it's all about the setup and the lengths they go through to pull off the jobs. Even though a lot of it was far fetched it was still fun to watch. There are some segments that lasted for minutes where Greg Morris was just setting things up without a word being said. Very cool and something you'll never see in today's TV shows.


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## Alli

Eric said:


> oh so there is a season 2 now? I'll have to look. Did you finish season 1 then so we can talk about it?



There is a season 2. I've only watched the first episode of S2. I had a bunch of shows to catch up on when I got back from the FL trip.


Eric said:


> Still one of my favorite older shows to watch, couldn't agree more that it's all about the setup and the lengths they go through to pull off the jobs. Even though a lot of it was far fetched it was still fun to watch. There are some segments that lasted for minutes where Greg Morris was just setting things up without a word being said. Very cool and something you'll never see in today's TV shows.



Ever watch Leverage?


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## Eric

Alli said:


> There is a season 2. I've only watched the first episode of S2. I had a bunch of shows to catch up on when I got back from the FL trip.
> 
> Ever watch Leverage?



Okay, got it. I have not seen Leverage yet but will look into to see if it's my kind of show. So it looks like the glass show is Blown Away, right? The first season had the stuffy pretentious lady as one of the judges, if she's still there then I'm out.


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## Alli

Eric said:


> Okay, got it. I have not seen Leverage yet but will look into to see if it's my kind of show. So it looks like the glass show is Blown Away, right? The first season had the stuffy pretentious lady as one of the judges, if she's still there then I'm out.



Probably the same lady.  I dunno.

Leverage is a lot like MI only they don't work for the government. It was a GREAT show.


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## Thomas Veil

I watched the first _Leverage_. Not bad. I may check it out further. 

I happened to tune in to _Third Rock from the Sun_, and serendipitously it was perhaps my favorite episode, the one where they’re stranded at a truck stop in a snow storm and end up getting everyone in the place to sing “Oklahoma”.


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## SuperMatt

Thomas Veil said:


> *Mission: Impossible* (Pluto TV), which I find more enjoyable than the movies because the concentration is not on action but the intricate plot. We know the mission, but only the outlines of how they’re going to lay the trap.
> 
> It’s enjoyable even though the idea of American spies nation-building by running around the world secretly subverting banana republic despots and Balkan dictators is hopelessly out of style.



I am watching right now. I never watched the old show until I saw your recommendation. I saw a couple episodes and I really have been enjoying it. Thanks for the recommendation.


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## Thomas Veil

Fun fact: there was a "reboot" series from, I believe, 1988-89. It came about because of a writer's strike. They simply re-used scripts from the original show and possibly had non-union script supervisors rewrite them to make them seem newer. It was not perhaps quite as good as the original, but close. Peter Graves starred in that one, too...and Greg Morris' son Phil took over his dad's role as the team technical whiz.

I remember the guest baddie in the initial episode was John DeLancie, "Q" from _Star Trek_, as a hit man.


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## Hrafn

We watched Friends from the start, but work requirements meant we really didn't stay strong.  We've been watching "Man with a Plan" which isn't horrible, but has elements I find mildly distasteful.  The cast and interactions are fun to watch, though.  When did Joey find the time to get old and fat?  Probably the same as the rest of us.


----------



## Edd

Edd said:


> I agree, I binged the 5 episodes in a few days and it exceeded expectations. I‘d bet they renew it.



Superman & Lois renewed for season 2, per Wikipedia. It says that happened in March and I missed it somehow.


----------



## Edd

Friends Reunion on HBO Max. Yes, I am a Friends fan. They’re my age and I watched every episode when it was on. The reunion show was great.

It trips me out how global the show became and how people half my age fell in love with it years after it ended.


----------



## Huntn

​
Four episodes into Season 1. If you like police detective series, this is a keeper. It starts with Bosch, an L.A. police detective being sued in a wrongful death civil lawsuit. However the story turns around the bones of a child discovered in a shallow grave.


----------



## User.45

Thomas Veil said:


> Fun fact: there was a "reboot" series from, I believe, 1988-89. It came about because of a writer's strike. They simply re-used scripts from the original show and possibly had non-union script supervisors rewrite them to make them seem newer. It was not perhaps quite as good as the original, but close. Peter Graves starred in that one, too...and Greg Morris' son Phil took over his dad's role as the team technical whiz.
> 
> I remember the guest baddie in the initial episode was John DeLancie, "Q" from _Star Trek_, as a hit man.



I used to watch it at my Grandma's back in the days. I was always fascinated and appalled by the laptop self-destructing. Such a waste.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Well it was just a Chromebook, so....


----------



## DT

*Mare of Easttown*
Crime Drama/Mystery
HBOMAX
Season 1, limited series, 7 Episodes

Finally threw on the 1st EP just to check it out and we were immediately sucked in, engaged, it's spectacular, beautifully shot, actors at the top of their game, so very perfectly captures the look and feel of the people/life of the area where it takes place.  A twisting, slow burn of a plot, that's absolutely secondary to a very character driven story about loss, family, sacrifice.

3 EPs in, will probably make it to 4 and 5 today.


----------



## Eric

DT said:


> *Mare of Easttown*
> Crime Drama/Mystery
> HBOMAX
> Season 1, limited series, 7 Episodes
> 
> Finally threw on the 1st EP just to check it out and we were immediately sucked in, engaged, it's spectacular, beautifully shot, actors at the top of their game, so very perfectly captures the look and feel of the people/life of the area where it takes place.  A twisting, slow burn of a plot, that's absolutely secondary to a very character driven story about loss, family, sacrifice.
> 
> 3 EPs in, will probably make it to 4 and 5 today.



Not going to spoil anything for you but I couldn't agree more. This is one of the best shows they've ever made on HBO IMO, could have just as easily been labeled True Detective. It only gets better with each episode BTW. Enjoy.


----------



## Alli

Tried the new AppleTV+ series Lissey’s Story yesterday. So many questions. I do enjoy Stephen King when he sticks to horror and stays away from human evil (Mysery and Gerald’s Game).


----------



## DT

Eric said:


> Not going to spoil anything for you but I couldn't agree more. This is one of the best shows they've ever made on HBO IMO, could have just as easily been labeled True Detective. It only gets better with each episode BTW. Enjoy.




That's a good show reference, I usually try to mention some "If you liked X/Y/Z ...", and that's one for sure, True Detective, also The Killing, Broadchurch.


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> That is the one. Yes, glass blowing is an extreme art that can rarely be done solo.



When I was a kid, we visited some glass blowing factories in West Virginai who made decorative glass.  People used to buy it for decorative bobbles. I wonder if any of them are still open?


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> When I was a kid, we visited some glass blowing factories in West Virginai who made decorative glass.  People used to buy it for decorative bobbles. I wonder if any of them are still open?



Worth asking around, eh?


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> Worth asking around, eh?



Actually not for me. I did not care for most of them as decorative stand alone pieces while I can acknowledge the skill that went into creating them.


----------



## lizkat

On HBO Max lately, I checked into the HBO miniseries about Catherine the Great...  seems uneven to me and more entertaining than enlightening really,  it's like bits of history regarding Russian relationships to Germany, Turkey etc  are thrown in to keep the whole thing from being about the bed-hopping efforts of assorted characters including the Empress. 

Guess I could be put off this TV drama because of having read a few biographies. which were tomes (fascinating ones) and this so far seems to trivialize Catherine's true significance in Russian history.   Couple episodes to go but they're running out of time to redeem it in my view.   I'm a little surprised because Helen Mirren was not only the main protagonist but also a producer.  Oh well.   No reason there can't be a big difference between whatever she may have wanted of it and what I expected.   I think I liked her better in The Queen...   or is it that I liked that screenplay better.   That too for sure.


----------



## DT

Eric said:


> Not going to spoil anything for you but I couldn't agree more. This is one of the best shows they've ever made on HBO IMO, could have just as easily been labeled True Detective. It only gets better with each episode BTW. Enjoy.




Wow, yeah, what an ending, well endings with an S.  Just fantastic.

@lizkat You should definitely check it out since you have HBOMax.


----------



## Eric

I'm having a hard time justifying Disney Plus, they have such a limited set of movies and the original content isn't enough to keep me going. My biggest issue is that when they release movies they still make you pay $30 for it, even when you're already subscribed to their service. I tried them twice and am going to drop again, if I want to see the new Loki I'll torrent it.

HBO Max does not have this problem, they are by far the best streaming service out there right now IMO. New releases same day without any additional cost, tons of great original shows and a wide variety of movies, I'm glad to give them my money if they keep this up.


----------



## lizkat

Eric said:


> HBO Max does not have this problem, they are by far the best streaming service out there right now IMO. New releases same day without any additional cost, tons of great original shows and a wide variety of movies, I'm glad to give them my money if they keep this up.




I just hope the ATT-Discovery merger doesn't put the kibosh on that because it's what I appreciate too.   Back in the day I worked for assorted Time Warner outfits including HBO for quite awhile, but never even had a cable TV subscription all that time,  so I've had a lot of catching up to do...  and have been loving HBO Max for the new + old options.


----------



## Eric

lizkat said:


> I just hope the ATT-Discovery merger doesn't put the kibosh on that because it's what I appreciate too.   Back in the day I worked for assorted Time Warner outfits including HBO for quite awhile, but never even had a cable TV subscription all that time,  so I've had a lot of catching up to do...  and have been loving HBO Max for the new + old options.



It sounds like they're changing their subscription model to charge extra for ad free but that will only be for non-stock HBO content (like shows they pick up, etc) so I don't think it will be a big deal.


----------



## Alli

Just watched the first episode of Loki on DTV+. Nice even opening. I think it’s going to be good.


----------



## DT

Alli said:


> Just watched the first episode of Loki on DTV+. Nice even opening. I think it’s going to be good.




Watched it last night super fun, great concept, obviously part of the big multiverse master Phase 4 plot.

And of course, Hiddleston is just superb, and love us some Owen Wilson.


----------



## Edd

Logan, on Hulu. I put it in the top 5 superhero flicks of all time.


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> Logan, on Hulu. I put it in the top 5 superhero flicks of all time.




Funny you mentioned this, I JUST said last night, "Oh, we need to watch Logan again ..."

My motivation was seeing a Bill Sienkiewicz Logan poster recently, he's fantastic (probably my favorite comic - and other - artists), here's a few of his Logan pieces:


----------



## Apple fanboy

Football for the next few weeks. Happy with that! Come on England!


----------



## Edd

Alli said:


> Just watched the first episode of Loki on DTV+. Nice even opening. I think it’s going to be good.



https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1402806139193118720/


----------



## lizkat

Of course there are things one can't always see on PBS via the Passport option due to licensed exhibition windows having gone elsewhere.   I noticed that one can now stream _*Jewel in the Crown *_on the PBS Channel of Prime Video .. and so I'm binge-watching it under their free 7-day trial of the channel. I shall be bleary eyed by time I've finished... and if it comes to not being able to do that, then I suppose paying for one month of the channel to finish it in more lesiurely pace won't be a problem. The remastered audio is so much better than it was on the original transfer from VHS to DVD.


----------



## Thomas Veil

I finally got around to the series finale of _Debris_ and it was...disappointing. I mean, the creepiness was there as usual, which is to be expected of these artifacts which do totally random, bizarre things. But the plot? 

We knew the show was canceled and was going to end on a cliffhanger, but the creator said we'd at least see what he called an origin story. I don't know. It looked to me like all they did was throw a bunch of stuff at the wall to see what would stick.

Although kudos to the props crew that came up with those grotesquely distorted people in the store. That was something you couldn't say you've seen before.


----------



## Huntn

Thomas Veil said:


> I finally got around to the series finale of _Debris_ and it was...disappointing. I mean, the creepiness was there as usual, which is to be expected of these artifacts which do totally random, bizarre things. But the plot?
> 
> We knew the show was canceled and was going to end on a cliffhanger, but the creator said we'd at least see what he called an origin story. I don't know. It looked to me like all they did was throw a bunch of stuff at the wall to see what would stick.
> 
> Although kudos to the props crew that came up with those grotesquely distorted people in the store. That was something you couldn't say you've seen before.



I watched 1 episode. No implied judgement.


----------



## Huntn

*Third Rock From The Sun* (1996-2001)- I forgot how funny this show is. Found it on IFC via Sling TV. 


​


----------



## Huntn

*The Kominsky Method* (2019-21)

​
Finishing up the final season, have enjoyed this. Michael Douglass plays an actor/acting coach.  These are short shows, short seasons. Fun cast Paul Reiser, Jane Seymore,  Alan Arkin left season 3 cause he was winding down.

_








						What Alan Arkin has said about leaving "The Kominsky Method"
					

"The Kominsky Method" Season 3 begins with the death of Alan Arkin's Norman Newlander. Here's what the actor has said about his choice to leave the Netflix show.




					www.newsweek.com
				



In a Guardian interview, Arkin said his Kominsky Method exit comes as he slows down his career at the age of 87. He said: "I'm like a horse going down the trail. Acting is so ingrained in my physiognomy and the channels of my brain that I find myself missing aspects of the business. But I don't need it any more. I should probably get over it."

He added in an interview with health food writer Andrea Donsky: "The less work I get, the better my health. The stress in the marketplace is enormous and my system has a fast reaction. I can't deal with stress anymore._


----------



## Thomas Veil

My wife has watched the series and I've watched a few of them with her. It's a pleasure to see veteran actors like Douglas and Arkin in the lead. Kinda like the CW in reverse.


----------



## Thomas Veil

I’ve been watching the occasional episode of _*Two and A Half Men*_. I never intended to, but the pilot episode was there as I was flipping channels, and I love to see how shows started out, vs. what they turned into.

I have to admit, the writing is pretty sharp compared to any later episodes I’ve seen. For example, Charlie Sheen’s brother Alan is going through a divorce from his wife, and they’re having this horrendous fight about who gets custody of this big moose of a dog. Alan is _adamant_ he’s going to keep the dog…and his ex is equally stubborn that that’s not going to happen.

Nearby is Alan’s son, eating breakfast. Charlie Sheen asks him, “Did your parents have this kind of fight about you?” And Jake replies, “Oh, yeah! ‘_You_ take him!’ ‘No _you_ take him!’” 

I also like the early credits, which depicted the title characters singing the goofy/cool “Men” theme around an old style microphone.

​


----------



## Eric

Thomas Veil said:


> I’ve been watching the occasional episode of _*Two and A Half Men*_. I never intended to, but the pilot episode was there as I was flipping channels, and I love to see how shows started out, vs. what they turned into.
> 
> I have to admit, the writing is pretty sharp compared to any later episodes I’ve seen. For example, Charlie Sheen’s brother Alan is going through a divorce from his wife, and they’re having this horrendous fight about who gets custody of this big moose of a dog. Alan is _adamant_ he’s going to keep the dog…and his ex is equally stubborn that that’s not going to happen.
> 
> Nearby is Alan’s son, eating breakfast. Charlie Sheen asks him, “Did your parents have this kind of fight about you?” And Jake replies, “Oh, yeah! ‘_You_ take him!’ ‘No _you_ take him!’”
> 
> I also like the early credits, which depicted the title characters singing the goofy/cool “Men” theme around an old style microphone.
> 
> View attachment 6276​



Couldn't agree more, their writing was brilliant on many levels. This scene has to be one of the funniest ever written on a sitcom IMO, not to mention that unless the audience has seen Kojak or lived in the 70s (most likely did not) it would've zinged right over their heads, 

Totally hilarious for what's mostly an inside joke and it helps that you had Conchata Ferrell delivering it, the master at zinging everyone.


----------



## Alli

Eric said:


> Totally hilarious for what's mostly an inside joke and it helps that you had Conchata Ferrell delivering it, the master at zinging everyone.



She was the best part of that show. I watched it from start to end. She was the best part.


----------



## Thomas Veil

And I almost totally missed it on its first run. I’d never even seen an episode with Rose the stalker. So I’ve got some catching up to do.

Shows like this are a guilty pleasure: they consist primarily of insult comedy, Charlie treating women badly, and Alan being incompetent. Yet they’re undeniably funny. This one is also basically _The Odd Couple_: newly separated sad sack moves in with someone his polar opposite. 

And I’d only seen the “red curtain” intro once or twice. On YouTube I found a compilation where Angus T. Jones starts each one as a little boy, but morphs into his true age at the end. Weird yet clever. 






I also remember some controversy when the kid “found religion” and started trash talking the show. 

Conchata Ferrell I recall from “Network”, where she did some equally funny deadpan delivery.


----------



## Edd

Man, Loki is killing it. The best series yet.


----------



## Huntn

Edd said:


> Man, Loki is killing it. The best series yet.



Getting ready to jump into this.


----------



## Thomas Veil

*Kevin Can F**k Himself *(AMC) is the _weirdest_ damn thing.

Allison has a literal sitcom life. She lives in a run-down section of town, carries a lowly job, and puts up with her dumbass schlub of a husband who just likes to hang out with his stupid friends. Typical sitcom stuff, right? But she dreams of using their savings to move to a more upscale neighborhood, which she thinks will solve all her problems. This portion of the series is shot three-camera, on videotape, on your typical brightly-lit sitcom set, complete with laugh track.

When Allison leaves the house, the show turns into a dark, single-camera _film_ dramedy in which it's clear that her "stalwart wife" sitcom demeanor is a front, and she's actually desperately unhappy and on the edge of a nervous breakdown. She's frantically searching for an out from a life she absolutely hates, and searching for anybody who can take her away from her happy hell.

Annie Murphy as Allison is great, very much reminiscent of Ellen Muth on _Dead Like Me_. You'd think you'd get whiplash from the constant alternating between the laugh track/sitcom format and the darker drama, but surprisingly enough, the show moves amazingly seamlessly between those two very different formats. I'm two episodes in and I have no idea where this is going, but it's possible the two formats will merge and form an even darker, gallows comedy.

Oh, by the way..._Kevin Can F**k Himself _is *not* how they spell it in the opening credits.  Best series title ever.


----------



## Thomas Veil

BTW…the above makes me realize how swear words are slowly seeping into the TV title mainstream:

$#*!, My Dad Says
Don’t Trust the B—— in Apartment 23
Schitt’s Creek
Kevin Can F**k Himself


----------



## Huntn

Anyone watching *Sweet Tooth *(Netflix)- and enjoying it? We watched Episode 1 last night and am not convinced to continue. Listed as No.10 on Netflix.

​


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> Anyone watching *Sweet Tooth *(Netflix)- and enjoying it? We watched Episode 1 last night and am not convinced to continue. Listed as No.10 on Netflix.
> 
> View attachment 6438​



It gets better after episode 1 IMHO. More characters are introduced and the story gets interesting. I watched the whole first season and enjoyed it.


----------



## shadow puppet

I enjoyed it.  Binged it way too fast though.  Season 2 is already in the works.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> It gets better after episode 1 IMHO. More characters are introduced and the story gets interesting. I watched the whole first season and enjoyed it.






shadow puppet said:


> I enjoyed it.  Binged it way too fast though.  Season 2 is already in the works.



Does the boy grow up or stay small during season 1?
I probably will not continue this. However fantasy is a gender I generally like.


----------



## shadow puppet

Huntn said:


> Does the boy grow up or stay small during season 1?
> I probably will not continue this. However fantasy is a gender I generally like.



He stays the same age as in the photo you shared.


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> Anyone watching *Sweet Tooth *(Netflix)- and enjoying it? We watched Episode 1 last night and am not convinced to continue. Listed as No.10 on Netflix.
> 
> View attachment 6438​



Fabulous show with a wonderful cast and great storyline. Worth watching.


----------



## Hrafn

Yeah, binged it in almost no time.  We’re looking forward to the next season.


----------



## Huntn

Did anyone watch *Manifest* (2018-20) when it was on NBC? Please avoid spoilers just want to know if you think it is worthy.


​
It has a *Lost* vibe, but is nothing  like Lost. It recently dropped on Netflix, the first two episodes are good. A plane full of people leaves the Caribbean on a return flight to NYC and when they land, discover that it is 5 years later. …and some strange things are happening allowing  some (all?) of the passengers to help others in need, while the government is keeping tabs on them to some unknown degree.


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> Did anyone watch *Manifest* (2018-20) when it was on NBC? Please avoid spoilers just want to know if you think it is worthy.




I think it goes all Jeebus-y ...


----------



## Hrafn

Huntn said:


> Did anyone watch *Manifest* (2018-20) when it was on NBC? Please avoid spoilers just want to know if you think it is worthy.
> 
> View attachment 6560​
> It has a *Lost* vibe, but is nothing  like Lost. It recently dropped on Netflix, the first two episodes are good. A plane full of people leaves the Caribbean on a return flight to NYC and when they land, discover that it is 5 years later. …and some strange things are happening allowing  some (all?) of the passengers to help others in need, while the government is keeping tabs on them to some unknown degree.



My wife liked it.  She watched while I was working.  I caught enough to not care one way or another.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> I think it goes all Jeebus-y ...






Hrafn said:


> My wife liked it.  She watched while I was working.  I caught enough to not care one way or another.



I’m hanging in with 3 episodes under my belt.


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> It has a *Lost* vibe, but is nothing like Lost. It recently dropped on Netflix, the first two episodes are good. A plane full of people leaves the Caribbean on a return flight to NYC and when they land, discover that it is 5 years later. …and some strange things are happening allowing some (all?) of the passengers to help others in need, while the government is keeping tabs on them to some unknown degree.



I watched every episode and am really pissed that they cancelled the show without any resolution whatsoever.

Definitely like Lost. They would just throw shit out there and see how it went with no explanation. Also followed the pattern of sometimes being really good and other times being awful and always making you blurt out WTF?


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> I watched every episode and am really pissed that they cancelled the show without any resolution whatsoever.
> 
> Definitely like Lost. They would just throw shit out there and see how it went with no explanation. Also followed the pattern of sometimes being really good and other times being awful and always making you blurt out WTF?



Well, I’m probably not going to continue then,  because this kind of story demands an answer. Thanks for the info!  I read that NBC tried “hard” (whatever than means) to save it, talk Netflix or Amazon into picking it up?


----------



## shadow puppet

Alli said:


> I watched every episode and am really pissed that they cancelled the show without any resolution whatsoever.
> 
> Definitely like Lost. They would just throw shit out there and see how it went with no explanation. Also followed the pattern of sometimes being really good and other times being awful and always making you blurt out WTF?



Same.  Season 2 dragged for me (and as you said, was really awful at times), but this last season's cliff hangers make me mad it has been cancelled.  It wasn't Emmy worthy but it has been good fluff and at times, entertaining to watch.  Especially if you like weird twisty plot turns like Lost.


----------



## shadow puppet

Huntn said:


> Well, I’m probably not going to continue then,  because this kind of story demands an answer. Thanks for the info!  I read that NBC tried “hard” (whatever than means) to save it, talk Netflix or Amazon into picking it up?



Manifest showrunner Jeff Rake wants to make a two hour movie to tie everything up.









						Manifest Creator Planning 2-Hour Movie Finale To Wrap Canceled Series
					

Three seasons and a movie?




					screenrant.com


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> Manifest showrunner Jeff Rake wants to make a two hour movie to tie everything up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Manifest Creator Planning 2-Hour Movie Finale To Wrap Canceled Series
> 
> 
> Three seasons and a movie?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> screenrant.com



That would be awesome! Cause we need answers!


----------



## Huntn

shadow puppet said:


> Manifest showrunner Jeff Rake wants to make a two hour movie to tie everything up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Manifest Creator Planning 2-Hour Movie Finale To Wrap Canceled Series
> 
> 
> Three seasons and a movie?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> screenrant.com



If that comes out, I’d be happy to continue watching. Thanks for the info!


----------



## Eric

Hrafn said:


> My wife liked it.  She watched while I was working.  I caught enough to not care one way or another.



This was my take as well, started out okay but turned into far more of a soap opera for my taste.


----------



## Hrafn

We've been watching "Kim's Convenience"  Sometimes cringey, but generally pretty funny. Like with "Man with a Plan", some of the episodes just start out with too much stupid, stupid, stupid.  Don't do this stupid thing, bad things won't follow.


----------



## tobefirst

My first post in this thread has to be about *Ted Lasso*. I just finished my fourth time through the 10 episode first season. And I'm not sure that will be my last before season two drops later this month. It is so, so good.


----------



## DT

Stanley Cup!  Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens, Tampa looking for the their 2nd year in a row win, Montreal hasn't been in the final for 28 years.

We don't really watch during regular season (just occasionally check out the standings), we might watch a little playoff action - but when it comes down the final, it's just some spectacular hockey, players at the top of their game.

Thought Tampa Bay might sweep it, they won the first 3 games in a row (it's best 4 of 7), but Montreal came back last night won, so it's standing at 3-1 (Tampa), so now Montreal will have to win 3 more in a row to take the cup.


----------



## SuperMatt

DT said:


> Stanley Cup!  Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens, Tampa looking for the their 2nd year in a row win, Montreal hasn't been in the final for 28 years.
> 
> We don't really watch during regular season (just occasionally check out the standings), we might watch a little playoff action - but when it comes down the final, it's just some spectacular hockey, players at the top of their game.
> 
> Thought Tampa Bay might sweep it, they won the first 3 games in a row (it's best 4 of 7), but Montreal came back last night won, so it's standing at 3-1 (Tampa), so now Montreal will have to win 3 more in a row to take the cup.



Tampa has been great the entire postseason, with the NY Islanders giving them their greatest challenge. Montreal had enough to win one game, but even that one was a squeaker, won in overtime. I have a feeling the next game will be the last of the season, and Tampa will be repeat champs.


----------



## lizkat

I've now (yeah, belatedly) watched the entire PBS Masterpiece / BBC Two six-episode mini series *Wolf Hall,*  twice in a row.   Mesmerized by what Mark Rylance manages to communicate with his eyes, slight gesture or half a grimace in an aside almost through the fourth wall.  What a brilliant actor.  You can tell even without knowing that he comes from the stage and has directorial experience himself.  And the screenplay adapted from Hilary Mantel's first two books _(Wolf Hall _and _Bring up the Bodies_) in the Cromwell-centric trilogy is masterful. Impossible to stick those tomes into six TV shows but somehow Peter Straughan managed to nail it in my view.  I was happy to read recently that both Rylance as Cromwell and Damian Lewis as Henry VIII had promised back in 2019 to  return for another round based on Mantel's final book in the triology, _The Mirror and the Light. _

Mind you I've no particular opinion about Mantel's unusual but well supported historical presentation of the life of Thomas Comwell. She certainly shows more of the subtlety and "velvet glove" over the steel fist, maybe,  than most of us ever thought he may have possessed in action,  thanks to any previous biographies we may have read of him.  But I loved the books and admire the series based on the first two novels.  I'm likely to watch that series a couple more times,  before the filmed efforts based on book three are released.   This time around would seem a bit different challenge to Straughan,  as the book covers a much smaller timeframe of Cromwell's chronological importance in the Tudor reign,  but Mantel in that third book has taken us back to show more of where Cromwell the man and force of nature hailed from.


----------



## DT

SuperBillionaire said:


> Tampa has been great the entire postseason, with the NY Islanders giving them their greatest challenge. Montreal had enough to win one game, but even that one was a squeaker, won in overtime. I have a feeling the next game will be the last of the season, and Tampa will be repeat champs.




Yeah, Tampa back at home, a marginal win by Montreal, and dominating the series up till last night, I think you're right on!


----------



## DT

@lizkat Mark Rylance is really terrific, he's been a few things I've seen, but I understand he's amazing in Wolf Hall.  He's going to be in the film adaptation of the novel Bones & All, which is pretty nutty, horrific fun, and it's being directed by Luca Guadagnino who made the very good remake of Suspiria (also has Chloe Sevigny, Michael Stuhlbarg, so solid talent all around).


----------



## MEJHarrison

I somehow missed Modern Family when it was on and just recently discovered it.  I've been having fun watching that.

I've also been re-watching Brooklyn Nine-nice to get ready for the final season.  I've rewatched that show more than I can count.  I'm quite sure I'm into the double digits.  Let's call it a lot of times and just leave it at that.

Since it's summer, it's Lego Masters time.  That was entertaining last year and I've been enjoying it this year as well.

I've been working my way through Nailed It on Netflix and am almost done with that.

Then I came across my old Homicide: Life on the Street and Kung-Fu DVDs, so I've been having fun there.  I also need to finish the last season of Spartacus. I put it aside and never returned, but I've seen it before, so I know it's good.


----------



## Huntn

My wife has been watching different old shows on different Sling TV channels for example *The Andy Griffith Show* (Sundance TV) which I still love and can watch, and I saw an ad for *Hogan’s Heroes* another show the family enjoyed when I was a teen, but I looking back on it, it’s kind of hard to believe someone thought a comedy set in a WWII prison camp would be funny. I mean at the time it was kind of a funny with the “brilliant” allied prisoners of war making the Germans look like idiots. As a ridiculous farce it kind of works, but I don’t think I could enjoy it today. I think I’d prefer to see *Springtime for Hitler* (a Mel Brooks *Producers* ref) 



MEJHarrison said:


> I somehow missed Modern Family when it was on and just recently discovered it.  I've been having fun watching that.
> 
> I've also been re-watching Brooklyn Nine-nice to get ready for the final season.  I've rewatched that show more than I can count.  I'm quite sure I'm into the double digits.  Let's call it a lot of times and just leave it at that.
> 
> Since it's summer, it's Lego Masters time.  That was entertaining last year and I've been enjoying it this year as well.
> 
> I've been working my way through Nailed It on Netflix and am almost done with that.
> 
> Then I came across my old Homicide: Life on the Street and Kung-Fu DVDs, so I've been having fun there.  I also need to finish the last season of Spartacus. I put it aside and never returned, but I've seen it before, so I know it's good.



Modern Family was an amazing show for 10 seasons or so.


----------



## Huntn

​
*Loki *(2021)-  Disney+ Does anyone like this? I’m 3 episodes in and confused.

The  idea of a varient- how do you know you are doing something wrong (to create a branch in the time line)?  How can you be punished for this?
How can Loki taking the Tesseract in 2012, be any worse than the Avengers traveling through time to grab Infinity Stones? And what about Thanos, why was the TVA not all over him?


----------



## Huntn

​
Watching *Absentia* (2017-2020 AXN, watching on Prime Video) 3 Seasons total, about an FBI agent who goes missing during an investigation for 6 years, presumed dead, and then resurfaces with a call to her husband and they find her in a tank of water* on the verge of drowning. Obviously she is a victim of some fiendish plot, suffering from PTSD, but there is more to the story. Her husband also an FBI agent has remarried, and her son is being raised by him and his new wife, awkward…

*No, she has not been in a tank of water for 6 years.

My critique of this story is that in a situation like this the husband, first and second wife should have some serious discussions about what is next for the 3 of them, and it seems like that is glossed over. Maybe other viewers feel different, but what a tough situation from a personal relationship standpoint. 

The series is watchable, not as good as Bosch. I’ll say that the mystery of her dissapearence  Is resolved in Season 1 and Season 2:



Spoiler



with her back at the FBI and continues with new cases and her continued adjustment, she is a bit screwed up.


----------



## lizkat

So I haven't caught up with Apple's offerings in quite awhile.  Lots of people seem to rave about Ted Lasso.   My free sub is expiring and I'm wondering if it's worth signing up for awhile just to catch the beginning of that and the new season...  

Mind you my rationale for taking a sub to HBO Max went like this:   "well it's 15 bucks but the apple thing is free for now so *really* it's only ten bucks".

 So there's that issue as well.   As soon as Apple bills me 5 bucks for streaming its stuff,  my HBO Max sub will *REALLY *feel like it's costing me the $15 that it was always really costing me,  even if my twisted little mind is going to start thinking that Apple is costing me ten bucks a month. 

This is your really free no free lunch lesson for the day.


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> View attachment 7090​
> Watching *Absentia* (2017-2020 AXN, watching on Prime Video) 3 Seasons total, about an FBI agent who goes missing during an investigation for 6 years, presumed dead, and then resurfaces with a call to her husband and they find her in a tank of water* on the verge of drowning. Obviously she is a victim of some fiendish plot, suffering from PTSD, but there is more to the story. Her husband also an FBI agent has remarried, and her son is being raised by him and his new wife, awkward…
> 
> *No, she has not been in a tank of water for 6 years.
> 
> My critique of this story is that in a situation like this the husband, first and second wife should have some serious discussions about what is next for the 3 of them, and it seems like that is glossed over. Maybe other viewers feel different, but what a tough situation from a personal relationship standpoint.
> 
> The series is watchable, not as good as Bosch. I’ll say that the mystery of her dissapearence  Is resolved in Season 1 and Season 2:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> with her back at the FBI and continues with new cases and her continued adjustment, she is a bit screwed up.



Imo, this series falls apart in the last part of Season 2 when they (the FBI) head off to Moldova to chase a bad guy, and the show becomes more like a spy story,


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> So I haven't caught up with Apple's offerings in quite awhile.  Lots of people seem to rave about Ted Lasso.   My free sub is expiring and I'm wondering if it's worth signing up for awhile just to catch the beginning of that and the new season...
> 
> Mind you my rationale for taking a sub to HBO Max went like this:   "well it's 15 bucks but the apple thing is free for now so *really* it's only ten bucks".
> 
> So there's that issue as well.   As soon as Apple bills me 5 bucks for streaming its stuff,  my HBO Max sub will *REALLY *feel like it's costing me the $15 that it was always really costing me,  even if my twisted little mind is going to start thinking that Apple is costing me ten bucks a month.
> 
> This is your really free no free lunch lesson for the day.



Something like Netflix has enough content to stay subscribed, but Apple imo does not, so my choice for both Apple and HBO is to do hit and run subscriptions. For the last season of Game of Thrones, I waited 6 episodes so I could watch the entire season in one month.


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> Something like Netflix has enough content to stay subscribed, but Apple imo does not, so my choice for both Apple and HBO is to do hit and run subscriptions. For the last season of Game of Thrones, I waited 6 episodes so I could watch the entire season in one month.



I have to say, I never would have subscribed to Netflix… but when it was offered free on account of having T-mobile for cell service, I took it. I have to say I really enjoy it. Even when the “free” Netflix became $2 a month, I kept it. If I had to pay full price, I might even do so. T-mobile also offers the free MLB.tv for watching every baseball game except the one in your current locality. That’s one that I probably would NOT pay full price for. I watch it occasionally, but not enough to warrant the cost.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> I have to say, I never would have subscribed to Netflix… but when it was offered free on account of having T-mobile for cell service, I took it. I have to say I really enjoy it. Even when the “free” Netflix became $2 a month, I kept it. If I had to pay full price, I might even do so. T-mobile also offers the free MLB.tv for watching every baseball game except the one in your current locality. That’s one that I probably would NOT pay full price for. I watch it occasionally, but not enough to warrant the cost.



You currently get Netflix for $2 a month through T-Mobile, watchable on a TV? Can I ask how much do you pay for your T-Mobile account? I have a 2 for $55 plan.


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> You currently get Netflix for $2 a month through T-Mobile, watchable on a TV?



It’s called “Netflix on us” and different plans are eligible for different amounts… I just checked it and I think I’m actually paying $3 instead of $2….


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> It’s called “Netflix on us” and different plans are eligible for different amounts… I just checked it and I think I’m actually paying $3 instead of $2….



I looked it up and there are certain plans that offer different levels of Netflix for free. I'm assuming that because I have a T-Mobile 2for $55 (senior) plan, that I am still better off than a plan that offers free Netflix, but don't really know.


----------



## tobefirst

MEJHarrison said:


> I somehow missed Modern Family when it was on and just recently discovered it.  I've been having fun watching that.
> 
> I've also been re-watching Brooklyn Nine-nice to get ready for the final season.  I've rewatched that show more than I can count.  I'm quite sure I'm into the double digits.  Let's call it a lot of times and just leave it at that.
> 
> Since it's summer, it's Lego Masters time.  That was entertaining last year and I've been enjoying it this year as well.
> 
> I've been working my way through Nailed It on Netflix and am almost done with that.
> 
> Then I came across my old Homicide: Life on the Street and Kung-Fu DVDs, so I've been having fun there.  I also need to finish the last season of Spartacus. I put it aside and never returned, but I've seen it before, so I know it's good.



Modern Family is currently my "on my way to sleep" show. I'll disagree with @Huntn a bit – I don't enjoy much of the later seasons – but the show is laugh-out-loud funny early on.

And as a Lego enthusiast (is that obvious enough?), I enjoy LM. I do kind of wish they would get past the "everything must have a story" aspect, but I understand that's probably what brings in the casual viewer. I'd just like to see them build sweet looking buildings, not ones that barely resemble a cake.


----------



## tobefirst

lizkat said:


> So I haven't caught up with Apple's offerings in quite awhile.  Lots of people seem to rave about Ted Lasso.   My free sub is expiring and I'm wondering if it's worth signing up for awhile just to catch the beginning of that and the new season...



Ted Lasso is 400% worth it. At least. It'll take you about 2 days to get through the first season, both because it is only 10 episodes, and because it is that good.


----------



## lizkat

tobefirst said:


> Ted Lasso is 400% worth it. At least. It'll take you about 2 days to get through the first season, both because it is only 10 episodes, and because it is that good.




Thanks.   I think I'll keep the Apple sub for awhile, catch Lasso first season, hang on for the new one and meanwhile catch up on some other things there that I had not looked into meanwhile. 

HBO Max might actually slide away to become my hit and run option for awhile going forward, since I've worked my way through a good piece of the watch list I put together over there, mostly some older things.  I'll keep their newsletter and just pay more attention to it to figure out when I might want to tune in there again for awhile.


----------



## Huntn

tobefirst said:


> Ted Lasso is 400% worth it. At least. It'll take you about 2 days to get through the first season, both because it is only 10 episodes, and because it is that good.



Did the second season drop or too soon?


----------



## tobefirst

Huntn said:


> Did the second season drop or too soon?



Later this month.


----------



## Huntn

tobefirst said:


> Later this month.



This might be a candidate for me to subscribe to Apple + for a month.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Every once in a while it's fun to scan the lower channels to see what old TV series show up there.

I haven't seen _*F Troop*_ (Circle) in...forever. It's yet another 60s era variation on _Sgt. Bilko_ and _McHale's Navy_.

It's not without its charms, like a pacifist Native American tribe that just pretends to be warriors and who say things like, "Oy vey!", a "lookout" who's blind as a bat, and running gags like the cannon salute that always seems to take out their own watchtower. And the theme song was catchy.





​But yeah, nowadays it comes across as kinda dumb. Still amusing for nostalgia's sake, though.


----------



## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> I haven't seen _*F Troop*_ (Circle) in...forever. It's yet another 60s era variation on _Sgt. Bilko_ and _McHale's Navy_.



But as soon as I saw this I started singing its theme song. I never missed the show. How is it I can still remember the words to the show’s theme song after all these years?!


----------



## Thomas Veil

You can't help wondering if parts of "Blazing Saddles" were inspired by this show...gags like Yiddish-sounding Indians and deliberate historical anachronisms.

I recently read up on _F Troop_ a little and learned something I never knew before: where the Hekawi tribe got its name.

According to Chief Wild Eagle:



> "Many moons ago, tribe leave Massachusetts because Pilgrims ruin neighborhood! Tribe travel west, over stream, over river, over mountain, over mountain, over river, over stream! Then come big day... tribe fall over cliff. That when Hekawi get name. Medicine man say to my ancestor, "I think we lost. Where the heck are we?"




Ba-da-_bum!_


----------



## DT

Who remembers this?  It also starred Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch, back when here was "Saturday morning cartoons" and quite a few shows were actually love action (like all the Sid and Marty Krofft productions).







Funny history, it came out in 1975, then Universal bought the rights to use the same, and right after the movie came out in '84, Filmation did an animated sequel to the live action show to capitalize on the name (which is why the animated show that followed the '84 movie was renamed The Real Ghostbusters )


----------



## Edd

I watch a lot of YouTube, which is where I consume any late night talk show clips. At some point during COVID, I became more and more drawn to Seth Meyers‘s show. I’ve always liked him but his stuff has gotten sharper and weirder to me for me in recent times. This morning, watching a recent clip, I realized he’s the only host who still doesn’t have a live audience. That seemed weird, then I did a search and see why.









						Seth Meyers Is Hosting The ‘Late Night’ He Wants, But Will He Keep It?
					

By both innovation and chance, ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ has found its groove, and they know it -- but will Meyers keep it this way?




					uproxx.com
				




I think he should keep it like it is. Also, does anyone remember when John Mulaney joined his writing staff last year for a minute before he went to rehab? He made some hilarious appearances on the show during the pandemic.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Alli said:


> …How is it I can still remember the words to the show’s theme song after all these years?!



That’s what my wife always asks: how can Alli remember the words to the show’s theme song after all these years?

Okay, seriously. She asks that about me.

I don’t know. I have all kinds of vintage television detritus stored in that cobweb filled attic I call a mind.

Don’t believe me? Watch this.

_The __Pruitts of Southampton_​_Live like the richest folk_​_But what the folk don’t know_​_Is that the Pruitts are flat broke._​
That’s from memory. Can you hear the song in your head? I can.

 Now if there was only some way I could find to make money out of such pointless information.


----------



## Edd

Thomas Veil said:


> That’s what my wife always asks: how can Alli remember the words to the show’s theme song after all these years?
> 
> Okay, seriously. She asks that about me.
> 
> I don’t know. I have all kinds of vintage television detritus stored in that cobweb filled attic I call a mind.
> 
> Don’t believe me? Watch this.
> ​_The __Pruitts of Southampton_​_Live like the richest folk_​_But what the folk don’t know_​_Is that the Pruitts are flat broke._​
> That’s from memory. Can you hear the song in your head? I can.
> 
> Now if there was only some way I could find to make money out of such pointless information.



That show is an impressive pull, I don’t remember it.

Which is surprising, because a minor party trick I can pull is if you name any TV show from the 70s or 80s, there’s a 98% chance I can tell you what network it was on.

I’m an only child born in 1970 with two working parents. I was raised by a television set.


----------



## Edd

Started Rutherford Falls on Peacock. Seems promising.


----------



## JayMysteri0

> Why Is Kevin Smith’s ‘Masters of the Universe’ Series Being ‘Review Bombed’ by Fans?
> 
> 
> “I see people online go, ‘Hey man, they’re getting rid of He-Man," to which Smith says, "Grow the f--- up"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.thewrap.com





> Kevin Smith Made Netflix’s ‘Masters of the Universe: Revelation’ Specifically to Please ‘He-Man’ Fans. Some Got Mad Anyway.
> 
> 
> SPOILER WARNING: Do not read if you’ve not seen the first five episodes of “Masters of the Universe: Revelation,” streaming now on Netflix. Kevin Smith nearly turned down “He-Man.” In early 2019, the iconoclastic filmmaker, podcast host and foul-mouthed bon vivant got a call from his agent...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.yahoo.com




WARNING:  To understand the online flood of tears from the manboys, it will require you've already seen the first episode or don't mind spoilers.


----------



## DT

Marvel's *What if ...? * premiered on D+ !

*S01E01*
"What If... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?"


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> Marvel's *What if ...? * premiered on D+ !
> 
> *S01E01*
> "What If... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?"



Is this a dedicated series?


----------



## Edd

Huntn said:


> Are this a dedicated series?



Pretty sure it’s an anthology, kinda like the old “What If” comic was.

It was decent, I’ll keep watching.


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> Are this a dedicated series?




It are.  10 EPs!


----------



## Herdfan

Thomas Veil said:


> That’s what my wife always asks: how can Alli remember the words to the show’s theme song after all these years?
> 
> Okay, seriously. She asks that about me.
> 
> I don’t know. I have all kinds of vintage television detritus stored in that cobweb filled attic I call a mind.
> 
> Don’t believe me? Watch this.
> ​_The __Pruitts of Southampton_​_Live like the richest folk_​_But what the folk don’t know_​_Is that the Pruitts are flat broke._​
> That’s from memory. Can you hear the song in your head? I can.
> 
> Now if there was only some way I could find to make money out of such pointless information.




Here are as far as I can remember of this one.  Sadly the lyrics were only used in the movie, not in the TV show.

Through early morning fog I see
Visions of the things to be
The pains that are withheld for me
I realize and I can see
That suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it if I please

Wife and I listen to the 70's on 7 quite a bit and lots of the TV themes back then were songs on the radio: Kotter, WKRP, Rockford and then a few more in the 80's like Cheer and HSB.  Latest one I can think of (that wasn't from some teen angst show on the CW) is the theme from _Friends._


----------



## Thomas Veil

Herdfan said:


> Here are as far as I can remember of this one.  Sadly the lyrics were only used in the movie, not in the TV show.
> 
> Through early morning fog I see
> Visions of the things to be
> The pains that are withheld for me
> I realize and I can see
> That suicide is painless
> It brings on many changes
> And I can take or leave it if I please
> 
> Wife and I listen to the 70's on 7 quite a bit and lots of the TV themes back then were songs on the radio: Kotter, WKRP, Rockford and then a few more in the 80's like Cheer and HSB.  Latest one I can think of (that wasn't from some teen angst show on the CW) is the theme from _Friends._




_M*A*S*H_ was, of course, a favorite. I do kind of wish they'd used the lyrics on TV, but you know...that was then.

It's fun to watch the eras. I like how, in the 60s, TV show theme songs often explained the show:

A horse is a horse, of course, of course...
Green Acres is the place to be...
Come and listen to my story 'bout a man named Jed...
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip...
It's about time, it's about space, about two men in the strangest place...
They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky...
Come ride the little train that is rollin' down the tracks to the Junction...
The end of the Civil War was near when quite accidentally...
Everybody knows in a second life we all come back sooner or later...
A foreign spy arrives by the name of U-31...
Songs in the 70s and 80s weren't quite that literal; they revolved more around concept than plot. Think _All in the Family_, _WKRP in Cincinnati, Cheers, _etc.


----------



## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> The end of the Civil War was near when quite accidentally...
> Everybody knows in a second life we all come back sooner or later...
> A foreign spy arrives by the name of U-31...



I was singing right along until I got to these 3. What shows were these?


----------



## Edd

Gold.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Alli said:


> I was singing right along until I got to these 3. What shows were these?




F Troop
My Mother the Car
The Double Life of Henry Phyfe
You could especially be forgiven for not knowing the last one. It’s super obscure. Must’ve been scored by Vic Mizzy though, because bits of this tune show up on _Green Acres_.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> It are.  10 EPs!



I don’t know if I can blame spell check on that…


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> Gold.





Holy hell, amazing.  I love the various trailers where they cut different music and voiceover, and change up the entire tone.  This is one of my faves - not great quality, couldn't find a decent HD-ish version:


----------



## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> F Troop
> My Mother the Car
> The Double Life of Henry Phyfe
> You could especially be forgiven for not knowing the last one. It’s super obscure. Must’ve been scored by Vic Mizzy though, because bits of this tune show up on _Green Acres_.



DAMN! It’s funny. I can sing the entire rest of the F Troop theme, but always missed the first line. Never heard of that last one and I think I only watched My Mother the Car once or twice.


----------



## Huntn

Brought over from movie thread:


Thomas Veil said:


> I can remember watching _The Outer Limits_ from behind a living room chair. I even remember the episode that scared me so much.
> 
> View attachment 7902​




Do you remember which Outer Limts episode was that? I remember that scene.



Want to give a 1960s child nightmares?
*Don’t Open Till Doomsday*​
*The Twilight Zone* mostly made me think with some great writing, but  the *Outer Limits* scared me. Although laughable now, they created some disturbing aliens in that show. At least one  episode, Architects of Fear, was deemed so disturbing that it was censored by some ABC affiliates with a black screen whenever the alien appeared or it was shown after 11pm.

*The Architects of Fear*- to unite mankind during the Cold War, they genetically modify a volunteer into an “alien” to unite The Earth against a common enemy. Basically turning Robert Culp into a monster gave me the heebie-jeebies, not that it was terrifying, but disturbing, what they did to a person, could not get it out of my head. …and his poor wife. 




__





						The Architects of Fear - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




​*The Mice-* Another disturbing alien.




__





						The Mice (The Outer Limits) - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




​


----------



## Pumbaa

DT said:


> Marvel's *What if ...? * premiered on D+ !
> 
> *S01E01*
> "What If... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?"



Alright, seen it now. I love the concept, I really do, I was (and still am) thrilled they’re releasing a series based on it. Not too happy with the artistic style though. Still looking forward to the remaining episodes.


----------



## Huntn

*What if?* is a cartoon. I watched the opening credits and turned it off. Not saying it’s bad, but I’m not in the mood. It’s probably the same reason I did not get far with *Clone Wars* which is described as excellent,


----------



## lizkat

I'm looking forward to HBO's Watergate-related miniseries _*The White House Plumbers*,_ scenes for which are partly being shot in Albany NY. Other venues include upstate Poughkeepsie NY, New York City, Washington DC and the city of Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.

Hey one or another capitol's typical governmental clutter or splendor can work when it comes to serving up background for a political scandal, no?  God knows Albany's up to the task and the other locations on that list are no slackers either.

Woody Harrelson (as E. Howard Hunt) and Justin Theroux (as G. Gordon Liddy) head up the cast. Anyway the shoot began in May and is scheduled to end in September, but this week Woody Harrelson was seen biking along a sidewalk in Albany, so it's definitely gettin' real, folks.

Maybe it was getting a little too real for awhile earlier this month. But hey, what's a scandal series without a little behind-scenes ad-libbing?









						‘The White House Plumbers’: HBO Pauses Production To Investigate “Alleged Unprofessional Behavior” On Set
					

EXCLUSIVE UPDATED with more information: Filming on HBO’s five-part Watergate limited series The White House Plumbers, starring Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux, has been suspended over an on-set…




					deadline.com
				






> "HBO has received reports of alleged unprofessional behavior on the set of *White House Plumbers*,” the network said in a statement to Deadline. “We take very seriously our responsibility to ensure a respectful work environment on all our productions, and we are investigating the matter fully.”
> 
> The network is not commenting further. According to sources, there was an on-set altercation on Wednesday, Aug. 4, involving series director/executive producer David Mandel and a member of the prop department, which led to the prop department walking off the set in protest. Mandel’s outburst was captured on audio recording, which Deadline has reviewed. In it, Mandel is heard using the F-word and threatening the prop master that he will never work again.




One trusts this will not impede completion of the series...  what are lawyers for?!


----------



## Edd

The White Lotus finale was entertaining. I enjoyed that show.

Also, Doctor Death on Peacock is very addictive.


----------



## lizkat

This review in The Atlantic made me decide to give The Chair a whirl on Netflix.









						'The Chair' Is Netflix’s Best Drama in Years
					

The near-perfect show elegantly skewers the subject of free speech on campus.




					www.theatlantic.com
				




OK, I cop to being in a mood perfectly suited to the review when I read this bit of it and I found it hilarious.



Spoiler: NSFW?



_The Chair_, created by the actor Amanda Peet and the academic and screenwriter Annie Wyman, feels like it could have been a play (Peet has written two). The show’s structure—from introduction to rise to complication to catastrophe—is pure Freytag, and its setting (the fictional Pembroke College, a frigid northeastern school that’s supposedly a “lower-tier Ivy”) is insular and wood-paneled.

In the first episode, Ji-Yoon Kim (played by Sandra Oh) has finally reached a lofty career peak as the chair of the Pembroke English department. Apprehensive and endearingly awkward in a duffel coat, she walks into her new office, unwraps a gift (a nameplate for her desk that reads FUCKER IN CHARGE OF YOU FUCKING FUCKS), and sinks into her new desk chair, which promptly breaks beneath her. The pratfall is also an omen: More than the furniture is rotten at Pembroke.

The college, in fact, is in crisis, and the English department is hemorrhaging enrollments, largely because the majority of its professors are tenured, over 70, and totally unwilling to try to connect with their impassioned Gen Z students and their progressive priorities. On her first day, Ji-Yoon is instructed by the dean to ax the most egregious dinosaurs, including the Chaucer scholar Joan (Holland Taylor) and the American-lit professor Elliot (Bob Balaban). Elliot’s classes pale in popularity compared with those of his dynamic colleague Yaz (Nana Mensah), and yet he’s presiding over her application for tenure. More troublesome still is Bill (Jay Duplass), a rock-star professor of modernism in a state of catastrophe after his wife’s death. During one packed lecture, Bill satirically performs a Hitler salute while considering absurdism’s power against fascism, sparking a viral meme and a furious debate about free speech on campus.



Not sure any of that actually counts as a spoiler so I'll leave it up to you.   As far as the show, maybe I just like the idea of that nameplate referred to that's apparently featured in the first episode.  Well on to find out if I like the actual experience of the show as much as I enjoyed the review.


----------



## SuperMatt

lizkat said:


> This review in The Atlantic made me decide to give The Chair a whirl on Netflix.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 'The Chair' Is Netflix’s Best Drama in Years
> 
> 
> The near-perfect show elegantly skewers the subject of free speech on campus.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.theatlantic.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> OK, I cop to being in a mood perfectly suited to the review when I read this bit of it and I found it hilarious.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: NSFW?
> 
> 
> 
> _The Chair_, created by the actor Amanda Peet and the academic and screenwriter Annie Wyman, feels like it could have been a play (Peet has written two). The show’s structure—from introduction to rise to complication to catastrophe—is pure Freytag, and its setting (the fictional Pembroke College, a frigid northeastern school that’s supposedly a “lower-tier Ivy”) is insular and wood-paneled.
> 
> In the first episode, Ji-Yoon Kim (played by Sandra Oh) has finally reached a lofty career peak as the chair of the Pembroke English department. Apprehensive and endearingly awkward in a duffel coat, she walks into her new office, unwraps a gift (a nameplate for her desk that reads FUCKER IN CHARGE OF YOU FUCKING FUCKS), and sinks into her new desk chair, which promptly breaks beneath her. The pratfall is also an omen: More than the furniture is rotten at Pembroke.
> 
> The college, in fact, is in crisis, and the English department is hemorrhaging enrollments, largely because the majority of its professors are tenured, over 70, and totally unwilling to try to connect with their impassioned Gen Z students and their progressive priorities. On her first day, Ji-Yoon is instructed by the dean to ax the most egregious dinosaurs, including the Chaucer scholar Joan (Holland Taylor) and the American-lit professor Elliot (Bob Balaban). Elliot’s classes pale in popularity compared with those of his dynamic colleague Yaz (Nana Mensah), and yet he’s presiding over her application for tenure. More troublesome still is Bill (Jay Duplass), a rock-star professor of modernism in a state of catastrophe after his wife’s death. During one packed lecture, Bill satirically performs a Hitler salute while considering absurdism’s power against fascism, sparking a viral meme and a furious debate about free speech on campus.
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure any of that actually counts as a spoiler so I'll leave it up to you.   As far as the show, maybe I just like the idea of that nameplate referred to that's apparently featured in the first episode.  Well on to find out if I like the actual experience of the show as much as I enjoyed the review.



I watched the season today… just 6 half-hour episodes. I liked some aspects, but I found the “Bill” character to be quite unsympathetic. The exploration of cancel culture was somewhat interesting.


----------



## lizkat

SuperMatt said:


> I watched the season today… just 6 half-hour episodes. I liked some aspects, but I found the “Bill” character to be quite unsympathetic. The exploration of cancel culture was somewhat interesting.




I'm thinking the parts around the Bill character might be too frenetic for me to handle.  Still gonna give it a shot because I'm still trying to puzzle through "cancel culture" issues v "free speech".     As is the world, probably.


----------



## shadow puppet

Watched the first couple of free episodes of Ted Lasso.  Enjoyed it so much, signed up for a month of Apple TV+.  Just started season 2.  Very well rounded ensemble cast.


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> Watched the first couple of free episodes of Ted Lasso.  Enjoyed it so much, signed up for a month of Apple TV+.  Just started season 2.  Very well rounded ensemble cast.



Season 2, episodes 3 and 6(?) (whichever was released this weekend) both brought tears to my eyes. I just love the ensemble and what they’re doing with each character.


----------



## Alli

Episode 2 of What If….

I certainly liked it more than episode 1. Mostly I liked Thanos.


----------



## Herdfan

shadow puppet said:


> Watched the first couple of free episodes of Ted Lasso.  Enjoyed it so much, signed up for a month of Apple TV+.  Just started season 2.  Very well rounded ensemble cast.




We are going to start it as soon as the offspring goes back to college.  We are working our way through _The Blacklist _with her.


----------



## MEJHarrison

Herdfan said:


> We are going to start it as soon as the offspring goes back to college.  We are working our way through _The Blacklist _with her.




That's like saying "we'll have steak when the offspring goes back to college. For now we're working on a pack of hot dogs."

Ted is one of the best comedies I've ever seen.  Blacklist is one of the better mediocre action shows I couldn't finish.  It started good, but I think it went downhill hard.

Just my opinion of course.


----------



## DT

MEJHarrison said:


> Blacklist is one of the better mediocre action shows I couldn't finish.




That's one of the greatest descriptions I've ever read ...


----------



## Alli

MEJHarrison said:


> Ted is one of the best comedies I've ever seen. Blacklist is one of the better mediocre action shows I couldn't finish. It started good, but I think it went downhill hard.



I agree completely! I binged the first two seasons so I could watch season 3 as they were released. After the whole thing with Mr. Kaplan and the guy in the woods…the entire show fell off a cliff.


----------



## Herdfan

MEJHarrison said:


> That's like saying "we'll have steak when the offspring goes back to college. For now we're working on a pack of hot dogs."
> 
> Ted is one of the best comedies I've ever seen.  Blacklist is one of the better mediocre action shows I couldn't finish.  It started good, but I think it went downhill hard.
> 
> Just my opinion of course.





Alli said:


> I agree completely! I binged the first two seasons so I could watch season 3 as they were released. *After the whole thing with Mr. Kaplan and the guy in the woods…the entire show fell off a cliff.*




Spoiler, Spoiler.  We are just on Season 2.  

I just loved Boston Legal, so maybe I just need a James Spader fix.  

But it does look like it could Jump the Shark at any moment.


----------



## Herdfan

shadow puppet said:


> Watched the first couple of free episodes of Ted Lasso.  Enjoyed it so much, signed up for a month of Apple TV+.  Just started season 2.  Very well rounded ensemble cast.





Herdfan said:


> We are going to start it as soon as the offspring goes back to college.  We are working our way through _The Blacklist _with her.




I was just informed that we are going to start it tonight.  Like now.  Bye!


----------



## Alli

Herdfan said:


> I just loved Boston Legal, so maybe I just need a James Spader fix.



OMG - that was one of the best shows ever. Spader and Shatner were brilliant. And the finale was perfect.


Herdfan said:


> Spoiler, Spoiler. We are just on Season 2.



Sorry! I’m really bad about that.


----------



## Herdfan

Alli said:


> OMG - that was one of the best shows ever. Spader and Shatner were brilliant. And the finale was perfect.
> 
> Sorry! I’m really bad about that.




No problem.  It is on like what, Season 8 or 9 and you posted something from 2 or 3.  All good.



Herdfan said:


> I was just informed that we are going to start it tonight.  Like now.  Bye!




That was funny.  Only watched the first Ep, but if the others are half as funny we will be hooked.

But here's a question for those who have watched Tes Lasso and also seen We're the Millers.  My wife always thinks someone looks familiar and wants to know what else they have been in.  In this case, it was the Assistant Coach.  IMDB lists him as having a "We're the Millers credit as "sketchy guy".  Racking our brains, we can't figure out which sketchy guy he was.  Any clue?


----------



## Edd

Not helpful but I just noticed him playing a sketchy guy in an episode of Community. This was easily 10 years ago.


----------



## Alli

Yesterday I binged the White Lotus. I was overjoyed that nothing in my wildest imagination prepared me for the finale. You get hung up on the first scene in episode 1 and make assumptions.

Also invested now in Nine Perfect Strangers.

The two shows share a lot in common. Both have great casts.


----------



## Pumbaa

Alli said:


> Episode 2 of What If….
> 
> I certainly liked it more than episode 1. Mostly I liked Thanos.



Episode 2 is my favorite so far. Thanos was indeed wonderful.

While I don’t mind animation in general, the artistic style used in this series isn’t working out for me. The setting and story of the second episode made it work better than it did in the two other episodes so far, I think, still not fond of it.

Enjoying the show anyway. What can I say, I am a sucker for alternate history. And I really like how they end each episode.


----------



## Huntn

When the Grandkids were here I ended up watching part of a *What if* episode. Besides my resistance to cartoons, I just don’t need to see reimagined episodes taking place in the MCU where the characters have played musical chairs. The Collector, a muscle bound thug? Thanos good? Pshaw…


----------



## Pumbaa

Huntn said:


> The Collector, a muscle bound thug?



What’s the matter, not appreciating physically fit people anymore? 



Huntn said:


> Thanos good? Pshaw…



Business as usual, I mean, Thanos has always had the greater good in mind.


----------



## Huntn

Pumbaa said:


> What’s the matter, not appreciating physically fit people anymore?
> 
> 
> Business as usual, I mean, Thanos has always had the greater good in mind.



Thanos was deeply flawed, _I’m going to fix the Universe _(the Universe needed fixing?)_ by wiping out half the intelligent life…_ This guy exists at the top of the food chain so he’s staked out a philosophical position, but all he did was kick the can down the road by wiping intelligent life indiscriminately.


----------



## Herdfan

Alli said:


> Yesterday I binged the White Lotus. I was overjoyed that nothing in my wildest imagination prepared me for the finale. You get hung up on the first scene in episode 1 and make assumptions.
> 
> Also invested now in Nine Perfect Strangers.
> 
> The two shows share a lot in common. Both have great casts.




Got them recorded.  Waiting for the offspring to go back to college.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Really liking The Defeated on Netflix.  It takes place in Berlin right after the end of WWII when it was mostly a pile of rubble and just split into 4 sectors with Russians, Americans, French, and British watching over their sectors.  As an American, I've never really seen this explored before.  Interestingly related, they start the first episode with what looks like an old US newsreel talking about how great it was to have the soldiers back home and how great things are for the Germans with Hitler gone, full of footage of what looks like happy Germans in a thriving city...next opening shot scans over the pile of rubble that is Berlin.


----------



## DT

shadow puppet said:


> Manifest showrunner Jeff Rake wants to make a two hour movie to tie everything up.






Alli said:


> That would be awesome! Cause we need answers!






Huntn said:


> If that comes out, I’d be happy to continue watching. Thanks for the info!





Netflix steps in with the save!









						Netflix saves Manifest for a 20-episode final season
					

Stars Josh Dallas and Melissa Roxburgh have already been confirmed to return for the streaming fourth season




					www.avclub.com


----------



## DT

Holy smokes, AHS S10, E01, hahaha, fantastic, so fun.   S10EP2 this evening


----------



## Alli

DT said:


> Netflix steps in with the save!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Netflix saves Manifest for a 20-episode final season
> 
> 
> Stars Josh Dallas and Melissa Roxburgh have already been confirmed to return for the streaming fourth season
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.avclub.com



I love how they made the announcement at 8:28.


----------



## Hrafn

My family is rewatching "The Legend of Korra"  I've tried to watch it twice, but I just don't seem to get in to it.  But, I liked the Last Airbender, so meh.


----------



## DT

Alli said:


> I love how they made the announcement at 8:28.




Oh, I don't know any details about the show, we don't watch it, the post was just a heads up for my TA Peeps


----------



## DT

What we have started watching Evil, only the first two EPs, and it's as good as people say / as we'd hoped.  Apparently S02 is even better, S01was on CBS (like broadcast network), then for S02, moved to Paramount+ which has apparently afforded them some additional creative opportunities 

Very compelling from the first few minutes - with a stellar cast, nicely balanced between drama/thriller, love the tone, it's "supernatural", quotes by design.

I'll update after we finished Season 1.


----------



## Huntn

*The I-Land* (2019)- This is a limited series, watched the first 2 episodes which I enjoyed, very *Lost* like, and I loved Lost. Ten people are deposited on a beach, initially unconscious, with amnesia. Let the clues and group dynamics begin! 



Look familiar? ​
But then I visited Rotten Tomatoes and saw both terrible critic and audience scores and: _Bafflingly bad, the only mystery is how The I-Land got made in the first plac_e, Auh-Oh.

So I plan on finishing this with bated breath.


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> *The I-Land* (2019)- This is a limited series, watched the first 2 episodes which I enjoyed, very *Lost* like, and I loved Lost. Ten people are deposited on a beach, initially unconscious, with amnesia. Let the clues and group dynamics begin!
> 
> View attachment 8450
> Look familiar? ​
> But then I visited Rotten Tomatoes and saw both terrible critic and audience scores and: _Bafflingly bad, the only mystery is how The I-Land got made in the first plac_e, Auh-Oh.
> 
> So I plan on finishing this with bated breath.



I watched this a while ago… it wasn’t the best show of all time, but it was still a decent watch.


----------



## Alli

DT said:


> What we have started watching Evil, only the first two EPs, and it's as good as people say / as we'd hoped. Apparently S02 is even better, S01was on CBS (like broadcast network), then for S02, moved to Paramount+ which has apparently afforded them some additional creative opportunities



I loved it when it was on CBS. The first 3 episodes once it moved were good. And then I suddenly lost interest.


Huntn said:


> *The I-Land* (2019)- This is a limited series, watched the first 2 episodes which I enjoyed, very *Lost* like, and I loved Lost. Ten people are deposited on a beach, initially unconscious, with amnesia. Let the clues and group dynamics begin!



I loved this one! I even appreciated the ending.

Yesterday I decided to go back and pick up one of the few CW shows that I had missed and started watching The Outpost. I shall return to it today.


----------



## tobefirst

I'm onto the second (and most recent) season of *Dave*, from FXX on Hulu, about a white rapper who thinks he's the next big thing. I'm enjoying it. Anyone else?


----------



## Thomas Veil

Alli said:


> I loved it when it was on CBS. The first 3 episodes once it moved were good. And then I suddenly lost interest.



I'm just waiting for it to end its 13 episode run so I can binge it.



DT said:


> What we have started watching Evil, only the first two EPs, and it's as good as people say / as we'd hoped. ...



Episode 4 packs a wallop. The way it ends leaves one very disturbed.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> What we have started watching Evil, only the first two EPs, and it's as good as people say / as we'd hoped.  Apparently S02 is even better, S01was on CBS (like broadcast network), then for S02, moved to Paramount+ which has apparently afforded them some additional creative opportunities
> 
> Very compelling from the first few minutes - with a stellar cast, nicely balanced between drama/thriller, love the tone, it's "supernatural", quotes by design.
> 
> I'll update after we finished Season 1.



So what are you watching this on?


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *The I-Land* (2019)- This is a limited series, watched the first 2 episodes which I enjoyed, very *Lost* like, and I loved Lost. Ten people are deposited on a beach, initially unconscious, with amnesia. Let the clues and group dynamics begin!
> 
> View attachment 8450
> Look familiar? ​
> But then I visited Rotten Tomatoes and saw both terrible critic and audience scores and: _Bafflingly bad, the only mystery is how The I-Land got made in the first plac_e, Auh-Oh.
> 
> So I plan on finishing this with bated breath.



Ok, finished, not satisfied with it. While the premise could have had potential, the writing was just too muddled and the idea execution unworthy. The best parts were when the group was trying to figure out their situation. Heavy Lost vibe,  The reality was stupid and some of the events indicate poor, not thought out writing.



Spoiler




The idea of redemption in a simulation where your memories are wiped is stupid.
Redemption would require therapy not pot luck.
A battered wife who drowns her kids and then attempts suicide is on death row?
A stalker who murdered a woman who rejected him should be in a mental hospital.
The nurse who has been helping other people on the island (never mind she euthanized  25 elderly people)  kills a man in self defense in the simulation… and?
The mall shooter is murdered by the stalker, what he just loses out?
The pipeline bomber who gets killed accidentally  by the Cooper who ”accidentally” killed his girl friend’s Mom has a flashback While threatening him with a gun?




The mitigater is that this is set in Texas, so I have to think about that.


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> So what are you watching this on?




We’re watching on Paramount+ but I see S01 is on Netflix (maybe they’ll run them a season behind).

FYI, as mentioned in another thread, this is a fantastic service for determining where to watch (if you register you can even select the specific services you use so results are pre-filtered):

https://www.justwatch.com/


----------



## Herdfan

How does everyone find all these new shows?  I see stuff mentioned on here I have never even heard of.  Not that I would have time to watch it, but sometimes a good show could get moved into the rotation.

Seems like big 4 networks just regurgitate the same old shows with new characters: The Wonder Years (ABC) or new locations CSI: Hawaii (CBS).  So sometimes I like to try new things, but I guess not working in a corporate office I don't get the chatter where people talk about these things.

Plus, I like simple.  I bought my first Tivo DVR back in 2000 when the offspring was born.  Now I like my DirecTV DVR's where I can record and watch with one interface.  Not a huge fan of having to go to several streaming platforms.  And pay them.  Not that it is a lot of money, but seeing all those $7-12 charges just annoys me because I know I am not getting full value from them.  For example, I am going to have to subscribe to Paramount + this fall for 1 damn show (Seal Team).  Might wait until the end of the season, sub for one month and binge them (our binging is watching 1 a night for a couple of weeks) and then cancel.


----------



## DT

Herdfan said:


> How does everyone find all these new shows?  I see stuff mentioned on here I have never even heard of.  Not that I would have time to watch it, but sometimes a good show could get moved into the rotation.




I read a number of sites / listen to a several podcasts, about TV and film, reviews, analysis, then anything that's well received, I do a little more deep dive into it, read through comments, etc., and oftentimes in discuss one show, recommendations for others will come up.  We know the genres we like, we follow specific, writers, directors, actors, even certain podcasters you start getting an affinity with, like you know if so_and_so likes it, you probably would too.   We tend to stay away from more traditional network TV, especially "comedies" (quotes by design ...).

That's why we rarely run into any stinkers, we make pretty informed decisions about shows to pursue.


----------



## Huntn

Herdfan said:


> How does everyone find all these new shows?  I see stuff mentioned on here I have never even heard of.  Not that I would have time to watch it, but sometimes a good show could get moved into the rotation.
> 
> Seems like big 4 networks just regurgitate the same old shows with new characters: The Wonder Years (ABC) or new locations CSI: Hawaii (CBS).  So sometimes I like to try new things, but I guess not working in a corporate office I don't get the chatter where people talk about these things.
> 
> Plus, I like simple.  I bought my first Tivo DVR back in 2000 when the offspring was born.  Now I like my DirecTV DVR's where I can record and watch with one interface.  Not a huge fan of having to go to several streaming platforms.  And pay them.  Not that it is a lot of money, but seeing all those $7-12 charges just annoys me because I know I am not getting full value from them.  For example, I am going to have to subscribe to Paramount + this fall for 1 damn show (Seal Team).  Might wait until the end of the season, sub for one month and binge them (our binging is watching 1 a night for a couple of weeks) and then cancel.



I’m basically absent from network TV theses days.


----------



## DT

Thomas Veil said:


> Episode 4 packs a wallop. The way it ends leaves one very disturbed.




Holy hell, that's was shocking and fantastic.

S01EP05, was great, with the 3 different stories, having a little more fun for the Halloween episode.  We're through S01E07, "Vatican III"


----------



## DT

DT said:


> We’re watching on Paramount+ but I see S01 is on Netflix (maybe they’ll run them a season behind).





Doh.









						'Evil' Season 2 Not Coming to Netflix; Season 1 Leaving in October 2021
					

Netflix picked up the license to Evil from CBS in October 2020 and while season 2 has aired, it won’t be coming to Netflix. In fact, season 1 of Evil is set to leave Netflix...




					www.whats-on-netflix.com


----------



## Thomas Veil

DT said:


> Holy hell, that's was shocking and fantastic.



It was, wasn't it? That ending remained in my thoughts for many days after. It's still disturbing to think about.



DT said:


> S01EP05, was great, with the 3 different stories, having a little more fun for the Halloween episode.  We're through S01E07, "Vatican III"



I loved the Halloween episode. The part about the little girl was very much a traditional ghost story!


----------



## DT

Thomas Veil said:


> I loved the Halloween episode. The part about the little girl was very much a traditional ghost story!




They've done a great job establishing a universe where they can easily go from a short one off type story to pivoting back into the long story arc.  I love what they've done with Ben, he could've just been the "sceptic tech guy", but he has an interesting backstory they're slowly revealing.

It also has a good Dan Brown (Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code) vibe too, with the puzzle solving, and the sort of "secret society" in the Catholic Church.


----------



## Thomas Veil

​I saw an interview with Martin and Short recently, and it made me want to catch this series. My wife and I watched the first episode and enjoyed it immensely.

*Only Murders In the Building *(Hulu) is about these three busybodies who live in the same apartment building in New York and are all fans of the same real-life mystery podcast. When an actual murder occurs in their building, they decide to investigate including, you guessed it, making a podcast out of it. It's part old guy comedy, and part mystery show parody. (It's drawn a comparison to "Galaxy Quest" in the sense that it obviously loves the genre it's parodying.)

Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez are highly likable in this, and there's an actual mystery taking place among the whimsical humor. I'm looking forward to more.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> What we have started watching Evil, only the first two EPs, and it's as good as people say / as we'd hoped.  Apparently S02 is even better, S01was on CBS (like broadcast network), then for S02, moved to Paramount+ which has apparently afforded them some additional creative opportunities
> 
> Very compelling from the first few minutes - with a stellar cast, nicely balanced between drama/thriller, love the tone, it's "supernatural", quotes by design.
> 
> I'll update after we finished Season 1.



Based on your tip we watched the first 3 episodes of S1 and  . If you told me there was a show called Evil about demonic possessions I would of had a negative attitude going in (I did), but the characters grabbed me and at least it is is not one of those perpetually dark shows. I loved the head priest attitude.
Investigator: _Look here I’ve got a picture of a spirt._
Priest:_ Does it have anything to do with the miracle? _
Investigator: Well, no.
Priest: Ehh.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Wait’ll you guys get to the episode where Santa gets high.


----------



## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> ​I saw an interview with Martin and Short recently, and it made me want to catch this series. My wife and I watched the first episode and enjoyed it immensely.
> 
> *Only Murders In the Building *(Hulu) is about these three busybodies who live in the same apartment building in New York and are all fans of the same real-life mystery podcast. When an actual murder occurs in their building, they decide to investigate including, you guessed it, making a podcast out of it. It's part old guy comedy, and part mystery show parody. (It's drawn a comparison to "Galaxy Quest" in the sense that it obviously loves the genre it's parodying.)
> 
> Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez are highly likable in this, and there's an actual mystery taking place among the whimsical humor. I'm looking forward to more.



We watched the first two episodes yesterday. It’s delightful. Of course, Martin and Short are such a perfect pairing it can’t possibly go wrong.


Thomas Veil said:


> Wait’ll you guys get to the episode where Santa gets high.



It’s now been, what, two years since that originally ran and I can still hum that damn tune!


----------



## Thomas Veil

Alli said:


> It’s now been, what, two years since that originally ran and I can still hum that damn tune!



Me too. 

That thing will be stuck in your head forever.


----------



## DT

Thomas Veil said:


> Wait’ll you guys get to the episode where Santa gets high.






Alli said:


> It’s now been, what, two years since that originally ran and I can still hum that damn tune!




Hahaha, OMG, that was pretty fantastic, and yeah, the episode had this whole meta-effect,  we ... can't ... stop ...



Spoiler: Spoiler-y video for Evil, Season 1, Episode 10











Good call, thanks @Thomas Veil


----------



## Thomas Veil

Huntn said:


> Based on your tip we watched the first 3 episodes of S1 and  . If you told me there was a show called Evil about demonic possessions I would of had a negative attitude going in (I did), but the characters grabbed me and at least it is is not one of those perpetually dark shows. I loved the head priest attitude.
> Investigator: _Look here I’ve got a picture of a spirt._
> Priest:_ Does it have anything to do with the miracle? _
> Investigator: Well, no.
> Priest: Ehh.



I've been cheerleading for _Evil _since it began. Nice to see more people catching up to it. (Some of you will surpass me as I'm waiting for the Paramount+ season to finish before I watch it.)

I think what makes this show great is that even working within the constraints of network TV, without the benefits of a lot of gore and special effects, it *still* manages to scare the crap out of me. 

And you know, if I ever met Michael Emerson on the street, I'm sure I'd have the urge to punch him out. _That's_ how good he is at playing that smug, scheming bastard Leland. I _really _wanna deck Leland.


----------



## DT

BTW, @Thomas Veil @Alli ...



Spoiler: General spoiler for Evil series ...



Are you aware of the puzzle piece subliminals?   They're kind of out-LOST-ing, LOST


----------



## Thomas Veil

I'm not sure what you're specifically referring to. (Unless it's the final episode of season 1.)


----------



## Huntn

Thomas Veil said:


> I've been cheerleading for _Evil _since it began. Nice to see more people catching up to it. (Some of you will surpass me as I'm waiting for the Paramount+ season to finish before I watch it.)
> 
> I think what makes this show great is that even working within the constraints of network TV, without the benefits of a lot of gore and special effects, it *still* manages to scare the crap out of me.
> 
> And you know, if I ever met Michael Emerson on the street, I'm sure I'd have the urge to punch him out. _That's_ how good he is at playing that smug, scheming bastard Leland. I _really _wanna deck Leland.



Sorry I guess this should have been your tip.   Michael Emerson, hated sine Lost.


----------



## DT

Finished Evil S01 last night ...

Hahahaha, wow!  It's that?  And there?  And her?  And him?  And what_in_the_fuck_is_that ... ?

I was reading a blog where the writer called it X-Files meets David Lynch.  Not a bad take, it really reminds me of a lot of this sort of genre as written by Neil Gaiman - his stuff is dark, horrific, while being funny, and comically absurd.  I mean, why do the forces of darkness have to be dour


----------



## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> And you know, if I ever met Michael Emerson on the street, I'm sure I'd have the urge to punch him out. _That's_ how good he is at playing that smug, scheming bastard Leland. I _really _wanna deck Leland.



I hated his character Ben in Lost. And then I loved his character in Person of Interest. You never know what you’re going to get with him. He may just be one of the greatest actors around.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1433784399460552712/


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> Finished Evil S01 last night ...
> 
> Hahahaha, wow!  It's that?  And there?  And her?  And him?  And what_in_the_fuck_is_that ... ?
> 
> I was reading a blog where the writer called it X-Files meets David Lynch.  Not a bad take, it really reminds me of a lot of this sort of genre as written by Neil Gaiman - his stuff is dark, horrific, while being funny, and comically absurd.  I mean, why do the forces of darkness have to be dour



Wow, this is good, just finished S1E5-  Halloween, Exorcism and a very bad man digging  his way into the life of his opponent, one of the primary good characters.


----------



## Alli

Heads up! Lots of new stuff coming at the end of this month, including a few reboots:









						The 23 TV premieres to catch this fall
					

The ‘musts’ of must-see television this season




					www.polygon.com


----------



## SuperMatt

Alli said:


> Heads up! Lots of new stuff coming at the end of this month, including a few reboots:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The 23 TV premieres to catch this fall
> 
> 
> The ‘musts’ of must-see television this season
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.polygon.com



Live-action Cowboy Bebop? I should be excited because I love the show and have re-watching it the last few weeks. However, I have a feeling the Netflix version will be disappointing. I hope they prove me wrong!


----------



## Thomas Veil

Alli said:


> Heads up! Lots of new stuff coming at the end of this month, including a few reboots:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The 23 TV premieres to catch this fall
> 
> 
> The ‘musts’ of must-see television this season
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.polygon.com



_Foundation_? Looks interesting based on its rep and the fact that David Goyer is involved.

_Midnight Mass_? Again, if Mike Flanagan is involved, I'll have to check it out.

_La Brea_? The commercials for it are intriguing, but this kind of concept sounds more appropriate for a limited series rather than an ongoing one.


----------



## DT

Alli said:


> Heads up! Lots of new stuff coming at the end of this month, including a few reboots:




Some potentially great new stuff.

Inside Job, a new adult animated show from Shion Takeuchi, she's been involved with Pixar, she was a head writer for Gravity Falls (which was genius, the art style for this looks the same).

Cowboy Bebop, a favorite of mine as Anime, could be a really cool as live action, and Spike (the main role) is being played by John Cho, that's fantastic!

Y: The Last Man, incredible comic, looks like it's setup to b a really solid adaptation, but it's pretty crazy material.


----------



## Edd

Alli said:


> Heads up! Lots of new stuff coming at the end of this month, including a few reboots:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The 23 TV premieres to catch this fall
> 
> 
> The ‘musts’ of must-see television this season
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.polygon.com



SUCCESSION!!


----------



## Herdfan

Edd said:


> SUCCESSION!!




DEXTER!!!!

Hope it doesn't disappoint.

-----------------------------------------------

Also, *Ted Lasso*!

We're halfway through S1 and without a doubt, the funniest show in years.  So glad I found it (so thanks whoever posted it).  While Ted is the funniest, my favorite character is Roy.  He is a good person under the gruff and wants to hate Ted, but finds himself buying in anyway, but also annoyed at the same time.   I read an article that Jason Sudekis has kept the story line basically to himself so the actors have to act "in the moment" because, like in real life, they have no idea what is going to happen next.

On a side note, do Brits really talk that way?  I mean is it normal to call someone a wanker as you pass them on the street?  I seriously can't imagine calling someone "Hey Jackoff" as I pass them.


----------



## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> _La Brea_? The commercials for it are intriguing, but this kind of concept sounds more appropriate for a limited series rather than an ongoing one.



That reminds me of a British show I used to watch called Primeval. Hopefully it will be as good.


DT said:


> Cowboy Bebop, a favorite of mine as Anime, could be a really cool as live action, and Spike (the main role) is being played by John Cho, that's fantastic!



John Cho? Count me in! I’m not an anime fan, but somehow I know the stories of a lot of them.


DT said:


> Y: The Last Man, incredible comic, looks like it's setup to b a really solid adaptation, but it's pretty crazy material.



This could be good. Or it could be the old Sean Connery Zardoz in series form.


Herdfan said:


> While Ted is the funniest, my favorite character is Roy. He is a good person under the gruff and wants to hate Ted, but finds himself buying in anyway, but also annoyed at the same time



I adore Roy! He gets better as the series progresses. But it’s an ensemble show at its finest. I love all the characters.


----------



## Hrafn

Alli said:


> That reminds me of a British show I used to watch called Primeval. Hopefully it will be as good.
> 
> John Cho? Count me in! I’m not an anime fan, but somehow I know the stories of a lot of them.
> 
> This could be good. Or it could be the old Sean Connery Zardoz in series form.
> 
> I adore Roy! He gets better as the series progresses. But it’s an ensemble show at its finest. I love all the characters.



Primeval was the time travel sci fi show?  I think I liked it for several seasons, until we discovered where the baddies came from.  And the fact that it was a different plot line each year.


----------



## Alli

Hrafn said:


> Primeval was the time travel sci fi show?  I think I liked it for several seasons, until we discovered where the baddies came from.  And the fact that it was a different plot line each year.



That’s the one.


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> Based on your tip we watched the first 3 episodes of S1 and  . If you told me there was a show called Evil about demonic possessions I would of had a negative attitude going in (I did), but the characters grabbed me and at least it is is not one of those perpetually dark shows. I loved the head priest attitude.
> Investigator: _Look here I’ve got a picture of a spirt._
> Priest:_ Does it have anything to do with the miracle? _
> Investigator: Well, no.
> Priest: Ehh.






Thomas Veil said:


> I've been cheerleading for _Evil _since it began. Nice to see more people catching up to it. (Some of you will surpass me as I'm waiting for the Paramount+ season to finish before I watch it.)
> 
> I think what makes this show great is that even working within the constraints of network TV, without the benefits of a lot of gore and special effects, it *still* manages to scare the crap out of me.
> 
> And you know, if I ever met Michael Emerson on the street, I'm sure I'd have the urge to punch him out. _That's_ how good he is at playing that smug, scheming bastard Leland. I _really _wanna deck Leland.





​Just finished Season 1 of *Evil*, so good, and nothing is resolved at the end (of S1). Now it’s onto Amazon Prime Video/Paramount for Season 2 ($6 for a month).

*Note*: Season 1 is available on Netflix until the end of Sept 2021.


----------



## Deleted member 215

Netflix has a new documentary on 9/11 out:









						Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (TV Mini Series 2021) - IMDb
					

Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror: With James LaPorta. This unflinching series documents the 9/11 terrorist attacks, from Al Qaeda's roots in the 1980s to America's forceful response, both at home and abroad.




					www.imdb.com
				




Started the first episode this morning. It's pretty harrowing, so you have to be in the right state of mind for it. Very in-depth and interesting though. Also goes deeper than the day itself and dives a bit into Al-Qaeda's history. The last few episodes are about the War in Afghanistan.


----------



## Hrafn

Finished season 6 episode 1 of Lucifer.  Too many things already just don’t feel right.  I hope they don’t screw this up.


----------



## SuperMatt

Hrafn said:


> Finished season 6 episode 1 of Lucifer.  Too many things already just don’t feel right.  I hope they don’t screw this up.



I saw episodes 1 and 2… not sure why they made an additional season, but I will give it a chance… not great so far.


----------



## Alli

Hrafn said:


> Finished season 6 episode 1 of Lucifer.  Too many things already just don’t feel right.  I hope they don’t screw this up.



I binged the whole season yesterday. There were many things I liked about it and some that I didn’t. But we all always argue about things centering on time travel.


----------



## Hrafn

Alli said:


> I binged the whole season yesterday. There were many things I liked about it and some that I didn’t. But we all always argue about things centering on time travel.



It’ll be a few days before I’ll finish.  I’m going to try keeping an open mind.


----------



## Alli

Hrafn said:


> It’ll be a few days before I’ll finish.  I’m going to try keeping an open mind.



Just remember it’s all fantasy and you are expected to suspend any concept of reality while watching.


----------



## Herdfan

Ted Lasso sure cleaned up at the Emmy's.  Really loving that show.

But something occurred to me that is a bit depressing.  When channel surfing I will stop on shows like Cheers or Seinfeld or Friends and watch a few minutes.  Not sure we will ever get that with Ted Lasso.  Jason Sudekis planned for a 3 season run which at 10 eps a season won't be enough to get it into syndication.  And I won't flip over to ATV+ just to watch it when I have a few minutes.  So I probably won't ever see it again after we watch it.  And that is a bit sad.


----------



## Alli

Third season of Ghosts is out on HBO+. I’m afraid of how the US version is going to look when it’s released.


----------



## Hrafn

Alli said:


> Just remember it’s all fantasy and you are expected to suspend any concept of reality while watching.



Finished it tonight.
haven’t figured out spoilers, so don’t read if you intend to watch.

 I know it wouldn’t have had the same emotional impact, but if Amanadiel can be there for Charlie, why couldn’t Lucifer for his family.  Argh!


----------



## Alli

Hrafn said:


> I know it wouldn’t have had the same emotional impact, but if Amanadiel can be there for Charlie, why couldn’t Lucifer for his family. Argh!



I never figured that out either. Unless it’s more difficult to rule hell than heaven?


----------



## Hrafn

Alli said:


> I never figured that out either. Unless it’s more difficult to rule hell than heaven?



A quick google search lead to some additional inconsistencies, some of which I'd also noticed like Trixie not being present at the deathbed, etc.


----------



## Pumbaa

Giving Y: The Last Man a shot. Surprisingly promising adaption so far, one episode in. Let’s see if it continues that way, the initial events are pretty straightforward all things considered.


----------



## Renzatic

Alli said:


> John Cho? Count me in! I’m not an anime fan, but somehow I know the stories of a lot of them.




I'm not either, but there are a few that are worth watching regardless. Cowboy Bebop is one of them, transcending the weebness inherent in the genre to become a true classic in every sense of the word.

...which is one of the reasons why I'm so suspicious of the live action adaptation. I mean, how could they do this scene justice without just ripping it off directly?


----------



## SuperMatt

Renzatic said:


> I'm not either, but there are a few that are worth watching regardless. Cowboy Bebop is one of them, transcending the weebness inherent in the genre to become a true classic in every sense of the word.
> 
> ...which is one of the reasons why I'm so suspicious of the live action adaptation. I mean, how could they do this scene justice without just ripping it off directly?



Agree on Cowboy Bebop. It’s an incredible series. 26 episodes, all are less than 30 minutes. I highly recommend watching it - you can watch them for free on Tubi streaming… with only an ad or two at the halfway mark of each episode.


----------



## Alli

Hrafn said:


> A quick google search lead to some additional inconsistencies, some of which I'd also noticed like Trixie not being present at the deathbed, etc.



Yea, I wondered about that one, too. It would have been really easy to just bring in an older woman to play the part.


----------



## Huntn

*Frazier* (1993-2004)- Great comedy series now on Prime Video!


​


----------



## JayMysteri0

I enjoyed the first episode of Star Wars Visions.

Straight play up of what inspired Star Wars, done in Star Wars.  The Akira Kurosawa homage is great.

At 15 minutes, the episodes are great for my super short attention span.


----------



## Edd

There‘s one old show I never get to watch and dearly want back: Northern Exposure. It’s never on anything. From what I’ve read, there’s a music rights issue, which sucks but WKRP (another great show) had similar issues and I’ve seen that on Hulu a number of times. They replace the good songs with generic shit but I’d rather suffer that than never see the show again.

That show inspired my 26 YO self to spend a summer in Alaska. I worked at a fish cannery in Egegik. Back in 1996, it was not a nice place. No police, medical facilities, and a lot of other things. I did not have the Northern Exposure experience I hoped for .

But it was an awesome summer nonetheless. We had trash bags over the windows because the sun barely left. It snowed at sea level in July. I showered several times over 3 months. I met some amazing people and some very scary ones. I kept in touch with some for 5 years or so after leaving but no longer unfortunately. I only have a few photos from a disposable camera to show for it. 

Not certain if my facts are straight with why that show never streams but it’d certainly earn a whole new fan base if it ever does.


----------



## Huntn

Edd said:


> There‘s one old show I never get to watch and dearly want back: Northern Exposure. It’s never on anything. From what I’ve read, there’s a music rights issue, which sucks but WKRP (another great show) had similar issues and I’ve seen that on Hulu a number of times. They replace the good songs with generic shit but I’d rather suffer that than never see the show again.
> 
> That show inspired my 26 YO self to spend a summer in Alaska. I worked at a fish cannery in Egegik. Back in 1996, it was not a nice place. No police, medical facilities, and a lot of other things. I did not have the Northern Exposure experience I hoped for .
> 
> But it was an awesome summer nonetheless. We had trash bags over the windows because the sun barely left. It snowed at sea level in July. I showered several times over 3 months. I met some amazing people and some very scary ones. I kept in touch with some for 5 years or so after leaving but no longer unfortunately. I only have a few photos from a disposable camera to show for it.
> 
> Not certain if my facts are straight with why that show never streams but it’d certainly earn a whole new fan base if it ever does.



My brother loves Alaska, goes there every summer for a couple weeks, is trying to talk his permanent girlfriend into moving there when he retires. I think the sales pitch involves spending the winters in Louisiana where she is from.


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> There‘s one old show I never get to watch and dearly want back: Northern Exposure. It’s never on anything. From what I’ve read, there’s a music rights issue, which sucks but WKRP (another great show) had similar issues and I’ve seen that on Hulu a number of times. They replace the good songs with generic shit but I’d rather suffer that than never see the show again.
> 
> That show inspired my 26 YO self to spend a summer in Alaska. I worked at a fish cannery in Egegik. Back in 1996, it was not a nice place. No police, medical facilities, and a lot of other things. I did not have the Northern Exposure experience I hoped for .
> 
> But it was an awesome summer nonetheless. We had trash bags over the windows because the sun barely left. It snowed at sea level in July. I showered several times over 3 months. I met some amazing people and some very scary ones. I kept in touch with some for 5 years or so after leaving but no longer unfortunately. I only have a few photos from a disposable camera to show for it.
> 
> Not certain if my facts are straight with why that show never streams but it’d certainly earn a whole new fan base if it ever does.




It's pretty fantastic, and yeah, it's a notable omission on streaming services, I believe you're correct about the music, it was released on DVD in the US at some point, don't recall if the music was intact, I think the UK DVD release did have the original music.


----------



## Alli

Edd said:


> There‘s one old show I never get to watch and dearly want back: Northern Exposure. It’s never on anything. From what I’ve read, there’s a music rights issue, which sucks but WKRP (another great show) had similar issues and I’ve seen that on Hulu a number of times. They replace the good songs with generic shit but I’d rather suffer that than never see the show again.



That was a wonderful show. The characters were all just so interesting and likable.


----------



## DT

We are really digging on Midnight Mass on Netflix, it’s a horror series by Mike Flanagan who made Haunting of Hill House / Bly House, and has done a few a few movies based on Stephen King material.  Quite of a few of Flanagan's recurring collaborators, some common themes from his other shows, and certainly some very King-esque themes as well.

RT Critics Consensus (94%):

_An ambitious meditation on grief and faith that is as gorgeous as it is unsettling, Midnight Mass's slow boil is a triumph of terror that will leave viewers shaking - and thinking - long after the credits roll._









						Watch Midnight Mass | Netflix Official Site
					

The arrival of a charismatic young priest brings glorious miracles, ominous mysteries and renewed religious fervor to a dying town desperate to believe.




					www.netflix.com


----------



## Thomas Veil

Edd said:


> There‘s one old show I never get to watch and dearly want back: Northern Exposure. It’s never on anything. From what I’ve read, there’s a music rights issue, which sucks but WKRP (another great show) had similar issues and I’ve seen that on Hulu a number of times. They replace the good songs with generic shit but I’d rather suffer that than never see the show again.
> 
> That show inspired my 26 YO self to spend a summer in Alaska. I worked at a fish cannery in Egegik. Back in 1996, it was not a nice place. No police, medical facilities, and a lot of other things. I did not have the Northern Exposure experience I hoped for .
> 
> But it was an awesome summer nonetheless. We had trash bags over the windows because the sun barely left. It snowed at sea level in July. I showered several times over 3 months. I met some amazing people and some very scary ones. I kept in touch with some for 5 years or so after leaving but no longer unfortunately. I only have a few photos from a disposable camera to show for it.
> 
> Not certain if my facts are straight with why that show never streams but it’d certainly earn a whole new fan base if it ever does.




The Internet Archive has a certain number of episodes.


----------



## Edd

Reservation Dogs is fucking killing it.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> We are really digging on Midnight Mass on Netflix, it’s a horror series by Mike Flanagan who made Haunting of Hill House / Bly House, and has done a few a few movies based on Stephen King material.  Quite of a few of Flanagan's recurring collaborators, some common themes from his other shows, and certainly some very King-esque themes as well.
> 
> RT Critics Consensus (94%):
> 
> _An ambitious meditation on grief and faith that is as gorgeous as it is unsettling, Midnight Mass's slow boil is a triumph of terror that will leave viewers shaking - and thinking - long after the credits roll._
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Watch Midnight Mass | Netflix Official Site
> 
> 
> The arrival of a charismatic young priest brings glorious miracles, ominous mysteries and renewed religious fervor to a dying town desperate to believe.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.netflix.com



It’s on my to watch list. I was reminded maybe incorrectly of Preacher (AMC).


----------



## Alli

DT said:


> We are really digging on Midnight Mass on Netflix, it’s a horror series by Mike Flanagan who made Haunting of Hill House / Bly House, and has done a few a few movies based on Stephen King material. Quite of a few of Flanagan's recurring collaborators, some common themes from his other shows, and certainly some very King-esque themes as well.




I just came across that a few days ago and added it to my list.

Meanwhile I’ve started the new NBC show “La Brea” which is so Lost-like that in the pilot one of the characters states that he feels like they’re in an episode of Lost.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Incidentally, since @Edd and @DT brought it up, I *hate hate hate* when music is changed in a movie or TV series because of a rights issue.

Take the series _Las Vegas_, for example. It's virtually impossible to find the original opening credits with the Elvis/JXL theme. These magic hands did, however, manage to cobble together a reasonable facsimile:






Now--same video, but with the music they are _currently _using because they couldn't or wouldn't pay Elvis' estate for the DVD rights:






Nothing against the composer, but that second one is just _blah_.


----------



## Alli

I started Y: The Last Man today. Watched the first 5 episodes. OMG - what a great show. The plot is so much more than what happens with one guy. It is a political firestorm, and I would not recommend it for anyone who leans right for any reason.


----------



## SuperMatt

Alli said:


> I started Y: The Last Man today. Watched the first 5 episodes. OMG - what a great show. The plot is so much more than what happens with one guy. It is a political firestorm, and I would not recommend it for anyone who leans right for any reason.



I read the graphic novels - is this on Hulu? Maybe I should try the Disney bundle for a couple months, at least during hockey season.


----------



## Alli

SuperMatt said:


> I read the graphic novels - is this on Hulu? Maybe I should try the Disney bundle for a couple months, at least during hockey season.



Yep. Hulu original series based on the graphic novels. I never read them, but it has a graphic novel feel.


----------



## lizkat

Edd said:


> Reservation Dogs is fucking killing it.




That's on my list...


----------



## DT

Thomas Veil said:


> Incidentally, since @Edd and @DT brought it up, I *hate hate hate* when music is changed in a movie or TV series because of a rights issue.
> 
> Take the series _Las Vegas_, for example. It's virtually impossible to find the original opening credits with the Elvis/JXL theme. These magic hands did, however, manage to cobble together a reasonable facsimile:
> 
> Now--same video, but with the music they are _currently _using because they couldn't or wouldn't pay Elvis' estate for the DVD rights:
> 
> Nothing against the composer, but that second one is just _blah_.




That's a __fantastic__ example, I mean, the original has an energy that matches the visuals, it's classic, compelling, even lyrically complements the opening / vibe of the show.


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> It’s on my to watch list. I was reminded maybe incorrectly of Preacher (AMC).




At least on the surface, it has a bit in common with Preacher:  horror/thriller genre, some implied supernatural elements, obviously the religious theme and nature of the main/one-of-the-main character.

Tonally they're actually a bit different, Preacher is a super dark comedy, it's vulgar, over-the-top action, visually absurd (and I mean all that in the most positive way ), where Midnight Mass is a slow burn, realistically grounded, it's a drama first, while Preacher is very "comic book-y".

Fun Fact:  the main character in Flanagan's movie Hush (starring/co-written by his wife, who's also a star of Midnight Mass), is an author, who's last big blockbuster novel was titled, well, yeah, you guessed it ... Midnight Mass


----------



## Edd

Thomas Veil said:


> The Internet Archive has a certain number of episodes.



Thanks very much for this recommendation. My wife had never seen it and we watched the first two episodes last night. She really liked it. The music was pretty solid so guessing it’s the original. It looks like it might have all of the episodes so I’ll watch as much as I can. I used Airplay from the iPad to Apple TV and it looked pretty good.

I‘d never heard of the Internet Archive so did a bit of research. I’m surprised it’s allowed to exist but works for me. Thanks again.


----------



## Thomas Veil

_*The Problem with Jon Stewart *_(TV+) is, as you would expect from the man, impressive as hell. Stewart's _Daily Show_ interviews were always informed and insightful, and he brings that same sensibility to this show.

There's not much comedy here--although Stewart _is_ a jester and occasionally can't resist little gags like suggesting the show title should maybe have a comma in it. But for the most part this is ¹/₆ _Last Week Tonight_, ¹/₆ _Real Time_, and ²/₃ _60 Minutes_.

Like _LWT_, there is a main topic, although on this show that single topic consumes the _entire_ show. Like _Real Time_, there is a panel, although here the panel consists of people intimately involved in that single subject. On the first episode, *available as a free preview*, the subject is burn pits--war front waste dumps that cause diseases in soldiers--something I confess I hadn't heard about until now. You can see why this subject would have special meaning to Jon: there is a pretty direct parallel to the plight of the 9/11 first responders that he fought for.

I have to admit, the subject can be depressing. I actually stopped the show halfway though and finished it a bit later. And there's an interview with someone from the VA whom you almost have to feel bad for. He can't give Jon a straight answer to anything, and one ends up with the feeling that he is just as perplexed as Stewart on why this problem can't be solved.

Kudos to Apple and Jon Stewart for this series.


----------



## User.45

Thomas Veil said:


> View attachment 8991​
> _*The Problem with Jon Stewart *_(TV+) is, as you would expect from the man, impressive as hell. Stewart's _Daily Show_ interviews were always informed and insightful, and he brings that same sensibility to this show.
> 
> There's not much comedy here--although Stewart _is_ a jester and occasionally can't resist little gags like suggesting the show title should maybe have a comma in it. But for the most part this is ¹/₆ _Last Week Tonight_, ¹/₆ _Real Time_, and ²/₃ _60 Minutes_.
> 
> Like _LWT_, there is a main topic, although on this show that single topic consumes the _entire_ show. Like _Real Time_, there is a panel, although here the panel consists of people intimately involved in that single subject. On the first episode, *available as a free preview*, the subject is burn pits--war front waste dumps that cause diseases in soldiers--something I confess I hadn't heard about until now. You can see why this subject would have special meaning to Jon: there is a pretty direct parallel to the plight of the 9/11 first responders that he fought for.
> 
> I have to admit, the subject can be depressing. I actually stopped the show halfway though and finished it a bit later. And there's an interview with someone from the VA whom you almost have to feel bad for. He can't give Jon a straight answer to anything, and one ends up with the feeling that he is just as perplexed as Stewart on why this problem can't be solved.
> 
> Kudos to Apple and Jon Stewart for this series.



I'll check this out! I need something to replace Real Time.

Rant here:
Real Time should be renamed as _Bill Maher Whines About Things He Doesn't Understand, Such as Millennials. _As an old millennial myself I'm scratching my head as to how Bill Maher manages to equate the present generations with Tik Tok, IG and Twitter, when he himself rides Twitter and would have definitely had a social media career if this phenomenon emerged whenever he was a newcomer to entertainment. His rants about younger generations feel hypocritical, boring and very much pathetic. When I was younger, derisive comments about my generation used to make me angry, but as I've gotten older, transformed to sincere pity when I noticed one very consistent characteristic of these: The complete lack of taking any responsibility in how the next generations are shaped. Never a bit. This is the swan song of the aging narcissist. What Bill Maher is.


----------



## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> I have to admit, the subject can be depressing. I actually stopped the show halfway though and finished it a bit later.



Interesting that you say that. I watched the first episode a few hours ago, but it was so depressing I couldn’t get through it. I don’t believe I’ll go back and finish it though. I think I’ll stick with science fiction. It’s more entertaining and far less depressing.


----------



## SuperMatt

I watched the first 3 episodes of *The Morning Show* and *Foundation*. I am really enjoying both. Foundation really feels like it’s going to be epic. For the Morning Show, the character played by Steve Carell (which is clearly based on Matt Lauer) is in a disgraced exile after revelations of sexual misconduct, and it’s interesting to see what he chooses to do with his life going forward. It’s just a side story, but with the rest of the show being about the war to win in the cutthroat news business, it’s a really good side story that rounds the show out a bit.


----------



## Alli

SuperMatt said:


> I am really enjoying both. Foundation really feels like it’s going to be epic.



If I hadn’t read it, I would think it was too slow to continue with. The books are epic.

Thanks to everyone who recommended Midnight Mass. All I have to do is get past the character of the sheriff being played by the Englishman who played Ravi in iZombie. He’s wonderful. I’m also very fond of the actor who plays Father Paul, who was wonderful in the HBO series The Newsroom. (That’s another one to go back and watch if you can.)

So far the show is a brilliant character study.


----------



## Pumbaa

Alli said:


> If I hadn’t read it, I would think it was too slow to continue with. The books are epic.



I haven’t read it and love the show so far. Same goes for a friend of mine, but sure, we’re a little weird. I was planning to read it but will now wait until after the show is over. It’s a really good production and I’d like to enjoy that without letting knowledge about the source material get in the way, same as with The Expanse.


----------



## User.45

Alli said:


> If I hadn’t read it, I would think it was too slow to continue with. The books are epic.






Pumbaa said:


> I haven’t read it and love the show so far. Same goes for a friend of mine, but sure, we’re a little weird. I was planning to read it but will now wait until after the show is over. It’s a really good production and I’d like to enjoy that without letting knowledge about the source material get in the way, same as with The Expanse.



Have yet to get time to sit down and watch it with my wife. Per my sci-fi geek friend (who also read most of the books), the material "didn't really come in the way" for the making of the series thus far, so you're probably safe.

I've read 12 books from the Robots/Empire/Foundation Universe (there are 14 novels total and all books are set in the same universe). Asimov was the easiest-to-read author I've ever came across, because he wrote each book like a textbook: made sure you understood the story early on and avoided complex sentences and kept the  description of the world vague and focused on tech. The Robots books are generally better, with  _Foundation and Empire _being the best book from the Foundation series, and _Robots and Empire_ and _Robots of Dawn _best in the Robots series. 

Interestingly though, _Stars, Like Dust _ is the one that continuously returns to my mind. He spoke out against the concept of race and racism in that book (1951).


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

P_X said:


> I'll check this out! I need something to replace Real Time.
> 
> Rant here:
> Real Time should be renamed as _Bill Maher Whines About Things He Doesn't Understand, Such as Millennials. _As an old millennial myself I'm scratching my head as to how Bill Maher manages to equate the present generations with Tik Tok, IG and Twitter, when he himself rides Twitter and would have definitely had a social media career if this phenomenon emerged whenever he was a newcomer to entertainment. His rants about younger generations feel hypocritical, boring and very much pathetic. When I was younger, derisive comments about my generation used to make me angry, but as I've gotten older, transformed to sincere pity when I noticed one very consistent characteristic of these: The complete lack of taking any responsibility in how the next generations are shaped. Never a bit. This is the swan song of the aging narcissist. What Bill Maher is.




I stopped watching him years ago.  It’s like watching the cliche of somebody becoming a conservative as they get older in "real time".  Maybe it’s their comedic roots and that generally being associated with the left and having your finger on the pulse of current culture, but both him and Rogan seem to be in painful denial. I know people and can do have mixed views, but when 80%+ agree on one side you should stop claiming you are a proud champion of the opposite side.


----------



## Edd

Tweet from yesterday.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1444280308925337603/


----------



## User.45

Edd said:


> Tweet from yesterday.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1444280308925337603/



Agree



Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I stopped watching him years ago.  It’s like watching the cliche of somebody becoming a conservative as they get older in "real time".  Maybe it’s their comedic roots and that generally being associated with the left and having your finger on the pulse of current culture, but both him and Rogan seem to be in painful denial. I know people and can do have mixed views, but when 80%+ agree on one side you should stop claiming you are a proud champion of the opposite side.



I sorta agree with you on this. He's claiming "41% of Biden voters want a civil war" in the context of trying to both-sides the hatred while his guest was trying to elaborate on her opinion about how "cancel culture" is not compatible with liberal values. She kept interrupting his guest to go on an on about his viewers that he identified as liberals want to kill Trumpists. I looked up the survey and the question he equated with eagerness for civil war was actually asort of question like "do you agree with the X states should secede" and that 41% includes somewhat agree. 

I've been thinking about this a lot since my last Euro trip. In Europe, these 2 parties would be actually be5-6 different parties and on that sort of platform you can expect a consistent value system. With the American two-party system, consistent and coherent value systems are impossible to establish on a party level, and all this ruminating about US politics is just ruminating about this very phenomenon.


----------



## Eric

Alli said:


> Third season of Ghosts is out on HBO+. I’m afraid of how the US version is going to look when it’s released.



This has become one of our favorite shows to watch, not just funny but thoughtful and endearing in its own right. The casting here is really well done and while they all seem perfect for their roles, Alison really makes this show for me.

We're in the middle of the second season now and can't wait to see more. It has its own brand of British humor and if that's your thing, you'll love this show. I also saw that they've started an American version but I have no interest in that. We really need to stop robbing them of great show ideas and come up with something original here.


----------



## Hrafn

Finished the one season of Wu Assassin, now back to Into The Badlands.


----------



## Alli

Hrafn said:


> Finished the one season of Wu Assassin, now back to Into The Badlands.



I really enjoyed Into the Badlands.


----------



## Huntn

Herdfan said:


> Ted Lasso sure cleaned up at the Emmy's.  Really loving that show.
> 
> But something occurred to me that is a bit depressing.  When channel surfing I will stop on shows like Cheers or Seinfeld or Friends and watch a few minutes.  Not sure we will ever get that with Ted Lasso.  Jason Sudekis planned for a 3 season run which at 10 eps a season won't be enough to get it into syndication.  And I won't flip over to ATV+ just to watch it when I have a few minutes.  So I probably won't ever see it again after we watch it.  And that is a bit sad.



Frazier all 10 or 11 seasons is on Amazon Prime. Wife has been binge watching it.


----------



## Huntn

I’m waiting for the wife to get back from a trip and next Sunday to watch the last 2 episodes of *Evil* Season 2 together. 



Alli said:


> Third season of Ghosts is out on HBO+. I’m afraid of how the US version is going to look when it’s released.



Would you recommend Ghosts?


----------



## Eric

Huntn said:


> Would you recommend Ghosts?



I know you're asking Ali but just wanted to throw my .02 in here, one of the best new shows (at least to me) that I've seen in years.


----------



## Huntn

Eric said:


> I know you're asking Ali but just wanted to throw my .02 in here, one of the best new shows (at least to me) that I've seen in years.



Any question like that in a forum is really open to everyone.


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> Would you recommend Ghosts?



Great show with a marvelous cast. If you ever saw The Frighteners with Michael J. Fox, it’s a little like that, but without a bad guy.


----------



## Thomas Veil

I just started _Midnight Mass_. A little slow to get going, and holy crap is that village depressing...but it reminds me a bit of one of those Stephen King stories where a town with dark secrets is about to experience some sort of karmic punishment. I could be wrong.


----------



## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> I just started _Midnight Mass_. A little slow to get going, and holy crap is that village depressing...but it reminds me a bit of one of those Stephen King stories where a town with dark secrets is about to experience some sort of karmic punishment. I could be wrong.



I think it’s a fair comparison. They just don’t have much in the way of dark secrets, just a lot of religious fervor.


----------



## Edd

Anyone watching The Morning Show? This last episode was a bit nutty. I’m having trouble liking any of the characters.


----------



## SuperMatt

Edd said:


> Anyone watching The Morning Show? This last episode was a bit nutty. I’m having trouble liking any of the characters.



I have been watching it. The idea seems to be that most characters are the “win at all costs” type of personality. Then they are all jammed into a pressure cooker. I enjoyed the first season more, but this is still ok. Yes, the characters are pretty loathsome - but those kinds of personalities resemble a lot of people I’ve met in real life, so it’s interesting to me.


----------



## DT

Thomas Veil said:


> I just started _Midnight Mass_. A little slow to get going, and holy crap is that village depressing...*but it reminds me a bit of one of those Stephen King stories* where a town with dark secrets is about to experience some sort of karmic punishment. I could be wrong.




Flanagan definitely channels King, Midnight Mass is packed full of references to the latter's work.  It isn't totally surprising, he's worked directly with King material a few times:  Doctor Sleep, Gerald's Game, and King has really praised Flanagan's non-King based work.


----------



## Renzatic




----------



## Alli

Another half dozen ish episodes of Leverage Redemption. YAY!!!


----------



## lizkat

On a free trial of You Tube TV,  watching  MLB Network:   Tampa Bay at Boston heading into the 12th inning of an ALDS game 3 stuck at 4-4 with both teams now apparently trying to prove they can use their entire bullpen before anyone goes home. 

There have been a few impressive outfield catches,  some fun base stealing (and one effort that didn't pan out), a pair of homers for each team so far, what's not to like?  At least the game started at 4pm so it's not past my bedtime yet...


----------



## Thomas Veil

lizkat said:


> ...Tampa Bay at Boston heading into the 12th inning of an ALDS game 3 stuck at 4-4 with both teams now apparently trying to prove they can use their entire bullpen before anyone goes home.



That's the fun of baseball playoffs: when they start throwing in everything but the kitchen sink.


----------



## lizkat

Thomas Veil said:


> That's the fun of baseball playoffs: when they start throwing in everything but the kitchen sink.




That game was a lot of fun to watch.   Boston finally won it 6-4,  not without a lot of drama over a weird ground-rule double that had caromed off the shoulder of an outfielder and then went over the wall.   Never seen that before...   Tampa Bay probably not too happy about the runner not being allowed to score, umps said all they could award was 2 bases and the lead runner had been on first so they put him back at third and he was left on base at end of the inning.  The TB manager shrugged it off with "well that's the rule..."   but I had visions of how if it happened to Boston instead with that crowd so amped up in Fenway, there would have been WWIII on the field.   Well the umps did look at all the video angles to make sure the outfielder didn't put the ball out of play intentionally. Heck of a game.  Tampa will be gunning for the Red Sox tomorrow...


----------



## SuperMatt

lizkat said:


> That game was a lot of fun to watch.   Boston finally won it 6-4,  not without a lot of drama over a weird ground-rule double that had caromed off the shoulder of an outfielder and then went over the wall.   Never seen that before...   Tampa Bay probably not too happy about the runner not being allowed to score, umps said all they could award was 2 bases and the lead runner had been on first so they put him back at third and he was left on base at end of the inning.  The TB manager shrugged it off with "well that's the rule..."   but I had visions of how if it happened to Boston instead with that crowd so amped up in Fenway, there would have been WWIII on the field.   Well the umps did look at all the video angles to make sure the outfielder didn't put the ball out of play intentionally. Heck of a game.  Tampa will be gunning for the Red Sox tomorrow...



One of the really unique things about baseball - ground-rules doubles and the like. Never know what a weird bounce can do to the outcome!


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> At least on the surface, it has a bit in common with Preacher:  horror/thriller genre, some implied supernatural elements, obviously the religious theme and nature of the main/one-of-the-main character.
> 
> Tonally they're actually a bit different, Preacher is a super dark comedy, it's vulgar, over-the-top action, visually absurd (and I mean all that in the most positive way ), where Midnight Mass is a slow burn, realistically grounded, it's a drama first, while Preacher is very "comic book-y".
> 
> Fun Fact:  the main character in Flanagan's movie Hush (starring/co-written by his wife, who's also a star of Midnight Mass), is an author, who's last big blockbuster novel was titled, well, yeah, you guessed it ... Midnight Mass




​Just finished *Midnight Mass* (2021 Netflix)- Thumbs up horror story with some caveats- it’s slow, lots of talking, philosophizing, and Bible quoting. Some  of this is intriguing and thought provoking, especially talk about living and dieing, what it means to live and die, and one character who is the Muslim Sheriff relates his sobering experience of  9-11 and forward.

Five episodes to set up, two with some quickening events. Seven episodes make it drag, talk, talk, talk. I was not expecting this ending, but was satisfied with it, despite a point, found in second spoiler. I expect some church people hated this, see spoiler. 



Spoiler: General Genre Description



Vampire Story





Spoiler: Plot



It is very interesting how some primary tenants of Christianity mesh so well with vampirism, drinking the blood of Christ, resurrection, life ever lasting. 
Did the Head Blood Sucker survive??


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> View attachment 9154​Just finished *Midnight Mass* (2021 Netflix)- Thumbs up horror story with some caveats- it’s slow, lots of talking, philosophizing, and Bible quoting. Some  of this is intriguing and thought provoking, especially talk about living and dieing, what it means to live and die, and one character who is the Muslim Sheriff relates his sobering experience of  9-11 and forward.
> 
> Five episodes to set up, two with some quickening events. Seven episodes make it drag, talk, talk, talk. I was not expecting this ending, but was satisfied with it, despite a point, found in second spoiler. I expect some church people hated this, see spoiler.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: General Genre Description
> 
> 
> 
> Vampire Story
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Plot
> 
> 
> 
> It is very interesting how some primary tenants of Christianity mesh so well with vampirism, consuming the blood of Christ, resurrection, life ever lasting.
> Did the Head Blood Sucker survive??



In response to your second spoiler, see my comments in the religion thread.


----------



## DT

@Huntn That last question (in spoiler block #2) doesn't get answered, only by a character ruminating that is "seems unlikely".


Evil S02E13, season finale.  Well, it's about goddamn time.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> @Huntn That last question (in spoiler block #2) doesn't get answered, only by a character ruminating that is "seems unlikely".
> 
> 
> Evil S02E13, season finale.  Well, it's about goddamn time.



*Midnight Mass Spoilers* all over this post. STOP, FOR YOUR OWN PROTECTION. 





Honestly the story ended better than I was anticipating, much better than a completely downer ending. This is a big picture comment, because on the local scene, it’s a complete and utter tragedy.

I liked that many traditional standards of vampirism appeared in this story.
I really liked that when turned, the new vampires maintained some ability of being good/moral, not mindless amoral creatures, preying on others,  bent on surviving at all costs, not tied to Master.
When the priest first came back he was already turned, yet I think I remember him stepping outside in the daytime. It was during the last half of the story, he showed his evil assistant, that his flesh burned in the sun, and they went to just midnight masses.
Ironically, it was people conflating their religion with vampirism that led them astray. I can easily imagine this when it comes to faith, who know how far you can go, how much distortion can cloud one’s judgement.


----------



## Edd

I’m two episodes in on Scenes From a Marriage. I’m liking it, the second ep was pretty brutal but felt real.


----------



## shadow puppet

I was enjoying The Lost Symbol on Peacock.  But only the first (3) episodes are free and I don't want to buy a subscription to Peacock to watch the rest.  I may do the $4.99 fee once the entire show has aired so I can binge the rest.


----------



## Edd

shadow puppet said:


> I was enjoying The Lost Symbol on Peacock.  But only the first (3) episodes are free and I don't want to buy a subscription to Peacock to watch the rest.  I may do the $4.99 fee once the entire show has aired so I can binge the rest.



I pay the $10/month for Peacock and am somehow not annoyed about paying it. We love the NBC comedies and they have BSG and Dr Death was entertaining. Pretty polished streaming service out of the gate.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Well, I finished _Midnight Mass_, and here's what I liked or noted:



Spoiler: Spoilers ahead




Yeah, it got off to a really slow start, but boy did they make up for it in the end.
Characters were well written. Bev Keane, for example, gave out the wrong vibes right away, but at first she was just annoying, then detestably pious, finally going on to full-blown religious mania. (Question for the group: how _many_ times during the movie did you want to bitch-slap that woman, or at least tell her to STFU?)
The Father Paul character is nicely complex. He too gives off bad vibes from the beginning, though you're darned if you can figure out why.
Riley reminds me a lot of El Diablo in "Suicide Squad": a haunted soul who regrets the horrible thing he did and ends up redeeming himself via self-sacrifice.
I wonder how differently the movie would've gone if Erin had obeyed Riley and gone to the mainland instead of turning back.
I like that these vampires' weaknesses are unique: they can't handle sunlight but they obviously aren't afraid of the cross.
Every vampire story has to have a scene where someone tries to convince someone else that there's an actual, real vampire out there without sounding crazy. This one was handled very nicely in the scene between Erin and Dr. Gunning. It felt very organic, not contrived at all.
Anybody else pick up on why Mildred Gunning (the doctor's mom) ran out of the church and told her daughter never to go back? I think it's because both she and Father Paul had previously suffered from dementia. Somehow that made it possible for her to sense that Father Paul was dealing with evil.
*THE* big point of the story was how easily people can, in their minds, interpret anything, almost anything at all, as "God's will". Father Paul is of course by far the biggest and worst example. Confronted by evil, he wants so badly to convince himself that what he's bringing to his congregation is a gift. That gift is eternal life and the removal of bodily corruption, although he _of all people_ should know that is not the way it works.
Despite this, they found ways to make him sympathetic, not just by virtue of his enthusiasm, but by the way you find out at the end that what he really was hoping to achieve was some sort of perverse "normal" life with Mildred and Sarah Gunning.
I'm not sure what all the dead cats with the broken necks had to do with anything.
I half expected Sheriff Hassan to do what cops usually do in these movies when you try to tell them about a vampire: either laugh at them or yell at them. But the sheriff does neither, instead explaining to Erin how no one will take his word because they have never accepted him.
Ripping the "angel"'s wings was a genius move.
We never do see whether the "angel" makes it to the mainland, this leaving the story loosely open for a sequel. The return of Leeza's paralysis, however, suggests that the "angel" died, since it was the source of all the miracles.
The whole thing reminds me a little of "'Salem's Lot", wherein a vampire establishes a beachhead colony in a small town. The story even ends in a similar way.


----------



## DT

Thomas Veil said:


> Well, I finished _Midnight Mass_, and here's what I liked or noted:
> 
> Good list / observations, I'll respond in the spoiler tag
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Spoilers ahead
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I like that these vampires' weaknesses are unique: they can't handle sunlight but they obviously aren't afraid of the cross.
> 
> *They were very much written as having something more like a virus, weird/alien, but not having a "supernatural" angle, being light sensitive is biological weakness, a cross is spritual.*
> Every vampire story has to have a scene where someone tries to convince someone else that there's an actual, real vampire out there without sounding crazy. This one was handled very nicely in the scene between Erin and Dr. Gunning. It felt very organic, not contrived at all.
> 
> *They didn't even drop the V word (not unlike Walking Dead not using the Z word).*
> Anybody else pick up on why Mildred Gunning (the doctor's mom) ran out of the church and told her daughter never to go back? I think it's because both she and Father Paul had previously suffered from dementia. Somehow that made it possible for her to sense that Father Paul was dealing with evil.
> 
> *It was after the sermon about being an army, about using force to deliver the word of god, I think tonally and spiritually, she knew those weren't the words of the man she once knew.*
> I'm not sure what all the dead cats with the broken necks had to do with anything.
> 
> *That was the vampire chowing down, I think it was just supposed to suggest something horrific was going on.*
> We never do see whether the "angel" makes it to the mainland, this leaving the story loosely open for a sequel. The return of Leeza's paralysis, however, suggests that the "angel" died, since it was the source of all the miracles.
> 
> *A bunch of the actors are going to be in Flanagan's new show in '22, and so far, he hasn't done a sequel, so I think this story is 100% done, but even "in story" you're right on with the legs.
> 
> The interesting thing about that scene, is THAT actually implied some kind of supernatural connection - however, the doctor also said, without being full on converted, you would naturally revert back, and the sun might even burn out the "bad blood".
> 
> So one more time, a nice juggling of science vs. faith.*


----------



## shadow puppet

Edd said:


> I pay the $10/month for Peacock and am somehow not annoyed about paying it. We love the NBC comedies and they have BSG and Dr Death was entertaining. Pretty polished streaming service out of the gate.



Wish I had the extra dough laying around but paying off one surgery and have another scheduled for 11/19 plus still need to upgrade my iPhone 6.  I already dropped HBO Max and Starz.  I now tend to binge and then drop a service for another.  I like the freedom of the ala carte method anyway.


----------



## shadow puppet

I did enjoy Maid on Netflix as depressing as the subject matter is.  I binged the series in about 2.5 days.  The kid steals every scene she's in.


----------



## Herdfan

Nate has become a complete Arse!


----------



## lizkat

Herdfan said:


> Nate has become a complete Arse!




Nate Silver?


----------



## Thomas Veil

lizkat said:


> Nate Silver?



Statistically that seems unlikely.


----------



## shadow puppet

Herdfan said:


> Nate has become a complete Arse!





lizkat said:


> Nate Silver?



Or Nate on Maid?


----------



## lizkat

shadow puppet said:


> Or Nate on Maid?




Yeh i think he meant that one.     I'll have to watch the series to catch up with the Nate du jour lol.


----------



## Herdfan

Nate on Ted Lasso.

Didn't realize there were so many Nate's.


----------



## Alli

Herdfan said:


> Nate has become a complete Arse!



He’s a snake! 

The question is, did he turn into one, or was he always that way and has just been enabled with a little bit of power?


----------



## User.45

SuperMatt said:


> I watched the first 3 episodes of *The Morning Show* and *Foundation*. I am really enjoying both. Foundation really feels like it’s going to be epic. For the Morning Show, the character played by Steve Carell (which is clearly based on Matt Lauer) is in a disgraced exile after revelations of sexual misconduct, and it’s interesting to see what he chooses to do with his life going forward. It’s just a side story, but with the rest of the show being about the war to win in the cutthroat news business, it’s a really good side story that rounds the show out a bit.



Just into episode #1 of Foundation but am already very unsure what I'm watching. I've seen more emotion in the first 10 minutes than in an entire Asimov book. I've read these books 15 years ago, but other than the names of places and characters, I recognize nothing of the story from the books.


----------



## SuperMatt

P_X said:


> Just into episode #1 of Foundation but am already very unsure what I'm watching. I've seen more emotion in the first 10 minutes than in an entire Asimov book. I've read these books 15 years ago, but other than the names of places and characters, I recognize nothing of the story from the books.



It has been a long time since I read the books, so I’m basically going into the series blind. The first episode covers a lot of territory, but things slow down a bit in episodes 3-5…


----------



## User.45

SuperMatt said:


> It has been a long time since I read the books, so I’m basically going into the series blind. The first episode covers a lot of territory, but things slow down a bit in episodes 3-5…



The visual language pulls a lot from Dune to The Expanse. Which is generally a good thing. The irony is that the way Trentor was described mirrors Kamino from Star Wars (I think Lucas may have borrowed the visuals from those descriptions).


----------



## User.45

Oh the end of the first episode was pretty decent, It managed to return to some of the books' plot so I'm not as annoyed as I was. The other irony about the Foundation is that we have the AI tech Asimov called Psychohistory. It's called Facebook and it's used to achieve the exact opposite of what Asimov thought it should do.


----------



## Roller

SuperMatt said:


> It has been a long time since I read the books, so I’m basically going into the series blind. The first episode covers a lot of territory, but things slow down a bit in episodes 3-5…



Same for me. I remember reading the books, but not much detail. I've watched episodes 1-3 so far and like the show enough to keep watching, though there's a lot that doesn't make sense. One reason why I loved Arthur C. Clarke's writing was that the stories always seemed plausible. I wish someone had done something with the Rama series on film or TV.


----------



## Alli

After this last episode I think I figured out why it’s disconcerting to those of us who read the Foundation series. They are not going in chronological order of the books. They’re jumping around. I would like to suggest this is messing with my psyche-history!


----------



## User.45

Roller said:


> Same for me. I remember reading the books, but not much detail. I've watched episodes 1-3 so far and like the show enough to keep watching, though there's a lot that doesn't make sense. One reason why I loved Arthur C. Clarke's writing was that the stories always seemed plausible. I wish someone had done something with the Rama series on film or TV.



ACK was a magnificent writer. I've read Rendezvous with Rama right after giving up on the last Foundation book about 16 years ago. Switching from Asimov to Clarke I found him much harder to read and too wordy with his description, but enjoyed the Rama book regardless. I got a great kick out of the description of Tripedal Locomotion. About 5 years later I started Rendezvous with Rama as an audiobook a few years later and I was dumbfounded how much I failed to appreciate the logic and coherence in ACK's writing. 

Did any of you read Solaris from Lem?


----------



## User.45

Alli said:


> After this last episode I think I figured out why it’s disconcerting to those of us who read the Foundation series. They are not going in chronological order of the books. They’re jumping around. I would like to suggest this is messing with my psyche-history!



The books aren't written sequentially either. I've read them in the book's chronology but Asimov went back and forth:


2.1_Prelude to Foundation_ (1988)
2.2_Forward the Foundation_ (1993)
2.3_Foundation_ (1951)
2.4_Foundation and Empire_ (1952)
2.5_Second Foundation_ (1953)
2.6_Foundation's Edge_ (1982)
2.7_Foundation and Earth_ (1986)


----------



## SuperMatt

P_X said:


> The books aren't written sequentially either. I've read them in the book's chronology but Asimov went back and forth:
> 
> 
> 2.1_Prelude to Foundation_ (1988)
> 2.2_Forward the Foundation_ (1993)
> 2.3_Foundation_ (1951)
> 2.4_Foundation and Empire_ (1952)
> 2.5_Second Foundation_ (1953)
> 2.6_Foundation's Edge_ (1982)
> 2.7_Foundation and Earth_ (1986)



I remember when Prelude to Foundation came out…


----------



## Alli

P_X said:


> The books aren't written sequentially either. I've read them in the book's chronology but Asimov went back and forth:
> 
> 
> 2.1_Prelude to Foundation_ (1988)
> 2.2_Forward the Foundation_ (1993)
> 2.3_Foundation_ (1951)
> 2.4_Foundation and Empire_ (1952)
> 2.5_Second Foundation_ (1953)
> 2.6_Foundation's Edge_ (1982)
> 2.7_Foundation and Earth_ (1986)



But he didn’t reference Prelude in, say, Foundation and Empire. I actually read the original trilogy as a single bound book first, followed immediately by Foundation’s Edge. The only reason I remember exactly is because I read them while pregnant and right after the birth of my son in 1983. The others I read as they were released.


----------



## lizkat

Edd said:


> I’m two episodes in on Scenes From a Marriage. I’m liking it, the second ep was pretty brutal but felt real.




Finally getting around to watching the downloaded episodes...   I'm liking it very much.

EDIT:   (finished watching all the episodes.   Worth it, definitely.   And I'm gonna stay single).


----------



## User.45

Alli said:


> But he didn’t reference Prelude in, say, Foundation and Empire. I actually read the original trilogy as a single bound book first, followed immediately by Foundation’s Edge. The only reason I remember exactly is because I read them while pregnant and right after the birth of my son in 1983. The others I read as they were released.



I caught up on the Foundation finally. I'd say it's not too bad and they did take some effort to cover _some_ of Asimov's points. Again, Asimov was a sci-fi purist, very little coverage on emotions or sex (the first two episodes had more talking about emotions and sex than 12 books added together). The story might be headed in a direction that may (or may not) be congruent with Asimov's ideas. But it's interesting that they've consistently avoided to verbalize the Foundation books' recurrent statement: "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent". So the jury is still out, I'll say it's enjoyable and IMHO the actress playing Salvor Hardin carries the story on her back like a Mule (pun intended).

Just caught up with Invasion too, and this is where it really stands out. Apple is puritanic AF with both violence and sexuality. This is sorta ambivalent for me. On one hand sure, they try to keep a morally responsible stance, but on the other, without the visual aspects of either it's nearly impossible to capture the complexities that come with sex or violence. It also makes story lines predictable. So...I don't expect Apple to decode the secret sauce of HBO.


----------



## Cmaier

P_X said:


> I caught up on the Foundation finally. I'd say it's not too bad and they did take some effort to cover _some_ of Asimov's points. Again, Asimov was a sci-fi purist, very little coverage on emotions or sex (the first two episodes had more talking about emotions and sex than 12 books added together). The story might be headed in a direction that may (or may not) be congruent with Asimov's ideas. But it's interesting that they've consistently avoided to verbalize the Foundation books' recurrent statement: "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent". So the jury is still out, I'll say it's enjoyable and IMHO the actress playing Salvor Hardin carries the story on her back like a Mule (pun intended).
> 
> Just caught up with Invasion too, and this is where it really stands out. Apple is puritanic AF with both violence and sexuality. This is sorta ambivalent for me. On one hand sure, they try to keep a morally responsible stance, but on the other, without the visual aspects of either it's nearly impossible to capture the complexities that come with sex or violence. It also makes story lines predictable. So...I don't expect Apple to decode the secret sauce of HBO.




Apple is puritanical AF? Have you seen See, and how the queen prays to her god?


----------



## User.45

Cmaier said:


> Apple is puritanical AF? Have you seen See, and how the queen prays to her god?



No but after watching most of Foundation, Invasion, Morning Show, Servant, Losing Alice, I think my sample size is representative enough to make that statement.


----------



## Cmaier

P_X said:


> No but after watching most of Foundation, Invasion, Morning Show, Servant, Losing Alice, I think my sample size is representative enough to make that statement.




You are just watching shows where the creators are doing what they want to do.  If you want less puritanical viewing, watch different shows:









						I Will Keep Watching 'See' Until They Explain These Masturbation Prayer Scenes
					

Yes, an orgasm is a holy experience, but why does a society in the new Apple TV+ series think this makes them talk to god?




					www.esquire.com


----------



## User.45

Cmaier said:


> You are just watching shows where the creators are doing what they want to do.  If you want less puritanical viewing, watch different shows:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I Will Keep Watching 'See' Until They Explain These Masturbation Prayer Scenes
> 
> 
> Yes, an orgasm is a holy experience, but why does a society in the new Apple TV+ series think this makes them talk to god?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.esquire.com



Got it, so I must not be making a _subjective _statement about ATV+ based on 5 shows, because there's this 6th show that has mAstUrBAtioN?! I suspect that you haven't watched Losing Alice...


----------



## Cmaier

P_X said:


> Got it, so I must not be making a _subjective _statement about ATV+ based on 5 shows, because there's this 6th show that has mAstUrBAtioN?! I suspect that you haven't watched Losing Alice...




If the conclusion you are drawing is that ”apple is puritanical af” and you are drawing that conclusion by watching 10 children’s shows, that would be just as invalid as picking any 5 shows where the writers never intended to depict graphic sex, violence, etc.   My point is simply that there *are* shows that have featured very explicit sex scenes, scenes of taboo sexual subject matter, etc.  Not just See, but even shows like From the Earth to the Moon, etc.  You just aren’t watching the  “non-puritanical” shows, but the fact that such shows exist shows that Apple is not “puritanical” with respect to TV+ content.


----------



## Eric

P_X said:


> I caught up on the Foundation finally. I'd say it's not too bad and they did take some effort to cover _some_ of Asimov's points. Again, Asimov was a sci-fi purist, very little coverage on emotions or sex (the first two episodes had more talking about emotions and sex than 12 books added together). The story might be headed in a direction that may (or may not) be congruent with Asimov's ideas. But it's interesting that they've consistently avoided to verbalize the Foundation books' recurrent statement: "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent". So the jury is still out, I'll say it's enjoyable and IMHO the actress playing Salvor Hardin carries the story on her back like a Mule (pun intended).
> 
> Just caught up with Invasion too, and this is where it really stands out. Apple is puritanic AF with both violence and sexuality. This is sorta ambivalent for me. On one hand sure, they try to keep a morally responsible stance, but on the other, without the visual aspects of either it's nearly impossible to capture the complexities that come with sex or violence. It also makes story lines predictable. So...I don't expect Apple to decode the secret sauce of HBO.



I'll claim ignorance to the books but I have seen both shows up to date. I've really been enjoying Foundation, it's well written and acted, the stories are captivating and it has a really good flow to it. 

I don't want to say I dislike Invasion but we binged watched and my wife said "after three episodes we still don't know who's invading", which is a great point. It's a good show but they just keep adding new characters and stories without getting to the point and some of it is a bit nonsensical. I suspect they'll eventually get to it but they're losing us along the way.

Just my .02 on these things. When our free subscription is up I doubt I'll renew. IMO HBO Max is still by far the best out there for the services they provide.


----------



## Cmaier

Eric said:


> I'll claim ignorance to the books but I have seen both shows up to date. I've really been enjoying Foundation, it's well written and acted, the stories are captivating and it has a really good flow to it.
> 
> I don't want to say I dislike Invasion but we binged watched and my wife said "after three episodes we still don't know who's invading", which is a great point. It's a good show but they just keep adding new characters and stories without getting to the point and some of it is a bit nonsensical. I suspect they'll eventually get to it but they're losing us along the way.
> 
> Just my .02 on these things. When our free subscription is up I doubt I'll renew. IMO HBO Max is still by far the best out there for the services they provide.




I’m finding invasion to be boring. How do you make a show where you’ve got space aliens invading and make it boring?  So many cliches…


----------



## User.45

Cmaier said:


> If the conclusion you are drawing is that ”apple is puritanical af” and you are drawing that conclusion by watching 10 children’s shows, that would be just as invalid as picking any 5 shows where the writers never intended to depict graphic sex, violence, etc.   My point is simply that there *are* shows that have featured very explicit sex scenes, scenes of taboo sexual subject matter, etc.  Not just See, but even shows like From the Earth to the Moon, etc.  You just aren’t watching the  “non-puritanical” shows, but the fact that such shows exist shows that Apple is not “puritanical” with respect to TV+ content.



When sexual activity covers let's say 5-10% of the episode's time but they also make it sure that it stays PG13 is just ridiculous and when this repeatedly happens in multiple shows, it gives off a vibe of external executive decisions... Are you always this condescending?


----------



## User.45

Eric said:


> my wife said "after three episodes we still don't know who's invading", which is a great point. It's a good show but they just keep adding new characters and stories without getting to the point and some of it is a bit nonsensical.



Agree. The template wasn't great to start with. There was one exchange that made me cringe. 
They are at the doctor's office and the lady is asked:


> - Are you a doctor?
> - No, but I did go to medical school.
> - Which one?
> - Harvard. You?
> - Hofstra... Anyway...



In reality, most such conversations usually unfold as "I trained in Boston".


----------



## Cmaier

P_X said:


> When sexual activity covers let's say 5-10% of the episode's time but they also make it sure that it stays PG13 is just ridiculous and when this repeatedly happens in multiple shows, it gives off a vibe of external executory decisions... Are you always this condescending?




I’m really not sure what you are talking about. Nobody would call “See” PG13. Nor “From Earth to the Moon.”  Hell, even Ted Lasso is too adult for me to let my kid watch it.


----------



## User.45

Cmaier said:


> I’m really not sure what you are talking about. Nobody would call “See” PG13. Nor “From Earth to the Moon.”  Hell, even Ted Lasso is too adult for me to let my kid watch it.



Got it, your sample is better so we shall ignore everything else. This was a great discussion, thank you!


----------



## Pumbaa

P_X said:


> Got it, your sample is better so we shall ignore everything else. This was a great discussion, thank you!



All samples are equal, but some samples are more equal than others.

So many Apple shows I had neither watched nor read up on, plenty of enlightening info.


----------



## Hrafn

We started the 2nd season of Locke and Key, and my wife is still on the Good Witch.  

I was really bothered by the age difference, but between the witch and the doctor, the actors are only 8ish years apart.  Plastic surgery, or just good/bad genes?


----------



## Alli

P_X said:


> Just caught up with Invasion






Eric said:


> I don't want to say I dislike Invasion but we binged watched and my wife said "after three episodes we still don't know who's invading", which is a great point. It's a good show but they just keep adding new characters and stories without getting to the point and some of it is a bit nonsensical. I suspect they'll eventually get to it but they're losing us along the way.




So far I’m loving Invasion. Only saw two episodes, didn’t see a third available after watching the second, but I will look for it, for sure. 



Hrafn said:


> We started the 2nd season of Locke and Key



My daughter and I have spent the entire day binging the second season of Locke and Key. I didn’t expect it to be as good as it is! Daughter finished a few hours ago, and I’m heading to the finish line now.


----------



## User.45

Pumbaa said:


> All samples are equal, but some samples are more equal than others.
> 
> So many Apple shows I had neither watched nor read up on, plenty of enlightening info.



Some samples definitely are more representative. For example, Losing Alice is (supposed to be) an erotic thriller. 



Alli said:


> So far I’m loving Invasion. Only saw two episodes, didn’t see a third available after watching the second, but I will look for it, for sure.



I'll say it's the kind of series where you'll need 4-5 episodes to have an idea whether it's worth watching.


----------



## Edd

Finished the second season of The Other Two on HBO Max. It was the best episode of the series. This show is way overlooked; really hoping it gets another season.

edit: Turns out it’s been renewed! Woohoo!


----------



## Alli

P_X said:


> I'll say it's the kind of series where you'll need 4-5 episodes to have an idea whether it's worth watching.



I’m hooked after only two. This is not your typical alien invasion story.


Edd said:


> Finished the second season of The Other Two on HBO Max. It was the best episode of the series. This show is way overlooked; really hoping it gets another season.
> 
> edit: Turns out it’s been renewed! Woohoo!



Never heard of it. What’s it about?


----------



## Edd

Alli said:


> I’m hooked after only two. This is not your typical alien invasion story.
> 
> Never heard of it. What’s it about?



A brother and sister have a much younger brother who’s a Justin Bieber type, wildly successful compared to them. Their mother is played by Molly Shannon. The show’s creators are two SNL head writers.

It was originally a Comedy Central show, then HBO Max acquired it for the second season and I can see why. Just great characters, funny as hell and gets better as it goes, especially season 2.


----------



## User.45

Edd said:


> A brother and sister have a much younger brother who’s a Justin Bieber type, wildly successful compared to them. Their mother is played by Molly Shannon. The show’s creators are two SNL head writers.
> 
> It was originally a Comedy Central show, then HBO Max acquired it for the second season and I can see why. Just great characters, funny as hell and gets better as it goes, especially season 2.



It definitely had some funny moments that made me laugh. It’s a good watch for when you want something relaxing even when you’re too tired to think.


----------



## ronntaylor

Eric said:


> I don't want to say I dislike Invasion but we binged watched and my wife said "after three episodes we still don't know who's invading", which is a great point. *It's a good show but they just keep adding new characters and stories without getting to the point and some of it is a bit nonsensical.* I suspect they'll eventually get to it but they're losing us along the way.



It's boring and predictable AF. I'll watch the next episode and then will decide if it's a waste of additional time. I love suspense and build-ups, but this is ridiculous. Show the extraterrestrial fuckers already!! And enough with additional characters & story lines each ep. I'm already confused.


----------



## Herdfan

Finished Ted Lasso last night.  Great finale.  But I want Nate to get what is coming to him.

Then we watched a youtube clip of the Best of Roy Kent.  Laughed for 12 straight minutes.


----------



## Edd

Succession’s season 2 premiere was decent but episode 2 knocked it out of the park.


----------



## Alli

ronntaylor said:


> It's boring and predictable AF. I'll watch the next episode and then will decide if it's a waste of additional time. I love suspense and build-ups, but this is ridiculous. Show the extraterrestrial fuckers already!! And enough with additional characters & story lines each ep. I'm already confused.



The last show about an alien invasion didn’t show the alien overlords until the season was halfway over. I forget the name of it.


----------



## User.45

Alli said:


> The last show about an alien invasion didn’t show the alien overlords until the season was halfway over. I forget the name of it.



Pretty good indicator that the show wasn’t very memorable


----------



## Alli

P_X said:


> Pretty good indicator that the show wasn’t very memorable



Colony!

I’m bad with names, faces, and words in general.


----------



## ericwn

Thomas Veil said:


> View attachment 8991​
> _*The Problem with Jon Stewart *_(TV+) is, as you would expect from the man, impressive as hell. Stewart's _Daily Show_ interviews were always informed and insightful, and he brings that same sensibility to this show.
> 
> There's not much comedy here--although Stewart _is_ a jester and occasionally can't resist little gags like suggesting the show title should maybe have a comma in it. But for the most part this is ¹/₆ _Last Week Tonight_, ¹/₆ _Real Time_, and ²/₃ _60 Minutes_.
> 
> Like _LWT_, there is a main topic, although on this show that single topic consumes the _entire_ show. Like _Real Time_, there is a panel, although here the panel consists of people intimately involved in that single subject. On the first episode, *available as a free preview*, the subject is burn pits--war front waste dumps that cause diseases in soldiers--something I confess I hadn't heard about until now. You can see why this subject would have special meaning to Jon: there is a pretty direct parallel to the plight of the 9/11 first responders that he fought for.
> 
> I have to admit, the subject can be depressing. I actually stopped the show halfway though and finished it a bit later. And there's an interview with someone from the VA whom you almost have to feel bad for. He can't give Jon a straight answer to anything, and one ends up with the feeling that he is just as perplexed as Stewart on why this problem can't be solved.
> 
> Kudos to Apple and Jon Stewart for this series.




Started this as well - great show so far.


----------



## ericwn

Alli said:


> Interesting that you say that. I watched the first episode a few hours ago, but it was so depressing I couldn’t get through it. I don’t believe I’ll go back and finish it though. I think I’ll stick with science fiction. It’s more entertaining and far less depressing.




One is fiction, the other one isn’t…


----------



## ericwn

SuperMatt said:


> I watched the first 3 episodes of *The Morning Show* and *Foundation*. I am really enjoying both. Foundation really feels like it’s going to be epic. For the Morning Show, the character played by Steve Carell (which is clearly based on Matt Lauer) is in a disgraced exile after revelations of sexual misconduct, and it’s interesting to see what he chooses to do with his life going forward. It’s just a side story, but with the rest of the show being about the war to win in the cutthroat news business, it’s a really good side story that rounds the show out a bit.




Morning Show: I thought it was interesting that these rather famous actors from the more lighthearted genres took these rolls on - maybe they wanted a new challenge in their career. I’m through season 1 and will likely start season 2 this week. 

Agree on Foundation - it looks epic. The emperor would have made a good Julius Caesar in a movie about the Roman Empire too in my opinion.


----------



## ericwn

Renzatic said:


>




Nothing beats the energy vampire in that show!


----------



## Renzatic

ericwn said:


> Nothing beats the energy vampire in that show!




I wish they kept Evie around as a main character.


----------



## ericwn

Huntn said:


> View attachment 9154​Just finished *Midnight Mass* (2021 Netflix)- Thumbs up horror story with some caveats- it’s slow, lots of talking, philosophizing, and Bible quoting. Some of this is intriguing and thought provoking, especially talk about living and dieing, what it means to live and die, and one character who is the Muslim Sheriff relates his sobering experience of 9-11 and forward.
> 
> Five episodes to set up, two with some quickening events. Seven episodes make it drag, talk, talk, talk. I was not expecting this ending, but was satisfied with it, despite a point, found in second spoiler. I expect some church people hated this, see spoiler.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: General Genre Description
> 
> 
> 
> Vampire Story
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Plot
> 
> 
> 
> It is very interesting how some primary tenants of Christianity mesh so well with vampirism, drinking the blood of Christ, resurrection, life ever lasting.
> Did the Head Blood Sucker survive??




I always find it amazing when people claim to be Christians and at the same time act as if the new taste aren’t and the 10 commandments never happened. That’s probably a North American focussed version of religious extremism that we’re just not familiar with as Europeans.


----------



## ericwn

Cmaier said:


> I’m finding invasion to be boring. How do you make a show where you’ve got space aliens invading and make it boring? So many cliches…




I was really looking forward to seeing the show, but now after the first episodes… FFS, give us more action and ease up on the drama side stories…


----------



## Alli

ericwn said:


> Nothing beats the energy vampire in that show!



I love Colin Robertson. I think I’ve known a few energy vampires in my time.


----------



## Cmaier

Alli said:


> I love Colin Robertson. I think I’ve known a few energy vampires in my time.




That guy is the best thing on tv. Or was.


----------



## Huntn

This post is associated with the road trip I’m currently on, but it has to do with a TV show we listen to on the radio when faced with a long day on the road, HLN- *Headline News* (listening on SiriusXM) which has a murder mystery show on just about every evening. After 6 hours of listening to music, instead of holding my interest, starts to put me asleep.  So a good murder mystery wakes me up by drawing my attention, but the stories can be horrendous making  me wonder just  what  kind of a species I belong too. 

A woman working in a shop is caught stealing  by another woman, so she attacks the other woman, cutting and beating her to death. This attack is listened too next door by Apple Store employees who can hear it through the walls, but don’t call the police. Then she stages a scene where they have both been attacked and zip tied and she sits in the shop all night long until she is discovered in the morning. Before that she takes a pair of shoe off the shelf and walks around the store leaving a man’s shoe prints, then cleans them off and puts them back on the shelf.
A guy in Colorado who falls in love with a coworker, while his wife is away, decides when she comes back to murder her and both of his little girls.
The worst was the pregnant woman who got called up to the third floor of her apartment to do some sewing for a woman who lives with her boyfriend. She disappears…
If you want to guess:


Spoiler



They strangle her into unconsciousness, and harvest her baby while she is still alive, so the predator can  have her own (live) baby. They finish off the mother, smuggle the body out of the complex and dump it in a swamp.


----------



## User.45

Just watched the most recent Foundation episode. They've clearly been inspired by the Expanse but the tech/sociology edges of the story remain quite unpolished. I also am pretty certain already who Daneel R. Olivaw and Giskard Reventlov are (although Giskard is revealed early on). So if the story builds around a twist like "we'll reveal Daneel who's a ro-bot!" , it will fall short.


----------



## SuperMatt

P_X said:


> Just watched the most recent Foundation episode. They've clearly been inspired by the Expanse but the tech/sociology edges of the story remain quite unpolished. I also am pretty certain already who Daneel R. Olivaw and Giskard Reventlov are (although Giskard is revealed early on). So if the story builds around a twist like "we'll reveal Daneel who's a ro-bot!" , it will fall short.





Spoiler: Daneel



I thought from the earlier episodes that the female robot that always accompanies Cleon (Demerzel) was Daneel as a woman.


----------



## User.45

SuperMatt said:


> Spoiler: Daneel
> 
> 
> 
> I thought from the earlier episodes that the female robot that always accompanies Cleon (Demerzel) was Daneel as a woman.





Spoiler: Major spoiler #1



In the books, there are two robot protagonists, Giskard who is very much robot-like inside out and Daneel who is absolutely human-like and can blend in 100%. One of the twists in the books was that (vague recollection) for Foundation to work out Giskard operated in the Empire's end, and Daneel on the Foundation end and it turned out that without their interventions the Foundation could not have worked. Daneel is Rayshard as Daneel Rayshard Olivaw. They try to distract by making it look like Rayshard killed Seldon. Since these robots can live for millennia, Asimov used them to mend all the stories in the Robots and Foundation universe together through them and the producers of the show would be foolish not to do the same.





Spoiler: Major spoiler #2



AFAIR they also needed telepaths for all of this to work out. One of the later books chronicles The Mule a legendary telepath in the interregnum era, and the other twist is that it turns out to be Salvor Hardin. Here, they essentially said it in the first episode.


----------



## Hrafn

Two more episodes of Locke and Key.


----------



## Pumbaa

Finally started Ted Lasso a couple of days ago. Binged it, out of episodes now.


----------



## Edd

For those that have never checked out Fargo (TV series), it’s an anthology so the seasons don’t connect to each other in important ways. I’ve watched them all and the season I keep coming back to is 2. I’d nominate it as the best season of television ever. None of the episodes are duds. Casting is incredible and picking a favorite character is tough. Very re-watchable. 









						Fargo (season 2) - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## Alli

P_X said:


> Spoiler: Major spoiler #1
> 
> 
> 
> In the books, there are two robot protagonists, Giskard who is very much robot-like inside out and Daneel who is absolutely human-like and can blend in 100%. One of the twists in the books was that (vague recollection) for Foundation to work out Giskard operated in the Empire's end, and Daneel on the Foundation end and it turned out that without their interventions the Foundation could not have worked. Daneel is Rayshard as Daneel Rayshard Olivaw. They try to distract by making it look like Rayshard killed Seldon. Since these robots can live for millennia, Asimov used them to mend all the stories in the Robots and Foundation universe together through them and the producers of the show would be foolish not to do the same.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Major spoiler #2
> 
> 
> 
> AFAIR they also needed telepaths for all of this to work out. One of the later books chronicles The Mule a legendary telepath in the interregnum era, and the other twist is that it turns out to be Salvor Hardin. Here, they essentially said it in the first episode.



I think you nailed it.


----------



## ericwn

ericwn said:


> I was really looking forward to seeing the show, but now after the first episodes… FFS, give us more action and ease up on the drama side stories…




Another episode consumed with hardly any alien traces. If this is a build-up, it’s a long one.


----------



## User.45

ericwn said:


> Another episode consumed with hardly any alien traces. If this is a build-up, it’s a long one.



It's a bad, uninteresting format. If you spend 4 episodes building up your characters it means that they have plot armor that kills all suspense. Definitely none of the main characters can die until at least all plots converged. Since personal losses are already central in the JASA plot I doubt there's even a relevant side character dying anytime soon, which will keep everything painfully PG13.


----------



## Alli

ericwn said:


> Another episode consumed with hardly any alien traces. If this is a build-up, it’s a long one.



Fortunately, they’re doing it well. And not overdoing it. You can easily keep track of the cast. So what’s in the bag the little boy (Lucas?) has that he wouldn’t let his sister touch?


----------



## Alli

I just watched the first episode of the reboot of the 4400. I very much enjoyed the original series. Looks like they’ve beefed it up with plenty of political undertones this time around.

They advertised it as the reappearance of “marginalized” people, but unless they introduce some new characters they may as well have just said Black. No indigenous people, no Asians….


----------



## MEJHarrison

Alli said:


> Fortunately, they’re doing it well. And not overdoing it. You can easily keep track of the cast.




I disagree.  They're building deep, rich characters that have no reason to be on screen except to do more character building.  You can have the most interesting characters in the world.  But unless they're actually _doing something to progress a story_, it's not super entertaining.  They putting the pieces on the board, but they're not really moving them around in interesting ways. Just making sure each piece is setup exactly perfect in its designated spot. 

The longer they draw this out, the less interested I'm becoming.  Foundation on the other hand is having the opposite effect.  I'm finding myself wanting to go back right now and rewatch episodes just to help put it all together.  I've never read the books and have been avoiding most of the comments here about it.  But I'm totally digging on it.


----------



## SuperMatt

MEJHarrison said:


> I disagree.  They're building deep, rich characters that have no reason to be on screen except to do more character building.  You can have the most interesting characters in the world.  But unless they're actually _doing something to progress a story_, it's not super entertaining. They putting the pieces on the board, but they're not really moving them around in interesting ways. Just making sure each piece is setup exactly perfect in its designated spot.
> 
> The longer they draw this out, the less interested I'm becoming.  Foundation on the other hand is having the opposite effect.  I'm finding myself wanting to go back right now and rewatch episodes just to help put it all together.  I've never read the books and have been avoiding most of the comments here about it.  But I'm totally digging on it.



I am also enjoying Foundation. One of the best things on Apple TV+.


----------



## ericwn

MEJHarrison said:


> I disagree. They're building deep, rich characters that have no reason to be on screen except to do more character building. You can have the most interesting characters in the world. But unless they're actually _doing something to progress a story_, it's not super entertaining. They putting the pieces on the board, but they're not really moving them around in interesting ways. Just making sure each piece is setup exactly perfect in its designated spot.
> 
> The longer they draw this out, the less interested I'm becoming. Foundation on the other hand is having the opposite effect. I'm finding myself wanting to go back right now and rewatch episodes just to help put it all together. I've never read the books and have been avoiding most of the comments here about it. But I'm totally digging on it.




Same thoughts here. And oh are some of these storylines boring (Japanese love, breaking up family, school trip). Give me Independence Day and not slow moving body snatchers! 

Foundation is great for someone like me who hasn’t read the books.


----------



## shadow puppet

SuperMatt said:


> I am also enjoying Foundation. One of the best things on Apple TV+.



Thanks for the tip.  Adding it to my check-it-out list!


----------



## MEJHarrison

ericwn said:


> Same thoughts here. And oh are some of these storylines boring (Japanese love, breaking up family, school trip). Give me Independence Day and not slow moving body snatchers!
> 
> Foundation is great for someone like me who hasn’t read the books.




Yes.  In the most recent episode, I thought asshole husband couldn't sink any lower.  The correct answer was "yes, he can".  What the hell does that have to do with aliens attacking earth?

From watching this show, I'm starting to believe the strategy for defeating the aliens are to simple ignore them and bore everyone to death.  If the show get cancelled early, they're going to save a bundle on special effects!


----------



## Cmaier

MEJHarrison said:


> Yes.  In the most recent episode, I thought asshole husband couldn't sink any lower.  The correct answer was "yes, he can".  What the hell does that have to do with aliens attacking earth?
> 
> From watching this show, I'm starting to believe the strategy for defeating the aliens are to simple ignore them and bore everyone to death.  If the show get cancelled early, they're going to save a bundle on special effects!




What‘s worse is that none of these people could possibly be of any use in defeating or even fighting against the aliens unless they have magic powers.  So, of course, the show is going to give them magic powers.


----------



## MEJHarrison

Cmaier said:


> So, of course, the show is going to give them magic powers.




At this speed, that will be happening in season 8.


----------



## Alli

At this point I’m speculating that the two boys will wind up working with/for the aliens, exacting revenge on those who caused them discomfort (other children or father). The Japanese scientists will have to figure things out - looks like the father of the dead astronaut already has an idea. No clue how the soldier fits in at this point. But I’m willing to stick it out. Evidently I have more patience for a good story than the rest of you.


----------



## MEJHarrison

Alli said:


> Evidently I have more patience for a good story than the rest of you.




You might have more patience than I do, but I suspect I have more stubbornness.  I'm not going anywhere.  I've invested 4 hours at this point, I'm in till the end.


----------



## Huntn

*The Jetson’s* (1962-1963 on HBO)-  Fun, nostalgic. 


​


----------



## shadow puppet

The CGI effects are super cheesy, the plot is ridiculous & the writing is abysmal.  Yet for some nonsensical reason, I keep tuning in to watch La Brea.  Goddess help me.


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> The CGI effects are super cheesy, the plot is ridiculous & the writing is abysmal.  Yet for some nonsensical reason, I keep tuning in to watch La Brea.  Goddess help me.



I’ve been enjoying it as well.


----------



## Edd

Anybody watching Dopesick on Hulu? I really didn’t know much about the OxyContin story but this is blowing my mind. Good show.


----------



## ronntaylor

Edd said:


> Anybody watching Dopesick on Hulu? I really didn’t know much about the OxyContin story but this is blowing my mind. Good show.



Probably starting it this weekend. Getting a lot of buzz in my circles.


----------



## lizkat

ronntaylor said:


> Probably starting it this weekend. Getting a lot of buzz in my circles.




There should probably be even more buzz about the couple of states where the courts have overturned settlements with big pharma over marketing opoids as a factor in the crisis...   California and Oklahoma are two and there's wonderment over whether it's a trend.  The grounds cited appear to be that existing laws underwriting the prosecution were misapplied and so the settlements are invalid.









						Oklahoma's Supreme Court tossed out a landmark $465 million opioid ruling
					

This ruling and a recent state court in California raise questions about thousands of opioid lawsuits filed against Big Pharma.




					www.npr.org
				




Not to derail this thread though,  I too want to have a look at the Dopesick series.    It sure as hell will be an improvement on my most recent glance-in at a TV series.   I had watched more than a few episodes of _*The Good Wife *_when it was first airing...  and had enjoyed them, so recently decided to have a look at a spinoff called _*The Good Fight*_, which features the Diane Lockhart character from that earlier series.   Well... this one has had its moments but already feels too much like a soap opera and I'm still only in Season 1, sigh...


----------



## SuperMatt

lizkat said:


> There should probably be even more buzz about the couple of states where the courts have overturned settlements with big pharma over marketing opoids as a factor in the crisis...   California and Oklahoma are two and there's wonderment over whether it's a trend.  The grounds cited appear to be that existing laws underwriting the prosecution were misapplied and so the settlements are invalid.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oklahoma's Supreme Court tossed out a landmark $465 million opioid ruling
> 
> 
> This ruling and a recent state court in California raise questions about thousands of opioid lawsuits filed against Big Pharma.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.npr.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not to derail this thread though,  I too want to have a look at the Dopesick series.    It sure as hell will be an improvement on my most recent glance-in at a TV series.   I had watched more than a few episodes of _*The Good Wife *_when it was first airing...  and had enjoyed them, so recently decided to have a look at a spinoff called _*The Good Fight*_, which features the Diane Lockhart character from that earlier series.   Well... this one has had its moments but already feels too much like a soap opera and I'm still only in Season 1, sigh...



Our justice system truly favors the rich. Wells Fargo defrauds its customers egregiously. Does anybody there do jail time? Do the customers even get their money back? Maybe… and the company gets a small fine.

Bernie Madoff tricks a bunch of rich people into his Ponzi scheme and goes to jail for the rest of his life.

Elizabeth Holmes (of Theranos infamy) ripped off a LOT of rich people. She’ll do time.

Kill millions with opioids? That’s cool, as long as none of them were rich. Here’s your speeding ticket, Sackler family. Remember to drive slower next time, ya hear?


----------



## lizkat

SuperMatt said:


> Our justice system truly favors the rich. Wells Fargo defrauds its customers egregiously. Does anybody there do jail time? Do the customers even get their money back? Maybe… and the company gets a small fine.
> 
> Bernie Madoff tricks a bunch of rich people into his Ponzi scheme and goes to jail for the rest of his life.
> 
> Elizabeth Holmes (of Theranos infamy) ripped off a LOT of rich people. She’ll do time.
> 
> Kill millions with opioids? That’s cool, as long as none of them were rich. Here’s your speeding ticket, Sackler family. Remember to drive slower next time, ya hear?




Right...  and why should we be surprised,  when special interests have such a high hand in drafting laws ostensibly passed on our behalf by a too often bought and paid for Congress.

As far as TV goes, there's also usually a limit on what the average US-made TV series will really home in on,  in the way of corruption of the lawmaking process.  Not enough asking us why we allow it to happen, for one thing.     But anyway maybe corporations _*are*_ people.  They sure do seem to have pretty thin skin when it comes to sponsoring TV shows, including the news.


----------



## Huntn

I maybe confused with Oppressive Mac Rumors, but has *Squid Game* (2021) been mentioned here? I can’t find it in a search. It’s good, it’s a story based in Korea, filmed in Korean, but thankfully dubbed in English unless you enjoy reading while watching… It‘s about people in serious financial jeopardy are given a chance to participate in life and death children games for example red light, green light, in a tournament, and the final winner becomes a millionair/billionaire (not sure about Won, but it’s a lot of money). There is drama there, but even though I was happy I did not have to read subtitles, I admit that not hearing the actor's true voice is a detriment.



*Squid Game*​


----------



## User.45

Huntn said:


> I maybe confused with Oppressive Mac Rumors, but has *Squid Game* (2021) been mentioned here? I can’t find it in a search. It’s good, it’s a story based in Korea, filmed in Korean, but thankfully dubbed in English unless you enjoy reading while watching… It‘s about people in serious financial jeopardy are given a chance to participate in life and death children games for example red light, green light, in a tournament, and the final winner becomes a millionair/billionaire (not sure about Won, but it’s a lot of money). There is drama there, but even though I was happy I did not have to read subtitles, I admit that not hearing the actor's true voice is a detriment.
> 
> View attachment 9718
> *Squid Game*​



I've always liked Korean movies. They have a dark sense of humor that I dig. Squid game captures this too.


----------



## ericwn

Huntn said:


> I maybe confused with Oppressive Mac Rumors, but has *Squid Game* (2021) been mentioned here? I can’t find it in a search. It’s good, it’s a story based in Korea, filmed in Korean, but thankfully dubbed in English unless you enjoy reading while watching… It‘s about people in serious financial jeopardy are given a chance to participate in life and death children games for example red light, green light, in a tournament, and the final winner becomes a millionair/billionaire (not sure about Won, but it’s a lot of money). There is drama there, but even though I was happy I did not have to read subtitles, I admit that not hearing the actor's true voice is a detriment.
> 
> View attachment 9718
> *Squid Game*​




I thought it was a solid watch but the drama seemed rather artificial at times. I’ll give it a 7/10.


----------



## ericwn

Looking forward to another episode of Foundation tonight, then the new Invasion to doze off to.


----------



## MEJHarrison

Huntn said:


> ...and the final winner becomes a millionair/billionaire (not sure about Won, but it’s a lot of money).




It was 45.6 billion won which is about $38 million.  And it was a very good show.  I enjoyed it quite a bit.

I opted for reading.  I'd rather hear the original performance and read.  But I totally understand those who don't care to read.  As long as you're enjoying it, then it seems to be doing its job as entertainment.


----------



## MEJHarrison

ericwn said:


> Looking forward to another episode of Foundation tonight, then the new Invasion to doze off to.




Am I the only one who gets new episodes on Thursday evening?  I've always gotten my new episodes on Thursday evenings.  Around 6 if I'm not mistaken.

Anyway, I watched both last night.  I enjoyed both.  I was somewhat surprised I enjoyed both to be honest, but that's how it worked out.


----------



## Edd

MEJHarrison said:


> It was 45.6 billion won which is about $38 million.  And it was a very good show.  I enjoyed it quite a bit.
> 
> I opted for reading.  I'd rather hear the original performance and read.  But I totally understand those who don't care to read.  As long as you're enjoying it, then it seems to be doing its job as entertainment.



Fully agree except I think watching with dubbing is unacceptable. Subtitles or nothing.

Squid Game was great, I thought. Lived up to the hype.


----------



## ericwn

MEJHarrison said:


> Am I the only one who gets new episodes on Thursday evening? I've always gotten my new episodes on Thursday evenings. Around 6 if I'm not mistaken.
> 
> Anyway, I watched both last night. I enjoyed both. I was somewhat surprised I enjoyed both to be honest, but that's how it worked out.




Foundation I find really well done, invasion I just have invested too much time to quit now - hope it picks up the pace. 

I always get the notifications for new episodes on Friday hence never checked prior.


----------



## User.45

ericwn said:


> Foundation I find really well done, invasion I just have invested too much time to quit now - hope it picks up the pace.
> 
> I always get the notifications for new episodes on Friday hence never checked prior.



They might as well pull this Foundation series off.

This was the first episode that hit the spirit of the books through and through.


----------



## SuperMatt

P_X said:


> They might as well pull this Foundation series off.
> 
> This was the first episode that hit the spirit of the books through and through.



Just watched episode 9… loved it.


----------



## Alli

ericwn said:


> Looking forward to another episode of Foundation tonight, then the new Invasion to doze off to.



Watched both a few hours ago. We seem to have gotten a number of questions answered on Invasion including what they look like…almost. Honestly, I think shooting horror scenes in the dark is chickenshit. 

I also watched the first two episodes of The Shrink Next Door. Holy cow! I think I’ve underrated both Ferrell and Rudd. They are really good in this!


----------



## Huntn

ericwn said:


> Looking forward to another episode of Foundation tonight, then the new Invasion to doze off to.



What network is it on?


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> What network is it on?



AppleTV.


----------



## Huntn

Edd said:


> Anybody watching Dopesick on Hulu? I really didn’t know much about the OxyContin story but this is blowing my mind. Good show.



Heard a report on NPR about this. From what I know about it someone, some should be in jail... Btw Dopesick is a reference to drug/opiod withdrawal symptoms.


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> AppleTV.



I tried to read the novel recently knowing this was coming out and lost interest in it. That's not to say it was a bad book, it just did not click for me, and I know it's considered a Scifi Classic. If the reviews are super, I'll consider giving it a try.


----------



## ericwn

Alli said:


> Watched both a few hours ago. We seem to have gotten a number of questions answered on Invasion including what they look like…almost. Honestly, I think shooting horror scenes in the dark is chickenshit.
> 
> I also watched the first two episodes of The Shrink Next Door. Holy cow! I think I’ve underrated both Ferrell and Rudd. They are really good in this!




Yes I agree Invasion picked up the pace, thank god. We’ll have to see how it goes from here. 

The shrink looks interesting- maybe in the coming days I’ll give it a shot.


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> I tried to read the novel recently knowing this was coming out and lost interest in it. That's not to say it was a bad book, it just did not click for me, and I know it's considered a Scifi Classic. If the reviews are super, I'll consider giving it a try.



It’s a brilliant series of books. Because so much of it focuses on “psychohistory” it can be a little dry. But so fascinating!


----------



## ronntaylor

I am getting fuzzy-brained in my old age. Thought Dopesick was on Netflix. Not picking up Hulu again. So...

And just discovered my AppleTV+ ends today. Have to find the credentials for our free year via T-Mobile for our family account. So I will be without AppleTV+ viewing probably the rest of the weekend. Just gives me more time to read. I'm currently behind ~6 books for my GoodReads 2021 Reading Challenge. I can easily knock off half of that by Sunday night.


----------



## ericwn

ericwn said:


> Yes I agree Invasion picked up the pace, thank god. We’ll have to see how it goes from here.
> 
> The shrink looks interesting- maybe in the coming days I’ll give it a shot.




The Shrink has been very entertaining so far, thanks for the reminder @Alli!


----------



## SuperMatt

ericwn said:


> The Shrink has been very entertaining so far, thanks for the reminder @Alli!



I watched the first 3 episodes… Will Ferrell has really impressed me so far.


----------



## Alli

SuperMatt said:


> I watched the first 3 episodes… Will Ferrell has really impressed me so far.



The acting is incredible. So much so that I find myself very uncomfortable watching.


----------



## Huntn

*You* (Netflix 2018 ) Thriller, crime drama, at first felt kind of like Sex in City until the end of the first episode, besides the up front stalking, to get the lay of the land. Two episodes in and it’s holding my attention. 


​


ericwn said:


> The Shrink has been very entertaining so far, thanks for the reminder @Alli!






SuperMatt said:


> I watched the first 3 episodes… Will Ferrell has really impressed me so far.






Alli said:


> The acting is incredible. So much so that I find myself very uncomfortable watching.




What? Will Ferrell… Inconceivable!   <- just trying to be funny. Usually I can only take this brand of comedy in small doses. Is this drama?


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> What? Will Ferrell… Inconceivable!  <- just trying to be funny. Usually I can only take this brand of comedy in small doses. Is this drama?



Yes, it is drama. There may be some funny things, but it’s really not a comedy.


----------



## ericwn

Huntn said:


> *You* (Netflix 2018 ) Thriller, crime drama, at first felt kind of like Sex in City until the end of the first episode, besides the up front stalking, to get the lay of the land. Two episodes in and it’s holding my attention.
> 
> View attachment 9877​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What? Will Ferrell… Inconceivable!  QUOTE]
> 
> Just like with the Morning Show it seems that the appeal of the Apple TV+ shows to these comedians is that they can play a bit outside of their typical comfort zone.


----------



## Huntn

@ericwn I don’t see a comment on your previous post.


----------



## ericwn

Huntn said:


> @ericwn I don’t see a comment on your previous post.




Interesting and thanks for pointing that out!

Somehow it moved into the quote section on my Tapatalk. 

I wrote:

Just like with the Morning Show it seems that the appeal of the Apple TV+ shows to these comedians is that they can play a bit outside of their typical comfort zone.


----------



## Huntn

ericwn said:


> Interesting and thanks for pointing that out!
> 
> Somehow it moved into the quote section on my Tapatalk.
> 
> I wrote:
> 
> Just like with the Morning Show it seems that the appeal of the Apple TV+ shows to these comedians is that they can play a bit outside of their typical comfort zone.



Is the actor a comedian by trade?


----------



## ericwn

Huntn said:


> Is the actor a comedian by trade?



He's certainly well known for a bunch of comedies, but is also active as a producer and writer, amongst other things. 

See: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002071/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6


----------



## Alli

Watched the first three episodes of the Wheel of Time. Really enjoyed them. I’m glad I never read the series. I’m almost ready to start reading for pleasure again.


----------



## ericwn

Alli said:


> Watched the first three episodes of the Wheel of Time. Really enjoyed them. I’m glad I never read the series. I’m almost ready to start reading for pleasure again.




Just on episode 2 and mixed feelings so far. I’ve read most of the books by now and it’s that usual discrepancy from book to tv that annoys me here.


----------



## Alli

ericwn said:


> Just on episode 2 and mixed feelings so far. I’ve read most of the books by now and it’s that usual discrepancy from book to tv that annoys me here.



That’s why I won’t watch a show or movie based on a book I’ve read, and why I’m so glad I never read this series.


----------



## Hrafn

Alli said:


> That’s why I won’t watch a show or movie based on a book I’ve read, and why I’m so glad I never read this series.



I finished the series years ago, but had stalled for a while.  I think it’s long enough that detail changes won’t bother me.


----------



## Alli

Hrafn said:


> I finished the series years ago, but had stalled for a while.  I think it’s long enough that detail changes won’t bother me.



I discovered with Dune and Foundation that the proper time between book and movie for me is 35 years. Otherwise the details are too sharp.


----------



## ericwn

Hrafn said:


> I finished the series years ago, but had stalled for a while. I think it’s long enough that detail changes won’t bother me.




They certainly introduced the concept of diversity to a group of folks who are all from the same remote village, added Japanese warriors to the Jordan world and added love making, something Jordan was comfortable avoiding where possible.


----------



## Roller

Alli said:


> I discovered with Dune and Foundation that the proper time between book and movie for me is 35 years. Otherwise the details are too sharp.



Ha! It's not quite the same, but I thought there could've been a longer gap between Star Trek TOS and the first ST movie, which ripped off one of the series' own plots.

I've watched all the Foundation episodes except for the finale, and it has grown on me. I also watched Dune '21 on HBO Max today and liked it. (I didn't realize it was available there until today, which was the last day.)


----------



## Thomas Veil

Combine one chop socky movie with a Phillip Marlowe noir film. Add some _Jetsons_-like touches and a liberal amount of second season _Lost_ _in_ _Space_ (1966) absurdity. Mix in blender until script coherency dissolves.

I apologize in advance to all of you who like this, but that’s what I got out of _*Cowboy*_ _*Bebop *_(Netflix)_*. *_Somewhere in there is a wry sci-if comedy-adventure struggling to get out, but nothing came together for me.


----------



## User.45

Roller said:


> I've watched all the Foundation episodes except for the finale, and it has grown on me. I also watched Dune '21 on HBO Max today and liked it. (I didn't realize it was available there until today, which was the last day.)



Episode 9 was fantastic and should have been the season finale. The actual finale was underwhelming at best. I don't even understand these the makers' decisions because they did make material that could have been really good. It's like someone steals the ball in a basketball game where their team is 1 point down, goes up in the air for a dunk, does a 360 windmill and misses.


----------



## Huntn

*Beatles/Get Back* (Disney+)- Documentary, if you were alive during the Beatles you may find these recording sessions to be fascinating.



			https://www.disneyplus.com/series/the-beatles-get-back/7DcWEeWVqrkE


----------



## Edd

The first season of The Morning Show was ok, but was hoping for better. I’ve watched most of season 2 and I give up. It’s an unequivocal disaster.


----------



## ericwn

P_X said:


> Episode 9 was fantastic and should have been the season finale. The actual finale was underwhelming at best. I don't even understand these the makers' decisions because they did make material that could have been really good. It's like someone steals the ball in a basketball game where their team is 1 point down, goes up in the air for a dunk, does a 360 windmill and misses.




I actually enjoyed all episodes so far. Compared to Invasion this one is a masterpiece. I agree that the last one wasn’t as much of a firecracker as the one before. 
In my opinion the middle aged actor for the emperor is brilliant.


----------



## User.45

ericwn said:


> In my opinion the middle aged actor for the emperor is brilliant.



agree.


----------



## Thomas Veil

*“How the Grinch Stole Christmas”* (NBC), although it hurts to see how heavily edited it is.

I mean, the edits are done fairly well. They shaved off two seconds here, five seconds there… If you didn’t know every moment of it by heart you’d probably not notice them.

On the other hand, the restored cartoon cels are gorgeous. Kudos to whoever did that job.


----------



## Eric

ericwn said:


> Yes I agree Invasion picked up the pace, thank god. We’ll have to see how it goes from here.
> 
> The shrink looks interesting- maybe in the coming days I’ll give it a shot.



Loved Foundation all the way through but can't say the same for Invasion:


Spoiler: More



Just way too melodramatic for my taste, they spend far too much time on these stories and not nearly enough on the actual invasion. Even as of the last episode we're still left guessing basic questions about the aliens and why are there literally no people/bodies in all of these population centers?

Instead, they're focused on infidelity from a failed marriage, the soldier who can't reconnect with his lover that he never wanted to be with and the Japanese woman who is never quite able to get the message out to her lover and the aliens. Feels like a lot of time was wasted getting to where we are, just not sure if it's even worth watching whatever episodes are left.


----------



## ericwn

Eric said:


> Loved Foundation all the way through but can't say the same for Invasion:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: More
> 
> 
> 
> Just way too melodramatic for my taste, they spend far too much time on these stories and not nearly enough on the actual invasion. Even as of the last episode we're still left guessing basic questions about the aliens and why are there literally no people/bodies in all of these population centers?
> 
> Instead, they're focused on infidelity from a failed marriage, the soldier who can't reconnect with his lover that he never wanted to be with and the Japanese woman who is never quite able to get the message out to her lover and the aliens. Feels like a lot of time was wasted getting to where we are, just not sure if it's even worth watching whatever episodes are left.




I have to agree with your assessment, overall it’s a waste of time so far.


----------



## MEJHarrison

ericwn said:


> I have to agree with your assessment, overall it’s a waste of time *so far.*




It's the "so far" that keeps my coming back.  I don't expect it to suddenly become a good show.  I just have hope that it might.  That said, I absolutely expect to be disappointed.


----------



## ericwn

MEJHarrison said:


> It's the "so far" that keeps my coming back. I don't expect it to suddenly become a good show. I just have hope that it might. That said, I absolutely expect to be disappointed.




I feel similar and the same thoughts apply to For All Mankind, to a degree. 

I have given up on See on the other hand.


----------



## Cmaier

MEJHarrison said:


> It's the "so far" that keeps my coming back.  I don't expect it to suddenly become a good show.  I just have hope that it might.  That said, I absolutely expect to be disappointed.



It’s pretty clear at this point that it’s not going to get any better. Just a whole lot of nothing - they managed to make a show about alien invasions boring. And what character are we supposed to be rooting for? They are all terribly unlikeable.  It’s like someone said “let’s make Independence Day into a show, but we’ll just focus on a handful of boring random people while Will Smith is out doing the cool shit.”


----------



## MEJHarrison

Cmaier said:


> And what character are we supposed to be rooting for?




That's the problem I had with Battlestar Galactica.  I honestly didn't like any of the characters and hoped each episode they'd all be killed.  I was rooting for a completely new cast.

Like I said before, I'm too stubborn to quit at this point.  So I'll catch the rest of the season.  But I don't expect to enjoy it.


----------



## ericwn

MEJHarrison said:


> That's the problem I had with Battlestar Galactica. I honestly didn't like any of the characters and hoped each episode they'd all be killed. I was rooting for a completely new cast.
> 
> Like I said before, I'm too stubborn to quit at this point. So I'll catch the rest of the season. But I don't expect to enjoy it.




I tried to rewatch the BSG remake, but couldn’t stand the show anymore.


----------



## User.45

MEJHarrison said:


> That's the problem I had with Battlestar Galactica.  I honestly didn't like any of the characters and hoped each episode they'd all be killed.  I was rooting for a completely new cast.



LOL, 100%... I gave up at the season they brought up religion. It was pretentious, protracted, and there were zero characters to like. 


MEJHarrison said:


> Like I said before, I'm too stubborn to quit at this point.  So I'll catch the rest of the season.  But I don't expect to enjoy it.



I now think the creators aimed to make the Invasion Gray's Anatomy with aliens. From that perspective it's pretty hilarious.


----------



## Thomas Veil

P_X said:


> LOL, 100%... I gave up at the season they brought up religion.



That was the deal killer for me. I did like the rest of what I saw and thought they did a good job trying to make a serious story of the original. I had similar hopes for _Lost in Space _but, oh well.


----------



## Alli

Eric said:


> Loved Foundation all the way through but can't say the same for Invasion:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: More
> 
> 
> 
> Just way too melodramatic for my taste, they spend far too much time on these stories and not nearly enough on the actual invasion. Even as of the last episode we're still left guessing basic questions about the aliens and why are there literally no people/bodies in all of these population centers?
> 
> Instead, they're focused on infidelity from a failed marriage, the soldier who can't reconnect with his lover that he never wanted to be with and the Japanese woman who is never quite able to get the message out to her lover and the aliens. Feels like a lot of time was wasted getting to where we are, just not sure if it's even worth watching whatever episodes are left.



I’m in the minority here, I see. But I am thoroughly enjoying Invasion. Perhaps due to the characters. It’s very well done. I don’t need fight scenes with special effects every episode, and I’d rather only see aliens at a distance than be disappointed in the (lack of) imagination when it comes to bringing them to life. 

Has anyone else noticed that all modern alien monsters have multiple nesting sets of teeth?


----------



## Thomas Veil

Commercial break. 

I’m getting really tired of that Wonder Woman/Serena spot for DirecTV. Serena Williams can’t act to save her life. She’s so expressionless in every shot. 

On the other hand, the new Geico commercial is one of their funniest ever.


----------



## User.45

Alli said:


> I don’t need fight scenes with special effects every episode, and I’d rather only see aliens at a distance than be disappointed in the (lack of) imagination when it comes to bringing them to life.
> 
> Has anyone else noticed that all modern alien monsters have multiple nesting sets of teeth?



The creators definitely did not interpret my Gray's anatomy reference in the Roswellian sense....


----------



## Cmaier

P_X said:


> Just into episode #1 of Foundation but am already very unsure what I'm watching. I've seen more emotion in the first 10 minutes than in an entire Asimov book. I've read these books 15 years ago, but other than the names of places and characters, I recognize nothing of the story from the books.




Speaking of Foundation, my daughter is reading it for school, and she just now had to fill out a form with some publication info. Since she’s reading the kindle version, I grabbed my old paperback, and found this.  While I knew that I met the man and had a short conversation of him when I was a teenager, I had no idea that I had this.  Miracle that I still have it after going to college, moving multiple times, including across the country, since then.


----------



## Hrafn

We finished all the available episodes of “The Wheel Of Time”, and started the first two episodes of “Midnight Mass”


----------



## Alli

Cmaier said:


> Speaking of Foundation, my daughter is reading it for school, and she just now had to fill out a form with some publication info. Since she’s reading the kindle version, I grabbed my old paperback, and found this. While I knew that I met the man and had a short conversation of him when I was a teenager, I had no idea that I had this. Miracle that I still have it after going to college, moving multiple times, including across the country, since then.



I have two Asimov autographs. Treasured.


----------



## User.45

Cmaier said:


> Speaking of Foundation, my daughter is reading it for school, and she just now had to fill out a form with some publication info. Since she’s reading the kindle version, I grabbed my old paperback, and found this.  While I knew that I met the man and had a short conversation of him when I was a teenager, I had no idea that I had this.  Miracle that I still have it after going to college, moving multiple times, including across the country, since then.



Read the series 20 years from that autograph, LOL.


----------



## Cmaier

P_X said:


> Read the series 20 years from that autograph, LOL.




I read it about once a decade or so. I started it about a week ago to help my kid - she wanted to talk about stuff, and I couldn’t remember what events happened in what book. When I’m done I am wondering if I should give that final trilogy written by other folks another try. I seem to remember I took a crack at it a long time ago and hated it.


----------



## User.45

Cmaier said:


> I read it about once a decade or so. I started it about a week ago to help my kid - she wanted to talk about stuff, and I couldn’t remember what events happened in what book. When I’m done I am wondering if I should give that final trilogy written by other folks another try. I seem to remember I took a crack at it a long time ago and hated it.



If you ask me, I preferred the Robots Universe. Those books are set in in the timeline preceding the Empire by millennia. Now, I think all of these stories are largely obsolete, yet more relevant than ever. The reason I've been irritated with almost all TV/Movie adaptations of these books is that Asimov was extremely consistent on one thing: it isn't robots/AI we need to be afraid of, but human nature itself. (I Robot managed to convey the exact opposite message Asimov's books had)

So what's the present relevance? Asimov was off on the tech but spot on with human nature. We do have tech that is analogous to Psychohistory. It's Facebook, and it does the exact opposite: fucks the world up to help sell shit we don't need. So I think this is a very relevant read for today's teenager because we've already failed them with social media.


----------



## SuperMatt

P_X said:


> If you ask me, I preferred the Robots Universe. Those books are set in in the timeline preceding the Empire by millennia. Now, I think all of these stories are largely obsolete, yet more relevant than ever. The reason I've been irritated with almost all TV/Movie adaptations of these books is that Asimov was extremely consistent on one thing: it isn't robots/AI we need to be afraid of, but human nature itself. (I Robot managed to convey the exact opposite message Asimov's books had)
> 
> So what's the present relevance? Asimov was off on the tech but spot on with human nature. We do have tech that is analogous to Psychohistory. It's Facebook, and it does the exact opposite: fucks the world up to help sell shit we don't need. So I think this is a very relevant read for today's teenager because we've already failed them with social media.



I am a big fan of the Robot trilogy (and the later 4th book Robots and Empire). Talking about it makes me want to re-read it.


----------



## Hrafn

Back to Midnight Mass currently.  Season 1 Episode 3.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Hrafn said:


> Back to Midnight Mass currently.



Stay with it. It starts slow, but boy, once it gets going…


----------



## Edd

Surprised to be digging Hawkeye. This 3rd episode was great. Hailee Steinfeld is a fuckin awesome actor. Ending it with Gingerbread Man by Sammy Davis Jr during the credits was a nice touch.


----------



## lizkat

LOL...   HBO Max sent me an email  awhile back inquiring if I "forgot" to check in to Season 3 of _*Succession.*_

Answer:  no, I just haven't got around to it.   Also possibly thinking that two seasons of watching an imagination of how the Murdochs might manage their work and personal lives may have been waaaay more than enough.    The needle has moved ominously far towards "I could not care less".   

Fortunately for the bean-counters, there's a lot of other stuff I do like on the HBO Max platform.


----------



## Alli

I have spent the day binging the final season (3) of Lost in Space. Just started the last episode. 

I love robots.


----------



## shadow puppet

Wheel of Time's episode 4 is definitely the best so far.  I did read the books eons ago and yes, the series has made changes.  So far, I'm accepting it as a separate entity.  I hope the last four episodes are on par with episode 4.  Rosamund Pike is doing an excellent job so far portraying Moiraine.


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> Wheel of Time's episode 4 is definitely the best so far.  I did read the books eons ago and yes, the series has made changes.  So far, I'm accepting it as a separate entity.  I hope the last four episodes are on par with episode 4.  Rosamund Pike is doing an excellent job so far portraying Moiraine.



Thankfully, I never read it, so I can enjoy it as is. It’s great fun.


----------



## shadow puppet

For those watching Wheel of Time (WOT), beginning next season, you will see a new Mat as the character has been re-cast.  So far, no one seems to know the reason for the change.


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> For those watching Wheel of Time (WOT), beginning next season, you will see a new Mat as the character has been re-cast.  So far, no one seems to know the reason for the change.



Odd. But it does let us know he doesn’t die from going mad after touching the One Source.


----------



## shadow puppet

Alli said:


> Odd. But it does let us know he doesn’t die from going mad after touching the One Source.



Eek.  Mea culpa.  I wasn't thinking and now realize I posted a spoiler.
My post op pain meds are messing with my chi.
Sorry.


----------



## Roller

Alli said:


> I have spent the day binging the final season (3) of Lost in Space. Just started the last episode.
> 
> I love robots.



Yeah, just got an email notice that S3 is up. I had low expectations for this series when it began a few years ago, but I've enjoyed it. Parker Posey is delightfully unlikeable as Dr. Smith.


----------



## ericwn

shadow puppet said:


> For those watching Wheel of Time (WOT), beginning next season, you will see a new Mat as the character has been re-cast. So far, no one seems to know the reason for the change.




And I wished they’d find a replacement for Rand that doesn’t resemble the most annoying aspects of young Annakin Skywalker from Episode 2


----------



## shadow puppet

ericwn said:


> And I wished they’d find a replacement for Rand that doesn’t resemble the most annoying aspects of young Annakin Skywalker from Episode 2



The actor portraying Rand (so far) doesn't really bother me.  Maybe because he looks like what I imagined while reading the books.

Zoë Robins, the New Zealand actress playing Nynaeve al'Meara, is killing it.


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> Eek.  Mea culpa.  I wasn't thinking and now realize I posted a spoiler.
> My post op pain meds are messing with my chi.
> Sorry.



Doesn’t bother me. I usually read what’s behind the spoiler tags. LOL


Roller said:


> Yeah, just got an email notice that S3 is up. I had low expectations for this series when it began a few years ago, but I've enjoyed it. Parker Posey is delightfully unlikeable as Dr. Smith.



She was amazing.


----------



## ericwn

shadow puppet said:


> The actor portraying Rand (so far) doesn't really bother me. Maybe because he looks like what I imagined while reading the books.
> 
> Zoë Robins, the New Zealand actress playing Nynaeve al'Meara, is killing it.




I’m pretty sure Jordan didn’t portrait the Aiel as a group of gingers. And I imagined Ogiers to be more impressive and taller somehow. 

The fourth episode again has a weird focus and didn’t resemble much of what happened in the books. Moraine and her warder aren’t supposed to be emotional…


----------



## shadow puppet

ericwn said:


> I’m pretty sure Jordan didn’t portrait the Aiel as a group of gingers. And I imagined Ogiers to be more impressive and taller somehow.
> 
> The fourth episode again has a weird focus and didn’t resemble much of what happened in the books. Moraine and her warder aren’t supposed to be emotional…



It’s been decades since I read the books.  This is why it’s probably easier for me to watch the show as a separate entity.


----------



## Alli

ericwn said:


> The fourth episode again has a weird focus and didn’t resemble much of what happened in the books. Moraine and her warder aren’t supposed to be emotional…



Meanwhile, I love the relationship amongst the warders.


----------



## ericwn

Alli said:


> Meanwhile, I love the relationship amongst the warders.




I don’t think that had to be invented, there’s 15 large books to use as source material rather than make up this stuff. It’s Hobbiting the series, Peter Jackson would be proud.


----------



## Roller

Huntn said:


> *Beatles/Get Back* (Disney+)- Documentary, if you were alive during the Beatles you may find these recording sessions to be fascinating.
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.disneyplus.com/series/the-beatles-get-back/7DcWEeWVqrkE



My wife and I finished watching last night. At nearly eight hours in length, it was far too much to view in one session — we did it in pieces over a week. I've read complaints that it's boring at times and is missing the attributes of a typical documentary, in which a narrator explains the goings-on. But I think the point here is to make the viewer feel as if they were present in real time, though there are occasional on-screen annotations to identify people and events.

I appreciated the series because it showed the Beatles mostly enjoying being with each other, with the almost certain knowledge that _Get Back_ would probably be their last collaboration. Seeing them sometimes struggle to craft lyrics was especially fascinating, particularly since we've known the words for many decades. (How could they not come up with "Tuscon, Arizona" in the eponymous track right off the bat?) I'm sure some songs are written in a single, quick sitting, but here we see that many of the Beatles' numbers started as a brief melody or verse and then evolved over time.

Many of the non-musical segments are delightful. They include Linda Eastman's 6-year-old daughter, Heather, visiting the recording studio, twirling on the floor and interacting playfully with Paul, who later adopted her. (She was born in Tuscon, but I don't know if that inspired the lyric.) The final sequence in episode three, which covers the Beatles' rooftop concert, was the most entertaining part for me, especially when the police showed up to try to shut the production down. That they did, but in a low-key, respectful way.

Incidentally, the video and audio quality are top-notch. I gather that advanced digital techniques were used to process the film. The results are remarkable.


----------



## Alli

So I spent yesterday and today binging Cowboy Beebop. Not at all what I expected. But I enjoyed it right up to the end.

Mostly I enjoyed the soundtrack. It was excellent!


----------



## SuperMatt

Alli said:


> So I spent yesterday and today binging Cowboy Beebop. Not at all what I expected. But I enjoyed it right up to the end.
> 
> Mostly I enjoyed the soundtrack. It was excellent!



I watched the first couple episodes but then got drawn into Handmaids’ tale… There was a weird scene in Cowboy Bebop that made me want to watch something else for a while.



Spoiler: The scene was



People processing drugs, for some reason are completely naked with their eyes stapled shut? I didn’t want to watch gross-out horror, I wanted to watch Cowboy Bebop. Totally unnecessary and derogatory to a show I had been enjoying up to that point.


----------



## ericwn

Watched some more Lost in Space but not terribly in love with it so far.


----------



## Herdfan

Starting to run up on this recent trend of "Fall Finale's".  Not sure I like it, but it will give us some time to catch up on some things sitting on the DVR as well as try a couple of new shows.


----------



## Huntn

ericwn said:


> Watched some more Lost in Space but not terribly in love with it so far.



So the third season just dropped I think. That is on our list. The wife and I have enjoyed the first 2 seasons.  They did a good job with the female Dr. Smith.


----------



## Huntn

shadow puppet said:


> For those watching Wheel of Time (WOT), beginning next season, you will see a new Mat as the character has been re-cast.  So far, no one seems to know the reason for the change.



*Wheel of Time *is on my to-view list. Right now the majority of our tv time is wrapped up in binging on *GoTs*, watched the Red Wedding last night with the Purple Wedding just around the corner.


----------



## ericwn

Huntn said:


> *Wheel of Time *is on my to-view list. Right now the majority of our tv time is wrapped up in binging on *GoTs*, watched the Red Wedding last night with the Purple Wedding just around the corner.




GOT is leagues better than this, from the overall class of the actors to adherence to the books (as long as possible…) to the music, the effects, just everything.


----------



## ericwn

Personally I’m rewatching Babylon 5 and enjoying the show so much. Shire, it’s aged a bit and I’m looking forward to the reboot, but it leaves so many science fiction shows in the dust.


----------



## Alli

SuperMatt said:


> I watched the first couple episodes but then got drawn into Handmaids’ tale… There was a weird scene in Cowboy Bebop that made me want to watch something else for a while.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: The scene was
> 
> 
> 
> People processing drugs, for some reason are completely naked with their eyes stapled shut? I didn’t want to watch gross-out horror, I wanted to watch Cowboy Bebop. Totally unnecessary and derogatory to a show I had been enjoying up to that point.



Unfortunately, it was the same scene from countless movies and is drawn straight from real life (except maybe the eyes part). I think that was done for shock effect.


Huntn said:


> So the third season just dropped I think. That is on our list. The wife and I have enjoyed the first 2 seasons.  They did a goid job with the female Dr. Smith.



Mostly I was happy with the way they ended the series.


----------



## MEJHarrison

ericwn said:


> Personally I’m rewatching Babylon 5 and enjoying the show so much.




That is one of my all-time favorites.  It may be my all-time favorite show.  I'm very much looking forward to the reboot.  I have no clue what to expect, but it has JMS behind it just like the original, so I suspect I'll end up enjoying it too.  It can't come soon enough!


----------



## Edd

This week’s Succession was one of the best of the series. Could be my new favorite.


----------



## Deleted member 215

Re-watching _Lost_. I began the re-watch a couple months ago, but I wanted blu-rays for the extra content and they were proving hard to find for a reasonable price. Finally got the last three seasons from eBay and now I'm watching Season 4 (which is probably my second-favorite season).


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> [...] binging on *GoTs*, watched the Red Wedding last night with the Purple Wedding just around the corner.




Say what you will about the last season, some of the plot resolutions (or lack of ...), but there are some fantastic moments in GOT, and those are definitely two (well, the Red Wedding is fantastically horrific).




Edd said:


> This week’s Succession was one of the best of the series. Could be my new favorite.




Probably the best show on "TV" right now.


----------



## DT

If you have D+, check out, *The World According to Jeff Goldblum*, it's so much fun, he's a national treasure   Simple concept, Jeff Goldblum deeps dives into something for ~30 minutes, in a way only he can, it's lightweight topics, products, foods, here's the description (which is pretty on point) from Google:

_Through the prism of Jeff Goldblum's always inquisitive and highly entertaining mind, nothing is as it seems. In "The World According to Jeff Goldblum," each episode is centered around something people all love -- like sneakers or ice cream -- as Jeff pulls the thread on these deceptively familiar objects and unravels a wonderful world of astonishing connections that are both surprising and exciting. Through fascinating science and history, amazing people, and a whole lot of big ideas and insights, Jeff Goldblum provides an interesting take on the world._


----------



## Alli

TBL said:


> Re-watching _Lost_. I began the re-watch a couple months ago, but I wanted blu-rays for the extra content and they were proving hard to find for a reasonable price. Finally got the last three seasons from eBay and now I'm watching Season 4 (which is probably my second-favorite season).



My son’s favorite show ever. He has the DVDs and watches it all the time.


----------



## ericwn

Alli said:


> My son’s favorite show ever. He has the DVDs and watches it all the time.




I really liked the show but the ending frustrated me a lot. Not sure I could re-watch the show after that.


----------



## Alli

ericwn said:


> I really liked the show but the ending frustrated me a lot. Not sure I could re-watch the show after that.



I was actually happy with the ending. They had nowhere else to go.


----------



## hulugu

ericwn said:


> I really liked the show but the ending frustrated me a lot. Not sure I could re-watch the show after that.




Loved "Lost" and absolutely hated the ending. "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica" have endings that are so bad they almost ruin the entire show. 

BSG's ending is arguably worse, even if it's clear that they were telegraphing this end fairly early. Lost's ending just felt lazy.


----------



## hulugu

Now, I will also say that "Lost in Space" is a hidden gem of a show. It's done a great job of mining the old series, from getting Robot to say "danger Will Robinson" to having an evil(ish) Dr. Smith played by Parker Posey. 

The special effects are cool; the score is beautiful and adventurous; and its characters solve problems by figuring things out, using science and ingenuity. The actors are largely good, even the kid actors, and there's enough punchy dialogue to keep things rolling along. 

This is its last season on Netflix, which bums me out because it's such a fun show.


----------



## DT

hulugu said:


> Loved "Lost" and absolutely hated the ending. "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica" have endings that are so bad they almost ruin the entire show.
> 
> BSG's ending is arguably worse, even if it's clear that they were telegraphing this end fairly early. Lost's ending just felt lazy.




Lost was always a little bit of a mess, so while I didn't like the ending, I was kind of like, "OK, sure, why not ..."  Lost was such a major milestone in TV series history too, it combined a water cooler big event series, and made online sleuthing mainstream - and it was one of the first series where I recall thinking, "Really, they like this?"  Like it felt sci-fi nerdy at times, but also managed to pull in all the night-time drama fans, really cross cultural.

BSG definitely irks me more, it was brilliant, until it wasn't at all ...

Endings are tough, so few series have really stuck the landing, talking shows that were for most of their run, as good as it gets.  In recent memory, talking hour long dramatic shows, that'd be Breaking Bad, The Americans, and if I'm going to give a 1/2 hour comedy the best ending award, that would be Futurama, what a spectacular, pitch perfect ending to the series (yeah, I know, a "cartoon" )

Classic comedy best ending, no contest: Newhart.


----------



## MEJHarrison

Lost is the soft-core porn of TV.  It gets you all worked up and excited.  Then it just abruptly ends.

With that said, it was a fantastic ride.  I didn't even mind the ending so much.  It wasn't satisfying, but it could have been worse.  What bothered me more than the ending were the unsolved mysteries.  I kept hearing on commercials that the next episode would answer all my questions.  I'm still waiting.  And I have LOTS of questions.

That show was the biggest tease I can think of.  It didn't end up going anywhere, but the flirting was fun for a while.


----------



## Deleted member 215

I didn't care much for the last season of _Lost_, but ultimately I felt that the show did explain more than most people give it credit for. Some questions were left unanswered, but most of it was explained, even if the answers weren't always satisfying. I think the ending confused a lot of people (hence why I still hear people say things like "so they were dead the whole time" despite that not being true) and it focused on something that didn't end up being all that important but I didn't hate it.


----------



## hulugu

DT said:


> Lost was always a little bit of a mess, so while I didn't like the ending, I was kind of like, "OK, sure, why not ..."  Lost was such a major milestone in TV series history too, it combined a water cooler big event series, and made online sleuthing mainstream - and it was one of the first series where I recall thinking, "Really, they like this?"  Like it felt sci-fi nerdy at times, but also managed to pull in all the night-time drama fans, really cross cultural.
> 
> BSG definitely irks me more, it was brilliant, until it wasn't at all ...
> 
> Endings are tough, so few series have really stuck the landing, talking shows that were for most of their run, as good as it gets.  In recent memory, talking hour long dramatic shows, that'd be Breaking Bad, The Americans, and if I'm going to give a 1/2 hour comedy the best ending award, that would be Futurama, what a spectacular, pitch perfect ending to the series (yeah, I know, a "cartoon" )
> 
> Classic comedy best ending, no contest: Newhart.




Yeah, watching "Lost" with people was great fun. And, I think what frustrated a lot of the fans was that the fan-theories were so brilliant and the end was so meh. 

Breaking Bad ends really well, as does the Americans.


----------



## Edd

hulugu said:


> Breaking Bad ends really well, as does the Americans.



The Americans remains underrated to this day. Justified, too.


----------



## MEJHarrison

Edd said:


> The Americans remains underrated to this day. Justified, too.




I love Justified.  I don't consider it great TV, but I do consider it to be really good TV.  I tried to watch The Americans when it first came out.  Couldn't get into it.  It might deserve another try some day.


----------



## Herdfan

MEJHarrison said:


> I love Justified.




Have you tried Longmire?


----------



## hulugu

Edd said:


> The Americans remains underrated to this day. Justified, too.




"Justified" was really great. I think the arch with Mags Bennett is the best season, but I do love Boyd Crowder.


----------



## hulugu

MEJHarrison said:


> I love Justified.  I don't consider it great TV, but I do consider it to be really good TV.  I tried to watch The Americans when it first came out.  Couldn't get into it.  It might deserve another try some day.




"The Americans" is a little slow-going for a first few episodes, but the tension really ramps up by the mid-season and episode 11.


----------



## MEJHarrison

Herdfan said:


> Have you tried Longmire?




I have not, but from context I gather I should probably look into it.


----------



## hulugu

MEJHarrison said:


> I have no, but from context I gather I should probably look into it.




"Longmire" definitely has a similar feel to "Justified" from its central character, Sheriff Longmire. I don't think it's as well-written as Justified, but it's pretty good. I was watching it with "Yellowstone" and kept getting confused because some of the plot arches are similar. 

BSG fans will be happy to see Katee Sackhoff as one of the titular sheriff's deputies.


----------



## DT

Justified is pretty terrific.  It's based on the novels of Elmore Leonard (specifically Fire in the Hole), who is the author that also inspired Tarantino quite a bit, and in fact, Jackie Brown is based on Leonard's novel Rum Punch.  You can kind of hear the shared DNA in the dialog between QT movies and Justified (Boyd Crowder would be right at home in any QT film )

I posted about this several months back, but the Justified showrunner wants to make a series based on Leonard's novel City Primeval, and kind of re-imagine it with Raylan Givens as the protagonist (who's not in the original book), and of course, Timothy Olyphant would reprise his role.


----------



## Thomas Veil

So this afternoon I'm looking for something to watch, and as I'm going by what appeared to be a soap opera on NBC, I see a woman wave her arms and turn a second person into somebody else.

And I had the same question which you would probably have in such an instance: *WFT??*

I had the closed captions on so as not to disturb my wife, and they referred to the first character as "Demonic Marlena".

Oh! 

Best I can figure out from watching a bit more is that this woman is possessed by the devil and, weirdly enough, everybody in the cast seems to know about it and talks about her like she's Gladys from next door. 

The show, it turned out, was _Days of Our Lives_. And what I want to know is, when did it turn into _Dark Shadows_?


----------



## Herdfan

Rewatched the Christmas episode of Tes Lasso last night.

It is certianly one of the best.


----------



## Scepticalscribe

Been binging on The Crown.


----------



## User.45

Discovered Station Eleven on HBOmax. Three episodes in, we still don't know if it's bad or genius, but following a group of Shakespearean actors in the post flu-caliptic world thus far had blended existentialism and humor pretty well. It dropped some gems about actual arts, astronauts, King Lear and pandemics. It's based on an Arthur C Clarke award winning sci-fi, from a woman author (which adds a unique perspective to the story). 









						Station Eleven (TV Mini Series 2021–2022) - IMDb
					

Station Eleven: Created by Patrick Somerville. With Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Matilda Lawler, David Wilmot. A post apocalyptic saga spanning multiple timelines, telling the stories of survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to rebuild and reimagine the world anew while holding on to...




					www.imdb.com


----------



## Scepticalscribe

Scepticalscribe said:


> Been binging on The Crown.



@lizkat, @shadow puppet:

By way of a treat to himself, Decent Brother took out a (brief) subscription to Netflix, - given that he is also spending the Yuletide break toute seule - and - having spent Christmas Night watching (binge watching) The Crown, - which he wrote to me about yesterday - he watched three episodes  - something we had done together with my own DVDs of Season One & Two, all of two years ago, - when we watched several episodes back to back, armed with wine - which was also the last time (on account of Covid) that he spent Christmas with me, - he suggested, yesterday, that I avail myself of the treats in store, for he arranged for me to "piggyback" on his subscription.

So, yesterday and today (this is serious binge watching), I have been watching Season Three.  

This is seriously brilliant stuff.

@yaxomoxay had wondered - in an exchange we both had on MR, when discussing The Crown and Harold Wilson - my (further) thoughts on Harold Wilson and Season Three.

Will return to this; however, the Aberfan episode (especially) was - awesome.  Just incredibly powerful.


----------



## shadow puppet

The Crown is truly a most excellent series.  The cast, sets, wardrobe, you name it - are all brilliant.  So glad you are enjoying it.  Savor it!


----------



## Huntn

Just finished the final season 3 of *Lost in Space* (Netflix). Somewhere, I felt like the story lost its edge and my devotion, a little too quick, convenient, and contrived.


----------



## shadow puppet

Huntn said:


> Just finished the final season 3 of *Lost in Space* (Netflix). Somewhere, I felt like the story lost its edge and my devotion, a little too quick, convenient, and contrived.



I still enjoyed it for what it was:  pure escapism.  But I felt the season was about 2 episodes too short.  The latest trend of only 8 episodes for a series season makes me bonkers.  I like time to climb inside a season and live there for awhile.


----------



## Eric

Huntn said:


> Just finished the final season 3 of *Lost in Space* (Netflix). Somewhere, I felt like the story lost its edge and my devotion, a little too quick, convenient, and contrived.



I liked that they dialed Dr Smith back a bit, you have to wonder if they listened to online feedback because she literally made the show unwatchable in the first two seasons, to the point my wife and I had an arrangement that I would keep watching as long as we could fast forward through her scenes.


----------



## Huntn

Eric said:


> I liked that they dialed Dr Smith back a bit, you have to wonder if they listened to online feedback because she literally made the show unwatchable in the first two seasons, to the point my wife and I had an arrangement that I would keep watching as long as we could fast forward through her scenes.



I actually like that aspect a lot was Dr. smith finding her humanity. I also knew that for ever dastardly deed, she would find payback.  

I really dislike how practically every technical obstacle was fixed as no big deal, in some cases what appeared as tremendous damage, no worries Judy or Will will fix it. No I’m not jealous.


----------



## Scepticalscribe

Still binging on The Crown.


----------



## Thomas Veil

shadow puppet said:


> I still enjoyed it for what it was:  pure escapism.  But I felt the season was about 2 episodes too short.  The latest trend of only 8 episodes for a series season makes me bonkers.  I like time to climb inside a season and live there for awhile.



Yeah, very different from the original series, when a season ran for anywhere from 24-30 episodes.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Doc on Super Dave on HBO Max

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1476217843863674885/

The man never got his full due.


----------



## Huntn

​
*Hanna*  (2019-21 Prime Video)- Just finished season 3 of this excellent story, but not perfect. The last season was a little disjointed and all along I’ve said if Hanna has a flaw in fight scenes, it did not always look like she was projecting the physical force required to accomplish the results. However, she did not miss with a gun which was ok with me.


----------



## User.45

Scepticalscribe said:


> Still binging on The Crown.



You got the Corona virus. Ba-dumts

(i'll walk myself out).


----------



## Huntn

ericwn said:


> GOT is leagues better than this, from the overall class of the actors to adherence to the books (as long as possible…) to the music, the effects, just everything.



Ref: *Wheel of Time*, caught episodes 1&2 and I agree not in the same league, but I’ll,continue a bit longer. For anyone not familiar:

_The Wheel of Time follows Moiraine, a member of the Aes Sedai, a powerful organization of women who can channel the One Power. With her Warder, Lan, she seeks a group of five young villagers from the secluded Two Rivers, believing one of them is the reincarnation of the Dragon, an extremely powerful channeller who broke the world. The Dragon Reborn is prophesied to either save the world from a primordial evil known as the Dark One, or break it once more








						The Wheel of Time (TV series) - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				



_


----------



## lizkat

I'm rewatching the PBS Masterpiece series _*Wolf Hall*_, based on the first two novels in Hilary Mantel's trilogy about Cromwell. Mark Rylance is brilliant in that thing. He's in almost every scene and often says practically nothing but tells all (to the viewer, not necessarily to the other characters) with his eyes and shape of his mouth, tilt of head or motion of a hand or an arm.


----------



## shadow puppet

Last night I finished _For All Mankind_ S2.  Now looking forward to S3 but it probably won't be released until May/June.  They completed filming in September of 2021 but this show requires a lot of post.


----------



## Huntn

shadow puppet said:


> Last night I finished _For All Mankind_ S2.  Now looking forward to S3 but it probably won't be released until May/June.  They completed filming in September of 2021 but this show requires a lot of post.



I was uncomfortable with the premise until I became vested in the characters, and adapted to the alternate reality, now I’m looking forward to season 3 too!


----------



## Edd

The Book of Boba Fett. Anyone else think the casting choice is odd for our main character?


----------



## Herdfan

Edd said:


> The Book of Boba Fett. Anyone else think the casting choice is odd for our main character?




He has been Boba Fett going way back maybe 20 years.  Most of those were voice parts in the animated series or video games, but he was Boba Fett in The Madolorian.  And he kind of looks like the adult version of the kid in Attack of the Clones picking up his dad's helmet.

At least they showed how he survived the Sarlacc pit.


----------



## Renzatic

Herdfan said:


> And he kind of looks like the adult version of the kid in Attack of the Clones picking up his dad's helmet.




Fitting, considering he was a clone of his dad, which he played the part of.


----------



## Edd

Herdfan said:


> He has been Boba Fett going way back maybe 20 years.  Most of those were voice parts in the animated series or video games, but he was Boba Fett in The Madolorian.  And he kind of looks like the adult version of the kid in Attack of the Clones picking up his dad's helmet.
> 
> At least they showed how he survived the Sarlacc pit.



Yeah, I was aware, but I think I would have chosen differently. I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan however, so I tend to judge the franchise harshly.


----------



## Alli

I have nothing against the actor playing Boba Fett. But seriously, when will Ming-Na Wen get to star in her own show where she can be the chief badass?!


----------



## Pumbaa

Edd said:


> Yeah, I was aware, but I think I would have chosen differently. I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan however, so I tend to judge the franchise harshly.



Who would you have picked?


----------



## Herdfan

Pumbaa said:


> Who would you have picked?




Boba Fett is fine with me.

And so was The Mandolorian until Pedro Pascal showed up in WW 1984.  That kind of ruined him as Mando for me.


----------



## JamesMike

Started season 2 of The Witcher and finished season 4 of Yellowstone.


----------



## DT

We finally started Succession.  Just two episodes into S01, I see why many people call this the best show on "TV".  Spectacularly good.


----------



## Edd

DT said:


> We finally started Succession.  Just two episodes into S01, I see why many people call this the best show on "TV".  Spectacularly good.



It gets much better.


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> It gets much better.




That's what I hear!  I've followed a lot of [spoiler-free] critical discussion, especially on podcasts.


----------



## Edd

Pumbaa said:


> Who would you have picked?



Not a white dude who looks like he’s collecting social security.


----------



## Herdfan

Edd said:


> Not a white dude who looks like he’s collecting social security.




He's white?????  I thought he was Pacific Islander or similar.


----------



## hulugu

Herdfan said:


> Boba Fett is fine with me.
> 
> And so was The Mandolorian until Pedro Pascal showed up in WW 1984.  That kind of ruined him as Mando for me.




Pedro Pascal is great—he's even good in the mediocre Triple Frontier—and he was great in Narcos. 

But, WW1984 was just an incredibly bad movie, and Pascal's character was easily the worst part. Just urgh. 

The first Wonder Woman was really good—trench scene might be my favorite superhero bit—but the second one was just an absolute mess that made me question the first one's quality.

Honestly, the whole DC franchise is a bizarre mess.


----------



## hulugu

Edd said:


> The Book of Boba Fett. Anyone else think the casting choice is odd for our main character?




No. He's the actor who played Jango Fett, the source of all the clones, and his son—Boba—was a clone. So, it makes sense that he's the same actor. 

Boba Fett was just some vague bad-guy with a few lines in Episode IV and an ignominious death in Episode IV. I had no real sense of him until he showed up in the Mandalorian.


----------



## hulugu

Edd said:


> Not a white dude who looks like he’s collecting social security.




The original Boba Fett was played by Jeremy Andrew Bulloch, an English actor who died in December 2020. 

Temuera Derek Morrison is a New Zealand actor with Māori, Scottish, and Irish descent.


----------



## Herdfan

hulugu said:


> Pedro Pascal is great—he's even good in the mediocre Triple Frontier—and he was great in Narcos.
> 
> But, WW1984 was just an incredibly bad movie, and Pascal's character was easily the worst part. Just urgh.
> 
> The first Wonder Woman was really good—trench scene might be my favorite superhero bit—but the second one was just an absolute mess that made me question the first one's quality.
> 
> Honestly, the whole DC franchise is a bizarre mess.




Yes!  The first one was great.  But WW '84 was like you noted, an absolute mess.


----------



## DT

hulugu said:


> Pedro Pascal is great—he's even good in the mediocre Triple Frontier—and he was great in Narcos.




Also terrific as Oberyn Martell in GOT (aka, "The Viper").

He's going to be playing Joel in the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us (a Sony Playstation zombie apocalypse game).  And another GOT actor, Bella Ramsey who played Lyanna Mormont is going to be Ellie (the other major character).









						The Last of Us | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
					

The official website for The Last of Us on HBO. Watch the trailer, learn about the cast, find behind the scenes exclusives, and more.




					www.hbo.com


----------



## Hrafn

hulugu said:


> Pedro Pascal is great—he's even good in the mediocre Triple Frontier—and he was great in Narcos.
> 
> But, WW1984 was just an incredibly bad movie, and Pascal's character was easily the worst part. Just urgh.
> 
> The first Wonder Woman was really good—trench scene might be my favorite superhero bit—but the second one was just an absolute mess that made me question the first one's quality.
> 
> Honestly, the whole DC franchise is a bizarre mess.



But, uh, Gal Gadot.  We watched it last weekend.  The making of helped me really appreciate the effort they put into something, well, meh.  Also, I love Kristen Wiig: good, bad, funny or naughty.


----------



## hulugu

Hrafn said:


> But, uh, Gal Gadot.  We watched it last weekend.  The making of helped me really appreciate the effort they put into something, well, meh.  Also, I love Kristen Wiig: good, bad, funny or naughty.




Gadot is pretty good as WW, and I really liked Kristen Wiig—even if her character arch was so obvious, it was painful. But, the plot, especially the B-plot was just so bad.


----------



## DT

hulugu said:


> Gadot is pretty good as WW, and I really liked Kristen Wiig—even if her character arch was so obvious, it was painful. But, the plot, especially the B-plot was just so bad.




[From an old post of mine]

Possibly the worst thing about WW84 was how they chose to bring Steve back. It’s not like they were trying to be science-y (ex: consciousness stored in a computer and need “host body”), it was literally ++magic++. Poof him into existence, poof him back out.

It’s not like anyone would come running up, “OMG, you’re Steve Trevor, didn’t you die!”, and they still could’ve done a cutsie “Let’s go shopping!” bit if they wanted him to try on different clothes.

FFS, part of me thinks some of the motivation was to do the little thing at the end where she and the dude’s body (with him actually in it) share a little smile (oh, how sweet, she may have found love again ...)

Speaking of the dude’s body, what exactly happened at the end? Steve ducks behind a column, she goes running off, and, what? The guy wakes up there? His body teleports back to his apartment? Time and space just rewind like nothing actually happened?  Hahaha, I don’t even remember the movie


----------



## Herdfan

Couple of things.  

First, _The Amazing Race_ came back last night. Not sure how it is all working because Phil said they had to scrap this season after the 3rd leg because of COVID. So that should have been around March 2020. By then a couple of teams would have been eliminated, but they started with 11 this time so no idea of if they completely scrapped the original 3 legs and started over or what. From the foliage on the trees, it looks like it was filmed late spring/early summer.

But the facepalm moment of the first leg was when they were given a clue to find the Queen and Boris Johnson eating at a little restaurant.  At least 4 of the 11 teams seemed to think she was the actual Queen.  SMDH!  

Second, I know it is juvenile, but _BattleBots_ comes back tonight. For some reason watching a 250lb radio controlled fighting robot get launched into the air is just fun.  And since we will be snowed in tonight, that is what I will be watching.


----------



## lizkat

Rewatching _*The Crown*_. Delicious. All the fault of @Scepticalscribe's mention of it on these boards.

As usual when I watch episodes of that series, I never skip the intro because of liking to analyze that theme music...  wow what a compellingly made-for-royal-drama-TV construction THAT is...   and all that molten gold and abstract filigree floating about in the opening is very fun too.  It makes me start thinking about some new earrings.  Totally absurd since I rarely even wear my old ones. 

Anyway it's fun to watch this series again, there are parts I had half-watched the first time while sewing (a rudely bad habit of mine, I suppose, while watching video),  and at least on this run-through I seem to be glancing up at different points because there are costumes I missed earlier.   I don't mean to derogate the show, it's well done and has ended up as worthwhile television.   TV that sends me to review history texts of times I have lived through but had heretofore not paid much attention to is always a plus.


----------



## DT

DT said:


> We finally started Succession.  Just two episodes into S01, I see why many people call this the best show on "TV".  Spectacularly good.






Edd said:


> It gets much better.






DT said:


> That's what I hear!  I've followed a lot of [spoiler-free] critical discussion, especially on podcasts.





 Finished S01, started S02, two EPs in, but let me take moment on the S01 finale.

JFC.

Seriously, this is the best drama (technically a "comedy-drama") on TV, this is in Sopranos, The Wire, Better Call Saul level of good.  That final EP of Season 1 won the Emmy the year it aired, not surprised.

Watch this - if you can - now.


----------



## Edd

DT said:


> Finished S01, started S02, two EPs in, but let me take moment on the S01 finale.
> 
> JFC.
> 
> Seriously, this is the best drama (technically a "comedy-drama") on TV, this is in Sopranos, The Wire, Better Call Saul level of good.  That final EP of Season 1 won the Emmy the year it aired, not surprised.
> 
> Watch this - if you can - now.



The season 2 finale, and (I think) season 3, episode 9 are my two favorite eps. If you think of it, LMK how you like those.


----------



## User.45

Edd said:


> The season 2 finale, and (I think) season 3, episode 9 are my two favorite eps. If you think of it, LMK how you like those.



By season 3 I got increasingly annoyed by the characters, but it's because the writing is acting is so believable. You feel like you want to punch everybody in the face. Except for Greg. I probably couldn't reach him, he's like 6'8"


----------



## DT

Succession S02E04
Safe Room

Gerri and Rom on the phone, hahahaha, OMG.

If I'm being honest, yes please, Gerri is __hot__ 

So many amazing things in the episode I can barely get my head around it.

Tom:

“You’re a fucking slime ball”

“Good boy.”


----------



## Edd

DT said:


> Succession S02E04
> Safe Room
> 
> Gerri and Rom on the phone, hahahaha, OMG.
> 
> If I'm being honest, yes please, Gerri is __hot__
> 
> So many amazing things in the episode I can barely get my head around it.
> 
> Tom:
> 
> “You’re a fucking slime ball”
> 
> “Good boy.”



Succession is on the Veep level for profane insults. I consider Deadwood to be the gold standard for well-written dialogue.


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> Succession is on the Veep level for profane insults. I consider Deadwood to be the gold standard for well-written dialogue.




It was just glorious. We did a full rewatch before we watched the movie, and it only gets better.


----------



## lizkat

Edd said:


> Succession is on the Veep level for profane insults.




A couple of Scorcese's films, *Goodfellas* in particular, pretty much inured me to dialogue that includes or even primarily features either profane or obscene language. And that's from way back in the 90s.

I keep thinking that the impact of language in _*Succession*_ must be stunning if there are still people on the face of the earth over age 7 who are not already jaded by hearing formerly forbidden words and combinations thereof in ordinary conversation.

Personally I've been known to have to try to reserve certain phrases for times like when I drop a skillet on my foot,  but I had to give _*Goodfellas*_ a couple of tries before I could get on with actually following the plot lines.

Sometimes the language was just overkill.  It reminded me of guys back in the 60s who came home from Marine boot camp enroute to the Vietnam War, and tried to demonstrate --at the dining table on Sundays, prior to their deployments--  that they were now able to use the word _fuck_ as any component of English grammar and as either a curse or a term of endearment, all in the one single sentence they were allowed to utter before being excused from the table by whichever grandma managed to make that invitation first.

It did occur to me to wonder how the grandmas even really knew that the F-bomb was an entirely optional word in polite company, I mean how they knew that it was an example of "cursing like a sailor".   There must still have been some intonation or inflection that gave off the vibe of "not in front of the children, dear".


----------



## DT

Something that's sort of haunting for me:  Kendall has a personality like a former long time business partner/friend of mine, and he actually looks like him quite a bit (I mean, he could be an easy stand-in with glasses and slightly different hair).


----------



## DT

*Succession*
Season 2, Episode 10 (season finale)
"This Is Not for Tears"

I just can't even ...

This enters rare territory, like "Ozymandias" from Season 5 of Breaking Bad


----------



## Edd

DT said:


> *Succession*
> Season 2, Episode 10 (season finale)
> "This Is Not for Tears"
> 
> I just can't even ...
> 
> This enters rare territory, like "Ozymandias" from Season 5 of Breaking Bad



That boat tho....


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> That boat tho....




It's amazing and vulgar, I almost immediately looked it up:









						The yacht that featured in HBO's Succession can be rented for £850K
					

The German-built Solandge is considered one of the finest vessels in the world and provided the setting for the dramatic season two finale of the HBO show.




					www.dailymail.co.uk


----------



## DT

*Succession*
S03E07
"Too Much Birthday"

We're well into Season 3.  Goddam. Fantastic.  We're not sure how much more of this we can take, hahaha 

Finally two EPs queued up for tonight - combined with heavy drinking.


----------



## JamesMike

Season 2 of The Witcher is better than Season 1, I’m glad they improved it.


----------



## Edd

DT said:


> *Succession*
> S03E07
> "Too Much Birthday"
> 
> We're well into Season 3.  Goddam. Fantastic.  We're not sure how much more of this we can take, hahaha
> 
> Finally two EPs queued up for tonight - combined with heavy drinking.



It’s episode 8 I think that’s in running for my fave. Looks like 9 eps total for season 3. Finale is also amazing.


----------



## SuperMatt

JamesMike said:


> Season 2 of The Witcher is better than Season 1, I’m glad they improved it.



I really need to watch it then! I thought the first season was pretty decent.


----------



## DT

Wow, what a finish to Season 3 of Succession.  I can't recommended this show enough (though understand not wanting another streaming subscription to watch it ...)

I have a question for folks who have seen the S03 finale, it doesn't even change the outcome, just sort of changes the level of involvement ...



Spoiler: Season 3, Episode 9, Season Finale, Super Duper Spoiler-y



OK, so now we know where Tom stands with Logan, and his play was glorious.

Here's my discussion point - first to set up the scenario:

KSR are headed to their Dad's place intended to pull the supermajority card, Shiv calls Tom, and we know Tom contacts Logan.

Do you think that:

*Version 1*
At the point Tom calls Logan is when Logan starts the process of changing the divorce settlement.

= or =

*Version 2*
Tom calls Logan who simply prepares for their arrival, because as shrewd as he is, there's no way he'd leave that potential blocker on the table.

= or =

*Version 3*
This is sort of a hybrid version, and kind of my "in head" canon.  Logan, aware of the potential supermajority override, had already done the necessary, up front preparation, though assumed he wouldn't need it, since he'd assume that like always, Ken would be inert and Rom would be easily swayed to his side.  But Tom's call was to inform him that KSR sound incredibly unified, that this time is different and with that information, Logan pulled the trigger on an already loaded gun.

It's also a little bit of timing, i.e., how long to contact Caroline, modify the document, do a lawyer readthrough, sign, etc.  The episode did make the rather length drive to Logan's place pretty conspicuous (it went from day to night), so maybe that was intended to show he'd have plenty of time if it was V1 (he had no advanced intent to change the divorce agreement).

Shiv's comment was also nicely ambiguous, she said, "How did he know we were coming?",  that could be taken as either, 1)  He expected us to show up, or 2) He knew we were coming as a unified group with the intent of taking over.

Again, it doesn't change the final outcome, it just changes how pivotal Tom was in the process.


----------



## DT

HAHAHAHA OMG ...


----------



## DT

Tonight, we're starting *Station Eleven* ... !


From Wikipedia:

Station Eleven is an American post-apocalyptic science fiction miniseries created by Patrick Somerville based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel. The miniseries premiered on HBO Max on December 16, 2021.[1]

*Premise*
Twenty years after a flu pandemic resulted in the collapse of civilization, a group of survivors who make their living as traveling performers encounter a violent cult led by a man whose past is unknowingly linked to a member of the troupe.[2]

*Reception*
Rotten Tomatoes reports a 97% approval rating with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 39 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Station Eleven rewards patient viewers with an insightful and thematically rich assertion that—even in the post-apocalypse—the show must go on."[15] On the review aggregator Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> Tonight, we're starting *Station Eleven* ... !
> 
> 
> From Wikipedia:
> 
> Station Eleven is an American post-apocalyptic science fiction miniseries created by Patrick Somerville based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel. The miniseries premiered on HBO Max on December 16, 2021.[1]
> 
> *Premise*
> Twenty years after a flu pandemic resulted in the collapse of civilization, a group of survivors who make their living as traveling performers encounter a violent cult led by a man whose past is unknowingly linked to a member of the troupe.[2]
> 
> *Reception*
> Rotten Tomatoes reports a 97% approval rating with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 39 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Station Eleven rewards patient viewers with an insightful and thematically rich assertion that—even in the post-apocalypse—the show must go on."[15] On the review aggregator Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]



Is it finished or how many more episodes to go?
Edit, I see it’s finished, my TV Time app says it is returning.


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> Is it finished or how many more episodes to go?




All available, in fact, the last episode (#10) just dropped today.  HBO tends to do weekly releases vs. the whole season at a time, this one they did 3 at once, then 2, 2, 2, and the single series finale today.

FWIW, Peacemaker dropped the first 3 EPs today too.  I think it's a smart move to get people hooked, 2-3 EPs on the premier date, then move to a 1 per week.


----------



## Edd

DT said:


> Wow, what a finish to Season 3 of Succession.  I can't recommended this show enough (though understand not wanting another streaming subscription to watch it ...)
> 
> I have a question for folks who have seen the S03 finale, it doesn't even change the outcome, just sort of changes the level of involvement ...
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Season 3, Episode 9, Season Finale, Super Duper Spoiler-y
> 
> 
> 
> OK, so now we know where Tom stands with Logan, and his play was glorious.
> 
> Here's my discussion point - first to set up the scenario:
> 
> KSR are headed to their Dad's place intended to pull the supermajority card, Shiv calls Tom, and we know Tom contacts Logan.
> 
> Do you think that:
> 
> *Version 1*
> At the point Tom calls Logan is when Logan starts the process of changing the divorce settlement.
> 
> = or =
> 
> *Version 2*
> Tom calls Logan who simply prepares for their arrival, because as shrewd as he is, there's no way he'd leave that potential blocker on the table.
> 
> = or =
> 
> *Version 3*
> This is sort of a hybrid version, and kind of my "in head" canon.  Logan, aware of the potential supermajority override, had already done the necessary, up front preparation, though assumed he wouldn't need it, since he'd assume that like always, Ken would be inert and Rom would be easily swayed to his side.  But Tom's call was to inform him that KSR sound incredibly unified, that this time is different and with that information, Logan pulled the trigger on an already loaded gun.
> 
> It's also a little bit of timing, i.e., how long to contact Caroline, modify the document, do a lawyer readthrough, sign, etc.  The episode did make the rather length drive to Logan's place pretty conspicuous (it went from day to night), so maybe that was intended to show he'd have plenty of time if it was V1 (he had no advanced intent to change the divorce agreement).
> 
> Shiv's comment was also nicely ambiguous, she said, "How did he know we were coming?",  that could be taken as either, 1)  He expected us to show up, or 2) He knew we were coming as a unified group with the intent of taking over.
> 
> Again, it doesn't change the final outcome, it just changes how pivotal Tom was in the process.
> 
> [/SPOILER





Spoiler: Season 3, Episode 9, Season Finale, Super Duper Spoiler-y






Spoiler: Spoiler reply



My take was that Tom’s call to Logan changed everything.


----------



## DT

@Edd

Yeah, that's probably what we (the viewer) are supposed to take away.


@Everybody

Watched the first two EPs of Peacemaker, it's absurdly fun.  If you liked the vibe of the second Suicide Squad movie, you'll love this.


----------



## lizkat

_*Station Eleven*_ probably next in my too-long queue as well.

Meanwhile finally got around to finishing rewatch of _*The Crown*_. Hah, I bumped into this Aussie cat tweet while I was watching the episode where the then prime minister of Australia was thinking to withdraw from the Commonwealth but is foiled bc his constituents' socks have been charmed off them by Princess Di and her then infant son William as they and Prince Charles toured the country.



​


----------



## Edd

lizkat said:


> _*Station Eleven*_ probably next in my too-long queue as well.
> 
> Meanwhile finally got around to finishing rewatch of _*The Crown*_. Hah, I bumped into this Aussie cat tweet while I was watching the episode where the then prime minister of Australia was thinking to withdraw from the Commonwealth but is foiled bc his constituents' socks have been charmed off them by Princess Di and her then infant son William as they and Prince Charles toured the country.
> 
> 
> View attachment 11010​



I'm 3 eps in on Station 11 and it's getting interesting; very different kind of show.


----------



## Edd

Great news for Justified fans!





__





						Timothy Olyphant Reprising Role As Smoldering Gunslinger in Justified Spinoff
					





					www.msn.com


----------



## Huntn

*Station Eleven* (HBO) generally speaking is not the type of  story telling I prefer. This post apocalyptic show about the aftermath of a world wide killer flu is slow with (so far 4 episodes) almost total focus on the experience of the character, a lot of situational pressure and the emotions of _the world is falling apart, _with a bit too much past life for at least one of the characters. It is still interesting to watch the transistion into this new life for the primary character, but imo for more than one character it approaches overkill, unless this is what the story wants to be about.

Of note, in contrast to the other post apocalyptic shows I’ve watched, the setting is eerily serene vs general conflict, although they are not in the city and the main character always walks around equipped with a knife ready for trouble. It appears that the vast majority of people died.

With 10 episodes, in episode 3 an event takes place with a stranger, someone known as the Prophet, that becones serious in episode 4. As far as I’ve gotten, this seems to be a growing conflict something other than watching the post apocalyptic lives of “the traveling symphony”. So I like the portrayal and the atmosphere and because it is mini-series I can make it though and see if this becomes noteworthy.


----------



## Deleted member 215

I've been watching _Yellowjackets_. Boy is this show disturbing/creepy/fucked up. I have no idea where it's all headed, but I know it's nowhere good. I haven't been this glued to a show in a while, so I would recommend it to anyone who likes this kind of psychological/survival/mystery stuff.


----------



## DT

Premiers on D+ March 30th, pretty stoked ...


----------



## Huntn

Excellent documentary about *Calamity Jane: Legend of the Wes*t on Amazon Prime which shows that the producers of *Deadwood* (HBO) did their homework. 



​




__





						Watch Calamity Jane: Legend of the West | Prime Video
					

From the Great Plains of the American West to the Rocky Mountains, from Apache Reservations to the suburbs of Deadwood, she could be seen bringing up the rear in convoys of pioneers or riding with desperados. This entertaining film recounts the true story of a unique American female legend. In...



					www.amazon.com


----------



## Huntn

*Grantchester* (2014- ) watched in the States on PBS, seasons 1-5 on Amazon Prime. We lost track of this series about season 3, like local PBS stopped carrying it, or maybe when we were moving from cable. Anyway, now we are going to catch up starting over at the beginning. I love the post WWII rural setting in England atmosphere in this series and a minister whose hobby is solving murders, with his friend the police inspector, while second guessing why he let his love slip away.

​


----------



## Thomas Veil

I caught the first episode of _*Peacemaker *_(HBO).

I threw it back.

Cena plays the character's stupid sincerity well enough. But nothing in the plot caught my interest. And not one attempted joke in the entire 48 minutes landed.


----------



## Herdfan

Thomas Veil said:


> I caught the first episode of _*Peacemaker *_(HBO).
> 
> I threw it back.
> 
> Cena plays the character's stupid sincerity well enough. But nothing in the plot caught my interest. And not one attempted joke in the entire 48 minutes landed.




After watching the second Suicide Squad movie, I didn't even nibble on the *Peacemaker*.

It's sad because John Cena can be funny.


----------



## DT

*Peacemaker*
S01E04
"The Choad Less Traveled"


----------



## DT

So we wanted to start Ozarks S04 when it drops, I feel like it's going to be hard to avoid spoilers, however, we're behind and haven't seen much of S03, so we searched up  some recaps 

There's an offical recap from Netflix, for S01 is was pretty good, loved it was narrated by Ruth, but short.  The S02 was a less structured, also short so we decided to try "3rd party" 

This one from Man of Recaps:






Is excellent!

It's super information dense, very well edited, covers every plot thread, the guy's writing is tight, clever, funny, his delivery is fast while being very clear and easy to follow (I'm into the "speed speaker" style).  Hahaha, he's a touch goofy, but it's charming in its own way.   He covers the first three seasons, but keeps each in a sandbox, so you can shut down at the last season you've seen and not get any spoilers.

I looked at a couple of other, but they were slow, poorly edited, rambling and my #1 peeve: get to the actual meaningful content before 30 seconds,otherwise, fuck you.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> So we wanted to start Ozarks S04 when it drops, I feel like it's going to be hard to avoid spoilers, however, we're behind and haven't seen much of S03, so we searched up  some recaps
> 
> There's an offical recap from Netflix, for S01 is was pretty good, loved it was narrated by Ruth, but short.  The S02 was a less structured, also short so we decided to try "3rd party"
> 
> This one from Man of Recaps:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is excellent!
> 
> It's super information dense, very well edited, covers every plot thread, the guy's writing is tight, clever, funny, his delivery is fast while being very clear and easy to follow (I'm into the "speed speaker" style).  Hahaha, he's a touch goofy, but it's charming in its own way.   He covers the first three seasons, but keeps each in a sandbox, so you can shut down at the last season you've seen and not get any spoilers.
> 
> I looked at a couple of other, but they were slow, poorly edited, rambling and my #1 peeve: get to the actual meaningful content before 30 seconds,otherwise, fuck you.




We could not complete Ozark Season 1.


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> We could not complete Ozark Season 1.




OK.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> OK.



I’ve been seeing  recommendations here and the other place for content that ranges from does not click (for me)  to it really sucks and it‘s almost a duty to express a contrary opinion when it applies. No hard feelings I hope and yes I’ve been on the other end. 

A recent one was *30 Days of Night*, described as a good movie, a comparison was made with *The Thing*, but no way and I thought it sucked.


----------



## Huntn

Herdfan said:


> Ted Lasso sure cleaned up at the Emmy's.  Really loving that show.
> 
> But something occurred to me that is a bit depressing.  When channel surfing I will stop on shows like Cheers or Seinfeld or Friends and watch a few minutes.  Not sure we will ever get that with Ted Lasso.  Jason Sudekis planned for a 3 season run which at 10 eps a season won't be enough to get it into syndication.  And I won't flip over to ATV+ just to watch it when I have a few minutes.  So I probably won't ever see it again after we watch it.  And that is a bit sad.



*Seinfeld* (1989-1998)- Great comedy streaming on Netflix!


----------



## Herdfan

Huntn said:


> *Seinfeld* (1989-1998)- Great comedy streaming on Netflix!
> 
> View attachment 11174​




I have the entire series in a box set.  Of VHS tapes.


----------



## Huntn

Herdfan said:


> I have the entire series in a box set.  Of VHS tapes.



Oh, too bad.


----------



## MEJHarrison

Herdfan said:


> I have the entire series in a box set.  Of VHS tapes.




I always found VHS too temporary and didn't see the point in buying them.  I'd just rent stuff.  But I jumped in with both feet on DVD/Blu-ray/4K.  And even some HDDVD.  I've reached the point in collecting that I've stopped counting (before we moved, it was 5 bookcases of movies and 2 of tv).  Now I've finally reached the "am I ever going to watch this again?" stage.  Eventually I'll get to the "it needs to go" stage.  But I'm a packrat.  So it will be a while yet.


----------



## Joe

Euphoria season 2!


----------



## ericwn

DT said:


> So we wanted to start Ozarks S04 when it drops, I feel like it's going to be hard to avoid spoilers, however, we're behind and haven't seen much of S03, so we searched up some recaps
> 
> There's an offical recap from Netflix, for S01 is was pretty good, loved it was narrated by Ruth, but short. The S02 was a less structured, also short so we decided to try "3rd party"
> 
> This one from Man of Recaps:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is excellent!
> 
> It's super information dense, very well edited, covers every plot thread, the guy's writing is tight, clever, funny, his delivery is fast while being very clear and easy to follow (I'm into the "speed speaker" style). Hahaha, he's a touch goofy, but it's charming in its own way. He covers the first three seasons, but keeps each in a sandbox, so you can shut down at the last season you've seen and not get any spoilers.
> 
> I looked at a couple of other, but they were slow, poorly edited, rambling and my #1 peeve: get to the actual meaningful content before 30 seconds,otherwise, fuck you.




A good reminder, I’m looking forward to the new season too.


----------



## ericwn

Huntn said:


> *Seinfeld* (1989-1998)- Great comedy streaming on Netflix!
> 
> View attachment 11174​




A classic!


----------



## ericwn

MEJHarrison said:


> I always found VHS too temporary and didn't see the point in buying them. I'd just rent stuff. But I jumped in with both feet on DVD/Blu-ray/4K. And even some HDDVD. I've reached the point in collecting that I've stopped counting (before we moved, it was 5 bookcases of movies and 2 of tv). Now I've finally reached the "am I ever going to watch this again?" stage. Eventually I'll get to the "it needs to go" stage. But I'm a packrat. So it will be a while yet.




I used to have most stuff nicely ripped and available via a Mac and iTunes to stream on our Apple TV, but with streaming services these days, what’s the point of me entertaining that setup? The discs are mostly boxed up and the Mac mostly off these days, while streaming is used every day.


----------



## MEJHarrison

ericwn said:


> I used to have most stuff nicely ripped and available via a Mac and iTunes to stream on our Apple TV, but with streaming services these days, what’s the point of me entertaining that setup? The discs are mostly boxed up and the Mac mostly off these days, while streaming is used every day.




That seems like a lot of work for little payoff.  Still, not everything is available for streaming.  I've been watching stuff lately like Homicide: Life on the Street and Quantum Leap.  I don't know who streams those, if anyone does.  So I like having the discs as backup. Another example, I'd like to watch Parks & Rec, but don't feel like signing up for another streaming service.  I just need to find where I have those discs packs and I'll be good to go.


----------



## Herdfan

MEJHarrison said:


> I always found VHS too temporary and didn't see the point in buying them.




LOL.  I didn't.  They were my mom's.  

I was an early adopter of both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD and almost every Tuesday was at Best Buy picking up the new releases.  Now with everything streaming, I haven't bought physical media in years.


----------



## lizkat

I'm gonna have to check this out...   Fraggle Rock,  whole new 13-episode release from Apple TV+.









						Review: Fraggle Rock on Apple TV+ is the Muppet series Disney+ wishes it had
					

Irreverence, whimsy, radishes: series' return includes Muppet-teering at its best.




					arstechnica.com


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *Grantchester* (2014- ) watched in the States on PBS, seasons 1-5 on Amazon Prime. We lost track of this series about season 3, like local PBS stopped carrying it, or maybe when we were moving from cable. Anyway, now we are going to catch up starting over at the beginning. I love the post WWII rural setting in England atmosphere in this series and a minister whose hobby is solving murders, with his friend the police inspector, while second guessing why he let his love slip away.
> 
> View attachment 11137​



Almost finished with Season 2. I’d forgotten how much of an edge this show has!


----------



## ericwn

MEJHarrison said:


> That seems like a lot of work for little payoff. Still, not everything is available for streaming. I've been watching stuff lately like Homicide: Life on the Street and Quantum Leap. I don't know who streams those, if anyone does. So I like having the discs as backup. Another example, I'd like to watch Parks & Rec, but don't feel like signing up for another streaming service. I just need to find where I have those discs packs and I'll be good to go.




Lot of work, not in my opinion. I didn’t want to just have the disc, I wanted a digital versatile copy that would be a backup as well as be available throughout the house and when travelling.


----------



## Huntn

ericwn said:


> Lot of work, not in my opinion. I didn’t want to just have the disc, I wanted a digital versatile copy that would be a backup as well as be available throughout the house and when travelling.



I've always liked having hard copies of movies I like, but some of the lesser movies I'll buy them online at the likes of Apple, Prime, or Vudu. I'll have to designate those accounts in my will.  It's curious to see what happens to those movie titles people have purchased and technology marches on, will the service update this content, or just say, oh well it's old, watch it on your old tv...


----------



## ericwn

Huntn said:


> I've always liked having hard copies of movies I like, but some of the lesser movies I'll buy them online at the likes of Apple, Prime, or Vudu. I'll have to designate those accounts in my will.  It's curious to see what happens to those movie titles people have purchased and technology marches on, will the service update the stuff or just say, oh well it's old, watch it on your old tv...




Good point, a lot of these purchase services might not be around forever. I would have used more of the buy and download options earlier too but tight data volume allowances in Ireland where I lived at the time made that impossible


----------



## Huntn

ericwn said:


> Good point, a lot of these purchase services might not be around forever. I would have used more of the buy and download options earlier too but tight data volume allowances in Ireland where I lived at the time made that impossible



An outstanding example of this for me at least, was finding *Treasure Island* (1990) sitting on Amazon Prime to purchase and stream. This copy is the first one, that I can’t say for sure it was remastered, but it is listed as HD and the only one I’ve found that looks acceptable on a large screen TV and  at a reasonable price.

There was an issue back in the day when content was filmed using film, but was then converted to VHS for editing. If I understand it correctly, the issue is some of this final content was then transferred to DVD for sale and did not hold up for larger screens. I saw this with editions of STNG, Lonesome Dove, and Battlestar Galactica (until they came out with a remastered version for the latter)

I’ll say looking for the word _remastered_ is good for anything from the 90s,  but my impression is also that you will not find this situation on a BluRay product. It seems to be unique to that period in the 90s while DVD was still the main standard for this content viewed at home.


----------



## Huntn

MEJHarrison said:


> I always found VHS too temporary and didn't see the point in buying them.  I'd just rent stuff.  But I jumped in with both feet on DVD/Blu-ray/4K.  And even some HDDVD.  I've reached the point in collecting that I've stopped counting (before we moved, it was 5 bookcases of movies and 2 of tv).  Now I've finally reached the "am I ever going to watch this again?" stage.  Eventually I'll get to the "it needs to go" stage.  But I'm a packrat.  So it will be a while yet.



I’ve got 2 small bookcases full, a mix of DVD and BluRay, with a couple of UltraHD BluRays (which I really don’t see much difference on our 65” 4K TV), and most of the content that is mine, and  I watch on occasion. My wife has things like Vampire Diaries, I Love Lucy, and others I am convinced will not be watched anytime soon, which is available for streaming, and that’s how she watches the latter.


----------



## DT

ericwn said:


> A good reminder, I’m looking forward to the new season too.




Re-started S03, not sure why we originally bailed, I don't even remember finishing the first EP of this season, probably interrupted by life in some capacity 

Anyway, JFC, forgot how good this show is (the 98% for S03 on RT isn't wrong ...), Vulture is also right about S03E01 (5 out of 5) being a spectacular bit of direction from Jason Bateman (he actually won an Emmy for Directing in 2020 for S02E01).




Herdfan said:


> LOL.  I didn't.  They were my mom's.
> 
> I was an early adopter of both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD and almost every Tuesday was at Best Buy picking up the new releases.  Now with everything streaming, I haven't bought physical media in years.




Yeah, I've been through so many format and used to purchase lots of physical media:  VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, HD-DVD, BD ... and then pretty much shut down at some point and went to purely digital cloud based copies.

Until recently I still had the LDs, finally gave them and the player away to a collector.  Still have some pre-recorded VHS (some anime, a copy of The Wall , no player, well, maybe in storage), and a couple of HD-DVDs I wound up not selling or giving away   Lots of DVD and BDs, though I can't remember the last time I used any of them - the only time we use a physical BD - and it's very infrequently - is a cheap rental from RedBox for a new release that's still weeks away from cloud/streaming.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> Re-started S03, not sure why we originally bailed, I don't even remember finishing the first EP of this season, probably interrupted by life in some capacity
> 
> Anyway, JFC, forgot how good this show is (the 98% for S03 on RT isn't wrong ...), Vulture is also right about S03E01 (5 out of 5) being a spectacular bit of direction from Jason Bateman (he actually won an Emmy for Directing in 2020 for S02E01).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, I've been through so many format and used to purchase lots of physical media:  VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, HD-DVD, BD ... and then pretty much shut down at some point and went to purely digital cloud based copies.
> 
> Until recently I still had the LDs, finally gave them and the player away to a collector.  Still have some pre-recorded VHS (some anime, a copy of The Wall , no player, well, maybe in storage), and a couple of HD-DVDs I wound up not selling or giving away  Lots of DVD and BDs, though I can't remember the last time I used any of them - the only time we use a physical BD - and it's very infrequently - is a cheap rental from RedBox for a new release that's still weeks away from cloud/streaming.



I heard that vinyl was outselling digital?


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> I heard that vinyl was outselling digital?




For music on physical media, apparently vinyl did outsell CDs in 2021, but I think digital downloads were way ahead.  Though I see it was still pretty recently, 2018 that the combined physical medias outsold DD - but now I think there's even more people not buying digital downloads and just using a music subscription service like Apple Music, Spotify.


----------



## DT

DT said:


> Re-started S03, not sure why we originally bailed, I don't even remember finishing the first EP of this season, probably interrupted by life in some capacity
> 
> Anyway, JFC, forgot how good this show is (the 98% for S03 on RT isn't wrong ...), Vulture is also right about S03E01 (5 out of 5) being a spectacular bit of direction from Jason Bateman (he actually won an Emmy for Directing in 2020 for S02E01).




Finished Season 3.  Wow.  Stunned silence at the season finale, EP10, and those last two - we watched back to back, holy hell, even IMDB which is usually pretty shitty has them rated at 9.4 and 9.5 (out of 10).  That  Tom Pelphrey (Ben) wasn't at the very least nominated for an Emmy, is a travesty.  He's at least up for a Critic's Choice award in March.


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *Grantchester* (2014- ) watched in the States on PBS, seasons 1-5 on Amazon Prime. We lost track of this series about season 3, like local PBS stopped carrying it, or maybe when we were moving from cable. Anyway, now we are going to catch up starting over at the beginning. I love the post WWII rural setting in England atmosphere in this series and a minister whose hobby is solving murders, with his friend the police inspector, while second guessing why he let his love slip away.
> 
> View attachment 11137​



How many murder mystery series have come out of the UK featuring clergy detectives? It’s like it’s own genre.  


Grantchester- good
Father Brown- ehh.
Sister Boniface Mysteries- new unwatched.


----------



## DT

DT said:


> Finished Season 3.  Wow.  Stunned silence at the season finale, EP10, and those last two - we watched back to back, holy hell, even IMDB which is usually pretty shitty has them rated at 9.4 and 9.5 (out of 10).  That  Tom Pelphrey (Ben) wasn't at the very least nominated for an Emmy, is a travesty.  He's at least up for a Critic's Choice award in March.




And also blew through S04/Part01 (they're splitting season 4 into two 7 episode parts, not sure when Part02 premiers this year ...)

Excellent, yes, Chavi is terrible, the setup is great, S04E01 starts with an insane moment, then flashes back - some crazy character moments, I think everyone __doomed__.


----------



## DT

Side note:

Should we merge this thread, with the binge worthy TV thread?  In my head, they're the same, what's on TV is often something we binge, especially existing seasons or shows that are dropped all at one time.  The differentiation is a little vague, and like I have a show I'm going to post about, it's "On TV", but it's also "binge worthy" ...

@Eric @Huntn


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *Grantchester* (2014- ) watched in the States on PBS, seasons 1-5 on Amazon Prime. We lost track of this series about season 3, like local PBS stopped carrying it, or maybe when we were moving from cable. Anyway, now we are going to catch up starting over at the beginning. I love the post WWII rural setting in England atmosphere in this series and a minister whose hobby is solving murders, with his friend the police inspector, while second guessing why he let his love slip away.
> 
> View attachment 11137​



Just finished Grantchester Season 5, season 6 was broadcast back in Sept 21, but if it appears on Prime, and might appear without a subscription in Sept. As is, Amazon offers a subscription to PBS Masterpiece theater so it could be watched now If we wanted another subscription.

*Of spoiler note:*
.
…
.
…
.
.
William Davenport the current Vicar has discovered like Sidney Chamberlin before him that life after not having sex definitely becomes better with some heat of the moment sex.


----------



## DT

*Station Eleven*
HBOMAX
10 Episode Miniseries

Based on the 2014 book by Emily St. John Mandel (won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2015).

What I love, is it's a story about the post-apocalyptic future due to a flu-like pandemic, but it's not about the post-apocalyptic future due to a flu-like pandemic ... 

Just fantastic and beautiful, it's has way more in common with The Leftovers and Lost than in does with Walking Dead or Contagion.

I think this is a pretty perfect summary of the whole show, from the review of the series finale (via AVC):



> One thing I love about _Station Eleven_ is that for an apocalyptic novel, it’s not very interested in the mechanics of the world ending. The pandemic is much worse in the show’s world, and we all understand pandemics differently now than when the book first came out. We understand how vaccines can help other people and how connected our health is to that of others. So the metaphor is already there, in a way, but _Station Eleven_ doesn’t dwell. It does not give us more sheets and studies to read about how the virus works. Instead, it knows the most compelling part of the story is simply in the connections between people.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> *Station Eleven*
> HBOMAX
> 10 Episode Miniseries
> 
> Based on the 2014 book by Emily St. John Mandel (won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2015).
> 
> What I love, is it's a story about the post-apocalyptic future due to a flu-like pandemic, but it's not about the post-apocalyptic future due to a flu-like pandemic ...
> 
> Just fantastic and beautiful, it's has way more in common with The Leftovers and Lost than in does with Walking Dead or Contagion.
> 
> I think this is a pretty perfect summary of the whole show, from the review of the series finale (via AVC):



*Station Eleven-* I expected conflict, I had to acclimate, especially after watching many seasons of the Walking Dead, because my first reaction was "I get the picture, move on", but this was mostly what the story was about, human relationships, and after acclimating to it, it kind of became epic while remaining subtle and I recognized how great this was, except for one huge teaser, when they end an episode when the bad ass girl with a knife is surrounded by 5 bandits intent on killing her, and later it's over and done with, and a just a comment is made about the outcome. Damn them, lol. I hate getting my nose rubbed in an expectation. 

I did not read the book, but have read that the consensus seems to be that this series handles story elements better than the book did.

BTW, I loved* Lost* too.


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> *Station Eleven-* I expected conflict, I had to acclimate, especially after watching many seasons of the Walking Dead, because my first reaction was "I get the picture, move on", but this was mostly what the story was about, human relationships, and after acclimating to it, it kind of became epic while remaining subtle and I recognized how great this was, except for one huge teaser, when they end an episode when the bad ass girl with a knife is surrounded by 5 bandits intent on killing her, and later it's over and done with, and a just a comment is made about the outcome. Damn them, lol. I hate getting my nose rubbed in an expectation.
> 
> I did not read the book, but have read that the consensus seems to be that this series handles story elements better than the book did.
> 
> BTW, I loved* Lost* too.




I haven't read the book either, though somewhat tempted now.  Yeah, I've seen a few reviewers talking about the differences (series vs. book), and it sounds like there were some improvements (though I'd have to read to really compare).

We loved Lost when it first aired, and it was the first show of its kind, where there was all this additional content and information outside of the show, where there was obsessive analysis of characters, symbols, heck, I think the discussions and fan theories were actually more interesting than the show 

We weren't thrilled with the ending, but it worked at the time, and it's not a show we'll probably ever revisit (we tried a couple of times).

I'd highly recommend The Leftovers, it sounds very high concept, but really it's about loss, grief, love, finding purpose with needing to know "why?"  It's beautifully acted and filmed, amazing score by Max Richter, it takes some wild surreal detours that are pretty amazing.


----------



## Edd

The Leftovers kind of remade itself into a different show each season. Pretty wild, I enjoyed till the end.


----------



## Edd

The first episode of Somebody Somewhere on HBO Max was excellent. I almost cried at the end, which is not something I’m prone to do.


----------



## Alli

Edd said:


> The first episode of Somebody Somewhere on HBO Max was excellent. I almost cried at the end, which is not something I’m prone to do.



What’s it about?

I just finished season 2 of Raising Dion. Decent story and the kids are so cute!


----------



## Edd

Alli said:


> What’s it about?
> 
> I just finished season 2 of Raising Dion. Decent story and the kids are so cute!



Main character is grieving over the loss of her sister and a work friend offers help. Seems a bit of a bummer at first but delivers at the end. Feels promising. I notice the characters aren’t TV pretty; more realistic in that way.


----------



## Thomas Veil

*Murderville* (Netflix).  A reality/murder mystery/comedy hybrid that matches a celebrity (playing himself) with a fictional detective.

Ehh. A couple of mildly amusing lines, but nothing that’d make me return for episode 2.

D+. I at least give them credit for trying something novel.



DT said:


> Side note:
> 
> Should we merge this thread, with the binge worthy TV thread?  In my head, they're the same,



Works for me if anyone else is on board.


----------



## Alli

Thomas Veil said:


> Works for me if anyone else is on board.



What’s on tv could be a show with a new episode each week, where binge-worthy suggests you can watch an entire season at one sitting.


----------



## Deleted member 215

@Edd @DT

_The Leftovers_ is one of my all-time favorite shows, and I view it as underrated so I'm always glad to see anyone speak positively of it. I'd also recommend _Yellowjackets_ to anyone who liked _Lost_ and _The Leftovers_, though it is a bit more graphic and horror-oriented than those.


----------



## Huntn

*The Long Song *(2021 Masterpiece Theater PBS/Streamed on Amazon)- The final days of and after   slavery was abolished in first part of 19th century Jamaica. The story focuses on the life of one woman. It’s a sad story, but it is the reality of slavery in general and in Jamaica under the British, it’s ugly.


​Of note after the British took over the Spanish Colony of Jamaica, the Spanish freed their slaves and fled to Cuba so the new slaves were imports from Africa.









						The true story behind The Long Song
					

The powerful story about the British slave labour trade in Jamaica starts tonight - here's the true story behind Andrea Levy's novel




					inews.co.uk


----------



## Alli

Having come to the end of Midsomer (until they release season 23), we started Reacher last night. Great cast. It’s a fun show. I never read any of the books or saw the movie(s) so I can appreciate it as it is.


----------



## DT

Holy hell, hahaha, Peacemaker S01E06 was amazing, that ending montage (and the choice of using a song by Finnish rock band Reckless Love was genius).

Final two episode (7 and 8) titles:

Stop Dragon My Heart Around
It's Cow or Never


----------



## Pumbaa

Finished *The Book of Boba Fett*.

The final episode of the first (and only?) season, yikes! It was like a bunch of complaining “fans” from Reddit had been promoted to writers and given free reins…


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Watching Monsterland on Hulu. I avoided it for months because the name sucks and from the description, I thought each episode was going to cover different monsters of lore. It’s actually good and one of the most disturbing series I’ve ever seen. The monsters of lore actually serve as an analogy to the very real human monsters each episode covers, from the extremely selfish and narcissistic to the morally weak or compromised.

The last episode I watched dealt with being in a relationship with somebody with serious mental health issues which is something I’ve had a recent experience with and how the stable person thinks they can just love their way through the challenges, something I can relate to. Like with my relationship it dealt with honesty about the mental illness throughout. This isn’t some undiagnosed “she’s a crazy bitch!” situation. That relationship has ended for me, but the episode shows an extreme of where things could lead if you choose to stick through it with the view from both involved. It’s both sad and horrifying.


----------



## Eric

DT said:


> Holy hell, hahaha, Peacemaker S01E06 was amazing, that ending montage (and the choice of using a song by Finnish rock band Reckless Love was genius).
> 
> Final two episode (7 and 8) titles:
> 
> Stop Dragon My Heart Around
> It's Cow or Never



Just finished the last episode and won't give anything away but this is one of the best shows ever IMO, from start to finish it was funny, sad, action packed and thoughtful.


----------



## Edd

Eric said:


> Just finished the last episode and won't give anything away but this is one of the best shows ever IMO, from start to finish it was funny, sad, action packed and thoughtful.



I’m 4 eps in on Peacemaker. I can’t believe how entertaining it is. John Cena has leveled up. He’s showing a gift for delivering casually vulgar lines. Cracks me up.


----------



## Herdfan

Ted Lasso Season 3 is in production.


----------



## Alli

We’re on season 2 of Beforeigners. Intriguing show.


----------



## Huntn

I watched a few minutes of Episode 1 of *Peacemaker* and was immediately reminded of just how bankrupt the world according to DC comics is when brought to live action. Of course  they started it with scenes from *The Suicide Squad*, which I barely got though and have no desire ever to watch again.  So I made a snap judgement this show is not for me. No retaliatory comments requested. 

So far, we have laughed our way though Season 2 of *Space Force*. I despise  30 minute episodes as a rule, yet am able to tolerate this show, and the good thing is that if an episode sucks at least it is short. 

Season 4 of *The Marvelous Mrs Maisel*, an excellent story and show. After the Shy Baldwin incident, she seems to be flailing, but not far enough into this season thanks to Amazon now dribbling out episodes weekly.


----------



## Herdfan

Huntn said:


> Of course  they started it with scenes from *The Suicide Squad*, which I barely got though and have no desire ever to watch again.




Then do not, I repeat do not, even attempt to watch Suicide Squad 2.  It's worse.


----------



## DT

Herdfan said:


> Then do not, I repeat do not, even attempt to watch Suicide Squad 2.  It's worse.





*Suicide Squad* is the 2016 movie directed by David Ayer

*The Suicide Squad* is the 2021 movie directed by James Gunn, which is sort of "requel", maintains some of the original cast, while kind of being its own thing.  This is the movie that's used to establish the starting point of Peacemaker (as he doesn't appear in the first movie).

The second movie, is clearly the better movie. 

Gunn is also the showrunner of the Peacemaker series 



Eric said:


> Just finished the last episode and won't give anything away but this is one of the best shows ever IMO, from start to finish it was funny, sad, action packed and thoughtful.






Edd said:


> I’m 4 eps in on Peacemaker. I can’t believe how entertaining it is. John Cena has leveled up. He’s showing a gift for delivering casually vulgar lines. Cracks me up.




Yeah, it so smartly blends drama, humor, meta commentary, character and plot nicely balanced and it loves the source material, it's just ridiculously fun to watch.  It's (as you might expect), renewed for Season 2, and Gunn is doing another Suicide Squad related spin off!


*Do Ya Wanna Taste It?*




(Also changing my sig )


----------



## Huntn

Herdfan said:


> Then do not, I repeat do not, even attempt to watch Suicide Squad 2.  It's worse.



I agree with @DT that *The Suicide Squad* was better than *Suicide Squad *(2016), but neither are up to my or Marvel Standards, and I realize some will ague that Marvel is just PG13 fluff while DC is a nice raunchy R in comparison.

Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy demented stories with the key there're likeable characters. I really want to like Harley Quinn and sometimes I do, except for the DC branded raunchiness that exists for the sake of raunch or for lack of a decent story. I also liked Bloodsport, he seemed to have some depth In TSS, but the rest where just icky, Weasel, the Shark… 

With *Peacemaker*, I did not like him in TSS, and maybe the TV series is brilliant, but I just kneejerked a “no“ out of the start of episode 1.

Here is a challenge for anyone, besides Superman and Batman, name one brilliantly wonderful DC Comic Character Movie. Maybe I’ll try it.


----------



## Huntn

*Raised By Wolves *(2020- HBO) A promising SciFi series about two androids, Father and Mother, tasked with raising human children on Kepler-22b after the Earth was destroyed by a great war. Religion and rejection of religion are in the center of it all. I’m 2 episodes in.

​


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> *Raised By Wolves *(2020- HBO) A promising SciFi series about two androids, Father and Mother, tasked with raising human children on Kepler-22b after the Earth was destroyed by a great war. Religion and rejection of religion are in the center of it all. I’m 2 episodes in.
> 
> ​




This looks super interesting (I mean, it's right up my alley), and season 2 is apparently very good (sounds like it really leaned into what was good in S01 ...), but I'm always so hesitant to invest into high concept sci-fi/fantasy television, it seems like it has a history of premature cancelation.


----------



## Alli

This week we’re watching Suspicion. Stellar cast! It’s so good, you don’t know who to believe.


----------



## Huntn

*Pieces of Her *(Netflix 2022-)- S1E1 Thriller, wow what a start! Mom has a past, daughter is in the dark.

​


----------



## Herdfan

Huntn said:


> Here is a challenge for anyone, besides Superman and Batman, name one brilliantly wonderful DC Comic Character Movie. Maybe I’ll try it.




I have to say I did enjoy the new_ Aquaman_ movie.  Was it kind of dumb, yes, but I didn't walk out wanting my money back.

But yeah, other than that one, it would be hard.  WW '84 was horrible.


----------



## DT

This just dropped on Amazon:


----------



## Joe

I’m watching on Netflix “Worst Roommate Ever” 

Crazy stories. I’ve only had 1 roommate and that was 20 years ago when I was in college.  We had a blast. Nothing like these crazy roommates on this docuseries.  

My roommate was a female and we both worked at the same grocery store. One day we get home from work and there’s pieces of a blue rubber material all over the living room carpet. I had no idea what it was but my roommate knew immediately. Her dog had found her dildo and had chewed it up and the pieces were all over the living room  I died laughing.  Man, we had so much fun together. I need to visit her soon. We live in different cities now.


----------



## DT

Dropping on 4/20

*snicker*


----------



## SuperMatt

DT said:


> Dropping on 4/20
> 
> *snicker*



This was a really cool show. I will probably watch the first part again before the new part comes out.


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *Pieces of Her *(Netflix 2022-)- S1E1 Thriller, wow what a start! Mom has a past, daughter is in the dark.
> 
> View attachment 12224​



Finished this up today. Starts with a bang, lots of intrigue, about Episode 3 the audience is filled in as to what’s going on and the story presents itself as half flashback, feels more like a history lesson, and it loses some of its edge, but you don’t know everything till the end and it’s not over, returning for Season 2.


----------



## SuperMatt

I just watched the first episode of Star Trek: Picard’s 2nd season. It was a very dramatic setup for the season.


----------



## Joe

DT said:


> Dropping on 4/20
> 
> *snicker*




A co worker told me about this show. I'll put it on my list.


----------



## ronntaylor

> *The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (AppleTV) -- *_Suddenly left without his trusted caretaker, Ptolemy Grey is assigned to the care of orphaned teenager, Robyn. When they learn about a treatment that will restore Ptolemy's memories, it begins a journey towards shocking truths._




Watched a special preview earlier tonight. As a fan of both SLJ and Walter Mosley (author of the book and teleplay, and Executive Producer of the series) I'm biased, so I was planning on watching the entire limited series. The 1st episode has me hyped for the rest. Samuel L. Jackson is a force in this and I wish I could binge the entire series when it starts on Friday.


----------



## ericwn

SuperMatt said:


> I just watched the first episode of Star Trek: Picard’s 2nd season. It was a very dramatic setup for the season.




I sure hope season 2 gets better than the first one. It certainly started out well!


----------



## SuperMatt

ericwn said:


> I sure hope season 2 gets better than the first one. It certainly started out well!



Episode 2 was another setup episode… I’m a bit skeptical about the season now, but who am I kidding… I will watch the whole thing.


----------



## ericwn

SuperMatt said:


> Episode 2 was another setup episode… I’m a bit skeptical about the season now, but who am I kidding… I will watch the whole thing.




I hear you, although I abandoned Discovery by now. 

Speaking of Science Fiction stuff, I am interested in the Babylon 5 reboot way more than current Star Trek offerings.


----------



## SuperMatt

ericwn said:


> I hear you, although I abandoned Discovery by now.
> 
> Speaking of Science Fiction stuff, I am interested in the Babylon 5 reboot way more than current Star Trek offerings.



Discovery jettisoned some of their best characters. They also went away from other Star Trek shows in having episodes that don’t stand on their own… only as a part of a season-long story.

That being said, Tig Notaro is awesome.


----------



## DT

Joe said:


> A co worker told me about this show. I'll put it on my list.




It's Groundhog Day with lots of drinking and f-ing


----------



## Joe

I started watching Curb your Enthusiasm on HBOMax. That guy Larry David is the ultimate Karen before Karens were popular lol He's always complaining, thinking the world revolves around him, and the rules dont apply to him. lol

Like the episode I'm watching he's harassing some lady because he wants to use the indoor bathroom instead of the outdoor bathroom at their home. And there was another episode where he didnt wanna remove his shoes before entering someones home even though that was one of their rules for their home. 

He's seriously the most entitled person.


----------



## SuperMatt

Joe said:


> I started watching Curb your Enthusiasm on HBOMax. That guy Larry David is the ultimate Karen before Karens were popular lol He's always complaining, thinking the world revolves around him, and the rules dont apply to him. lol
> 
> Like the episode I'm watching he's harassing some lady because he wants to use the indoor bathroom instead of the outdoor bathroom at their home. And there was another episode where he didnt wanna remove his shoes before entering someones home even though that was one of their rules for their home.
> 
> He's seriously the most entitled person.



IMO, that show would have been great if they cast Jason Alexander instead of Larry David playing himself.

It’s clear that Alexander was playing the Larry David type of character in Seinfeld, but he did so in a way that exposed some insecurities and vulnerabilities. When David plays it himself, he just comes off as an annoying jerk with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. David’s ego as a writer led him to wanting to act, but it would have been so much better with Jason Alexander.


----------



## ronntaylor

Insomnia kicked my ass last night, so I finally started watching Succession. One episode said I. Seven episodes later with the sun coming up...!

It wasn't what I expected: much funnier and more relatable. I'll probably binge through Season 2 the rest of this weekend.


----------



## lizkat

ronntaylor said:


> Insomnia kicked my ass last night, so I finally started watching Succession. One episode said I. Seven episodes later with the sun coming up...!
> 
> It wasn't what I expected: much funnier and more relatable. I'll probably binge through Season 2 the rest of this weekend.




I found Season 1 uneven but i liked some of it a lot.   Haven't made time to binge Season 2...


----------



## Huntn

*Berlin 1945 *(Documentary Netflix)- alternate title _You Reap What You Sew. _Sobering, as I think of Ukraine, although the latter is not an example of the alternate title.


​


----------



## Thomas Veil

ericwn said:


> I am interested in the Babylon 5 reboot way more than current Star Trek offerings.



I have heard, unfortunately, that development has been kicked back to 2023, which means we probably won't see it until at least 2024.


----------



## ericwn

Thomas Veil said:


> I have heard, unfortunately, that development has been kicked back to 2023, which means we probably won't see it until at least 2024.



damn!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Apparently I’m an old soul. Read an article earlier saying HBO’s The Gilded Age is only tracking well with the 55+ crowd. I’ve been enjoying it and am not quite in that age group yet.

But I have to admit it’s kind of a hard sell at this point in history. Economically today is being compared to the gilded age and that’s far from a compliment, and yet the show is celebrating it and at least this season there is no sign of showcasing the vast wealth inequality. Even the main black character’s family is relatively well off and racism is only mentioned in the most polite of terms and largely revolves around societal limitations. Maybe I’m asking a bit much for them to go outside this segment of society during that era, but it almost feels like an insulting missed opportunity based on current views.


----------



## DT

Stoked.






For people NITK:


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Apparently I’m an old soul. Read an article earlier saying HBO’s The Gilded Age is only tracking well with the 55+ crowd. I’ve been enjoying it and am not quite in that age group yet.
> 
> But I have to admit it’s kind of a hard sell at this point in history. Economically today is being compared to the gilded age and that’s far from a compliment, and yet the show is celebrating it and at least this season there is no sign of showcasing the vast wealth inequality. Even the main black character’s family is relatively well off and racism is only mentioned in the most polite of terms and largely revolves around societal limitations. Maybe I’m asking a bit much for them to go outside this segment of society during that era, but it almost feels like an insulting missed opportunity based on current views.



Good to hear! If you look at this kind of show, Upstairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey are about a family and their hired help, and could be very dramatic within the spectrum of the story. Some social issues and cultural changes were part of the framework. 

*Gilded Age* seems to be primarily focused on the wealthy, social structure, and two particular families, the Russels and across the street Ada, Agnes, Miriam, Peggy Scott, along  with the other hired help.  As limited the exposure is, I agree that you might get the impression, that black society was not rich, but comfortable  as a whole in NYC, although it’s a side note, not the main subject of the story.

With only one episode left, and Mrs Russell’s struggle to be accepted into old money New York appears to be succeeding, I’m wondering what note, Season 1 will end on.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> Stoked.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For people NITK:
> 
> View attachment 12499



Is the video marked private, for Barry?


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> Is the video marked private, for Barry?




Yeah, weird, everywhere that video was used (AV Club, THR) which was supposedly the official HBO trailer, now shows it marked private:



 






Maybe it was a leaked source or something, sorry about that, see original post for fixed video


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> It's Groundhog Day with lots of drinking and f-ing



It sounds interesting,


----------



## Huntn

*The Last Kingdom* Season 5 (2022 Netflix)- Final season, excellent historical drama based on a series of novels regarding 9th Century England featuring Uhtred of Beddanburg and the struggle between English Kings and Danish raiders/settlers.



Spoiler: Season 5



Uhtred of  Bebbanburg vs bad Brida on a cult mission to save Danes in England  from Christianity with the agenda of punishing Uhtred for betraying her.



​


----------



## Huntn

*Altered Carbon * (2018-2020)- Netflix, this should be right up my alley, 5 episodes and nope… I like the lead, Joel Kinnaman, but don’t like characters, including his, atmosphere, the story, nor production values. A billionaire pulls a terrorist out of cold storage to discover who killed him, at least his current body… 

I know there are those that disagree.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Since last October I've been binge-watching _Gotham_ with my grandson. We've been getting together a couple of times a week to take in two or three episodes at a time. It's been a great bonding experience.

Not to mention a jumping off point to talk about all kinds of real life stuff arising from the show: Mafia hierarchy, gang wars, antiheroes, how almost an _entire_ police force could be corrupt, good people making bad mistakes, bad people occasionally showing an iota of goodness, backstabbing (_tons_ of that), ulterior motives (ditto), and how even at the darkest times there can be light.

Today we got together to watch the 100th, final episode in which all the characters are fully formed, ready to launch a Gotham City with Batman in it. It's a satisfying ending, and I'm glad the network let it play out to its conclusion.

I've loved having the little guy over to share our journey through Batman lore, so in celebration I got us an ice cream cake with the bat symbol and GOTHAM written on it. (My daughter on FB: "How cute is my dad?" ) Truly, I've been waiting five months for him to see that final, exciting, triumphant shot. It's been a helluva lot of fun.


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *The Last Kingdom* Season 5 (2022 Netflix)- Final season, excellent historical drama based on a series of novels regarding 9th Century England featuring Uhtred of Beddanburg and the struggle between English Kings and Danish raiders/settlers.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Season 5
> 
> 
> 
> Uhtred of  Bebbanburg vs bad Brida on a cult mission to save Danes in England  from Christianity with the agenda of punishing Uhtred for betraying her.
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 12541​



Just completed this series, thumbs up! This story is to be followed/completed with a Netflix 2hr movie *7 Kings Must Die* on Netflix to be released in 2023.

Spoilers if you have not completed Season 5.








						'The Last Kingdom' Movie 'Seven Kings Must Die': Everything We Know So Far
					

With the end of 'The Last Kingdom' on Netflix, the final chapter of Uhtred's epic saga will be told in the movie 'Seven Kings Must Die'.




					www.whats-on-netflix.com


----------



## Cmaier

Huntn said:


> Just completed this series, thumbs up! This story is to be followed/completed with a Netflix 2hr movie *7 Kings Must Die* on Netflix to be released in 2023.
> 
> Spoilers if you have not completed Season 5.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 'The Last Kingdom' Movie 'Seven Kings Must Die': Everything We Know So Far
> 
> 
> With the end of 'The Last Kingdom' on Netflix, the final chapter of Uhtred's epic saga will be told in the movie 'Seven Kings Must Die'.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.whats-on-netflix.com



On your recommendation i just started streaming the first episode.


----------



## Arkitect

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Apparently I’m an old soul. Read an article earlier saying HBO’s *The Gilded Age* is only tracking well with the 55+ crowd. I’ve been enjoying it and am not quite in that age group yet.
> 
> But I have to admit it’s kind of a hard sell at this point in history. Economically today is being compared to the gilded age and that’s far from a compliment, and yet the show is celebrating it and at least this season there is no sign of showcasing the vast wealth inequality. Even the main black character’s family is relatively well off and racism is only mentioned in the most polite of terms and largely revolves around societal limitations. Maybe I’m asking a bit much for them to go outside this segment of society during that era, but it almost feels like an insulting missed opportunity based on current views.




Easy answer: It is written by Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford.

You never get any engagement with genuine issues of the time.

A simple formula:
The super rich toffs float over the steaming human misery — the only time you see the proles are when they come to tug their forelocks and doff their caps as they mumble _"God bless your lordship…"_ in rural accents.

Meanwhile the intended audience lie on their sofas gawping with zero critical thinking — goggling in awe at the empty splendiferousness of it all.

_"Will you look at that our Vera?"
"Inne handsome… inshe gorgeous!"
"That dress!"
"Now why did her ladyship have to die?" 
"Oh my! Tilly has finally been accepted by Society."_

Downton Abbey is the prime example.

These things are fucking turds with fake gold leaf presented as works of art.
At the end of the day they are all about making sure the current establishment structure is kept solidly in place.
To quote Edmund Blackadder, _"Toffs at the top, the plebs at the bottom."_

I am just sorry that it seems to have floated over to the USA… Didn't you have a revolution to end this sort of thing? 

******************************​
Aaaaand… next time, I'll tell you how I _really_ feel about shite like this!


----------



## Huntn

Arkitect said:


> Easy answer: It is written by Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford.
> 
> You never get any engagement with genuine issues of the time.
> 
> A simple formula:
> The super rich toffs float over the steaming human misery — the only time you see the proles are when they come to tug their forelocks and doff their caps as they mumble _"God bless your lordship…"_ in rural accents.
> 
> Meanwhile the intended audience lie on their sofas gawping with zero critical thinking — goggling in awe at the empty splendiferousness of it all.
> 
> _"Will you look at that our Vera?"
> "Inne handsome… inshe gorgeous!"
> "That dress!"
> "Now why did her ladyship have to die?"
> "Oh my! Tilly has finally been accepted by Society."_
> 
> Downton Abbey is the prime example.
> 
> These things are fucking turds with fake gold leaf presented as works of art.
> At the end of the day they are all about making sure the current establishment structure is kept solidly in place.
> To quote Edmund Blackadder, _"Toffs at the top, the plebs at the bottom."_
> 
> I am just sorry that it seems to have floated over to the USA… Didn't you have a revolution to end this sort of thing?
> 
> ******************************​
> Aaaaand… next time, I'll tell you how I _really_ feel about shite like this!



Honestly I think you are being harsh at least about Downton Abbey.  You see there is this house full Lords and Ladies and their easy living lifestyle is threatened by changing times and the fact that there is not enough money in the world to sustain such a lifestyle indefinitely without putting forth effort, and we get to see their struggles. I think the best part of this kind of story is about the help who more realistically deal with their role of a life story centered on 24/7 service, helping those poor rich folk get dressed, prepare, consume their meals and wipe their asses for them. Don’t get me wrong, I see some truths in this historical depiction/fiction  about the human condition and lap it up.  And no, it it very far from being a complete picture of the human condition but there are glimpses as best as a story like this can be told.


----------



## Arkitect

Huntn said:


> Honestly I think you are being harsh at least about Downton Abbey.  You see there is this house full Lords and Ladies and their easy living lifestyle is threatened by changing times and the fact that there is not enough money in the world to sustain such a lifestyle indefinitely without putting forth effort, and we get to see their struggles. I think the best part of this kind of story is about the help who more realistically deal with their role of a life story centered on 24/7 service, helping those poor rich folk get dressed, prepare, consume their meals and wipe their asses for them. Don’t get me wrong, I see some truths in this historical depiction/fiction  about the human condition and lap it up.  And no, it it very far from being a complete picture of the human condition but there are glimpses as best as a story like this can be told.



The best one was Gosford Park.
Written by Julian Fellowes, but directed by Robert Altman. 

Same setup. Above Stairs/Below Stairs, with a spicey murder thrown in.

But! Altman makes us see the reality of the time. Sure the surroundings may be elaborate, but we see the mud and blood and shit.
These upper crust lords and ladies are monsters. They do not care — except about themselves as they back stab one another for advantage.

Alas, from that grew Downton Abbey. Christ on a bike!


----------



## Huntn

Arkitect said:


> The best one was Gosford Park.
> Written by Julian Fellowes, but directed by Robert Altman.
> 
> Same setup. Above Stairs/Below Stairs, with a spicey murder thrown in.
> 
> But! Altman makes us see the reality of the time. Sure the surroundings may be elaborate, but we see the mud and blood and shit.
> These upper crust lords and ladies are monsters. They do not care — except about themselves as they back stab one another for advantage.
> 
> Alas, from that grew Downton Abbey. Christ on a bike!



_They do not care — except about themselves as they back stab one another for advantage_.

You’ve nailed much of the human race.


----------



## Arkitect

Huntn said:


> _They do not care — except about themselves as they back stab one another for advantage_.
> 
> You’ve nailed much of the human race.



Oooooo! You old cynic you!


----------



## Edd

Atlanta is back! First two eps were typically great TV.


----------



## DT

This looks terrific:









						Watch Shining Girls | Apple TV+
					

Years after a brutal attack left her in a constantly shifting reality, Kirby Mazrachi learns that a recent murder is linked to her assault. She teams …




					tv.apple.com
				




Awesome cast:

Elisabeth Moss as Kirby Mazrachi
Wagner Moura as Dan
Jamie Bell as Harper Curtis
Phillipa Soo as Jin-Sook
Amy Brenneman as Rachel


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> Atlanta is back! First two eps were typically great TV.




I meant to reply earlier, holy hell, Atlanta, it's so good, I held off on S03, and since Wife missed it the first time I watched, we're re-watching from the beginning.  DG's performance is so nuanced, everyone is amazing, and I love the fairytale/ like stories, it's almost not like a real-time POV, it's like someone telling a fable (if that makes sense).

Kind of off topic, but your quote, Wife got me a really neat single malt Irish for my birthday (see car thread for other present), it's amazing, and for some reason, hahaha, when I first tried it, I had kind of an Al Swearengen moment


----------



## lizkat

Arkitect said:


> The best one was Gosford Park.
> Written by Julian Fellowes, but directed by Robert Altman.
> 
> Same setup. Above Stairs/Below Stairs, with a spicey murder thrown in.
> 
> But! Altman makes us see the reality of the time. Sure the surroundings may be elaborate, but we see the mud and blood and shit.
> These upper crust lords and ladies are monsters. They do not care — except about themselves as they back stab one another for advantage.
> 
> Alas, from that grew Downton Abbey. Christ on a bike!




Yeah but as an escape: the clothes and the food and the landscapes were just what some of us were looking for when Downton Abbey turned up.. I freely confess that from the first episode on,  I didn't care if those trappings surrounded a soap opera or a documentary, so I was definitely in their target audience.


----------



## DT

Moon Knight recently premiered on D+, it's a new MCU/Marvel show, starring Oscar Isaac is the titular role, (umm, roles ), Ethan Hawke, week-at-a-time release schedule, season one is scheduled for just 6 episodes.


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> Moon Knight recently premiered on D+, it's a new MCU/Marvel show, starring Oscar Isaac is the titular role, (umm, roles ), Ethan Hawke, week-at-a-time release schedule, season one is scheduled for just 6 episodes.




I liked the first episode. Good bits of humor.


----------



## lizkat

Watching episodes of the CNN docu about the Murdochs.  since that has been made available on demand as part of the package of CNN's films and TV series  on the new CNN+ streaming platform.

Somehow I had managed to forget all about that whole News of the World scandal with the hacked phones.  Anyway it's interesting to see how the old guy really has played his kids off against each other over time.  What a family.   The realities even make the fictional _*Succession*_ series on HBO Max seem a bit pale sometimes.


----------



## DT

Moon Knight was terrific fun!  It was a little off the rails in the best possible way, Oscar Isaac is stellar and you can tell, he's having a blast. BTW, if you like Oscar Isaac, but haven't seen Inside Llewyn Davis or Ex Machina, I'd highly recommend both (and they're radically different movies).


----------



## Edd

DT said:


> Moon Knight was terrific fun!  It was a little off the rails in the best possible way, Oscar Isaac is stellar and you can tell, he's having a blast. BTW, if you like Oscar Isaac, but haven't seen Inside Llewyn Davis or Ex Machina, I'd highly recommend both (and they're radically different movies).



Inside Llewyn Davis is mandatory Coen Brothers homework. Oscar Isaac’s musical performances are quite something.


----------



## Edd

Finished season 4 of Yellowstone yesterday. It continues to be bad, yet addictive, television. In the last couple of seasons, particularly, there’s a fair amount of talk about morals being sort of a made up thing which, sure, I suppose that’s correct. But, you know, fuck morals when you need to murder people trying to seize your real estate.

Also, family, land, being a cowboy is a hard life, no girls in the bunkhouse, and “Montana is poverty with a view”.


----------



## Alli

DT said:


> Moon Knight was terrific fun!  It was a little off the rails in the best possible way, Oscar Isaac is stellar and you can tell, he's having a blast. BTW, if you like Oscar Isaac, but haven't seen Inside Llewyn Davis or Ex Machina, I'd highly recommend both (and they're radically different movies).



Just started it last night. Wow!


----------



## mollyc

what a great thread. I'll have to read back a bit as my husband and I are always looking for a new show. Right now we've been enjoying The Dropout on Netflix (me moreso than him) and The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray on ATV+. Ptolemy Gray is really good with Samuel L. Jackson in it. 

We rarely ever watch sci-fi so that rules out a lot of the more popular shows out right now. Some great suggestion in here though.


----------



## Eric

lizkat said:


> Yeah but as an escape: the clothes and the food and the landscapes were just what some of us were looking for when Downton Abbey turned up.. I freely confess that from the first episode on,  I didn't care if those trappings surrounded a soap opera or a documentary, so I was definitely in their target audience.



Same here, this has to be one of the best shows ever made IMO, so well written and produced throughout. Alas, I had to stop watching after the season 4, episode 3. it's a shame, my wife still wants to watch so it's one of those shows that we do on our own time in other rooms now.



Spoiler



The rape scene was so disturbing that I simply couldn't watch any more, it was way too graphic and violent and I had a hard time sleeping that night. IMO it was far beyond what was necessary to get the point across, to the point of simply being gratuitous. I tried to start the next episode but when I saw she would have to face the rapist again it was the final straw, they crossed the line with me.


----------



## DT

*Severance* fans, a second season has been ordered


----------



## shadow puppet

Alli said:


> Just started it last night. Wow!



Looking forward to episode 2 of Moon Knight tonight!


----------



## Eric

DT said:


> Moon Knight was terrific fun!  It was a little off the rails in the best possible way, Oscar Isaac is stellar and you can tell, he's having a blast. BTW, if you like Oscar Isaac, but haven't seen Inside Llewyn Davis or Ex Machina, I'd highly recommend both (and they're radically different movies).






Alli said:


> Just started it last night. Wow!






shadow puppet said:


> Looking forward to episode 2 of Moon Knight tonight!



I was on the fence but it sounds like I'll have to try it, and convince my wife to give it an episode as well.


----------



## Huntn

I finished *Barry* Season 1 (2018- HBO)-  A former military, now hitman goes to L.A. for a job and stumbles into an acting class.  This show has some comedic elements, it’s good and disturbing. I really dislike 30 min episodes, but for this one, I can look past it.


​


DT said:


> Moon Knight was terrific fun!  It was a little off the rails in the best possible way, Oscar Isaac is stellar and you can tell, he's having a blast. BTW, if you like Oscar Isaac, but haven't seen Inside Llewyn Davis or Ex Machina, I'd highly recommend both (and they're radically different movies).



Ex Machina was stellar, a wonderful AI story.


----------



## DT

shadow puppet said:


> Looking forward to episode 2 of Moon Knight tonight!




It was great again!  And ++packed++ with inside bits, nods to MCU phase 4, different incarnations of the character (aka, "Mr. Knight")

Oh, and that QR code on the storage locker, it works


----------



## DT

A new trailer for Russian Doll Season 2 !


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> A new trailer for Russian Doll Season 2 !



I seem to remember liking the first season, but it was so long ago that i can’t remember anything about it.


----------



## DT

Cmaier said:


> [...] i can’t remember anything about it.





Your timeline probably just reset ...


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> It was great again!  And ++packed++ with inside bits, nods to MCU phase 4, different incarnations of the character (aka, "Mr. Knight")
> 
> Oh, and that QR code on the storage locker, it works



I wonder if some viewers actually hold off watching shows until they can consume them at their desired pace?


----------



## DT

Hahaha, wow, Moon Knight EP4 took a turn 

Oscar Isaacs and Ethan Hawke are just crushing it on this show, they're so good (the whole cast is very solid).

Given where EP4 ended (*snicker*,  "Hi!") and that there's only two episodes left ... I have no idea where this is going.


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> Hahaha, wow, Moon Knight EP4 took a turn
> 
> Oscar Isaacs and Ethan Hawke are just crushing it on this show, they're so good (the whole cast is very solid).
> 
> Given where EP4 ended (*snicker*,  "Hi!") and that there's only two episodes left ... I have no idea where this is going.



Giving me a very “Legend” vibe.

Second best thing on TV right now (after Better Call Saul).


----------



## Edd

Cmaier said:


> Giving me a very “Legend” vibe.
> 
> Second best thing on TV right now (after Better Call Saul).



Counterpoint: Better Things and Atlanta.


----------



## Cmaier

Edd said:


> Counterpoint: Better Things and Atlanta.




I’ll give you that Atlanta is arguably better than Moon Knight. Not better than Better Call Saul.  Haven’t seen Better Things.


----------



## Cmaier

Ooh. Looking forward to this:









						Apple TV+ picks up 'Hijacked' thriller series starring Idris Elba | AppleInsider
					

Apple TV+ has announced a new order for "Hijack," a seven-part thriller series about a hijacked plane that is set to star award-winning actor Idris Elba.




					appleinsider.com


----------



## Edd

Cmaier said:


> I’ll give you that Atlanta is arguably better than Moon Knight. Not better than Better Call Saul.  Haven’t seen Better Things.



I’m frustrated because I dropped Netflix last month and picked up AMC+, part of which was to catch up with BCS. Turns out season 5 goes on Netflix and season 6, and only season 6 (no previous seasons) is now on AMC+. I haven’t seen season 5 so I’ll have to fucking get Netflix again for a month if I want to get started.

AMC+ is a half-baked service at best. Peacock, for example, is a far superior product.


----------



## Cmaier

Edd said:


> I’m frustrated because I dropped Netflix last month and picked up AMC+, part of which was to catch up with BCS. Turns out season 5 goes on Netflix and season 6, and only season 6 (no previous seasons) is now on AMC+. I haven’t seen season 5 so I’ll have to fucking get Netflix again for a month if I want to get started.
> 
> AMC+ is a half-baked service at best. Peacock, for example, is a far superior product.



Agreed. BCS is one of the few TV shows I actually bought on iTunes, because I watch it over and over (along with breaking bad) every few years and never know whether or where it will stream.


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> I’m frustrated because I dropped Netflix last month and picked up AMC+, part of which was to catch up with BCS. Turns out season 5 goes on Netflix and season 6, and only season 6 (no previous seasons) is now on AMC+. I haven’t seen season 5 so I’ll have to fucking get Netflix again for a month if I want to get started.
> 
> AMC+ is a half-baked service at best. Peacock, for example, is a far superior product.




Yeah, that's become a common model, where an ongoing series has the previous seasons on some service (other than where they originate), and the current season only on the original network.  Even worse, a few series were being shown with a rolling 4 episode window, so if you managed to get behind, the earlier EPs were gone.   When we were kind of keeping up with TWD, that happened to us, so in my iTunes I have like 2 EPs from a single season.


----------



## DT

Cmaier said:


> Giving me a very “Legend” vibe.
> 
> Second best thing on TV right now (after Better Call Saul).






Edd said:


> Counterpoint: Better Things and Atlanta.




Your posts are a good example as to how I reply to people who say, "_There's nothing good on TV anymore_ ..."

All amazing shows, well, we haven't really dug into Better Things, we've seen a few, it's excellent, it's a near perfect score for all 5 seasons on RT - and LOVE some Pamela, she was amazing on Louie (award winning), and some may not know that she was the voice for Bobby Hill in King of the Hill (won an Emmy for that too).   She was also outstanding in Californication, a show I'd suggest stopping after Season 4, that's a good enough ending (you can almost stop at S2, but S3-4 are also pretty good).

BCS is so good, it did the impossible too, a prequel, a spinoff better than the original show (yeah, I said it ... come at me bro !)

Atlanta is probably the best 1/2 hour ... comedy?  dramedy?  urban fairytale?


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> Your posts are a good example as to how I reply to people who say, "_There's nothing good on TV anymore_ ..."
> 
> All amazing shows, well, we haven't really dug into Better Things, we've seen a few, it's excellent, it's a near perfect score for all 5 seasons on RT - and LOVE some Pamela, she was amazing on Louie (award winning), and some may not know that she was the voice for Bobby Hill in King of the Hill (won an Emmy for that too).   She was also outstanding in Californication, a show I'd suggest stopping after Season 4, that's a good enough ending (you can almost stop at S2, but S3-4 are also pretty good).
> 
> BCS is so good, it did the impossible too, a prequel, a spinoff better than the original show (yeah, I said it ... come at me bro !)
> 
> Atlanta is probably the best 1/2 hour ... comedy?  dramedy?  urban fairytale?



I’m not prepared to say BCS is better than Breaking Bad yet - IMO Breaking Bad is the best TV series ever.  But if BCS can nail the finale, it has a shot, which is saying a lot.

Breaks my heart that there is no Lalo spinoff in the works. I’d love to know that guy’s back story.

Other spin-off ideas - Mike‘s son. How did he break bad?   Gene: Tales from a Cinnabon.  The Kettlemans (A sitcom).   An entire show about what the hell Lydia is up to.


----------



## DT

That's true, I'm probably more like right dead in the center of better-or-not (BCS vs. BB), the ending will definitely decide it, I'll leave my hot take till afterwards


----------



## JamesMike

I finished *Why Didn’t They Ask Evans *and enjoyed it, it worth the time to watch it.


----------



## lizkat

Netflix has a TV show (10 episodes) from Norwegian television titled *The Girl from Oslo*.   Plot sketches make the thing sound a bit too  "bad guys vs good guys"  binary to me, but I might watch a few episodes this weekend,  since I had stuck it on my list.


----------



## Alli

JamesMike said:


> I finished *Why Didn’t They Ask Evans *and enjoyed it, it worth the time to watch it.



That’s what I just came here to say! Very short, typical Agatha Christie, great cast. Enjoyed it from start to end.


----------



## DT

Finally made it to the new season for BCS, only the first episode so far.   We took time to watch The Recap Guy's recaps of S1-5, about 7-8 minutes each, super helpful, the show is so dense, I forget some of the moves various character made!

Anyway, wow, what a start, it's just so good.

We realized after watching S01E01 which was a "freebie" that we don't actually have AMC+ , so, I guess we'll be getting it for a couple of months   It's only $4.99/month through Amazon, that's probably how we'll pick it up.


----------



## DT

BCS, episodes 2 and then, holy shit, Episode 3.

That falls into a Top N of best episodes of TV ever, that's up there with the Ozymandias EP of BB.

(For GOT folks, that's like Blackwater / Battle of the Bastards / The Winds of Winter )


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> BCS, episodes 2 and then, holy shit, Episode 3.
> 
> That falls into a Top N of best episodes of TV ever, that's up there with the Ozymandias EP of BB.
> 
> (For GOT folks, that's like Blackwater / Battle of the Bastards / The Winds of Winter )



Yep.


----------



## DT

Got this:






Then this!






Not long after, this!


----------



## Eric

DT said:


> Got this:
> 
> View attachment 13711
> 
> 
> Then this!
> 
> View attachment 13712
> 
> 
> Not long after, this!
> 
> View attachment 13713



I gotta tell you most of these have been great so far, looking forward to the new ones.


----------



## DT

Finished Ozark last night, what an ending, I guess not 100% the one we wanted, but a terrific way to end the series.




Spoiler: Well? Are you gonna f**king do this sh*t or what?



The central message, really did become, "Th_e rich and privileged really do get to walk away from a crash, both literally and metaphorically_".

That exchange right before the fade to black pretty much summarized the whole series:

_“World doesn’t work like that.” —_Mel Sattem

_“Since when?” —_Wendy Byrde

I kind of thought Ruth might be doomed from the start of Season 4 / Part 2, she seemed to have a pretty dark trajectory, and that conversation she had with Killer Mike in the diner,  listening to Nas, talking about people was raised in the ghetto, who can see the bright lights of Manhattan, so maybe he can make it out - but people like them never make it out.

If you're NITK, Killer Mike is also part of the rap duo Run the Jewels (aka RTJ), who's music has shown up a few times in Ozark, including the unbelievable Season 3 ending with Helen ...

And goddam, Ruth is a boss to the very end:

_“I’m not sorry, your son was a murdering bitch. And now I know where he got it from.” _


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> Finished Ozark last night, what an ending, I guess not 100% the one we wanted, but a terrific way to end the series.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Well? Are you gonna f**king do this sh*t or what?
> 
> 
> 
> The central message, really did become, "Th_e rich and privileged really do get to walk away from a crash, both literally and metaphorically_".
> 
> That exchange right before the fade to black pretty much summarized the whole series:
> 
> _“World doesn’t work like that.” —_Mel Sattem
> 
> _“Since when?” —_Wendy Byrde
> 
> I kind of thought Ruth might be doomed from the start of Season 4 / Part 2, she seemed to have a pretty dark trajectory, and that conversation she had with Killer Mike in the diner,  listening to Nas, talking about people was raised in the ghetto, who can see the bright lights of Manhattan, so maybe he can make it out - but people like them never make it out.
> 
> If you're NITK, Killer Mike is also part of the rap duo Run the Jewels (aka RTJ), who's music has shown up a few times in Ozark, including the unbelievable Season 3 ending with Helen ...
> 
> And goddam, Ruth is a boss to the very end:
> 
> _“I’m not sorry, your son was a murdering bitch. And now I know where he got it from.” _




I’m not a big fan of the ending. I don’t feel like what their son did made a lot of sense given his trajectory.  That whole final scene seemed like unearned shock value.


----------



## JayMysteri0

A friend in the UK sent me news.  They announced the new Doctor Who.  I am NOT ready for all the faux fanboy & non fanboy tears.



> Doctor Who: BBC Introduces Our Next Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa
> 
> 
> Huge Doctor Who news this Sunday as the BBC officially introduced Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa as the new Doctor stepping into the TARDIS.
> 
> 
> 
> bleedingcool.com




I am excited.  But I'm also tired of expecting the usual bullshit that will come with this.


----------



## Roller

DT said:


> BCS, episodes 2 and then, holy shit, Episode 3.
> 
> That falls into a Top N of best episodes of TV ever, that's up there with the Ozymandias EP of BB.
> 
> (For GOT folks, that's like Blackwater / Battle of the Bastards / The Winds of Winter )



One of the joys of watching BCS is picking up on all the clues, especially in the openings. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould don't waste any screen time. I've been especially intrigued by what they've done with Kim, who is certainly no longer Jimmy/Saul's moral center.

Although it's sometimes tempting to wait until all the episodes of a series have been released and are available for binging, I think I prefer only being able to watch one each week. It reminds me of the "old days," where network TV was the only option, so we'd eagerly look forward to next week's episode, even for non-serialized programs.


----------



## Alli

JayMysteri0 said:


> A friend in the UK sent me news.  They announced the new Doctor Who.  I am NOT ready for all the faux fanboy & non fanboy tears.
> 
> 
> 
> I am excited.  But I'm also tired of expecting the usual bullshit that will come with this.



I’ve been waiting for this. I’m rarely disappointed with an actor who plays The Doctor, although I have certainly liked some better than others. I just want the show back on the regular!


----------



## JayMysteri0

Alli said:


> I’ve been waiting for this. I’m rarely disappointed with an actor who plays The Doctor, although I have certainly liked some better than others. I just want the show back on the regular!



For me, the way the show is used & scheduled, Doctor Who has become a show better binged.  I can't stand 2 episodes here, 6 month break, 3 episodes, 3 month break, Christmas episode.  Oh wait, has it been 3 years already?  Time for a new Doctor.

I wish it was like the original _new_ Doctor runs.  Film the dozen or so episodes, run 'em, wait for new season, and repeat.


----------



## Citysnaps

Now that that Season 2 of Tehran was recently released on AppleTV+, we're watching a few episodes of Season 1 to jog our memory from when we binge watched that last year.

It's an outstanding series if you like espionage and international intrigue (Israel vs Iran) kind of  movies. Great cinematography and overall it feels authentic.


----------



## Huntn

*May 2022: *Hot Dam Bosch is back, new series, *Bosch: Legacy* a direct continuation of the story watching on Prime, but it is listed as *Freevee Network*. Listed as an ad supported on demand streaming service, owned by Amazon. I noticed two 30 sec commercials during an episode. If this is the first time watching be sure you watch the first 7 seasons of Bosch first.

​


----------



## DT

DT said:


> Got this:
> 
> View attachment 13711




Fun finale, love me some giant Egyption gods battling as a backdrop   Great intros for new heroes, killer post credits scene!


----------



## DT

OK, BCS tonight for us - technically it airs at 9pm on Monday, but AMC+ doesn't get it until, umm, no idea, we bailed (and it's available now)  

So this is S06E05 (aired May 9), then E06 (May 16), E07 (May 23), then about a 1-1/2 month break, then the second part of Season 6 premiers July 11, then weekly (again), that's 7 episodes 8-13


----------



## Huntn

​
We started watching *The Wilds* on Prime, a charter jet headed for Hawaii with teenage girls headed to a exclusive summer program of somekind, the jet crashes, they end up floating in the ocean among debris near an island, most of them unharmed. What first struck me as a survival story,  by the end of the first episode, becomes more of a Lost Scenario.  Intriguing, but not sold on this yet. 85% @RT.


----------



## shadow puppet

Anyone watching Shining Girls?  I've seen the first four episodes. Although it's a slow burn until E4, I am very intrigued. Elisabeth Moss and Wagner Moura are excellent with Harper Curtis just the right amount of creepy.


----------



## DT

shadow puppet said:


> Anyone watching Shining Girls?  I've seen the first four episodes. Although it's a slow burn until E4, I am very intrigued. Elisabeth Moss and Wagner Moura are excellent with Harper Curtis just the right amount of creepy.




We plan to!  We love that kind of genre, the thriller/serial killer + something else is weird and mysterious and possibly supernatural type thing 

Did you watch The Outsider on HBOMax?


----------



## shadow puppet

DT said:


> Did you watch The Outsider on HBOMax?



Not yet.  I'll add it to the list though so thanks!


----------



## DT

DT said:


> OK, BCS tonight for us - technically it airs at 9pm on Monday, but AMC+ doesn't get it until, umm, no idea, we bailed (and it's available now)




Stellar episode!  So much setup, foreshadowing, hussles-within-hussles, and that boxing scene, wow, hahahaha.

Tony Dalton (Lalo) is so charming while being a scary sociopath, for those NITK, he's got a pretty major secondary role in the Hawkeye miniseries.  That ending, __no__spoilers__ but we were about to lose it.

And Gus Fring is one of the greatest series characters ever.  It's tempting to go to MegaCon next week just for this:









						Guest | MEGACON Orlando
					






					fanexpohq.com


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> Stellar episode!  So much setup, foreshadowing, hussles-within-hussles, and that boxing scene, wow, hahahaha.
> 
> Tony Dalton (Lalo) is so charming while being a scary sociopath, for those NITK, he's got a pretty major secondary role in the Hawkeye miniseries.  That ending, __no__spoilers__ but we were about to lose it.
> 
> And Gus Fring is one of the greatest series characters ever.  It's tempting to go to MegaCon next week just for this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Guest | MEGACON Orlando
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> fanexpohq.com




Yeah, i’d pay Good Money for a Lalo series.


----------



## Renzatic

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

I've been disappointed with both Discovery, and to a slightly lesser extent, Picard. They've both had their moments, but they don't quite feel like the Star Trek I used to know and love.

Enter Strange New Worlds. This is what I've been waiting for. A crew that feels both fun and profession. Lots of exploring the galaxy. Whole episodes dedicated to solving a problem. It is good.


----------



## DT

It looks super fun, and like you said, even before we've watched an episode, it seems like it has that ol' school Trek vibe.


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> View attachment 13900​
> We started watching *The Wilds* on Prime, a charter jet headed for Hawaii with teenage girls headed to a exclusive summer program of somekind, the jet crashes, they end up floating in the ocean among debris near an island, most of them unharmed. What first struck me as a survival story,  by the end of the first episode, becomes more of a Lost Scenario.  Intriguing, but not sold on this yet. 85% @RT.



A cast of teenage girls? No thanks. That’s just too scary for me.


DT said:


> Did you watch The Outsider on HBOMax?



Oh man! That was a great show!


Renzatic said:


> Enter Strange New Worlds. This is what I've been waiting for. A crew that feels both fun and profession. Lots of exploring the galaxy. Whole episodes dedicated to solving a problem. It is good.



We watched the first episode and I really REALLY enjoyed it. Then again, it’s a familiar cast of characters.


----------



## Renzatic

Alli said:


> We watched the first episode and I really REALLY enjoyed it. Then again, it’s a familiar cast of characters.




It's the second episode that really shines. It's about the closest we've got to classic Trek (TNG era) since the whole Star Trek revival began.


----------



## SuperMatt

Renzatic said:


> Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
> 
> I've been disappointed with both Discovery, and to a slightly lesser extent, Picard. They've both had their moments, but they don't quite feel like the Star Trek I used to know and love.
> 
> Enter Strange New Worlds. This is what I've been waiting for. A crew that feels both fun and profession. Lots of exploring the galaxy. Whole episodes dedicated to solving a problem. It is good.



I disliked the decision of Discovery and Picard to stretch one story over an entire season. I prefer each episode to stand alone, while allowing for season-long story arcs. That is part of what I’ve enjoyed about Star Trek through the years. 

And for Discovery, they ditched some of the most interesting characters from the first couple seasons.


----------



## Cmaier

SuperMatt said:


> I disliked the decision of Discovery and Picard to stretch one story over an entire season. I prefer each episode to stand alone, while allowing for season-long story arcs. That is part of what I’ve enjoyed about Star Trek through the years.
> 
> And for Discovery, they ditched some of the most interesting characters from the first couple seasons.




+1


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> A cast of teenage girls? No thanks. That’s just too scary for me.
> 
> Oh man! That was a great show!
> 
> We watched the first episode and I really REALLY enjoyed it. Then again, it’s a familiar cast of characters.



Well they are 20 somethings playing teens and it’s not grim from that standpoint..  So far there is a spectrum of personalities, one of my favorites is the Bible thumper with good sense survival talent who mentions Jesus in every other sentence.


----------



## DT

Alli said:


> A cast of teenage girls? No thanks. That’s just too scary for me.




Hahaha, yeah, I don't need to watch a teen drama / soap on TV ...


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> Hahaha, yeah, I don't need to watch a teen drama / soap on TV ...



That is not how it comes across. It is a variety of personalities just like on any ensemble story, just like Lost, but not to label this another Lost this will be the third time I’ve seen this type of theme in a show.


----------



## Edd

On Peacock: The Little House on the Prairie HD transfer that someone did turned out beautifully. I really enjoy watching this 70s stuff that just projected a vibe of pure decency. Recommend.


----------



## Huntn

​
*The Night Manager* (2016, Prime) Originally broadcast as a miniseries, there is talk of a Season 2. Ex-military Johnathan Pine works as a night manager and gets drawn into an effort to take down an international arms dealer. It’s a slow burn, but tense from start to finish with an explosive ending, and beautiful scenery, most excellent. You get to see the other side of Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Hugh Laurie makes an excellent villain.


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> View attachment 14164​
> *The Night Manager* (2016, Prime) Originally broadcast as a miniseries, there is talk of a Season 2. Ex-military Johnathan Pine works as a night manager and gets drawn into an effort to take down an international arms dealer. It’s a slow burn, but tense from start to finish with an explosive ending, and beautiful scenery, most excellent. You get to see the other side of Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Hugh Laurie makes an excellent villain.



Another season would be wonderful. The original miniseries was stellar. Tom Hiddleston is just an amazing actor.


----------



## DT

This should be fun tonight!


----------



## SuperMatt

DT said:


> This should be fun tonight!
> 
> 
> View attachment 14236



I loved Natasha Lyonne in Russian Doll and Orange is the New Black.


----------



## DT

*We Own This City*
HBOMax
6 Episode Miniseries



> The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating with an average rating of 8.4/10, based on 42 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A spiritual successor to The Wire with an even more pessimistic outlook on law enforcement, We Own This City deftly explores compromised individuals to paint an overall picture of systemic corruption." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 84 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".




It's terrific, if you liked the Wire, get on this ASAP.  Incredible cast doing superb work:  Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku, Jamie Hector, Josh Charles, McKinley Belcher III (so many more), quite a few Wire alum, produced by creator of The Wire, David Simon.


----------



## Alli

Night Sky

Some of you won’t like it because it is verrrrry slow. On the other hand, it is a brilliant character study and the acting (JK Simmons and Cissy Spacek. The storyline is interesting, but is really only a backdrop to the characters.


----------



## lizkat

citypix said:


> Now that that Season 2 of Tehran was recently released on AppleTV+, we're watching a few episodes of Season 1 to jog our memory from when we binge watched that last year.
> 
> It's an outstanding series if you like espionage and international intrigue (Israel vs Iran) kind of  movies. Great cinematography and overall it feels authentic.




I didn't see the first season so when the 2nd came to my attention I started at the beginning of Season 1.  I'm liking it, looking foward to the 2nd season too, not making headway very fast since this is peak get-yer-garden-ready season in real life at the moment!


----------



## Citysnaps

Huntn said:


> *May 2022: *Hot Dam Bosch is back, new series, *Bosch: Legacy* a direct continuation of the story watching on Prime, but it is listed as *Freevee Network*. Listed as an ad supported on demand streaming service, owned by Amazon. I noticed two 30 sec commercials during an episode. If this is the first time watching be sure you watch the first 7 seasons of Bosch first.
> 
> View attachment 13835​




That was excellent. Everything about Legacy was tight.  Sadly, we blew through it pretty quickly.


----------



## DT

Alli said:


> Night Sky
> 
> Some of you won’t like it because it is verrrrry slow. On the other hand, it is a brilliant character study and the acting (JK Simmons and Cissy Spacek. The storyline is interesting, but is really only a backdrop to the characters.




This seems really fun, two stellar actors and it just based on one preview I saw, it felt like a "nice" story about family, love, with a pretty neat sci-fi-esque concept.


----------



## Huntn

citypix said:


> That was excellent. Everything about Legacy was tight.  Sadly, we blew through it pretty quickly.



When we first watched Bosch, we had the luxury of drifting through 7 seasons at our leisure. 10 episode seasons suck…The season for Legacy is not over yet, correct? That’s another issue, I preferred it when a season was streamed/released in their entirety, but dribbled out to keep viewers on the hook.


----------



## Cmaier

Man, that better call saul last night was great


----------



## Eric

DT said:


> This should be fun tonight!
> 
> 
> View attachment 14236



Japanese Breakfast's singer was so bad and off pitch that we thought it was a parody at first.


----------



## Renzatic

Strange New Worlds is still managing to impress me. Last week's episode was a little on the weaker side, but the one I watched today was probably some of the best Trek I've seen since the 90's. It was damn good.


----------



## Cmaier

Renzatic said:


> Strange New Worlds is still managing to impress me. Last week's episode was a little on the weaker side, but the one I watched today was probably some of the best Trek I've seen since the 90's. It was damn good.




It reminded me of the original series episode where the Romulans are introduced.


----------



## DT

Yeah, *Balance of Terror*, one of the all time great episodes of any Trek series.


----------



## Renzatic

Cmaier said:


> It reminded me of the original series episode where the Romulans are introduced.




Shocking secret time: I've only watched one or two episodes of the original series. All of my early Trek experiences come from TNG, DS9, and the movies.


----------



## DT

Renzatic said:


> Shocking secret time: I've only watched one or two episodes of the original series. All of my early Trek experiences come from TNG, DS9, and the movies.





That's what I grew up with, but even revisiting in 2022, some episodes are still excellent (some are very clearly a product of their time ...).  There's a remastered version where they've redone the FX shots, cleaned up from the original masters, the audio has been redone.

I'd highly recommend the EP above, *Balance of Terror,* it deals with racism, introduces the Romulans and it's an excellent take on subdued tactical action, it's basically a submarine story, in fact, it's more or less the '57 film, The Enemy Below.

*The Doomsday Machine* (really improved by the new FX), *Space Seed* ("KAAAAAAAAHHHN!"), of course, the Ellison EP, *The City On The Edge Of Forever*, *Mirror/Mirror* (aka, Spock with a goatee episode ), a lot of the best episodes were written by the really good sci-fi writers of the time.


----------



## Roller

DT said:


> That's what I grew up with, but even revisiting in 2022, some episodes are still excellent (some are very clearly a product of their time ...).  There's a remastered version where they've redone the FX shots, cleaned up from the original masters, the audio has been redone.
> 
> I'd highly recommend the EP above, *Balance of Terror,* it deals with racism, introduces the Romulans and it's an excellent take on subdued tactical action, it's basically a submarine story, in fact, it's more or less the '57 film, The Enemy Below.
> 
> *The Doomsday Machine* (really improved by the new FX), *Space Seed* ("KAAAAAAAAHHHN!"), of course, the Ellison EP, *The City On The Edge Of Forever*, *Mirror/Mirror* (aka, Spock with a goatee episode ), a lot of the best episodes were written by the really good sci-fi writers of the time.



I second these choices, and add *Assignment: Earth* and *The Trouble with Tribbles*. Gene Roddenberry told me he thought ST:TNG was better sci-fi than ST:TOS.


----------



## Roller

Cmaier said:


> Man, that better call saul last night was great



Yes, it sure was. Did you watch _Talking Saul_ right after? It was hard for Peter Gould and the actors to keep themselves from giving tips about the final six episodes, but I think we're in for a wild ride with many surprises.


----------



## Cmaier

Roller said:


> Yes, it sure was. Did you watch _Talking Saul_ right after? It was hard for Peter Gould and the actors to keep themselves from giving tips about the final six episodes, but I think we're in for a wild ride with many surprises.



I didn’t watch it - had to be alone with my thoughts


----------



## Roller

Watched both parts of HBO's documentary about George Carlin. Fascinating story, especially toward the end of his life. I was fortunate to see him perform once.


----------



## DT

Roller said:


> I second these choices, and add *Assignment: Earth* and *The Trouble with Tribbles*. Gene Roddenberry told me he thought ST:TNG was better sci-fi than ST:TOS.




Yeah, *The Trouble with Tribbles* is a fun episode, it's classic, a little goofy (in a good way), and you've got to love a good scrap instigated by Scotty. 

I'm a big fan of *Assignment: Earth*, I know it usually doesn't make Top N lists for TOS, I just love the concept.  There's a terrific Assignment: Earth comic/graphic novel by John Byrne (famous for X-Men among other titles), that actually has another TOS episode crossover (*Tomorrow is Yesterday*).

I like *Wolf in the Fold* quite a bit, again, not considered top tier by most (and some very "of the day" sort of perspectives on women), but I love the plot concept, and it was written by Robert Bloch (of Psycho fame), one of the few "horror" type episodes (Bloch wrote two other EPs that had a horror-esque type vibe)

Umm, when you say, "Gene Roddenberry told me ..." you mean directly?  Like you met the man?  Heck, that sounds like a story we need to hear 





Roller said:


> Watched both parts of HBO's documentary about George Carlin. Fascinating story, especially toward the end of his life. I was fortunate to see him perform once.




We have this queued up, loved Carlin, if I didn't know better I would say he was able to peer into the future ... it would've been amazing to see him perform live.


----------



## Roller

DT said:


> Yeah, *The Trouble with Tribbles* is a fun episode, it's classic, a little goofy (in a good way), and you've got to love a good scrap instigated by Scotty.
> 
> I'm a big fan of *Assignment: Earth*, I know it usually doesn't make Top N lists for TOS, I just love the concept.  There's a terrific Assignment: Earth comic/graphic novel by John Byrne (famous for X-Men among other titles), that actually has another TOS episode crossover (*Tomorrow is Yesterday*).
> 
> I like *Wolf in the Fold* quite a bit, again, not considered top tier by most (and some very "of the day" sort of perspectives on women), but I love the plot concept, and it was written by Robert Bloch (of Psycho fame), one of the few "horror" type episodes (Bloch wrote two other EPs that had a horror-esque type vibe)
> 
> Umm, when you say, "Gene Roddenberry told me ..." you mean directly?  Like you met the man?  Heck, that sounds like a story we need to hear
> 
> We have this queued up, loved Carlin, if I didn't know better I would say he was able to peer into the future ... it would've been amazing to see him perform live.



I was Gene's guest at the studio. Had a great time.

I'll never forget Carlin's performance — he did the bit about words and thoughts, the famous one about seven words, and the one about a house being a place to put your stuff, among others.

One thing you'll see when you watch the HBO documentary is how many comedians he influenced. IMO, his strongest material was in the later stages of his career, when he called BS on pretty much everyone and everything, though some of it was too dark even for my taste near the very end.


----------



## Eric

Watched the first two episodes of the new season of Stranger Things and this show does not disappoint. I won't give anything away but it's really well written and captures the feel and memories of 80s so well and the whole Nightmare on Elm St twisted theme really works IMO.


----------



## DT

Eric said:


> Watched the first two episodes of the new season of Stranger Things and this show does not disappoint. I won't give anything away but it's really well written and captures the feel and memories of 80s so well and the whole Nightmare on Elm St twisted theme really works IMO.




We did too!

Hahaha, first we watched Man of Recaps for a refresher on S1-3   Then went right into it, and wow, it's much scarier, darker, I guess just like the kids, it's more "grown up".

I don't know if you noticed the runtime, but S1 was 1:18, and S2 was 1:17, and giving them that extra time made them feel much more like a film vs. an episodic show.


----------



## Alli

I had to finish Night Sky. I probably won’t get to Stranger Things for another week. My daughter is coming in this afternoon to spend the week, and we’re going to binge The Flight Attendant.


----------



## DT

Alli said:


> I probably won’t get to Stranger Things for another week.




Holy shit, it's excellent, I'm actually a bit shocked.  I liked S1-3, but now it feels like that was just a setup for S4   We finished it yesterday, they did a great job at handling the three separate plots, and then the convergence of everything into the big reveal, JFC, that was just fantastic.

And the concept of the Hellfire Club from the X-Comics, wow, did they nail that, first as a bunch of a geeks playing D&D and then as a very direct callback to the comics, and speaking of, can the horror callbacks get any better?

Nope.

Also this, which I can't love enough ...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1530656428322607104/


----------



## Eric

DT said:


> Holy shit, it's excellent, I'm actually a bit shocked.  I liked S1-3, but now it feels like that was just a setup for S4   We finished it yesterday, they did a great job at handling the three separate plots, and then the convergence of everything into the big reveal, JFC, that was just fantastic.
> 
> And the concept of the Hellfire Club from the X-Comics, wow, did they nail that, first as a bunch of a geeks playing D&D and then as a very direct callback to the comics, and speaking of, can the horror callbacks get any better?
> 
> Nope.
> 
> Also this, which I can't love enough ...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1530656428322607104/



Binged it over the weekend, IMO the best of all the seasons. So well written and a great plot line the entire way through, was worth keeping Netflix for, the Duffer brothers really delivered.


----------



## Alli

I snuck in episode 1 yesterday. Wow! But honestly, I can do without Kate Bush. I never cared for her.


----------



## Hrafn

Alli said:


> I snuck in episode 1 yesterday. Wow! But honestly, I can do without Kate Bush. I never cared for her.



Different strokes.  She's been in rotation on my playlist since the '80s.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> Holy shit, it's excellent, I'm actually a bit shocked.  I liked S1-3, but now it feels like that was just a setup for S4   We finished it yesterday, they did a great job at handling the three separate plots, and then the convergence of everything into the big reveal, JFC, that was just fantastic.
> 
> And the concept of the Hellfire Club from the X-Comics, wow, did they nail that, first as a bunch of a geeks playing D&D and then as a very direct callback to the comics, and speaking of, can the horror callbacks get any better?
> 
> Nope.
> 
> Also this, which I can't love enough ...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1530656428322607104/






Eric said:


> Binged it over the weekend, IMO the best of all the seasons. So well written and a great plot line the entire way through, was worth keeping Netflix for, the Duffer brothers really delivered.



Looking forward to S4. I had been starting to worry it would be more of the same.


----------



## Roller

Renzatic said:


> Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
> 
> I've been disappointed with both Discovery, and to a slightly lesser extent, Picard. They've both had their moments, but they don't quite feel like the Star Trek I used to know and love.
> 
> Enter Strange New Worlds. This is what I've been waiting for. A crew that feels both fun and profession. Lots of exploring the galaxy. Whole episodes dedicated to solving a problem. It is good.



I like the episodic format and the many throwbacks to TOS — we seem to be on the Enterprise of _The Menagerie_ era. I'm not so much of a  purist that I reflexively eschew TV series or movies that play loose with the Star Trek universe, but there was much in the first two episodes that threw me off. Examples:



Spoiler




Captain Pike's demeanor is often so un-captain-like, whether it's the way he asks the crew for advice to his aside about how much he loves his job in the midst of a crisis on the bridge. He's not a leader I would want to follow. In contrast, when I was introduced to Patrick Stewart on the set of TNG, I didn't know whether to shake his hand or ask "What would you like me to do, Captain?"
TOS was widely recognized for presenting Gene Roddenberry's sanguine concept of a future in which humanity had avoided destroying itself and moved out into the galaxy. Many episodes dealt with social topics directly or allegorically. But SNW hits the viewer even more squarely in the head, and I find it a bit much. To be honest, _Star Trek: Picard_ sometimes does the same thing, which makes me wonder if this is Akiva Goldsman's influence.
The whole sequence with the crew inside M'hanit (AKA the comet) in episode 2 was odd. Cadet Uhura is supposed to decipher alien written communication just because she speaks many languages on Earth. You'd expect the Enterprise would have specialists on board, especially given their mission. (Sam Kirk is a research biologist.) And I also think AI would be sufficiently advanced to at least help with deciphering the markings on the "egg." Instead, we get a serendipitous response to Uhura's humming, which just seemed like a nod to the five-tone sequence in _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_.
In that same episode, the comet is initially depicted as a solid rock, including when the away team beams over. But Spok's flight shows it as a collection of smaller pieces, which let him change its course without technically touching it. 



Despite my misgivings, I'm going to stick with the series, but I sure hope it gets better.


----------



## MEJHarrison

Renzatic said:


> Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
> 
> I've been disappointed with both Discovery, and to a slightly lesser extent, Picard. They've both had their moments, but they don't quite feel like the Star Trek I used to know and love.
> 
> Enter Strange New Worlds. This is what I've been waiting for. A crew that feels both fun and profession. Lots of exploring the galaxy. Whole episodes dedicated to solving a problem. It is good.




I just got caught up with Discovery a day or two back.  It's a good sci-fi show, but I'd hesitate to call it good Star Trek.  The Orville is better at doing Star Trek than Discovery.  I need to rewatch season 4.  For whatever reason, I didn't pay attention very much and missed quite a bit.  For me the best part of the whole series is when they had Pike and Spock on the show.

I've not started Picard.  But that's probably next up.  I've honestly never understood the fascination with Picard and always though Sisko could captain circles around Picard. So I'm not overly excited to jump in.  Which is good.  That's setting me up to be impressed.  Still, I think Picard is my least favorite captain.  I fully accept that it seems to just be a "me" thing and I'm ok with that.  

Strange New Worlds is one I'm really, really excited about.  I'm intentionally avoiding it for now so I have a few to watch when I do jump in.


----------



## Cmaier

MEJHarrison said:


> I just got caught up with Discovery a day or two back.  It's a good sci-fi show, but I'd hesitate to call it good Star Trek.  The Orville is better at doing Star Trek than Discovery.  I need to rewatch season 4.  For whatever reason, I didn't pay attention very much and missed quite a bit.  For me the best part of the whole series is when they had Pike and Spock on the show.
> 
> I've not started Picard.  But that's probably next up.  I've honestly never understood the fascination with Picard and always though Sisko could captain circles around Picard. So I'm not overly excited to jump in.  Which is good.  That's setting me up to be impressed.  Still, I think Picard is my least favorite captain.  I fully accept that it seems to just be a "me" thing and I'm ok with that.
> 
> Strange New Worlds is one I'm really, really excited about.  I'm intentionally avoiding it for now so I have a few to watch when I do jump in.



SNW is the most “Star Trek” of the various new shows.  I’m a little less impressed with it than most people seem to be, just because I find that most of the plots so far have been derivative of plots from the original show, and I’m not a fan with the way Spock is portrayed (I suppose he could “grow into” the Spock we eventually know, but so far the character seems to be portrayed very differently than classic Spock).  Pike is great, though.  

TNG was always my favorite show, but I don’t like the Picard show.  Just a lot of fan service with nonsensical plots, weird dream sequences, etc.  

And Discovery has gotten better (the first couple seasons were a complete mess), but I really prefer episodic Trek to “confusing season arc - why are we flying to this place using space mushrooms somehow again” Trek.


----------



## SuperMatt

Cmaier said:


> And Discovery has gotten better (the first couple seasons were a complete mess), but I really prefer episodic Trek to “confusing season arc - why are we flying to this place using space mushrooms somehow again” Trek.



The most recent season could have been fit into a 2-parter and there could have been many more episodes about other things. Voyager and DS9 had long-term stories, but many episodes could stand on their own. So, while I enjoyed the most recent season of Discovery, it was way too long for the story it told.


----------



## Eric

After watching the first 3 episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi I don't think we'll watch any more, this is by far the worst show so far in any of the series' IMO. It's so poorly written to the point of being cheesy, there's no way I can recommend.


----------



## SuperMatt

Eric said:


> After watching the first 3 episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi I don't think we'll watch any more, this is by far the worst show so far in any of the series' IMO. It's so poorly written to the point of being cheesy, there's no way I can recommend.



When I saw they were using the same actor for Obi-Wan as they did in the horrendous prequel movies, I assumed it would be bad.

What’s next, The Book of Jar-Jar?


----------



## Alli

Finished Stranger Things last night. WTF do they make us wait a month for the last two episodes?!

It wasn’t until they shaved Hopper’s head that I actually recognized the actor. Holy shit! He was the best thing about the movie Black Widow. And Hellboy?! Mind blown.

Why is Nancy such an uptight old lady? Why do they not listen to Dustin? I love Eddie. That poor kid was in the wrong place at every wrong time. When did Murray become…competent?!


----------



## Eric

Alli said:


> Finished Stranger Things last night. WTF do they make us wait a month for the last two episodes?!
> 
> It wasn’t until they shaved Hopper’s head that I actually recognized the actor. Holy shit! He was the best thing about the movie Black Widow. And Hellboy?! Mind blown.
> 
> Why is Nancy such an uptight old lady? Why do they not listen to Dustin? I love Eddie. That poor kid was in the wrong place at every wrong time. When did Murray become…competent?!



Okay, so there are remaining episodes? I had no idea, wondered why the ended it with so much left like that. Great news, can't wait!


----------



## Alli

Eric said:


> Okay, so there are remaining episodes? I had no idea, wondered why the ended it with so much left like that. Great news, can't wait!



We just have to hold out another month.


----------



## DT

Alli said:


> Finished Stranger Things last night. WTF do they make us wait a month for the last two episodes?!
> 
> It wasn’t until they shaved Hopper’s head that I actually recognized the actor. Holy shit! He was the best thing about the movie Black Widow. And Hellboy?! Mind blown.
> 
> Why is Nancy such an uptight old lady? Why do they not listen to Dustin? I love Eddie. That poor kid was in the wrong place at every wrong time. When did Murray become…competent?!





Hahaha, yes, it's so good, and you are spot on with Nancy.  Yeah, love David Harbour in everything he does.

OMG, Murray, we were laughing so hard, "Please let him kick ass ... please let him kick ass ...", and holy hell, he went full on fists of fury!


----------



## Huntn

Renzatic said:


> Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
> 
> I've been disappointed with both Discovery, and to a slightly lesser extent, Picard. They've both had their moments, but they don't quite feel like the Star Trek I used to know and love.
> 
> Enter Strange New Worlds. This is what I've been waiting for. A crew that feels both fun and profession. Lots of exploring the galaxy. Whole episodes dedicated to solving a problem. It is good.



I’ve more or less relegated Star Trek to my past. I actually loved Discovery Season 1, then dumped it in S2, Picard, took a taste and spit it out. I might try this out with a hit and run subscription when the season is complete.


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> Finished Stranger Things last night. WTF do they make us wait a month for the last two episodes?!
> 
> It wasn’t until they shaved Hopper’s head that I actually recognized the actor. Holy shit! He was the best thing about the movie Black Widow. And Hellboy?! Mind blown.
> 
> Why is Nancy such an uptight old lady? Why do they not listen to Dustin? I love Eddie. That poor kid was in the wrong place at every wrong time. When did Murray become…competent?!



Just started with the intent of watching Stranger Things S4, however, I rewatched the last 2 episodes of S3. I might put the breaks on till closer to July. Actually thinking about dropping Netflix and going to hit and run subscribing to it when necessary.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Eric said:


> After watching the first 3 episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi I don't think we'll watch any more, this is by far the worst show so far in any of the series' IMO. It's so poorly written to the point of being cheesy, there's no way I can recommend.



I wouldn't say it's the worse.  I would say Obi Wan is 'meh'.  Like when I watched Moon Knight, the first question that came to mind was, "why was this made?"  With Moon Knight I'm still not sure, especially if it's a one & done series.  With Obi Wan, I can only guess it was just to put a Star Wars series on television.  The biggest issue I have is that it feels like it's an Obi Wan series in name only, and other characters like **** & Darth Vader are the real focus.  The series is just using Obi Wan as the connecting tissue between the characters that are the real focus, which makes me wonder "Why not just do a Darth Vader series or a **** the early years?"

I'll probably see it thru, but "The Boys" are back, and that will be my biggest interest.


----------



## Eric

JayMysteri0 said:


> I wouldn't say it's the worse.  I would say Obi Wan is 'meh'.  Like when I watched Moon Knight, the first question that came to mind was, "why was this made?"  With Moon Knight I'm still not sure, especially if it's a one & done series.  With Obi Wan, I can only guess it was just to put a Star Wars series on television.  The biggest issue I have is that it feels like it's an Obi Wan series in name only, and other characters like **** & Darth Vader are the real focus.  The series is just using Obi Wan as the connecting tissue between the characters that are the real focus, which makes me wonder "Why not just do a Darth Vader series or a **** the early years?"
> 
> I'll probably see it thru, but "The Boys" are back, and that will be my biggest interest.



Yeah, I thought Moon Knight was okay but agree about it being sort of pointless. For Obi Wan I'll say the bar has been set high with the Disney series' so I'll give it that, out of those it's at the bottom of the list for me though.

BTW I've loved "The Boys" so far, as raw, raunchy and entertaining as ever.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Eric said:


> Yeah, I thought Moon Knight was okay but agree about it being sort of pointless. For Obi Wan I'll say the bar has been set high with the Disney series' so I'll give it that, out of those it's at the bottom of the list for me though.
> 
> BTW I've loved "The Boys" so far, as raw, raunchy and entertaining as ever.



As if I needed to be sold anymore to watch...
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1533162040939859968/
Perfectly in keeping with the show


----------



## Edd

Eric said:


> After watching the first 3 episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi I don't think we'll watch any more, this is by far the worst show so far in any of the series' IMO. It's so poorly written to the point of being cheesy, there's no way I can recommend.



We watched the first ep and liked it.  I'm curious, did you like Book of Boba Fett? I think it was 3 episodes in we dropped it.  I found it borderline dumb, which is not unusual for Star Wars.


----------



## DT

JayMysteri0 said:


> I'll probably see it thru, but "The Boys" are back, and that will be my biggest interest.






Eric said:


> BTW I've loved "The Boys" so far, as raw, raunchy and entertaining as ever.






JayMysteri0 said:


> As if I needed to be sold anymore to watch...
> Perfectly in keeping with the show





The Boys is so fun, and wow, right out of the gate, were like, "Oh, they're not going to ... oh yeah they are!" hahaha, wow.

Anti-male is code for, "I've never had a date ..."


----------



## Eric

DT said:


> The Boys is so fun, and wow, right out of the gate, were like, *"Oh, they're not going to ... oh yeah they are!"* hahaha, wow.
> 
> Anti-male is code for, "I've never had a date ..."



That's putting it mildly, every time you think they've topped it, nope they take it a step further.



Spoiler



When you pulled out your wang and placed it into the hand of an invalent wheezing on her deathbed with missing limbs and a melted face and it still wasn't the most offensive thing you did that day.


----------



## Cmaier

Edd said:


> We watched the first ep and liked it.  I'm curious, did you like Book of Boba Fett? I think it was 3 episodes in we dropped it.  I found it borderline dumb, which is not unusual for Star Wars.




I like obi-wan better than boba fett so far.  Boba Fett went nowhere, I have never been all that interested in the character anyway, and the whole thing felt like they filmed an aside to the Mandalorian. 

As for obi-wan, I get it already - he’s curmudgeony, Leia is precocious, blah blah blah.  The inquisitors are comic-book-evil (not evil in a good way, like Darth Vader was before the retconned in his teen emo angst).  And when last I saw Vader, he was friggin-awesomely mowing down a corridor full of people like blades of grass, and now he’s just sort of walking around force choking people and fighting at 10% of his capacity when it counts.

We know this really can’t go anywhere because of where we start out in episode 4, so I was hoping to at least see some really cool fight scenes or something.


----------



## DT

Cmaier said:


> We know this really can’t go anywhere because of where we start out in episode 4, so I was hoping to at least see some really cool fight scenes or something.




That's always tricky with most prequels, you know who exists in the future, so it really dials down the stakes (and puts a target on the new characters ...).

The Mandalorian was super fun, I started it twice, never made it past a few EPs, and when I finally did I was hooked, stopped, got the wife onboard, we had a blast.  Did not even try Boba Fett, there's just so many other good things to watch, limited time, and I figured maybe we'd watch before another season of Mandalorian (as I hear Boba Fett is some rando pointless plot lines + Mando Season 2.5 ...)

I was sort of interested in Obi-Wan, but it would've needed to had some very positive, critical consensus, and I'm mostly hearing what you and other are saying, it's just kind of meh ...


----------



## Eric

Edd said:


> We watched the first ep and liked it.  I'm curious, did you like Book of Boba Fett? I think it was 3 episodes in we dropped it.  I found it borderline dumb, which is not unusual for Star Wars.



I actually enjoyed Boba Fett, at least the first few episodes but it got weird when they turned it into more episodes of The Mandalorian.


----------



## DT

Wow, Barry is so good, there's a reason it has a 98% / 100% / 100% for Seasons 1-3 on RT.  We're not quite through S3 yet, we have EP6-8 on deck for tonight, that will finish up Season 3.

If you don't know the show, it's on HBO/HBOMax, from Wikipedia:



> Barry is an American black comedy crime drama thriller television series created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader that premiered on HBO on March 25, 2018. Hader stars as Barry Berkman, a hitman from Cleveland who travels to Los Angeles to kill someone but finds himself joining an acting class taught by Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler), where he meets aspiring actress Sally Reed (Sarah Goldberg) and begins to question his path in life as he deals with his criminal associates such as Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root) and NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan).
> 
> Barry has received critical acclaim, with most praise going to its directing, writing, originality, humor, characters, and performances (particularly Hader's). The series has received various accolades, including 30 Primetime Emmy Award nominations; Hader won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series twice, while Winkler won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in the first season. For the second season, Winkler, Root, and Carrigan all received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor, while Goldberg received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The show has been nominated twice for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.


----------



## Edd

DT said:


> Wow, Barry is so good, there's a reason it has a 98% / 100% / 100% for Seasons 1-3 on RT.  We're not quite through S3 yet, we have EP6-8 on deck for tonight, that will finish up Season 3.
> 
> If you don't know the show, it's on HBO/HBOMax, from Wikipedia:



This guy….he is everything.


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> This guy….he is everything.
> 
> View attachment 14939





OMG, this scene in S3, I think it's EP4, hahahaha, where he's setting up "the app" for Barry (spoiler'ed in case you haven't seen it ...)



Spoiler









"Can I share personal information with market research?"

"Sure, why not"


----------



## DT

Best Buy offering AppleTV+ for free for 3 months 



			https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-free-apple-tv-for-3-months-new-or-returning-subscribers-only/6484512.p?skuId=6484512


----------



## DT

In addition to Best Buy I got another offer that was only good for new subs, so I used that one first, then I'll use the BB above (since it works with returning) for another freebie (if that works out, it's 6 months, 2 weeks for free )

Anyway, checked out the David Attenborough hosted (produced by Jon Favreau) Dinosaur show, Prehistoric Planet  Wow!  It's pretty spectacular, they worked with a team of paleontologists to design the visualiations/models/behaviors, so they're supposed to be very biologically accurate.   Beautiful 4K, and got the sub just in time for some dino-rumbling


----------



## DT

Season finale of Barry, holy hell.  We kind of sat in stunned silence     Next season will be very interesting to say the least.

The Prestige TV podcast (on The Ringer network) had Bill Hader on to talk about the Season 3 finale, where the show might be headed, etc., hosted by one of my fave Ringer hosts, Sean Fennessey:









						‘Barry’ Season 3, Episode 8 Recap With Bill Hader
					

Sean and Bill discuss the season finale before talking cliff-hanger endings and the honesty of going so dark in fiction




					www.theringer.com


----------



## Alli

The last two evenings I binged season 2 (final season) of The Bureau of Magical Things. I just can’t help liking that genre: magic and teens.


----------



## DT

Alli said:


> The last two evenings I binged season 2 (final season) of The Bureau of Magical Things. I just can’t help liking that genre: magic and teens.





Did you watch The Magicians?  I liked the few episodes of S01 I watched, I understand it really improved in S02, then got amazing by S03.  It also appears to have had a proper series finale (5 seasons), so maybe I'll wade back into it.


----------



## Hrafn

DT said:


> Did you watch The Magicians?  I liked the few episodes of S01 I watched, I understand it really improved in S02, then got amazing by S03.  It also appears to have had a proper series finale (5 seasons), so maybe I'll wade back into it.



We watched The Bureau and The Magicians, although I don't know that we finished Magicians.  It reminds me a lot of the Shannarra series where the books were fun, but the shows were just loosely based on them.


----------



## DT

DT said:


> In addition to Best Buy I got another offer that was only good for new subs, so I used that one first, then I'll use the BB above (since it works with returning) for another freebie (if that works out, it's 6 months, 2 weeks for free )





Started Severance, and wow.  Probably watching EPs 3 and 4 tonight!


----------



## shadow puppet

Two episodes in to the Outer Range and feel like I'm watching some Twin Peaks Sci Fi Western hybrid.


----------



## DT

shadow puppet said:


> Two episodes in to the Outer Range and feel like I'm watching some Twin Peaks Sci Fi Western hybrid.




It looks fun, love Josh Brolin, Lili Taylor, Tom Pelphrey was so good in Ozark, the concept is right up my alley - I guess I'm waiting to see how the show pans out in terms of additional seasons (some of these high concept sci-fi-ish type shows seem to get canceled too often).


----------



## Alli

DT said:


> Did you watch The Magicians?  I liked the few episodes of S01 I watched, I understand it really improved in S02, then got amazing by S03.  It also appears to have had a proper series finale (5 seasons), so maybe I'll wade back into it.



That was an amazing series and the finale was perfection.


----------



## Alli

DT said:


> Started Severance, and wow.  Probably watching EPs 3 and 4 tonight!



Can’t wait for season 2!


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> Two episodes in to the Outer Range and feel like I'm watching some Twin Peaks Sci Fi Western hybrid.



Really liked this one as well.


----------



## DT

Finished Severance, just fantastic. Hahaha, I mistakenly thought there was only 8 EPs, so you can imagine my reaction when I thought the cut to black at the end of that episode was the season finale   

I mean, the actual final episode was almost as bad (in the best possible way), but at least we saw some "results" from the plan.

You know what show that this kept reminding me of - that shared a lot of the the same mysterious motivations behind the "them", the throwback design and trippy surreal moments, the contemplation of self?   The Prisoner, the Patrick McGoohan series from the 60s (of which I was also a big fan).


----------



## JamesMike

Watching The Old Man starring Jeff Bridges, I like it so far.


----------



## DT

Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2

It's here!  It's here!






Apparently S4E8 has a 1.5 hour runtime and S4E9 is over 2 hours!  Woot!


----------



## Eric

We've been watching Mrs Marvel and it's surprisingly good. At first it looked more like a kids show but turns out to be a well written series steeped in Indian/Pakistani culture with really fun and interesting characters throughout, it's both entertaining and educational. I would encourage anyone to at least give it an episode or two.


----------



## Edd

I‘m pretty sure I’ve mentioned Joe Pera Talks with You. It’s a completely unique, optimistic show. 11 minute episodes on Adult Swim. It’s sadly been cancelled after 3 seasons.









						Joe Pera Talks With You has been canceled after three seasons
					

Thankfully, Joe Pera has shared a heartfelt note to make the bad news easier to take




					www.avclub.com
				




Its on HBO Max and comes with my strongest recommendation. If you try it, give it 3 episodes; it takes a bit to lock into the vibe.

It must be saved.  If everyone watched it this country wouldn’t be in such a mess.


----------



## DT

The Boys Season 3 finale dropped today!

And BCS Season 6, Part 2 starts Monday (that's Episode 8)


----------



## Eric

DT said:


> *The Boys Season 3 finale dropped today!*
> 
> And BCS Season 6, Part 2 starts Monday (that's Episode 8)



Watched it all and loved it, but I have concerns...
Will post spoiler at a later date.


----------



## DT

MUST ... NOT ... CLICK ... SPOILER ...   

I'll revisit after we watch, probably late this afternoon.


----------



## Eric

DT said:


> MUST ... NOT ... CLICK ... SPOILER ...
> 
> I'll revisit after we watch, probably late this afternoon.



Edited to remove temptation (just my trivial thought anyway). Will not give anything away (I hate that) but will say the entire season was awesome.


----------



## Edd

I HAVE FINISHED THE EXPANSE!

All caps because I feel like I should get a medal or something. Densest fucking plotting ever, 6 seasons and I comprehended 40% of it.

In the last two days I’ve also finished:

Joe Pera Talks with You  (RIP)
The Boys
Euphoria

Euphoria is just an awesome show, so glad I gave it a second try, almost gave up early.


----------



## Alli

Edd said:


> I HAVE FINISHED THE EXPANSE!
> 
> All caps because I feel like I should get a medal or something. Densest fucking plotting ever, 6 seasons and I comprehended 40% of it.



I’d give you a medal for reading the series too! Dense is an understatement.


----------



## Edd

Alli said:


> I’d give you a medal for reading the series too! Dense is an understatement.



Have you read it? I had the first book in my hand at the store 2 hours ago, but at nearly 600 pages I decided Kindle would be the way to go if I buy it. I can see doing a rewatch of the show to catch what I missed.

MVP actor on the show for me. Something about her performance just grabbed me.


----------



## Alli

Edd said:


> Have you read it? I had the first book in my hand at the store 2 hours ago, but at nearly 600 pages I decided Kindle would be the way to go if I buy it. I can see doing a rewatch of the show to catch what I missed.



I attempted it. I tend to pick books that come in series, and the thickness of the book. But dayum! I just didn’t enjoy it.


----------



## DT

DT said:


> And BCS Season 6, Part 2 starts Monday (that's Episode 8)




I can't even ...

BCS continues to be the best show on TV, it's just insane.


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> I can't even ...
> 
> BCS continues to be the best show on TV, it's just insane.



Yeah, i don’t even know where they go after this since everything now seems pretty wrapped up after this week’s episode, but given the quality of the writing and the amount of time left, you just know the Kim angle is going to be something…


----------



## DT

Cmaier said:


> Yeah, i don’t even know where they go after this since everything now seems pretty wrapped up after this week’s episode, but given the quality of the writing and the amount of time left, you just know the Kim angle is going to be something…




Yeah, I wasn't sure if that situation was going to get resolved quickly, wasn't totally expecting it to be the first episode (of S6 Part 2).    

I was listening to the Prestige TV Podcast and they said THAT was the episode, the opening scene with Jimmy where Bob Odenkirk had his medical emergency/heart attack, and part of that same scene was filmed 2 months later after he recovered (I watched it twice, it's beautiful seamless).


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> Yeah, I wasn't sure if that situation was going to get resolved quickly, wasn't totally expecting it to be the first episode (of S6 Part 2).
> 
> I was listening to the Prestige TV Podcast and they said THAT was the episode, the opening scene with Jimmy where Bob Odenkirk had his medical emergency/heart attack, and part of that same scene was filmed 2 months later after he recovered (I watched it twice, it's beautiful seamless).




How cool would it be if the last bunch of episodes feature Gene Takovic.  (I mean, they definitely have to wrap up THAT thread…)

And I guess we are still waiting for a main character or two from breaking bad to show up…


----------



## lizkat

In the spirit of beach-read season, or beach-season TV watching...

​


----------



## Alli

Found one on Prime yesterday, recommended by a friend: The Lake. It stars Jordan Gavaris and Julia Styles. Julia is now playing the mother - she’s aged. Jordan is still the adorable man-child he was when he played Felix in Orphan Black. This series is just for fun. Not a single serious undertone.


----------



## DT

I kept seeing the enthusiast, positive reviews, podcasts I listen to saying it's on their lists of favorite new shows, etc., just glowing reviews, so finally gave it a shot this weekend, and yes, it's stellar.






_A young chef from the fine dining world comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after a heartbreaking death in his family. A world away from what he's used to, Carmy must balance the soul-crushing realities of small business ownership, his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff and his strained familial relationships, all while grappling with the impact of his brother's suicide. As Carmy fights to transform both the shop and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges kitchen crew that ultimately reveals itself as his chosen family._

Also pulling 97% on Google rating, average of 8.5/10 on IMDB (which is tough).

Seriously, if you said this was one of the best shows of the last few years and then went on to tell me, the description of EP4 was, "Carmy and Richie cater a kid’s birthday party. Tina and Sydney work together while Marcus makes donuts."  I would've thought you were nuts 

It's a perfect mix of urban, family, cooking, drama, some people may know Jeremy Allen White from Shameless (Lip), I saw a reviewer write, "_Good Will Hunting meets Anthony Bourdain. The Bear is a mix of understated creative genius, brotherhood and internal conflict, served up with some really incredible food ..._", which is a pretty good take.

We're watching on Hulu, it's produced by FX, but it may be a Hulu exclusive.


----------



## DT

DT said:


> I can't even ...
> 
> BCS continues to be the best show on TV, it's just insane.




BCS
S06E09

I don't know how much more I can take, it's so good, so sad ... and when she, and then they, and the fade in and out to ... wow.


----------



## Herdfan

*Reacher: S2*

While it was previously announced it was going to have a second season, the book #11, _Bad Luck & Trouble _will be the basis.

I have not read this book so it will all be new when it releases sometime in early 2023.


----------



## Huntn

*Bosch: Legacy* (2022 Prime/Freevu)- Season 1. If you like the Bosch series about the LA detective, this is more of the excellent same. Annoying that I only had 1 season, 10 episodes to watch.  Seriously annoying that we ended up having to watch commercials with Freevu, I don’t know how this got on Prime, watched on Prime, but it says Freevu and  there were commercials.


----------



## Citysnaps

Huntn said:


> *Bosch: Legacy* (2022 Prime/Freevu)- Season 1. If you like the Bosch series about the LA detective, this is more of the excellent same. Annoying that I only had 1 season, 10 episodes to watch.  Seriously annoying that we ended up having to watch commercials with Freevu, I don’t know how this got on Prime, watched on Prime, but it says Freevu and  there were commercials.
> 
> View attachment 16003​




Bosch Legacy was outstanding and incredibly tight...like the original. Wish we limited it to one episode every other day.


----------



## DT

citypix said:


> Wish we limited it to one episode every other day.




I know, I'm actually glad some shows just release one-a-week, saves us from ourselves


----------



## Alli

DT said:


> I know, I'm actually glad some shows just release one-a-week, saves us from ourselves



And some of us wait until a season’s worth of episodes is released and then binge.


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> And some of us wait until a season’s worth of episodes is released and then binge.



That’s what I prefer. Once a week the story seems to get lost in my brain at this point in my life. For 1 Hr episodes, we prefer watching 2 episodes at a time on sequential days, and if a story gets really cliff hangerish, we could watch 3 or 4 episodes in a row.


----------



## lizkat

My sister talked me into giving BritBox a free trial, she recommended a detective series calle Grace.   Only hit on one episode so far but it didn't put me to sleep even in this warm weather, so the writing and production seem OK.   Not sure I'll keep the sub after the trial or maybe the trial and one month's worth of prowling around are over.   Hard to justify it since I don't watch even Netflix enough to defend my sub to that.


----------



## Huntn

I’m 4 episodes into *Umbrella Academy *Season 3, and really enjoying this, a nice change of pace, the story focuses on The Grandfather Paradox, something associated with single time lines, that happened after Dallas. As you may know they returned to their present to find everything topsey turvey. 

I also like that they kept and fit in the actor who in real life transitioned to a different gender making it part of the story. 


​


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> My sister talked me into giving BritBox a free trial, she recommended a detective series calle Grace.   Only hit on one episode so far but it didn't put me to sleep even in this warm weather, so the writing and production seem OK.   Not sure I'll keep the sub after the trial or maybe the trial and one month's worth of prowling around are over.   Hard to justify it since I don't watch even Netflix enough to defend my sub to that.



Watch Gardener’s World…


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> I’m 4 episodes into *Umbrella Academy *Season 3, and really enjoying this, a nice change of pace, the story focuses on The Grandfather Paradox, something associated with single time lines, that happened after Dallas. As you may know they returned to their present to find everything topsey turvey.
> 
> I also like that they kept and fit in the actor who in real life transitioned to a different gender making it part of the story.
> 
> View attachment 16122​



Just finished Umbrella Academy, Season 3, thumbs up, interesting ending to start next season with.


----------



## Huntn

citypix said:


> Bosch Legacy was outstanding and incredibly tight...like the original. Wish we limited it to one episode every other day.



My preference of consumption is 2 episodes per day. This 1 episode per week nonsense being revived by some streaming services is outdated, but the reason is obvious, maintain subscriptions.


----------



## shadow puppet

I'm so glad Westworld S4 is better than season 3.  But none will ever be as good as season 1.


----------



## Hrafn

Started Season 2 of "His Dark Materials".  I've read the books, and saw the movie years ago.  This adaptation has been pretty good so far.


----------



## shadow puppet

Hrafn said:


> Started Season 2 of "His Dark Materials".  I've read the books, and saw the movie years ago.  This adaptation has been pretty good so far.



I enjoy the series and have watched since S1.


----------



## Huntn

shadow puppet said:


> I'm so glad Westworld S4 is better than season 3.  But none will ever be as good as season 1.



Westworld Season’s  1 and 2 were great and could of ended there. Season 3 made me sad, I’ll watch Season 4 and plan on dissapointment.


----------



## Edd

I thought a lot of season 3 of Westworld was kick-ass. Season 4 is going well but I’m not caught up.

For the series as a whole, I think the frequent time jumps were not worth the narrative confusion it caused. There‘s artistic reasons to be confusing I guess, but doesn’t seem justified here.


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> Watch Gardener’s World…




Thanks.... I will take a look at it!

 I've bailed on the Grace series after just 2 episodes,   it's not for me.   Found some movie on BritBox that was OK though, a film called *Honour*, based on a book by Caroline Goode about an actual so-called honor killing, for the successful resolution of which terrible murder case she eventually received a Queen's Police Medal.    I might hold onto the sub for a month after the free trial, do some more poking around.


----------



## Roller

Huntn said:


> Westworld Season’s  1 and 2 were great and could of ended there. Season 3 made me sad, I’ll watch Season 4 and plan on dissapointment.



I found S3 the hardest to follow. It's easier to tell what's going on in S4 so far, though there are still unanswered questions and mysteries. There are also more references to the first two seasons, which I like. It looks like S5 will be the last. Viewership has been declining steadily since the show's debut, not surprising given the show premiered six years ago and the often-complex plot lines.


----------



## shadow puppet

Roller said:


> Viewership has been declining steadily since the show's debut, not surprising given the show premiered six years ago and the often-complex plot lines.



I remember watching the opening for season 1 and thinking it was one of the coolest opening credits I'd ever seen.  Plus it had Sir Anthony Hopkins.  It's never been the same since.


----------



## Cmaier

Better Call Saul: an entire Gene heist episode. OMG.


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> I remember watching the opening for season 1 and thinking it was one of the coolest opening credits I'd ever seen.  Plus it had Sir Anthony Hopkins.  It's never been the same since.



It’s a shame they didn’t clone him.

This season is beginning to make sense at least. Up until last week I was totally lost. I think Delores and I figured it out about the same time.


----------



## Roller

Cmaier said:


> Better Call Saul: an entire Gene heist episode. OMG.



I don't remember ever being on the edge of my seat as much as I was watching someone run around a store. And I'm craving a Cinnabon. 



Spoiler



I've read complaints that last night's episode was a waste of time. I disagree. Gene/Saul/Jimmy had to take care of Jeff permanently, and this was a brilliant scheme worthy of the old days.


----------



## Cmaier

Roller said:


> I don't remember ever being on the edge of my seat as much as I was watching someone run around a store. And I'm craving a Cinnabon.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> I've read complaints that last night's episode was a waste of time. I disagree. Gene/Saul/Jimmy had to take care of Jeff permanently, and this was a brilliant scheme worthy of the old days.






Spoiler



The whole episode tells us something very important about whether Saul ever found redemption after the events of breaking bad; did he lose his need to scheme and plot, etc.



It was such a low rent heist, but you felt like the stakes were higher than Oceans 11.  Genius writing and directing.


----------



## DT

BCS S06E10, "Nippy",  wow, terrific, just like discussed above.  Carol Burnett is a national treasure. 

BCS S06E11, tonight, titled ... "Breaking Bad"  Watching it in real time


----------



## shadow puppet

Anyone else watching For All Mankind this season?  It's been very good.  Won't say anything - don't want to give anything away.


----------



## Edd

Finished The Bear. Really good.


----------



## Huntn

shadow puppet said:


> Anyone else watching For All Mankind this season?  It's been very good.  Won't say anything - don't want to give anything away.



I'm waiting for it to be close to ending of the season so I can watch on my schedule.


----------



## shadow puppet

Black Bird is another ATV+ show I'm watching.  Paul Walter Hauser is doing a marvelous job portraying creepy as heck Larry.  That voice!


----------



## Huntn

*Stranger Things Season 4-* A gruesome great start!


----------



## DT

Tomorrow ... OMG.


----------



## DT

Also this, though a movie, it will air on Hulu and it's getting extremely good reviews ...


----------



## SuperMatt

DT said:


> Also this, though a movie, it will air on Hulu and it's getting extremely good reviews ...



Another predator sequel? Interesting…


----------



## Alli

SuperMatt said:


> Another predator sequel? Interesting…



Prequel. And it looks amazing!


----------



## Edd

Watched episode 4 of the new Westworld season which hurt my brain. YouTube explainers, here I come.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> Also this, though a movie, it will air on Hulu and it's getting extremely good reviews ...



I presume the the basic $6.99 a month Hulu would include this movie and be worth a 1 month subscribe.


----------



## Alli

Edd said:


> Watched episode 4 of the new Westworld season which hurt my brain. YouTube explainers, here I come.



They started doing that time bounce thing. Once you catch the bounce you go OHHhhhhhh!


----------



## ronntaylor

Finally started watching *Breaking Bad*. Not sure why now. It's so-so thus far after the first five eps. It's a bit dated, and a little scattershot for me.


----------



## Hrafn

We watched the first disks episodes of Rick and Morty.  I know it was huge, and although amusing, not really my style.  My son loves it, so I'll continue watching.


----------



## lizkat

ronntaylor said:


> Finally started watching *Breaking Bad*. Not sure why now. It's so-so thus far after the first five eps. It's a bit dated, and a little scattershot for me.




I haven't watched that either and one of my kin keeps telling me I have to watch it.  Sounds like I'd have done better if I'd listened to him years ago instead of finally saying this year ok i'll put it on my watch list.


----------



## Edd

ronntaylor said:


> Finally started watching *Breaking Bad*. Not sure why now. It's so-so thus far after the first five eps. It's a bit dated, and a little scattershot for me.






lizkat said:


> I haven't watched that either and one of my kin keeps telling me I have to watch it.  Sounds like I'd have done better if I'd listened to him years ago instead of finally saying this year ok i'll put it on my watch list.





Steady guys. Sometimes good is good.


----------



## lizkat

Edd said:


> Steady guys. Sometimes good is good.




Hah, that's what the bro keeps saying.   Time will soon tell if I agree!


----------



## Huntn

ronntaylor said:


> Finally started watching *Breaking Bad*. Not sure why now. It's so-so thus far after the first five eps. It's a bit dated, and a little scattershot for me.






lizkat said:


> I haven't watched that either and one of my kin keeps telling me I have to watch it.  Sounds like I'd have done better if I'd listened to him years ago instead of finally saying this year ok i'll put it on my watch list.



I do not cherish stories about people who chose or better said end up becoming shit bags, even though I believe people have limited choice. I started *Breaking Bad *and at this point in my life did not like this story of a man who has a medical issue, was offered substantial help and decided self destruction was his best path forward.

I watched more of *Better Call Saul *(related prequel) which I was more sympathetic  too, because Jimmy McGill struggled with his dark nature, and if he had received some positive help at least more than he did from his big brother, he might have made it… or not.  Even though I knew where this was headed, I cheered for Jimmy McGill to do the right thing, and when he adopted his new name, I knew all was lost and stopped watching that too.


----------



## Cmaier

Oof.  It’s not looking like Jimmy/Saul/Gene is going to come out well in the end.


----------



## Herdfan

Just started S2 of _Only Murders in the Building.   
_


----------



## ronntaylor

Edd said:


> Steady guys. Sometimes good is good.



I am enjoying it more as it progresses. Liked the end of S1. Just about to start S2. I should have done what @lizkat suggested and started it well before now.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

ronntaylor said:


> Finally started watching *Breaking Bad*. Not sure why now. It's so-so thus far after the first five eps. It's a bit dated, and a little scattershot for me.





It's a little slow burn at first that you do start to wonder what all the hype is about, but the pace and drama picks up.  

I remember when I would see a new episode pop up on my DVR and I would get a sense of both excitement and dread, great writing but not exactly feelgood.  Marathoning it can definitely make you feel like the world is a dark place.


----------



## Edd

Reservation Dogs, season 2! Strong start with the first two episodes. I love this show.


----------



## shadow puppet

Re: the season finale of _For All Mankind_...

NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


----------



## DT

DT said:


> Tomorrow ... OMG.




It's pretty fantastic.  I was a bit sceptical, I’m someone who bought the original comic as it was released, who has loved just about everything Gaiman has done - and have always been apprehensive about any of his comics/stories/novels not translating well to another medium. I think they got this perfect, even with the changes.

It’s been a while since I revisited the comics - though the 14 year old daughter is reading my copy of the first hardback compilation  - but the characters fell right into how I remember them, because for me, they’re more personality, a “feel”, and abstract concept than some rigid gender and ethnicity.

The wife loves it too, she read a few issues here and there, and knows the general story, but I’d say she’s closer to someone not familiar with the source than someone very intimate with it (like myself).




Huntn said:


> I do not cherish stories about people who chose or better said end up becoming shit bags, even though I believe people have limited choice. I started Breaking Bad and at this point in my life did not like this story of a man who has a medical issue, was offered substantial help and decided self destruction was his best path forward.




Was he?  I never read it that way, he was vastly underpaid given his intellect, his medical prognosis was, "Well, you're a dead man ...", it was implied his insurance was pretty paltry.

I think you're right in that he ultimately got what he needed - but couldn't stop because his hubris would too great - I mean, look (and definitely listen) at the final scene, there's no better epilog to the series ...

_Guess I got what I deserved
Kept you waiting there too long, my love
All that time, without a word
Did you really think that I'd forget
And regret
The special love I have for you
My baby blue_




Cmaier said:


> Oof.  It’s not looking like Jimmy/Saul/Gene is going to come out well in the end.




It seems that way, geez, I don't know what I want to see - does he deserve even a slightly happy ending?  Do they need to have a definitive ending for his story?  I mean, if there was some way he got out, it's pretty obvious, Saul will return.

Pretty stoked for tomorrow night, while being sad it's over.


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> Was he?  I never read it that way, he was vastly underpaid given his intellect, his medical prognosis was, "Well, you're a dead man ...", it was implied his insurance was pretty paltry.
> 
> I think you're right in that he ultimately got what he needed - but couldn't stop because his hubris would too great - I mean, look (and definitely listen) at the final scene, there's no better epilog to the series.




He was also haunted by what could have been - he could have been legitimately rich if he had made different choices about the start-up.  He simultaneously blamed himself and others.  Each little decision he made along the way almost made sense given the circumstances at the time, but it all spiraled out of control. Fantastic series, maybe the best ever.


----------



## DT

We've been talking about doing a full BrBa re-watch after BCS ends.


----------



## Huntn

*Stranger Things Season 4: Episode Seven-* The Massacre at Hawkins Lab. Holy crap, some significant mysteries/unknowns addressed here.


----------



## Huntn

Cmaier said:


> He was also haunted by what could have been - he could have been legitimately rich if he had made different choices about the start-up.  He simultaneously blamed himself and others.  Each little decision he made along the way almost made sense given the circumstances at the time, but it all spiraled out of control. Fantastic series, maybe the best ever.



*Breaking Bad*- As I recall he turned the startup down, a legitimate path forward as he pretty much decided to manufacture illegal drugs. It's possibly my memory is bad, but these decisions seemed to happen about the same time. For whatever reason he broke bad to become a shitbag.


----------



## Cmaier

Huntn said:


> *Breaking Bad*- As I recall he turned the startup down, a legitimate path forward as he pretty much decided to manufacture illegal drugs. It's possibly my memory is bad, but these decisions seemed to happen about the same time. For whatever reason he broke bad to become a shitbag.




He cashed out years earlier and got stuck teaching high school chemistry, despite being a genius.  It had a profound effect on him.


----------



## MEJHarrison

Huntn said:


> *Breaking Bad*- As I recall he turned the startup down, a legitimate path forward as he pretty much decided to manufacture illegal drugs. It's possibly my memory is bad, but these decisions seemed to happen about the same time. For whatever reason he broke bad to become a shitbag.




What I find interesting is I've watched Breaking Bad with probably 10-12 different people for the first time over the years.  Some see Walt as a straight-up shitbag (I was thinking the exact same term).

But I've also known people who felt that Walt did the best he could with a bad situation to take care of his family.  They don't really see him as an evil villain because he had good motives.

Honestly, I think I have some crazy friends.  But I find it interesting that opinions were split.


----------



## Huntn

Cmaier said:


> He cashed out years earlier and got stuck teaching high school chemistry, despite being a genius.  It had a profound effect on him.



But when the show started was he offered a job at a startup, that paid much better than his teacher's pay?


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> But when the show started was he offered a job at a startup, that paid much better than his teacher's pay?




At the point Walt is offered the job by Elliot, his former partner, the company they started together (that he bailed on, because of his relationship with Gretchen), is a multi-billion dollar enterprise.  The offer is after Walt has been diagnosed, and there's the whole angle where he does eventually tell Skyler he's accepting financial help from Elliot and Gretchen, but of course, at that point, he's funding his treatment with drug money.

Basically the timeline is:

Walt and Elliot graduate together, and collaborate on a study that wins them the Nobel Prize, and Walt is romantically involved with his lab assistant Gretchen
Walt and Elliot form Gray Matter, which will eventually be a multi-billion dollar company
Walt leaves Gretchen, feeling bad about her family's wealth (like he wouldn't be able to ever give her a life like that - again driven ego/pride ...), sells his stake in Gray Matter for $5K
Elliot and Gretchen marry, Gray Matter becomes the company we know when BrBa starts
Walt is teaching school, gets diagnosed with shitty cancer, starts cooking meth, isn't very successful
His diagnose is shared with Elliot who offers him a job and/or help with the treatment cost, which he refuses
He tells Skyler later he is at least going to accept the financial help, but really he's not, and he's going to figure out how to increase his cash flow and meth yields (introduction to Tuco)


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> At the point Walt is offered the job by Elliot, his former partner, the company they started together (that he bailed on, because of his relationship with Gretchen), is a multi-billion dollar enterprise.  The offer is after Walt has been diagnosed, and there's the whole angle where he does eventually tell Skyler he's accepting financial help from Elliot and Gretchen, but of course, at that point, he's funding his treatment with drug money.
> 
> Basically the timeline is:
> 
> Walt and Elliot graduate together, and collaborate on a study that wins them the Nobel Prize, and Walt is romantically involved with his lab assistant Gretchen
> Walt and Elliot form Gray Matter, which will eventually be a multi-billion dollar company
> Walt leaves Gretchen, feeling bad about her family's wealth (like he wouldn't be able to ever give her a life like that - again driven ego/pride ...), sells his stake in Gray Matter for $5K
> Elliot and Gretchen marry, Gray Matter becomes the company we know when BrBa starts
> Walt is teaching school, gets diagnosed with shitty cancer, starts cooking meth, isn't very successful
> His diagnose is shared with Elliot who offers him a job and/or help with the treatment cost, which he refuses
> He tells Skyler later he is at least going to accept the financial help, but really he's not, and he's going to figure out how to increase his cash flow and meth yields (introduction to Tuco)



Exactly. The job he was offered was declined for multiple reasons, not just that he didn’t want charity or that he preferred to become a criminal. Imagine you cofounded Apple but left in the first year for $5000, then years later Steve Jobs offered to give you health insurance when you got sick. Your ego might think you really shouldn’t even be in such a situation. You deserve more. Maybe some small part of you thinks that before you die you need to prove you could have been just as successful if circumstances had been different.


----------



## Roller

MEJHarrison said:


> What I find interesting is I've watched Breaking Bad with probably 10-12 different people for the first time over the years.  Some see Walt as a straight-up shitbag (I was thinking the exact same term).
> 
> But I've also known people who felt that Walt did the best he could with a bad situation to take care of his family.  They don't really see him as an evil villain because he had good motives.
> 
> Honestly, I think I have some crazy friends.  But I find it interesting that opinions were split.



Both points-of-view can be accurate. I see the Walt we met in season 1 as very different from what he eventually became as he progressively "broke bad." While he may have started off seeking to provide for his family, that increasingly became an excuse, though it wasn't until the end that he admitted he did it because he liked it and was good at it.


----------



## DT

I think it may be all the way into Season 5, there's a bit where Elliot is on TV, and he's asked about Walt, and says something to the effect of, "_He didn't contribute anything to this company_ ...".  It was a perfect storm of Walt's ego and Elliot's lack of recognition (and Walt "losing" to Elliot in terms of his relationship, his company, his discoveries).

I love how Walt got back at E and G, hahaha, they'll be looking over their shoulder and at the very least do a good deed.


----------



## DT

re: BCS

I did __not__ realize what Saul was saying in the promo from last week (for this week), now I know (via the promo with CC on Twitter), wow, OK, I wonder ...

OK, this is it tonight, watching in real time of course.


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> re: BCS
> 
> I did __not__ realize what Saul was saying in the promo from last week (for this week), now I know (via the promo with CC on Twitter), wow, OK, I wonder ...
> 
> OK, this is it tonight, watching in real time of course.



Not sure what you are referring to. Last week‘s promo was just the vacuum cleaner guy’s code, no?  What is the “CC on twitter” you refer to?


----------



## DT

Cmaier said:


> Not sure what you are referring to. Last week‘s promo was just the vacuum cleaner guy’s code, no?  What is the “CC on twitter” you refer to?





CC = Closed Caption as I didn't hear it originally, I heard it this time, but was also able to read it.  Last week, I didn't really pay careful "audio attention" to the next week promo (almost by design, I like to go in totally cold if possible), so I only recalled the rusted out car visual (and not what he said).


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> CC = Closed Caption as I didn't hear it originally, I heard it this time, but was also able to read it.  Last week, I didn't really pay careful "audio attention" to the next week promo (almost by design, I like to go in totally cold if possible), so I only recalled the rusted out car visual (and not what he said).



Ah, i see.  

I have a feeling that since Robert Foroster is dead, those words aren’t going to be much use to Gene


----------



## DT

Yeah, I wondered with Forster being gone, if we'd ever see Best Quality Vacuum again.  I suppose someone else could've taken over[?]

I'm thrilled at my inability to guess where this is going


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> Yeah, I wondered with Forster being gone, if we'd ever see Best Quality Vacuum again.  I suppose someone else could've taken over[?]
> 
> I'm thrilled at my inability to guess where this is going



keep in mind that we were promised one more scene with Walt.


----------



## DT

The wife at 7p, two hours before the series finale …

“Unless there’s aliens or time travel, there’s really only two possible outcomes. “

Time travel. Seriously, WTF.


----------



## Cmaier

Wow. And what a coincidence that we were talking about Walt starting the company, given the Walt flashback…


----------



## DT

Right?!?


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> Right?!?



Now I need to figure out what to do with my Monday nights for the next 87 years.


----------



## shadow puppet

Did anyone watch the season finale of Westworld?

I’m still trying to decipher what the blazes I just watched.


----------



## Edd

shadow puppet said:


> I’m still trying to decipher what the blazes I just watched.



Sounds like something I say after most episodes of Westworld.

Episode 4 kind of broke me so been taking a break. My wife is determined to finish the season so I’ll reluctantly go for the ride.

Westworld leans heavily on narrative confusion. I think they’re too cute for their own good.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> At the point Walt is offered the job by Elliot, his former partner, the company they started together (that he bailed on, because of his relationship with Gretchen), is a multi-billion dollar enterprise.  The offer is after Walt has been diagnosed, and there's the whole angle where he does eventually tell Skyler he's accepting financial help from Elliot and Gretchen, but of course, at that point, he's funding his treatment with drug money.
> 
> Basically the timeline is:
> 
> Walt and Elliot graduate together, and collaborate on a study that wins them the Nobel Prize, and Walt is romantically involved with his lab assistant Gretchen
> Walt and Elliot form Gray Matter, which will eventually be a multi-billion dollar company
> Walt leaves Gretchen, feeling bad about her family's wealth (like he wouldn't be able to ever give her a life like that - again driven ego/pride ...), sells his stake in Gray Matter for $5K
> Elliot and Gretchen marry, Gray Matter becomes the company we know when BrBa starts
> Walt is teaching school, gets diagnosed with shitty cancer, starts cooking meth, isn't very successful
> His diagnose is shared with Elliot who offers him a job and/or help with the treatment cost, which he refuses
> He tells Skyler later he is at least going to accept the financial help, but really he's not, and he's going to figure out how to increase his cash flow and meth yields (introduction to Tuco)



Thanks for clarifying. I better understand the “why” as you refreshed my memory, but I also remember disliking this story about self destruction as it unfolded and opted out.

I‘ve never preferred stories about “bad people”, but have watched a couple such as The Sopranos and The Americans where I spent my episodes rooting for bad things to happen to them, but for some reason,  I could not bring myself to watch Walt destroy himself while abusing others along the way.


----------



## Huntn

shadow puppet said:


> Did anyone watch the season finale of Westworld?
> 
> I’m still trying to decipher what the blazes I just watched.






Edd said:


> Sounds like something I say after most episodes of Westworld.
> 
> Episode 4 kind of broke me so been taking a break. My wife is determined to finish the season so I’ll reluctantly go for the ride.
> 
> Westworld leans heavily on narrative confusion. I think they’re too cute for their own good.




*Spoiler*

I’m repeating myself, but, I loved Westworld Seasons 1&2. Even though it relied on many flashbacks, I could follow it, and the mystery of what was slowly unfolding, what was what, who was who, marionettes performing scenarios for the amusement of customers, dieing over and over, while awakening, gaining consciousness, breaking the rules, while the puppet  masters control breaks down, with the help of the genius behind it all, makes for one of the, if not the best AI story I have had the pleasure to watch. And it could easily have ended at Season 2 when Dolores stepped onto that boat with the cores of her fellow travelers.

I am reminded of the end of *Ex Machina* when Ava steps onto the helicopter, you want more, you want to see what happens, but you also want the brilliance of the story to continue. Apparantly it’s quite an achievement to make this kind of a story leap, and keep the magic alive. Note, there is not an Ex Machina sequel I am aware of.

Season 3 of Ww disappointed me greatly, so many elements changed, the world was not as I imagined, the story morphed into something very different,  the Hosts had lost their magic  and I wonder if I should even bother with S4.

Is a S5 planned?


----------



## Cmaier

Huntn said:


> *Spoiler*
> 
> I’m repeating myself, but, I loved Westworld Seasons 1&2. Even though it relied on many flashbacks, I could follow it, and the mystery of what was slowly unfolding, what was what, who was who, marionettes performing scenarios for the amusement of customers, dieing over and over, while awakening, gaining consciousness, breaking the rules, while the puppet  masters control breaks down, with the help of the genius behind it all, makes for one of the, if not the best AI story I have had the pleasure to watch. And it could easily have ended at Season 2 when Dolores stepped onto that boat with the cores of her fellow travelers.
> 
> I am reminded of the end of *Ex Machina* when Ava steps onto the helicopter, you want more, you want to see what happens, but you also want the brilliance of the story to continue. Apparantly it’s quite an achievement to make this kind of a story leap, and keep the magic alive. Note, there is not an Ex Machina sequel I am aware of.
> 
> Season 3 of Ww disappointed me greatly, so many elements changed, the world was not as I imagined, the story morphed into something very different,  the Hosts had lost their magic  and I wonder if I should even bother with S4.
> 
> Is a S5 planned?




Not clear, but if there is a S5 (which I suspect there will be) it will supposedly be the last.


----------



## shadow puppet

Cmaier said:


> Not clear, but if there is a S5 (which I suspect there will be) it will supposedly be the last.



This is what I've read as well.


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> Did anyone watch the season finale of Westworld?
> 
> I’m still trying to decipher what the blazes I just watched.



I was really disappointed. They killed off humanity (sentient life) according to Delores. Although we know some “outliers” made it away safely, so maybe they can repopulate? At this point, even if they are given a 5th season, it’s beyond repair.


Huntn said:


> Is a S5 planned?



They haven’t been renewed at this point, so it’s 50/50.


----------



## Cmaier

Alli said:


> I was really disappointed. They killed off humanity (sentient life) according to Delores. Although we know some “outliers” made it away safely, so maybe they can repopulate? At this point, even if they are given a 5th season, it’s beyond repair.
> 
> They haven’t been renewed at this point, so it’s 50/50.



I’m confused about which characters we were supposed to have been rooting for this whole time.


----------



## shadow puppet

Alli said:


> I was really disappointed. They killed off humanity (sentient life) according to Delores. Although we know some “outliers” made it away safely, so maybe they can repopulate? At this point, even if they are given a 5th season, it’s beyond repair.
> 
> They haven’t been renewed at this point, so it’s 50/50.



I have mixed feelings about the finale. 



Spoiler: SPOILER for those who haven't yet watched



I did enjoy the glimpse of Dolores from S1 and seeing Clementine be such a badass.  I also like seeing Hale turn around and decide to give Dolores a chance.  Caleb can be gone forever as far as I'm concerned.  He's the reason I didn't enjoy S3.



But the show will never be as good as season 1.  I really miss Sir Anthony Hopkins and moments like when Bernard said "what door?".  Nor (as far as I can recall), did we ever find out what happened to Elsie (Shannon Woodward) in S1.


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> Westworld leans heavily on narrative confusion. I think they’re too cute for their own good.




Yeah, you're right on, it just became a convoluted mess attempting to disguise a misleading narrative as high minded "philosophising"


----------



## Cmaier

DT said:


> Yeah, you're right on, it just became a convoluted mess attempting to disguise a misleading narrative as high minded "philosophising"




Every scene:

- is that a human or a host?
- if that’s a host, which iteration of the host is that?
- does that host body have a different host’s brain in it?
- is that past, present, or future?
- if that’s a human, is it a human we already know, but now a different age?
- are we in reality, a simulation, the sublime, or a “game?”

You have to figure all that out, before you can even get to “wait - why is that happening?”

Every time people get excited about an episode, it’s been because we get the answer to one of those questions. “oh, the young guy is the old guy! Oh, she’s in a simulation these last 6 episodes! Oh, that’s the daughter, but now grown up!”


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> I did enjoy the glimpse of Dolores from S1 and seeing Clementine be such a badass. I also like seeing Hale turn around and decide to give Dolores a chance. Caleb can be gone forever as far as I'm concerned. He's the reason I didn't enjoy S3.



Because Hale and Delores were the same person/entity. Remember that Delores split herself.


----------



## shadow puppet

Alli said:


> Because Hale and Delores were the same person/entity. Remember that Delores split herself.



I'm aware of that.  Hence the nick "Halores". 

Side note:  You've now quoted my spoiler tag info so I don't know what to do about that for those who haven't seen S4.


----------



## lizkat

Now venturing into Season 2 of ITV's mystery / detective procedural *Broadchurch* on the PBS Passport platform.   I happened to notice Olivia Colman was in it and I have enjoyed her acting so decided to give it a go.   Can't say I'm exactly binge-watching it.  However I couldn't help but notice that I picked up the pace by watching several episodes per evening a couple times while streaming the first season, which originally aired in 2013.    Could be s slippery slope!


----------



## shadow puppet

The early reviews seem quite favorable so I'm very excited for the premiere this Sunday!


----------



## lizkat

Welp...   Reliable Sources is being cancelled.   More fallout from cuts made by Chris Licht at CNN, after the merger of Warner Media and  Discovery.   Final episode of the show hosted by Brian Stelter will air this weekend.   He is leaving the network.









						Brian Stelter to depart CNN as it cancels 'Reliable Sources' media show
					

CNN's new chief Chris Licht told Stelter the show would be canceled after more than three decades on air. It comes amid a great deal of cost cutting - and ideological criticism during the Trump years.




					www.npr.org
				




Probably some bitter jokes floating around about exactly how reliable CNN can remain with all these cuts.  Meanwhile I suppose Fox is having a party after hearing this news.


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> I'm aware of that.  Hence the nick "Halores".
> 
> Side note:  You've now quoted my spoiler tag info so I don't know what to do about that for those who haven't seen S4.



Sorry ‘bout that.


----------



## Roller

Spoiler



If WW returns to the park settings from season 1, minus a few characters, another, final season may be  OK. I was always intrigued by Dolores, and she’s definitely become the center of attention as she tries to salvage things.


----------



## Alli

First of all, there is no way to reply to a spoiler without creating a new spoiler tag. PIA.



Spoiler






Roller said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> If WW returns to the park settings from season 1, minus a few characters, another, final season may be  OK. I was always intrigued by Dolores, and she’s definitely become the center of attention as she tries to salvage things.



I still won’t bother watching another season.


----------



## Huntn

*For All Mankind*- (Apple TV)  I just started Season 3, and for a review I rewatched one of the best alternate-reality,  pseudo-historical dramas ever, Season 2: Episode 10.  Exciting, tense, sad, you could almost believe it happened. 

Edit: The first two episodes of Season 3  are fantastic.


​


----------



## Alli

The series finale to Locke and Key is one of the best ever. They didn’t stretch to tie up loose ends, it just all came together in a most satisfying way.


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> *For All Mankind*- (Apple TV) I just started Season 3, and for a review I rewatched one of the best alternate-reality, pseudo-historical dramas ever, Season 2: Episode 10. Exciting, tense, sad, you could almost believe it happened.






Alli said:


> The series finale to Locke and Key is one of the best ever. They didn’t stretch to tie up loose ends, it just all came together in a most satisfying way.




Both in our queue, not even sure their current position, I think there's a few things ahead of them


----------



## Roller

We watched the first episode of the _Game of Thrones_ prequel, _House of the Dragon_, tonight. I was expecting to be disappointed, but rather enjoyed it and think it's promising. 



Spoiler



The series is starting off at a bit of a disadvantage. Despite the unfortunate ending to _GoT_, the characters on that show were as compelling as any I've seen on television, and it often depicted events that were shocking for the time. Still, it's good to be back in King's Landing with some familiar themes, palace intrigue, and dragons. Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen looks to be a worthy villain as he fights to succeed his brother on the Iron Throne, so I'll keep watching. I miss Tyrion and Arya, though.


----------



## shadow puppet

_House of the Dragon _is definitely off to a good start.  Which is relief considering GOT’s final season.  

I don’t want to even take a chance of a spoiler this early in the game, especially for those who haven’t yet watched.  So will just add that I’m looking forward to episode 2.


----------



## Huntn

shadow puppet said:


> _House of the Dragon _is definitely off to a good start.  Which is relief considering GOT’s final season.
> 
> I don’t want to even take a chance of a spoiler this early in the game, especially for those who haven’t yet watched.  So will just add that I’m looking forward to episode 2.



Just remember, they can always screw it up.


----------



## DT

HOTD was OK, I'd probably give that first episode a C+  (__maybe__ a B--- )

Admittedly, I still have some "bad blood" with GOT, and some of that carried over to this, they even mentioned a sore spot of mine (the WW ... ).  The characters aren't, at least initially as compelling as GOT, but HOTD is more focused, which could wind up being a slog if the show is:  siblings in [bad] blonde wigs laying down the exposition and f***ing each other all season.  I wonder about the staying power over multiple seasons, I kind of wish they would've just committed to a mini-series, developed a specific story, maybe told it in two seasons of about 6 EPs each and had a nice, planned arc.

The show looks beautiful, clearly they spent some money on it, Matt Smith is pretty fun (but they've got to flesh him out, he's almost a cartoon at this point), dragons are amazing, and I don't even mind the prequel-ness too much, since it's so far back from where GOT started, there's not a direct overlap, so there's enough space to create some mystery, it needs a Tyrion to add a little levity, hopefully some big moments like a Battle Of The Bastards, or something driven by fun character intrigue like The Lion And The Rose (but first hey have to establish the characters much better).

Decent enough to watch the next episode, they've got a good enough start and plenty of budget, interested to see where it goes.


----------



## shadow puppet

Huntn said:


> Just remember, they can always screw it’s up.



I  prefer to not even put that out there and just give them a chance.  It's already better than most drivel on the air as it is.


----------



## Roller

DT said:


> HOTD was OK, I'd probably give that first episode a C+  (__maybe__ a B--- )
> 
> Admittedly, I still have some "bad blood" with GOT, and some of that carried over to this, they even mentioned a sore spot of mine (the WW ... ).  The characters aren't, at least initially as compelling as GOT, but HOTD is more focused, which could wind up being a slog if the show is:  siblings in [bad] blonde wigs laying down the exposition and f***ing each other all season.  I wonder about the staying power over multiple seasons, I kind of wish they would've just committed to a mini-series, developed a specific story, maybe told it in two seasons of about 6 EPs each and had a nice, planned arc.
> 
> The show looks beautiful, clearly they spent some money on it, Matt Smith is pretty fun (but they've got to flesh him out, he's almost a cartoon at this point), dragons are amazing, and I don't even mind the prequel-ness too much, since it's so far back from where GOT started, there's not a direct overlap, so there's enough space to create some mystery, it needs a Tyrion to add a little levity, hopefully some big moments like a Battle Of The Bastards, or something driven by fun character intrigue like The Lion And The Rose (but first hey have to establish the characters much better).
> 
> Decent enough to watch the next episode, they've got a good enough start and plenty of budget, interested to see where it goes.



If they can pull off something nearly as good as what Vince Gilligan et al did with _Better Call Saul_, which started as a prequel and ended up as a sequel to _Breaking Bad_, they'll be doing well. Admittedly a high bar.


----------



## lizkat

Caught up over weekend with a great HBO docu called _*Breslin and Hamill:  Deadline Artists.*_

They were right about how back in the heyday of those two NYC columnists,  everyone read the tabloids from front to back (or back to front) on the way to or from work.  They became well known back when blue collar work abounded in the city, and in a  time before smartphones and 24/7 cable. 

Past whatever the headline on Page One was,  those  two guys were the upsell for their respective papers:  everyone wanted to know today what they thought about whatever was in the headlines on yesterday's front page.  For awhile they both worked for the Daily News and the paper even advertised you could get one or the other of them six days a week exclusively in their paper.

 Everyone loved or hated the most recent columns of both writers, and no one was afraid to write in and say so either.   Made me miss the city of that era something fierce.  Breslin was the jackhammer and Hamill the poet,  they couldn't have been more different and yet two of a kind.  Great that HBO managed to make that film before Breslin passed away.


----------



## DT

Roller said:


> If they can pull off something nearly as good as what Vince Gilligan et al did with _Better Call Saul_, which started as a prequel and ended up as a sequel to _Breaking Bad_, they'll be doing well. Admittedly a high bar.




BCS is some pretty rare air 

I think there are potentially some interesting things to explore about the House of Targaryen / War of succession, that why I'm probably at least in for the season.

The Jon Snow series sounds super interesting, seems like there's a lot of stories still to be told involving Jon.

Heck, I wanted to see more of Arya / aka, "A girl has no name ..." kicking ass as a faceless assassin


----------



## Roller

DT said:


> BCS is some pretty rare air
> 
> I think there are potentially some interesting things to explore about the House of Targaryen / War of succession, that why I'm probably at least in for the season.
> 
> The Jon Snow series sounds super interesting, seems like there's a lot of stories still to be told involving Jon.
> 
> Heck, I wanted to see more of Arya / aka, "A girl has no name ..." kicking ass as a faceless assassin



Yeah, I’ll also look forward to see what happens with the Jon Snow series. And an Arya show also might be good. 

As for _HOTG_, I’d like to see more about the origin of the dragons themselves. Where did they come from? How are they controlled? How much do they eat?


----------



## shadow puppet

Roller said:


> As for _HOTG_, I’d like to see more about the origin of the dragons themselves. *Where did they come from? *



 Valyria. The dragons laid their eggs inside volcanoes.


----------



## Roller

shadow puppet said:


> Valyria. The dragons laid their eggs inside volcanoes.



Yes, but which came first, the dragon or the egg?


----------



## shadow puppet

Started watching *Five Days At Memorial* last night and stayed up way past my bedtime.  This show is beyond INTENSE.  Now eagerly awaiting E5.


----------



## shadow puppet

Roller said:


> Yes, but which came first, the dragon or the egg?



You, Sir, are hopeless!


----------



## Roller

shadow puppet said:


> You, Sir, are hopeless!



Hey, if you're gonna insult me, do it right. It should be "You, Ser, are hopeless!"


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> Started watching *Five Days At Memorial* last night and stayed up way past my bedtime. This show is beyond INTENSE. Now eagerly awaiting E5.



I’m sorry, but I won’t watch that. Having lived through Katrina, I would be inclined to watch it if it were centered, say in Waveland, Mississippi, which was completely wiped out, with bodies too numerous to mention - and you never heard a word about it because the press concentrated on NOLA…which got zip from Katrina and only suffered when the levees broke. After the storm.

Sorry for the rant, but 17 years later I’m still bitter.


----------



## shadow puppet

Alli said:


> I’m sorry, but I won’t watch that. Having lived through Katrina, I would be inclined to watch it if it were centered, say in Waveland, Mississippi, which was completely wiped out, with bodies too numerous to mention - and you never heard a word about it because the press concentrated on NOLA…which got zip from Katrina and only suffered when the levees broke. After the storm.
> 
> Sorry for the rant, but 17 years later I’m still bitter.



Not taking it personally.  Your explanation, from your viewpoint, makes it understandable.  Hope you don't hold it against me if I complete the series.  

ATV+, for me, has been hitting it out of the park this year.  IMHO, a bargain for $5/month.


----------



## shadow puppet

Roller said:


> Hey, if you're gonna insult me, do it right. It should be "You, Ser, are hopeless!"



_Who are you_ and where did you come from?
You are definitely my kind of whacked.


----------



## Huntn

She-hulk:Attorney At Law (2022- Disney+) 2 Episodes in light atmosphere, big thumbs up considering one Hulk Sized caveat, 22 minute episodes!?!? God, I hate that.   I turned this on with low expectations, it‘s good, but everything is short changed. How I became She-hulk in 10 minutes. This is the nature of <30 minute episodes. I could find no images of  Tatiana Maslany as She-hulk online. yes, there is comic book cannon.


​


----------



## Huntn

Browsing though Disney+, there sits *The Orville* and the new 3rd Season. I thought this was on Hulu?  I’ll catch up on Season 3…


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> She-hulk:Attorney At Law (2022- Disney+) 2 Episodes in light atmosphere, big thumbs up considering one Hulk Sized caveat, 22 minute episodes!?!? God, I hate that.   I turned this on with low expectations, it‘s good, but everything is short changed. How I became She-hulk in 10 minutes. This is the nature of <30 minute episodes. I could find no images of  Tatiana Maslany as She-hulk online. yes, there is comic book cannon.
> 
> View attachment 17121​



Haven’t started this, but I adore Tatiana Masslany. She was fantastic in Orphan Black, if you haven’t seen that you need to watch.


----------



## Edd

Huntn said:


> I could find no images of  Tatiana Maslany as She-hulk online. yes, there is comic book cannon.
> 
> View attachment 17121​


----------



## DT

I was thinking ... I can't avoid pics of Tatiana Maslany as She-hulk online ...


----------



## shadow puppet

DT said:


> I was thinking ... I can't avoid pics of Tatiana Maslany as She-hulk online ...



They are everywhere.  In each of my feeds.  To the point I don't even want to watch She-Hulk.


----------



## DT

Some new stuff for September 

Sep 2nd
Jurassic World: Dominion (Peacock)
Elvis (HBOMax)

Sep 8th
Thor: Love and Thunder (Disney+)

Spe 10th
American Gigolo - Season 1  (Paramount+)

Sep 14th
The Handmaid's Tale - Season 5 (Hulu)

Sep 21st
Andor (Disney+)


----------



## lizkat

Scrounging through watch lists trying to make sure any stuff I started to watch early in August that was tagged as "leaving soon"  didn't get lost in the shuffle and will now wander off to some other platform...   wouldn't be the first time that has happened.


----------



## Edd

Re-watching The Good Place on Netflix. I hope this goes down as one of the the great shows. It’s so lean and smart, with excellent performances. Kind of inverse-Seinfeld in that it’s so focused on being decent. Completely original; I love it.


----------



## lizkat

Edd said:


> Re-watching The Good Place on Netflix. I hope this goes down as one of the the great shows. It’s so lean and smart, with excellent performances. Kind of inverse-Seinfeld in that it’s so focused on being decent. Completely original; I love it.




Oh I should give that a shot before I bail from that platform.    It reminds me a bit of a lighter verson of that wonderful Katha Pollitt poem "Rapture"   --  i.e., that the afterlife might not be _*exactly*_ as "heavenly" as cracked up to be.  

Great line from the poem -   "The angels are kind, like waiters, but not very talkative..."​
I would assume that the TV series probably cuts any angels a little more slack in the dialogue department.


----------



## MEJHarrison

lizkat said:


> Oh I should give that a shot before I bail from that platform.




You really should.  It's worth it.


----------



## Herdfan

We may have a release date for Ted Lasso soon.  Rumor is they are going to announce the premier of S3 (also rumored to be the last ) around the Emmy's to capitalize on the nomination buzz.  The Emmy's air on 9/12.


----------



## Edd

Unlike most of you, I’m still watching Better Call Saul and just caught the excellent season 5 finale last night. Ooooo, Kim….Kim, Kim, Kim, Kim, Kim. Fuckin’ Kim.

I now turn to AMC‘s dreadful Apple TV app to finish the saga.


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> Re-watching The Good Place on Netflix. I hope this goes down as one of the the great shows. It’s so lean and smart, with excellent performances. Kind of inverse-Seinfeld in that it’s so focused on being decent. Completely original; I love it.




It's one of the best "under the radar" shows of all time.  Original in concept, genius in execution, @lizkat definitely give it a watch.

It was created by Michael Schur, who was a very popular writer for The Office, hahaha, he also played Dwight's cousin Mose    He later co-created Parks and Recreation with Greg Daniels (The Office), and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

This is definitely his apex mountain


----------



## fischersd

Just finished binge-watching Breaking Bad on Netflix.  I too plan on retiring it soon.  Guess I should burn through Better Call Saul as well. 

I too will check out The Good Place.


----------



## Citysnaps

Last night my wife and I watched an outstanding Frontline documentary on PBS called Lies, Politics, and Democracy. It was an outstanding look about the rise of trump, how the republicans were captured under his spell, and the resulting consequences to the country.

Check it out...


----------



## DT

fischersd said:


> Just finished binge-watching Breaking Bad on Netflix.




Jeebus, that's quite an ordeal, you might want to take a break.


----------



## lizkat

fischersd said:


> I too will check out The Good Place.




I did get as far as putting The Good Place on my watchlist, which I've pared down recently by removing stuff I've watched plus a few things I'm more likely to skip than finish watching,  so that addition should stand out next time I check into Netflix.  The S1E1 of The Good Place might even be my "next up" on that platform.


----------



## Edd

I’ll know on the rewatch but my current fave Good Place ep is The Trolley Problem, in season 2. It’s genuinely hilarious and based on thought/ethical experiments I’d never heard of. 









						Trolley problem - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## Edd

Edd said:


> Unlike most of you, I’m still watching Better Call Saul and just caught the excellent season 5 finale last night. Ooooo, Kim….Kim, Kim, Kim, Kim, Kim. Fuckin’ Kim.
> 
> I now turn to AMC‘s dreadful Apple TV app to finish the saga.



So, it looks like AMC has removed all of season 6 from the app except the finale. I’m about to have a fit.


----------



## DT

Edd said:


> So, it looks like AMC has removed all of season 6 from the app except the finale. I’m about to have a fit.




Oh shit, right, they do that rolling window of availability.

Are you on AMC or AMC+?

Dang, yeah, just checked, AMC+ only has the last EP and the "documentary". 

The last EP shows "Available till 09/13", maybe they'll get it over to Netflix ASAP.


----------



## Edd

DT said:


> Oh shit, right, they do that rolling window of availability.
> 
> Are you on AMC or AMC+?
> 
> Dang, yeah, just checked, AMC+ only has the last EP and the "documentary".
> 
> The last EP shows "Available till 09/13", maybe they'll get it over to Netflix ASAP.



Yeah, I’m hoping Netflix gets it ASAP. At this point, we only use AMC+ for Mad Men rewatches. I think we may just buy Mad Men (I never buy anything) because this is the last straw for me with AMC+. Easily the worst of the worst for streaming services.


----------



## DT

We kind of thought about a Shudder sub for October, but FYI for folks with AMC+ - it has a good amount of shudder content, including much of the newer content and a ton of great classic horror content.

Also of note, there's a weekly show, I think it runs for like 7-8 weeks, anyway, it's called _The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time_, they're counting down X per EP, great contributors, amazing movies.


----------



## lizkat

Heh I'm going in the other direction, looking for subs to dispense with.   I had taken HBO Max for a year and it comes up in October...  but the Warner Bros.Discovery merger and all the cost-cutting they've done since announcing it make me wary of an annual sub, that's for sure.  So I'll probably ditch it and then see if something comes along makes me want to take it up on a monthly basis now and then.

EDIT:   yep, pulled the plug this morning.  Have a month or so left to prowl around for any more watches of interest before it turns into a pumpkin and disappears off the face of my iPad...  scooting away to the library just in case I decide to take a month sub now and then.


----------



## Edd

Renzatic said:


> Sorry, dude bro, but you're wrong. Cobra Kai was rad.



This is a quote from the binge-worthy TV thread after I said Cobra Kai is not great in season 1. It’s not, but here I’m am still lapping it up during season 5.

I Googled a thought I had and found nothing but this show reminds me fully of a telenovela, as in that’s what the creators are modeling it after, but nobody is admitting to it. I can’t think of an American show like this outside of a classic daytime soap but telenovela seems more apt.


----------



## Cmaier

Edd said:


> This is a quote from the binge-worthy TV thread after I said Cobra Kai is not great in season 1. It’s not, but here I’m am still lapping it up during season 5.
> 
> I Googled a thought I had and found nothing but this show reminds me fully of a telenovela, as in that’s what the creators are modeling it after, but nobody is admitting to it. I can’t think of an American show like this outside of a classic daytime soap but telenovela seems more apt.




I have watched every episode for some reason. It’s like a soap opera, with everybody constantly trying to murder each other with bad karate, and nobody ever calling in the police.


----------



## fischersd

Ok, it's only 720p, but I just discovered I have all of the Sopranos episodes on one of my archive drives...heh...can't help myself.  Going to watch all 6 seasons again. 

(and, yes, I converted them all to MP4 so they're compatible with Apple TV) - not that I'm suggesting anyone do anything illegal.  *whistling softly while staring at the ceiling"


----------



## Renzatic

Cmaier said:


> I have watched every episode for some reason. It’s like a soap opera, with everybody constantly trying to murder each other with bad karate, and nobody ever calling in the police.




That's the way things were back in the 80's Everyone was kung fu fighting.


----------



## Cmaier

Renzatic said:


> That's the way things were back in the 80's Everyone was kung fu fighting.




I must have missed that.


----------



## lizkat

fischersd said:


> Ok, it's only 720p, but I just discovered I have all of the Sopranos episodes on one of my archive drives...heh...can't help myself.  Going to watch all 6 seasons again.
> 
> (and, yes, I converted them all to MP4 so they're compatible with Apple TV) - not that I'm suggesting anyone do anything illegal.  *whistling softly while staring at the ceiling"




I had bought all seasons of The Sopranos from ITunes Store a long time ago when feeling particularly flush and also stupid enough to binge-watch the whole series... then I stashed them on an external and forgot about them until Trump started acting like a mob boss about flipping the election results.

So I re-watched the whole series again between November 2020 and Biden's inauguration,  while lighting candles to the Virgin Mary and incense in front of a kitchen Buddha,  mumbling a few homebrewed imprecations and telling myself that one season of "Trump the Magnificent" had been enough even for America's most zombied-out couch potatoes. 

Was right about the election, wrong about the MAGAts...  and I made sure to archive The Sopranos on fresh media in case I ever need that level of distraction again.


----------



## Renzatic

Cmaier said:


> I must have missed that.




Well, it might've been a regional thing...


----------



## Cmaier

Renzatic said:


> Well, it might've been a regional thing...



Yeah, in NY it was more knife fighting.


----------



## lizkat

Cmaier said:


> Yeah, in NY it was more knife fighting.




And now the gun nuts want to make it possible to stage more gunfights in the trains..   thought about that after reading there was a shooting in the Philly underground over the weekend. 

All I can remember about guns and the trains from 35 years in NYC was the Bernie Goetz debacle and the one time when I just went through the turnstiles at the relatively sleepy little 50th St Station in Manhattan on the B'way local, more or less on autopilot, not thinking about anything really,  and found myself in a tableau where cops were there on the platform, crouched and with guns drawn, everyone else including an apparent perp were frozen in place and the conductor on the train kept saying "step in, doors will be closing".  One of the longer 45-second episodes of my life really.​​Perp folded, cop grabbed his weapon, someone rushed the closing doors on one of the cars and held them open for everyone else to pile in, and we all just wanted that train to haul on outta there. I looked for something to be in the paper about it but I don't think it even made the 24hr radio news station, WINS or whatever its call sign is/was. Life went on...  robbers stuck to knives and threats and the quick sharp grab-and-go of a purse strap (or.. ouch.. an earring or necklace) to get by.​
Anyway I don't think more guns in the subway would make it safer, geez.  People are idiotic enough when just armed with fricken shopping bags and assorted house-moving trash like TV sets, rolled-up carpets and the odd kitchen sink.   Now maybe THAT would make a nice TV series. A kind of cheap takeoff of outtakes from parts of The Godfather...


----------



## DT

Cmaier said:


> I must have missed that.




Understandable, those kicks were fast as lightning and in my opinion it was a little bit frightening.


----------



## Hrafn

Renzatic said:


> That's the way things were back in the 80's Everyone was kung fu fighting.



That's a funny way to describe '74...


----------



## Renzatic

Hrafn said:


> That's a funny way to describe '74...




That's when it all started, but it carried on until about 1992 or so.

Also...


----------



## lizkat

All kinds of stuff on tap this weekend...  i killed off a couple of streaming platform renewals and so I am trying to make it through what's left of some watch lists before the apps turn into pumpkins at end of October.   I'll be a video-addled moron inside of a couple weeks probably.   

Taking a look at a Paramount  --oops,no.. it's a Showtime--  series The First Lady tonight.  Or at least that is the plan.

[Edited to ID the platform correctly, duh]


----------



## Edd

Atlanta’s back baby!


----------



## Cmaier

This is a huge get for Apple TV+









						Apple TV+ lands Vince Gilligan's new TV project with two season order, starring Rhea Seehorn
					

Apple TV+ has scored one of the hottest TV packages of the year, landing Vince Gilligan’s new project, via Deadline. The Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator’s new project was naturally hotly contested, with Apple ultimately securing the series with a two season upfront order. Details about...




					9to5mac.com


----------



## Edd

Can’t believe I’m saying this but She-Hulk is legit good. It’s funnier every episode.


----------



## Edd

THE PROPHECY SHALL BE FULFILLED!









						And a movie: Peacock reveals Community film is officially in the works
					

Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong are all slated to make their return




					www.avclub.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Looking forward to Mike Flanagan's Midnight Club on Netflix and the new Hellraiser series on Hulu next week.  It appears Flanagan is less involved than his past projects so we shall see.


----------



## shadow puppet

I just killed off Netflix for awhile.  Just haven't been watching it enough to justify the price.  Once a couple more episodes of The Handmaid's Tale drop, I'll sign up for a short time with Hulu and binge it before dropping Hulu.  I really enjoy watching what I want, a la carte & saving money where I can.


----------



## lizkat

For all my streaming-platform culling lately,  I've still just indulged in my usual, annual uptake of a month's worth of YTTV so I can keep it simple during the 2022 MLB post season.

Sure hope there's no game 7 this year because I cut it a little too close and signed up one day short if the WS manages to become all that dramatic.

Meanwhile I'll be "glued to the tube" all month if I try to make the revival of YTTV worth having shelled out for.  At least this year it's also a election year,  so (if I can stand it) there's wall to wall politics aside from live regional news and all those entertainment channels in the package.  If I'm true to form though,  a lot of that will get by me.  The news and politics shows, a few forays into movie channels I rarely have access to, plus the ballgames, well... that will be plenty!


----------



## Edd

Shorsey, on Hulu. If you’re a Letterkenny fan you’re probably already watching this. I think Letterkenny can get tiresome and it’s often juvenile but I watch it for the brief moments of dialogue brilliance. Shorsey has that, the second episode made me LOL a few times. 

What doesn’t get talked about with these shows is the music, they kill it here. I Shazam a song nearly every episode.


----------



## Alli

Waiting excitedly for the premier of The Peripheral on Prime. Based on Gibson, it has to be great. The trailer makes it look like a dangerous, grownup Ready Player One.


----------



## Edd

Finished the first season of Welcome to Wrexham. It turned out to be a great show. I’m reminded why I’m not a sports fan, it gets too goddamn emotional, often within the confines of a single game. Movies/TV shows on sports, though, I’m all in.


----------



## lizkat

From photos at the red carpet in yesterday's gala fundraiser for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures:  here in a photo by Jon Kopaloff is Diana Silvers, in a dress one assumes was maximally engineered against 'wardrobe failure.' Any part of this outfit coming unmoored would surely have left Ms. Silvers wearing the kind of fashion once sported in the Garden of Eden.


----------



## Herdfan

lizkat said:


> From photos at the red carpet in yesterday's gala fundraiser for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures:  here in a photo by Jon Kopaloff is Diana Silvers, in a dress one assumes was maximally engineered against 'wardrobe failure.' Any part of this outfit coming unmoored would surely have left Ms. Silvers wearing the kind of fashion once sported in the Garden of Eden.




Come on, I want to see an unblurred pic of Olivia Wilde's dress........


----------



## lizkat

Herdfan said:


> Come on, I want to see an unblurred pic of Olivia Wilde's dress........




Hah, I guess the message there is a little different, i.e. the attendees can deal with it, "family-friendly" newspapers maybe not so much - the mainstream ones and broadcast outlets often still have guidelines on "risqué" photos, profanities, etc.   Blurring is how they manage the pix... or those stupid black bars.

The Silvers dress, though.  Not all _that_ immodest for USA,  but one rip away from a birthday suit.

To think that in the mid 60s,  the senior partner of the hedge fund I was working for sent a secretary home because she had taken off her suit jacket in the warm office that day and one could (barely) see the straps of her slip through her blouse.


----------



## Edd

Watched the first 4 episodes of Ms Marvel. It’s very pretty in DolbyVision.


----------



## shadow puppet

Just binged all current episodes of The Handmaids Tale.  
I love Bradley Whitford and his character, Commander Lawrence.

"Do you have an irony deficiency?"
"Gilead's gonna Gilead."


----------



## Huntn

*Reacher* (2022 Prime Video)- Alan Ritchman is a better Jack Reacher. Only 8 episodes though.  It’s renewed! 

​


----------



## shadow puppet

Forgot to mention I checked out the first couple episodes of _The Peripheral_ on Amazon Prime.  I liked it more than I was expecting to.
It's kind of a weird mashup of Matrix, Westworld and Terminator.  Maybe some Inception tossed in.

Is anyone else watching?


----------



## Citysnaps

We watched the 1st episode (of 8) of _From Scratch_.  So far it's pretty good.


----------



## lizkat

shadow puppet said:


> Forgot to mention I checked out the first couple episodes of _The Peripheral_ on Amazon Prime.  I liked it more than I was expecting to.
> It's kind of a weird mashup of Matrix, Westworld and Terminator.  Maybe some Inception tossed in.
> 
> Is anyone else watching?






Citysnaps said:


> We watched the 1st episode (of 8) of _From Scratch_.  So far it's pretty good.




Gonna check these out after the World Series, thanks!   Anything to distract from upcoming elections.


----------



## Edd

MASH on Hulu. Rewatching the whole series and I’m on season 3. I devoured this show as a kid and it still holds up. It was so far ahead of its time.

What‘s hitting me different now are the performances of Gary Burghoff as Radar and Jamie Farr as Klinger. They’re funnier somehow.

Radar and Henry Blake have to be in the top 10 for comedic duos on TV, they did many intricate scenes requiring fine timing. Seems like Broadway level stuff.

Klinger, at least in the early seasons, gets a surprising number of killer lines for a recurring character. And Farr delivers the performance with such gusto. In the mid-70s, I’d imagine it’s a bit tough for a dude to wear women’s clothes full time in front of an enormous TV audience but he commits fully and nails it.

FYI, it’s remastered in HD on Hulu.


----------



## Huntn

shadow puppet said:


> Forgot to mention I checked out the first couple episodes of _The Peripheral_ on Amazon Prime.  I liked it more than I was expecting to.
> It's kind of a weird mashup of Matrix, Westworld and Terminator.  Maybe some Inception tossed in.
> 
> Is anyone else watching?



In my queue.


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> Forgot to mention I checked out the first couple episodes of _The Peripheral_ on Amazon Prime.  I liked it more than I was expecting to.
> It's kind of a weird mashup of Matrix, Westworld and Terminator.  Maybe some Inception tossed in.
> 
> Is anyone else watching?



Don’t forget Ready Player One, which is what the original preview brought to mind. So far I’m loving it. All my favorite themes. Glad I never read this one, although I’m not sure how I missed it since I love Gibson.


----------



## shadow puppet

This is one seriously disturbing story that really happened.


----------



## shadow puppet

Anyone watching Andor on Disney+?

I've now seen 4 episodes and kept thinking actress Faye Marsay looked familiar.  She plays the rebel operative Vel Sarth.
Just learned she played the waif opposite Arya in GOT.


----------



## DT

Wow.  The creative team / show runners, were pushing hard for another season to finish things up, not sure where it was left at S4 (since we more or less stopped at S2), but looks like it's over:









						HBO Cancels ‘Westworld’ in Shock Decision
					

The acclaimed sci-fi drama is considered finished after its recent fourth season, despite creators hoping for a fifth season to wrap things up.




					www.hollywoodreporter.com


----------



## shadow puppet

DT said:


> Wow.  The creative team / show runners, were pushing hard for another season to finish things up, not sure where it was left at S4 (since we more or less stopped at S2), but looks like it's over:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HBO Cancels ‘Westworld’ in Shock Decision
> 
> 
> The acclaimed sci-fi drama is considered finished after its recent fourth season, despite creators hoping for a fifth season to wrap things up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.hollywoodreporter.com



For me, and I've seen all the seasons, nothing will ever be as good as the original season.
I think the showrunners did it to themselves.  They made the show too confusing for many followers who decided it wasn't worth sticking around.


----------



## Edd

I’ve watched all of Westworld. I thought it was over at the end of season 3 and was shocked when 4 came out. Can’t believe they wanted to do a 5th, how much more confused could they have made me? I think I peaked.


----------



## Alli

I watched every episode as well, and said that even if they did another season I would not be watching.


----------



## lizkat

HBO just popped into my mailbox saying oh btw,  *now we are streaming the first 10 Star Trek movies.*

So finally I have zero excuse not to watch them.  They're all like one click away.  See you in the spring?

Yeah I know this belongs in the movie thread.  I was thinking that I haven't seen the Star Trek TV series options either, and ended up over here.


----------



## ronntaylor

lizkat said:


> HBO just popped into my mailbox saying oh btw,  *now we are streaming the first 10 Star Trek movies.*
> 
> So finally I have zero excuse not to watch them.  They're all like one click away.  See you in the spring?
> 
> Yeah I know this belongs in the movie thread.  I was thinking that I haven't seen the Star Trek TV series options either, and ended up over here.
> 
> 
> View attachment 18922​



My husband informed me and I was a bit out of it and thought he said Star Wars. I'm meh on those. But I definitely will be binge watching when I get back down to Virginia next weekend.


----------



## Alli

New season of The White Lotus. They started it in a very similar fashion to the first season. You know someone’s dead, but no idea who or why.

Manifest is also back, having moved to Netflix. If you enjoyed it before, keep going. I managed to watch 3 episodes yesterday.


----------



## ronntaylor

Suffering insomnia, so I finally checked out *EAST NEW YORK *last night. -- all five episodes thus far. I usually avoid what's described as copoganda nowadays. In the past I loved watching *HILL STREET BLUES & NYPD BLUE. *I hate watched *BLUE BLOODS* because I'm not a fan of Tom Selleck and his right-wing whining. That mess was so laughably bad. All that to say I was not expecting much. And I was not surprised: *ENY *is full of cliches, stereotypes, and breathless dialogue.

It's a real shame as I admire many of the actors on show: series lead Amanda Warren, Jimmy Smits, Richard Kind, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Paul Calderon, etc.

Probably will only watch more if I can't sleep at night.


----------



## DT

lizkat said:


> HBO just popped into my mailbox saying oh btw,  *now we are streaming the first 10 Star Trek movies.*
> 
> So finally I have zero excuse not to watch them.  They're all like one click away.  See you in the spring?
> 
> Yeah I know this belongs in the movie thread.  I was thinking that I haven't seen the Star Trek TV series options either, and ended up over here.
> 
> 
> View attachment 18922​




Remember, at least for the first new, odd number == poop, even number == awesome 

Apparently there's a new cut, remaster of 1, The Motion Picture, aka, The Motionless Picture , that's pretty interesting.

Otherwise, just do 2, 4, 6, that's a fun run.  You can add 3 into that, it's not great, but it does sort out why the hell Spock is around in 4


----------



## Edd

DT said:


> Remember, at least for the first new, odd number == poop, even number == awesome
> 
> Apparently there's a new cut, remaster of 1, The Motion Picture, aka, The Motionless Picture , that's pretty interesting.
> 
> Otherwise, just do 2, 4, 6, that's a fun run.  You can add 3 into that, it's not great, but it does sort out why the hell Spock is around in 4



I saw Wrath of Khan in the theater when I was 12. Mind blown. I’d seen the first one and it was very pretty but ST2…..um, I read the novelization, if anyone has questions, btw.


----------



## lizkat

DT said:


> just do 2, 4, 6, that's a fun run. You can add 3 into that, it's not great, but it does sort out why the hell Spock is around in 4




Hah ok, Imma try it starting tonight. I was going to watch _*All The King's Men*_ tonight because I love that movie,  but I have seen it before more than once actually,  and I need to keep on with my watchlist.    So popcorn time and  Star Trek #2 coming up for me tonight.


----------



## Renzatic

lizkat said:


> So popcorn time and  Star Trek #2 coming up for me tonight.




Kkkkaaaaahhhhhhnnnnnnn!


----------



## Hrafn

Barry.  Who doesn’t love a hit man turned actor?


----------



## Huntn

*Sandman *(2022 Netflix)- I’m 2 episodes and in and although it is well made, I am not enamored with the characters or the story.


----------



## Edd

Huntn said:


> *Sandman *(2022 Netflix)- I’m 2 episodes and in and although it is well made, I am not enamored with the characters or the story.



I think I went 3 eps and, I agree, I couldn’t stick with it. Some good stuff in there but


----------



## Huntn

Edd said:


> I think I went 3 eps and, I agree, I couldn’t stick with it. Some good stuff in there but



Whatever it is, there has to be something that hooks the viewer, and then I ask myself do I care what happens? The answer determines if I will continue. Now there is another series called Morbius who is the same character?


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> *Sandman *(2022 Netflix)- I’m 2 episodes and in and although it is well made, I am not enamored with the characters or the story.



I enjoyed the show, but will definitely not watch the next season.


----------



## Huntn

*The English *(2022 Prime/BBC)- The first episode just dropped, wow, I’m hooked, a western mini-series about an English Lady seeking vengence and a Pawnee Indian who has his own agenda, but...

Watching this I was immediately reminded of how grande this genre can be, was drawn into the script, the character interactions and the visuals/cinematography. There could be room to be disappointed, but so far. 

_How long have you been in this country?
Two weeks.
How many people have you seen killed?
Four._




​


----------



## Huntn

5th Season of *The Crown
Episode 1: Queen Victoria Syndrome-*
Interesting episode, official position, never happened. 









						The Crown season five: Wait, did Prince Charles actually try to overthrow the Queen?!
					

Surely not!




					thetab.com
				




Elizabeth Debicki as Lady Diana outstanding:

​








						'The Crown' cast for season 5: The actors and who they're playing on the Netflix show
					

With its return to Netflix on November 9, here's everything you need to know about the cast of "The Crown" season five.




					www.insider.com


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> 5th Season of *The Crown
> Episode 1: Queen Victoria Syndrome-*
> Interesting episode, official position, never happened.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Crown season five: Wait, did Prince Charles actually try to overthrow the Queen?!
> 
> 
> Surely not!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thetab.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Elizabeth Debicki as Lady Diana outstanding:
> 
> View attachment 19192​




I'm having just a teeeeeensy bit of trouble buying into Dominic West picking up the role of Charles in season 5,  not least because I can't get "Detective Jimmy McNulty" of _*The Wire *_out of my mind,  and in particular West's hilarious episodes when trying to acquire enough of a British accent to pass undercover as a posh international elite trying to hook up in an expensive call girl ring.

But I've only watched that first episode of season 5 of _*The Crown*_, and so I'll keep an open mind.   Not sure the real King Charles will do so, however, but then that's his problem.   I'm pretty sure I'll keep watching, even if I think it's a train wreck.  After all, train wrecks are hard to resist looking at sometimes.

Entertainment value aside,  and generally liking period pieces about royalty (if only for the clothes and food porn), I may be a fan of producers/directors stopping the development of series like this when they approach time frames where the portrayal is of principals who are still living at time of filming.   It becomes a dicier and dicier thing to drift from verifiable history to tabloid-style speculation to sheer fabrication for sake of dramatic appeal.  At least slap a sticker on it says "this is not a documentary film.":

Viewers of these series are not the same as students of history, but they may well take what they see on the screen as faithful in entirety to actual history, especially when some of what is portrayed might as well have been a documentary rather than docudrama, biopic or just tabloid-level "pics because it happened" voyeurism.   Lot of series like this one will intersperse actual news footage which only heightens the idea that one is watching "history" unfold on the screen.... right up to yesterday evening?

I realize all that registers as a futile objection in an era when reality TV is so pervasive as to have blurred in our real lives today what was real and what was invented during the presidency of Donald Trump.   But that effect is exactly why I don't like to see it becoming more common in TV drama series.   I agree 100% that _*The Crown*_ should carry disclaimers up front that make it entirely clear the episodes for at least season 5 on (if not earlier!) are at best "based on..."  actual events which are then fictionalized in the episodes.


----------



## Edd

And with that, Atlanta is done. An incredible series, the finale stuck the landing. I loved this show.


----------



## shadow puppet

I haven't yet seen The Crown S5.  Will check it out whenever I re-up my Netflix subscription.

But the actress portraying Diana in season 4 did an incredible job.


----------



## DT

I was a big fan of The Sandman comic, started with issue #1 way back in '89  and a big fan of the incredibly talented Neil Gaiman (that includes his non-comic work).

That out of the way, I could totally see how the show would be less appealing to people not coming from the comic or from a history of consuming his sort of material (it's a very specific sort of fantasy work).

I would say to @Huntn and @Edd, if you have a moment, watch *Episode 6:  The Sound of Her Wings*, it's [mostly] a bottle EP, it introduces Dream's sister, Death (played, in a terrific performance, by Kirby Howell-Baptiste).  It's funny, touching, really a beautiful take on the hereafter.  And not as a "Then you'll want to watch the others", just as an extremely engaging 53 minutes of stand-alone entertainment.



Huntn said:


> Now there is another series called Morbius who is the same character?




Morbius != Morpheus 

(I assume you're talking about the Sony/Marvel movie starring Jared Leto)


----------



## Alli

New season of Warrior Nun at last!


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> I'm having just a teeeeeensy bit of trouble buying into Dominic West picking up the role of Charles in season 5,  not least because I can't get "Detective Jimmy McNulty" of _*The Wire *_out of my mind,  and in particular West's hilarious episodes when trying to acquire enough of a British accent to pass undercover as a posh international elite trying to hook up in an expensive call girl ring.
> 
> But I've only watched that first episode of season 5 of _*The Crown*_, and so I'll keep an open mind.   Not sure the real King Charles will do so, however, but then that's his problem.   I'm pretty sure I'll keep watching, even if I think it's a train wreck.  After all, train wrecks are hard to resist looking at sometimes.
> 
> Entertainment value aside,  and generally liking period pieces about royalty (if only for the clothes and food porn), I may be a fan of producers/directors stopping the development of series like this when they approach time frames where the portrayal is of principals who are still living at time of filming.   It becomes a dicier and dicier thing to drift from verifiable history to tabloid-style speculation to sheer fabrication for sake of dramatic appeal.  At least slap a sticker on it says "this is not a documentary film.":
> 
> Viewers of these series are not the same as students of history, but they may well take what they see on the screen as faithful in entirety to actual history, especially when some of what is portrayed might as well have been a documentary rather than docudrama, biopic or just tabloid-level "pics because it happened" voyeurism.   Lot of series like this one will intersperse actual news footage which only heightens the idea that one is watching "history" unfold on the screen.... right up to yesterday evening?
> 
> I realize all that registers as a futile objection in an era when reality TV is so pervasive as to have blurred in our real lives today what was real and what was invented during the presidency of Donald Trump.   But that effect is exactly why I don't like to see it becoming more common in TV drama series.   I agree 100% that _*The Crown*_ should carry disclaimers up front that make it entirely clear the episodes for at least season 5 on (if not earlier!) are at best "based on..."  actual events which are then fictionalized in the episodes.



For a historical show whether it is seventeenth  or the twentieth century like this one, I expect an historically based show to follow  and be accurate to the actual framework of history, especially when making a statement about someone’s life who was alive until just recently. I also understand there is a lot of liberty in writing lines of dialog that meet said historical framework, in other words conversations unless documented, must be regarded as fictional, but if they stay within the bounds of the historical record, then they are good enough.

In the case of Princess Diana fortunately because she went on record, there is a lot of specific info even so the portrayal of her’s  and Charles lives together most likely follows the tones of their documented relationship.

Regarding accuracy, if you as the creator of the show can’t say a story is true or mostly true, don’t say you are making  a show about Queen Elizabeth. Otherwise, I agree put a fiction label on it.

That said, regarding this season 5, episode 1, this story line although denied by sources like John Major, came from somewhere, possibly someone’s imagination, maybe a writer or though the grapevine. So I can say it is not documented, but at the same time I suspect the people like Major who would know, might have reasons not to substantiate the story, especially now, although some of that might depend on whether they are pro-monarchy or anti.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> I was a big fan of The Sandman comic, started with issue #1 way back in '89  and a big fan of the incredibly talented Neil Gaiman (that includes his non-comic work).
> 
> That out of the way, I could totally see how the show would be less appealing to people not coming from the comic or from a history of consuming his sort of material (it's a very specific sort of fantasy work).
> 
> I would say to @Huntn and @Edd, if you have a moment, watch *Episode 6:  The Sound of Her Wings*, it's [mostly] a bottle EP, it introduces Dream's sister, Death (played, in a terrific performance, by Kirby Howell-Baptiste).  It's funny, touching, really a beautiful take on the hereafter.  And not as a "Then you'll want to watch the others", just as an extremely engaging 53 minutes of stand-alone entertainment.
> 
> 
> 
> Morbius != Morpheus
> 
> (I assume you're talking about the Sony/Marvel movie starring Jared Leto)



I will consider your suggestion. My standard  for stories, some percentage of, is it intriguing, compelling, visually exciting, do I like these characters or are interested in them, and possibly most important, do I care what happens to them or what happens next? Keep in mind I like fantasy as a genre. There was enough in episode 1 to keep me going, but as I continued into E2, I continued to find the presentation to be cold, is the best way I can describe it.


----------



## Huntn

*Ref: The Crown* (Netflix)
_I'm having just a teeeeeensy bit of trouble buying into Dominic West picking up the role of Charles in season 5, not least because I can't get "Detective Jimmy McNulty" of *The Wire *out of my mind, and in particular West's hilarious episodes when trying to acquire enough of a British accent to pass undercover as a posh international elite trying to hook up in an expensive call girl ring._
-@lizkat

Speaking of, every time I see Imelda Staunton as the Queen, I see Dolores Umbridge… (Harry Potter Baddie) 

*Season 5 E3: Mou Mou* was excellent.

It took me a while to place her, Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, in a former/returning role:


Ayesha: Guardians of the Galaxy 2​


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> There was enough in episode 1 to keep me going, but as I continued into E2, I continued to find the presentation to be cold, is the best way I can describe it.




That's definitely a fair point, the lead characters are personifications of abstract concepts, not exactly something most of us can identify with 

That's also why there was always the presence of strong human / human-esque characters, so be the reader/viewer's perspective, and while that gets much better in the latter 1/2 of the show, it's the weakest part.


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *The English *(2022 Prime/BBC)- The first episode just dropped, wow, I’m hooked, a western mini-series about an English Lady seeking vengence and a Pawnee Indian who has his own agenda, but...
> 
> Watching this I was immediately reminded of how grande this genre can be, was drawn into the script, the character interactions and the visuals/cinematography. There could be room to be disappointed, but so far.
> 
> _How long have you been in this country?
> Two weeks.
> How many people have you seen killed?
> Four._
> 
> View attachment 19134
> 
> View attachment 19133​



Just finished, it’s excellent, a piece of art, filmed beautifully with wide angle lense and grand scenery (filmed in Spain) with caveats. Although there are common Western themes like cattlemen, and sod busters, deadly gun fights, abuse of Native Americans,  stealing their lands, it’s not a cliched story. There are good and bad people on all sides, it does not have the usual climactic gun fight you might expect, but when it’s over I felt like I saw something special with truths about human nature. The amazing thing is that this was about the US only 70 years before I was born. 

​


----------



## lizkat

Gee,  why is everything just going downhill.  Now on Netflix some "docuseries" that apparently found favor with the likes of Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan... and will appeal to conspiracy theorists in general almost everywhere.  All about a purported highly advanced civilization that built all this great stuff on planet earth 12k years ago and then was wiped out in a hail of comet fire or something.  









						Ancient Apocalypse is the most dangerous show on Netflix
					

A show with a truly preposterous theory is one of the streaming giant’s biggest hits – and it seems to exist solely for conspiracy theorists. Why has this been allowed?




					www.theguardian.com
				




Reputable archeologists (or "big archaeology" as the series writer would have it) all vehemently disagree...  but the series is trending on the platform anyway.

How did this dubious offering land on Netflix?



> But, hey, not all conspiracy theories are bad. If you don’t like Hancock’s story about the super-intelligent advanced civilisation being wiped off the face of the planet, here’s another that might explain how Netflix gave the greenlight to Ancient Apocalypse: the platform’s senior manager of unscripted originals happens to be Hancock’s son. Honestly, what are the chances?


----------



## shadow puppet

Still very much enjoying The Peripheral on Amazon Prime.  Any one else still watching?


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> Still very much enjoying The Peripheral on Amazon Prime.  Any one else still watching?



Will catch up with the latest when we get home from the Thanksgiving trip. We’ve been enjoying it thoroughly.


----------



## Hrafn

Wednesday.  We've seen the first three episodes, but my wife was distracted.  We may re-watch at least the last one so she can be caught up.


----------



## lizkat

Hrafn said:


> Wednesday.  We've seen the first three episodes, but my wife was distracted.  We may re-watch at least the last one so she can be caught up.




I have loved some of the Addams Family cartoons over the years,  but was never sure could handle the graphic immediacy of some of the video/film spinoffs since then, even if they have tended to highlight comedic aspects rather than sheer horror.   Maybe it's time to make an exception..  ?


----------



## lizkat

Making headway through watchlists now that winter's setting in.

Finally started *Slow Horses* (Apple TV), only because I was actually jolted to see mention of Season 2 in the WSJ yesterday.    I was like "uh..."  since when I had originally put the show on a universal watchlist that I keep on my laptop, it was on strength of some preview mention of _Season 1._ 

Man.  I will never catch up with everything.   Giving it a go now though.  And I do like this show.


----------



## shadow puppet

lizkat said:


> Finally started *Slow Horses* (Apple TV), only because I was actually jolted to see mention of Season 2 in the WSJ yesterday.
> 
> And I do like this show.



I definitely enjoyed _Slow Horses_.  As I've said elsewhere on the fora, ATV+ really hit it out of the park this season with their offerings.

Now watching the 3rd and final season of _His Dark Materials_.  HBO released the first two episodes as of yesterday.  I had to force myself to wait until tonight to watch episode 2.


----------



## Edd

Started Bad Sisters on Apple TV+. Pretty good.


----------



## Alli

shadow puppet said:


> I definitely enjoyed _Slow Horses_.  As I've said elsewhere on the fora, ATV+ really hit it out of the park this season with their offerings.
> 
> Now watching the 3rd and final season of _His Dark Materials_.  HBO released the first two episodes as of yesterday.  I had to force myself to wait until tonight to watch episode 2.



We just finished episode 1. I said we had to wait for tomorrow to watch 2.


----------



## lizkat

Alli said:


> We just finished episode 1. I said we had to wait for tomorrow to watch 2.




I'm managing somehow to make myself do a slow-roll through the first season of Slow Horses.   Not easy, but there have been World Cup replays to help me stick to the plan.


----------



## Huntn

*Harry and Meghan* (2022 Netflix docu-series)- Excellent and balanced. The topic is highly charged. Imo Meghan has been a victim of the British tabloids, and as a result, there is a group of UK citizens who appear to hate her guts possibly based mostly on exaggerations and outright falsehoods. My wife spars with them on Facebook on a weekly basis. 

I would also image racism, zenophobia, immigration issues, & nationalism plays a part, although I also believe she is not disliked by all, loved (as much as strangers can love a famous personality), and loved/liked but dissapointed by some because of the couples decision to bail on the caustic environment  they found themselves in. And others who don’t blame them, including myself and like the couple without conditions. They appear to be decent people.

And why should she be hated? …other than she did not always follow protocol, _heinously stole one of our princes away, and she’s a mixed breed, and our monarchy is lily white.. _ 



​


----------



## Alli

New season of Doom Patrol! Booya!


----------



## Huntn

*Wednesday *(of the Adam’s Family; Netflix 2022-)- Outcasts, werewolves, vampires, sirens and other dark creatures need an education too! A monster (beyond the students), a murder mystery at Nevermore Academy.

​
My intent is not to ping on Jenna Ortega unfairly. She was tasked with playing a character who keeps hers emotions tightly in-check, who goes through an entire story (so far) with one expression, never blinking, actually bravo for that, yet it feels a bit one dimensional which I imagine was the assignment. However it gets old after 5 episodes where we are at. You can decern though her actions who she likes and dislikes while projecting an anti-social, loner, robot like quality. Data (StarTrek) with his emotion chip turned off has more personality.  

However,  I won’t say I dislike the portrayal, as I said, I think she is doing exactly what she was tasked to do, to portray this character, I just have not warmed up to her. And the story is interesting enough to hold my wife and I’s interest, but it is fair as this review describes it as goth Wednesday a variation on Hogwarts, with a continuous stream of droll observations coming from the main character, but little bite in the story, even as multiple people have been murdered. 









						Wednesday review: For a show about vampires and werewolves, this Gen Z-baiting drama has very little bite
					

2/5 Jenna Ortega leads the cast of Netflix’s latest addition to its supernatural teen show canon




					www.yahoo.com


----------



## Roller

lizkat said:


> I have loved some of the Addams Family cartoons over the years,  but was never sure could handle the graphic immediacy of some of the video/film spinoffs since then, even if they have tended to highlight comedic aspects rather than sheer horror.   Maybe it's time to make an exception..  ?





Huntn said:


> *Wednesday *(of the Adam’s Family; Netflix 2022-)- Outcasts, werewolves, vampires, sirens and other dark creatures need an education too! A monster (beyond the students), a murder mystery at Nevermore Academy.
> 
> View attachment 19933​
> My intent is not to ping on Jenna Ortega unfairly. She was tasked with playing a character who keeps hers emotions tightly in-check, who goes through an entire story (so far) with one expression, never blinking, actually bravo for that, yet it feels a bit one dimensional which I imagine was the assignment. However it gets old after 5 episodes where we are at. You can decern though her actions who she likes and dislikes while projecting an anti-social, loner, robot like quality. Data (StarTrek) with his emotion chip turned off has more personality.
> 
> However,  I won’t say I dislike the portrayal, as I said, I think she is doing exactly what she was tasked to do, to portray this character, I just have not warmed up to her. And the story is interesting enough to hold my wife and I’s interest, but it is fair as this review describes it as goth Wednesday a variation on Hogwarts, with a continuous stream of droll observations coming from the main character, but little bite in the story, even as multiple people have been murdered.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wednesday review: For a show about vampires and werewolves, this Gen Z-baiting drama has very little bite
> 
> 
> 2/5 Jenna Ortega leads the cast of Netflix’s latest addition to its supernatural teen show canon
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.yahoo.com



I finished season 1 yesterday. Once I realized the series was very different from any prior Addams family version in film or on TV, I was hooked. It's basically a horror mystery, with Wednesday as the intrepid sleuth. Jenna Ortega, with her unblinking, deadpan facial expression and dry delivery, is excellent. Yes, she comes across as lacking in personality, but there's more to her that that. We're just not meant to see much of it yet. Apart from Thing, who's in every episode, many of the other Addams characters — Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, and Lurch — aren't seen often. Uncle Fester does show up once.

Apparently, _Wednesday_ has rivaled other Netflix hits for viewership, so it's likely a second season will be announced. I'm hoping to see more of Wednesday's family, including Grandmama, and Itt. I don't want to give anything away, but I suspect we'll see a different side to Wednesday when the series continues.


----------



## Huntn

Roller said:


> I finished season 1 yesterday. Once I realized the series was very different from any prior Addams family version in film or on TV, I was hooked. It's basically a horror mystery, with Wednesday as the intrepid sleuth. Jenna Ortega, with her unblinking, deadpan facial expression and dry delivery, is excellent. Yes, she comes across as lacking in personality, but there's more to her that that. We're just not meant to see much of it yet. Apart from Thing, who's in every episode, many of the other Addams characters — Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, and Lurch — aren't seen often. Uncle Fester does show up once.
> 
> Apparently, _Wednesday_ has rivaled other Netflix hits for viewership, so it's likely a second season will be announced. I'm hoping to see more of Wednesday's family, including Grandmama, and Itt. I don't want to give anything away, but I suspect we'll see a different side to Wednesday when the series continues.



Two episodes to go. Thing is  my favorite character.


----------



## Edd

I agree with many of these picks. Including Better Things! Must I shout it from the rafters? It’s an incredible show. 









						The 30 best TV shows of 2022
					

Behold: the most exciting, ambitious, addictive, heartbreaking, hilarious, and simply stellar series to grace our screens this year




					www.avclub.com


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *Wednesday *(of the Adam’s Family; Netflix 2022-)- Outcasts, werewolves, vampires, sirens and other dark creatures need an education too! A monster (beyond the students), a murder mystery at Nevermore Academy.
> 
> View attachment 19933​
> My intent is not to ping on Jenna Ortega unfairly. She was tasked with playing a character who keeps hers emotions tightly in-check, who goes through an entire story (so far) with one expression, never blinking, actually bravo for that, yet it feels a bit one dimensional which I imagine was the assignment. However it gets old after 5 episodes where we are at. You can decern though her actions who she likes and dislikes while projecting an anti-social, loner, robot like quality. Data (StarTrek) with his emotion chip turned off has more personality.
> 
> However,  I won’t say I dislike the portrayal, as I said, I think she is doing exactly what she was tasked to do, to portray this character, I just have not warmed up to her. And the story is interesting enough to hold my wife and I’s interest, but it is fair as this review describes it as goth Wednesday a variation on Hogwarts, with a continuous stream of droll observations coming from the main character, but little bite in the story, even as multiple people have been murdered.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wednesday review: For a show about vampires and werewolves, this Gen Z-baiting drama has very little bite
> 
> 
> 2/5 Jenna Ortega leads the cast of Netflix’s latest addition to its supernatural teen show canon
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.yahoo.com



*Edit: *Finished the season, thumbs up.


----------



## Alli

Anyone else watching/finished season 2 of the White Lotus? OMG!



Spoiler: Finale



I can’t believe she basically took out the entire Italian syndicate, only wanted to know if her husband was seeing someone else, and then basically accidentally committed suicide!



Can’t wait for season three!


----------



## Edd

Alli said:


> Anyone else watching/finished season 2 of the White Lotus? OMG!
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Finale
> 
> 
> 
> I can’t believe she basically took out the entire Italian syndicate, only wanted to know if her husband was seeing someone else, and then basically accidentally committed suicide!
> 
> 
> 
> Can’t wait for season three!



Yes, I enjoyed this season alot.


Spoiler



That was such a derpy death, as Mike White put it. She drives me a bit nuts


----------



## lizkat

Streaming on Starz:  The 2017 mini-series _*Howards End*_, a co-production of the BBC and Starz, based on E.M.Forster's 1910 novel of the same name, and one I've read a few times. The series has four episodes, so almost twice as long as the 1992 Merchant-Ivory film version, which I enjoyed. I'll be interested to see how the series (written by Kenneth Lonergan) treats characters and settings of the book.

Lonergan wrote and directed a 2016 film I very much liked, *Manchester by the Sea*, so I'm hoping I will like the results of this earlier and very different project as well.


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> Anyone else watching/finished season 2 of the White Lotus? OMG!
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Finale
> 
> 
> 
> I can’t believe she basically took out the entire Italian syndicate, only wanted to know if her husband was seeing someone else, and then basically accidentally committed suicide!
> 
> 
> 
> Can’t wait for season three!



Because you mentioned this, we started and watched 3 episodes (The White Lotus) last night, I predict we will continue.. This is not my usual fare, but a human interaction dynamics with characters that are interesting and in some cases annoying enough to hold my interest. I just hope it leads to somewhere that makes it memorable. Although  I worked in customer service for 30 years, I’ve learned I’d never want to be a hotel manager. 

My understanding is that the cast changes in the second season as new customers to The White Lotus resort arrive, and that the show maybe cancelled? Not sure about that last part.


----------



## ronntaylor

Alli said:


> Anyone else watching/finished season 2 of the White Lotus? OMG!
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Finale
> 
> 
> 
> I can’t believe she basically took out the entire Italian syndicate, only wanted to know if her husband was seeing someone else, and then basically accidentally committed suicide!
> 
> 
> 
> Can’t wait for season three!



Just finished S1 and begun S2 late last night.


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> My understanding is that the cast changes in the second season as new customers to The White Lotus resort arrive, and that the show maybe cancelled? Not sure about that last part.



Season 2 changes not only cast, but venue. The White Lotus is a hotel chain, with properties all over the world.

The fun part is trying to guess out of all those noxious people (employees and guests) who is the body in episode 1, and what happened to the person. It’s great fun. Kinda like a big game of Clue.


----------



## Edd

Alli said:


> Season 2 changes not only cast, but venue. The White Lotus is a hotel chain, with properties all over the world.
> 
> The fun part is trying to guess out of all those noxious people (employees and guests) who is the body in episode 1, and what happened to the person. It’s great fun. Kinda like a big game of Clue.



My favorite part of season 1 was the battle of wits between the hotel manager and that douchebag guest. I think I may prefer season 2 more, but it’s pretty close.


----------



## Alli

Edd said:


> My favorite part of season 1 was the battle of wits between the hotel manager and that douchebag guest. I think I may prefer season 2 more, but it’s pretty close.



I loved the hotel manager in season 1. The douche got what he had coming.


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> Season 2 changes not only cast, but venue. The White Lotus is a hotel chain, with properties all over the world.
> 
> The fun part is trying to guess out of all those noxious people (employees and guests) who is the body in episode 1, and what happened to the person. It’s great fun. Kinda like a big game of Clue.



*Ref: White Lotus *(HBO)
Season 1 is not that long, 6 episodes. I spent the entire season waiting for something to happen which is revealed in the first scene at the airport after it’s over. How I was manipulated!  The story is a flashback of the previous week at a resort in Hawaii.



Spoiler: Plot spoiler



I assumed as I imagine everyone did, that the person who had died was not who I expected it to be... 



It is listed as a comedy-drama. I would remove “comedy”, S1 struck me as a drama, with some humorous aspects and tragedy. I would describe the story, having not seen the second season, as a character interaction, group psychological study for anyone who is thinking about watching. It is focused on 2 families, and a woman “on vacation” to spread her mother’s ashes. As the saying goes, they are all well to do. Then there is the hotel manager trying to stay on the wagon, while pleasing his guests, one in particular a royal pain in his ass.

Nothing spectacular happens, it can legitimately be described as slow, until the end, and then it ends.  So IMO to like this, you have to become vested in the characters, their relationships, their approach and observations based on their positions in life, fortunes or misfortunes, privilege or lack there of. The writing is excellent, and although this is not normally what I would watch, I kept going because it was interesting enough, and I was waiting for the hook revealed in Episode 1.

We will be watching Season 2.


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *Harry and Meghan* (2022 Netflix docu-series)- Excellent and balanced. The topic is highly charged. Imo Meghan has been a victim of the British tabloids, and as a result, there is a group of UK citizens who appear to hate her guts possibly based mostly on exaggerations and outright falsehoods. My wife spars with them on Facebook on a weekly basis.
> 
> I would also image racism, zenophobia, immigration issues, & nationalism plays a part, although I also believe she is not disliked by all, loved (as much as strangers can love a famous personality), and loved/liked but dissapointed by some because of the couples decision to bail on the caustic environment  they found themselves in. And others who don’t blame them, including myself and like the couple without conditions. They appear to be decent people.
> 
> And why should she be hated? …other than she did not always follow protocol, _heinously stole one of our princes away, and she’s a mixed breed, and our monarchy is lily white.. _
> 
> 
> View attachment 19911​



The Second 3 episodes dropped- they have a case, I’d argue they made their case.  

My observation is that they did not want out, nor demand privacy. Well, they did demand a certain amount of privacy, but the context must be considered. Both of them were used to media attention, but it was the vitriolic approach of the British tabloids which intensified the lies and harsh treatment, paparazzi crawling through their shrubbery, non-stop observation from helos and boats with the intent of formulating the next attack was non-stop, made that kind of attention unbearable.

Then there was the  refusal of the Crown to push back on their behalf regarding the inaccuracies and outright lies, nor work with the couple, led to the split.  In the words of Meghan Markle, and her perspective of how the Crown was dealing with the situation "I wasn't being thrown to the wolves. I was being fed to the wolves.”  And Harry, who saw what happened to his Mother and how unhappy she was, and she was home grown.

If you want to understand the dynamics from the horse’s mouth, this series is a must view. As a generality, you’ll never get an accurate picture from the British tabloids.


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> Season 2 changes not only cast, but venue. The White Lotus is a hotel chain, with properties all over the world.
> 
> The fun part is trying to guess out of all those noxious people (employees and guests) who is the body in episode 1, and what happened to the person. It’s great fun. Kinda like a big game of Clue.



*Ref: The White Lotus (HBO)*
I enjoyed Tanya much more for Season 2! 

We loved it. For this type of story, a drama, with infrequent humorous elements, the writing is as good as it gets IMO. It was because I was vested in the characters, in some ways a similar feeling to a good soap opera, I wanted to see what happens next.

I agree. In both seasons, it starts with a body (or more)  and then it rolls back a week and the audience at least me, spends the entire story contemplating on who is it that ends up dead. In both cases I was surprised, but in the second season, I had no clue at the start, but as the story develops I got a better idea, but the end still surprised me.


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## Roller

Huntn said:


> The Second 3 episodes dropped- they have a case, I’d argue they made their case.
> 
> My observation is that they did not want out, nor demand privacy. Well, they did demand a certain amount of privacy, but the context must be considered. Both of them were used to media attention, but it was the vitriolic approach of the British tabloids which intensified the lies and harsh treatment, paparazzi crawling through their shrubbery, non-stop observation from helos and boats with the intent of formulating the next attack was non-stop, made that kind of attention unbearable.
> 
> Then there was the  refusal of the Crown to push back on their behalf regarding the inaccuracies and outright lies, nor work with the couple, led to the split.  In the words of Meghan Markle, and her perspective of how the Crown was dealing with the situation "I wasn't being thrown to the wolves. I was being fed to the wolves.”  And Harry, who saw what happened to his Mother and how unhappy she was, and she was home grown.
> 
> If you want to understand the dynamics from the horse’s mouth, this series is a must view. As a generality, you’ll never get an accurate picture from the British tabloids.



I agree. The series did a good job illustrating what Harry and Meghan endured at the hands of the press. Sure, some will say they, as wealthy people of privilege, they should not have complained publicly. But it wasn't just invasions of their privacy that put them and their children at risk, it was their extended family and friends, too. I can't imagine what it must have been like to have had helicopters and drones circling above, photographers in boats and bushes, and not had any support from the institutional royal family.


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## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *Ref: The White Lotus (HBO)*
> I enjoyed Tanya much more for Season 2!
> 
> We loved it. For this type of story, a drama, with infrequent humorous elements, the writing is as good as it gets IMO. It was because I was vested in the characters, in some ways a similar feeling to a good soap opera, I wanted to see what happens next.
> 
> I agree. In both seasons, it starts with a body (or more)  and then it rolls back a week and the audience at least me, spends the entire story contemplating on who is it that ends up dead. In both cases I was surprised, but in the second season, I had no clue at the start, but as the story develops I got a better idea, but the end still surprised me.



More:
*White Lotus Season 2 Plot Spoiler- “trust” and infidelity, do what you have to do to survive *

Besides the plot elephant in the story which I’ll avoid talking about, I found that the Season 2 dynamic between “trust” and infidelity between this couple, Harper and Ethan was intriguing the way it was presented to the audience with a basis for truth in human psychology at least for some people. In this case the solution, provided by the other couple’s wife Daphne who knows her husband (Cameron) cheats, (it’s possible she cheats to) says to Ethan ”_do what you have to do to survive”._

This is presented in a clever way, the audience sees what goes on with the husbands when their wives go off by themselves for a 24 hr period to shop in a nearby town, but most of the rest is left to conjecture.



Spoiler: Plot Details



Cameron cheats with 2 hookers in Ethan’s room, but Ethan resists the temptation. However, when the girls return from shopping, Harper finds a condom  wrapper on the couch, asks Ethan a bunch of times what happened, Ethan lies and says _nothing happened, _and when the wrapper is produced, he relents and gives up Cameron, but insists he did not engage, which is true. However, Harper does not believe him and is in a foul mood.

Then when there is an opportunity for Harper to “get even” she hangs out with Cameron, they go up to their adjoining rooms, Ethan gets suspicious, goes up to find the door of his room bolted, pounds on the door until it is opened by Harper. Ethan finds the door to the adjoining room ajar. Suspecting her, he presses, she says _nothing happened_, but finally admits that Cameron had kissed her. Now Ethan is pissed as he imagines they had more time than for just a kiss, and he fumes, especially when Harper, no longer glum, is now acting happy.

Daphne alone with Ethan on the beach sees he is troubled, asks, and after Ethan tells her, she drops the line “_do what you have to do to survive”, _and then suggests they go check out an island together. We don’t see what happens on the island, but Ethan is happy after they return. So the audience is left to imagine exactly what happened there. 



The psychological dynamic portrayed is the suspicion of being cheated on, being unhappy, but after “getting even” by engaging in your own dalliance, you can get beyond your what-if suspicions about your partner.


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## Herdfan

*Jack Ryan: Season 3*

Just saw on Twitter that it drops tomorrow, 12/21.  Amazon Prime


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## Huntn

*Warrior Nun* (2020-2022 Netflix)- A young woman wakes up in the morgue alive…what a premise!  Four episodes in and still watching.  The Series went from No.1 on Netflix, to canceled because not enough viewers watched Season 2 or so it is reported.



 
Some Bad ass nuns ready to slap you with a ruler! ​


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## Alli

Huntn said:


> *Warrior Nun* (2020-2022 Netflix)- A young woman wakes up in the morgue alive…what a premise!  Four episodes in and still watching.  The Series went from No.1 on Netflix, to canceled because not enough viewers watched Season 2 or so it is reported.



That’s probably true. I got halfway through season 2 and suddenly thought…no. I’ve had enough of this storyline.


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## Huntn

Alli said:


> That’s probably true. I got halfway through season 2 and suddenly thought…no. I’ve had enough of this storyline.



You have just given me pause about continuing.


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## SuperMatt

Alli said:


> That’s probably true. I got halfway through season 2 and suddenly thought…no. I’ve had enough of this storyline.



Why did I think the warrior nuns would employ a special martial art centered on slapping adversaries on the back of their hands with a ruler?


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## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> Why did I think the warrior nuns would employ a special martial art centered on slapping adversaries on the back of their hands with a ruler?



In my previous life, I spent my 3rd year of elementary school at a private, non-Catholic Prep School in downtown DC, 2 blocks from the White House, and I got my hand rapped with a three sided ruler for being late one day… this was when we lived in SE DC, and I as a third grader, I walked to the city bus stop, and rode it downtown by myself.


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## Alli

Huntn said:


> In my previous life, I spent my 3rd year of elementary school at a private, non-Catholic Prep School in downtown DC, 2 blocks from the White House, and I got my hand rapped with a three sided ruler for being late one day… this was when we lived in SE DC, and I as a third grader, I walked to the city bus stop, and rode it downtown by myself.



Times have changed. My mother and her little brother used to take the bus to school on their own right up through high school when Mother went to Anacostia.


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## Huntn

Alli said:


> Times have changed. My mother and her little brother used to take the bus to school on their own right up through high school when Mother went to Anacostia.



I went to Anacostia Elementary for several years, walked there too, probably a mile or so.


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## Alli

Huntn said:


> I went to Anacostia Elementary for several years, walked there too, probably a mile or so.



If you were older I’d ask when, but Mum’s 88 so there’s not much chance you knew each other. Small world though, eh?


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## Huntn

Alli said:


> If you were older I’d ask when, but Mum’s 88 so there’s not much chance you knew each other. Small world though, eh?



She’s got 19 years on me.


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## shadow puppet

Binged Jack Ryan season 3 over two nights.  Kind of like watching a cousin style to James Bond with all the intrigue and plot twists.  Mike November played by Michael Kelly, is outstanding as his sidekick.  Love how he spouts off his droll one liners.   I'm bummed it's already over and that season 4 will apparently be the last with John Krasinski.  I really enjoyed it.


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