What’s on TV?

[Roller]

I’ve been watching S2 and enjoying it more than the first. Without giving anything away, there’s more focus on racism and wealth inequality. Also, I’m approaching it more as a soap opera that happens to be set in the late 19th century than a historical drama.

Recently finished S3, which I found better than the previous two seasons. Many of the actors have stage experience, and it shows. I also appreciate the historical aspect more than I did previously – even though it's not quite accurate, it's based on the lives of several Gilded Age socialites, including Alva Vanderbilt and Caroline Astor. (Ms. Astor is one of the characters.) I'm happy it's been renewed, though who knows when it'll appear given the typical long intervals between seasons these days.

 

[Alli]

Really trying to get into Alien Earth as I'm a fan of all the movies and most things that Ridley Scott has produced but it's slow and meandering to me, just watched the third episode but I'll probably drop.

I thought E1 was slow. I really enjoyed E2. Probably won't get a chance to watch 3 until next week.

 

[Huntn]

I wonder how they'll deal with people who currently pay for both.

Curious about payment structure…

 

[Huntn]

https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/alien-earth

I watched the first 4 episodes via SlingTV which includes FX. The shows are available for streaming with commercials. It takes place 2 years before the original movie and The Nostromo.
It is good and bad.

The Bad: Freaking excruciating commercials every 10 minutes of story and a 2 minute commercial breaks, them only five minutes apart. I put the show on DVR record via SlingTV to see if I have any video control during commercials. I’m not hopeful. In the past with DVR recordings, I’ve been able to fast forward through the commercials. But that remains to be seen this time they have may have gotten smart.

The Good
The show starts with a premise: The race for immortality comes in 3 guises:

• Cyborgs : cybernetically enhanced human
• Synths : artificially, intelligent beings
• Hybrids: Synthetic beings downloaded with human consciousness. This could be launched into a big discussion by itself as to whether it’s really you, or to computer that thinks it’s you. But this is not the forum to discuss that. You just have to accept the premise that Wendy, after she transitions into a hybrid feels continuity in her life, and believes her life is continuing.
• Excellent writing by Noah Hawley. The story held my interest.

What is making this story special, refreshing in my opinion is it’s centered more on the development of Hybrids and corporate competition while the aliens, still a dire, aweful threat are reduced to zombie status as in The Walking Dead.

E4: Wow, several intriguing elements emerge, taking us to places in the Aliens Universe I could only previously, vaguely hope for, something more than aliens jumping out to surprise people. So good.
Revelation about the geopolitical structure of Earth: The Five- Democracy did not work so the five corporations rose up to take over and they rule. Two of those are Paradise and Yutani.

The following is from episode one. It contains spoilers, but if you’ve not watched and wanna get a feel keep reading, otherwise:
Stop Here

• A crew returning to Earth on a 65 year mission have specimens gathered for Waylon Yutani Corporation. Specimens are the mission.
• Story switches to Prodigy Neverland research center (Corp in competition with Yutani) where a sick child, Wendy has volunteered to go under a procedure to turn her into the first hybrid, a human consciousness transferred into a synthetic body. Just how synthetic is unknown in other words, wires in silicon or something biological. The new body does have incredible speed and strength like being able to jump off 15 or 20 stories and landing on your feet. She no longer feels biological pressure, no hormones, etc, but maintains “I am human”.
• Back on the ship ‘specimens’ either break out or or released, it’s not clear. There is a cyborg (Morrow) talking to the company through Mother (computer you may recognize from the Nostromo ) advising them that the ship is out of control and going to crash land and he’s gonna secure the ship after they land. In meantime, crewmembers are being killed by at least one related alien as we know it from the original movie.
• At New Siam Paradise City, Wendy watches her brother on a feed of some kind. She has a connection with her former life.
• The Ship caring specimens crashes in New Siam no warning given to locals. Her brother is on a rescue team who goes in to the crash site and enters the ship.
• They don’t wear respirators?
• Cause her brother is there she volunteers herself to go to search and help rescue. The boy wonder genius in charge of the company (Paradise) decides to let her and the team of hybrids go so to seehow this group operates under pressure.
• The cyborg on the ship, takes two rescuers prisoner. He ties them up. His only mission is to save the specimens.
• Rescuers find the cryo-chamber at least one of the crew members had an embryo implanted and at the burst out of its chest and through the glass of the cryo-chamber. Other specimens of a different nature are loose.

 

[Alli]

It is good and bad.

Mostly good. I'm enjoying it thoroughly. The characters are great.

 

[Huntn]

Mostly good. I'm enjoying it thoroughly. The characters are great.

The bad was the commercials.

 

[Edd]

The bad was the commercials.

Pay for ad-free man. The only place I accept ads is for Prime, and those are brief, Prime is a special case. Any straight streaming service I cannot accept ads.

 

[Huntn]

The bad was the commercials.

Ref: Alien Earth
E:5 What happened on the ship in E1. I'm debating if they should have shown this when it happened and not at E5, but good none the less.

FX and Horrible Commericals- Urika! The Solution DVR. I've had DVR in the past with my Cable Provider. I'm watching this on Sling TV an App that acts as a Channel Hub, it offers DVR. I set up this show to record on DVR. Watched Episode 5 tonight, outstanding... and I could zip through commercials in a matter of seconds. It makes all the difference.