What TV are you watching and how would you rate it? [Revive from FRDB]

[Harry Bosch]

Jessica Jones - 8/10

This is not your typical superhero fare. Without giving away too much, it is about a former budding superhero who quickly got in way over her head, and paid a very steep price for it. After getting free from the villain who made her pay that price, she then descended into alcoholism and self loathing. The series picks up at that point, and she is now a private detective, who begins to realize that the villain is still alive, and actively pursuing her again.

It is all very well done, as is expected from the current Marvel films and television, especially the Netflix series'. Though I was vaguely aware of Jessica Jones, mainly from her brief appearances in the Avengers comics, and her relationship with Luke Cage, I had never read the comics that delved into her back story. The plot never goes exactly where you think it will, at least not as of half way through the first season (only season so far). It is very dark, and obviously inspired by film noir. It's not dark humor, like Deadpool, and in no way can it be called a 'fun' series. The tones are very serious and depressing, though not without the occasional laugh here and there.

I delayed watching this for a while, as Jessica Jones is the one Defenders character that I never had that much interest in before. I really just wanted to watch it before Luke Cage is released later this month, as I knew he appeared in the series, and there would be a connection there. I was surprised by how much Luke Cage does appear in this series, it isn't just the occasional cameo that I had expected, he is really integral to the story and Jones' self loathing aspect.

Some may be turned off by the very mature themes presented. One of my co-workers certainly was. He is not quite as much of a comic book geek as I am, but we do tend to geek out together a lot. He is a bit more straight-laced than I, however, and tends to watch TV with his two teen-aged girls, so I can understand where he is coming from. Be warned, if you don't want to be confronted with themes of addiction, mind control, rape, lesbianism, and just sex in general, stay away. Otherwise, this is a great series, and highly recommended.

Totally agreed. Great show. Loved it.

 

[Ford]

Stranger Things 10/10

I started watching this on Netflix after recommendations from several coworkers. The wife and I binge watched the entire series (only 8 episodes) over the weekend, plus Monday. It flawlessly captures the time period it depicts (early 1980's), from the clothing and hair styles, right down to the furniture. The way it was filmed even feels like an '80s movie, with synthesized incidental music and other fine touches that just take you back to movies of that time period. The way it differs from the typical '80s movie is in the coherent plot, even pacing, and modern computer generated special effects. The acting, direction, script, and cinematography are all top notch, but all contribute to the sense of being transported to that time period.

I was initially going to rate this show as a 9/10, but as I started thinking about what TV series might have been better than this, I couldn't think of one, not by a long shot.

I'm about halfway through this right now. There's so much good about it. The texture is right for the time period. There was a shot of a door that looked exactly like the one in my house growing up. The fire hazard Christmas lights. The cars. The Radio Shack "Realistic" walkie-talkies.

There was a couple things that they got close, but not quite right. The bikes were good, but I don't recall ever having those kind of lights. We had lights that were powered by a little gadget that clamped onto the wheel. It got dimmer as you stopped pedaling. That would have been a nice touch. Oh, and the music wasn't quite right. Not for 1983. At the end of the one episode they played Bangles Hazy Shade of Winter. That was 85.


Jeez, am I being that guy right now? I guess I am.

Other than that, good show so far. I'm going back to watch the rest.



p.s. good move casting Winona Ryder as a woman on the edge of losing her mind.


Edit: Just checked IMDB. Turns out the walkie talkies were also 1985 vintage.

Finished this today. I actually kind of got a bit emotional when

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the chief kept flashing back to his daughter's death while they were trying to revive Will.

Good show. Can't wait to see what happens next.

 

[prideandfall]

Fleabag: 8/10

british dramady series i found on amazon streaming - it's very much a black comedy, its humor and pathos mostly being derived from tragedy.

i quite enjoyed it for several reasons:
1. the humor was incredibly pervy, but in a very smart way.
2. very strong female leads, and very well written.
3. the feel and tone was like what you'd expect from a pervy "man-child" sex crazed comedy about a guy, and they didn't change that vibe or dumb down the writing or interject a bunch of "girly" moments to soften the lead.
4. incredibly powerful ending to the series that was very poignant and a bit of an emotional gut-punch.
5. an accurate seeming depiction of close intimate best-friendship that is rarely seen on TV.

 

[blastula]

Dead Set: 9/10

BBC series. zombies. the rest is irrelevant.
this was everything The Walking Dead could have been and should have been. out of absolutely nowhere this was the absolute best zombie genre... fuck, *anything* (TV show, movie, etc)... i have ever seen.
seriously i think this is officially the greatest "serious" zombie thing of all time, it was just amazing.
i don't want to give anything away because i stumbled across it totally by accident and just went "huh, sure, okay whatever" and put it on and it blew my god damn mind.
it's on netflix, go watch it.

Good rec. Surprised I had never heard of this, because I watch a lot of zombie stuff. I think one could say more though without spoiling anything. It's a short series, a movie's length of total time. And it's set at the UK Big Brother house. I would be sold just on that.

I liked it but I like Walking Dead and some movies as much. It has humor and good effects. And it's fast zombies which are a bigger challenge.

 

[prideandfall]

I liked it but I like Walking Dead and some movies as much. It has humor and good effects. And it's fast zombies which are a bigger challenge.

the things i liked about it the most:
1. a fairly realistic and honest depiction of dealing with pissing and shitting in a zombie attack scenario.
2. a relative minimal amount of the plot being hinged on anyone doing something god damn stupid (of course people did dumb things, but it was realistic dumb things i could buy a person, not the sort of fucking stupid "i'm going to do this bafflingly illogical thing because it's required for the plot" shit that usually happens in zombie movies).
3. it had balls and proudly stood up to a bleak ending.

 

[blastula]

I liked it but I like Walking Dead and some movies as much. It has humor and good effects. And it's fast zombies which are a bigger challenge.

the things i liked about it the most:

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1. a fairly realistic and honest depiction of dealing with pissing and shitting in a zombie attack scenario.
2. a relative minimal amount of the plot being hinged on anyone doing something god damn stupid (of course people did dumb things, but it was realistic dumb things i could buy a person, not the sort of fucking stupid "i'm going to do this bafflingly illogical thing because it's required for the plot" shit that usually happens in zombie movies).
3. it had balls and proudly stood up to a bleak ending.

Now you're giving away too much.

 

[Underseer]

Jessica Jones - 8/10

This is not your typical superhero fare. Without giving away too much, it is about a former budding superhero who quickly got in way over her head, and paid a very steep price for it. After getting free from the villain who made her pay that price, she then descended into alcoholism and self loathing. The series picks up at that point, and she is now a private detective, who begins to realize that the villain is still alive, and actively pursuing her again.

It is all very well done, as is expected from the current Marvel films and television, especially the Netflix series'. Though I was vaguely aware of Jessica Jones, mainly from her brief appearances in the Avengers comics, and her relationship with Luke Cage, I had never read the comics that delved into her back story. The plot never goes exactly where you think it will, at least not as of half way through the first season (only season so far). It is very dark, and obviously inspired by film noir. It's not dark humor, like Deadpool, and in no way can it be called a 'fun' series. The tones are very serious and depressing, though not without the occasional laugh here and there.

I delayed watching this for a while, as Jessica Jones is the one Defenders character that I never had that much interest in before. I really just wanted to watch it before Luke Cage is released later this month, as I knew he appeared in the series, and there would be a connection there. I was surprised by how much Luke Cage does appear in this series, it isn't just the occasional cameo that I had expected, he is really integral to the story and Jones' self loathing aspect.

Some may be turned off by the very mature themes presented. One of my co-workers certainly was. He is not quite as much of a comic book geek as I am, but we do tend to geek out together a lot. He is a bit more straight-laced than I, however, and tends to watch TV with his two teen-aged girls, so I can understand where he is coming from. Be warned, if you don't want to be confronted with themes of addiction, mind control, rape, lesbianism, and just sex in general, stay away. Otherwise, this is a great series, and highly recommended.

Talk to your coworker about it again.

Jessica Jones thematically covers a lot of women's issues, from power within relationships, power in relation to society, abusive relationships, rape, society's attitudes about women and rape, etc.

This is a show he should watch with his teenage daughters, and hopefully watching it together will prompt long discussions afterwards. Ideally watch it with the daughters and the daughters' mother.

I would argue that it's even more important to watch it with teenage boys and to talk to them about how society treats women, but certainly teenage girls can also get real value out of watching this show and talking about the various themes with an experienced adult.

- - - Updated - - -

Jessica Jones - 8/10

This is not your typical superhero fare. Without giving away too much, it is about a former budding superhero who quickly got in way over her head, and paid a very steep price for it. After getting free from the villain who made her pay that price, she then descended into alcoholism and self loathing. The series picks up at that point, and she is now a private detective, who begins to realize that the villain is still alive, and actively pursuing her again.

It is all very well done, as is expected from the current Marvel films and television, especially the Netflix series'. Though I was vaguely aware of Jessica Jones, mainly from her brief appearances in the Avengers comics, and her relationship with Luke Cage, I had never read the comics that delved into her back story. The plot never goes exactly where you think it will, at least not as of half way through the first season (only season so far). It is very dark, and obviously inspired by film noir. It's not dark humor, like Deadpool, and in no way can it be called a 'fun' series. The tones are very serious and depressing, though not without the occasional laugh here and there.

I delayed watching this for a while, as Jessica Jones is the one Defenders character that I never had that much interest in before. I really just wanted to watch it before Luke Cage is released later this month, as I knew he appeared in the series, and there would be a connection there. I was surprised by how much Luke Cage does appear in this series, it isn't just the occasional cameo that I had expected, he is really integral to the story and Jones' self loathing aspect.

Some may be turned off by the very mature themes presented. One of my co-workers certainly was. He is not quite as much of a comic book geek as I am, but we do tend to geek out together a lot. He is a bit more straight-laced than I, however, and tends to watch TV with his two teen-aged girls, so I can understand where he is coming from. Be warned, if you don't want to be confronted with themes of addiction, mind control, rape, lesbianism, and just sex in general, stay away. Otherwise, this is a great series, and highly recommended.

Totally agreed. Great show. Loved it.

Honestly, I've had women try to explain the smile thing to me before and to my shame it didn't make sense to me until I watched this show.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Bones (Season 10) - I made it to season 10 and have given up on it. The show seriously started to lose connection with itself. Plot events over the last few seasons really either didn't make sense or the consequences of one episode rarely moved forward to the next.

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For instance, rich guy loses his billions... as in some how a computer geek was able to liquidate billions of dollars of assets at all and without affecting the economy. Now they are poor, but you really never know it.

Comp girl started getting bored with work and wanted to paint more... well she went part time... but she is always there.

Sweets, I'm on sabbatical... for an episode.

Super creepy computer genius nonsensically turned serial killer can do anything. And the entire team is scared of him... however, only when he is the subject of the episode.

Lab boss, identity theft... and the result of it is unbelievably anti-climatic. And her boyfriend saying, don't be angry, don't seek justice. Why the fuck not?!

Oh... Sweets got whosie knocked up. But wasn't he just sleeping with the other girl? Well yeah, but 6 months pregnant regardless.

Often, certain situations aren't allowed to play out. There were several times when a major plot change develops, but then it doesn't get played out, they just skip to when things are back together again.

Additionally, the characters managed to obtain super powers. Their abilities to figure things out becomes farcical.

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Face reconstruction person went from being decent to computers, to becoming the greatest computer whiz on the planet. And her computer programming is so good it can determine what specific blunt object was used to kill someone, including an obscure award statute.

Bug/billionaire boy was always lucky to find concentrations in the stomach contents that indicates a grape from the whine was near a cow that farted a certain gas indicated the species of grass, which was located only on a parcel of land the size of a postage stamp... which apparently not only does he know about this species of grass, but the computer system he has knows where to find it.

Bones... actually, she doesn't change much at all. I was afraid she was going to find god. She hasn't (well kind of did, but didn't, but they never went back to that again) and I'll leave it there.

So the last few seasons, 2.0 to 2.5 of 4.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Ya, Bones has gone downhill lately. The way the one guy lost all his money was even dumber than when Bane did it to Bruce Wayne in Batman 3 and that was just stupid. Also, the serial killer hacked computers from prison by scratching bar codes on library books? That was just lame.

What particularly bothered me, though, is when they had episodes with Cyndi Lauper playing that psychic girl. The whole premise of the show, which they have built up over multiple seasons, is that science and facts are king (of the lab) and all that other garbage is just garbage and has no place in an investigation. Then they have a fucking psychic find a killer for them. They just dump what's been the entire rationale for Bones' team for the past several years. It actually made me angry.

 

[credoconsolans]

Ya, Bones has gone downhill lately. The way the one guy lost all his money was even dumber than when Bane did it to Bruce Wayne in Batman 3 and that was just stupid. Also, the serial killer hacked computers from prison by scratching bar codes on library books? That was just lame.

What particularly bothered me, though, is when they had episodes with Cyndi Lauper playing that psychic girl. The whole premise of the show, which they have built up over multiple seasons, is that science and facts are king (of the lab) and all that other garbage is just garbage and has no place in an investigation. Then they have a fucking psychic find a killer for them. They just dump what's been the entire rationale for Bones' team for the past several years. It actually made me angry.

Oh, when they did a crossover episode with Bones and

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the series Sleepy Hollow? That put the nail in the coffin of the atheistic world of Bones. Because in Sleepy Hollow, magic and gods are real. And when the two series crossed over, that means they exist in the same universe and thus Bones is wrong. There is a supernatural realm and her atheistic stance is wrong. I love Sleepy Hollow but it really sucked to do that to Bones.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Wow. Really? That's horrible.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Ya, Bones has gone downhill lately. The way the one guy lost all his money was even dumber than when Bane did it to Bruce Wayne in Batman 3 and that was just stupid. Also, the serial killer hacked computers from prison by scratching bar codes on library books? That was just lame.

What particularly bothered me, though, is when they had episodes with Cyndi Lauper playing that psychic girl. The whole premise of the show, which they have built up over multiple seasons, is that science and facts are king (of the lab) and all that other garbage is just garbage and has no place in an investigation. Then they have a fucking psychic find a killer for them. They just dump what's been the entire rationale for Bones' team for the past several years. It actually made me angry.

Oh, when they did a crossover episode with Bones and

Show

the series Sleepy Hollow? That put the nail in the coffin of the atheistic world of Bones. Because in Sleepy Hollow, magic and gods are real. And when the two series crossed over, that means they exist in the same universe and thus Bones is wrong. There is a supernatural realm and her atheistic stance is wrong. I love Sleepy Hollow but it really sucked to do that to Bones.

Never saw sleepy hollow, so it never happened.

Of course if it was a big event, those don't carry far in Bones anyway.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Ya, Bones has gone downhill lately. The way the one guy lost all his money was even dumber than when Bane did it to Bruce Wayne in Batman 3 and that was just stupid. Also, the serial killer hacked computers from prison by scratching bar codes on library books? That was just lame.

What particularly bothered me, though, is when they had episodes with Cyndi Lauper playing that psychic girl. The whole premise of the show, which they have built up over multiple seasons, is that science and facts are king (of the lab) and all that other garbage is just garbage and has no place in an investigation. Then they have a fucking psychic find a killer for them. They just dump what's been the entire rationale for Bones' team for the past several years. It actually made me angry.

Don't forget his fractal virus etched in bone.

 

[Underseer]

Supergirl 4/10

Another swing and a miss from DC. I really hope they get their act together.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Just finished Stranger Things. Hard not to give this a 10/10. This is a well-actualized story from start to finish with very good acting and creepy atmosphere. Obviously, it was a conscious choice to base it in the 1980s and they capture the time period exquisitely (despite a few minor anachronisms). Except for the special effects, you could imagine this actually being filmed in the 1980s. The Duffer brothers did their homework.

Now I'm on Newsroom. Right now I'll give it a 8.5/10. If you're comfortable with Aaron Sorkin's fast-talking dialogue and interchangeable character personalities then you'll enjoy this show.

 

[Jayjay]

Luke Cage, brought to you by beats(tm) by Dr. Dre
10/10

Right up there with other Netflix Marvel shows. It doesn't quite have the psychological agony of Jessica Jones, nor the fight choreography and gory violence of Daredevil, but it manages to find its own way by smooth atmosphere and top notch performances by Mike Colter, Mahershala Ali and Simone Missick. I particularly enjoyed MA as Cottonmouth, just love that laugh. The pacing is a bit slower and there isn't as much action as in JJ or DD, but somehow it felt like there was a steady flow going on. The sound track (apart from opening credits maybe) really hits it off the park, and is reminiscient of old blaxploitation movies. Luke even got his own theme rap song in one episode.

A lot has been written about the political angle in the story, and that's true, but it doesn't feel forced or preachy, or taking sides in BLM or other hot-button issues at all. There is a lot of name dropping of black hip hop artists and atheletes and other figures that will probably make this a little bit inaccessible to international audiences, but I can say that it doesn't detract from the plot and gets toned down about halfway through anyway. And true to Marvel Cinematic universe, there are many references to past movies and show, Luke Cage's comic book legacy, as well as foreshadowing for upcoming Iron Fist series.

 

[Underseer]

Luke Cage, brought to you by beats(tm) by Dr. Dre
10/10

Right up there with other Netflix Marvel shows. It doesn't quite have the psychological agony of Jessica Jones, nor the fight choreography and gory violence of Daredevil, but it manages to find its own way by smooth atmosphere and top notch performances by Mike Colter, Mahershala Ali and Simone Missick. I particularly enjoyed MA as Cottonmouth, just love that laugh. The pacing is a bit slower and there isn't as much action as in JJ or DD, but somehow it felt like there was a steady flow going on. The sound track (apart from opening credits maybe) really hits it off the park, and is reminiscient of old blaxploitation movies. Luke even got his own theme rap song in one episode.

A lot has been written about the political angle in the story, and that's true, but it doesn't feel forced or preachy, or taking sides in BLM or other hot-button issues at all. There is a lot of name dropping of black hip hop artists and atheletes and other figures that will probably make this a little bit inaccessible to international audiences, but I can say that it doesn't detract from the plot and gets toned down about halfway through anyway. And true to Marvel Cinematic universe, there are many references to past movies and show, Luke Cage's comic book legacy, as well as foreshadowing for upcoming Iron Fist series.

Personally, I like Jessica Jones slightly more, but I think that's because I naturally gravitate towards the more flawed Marvel heroes.

I was worried that the themes involving justice, social justice, and racial issues would get toned down in an attempt to appeal to the easily-offended part of the white audience, but they doubled down on that stuff. In fact i think the slow pacing some complain about gives them space to explore the themes thoughtfully. Goodness knows they manage to slip in a lot of info about African-American history (e.g. Crispus Attucks).

Show runner Cheo Coker nailed it when he described the show as the "Wutangification of the MCU."

 

[The Colourful Jester]

Westworld

Going to need a second viewing of this one. Can't say I managed to take everything on board in the first episode. But I think I'm going to like it. Was given the impression that it was a Game of Thrones beater. I won't say that's the case yet.

 

[KeepTalking]

Westworld

Going to need a second viewing of this one. Can't say I managed to take everything on board in the first episode. But I think I'm going to like it. Was given the impression that it was a Game of Thrones beater. I won't say that's the case yet.

I watched the first episode last night. I'm not sure why anyone would compare it to Game of Thrones, as it is entirely different. I guess any series HBO produces just has to be compared to GoT, but I don't get why. If you need to compare Westworld to something, why not compare it to the original Westworld?

Anyway, I can't really rate this one yet, after only one episode, but it certainly shows promise. It seems like they are going on an opposite track from the original, with the Man in Black, who was originally played by Yul Brynner now played by Ed Harris, being a human rather than a robot, and the couple they seem to be setting up as the main protagonists being robots. There is a lot going on in the first episode, multiple plot lines are being set up, but I didn't find it difficult to follow. I am anxiously awaiting the next episode, so that is a good sign.

 

[credoconsolans]

Westworld

Going to need a second viewing of this one. Can't say I managed to take everything on board in the first episode. But I think I'm going to like it. Was given the impression that it was a Game of Thrones beater. I won't say that's the case yet.

I watched the first episode last night. I'm not sure why anyone would compare it to Game of Thrones, as it is entirely different. I guess any series HBO produces just has to be compared to GoT, but I don't get why. If you need to compare Westworld to something, why not compare it to the original Westworld?

Anyway, I can't really rate this one yet, after only one episode, but it certainly shows promise. It seems like they are going on an opposite track from the original, with the Man in Black, who was originally played by Yul Brynner now played by Ed Harris, being a human rather than a robot, and the couple they seem to be setting up as the main protagonists being robots. There is a lot going on in the first episode, multiple plot lines are being set up, but I didn't find it difficult to follow. I am anxiously awaiting the next episode, so that is a good sign.

I'm not sure how they're going to make a series out of it.

Basically it's a "robots become self-aware and rebel. Viciously" plot. The original Westworld was an adult theme-park, with sister parks of Romanworld and Medievalworld. Is the set up the same?