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

Slasher

It is fair to give up on an entire series just 25 minutes into the first episode?

Well, I have. Stupid from minute one to minute to minute 25, this show is well, stupid.

That's all the time I'll give to it.

2/10
 
Galavant 1/10

Supposed to be a comedy poking fun at chivalric knights and fantasy. It's just lame and stupid. I hope it's made for very young children. It would explain a lot
 
American Ninja Warrior

The latest season debuted Wednesday, and I'm watching the episode right now.

It is a "reality" show, but the athletic competition is real. I love the fact that the announcers treat each run as if it were the most important event in world history. This show is so absurd, so over the top, and so earnest it is hard not to love.
 
Wilfred: 8/10 in terms of what it's going for, probably a 5 or 6 out of 10 in relationship to TV as a whole
this show is absurdly hard to quantify or explain even in an off-handed review sort of way, but it's extremely well written and filled with references and call-backs and easter eggs to the show's own mythology.
it's not quite as dense as arrested development, but that's what comes to mind... if arrested development was an absurdist sometimes-stoner dramady about a guy who tries to kill himself, but lives and ends up seeing his neighbor's dog as a man in a dog suit and spiraling into an ever increasing existential crisis of identity and madness.

Try to get hold of the original Wilfred. I think you would like it.
 
Wilfred: 8/10 in terms of what it's going for, probably a 5 or 6 out of 10 in relationship to TV as a whole
this show is absurdly hard to quantify or explain even in an off-handed review sort of way, but it's extremely well written and filled with references and call-backs and easter eggs to the show's own mythology.
it's not quite as dense as arrested development, but that's what comes to mind... if arrested development was an absurdist sometimes-stoner dramady about a guy who tries to kill himself, but lives and ends up seeing his neighbor's dog as a man in a dog suit and spiraling into an ever increasing existential crisis of identity and madness.

Try to get hold of the original Wilfred. I think you would like it.
i have, it's also on netflix - and i have had a great deal of trouble getting into it. i've tried 3 times and never managed to get past the first episode.
it just felt incredibly boring and unstructured to me.
 
House of Cards

Political drama, with Kevin Spacey playing a conniving politician desperate to reach the top. Good acting and some interesting, and occasionally unexpected, plot twists; however, sometimes it may feel a bit far-fetched. I'm half way through season 2.

9/10
 
House of Cards

Political drama, with Kevin Spacey playing a conniving politician desperate to reach the top. Good acting and some interesting, and occasionally unexpected, plot twists; however, sometimes it may feel a bit far-fetched. I'm half way through season 2.

9/10

It does lose it's way about once every season, but relative to body of the series, it's a small complaint. The show is great.
 
for months I had been trying to remember an old sword & sorcery TV show I saw long ago. Couldn't remember the title, just remembered a couple scenes from one episode. Yesterday someone posted an episode of Space Academy on facebook, another series that I remember some of one episode, but that's all. That prompted me to search again, and finally was successful. The series I had been looking for was Wizards and Warriors. Unfortunately, no episodes seem to be available online. However, in searching this time I also found Salvage 1. A series from '79, starring Andy Griffith. Had seen the series, but missed the pilot when it came out. That is on YouTube, so finally saw the pilot, just 36 years late. :eek:

The show is about a dealer in scrap, salvage, and antiques. He builds a space ship to go to the moon to salvage equipment from the moon landings in the pilot. From a science/engineering point of view it is pretty silly, but no less so than most sci-fi series back then. It was entertaining tho, a decent one time watch.
 
Three Kingdoms

2010 Chinese series based on the classic Romance of Three Kingdoms. I'm a big fan of the original book, having read it several times, and I've enjoyed many a video game based on it, so this was a no-brainer for me. It's a long slog, though, 95 episodes, but based on the 8 episodes I've watched so far, it's not going to get boring even through the 70+ hours it'll take to get through it all.

What I'm trying to say is: this is fucking brilliant. 12½/10

Now on episode 32, and still loving this, as the characters start to be rounded out. Well, some of them, anyway. Of the main characters ...

Liu Bei is a bit too stoic, earning the nickname given to him by Chinese fans, "Mr. Facial Paralysis" ... when he's not being a whiny bitch and attempting (unsuccessfully) to end it all at every setback. Still, maybe when Zhuge Liang shows up, it'll breathe some life into him.

Sun Quan hasn't been in it since he was a 9 year old (although the boy who played him at that age was one of the best things in the series). It'll be interesting to see if the adult version of him is as good an actor.

Cao Cao is magnificent. A mixture of compassion and cruelty, down-to-earthness and hauteur, he's the best character in the series so far. One minute he's stooping to tie an underling's shoes, the next he's reclining imperiously at a tea-table on a battlefield, pre-battle, offering the emperor as part of a truce to Yuan Shao, while really just delaying to get the sun in the enemy's eyes. The most nuanced Cao Cao I've seen in any version, including the original book.

Still 12½/10
 
Now on episode 32, and still loving this, as the characters start to be rounded out. Well, some of them, anyway. Of the main characters ...

Liu Bei is a bit too stoic, earning the nickname given to him by Chinese fans, "Mr. Facial Paralysis" ... when he's not being a whiny bitch and attempting (unsuccessfully) to end it all at every setback. Still, maybe when Zhuge Liang shows up, it'll breathe some life into him.

Sun Quan hasn't been in it since he was a 9 year old (although the boy who played him at that age was one of the best things in the series). It'll be interesting to see if the adult version of him is as good an actor.

Cao Cao is magnificent. A mixture of compassion and cruelty, down-to-earthness and hauteur, he's the best character in the series so far. One minute he's stooping to tie an underling's shoes, the next he's reclining imperiously at a tea-table on a battlefield, pre-battle, offering the emperor as part of a truce to Yuan Shao, while really just delaying to get the sun in the enemy's eyes. The most nuanced Cao Cao I've seen in any version, including the original book.

Still 12½/10

I've galloped past you, and am now somewhere in the 70s, with Liu Bei about to embark on his epic revenge war. Yes, Liu Bei does get a bit better once Kongming shows up, but Kongming himself doesn't really steal the show as much as I'd hoped. Cao Cao continues to be magnificent, right up until he croaks. His post Red Cliff pep-talk is his best moment. I wonder if there is a series of 'Good Guy Cao Cao' memes sharing his inspirational quotes, like they did for Joffrey. I was especially pleased at the characterization of Lu Su, who was portrayed as a joke in so many other versions. This version emphasizes his patience and compassion. Sima Yi and Lu Xun are also a hoot when they finally show up. Their cynicism in the face of everyone else's hysterics is hilarious. My main disappointment was Kuan Yu. From a high point when he was Cao Cao's captive, he spent the rest of his time being kind of annoying and stuck up.

From a technical perspective, two things stand out: The use of aging makeup is really inconsistent. Some people seem to age a lot faster, with Xun Yu being especially fast, and Zhao Yun essentially ageless. Also, Kuan Yu aged a zillion years in between being initially defeated and his death a few days later, though this was probably intentional. Second, while I don't really think this show is especially well shot, one scene really stood out. A game of Go between Cao Cao and Cao Pi, while Cao Cao is simultaneously trying to judge whether his son had betrayed him. Cao Cao, in black, with the black tiles, sits in shadow, while Cao Pi, in white with the white tiles sits next to the window, bathed in light. A beautiful scene, though the symbolism might be different to the Chinese.
 
I just read the full list of episode titles. It looks like they completely skip Kongming's campaign against the Man. That was my second favorite part, after Red Cliff! Damn them!

I sure as hell hope that they squeeze the revolt and death of Wei Yan in those last two episodes, or I'll really be disappointed.
 
I've galloped past you, and am now somewhere in the 70s, with Liu Bei about to embark on his epic revenge war. Yes, Liu Bei does get a bit better once Kongming shows up, but Kongming himself doesn't really steal the show as much as I'd hoped. Cao Cao continues to be magnificent, right up until he croaks. His post Red Cliff pep-talk is his best moment. I wonder if there is a series of 'Good Guy Cao Cao' memes sharing his inspirational quotes, like they did for Joffrey. I was especially pleased at the characterization of Lu Su, who was portrayed as a joke in so many other versions. This version emphasizes his patience and compassion. Sima Yi and Lu Xun are also a hoot when they finally show up. Their cynicism in the face of everyone else's hysterics is hilarious. My main disappointment was Kuan Yu. From a high point when he was Cao Cao's captive, he spent the rest of his time being kind of annoying and stuck up.

From a technical perspective, two things stand out: The use of aging makeup is really inconsistent. Some people seem to age a lot faster, with Xun Yu being especially fast, and Zhao Yun essentially ageless. Also, Kuan Yu aged a zillion years in between being initially defeated and his death a few days later, though this was probably intentional. Second, while I don't really think this show is especially well shot, one scene really stood out. A game of Go between Cao Cao and Cao Pi, while Cao Cao is simultaneously trying to judge whether his son had betrayed him. Cao Cao, in black, with the black tiles, sits in shadow, while Cao Pi, in white with the white tiles sits next to the window, bathed in light. A beautiful scene, though the symbolism might be different to the Chinese.

Yes, I had noticed the ageing thing, particularly with Yuan Shao. And of course, the emperor, who goes from about 9 years old to late teens from one episode to the next. In the same timeframe, Yuan Shao is suddenly old and grey, while all that happens to Cao Cao is that his beard is longer. And Liu Bei ... nothing. Maybe it's natural ... maybe it's Botox? :p

I haven't watched any since my last post on the subject, but I'm just about to watch E33 which, judging by the end of the last episode, is where Zhuge Liang makes his appearance (Xu Shu having just been fooled by Cao Cao and the old "your mother's in jail" trick).

I'm amazed you're on E70+ already. What's it like to live so long without sleeping? :eek:
 
Yeah, a supporting character remarks that Liu Bei doesn't look 50 when he is courting the seriously young looking Lady Sun. Actually, that lady in waiting was one of my favorite unnamed supporting characters, with her obvious lady boner for Liu Bei. I was waiting for Lady Sun to say, "Jeez, why don't YOU marry him then?" But he finally shows some signs of aging after his brothers get murdered, but even well into his sixties, he doesn't look nearly to be at the point where he's going to be spitting blood and dying of disappointment in the next few episodes. Meanwhile, nary a gray hair in Zhao Yun's impeccable moustache. Doubtless he'll have to hit the rapid aging machine soon, if he's going to die of old age in 12 episodes.

I just can't get over how disappointed I am that the Wicker Army isn't putting in an appearance.
 
Where are you guys watching that show?
 
Season 3 of Peaky Blinders available on Netflix. So after a lengthy break, I started S3 E1 and I have no idea what is happening, I've completely forgotten what was happening. It was Tommy's wedding and I don't remember a girlfriend from S2. :confused: I'll have to go back to to S2 and watch the last couple of episodes.
 
The Path (9/10)

Just a few episodes in. But it's about a fictional cult that is a portmanteau of known real cults like Scientology, Jehovas Witnesses, Hare Krishna and so on. It's fun to watch it and do a little cult-spotting. Every cultish thing they do is borrowed from one of them. So far I haven't seen anything wholly made up, except the eye symbol they use.

Anyhoo... the story. It's about one of the senior followers and him having doubts about the cult. And his troubles in leaving. What makes it interesting is that it's based on the types of issues that de-converts really go through. it's very well played out, and well written. Very believable.

What I like about it is that they make the cult so likable. I know it's a cult, but they're really selling it on screen. They're simultaneously making me like it and hate it at the same time. I love that shit. Ambiguous morals!

Acting is great. High budget. Good dialogue. Well written. It's got everything.

Anyway... I'm only a couple of episodes in. I'm hooked, a slavish follower of the Path. Oh, great leader show me more episodes.
 
I didn't know the main character was an atheist. Very interesting, given that my wife is such a fan of the show.

She's an atheist

that has been proven wrong.

There was a crossover episode earlier this season with another TV show Sleepy Hollow, where demons and angels, god and gods do exist.

So now, Bones has been proven wrong, even though she doesn't know it.

That was a really shitty thing to do to one of the only atheist characters on TV today (aside from British TV)

.
So I'm into Season 8 now and hit upon the episode that really pushes a certain narrative.

So instead of her coming to a self-inspired bullshit revelation, she has it dropped on her. What bullshit! At least they didn't have the character have some sort of crap awakening.

One episode a while ago, an intern is killed and she loses it and says 'Well god wouldn't let that happen.' which was such both an unatheistic thing to say and out of character for a person that identified bones in locations of war crimes and genocides.

The birth episode was incredibly absurd. My sister gave birth very quickly (90 minutes after water break), but the Doc apparently gave birth in less than a half hour after the water breaking. 'A hospital is ten minutes from here.' 'No, I don't have time!' 'Didn't your water just break?' 'Yes, but JJ Abrams is involved with the script writing... lets give birth in a barn behind a Hotel and pretend this is symbolic of the Virgin birth.' 'Okay!'



I've noticed the writing for Season 8 seems to consist of completely new writers, as the characters are being diced up a bit and not acting in character. However, I would note that maybe after 8 seasons, they run out of ideas. One other problem is that the big multi-episode arcs almost evaporate with the episode to episode, with absolutely no psychological impediments crossing the lines.

Also the science and computer stuff is getting way out of hand! While the forensics stuff could be accurate, what can be done with a computer in the show is absurd! JJ Abrams level absurd.

For instance Hodgens loses all of his money. Both he somehow knows that a bunch of things on a screen is showing his money, and that you can apparently liquidate such holdings with ease and in a minute! I'm reminded of Ted Turner donating a billion dollars, and then it became apparent he couldn't just do that. And then that there a no lawyers to fight what happened?!

 
Wayward Pines

One of the things about big network TV is that they will invariably take a good idea and fuck it up. This show was produced by Fox and involves a secret service agent who, supposedly following a car accident while on the trail of other missing agents, wakes up in a picturesque, but bizarre little town in Idaho.

The cinematography is great and the show has a really mysterious atmosphere and intrigue about it that drew me in very quickly.

But big network money seems to equate to shitty writing. Somewhere in the writing team's mix is at least one person with enough influence to make sure there are enough Eurotunnel-sized plot holes to prevent it from actually being a good show.

For example, Matt Dillon is the secret service agent who wakes up in the Wayward Pines hospital. He's followed closely, has a tracking chip surgically implanted in his leg, yet he roams around at night, talks to people who would either report him to the evil sheriff (but they don't report him), and is never punished for trying to find a way out of the town. Meanwhile, his brief compatriot is quickly apprehended and has her throat slit in front of the entire town, despite the fact she's met with him in the forest, in a house, and generally everywhere else in the town.

See, everyone in the town is from somewhere else and they're not supposed to talk about The Past. I don't know yet if it's supposed to be a government experiment, conspiracy, aliens, or whatever. But whatever the case is, Matt Dillon's character never asks anyone, "What is this place and why can't I leave?" It's a blindingly obvious question, which, by not being asked is the tissue paper thin excuse for the show not challenging itself. And it makes for stupid TV.

But it is an intriguing idea that with a couple of tweaks could be really good. Unfortunately though, there's not much reason to hold out hope. I've watched four episodes but it's only getting dumber as time goes on, which is too bad.

5/10
 
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