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

[Daioh]

Also Big Bng Theory Season 6 has just come

Sorry for double post but that should read Big Bang Theory Season 7

my mistake and my stupid computer won't let me edit the original

 

[Underseer]

Deadman Wonderland 2/10

It's just fucking torture porn, and some of the victims are teenagers. Ick.

 

[prideandfall]

The Killing season 4: 5/10
man, this show really likes having its structure be: a season that is reasonably tense and engaging that then totally just shits itself in the last episode or two.
this one is no different, and the very end (which should also be the series finale) was impossibly stupid. ugh.

The Fall: 7.5/10
this show is basically The Killing except good.
also, any show wherein the opening sequence of the series is a shot from behind of Gillian Anderson in soft tatty old cotton pajamas bent double over a bathtub gets an automatic 'oh hell yessss' from me.
and then it went and was a really good low-key crime drama. win.

Hannibal (season 1): 3/10
i loves me some bryan fuller but this show just never connected to me.
it looks really good, the production values are top notch, but the writing is terrible and the dialogue is mostly completely stupid, the acting is iffy, and it does that horribly annoying thing where the entire show is "quiet... quiet... very quiet... somber quiet... characters quietly muttering long monologues at each other... whisper quiet.... HOLY-MOTHER-OF-FUCK-MY-GOD-DAMN-EARDRUMS-LOUD... quiet... very quiet" and it's infuriating.

 

[Daioh]

Just watched The Legend Of Korra: Book 2 Spirits
It really suffered from a weak villain, slow start and several of the main characters just being boring background noise
But when the later episodes got more for the title character to do, it became mush better

 

[Thomas II]

David Attenborough Documentaries 10/10 Love this stuff. I always learn something new...

 

[Ford]

I watched what was apparently part of a marathon of episodes of "Arrow" on the CW Network leading up to the season premiere next week.

I came in halfway though an episode and stayed for that and two more and I'm not sure why except perhaps that it was...dare I say...good?

It reminded me a bit of the shows the Sci Fi channel used to produce in the late 90s like "First Wave." Not a spectacular budget, but decent production values all things considered and well done for what it was. Based on my limited viewing, Arrow seems to be a retelling of Batman (rich, disturbed vigilante except the protagonist shoots arrows at bad guys) with a side of CSI thrown in. There's a mansion, but also a crime lab. The hero has family and friends who have no idea of his secret identity, but also some who do. There's a sympathetic cop, superhuman bad guys, and the cast is really, really good looking.


If I remember correctly it is on the Netflix. I'll have to catch up.

 

[Daioh]

Arrow seems to be a retelling of Batman

I always heard the idea that Green Arrow is basically Robin Hood
Green Clad, Bow as primary specialty, a member of the "Upper Class" who fights for the downtrodden "Lower Class", has a group (2 is still a group) of sidekicks to aid him etc

it was...dare I say...good?

Was I the only one who despised the Ex-Girlfriend (Laurel) and the Sister as just plain horrible characters?
I liked the rest of the characters and cast, but those two really dragged the story down at times

I recently began going back to where I left Agents of Shield, which is beginning to pick up more (I'm around the halfway mark)
And still going through Doctor Who, of which The War Games has really given me new appreciation for Patrick Troughtons Doctor
Got to look into the new American Dad season and South Park seasons which have just come out

 

[James Brown]

I watched the first few eps of Arrow and was pleasantly surprised. But there was something about it. The cast seemed to come from that stable of actors--beautiful, slim, at the top of their field before the age of 30--that populates other shows geared toward a younger audience, shows that I don't watch. I agree about the Sister being too annoying to tolerate.

I wanted to see more of what occurred on the island--that story arc was being doled out in too small bites to keep me engaged before something else shiny came along. The writing seemed to also be following the trope that everyone is the opposite of what they seem. Mom seems good, but is actually evil. The bodyguard seems self-interested, but is actually self-sacrificing, etc. Too much of that and I resent being manipulated. "Ho ho," say the show writers. "You just thought the snarling older white powerful dude was a villain. But what until you see what we unveil next episode!"

I may be too critical. I like my superheroes to be within the realms of plausibility, and Green Arrow certainly qualifies far more than most. Maybe I shouldn't be so hard. I'm quite sure I couldn't write anything better.

 

[Ford]

I'd never heard of the Green Arrow, but I figured the show was based on a minor superhero character. And based on the almost 3 episodes I've seen, I get the criticisms. Yeah, the cast is young and good looking. Yeah, the premise is silly. Oh, and there are some groaners in the little that I saw...a character ran off because her father had been wounded and was in the "ICU" but when she got to the hospital he was wide awake in a regular room with little more than a cut on his forehead.


But I'm wlling to give this show a chance. Maybe it isn't great in today's context, but while I was watching this show I thought about the sci-fi superhero stuff I grew up watching.


Reruns of Star Trek. Reruns of Lost in Space. Reruns of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Johnny Socko and his Flying Robot. Ultraman.


Sweet non existent Jesus if a show had come on back then that was even half as good as the middling CW show I saw the other night? I'd have quit school just to stay home and watch every single episode.


Those of us who fall into the sci-fi/superhero/fantasy fan world are living in a golden era of entertainment that is directed straight at us and even the worst shows and movies are light years ahead of the slim pickings we had back in the 70s and early 80s. I'm willing to forgive "Arrow" for it's faults and just enjoy the fact that even when you scrape the bottom of the television barrel, there's a show for geeks down there.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I always heard the idea that Green Arrow is basically Robin Hood
Green Clad, Bow as primary specialty, a member of the "Upper Class" who fights for the downtrodden "Lower Class", has a group (2 is still a group) of sidekicks to aid him etc

In the few episodes I saw, I got the opposite impression. He was going after the rich people but they were the only ones that he would turn over to the police. He'd kill four or five poor guys who were guarding the rich guy on the way into their house but then the rich guy got to go to trial and have his rights respected.

He's an elitist one-percenter hero who believes that the wealthy deserve a different system of justice than the poor - who don't even matter.

 

[dx713]

Legend of Korra 8/10
Okay, I'm biaised on this one, as I was a great fan of the original Avatar show, so just seeing Aang's kids butt heads is worth half the note for me. But seriously, it's a good reprise of the franchise.
Likes:

• Same franchise but different world. It's not just a reboot, "avatar of the year" style, it's a different atmosphere, 1920s technology and aesthetics.
• Korra is not a pink-clad waif (with or without big breasts) like most animation girl heroes. She's a realisticly drawn athlete with large shoulders (and still look awesome and still has boys falling for her).
• The show has grown with the viewers. The Gaang were early teenagers, Korra and co are young adults.
• The humour and parental bonuses haven't disappeared, nor the possibility for secondary, comic-relief charracter, to be heroes, despite somewhat darker plotlines. (Seriously, a nickolodean cartoon that does mention death, or show the corpse of a previous character? Even Avatar avoided saying the word.)
• There's real character evolution. And some characters are not even fully good or evil.
• The villains really do stand a chance, and Korra is not fearless and/or invincible.
• The scenery is gorgeous.

Dislikes:

• Season 2 plot solved by an eleven hour superpower
• The love triange(s) could have been treated better.
• Some "evil" character(s) are redeemed a bit too easily.

All in all, can't wait for season 4, or for a blu-ray box set.

Lost Girl 3/10?
For now (just starting season 1), it looks like a 2010 early-seasons Buffy: hidden supernatural creatures, spunky heroines, low budget monster-of-the-week made of latex, but with HD image and mobile phones. I feel too old for this. And the mystery/orphan-thing overall plot does feel quite cliché.
But on the other side, the heroes are adult and the showrunners seem to have a healthy view of sex and relationships (despite taking pains to avoid showing any genital area or female nipple, of course), and I've heard they've really done their research on the lore and legends they base the supernatural aspect on.
I might try to view another couple of episodes to see if I can be sufficently intrigued, or latch on an overarching plot, for it to become a guilty pleasure. But if this doesn't deviate from the cheap adolescent-targeting monster-of-the-week show it looks to be at first, I won't persist for long.

 

[James Brown]

Thanks for the review of Korra. My son got me hooked on Avatar, and I was curious about this new series. I've added it to my Netflix queue.

EDIT: Whoops. Maybe not. Netflix only has Book Three as unknown release date. No listing for Book One or Two.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

Also Big Bng Theory Season 6 has just come out so going through that
And so far (First half or so) seems stronger then Season 6

Seemed to me that all of their good writers must have left after Season 5. I just didn't find much to like about Season 6. And I watched the first two Season 7 episodes when CBS showed them back to back; not even a chuckle. I got more laughs from the baseball game I switched to after ep. 2.

 

[Underseer]

[...]

Lost Girl 3/10?
For now (just starting season 1), it looks like a 2010 early-seasons Buffy: hidden supernatural creatures, spunky heroines, low budget monster-of-the-week made of latex, but with HD image and mobile phones. I feel too old for this. And the mystery/orphan-thing overall plot does feel quite cliché.
But on the other side, the heroes are adult and the showrunners seem to have a healthy view of sex and relationships (despite taking pains to avoid showing any genital area or female nipple, of course), and I've heard they've really done their research on the lore and legends they base the supernatural aspect on.
I might try to view another couple of episodes to see if I can be sufficently intrigued, or latch on an overarching plot, for it to become a guilty pleasure. But if this doesn't deviate from the cheap adolescent-targeting monster-of-the-week show it looks to be at first, I won't persist for long.

It's cheesy and cliche and most of the plot twists can be spotted from a mile away. The action is badly done as is the build-up to major action sequences. A lot of the romance stuff doesn't even make sense to me. It also has a lot of bad science that is endemic to modern science fantasy (e.g. a medical doctor who is also an expert in all conceivable branches of science).

On the plus side, some of the characters are likable and adorable. The cute moments are, well, extra cute.

It also drips with fan service cheesecake for both men and women. You can decide for yourself if that is a plus or a minus.

The whole point of the series is simply to present a sex-positive female protagonist as a counter to the whore-Madonna complex so prevalent in popular culture (at least according to the series creator). You will note that characters who try to make the protagonist feel ashamed of her sex life are rare and invariably presented as bad guys. One other thing I find interesting: the protagonist is bisexual and not one single character in the series makes an issue of that. That part is also refreshing.

It's hardly great art, but I'm in the middle of season three and enjoying it as long as I remember to turn my brain off before watching.

 

[Daioh]

Also Big Bng Theory Season 6 has just come out so going through that
And so far (First half or so) seems stronger then Season 6

Seemed to me that all of their good writers must have left after Season 5. I just didn't find much to like about Season 6. And I watched the first two Season 7 episodes when CBS showed them back to back; not even a chuckle. I got more laughs from the baseball game I switched to after ep. 2.

I felt Season 7 was as good as stuff you would get in seasons 1-5, it does have some annoying parts (Penny could be a little inconsistant with the "will she/won't she" until they fully sorted out her subplot) but coming from Season 6 which just seemed to be getting a little harsh on Raj and kinda in a rut with the others as well, it was definitely a step back up to the level of some of their earlier stuff

In the few episodes I saw, I got the opposite impression. He was going after the rich people but they were the only ones that he would turn over to the police. He'd kill four or five poor guys who were guarding the rich guy on the way into their house but then the rich guy got to go to trial and have his rights respected.

I always thought Robin Hood did the same, killing the Sheriff of Nottinghams troops with equal disregard and kind of the same "Guilt by association" idea

And my memory of Arrow is getting a little fuzzy, but wasn't the idea that the best solution was a very public trial for the bad guys to expose them and all their dirty laundry to the world, rather then have them dead and buried so a new gangster can take his place and simply maintain the staus quo?

Also went through more Doctor Who with Spearhead From Space as Jon Pertwee's first outing as the Doctor
Man that guy was good

 

[gmbteach]

We have been enjoying the SBS Channel here in Australia of late.

SBS Australia

The programming has been entertaining and informative. Tonight, for example, we watched an episode on what the Romans lived like 2000 years ago. Looking forward to more.

 

[credoconsolans]

Just watched episode 1 of "Gracepoint" on Fox, which is the US version of UK's "Broachchurch". I've already seen "Broadchurch" but decided to watch "Gracepoint" as the UK star of "Broadchurch" David Tennant is ALSO playing the same role in the American version as an American.

The producers of the American series said they 'changed some things' for the American version including the end, which dismayed me because the ending of "Broadchurch" is the best part of the whole series. I hope they are not going to Hollywood-ize the ending.

 

[Underseer]

Just watched episode 1 of "Gracepoint" on Fox, which is the US version of UK's "Broachchurch". I've already seen "Broadchurch" but decided to watch "Gracepoint" as the UK star of "Broadchurch" David Tennant is ALSO playing the same role in the American version as an American.

The producers of the American series said they 'changed some things' for the American version including the end, which dismayed me because the ending of "Broadchurch" is the best part of the whole series. I hope they are not going to Hollywood-ize the ending.

Remember the American version of Dr. Who?

I give American TV companies no credit when it comes to doing American versions of British TV shows.

 

[James Brown]

It's tricky. If they match the UK shows shot-for-shot, they get criticized for being unoriginal. If they change anything, they get criticized for tampering with the original.

 

[bilby]

It's tricky. If they match the UK shows shot-for-shot, they get criticized for being unoriginal. If they change anything, they get criticized for tampering with the original.

Well I guess they could just come up with some ideas of their own; or is that too much to ask?

If UK shows are good, then buy them and broadcast them. If they are not good enough, then come up with something else.