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

[Goodchild]

Elseworlds. First two arrowverse episodes are so good, you ignore the lack of content in the story.

This crossover is totally a fanboys dream. Just how many references to other DC type shows are there? Fan-orgasim overload!

When Supergirl referenced herself and Batwoman as "World's Finest" i lost it Really enjoyed the crossover and looking forward to Crisis next year.

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I'm pretty sure the original comics did not include murder, cannibalism, necromancy, and demons, but I might be wrong.

Not the original original comics, but the somewhat newer version of Sabrina comics does include all of that. This show is based on that comic and the opening credits take their animation from the comics.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Game of Thrones - Season 7 - 6/10

My least favourite season of the show so far. The very first scene of episode one is probably the best scene they've done in the show and I had high hopes, but the rest of it just seemed to be a rush to set everything up for the final season and the whole thing felt kind of truncated.

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The worst aspect of this was Jon being a Targaryen. That was the big reveal in the final shot of the previous season and then it wasn't mentioned again until the psychic dude mentioned it as narration in the final shot of this season. There was absolutely no story or plot associated with it and they just kind of shoved it in.

Same thing with the Wall coming down. They made a huge deal for six seasons about this frigging wall and then the bad guys show up, kick it down in two minutes and march past. May as well have just had it as a virtual wall or a fence.

 

[Underseer]

I'm only a few episodes into season 2 of Castlevania on Netflix, so it's too early to offer a rating, but[ent]hellip[/ent]

Uhm, how to explain this[ent]hellip[/ent]

OK, on one side we have Dracula and his war council of vampire generals including a couple of human necromancers, all leading an army of the undead to exterminate all of humanity. All of the vampires other than Dracula and the human necromancers are getting pretty skittish about being part of a coordinated effort to destroy their own food supply.

On the other side, we have one half-vampire, one vampire-hunter, and a sorceress.

It's also one of those Western cartoons that is trying to look like Japanese anime.

On top of that, it's a cartoon, so they aren't restricted by budget in the way a live action production would be.

With a recipe like that, you would expect wall-to-wall action, would you not?

Instead, I just watched 3 episodes of people standing around talking to each other.

In spite of that, I can't wait to watch more.

How bizarre is that?

It's as if Warren Ellis watched Death Note and figured out the recipe for creating a show entirely out of exposition and still be good.

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Game of Thrones - Season 7 - 6/10

My least favourite season of the show so far. The very first scene of episode one is probably the best scene they've done in the show and I had high hopes, but the rest of it just seemed to be a rush to set everything up for the final season and the whole thing felt kind of truncated.

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The worst aspect of this was Jon being a Targaryen. That was the big reveal in the final shot of the previous season and then it wasn't mentioned again until the psychic dude mentioned it as narration in the final shot of this season. There was absolutely no story or plot associated with it and they just kind of shoved it in.

Same thing with the Wall coming down. They made a huge deal for six seasons about this frigging wall and then the bad guys show up, kick it down in two minutes and march past. May as well have just had it as a virtual wall or a fence.

That bodes well. My satellite provider recently lost HBO, so I won't be able to watch any of it anyway.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Game of Thrones - Season 7 - 6/10

My least favourite season of the show so far. The very first scene of episode one is probably the best scene they've done in the show and I had high hopes, but the rest of it just seemed to be a rush to set everything up for the final season and the whole thing felt kind of truncated.

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The worst aspect of this was Jon being a Targaryen. That was the big reveal in the final shot of the previous season and then it wasn't mentioned again until the psychic dude mentioned it as narration in the final shot of this season. There was absolutely no story or plot associated with it and they just kind of shoved it in.

Same thing with the Wall coming down. They made a huge deal for six seasons about this frigging wall and then the bad guys show up, kick it down in two minutes and march past. May as well have just had it as a virtual wall or a fence.

The worse aspect is:

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Mr. Let's Build an Iron Navy in a couple months.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

The worse aspect is:

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Mr. Let's Build an Iron Navy in a couple months.

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For the entire season, there was absolutely no sense of scale or timing. The worst was when they were north of the Wall. They got surrounded by zombies and sent that one guy running off to send a raven. He got back to the Wall, sent a raven out, that raven flew half a continent away down to Dragonstone and then Dany discussed the matter and flew up half a continent to save them, all in less time than it took the ice on the lake to refreeze so the zombies could start coming again. Then they were all further south in King's Landing ... which was totally useless because that whole plot line never actually led to anything happening.

It was just ticking off plot points to move the story along to where they needed everyone to be in the next season instead of making this season something other than filler.

 

[couch_sloth]

Travelers - Season 3 (Netflix)
If you aren't familiar with it... The premise of the show is that: Hundreds of years from now, a super computer sends teams of people back to our time via consciousness transfer; that is, these peoples' minds are sent back in time to takeover the bodies of people who already exist in the 21st century. This is done in an effort to change the horrible future mankind finds themselves in.
The first two seasons were from the Canadian company Showcase, Netflix was in charge of the third season.
I like the show, but the last episode of season 3, has made me a bit apprehensive about the series...

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They basically wiped-out the reality that existed in the first 3 years. It makes me think Netflix was unhappy with many of the aspects of the show and was looking for a way to change them in one fell swoop. If the payoff for this isn't very good, I'll feel like I've wasted my time watching this series

 

[steve_bank]

Babylon 5

The Comet channel is running the series everyday. Never saw then whole series before.

What is striking is how the politics, geopolitics, and rise of authoritarianism depicted in the series seems to depict in many ways what is going on today in the USA. Loyalty oaths to the president. A large number of people who go along with the suppression of free speech and other loses of rights knowing it is wrong but choosing political station over ethics.

 

[Ford]

Babylon 5

The Comet channel is running the series everyday. Never saw then whole series before.

The Londo/G'Kar story arc is epic.

 

[bigfield]

Bandersnatch on Netflix.

If you like Black Mirror, and you like Choose Your Own Adventure Stories, then why have you not watched this already.

 

[Opoponax]

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

I'm pretty sure I'm not the contemplated demographic for this show (49 year old white male professional). Nothing about the ads for it ever indicated it was something I would like.

But I do.

It's about a comedienne in early 1960s New York, which was the era of proto-standup comedy. I love the historicity of the show even though there are few characters who were real people (e.g. Lenny Bruce might be the only one). Rachel Brosnahan is great in this as is most of the rest of the cast. The only character I really don't like is Brosnahan's husband. God, what a limp dick douche he is. Wholly uninteresting, and largely unnecessary. His continued presence detracts from the show. I hope he gets killed off.

It's not perfect, but it's pretty damn good.

Give it a chance.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

I'm pretty sure I'm not the contemplated demographic for this show (49 year old white male professional). Nothing about the ads for it ever indicated it was something I would like.

But I do.

It's about a comedienne in early 1960s New York, which was the era of proto-standup comedy. I love the historicity of the show even though there are few characters who were real people (e.g. Lenny Bruce might be the only one). Rachel Brosnahan is great in this as is most of the rest of the cast. The only character I really don't like is Brosnahan's husband. God, what a limp dick douche he is. Wholly uninteresting, and largely unnecessary. His continued presence detracts from the show. I hope he gets killed off.

It's not perfect, but it's pretty damn good.

Give it a chance.

I second this. Alex Borstein is hilarious, and Tony Shalhoub is perfect.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I just started season 3 of The Man in the High Castle.

Man, this show is maddeningly slow and complex, but just when I get to the point where I want to turn it off, something happens that keeps me hooked.

There was a moment in the latest episode where

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the Nazi scientist explained to John Smith about the existence of parallel worlds where different versions of ourselves lived and he really didn't get it. But then you saw him work out that if such a world existed, his son might still be alive. At the same time he's dispassionately overseeing the brutal experimentation on a traveler but he doesn't care. He's thinking about his own family. It all plays out on his face without a mention of it in the dialogue. Rufus Sewell is one hell of an actor.

I don't so much mind the pace of the show as I can't stand the lead protagonist (Julianna Crain). She did finally redeem herself to some degree late in season 3, but it sure took a long time to get there. Every other storyline and character is so much more interesting than she is. I was hoping they'd kill her character off this season and find a different person to take her place. I mean...

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The character of Frank Frink is infinitely more sympathetic, likable, but he gets killed off and not Julianna? WTF?

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I was very much upset with Frank coming back... it was as if they brought him back from the dead just to kill him again.

Just finished Season Three. Amazing how much can happen with so little actual action. Kind of makes the season feel shorter than the already relatively short 10 episodes. Season Four is just open to anything it seems, though I would say:

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The whole Nazis going after the Japanese angle fell off the stove entirely and the Japanese's reaction to it.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

I just rewatched Wonderfalls.

Fun show! 8/10

Not sure more than one season would have been good though so I am ok it only got the one.

Also, if you haven't seen it, check out The Almighty Johnsons, New Zealand drama/comedy about Norse Gods living in New Zealand. 8/10 for first season; 6 or 7/10 for other 2 seasons.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

Babylon 5

The Comet channel is running the series everyday. Never saw then whole series before.

The Londo/G'Kar story arc is epic.

Agreed. It was what made the show great.

 

[Ford]

Babylon 5

The Comet channel is running the series everyday. Never saw then whole series before.

The Londo/G'Kar story arc is epic.

Agreed. It was what made the show great.

Awhile back I got to spend some time talking to Claudia Christian, who played Ivanova on the show. She likened it to Shakespeare. Maybe that's a stretch, but it was certainly tragic. The other great thing about B5 was that unlike most previous and even contemporary series, it wasn't all wrapped up at the end of each episode with a happy ending.

 

[marc]

Agreed. It was what made the show great.

Awhile back I got to spend some time talking to Claudia Christian, who played Ivanova on the show. She likened it to Shakespeare. Maybe that's a stretch, but it was certainly tragic. The other great thing about B5 was that unlike most previous and even contemporary series, it wasn't all wrapped up at the end of each episode with a happy ending.

I got to meet Patricia Tallman (Lyta Alexander) and got her book. Found out that she was also a stunt woman working on Star Trek Next Generation.

 

[Ford]

Agreed. It was what made the show great.

Awhile back I got to spend some time talking to Claudia Christian, who played Ivanova on the show. She likened it to Shakespeare. Maybe that's a stretch, but it was certainly tragic. The other great thing about B5 was that unlike most previous and even contemporary series, it wasn't all wrapped up at the end of each episode with a happy ending.

I got to meet Patricia Tallman (Lyta Alexander) and got her book. Found out that she was also a stunt woman working on Star Trek Next Generation.

Claudia and Pat are still friends after all these years, and recently spent some time traveling through France.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Agreed. It was what made the show great.

Awhile back I got to spend some time talking to Claudia Christian, who played Ivanova on the show. She likened it to Shakespeare. Maybe that's a stretch, but it was certainly tragic. The other great thing about B5 was that unlike most previous and even contemporary series, it wasn't all wrapped up at the end of each episode with a happy ending.

The creator was really good at spinning positive outcomes into new conflicts. The resolution of the great war was also incredible writing.

 

[Ford]

Just got done with season 1 of Sense8 on Netflix.

It took a few episodes to get up to speed, but it sucked me in.

I didn't quite realize what it was until just now. Remember that show "Heroes" on NBC? The one about very attractive mutants from across the globe who all at once discovered they had powers and that there was also a sinister government conspiracy afoot to "bag and tag" the mutants?


This is like that. Only smarter, with a much larger budget, and much better writing/acting.

And I can't even roughly approximate how fast it went downhill in season 2.

In my quest to figure out what went wrong, I found out that one of the Wachowski's left the show. What had been an interesting concept with some really great writing and performances became a shadow of itself. For example, that "hacker" movie cliche' where all a character needs to do in order to compromise a computer network is type furiously on a keyboard? They ran that trope into the ground. Suddenly Nomi and her hacker girlfriend could access everything from street lights to the CIA with just a few keystrokes.


Then there was the finale. The show was cancelled, and thanks to fan effort (allegedly) they were able to make a two hour episode that wrapped everything up "for the fans." Problem is, instead of a continuation of the smart premise they'd laid out in the first season, the finale was an action-packed bloodbath with the heroes blasting away at countless henchmen in a hail of bullets. Followed by an absurdly long wedding at the Eiffel Tower. I mean, I've been to Catholic weddings that didn't last that long.

While watching the first season I couldn't wrap my head around why Netflix would cancel such a promising show. The second season and the finale made it clear that Netflix was right to cut their losses and cancel this mess.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Just got done with season 1 of Sense8 on Netflix.

It took a few episodes to get up to speed, but it sucked me in.

I didn't quite realize what it was until just now. Remember that show "Heroes" on NBC? The one about very attractive mutants from across the globe who all at once discovered they had powers and that there was also a sinister government conspiracy afoot to "bag and tag" the mutants?


This is like that. Only smarter, with a much larger budget, and much better writing/acting.

And I can't even roughly approximate how fast it went downhill in season 2.

In my quest to figure out what went wrong, I found out that one of the Wachowski's left the show. What had been an interesting concept with some really great writing and performances became a shadow of itself. For example, that "hacker" movie cliche' where all a character needs to do in order to compromise a computer network is type furiously on a keyboard? They ran that trope into the ground. Suddenly Nomi and her hacker girlfriend could access everything from street lights to the CIA with just a few keystrokes.


Then there was the finale. The show was cancelled, and thanks to fan effort (allegedly) they were able to make a two hour episode that wrapped everything up "for the fans." Problem is, instead of a continuation of the smart premise they'd laid out in the first season, the finale was an action-packed bloodbath with the heroes blasting away at countless henchmen in a hail of bullets. Followed by an absurdly long wedding at the Eiffel Tower. I mean, I've been to Catholic weddings that didn't last that long.

While watching the first season I couldn't wrap my head around why Netflix would cancel such a promising show. The second season and the finale made it clear that Netflix was right to cut their losses and cancel this mess.

I'm a bit into Season 2 and had paused watching the show. Now I ponder if I should even bother unpausing watching it. I was curious how they were going to be able to wrap up the premise in merely a two hour movie. Granted, Joss Whedon managed closure with Firefly by doing Serenity, but that is Joss Whedon.