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

[Jayjay]

Just to find out: anyone just like stand alone episodes? Even back in the 90s, I got bored with the conspiracy story.

Same here. I never liked the conspiracy episodes, because they never led anywhere. At the end of the episode the conspiracy was even more conspiratorial and they always just raised more questions than they answered. The best part about X-Files were the monster-of-the-week mysteries, although they did get a bit formulaic after some point also. I also kind of liked the occasional satanic conspiracy episodes because that flipped the tables so that Mulder was the skeptic and Scully the believer.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

Just to find out: anyone just like stand alone episodes? Even back in the 90s, I got bored with the conspiracy story.

I prefer the ongoing UFO conspiracy episodes. To me it seems like the stand alone episodes were just waiting periods in between the Alien Agenda ones.

 

[credoconsolans]

I started re-watching the old X-files a while back. Remembered how much I loved the show back in the day. It was absolute shite. Unwatchable garbage. Has not aged well. I think it's a product of the 90'ies and should stay there. I think it's the world that has changed. Back then we didn't know whether or not there could be some truth to cover-ups and conspiracies. It was the tail end of the cold war. Dictatorships were falling one-by-one and we learned all kinds of horrific stuff about them. Today we just laugh at conspiracy theories. We think it's dumb.

Funny you should say this. That's what the creator Chris Carter said. That the show ended at the right time. Before we all distrusted the government and there were rumors of conspiracy but we had nothing to go on. Then the social media world bloomed and exploded. Suddenly every nut with Photoshop and a streak of paranoia was posting conspiracy theories about EVERYthing. It became something to scoff at, not fear.

Just to find out: anyone just like stand alone episodes? Even back in the 90s, I got bored with the conspiracy story.

Nah, I liked them both. The monster of the week was scary but too many of them become boring, the conspiracy episodes both full episodes and sprinkled within kept the intensity going.

 

[Underseer]

Just to find out: anyone just like stand alone episodes? Even back in the 90s, I got bored with the conspiracy story.

Same here. I never liked the conspiracy episodes, because they never led anywhere. At the end of the episode the conspiracy was even more conspiratorial and they always just raised more questions than they answered. The best part about X-Files were the monster-of-the-week mysteries, although they did get a bit formulaic after some point also. I also kind of liked the occasional satanic conspiracy episodes because that flipped the tables so that Mulder was the skeptic and Scully the believer.

Yeah, the conspiracy crap is why the show didn't appeal to me either.

 

[ZiprHead]

I just watched my first episode of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. It was pretty funny. I'll be setting my DVR for that one.

 

[credoconsolans]

Just saw the first episode of

And then there were none British costume drama miniseries based on the Agatha Christie mystery.

I didn't know it was a mini-series. I thought it was a movie remake. I was wondering why it was taking so long to kill everyone, then the show ended with a "Part 1".

Very good production values, good acting as you might expect and because it is a mini-series, there is a lot of making the characters detestable. But then sympathetic in some way. Takes place in the 1930s, so nice costumes, mannerisms and the Empire in its twilight arrogance. I don't know if the location is real, but is spectacular.

Good so far. More tension-filled than suspenseful since the characters are not very likeable and thus, you don't feel a lot of sympathy for them, no worry that something might happen to them. Still good though.

7.5 out of 10

I'll be back to watch the rest.

 

[Jayjay]

That's certainly a book with probably the most unfortunate original title ever.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

11.22.63

The decline has evened out. Things from the book are thrown in helter-skelter and mixed with the completely unnecessary new shit, like a Fruit Cake studded with cat turds.

It's so unfortunate because the book was so good and no other filmmaker is ever going to get the opportunity to do this one again. It's 8 episodes long and last night's 5th episode was another steaming pile of "Cool, now let's see how we can fuck this part up."

It's too late for the series to save itself. It's missed the entire tone, suspense, and subtext of the book with remarkable ineptitude.

3/10

 

[credoconsolans]

Just saw the first episode of

And then there were none British costume drama miniseries based on the Agatha Christie mystery.

I didn't know it was a mini-series. I thought it was a movie remake. I was wondering why it was taking so long to kill everyone, then the show ended with a "Part 1".

Very good production values, good acting as you might expect and because it is a mini-series, there is a lot of making the characters detestable. But then sympathetic in some way. Takes place in the 1930s, so nice costumes, mannerisms and the Empire in its twilight arrogance. I don't know if the location is real, but is spectacular.

Good so far. More tension-filled than suspenseful since the characters are not very likeable and thus, you don't feel a lot of sympathy for them, no worry that something might happen to them. Still good though.

7.5 out of 10

I'll be back to watch the rest.

Ended well. The characters all had positive traits but their negative traits were dominant, and they relied on regret, denial and callousness to get by with their dastardly deeds.

That's certainly a book with probably the most unfortunate original title ever.

Is that true?!? Wow, sign of the times.

 

[bilby]

Ended well. The characters all had positive traits but their negative traits were dominant, and they relied on regret, denial and callousness to get by with their dastardly deeds.

That's certainly a book with probably the most unfortunate original title ever.

Is that true?!? Wow, sign of the times.

It was completely unremarkable in 1939. But then, so was Fascism.

 

[Archimedes]

The Walking Dead - 7/10

I think the show is starting to lose it's edge simply because it's gone on for long enough and has repeated the same ideas for long enough that I find it hard to imagine Rick and co. as actually being in any sort of existential danger. Every so often they roll out some new nasty group of rival survivors - Woodbury, Terminus, the Wolves, the Saviors - and portray them as having the edge on Rick's group by having more numbers or being better equipped or being more ruthless or being more savage, etc. only to have a final showdown where Rick's group simply slaughters their enemies without taking any losses themselves (apart from redshirts in the prison and Alexandria or relatively minor characters).

Look at the assault on the Savior's compound. They simply slaughtered Negan's men without taking a single loss themselves. On their territory. And when Maggie and Carol are taken captive, even though they're unarmed, outnumbered and tied-up and their captors keep making fun of them for being so stupid, they also easily make light work of them despite being in a seemingly impossible position.

There's gotta be ways of making it more tense than this endless parade of supposedly sinister new enemies who are dispatched so easily. Yes, I know we're far from done with the Saviors (we haven't even met Negan yet) but they seem like a particularly useless bunch of idiots given how easily so many of them have been dispatched already without a single loss from Rick's group.

Also, I want to know where the fuck all that ammunition is coming from. Rick's group seem ridiculous wasteful when it comes to ammo usage. They must have fired off hundreds of not thousands of rounds on that assault on the Saviors compound. Yet they're doing it because they're short on supplies? Can't get food or medicine, but apparently they got a basically infinite supply of guns and ammo.

Anyway, I can suspend my disbelief and still enjoy the show throughly, I still think it's really good.

I wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Carol and she's going to die because she'll be in a situation where she's lost her edge and can't kill someone or hesitates and gets killed herself as a result. I feel they're building up to something.

Also, for those familiar with the comics, I think Maggie looking in horror at the display of photos of disgured mutilated faces is a foreshadowing of something to come. It was also foreshadowed in an event at Terminus back in season 4.

 

[blastula]

Re Walking Dead. Alexandria had a well stocked armory. And now they just scored with the Saviors' armory.

I've enjoyed the last couple of seasons, I think it's hitting its stride. (Didn't care for the few seasons so much.) I prefer the action heavy episodes, they do it very well, reminds me of Battlestar Galactica in how it ramps up the tension. I was expecting somebody to die during this last raid. It was too easy, which I would guess means something bad is coming soon for them. Also because they have been hinting with a theme of whether or not they have gone too far, whether they may not be the good guys. I figure the only immortal characters are Rick, Michonne and Daryl. Maybe Carol and Carl.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

The Walking Dead - 7/10

I think the show is starting to lose it's edge simply because it's gone on for long enough and has repeated the same ideas for long enough that I find it hard to imagine Rick and co. as actually being in any sort of existential danger. Every so often they roll out some new nasty group of rival survivors - Woodbury, Terminus, the Wolves, the Saviors - and portray them as having the edge on Rick's group by having more numbers or being better equipped or being more ruthless or being more savage, etc. only to have a final showdown where Rick's group simply slaughters their enemies without taking any losses themselves (apart from redshirts in the prison and Alexandria or relatively minor characters).

Look at the assault on the Savior's compound. They simply slaughtered Negan's men without taking a single loss themselves. On their territory. And when Maggie and Carol are taken captive, even though they're unarmed, outnumbered and tied-up and their captors keep making fun of them for being so stupid, they also easily make light work of them despite being in a seemingly impossible position.

There's gotta be ways of making it more tense than this endless parade of supposedly sinister new enemies who are dispatched so easily. Yes, I know we're far from done with the Saviors (we haven't even met Negan yet) but they seem like a particularly useless bunch of idiots given how easily so many of them have been dispatched already without a single loss from Rick's group.

Also, I want to know where the fuck all that ammunition is coming from. Rick's group seem ridiculous wasteful when it comes to ammo usage. They must have fired off hundreds of not thousands of rounds on that assault on the Saviors compound. Yet they're doing it because they're short on supplies? Can't get food or medicine, but apparently they got a basically infinite supply of guns and ammo.

Anyway, I can suspend my disbelief and still enjoy the show throughly, I still think it's really good.

I wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Carol and she's going to die because she'll be in a situation where she's lost her edge and can't kill someone or hesitates and gets killed herself as a result. I feel they're building up to something.

Also, for those familiar with the comics, I think Maggie looking in horror at the display of photos of disgured mutilated faces is a foreshadowing of something to come. It was also foreshadowed in an event at Terminus back in season 4.

Good observations. I've never read the comic books so I don't know their arcs. But to keep interesting, it seems that TWD is going to have to come up with some kind of ultimate something for the group to work towards. Like you said, they've exhausted certain scenarios, so something new is going to have to happen.

But what?

I think they really screwed up by explaining so early on in the series just what it was that turned people into zombies. It was really interesting for that episode, and then it was used up. And a storyline of finding a cure is just kind of meh.

For me, the George R. Romero zombies from Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead (Day of the Dead sucked) were so intriguing because you didn't know if it was supernatural, manmade, or if it was something that came from outer space. So in that regard, TWD doesn't have much mystery to it, but it needs to create some.

 

[DrZoidberg]

I love zombie movies and have probably seen them all.

The Walking Dead is just pure homage. I haven't seen anything yet I haven't seen before. I'm cool with it though. Well made homages are always welcome. But it does explain why TWD is losing steam. What's left for them to steal?

 

[another1]

The Magicians is a neat show. At first I thought it was another affront. I thought it was another show about witchcraft with the purpose of confusing young minds and leading kids away from God. In a way it is, like all things including fast food straws, but there are things about the show that please me so I'll talk about those. The fx are spot onn perfect. The characters are not as shallow as you'd think. The plot gets better every time I force myself to watch it. One thing I like is that "witchcraft" is rarely mentioned. The characters are "magicians". That is important to kids in ways I hope I don't have to explain. I don't know what channel it is on but I recommend you binge season one when it is over. Sexuality, immorality, witchcraft, killing and true love. That is everything a show should be apparently. No zombies in the show but zombies have run their seven year coolness course. The pirates will rise again very soon. Be on the lookout for some werewolves and vampires of course. The cycle never fails to repeat, it seems.

 

[James Brown]

Lately I've been really enjoying watching How It's Made.

 

[beero1000]

The Magicians is a neat show. At first I thought it was another affront. I thought it was another show about witchcraft with the purpose of confusing young minds and leading kids away from God. In a way it is, like all things including fast food straws, but there are things about the show that please me so I'll talk about those. The fx are spot onn perfect. The characters are not as shallow as you'd think. The plot gets better every time I force myself to watch it. One thing I like is that "witchcraft" is rarely mentioned. The characters are "magicians". That is important to kids in ways I hope I don't have to explain. I don't know what channel it is on but I recommend you binge season one when it is over. Sexuality, immorality, witchcraft, killing and true love. That is everything a show should be apparently. No zombies in the show but zombies have run their seven year coolness course. The pirates will rise again very soon. Be on the lookout for some werewolves and vampires of course. The cycle never fails to repeat, it seems.

The books are so much better that I get annoyed watching the show.

 

[another1]

So in the books there is a place called Fillary where an evil pedophile traps children and tortures them while he looks for ways back into our dimension? That would be a dark thing to read. I never checked into the books and I'm so out of touch that I didn't actually know they existed. I knew the plot was a little too deep for the average little teenie magic show but I thought it was a fluke. I don't read books anymore but if I find the right format I'll check them out because I'm a fan. I do understand how adaptations can be annoying. There is something less darling and endearing about stories like that when they are exploited for one true purpose which is ultimately profit. Thank you, I'm going to find some audio of the real story. It probably touches on a lot of things about life and reality that just don't translate to a tv show setting. I hope we aren't talking about the classic Lion wearing the witche's wardrobe books. I'd feel stupid if that were the case. This is a similar but entirely different take on that situation, right?

 

[beero1000]

So in the books there is a place called Fillary where an evil pedophile traps children and tortures them while he looks for ways back into our dimension? That would be a dark thing to read. I never checked into the books and I'm so out of touch that I didn't actually know they existed. I knew the plot was a little too deep for the average little teenie magic show but I thought it was a fluke. I don't read books anymore but if I find the right format I'll check them out because I'm a fan. I do understand how adaptations can be annoying. There is something less darling and endearing about stories like that when they are exploited for one true purpose which is ultimately profit. Thank you, I'm going to find some audio of the real story. It probably touches on a lot of things about life and reality that just don't translate to a tv show setting. I hope we aren't talking about the classic Lion wearing the witche's wardrobe books. I'd feel stupid if that were the case. This is a similar but entirely different take on that situation, right?

I mean The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman. Narnia is obviously the inspiration for Fillory, but that's something else entirely. It's definitely not a childrens' series.

The basic plot-lines are mostly similar so far between the books and the tv show; some details and characters have changed and they've added some entirely new plot elements and taken some away. The show has been OK so far, but personally, the I like the books better.

 

[another1]

Right, I mean I can't duplicate a Picasso with a dull lead pencil. Television does a decent job at telling a neat little story but I'm not doubting the books are much more amazing. No book to screen story works the way it is supposed to, and in The Magicians I'm sure they are missing the subtle things that make the story great. They replace the subtlety with explosions and blood.
I like the premise. It is my kind of stuff so I've made a note to find a way to experience the books. It occurs to me that Grossman has drawn on several things like Hogwarts, Narnia and urban themes in a less childish and more culpable manner for mature readers to enjoy. It is no doubt a very unique idea for a story judging from the show alone.