So by the end of the season full on Flanderization of the cast is underway. Noble Ned is now a neurotic goofball, Evil Esmeralda is a superstitious gullible fool. Still a fun show but already getting goofy.
I'll be back for Season 2, if/when it comes out.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Tried to watch Peacemaker season 2. It’s only available on NowTV. The single most obnoxious streaming platform.
Not only is it a paid subscription? But here’s a lot of adverts too. Which you can’t skip or fast forward.
Can’t. Work from home. Don’t understand VPN stuff well enough to be comfortable I’m not skating round a data breach.
Which in my case can be spectacularly bad for one’s career. And civil liberties.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Spinning off from the Battleship discussion in the Movie thread, and how much I enjoyed seeing the Navy Vets clearly having a blast.
It planted a seed in my head. Imagine a Band of Brothers type show, high budget, high realism, but based off not official narrative stuff, but personal recollections from those that were there.
Maybe a twin show thing. One portraying the battle or engagement. The other the veteran(s) telling their story to us, documentary style. Just keep it accurate.
Classic Teatime Crime Whodunnit, in which J.B Fletcher, author and psychopath goes on repeated murder sprees then uses her detective skills to pin it all on someone else unmask the killer.
A show I greatly enjoyed, and have specifically fond memories of watching with my paternal Granny.
Classic Teatime Crime Whodunnit, in which J.B Fletcher, author and psychopath goes on repeated murder sprees then uses her detective skills to pin it all on someone else unmask the killer.
A show I greatly enjoyed, and have specifically fond memories of watching with my paternal Granny.
I think that pretty much everyone's feelings towards Murder, She Wrote are linked to afternoons at grandparents. It's just one of those universal laws.
Classic Teatime Crime Whodunnit, in which J.B Fletcher, author and psychopath goes on repeated murder sprees then uses her detective skills to pin it all on someone else unmask the killer.
A show I greatly enjoyed, and have specifically fond memories of watching with my paternal Granny.
It's strange that Cabot Cove was such a dangerous place (all stemming from Rachel, the accused witch)...
In 264 episodes of Murder, She Wrote, there were 274 murders in Cabot Cove, despite having a population of only 3500 people.
So if you were a stranger visiting Cabot Cove, the chances were pretty high that you would be murdered.
Classic Teatime Crime Whodunnit, in which J.B Fletcher, author and psychopath goes on repeated murder sprees then uses her detective skills to pin it all on someone else unmask the killer.
A show I greatly enjoyed, and have specifically fond memories of watching with my paternal Granny.
It's strange that Cabot Cove was such a dangerous place (all stemming from Rachel, the accused witch)...
In 264 episodes of Murder, She Wrote, there were 274 murders in Cabot Cove, despite having a population of only 3500 people.
So if you were a stranger visiting Cabot Cove, the chances were pretty high that you would be murdered.
It did suffer from from the same celebrity guest star issue that would plague so many shows (except for Columbo -which is still unique* for detective shows) where the guest star was always the killer.
*Columbo always started with the crime and the viewers knew who the criminal was, and you watched Lt. Frank Columbo try to piece it together.
To be fair in Columbo you don't actually have all that many actors around. When you step back almost all interactions are the two - Columbo and the Criminal - everyone else is a side character at best.
Murder She Wrote could be a little more deep in that sometimes you had a few potentials.
Overread wrote: To be fair in Columbo you don't actually have all that many actors around. When you step back almost all interactions are the two - Columbo and the Criminal - everyone else is a side character at best.
Murder She Wrote could be a little more deep in that sometimes you had a few potentials.
Every episode Jessica killed someone and you had to figure out how she was going to shift the blame.
To be fair even the more semi-serious crime dramas of that era had ghosts/witches/angels and other stuff thrown in. It was also the height of things like subliminal messaging and psyops being real things too.
Actress Madlyn Rhue was helped by Angela Lansbury with a recurring role as Jean the librarian on Murder, She Wrote. Lansbury created the part specifically for Rhue, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, to help her meet the earnings requirement to maintain her Screen Actors Guild health insurance benefits.
What a lovely, and incredibly clever, thing to do.
Of course, the episode that sticks in my mind is ‘Magnum on Ice’, the Magnum P.I. crossover. More than a cameo they played it sometimes as a [Murder, She Wrote[/i] and sometimes as a Magnum P.I. (with Tom Selleck voiceovers an’ all).
Actress Madlyn Rhue was helped by Angela Lansbury with a recurring role as Jean the librarian on Murder, She Wrote. Lansbury created the part specifically for Rhue, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, to help her meet the earnings requirement to maintain her Screen Actors Guild health insurance benefits.
What a lovely, and incredibly clever, thing to do.
This actually happens way more than you'd think. The SAG legitimately takes care of its people and its mostly the ones whose names you've never heard of.
Actress Madlyn Rhue was helped by Angela Lansbury with a recurring role as Jean the librarian on Murder, She Wrote. Lansbury created the part specifically for Rhue, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, to help her meet the earnings requirement to maintain her Screen Actors Guild health insurance benefits.
What a lovely, and incredibly clever, thing to do.
Just kind of going through the motions with Peacemaker season 2. There are some fun parts, but it just feels… off. Maybe because in the first season so much of it was an unkown quantity, and you never knew what to expect. I think the magic is wearing off. For me at least.
Vigilante being essentially the same person despite being in a “Nazis won WW2 dimension” was hilarious.
Economos should get his own spin-off where he has to deal with all of the DC heroes and their bs. Judomaster is pretty funny too. I’d like more from those three.
All else kind of sucks, tbh. I want to like it more, as Jon Cena seems to be giving it his all, but it does nothing for me most of the time.
My hope is that the season ends with Peacemaker and Harcourt riding off into the sunset, retiring from the superhero game. But her being James Gunn’s wife means he’s probably going to keep her employed as long as he’s got the keys to the kingdom. I don’t rate her acting very highly.
If anyone is deserving of a spin-off, it's the cgi eagle.
Even Eagly has been played out in my book, as he’s effectively Baby Groot with wings, or avian Krypto. Loveable little sidekick creature who’s always causing mischief, selectively understands what he needs to do and saves the day when its required.
It's definitely struggling. The first one had such a focused plot, and everyone had a very clear reason for being where they were and doing what they needed to do. With this one, its all about Peacemaker being lost and adrift, which would have been fine, but everyone seems to be lost and adrift together, and that's the overwhelmingly important part. That they all stick together... but there really isn't any compelling reason for them to do so.
That being said, the comedy aspect of the show is incredible, much better than season one.
In alternate Nazi world, his dad wasn't a Nazi, plus various situational jokes related to the character, like saying his OG self was in a dark place even darker than theirs, which is just funny for how it completely inflects the characters.
Probably the best this show has ever been, and it’s usually pretty good.
It leans more into outright horror, with vampires, ghouls, ghosts and all sorts of nasty murders and tortures.
Notable for starring Lady Gaga as the Countess, vampiric owner and mistress of the Hotel Cortez. And she’s magnificent in the role. Especially when she “creates” Liz Taylor. That just a phenomenal episode.
Now I’m gonna skip Roanoke (for now at least) and move onto AHS Apocalypse which completes a loose trilogy of Coven, Hotel and Itself. Oh, and Murder House. So four series converging.
This is a weird one to watch on its own, and episodically. But when you know what came before and how it all interacts it’s a really solid story.
Caught up on Gachiakuta over the weekend. I'm not sure the story is anything special, but the inner city hip hop styling definitely creates a unique cast with a lot of style. It's very My Hero Academia tier in terms of Shonen storytelling but definitely some good comfort slop.
I ended up bingeing Nine bodies in a Mexican Morgue
Small plane travelling from Guatemala to Houston crashes in the Mexican Biosphere - in other words the middle of nowhere, in the jungle.
It's like Agatha Christie meets Lost, and is one of those "is this really terrible, or actually really genius?" shows that is so bad it's amazing!
This is being shown on BBC and the whole series is available on iPlayer if you want to binge it.
I only started it because I liked the title and because it's based on an Anthony Horowitz book, so I looked up the trailer and thought "wow, that looks bad" so wanted to see how bad.
But weirdly, it really hooked me from the get go..... So, you will either love it or hate it, but I loved it!
Overread wrote: To be fair in Columbo you don't actually have all that many actors around. When you step back almost all interactions are the two - Columbo and the Criminal - everyone else is a side character at best.
Murder She Wrote could be a little more deep in that sometimes you had a few potentials.
Plus the murderer is always a dastardly richer/upper class guy that working man Columbo brings down
I just finished a binge watching of the Venture Brothers. I feel like I skipped a few episodes which is true because I skipped season 1. I'll get around to that at some point.
Some of the animation in season 5 and 6 is way too good and that really bothered me. The writing is fairly consistent all the way though. .
I'm a little sad it's over. I believe they have said there wont be any more Venture Brothers, which I can see why but I'd like a little more.
Season 1 was definitely still finding its feet as its own show, leaning much more towards the Johnny Quest parody the show started as compared to what it grew into, but is enjoyable enough.
In terms of overarching story points that are somewhat important later, there's the season finale, and the trial of The Monarch, which sets up the characters for the beginning of season 2. And then in other episodes you some trivial details that became relevant later on, in typical Venture Bros. fashion, like Pete and Billy buying the shrink ray at yard sale. Other than that you also have the first appearances throughout the season of characters who will become recurring members of the cast.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Am I just being a grumpy git (who admittedly doesn’t watch much broadcast tv), or are tv themes not what they used to be?
Been watching The Equalizer, Murder She Wrote and A-Team recently, and their themes are really cool, and evocative of the show’s tone.
The only modern one which jumps immediately to mind is Game of Thrones.
Watch anime. They've had the best OPs for years.
For everything else, its largely a result of the move to streaming. The point of these things is to get people's attention like the attract screens in arcades. Either let them know the show is starting or pull people in that left the TV on after the last show ended. For streaming this really isn't necessary as you've already gotten someone to click on your show so you don't need something to get their attention or let them know its starting.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Am I just being a grumpy git (who admittedly doesn’t watch much broadcast tv), or are tv themes not what they used to be?
Been watching The Equalizer, Murder She Wrote and A-Team recently, and their themes are really cool, and evocative of the show’s tone.
The only modern one which jumps immediately to mind is Game of Thrones.
Watch anime. They've had the best OPs for years.
For everything else, its largely a result of the move to streaming. The point of these things is to get people's attention like the attract screens in arcades. Either let them know the show is starting or pull people in that left the TV on after the last show ended. For streaming this really isn't necessary as you've already gotten someone to click on your show so you don't need something to get their attention or let them know its starting.
Yeah, anime often has great themes.
Dandadan, for example, has had back to back bangers for its first two seasons.
Still working through my Netflix Marvel rewatch, with some small detours... Watched the first couple of episodes of Gen V season 2 and it's a bit dull. Not sure if I'll finish it, which is rare for me, but there's just nothing in there to make it worth the time, so far.
Someone mentioned this show in the Alien Earth thread, and I was fairly sure I had seen it but jumped over to Disney+ to confirm... and it turns out there were three seasons and I somehow only watched the first one. Maybe they only put up the first season initially, or something, because it seems weird that I wouldn't have finished it. But that seemed like a good excuse to go back and check it out again.
2 episodes in so far and my word it's good.
It's definitely one you need to watch, rather than streaming in the background, so will be confined to lunchtime and evening viewing, I think... but this show is fabulously put together. The whole thing constantly jumping around, back and forth in time, with no way of knowing what's real, what's just in David's head, and what's... something else entirely should be annoying and difficult to follow, but somehow they managed to cobble this together into a coherent (if deliberately muddled) story that leaves you needing to know what the hell is going on.
It's beautifully made, and a nice example that everything inspired by a comic book doesn't have to fit neatly into a single canon.
Seasons 2 and 3 were not as awesome as season 1, but it was still a fun watch. Very glad I went back to it.
And, of course, Alien Earth, which was the best Alien thing since Aliens, aside from the season finale.
On the Netflix shows... up to Iron Fist season2, which is definitely a show that happened. Less annoying than season 1, and marginally less boring than the second seasons of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. Punisher Season 1 was just as fantastic as the first time around - only irritation is the design choice to get rid of the vest at the start of the first episode and only bring it back right at the end.
Did get a surprise when I got to the last episode of JJ S2 and Disney+ wanted to play the 'next' episode. I had legitimately forgotten there was a season 3... on thinking back, I'm fairly sure that Netflix had announced they were cancelling all of the shows before JJ S3 and Punisher S2 were released, and so I just never bothered watching them. So at least I get to finish off this marathon with something 'new'!
I’m seriously enjoying its willingness to just be silly.
There is a plot. There is depth. The writing, acting, staging and direction are all well above par. But everyone seems to embrace the silliness.
Don’t get me wrong. It is presented as a comedy. But it’s one thing to try to be funny, and quite another to actually be funny - especially when you’ve included actual drama in the mix.
I mean, all post apocalyptic type stuff has its Silly. Mad Max, brilliant as the series of films has been is still, Y’know, Silly.
That Twisted Metal fully embraces that, runs with it, but still has some actual proper acting and skill and effort? That’s rare!
There is a plot. There is depth. The writing, acting, staging and direction are all well above par. But everyone seems to embrace the silliness.
Don’t get me wrong. It is presented as a comedy. But it’s one thing to try to be funny, and quite another to actually be funny - especially when you’ve included actual drama in the mix.
I mean, all post apocalyptic type stuff has its Silly. Mad Max, brilliant as the series of films has been is still, Y’know, Silly.
That Twisted Metal fully embraces that, runs with it, but still has some actual proper acting and skill and effort? That’s rare!
And it doesn't try to add seriousness where it doesn't belong (ie Five Nights at Freddie's or Borderlands).
On a whim I watched an episode of the first season of House and when it went to the intro and played Massive Attack's Teardrop the subtitles said [New Age Music] and I found that very unpleasant.
Stars Anthony Mackie as our hero, John Doe. Based on a PS2 game, apparently.
Falls somewhere between Evil Dead 2, Mad Max and Walking Dead, very heavy on the silliness.
I’m loving it.
Twisted Metal was a game from the first year of the original Playstation. It's one of the franchises that really established the console and had a slew of copycats in the mid 90s. Black on the PS2 was fantastic, but kind of ended up being more of a swan song for a genre that had fallen by the wayside. It's heyday was definitely the original trilogy.
Binged through Creature Commandos the other night. Really great follow up to The Suicide Squad. Kind of watched it as I realized I really need to watch Peacemaker and this felt like a solid appetizer. Definitely a great little series well worth watching.
Mark Ruffalo stars opposite Tom Pelphrey in a limited series about a stickup gang robbing drug stash houses and the Taskforce set up to bring them down. Pretty damn tense and well acted, with enough twists to keep every episode fresh. I think the final episode airs tonight.
8/10.
Edit: There is one more episode, according to wikipedia. Pretty awesome miniseries. A nice, mature story thats serving as a nice cleanse after the assblast that was Peacemaker S2.
In which comedians and National Treasures Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse….go fishing. For real. Not staged. Not scripted.
Just two old blokes enjoying their hobby and making each other laugh. Also mild cookery angle, as Bob prepares heart healthy meals.
The premise doesn’t offer much promise, does it? But Bob and Paul’s sheer charisma, camaraderie, comedy and genuine love for each other makes this something special.
Just started season 3 and its been alright so far. The action is good and the evil doers can certainly get under one's skin - especially "Ally", who's the most interesting villian so far. The family drama is very much marmite and at this point the whole thing with Lana and Kyle has long outstayed it's welcome. I assumed from the beginning of the show that their daughter, Sarah, was "different" in some way, but so far shes just an awkward love interest for one of Clarke's sons...
"John Henry" and his daughter are easily the coolest characters in the whole show, and if the Kents are Megaman X, then they'd be Zero. Spinoff show, WB, if you please...
Just noticed in this season opener that they've replaced the actor for Johnathan. Shame as I quite liked him but the new lad seems at home with the role.
YouTube channel I follow started posting videos about recent crimes. Like, really really “last couple of days” recent.
Not in a news report format either.
Suddenly it all felt rather cheap and exploitative. Less about trying to keep cold cases in the public eye, or covering famous historical nutters. More about a quick cash in.
I mean, the families wouldn’t even have had time to process, let alone begin their grieving. Yet the internet vultures are circling straight away.
Much like the excellent Mare of Easttown(also HBO), it ends a dark, violent story on somber but heartfelt notes. Everyone involved is on their A game, and Mark Ruffalo might win an award imo. The cinemtography makes me want to visit Delaware County Pennsylvania.
9/10, a little slow in places, the family drama of Ruffalo’s character kind of dragged on but it did have a powerful pay off. Overall a very good modern day cops and robbers miniseries.
nels1031 wrote: Last episode of HBO Max’s Task just finished.
Much like the excellent Mare of Easttown(also HBO), it ends a dark, violent story on somber but heartfelt notes. Everyone involved is on their A game, and Mark Ruffalo might win an award imo. The cinemtography makes me want to visit Delaware County Pennsylvania.
9/10, a little slow in places, the family drama of Ruffalo’s character kind of dragged on but it did have a powerful pay off. Overall a very good modern day cops and robbers miniseries.
Finished House of the Dragon Seasons 1-2. Quite OK. Sometimes better than OK. Did not like the recasting, the new Rhaenyra just seemed to have a less distinct presence, watching it on streaming I sometimes confused her with other Targarean women.
Moving on to Star Trek Discovery, I never saw seasons 4 and 5 and they do seem a bit better than the first three once we have the thousand year time jump (however insane the idea is that a 1000 year old ship has any role in the future).
I do not understand why a show dedicated to 'going where no one has gone before' keeps making prequels! So it's nice to be somewhere new.
They do upgrade the ship to modern standards. But the whole floaty nascelle thing looks daft.
And frankly? There’s no Culture Shock. Language drift is of course neatly covered by Universal Translators. But 1,000 years of technological advancement and the crew just…y’know…..sort of learn it with no bother? Nah.
That’s like expecting a Norman to just get on with a computer. And not freak out. Or even first gain a rudimentary understanding of the basics.
Season 4 I couldn’t watch all of. So perhaps there are answers I’ve not seen. But even so?
nels1031 wrote: Last episode of HBO Max’s Task just finished.
Much like the excellent Mare of Easttown(also HBO), it ends a dark, violent story on somber but heartfelt notes. Everyone involved is on their A game, and Mark Ruffalo might win an award imo. The cinemtography makes me want to visit Delaware County Pennsylvania.
9/10, a little slow in places, the family drama of Ruffalo’s character kind of dragged on but it did have a powerful pay off. Overall a very good modern day cops and robbers miniseries.
Do you think there's going to be a sequel series?
Possible, but I highly doubt it. It felt like pretty much every character had some form of closure and there were no loose threads. It had the same vibe of The Night Of, Mare of Easttown, We Own This City and on and on. All are great mini-series with a self-contained story.
I think the “prestige” mini-series format is probably HBO’s current bread and butter, with the occasional pop-culture relevant ongoing series during peak viewing season(if such a thing still exists).
Mad Doc's zombie thread reminded me that I hadn't posted a review of Talamasca: The Secret Order. I enjoyed the sneak peek airing last weekend with it setting up the backgrounds for the lead characters and connecting it to the other shows (it's always nice to see Eric Bogosian's Daniel Molloy). Here's hoping that they keep the little Easter Eggs like the one they had in the sneak peek
Helen: We watch vampires, witches, ghosts and demons...
Guy: ... and zombies?
Helen: Zombies don't exist. You've been watching ro much telly.
As this airs on AMC, it was a nice inside joke about that other franchise on AMC
Invested in a bunch of spooky/horror themed kids’ tv shows from yesteryear.
Kicking off with Chocky. I was around when this first aired in 1984, but was likely far too young to watch it. And if I did? Much too young to have any memories.
Based on a John “Day of the Triffids” Wyndham novel, you know you’re in for a treat though.
Yup, another kids TV ghost story. Whilst low on actual scares, this does atmosphere really well. Kinda like a family friendly The Conjuring, but better than merely mediocre.
I particularly enjoy the lighting here. The haunted house is old, and typically Victorian on the inside, all brown and beige. But once things are resolved and the spirits laid to rest? The internal lighting is enhanced, the walls are cleaned. Just a nice wee touch.
I can see why this is a cult classic. It’s well made and really enjoyable.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Invested in a bunch of spooky/horror themed kids’ tv shows from yesteryear.
Kicking off with Chocky. I was around when this first aired in 1984, but was likely far too young to watch it. And if I did? Much too young to have any memories.
Based on a John “Day of the Triffids” Wyndham novel, you know you’re in for a treat though.
I don't think I ever saw the show, but the book was one of my regular reads as a kid. We also had one of the sequels written by someone else (which I didn't realise at the time was a novelisation of the series), but it was awful.
Oddly enough, we also had the novel of Triffids, but I'm pretty sure I never got around to reading it.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds series one is now on ITV so I can see it without paying the craven turds that is CBS/Paramount. I haven't seen any of it before, nor Discovery.
And I'm quite enjoying it. Pike having had a premonition of his future (if not the bit where he spends the rest of his life after 'The Menagerie' having a great time) gives him a man embracing/fighting destiny vibe. The ship is a fond update and they get the hero shots out of the way in the title sequence. So far we've got to the first appearance of the Gorn (the Enterprise hiding a cloud - where do they get these ideas?) but I'm liking quite a bit. I'm getting strong The Orville vibes, but that might just mean we've come full circle.
Originally a kids series from 1977, it was considered a bit too scary for kids on their own. A short delay in airing and it was bumped to the Sunday Teatime slot.
Grammar School Boy, who recently moved to the top floor of a tower block finds himself trapped in a slightly terrifying fantasy world when, fleeing bullies, he takes refuge in the malfunctioning lift. Which takes him down. Waaaaay down.
This is pretty good to be honest. Dated by fashion and effects budget limitations it nevertheless has some real atmosphere. For kids of my vintage, the staging reminds me of Knightmare and T-Bag. But with a slight surrealist, dreamlike quality.
Unfortunately the DVD transfer isn’t great. It is watchable, but it’s kinda VHS quality. But then, it’s of sufficient Cult Status to only justify publishing it, but not cleaning it up.
Taking a break from my usual fare, and bought this on Prime. Very rare I watch anime, but felt in the mood. Happy to report the dubbed voice acting is solid.
It is of course stilted here and there, where the original dialogue runs longer in Japanese than it does in English, which is fine. The main thing there’s actual effort been put in.
Visual design is pretty gorgeous, falling somewhere between G1 Transformers and Akira.
Wait, just had an “ad break” ident. Turns out, I’m watching Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II, Lovers Again . Which I think was the show adapted in the US as Robotech?
Honestly had to google the plot as part of the first episode left me baffled. But now I know about the war singing thing I’ve settled down somewhat.
Taking a break from my usual fare, and bought this on Prime. Very rare I watch anime, but felt in the mood. Happy to report the dubbed voice acting is solid.
It is of course stilted here and there, where the original dialogue runs longer in Japanese than it does in English, which is fine. The main thing there’s actual effort been put in.
Visual design is pretty gorgeous, falling somewhere between G1 Transformers and Akira.
Wait, just had an “ad break” ident. Turns out, I’m watching Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II, Lovers Again . Which I think was the show adapted in the US as Robotech?
Honestly had to google the plot as part of the first episode left me baffled. But now I know about the war singing thing I’ve settled down somewhat.
This takes place 80 years after the events of the Macross series that got turned into the first part of Robotech. The latter parts of Robotech are adapted from other anime and don't have anything to do with Macross.
The Institute Burned through this one over the weekend... Solid adaption of the Stephen King book of the same name, about psychic kids being kidnapped and trained by a secret organisation for nefarious purposes. Definite 'made for TV' vibes, and some of the acting is a little shaky (but excusable given that much of the cast is a bunch of kids) but stuck close to the source material. It's been a while since I read the book, but it feels like there was a bit of stuff condensed or left out, but that's also to be expected. Actual changes were minimal, including an ending that sticks close to the book but seems to leave things open for a second season. (And after a quick google, it does appear to have been renewed, although that would presumably be based on original material as the first season finished the book story)
Anyway, worth checking out if you're into that sort of thing.
We watched Only Murders in the Building, which was solid entertainment, excepting the second season.
Now we’ve started a series called High Potential or something like that, which is formulaic copaganda for the Big Bang Theory crowd. We’ll probably finish out the season to see how they wrap up the overarching plot, but I really need to find something more exciting to recommend before we start season 2.
What newish comedy or sci fi series are worth watching? Will Alien Earth be too gruesome for my squeamish wife?
The one in which Picard gets stuck with children, Worf helps deliver Molly O’Brien, and the crew are largely left without the fancy toys.
I feel this kind of an underrated episode. OK, the story itself isn’t really anything special. But there’s a lot of character development. Picard has to learn, pretty rapidly, how to best handle kids when they’re upset. Troi begins her interest in Command when she winds up senior officer on The Bridge.
And of course, there’s lots and lots of scrutting about in Jeffries Tubes, which is a firm favourite Trek Trope of mine.
We get to see less common cast combinations, and as I said earlier, some decent character development.
Also a nice way to build up Ro Laren, who was at the time a pretty new addition.
@BobtheInquisitor - it’s pretty gruesome in a lot of places, so I’m probably best to be avoided by the squeamish. The new alien beasties are inventive and utterly horrible to people, possibly even more so than than the title beastie.
Flinty wrote: @BobtheInquisitor - it’s pretty gruesome in a lot of places, so I’m probably best to be avoided by the squeamish. The new alien beasties are inventive and utterly horrible to people, possibly even more so than than the title beastie.
It’s American. The LAPD are the selfless, devoted paragons of justice heartbroken over how much justice they were leaving behind until Hot Sheldon came along to teach them how to nerd down and loosen up.
Flinty wrote: @BobtheInquisitor - it’s pretty gruesome in a lot of places, so I’m probably best to be avoided by the squeamish. The new alien beasties are inventive and utterly horrible to people, possibly even more so than than the title beastie.
In answer to this, one assumes:
BobtheInquisitor wrote: What newish comedy or sci fi series are worth watching? Will Alien Earth be too gruesome for my squeamish wife?
Agreed with Flinty. Alien Earth doesn't hold back on graphic detail, covers a breadth of murderization by tooth and claw, and takes the parasite theme that Alien critters have a good bit past suggestion. Probably not a show for someone described as squeamish.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: What newish comedy or sci fi series are worth watching? Will Alien Earth be too gruesome for my squeamish wife?
Agreed with Flinty. Alien Earth doesn't hold back on graphic detail, covers a breadth of murderization by tooth and claw,and takes the parasite theme that Alien critters have a good bit past suggestion. Probably not a show for someone described as squeamish.
The bold bit might be my favourite phrase of recent times. I need to start rolling into conversation
Flinty wrote: @BobtheInquisitor - it’s pretty gruesome in a lot of places, so I’m probably best to be avoided by the squeamish. The new alien beasties are inventive and utterly horrible to people, possibly even more so than than the title beastie.
In answer to this, one assumes:
BobtheInquisitor wrote: What newish comedy or sci fi series are worth watching? Will Alien Earth be too gruesome for my squeamish wife?
Agreed with Flinty. Alien Earth doesn't hold back on graphic detail, covers a breadth of murderization by tooth and claw, and takes the parasite theme that Alien critters have a good bit past suggestion. Probably not a show for someone described as squeamish.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: What newish comedy or sci fi series are worth watching? Will Alien Earth be too gruesome for my squeamish wife?
Agreed with Flinty. Alien Earth doesn't hold back on graphic detail, covers a breadth of murderization by tooth and claw,and takes the parasite theme that Alien critters have a good bit past suggestion. Probably not a show for someone described as squeamish.
The bold bit might be my favourite phrase of recent times. I need to start rolling into conversation
Given Amazon owns MGM, still a bit scummy it’s an additional subscription on Prime.
And I’m normally kinda risk adverse when it comes to Robin Hood. For every Robin of Sherwood or Maid Marian and her Merry Men, seems there’s plenty of absolute guff in terms of more modern interpretations.
Note that whilst not my bag, I’m not including Errol Flynn in the guff.
But this one? It’s honestly off to a good start. Sean Bean stars as our Sheriff. And we kick off with a decent fight scene, and a smack of supernatural in a story told to a young boy.
Three episodes available, and already I’m persuaded to give them all a watch.
It's from the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul (Vince Gilligan) who obviously has a proven track record of quality TV. But quality TV that tends to be slow burning, and this feels similar.
It's an end of the world apocalypse / alien invasion drama with a twist. Can't say much more without spoilering but it's darkly comedic, slightly tragic, but very well written and executed.
I'm just not sure I have any idea how it really go anywhere, and Season 2 has already been confirmed and we are only 3 episodes in.
That being said, Breaking bad and Better call Saul were both phenomenal so I will be intrigued to see where this one goes.
Also rather enjoying Down Cemetery Road, which is Slow Horses if you swap Gary Oldman for Emma Thompson..... That's a bit unfair but you can tell it's the same writer.
Drop everything! For Prime has GI Joe season 1 and 2 for free.
A show I’m 99% confident never actually aired in the UK. But a toyline I’ve always had some interest in (it was Action Force over here). Indeed, given how long it was around for, it took a ridiculously long time to really Jump The Shark.
That’s this evening’s viewing sorted out.
Automatically Appended Next Post: First impressions? As with many 80’s glorified toy adverts, the stories are way better than people give them credit for.
But, the music isn’t as good as He-Man, Transformers or Thunder-Cats.
I can watch this over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.
I remember it as one of those shows that just in the style of CW's Arrow. So if you liked Arrow, maybe. If you don't, probably not. If you soured on the overly dramatic formula over time the series basically starts at overly dramatic and I don't imagine it got less so past season 1.
LordofHats wrote: I remember it as one of those shows that just in the style of CW's Arrow. So if you liked Arrow, maybe. If you don't, probably not. If you soured on the overly dramatic formula over time the series basically starts at overly dramatic and I don't imagine it got less so past season 1.
It was at least better than the bad seasons of Arrow. And less train-wrecky.
It's a similarly dark take on the Titans, particularly Dick as a very angry post-Batman Robin/Nightwing. I enjoyed it. Casting was good, story was ok for TV superhero stuff, effects were passable. Check it out if you have the free time.
In a somewhat related note, when I was sculpting a raven cake for a Halloween birthday, I googled “raven feet” for visual references. That’s how I found out the hard way that this show has some very intense fans.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: In a somewhat related note, when I was sculpting a raven cake for a Halloween birthday, I googled “raven feet” for visual references. That’s how I found out the hard way that this show has some very intense fans.
I kinda want to Google that..
...and I kinda don't.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: In a somewhat related note, when I was sculpting a raven cake for a Halloween birthday, I googled “raven feet” for visual references. That’s how I found out the hard way that this show has some very intense fans.
I kinda want to Google that..
...and I kinda don't.
It’s a special treat for when I decide I don’t need my brain of an evening.
Automatically Appended Next Post: So this is quite an interesting show.
Whilst the third episode deals with Alpha and Lydia? The other five are stand alone tales, exploring the world a bit more. And two of them at least have something of a more comedic, light hearted tone.
Overall I’m enjoying it, but kinda like Solo? None of it is particularly required watching.
Tojima wants to be a Kamen Rider. Imagine Don Quixote- if instead of the golden age of knighthood, the hero idolized a 70s superhero show, Kamen Rider. And when he goes out tilting at windmills, to his astonishment and delight, there really are giants.
An utterly ridiculous, but also very sincere anime.
Well now! A “what-if” series, where Spartacus died by Ashur’s hand, and so he was rewarded with citizenship and ownership of Batius’ Ludus.
First two episodes have aired, and it’s pretty interesting. Everything you expect from a Spartacus show is present and correct. And I kinda like that this show did not need to exist.
Flinty wrote: I really enjoyed seasons 1 and 2, but S3 lost me and I have t been back. If 5 is good I’ll maybe start again with S4
I found Stranger Things becoming constantly worse with every season so my hopes for S5 are quite low. I'll probably give it a try though. Season 1 was outstanding, maybe they can come back to that.
Automatically Appended Next Post: I've just finished watching Yellowstone (and before that, 1883(?).
They were both kind of nice, but also felt like wasted potential.
1883 made you wonder how the USA could survive into the modern age when it's presented as an anarchic hellhole with murderers sitting behind every tree. And Yellowstone, similar to other modern series, started strong, but already in season 2 they skipped/forgot most of the conflicts they built up in season 1, introduced new stuff only to kill it again and totally lost track in season 3 and 4 where the series seemed to turn into some soap Opera or montana travel commercial.
Flinty wrote: I really enjoyed seasons 1 and 2, but S3 lost me and I have t been back. If 5 is good I’ll maybe start again with S4
I found Stranger Things becoming constantly worse with every season so my hopes for S5 are quite low. I'll probably give it a try though. Season 1 was outstanding, maybe they can come back to that.
So far it's kind of just meandering about, and the fact that the 'kids' are all so old is a bit distracting.
Giving Dr Who spinoff The War Between The Land And Sea a whirl.
Not exactly excited for this one, as Russell Tovey has a bizarrely featureless face I find slightly unsettling. And of course it’s written by Master of Mediocrity, RTD.
Hopefully I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Automatically Appended Next Post: It’s heavy handed and preachy. Really not sure I’ll watch it further.
Flinty wrote: I really enjoyed seasons 1 and 2, but S3 lost me and I have t been back. If 5 is good I’ll maybe start again with S4
I found Stranger Things becoming constantly worse with every season so my hopes for S5 are quite low. I'll probably give it a try though. Season 1 was outstanding, maybe they can come back to that.
So far it's kind of just meandering about, and the fact that the 'kids' are all so old is a bit distracting.
Not exactly excited for this one, as Russell Tovey has a bizarrely featureless face I find slightly unsettling. And of course it’s written by Master of Mediocrity, RTD.
Hopefully I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Automatically Appended Next Post: It’s heavy handed and preachy. Really not sure I’ll watch it further.
Water Pollution Bad.
Greed Bad.
Career Politicians Bad.
RTD Writing Bad.
I don't know - I quite enjoyed it. My only criticism would be that episode 2 was stuck in the meeting hall. The Sea Devil response to the pollution was quite cool, I thought. My feeling was that the recent Doctor Who was below par because they spent all the Disney money on this. It's certainly better than the awful Torchwood: Children of Earth and Miracle Day. I do hope that the 'war' gets going in the next episode, though.
But I wonder.... what do the local Zygon population think about what's going on?
A prequel series to the recent IT movies. Helluva opening, as a weird family pick up a child hitchhiker, and their kookiness culminates in the Mum giving birth to a mutated, flying baby. Looks a bit like a Caryatid.
And it doesn’t appear to have been a dream sequence!
A prequel series to the recent IT movies. Helluva opening, as a weird family pick up a child hitchhiker, and their kookiness culminates in the Mum giving birth to a mutated, flying baby. Looks a bit like a Caryatid.
And it doesn’t appear to have been a dream sequence!
Wonder if it's related to Gozu, my favorite bull God baby.
