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The Boys (S4) Amazon

While there is some fun stuff, and I'll continue watching, it doesn't bring much new stuff to the table.

The Boys S4 E5

If you’ve been watching The Boys up to this point, but not Generation V?

Now is the time to watch Generation V. Then this episode.


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Back on Deep Space 9 as “whilst I’m working” background comfort viewing.

Of all the times I’ve sung this show’s praises, there’s something I’ve never really picked up on before. And that’s how well Quark and Odo sell being old adversaries from the get go.

And that I think is an important part of the setting and it feeling pretty real.

The Legend of Vox Machina

I have never seen, watched, or engaged with Critical Role content prior to watching this.

Overall, it was good. My entire family watched it, but this is not for folks under 16-18 range. Normally my wife is not into animation, but she watched and enjoyed it as well.

Like most shows, the first couple episodes starts a bit rough, but improves as you learn more about each character. However, I think there are 1-2 main characters too many. The opening to the second season is an especially stand-out episode that really raises the stakes and sets the tone.

I look forward to S3 coming in October.

The Outer Limits

More anthology sci-fi/horror! Anthology sci-fi/horror for my bunghole!

A selection of 12 of the best via Prime. And they are pretty damned good. Decent production values, some recognisable actors here and there.

Lovely stuff.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
The Boys S4 E5

If you’ve been watching The Boys up to this point, but not Generation V?

Now is the time to watch Generation V. Then this episode.

That was indeed a nice tie-in that didn't feel forced.

Though I still take issue with the sub-plots this season that are a distraction from the main characters and the over-arching plot, it was a decent episode.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
The Outer Limits

More anthology sci-fi/horror! Anthology sci-fi/horror for my bunghole!

A selection of 12 of the best via Prime. And they are pretty damned good. Decent production values, some recognisable actors here and there.

Lovely stuff.

Which series? The original 1963 series of the 1995 revival?

1995 Revivial.

Swamp Thing

Why oh why did they only make one season of this but 4 seasons of Titans?
Such a good series all round if a little rushed in places, and I appreciate them not leaving things on too cliff-hangery an ending.

Stargate SG1 (again).

God this show is just fun. It hits that nice sweet spot just before edge and darkness had to be the word of the day for sci-fi.

Everyone gets in on it from start to finish and it's still got solid stories to boot.

Also a solid dynamic between our heroes, with some crossover.

For instance, Daniel is the history dude, complemented in turn by Carter on Science, and Teal’c on Goa’uld stuff.

Carter is complemented by Daniel on science, and military stuff by O’Neil

O’Neil is complemented by Teal’c on military stuff as well as Carter, but again specifically on Goa’uld stuff.

This all helps the ensemble feel likes an ensemble.

The time loop sequence from the one episode is freaking eternally entertaining.

I've been rewatching Detroiters. It's one of my top comfort shows, just wonderfully charming and dumb.

Stargate SG1 is up there with B5 and DS9 on the pinnacle of televised science fiction. I miss that perfect blend of episodic with ongoing story, humor with action and sometimes ethical gravitas, likeable, competent characters who function as adults and coworkers, and compelling world building. And the shows were capable of darkness but knew how to keep things light and fun until just the right moment for the darkness to have impact.


Anyway,


The Critic

After we watched Eraserhead, I wanted to put on something more lighthearted, so we started the Critic. I have fond memories of the show, but wasn’t sure how it would hold up. Well, my son really enjoys it. He doesn’t get all the references, but he picks up on more of them than I thought would still be relevant decades later.

Best of all, the second episode had a joke where Jay wanted to take a woman to see Eraserhead on a first date, which hit way harder for us at the time.

TLDR: It doesn’t stink!


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 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
1995 Revivial.

I remember the effects being shockingly good when that was airing. And I remember a bunch of stories set in some future where Earth was fighting against aliens who could surgically alter themselves to look human, with Robert Patrick playing an infiltrator in a good one.

MON DIEU

Amazon Prime has Eurotrash!

It’s Saturday night and I’m getting quietly pissed. It’s like things were before the world started to suck!

Bonjour my British chums!

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
MON DIEU

Amazon Prime has Eurotrash!

It’s Saturday night and I’m getting quietly pissed. It’s like things were before the world started to suck!

Bonjour my British chums!

Repeats? Or a whole new show?

I seem to remember it being Friday night.... some fun tv after trying not to watch The Word.

Repeats. But so worth watching.

The guy who paints pictures of brick walls with his own poo is properly burned into my memory… influencing the shade of brown by watching what he eats. such an odd show.

Gloriously and knowingly bizarre. And so much stuff I can’t really mention on Dakka.

Definitely worth watching the repeats though. It has a timeless quality.

Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis are core memories when it comes to the scifi of my youth. Almost even more than The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine/Voyager. It was amazing when we used to have 18+ episodes in a season of a show.

Not sure where the anime thread went so I'll put this here;

Yatagarasu: The Three Legged Raven Does Not Choose its Master

This has gotta be the most understated anime I've seen in years. It's easily overlooked because it initially looks like a cheesy rom-drama with an Imperial setting, but it is not.

This series is a very tightly told and engaging political thriller. The characters are extremely well written in, often in understated ways that don't quite play out until the closing episodes of the series. The plot is tight with a great sense of mystique and how to build twists and turns before executing them. The ability to build suspense is fantastic.

This is the best anime I've seen this year so far by country miles, and anyone who in interested in a mystery series, a good drama, or political intrigues could probably find some enjoyment in it.

The first half of the season wrapped up this week and a second comes before the year ends.

Another thing watching early SG-1 reminded me. There’s nice exposition about which real world culture inspired each “god”. And that’s typically Daniel explaining, and Jack getting clarification. A lovely way to get your audience up to speed without leaving them feeling thick.

Suits

Season 9 hit Netflix and if I've seen it before I don't remember it.

Also maybe I need to rewatch the series because I don't remember feeling like the 'heroes' of the story were all kind of getting what they deserved when the 'villain' walked through the door to straighten them out for breaking the law so much. Like, I guess I don't remember seaosn 8 very well. I can't even remember what the climax was but I pick up 9 and it sure feels like the people we're supposed to root for kind of deserve to lose and their triumph is a tragedy?

The Boys S4 E6

Oh god this show keeps getting weirder and more outrageous, and I’m absolutely loving it.

I feel like I need to go to church and be absolved of sin after watching that episode.

Like I am 100% convinced I am going to hell because I watched that.

Well you can’t have any of my eye-bleach. I’m saving it for the next episode because it keeps getting weirder and better ??

I’m finding the Boys to be boring and predictable at this point.

The reveal about Butchers CIA friend was a nice touch, though.

The Sympathizer (HBO Max) Episode 1

Robert Downey Jr being an absolute scumbag CIA officer as a supporting character in this dark semi-comedy spy story. Focuses on a North Vietnamese spy who works for a South Vietnamese general, and is assigned to go with him in exile/retreat to America.

The fall of Saigon scene was wild. Street littered with the uniforms and gear of retreating/surrendering South Vietnamese soldiers while a group of refugees make their way to a C-130, which is a particularly harrowing and sad scene. A solid start to what looks to be a unique story on a subject matter that I’m not too familiar with.

I get the sense from a lot of yanks you guys are less impressed with the boys as they have got lazier and just used real world terms and groups (like the protest groups batman/Tekknight - shame they made him a supe - was being forced to give to), but those groups are fairly American, so for the rest of us its still novel.

I think the issue the Boys runs into is that as a show it came along a bit late to the post-modern Superhero party. Watchmen, Worm, The Dark Knight Returns, Kickass, and a whole lot of other superhero media kind of beat them to it.

Which takes a bit of the wind from their sales and leaves the show kind of being that super edgy show that has the subtlety of an M4 Sherman driving through your front door to deliver the point.

I've never been that into it, but the US has probably been more saturated in that kind of media than other places so I imagine there's a higher chance of an American being unimpressed by the show than others.

I dunno.

The Boys is genuinely outrageous and pulls no punches. But as a satire of modern super hero’s and cults of personality? Despite its deliberate excesses, the message gets through.

And I for one do enjoy a bit of the outrageous. The gloriously not-PC but actually PC. The middle ground those desperately determined to invent a culture war will never, ever admit exists.

Episode 2 of The Sympathizer, wherein Robert Downey Jr hilariously plays a completely different character from Episode 1. This time as a racist, but totally not racist chairman of Asian studies at a university who sponsors our main character during his transition to America.

Sandra Oh portrays the very "americanized" Japanese secretary to RDJ's college character and the main characters love interest.

Later in the very same episode, RDJ comes back as the scummy CIA operative from Episode 1. Judging by the thumbnail pictures of this show, I'm assuming RDJ will play every prominent Caucasian character that The Sympathizer will interact with.

This show is fun!