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We’ve been watching Buffy a bit. We got to the episode with the demon stuck n cyberspace, and it’s amazing that all of Giles’ “old fuddy duddy” concerns about the role of computers and the internet in our lives have turned out to be prescient. If anything, he underestimated the dangers.

Honestly, the deep lore of the games isn't anything particularly special. It was just presented in a really interesting way that combined with some of the best gameplay of its era really hit with players.

Beyond the first game its attempts to go deep lore kind of devolves into the same generic Humans vs Advanced Aliens vs Hivemind conflict most sci fi universes stall out on with a bit of ancient aliens mystery box bits of intrigue that hooked people until they were answered.

None of this is BAD mind you. It's just not particularly special outside of providing the framework for some really exceptional gameplay but its not all that unique of a setting overall.

The Beauty continues to impress.

Whilst it’s interesting from the get go, it takes its time really setting out what’s going on. Some might find that frustrating, and sometimes it can be. Here though we get pay offs for our patience and indulgence.

I’m particularly taken with Ashton Kutcher’s performance. He’s playing a Beautified Vincent D’Onofrio. And he does it really well. The menace and clipped tones of King Pin, the sense of tightly controlled anger. Even the facial expressions are there.

However. If American Horror Story isn’t your bag? You may struggle with this, as it’s the same team and pretty much the same vibe. And yes, I’m still expecting it to be revealed as taking place in the same shared universe.

 LunarSol wrote:
Honestly, the deep lore of the games isn't anything particularly special. It was just presented in a really interesting way that combined with some of the best gameplay of its era really hit with players.

Beyond the first game its attempts to go deep lore kind of devolves into the same generic Humans vs Advanced Aliens vs Hivemind conflict most sci fi universes stall out on with a bit of ancient aliens mystery box bits of intrigue that hooked people until they were answered.

None of this is BAD mind you. It's just not particularly special outside of providing the framework for some really exceptional gameplay but its not all that unique of a setting overall.

Except for the reasons why the Covenant exist is actually really cool.

Humans used to be a giant evil empire that subjugated everyone until the aliens put their differences together and literally bombed us back to the stone age.

Fast forward a very long time, the stories of Humans returning have gone from real events to legends to myth. And while we (humanity) is unaware of our past, the aliens have built a religion around the fact that the Great evil (us) may return some day.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:

 LunarSol wrote:
Honestly, the deep lore of the games isn't anything particularly special. It was just presented in a really interesting way that combined with some of the best gameplay of its era really hit with players.

Beyond the first game its attempts to go deep lore kind of devolves into the same generic Humans vs Advanced Aliens vs Hivemind conflict most sci fi universes stall out on with a bit of ancient aliens mystery box bits of intrigue that hooked people until they were answered.

None of this is BAD mind you. It's just not particularly special outside of providing the framework for some really exceptional gameplay but its not all that unique of a setting overall.

Except for the reasons why the Covenant exist is actually really cool.

Humans used to be a giant evil empire that subjugated everyone until the aliens put their differences together and literally bombed us back to the stone age.

Fast forward a very long time, the stories of Humans returning have gone from real events to legends to myth. And while we (humanity) is unaware of our past, the aliens have built a religion around the fact that the Great evil (us) may return some day.

The Forerunner stuff is cool, just VERY cliche for the era. It's one of the more interesting versions of it for sure, but didn't really land with me when it felt like every story was going the ancient aliens route.

Watching some old TV Burp on YouTube.

God I miss this show. Harry Hill in his absolute element.

Babylon 5 on DVD.

Missing the pilot episode . And the case is a disaster. This must be a much older DVD format. It's annoying and tedious. Unlike the SG1 DVD's you can't easily go back the the main menu, at least with VLC player. Other than that no complaints. The picture and sound quality are quite good. I am just starting disk 2. There are 4 episodes per disk thus far.

Gladiators

Season 3 has begun on BBC1, and I am of course watching on iPlayer.

Whilst a format which can wear out its welcome? It’s the formula that just needs a rest now and again. Because it ain’t broke. And never was.

It’s just good clean fun, isn’t it? Sure, whatever your preference the Gladiators themselves will give you a wee thrill just by existing. But the games are good fun, and way beyond my puny capabilities.

Not entirely sure Viper has properly stepped into Wolf’s shoes. But then I’m now a cynical middle aged git, and not some credulous kiddo just enjoying having someone to boo and hiss at.

I think to get an equivalent to Wolf, you really need to combine Viper and Legend...

Yeah that could work.

What I think the secret to the show is that the events are something most people could at least have a crack at. By no means with anything like the skill and endurance of the competitors and gladiators we see. But they’re not completely daft.

I mean, if you put my mates and I in the games? We’d enjoy ourselves, even if we’re knackered after each and every one.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Continuing my watch through of DS9.

Much as I enjoy Jake and Nog throughout the show? I still find their kid phase really endearing. But, Cirroc Lofton’s astounding growth spurt may have been for the best.

Between seasons, he went from Obvious Kid, to Young Adult. And it feels like the script writers had the sense to lean into that, giving him and Nog more mature themes to their camaraderie and mucking about.

They’re also a marked improvement on Wesley Crusher’s Precocious Genius, as they’re allowed to Just Be Kids.

I also appreciate the switcheroo further down the road, with Jake choosing to become a civilian journalist and writer, and Nog joining Starfleet. Again, credit to the writers for not making either feel especially forced. Okay, Nog’s wish is rather abrupt. But the in-universe reasoning is solid.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Yeah that could work.

What I think the secret to the show is that the events are something most people could at least have a crack at. By no means with anything like the skill and endurance of the competitors and gladiators we see. But they’re not completely daft.

I mean, if you put my mates and I in the games? We’d enjoy ourselves, even if we’re knackered after each and every one.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Continuing my watch through of DS9.

Much as I enjoy Jake and Nog throughout the show? I still find their kid phase really endearing. But, Cirroc Lofton’s astounding growth spurt may have been for the best.

Between seasons, he went from Obvious Kid, to Young Adult. And it feels like the script writers had the sense to lean into that, giving him and Nog more mature themes to their camaraderie and mucking about.

They’re also a marked improvement on Wesley Crusher’s Precocious Genius, as they’re allowed to Just Be Kids.

I also appreciate the switcheroo further down the road, with Jake choosing to become a civilian journalist and writer, and Nog joining Starfleet. Again, credit to the writers for not making either feel especially forced. Okay, Nog’s wish is rather abrupt. But the in-universe reasoning is solid.

In hindsight it's a bit sad for the actor that jake's by far best episode is the one where he's not played by Cirroc Lofton but by Tony Todd in an outstanding performance.
Personally I never minded Jake and especially the Light Ship episode is also a good one. In the later seasons the writers seem to forget about him (or Keiko, for that matter).

DS9 S2 E13, The Armageddon Game.

The one in which O’Brien and Bashir become the Super Best Friends.

This is an absolute cracker. Colm Meaney gets what is possibly his first chance to properly carry an episode, and does so with genuine aplomb. Not bad for a bit part “also starring” guy from TNG. Alexander Siddig gets to show a more mature Bashir, and it’s a marriage made in heaven. Heck, even Keiko gets some time in the limelight and shines right back.

It’s episodes like this that really made DS9 such an excellent show.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Wonder Man (Jio Hostar/and Disney + I guess, IDK, it's blocked here)

Perfectly cromulent MCU story, doing something a little different this time.

Simon is a struggling actor with a dark secret, Trevor is a former international terrorist who honestly, really, totally thought he was just acting. And together they fight crime and/or audition for films. Actually there's no crime fighting.

It's cromulent. Perfectly cromulent.

The problem is I would have happily watched 4 hours of Trevor/The Mandarin/Sir Ben Kingsley tell long rambling pointless and profane stories about his glory days. But I never really feel much for Simon/Wonder Man/Yahya Abdul-Mateen, I mean he seems a good dude and I'm hoping he gets his big break but he's not really that entertaining to watch y'know.


(can't hot link)

I agree, t'was quite cromulent indeed. I liked Simon though, I thought that actor did a good job.

We just finished season 2 of Buffy. I’m looking forward to season 3 because it’s my favorite. Not sure how much longer we want to watch after that. Maybe up through season 5?

Watched the first few episodes of Stargirl.

Kinda mixed on it at the moment, I like that it's not ashamed of it's comic book origins and can be dark without taking it's overly seriously (A problem I felt a lot of the earlier CW superhero shows had). But Courtney herself is wearing on me already (She's just too unrelentingly optimistic and peppy), and I'm not sure I like the "Create a teen version of the JSA and defeat the bad guys through the power of friendship" direction the show seems to be going.

I'll still give it a few more episodes though, I mainly want to see if they ever explain how a fairly overpowered iteration of the JSA got so thoroughly trounced.

Two more lost Doctor Who episodes (1 and 3 of The Dalek’s Masterplan) have been recovered, preserved and added to the archive.

They’ll be available in their restored state on iPlayer as of Easter. This is quite exciting!

Scarpetta

Crime thriller series with a spectacular cast including Nicole Kidman, Jamie-Lee Curtis, Bobby Cannavale and Simon Baker.

It jumps between timeframes, where we’ve other actors portraying the lead roles, which I’ll be honest is a bit messy here and there. This isn’t helped by the actress cast as Nicole Kidman’s younger is her spitting image, so takes a moment to realise it’s another flashback scene.

But the cast is so strong and the performances so enjoyable it’s easily overlooked. And if you’re into crime thrillers, it’s definitely worth a watch.

Amazon MGM effort, so watchable on Prime.

Tracker

Honestly, a mystery of the week format with a larger over-arching personal story-line so popular right now.

It reminds me of a mix of Supernatural and Reacher. Perfectly fine for what it is.

Started watching the second season of live action One Piece and they've done a really exceptional job. I wasn't in a huge rush as I'm mostly a fan of the manga, but the way they've looped in later retcons and reworked scenes in really clever ways without really losing the heart of it. The sheer volume of practical effects in this is a huge breath of fresh air for me and the sets and costumes are absolute labors of love.

Miami Vice

Is on Prime, and I was too wee to see it when it first aired.

Good lord the pilot is all over the shop tonally. Moments of outright comedy (court staff all pulling guns out), but otherwise played fairly straight, until it isn’t.

Is quite good fun though.

 LunarSol wrote:
Started watching the second season of live action One Piece and they've done a really exceptional job. I wasn't in a huge rush as I'm mostly a fan of the manga, but the way they've looped in later retcons and reworked scenes in really clever ways without really losing the heart of it. The sheer volume of practical effects in this is a huge breath of fresh air for me and the sets and costumes are absolute labors of love.

Here's hoping it doesn't take another 3 years to get S3.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I feel it’s been too long. Far far too long. Since we of the British persuasion caused Lathe a proper cultural migraine.

No AI. No Shenanigans. No lies. And certainly, definitely, absolutely No Context.

New series of Daredevil has kicked off.

Think i want to go back and watch the previous season though. First episode is so far quite low on action, instead providing exposition and scene setting etc. So to remember where we left off seems beneficial.

I've been watching Paradise on Disney+ (in UK)

Essentially it's a post-apocalypse show with all of the world's rich and famous living in a bunker. But it's surprisingly good (in my opinion) and has little threads running through it that are quite interesting. I also like that Season 1 and Season 2 are quite different.

Been watching some Babylon 5 space battles on YouTube as supercuts.

And it’s only now I realise that what always bothered me about the CGI ships was actually, arguably (possibly confirmed?) a deliberate stylistic and budgetary break from the norm.

It’s the smooth hulls, with more organic colours and patterning.

I grew of course with model work special effects, sometimes with a bit of CGI polish. And that entailed Greeblies to impart a sense of scale where perhaps the cinematography couldn’t on its own.

So, of course smooth hulled ships stick out like a sore thumb. They’re unlike any spaceships I’d seen to that point. And remain pretty rare even now.

I can only offer my apologies to those behind B5 for me taking 30 or so years to realise this, and formerly criticising your stellar efforts as crude in comparison, which I should’ve been saluting your bold choice of compromise.

Bought Seasons 5 & 6 of Arrow so I can watch the CW show with the highest kill count of any show on that network.

Oliver Queen's Kill Count: Estimated at 258 kills so far. Felicity Smoak is winning with 10,000+

Finished season 2 of live action One Piece.

Much like the first season, it's good but still has its issues. I find it a little too fast paced, not all the changes they make work, and they are still really struggling to choreograph Luffy's fight scenes (Stretchy powers continue to be a nightmare to do in live action I'm guessing).
On the plus side though, they've really embraced the series inherent cartooniness this season and the main cast are really gelling well together, plus I just continue to be amazed that it's One Piece of all shows that has made one of the most successful leaps from anime to live action.

Bring on season 3!

Talamasca: The Secret Order, the latest series in AMC's Immortal Universe based in the works of Anne Rice isn't so immortal as it's been cancelled after one season...

So, HBO Max is now available in the UK. £10 a month for the full catalogue and No Ads, £5.99 for full catalogue with ads, £4.99 for partial catalogue and ads.

There is stuff on there I wouldn’t mind watching. But I only just sacked off loads of other subscriptions this month.

It also somewhat pisses me of that I already pay a premium on Prime for no ads, and that’s a fairly comfortable £2 a month. But here? I’m not only having to pay again, but more.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
So, HBO Max is now available in the UK. £10 a month for the full catalogue and No Ads, £5.99 for full catalogue with ads, £4.99 for partial catalogue and ads.

There is stuff on there I wouldn’t mind watching. But I only just sacked off loads of other subscriptions this month.

It also somewhat pisses me of that I already pay a premium on Prime for no ads, and that’s a fairly comfortable £2 a month. But here? I’m not only having to pay again, but more.

Just wait, soon you'll be watching ads to to play Xbox games.