Topic: The TV Show Thread

@JohnnyShoulder I'm fine with a slow build up. Billy has some great lines, his Spice girls speech was funny in the first season. I'm tempted to check out the comic line having seen the show but like you will probably wait until it's finished. Elements of it remind of another comic line I thought was really good about a more real world take on a 'Superman' style character - Supreme Power.

I'd recommend it for a read.

Finished up the second season of Arrow. Yep, two seasons in a couple of weeks. I have to say that those last few episodes were right up there with Daredevil as some of my favourite TV superhero episodes I’ve seen. Deathstroke was just brilliant, a villain that isn’t explored enough as he’s great in the comics as well. Hopefully we’ll see him more in the Snyder Cut.

Oof, just finished season two of Cobra Kai. That was... something. AMAZING fight choreagraphy, and one of the most emotionally gutting episodes of television I've seen since Breaking Bad's "Ozymandias."

Also watching The Haunting of Hill House, which is just fantastic. Last episode was done in what looked like only a handful of shots and was reminiscent of a stage play due to how constrained the sets were and how reliant on dialogue and character chemistry it was. Amazing acting all around.

@Ralizah Yeah that episode of THOHH was a great piece of filmmaking. I can't wait to hear what you think of the next episode (or it could be the one after, I forget now), which I think was my favourite of the series.

Looks like I'll be getting Disney + again next month.

@BearsEatBeets Yeah can't wait. I've not heard any news of any other new shows coming to D+ to tempt me from cancelling my sub when the free period expires.

@JohnnyShoulder Will your free peroid cover the second series? Apparently it will be 8 weekly episodes so won't finish until the end of the year. I'm going to resubscribe the day the first episode airs or maybe few days after to try and cover it in 2 months of subs.

@BearsEatBeets It should do, it lasts to the end of Jan next year.

Honestly I watched about 4 episodes of the Mandalorian with my mum and she was a bit bored by it so I’ll probably watch the rest myself. It definitely is quite lowkey but I liked that.

I just watched the social dilemma documentary on Netflix, fascinating watch and would thoroughly recommend (though the irony of posting that on an Internet forum is not lost on me). I deleted my Facebook account years ago but made me realise that time on work emails, guardian app, lurking on reddit and maybe even my time checking news here also scratch some of those same itches the big apps target. I've just changed my browser, set an app time limit on my most used apps and deleted outlook/reddit off my phone. Kids tube is now banned in our house (though we manage screen time for our little one reasonably well). The echo chamber and positive reinforcement of our own beliefs on social media has never been more devicive than it is now (and I had an active Facebook account during an independence referendum). Nevermind, I've preordered a ps5, so even my controller can listen in on me now 😂

@R1spam Yeah — i watched The Social Dilemma too and was going to post my thoughts and it sounds like it moved you in pretty much the same way.

It’s pretty disturbing how social media and the internet have grown into this monster that we now cannot control. The AI in the apps is scary. And to see many of the executive leaders and early developers of these technologies and the strategic planners of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, SnapChat, etc. are voluntarily coming out in these interviews and pleading for some kind of regulation and warning us all about it, well it’s quite unsettling. I think it’s telling that most of the people they interviewed who’ve run these companies don’t allow their own children to use the products they helped develop.

I would encourage everyone to take an hour and a half and watch the show too. It could potentially change your life.

You need look no further than the recent furor right here on our very site (TLoU2, JK Rowling) and the subsequent calls for moderation to see the very things this documentary is warning about and the rapid polarization of society. COVID, racism, ... so many growing tensions escalating to violence. No one wants to have real discussions and learn from opposing viewpoints anymore because of the echo-chambers that their social media has manufactured for them which gives them a false sense of reality. I can’t believe how deftly and subconsciously the social media world has [granted, unintentionally] created pockets of radicals with a loss of any real way to know what is true and what isn’t.

When they interviewed the one guy (I forget all their names, I believe he was a former Twitter executive) and asked what did he foresee the end point to be and he said “Civil War.” Truly concerning, indeed.

As a person who doesn’t participate in mainstream social media — I also either deleted or never meaningfully used FB, IG, Twitter, Snapchat, Tik Tok, etc — it pains me to see that it makes no difference and people who don’t actually use social media are still going to be affected by its parasitic effects because of the tumult in society it creates.

To be devil’s advocate (and I think the developers interviewed alluded to this) these technologies have done a lot of good for society as well. The tool itself may not be rotten and unethical, it’s the user of the tool who is to blame, and so society at large must share in the burden of social unrest and declining mental health that has ensued. And just like many of societies other ills, probably the only way out is some kind of massive reform and regulation.

@Ralizah Glad to see you're watching The Haunting of Hill House! It's easily the best miniseries I've ever seen, and absolutely up there as one of my favourite shows ever. Episode 6 truly is masterfully filmed. If I remember correctly, the episode was divided up into 5 takes total. Obviously all of them were made to have seamless transitions however, so it really does feel like a one-take episode a la 1917. Easily one of my favourite episodes of 2018. And you're right, the acting really is top notch as well. I'm particularly partial to Kate Siegel who plays Theo, and even nominated her in my personal Emmys of 2019. Really great cast all around. I'd gladly hear your thoughts whenever you finish it so we could discuss it more in-depth if you want! Super excited for Bly Manor to hit in just 19 short days.

@RogerRoger I really quite like the back half of season 2 but I think season 3 is widely considered the best one. I enjoy the darker stuff though, Buffy does have to grow up at some point even if people like Xander(grr) don’t. Yes, Oz is great and I love him!

@RogerRoger @nessisonett I've noticed everyone seems to really love the show's third season, but it sits firmly on the lower rung of seasons for me (although above seasons 1 and 7, obviously; it's probably better than season 6, but I enjoyed that season more for how audacious it was). Season 5 is probably my favorite season of the show overall, I think, in terms of having an interesting villain, and the best balance of funny episodes with heart-breaking ones. Also, the climactic episode of that season was never really topped, imo, which makes sense when you consider it was written in a way where it could have been a series climax.

I love season 2, though, in terms of how it takes the idea of "my boyfriend changed when we slept together" and turned it into an apocalyptic nightmare. Also, Angelus is crueler and sexier than most of the other villains in the show, and really flexes that male yandere vibe. And Spike enjoys some fantastic character development over the course of the series and Angel.

@RogerRoger I've not seen it i years, but i do not think Buffy ever goes back to being a "campy, hopeful monster-of-the-week show" as you put it, apart from the odd episode maybe. Good luck with season 3, hopefully it resonates with you a bit more.

@RogerRoger Angel’s Irish accent is literally the worst thing I’ve ever heard as well. It crops up a few times and it sounds horrific every time. It’s somehow worse than Tom Cruise’s one in Far and Away, which is impressive.

@Th3solution I would agree that there are also huge positives to social media platforms and I thought they did a good job of alluding to that. It was very scary stuff though, not easy viewing but well worth it. Anyway I might try the highscore documentary for a bit more lighthearted watching!

Just noticed there is a Dragon's Dogma series on Netfix (anime). I never actually played the game but I might check it out.

@R1spam Good idea — I’ve had that one in my watchlist for a while and just haven’t taken the time. If you do watch it let me know if it’s worth it.

That Wandavision trailer makes it look really quite odd but I’m loving the look of it. I respect that they’re doing something different as Marvel projects have somewhat merged into the one tone in recent years. I like the elements from the recent Vision run as well, that’s one of the best runs of the 2010s!