@Th3solution Thought I'd give you a tag, because I watched the first episode of that Mythic Quest comedy on Apple TV+ you mentioned recently...? It was okay, but the games development aspect felt kinda superfluous. It reminded me of Liam Neeson's recent career, in which he plays a bunch of [insert profession here] characters in otherwise identikit movies.
On the strength of its first episode, Mythic Quest looks to be a solid, reliable example of a modern workplace sitcom; it just happened to land on "games development" when spinning the premise wheel. And sure, they do commit to that premise (perhaps with too much authenticity in parts) and some of its jokes and comments made me smile, but few made me laugh out loud. The characters are your usual mix of charming, kooky, exasperated and annoying, and their arcs are clearly telegraphed, so you'll know if you wanna invest your time in them pretty early on. I mean, it's got F. Murray Abraham in it, and he's always brilliant, even when he's playing a well-worn and therefore predictable stereotype.
It's the kinda thing I'd go back and finish once I'd watched everything else I wanna watch, if I still had a week of my subscription left. Knowing the kinds of comedy shows you've enjoyed before, I reckon you might get a little more mileage out of it than I did.
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I also binge-watched the entire second season of Ted Lasso (still awesome, but trying a few new things here and there, some of which worked and some of which categorically did not) and checked out the first couple of episodes of the thriller Home Before Dark. The little girl they've got leading that show is frighteningly talented for one so young. It's a remarkable performance.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger Thanks for the tag and the useful impressions on Mythic Quest and others. It sounds slightly disappointing that MQ didn’t lean into the game development / nerd culture enough to set it apart, because I honestly think the workplace comedy schtick has been so well done with The Office and 30 Rock, so I was hoping for better use of the favorable and unique setting.
But I think if time permits I’ll watch a couple episodes of Ted Lasso and see if it sticks. Not being a soccer fan, I’m not sure if the jokes will hit as hard for me.
But first I gotta get through Squid Game and Falcon and the Winter Soldier (yes, I’m still working through that, I’m embarrassed to say.)
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution Yeah. I mean, again, I'm basing this off of its first episode, and it might start carving out a unique identity for itself further down the line but, at least to begin with, it felt very samey. I did appreciate its authentic representation of gaming (for the most part, warts an' all) so, providing it keeps that up, there'd be a nice "inside joke" aspect to it, I suppose.
Will be interesting to see what you make of Ted Lasso. I'm pretty sure it's been well-balanced. I'm not what you'd call a fan of the sport either, but I understand and can appreciate the game, and my family being crazy about it has helped me absorb enough of its culture over the years.
Hey, finding the time is tough nowadays! I just hope you're enjoying whatever you're watching!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
I finished Castlevania the other day, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. The ending was quite satisfying, although I do wish there was more of it. Season three is a little oddly paced compared to season two, but makes up for it in a thrilling couple of episode that cap off the season. Speaking of which, there were some surprisingly filthy moments in season three that I was not expecting from a cartoon (even one as violent and bloody as Castlevania).
Billy Nighy is great as Saint-Germain, but in season four sounds like he recorded his lines in his downstairs toilet over Zoom. Which he probably did, owing to the pandemic. My favourite character might actually be Isaac, as he has quite an interesting character arc. Sypha is also great, and I love her animations when she's in full-on battle mode with her spells flying around.
Next I might watch this Squid Game and see what all the fuss is about.
Binged watched all of the Star Wars Visions episodes yesterday morning. Despite being the "safest" premises I think "The Duel" & "The Elder" were amongst my favorites, though I thought "Lop & Ocho" was excellent too, and "the Bride" & "the Ninth Jedi" were very solid. Elsewhere I found myself enjoying the one with the little robot boy (can't remember the name) more than I thought I would, "the Twins" was fun but perhaps a bit OTT considering the source material, and though I appreciate it for doing something different I wasn't big on "Tatooine Rhapsody". Also, while it deserves credit for the unexpected ending, the last one wasn't one of my faves (though I'll admit I wasn't big on it's art direction, so that could have played a part).
Still, overall it's very much worth a look.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
I finally finished it. Watched 1-3 episodes a day over the past week and just have to say it was fantastic in my book. 8/10 is probably a good objective overall score (totally agree that the English speaking VIP actors are what really bring the show down. That whole episode when they are introduced is just the main detractor from the show reaching its full potential. The B-grade actors they bring in, the poor English script, and the strange tone of it all. ) but I think the series as a whole feels even higher than an 8/10 in my mind because I went into it dragging my feet and not expecting much. I’m glad to have been pleasantly surprised.
Major Spoilers ahead (but hidden) *
The ending was really great and solidified it all. And I really like shows that are hopelessly dark and miserable, but show a character come to discover and embrace their good side and choose the benevolent and selfless route. It’s a great juxtaposition with the violence and depravity, and an encouraging take on a sick and greedy society.
And although I had suspected very early when Hwang discovers his brother won the contest in his year that his brother would probably be the man behind the black mask and so wasn’t surprised at that, yet I absolutely did not see the ACTUAL big twist in the last episode coming. It was a gut punch to see the old man be the mastermind of it all. He was probably my favorite character other than Gi Hun and the show brilliantly toys with the viewer emotions to draw you close the the old man, grow to have such empathy for him and then completely pull the rug out from under you when you see him to be the boss of the whole thing! Fantastic, and so well acted! It felt like an M. Night Shyamalan piece, like when they were still good. 😅
It was a great ride from beginning to end and such a large amount of symbolism, social commentary, and head-trippy exposition. Also, any way the square, triangle, circle motif has anything to do with the PlayStation symbols? 😜 I think it’s more related to the Korean alphabet, but I was wondering about the symbolism there.
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy I didn’t tag you in the post above since you hadn’t finished the show when you last commented and I didn’t want to potentially spoil things for you. But I suspect you have probably finished the show by now since you were already close the the end. In the end, as you can see above, I was really, really impressed.
How did you find the ending?
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
I actually thought the last episode was really weak.
The final game was stylish and played out as you'd expect. After that, I thought it was all a bit of a let down.
The reveal of the old man being behind it and still alive (temporarily) seemed kind of superfluous and undid the whole arc of his story before that. And then the huge eye roll finish leaving a second series open left me feeing a bit deflated.
I was worried about the epilogue being an empty “happy ending” where Gi Hun goes home to now have all this money and lives happily ever after. It’s what I though might happen there. So when the old man reveal came it really saved it from becoming too trite, in my opinion. The fact he changes his hair color, goes to find Sae Byoek’s brother, and finds his redemption, so to speak, was refreshing yet tragic. The fact that they dangle the potential second season there was slightly eye rolling, but it didn’t bother me too much since I can see it going a different direction. He obviously wants revenge and to shut down the games. Did Hwang actually die when he fell off the cliff when his brother shot him? Did his videos he sent get delivered to his police supervisor? There are lots of unanswered questions and routes they can take on a follow up. But I also can see that the series could stand on its own if they just ended it here and left the questions hanging.
But I can understand where you might feel the ending to be disappointing. The old man’s arc was turned upside down. But I think back on scenes where he could have died and it makes a little sense. Like when the lights went out and there was anarchy and gang fights he screams out and they turn the light on to stop it, like it was on his prompting. Also clearly the first game he was smiling and laughing and having fun, which is what he was wanting by entering the games. I might have to watch the show again to catch it all, but I like that — sort of like at the end of Sixth Sense where you want to go back immediately and see how you could have possibly missed that twist the whole time.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@RR529 Thanks for your thoughts on Star Wars: Visions up there. I was really keen to see what you made of 'em, knowing you're an anime fan an' all, so I'm grateful for the detailed breakdown on each episode. I still haven't made it past "The Twins" but I anticipate a growing Star Wars mood in the coming months, as we race towards The Book of Boba Fett over the holidays, so I'm kinda saving them.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
Just finished watching The Outsider. I thought it was a decent show with an interesting premise and mystery, as you would expect from a Stephen King novel. However, the episodes felt so long-winded and you could clearly tell that this story was meant to be experienced by reading it and not watching it. Most of the time, nothing exciting is happening and there's way too much exposition for a show with only one season and ten episodes. Makes sense for a novel, but not really as a TV show if you ask me.
I'm also disappointed that it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. There were definitely some spooky moments here and there, but most of the time it was just people talking. I feel like the villain should've shown up a bit more often and actually tried to attack the people who were investigating it. That would've made for more intense episodes, but if the writers decided to stick to the source material, then obviously they couldn't change anything. Which is another reason why I feel like this story would've been better experienced by reading it.
All in all, it was a fairly good show but sadly I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It's just not that interesting to watch most of the time due to heavy exposition and being incredibly slow-paced.
@nessisonett I saw it while I was skimming through the TV shows on HBO. Sounds like you really like it, I'll have to add it to my watchlist!
It's honestly crazy how many good shows there are on HBO and that are getting new episodes. Supergirl, Stargirl, Succession and apparently Fear the Walking Dead is also on a new season now. Speaking of which, I've started watching The Walking Dead again. It's been so many years since I last watched it, I think the last season I watched was season 7 with Negan, so I'm just going to start watching from that season instead of watching all previous six seasons again. But yeah, I've really missed watching this show. Can't wait to get to the episodes that I haven't seen yet.
Having watched 4 episodes of season 3 now With Sypha and Trevor tasked to look over the crazy church people by The Judge I've already seen Hector getting kicked about even moreso when he's pretty much out for the count... 😔
I finished Castlevania the other day, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. The ending was quite satisfying, although I do wish there was more of it. Season three is a little oddly paced compared to season two, but makes up for it in a thrilling couple of episode that cap off the season. Speaking of which, there were some surprisingly filthy moments in season three that I was not expecting from a cartoon (even one as violent and bloody as Castlevania).
Oh really? I'll be sure to keep that in mind @mookysam!
My favourite character might actually be Isaac, as he has quite an interesting character arc
Yeah Issac's arc over my limited viewing of season 3 so far is already interesting with the shop keeper that gifted him the mirror and his talk on the ship with pirate captain voiced by Lance Riddick (Seriously needed more of the captain he was pretty cool!)
Ah ha sorry for the late reply @Th3solution (and thanks for the consideration of not including me in the spoilery tag) but yes I have seen the end of Squid Game.
I'd have gutted Sang Woo like a fish after bumping off my gurl Sae-Byeok 😢 😂
As for my thoughts on the ending proper?
It was a bit poorly paced in my opinion? I'd have thought he would've already gone and honoured the Sae's last wish to help look after her brother so it was a bit weird that he was just bumming around for a year as a... well... Bum (Though I do sorta get it as well).
And then he got that message from his Gganbu ... why... Why old guy? Why do you do this to me? 😢
Man that was one hell of a twist I didn't see coming. I liked it though and like you said it puts every scene he's in in a whole different context. I didn't actually expect Hwang's bro to be the face-man either! I don't think Hwang is dead though? ... Maybe
To be honest the weirdest thing in the ending was the red hairdo Gi-Hun got. I know it was to symbolise his restored faith in humanity/his rebirth and pulling himself out of his year long depression... But it kinda looked ridiculous...
In regards to episode 7
I actually didn't mind the B-Grade english actors for the VIPS as I thought they were ridiclously outlandish and terrible that I kinda thought was supposed to be the point with them as a caricature of the western elite 😂
Overall I really enjoyed it. I haven't watched a lot of tv over the year... In fact I think Squid Game was the first new tv content I've seen and it was bloody brilliant Episode 6: Gganbu was my favourite episode of the series with some terrific acting on all accounts... Utterly devestating
I'd give it a 9 I think? Only had a few flaws that dragged it down for me personally
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Glad you enjoyed it. And I agree with most of your sentiments. I also thought the red hair was really off-putting. It looked so ridiculous that it distracted from the serious tone of the ending. They nailed the acting part in showing how depressed, traumatized, and forlorn Gi-Hun was in the end, but then when he has the symbolic mental resurrection, the red hair came across as a bit comical and distracting. 😅 Maybe it makes more sense culturally in the East.
Nevertheless, it’s a small point in an overall great show. Like you, I rarely find (or take) the time to pour into TV these days. Other interests pull me away, like gaming and whatnot. But for some reason Squid Game captured my interest like many other shows have been unable to do.
I really need to try this Castlevania show, I guess. I watched part of the first episode way back when it first launched, but it didn’t hold my interest. I really don’t have a ton of experience with the source material, so maybe that’s why it didn’t resonate? I played Symphony of the Night, and then Lords of Shadow a while back, but don’t remember much about either of them. Do you think I’ll enjoy the series with such little background knowledge?
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
I've not played a single Castlevania game @Th3solution
I've played Bloodstained of course (which is so obviously Castlevania with the serial numbers filed off to make it legally distinct) but I have zero experience with the actual source material.
So yeah I'm definitely sure you can enjoy it without knowing jack about the lore as I clearly don't and am doing so!
The first episode is a touch slow and from what I recall i think it was supposed to be a trio of 80 minute films when it was first envisioned (hence season 1 only having 4 episodes) before it was expanded upon in the later seasons.
I can't say for sure you'll like it more but I'd give it another chance if you can... It'll certainly fit in for the Halloween season! 😄
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
@ralphdibny Well, Eastenders, Corrie, Hollyoaks, Emmerdale etc are actually crossing over in the near future for the first time. Perhaps we’ll see post-credits scenes of Phil Mitchell gathering the infinity stones?
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