Topic: The TV Show Thread

Aye, might not be one for you in that case bud.

Cat Planet Cuties (Blu-Ray)

With a name like "Cat Planet Cuties", you know what to expect from this, and it delivers on it, really no more no less.

It's your standard fare harem fan service anime, with light themes and nods to classic & b-movie sci-fi properties (like "Star Trek"), plus a lot of cat (& dog) puns.

Angel Cop (Blu-Ray)

80's-90's OVA set in near future (I think 2000, lol?) Japan that sees an extra legal police force combating "communist" terrorists who want to destroy Japan's booming economy.

With cybernetically enhanced police, a trio of telekinetic assassins, hyper detailed, gritty, & gory animation, it's sort of a mixture of "Ghost in the Shell", "Akira", & other such seminal works that delivers a generally awesome blood soaked time.

Unfortunately it is held back by some mean spirited elements. At first blush it's "merely" nationalistic, with a jealous America pulling the strings of the terrorists & assassins (Japan will agree to be the next state, or else they will tank the economy & turn the country into a nuclear waste dump), and if you're watching the dub or "censored subtitled" versions that's as deep as it goes (& those are probably the only variants available on streaming platforms).

However, the Blu-Ray release also includes an "uncensored subtitled" track, with a warning upon startup that says it "features dialogue offensive to certain nationalities & ethnicities", and urges you to watch the dub or "censored subtitled" track if you are bothered by such things. Long story short, it features blatantly anti-Semitic sentiments, with the extra context being that America's hostile behavior is due to it being controlled by Jews, who want to exert that control over Japan's economy as well (even Lucifer, the crazy telekinetic big bad, is ultimately described as just wanting to protect America from further damage by them).

Credit to the publisher, one of the special features included is a lengthy article exploring the history of anti-Semitism in Japan, how it peaked in the 80's/90's, & how it likely found it's way into this project (it's a good read, especially as context if you decide to watch the "uncensored subtitled" version).

Of course, you could always just watch the dub (or "censored subtitles") if you want to leave behind some of the more questionable elements, as it's generally a really good watch otherwise (& even then it doesn't outright blow it's top until the final part, although there is a hint a bit earlier on).

In what’s possibly an indicator of my somewhat fragile mental state, I seem to have realised that Torchwood is genuinely very good. I always dismissed it because the first few episodes are mainly rubbish but at a certain point it suddenly jumps to realising that an ‘adult’ show can just mean dealing with mature themes instead of what it’s normally interpreted as. Best way of describing it is going from a Starz show to an HBO show. There’s some incredibly emotionally draining episodes in there but totally engrossing TV as a whole. And the craziest part is that the showrunner was Chris Chibnall. Insane given his Who output.

Because I’ve been binging the full wider Who shows from that period, it’s interesting seeing how well-realised that world actually was. Even Sarah Jane Adventures is quite good and that’s for kids. There were only a few low points in seasons 2 and 3 of the main show as well, plus I’ve decided that Love And Monsters is a total camp masterpiece and does not deserve the drubbing it gets from fans. Definitely excited for the end of the year now, it’ll be nice having Tennant back.

@nessisonett
As a Doctor Who fan I always pushed off watching Torchwood as It didn't look as good and was seemingly edgy for the sake of being edgy. I don't mind dark or edgy content especially if done well but that just never seemed to fit the Who universe to me or whatever you want to call it. So is it respectable to its source material?

@nessisonett I got really confused then as when I first read your post, as I thought it was Deadwood you were on about! 😂

@PegasusActual93 If you can push through the first 4 or 5 episodes where it feels like ‘Doctor Who but edgy’ then I’d say it’s worth it. It excels at feeling like it exists within that universe while dealing with a seedier side of alien hunting.

@JohnnyShoulder Deadwood is also very good! Would love to see Ian McShane come face to face with an alien 😂

Just finished watching season 10 of The Walking Dead. I didn't like it as much as season 9 but it was still good overall. It was also brought down by breaking the pattern of having 16 episodes per season and adding six more episodes of complete filler. Just like with previous seasons, this one did technically end on the 16th episode but it still kept going. Those six episodes focused on a couple of characters instead of continuing with the overall story. As a fan, I did enjoy them regardless. But I would've preferred if the season had just ended after episode 16.

So the main reason why I didn't like this season as much is because of how stupid it was. They went from having all-out wars with guns in previous seasons to losing all of the guns now just for plot convenience. The new enemy doesn't use guns, so if the protagonists had them it wouldn't have been much of a fight. But I just can't help but find it so dumb. It would've been better if season 9 and 10 had come before season 7 and 8. That would've made more sense to me.

Anyway, it was still an enjoyable season and I'm looking forward to finally watching the last season of this show. Can't believe how long it's been going on for and that I'm almost at the end of this journey.

@LtSarge yeah I didn't love 10. Villain came out really strong in previous season, and re-injected the series with some much needed malevolence but it wore thin the longer it all went on. It wasn't all bad but definitely a downgrade from season 9. Kinda also hate that they seem to hold onto Jeffrey Dean Morgan for dear life. Not because his character is really all that compelling but because they need to keep any big name they can so they do. Shoe-horning him in anywhere and everywhere. Gets old. I don't care about his character, like, at all.

Also, I only watched two of the filler episodes and mainly stopped because I hated everything about the Daryl episode. Just, jfc, talk about not knowing your characters. Just an atrocious episode. And you think you can leave it behind and forget it ever happened but, nope, you can't.

Anyway, I won't go into 11 but I'm definitely curious what you think.

@zupertramp I'm honestly completely the opposite. I really like Negan as a character. He is the most memorable villain in the entire show and a great villain in general. The bat is absolutely iconic, the whistling is scary as hell once you recognise it and that smile is just pure evil.

I'm also glad that they didn't kill him, for two reasons. One, they spent so much time on developing his character, so it's nice to see him sticking around. Second, it's refreshing to not kill a villain for once.

Even though I didn't like the filler episodes, the only one I cared about was the Daryl episode. Then they focused on other characters like Gabriel and I completely lost interest. Why make an entire episode about this character? Such a weird choice.

I've watched the first two episodes of season 11 and I'm quite split about the season so far. Will have to see how I feel about it later on.

@LtSarge yeah, as regards Negan he's not a bad villain, or wasn't. And even though the Governor kinda already did the whistling thing I guess it's a good schtick for The Saviors. But when he's not a villain anymore it's really not as fun. But I also like that he wasn't killed. Only that's more about the message it sent than wanting to see him woven so constantly into future story lines.

And lol, I don't think I could have sat through an entire Gabriel centered episode. So we're in agreement that's a bizarre choice. But I also felt the same about Morgan. I just couldn't be bothered to care. But that's probably me being in the minority again.

Succession. Wow.

@LN78 Bound to happen. I was spoiled by the time it was 9PM because it had already aired in the States.

@nessisonett
I was lucky enough not to have last nights episode spoiled, what a curveball! Not to mention the writing and acting was top notch with the way they handled it, made it all uncomfortably realistic.

@nessisonett Gutted for you. I was fortunate enough to go in spoiler-free, but probably only due to living like a hermit (no online) until watching!

I think it is pretty rough for newspapers / articles to put blatent spoilers in their headlines. I understand recaps and reviews being "a thing", but at least give people the agency to click & read at their own peril... instead of putting up the equivalent of a giant neon flashing sign rife with spoilers.

@CJD87 Apparently Larry David was the code used by the writers to refer to Logan Dies so clearly it was kept under wraps internally too!

@LN78 @nessisonett - Genuinely really aggrieves me! I have some friends who prefer to wait until the entire series has aired, and then binge the 10 episodes in a couple of days.

God knows how they'll manage to avoid spoilers for the next couple of months, when papers/articles are broadcasting key plot elements in less than 12 hours from an episode airing.

People have lives, and other priorities... I feel like there is a gun to my head each week to try and watch each new episode ASAP.

Such a shame, because this show sits comfortably in my top 5 of all time.

Side note - I really think the actor who plays Roman has stepped up phenomenally this season. Such a remarkable performance!

@LN78 TLoU is pretty decent tbf - and Pedro / Bella really sold me as Joel & Ellie. It doesn't quite get everything right, and there are some strange issues with narrative pacing, but overall is does a great balancing act in appeasing fans of the game whilst also being palatable for those who are 'going in cold'.

In that sense I think it is a remarkable achievement. I watched it, as a big fan of the game, but my Dad also enjoyed it.... and he had never heard of the IP at all.

I suspect that the commercial success of both TLoU and also the Mario Movie will mean that video-game adaptations will keep coming!

@LN78 @CJD87 Arcane is absolutely phenomenal but I don't think it gets much praise as a video game adaptation since everything in the series is, from what I understand, completely novel and separate from anything going on in the game. Or at least, that's what I've heard as I know nothing about League of Legends. In any case I'm not even a huge fan of animation but I loved Arcane and eagerly await the second season.

Anyone watched Beef? Just finished it last night and man, I don't even know how I feel about it honestly. It's A24 so I should have expected it to go in unusual directions but idk, for a show that had consistently great episodes I'm not sure the whole reflects how good it is along the way. It's like I'm left still deciding or something.

@LN78 lol I actually try not to even think about the show because the next season is just so far away. It's a similar situation with Severance and Winning Time. But I've got Yellowjackets for awhile and a considerable backlog of films so I'm content. I also really really need to finish Atlanta.

So I take it you did tune out in disgust on Picard?

@LN78 There was actually a great article published in the Guardian today, regarding 'Spoiler-etiquette' that directly references the Daily Mail's decision to overtly showcase major plot points: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/apr/12/spoiler-... **DISCLAIMER - Obviously contains Succession spoilers!**

re. Arcane, really glad you hold it in high regard as I coincidentally added it to my Netflix watchlist just yesterday! Hoping to start it next week, but I hear consistently good things about it.

@zupertramp I really loved Severance, and it completely blew me away vs. my initial expectations! That ending... wow, I am incredibly hungry for more. I'm also keen to catch season 2 of YellowJackets, but am waiting for it to be available on NowTV (likely when season concludes it will happen)