You're 100% right! Mad Men is an absolute classic, so many brilliant characters... not to mention it serves as a bit of 'breakout role' piece for Elizabeth Moss (Peggy) and Jon Hamm (Don).
It is a great ride, probably in my top 10 somewhere
Just finished season one of Heartstopper on Netflix. God, it's such a wonderful show. Amazing performances throughout, and totally devoid of all the trauma and needless melodrama that typically make gay teen romance/coming out stories such a drag.
Every single time the show looks like it's going to bend into the various damaging/hurtful tropes that plague LGBT media, it deftly swerves away and subverts them at the last moment, giving the viewer something wholesome and far more nuanced instead.
Gay and trans kids are bombarded with messages about how hard and hurtful it is to be who they are in various media. We need more stuff that comes along and says: "Hey, there are some issues, but there are probably a lot of people in your life who love you and want the best for you as well. You can live a happy life."
@Ralizah I’m pretty sure this is more of a British thing but my feelings with Heartstopper and general attitudes from a certain section of gay and bi fans is that the show is too earnest not to be slightly annoyed by. Like, I absolutely understand what it means to some people to have a gay love story that doesn’t get bogged down in the crap but it rankles a little because that’s still lived experience for every single person I’ve known in the community. A few years back, when there was a little more hope, I’d be right there celebrating it (despite the inherent ick I get from the admittedly silly grumble about fujoshi vibes) but the recent resurgence in media and government backed discrimination makes me nervous about complacency. It’s such a thin line, I totally respect the intention because there really isn’t all that much wholesome content especially for teens, but it can sometimes just slightly veer into presenting a view of the world that isn’t true. Part of me wonders if this is how the older gays felt when the wave of shows featuring sexually liberated characters came about like Queer as Folk and such, having lived through the AIDS crisis. I fundamentally cannot fathom high school being possible in an out gay relationship, the abuse would drive me to the brink. But then things change so maybe I’m out of touch!
The late 90s and early 00s was a completely different experience for me. Utterly miserable period in terms of routine, casual homophobia both on screen and off: gay people were either tragic or a joke. At least I developed a good poker face. Section 28 was only repealed after I had left school and gone to university, which seems insane, looking back. Perhaps a show like Heartstopper in 2001 would have made an immense difference.
@nessisonett Anti-LGBT backlash has been pretty bad in the States as well. Particularly in the south, where I currently live. There's also a very real possibility our right to marry is going to be compromised soon. If a foundational decision like Roe v Wade can go down, a more recent decision certainly can.
That said, I don't see what's gained from primarily reflecting the worst aspects of human life in our art. And I don't think the show is necessarily unrealistic. Certainly some people live in communities where the level of homophobia is much less pervasive. It's not like every gay/trans person ever has been beaten within an inch of their lives, y'know?
More than that, though, the most important function of art is to provide a vision for the way life should be. To give hope for the future. To inspire people to live openly and proudly. And you don't do that by focusing on the bad things that could happen.
I'm not saying depictions of discrimination and hatred need to disappear entirely from our media. But they need to not be the dominant thing people are seeing.
LGBT people can and do live happy lives. That should have more of a place in our art.
And, putting aside the gay theme of the show, I like the way it avoids the usual tropes associated with the genre of teen romance. Characters actually talk to each-other. They seem like human beings. That's a level of nuance typically missing in this genre.
@Ralizah Yeah, like I said, I totally get the intention. In many ways, this is what life could be like if the world hadn’t lurched to the right around 2016. It just hits me in the same way that Pride becoming a happy clappy concert sponsored by oil companies does, I get that celebration of identity can help but there’s still so much work to be done. If it’s just a heartwarming piece of escapism then it’s doing its job!
@Kidfried Ah yes, the big episode! You got yourself through the third season fairly quick. Hope you were able to enjoy it more as it went on too. There's definitely no decline in quality from this point in the fourth season so be sure to savor all the great moments. I know for many that big episode is the highlight, but personally I'm a bigger fan of quite a few episodes that come after. It's gonna be a wild ride to the end, I assure you!
The upcoming limited series with LaKeith Stanfield on Apple TV+, The Changeling looks appropriately creepy in this fresh trailer. They call it a fairy-tale/fable and the vibe it gives off is definitely up my alley!
Anyone else looking forward to this?
Finishing up Star Wars Clone Wars Season 1 for DVD
breezing through Orville Season 3 on Hulu
watching Return to Oz on Disneyplus. along with the Three Men and Baby and Three Men and a Little Lady movies
Finished watching season 4 of DC Titans yesterday. Probably the most uninteresting season so far. It started off so promising but then it went downhill quickly. The villains were uninteresting, character development took way too long (e.g. not training Tim Drake as Robin until the second-to-last episode is absolutely insane!) and there was way too much filler (not to mention talking!) for a 12-episode season. Suffice to say, this was a rather disappointing season.
Started watching Seinfeld. Quite funny. Liking it so far.
"A corpse... should be left well alone. Oh, I know very well. How the secrets beckon so sweetly. Only an honest death will cure you now. Liberate you, from your wild curiosity." - Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower.
@LtSarge Have you been watching this new season of Harley Quinn? I think it's easily the best things DC has going right now on either the TV or movie-front. The people involved there clearly have such a love for the material and history of the brand, and it's pretty fricking hilarious on top of that. Definitely recommend checking it our or catching up if you're not already up to date!
@FuriousMachine Really excited for this! A horror show will always have my intention and I very much enjoyed Apple's previous entry into that space with Servant. Big fan of fairy tale-themed narratives too (to the point where I'm one of those people who finished all of Once Upon a Time), so it's hard not to be intrigued. Lakeith Stanfield tends to pick solid projects from my experience so my hopes are fairly high! They look like they have a pretty solid Fall line-up in general. I'm excited for Lessons in Chemistry too and I'm assuming For All Mankind will finally return for its fourth season before the end of the year.
@Tjuz I think I have the show on my watchlist on HBO, but I haven't started watching it yet. Will do that whenever I decide to get HBO, thanks for the recommendation!
@Tjuz Apple TV+ has a very good hit to miss ratio for me and my taste in TV shows, far better than many of the other streamers, tbh. I haven't gotten around to Servant yet, but it's high on my watchlist.
I lasted quite a bit into Once Upon a Time, but fell off before the end... can't remember exactly when it left me behind, maybe around season 4 or 5, I think. Loved the concept, but felt it wound up spinning its wheels a bit too much at one point (as is so often the case with long running network shows). Same story with Grimm for me.
I've been a bit curious about Harley Quinn, but wasn't sure if it was quite my thing so it sort of fell a bit by the wayside. I like the character, but for me the ultimate version was the one in the Arkham Asylum game and not even Margot Robbie's version could top that one (though I liked her fine in the role), so I've been a bit skeptical of Cuoco in the role. Pushed it up on my watchlist now, as you have me intrigued
This past weekend i binge skimmed through all of the old Back to New York Season of Real World that had the WWE's Miz in it. some stuff in the episodes were great to watch through while most of it was boring.
Best parts were of Mike being picked on by Coral and Malik but then Coral ended up looking like a mean bitch at the same time.
Now Im watching the first New Orleans season of Real World on Paramountplus
@FuriousMachine Ah, definitely check out Servant then! I got to it late myself and watched the first three seasons late last year a few months before the fourth premiered. I think it's a lot better to be able to binge it. I know there's a fair amount of criticism about the show's pacing and all that, but I think it becomes a total non-issue when you don't need to wait week to week. Just make sure you don't go into the show expecting a full-on horrorfest or anything. I would say it's more a very atmospheric show with thriller elements and some dark comedy. It was very much my thing and the production design/camerawork on the show is gorgeous, but I know it can be an acquired taste.
Completely agree with you on Once Upon a Time. It had become formulaic by the final few seasons and was very hit-and-miss. Something about the saccharine nature of the show still made it a pleasant watch for me though, so I didn't actually have trouble getting to the end of it. It was like comfort food, and I still loved seeing Lana Parrilla and Rebecca Mader as Regina and Zelena respectively. They were a treat throughout and easily the character who made that show for me. I will say I thought the final season was a good improvement on the few seasons before that. It was a soft reboot of the show where they gave a lot of the main cast proper, satisfying endings while introducing a new setting with new cast members who I think were all quite interesting and likeable. It really brought some new life to the show and reminded me a little bit of that magic of the first season again. Sadly it got cancelled so the new cast never had the chance to get fleshed out more, but luckily they were aware of the cancellation before writing the final few episodes and they were able to give both the old and new cast a happy, resolved ending.
I did also watch Grimm in its entirety, but much like you I was also not that invested in the show. I would just binge the new season a while after it had fully come out and would then mostly forget about it again. I remember a lot less about that show than I do about OUAT. In general I'm not the biggest fan of procedural detective shows, but the main cast there was quite fun and they kept me coming back.
Glad to hear I piqued your interest in Harley Quinn! I think this animated version of Harley is personally my favourite. She's all the things she should be (energetic, vulgar, loud) and then taken out from under the shadow of Joker so she can have more personal development throughout the show. Her relationship with Poison Ivy in the show is incredibly well realised and as for a side character, Bane is a total hoot. One of the funniest side characters in a comedy show I can think of. It could take a bit to get into since I know some people weren't a fan of the first few episodes, but I was personally sold from the get go. Cuoco's voice work in this show I think is nothing short of incredible. She fits the character so well and brings so much personality to the role. I would actually love to see how she would do in live action.
@Tjuz Yeah, I think Grimm's greatest strength lay in its cast and interesting characters. I wouldn't be able to recount a single storyline from that show if my life depended on it, but I loved the central concept/the idea of it. I'm not too hot on procedurals either, though I will consider watching if it has a strong and evolving throughline/mythology (type X-Files) as opposed to those that almost hits the reset button for every episode and anything that happens has little or no impact on the further storylines.
Now I'm really curious about Harley Quinn so I may dip my toe in those waters sooner rather than later
A shame that they’ve shuttered the animation studio behind The Clone Wars. I’ve not gotten into any of the live action stuff they seem to be pushing so hard, and general consensus is that the quality has dropped off a cliff, so it’s not exactly the best way to celebrate the 15th anniversary. I wonder if that means The Bad Batch is a goner too.
... I wouldn't say any of them were bad... But they weren't good either and honestly I'm already forgetting what happens in the episodes.
The 3rd episode revolving around Crypto-mining just dates it horribly like a lot of the episodes in the comedy central ones that tried to be relevant/topical.
@FuriousMachine Yeah, I'm totally the same with procedurals. I haven't watched The X-Files though, as that did come way before my time and by now there's just way too many episodes to watch! Always was interested however. Fringe and Person of Interest are other shows that start out procedural, but I felt had an incredible main storyline throughout that kept it interesting. I would even add Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to this list, which despite me not being very into Marvel was a highly enjoyable show. Some great stuff in there.
Let me know when you give Harley Quinn a shot! I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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