Topic: The TV Show Thread

Man, Andor really is good. Episode 3 is something else. I think because I have already seen it once through and know what is to come and how it is more morally grey and overall a more raw and real story etc, it just hit me even more. Ignore the laser guns and spaceships and this is the kind of sh** humans have been putting each other through forever. My bottom lip was even going at certain points and I had to sip a drink to hide it 😅

And the music building up at the end as everyone just looks off into various middle distances each wondering how the f*** we got to this point on that day individually, and as a world(s) at war, superb.

Started The Last of Us. It is good so far. Just seen episode 3, which is not what I was expecting from a certain character. 👀

Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper recording new Doctor Who material together for Big Finish is brilliant news. 20 years of NewWho is sort of massively horrifying though, I shouldn’t feel this old. I still remember that first episode airing and being invested at the drop of a hat despite being 4 years old and it being fairly scary still back then. That first series arguably was never topped too.

Currently in the middle of a re-watch of Daredevil season 3 in preparation for Born Again when I noticed that Sky Atlantic have added all seven seasons of Homicide: Life on the Streets. The Wire is my favourite show of all time and I’ve always been curious about this initial project based on David Simon’s work.

So I installed all seven seasons last night and once we’ve finished off Daredevil, we’re going back to B’more… but this time in the 90’s. Can’t wait!

Just watched Echo. I thought it was terrible. I really umm’d and arr’d over even posting this cause I am sure I am not breaking new ground on my feelings for this show, but hey, maybe this will remind some people this even existed once.

I will say, I thought it started strong, it was cool to see the MCU try and do the “Netflix style” action scenes, with crunchy, street level, violence, stylish long takes and plenty of blood. But there are remarkably few of these scenes ultimately and everything else outside of these is kind… not good.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Kingpin showing up at the end of episode 3 was me thinking that would be where they would bridge this show into the wider MCU canon to give it a reason to need to exist, but Kingpin mostly lurks in the background after a brief scene to start episode 4, until he can show up at the end to inspire Maya to use her powers or some ***** - because it's the law I guess that if you are Native American you must have magical spiritual ancestor powers.

The real problem though is that the whole thing just feels so utterly rudderless. In regards to the wider MCU, in regards to itself, in regards to everything. Echo feels like the suits in charge didn’t think the MCU could sell an Echo movie, but they needed content to fill the calendar, so they took the 90 minute long movie script someone had made for this character and then just bolted a bunch of filler plotlines onto it that solely exist to bloat it to five episodes so they could dump it on Disney+ as a TV Show.

Yeah, it sucks about as much as that probably makes it sound like it sucks.

Any fans of the Fargo TV series on here? I've just finished series 4 and I'm struggling to get why fans consistently declare it the worst season. I really enjoyed it. Maybe I'm just odd.

@Gremio108 Is that the one with John Hamm? I liked it also, better than Season 3 but not as good as the first two seasons. Hot take: I saw the film again a few years back... and didn't like it.

Another hot take, I'm almost at the end of season 1 of The White Lotus and not really liking it either. I think my main problem is that I find most of the characters unlikeable and annoying. Some of the over acting is beginning to grate too. Doubt I will bother with the next two seasons.

@JohnnyShoulder I can't speak to the "Fargo" series (I've only seen the first season), but I still find the movie pretty awesome.
I'm with you on "White Lotus" season 1, though. I've been assured by several people that season 2 is much, much better, so I will give it a try down the line, but I'm not in a hurry. I'll let you know, when I get around to it, if I find that those people are right or wrong

@Gremio108 yeah I like Fargo (seasons 2 and 5 in particular). I did personally fine season 4 the weakest… but was still a decent season of tv.

I finished season 1 of James Gunn's Creature Commandos, the official start of his DC connected universe and it was... fine. Which is in itself somewhat of a disappointment, as I'm usually a fan of the things Gunn does. I'll tune in for season 2, but it's by no means "appointment viewing".

Also checked out the first two episodes of SAS Rogue Heroes s1 and I found it to be very promising indeed! Will absolutely continue watching

@JohnnyShoulder S4 of Fargo is the one with Chris Rock.

I thought it was okay @Gremio108 but I think got a little convoluted and slow compared to others. Clever tie in to the rest of the series at right at the end though.

@FuriousMachine I did like the movie when I saw it the first few times, not so much most recently.

@Thrillho Hmmmm, not sure if I've seen that one or not. It does seem familar when reading up about it.

@JohnnyShoulder I'm guessing that'll be season five with Hamm (unless I've missed him in the ones I've watched!). I've heard good things about it and can't wait to watch it, but I've just watched S3 and S4 pretty much back-to-back so I might hold off just for now

@graymamba @Thrillho Yeah it seems to be the consensus that it's the weakest of the lot, although that's only a slight criticism when you consider the quality of the rest. My expectations were low, which probably helped. I certainly think that the 'slow' comment is valid, it does meander a bit. I love a slow burn, so that's probably why I enjoyed it more than most. The tie-in to season 2 knocked me reeling - episode 9 was an amazing bit of TV and I'm still processing it!

@FuriousMachine Get on season 2 of Fargo if you get chance, it's awesome!

@Hapless yeah I was pleasantly surprised by it myself. Will deffo be watching the second season.

@Gremio108 Will absolutely get on it now that I have an active Max subscription again, but I may re-watch s1 first. I understand the following seasons are mostly stand-alone, but I really enjoyed the first season when I saw it, so a refresh is probably highly welcome anyway

I am catching up on Friendly Neighbourhood Spidey, and man I was so wrong on this show. I still think the animation is weird at times, and some fight scenes feel like they are 0.75 speed slower than they should be (plus, I feel like the whole show has this weirdly low frame rate feel I don’t notice in other animation styles). But the weaving of strongly acted interpersonal drama, with enough sociopolitical elements to add texture without feeling preachy and a level of violence that can go beyond what a typical Saturday morning cartoon is allowed to get away with, just makes for an enjoyable watch.

I really hope it inspires more tweener cartoons, cause right now it feels like we have comedy cartoons for adults or action cartoons for small children and almost nothing in that in between space until well basically this.

As much as I enjoyed shows like Earth’s Mightiest Heroes or the Avatar universe of stuff, as examples, knowing you can basically show no visible injury whatsoever really drains tension out of fight scenes. There is a moment in the show where Spidey fights villain that beats him half to death, and it would have had zero impact if they could rip his costume and that was it. I still remember people’s necks getting broken in the second season of Ben 10 as I guess a strangely violent way to get around censorship, as it allowed them to kill people on screen but in a way that was bloodless. Sadly, few shows are as creative as that or are allowed to get away with it.

Know a lot of people who enjoyed the first season of Andor. Didn't realise there was another season in the works, but I'm not exactly paying much attention to Star Wars news recently.

Arcane Season 1
Just finished up on Season 1. Never played League Of Legends, so all is new to me. Can see why it is ranked as one of the best TV show adaptation of a videogame series in terms of animation, world-building, story, and characters. Damn, the characters! All of the main cast are complex as hell. Only two things that disappointed me.

1. The 3rd act. It wasn't as good as the first two, and went along the tropes of rushing through to wrap things up. The only real highlight of that Mel character arc. The character design for her is one of the best ever. The 3rd act would've been better handled if got either more episodes or longer episodes (as in 1hr or so long each).

2. Some of the music was odd during fight scenes. Didn't suit it one bit, especially during the 3rd act.

Very highly recommended if haven't seen this TV show yet and be able to
9 / 10

@SingleStooge Glad you liked it! Quite few on here have been raving about Arcane, me included, so you're in good company
Which reminds me, I need to pull the trigger on the second season soon. Consensus seems to be that it's not as good as the first season, so I've been a bit hesitant to start it (also, and I'm weird like this, I know that once it's done it's over, so I sort of keep putting that inevitability off )

@FuriousMachine @Gremio108 @JohnnyShoulder @graymamba

Fargo is certainly superb. I am also a tad weird with it, though. Season one is the essence of Fargo, distilled. Season 2 is a new flavour but very much a triumph, I love the 70s setting, and everyone in it is incredibly watchable. I couldn't get in to Season 3, despite David Thewlis being disgustingly engaging, just wasn't at a great time for getting into a proper drama I think. Season 4, I just wasn't really in the mood for after not finishing s3 and I cant convince myself to go back and watch it even though I quite liked the nods to Raising Arizona early on, but I will put an effort in at some point based off being told recently it is worth it, and seeing the comments here. But season 5 won me back around and it was back to being pretty peak Fargo.

So anyone who is yet to do so, get on series 2 and 5 ASAP. I could easily watch season 2 again at any time, the casting is pretty much perfect and it is such a strong entry. And, as all good Fargo's should be, it is immensely quotable and just silly enough to make you think "wait is this even a drama, oh... yes it is"