What are you watching? (television thread)

[Griffith]

Better Call Saul is about as exciting as watching grandpa working on his Firebird engine. But hey, you get to hang out with grandpa! It builds character...

Well, I'd rather hang out with my shady uncle Walt while he blows shit up and exploits me. =) That's where I'm having trouble seeing this as an earnest "continuation of what they started with Breaking Bad." It's not just where Bad left off with the crazy final season either; I think more happened in the BB pilot than this whole show so far.

 

[Walter]

Well, I'd rather hang out with my shady uncle Walt while he blows shit up and exploits me. =) That's where I'm having trouble seeing this as an earnest "continuation of what they started with Breaking Bad." It's not just where Bad left off with the crazy final season either; I think more happened in the BB pilot than this whole show so far.

Ah, I see. That sentence wasn't meant to imply this show continued the pace set by Breaking Bad. Absolutely not! What I meant was that Breaking Bad was the introduction to Vince Gilligan's shady side of life in ABQ, and this is well... more from that world. At the pace it goes, it's almost like living in it. And that's kind of cool in its own regard, I think. But it's a fundamentally boring show. That is inescapable. In the episode I just finished, Saul spends most of the episode bouncing a ball off a wall—literally.

 

[Griffith]

What I meant was that Breaking Bad was the introduction to Vince Gilligan's shady side of life in ABQ, and this is well... more from that world. At the pace it goes, it's almost like living in it. And that's kind of cool in its own regard, I think.

Yes, very slice of life, almost takes a documentary-style approach ("in this episode, learn how professionals trace tracking devices on their cars back to origin"). I remember this from the previous seasons, just the day to day of Jimmy working at the law firm and how that satisfied him or not. Admirable on some level like you say, but other times it's like if one made a Star Wars show about the Empire's accounting department or something; I don't care if the Death Stars are an awful financial investment.

But it's a fundamentally boring show. That is inescapable. In the episode I just finished, Saul spends most of the episode bouncing a ball off a wall—literally.

This is the Gale Boetticher of shows; if it wasn't for its fastidiousness it would be over already. But I'm interested if not quite entertained.

 

[Sweval]

Right now I'm watching Psych (3rd?? rewatch) and a handful of anime on rotation being the new Digimon Adventure, Ace of the Diamond Act II and Gundam Wing (rewatch)

 

[IncantatioN]

High Score on Netflix has been interesting so far and I've only watched the first 2 episodes. It's fun seeing the marketing of video games from back in the day because I didn't grow up in the US or in a society with that sort of push in arcades/ gaming culture.

Married At First Sight, again on Netflix. We caught up with our usual house shows and this was next on the 'watch while we eat dinner and shut our minds to something that requires no thinking'.

I have a better appreciation for Legend of Korra than I did when I watched it while it aired. Marathoning the show definitely helped paint a better picture of her life and her issues which are more adult than the ones in Avatar. The latter is still a better show overall but Korra isn't all that bad. I felt like the stakes in S1 and how it then ended was complete bullshit (or a cop-out) but I didn't know that the show wasn't intended for more than one season - so now the end and the way it did makes more sense to me. S3 was the more enjoyable season.

 

[Griffith]

More gritty, back alley Star Wars; this is the way.

 

[Oburi]

I can't get over that little baby Yoda thing. It's so fucking stupid.

 

[Griffith]

Here you go:

I am surprised more people don't question the validity of basically taking a popular character and making some Scrappy Doo version of him, low standards after all these bad movies I guess, but to be fair all we know for sure is he's a member of Yoda's and Yaddle's species (there is a possibility he's a clone, but the timing doesn't quite match up without further explanation).

Anyway, the "Baby Yoda" stuff is mostly internet hype and memes as he's actually not as involved in the show beyond being the main MacGuffin as it were. Even that and the plot are basically just a thin pretext for watching Mando Fett go on weekly Star Wars themed adventures. It'll be interesting to see if The Child's crazy popularity will adversely influence the show so it indeed goes from being sort of an aimless soft anthology to The Baby Yoda Show. A lot of people were impressed by this trailer but it didn't really show me anything new or exciting.

 

[Walter]

Trailer looks fine to me. More of the same? I'm in.

Anyway, the "Baby Yoda" stuff is mostly internet hype and memes as he's actually not as involved in the show beyond being the main MacGuffin as it were. Even that and the plot are basically just a thin pretext for watching Mando Fett go on weekly Star Wars themed adventures. It'll be interesting to see if The Child's crazy popularity will adversely influence the show so it indeed goes from being sort of an aimless soft anthology to The Baby Yoda Show. A lot of people were impressed by this trailer but it didn't really show me anything new or exciting.

The character exists so it can evoke Lone Wolf and Cub. And yeah, due to its popularity online, I'd say Baby Yoda has arguably become the most important character in the Disney+ lineup

 

[Griffith]

Trailer looks fine to me. More of the same? I'm in.

I'm still game, but I was told the trailer was excellent going in so am still waiting to get that impression.

The character exists so it can evoke Lone Wolf and Cub.

Yeah, but since nobody gets the reference or even the feeling it's supposed to evoke the response was, "What's baby Yoda gonna go this week!? *whenever The Child is off screen* Where's baby Yoda!?"

I saw "professional" reviews that read like this for episodes where the kid had like 2 minutes total screen time, "Hopefully next week we get away from the filler and focus back on the point of the show, #BabyYoda."

And yeah, due to its popularity online, I'd say Baby Yoda has arguably become the most important character in the Disney+ lineup

Not a great sign, I don't know how tweets actually translate into subscriptions and this gimmick is going to be played out sooner rather than later in any case. I am impressed with how quickly they came back though, season 1 still just happened.

 

[Crimson]

Just finished watching the Netflix series, "The Haunting of Bly Manor;" which is basically an unrelated sequel to the first season known as, "The Haunting of Hill House." I was never a massive horror fan but saw the good reviews of the first season, so a while back I decided to check it out. Basic premise didn't sound very inspiring, "Haunted mansion with a family living in it." Oh boy that sounds super original *Sarcasm* However, after 2-3 episodes I was locked in. The show is more about characters and development rather than just your classic jump scare horror. The first season was good enough that it inspired me to check out a lot of horror related movies that I wouldn't have previously. Really impressed overall by the first season; unfortunately the bar was set pretty high so the second season wasn't quite as good but I still hope there are more seasons in the future.

 

[Griffith]

The Mandalorion - The opening of the episode was probably my favorite part, but the rest of it treaded water at best, if not a bit of regression overall (it's literally back to Tatooine again). It was very much like another Hercules/Xena episode, right down to the villagers helping themselves story again, and Mando went from getting knocked out by Jawas and almost dying to a Mudhorn last season to looking cool taking on a Krayt Dragon, so that's a lot of power creep. The fan service is obviously strong though, and more blatant (the whole episode basically revolves around a major cosplay =), but look out for R5 too.

More concerning long-term, the show looked a little cheaper overall too, more CG heavy, and a bit more like a random Star Trek TNG episode. I don't know if that's partly a result of production in the age of Covid, if they're saving the wealth for more pivotal episodes or scenes, or if the budget overall came back to earth, but it finally looked less like a Star Wars movie on TV than a TV show of Star Wars.

Anyway, it wasn't bad, I think they increased the scale of the action if nothing else, it just felt more like a random mid-season adventure than what I was expecting from the season premiere, but maybe I should look at that as they're not wasting any time getting into the thick of it. And hey, there's that big reveal, or fake out, at the end... but that's another story.

The Eric Andre Show - Season 5 is the season of decadence, with Eric getting a new band, a new set, his teeth whitened, a spray tan, and all his hair removed. He's also replaced Hannibal Burress with a superior clone... Blannibal!

Law & Order SVU - My wife and I are about a dozen episodes out from our project of watching all 21 seasons before the season 22 premiere and it's become miserable work as the show has completely devolved from a legal procedural into complete heavy-handed melodrama. We just want it to be over and I don't know if Stabler coming back at this point is good for the show or bad for Stabler; he'd be better off fondling his sweaters.

 

[Karligula]

I was devastated to hear that The Venture Bros has been cancelled after 17 years and 7 seasons. I was really looking forward to the next season.

 

[Oburi]

I don’t really get the Eric Andre Show. I think he’s funny. His standup was funny. I loved the show he was on called Man Seeking Woman, which is on hulu and I highly recommend it. But his show is maybe just a little too insane for me.

 

[Karligula]

I don’t really get the Eric Andre Show. I think he’s funny. His standup was funny. I loved the show he was on called Man Seeking Woman, which is on hulu and I highly recommend it. But his show is maybe just a little too insane for me.

I think he’s a genius. Hannibal Buress has excellent standup as well. I was disappointed he wasn’t in Eric’s recent movie

 

[IncantatioN]

I liked Episode 5 of the new Mandalorian. Visually stunning. I'm also kinda getting tired (0.05% haha if I have to be suuuper critical) of every episode turning out to be a barter between Mando and whoever is featured in that episode.

 

[Griffith]

I liked Episode 5 of the new Mandalorian. Visually stunning. I'm also kinda getting tired (0.05% haha if I have to be suuuper critical) of every episode turning out to be a barter between Mando and whoever is featured in that episode.

A barter that never results in a tangeable payoff for Mando! He basically has to perform some incredible feat just to ask for directions. The episode you mentioned is the worst offender in that the person he was looking for told him to find someone else like them, when they're already right there! It's like calling a plumber only to have them come over, look at your problem, and tell you that you need to call a plumber, except in this case there's also no other plumbers! Yet Mando is never that put out, even in this most egregious example. I guess everyone in the galaxy is going to owe him a favor by the end.

Anyway, that being said, besides the internal motivations on the show still being questionable, it hasn't lost any of what made last season fun and has naturally benefitted from the time and investment spent with the show: there's been a clear goal so the plot has felt less random even during random side quests, the bond between Mando and Baby Yoda has been organically clarified and strengthened, the references to Star Wars lore are stronger and go beyond nostalgia (but that's still A+ too; Dark Troopers, baby =), yet the show introduces or reinvents new things every week, so that when it cashes in the ultimate Mandalorion nostalgia card it actually feels like a well-earned part of the show that makes sense going forward. Basically, they're taking big swings and making it look easy and natural, even if it means sacrificing some fundamentals.

My favorite episode this season might still be a random travel episode involving a giant ice spider because... why the hell not? That Mando versus the monster of the week element has actually reminded me a bit of Berserk, with Baby Yoda making for a natural substitute for Puck or Casca given the situation, which sure doesn't hurt either. Anyway, still flawed yet enjoyable enough for it not to matter.

 

[Fervent Enigma]

Hannibal, Dexter, Dragonball Super, Seven Deadly Sins, and the perpetual and cyclical dance of Berserk.

 

[Griffith]

The Mandalorion - Oooooh, they fumbled it at the goal line on the would-be championship winning play!

You'll know what I'm talking about. Though I should probably just appreciate the moment and the sentiment instead of questioning if it was all it could be. To the show's credit though, I cared more about Mando and baby Yoda, like one should watching their show (if they aren't sacrificed to the impending Star Wars streaming overload, which may already be).

Otherwise, it was just fine, but I don't think the show ever regained the forward momentum it lost after episodes 5 & 6; that was peak Mando (the after-credits scene came very close, and I'm not even a big fan of that particular character, it was just done right). The last two episodes were a mixed a bag that had some more nice moments, mostly revolving around the world built within the show, but also prominently featured some of the show's flaws, including overreaching on the extended Star Wars connections, past and future, as well as the limitations of trying to do all this on a streaming budget. You can make good Star Wars with that money, but you can't turn back time.

Anyway, I probably still like episode 2 best, but I'll revisit this one because maybe it was better than my reaction, but for the most part I feel like the small stuff works better on the small screen; forget the big dumb plot, just give me that Star Wars life.

 

[Karligula]

I’m disappointed The Venture Brothers ended just when we got to the best part of the series. I hear one of the creators is having health issues.

 

[IncantatioN]

Finally finished Silicon Valley last night. I was meaning to watch S6 as it aired, but it was one of those shared shows I was supposed to watch with my wife, and if things in the show stress her out/ raise her anxiety, she needs a break from it haha! So we finally went through S1-S6 the last few weeks and man, the show ended really well imho. The whole theme yoyoing with ups and downs every episode is fun, especially when the characters have to make those hard choices - go ethical and you're screwed, or do the shadey thing and you're rewarded/ something comes to bite you later on. I'd highly recommend this to anyone up for a 6 season complete show.

 

[Griffith]

Speaking of Mike Judge, here's the boob, huhuhuh, tube I'm watching at the moment (made better than it has any right to be):

 

[Johnstantine]

Finally finished Silicon Valley last night. I was meaning to watch S6 as it aired, but it was one of those shared shows I was supposed to watch with my wife, and if things in the show stress her out/ raise her anxiety, she needs a break from it haha! So we finally went through S1-S6 the last few weeks and man, the show ended really well imho. The whole theme yoyoing with ups and downs every episode is fun, especially when the characters have to make those hard choices - go ethical and you're screwed, or do the shadey thing and you're rewarded/ something comes to bite you later on. I'd highly recommend this to anyone up for a 6 season complete show.

As someone who does software QA, the show gave me some severe anxiety about how real it felt. Especially in terms of like Gavin or Peter--captains of industry who are inept, but wonderful at bullying people into carrying out their ideas. Richard was, without a doubt, the one who ended up being the most vicious of the show.

My only gripe, though, was how they always had an out. If something happened, Richard would end up figuring a way out of it within the same episode or the plot-gods would bestow some divine intervention for them, specifically in the final season when Russ has incriminating pictures on his phone of the senator. Like, come on.

I loved each season, but when Erlich left the latter seasons sort of lost some of its charm. That's not to say I liked them less, but they were certainly lacking his presence. That being said, Jared is probably my second favorite character of the show. His resilience when he met his family was ridiculous. Plus, that dude fucks.

The peak of the show, though, was when Erlich slaps the shit out of that little kid who gave Richard the fake Adderall.

 

[m]

I just finished watching the Up series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_(film_series)). Quite an achievement in filmmaking in my opinion. Not only was it very interesting following the lives of the subjects, it was also interesting remembering where I was at each step. I'm really glad I came across this series.

 

[Walter]

I just finished watching the Up series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_(film_series)). Quite an achievement in filmmaking in my opinion. Not only was it very interesting following the lives of the subjects, it was also interesting remembering where I was at each step. I'm really glad I came across this series.

Wow, I've never heard of it. I'd like to check it out.

The closest I can think of something that did that was Linklater's "Boyhood," which was filmed with the same cast across about 12 years.