What are you watching? (television thread)

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
The Mandalorian ended well and was good overall, maybe even very good for all the obvious reasons (out of this world production values, the Star Wars IP, great directors, etc). It would be nice if the show's plot actually went to another level next season and it truly became great creatively and not just through the aforementioned embarrassment of riches. But if it just remains a soft anthology where Mando and his foundling go low stakes adventuring from planet to planet each week I could probably watch that forever too.

It was good, and it's nice that they've upped the anté with the villain being both a Moff and someone connected to Mando's past (I'm not calling him Din...). I guess I'm supposed to be impressed by the casting choice there, but I didn't really feel that actor brought everything to the table yet (shouldn't a Moff naturally be more imposing than a fried chicken salesman? What's missing here?) I appreciated that they took the more dangerous but significant route of revealing a bit more about the character without ruining things. They haven't shit the bed yet, and by the end of season 1 of a streaming show, that's a notable victory.

But I did have a lingering feeling over those last two episodes that everything felt a bit circular. Not in a poetic way ("it's like poetry, it rhymes"), but in a way that reflects minimal effort on the writers' part for a two-parter that is ostensibly about raising the stakes for all the characters. And there was heightened drama, but the cost of that was on the backs of characters who the audience probably figured we were done with anyway, then Mando ends up exactly where we started this two-parter. I suppose that's in keeping with the show though.

Looking back on the whole show so far, I like pretty much all of the decisions they're making with it, but it's not reaching too deeply to ingratiate it with me more than "yeah that's pretty good." It feels like a touchstone from an earlier era of serialized TV, where not every episode had pressure to carry the story ball forward a few yards. And while in general serialized storytelling is more my bag, this has been a refreshing alternative in a sea of that.
 
The Mandalorian felt like a big budget fan project, in good and bad ways. If it wasn’t set in the Star Wars universe I probably wouldn’t have bothered watching. I thought the Mando himself was a bit of a bland chump. But the show felt like it was made with a lot of love for Star Wars, unlike the Disney trilogy.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I appreciated that they took the more dangerous but significant route of revealing a bit more about the character without ruining things. They haven't shit the bed yet, and by the end of season 1 of a streaming show, that's a notable victory.

The biggest risk the show took paid off big time, so hopefully that will embolden them in season 2 (that reveal at the end us already a good start).

But I did have a lingering feeling over those last two episodes that everything felt a bit circular.

...

Mando ends up exactly where we started this two-parter. I suppose that's in keeping with the show though.

Yeah, we'd basically already settled this conflict, and in the end it still wasn't even really settled, but I think, as we're all realizing, that's not the point of the show and the beauty of it not lining up with STAR WARS SKYWALKWR SAGA (fuck off)!

It feels like a touchstone from an earlier era of serialized TV, where not every episode had pressure to carry the story ball forward a few yards. And while in general serialized storytelling is more my bag, this has been a refreshing alternative in a sea of that.

Yep, it's more like the A-Team than modern TV; Mando and his foundling are on the run, and every once in a while they have to deal with their pursuers, but in the meantime checkout these wretched hives of scum and villainy they're passing through!

Still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian felt like a big budget fan project, in good and bad ways. If it wasn’t set in the Star Wars universe I probably wouldn’t have bothered watching. I thought the Mando himself was a bit of a bland chump. But the show felt like it was made with a lot of love for Star Wars, unlike the Disney trilogy.

That's pretty much Disney Star Wars in a nutshell thus far. Though I think it's all been made with love, but Star Wars fans in love with the old movies, even talented and capable ones, aren't necessarily the best equipped to make new and compelling stories set in the Star Wars galaxy.

I'd actually be interested to see what develops as more people, not necessarily beholden to Star Wars' history as it personally relates to them, become involved. So far it's been extremely reactionary to what's come before one way or another, which is sort of inevitable, and why I thought they might as well go full nostalgia trip for the initial run while that's still even possible (the moving on will take care of itself, as we've sadly experienced).

Instead they went with a hybrid approach that didn't really satisfy anybody, but we're getting past it now that the old characters and actors are literally dying off. Maybe they wanted a safety blanket in the old stuff while they tried transitioning to the new, which is also how you end up with a wet blanket like The Rise of Skywalker when everyone collectively wets the bed.

I think that's why they've been so careful with Mando, letting him essentially be a cipher for your idea of a badass Star Wars bounty hunter (he's literally acted out several of my childhood action figure/lego fantasies; hard not to like =), that'll get his ass kicked through circumstance every once in a while to cover the fact he inevitably outclasses everyone in the end. Still, for the hell of it I say put it altogether and stick Mark Hamill on Disney+ somehow for us olds, The Middle-Aged Adventures of Old Luke! It could totally do a crossover episode with The Mandalorian.
 
Castlevania season 3 dropped today. Weather has been crap here so I just binged it all and now I’m trying to process it.
I think Alucard’s storyline was definitely the weakest part of this season.
 
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Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Pretty much just Curb Your Enthusiasm, but I'm a week behind. Season has been good, great start, but tapered off a bit since. Thinking of checking out The Witcher when I finish Witcher 3. Speaking of which (or witchers)...

 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Yea new Curb has been good. Some episodes are better than others but for the most part it's still classic Larry David. I do feel a little sad whenever Richard Lewis shows up though. Dude looks elderly as fuck (still doing fight scenes though!)
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Yea new Curb has been good. Some episodes are better than others but for the most part it's still classic Larry David.

Yeah, I finally got all caught up this weekend and the last two episodes were solidly entertaining with the most recent being a highlight, and I'm still impressed by the crazy shit Larry will make a thing out of at this point, like the ridiculous ugly section, and guessing what it will be is fun, "OMG, he's not gonna do THAT, is he!? Oh, he's gonna do it!" Really, the anticipation is the best part at this point and the show really gets that self-aware aspect like with the Hamm bit. I still can't believe Larry blew his shot at the magical... Oh well, he gets more than enough for an old, bald, ugly section-sitting asshole (Kroll was so perfect for that right down to the final reveal =).

I do feel a little sad whenever Richard Lewis shows up though. Dude looks elderly as fuck (still doing fight scenes though!)

Well, he is in his 70s and I don't think all of those years were clean and healthy, so I'm more happy to see him kicking and getting some nice shots in at Larry, verbal or otherwise! I used to think he looked like an old Jon Stewart, but now that Jon Stewart is old Jon Stewart I've updated his comp to old Joaquin Phoenix (especially with Joker physique).
 
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Since my last post, I think I've watched a few things but I can't remember most of it.

Watchmen was pretty decent overall and looked like a quality product. By the end, it most story points made sense but it helps either watching the film or having read the comic to get a fuller sense of the show. If you're new to it, you'll still catch things if you're patient enough because some plot points like who Dr. Manhattan is or where he is, etc get revealed in the last half of the series. I'm content with there being no season 2 because it ends with closure.

After finishing Star Trek: TNG, I dove right into Deep Space Nine and man, it's damn good. But, I took a break after 3 episodes cos I was too trekked out (September/ October to January). When you're in that TNG zone, you want more TNG. Miles O'Brian is that link between both series but it's a shift in the look/ production so it's a little jarring in that sense. And, it throws you into real problems on the not so "lets save the universe" level, grounding it to reality. Sisko commands presence with his demeanor, voice and sense of reason. Can't wait to hit it up when I'm in the mood for Trek. Anyone watching Picard?

Raced through season 2 of the Formula 1 documentary last week - pretty decent with capturing some of the many highs/ lows of the 2019 racing season. They skip a lot of Ferrari's drama or difficulties with the Mercedes cars in warmer conditions (tougher races for them) or the engine politics but there's only so much you can have in 8 or 10 episodes to encapsulate a full race year. I preferred what season 1 was able to achieve in terms of explaining the sport more but the behind the scenes footage or interviews were great in both seasons. For introducing anyone to the sport, this's a really good start.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Oh well, he gets more than enough for an old, bald, ugly section-sitting asshole (Kroll was so perfect for that right down to the final reveal =).

Was I the only one thrown off a bit that Vince Vaughn wasn't playing a version of himself? I mean they had Christian Slater playing a version of himself a few seasons back, but Vince is playing ... just some guy?

Speaking of Vince Vaughn, I guess he's doing a reinvention thing with his career since he hasn't put out a good comedy since ... well for me personally Swingers but I guess for general audiences Wedding Crashers? He was in that terrible season True Detective, then Hacksaw Ridge and most recently a few movies by one of the best new filmmakers right now, Craig S. Zahler, who did Bone Tomahawk. I watched Dragged Across Concrete and Fight in Cell Block 99 back to back. Fucking awesome movies.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Was I the only one thrown off a bit that Vince Vaughn wasn't playing a version of himself? I mean they had Christian Slater playing a version of himself a few seasons back, but Vince is playing ... just some guy?

I'm ok with that, the weird part is he's playing a Funkhouser and I guess is supposed to be carrying on that legacy, but... eeh.

It fucking sucks, even worse than Discovery. Too bad, because just like Discovery they've got good actors and good production value, it's just the writing that's absolutely terrible.

What's wrong with it, specifically? Doesn't really jibe with the tone of TNG or the character, or just objectively bad plotting/characterization? I'll accept all of the above, of course.

This is so sad to me... I was worried they’d fuck it up. And Picard is special :sad:

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I'm not even watching Picard but I love the RLM reviews lol

The only thing I've seen of Picard is the thumbnails on youtube of the RLM reviews and that was enough to tell me all I needed to know.
 
Just finished Narcos: Mexico Season 2. As with the previous seasons, I enjoyed it.

I would say that some of the violence in this show can be ridiculous, gratuitous even, but it's all based on real events. Hell, the TV show version of these events is probably toned down :ganishka:

Recommended. But make sure to watch the parent series first, even though it is chronologically after.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
What's wrong with it, specifically? Doesn't really jibe with the tone of TNG or the character, or just objectively bad plotting/characterization? I'll accept all of the above, of course.

Where to begin...

The plot is bad. Like, plain bad. It's incoherent. Individual character motivations are incoherent, governmental decisions are incoherent, and a lot just doesn't make sense besides presenting a scenario the showrunners wanted to have. This goes for both big picture things and minute details. It's all super hand-wavy, but it's also common enough throughout the thing that it becomes quite annoying. An exemple is referring to what looks like poison gas as radiation. It's nothing, a mere detail, but it's just dumb enough that it bothered me as I watched.

Moving on from that, it also goes directly against what Star Trek is supposed to be. It's trying very clumsily to offer social commentary but in that process it just turns Star Trek into a run-of-the-mill "dystopian future with a HUGE secret plot by a mysterious cabal". Starfleet? They're a bunch of douchebags filled with incompetent selfish morons and/or traitors. The Federation of Planets? Well it's not clear the writers know it's different from Starfleet so uhhhhh yeah. As for Picard's character, he's not really like his TNG self. The rest are either forgettable regulars or old characters cameos. I like the girl playing the co-lead role with Picard, and I like a few of the other actors, but it's honestly just not very good.

I actually think Oburi has got it right: better just watch the RLM reviews (which are great). :ganishka:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Ugh, that's too bad, it really sounds like it's not anything you'd want to watch if you were a TNG fan or a Trek fan in general. Who are projects like this, where they take a well-established and beloved property and turn it on its head, being made for; people that AREN'T fans of the original?

Star Trek: The Last Captain :carcus:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Ugh, that's too bad, it really sounds like it's not anything you'd want to watch if you were a TNG fan or a Trek fan in general. Who are projects like this, where they take a well-established and beloved property and turn it on its head, being made for; people that AREN'T fans of the original?

Star Trek: The Last Captain :carcus:

If I were to guess the idea was to renew Trek, make it "cool again", and attract both fans and a new audience.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
If I were to guess the idea was to renew Trek, make it "cool again", and attract both fans and a new audience.

That's always the idea, except these things were never hip or cool by the standard they're trying to attain for a general audience. You just have to make it true to itself and people will appreciate it or they won't. It shows a literal lack of faith in the material, even though it's already proven. Maddening as always.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Can anyone spare me the endless writeups and just let me know if Westworld Season 3 delivered any goods?
 
Can anyone spare me the endless writeups and just let me know if Westworld Season 3 delivered any goods?

In my opinion, no. I found the first episode to be quite boring, to be honest (I was even falling asleep at some point). I’ll give the show one more episode to turn things around, but right now I’m not optimistic.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
In my opinion, no. I found the first episode to be quite boring, to be honest (I was even falling asleep at some point). I’ll give the show one more episode to turn things around, but right now I’m not optimistic.

Ouch! That's too bad, but I felt from the beginning the show would likely collapse beneath the weight of this ambitious-sounding setting.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
The second season was already pretty bad and I felt like the premise of the third one was guaranteed to blow, so... no surprise I guess. Too bad, I think that show had potential, but they should have taken things slowly instead of rushing out of the park and into the outside world. The original premise is very solid and that's why it worked. Going from that to a fully new science-fiction world is a hell of a task.
 
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