What was the last TV show you watched?

The Jackal · May 13, 2019

Lucifer
I was a fan of the show when it was on Fox and was happy to hear Netflix picked it up after Fox cancelled it. I finished their 10 episode 4th season last night. I'm hoping for more, but I'll be satisfied with the way they ended it if there isn't another season after this.

Ernest P Shackleton · May 13, 2019

Seb Lucas said:
I'm worried it could be patchy - but that's only because Deadwood is the only long form TV series I have fully enjoyed.

If Milch and the cast can capture that original zone, I'll too be surprised, but I have some faith it will be satisfying anyway. They're going to try to tell an entire arc in 2-2.5 hours vs 8-12 hours. That alone is a bummer. I have little use for how they make movies anymore, but I'm up for the gamble here.

Ernest P Shackleton · May 14, 2019

Game of Thrones. season 8. SPOILTER ALERT.
Game of Thrones. season 8. SPOILTER ALERT.
Game of Thrones. season 8. SPOILTER ALERT.
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It's weird, to me, how losing a dragon is an emotional thing.

Doctor Damage · May 14, 2019

Deadwood the movie will be a hit for all the reasons and to the same fan base as Game of Turds. I watched the entire original TV series and started out enjoying it but by the end I had soured on it and now despise it. Like GofT, it slowly slid into wallowing the violence and evil characters at the expense of good storytelling. Like GofT, it's been justified or promoted as depicting that "we all have good and evil in us"... which is total b.s. since most of us are dominated by one or the other, not 50/50 or anywhere close. I see both as nihilistic or post-moral nonsense, only one step away from porn... and I say this as a religious agnostic and porn-watcher, lol

Edward · May 15, 2019

The Jackal said:
Lucifer
I was a fan of the show when it was on Fox and was happy to hear Netflix picked it up after Fox cancelled it. I finished their 10 episode 4th season last night. I'm hoping for more, but I'll be satisfied with the way they ended it if there isn't another season after this.

My church minister recommended the show to me; I must have a look at it on Netflix, her tastes are generally sound (we've both enjoyed Preacher).

Ernest P Shackleton · May 15, 2019

Game of Thrones. season 8. SPOILTER ALERT.
Game of Thrones. season 8. SPOILTER ALERT.
Game of Thrones. season 8. SPOILTER ALERT.
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That was a Jane Fonda cardio workout episode for Drogon.

Worf · May 16, 2019

Ernest P Shackleton said:
Game of Thrones. season 8. SPOILTER ALERT.
Game of Thrones. season 8. SPOILTER ALERT.
Game of Thrones. season 8. SPOILTER ALERT.
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
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That was a Jane Fonda cardio workout episode for Drogon.

Good Lord man WHAT are you on about? You can't spoil something that's already been spoiled by the show runners!

Worf

Ernest P Shackleton · May 16, 2019

Worf said:
Good Lord man WHAT are you on about? You can't spoil something that's already been spoiled by the show runners!

I don't know how others think of, or use, spoilers, but I know, from experience, some TV watchers avoid any and all discussions about their favorites until they watch them however they prefer to watch them (collect episodes and binge, later in the week, etc). Just trying to be respectful/considerate of them and not give away even implied information. You know, probably the basic definition of "spoiler" in reference to TV, movies, books, paintings, or whatever might contain story and whatnot. Some people really get into the process of watching, regardless of where a show is in quality. Throw watching parties. Finish all chores and pour a drink. Find the opportune moment. I wouldn't want to accidentally get in the way of that for someone. It's not easy to find true leisure.

Julian Shellhammer · May 18, 2019

Acorn TV, the streaming service that offers BBC and other shows, made their own called Queens of Mystery. 6 episodes, each story complete in back-to-back show. However, the look and feel and writing reminds one of watching those Hallmark Mystery Channel mysteries (which is not bad, don't get me wrong).
Now, in reading up on the show, there were numerous comments on the similarities of QoM with Pushing Daisies. So we looked that up and lo and behold, yep. What a wacky show. We'll reserve judgment until we're further along. Lotsa laughs-

Worf · May 18, 2019

Ernest P Shackleton said:
I don't know how others think of, or use, spoilers, but I know, from experience, some TV watchers avoid any and all discussions about their favorites until they watch them however they prefer to watch them (collect episodes and binge, later in the week, etc). Just trying to be respectful/considerate of them and not give away even implied information. You know, probably the basic definition of "spoiler" in reference to TV, movies, books, paintings, or whatever might contain story and whatnot. Some people really get into the process of watching, regardless of where a show is in quality. Throw watching parties. Finish all chores and pour a drink. Find the opportune moment. I wouldn't want to accidentally get in the way of that for someone. It's not easy to find true leisure.

Oh I can respect that. I believe my GoT rant only revealed the fate of the Dothraki. I didn't go into anything else or so I think. I'll try and be mindful of this in the future but I was errrr.... a bit hot over episode 3 at the time. Apologies tendered.

Worf

Oh I see now! I didn't even see the "fine print" in you postings till just now....

Never mind....

Ernest P Shackleton · May 19, 2019

Better Things. FX. season finale. Not my favorite season, but I continue to look forward to each episode and generally enjoy it at a higher level than most. Whoever is in charge of the music is very good at their job. Toy Connor's "Walk" was the main music in this episode, and it worked perfectly. I'd never heard of her before this. It appears a tradition was started with birthdays in the finales and a dance or singing scene as well. I loved last year's finale as well and for similar reasons. They manage to be more than showcases for theater talent, or a dropped blob out of the normal flow, but they actually contribute to the homey, emotional depth of this family. In other words, they don't feel out of place or indulgent. That isn't the right word. Hiccup. Not anywhere as goofy as when American Horror Story tries something similar. Back to the music...the quality of music in this show reminds me of how important the music was to Girls.

Big J · May 21, 2019

Game of Thrones finale (no spoilers).

Advice! Watch the first ten minutes or so. Turn it off as soon as Denny finishes victory speech. The end.
Infinitely darker and much more satisfying conclusion.

Or...

Watch the remaining hour which takes the series of trash can fires season 8 has been and turn it into a dumpster fire. So badly written and planned, so badly shot and directed, why bother setting up such a nuanced and detailed world and set of characters, if you're just going to ignore it all in the last season?
Might as well decide the throne with Rock, Paper, Scissors! Oh wait...that's pretty much how it worked out.

As bad as Lost.

Edward · May 21, 2019

If only that fat guy could have been bothered to finish the books in time, eh? What could have been.... I'll be seeing it next year when it hits DVD. The reviews have been so universally bad, though, I'm hoping that means it will be marked down in price fast.

Just watched the first episoide of Mrs Maisel; enjoying it very much so far.

Doctor Damage · May 21, 2019

Big J said:
Game of Thrones finale (no spoilers).

Advice! Watch the first ten minutes or so. Turn it off as soon as Denny finishes victory speech. The end.
Infinitely darker and much more satisfying conclusion.

Or...

Watch the remaining hour which takes the series of trash can fires season 8 has been and turn it into a dumpster fire. So badly written and planned, so badly shot and directed, why bother setting up such a nuanced and detailed world and set of characters, if you're just going to ignore it all in the last season?

Might as well decide the throne with Rock, Paper, Scissors! Oh wait...that's pretty much how it worked out.

As bad as Lost.

I didn't watch the last episode (gave up after season 3) but read a synopsis and have been vaguely keeping up with the series via a friend's comments. I agree, the dragon lady won fair and square by being tougher and meaner and more ruthless than everyone. And after 8 seasons of basically everyone killing everyone suddenly they discover the horrors of war? And who cares what happened to King's Landing and the Lannisters who were total and utter douchebags all of them? And don't tell me the remaining dragon, once Daenarys(sp) was murdered, wouldn't have flown into a rage and basically burned everything and everyone to cinders.

Big J · May 21, 2019

@Edward, I don't want to give George Martin (?) a hard time, he's the creator of an icon that will likely (and not undeservedly) stand next to LOTR in the fantasy genre. He took it that one step closer to reality by making it for 'grown ups', BUT...

IIRC he hasn't written an installment since before the TV show started. He got paid; he got lazy? Whatever, he's moved the genre forward, and that hasn't happened for about 40 years, so I can cut him some slack.

@Doctor Damage, YES! to everything you've said. GoT prides itself on 'subverting expectations' of the fantasy genre, and is hiding behind that to deflect criticism. The fans aren't complaining because they got an 'unhappy ending', they're complaining because it just wasn't very well executed.

And I agree with this sudden realization of the horrors of war in the show. No American EVER was shocked by Japan's sudden capitulation after 2 atom bombs! We saw it as a life-saving godsend that saved thousands of allied lives. And given that dragons are the WMD of GoT, it's really facile that after all they've been through, the 'good guys' baulk at the idea of using dragons to get this whole thing over with, and save their own lives.
Denny was the only with with the means to win and the will to use it. They want to be realistic and subvert the whole 'good guys' thing? They should have let her won.
But the writing took the path of least resistance to wrap it up.

Ernest P Shackleton · May 21, 2019

Well, while I'm not enthralled with the ending of Game of Thrones, I'm not entirely disappointed, either. One of the showrunners, I believe, is a big fan of how The Sopranos ended. I'm not. Not. A. Bit. So, while I'm not one who has any interest in speculating the endings of shows, movies, or books (I'm there for the ride. I'm not there to calculate or anticipate, and I consider myself lucky I don't go there.), I was a bit concerned we'd end up somewhere like that. We didn't. Good. Small conciliation, but I'll take it. And two guys from Hollywood, who aren't dedicated writers by nature or trade, vs (possibly) one of the best fantasy writers ever? That should tell us a whole lot, and while they could have done better, we had a fair idea we weren't going to get blown out of our seats or minds. And endings...even good writers can't seem to write an ending to save their story. I'm not a writer, but I know it is all about the story and dialog.

As for Drogon, and for dragons in general, there was a line somewhere earlier on in the series that went something like, "Dragons are said to be smarter than dogs. Smarter than people even." Tyrion? So, if they are of high intelligence, it leaves a lot of potential. And then the next questions are: 1) do they have a conscience? 2) are they self-aware? I would say yes to at least the latter. Drogon "valued" family. He wasn't going to harm Jon, and being agitated with this chase for the bvllsh1t throne was made clear. And leaving the whole mess and washing the claws? Not unfathomable.

Sansa turned out to be the mastermind. If anyone won, she did. I'm not sure the character or situation was earned. It pretty much wasn't.

I'm not sure I want to give this much more thought. It isn't very deserving. Had Martin written the ending, I suspect we'd be able to go deep.

Doctor Strange · May 21, 2019

I've never read the books, but I'm suspect that Martin's ending (if he ever gets there!) will be much better handled. That is, with a lot more subtlety and believability. The showrunners were only working from his vague ideas about the story's final act. And let it be said that Martin himself was having difficulty: his saga was supposed to subvert standard fantasy tropes and expectations at every turn... but as the story wound down, it ended up seriously embracing many of those tropes (the secret chosen one, the liberating invader, etc.) And writing a good ending is indeed hard.

And, as a lot of critics have said, the series' crucial mistake was shortening the last two seasons to seven and six episodes vs. staying with the previously ten-episode seasons. It's not that much of anything is so WRONG, but there wasn't sufficient build-up for many/most of the developments. The pacing was awful, nearly always going for spectacle rather than character development. One of the show's major problems - never specifying if adjacent sequences were taking place simultaneously, or soon after, or weeks after - became worse, as journeys that took weeks in the early seasons (e.g., from Winterfell to King's Landing) were truncated to seeming to be a quick hike.

It's not that Dany's transformation to Mad Queen wasn't believable. She'd always had a vicious cruel streak, there's madness in the family line, she wasn't welcomed by the people of Westeros as she'd hoped, she'd lost her closest advisors, and in the heat of battle, she snapped. But it still came too fast to easily accept.

For the record, I watched the finale a second time last night. (I didn't plan to, but I landed on it and couldn't stop.) It seemed a lot better, it flowed better and felt classic. And I was able to note things I didn't the first time, like that Tyrion's dialog, and Dinklage's performance, were among the best in the series. And that awesome shot of Drogon spreading his wings behind Dany: Dragon Queen, hell yeah.

An A series with a B ending. Overall, it was a helluva fun ride.

Ernest P Shackleton · May 21, 2019

Doctor Strange said:
An A series with a B ending. Overall, it was a helluva fun ride.

Indeed. Better said than I.

*and it did feel so very rushed

Doctor Damage · May 21, 2019

FWIW they're apparently starting filming on a spin-off series soon.

Big J · May 22, 2019

A spin off prequel?!?
Lord, no! They've squandered my goodwill, they won't get a second chance.

I was happy with Jon Snow's ending; he was too stupid to amount to anything, being a Tygerion had dramatic potential but it was never developed, and the hero who slopes off into obscurity is subverting the genre for sure. Micheal Moorcock wrote a great essay once about how the 'hero' has to be heroic all the time, and his story always ends before we see 'what happened next?', but with Jon Snow we saw; the hero is nothing once he stops.

Cersei deserved a more dramatic death, rather than childish mewling.

Jaime deserved the chance to die good; why would he go back to the woman who put a death sentence on him?

WTH is Brianne doing giving Jaime a nice write up in the knights book? He was a sh1t to her. Way to empower women right there! Why does she join the Kings Guard? Didn't she promise the Stark mother to protect her daughters? Why isn't she Sansa's bodyguard?

What's with Podderick? Still following Brianne around, even into the guard?

Sam Tarly (who killed a white walker!) gives away his father's valerian steel sword on the eve of the battle with the night king!

See Jorah had the only fitting end; defending his queen from hordes of undead. He couldn't have died better.

Is Tyrion a secret Tygerion? Does. Not. Matter.

What's Sansa's right to queenship? Her victimhood? She 'learned from the worst'?

Who did Varys send letters to with the truth about Jon, and was he poisoning Denny? ('We'll try again at supper').

Greyworm doesn't kill Jon on the spot but locks him up? How do the Dothraki feel about that?

Where did the dragon go?

What about the mercenary guy and his troops Denny left to take care of Essos? How do they feel about their queens murder?

How did Gendry convince the people of Dragonstone that he was a Baratheon and their rightful lord, all on Dennys say so?

When are guys from the Iron Bank going to turn up to collect on their loans?

I could go on and on, but it didn't matter to the actors and the directors, and if they don't care, why should I?

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