Something Completely Different

Say, what are you watching there?

Yesterday, we saw the first episode of The Last Of Us which impressed me. Definitely a promising start! I felt kinda done with zombies a long time ago, but now I'm hungry for more.

Besides that, we're watching White Lotus, a comedy/drama about staff and visitors at fancy resorts/hotels. First season is in Hawaii and we just started the second which takes place in Sicily.

First season started a little slow, but turned interesting towards the end, although it bugs me a bit how almost none of the characters really seem to enjoy their vacations :laughing:

I found a new copy of this complete series for $24 (USD), which I thought was a good deal, so I bought it. I'd already seen about 1/3 of the shows on TV several years ago but they were interesting enough that I thought it would be fun to watch the entire series from start to finish. B&W film noir type police drama which ran from 1958 to 1959 and again from 1960 to 1963. The shows from '58-'59 run 30 minutes each and the ones from '60-'63 run 1 hour each. The show featured a lot of famous actors in guest-starring roles, as well as a lot of lesser-known actors who became stars later on in their careers, so it's interesting to see how many I can recognize. One of the best police dramas ever shown on TV, in my opinion.

Quote from: Guybrush on Jan 18, 2023, 12:15 AMSay, what are you watching there?

Yesterday, we saw the first episode of The Last Of Us which impressed me. Definitely a promising start! I felt kinda done with zombies a long time ago, but now I'm hungry for more.

Besides that, we're watching White Lotus, a comedy/drama about staff and visitors at fancy resorts/hotels. First season is in Hawaii and we just started the second which takes place in Sicily.

First season started a little slow, but turned interesting towards the end, although it bugs me a bit how almost none of the characters really seem to enjoy their vacations :laughing:

I couldn't make it past the first episode of that show, but the music Cristobal Tapia de Veer created for it is amazing. The whole soundtrack is on Spotify and well worth a listen, like all of his music.

I've never come across Naked City, but it looks like the kind of tv prog I like. In fact I thought I was being retro myself because I am currently working my way through Law and Order, from a fairly early season in the Sam Waterson era, which is now available on Amazon Prime. This title sequence is with a slightly different cast line up, and doesn't have the bit about  "...and these are their stories...boom boom.", but I imagine plenty of us can recite that bit from memory if we want to:-


What's to like about Law and Order ? (i) good blend of active cop investigation and linguistic jousting in the courtroom (ii) each episode stands alone so you don't have to remember the kind of complex and far-fetched narrative that often turns up in more modern series - you know, that story about the hero having a nemesis from the past bent on revenge, etc, etc.

Quote from: Janszoon on Jan 21, 2023, 03:43 PMI couldn't make it past the first episode of that show, but the music Cristobal Tapia de Veer created for it is amazing. The whole soundtrack is on Spotify and well worth a listen, like all of his music.

It has an originality to it that makes it noticeable in the world of tv themes and scores. From the soundbytes you get from the show, I have no strong feelings about it. It doesn't underpin either the comedic or dramatic elements of the show. It just is, but a little mysterious sounding perhaps.

It might work better outside of the show, actually.

Edit:

This was done way better in season 2 where I've no such gripes.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c4/Para%C3%ADso_-_Official_Poster._Movistar%2B.jpg)

Paraíso
I'm only a couple episodes in but I'm enjoying it. Mysterious disappearances, plagues, ghosts, and some very strange people trouble a Spanish seaside town in 1992. For me, it certainly doesn't hurt that this show takes place in the same part of Spain I lived in for five weeks last summer or that the main characters are exactly the same age I was in 1992, but so far it's a good show regardless.

We just finished The Righteous Gemstones and are now watching Your Honor as we wait for The Last of Us to run a few episodes so we can binge.

Your Honor is pretty good but there's some realism errors. Like the judge walking down the same hallways as the mob guy. But I don't hate it.

Love The Righteous Gemstones.

I finally started watching Daria, which is great fun, and I'm hyped for Yellowjackets season 2. I've also re-watched Top of the Lake for the third time recently; somehow despite it being quite dark and disturbing I keep being drawn to it. It's the atmosphere and weird sense of humour I think

Oh man, the latest episode (3rd) of The Last of Us was GREAT! Award material for sure. Whoever knew Zach Galifianakis had such acting chops?

By the way, nice to see Murray Bartlett in another role as he was so good in White Lotus s1.

Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence

crazy story that left me wanting to know more about the cult leader

he takes these elite college students and turns their brains into mush

Quote from: TheNonSexual OccultHawk on Feb 11, 2023, 06:06 PMStolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence

crazy story that left me wanting to know more about the cult leader

he takes these elite college students and turns their brains into mush

I do remember the case as the podcast I listen to has episodes on cults and have been giving updates on some existing ones too. I do find it fascinating.

Was it good?

i liked it - and i understand why but i think it was too protective of the victims

they have an incredible amount of real footage because the cult leader filmed everything so that makes it really unique and powerful but the exact and specific details of some of the ways the victims were exploited are sometimes only hinted at or kind of obfuscated to keep from further exploiting the victims who do generously give long interviews

but it seems transfixed on explaining HOW it happened and instead of WHAT happened

obviously the viewer wants both - without the grittiest details it's kind of like mild chili - it can still be good but it would be even better with the hot sauce

one example is the woman Felicia - she not only had her degree from Sarah Lawrence but also a medical degree from Columbia with all her coursework to earn a license in the specialty of psychiatry

in the court records it was reported that he sent her to truck stops to prostitute herself but in the documentary it just mentions she was exploited sexually

but anyway it's wild how she could be THAT educated and still so completely dominated for years - and she's still pretty but she was gorgeous

in the unrelated book Pimp by Iceberg Slim, a back dude,  he describes how took complete dominance over white women back starting in the 1930's and built a huge stable of mostly white prostitutes over the following decades - he was basically a cult leader but that book, that i highly recommend, does not skimp on the gritty details- he was brutal, manipulative, and like this guy Larry Ray at Sarah Lawrence freakishly intuitive and smart - but Slim cherry picked his victims sort of like Manson but Larry Ray didn't

anyone who accepts that it's acceptable that one person should have power of another is vulnerable

Quote from: TheNonSexual OccultHawk on Feb 11, 2023, 06:06 PMStolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence

I'd like to see someone make a show about "Father Yod." 

Quote from: Psy-Fi on Feb 12, 2023, 02:06 PM

Quote from: TheNonSexual OccultHawk on Feb 11, 2023, 06:06 PMStolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence

I'd like to see someone make a show about "Father Yod." 

yes sir! but there is a lot of good reading material- i think maybe i did see a documentary about him already - yeah i'm sure of it

Quote from: TheNonSexual OccultHawk on Feb 12, 2023, 02:12 PMyes sir! but there is a lot of good reading material- i think maybe i did see a documentary about him already - yeah i'm sure of it

I read a book about him around ten or so years ago but I can't recall the title. I'll have to search for that documentary.

the book i read came with a cd of their music - one of the chefs where i was a cook was real into his restaurant and what they accomplished in terms of the culinary arts and business model if you can call it that

I signed up for a discussion group of The Last of Us at my work so I just watched the first three episodes, and honestly so far I'm astonished that this show is getting so much praise. The flashback scenes of the first two episodes were decent, but otherwise it's been kind of a chore to get through. The characters are flat, the plot is predictable, the scares are non-existent, and even the much needed chemistry between the two leads is sadly lacking. The fact the "Massachusetts" scenes look absolutely nothing like Massachusetts (they were shot in Alberta) is also super distracting to me, though it would bother me a lot less if the rest of the show wasn't so lackluster. I'm still going to try to make it to the end of the season because of the discussion group, but I'm not optimistic.

Quote from: Janszoon on Jan 21, 2023, 03:43 PM

Quote from: Guybrush on Jan 18, 2023, 12:15 AMSay, what are you watching there?

Yesterday, we saw the first episode of The Last Of Us which impressed me. Definitely a promising start! I felt kinda done with zombies a long time ago, but now I'm hungry for more.

Besides that, we're watching White Lotus, a comedy/drama about staff and visitors at fancy resorts/hotels. First season is in Hawaii and we just started the second which takes place in Sicily.

First season started a little slow, but turned interesting towards the end, although it bugs me a bit how almost none of the characters really seem to enjoy their vacations :laughing:

I couldn't make it past the first episode of that show, but the music Cristobal Tapia de Veer created for it is amazing. The whole soundtrack is on Spotify and well worth a listen, like all of his music.

I wrote a large article about it elsewhere. I watched it to the end and I bloody hated it. I don't want to spoil it for Guybrush, but my god, the disparity at the end regarding who gets the shit end of the stick! Come back to me when/if you finish it and see if you feel the same. Awful, awful show. And it got a second season! And won Emmys! The world's gone mad. Newsflash, duh.

We decided Your Honour season 2 was going nowhere so now we're watching The Last of Us.

Quote from: Janszoon on Feb 18, 2023, 10:05 PMI signed up for a discussion group of The Last of Us at my work so I just watched the first three episodes, and honestly so far I'm astonished that this show is getting so much praise. The flashback scenes of the first two episodes were decent, but otherwise it's been kind of a chore to get through. The characters are flat, the plot is predictable, the scares are non-existent, and even the much needed chemistry between the two leads is sadly lacking. The fact the "Massachusetts" scenes look absolutely nothing like Massachusetts (they were shot in Alberta) is also super distracting to me, though it would bother me a lot less if the rest of the show wasn't so lackluster. I'm still going to try to make it to the end of the season because of the discussion group, but I'm not optimistic.

Still watching this godawful show for my discussion group. The most recent episode has made me realize that my biggest issues with it are that (a) I'm older than 13 and (b) I've seen other zombie shows and movies. My advice to anyone thinking of watching this show is the following: watch any George Romero zombie movie, 28 Days Later, Train to Busan, Shaun of the Dead, Pontypool, One Cut of the Dead, Zombieland, Kingdom, The Walking Dead, Dead Snow, or a million other examples of zombie-themed media. I assure you that 95% of them are better than this artistic chamber pot of a show.

I watched the season finale of The Last of Us which was as forgettable as the rest of the show. I'm happy I never have to watch another episode, but I have to figure out how to discuss the show in my group without raining on the parade of all the people who seemed to have enjoyed it. :laughing:

two themes i will not watch are zombies and superheroes

so sick of both

no twist on the themes will entice me - not even gratuitous sex and violence

There isn't even a twist on anything in The Last of Us. It's just Dawn of the Dead / Day of the Dead with an overly serious YA tone.

It is so bizarre to me that superheroes went from being the nerdiest of niches to probably THE most mainstream and widely popular form of cinema in the past 15 or so years.

I'm not a fan either, I only really like Batman because I grew up with the 90s movies and show.

Quote from: Janszoon on Mar 13, 2023, 02:13 PMThere isn't even a twist on anything in The Last of Us. It's just Dawn of the Dead / Day of the Dead with an overly serious YA tone.

those two said all that needed to ne said anyway

Quote from: Mrs. Waffles on Mar 13, 2023, 02:57 PMIt is so bizarre to me that superheroes went from being the nerdiest of niches to probably THE most mainstream and widely popular form of cinema in the past 15 or so years.

I'm not a fan either, I only really like Batman because I grew up with the 90s movies and show.

i collected spiderman and plastic man comics

and liked superfriends and other superhero cartoons as a kid

i still think those things are cool but too much is too much

I thought the 1st and 3rd episodes of Last of Us were fantastic. 2nd and 4th were good. Since then, it hasn't been quite as good and the last episode felt very rushed and near pointless.

Still a strong show, I feel, though not quite as enjoyable as last year's House of the Dragon.

Quote from: Guybrush on Mar 13, 2023, 03:39 PMI thought the 1st and 3rd episodes of Last of Us were fantastic. 2nd and 4th were good. Since then, it hasn't been quite as good and the last episode felt very rushed and near pointless.

Still a strong show, I feel, though not quite as enjoyable as last year's House of the Dragon.

I thought TLOU was all downhill after midway through the second episode. I still need to watch House of the Dragon.

Let me just recommend Brassic to anyone who hasn't seen it. Four seasons with a fifth on the way. Basically follows the misadventures of a group of misfits, but has real heart and at times you'll piss yourself laughing at things that just happen out of nowhere, and even crying at some of the real drama in it. It's unpretentious, it's unapologetic, it fires f-bombs off like there's no tomorrow and its protagonists are all self-confessed losers, but by Christ is it funny! Make you forget how shit the world can be. You want to be cheered up, watch it.

Quote from: Mrs. Waffles on Mar 13, 2023, 02:57 PMIt is so bizarre to me that superheroes went from being the nerdiest of niches to probably THE most mainstream and widely popular form of cinema in the past 15 or so years.

I'm not a fan either, I only really like Batman because I grew up with the 90s movies and show.

Yeah I distinctly remember how one guy was really into X Man in my class and I had no fucking idea what he was on about. Which is exactly where I am today still. I tried watching the one where Robert Downey Jr plays a guy whose superpower, as far as I could follow, is being the coolest, most pussygetting guy who ever lived? I lasted about 20 minutes before giving up.

Is Blade part of the super hero thing? It was alright though not in my top 5 of Wesley Snipe flicks.

I like the two Tim Burton Batmans, the one with the Penguin and Cat Woman and Walken and the one where Nicholson is the Joker. The one with Val Kilmer was decent, the one with Schwarzenegger and Alicia Silverstone, which everyone loves to hate, was bad but not quite as bad as the 2000s revival, where all this comic book bs is played out in deadly serious tones for some bizarre reason. It's like a 14-year-old's idea of an art film.

And there's just so MANY of them. I don't want to have to watch 45 different movies to get all the lore of a single media franchise. If it's a really engaging multi-part serial I can understand that, but speaking as an outsider I feel like I could only take so many hours of spandex-clad heroes fighting villains before I would be bored out of my mind.

I adore the Tim Burton Batmans and even Batman Forever is rock solid. Batman and Robin is also very fun if you treat it as a 100% parody farce. I also liked the first two Nolan Batmans as a high schooler, but I'm probably never gonna be super excited to go back to them.

It's just oversaturation. How many times now have we had to sit through Batman/Spiderman/Superman's origin? For fuck's sake guys! These characters have been going, some of them, for 90 years! Can't you just pick one of their big adventures and do that? Why does everything have to be a god-damn "reimagining"? We KNOW Peter Parker was bitten by a spider, Bruce Wayne's parents were shot and Superman was sent away from his soon-after-destructing home planet. Move on, for the love of everything! Marvel in particular had some amazing writing. Superhero films don't have to just be big guys and girls posing; put some thought into it.

Or, preferably, don't. There are far too many of these movies. Just waiting for the Spider-Ham motion picture to come out now...

I don't know how it holds up, but I really liked the extended version of Zack Snyder's Watchmen from 2007 I think it was? Of course I knew the comic from before. Similarly, the series The Boys is great.

I like superheroes, but prefer them when they're a little more nuanced or even awful.

Oh and I also watched that Netflix show with the chick who dies of puking in her sleep in Breaking Bad. It was supposed to be the quality superhero fare I think? We watched two or three episodes before I told the gf she's on her own with that one. I don't think it had the protagonists literally promoting future installments of the franchise but I also can't remember a single thing I liked about it.

Quote from: jadis on Apr 07, 2023, 05:12 PMOh and I also watched that Netflix show with the chick who dies of puking in her sleep in Breaking Bad. It was supposed to be the quality superhero fare I think? We watched two or three episodes before I told the gf she's on her own with that one. I don't think it had the protagonists literally promoting future installments of the franchise but I also can't remember a single thing I liked about it.

That's too bad. I liked Jessica Jones a lot, especially the first season.

The genre is just really not for me. Something there doesn't click

I hate it when it's gung ho and bombastic and when it tries to be cute and self aware I hate it more

It's all coming back to me now...

One time I was at a potluck (do Americans do those or is it mostly a Canadian thing?) and another guy who was there, who I didn't know and who was a total stereotype, was soyfacing ("geeking out") for I don't know how long about robot movies or comic books or whatever it was. A couple of my friends started giggling looking at my silent impression of him and then he turned to me, sensing hostility, and asked me "so what kind of movies do YOU like?" I said something about Bunuel and Guy Maddin. Triumphantly, he went "oh so the depressing and weird kind?" I replied with a comically emphatic "YES" and everyone was amused and what was an extraordinary display of hostility by Canadian standards was diffused.

He was a work colleague of a friend of mine who said he insists on kissing her on the cheek every time her sees her and how it grosses her tf out. He works now as a podcast producer for one of the local newspapers I think. Probably gets to soyface a whole bunch on the company's dime

Also around that time, when certain events unfolded in France and other European countries, I may or may not have been doing a bit about an intellectually challenged Muslim kid who just wants to draw his favorite superhero, the prophet Muhammad.

So in a way me and superheroes go back a long way

I didn't really understand your post, but I did want to say that, yes, potlucks are very common in the US.

Just randomly reminiscing about all the times the theme of superheroes and their fans came up in my life

Quote from: jadis on Apr 07, 2023, 06:14 PMJust randomly reminiscing about all the times the theme of superheroes and their fans came up in my life

Have you done standup comedy in the past? Is that what the reference to "doing a bit" was about?

Nah I only did an open mic once with a heavy-handed tribute to Neil Hamburger

Don't you do "bits" to your friend circle? Mostly making fun of other people? Kidna adolescent but then I've known my best friends since age 18-20 and we've normally had running bits and characters and "irl memes" and the like.   

Quote from: jadis on Apr 07, 2023, 06:26 PMNah I only did an open mic once with a heavy-handed tribute to Neil Hamburger

Don't you do "bits" to your friend circle? Mostly making fun of other people? Kidna adolescent but then I've known my best friends since age 18-20 and we've normally had running bits and characters and "irl memes" and the like. 

Bits? No. I do have certain kinds of jokey banter I fall into when I to get together with some of the friends I grew up with, but that's about it.

Actually, now that I think of it, I do have of one sort of bit I do, I guess. Twenty-something years ago, a friend and I visited another friend in London and her (now ex-) husband was this stereotypical English musician type who was unimpressed by everything. When I asked him about his recent trip to Germany his answer was a disparaging, "It's alright. It's a bit like England, init?" When I asked about his trip to NYC, "It's alright. It's just a bunch of tall buildings, init?" He was this way about any place or band or food or movie or activity that anyone mentioned, so it became a running joke between me and the friend I was traveling with. Now it's a running joke I have with my wife where, if I was underwhelmed by something, I'll say "it's alright" with a sneering English accent. Even though my wife has never even met the person I'm making fun of, she knows the backstory and it makes her laugh.

This type of guy?

Quote from: jadis on Apr 07, 2023, 06:55 PMThis type of guy?

A bit like Super Hans, but more mopey.

Quote from: jadis on Apr 07, 2023, 06:26 PMNah I only did an open mic once with a heavy-handed tribute to Neil Hamburger

Don't you do "bits" to your friend circle? Mostly making fun of other people? Kidna adolescent but then I've known my best friends since age 18-20 and we've normally had running bits and characters and "irl memes" and the like. 

Not really with my friends, but my fiance and I do have a lot of inside jokes that are usually inspired by our bad movie roast nights. Our longest running "bit" is semi-ironically praising Lou Bega (the Mambo No. 5 guy, for reference) as a musical genius and going on American Psycho-esque monologues about how great he is.

I'm sure that sounds like the least funny thing ever, but I guess that's the beauty of inside jokes.

Quote from: Janszoon on Apr 07, 2023, 07:23 PMA bit like Super Hans, but more mopey.

There's a type of British guy who swears by this aesthetic. Truly don't get it, such a boring mindset to be stuck in

Just started watching the Dead Ringers TV adaptation with Rachel Weisz in the lead and I think it looks really promising :)

It's based on the 1988 movie by David Cronenberg, so of course right up my alley. Based on the first episode alone, it definitely feels like they understood the source material and thematically, it is very recognizable even if the Mantle twins are now women working with female fertility and birth.

Eager to watch the rest of it! If anyone's curious, it's on Amazon Prime.

Watching Celebrity Hunted. Hunted is a show where a certain amount of ordinary people (10 I think or maybe 12) go on the run, usually in pairs, and an elite police team have to track them down. It's really entertaining, as the fugitives try to stay one step ahead of the hunters.

Recently it's kind of deveolved into a celebrity thing, which is kind of counter-productive in a way. First of all, as a normal Joe or Jane you can blend in, not be noticed. Celebrities don't have this sort of shield. Everyone recognises them and in these days of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter they're easily snapped and posted, helping the hunters. But not only that.

Celebrities in general seem to be mega-stupid.

They keep allowing people to take pictures, giving away their location, and then say "Oh you know, maybe that was a bad idea." DUH! They don't disguise or try to avoid their celebrity in any way, going on talk shows and radio shows and making videos and hanging out with their contacts, and so most of them get caught fairly quickly. On the plus side, they have access to a huge network, money, cars, houses etc, but then the hunters know this and follow the trail. Idiots.

My I-know-better-than-anyone guide to winning Hunted:

1. NEVER EVER use a phone. Burner phones can be traced as easily as ordinary ones, so don't use them. If you have to contact someone, set it up before hand that you have some system, like ads in a newspaper or messages on one of those encrypted messaging systems.

2. STAY AWAY from people you know. Ask for help from strangers, so the hunters can't link you to them.

3. If travelling in a car, bring false number plates. ANPR is one of the major ways these people track you down and you may think you're being smart, getting a lift with your dad's friend's sister's uncle's older brother, but they will link you.

4. DISGUISE yourself! If you're a celeb, make sure nobody recognises you. Do NOT attract attention!

5. Set false trails if you can. Notwithstanding (4) above, get someone to take your picture and post it, then hop on a train and go to the other end of the country so they waste their time searching where you were, not where you are.

6. Ensure you avoid all CCTV as best you can. This is not easy but it's not hard. Look to see where the cameras are and walk behind them when they're facing the other way, or choose fields and lanes and such where there is no CCTV. Don't make it easy for them.

Follow these six steps and you have a better than eighty percent chance of making it to the extraction point. Works also, to an extent, if you're not a celeb, but mostly if you are. JUST USE COMMON SENSE GUYS!

Ted Lasso stinks now. First season was far from a masterpiece but it was a really fun and uplifting show that I was able to enjoy with my gf who has never watched a single minute of any sport league. Corny, sure, but it served a purpose.

Now it feels like a PSA, might as well watch Degrassi if we're just beating our audience over the head with the least interesting moral dilemmas possible.

I'm watching Citadel and The Power both on Amazon Prime. I love the Jonas Brothers wife she can be type casted as a spy and I will always love her in that role.

The power reminds me of Misfits so I'm enjoying it but I do know it's based off of a graphic novel.

We completed the Dead Ringers TV series.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/07/Dead_Ringers_TV.png)

It seems not everyone was excited about it, but I thought it was a pretty good redo of this story. I like the previous late 80s movie by Cronenberg where Jeremy Irons does a great job playing against himself. Mirroring his performance, Rachel Weisz plays a very good pair of Mantle twins (now working in birth / female fertility).

It's well made and looks great. It's occasionally delightfully gory, much more so than the movie.

If it has a problem, it's that the pace is a little slow and there are few really likeable characters in it. The Mantle twins aren't really supposed to be either, so that's fine, but you do spend a lot of time with them. Rachel Weisz has an insane amount of screen time.

Still a good series with a satisfying wrap up at the end. I think fans of the old movie would probably like this. It's a little sad that it seems like it might slide into obscurity.

Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed

Obvious slick, vapid horseshit megachurch turns out to be (surprise) corrupt and shitty. This docuseries is comprised of four episodes of some of the stupidest people on the planet grappling with that reality. I enjoy a good cult documentary, but this one was exceptionally dumb and could easily have been about any number of other predatory religious groups. 

I'm currently watching the new Twisted Metal show on Peacock and it isn't bad. I don't know what people wanted but it is right up my alley of what I think a Twisted Metal show would look like.

We've started watching Good Omens season 2 which, three episodes in, is a delight. Michael Sheen and David Tennant is a great duo. Especially Tennant is someone I find fun to watch, whether it's Doctor Who or Broadchurch.

Quote from: Janszoon on Jun 09, 2023, 07:01 AMHillsong: A Megachurch Exposed

Obvious slick, vapid horseshit megachurch turns out to be (surprise) corrupt and shitty. This docuseries is comprised of four episodes of some of the stupidest people on the planet grappling with that reality. I enjoy a good cult documentary, but this one was exceptionally dumb and could easily have been about any number of other predatory religious groups. 

^ I watched that docu-series too, and can't improve on your summary of it. :thumb:
__________________________________________

Has anyone watched the Netflix series, Dark ? It's now 3 seasons long, and is indeed "dark" as it's one of those brooding European mysteries set in an isolated community, buried in what might be The Black Forest. Like many in this genre, it is difficult to keep track of all the characters, which in its way, encourages you to keep watching it: if you skip it for a week, you'll have forgotten all the storylines.

The mysterious caves and original premise kept me intrigued through the first season, but the 2nd season is beginning to drag, weighed down by complexity, and the lack of real dramatic action. Instead there's a lot of rather plodding, unnatural dialogue. Here's an example:-

Anguished woman: "Who was my mother?"
Man who knows the answer: "Your mother loved you. And she still does."
He then exits as mysterious music swells up to hide two facts:

i) the characters talk in a way that normal people don't
ii) their conversation is subservient all the time to advancing the story and they all have the same utilitarian way of speaking. No one is chatty about the irrelevant things of life; no one is a habitual giggler, no one is an Oasis fanboy, no one talks endlessly about their holidays on the Med. Instead, every actor says their line to advance the plot, then pauses for the mysterious music or the quick edit. 

In Mexico they say, "Every head is a world" and to me that's what makes conversation interesting, irl and in tv progs: different people expressing their different worlds. Don't expect any of that in Dark; everyone is bogged down in the same world. :(    

That's a nice way of putting into words something that might frustrate me as well when watching a show, @Lisnaholic :)

We did try Dark, but the series didn't really grab me in the first two episodes. Might try again, though.

We discovered we hadn't watched all of A Handmaid's Tale, so we're watching that again. All the time, this series has felt like two steps forward and one step back. At times it can be a little frustrating, but the show's still very good, I think. The social commentary is on point and Elisabeth Moss is brilliant in some of the really emotional scenes.

Still, I'm hoping this series will reach its conclusion soon :laughing:

If you know, don't spoil it! I haven't read any spoilers and don't know if it's renewed and for how many seasons etc. and prefer it like that :)

Other than that, we saw Good Omens S2. It was enjoyable, if not quite as great as the first season. Still, David Tennant plays opposite Michael Sheen as the demon/angel Crowley and Aziraphale and they're so good. Especially Tennant is always a joy to watch and particularly in this, I feel.

What We Do in the Shadows is also still a lot of fun. The vampire characters are so great, it's difficult to say for sure which one is my favorite. It used to be Nadja, but currently it might be Laszlo Cravensworth. Nandor's accent is just extraordinary.

^

Quote from: Guybrush on Aug 28, 2023, 10:43 AMWe did try Dark, but the series didn't really grab me in the first two episodes. Might try again, though.

If you are expecting a mystery that gets resolved in the space of one season, I wouldn't bother. It just keeps expanding outward with new characters, new levels of who-knows-what-is-really-happening.

QuoteOther than that, we saw Good Omens S2. It was enjoyable, if not quite as great as the first season. Still, David Tennant plays opposite Michael Sheen as the demon/angel Crowley and Aziraphale and they're so good. Especially Tennant is always a joy to watch and particularly in this, I feel.

What We Do in the Shadows is also still a lot of fun. The vampire characters are so great, it's difficult to say for sure which one is my favorite. It used to be Nadja, but currently it might be Laszlo Cravensworth. Nandor's accent is just extraordinary.

^ Not the kind of progs I usually watch, but my son recommended both of those shows to me, and I was quite impressed. I think of the two I enjoyed What We Do In The Shadows more,(and in fact one season of Good Omens was sufficient for me, clever though it was.)

Meanwhile, I've returned to an old classic: Downton Abbey for a bit of undemanding, easy-to-follow escapism.

I'm on the second season of Outlander. It's a bit of a disappointment like The Last Kingdom, but I'm getting through it.

Welcome to SCD, MonaSomona ! I hope you enjoy yourself here and find some friends here to chat with. :thumb:

I watched one season of Outlander, which starts with so much promise. I really enjoyed it until it took a rather perverse direction when one of the main characters is taken prisoner::yikes:
With the move to France, I abandoned season 2, because the stated aim was to prevent a conflict which we know in advance is going to happen. I had a feeling that the whole season would just be one long series of defeats for the guys we were cheering for, and that prospect didn't appeal to me.

I enjoyed The Last Kingdom a lot more really - but perhaps that's because the story expands on stuff I grew up learning about at school: King Alfred burning the cakes, the Danegeld, and Ethelred The Unready. But if you found it disappointing, I can understand that too - at times all those battles and changes of allegiance kind of blur into each other and you're left wondering who is fighting who, and why. 

Quote from: Lisnaholic on Aug 29, 2023, 03:57 PMWelcome to SCD, MonaSomona ! I hope you enjoy yourself here and find some friends here to chat with. :thumb:

Thanks! Nice to meet you. :)

Quote from: Lisnaholic on Aug 29, 2023, 03:57 PMI watched one season of Outlander, which starts with so much promise. I really enjoyed it until it took a rather perverse direction when one of the main characters is taken prisoner::yikes:

Oh, yeah ...that. It was a bit of a surprise. A dismal surprise.

Quote from: MonaSomona on Aug 29, 2023, 04:18 PMOh, yeah ...that. It was a bit of a surprise. A dismal surprise.

:laughing: I sat there watching in disbelief, thinking "This is allowed on Netflix ?!?"

Quote from: Lisnaholic on Aug 29, 2023, 04:46 PM:laughing: I sat there watching in disbelief, thinking "This is allowed on Netflix ?!?"

 :laughing:

Not only that, but it seemed out of place with the overall tone of the show up until that point. Makes me wonder what else they have up their sleeve.

Yes, that's a good point, Mona. That episode just doesn't fit in well with the style or story: it's like the director/writer had this one fetish that he/she wanted to explore, and they finally got the chance to do it. Another possibility is this:

I read once how money sometimes runs short while making a series, and the producers are obliged to put in a real low-budget episode. It happens in the excellent series, Breaking Bad, where in one episode there are just two actors chasing a fly around in a lab. It has "filler episode" written all over it: reduced cast, no set changes, and no advancement to the actual story. That is perhaps true of the Outlander gaol-cell episode - but I won't be watching it again to check out my theory ! 

Gods, I hated the Breaking Bad fly episode. Why are you wasting my time with this dumbass fly-catching slapstick? Yuck.

Yes, "slap-stick" is the exact, well-chosen word, Guybrush! Even on a low budget it's perfectly possible to write a gripping episode: it's the kind of thing playwrights have been doing for centuries. I ended up being angry at the producers, and also annoyed with myself for having watched the episode all  the way through, in the dwindling hope that it would improve at some point.   

Anyone else watching The Fall of the House of Usher?

It's very well made, but sorely lacking in characters likeable enough to make me care about the horrors that might happen.

Stil fairly entertaining, though.

Quote from: Lisnaholic on Aug 31, 2023, 05:43 PMYes, that's a good point, Mona. That episode just doesn't fit in well with the style or story: it's like the director/writer had this one fetish that he/she wanted to explore, and they finally got the chance to do it.

I made it through season 2 in Paris and there was quite the interesting turn at the end. I've been very invested in watching since then.

It was a bit sad before because you knew how it was supposed to end, but it's different now. :)

I watched the HBO documentary on the Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God.

It's about a small cult built around mother god, a middle aged woman with a severe drinking problem. She has a cult of enablers who think she's god and I assume the cult also became her prison, in certain ways hindering her access to care that might have helped her. As she slowly dies from alcoholism, the cult spins a story about how her failing health is actually from carrying humanity's pain or something? Nutjobs. Oh, and they're taking lots of messages from the ghost of Robin Williams who certainly had quite a bit to say after his death and not always funny things either.

I already knew a bit about the cult and this Mother God as I caught the news of the discovery of her dead body kept by cult members from a podcast around the time it happened. Something that intrigued me back then was the corpse was supposedly blue and somewhat mummified due to all the colloidal silver she'd been drinking. They thought it would help her. Newsflash: drinking silver is not healthy.

The documentary was pretty good. One thing which is great is there's tons of footage from life inside the cult because they filmed so much to either livestream or upload to YouTube. Also, most of the talking heads are the actual cult members giving their stories.

I find cults and their dedicated LARPing fascinating and this doc was pretty good.

I'm fascinated by cults, so I also watched the Twin Flames doc on Netflix while sick and working from home. I just had it on in the background while working on other stuff.

This started out as a matchmaking service, sort of, but quickly turned into a full-on cult with its own belief system and the usual trappings, like people being told their parents are demon infested people who must be avoided. The point of this cult was matching people up with their "twin flames" (destined romantic partners) and the cult leaders, a couple, are the only ones who know who people's twin flames are. Twin flames should be pursued at any cost, even the unwilling ones, essentially turning some of the members with twin flames outside of the cult into stalkers. One of the people interviewed ends up doing prison time for months due to this.

Then it just gets crazier. The leaders make a food company and make their members buy their meal plans or whatever so a lot of them put on weight. And the cult has so few guys in it, the leaders are kinda forced to matchmake female same sex unions. Because most of them are not lesbian, they get around this problem by announcing one of them as being divine masculine and the other as being divine feminine. Some of those designated something they physically don't align with end up doing surgery, like having breasts removed.

Among all this grief they're causing, the leaders are of course also sucking their members fiscally dry.

It's the sort of thing I hope more people see so that hopefully people are reminded to not be so gullible and that these leaders get thrown in jail where they belong.

Quote from: Guybrush on Dec 18, 2023, 12:33 PMI'm fascinated by cults, so I also watched the Twin Flames doc on Netflix while sick and working from home. I just had it on in the background while working on other stuff.

This started out as a matchmaking service, sort of, but quickly turned into a full-on cult with its own belief system and the usual trappings, like people being told their parents are demon infested people who must be avoided. The point of this cult was matching people up with their "twin flames" (destined romantic partners) and the cult leaders, a couple, are the only ones who know who people's twin flames are. Twin flames should be pursued at any cost, even the unwilling ones, essentially turning some of the members with twin flames outside of the cult into stalkers. One of the people interviewed ends up doing prison time for months due to this.

Then it just gets crazier. The leaders make a food company and make their members buy their meal plans or whatever so a lot of them put on weight. And the cult has so few guys in it, the leaders are kinda forced to matchmake female same sex unions. Because most of them are not lesbian, they get around this problem by announcing one of them as being divine masculine and the other as being divine feminine. Some of those designated something they physically don't align with end up doing surgery, like having breasts removed.

Among all this grief they're causing, the leaders are of course also sucking their members fiscally dry.

It's the sort of thing I hope more people see so that hopefully people are reminded to not be so gullible and that these leaders get thrown in jail where they belong.

Yeah I watched that and it just reminded me of how new age religions start out and just major culty vibes.

One thing that kept bothering me is that the head guy was not even attractive like normal cult leaders, he didn't even have the right amount of charisma either. It's just that he took advantage of severely lonely people and it worked. He needs to get thrown under the jail.

Quote from: DJChameleon on Dec 18, 2023, 05:36 PMYeah I watched that and it just reminded me of how new age religions start out and just major culty vibes.

One thing that kept bothering me is that the head guy was not even attractive like normal cult leaders, he didn't even have the right amount of charisma either. It's just that he took advantage of severely lonely people and it worked. He needs to get thrown under the jail.

Yes, it's baffling. How does this absolute phoney douchebag and his weird wife manage to have such control over these people? His tantrums etc. I wonder if some people just find psychopathic behaviour enthralling.

Quote from: Guybrush on Dec 18, 2023, 06:57 PMYes, it's baffling. How does this absolute phoney douchebag and his weird wife manage to have such control over these people? His tantrums etc. I wonder if some people just find psychopathic behaviour enthralling.

It definitely has to do with the fact that they are lonely and I feel like they just ignore that behavior and it doesn't stand out to them as something out of the ordinary until later on.

The longing to find someone in life and not be alone is a strong feeling to tap into. I will give him credit for recognizing that in the first place to set up his con system.

Quote from: DJChameleon on Dec 18, 2023, 07:04 PMIt definitely has to do with the fact that they are lonely and I feel like they just ignore that behavior and it doesn't stand out to them as something out of the ordinary until later on.

The longing to find someone in life and not be alone is a strong feeling to tap into. I will give him credit for recognizing that in the first place to set up his con system.

Yup and it does seem like quite a few people did wake up and smelled his bullshit, but ofc at the end of the doc, it says the cult is still expanding. I hope that's not true anymore and that this doc essentially kills it.

Watching it also reminded me I should see The Vow. The Twin Flames leader guy makes his followers watch it to convince them that he's not a cult leader like Keith Raniere (which seems to not have the intended effect on them).

So now I'm watching The Vow on HBO which is about NXIVM, Keith Raniere's large cult. Most have probably read about Allison Mack's involvement in trapping young women in a secret society where they got hot iron branded with Keith Raniere's initials and made to have sex with him.

The Vow is quite long, spanning a lot of episodes and two seasons, so I'm not quite at the juiciest crimes yet, but it's still fascinating.

Quote from: Guybrush on Dec 19, 2023, 01:27 PMYup and it does seem like quite a few people did wake up and smelled his bullshit, but ofc at the end of the doc, it says the cult is still expanding. I hope that's not true anymore and that this doc essentially kills it.

Watching it also reminded me I should see The Vow. The Twin Flames leader guy makes his followers watch it to convince them that he's not a cult leader like Keith Raniere (which seems to not have the intended effect on them).

So now I'm watching The Vow on HBI which is about NXIVM, Keith Raniere's large cult. Most have probably read about Allison Mack's involvement in trapping young women in a secret society where they got hot iron branded with Keith Raniere's initials and made to have sex with him.

The Vow is quite long, spanning a lot of episodes and two seasons, so I'm not quite at the juiciest crimes yet, but it's still fascinating.

I need to watch The Vow, I think the cult was located kind of close to me in upstate NY. IIRC, but I was sadden to hear that Allison Mack was involved in it because I had such a huge crush on her during the Smallville days. She also tried to get her Smallville co-star to join NXIVM.

Yes the cult is very much alive and kicking. Twin Flames, I went on their website to like look for more information. I was thinking about applying to try to join just so I could troll the shit out of it the entire time but I didn't follow through. Also they might be wary of new applicants but I'm sure this documentary has given them potential new members. You know how the saying goes, any press/exposure is good press.

Keith was also another one of those like "ew I can't believe he's a cult leader he's not that charming looking but he's definitely more charismatic than the dude leading Twin Flames.

Quote from: DJChameleon on Dec 19, 2023, 01:31 PMKeith was also another one of those like "ew I can't believe he's a cult leader he's not that charming looking but he's definitely more charismatic than the dude leading Twin Flames.

Yuck. Keith Rainere is such a dopey eyed douchebag, I can't really see the appeal there either. He's obviously a good salesman, but some of the stuff he says seems so hacky, like platitudes that sound deep but are actually untrue, empty or irrelevant. Like he likes this idea of hell; that on the day you die, you meet the you that you could've been.

I'm like why is that a particularly bad hell or even good idea of hell? It's obviously just because it lines up with the exact narrative he wants to imprint on people.

These cultists vary a little bit, but they all seem like relatively innocent people who lack critical thinking skills. I might offend someone writing this, but I do get the impression that religion has probably primed some of these peeps into becoming potential cult victims.

We just watched the first episode of Fargo S5 and wow, what a season opener. Already looking forward to diving further into that one 🙂

Still trying to get through Outlander. I'm at the beginning of season 5, but I haven't started it yet. Need a break to maybe watch some other shit for a bit.

I talked Micha into watching Euphoria with me. It took us some time, but we finished it last week. I've seen it 3 times now. Can't wait for the new season, in 2025...

Just finished Fargo season five and it was amazing. Currently watching Feud and I'm not into it so I'm on my phone. I'm sure it's perfectly fine but I'm not into it.

Quote from: robhr on Jan 28, 2024, 03:31 AMJust finished Fargo season five and it was amazing. Currently watching Feud and I'm not into it so I'm on my phone. I'm sure it's perfectly fine but I'm not into it.

Love it!! We got two episodes left and In just looking forward watching it this evening.

Finished Fargo S5 last weekend and thought it was pretty great 👍 liked it a lot.

Now we're on to True Detective S4 Night Country where Jodie Foster and Kali Reis are Alaskan detectives investigating the disappearance of researchers from an arctic research station. The events take place at the start of the dark season or polar night, hence the title.

Although it's Alaska and not Svalbard, having lived in the arctic and having been on a research station etc. there's some things here that feel familiar and that's enjoyable.

The show itself is part True Detective, part Twin Peaks, part The Thing. I like it so far, 3 episodes in.

Episode 4 of True Detective S4 was a piece of feel-bad art. I like it a lot.

Apparently the show's getting some flak from TD fans who think it's too supernatural and maybe doesn't closely follow the TD format. I do feel like they just slapped TRUE DETECTIVE on there to tie it to a recognizable IP so people would watch it. However, forgetting about TD and just judging it as its own thing, it's very good imo. I'd recommend.

We're a few episodes into Masters of the Air and I'm really enjoying it. Worth a watch if you liked Band of Brothers and The Pacific.

Watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith and it's really good but it is one of these series you either really love or you hate. It is an interesting take on what we got with the movie. Donald Glover does it again imo.

We started watching Jury Duty on Amazon prime. The concept is genius. It's a courtroom and a court case, but everyone's an actor - except one guy who thinks its real and that he's simply in a doc about jury duty. So the whole show is like a prank on this one guy.

The concept may be funnier than the execution, but it's still enjoyable so we'll probably finish it.

Quote from: Guybrush on Feb 19, 2024, 05:01 PMWe started watching Jury Duty on Amazon prime. The concept is genius. It's a courtroom and a court case, but everyone's an actor - except one guy who thinks its real and that he's simply in a doc about jury duty. So the whole show is like a prank on this one guy.

The concept may be funnier than the execution, but it's still enjoyable so we'll probably finish it.

That kind of reminds me of Murderville, which is also pretty funny. In each episode, a celebrity with no knowledge or script has to improvise their way through solving a murder with Will Arnett and the rest of the cast.

Quote from: Janszoon on Feb 19, 2024, 05:05 PMThat kind of reminds me of Murderville, which is also pretty funny. In each episode, a celebrity with no knowledge or script has to improvise their way through solving a murder with Will Arnett and the rest of the cast.

I've only seen one episode of Murder ville, but it was fun and so is Will Arnett. An aside, but my favourite joke from Arrested Development might be how his character's name was Jobe, but spelled Gob 😄

And the never-nude analrapist (analyst/therapist) is also pretty funny.

Quote from: Guybrush on Feb 19, 2024, 05:11 PMI've only seen one episode of Murder ville, but it was fun and so is Will Arnett. An aside, but my favourite joke from Arrested Development might be how his character's name was Jobe, but spelled Gob 😄

And the never-nude analrapist (analyst/therapist) is also pretty funny.

There's always money in the banana stand!

I'm big into feudal Japan - I love the clothing, the armor, the samurais, the architecture, the environment, the hierarchies etc. Just a fascinating time and place. So I'm really looking forward to watching this new show, 'Shogun'.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzhkNzVkNDYtNmE2Zi00ZTk1LTk2OWYtOTU5NWM5OWQ2Zjc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjkwOTAyMDU@._V1_.jpg)

Quote from: SGR on Feb 26, 2024, 08:10 PMI'm big into feudal Japan - I love the clothing, the armor, the samurais, the architecture, the environment, the hierarchies etc. Just a fascinating time and place. So I'm really looking forward to watching this new show, 'Shogun'.

I remember the book and miniseries were really popular when I was a kid, but I've never read or watched them. I'm curious how this will be.

Quote from: Janszoon on Feb 26, 2024, 08:28 PMI remember the book and miniseries were really popular when I was a kid, but I've never read or watched them. I'm curious how this will be.

I've never read the book or seen the mini-series, but count me as interested. The show has already been getting rave critical reviews. I don't have cable so I'm gonna be stuck waiting for them to upload the series (hopefully, as the episodes air) on Hulu.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/shogun_2024/s01/reviews

Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it. The set and production values look outstanding:



Yeah, I'm hyped. I'm also big into action games set in feudal Japan, and one of my favorite studios that makes those games is Team Ninja - who happen to be releasing their big new open-world game set in 19th century war-torn Japan in less than a month - so I'm gonna be eating good.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTZlNjRiOGYtZjVlYy00Y2Y2LThjNmItNmVkY2U0ZjVjOGU4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDM2NDM2MQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UY2222_.jpg)

I just finished watching Griselda tonight. I had no previous knowledge of her, so I really enjoyed the story. I also read once I had finished, that the Netflix show stayed quite true to the real story. I would definitely recommend it.

Quote from: FETCHER. on Apr 09, 2024, 12:15 AMI just finished watching Griselda tonight. I had no previous knowledge of her, so I really enjoyed the story. I also read once I had finished, that the Netflix show stayed quite true to the real story. I would definitely recommend it.

Is that about the Colombian drug cartel boss?

Quote from: Janszoon on Apr 09, 2024, 12:18 AMIs that about the Colombian drug cartel boss?

Yess that's the one. I found it really interesting. It's only 6 episodes as well which I thought was a bonus. 

Quote from: FETCHER. on Apr 09, 2024, 12:23 AMYess that's the one. I found it really interesting. It's only 6 episodes as well which I thought was a bonus. 

I remember watching a documentary or something about her quite a few years ago and she seemed pretty brutal. 

I've both read Shogun and seen the original miniseries (not seen this new one yet) and enjoyed both immensely. Watched Platform 7, about a girl who dies and wakes up in a train station, with no knowledge of how she died. Really good, only 4 episodes, highly recommended. Also Blackshore, an Irish murder drama, really good too. Watched the end of True Detective: Night Country. Did not like the ending. They say it's the best since season one, but I strongly disagree. Looking forward to The Regime, started yesterday.

Quote from: Trollheart on Apr 09, 2024, 04:21 AMWatched the end of True Detective: Night Country. Did not like the ending. They say it's the best since season one, but I strongly disagree.

I thought season one was completely ruined by the last episode or two, so I feel like I should probably skip the new one too. 

Night Country was very good, but I agree the last episode was somewhat weak.

We've been watching the latest season of Curb. The episode we watched yesterday, Ken/Kendra, was comedy gold 😂

What I'm watching rn is Daria, I recommend it's one of my favorite shows. Also, Atlanta it's a pretty good show; Donald Glover/Childish Gambino is in it he makes good music.

Quote from: steezy405 on Apr 12, 2024, 06:58 PMWhat I'm watching rn is Daria, I recommend it's one of my favorite shows. Also, Atlanta it's a pretty good show; Donald Glover/Childish Gambino is in it he makes good music.

I watched the first season and had a hard time getting into it. The second episode was great, but then I felt like it went downhill fast.

Quote from: Janszoon on Apr 12, 2024, 07:08 PMI watched the first season and had a hard time getting into it. The second episode was great, but then I felt like it went downhill fast.

I agree with that a lot of stuff happened pretty quickly.

Didn't realize Night Country was only 6 episodes so two nights ago I binged it.

I don't mind the ending and don't see it as a deterrent to not watch the entire season.

I started FallOut and wow what an opening. I'm gonna enjoy this show.

Quote from: steezy405 on Apr 12, 2024, 06:58 PMWhat I'm watching rn is Daria, I recommend it's one of my favorite shows. Also, Atlanta it's a pretty good show; Donald Glover/Childish Gambino is in it he makes good music.

Atlanta can be hit or miss, but the good stuff is fantastic and I applaud their courage to experiment and try new things.

I liked Daria as a teenager, but when I rewatched it much later, the title character was too much of an annoying little bitch to enjoy the show.

Quote from: grindy on Apr 13, 2024, 10:16 AMAtlanta can be hit or miss, but the good stuff is fantastic and I applaud their courage to experiment and try new things.

I liked Daria as a teenager, but when I rewatched it much later, the title character was too much of an annoying little bitch to enjoy the show.

I agree Atlanta can get messy but overall it's a pretty good show. I can see your vision with Daria like I hated Brittany's voice it pissed me off because it was way to high pitched also Quinn was kind of bitchy.

Quote from: steezy405 on Apr 13, 2024, 04:55 PMI agree Atlanta can get messy but overall it's a pretty good show. I can see your vision with Daria like I hated Brittany's voice it pissed me off because it was way to high pitched also Quinn was kind of bitchy.

Surprisingly I loved Quinn and her friend more as an adult rewatching Daria than I did when I was younger. Yes Brittany's voice can be grating but she's part of the clique that I love more now and laugh at more.

Quote from: DJChameleon on Apr 13, 2024, 07:47 PMSurprisingly I loved Quinn and her friend more as an adult rewatching Daria than I did when I was younger. Yes Brittany's voice can be grating but she's part of the clique that I love more now and laugh at more.

I'll take your word for it, my favorite character would have to be Trent because of his passion with music  :)

(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3sCyrVwN1_E/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&rs=AOn4CLC7rjcBq0OcwceeD6m7M79prGUgmg)

Great German darkly comic drama (hold on: German? Comic? They don't normally go together do they? Well they do here!) Helgoland 513 poses an interesting question: how far would a community go to fulfil Spock's mantra that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one? As an unnamed virus (surely based on Covid) rages across, presumably the world, though Germany is only shown, one island is untouched. But in order for this small community to continue to be able to support itself, the figures show that only 513 people can be there at any time (hence the title). Therefore, if the population increases, someone has to "sacrifice" themselves for the good of the island.

To its credit though, Helgoland 513 does not use this premise as a crutch, and there are a lot of subplots going on, leading you to question the motives of the leaders. It's got a lot of dark humour, too, and the idea that those in charge know more than they're telling the general populace. Highly entertaining, slightly scary and ends on a cliffhanger, with the hope of a second season in the air.

Subtitles? Clear and legible, thank the subtitling gods. 7 episodes in total, well worth a watch.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmQ0NDE5NjYtMGU4OS00NGMwLWJmOGYtZjVmYTFhMzA3ZGQ2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDc5ODIzMw@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg)

^ With its Stuart-Little-type photo, this publicity image gives a very misleading impression of what is a short, unusual drama series. Some good, but not glamourous, acting and an off-beat, gritty story that is prob offensive to some. It's getting some media attention in the UK, (where the story takes place), but I don't know if anyone else has come across it ?

It keeps getting mentioned as a series to watch but I haven't checked it out yet. It's gaining in popularity.

I've noticed Baby Reindeer. If the reviews are good, I might check it out.

We finished Fallout today. Overall, I'm impressed that they managed to make something that felt so authentic. They nailed the world and the humour. It won't be this year's best series (I'm currently guessing House of the Dragon S2), but very enjoyable. The only thing I disliked is:

Spoiler

It's about all these peeps, three of them, from pre-war days who are still battling it out 200+ years into the apocalypse? Man, that seems both unlikely and kinda contrived.

[close]

I would like to watch the English series about the post people getting screwed over by their employer and the data program, but not sure if it's streaming anywhere I can watch it.

Did any of you guys see it?

Quote from: Guybrush on Apr 23, 2024, 12:06 AMI would like to watch the English series about the post people getting screwed over by their employer and the data program, but not sure if it's streaming anywhere I can watch it.

I didn't, but my wife did. She seemed to enjoy it.

Quote from: Guybrush on Apr 23, 2024, 12:06 AMI've noticed Baby Reindeer. If the reviews are good, I might check it out.

We finished Fallout today. Overall, I'm impressed that they managed to make something that felt so authentic. They nailed the world and the humour. It won't be this year's best series (I'm currently guessing House of the Dragon S2), but very enjoyable. The only thing I disliked is:

Spoiler

It's about all these peeps, three of them, from pre-war days who are still battling it out 200+ years into the apocalypse? Man, that seems both unlikely and kinda contrived.

[close]

I would like to watch the English series about the post people getting screwed over by their employer and the data program, but not sure if it's streaming anywhere I can watch it.

Did any of you guys see it?

Yo.

https://gofile.io/d/4hES0I

Thanks, @Trollheart 😅 I've made a bookmark

I think the files remain there for 30 days until they delete them. If you don't manage it in that time let me know and I will re-upload them.

I currently have one episode left of Fallout. I know next to nothing about the game, but I've been enjoying it regardless.

Quote from: Janszoon on Apr 23, 2024, 05:04 PMI currently have one episode left of Fallout. I know next to nothing about the game, but I've been enjoying it regardless.

If you need help with any clarifications etc, I can help. Especially with how the last episode ends, it may not have as much of an impact on you as it did me, but it is so so so good

Quote from: Key on Apr 23, 2024, 05:17 PMIf you need help with any clarifications etc, I can help. Especially with how the last episode ends, it may not have as much of an impact on you as it did me, but it is so so so good

So far so good for me. I'll let know if I have questions about the ending.

Quote from: Trollheart on Apr 23, 2024, 03:13 PMI think the files remain there for 30 days until they delete them. If you don't manage it in that time let me know and I will re-upload them.

No worries, I got em ;)

Thanks again!

Quote from: Key on Apr 23, 2024, 05:17 PMIf you need help with any clarifications etc, I can help. Especially with how the last episode ends, it may not have as much of an impact on you as it did me, but it is so so so good

I finished Fallout last night. So what are the details that might have had more of an impact on me?

Quote from: Janszoon on Apr 24, 2024, 08:31 PMI finished Fallout last night. So what are the details that might have had more of an impact on me?

Spoiler

The city he looks at is the main area of one of the better Fallout games, New Vegas. and there's so much craziness that happens there that it's exciting to imagine what they are going to do with it as a setting in the next season. It's one of my favorite Fallout games for sure, so I'm really looking forward to seeing where they go with it. It's the only 3D Fallout game that was made by Obsidian and everything about it is awesome. I nearly screamed when I saw it. For example, there's a club in New Vegas that is run by Elvis impersonators.

There's also a massive story arc for a character named Mr House so I'm hoping they jump into his story a bit more in the next season.

[close]

Quote from: Key on Apr 24, 2024, 09:50 PM

Spoiler

The city he looks at is the main area of one of the better Fallout games, New Vegas. and there's so much craziness that happens there that it's exciting to imagine what they are going to do with it as a setting in the next season. It's one of my favorite Fallout games for sure, so I'm really looking forward to seeing where they go with it. It's the only 3D Fallout game that was made by Obsidian and everything about it is awesome. I nearly screamed when I saw it. For example, there's a club in New Vegas that is run by Elvis impersonators.

There's also a massive story arc for a character named Mr House so I'm hoping they jump into his story a bit more in the next season.

[close]

Spoiler

Haha, I assumed that was Seattle at the end.

Also, my old landlord was Mr. House. :laughing:

[close]

Quote from: Key on Apr 24, 2024, 09:50 PM

Spoiler

The city he looks at is the main area of one of the better Fallout games, New Vegas. and there's so much craziness that happens there that it's exciting to imagine what they are going to do with it as a setting in the next season. It's one of my favorite Fallout games for sure, so I'm really looking forward to seeing where they go with it. It's the only 3D Fallout game that was made by Obsidian and everything about it is awesome. I nearly screamed when I saw it. For example, there's a club in New Vegas that is run by Elvis impersonators.

There's also a massive story arc for a character named Mr House so I'm hoping they jump into his story a bit more in the next season.

[close]

Spoiler

You forgot to mention the Deathclaw skull which are from FallOut 4 but they might place them into the New Vegas setting.

[close]

Thanks to my secret benefactor, I was able to watch Mr Bates Vs The Post Office 🙂

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GEt3mJja0AAPmWj.jpg)

I listen to BBC World News in the weekends and that's probably where I picked up on this story about the huge number of subpostmasters who have been persecuted and harassed by the British post office.

The series is relatively short (4 episodes) and very good with occasional very good acting. The fact it's based on a true story and events makes it a lot more impactful.

Something sad is I read the production cost more than they've been able to make back, despite the series' huge popularity in the UK. The problem is apparently selling it abroad.

Anyways, it's probably well worth a watch if this looks like it might be for you.

:4stars:

I started watching Culprits and the first episode has me hooked already. I love Heist-esque shows/movies.

We saw Baby Reindeer. Did I forget to mention that? It was a good series and a little unfortunate with all the controversy in the aftermath.

We also watched The Red King!

(https://imageservice.sky.com/pcms/7e2446e0-f820-11ee-a56f-9bd5e3b9f6ce/LAND_16_9?proposition=NOWTV&language=eng&versionId=2b2ea40f-ab4a-5ff3-bec9-3161681de9d2&territory=GB)

This was something I had to get my hands on due to it being so inspired by The Wicker Man. It is essentially a modern take on a very similar story. This time a young female police officer gets a job to police an island community and again, there's a child missing. It retraces the steps of The Wicker Man, but being a series with much longer running time, it adds a few new ones as well.

Overall, I quite enjoyed it and also appreciated its englishness and the way it feels made for the smaller screen, if that makes sense.

Anjli Mohindra was fun to watch in her role as Grace, an uncompromising police officer having to deal with misogyny, racism and also your basic xenophobia on top of her missing person case.

I can't see everyone digging this, but if you like 1973's Wicker Man, this is a good bet.

I also enjoyed Bodkin, another crime thriller.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMWIwYzc4MzYtYjY5Zi00ZTRjLThmNDAtOGUzNTYwYTdlNGJiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMzNzIyNDc1._V1_.jpg)

An Irish journalist living in London and working for The Guardian is sent (back) to Ireland. Her latest story has gotten too hot. To evade the heat, she's to cooperate with an American podcaster who is researching a cold case of three people who went missing on Samhain 25 years ago in the small seaside village Bodkin.

That's the basic premise. It actually shares some themes with The Red King, but is a bit slower paced and not quite as dramatic. Siobhan Cullen's character's extreme cynicism feels a bit tiring and parodic at times, but Will Forte's podcaster is endearing enough. The star of the show may actually be David Wilmot who plays early suspect and criminal fisherman Seamus Gallagher, combining both danger and warmth in a layered character.

It won't be anyone's favourite from 2024, but if it looks like a good fit, you'll probably enjoy it.

Quote from: Guybrush on Jun 04, 2024, 09:03 AMWe saw Baby Reindeer. Did I forget to mention that? It was a good series and a little unfortunate with all the controversy in the aftermath.

We also watched The Red King!

(https://imageservice.sky.com/pcms/7e2446e0-f820-11ee-a56f-9bd5e3b9f6ce/LAND_16_9?proposition=NOWTV&language=eng&versionId=2b2ea40f-ab4a-5ff3-bec9-3161681de9d2&territory=GB)

This was something I had to get my hands on due to it being so inspired by The Wicker Man. It is essentially a modern take on a very similar story. This time a young female police officer gets a job to police an island community and again, there's a child missing. It retraces the steps of The Wicker Man, but being a series with much longer running time, it adds a few new ones as well.

Overall, I quite enjoyed it and also appreciated its englishness and the way it feels made for the smaller screen, if that makes sense.

Anjli Mohindra was fun to watch in her role as Grace, an uncompromising police officer having to deal with misogyny, racism and also your basic xenophobia on top of her missing person case.

I can't see everyone digging this, but if you like 1973's Wicker Man, this is a good bet.

Yep I watched The Red King, finished it last night. It was pretty good (with a sequel possible given the ending) but overall I kind of dislike these "ancient religion" style crime thrillers. I ditched, I think it was, The Third Day, something like that, for similar reasons. I must say, it did (spoiler) blow my head off at one point!  :laughing:

I guess I'd watch a sequel, though you have to wonder how they'd continue the story now. Very graphically violent I felt, which is no bad thing, in its place. Obviously took no tips from The Godfather though! An unnecessarily dismal ending, would you agree? I like Marc Warren in everything I've seen him in - have you watched the reboot of Van der Valk? It's really quite good.

Quote from: Trollheart on Jun 05, 2024, 03:49 AMYep I watched The Red King, finished it last night. It was pretty good (with a sequel possible given the ending) but overall I kind of dislike these "ancient religion" style crime thrillers. I ditched, I think it was, The Third Day, something like that, for similar reasons. I must say, it did (spoiler) blow my head off at one point!  :laughing:

I guess I'd watch a sequel, though you have to wonder how they'd continue the story now. Very graphically violent I felt, which is no bad thing, in its place. Obviously took no tips from The Godfather though! An unnecessarily dismal ending, would you agree? I like Marc Warren in everything I've seen him in - have you watched the reboot of Van der Valk? It's really quite good.

The ending is the best part about The Wicker Man, but I guess they felt after taking everything else, at least they should make the ending for Red King different? Quite weak as you say, but at least it makes possible a season 2. I'd probably watch it 😄 I did like Anjli Mohindra..

I have not seen Van Der Valk, either the old or the new.

Eeey, anyone seen Ripley on Netflix?

Is it entertaining?

Recent shows watched:

Reginald the Vampire season 2: excellent, clever and on-point series in the Buffy vein (sorry), based on the Fat Vampire novels. Thoroughly enjoyed, looking forward to the next season.

Hrry Wild season 2: Quirky, light-hearted detective show set in Ireland and starring Jane Seymour. Good stuff. Recommended.

The Turkish Detective: Started this but it really didn't grip me, plus the mixture of subtitles and English sections makes it a little off-putting. Not to mention that episode 3 was signed* so that turned me off. It really wasn't good enough to go searching for to download. Meh.

The Twelve: Courtroom/murder drama based on the Belgian original (see below). Looks good so far, this one is Australian-based and stars Sam Neill.

Poldark Season 3: Already mentioned, still watching, still great.

The Brothers: Still watching this. Oh, the fashion and the music of the 1970s!  :laughing:

The Outlaws season 3: It all comes together finally in what is, I assume, the last season of Stephen Merchant's clever comedy drama series based around community service offenders. Watch out for a guest slot from season 2 regular Christopher Walken!

Telemarketer$: compelling documentary detailing the takedown of the scams behind call centres for supposed charities. Slow to get going but well worth sticking with.

Sherlock: What need I say? I watched this before and ripped the piss out of it, went back and gave it another try and now love it. Have watched it all. Superb.

The Twelve: Cinderella Murders: The original Belgian series, as mentioned above, but I think this may be a second season? Not sure, but excellent with a damn fine twist that I nevertheless saw coming.

* Signed? Yeah I don't know if they do it over in the US, but here they have special versions of programmes for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, where they have a "signer" - person doing sign language - who usually occupies the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, forcing the main picture to be squeezed up smaller. I recognise the need for such a service, but signers just distract me, especially when there are subtitles to read. If I see SL (Sign Language) on a programme I just don't bother.

Waiting to be watched:

House of the Dragon season 2: Just waiting till I have them all (one to go I think)

DI Ray season 2: Gripping cop drama. Enjoyed season 1, the new season only begins tonight.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder: No idea, but it looks good. Collecting it as I write

The Cleaning Lady season 2: Loved season one, just doing the usual, getting it all together before I begin watching it.

Under the Banner of Heaven: I think this is an Australian murder thingy. Same as above.

The Dropout: Watched some of it, then caught up so now waiting for the rest to be shown before I complete it.

Belgravia: The Next Chapter: No idea, but I think a Downtown Abbey/Bridgerton thing? Just started.

Big Little Lies: Suburban drama comedy? I'll give it a go. One episode so far.

Bergen: Power and Glory: Season four I think of the Norwegian political thriller.

Interview with the Vampire: Well duh! As if I would miss this. Only two episodes shown so far though.

The Jetty: Another murder drama. Ongoing.

End of Summer: Murder drama in which it seems the victim may not be dead after all.

The Serial Killer's Wife: Needs no explanation. Ongoing.

Sommerdahl Murders: Another of my scandi-drama/Nordic noir deals.

Klangor: May be about a prison, not sure. Might be a psychlogist involved too.

Granite Harbour: Scottish murder drama thingy.

Heat: Family become trapped by a brush fire, secrets come out, yadda yadda.

Quote from: Trollheart on Jul 26, 2024, 07:10 PMWaiting to be watched:

House of the Dragon season 2: Just waiting till I have them all (one to go I think)

We just watched the second to last episode today and it's so good. It's nearly everything I love about Game of Thrones as it was up until season 4 or so before they blew it. Really looking forward to the season finale ❤️

You also mentioned Bergen. I didn't even know there was a Bergen TV series 😅

Me and wifey will be starting Time Bandits tomorrow. It's the latest series by Taika Waititi featuring, among others, Lisa Kudrow and Jemaine Clement.

It's gotten some mixed reviews, but I definitely will give it a shot as I love Terry Gilliam (even if Time Bandits isn't nearly his greatest movie), love Taiki and Jemaine and quite liked other series TW has been attached to like Reservation Dogs and Our Flag Means Death.

Interesting. I actually love Time Bandits, did not know there was a series (though there appears to be one for just about every movie now - coming soon: SAW: The Series!  ::)

May take a look at that. I'm told the series of Interview with the Vampire has been off the charts great, and season 2 just started on BBC so I better start catchng up! Hopefully it's going to be part of the whole "Immortals Universe" created by Anne - Marius, Pandora, Armand, Santiago, all the gang - which will be cool, assuming World War III doesn't erupt in the Middle East and we get to see it.

Yeah, Bergen has been going for a while now. I'm not sure if you're making a clever reference to the Norwegian city or not, but it's a political drama about the (first?) female Prime Minister of Norway, and I've enjoyed the first two seasons. Season 3 they forgot to add the subtitles so I had to stop, but hopefully I can catch up.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/The_IT_Crowd_title_card.jpg)

We started watching The IT Crowd recently. I've been meaning to watch it for a very long time and I've been pleasantly surprised by how much it makes me laugh. I was expecting it to be more along the lines of The Office and wasn't expecting how bizarre it is.  :laughing:

Quote from: Janszoon on Aug 12, 2024, 06:59 PM(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/The_IT_Crowd_title_card.jpg)

We started watching The IT Crowd recently. I've been meaning to watch it for a very long time and I've been pleasantly surprised by how much it makes me laugh. I was expecting it to be more along the lines of The Office and wasn't expecting how bizarre it is.  :laughing:

You're in for a treat! The gay musical episode of season 2 is one of the most amazing episodes of any TV comedy. Just about everything else is great too.

They actually got together for a one-off as well some years ago.

Quote from: Guybrush on Aug 12, 2024, 11:36 PMYou're in for a treat! The gay musical episode of season 2 is one of the most amazing episodes of any TV comedy. Just about everything else is great too.

They actually got together for a one-off as well some years ago.

I think it was maybe the second episode—the one where you see Jen's toes after wearing the tight shoes—that I decided it was my kind of show. I could not stop laughing at the quick foot shots. A few days later, my wife and I were out at a bar and we started talking about that episode. Once again I couldn't stop laughing.

No, best bit was when they presented a router with a load of cables in a plastic box or something and said, "This... is the internet!"  :laughing:  :laughing:

Quote from: Janszoon on Aug 12, 2024, 06:59 PM(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/The_IT_Crowd_title_card.jpg)

We started watching The IT Crowd recently. I've been meaning to watch it for a very long time and I've been pleasantly surprised by how much it makes me laugh. I was expecting it to be more along the lines of The Office and wasn't expecting how bizarre it is.  :laughing:

Watched trailer, heard laugh track, noped out.

Katherine Parkinson is so funny as Jen and probably my favourite character overall. I'm a little saddened that I haven't seen her in much else. I should trawl through her IMDb page and find something.

People seem peeved about the ending of House of the Dragon S2. I actually thought it was good! I get the impression people miss the spectacle of Game of Thrones S8 big dragon war scenes. I much prefer the drama and it's great in HotD.

Quote from: grindy on Aug 13, 2024, 07:35 AMWatched trailer, heard laugh track, noped out.

^ Now that you mention it, the laugh track is pretty intrusive, but is worth tolerating for the humour of the scripts.

Jen is a great character, but I think the Richard Ayoade guy is the real star of the show. I really like the episodes when the IT guys try to be normal: there's one where Jen needs them all to impress her friends at a dinner party, and another in which Maurice and Roy try to be a pair of regular , football-loving lads.
I loved the first couple of series, but in the later shows, I thought the boss, Douglas Reynholm, was given too much attention: he didn't strike me as a very amusing character at all.

Quote from: Guybrush on Jun 04, 2024, 09:16 AMI also enjoyed Bodkin, another crime thriller.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMWIwYzc4MzYtYjY5Zi00ZTRjLThmNDAtOGUzNTYwYTdlNGJiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMzNzIyNDc1._V1_.jpg)

An Irish journalist living in London and working for The Guardian is sent (back) to Ireland. Her latest story has gotten too hot. To evade the heat, she's to cooperate with an American podcaster who is researching a cold case of three people who went missing on Samhain 25 years ago in the small seaside village Bodkin.

That's the basic premise. It actually shares some themes with The Red King, but is a bit slower paced and not quite as dramatic. Siobhan Cullen's character's extreme cynicism feels a bit tiring and parodic at times, but Will Forte's podcaster is endearing enough. The star of the show may actually be David Wilmot who plays early suspect and criminal fisherman Seamus Gallagher, combining both danger and warmth in a layered character.

It won't be anyone's favourite from 2024, but if it looks like a good fit, you'll probably enjoy it.

Thanks for this rec ! Sounds good - I'll be checking it out later :thumb:

Quote from: Guybrush on Aug 13, 2024, 12:21 PMPeople seem peeved about the ending of House of the Dragon S2. I actually thought it was good! I get the impression people miss the spectacle of Game of Thrones S8 big dragon war scenes. I much prefer the drama and it's great in HotD.

I wish it had been more climactic, but I still thought it was decent. The amount of time they spent on Tyland was a weird decision for the finale though.

@Janszoon Have you ever seen Garth Marenghi's Darkplace? It has some of the same people as IT Crowd and it's one of my favorite things ever.

Quote from: Lexi Darling on Aug 13, 2024, 07:13 PM@Janszoon Have you ever seen Garth Marenghi's Darkplace? It has some of the same people as IT Crowd and it's one of my favorite things ever.

No, I've never even heard of it. I'll have to look for it.

Quote from: Janszoon on Aug 13, 2024, 07:30 PMNo, I've never even heard of it. I'll have to look for it.

Luckily the whole series is on YouTube, this playlist has all 6 episodes and the dvd bonus features.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC046BB28463E1459&feature=shared

If 80s horror anthology spoofs and meta narratives are your thing, then you are in for a treat!

Okay, time for an update:

Recent shows watched or watching:


The Twelve: Courtroom/murder drama based on the Belgian original (see below). Looks good so far, this one is Australian-based and stars Sam Neill. UPDATE: Finished now, and had an interesting ending. I'm not sure if the original had the same one, but giving the tendency of "foreign" drama to not exactly gush with happy endings, I wouldn't be surprised.

Poldark Season 3: Already mentioned, still watching, still great. UPDATE: Into season 4 now, still great.

The Brothers: Still watching this. Oh, the fashion and the music of the 1970s!  :laughing: UPDATE: Have recently found out that the channel showing it also shows it the previous day, and it's not the same episode, so I'm not sure if I've been missing episodes. The continuity has seemed okay though. Well, at least it means I get two episodes a week instead of one.

House of the Dragon season 2: Just waiting till I have them all (one to go I think) UPDATE: Finished now; I've already given my view on the ending. Still look forward to season three though.

DI Ray season 2: Gripping cop drama. Enjoyed season 1, the new season only begins tonight. UPDATE: Just saw this a few days ago. Very much worth waiting for; wrapped things up nicely.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder: No idea, but it looks good. Collecting it as I write. UPDATE: Finished this, very very good, lots of twists and turns and just when you think you have it figured out...


The Cleaning Lady season 2: Loved season one, just doing the usual, getting it all together before I begin watching it. UPDATE: Just gets better each season. On season three now.

Under the Banner of Heaven: I think this is an Australian murder thingy. Same as above. UPDATE: This was truly exceptional. If you want to know what it's like to live as a woman in the Mormons, check it out and prepare to be shocked. Based on true-life events.

The Dropout: Watched some of it, then caught up so now waiting for the rest to be shown before I complete it.  UPDATE: Also based on real-life, really good and makes you want to just give her a slap. Terrible person, but good drama.

Belgravia: The Next Chapter: No idea, but I think a Downtown Abbey/Bridgerton thing? Just started. UPDATE: Missed recording about three episodes so putting it to one side for now.

The Jetty: Another murder drama. Ongoing. UPDATE: Very impressed, well worth watching.

End of Summer: Murder drama in which it seems the victim may not be dead after all. UPDATE: Excellent story and as usual with Scandi-drama there's no happy ending.

The Serial Killer's Wife: Needs no explanation. Ongoing. UPDATE: Truly excellent with a shocker ending which will have all you ladies up on your feet applauding and high-fiveing each other. Superb.

Sommerdahl Murders: Another of my scandi-drama/Nordic noir deals. UPDATE; Good, but it had a really terrible ending, and I don't mean it was disappointing. Well I do, but it was jsut stupid and hard to believe, and very unsatisfying.

Klangor: May be about a prison, not sure. Might be a psychlogist involved too. UPDATE: It was, but it's also about a missing kid. Really really good. Highly recommended.

Granite Harbour: Scottish murder drama thingy. UPDATE: Very impressed.

Heat: Family become trapped by a brush fire, secrets come out, yadda yadda. UPDATE: Excellent drama with Danny Dyer and an explosive (no pun intended) ending.

Colin from Accounts: Quirky little Australian comedy about a couple who rescue a dog, who then brings them together. Gets a little icky with some of the (to me) unnecessary sexual stuff, but not bad. Quirky, as I say.

Sherwood: Was not a huge fan of season 1, found it a bit silly but season 2 sure as hell makes up for it. Set in Nottingham, England in the wake of the miners' strikes and pit closures. Gripping stuff.

Secrets of the Hells Angels: Documentary in which five ex-presidents of the most famous and feared motorbike club speak out, and have they something to say! Well worth watching. Scary stuff.

Spanish Empire: Rise and Fall: More or less the story of the conquistadores, charting the rise of the Spanish American empire and its eventual fall and defeat, after taking down two major civilisations with them.

Kavanagh QC: Highly gripping series from the 1990s starring John Thaw as a barrister. Great if you're into that sort of thing. I am. Watched all five seasons now.

Scientology: Going Clear - The Prison of Belief: Eye-opening documentary about the Church of Scientology, with testimony from ex-members and officers. Harrowing and very scary. People are idiots.

Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty: Documentary tracking the corruption in the London Metropolitan Police during the 1970s and 1980s. All coppers are what? Well, some are.

Corridors of Power: Fascinating and often upsetting eight-part exploration of America's role as World Police force. When they intervene, do they do the right thing, and if they don't, should they? Features graphic footage of massacres from Bosnia, Libya, Darfur and Rwanda among others. Strong stuff and often very hard to watch.

Waiting to be watched:

Big Little Lies: Suburban drama comedy? I'll give it a go. Seven episodes now.

Bergen: Power and Glory: Season four I think of the Norwegian political thriller.

Interview with the Vampire: Well duh! As if I would miss this. All episodes shown, but they've sort of mixed up season two with season one, so a little untangling and some possible downloading to be done before I can watch this.

The Ex-Wife: Going to take a mad stab in the dark and assume this is about an ex who wants to cause trouble with the new wife?

Dead and Buried: Woman can't forgive the man who killed her brother, who is now out of prison, and intends to take an eye for an eye.

Billy the Kid: Loved season one, this should be just as good if not better. As someone once said, I love this sort of shit.

Nightsleeper: Terrorists hack an overnight train, with hilarious, I mean deadly results.

The Boy That Never Was: Hmm. Pedant mode: Surely that should be The Boy WHO Never Was? People aren't things. Anyway, couple think their son is dead but then seem to see him walking along the street. Didn't I watch something similar? I'm sure that sounds familiar...

Sambre: Anatomy of a Crime: Ah, me and my foreign dramas. This one's from France, and seems to be about a certain stretch of road where a serial killer prowls and abducts women.

The Tower: Gritty crime drama, third season, enjoyed both the other two.

Apples Never Fall: I think this is about the disappearance of a child?

Cuckoo: Another series about a woman trying to make life difficult for a family. No cuckoos were harmed in the filming of this series.

Desperate Measures: A worker in a bank must help drug dealers in order to save her son from prison. Or something.

Finders Keepers: Detectorists find treasure and have to decide whether to keep it or give it up to the govt/museums

Hostage: Another from Walter Presents. A plane is hijacked remotely. The things they can do these days. I hear you can even get the Internet on computers now!

That's quite a list, @Trollheart 🙂 The only thing we're watching is Rings of Power S2. It feels like they improved on the series with season 2. I definitely am less bored.

It's grittier and more violent now, perhaps less cheesy.

Yeah, my SKY box doesn't thank me. "20% space left! Stop recording stuff!!"  :laughing:

I'm watching How to Die Alone and Agatha All Along.

How to Die Alone is a great comedy about this lady working out of an airport terminal. JFK in NY.

Quote from: DJChameleon on Sep 21, 2024, 05:37 AMI'm watching How to Die Alone and Agatha All Along.

How to Die Alone is a great comedy about this lady working out of an airport terminal. JFK in NY.

How do you like Agatha All Along?

We're watching The Penguin. It is really good. What's more, Colin Farrell is phenomenal as the titular character. In the past, he's played a lot of bad, schlocky roles. Killing of a Sacred Deer annoys me so much. But he's absolutely brilliant in this. It's weird.

I've often thought why would they spend so much effort transforming someone into something completely different? There's probably lots of gangster looking actors with pear shaped bodies out there. Why this supposedly handsome Irish man of all people. But it was a brilliant decision and while I didn't have much fondness for Farrell in the past, I basically have changed my opinion of him altogether.

Quote from: Guybrush on Oct 18, 2024, 07:37 AMHow do you like Agatha All Along?

We're watching The Penguin. It is really good. What's more, Colin Farrell is phenomenal as the titular character. In the past, he's played a lot of bad, schlocky roles. Killing of a Sacred Deer annoys me so much. But he's absolutely brilliant in this. It's weird.

I've often thought why would they spend so much effort transforming someone into something completely different? There's probably lots of gangster looking actors with pear shaped bodies out there. Why this supposedly handsome Irish man of all people. But it was a brilliant decision and while I didn't have much fondness for Farrell in the past, I basically have changed my opinion of him altogether.

I keep trying to start The Penguin but when I do I'm too tired and know I will fall asleep on it so I switch to court tv or something else I don't mind falling asleep on. I'm gonna watch it one day maybe this weekend and plow through the four episodes that are up.

Agatha all along is good. I thought they would go the crime drama route like how Wandavision went tv sitcoms but it ended up only being like that for one episode sadly. The most recent episode was the best imo. They finally revealed something that they were holding onto since the beginning of the series. I really like the little homage to horror movies/witch tropes that they play off of.

I started watching this show Tell Me Lies. It's a college teen relationship drama show. The main dude reminds me of a character from Gossip Girl. The level of narcissistic tendencies that he has annoys me but I'm suck in and still watch. I finished up season 1 and have season 2 waiting for me. Season 2 finale just released recently.

Quote from: Guybrush on Oct 18, 2024, 07:37 AMHow do you like Agatha All Along?

We're watching The Penguin. It is really good. What's more, Colin Farrell is phenomenal as the titular character. In the past, he's played a lot of bad, schlocky roles. Killing of a Sacred Deer annoys me so much. But he's absolutely brilliant in this. It's weird.

I've often thought why would they spend so much effort transforming someone into something completely different? There's probably lots of gangster looking actors with pear shaped bodies out there. Why this supposedly handsome Irish man of all people. But it was a brilliant decision and while I didn't have much fondness for Farrell in the past, I basically have changed my opinion of him altogether.

You seriously have to ask? Look around you!  :laughing:

Just watched this. 2-part expose of what happened when the Nazis occupied the Channel Islands. Absolutely harrowing, and the apparent reason none of the Nazis involved - with over 1,000 deaths confirmed - faced any sort of prosecution and died in peacetime? The British were too "embarrassed" that Hitler was able to take British territory and kill with impunity.

Wait, what?

Also, in the programme it says that those who died on the CI were "the only British killed by the Nazis on British soil". I think those who died in the Blitz might have something to say about that! Worth watching though.

And now, another update:

Recent shows watched or watching:

Poldark Season 5: Already mentioned, still watching, still great.

The Brothers: Still watching this. Oh, the fashion and the music of the 1970s!  :laughing: UPDATE: Have recently found out that the channel showing it also shows it the previous day, and it's not the same episode, so I'm not sure if I've been missing episodes. The continuity has seemed okay though. Well, at least it means I get two episodes a week instead of one. (This turned out to be, for some reason, the same channel screening from episode 1, so no, not an extra episode per week as I had already seen all these).

The Cleaning Lady season 3: Can't believe how great this consistently is. Looking forward to season four now.

Belgravia: The Next Chapter: No idea, but I think a Downtown Abbey/Bridgerton thing? Just started. UPDATE: Missed recording about three episodes so putting it to one side for now. Update to update: dropped this altogether. Not because it was bad, but because of the missed episodes and a need to clear out space.

Dead and Buried: Woman can't forgive the man who killed her brother, who is now out of prison, and intends to take an eye for an eye. UPDATE: Did not like this at all. Yer wan was such a pain that I ended up rooting for the murderer! Terrible, stupid ending and a very poor message put across, that doing your time is not enough: death should answer for death. Terrible.

Billy the Kid: Loved season one, this should be just as good if not better. As someone once said, I love this sort of shit. UPDATE: Season 2 was just as good, if not better. Looking forward to season 3 now.

Nightsleeper: Terrorists hack an overnight train, with hilarious, I mean deadly results. UPDATE: Brilliant; lots of twists and turns, and you'll never guess the ending. Superb.

The Penguin: If you're one of those saying I can't watch this as I don't like those superhero things, take heart. This is more a sort of pastiche of The Godfather Part II and The Sopranos. Not a superhero in sight. Oh, the Riddler is mentioned, but never seen, once, at the very beginning. Other than that you can easily watch this as a non-superhero show. And it's highly recommended, if only to see Colin Farrell's amazing portrayal of one of Batman's arch-enemies.

Sambre: Anatomy of a Crime: Ah, me and my foreign dramas. This one's from France, and seems to be about a certain stretch of road where a serial killer prowls and abducts women. UPDATE: This was absolutely superb, a real indictment both of police ineptitude and overblown bureaucracy, and the misogynistic attitude of cops towards women (and I don't even mean just male cops).

The Tower: Gritty crime drama, third season, enjoyed both the other two. UPDATE: Final season, rounds it off perfectly.


Desperate Measures: A worker in a bank must help drug dealers in order to save her son from prison. Or something. UPDATE: I got it wrong, sort of. She organises the heist in order to pay off a debt, but it's excellent anyway.

Finders Keepers: Detectorists find treasure and have to decide whether to keep it or give it up to the govt/museums. UPDATE: Both James Buckley and Neil Morrisey shine in this, and again, totally unexpected ending.

Hostage: Another from Walter Presents. A plane is hijacked remotely. The things they can do these days. I hear you can even get the Internet on computers now! UPDATE: This was truly excellent, definitely worth watching.

The Vow: Harrowing but absorbing documentary about NXIVM, the cult that hit the news when it became known female members were being asked to brand themselves with the leader's initials. Ouch! Two seasons, watched them both, well worth seeing. If you can handle the sizzling of roasting human flesh. Urgh!

Douglas is Cancelled: Witty and on-point comedy drama about a newscaster who says the wrong thing and brings the whole weight of the self-appointed guardians of social media down upon him. Hugh Bonneville and Karen Gillan star.

Van der Valk: Season 2 of the, in my opinion, vastly superior update of the old detective show set in Holland. Marc Warren is always great in anything he's in.

Lucan: Interesting documentary where the son of the maid Lord Lucan killed goes on a quest to try to find the killer, believing him to be still alive.

The Ark: Season 2 of one of the best and most thoughtful science fiction series I've seen in years. How reviewers and critics can call its writing "blase" is beyond me. Looking forward to a hopeful season 3, though nothing has been confirmed.

The Body in the Lake: Thought-provoking drama that examines both the responsibility of teachers and the tendency of people to jump to obvious conclusions, thereby perhaps missing the darker, deeper meaning behind a murder.

Waiting to be watched:

Big Little Lies: Suburban drama comedy? I'll give it a go. Seven episodes now.

Bergen: Power and Glory: Season four I think of the Norwegian political thriller.

Interview with the Vampire: Well duh! As if I would miss this. All episodes shown, but they've sort of mixed up season two with season one, so a little untangling and some possible downloading to be done before I can watch this.

The Ex-Wife: Going to take a mad stab in the dark and assume this is about an ex who wants to cause trouble with the new wife?

The Boy That Never Was: Hmm. Pedant mode: Surely that should be The Boy WHO Never Was? People aren't things. Anyway, couple think their son is dead but then seem to see him walking along the street. Didn't I watch something similar? I'm sure that sounds familiar...

Apples Never Fall: I think this is about the disappearance of a child?

Cuckoo: Another series about a woman trying to make life difficult for a family. No cuckoos were harmed in the filming of this series.

Justice: Those Who Kill  I'm thrilled: I thought there were only two seasons of this fine Scandinavian murder anthology series, but here we are with a new one!

Day of the Jackal: Said to be Eddie Redmayne's finest performance, just waiting till I have all the episodes before I watch it. Yes it's a reimagining of the original Frederick Forsyth story.

Last King of the Cross: Season 2 of the fine Australian crime drama. Based on true events.

Cra: No, not a misspelling. Second ever Irish-language drama I've watched, just begun. A murder mystery, as you might expect.

Until I Kill You: A woman discovers her husband murdered his previous wife, and wonders is she next?

Coma: From what I can gather, a man tackles thugs stealing his car and puts one in a coma. Things kind of spiral after that.

Brassic 6: If you've been watching and enjoying this show, you don't need me to tell you to catch this. And if you haven't, why the fuck not?

Domino Day: Something about witches, I think. I'm a bit gunshy after suffering through a few episodes of A Discovery of Witches, which for me was a discovery of some very poor writing indeed.

Maxine: Drama based on the killings of Holly Wells and Jessica Cahpman in Soham, Manchester in 2002.

@Trollheart we're currently watching Say Nothing (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31122777/?ref_=ext_shr) which is about some IRA members. We think it's very good and people seem to like it in general.

I'd be curious to hear what an Irish person would think of it.

I started Say Nothing as well. It's interesting so far

As the resident Irishman (I qualify that, as I know Buck is Irish, but living in the US) I should really take a look at that. However I'm halfway through Day of the Jackal at the moment. Update on my shows watched following soon.

Everyone knows I'm a tremendous fan of Jim Henson's work. I maintain a considerable digital archive of nearly every surviving work he produced. (I've a few holes to fill with Sam and Friends and Wilkin's Coffee adverts, but I do have his 1969 existential experimental college art film, The Cube.)

One of the more difficult sub-libraries to compile is that of Sesame Street. It has run for 55 seasons, undergone several format changes, and is in peril at present because HBO elected to not renew their streaming contract. Many fans hope the program returns to PBS where lower-income families are better able to view the show. (The Max seasons did later become available on PBS about a year after their initial dates.)

I have several specials and box sets of the series, including the following:

- Sesame Street Presents - Songs From the Street - 35 Years of Music [3CD] (2003)

- Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days [2DVD] (2018)

- Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration (2019)

- Street Gang - How We Got to Sesame Street (2021 film)

- Sesame Street - 50 Years Of Sunny Days (https://archive.org/details/sesame-street-50-years-of-sunny-days) (2021 film)

The Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days [2DVD] (2018) is my latest acquisition, and I've just finished watching all nine half-hour installments. These progress chronologically with season range announcements between blocks of shorts.

My only contention is that, for every Tony Bennett - "Slimey to the Moon" song featured there is a Stevie Wonder - "Superstition" missing from the set. I suppose that's understandable for two key reasons. Firstly, the show has run for so long that it would be an insurmountable task to include every great moment. But also, they likely had difficulty securing the rights to segments from major artists. I was disappointed that Billy Joel's grouch version of "Just the Way You Are" was missing, just as one example, but I can understand what a challenge it would be to try and get permission, even for a technical parody which should constitute Fair Use.

By any measure, it was a joy to revisit many of my favorite moments from the Street. I laughed along with the "CHUNK-CHUNK!" noise used to great comedic effect in Law & Order: Missing Letters Unit, and all the other in-jokes for adults enjoying the program with their children.

I hope Sesame Street finds a new home soon. Thanks for all the sunny days.


(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fm.media-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FM%2FMV5BZDBjYTFlY2QtNTA0OC00ZWUzLTk4YzItN2RiZjRjMDRiNmNhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjMzMzc0MjM%40._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg)

I like a lot of dark stuff, a lot of crime drama. I'm currently catching up with a British series, Red Riding, from 2009, based on the novels by David Peace, on AmzPrime. Peace's books and the tv series are fictionalized accounts of police investigations into crimes against women and children from the mid-'70s to the '80s, set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire Ripper murders. The stories focus on corruption in the Yorkshire police department, seen through the lens of a news journalist, police detectives, and a lawyer who all play a part in the investigation into the abduction, murder and sexual assault of women and children in Yorkshire, possibly covered up by police officials in the pockets of organized crime. Dark and depressing, for sure, but that's usually most of my viewing material.

Quote from: Trollheart on Nov 21, 2024, 08:28 PMWaiting to be watched:

Big Little Lies: Suburban drama comedy? I'll give it a go. Seven episodes now.

Excellent women-focused drama based on the book by Liane Moriarty, who also wrote 9 Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall, both of which have also been turned into tv series.  Big Little Lies is the best of the bunch, in my opinion, with a great cast - Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Kravitz.  The women are all part of a wealthy suburban community in Monterey, CA, all with kids at the same school, all trying to maintain public appearances - attending fundraisers, galas, lunching together, etc... but all while hiding secrets and closet skeletons, some more damaging than others.  They have to learn to set aside their differences and come together to support each other through some dark times, although how long they can maintain their trauma bond is tenuous.  Meryl Streep joined the cast for season 2 as the meddling mother-in-law of Nicole Kidman's husband, is absolutely fantastic in the series.  They've recently started working on season 3 of the series, so I'm looking forward to that.

Quote from: Trollheart on Nov 21, 2024, 08:28 PMApples Never Fall: I think this is about the disappearance of a child?

Not about the disappearance of a child, but about the disappearance of a middle aged wife and mother of a well known tennis pro family.  Also based on the book by Liane Moriarty, who wrote Big Little Lies, this is my second favorite adaptation of her work.  It's soapier and less believable than Big Little Lies, but Annette Benning and Sam Neill are great as the tennis pro husband and wife team, Joy and Stan Delaney, who created a tennis training program, raised their 4 kids to be part of the business, either as tennis stars or on the management side... not all of whom succeeded in their parents' wishes.  The Delaneys are well known in the tennis pro community, but shortly after Joy and Stan retire and sell the business, Joy goes missing and it starts to seem like Stan is a suspect.  Their adult children have to work together to investigate, uncovering family secrets, closet skeletons, etc.

I finished watching Day of the Jackal a few weeks ago and enjoyed it more than I thought.  Eddie Redmayne was great in it.  Definitely worth a watch.  I'm looking forward to the second season.

The Vow is probably the best docu-series I've seen on the NXIVM cult and I've watched a few.  The interwebs can point you in the direction of more.  Most of them tend to focus on actor Catherine Oxenberg's daughter India who got involved in the cult while Catherine spent several years fighting to get her out and expose the cult for what it is.  The Vow goes into greater detail about all aspects of the cult, not just focusing on the Oxenbergs' involvement, looks closely at Keith Raniere, the cult leader, and how he affected many people in the cult.

If you like that kind of thing, you might want to check out some of the various docu-series on the Twin Flames cult (referred to as the "Twin Flames Universe") created by internet influencer nutjobs Jeff and Shaleia Divine.  It's not as scandalous as all the NXIVM sh*t, but definitely an interesting peek into the kooky couple and how they manipulated thousands of people into believing their b.s. and giving them money, as well as preaching/pushing extremely harmful rules for gender and sexual expression.  Both Netflix and AmzPrime have docu-series about the cult, worth checking out.

I just recently finished up MO which is a comedy drama series that follows the life of a Palestinian immigrant seeking asylum status.  I'm sad that it only got two seasons but the creator felt all the stories that needed to be told were told. The last episode takes place on October 6th of 2023.

I loved the first season can't wait til Season 2 drops.

@costa_oscura (not quoting your text as there are two posts I want to reply to) - Red Riding is phenomenal. I watched it years ago and was really impressed. I also like dark stuff (hey! Someone turn on the lights! I was only joking - OW! What was that? Oh my FOOT!) which is why I watch a ton of Scandi-drama. Don't know if you've seen any, but my god some of it is bleak to the max. Some, of course, is too bleak and depressing even for me, but they have some major series. Let me know if you want recs - obviously, you have to be ok reading subtitles as none of them are in English.

Big Little Lies, I have to say, grated on me and I dumped it. If something doesn't click with me from episode one or two, I usually get rid of it. I didn't like it, though I really enjoyed Apples Never Fall: I like those sort of things where the clues are all pointing one way and then it's a total twist that throws you.

Oh, and just on general principles, I hate The White Lotus, as I wrote in some explicit detail many pages back. How it won awards and further seasons I will never know.

Day of the Jackal was good, yes. A lot of subtitles in that too. I hadn't seen it ending as it did, but I guess that's the point.

Anyway, as I say, if you want recs for dark drama,
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/I%27m_the_Man_%28Joe_Jackson_album_-_cover_art%29.jpg)

Quote from: Trollheart on Feb 18, 2025, 04:00 AM@costa_oscura (not quoting your text as there are two posts I want to reply to) - Red Riding is phenomenal. I watched it years ago and was really impressed. I also like dark stuff (hey! Someone turn on the lights! I was only joking - OW! What was that? Oh my FOOT!) which is why I watch a ton of Scandi-drama. Don't know if you've seen any, but my god some of it is bleak to the max. Some, of course, is too bleak and depressing even for me, but they have some major series. Let me know if you want recs - obviously, you have to be ok reading subtitles as none of them are in English.

A couple of Scandi dramas have been adapted for American tv.  I'm thinking specifically of The Bridge and The Killing.  I've only seen the U.S. versions, but I loved them both and was angry they cancelled The Bridge after only 2 seasons.  I loved seeing a truly complex woman character on tv, especially one on the neurodivergent spectrum.  We need more of that on tv.  I'd love some more recommendations, but I'm not always great at keeping up with subtitles on tv.

Quote from: Trollheart on Feb 18, 2025, 04:00 AMBig Little Lies, I have to say, grated on me and I dumped it. If something doesn't click with me from episode one or two, I usually get rid of it. I didn't like it, though I really enjoyed Apples Never Fall: I like those sort of things where the clues are all pointing one way and then it's a total twist that throws you.

I initially felt the same way about Big Little Lies.  But I stuck with it and it grew on me, became more compelling.  I think it's worth a watch.  Less soapy than Apples Never Fall, which is why I prefer it.

Quote from: Trollheart on Feb 18, 2025, 04:00 AMOh, and just on general principles, I hate The White Lotus, as I wrote in some explicit detail many pages back. How it won awards and further seasons I will never know.

Ah, bummer.  The White Lotus is fantastic.  Mike White, the show creator, is such an excellent observer of the human condition.  Season 2 is the best so far with some sneaky character manipulation going on, but we don't discover it until the last few episodes.  There's also a tie-in to the new season 3, one of those sneaky characters showing up as a sideline character in season 3, leaving us all wondering what's going to happen.  Like Big Little Lies, it took a minute for me to get into The White Lotus, but once I did, I loved it.

I liked the White Lotus and The Bridge too 🙂 We haven't started White Lotus S3 yet, but will soon.

We were watching season 2 of Severance, but that's had to take the back seat as we also discovered Slow Horses which is really very entertaining and gripping. It also has some of that Brit charm. We've been binge-watching it and have already come up to S4 even though we started recently. That's quite rare for us 🙂

Quote from: Guybrush on Feb 18, 2025, 06:58 AMI liked the White Lotus and The Bridge too 🙂 We haven't started White Lotus S3 yet, but will soon.

We were watching season 2 of Severance, but that's had to take the back seat as we also discovered Slow Horses which is really very entertaining and gripping. It also has some of that Brit charm. We've been binge-watching it and have already come up to S4 even though we started recently. That's quite rare for us 🙂

LOVE Slow Horses!  Jackson Lamb cracks me up!  Gary Oldman does such a great job.  ...And I don't want to spoil it for you, but you'll never guess who shows up in White Lotus season 3.  All I'll say is there's a connection to Tanya McQuoid.  ...Well, other than Belinda from season 1.  I'm not referring to her.  It's someone else you wouldn't expect.

[rant]Look, all I'll say about The White Lotus (you can check back on my post if you want, where I go into forensic detail about why it's shit) is that every single minority and poor person in the show got fucked, while the rich white entitled cunts all got off scott free. I realised that after watching season one and it's such a glaring red flag that I fail to understand how nobody saw it. It's a show for rich white people and how they use minorities and marginalised people. It's fucking disgusting. [/rant]

Anyway, that's me. You watch it if you want, but you won't convince me to. In terms of The Bridge (and The Killing), you really shouldn't bother with the English versions. Subtitles are not that hard to keep up with (my only issue being either when they're tiny or the subtitler doesn't give due consideration to where they're going to be placed, eg no black background so that in an Icelandic drama, where everything is white, you're frequently trying to read white words on a white screen) and the original dramas reward the effort. The Bridge runs for 5 seasons and has a great ending which really wraps things up. I'll wait to recommend as, if you're dead set against subtitles it would be pointless, but if you can get past that, there's so much amazing drama out there that we in the English-speaking world are missing.

Quote from: Trollheart on Feb 18, 2025, 08:54 PM[rant]Look, all I'll say about The White Lotus (you can check back on my post if you want, where I go into forensic detail about why it's shit) is that every single minority and poor person in the show got fucked, while the rich white entitled cunts all got off scott free. I realised that after watching season one and it's such a glaring red flag that I fail to understand how nobody saw it. It's a show for rich white people and how they use minorities and marginalised people. It's fucking disgusting. [/rant]

I get your point, Trollheart, but I'm disappointed that you underestimate me enough to think that I haven't recognized that issue since season 1.  That's also show creator Mike White's point - to get us to dislike the wealthy white characters while also reflecting our own biases back to us, showing us to ourselves, as it were, provided we're able to see it.  Many of whom, as you write in your comment, are not.  But some of us are.  So please don't include me in your rant against the "great idiotic unwashed" who can't seem to recognize the subtleties of the show.

Quote from: Trollheart on Feb 18, 2025, 08:54 PMAnyway, that's me. You watch it if you want, but you won't convince me to.

I'm not, Troll.  That wasn't my point.  I was just expressing dismay at your narrow-mindedness.

Quote from: Trollheart on Feb 18, 2025, 08:54 PMIn terms of The Bridge (and The Killing), you really shouldn't bother with the English versions. Subtitles are not that hard to keep up with (my only issue being either when they're tiny or the subtitler doesn't give due consideration to where they're going to be placed, eg no black background so that in an Icelandic drama, where everything is white, you're frequently trying to read white words on a white screen) and the original dramas reward the effort. The Bridge runs for 5 seasons and has a great ending which really wraps things up. I'll wait to recommend as, if you're dead set against subtitles it would be pointless, but if you can get past that, there's so much amazing drama out there that we in the English-speaking world are missing.

For all your blather about recognizing marginalized communities, Troll, you're certainly not sympathetic or aware of those of us who may be differently abled and don't have an easy time reading subtitles on tv.  Quoting directly from your comment here - "Subtitles are not that hard to keep up with" - it proves your lack of awareness.  I'd suggest thinking twice next time before making sweeping generalizations about people whose abilities or lack thereof you really know nothing about.  Ok, Troll?  You do you, boo.  But leave me out of it.

Hey, no offence meant. I was just referring to the way a lot of people tend to be lazy about subtitles: "Oh I can't be bothered with all that reading". I used to be that way myself. If there's a valid reason you can't read them I do apologise, however in fairness no reference was made to any lack of ability you have, so while I'll take my share of the blame it's unfair of you to expect that I would know any personal details about you, which so far as I know you haven't shared. But it was just a throwaway comment, predicated on the belief that you just didn't want to bother with subs. I know a lot of people who are that way, so again apologies if that's not you.

As someone who's new to here, it would also be unfair of me to expect you to know this, but talking about disabilities hits close to home for me. My sister had MS for over 20 years and I looked after her for 17 of those until she passed in September 2023, so I certainly had my eyes opened to how hard it is for people who have disabilities to be able to do the simplest things, such as go to the dentist (what do you mean, you don't have a wheelchair ramp? You'd be surprised, perhaps, how many times I heard that, not to mention, she can't get out of the chair? Ah then we can't help her). I also now suffer from pretty crippling depression since she passed, and while that's not a disability, it's still something I struggle with every day.

You're probably right about the show, but you see I have so much to watch usually that I tend not to watch shows with characters I dislike. Perhaps I can't see the nuances, perhaps I can, perhaps I don't care. It's the reason I stopped watching Succession, never liked We Own This City and hated Dead Like Me: I have to like or at least care about (let's say, be rooting for) at least some of the characters, and in all of those, I did not. So I don't watch The White Lotus, and now in fairness, I'm entitled to my opinion of it. It's not like I'm saying don't watch it (as if I could or would): I'm just telling you why I don't watch it, or want to.

I will just say that perhaps some of my comments have been taken at face value, and you may have got the wrong impression about me. I have certainly no wish to get on your bad side as soon as you arrive; that was not my intention and if that happened I'm sorry. None of us are perfect and we make mistakes. The important thing is realising we have, and attempting to change. So please accept my apology; it was nothing more than a comment on a TV show, and not meant to slight or insult you in any way. Hope you understand that.

Thanks for reading my wall of text, and if you didn't, then tealdeer version: sorry I didn't mean any offence.

@Trollheart , thanks for the apology.  I'm sorry to hear about your sister.  MS is some tough shit to deal with. 

Thanks for accepting my apology. As I say, just taken up wrong, but that's probably my fault.

Yes, MS is a horrible disease. Anyone here will tell you the hell we went through over the last few years as Karen got worse, unable to eat till I had to get her pureed food, unable to see properly so I had to read to her, unable to speak coherently... it's just the disease that keeps on taking. I miss her with all my heart now she's gone, but I have to admit she's better out of it. It was no life for her, but I did all I could for her. In the end, I have no real regrets and I'd do it again if I had to, and I suppose that's the only thing I can hang on to. I promised her I would look after her at home and that I would keep her out of a nursing home, and I managed to do that, though it was a real struggle at times.

I won't bore you with all the details - they're scattered around in my various threads and journals - but if you want to hear more I can talk about it if you wish.