The TV thread

[BojackHorsefella]

Search Party

You know how you say to yourself, these characters are awful, when watching a mob movie or the like?
In Search Party, these people are awful! I mean, vapid, shallow, selfish vile creatures.
This is among the newer genre of today, cringe comedy if you will, and it is every bit just that, cringe.
When I think satire in tvland, I think All in the Family featuring an over the top character that is meant to house feelings and views of many viewers, however, there is a grounded reality and believability because that's how he reaches the audience.
These fuckers? Sheesh.
It is so absurd that...well, wait a sec, I was going to say that noone would act like these guys but based on the last couple of years, I guess I have to take that back.
However, that doesn't diminish the outlandish nature possessed by this gaggle of friends.
So, Dory (Alia Shawkat) muddles through her lost rudderless existence with no purpose. In a sexless or at the very least, odd, sexual relationship with Drew (John Reynolds) she pours herself in to her routines and one day she sees a "Missing" poster of a college acquaintance which grabs her in an unsettling way. Barely knowing her, Dory is drawn i to try to find out where Chantal (Clare McNulty) has disappeared to, and why.
Her immediate group of Drew, Portia (Meredith Hagner) and Elliott (John Early) are dismissive of the entire situation, but they endure Dory because why not?
Portia is an actress who is narcissistic and saturated with selfishness to an alarming degree and is by far one of the most shallow characters you might ever venture across. Meanwhile, Elliott, who shares an apartment with Portia (btw, how do these guys get such nice digs in NYC while being bums?) is gay, outlandish, full of himself and quite outspoken. He will go wherever the winds take him. Whatever gets him the most adoration, he's down.
Dory continues her quest as it gives her purpose but in doing so, she alienates herself from Chantal's family because of what she thinks she knows.
Her friends however, begin to invest in the fun. they take this on more as a parlor game rather than an actual real life situation,which is certainly on par for them.
Search Party is 4 seasons, thus far. I dont know anything about it, if this is the end, if there's more or what. I didnt know anything about when I found it, and still don't. I noticed it was highly rated on RT and I wanted something to watch that was interesting.
This, wasnt interesting.
That isn't to say it isn't fun to watch or that it cant be addicting, because it is and it can be.
Each season is a distinct part of the story. I know, you say, well, duh. But, I cant really divulge anything here, but let's do it this way...not a lot of time passes during each season and not a lot, if any, passes between seasons.

During the run, there are indeed some good story arcs that show thought and reason, but then, the very next step, we are in Wile E. Coyote land with such a preposterous scenario, it just leaves you gaping at the screen with your mouth open.
At some point the show tries to take itself really serious and it just detaches everything, like really? Now? Youre going to pull this shit now?
It's absolute mayhem as far as continuity and logic are concerned. But, I guess since it's really cringe, they don't care. Maybe that is supposed to be the viewers leap of faith, or suspension of disbelief.
Beyond that, the characters are rich and vibrant and full of vigor and all of them have some really laugh out loud moments at some points.
There is a coherence to the long term arc and you do have to watch all four seasons to get there. I deeply suspect there's more to come based on the ending of S4.
This show involves, comedy (dark, cringe) mystery thriller and shades of horror even.
You absolutely cannot take any aspect of this show seriously on any level and if you go in knowing that, you will have a good time.

Ill have to spoiler these, but know that there are some salient scenes worthy of appraisal IMO

Spoiler: show

After Dory is arrested, she is confronted in the interrogation room and she refuses to fall for the threats and repeats multiple times, lawyer. I just shouted YES! Thank you Jeebus! Finally!
And to balance that, later we see Portia interrogated who does the same thing initially, but it so stylishly and effortlessly shows how her weak character and a cunning officer can manipulate the situation and the witness. Then later, she is used at trial against her friends.
I just thought this was a perfect technique to demonstrate just how those situations can and usually do unfold.

I loved that Drew was a half a step away from getting away clean early on

The cop who accidentally murders the FBI informant shows how corruption and self preservation by those in power can lead to innocents in jail.

Give it a look. At only 23 minutes an episode, you can blow through this thing in no time.

Search Party (Season 1)

So, I'd been reading about the show since it's debut on TBS or so, and had read really good things although often saw it referred to as "very millenial" or, in one review, literally "painfully millenial," so I knew I was in for....something.

And, dear lord, it IS painfully millenial, I really wasn't prepared for just HOW cringe it gets. But I love cringe! And I love ANXIETY. So I wasn't the test subject for this, my fiancee was.

She HATES Curb Your Enthusiasm. She HATED Uncut Gems (fully for the non-stop anxiety-inducing antics of Howard). So, I wasn't sure how this was going to play for her.

She absolutely loves this show. It IS a ridiculous show for sure, and if you're the kind of person to go "No one would behave like that" or "There's no way you could get away with this," it may not be the show for you. Search Party is much more about tone (and, dear god, what a BIZARRE tone it is. There's a scene played 100% seriously at the end of the first season, with at least four characters crying, with the camera spinning around them, but in the context of everything it's just the most ridiculous, insincere moment for at least one of them).

The amount of times in the first season alone where we'd either just be mouth agape, or doing the hide your face "oh god no why are they doing that" type of deal (Drew's hallway "argument" with his neighbor was a particularly uncomfortable moment, but those just keep on coming in this show) was absurd, but that's just kind of the show it is.




I know bits and pieces about the seasons. I know season 3 is a legal drama, season 4 is a kidnapper bit (although, I know what you're referencing regarding continuity and logic Crewe, and I'm curious to see how that'll play for me when I see it/how it'll lead into Season 5, considering the show was just renewed). We're 2 episodes into Season 2 and I'm getting Twin Peaks vibes (season 2 is the season I know the least about), but enjoying it so far.

[Crewe]

Sounds like we are on the same page lol
That's what I was hoping to at least get across, that you cant take it seriously and if you can ascend over that note, you'll have a good time.
Incidentally, the Uncut Gems reference...I liked the film too, although, seeing an anxiety ridden show like that as my norm, I probably wouldnt sign up.

Back to search party, keep me posted; I wanna hear what you think about the rest of it 

[Crewe]

The Sinner
Bill Pullman

Three seasons of eight episodes a season with one case per season.
Youre familiar with the adage good, better, best?
The Sinner operates in a backward fashion with regards to their seasons meaning it goes best, better....crappy.

Bill Pullman is a police detective who finds him self always seeking more in a case, or in other words, seeing what's under the surface to a case everyone else sees as open and shut.
Season 1 we get Jessica Biel, who is also EP for all three seasons, who commits cold blooded murder in front of witnesses on a beach.
From the very beginning we are given quick flashes of of the past, but of course we have no idea what it means. The storytelling mode is backwards, or, reveal as you go kind of thing. We are supposed to be putting together pieces the same as our protagonist and it is directed well enough to work, for two seasons.
Pullman's character does have a slow burn 3 series arch which is interesting and while seasons one and two were good, they just tried to go next level on three and missed. I wont see completely because it was actually a good idea, straddling normalcy and madness, question what is and isnt, but they just could not find a good way to demonstrate the third act IMO.
I wasnt going to watch the third because of the reviews, but, decided why not, only 8 episodes, go wtih it.
It wasnt the worst thing Ive ever seen by far but its just not on par with the first two.
Give it a go...


Archive pull...Road House

This movie just gets worse and worse every single time I see it and it's freakin awesome.

[BojackHorsefella]

Search Party Seasons 2-4

So just to see this thing through and get some quick thoughts out, we finished up the rest of the series a bit ago. Seasons 2 and 3 are pretty much in sync with season 1, as the events of that season lead into and inform the events of those two seasons. All-in-all, I was very happy with them, season 2 probably being the highlight for me (and probably the darkest season of all four).

Season 3 was a bit of a genre change and provided some delightful moments (Elliott's lawyer, as played by Chelsea Peretti) and down moments (as Crewe pointed out in the spoilers above, there are mirrored scenes early in season 3 with Dory and Portia, and the Portia part is just so heartbreaking to watch).

Season 4's probably the biggest break, with a pretty out-there concept (that takes from multiple Stephen King stories, but mainly Misery) and the group split up. I think I liked this season the least out of all four, as it seems the most disconnected from what we've seen so far, which isn't a bad thing, just an adjustment. That being said, the ending isn't quite as ambiguous as I had been lead to believe. It's very reminiscent of the penultimate episode of

Spoiler: show

Bojack Horseman

, so I don't think the continuity is destroyed, but I imagine it'll have a large effect on the character involved.

Regardless, a very good show, highly worth a recommendation. At 10 episodes a season, about 22-23 minutes per episode, it's a pretty quick watch (especially during quarantine), but very rewarding.

[TheNorm]

WandaVision

The MCU's initial entry in to tv via Disney+ gave us this offering about two of the lesser known (but no less important) Avengers from the films and the season did not disappoint. Some people might've thought it started off a bit slow but I enjoyed it enough; I liked the uniqueness of a sitcom setting for each decade and it kept me coming back for more because you just knew it was building up to something big...and it did. Props to the creators for striking the right balance of bringing back some characters from past films, dropping some Easter eggs while also telling an engaging story that sets up nicely for whatever the MCU has in store for their next phase. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany shine in their roles, and I've been a fan of Kathryn Hahn since her guest stint on Parks & Recreation.

4.5/5

Thought I wrote about it a while back but finished S3 of Cobra Kai in a day (like New Year's Day). Loved every moment of it and can't wait for S4.

[BojackHorsefella]

Whenever we start a new show, we usually give it at least three episodes before we quit if we're not feeling it. So, although I'm watching this show alone, figured I could give it a review since I just watched the third episode.

Superman and Lois

I'm honestly already head over heels for this show. I never got into any of the superhero TV stuff, I didn't watch Gotham, I never watched any of the other CW shows (Green Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman), and I haven't watched a single episode of WandaVision, so this isn't simply me being a comic book geek. I'm picky of my live action TV.

That being said, I also have a preference for my Superman (Supermen?) I enjoyed Cavill's performance in the latest Superman movies, even if I didn't care much for that Superman's characterization (nor much of the movie around him in at least 2 of his latest showings).

Superman and Lois' Superman/Clark Kent is played by Tyler Hoechlin, reprising the role he played in CW's Supergirl (and the "Arrowverse" in general). I don't know much about the CW DC-verse, except they had some multiverse shenanigans which are supposedly all settled, but may be playing into the plot of this show.

The first two episodes work as a sort of two-parter, with the initial pilot running longer than a normal episode. The pilot begins with the usual recap that rushes through what we already know: Krypton, baby rocket, Jonathan and Martha, Superman, Lois. Then it keeps going, and now we see in addition to the usual (Daily Planet, Metropolis), Lois and Supes also have two teenage boys this time around.

The show plays as a family show, for sure, and I like that about it. This is back to the big blue boy scout, aw-shucks type Superman, but takes him out of his element by giving him this family to care for in addition to the entire world (live action-wise. In the comics, Superboy's been around as well as other Kent-Lane kids I think, and of course Superman Returns broached this subject a bit, but nowhere near as in depth as this show).

The main premise is simple: After returning to Smallville for a brief period, Lois and Clark decide to move back to get their kids out of the big city for more family time, and so Clark can give back to a community he sees as having raised him. Naturally, this doesn't solve everything, because he's still Superman and has to spend time away, and meanwhile a Jeff Bezos type, Morgan Edge, is eyeing Smallville for his next big project (bring jobs to the town type of thing), despite the last town he bought out failing to achieve anything he promised which sets Lois Lane on her own investigative journey. Things become even more complicated when Superman is attacked by a mysterious, powerful figure who seems to know who he is, where he's from and his entire history. Naturally, all we know about him is that he goes by the name "Captain Luthor," but it's not QUITE what you think.

Being on the CW, I was expecting something not particularly great, as I'm pretty much only familiar with Riverdale from the CW (and Sabrina, which was Netflix show, but made by the same people). Superman and Lois is NOT that. The two teenage boys are actually pretty realistic, rather than just angsty teenage stereotypes (I wouldn't even refer to Jonathan as an angsty teenager, which is great!), and the show really solves the Superman problem by grounding it in Smallville with the attention being how he goes about raising these kids and working on his marriage with Lois, while also still trying to be the world's hero.



Lot of great stuff in these first three episodes. The Captain Luthor bit takes up time in the first two episodes, and I found the payoff there (so far) to be really satisfying. I'm enjoying Lois having her own sort of villain in Morgan Edge, and the boys high school storyline is actually keeping me interested (it never gets super melodramatic, or feels inauthentic to the highschool/teenager experience, like a Riverdale, and also leads to a pretty amazing football montage in the third episode). I'm excited to see where this goes, but have been very happy with the first three episodes so far. Apparently the pilot was one of CW's most watched ever and it's also their most streamed show already (which seems surprising given that Supernatural is one of theirs....)


Anyways, if you haven't checked it out yet, like your goofy Clark Kent type Superman, I'd highly recommend it.

[Crewe]

The Knick
Clive Owen

Story surrounds doctors and others centered around the KNickerbocker Hospital in NYC in 1900.
Strong social commentary as well as historical look at medical practices and innovations.
Good character development on a wide array of actors.
This should get more notice I think

The Terror
Season 1 only

I was interested, but sort of put off for some reason I cant identify. I had to have subtitles on because I cannot understand these guys completely and was tired or rewinding, especially on Prime because their interface sucks.
I liked it well enough to suggest you wtch it but i wasnt enthralled.
It is based on Captain Sir John Franklin's sailing dont know anything about the true story so I cant comment.

[Crewe]

Succession S1

This series, despite having characters with terrible vile traits, somehow made them sympathetic to me, at times anyway. It's certainly an interesting fun ride.
Branded as a dark comedy, I find it more of a dramatic piece with natural comedic tendencies.
Kind of along the lines of the Sopranos, but please note, that is not in any way a direct comparison because we know that show is another level.

The Roy family, led by its patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), is dysfunctional as one would expect a super rich out of touch family to be, and it starts with Roy.
He is fleshed out as the hard nosed, unsympathetic corporate mogul, fascinated with the directing the message of the country via TV stations and other electronic media. Sound familiar?
He has several wives and several kids that span those wives and while some are kinder and gentler than he is, they are still despicable beings, but fun to watch.
Some plot points are tropey but still maintain believable.
It's a familial copororate driven show, think Dallas, almost.
Im about to start S2 so we shall see how it unfolds.
Give it a go, I think you'll like it.

[TheNorm]

I'll have a review once the season finale drops next week, but The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has been absolutely amazing. Easily the best show I've seen this year...a whole lot of levels to this show (the sociopolitical and racial commentary too) and the character development has been stellar.

I enjoyed WandaVision but Marvel has stepped up with this one.