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The TV thread

Started by rollntider, May 28, 2014, 01:06:50 AM

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BojackHorsefella

Quote from: Crewe on December 01, 2020, 12:00:49 PM
Ive run through Queen's Gambit, but never heard of the other two

So, Nathan For You was on Comedy Central, and is on Hulu to watch. Basically, it's one of those "improve your business shows," but Nathan Fielder instead comes up with insane, whacky ideas. I remember one episode, he had a mom and pop TV store put a massive TV on sale for $1, and then Nathan himself tried to get Best Buy to match it, of course they wouldn't. Meanwhile, at the store, anyone who came and wanted to buy the $1 TV had to be in formal wear, and also pass through a tiny room with a live alligator inside of it. That's just one example.

It's one of those weird shows that are goofy and funny, but are all about human connection, because the Nathan "character" is this sort of loner, monotone, robotic type, so it's sweet and wholesome too. Very much worth watching, some of the zany stuff is just so out there, the things people say on camera.

John Wilson I don't know how to put into words. You just have to watch it.

TheNorm

Watched the first episode of The Animaniacs revival...feels like old friends coming home. I've missed this show so much. :)

Queen's Gambit is definitely added to my shortlist...which if you're familiar with me by now means I'll get to it sometime in 2022.  ;)

Season Two of The Mandalorian however has been absolutely on point.

Also been recording Jeopardy! episodes, just because. Growing up in Michigan it was easy to catch because it was always on at 7:30pm ET, convenient for post dinner time. When I relocated to Chicago, the show airs at 3:30 CT here and that always seemed weird to me...so I missed them a lot. Now I'm just trying to savor Trebek's final episodes...damn he'll be missed.

"But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity." - Martin Luther King, Jr

Crewe

forgot to post that I watched Maniac.
I was really sort of meh about it.
Also watched Leah Remini's show on Scientology.
I always heard they were crazy but didnt really know how controlling and abusive they were, plus I didnt realize the "church" was so vast. And even further, I cannot believe that the IRS can take down Al Capone, but Scientology can beat them down and scare them off?
And by using bullying methods, it's actually kind of impressive, and scary in the sense that if you have money in America, you can do what ever the fuck you want.

And while Im here, you really should check out a doc on Hulu about Frank Serpico.
He has always been a favorite of mine and everyone should be aware of him.
People always talk about how there are no good apples on the police force, well, I bring up Serpico.
I do believe there should be more like him. All those guys who truly believe in what the police should be about, those guys are all gone now. As I like to say, there's not a Serpico among you.
If you arent in to docs, then watch the Pacino film, it's pretty damn accurate and a good flick to boot. As a matter of fact, I might fire it up anyway.

Crewe

Ill add I also watched Unbelievable.

It's a 8 EP miniseries beginning with the investigation of a single rape in which Kaitlyn Dever plays Marie Adler with such emotion and vulnerability.
Eric Lange and Bill Fagerbakke, and I digress for a moment but I kept eying Fagerbakke saying I KNOW this guy, where's he from?? And it dawnd on me, the Coach sitcom!
So ultimately, Marie is shaken, understandably and her story waivers which causes the detectives to question if the rape actually occurred.
Then we move to Merritt Wever investigating another rape, who, btw, who was marvelous in this series.
Ultimately we meet another detective played by Toni Collette who was great also, but Wever was maxed out.
The story begins leading you, or me, to think it's about the believability of the witness but while that arc is maintained, it also blends in to the investigation of other assaults.
A slow methodically paced story evokes empathy and is able to hold interest.
Well acted and narrated, I think it's certainly worth seeing.
I did not know it was based on actual people an events which makes it even more worthwhile



bigbaldben

The fam and I have just finished Community.  We haven't watched network TV regularly since we had kids so we're catching up.  :-D

TheNorm

Community was incredible.
"But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity." - Martin Luther King, Jr

Crewe

Quote from: bigbaldben on December 06, 2020, 04:41:01 PM
The fam and I have just finished Community.  We haven't watched network TV regularly since we had kids so we're catching up.  :-D

I havent seen Community all the way through :yikes:


bigbaldben

It was great, but it felt inconsistent to me.  Afterward reading about the behind the scenes stuff made so much more sense.  Season 4 definitely felt "off" but I didn't think it was terrible.  Season 5 was good.  Season 6 was weird - the lower budget was apparent - but there were still some really good episodes (esp. the last 3 I think).

We're actually circling back to watch it again.   :popcorn:

TheNorm

"But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity." - Martin Luther King, Jr

Crewe

actually looking forward to this myself

TheNorm

Best shows of 2020...since most of you know my viewing habits this is going to be a really short list.

The Good Place - It finished it's run in 2020 so I'm counting it as such. To me, this show is the 1A to Parks & Recreation when it comes to shows in the Schurniverse. Smart, well-written, with some amazing character performances throughout the series. Absolutely hated to see the series end, but I appreciate that this was a story they felt they could tell in four seasons and they stuck with exactly that.

The Mandalorian - Season 2 of this Disney+ show has been amazing from the start, as has the entire series. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have created a world that reels you in every week and tells one hell of a compelling story. They've also managed to reintroduce some characters and do it in a way that feels organic and not forced. Plus Baby Yoda/The Child is cute as ever. The season finale next Friday is going to be something.

High Score - short docuseries on Netflix about the history of video games that I finished in a day, which for me is something lol.
"But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity." - Martin Luther King, Jr

Crewe

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 thse 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
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.

BojackHorsefella

Quote from: Crewe on February 01, 2021, 05:57:14 PM
Search Party

This brings up two very quick, funny (maybe just to me?) stories:

1) We just finished watching Community, and I brought up Search Party as a potential next watch (still want to, I've heard great things, although I can see where it'd definitely be cringe content). Fiancee hits me with "Big Sky" instead, some ABC cop show that she says her friends like. We made it through three episodes before we gave up, however, this was my FIRST "filmed during the pandemic" show, as it was only partly through the first episode when the sheriff, talking about a bar, said "the owner's going to sell it to me, whenever the pandemic's over," and suddenly I realized there hadn't been more than 3 people in a scene together in this show, NO extras, and everyone's staying fairly apart from each other. In addition to just not being our cup of tea, it was just WEIRD.

2) So, instead we started Snowpiercer, another choice of the fiancee's (which led to us watching the movie first, per The Movies Thread). That being said, while the BASIC premise of the show is the same, the beginning is a bit different: Daveed Diggs, playing the Chris Evans character, is pulled from the back of the train because he used to be a homicide detective, and there's been a murder in the forward cars.

Yup, Snowpiercer is ALSO a cop show. Or is it? We haven't finished the first season, there was just a bit of a twist in the story, so we'll see if the cop shenanigans continue or if a train revolt goes underway (I suspect the latter will still happen, or at least a friendly combining of forces, perhaps, given that there's a season 2. I dunno). May come back to rate this one later, but I'm looking ahead to Search Party already.

Crewe

dont know anything about Snowpiercer, so lmk, and also Id be interested to hear your thoughts if you get to Search Party

Crewe

Crime Scene
Case of Elisa Lam and Cecil Hotel

This is a 6 part series on the infamous Cecil Hotel in LA and the death of a Vancouver student tourist.
The crux of this show revolves around the elevator video we've all seen and how Elisa Lam wound up dead in a water tank on the roof of the hotl where she was staying.
Ill shortcut this by saying, if you love internet sleuths who are so fucking narcissistic that they believe their irrational thoughts and quirky fallacious questions and summations are somehow relevant, then boy is this the show for you.
More time is given to them than to the police.
If you love watching YouTuber so called sleuths loving themselves, then by all means, check it out. Otherwise? Go play tic tac toe by yourself for 6 hours, it'll be a lot more entertaining.