On May 29 2022 23:57 ffswowsucks wrote: Finished watching Stranger Things season 4. All in all I love the series, the scenery, the old school vibes, the pretty dope sound tracks but + Show Spoiler +
I wanted to see more, I was hoping to see more, want more more more but I guess they ended it there so we can have a season 5, and I cant wait for it !!!!
On May 30 2022 22:59 Velr wrote: I tried watching Stranger Things... Somewhere in the middle of EP2 I cringed too hard to go on.
I remember liking S1, after trying S4 i can't remember why tho.
S1 was a rather novel concept and it had a good mix of SF mystery/horror coupled with a bit of humor and plenty of nostalgia. It was good overall but further down the road they just leaned in too much into nostalgia and humor because mystery and most of the horror were gone (stuff not so scary once you know what it is) so you're left with this rather hollow shell of what it used to be and all that's left is just some cringe dialogue, awkward moments etc.
Due to an illness I spent months in bed and had a lot of time to watch shows.
The following ones were great in my opinion: Mrs. Davies Succession Six Feet Under The Great Chernobyl Andor The Sandman Better Call Saul Dead Ringers Arcane
Funny and/or entertaining Severance Slow Horses Black Ops Lucky Hank (not many others seemed to enjoy it) Totally completely fine The Last Of Us Wednesday The English Interview with the Vampire House of the Dragon Moon Knight Tokyo Vice
These ones are somewhat ok, but could have been better: The Power The Diplomat Beef Shrinking Kleo The Consultant Lockwood & Co. The Peripheral 1899 Rogue Heroes Evil Rings of Power Black Bird Poker Face Paper Girls The Old Man Kenobi
These ones were terrible, stopped watching: Halo Moonhaven Rabbit Hole School Spirits Agent Elvis Better The Witcher Blood Origin Willow Dragon Age: Absolution
Wow, watching this thread pop up again gave me a pang, like receiving a message from an ex years later. With the pandemic lockdowns and the switch to remote work for many, I would have thought this would be one of the most active threads. It kinda ended up the opposite.
I actually mentioned The End of the F-ing World about 5 years ago when it came out. Maybe British shows get easily overlooked, but it's definitely worth viewing. A bit quirky but endearing, with lovable characters and smart dialogue.
Like Hildegard, I've also been spending a bit of time watching shows, and there are a handful of those I can recommend.
Slow Horses feels like a typical British series, where plot and dialogue carry the action, instead of having extended moments of actions. Acting is amazing, and Gary Oldman is....well, Gary Oldman. Probably closer to what real life intelligence agents do than what Hollywood keeps portraying.
Wednesday might seem like it only appeals to nostalgia, but it really has legs of its own. Similar to the other Addams Family shows, don't take it too seriously and you'll have fun. It's meant to be light.
I found 1899 to be extremely fascinating, actually. Also, when is the last time you've had a show where there are many characters of different nationalities, and they don't all speak English? For some reason, it reminded me of Raised by wolves (which I also recommend) because it's thought-provoking, it goes beyond what you are seeing.
"Just a bunch of lads fighting Nazis in Africa" is a tagline that doesn't do Rogue Heroes justice. Sure, blowing shit up is entertaining, but you'll experience so much more - camaraderie, loss, depression, hope (and copious amounts of drinking). There's plenty of subtlety where others might expect only "bang bang boom".
Watched LoTR:Rings of Power, it was fine. For someone who's not attached to that universe, I felt the episodes kinda dragging on too much (same as the movies to be honest) though quite engrossing at times. Everything regarding the setting is great, stunning visuals, nice choreography, maybe others will feel more immersed. "It's just too long" is what my partner constantly complains about...
Paul Walter Dauser absolutely steals the show in Black Bird. Has a True Detective vibe at times, maybe even The Night of (also recommended). The human mind, eh?
I'm noticing a bit of a pattern here with another show centred around special agents, with The Old Man. The action is split between "now" and some decades prior, where Jeff's character was still in the field. There are many twists and turns, moments of suspense and plenty of shootings, so don't brush it aside, he's still got it.
Out of the "terrible" bin, I'd pull out Rabbit Hole. It's not really that bad, even makes some present day references regarding privacy, misinformation - disinformation, conspiracy theories. The acting is more than fine, though it would probably have been better suited 10 years ago.
There are so many more series I'd like to talk about, but I'll just add one that perhaps very few people have watched. Have you ever seen Jeff Daniels as a baddie? Well here you go Godless
I have Bodyguard on my yet-to-watch list (though it's a long one...:D)
Until then, I'd like to put forth two very different British shows:
Fleabag is somewhat popular, though still an overlooked gem. Breaking the fourth wall is not something new, but it's done quite well here. Following tradition, the humour is often dry and anything dramatic is forced down and generally avoided (just like in real life *nervous chuckle*). It felt almost therapeutic, though it might not be for everyone.
If you know who David Mitchell and Robert Webb are, then you've probably already seen Ambassadors. This is, at least for me, typical British humour - restrained, ironic, witty. A bit older, from 2013, though it holds up well because it doesn't rely on anything special.
Currently, I'm watching Battlestar Galactica because I saw many recommendations over the years. Back when it was broadcasted, I stopped watching somewhere in season 3, and I forgot almost everything over the years. It's a solid show, but nowhere near the level of justifying a place among the best shows ever, in my opinion. Why is this show considered by so many as one of the best ever? Is it something in later season 3 or season 4 or am I simply too old? Having recently watched Six feet under, which holds up to be among the best, I just don't see Battlestar Galactica being that great.
No, it's the first few seasons that people like. I can't remember when it falls off, but it's when almost every remaining main character ends up being a Cylon in disguise... and then some sort of Angel/ resurrected character. I still like the beginning, but I haven't seen the end in ages.
33, for instance, is my go to for how to do a proper space chase (in contrast to the TLJ).
On June 12 2023 01:04 Falling wrote: No, it's the first few seasons that people like. I can't remember when it falls off, but it's when almost every remaining main character ends up being a Cylon in disguise... and then some sort of Angel/ resurrected character. I still like the beginning, but I haven't seen the end in ages.
33, for instance, is my go to for how to do a proper space chase (in contrast to the TLJ).
Thank you. Ok, I'm not there with the Cylon reveals. There are some pretty good episodes, but for me everything Cylon related is rather weak and has (if not for some explanation to be given later on), huge plot holes in regard to what the Cylons do or what their goals are. The episodes focussed on engineering problems without techno-babble were pretty decent.
That reminds of the new show called Silo. There is a great episode (number 3) about the repair of a huge machine. That episode is worth a watch, even if you don't plan on watching the rest of the show. It works as a stand-alone episode.
I watched the first episode of The Silo and it got me so intrigued that I started reading the book. Post-apocalyptic stories can be kind of hit or miss, though this one brings a somewhat original flavour. Almost done with the book, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it got adapted to a TV show.
Just to plug another British show, there's also The Outlaws. If you ever wondered what happened to Captain Koons after he handed in that watch, well, he became a grifter, travelled the world and deserted his family. Now, in his old age, he's been sentenced to community work alongside 6 other characters somewhere in Bristol, England. Can a professional con artist redeem himself? Will the new Romeo and Juliet make it this time? How difficult is it to become an influencer? Only one way to find out... (disclaimer: some aspects of the show's description may have been embellished under artistic license)
On June 12 2023 19:57 Uldridge wrote: So The Silo is like vertical Snow Piercer?
Yes, episode 4 stands out, the others are solid post-apocalyptic, but nothing special. It's a good show and future seasons might be even better. It's refreshing that the writers seem to have some engineering knowledge compared to the techno-babble in some Star Trek shows.
This week I continued watching Battlestar Galactica based on a viewing order I found on IMDB. Interestingly, I enjoy season 4 and the Razor movie more than seasons 2 and 3.
Everyone talking about all this great sci-fi but not mentioning The Expanse is making me cry. If you haven't watched it, watch it. Its the best show that's been on TV since the early season of Game of Thrones and the best sci-fi since the early seasons of BSG. Only it finishes just as strongly as it starts (the middle few seasons are the absolute best though)
Here's a good non spoiler scene. Even just this massive ship launching is one of the coolest things I've ever seen, and nothing else happens...
I don't know I really didn't like expanse. The first season was good but after that I felt like it dragged a lot and the story of the ship didn't really fit into the larger story well and both just struggled a bit. I think it just might be that the space action scenes didn't hit the same as it would if I never saw BSG or B5.
On June 17 2023 00:51 Sermokala wrote: I don't know I really didn't like expanse. The first season was good but after that I felt like it dragged a lot and the story of the ship didn't really fit into the larger story well and both just struggled a bit. I think it just might be that the space action scenes didn't hit the same as it would if I never saw BSG or B5.
I'm surprised tbh. Most fans of the show think season 2-3 is the best run with very little filler... I guess that's opinions for ya.
Yeah I didn't like expanse either. Read the books and found them good at first and then just okay as they progressed. But the show unfortunately has certain drawbacks which I felt were due to trying to stretch episodes (low budget?). Like cutting between three different tense situations with super slow progression for half an episode at a time put me off. Which is unfortunate because I really like the cast and the aesthetics of the show
EPT
