TV Shows

[DANGERMAN]

funny joke, everybody cried

[Whiskey_chaser]

Ozark on Netflix is fantastic. Wasn't sure about it after the first episode but now six episodes in and i'm hooked. The comparisons to Breaking Bad are justified (man trying to balance his estranged family with laundering money for the head of a drug cartel) , but it's gripping stuff. Some of the acting is top notch. Highly recommended. 

[DANGERMAN]

could go in the Netflix thread I suppose but, watched all of Defenders this weekend. I caught up on Iron Fist over the past few weeks, it's not very good, like actually pretty bad. Initially I thought the problem was just with Danny Rand, he's too simple, too naive. He's trained for years, aged, and grown up enough to win this apparently terrible trial and become the Iron Fist, when he comes back to New York, a world he already knew, it's like he's been living in fucking candyland.

 

Anyway, the problem isn't just him, the beardy antagonist is equally as vanilla. The Japanese girl is a decent character, to a point, pretty too 

 

Anyway, he's the worst thing about The Defenders. Daredevil and Jessica Jones are the best, so pretty much as the series were. I like that, early on, they keep the look and tone for the individual series. It's also probably for the best that it's a shorter series, all the other series have taken a dip after a few episodes, Defenders picks up after a few. The combat isn't as good as Daredevil, and they seem to not be able to decide exactly how powerful Jones and Cage are, but all in all it's pretty good

[DisturbedSwan]

Finished Arrow S1 last night.

 

Really enjoyed it I have to say. I mean the acting is incredibly hammy at times (the actress that plays Laurel is just the worst), lots of things are incredibly convenient and the love-triangle is very cringey at times. 

 

But the overall story is very good, you gradually get to piece together Queen's back story on the island via flashbacks and find out how the fuck he became this hardened archer badass in the space of 5 years. 

 

The overall plot is framed as a bit of a mystery, you don't know who's the puppet master behind the shadows of the City's problems and it gradually peels back the layers giving you more and more indications and clues as to the shenanigans the City's elite eventually culminating in a fantastic high-stakes face off between Arrow and the antagonist to save part of the city, gripping stuff.

 

I've also been watching The State on Channel 4 which is an ISIS-drama showing some young British recruits that go out to Syria to fight for them and support the cause.

 

It's a bit odd really, the first episode it looks like they're going to Butlin's rather than Syria, laughing with each other and taking the piss out of one another. When they show the female recruits their accommodation they make it look like this fantastic free Jihadi Utopia.

 

So yeah, rather strange, the second episode is better thankfully and shows some of the recruits seeing what IS are really like, the punishments they dole out for seemingly meaningless acts, the result of air strikes on a hospital building and some colleagues deaths but its still not shown them in as harsh a light as I expected as of yet which is a bit weird.

 

The acting isn't too bad, a bit casualty/holby city at times, and it feels odd when they ram in Arabic words into English conversations/sentences with an explanation at the bottom of what it means. I can't help but think of Four Lions watching it too, I think one of the characters even references it with a line of his at one point which is odd, the tone is all over the place most of the time.

 

But yeah, it's still an interesting watch based on some very raw subject matter (especially considering the Barcelona attacks just last week) at the moment, brave of Channel 4 to air it but can't help but think the tone is a bit off so far.

[DANGERMAN]

Watched the 2nd series of Top of the Lake. I really liked the first series, it was a bit off at points but all the stuff that seemed like a stretch could kind of be put down to it being set in rural New Zealand, maybe people are just a bit fucked out there 

 

This one is set in Sydney and is about the plight of prostitutes and surrogacy. The plot is fine, probably the best thing about it, it's the characters that are the problem. 

 

They've gone for the approach of making the lead dislikable. It's fair enough, it's overdone but it happens, they never really nail down quite why she's such an arsehole though. The male police officers are all idiotic creeps, which might be accurate for Sydney police I've no idea. Woman from Mad Men is partnered up with giant woman from Game of Thrones. I'm not going to spoil anything, but I'm not sure why someone having an affair would feel the need to do what she does. I'm also not really sure why she's in it, they could have used anyone, but I'm guessing they had the budget for someone recognisable and she's was available 

 

Nicole Kidman is in it, she's really good in it in the sense that I hate her. Not sure why anyone would spend any time with her tbh. The antagonist somehow manages to get away with all sorts without so much as a beating. 

 

And that's the problem with it, it's the same old tropes tied to hateful characters and nonsense rational 

[DisturbedSwan]

Watched The Defenders over the past week.

 

I enjoyed it but didn't really love it, inoffensive I guess is the way I'd describe it.

 

There was just SO much exposition and just not that many fight scenes, this is meant to be the TV MCU Avengers essentially and I expected bat shit crazy action scenes throughout but we had to wait 3/4 episodes before we even got one of note, and even that looked meagre compared to DD S2, Luke Cage etc.

 

DD S2 there were literally hundreds of Ninja's coming out of here there and everywhere and you never really get that sense of scale in this.

 

It oddly seemed like they spent all their budget on the focused character series that they couldn't make this as big and grandiose as they should've done, the plot was done very well, it's very well written how all the character threads come together against The Hand but there's just far too much exposition and needless chatter before it reaches its conclusion, brings the whole pace and flow of the series down as a result.

 

Started Ozark the other night too after hearing good things, up to Episode 6.

 

Wow, it is truly incredible, from the very first episode it had an intensity to it and a level of suspense/intrigue that I've not seen since Breaking Bad.

 

I felt like I was on the edge of my seat from the very first minute of the first episode and it has kept that up throughout, gradually introducing more threats and parties of interest to the Protagonists as it goes. Jason Bateman is incredible in it too, would shock me if he doesn't win an Emmy.

[Manicm]

Australian masterchef, loving it! Really it’s so much better than the uk one, USA is close but it’s just a better format, it’s like a soap!

 

Plus have a little crush on Eloise, she does some amazing desserts, plus seems genuine and pretty to look at! It’s on Watch if anyone else is interested.

[DisturbedSwan]

Watched the first two episodes of Star Trek Discovery on Netflix the other night.

 

I wouldn't really describe myself as a Trekkie at all, I've seen quite a bit of TNE on tv repeats back in the day and went to see some of the TNE-films too, but really my love of Trek stems from the 2009 Abrams film. I fucking love that film, it is just one of the most perfect Sci-Fi films ever made in my view and yeah that whole modernisation of Trek, bringing it to a whole new audience was great and certainly did a number on me.

 

Didn't think much of Into Darkness though, but Beyond is fucking amazing.

 

Anyhoo, back to Discovery. Didn't really know what to expect being relatively new to the universe and very new to the TV side of things.

 

But wow, those first two episodes are genuinely fucking incredible! The new lead (Michael Burnham - played by Senequa Martin-Green from TWD) and all the main cast are amazing, it's fantastic how almost immediately you feel like you've got genuine affection for all the crew and their plight, I just cannot wait to see where things go next week.

 

I expected something much more generic I guess and that is definitely not what we got from these first two episodes. 

 

Spoiler

Michael Burnham is human, but brought up by Vulcans. She's the number 2 on this Chinese sounding ship called the Qingdao or something and the captain is this badass Asian lady.

 

They find an unknown vessel whilst on patrol, Burnham investigates and accidently kills a Klingon warrior.

 

Obviously this causes major problems, tons of Klingon ships arrives led by some nasty-ass Klingon war-leader. 

 

The Captain won't listen to Burnham so she fucking Vulcan death grips her ass, attempts to take control of the Qingdao but the Captain wakes up and throws Burnham in the Brig. 

 

The entirety of a huge Starfleet armada get battered by the Klingons. The Captain and Burnham warp to the Klingon mothership to capture the leader but end up killing and martyring him, Burnham ends up getting arrested and charged with mutinous crimes.

 

ALL THAT occurs just in the first two episodes, it's like the entirety of a film played out in those two episodes and it is just like a Trekkie's wet dream the way everything plays out, not at all what I expected either and the plot definitely goes from 0-100 very very quickly.

 

Also finished Tin Star the other week.

 

For a Sky series it's definitely one of the best. The first 6 episodes are definitely some of the best stuff they've produced but it just kind of peters out and becomes a bit boring for the remainder of it, feels like they needed to fill that 10 episode order with something so stretched the plot unnecessarily and unfortunately that definitely comes across to the viewer.

 

But yeah, Tim Roth is great in it and the girl who plays the daughter and bloke who plays 'Whitey' too. It's a black comedy at times too with the two Canadian cops Jim (Roth) works with being a source of constant amusement throughout.

 

It's a rather good revenge thriller that stumbles at the end, worth a go I'd say.

 

Finally, I've been watching some Narcos S3. Was unsure how good this would be without the main thrust of arresting Escobar but seems I needn't of worried, it's just as gripping and fantastic as the first two seasons just with a different feel to it now that Escobar is out of the picture.

 

They never really explain why Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) is out the picture and you're just left with Pena to do all the narration and head up the DEA side of the plot. 

 

It has a different flavour to it as it's focused on Cali this time around instead of Medellin and you get much more politics come into play as a result of Pena's new position within the US attache in Colombia. I guess you could argue the first few episodes not much happens and this comes across in the frustrations the DEA agents and embassy staff face by not being able to touch the Cali Cartel, but things have definitely picked up in the last couple of episodes and culminated in this fantastic capture-and-chase sequence across Cali that had me on the edge of my seat, really gripping stuff.

[DisturbedSwan]

Star Trek Discovery is DA BOMB. 

 

Honestly exceeded all my expectations, the first two episodes are amazing and then the 3rd somehow manages to be even more amazing, cannot wait for next weeks episode.

 

Also started The Deuce by The Wire's David Simon. 

 

Needless to say if you like that you'll love this, documents the rise of HIV and Porn in New York during the 1970s, stars James Franco and Maggie Gylenhaal.

 

It is a phenomenal piece of TV so far, all The Wire staples are in there and it feels just like going back to the streets of Baltimore again in lots of ways, obviously the focus is different this time around with the two leads being a Prostitute (Gylenhaal) and twins Frank/Vince who are a bar manager and a gambling addict.

 

There is a hell of a lot of sexy time (as expected) but focuses on policing, peep shows and porn shops, the mob, NY's gentrification and drugs in equal measure so far.

[ThreeFour]

Really enjoying Star Trek Discovery aswell. Not a huge fan of the design of the Klingons in this but everything else so far is good.

 

Inhumans is not so good. It's rival if you like -  The Gifted, is much better. Neither are original storylines but Gifted tells it better. Well, so far.

[Manicm]

I’m not a documentary type of tv watcher but the Concorde program on bbc4 was great viewing, a tear to the eye at the end, I remember the farewell tour when she arrived at bham. You used to be able to watch planes land and takeoff at the main airport in those days.

 

Human error and our tech advancement killed the fastest bird in the sky.

[Jimboxy]

The Walking Dead feels like it’s going from bad to worse at the moment. It’s gone from being a bit dull to making me annoyed whilst watching it. 

[DisturbedSwan]

I stopped halfway through S7, I just could not be arsed anymore.

[DANGERMAN]

I'm still sticking with it just because I've got this far. It really should just be callers Deus Ex Machina at this point 

 

The bit with the tiger was stupid, but apparently it's the same in the comic so it's not the tv shows fault I guess 

[Jimboxy]

The tiger is stupid in general. If it doesn’t randomly eat the King at some point I’ll be disappointed. 

 

These first three episodes have been an A Team style shoot em up where no one can hit shit and they have unlimited ammo. Just rubbish. 

[regemond]

Yeah I actually remarked at this week's episode that it's just not TWD anymore. Minor spoilers for a scene from it...

 

Spoiler

In what fucking world did a car chase with a bad guy firing an M50 out of the back make sense?

 

I know it had to happen eventually, but the zombies are just a minor annoyance at this point, rather than a genuine threat. Remember series 2? When they were in the prison and a zombie attack would be a genuinely tense thing? That was fantastic, and the cast was rich enough that you always wondered if someone was going to be offed.

 

Now it's just 'hmmm, wonder how these characters that are blatantly never going to die will get out of this one'.

 

It was the scene where Glen hid under the bin that I realised the show has become completely ridiculous. Like other people, I'm just watching it because I've come this far now. Although I did get the Season 1-6 Blu-Ray for a tenner a few weeks ago when Amazon mispriced it, so I might watch it again at some point.

[DANGERMAN]

Is The Punisher shit? I'm 4 episodes in and it seems boring and badly written. I'm starting to think Daredevil was a fluke 

[Hendo]

I’m on the last episode as I type this and I’ve really enjoyed it!

Certainly better than Iron Fist, which has been the weakest one by far. I think I missed The Defenders though so will have to go back to that.

[DisturbedSwan]

I adored The Punisher.

 

Probably my second favourite in the Marvel TV pantheon after DD S1.

 

Saw the first episode of The Grand Tour too, bit boring to be honest, they've changed some things like 'The American' for a celebrity face off thing, but that seems to be it.

 

Godless is great too, got Jack O'Connell in it and the brunette lady from Downton Abbey. A bit boring at times, but it's only 7 episodes long, superbly written and acted.

 

Currently 6 ep's into The Crown. An incredibly dull first episode, but it has got better since, without hitting the heights of S1.

[illdog]

Just caught up with The Walking Dead. 

 

Its so very boring. Lots of close ups of faces. Lots of pointless dialogue whispered between characters. Stupid decisions and backwards morals.

 

I barely care who lives and dies anymore. And this whole Neegan thing has gone on long enough.

 

Its not very good is it?