Watch, Watched, Watching: The Shield lands on top

[Relic]

I never got the Skylar hate either. She was married to a total fucking prick, a man who I find to be far more disgusting despicable than the likes of a Vic Mackie or even a Tony Soprano. I personally never understood how anyone could like Walter. He creeped me the fuck out. 

[Heartofice]

34 minutes ago, Relic said:

I never got the Skylar hate either. She was married to a total fucking prick, a man who I find to be far more disgusting despicable than the likes of a Vic Mackie or even a Tony Soprano. I personally never understood how anyone could like Walter. He creeped me the fuck out. 

The thing with the show is that no matter how shitty Walt acted there is still a part of you that wants him to succeed because the whole show is set up on the premise of this total loser who takes on the system and reinvents himself. As terrible as he is, there’s something inspiring in the concept. 
 

I think the problem with Skylar is actually that she’s written as a brake to story progress. Every time Walt is going to do something dramatic or interesting, Skylar is there to moan about it and stop him doing it. Her reason for existing is to try and get him to go back to being the dull unhappy chump he was before (well for a lot of the series anyway) or to make him feel guilty for his actions. As much as she might be correct, I think her character simply illicits negative emotions in the audience because actually we all just want to see more action and nasty stuff. 

[RumHam]

I remember a theory about Skylar that viewers opinions of her were shaped by which version of the first episode they saw. The uncut version has her giving Walt a disinterested birthday handjob while browsing the internet. A lot of markets cut the scene apparently because under the blanket handjobs were too risque for the time. 

The idea is that the people who saw the half hearted handy started off disliking her. While most people who watched the pilot on TV or streaming never saw that scene. 

 

[polishgenius]

13 hours ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

I liked it but the sheer amount of praise it got seemed out of proportion to me. I guess it just didn't resonate with me the way it did with most people. Critics seem to like Rian Johnson for some reason. I don't know.

 

 

I'm on this page with Knives Out. It's a good movie but some seemed to react as if it was some completely new amazing spin on whodunnit ideas or at least some elite-level subversion, and for me it just wasn't. Hell, Rhian Johnson himself did the subversions better in Brick. Good film, but yeah.

[briantw]

7 hours ago, Heartofice said:

The thing with the show is that no matter how shitty Walt acted there is still a part of you that wants him to succeed because the whole show is set up on the premise of this total loser who takes on the system and reinvents himself. As terrible as he is, there’s something inspiring in the concept. 
 

I think the problem with Skylar is actually that she’s written as a brake to story progress. Every time Walt is going to do something dramatic or interesting, Skylar is there to moan about it and stop him doing it. Her reason for existing is to try and get him to go back to being the dull unhappy chump he was before (well for a lot of the series anyway) or to make him feel guilty for his actions. As much as she might be correct, I think her character simply illicits negative emotions in the audience because actually we all just want to see more action and nasty stuff. 

I'd compare her character to Whitaker's character on The Shield.  Both are ostensibly the "good guys" but are set up as a foil to the likable main character and so thus are framed as antagonists for the purposes of the story.  

[Corvinus85]

I watched The New Mutants the other night, and apart from some cool visuals, there is nothing remarkable about it. It wouldn't have made a difference if it had been released when the X-Men franchise was still under Fox.

[HexMachina]

15 hours ago, Mindwalker said:

 

Well, I was warned it "peaked in season 1", I didn't realize it would go down in flames! I'll probably finish s2, because I'm a sucker for punishment, but that'll be it.

Which ofc mens I'm looking for a show I'll like.. .again.

On the bright side, even s5 of OITNB doesn't seem as bad in comparison. (Not that I'd ever watch it again.)

The Flat Earth scene is funny.

What kind of show are you looking for at the minute? Comedy? Drama? Longer episodes or shorter?

Some good blanket recommendations if you've not watched them yet: The Expanse, The Americans, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, It's a Sin, Crazy Ex-girlfriend, Pose, iZombie, Penny Dreadful, Orphan Black. 

Of those only Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Pose and The Expanse are open ended (the latter two both have one season left), with the rest being complete series already. I think Pose Season 3 is coming out in May, actually.

The Americans has such a great finale too. I wanted to rewatch recently but it's no longer free on Amazon Prime. Robbery!

[Rippounet]

8 hours ago, RumHam said:

I remember a theory about Skylar that viewers opinions of her were shaped by which version of the first episode they saw. The uncut version has her giving Walt a disinterested birthday handjob while browsing the internet. A lot of markets cut the scene apparently because under the blanket handjobs were too risque for the time. 

The idea is that the people who saw the half hearted handy started off disliking her. While most people who watched the pilot on TV or streaming never saw that scene.

I have to admit that scene did play a big role in the way I viewed the character of Skylar.

[Zorral]

18 hours ago, maarsen said:

The drama that changed American TV to become more serialized was Wiseguy from the late 80s. Hill Street Blues before that also made big changes in having an ensemble cast. Lost copied a lot from both of them. 

Also, there were a number of serial series prior to LOST, which only began in 2004.

The golden age seems to be seeded in the early - mid-90's: Homicide: Life On the Streets (which, as time goes on, still seems brilliant and original),  Xena, Buffy, B-5, X-Files. Toward the end of the decade, first, Sex and the City, and the first season of the Sopranoes. These were all very popular.

LOST, Deadwood, almost all of the Sopranoes, The Wire, Madmen, etc. were post 9/11.

[maarsen]

19 minutes ago, Zorral said:

Also, there were a number of serial series prior to LOST, which only began in 2004.

The golden age seems to be seeded in the early - mid-90's: Homicide: Life On the Streets (which, as time goes on, still seems brilliant and original),  Xena, Buffy, B-5, X-Files. Toward the end of the decade, first, Sex and the City, and the first season of the Sopranoes. These were all very popular.

LOST, Deadwood, almost all of the Sopranoes, The Wire, Madmen, etc. were post 9/11.

Homicide: Life on the Streets was brilliant and original. I miss that show.

[Mindwalker]

6 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

What kind of show are you looking for at the minute? Comedy? Drama? Longer episodes or shorter?

Some good blanket recommendations if you've not watched them yet: The Expanse, The Americans, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, It's a Sin, Crazy Ex-girlfriend, Pose, iZombie, Penny Dreadful, Orphan Black. 

Of those only Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Pose and The Expanse are open ended (the latter two both have one season left), with the rest being complete series already. I think Pose Season 3 is coming out in May, actually.

The Americans has such a great finale too. I wanted to rewatch recently but it's no longer free on Amazon Prime. Robbery!

It could be comedy or dama, preferably not too dark/ gritty though, at the moment. I already watched It's a sin, very good, but ofc also very sad. Longer eps, but short is ok, too.

I'm not into horror (which will probably rule out iZombie, Penny Dreadful, Orphan Black), superhero stuff, anime (although at one point I'll probably check out She-Ra), fantasy. hospital drama, soaps, so-called reality tv. I like SF, but not Space Opera or Space Westerns.

Maybe a short list of some things I liked in the past will be helpful?

Hill Street Blues (but hardly remember it)

Roseanne (but tried a rewatch and didn't like it much anymore)

Buffy / Angel (the first seasons)

Columbo (probaby a bit slow if I watched it today)

Picket Fences

Soap (must be from the Seventies)

Bad Girls (first two seasons)

Die zweite Heimat (you may know it from some film festivals back in the day)

Frasier (an all time favorite, countless rewatches)

Six Feet Under (all-time favorite drama, ever)

the first season of AD

Babylon 5

Star Trek (best: DS9)

season 2 and 3 of Parks & Rec

ETA: the first seasons of Weed

Also, something... States of Tara, which German tv scheduled in the middle of the night, so I lost track of it

Wow, I just realized I haven't been watching many newer shows, and of those, none made it to the list... Well, GoT season 1 was kinda interesting...

Will check out some of your suggestions!

[HexMachina]

3 hours ago, Mindwalker said:

It could be comedy or dama, preferably not too dark/ gritty though, at the moment. I already watched It's a sin, very good, but ofc also very sad. Longer eps, but short is ok, too.

I'm not into horror (which will probably rule out iZombie, Penny Dreadful, Orphan Black), superhero stuff, anime (although at one point I'll probably check out She-Ra), fantasy. hospital drama, soaps, so-called reality tv. I like SF, but not Space Opera or Space Westerns.

Maybe a short list of some things I liked in the past will be helpful?

Hill Street Blues (but hardly remember it)

Roseanne (but tried a rewatch and didn't like it much anymore)

Buffy / Angel (the first seasons)

Columbo (probaby a bit slow if I watched it today)

Picket Fences

Soap (must be from the Seventies)

Bad Girls (first two seasons)

Die zweite Heimat (you may know it from some film festivals back in the day)

Frasier (an all time favorite, countless rewatches)

Six Feet Under (all-time favorite drama, ever)

the first season of AD

Babylon 5

Star Trek (best: DS9)

season 2 and 3 of Parks & Rec

Wow, I just realized I haven't been watching many newer shows, and of those, none made it to the list... Well, GoT season 1 was kinda interesting...

Will check out some of your suggestions!

iZombie and Orphan Black aren't horror. IZombie was a CW show so it was a kind of light hearted comedy-drama. Definitely count out Penny Dreadful though

The Expanse is sci-fi and a lot of the science stuff goes over my head but I still love it.

Good list. Definitely continue Parks and Rec if you haven't already. Schiff's Creek is another great comedy, I recently binged the whole series. 

 

Edit: Duh, you liked Season 1 of Killing Eve, so checkout Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge's comedy. Really great (she was the writer for S1 of Killing Eve).

His Dark Materials is a great show too, does a wonderful job adapting the books if you have read them. Even if you haven't it's an excellent show.

I am currently watching Season 2 of the Umbrella Academy which is entertaining enough but nothing special. 

[Nictarion]

7 hours ago, Corvinus85 said:

I watched The New Mutants the other night, and apart from some cool visuals, there is nothing remarkable about it. It wouldn't have made a difference if it had been released when the X-Men franchise was still under Fox.

I watched it solely for Anya Taylor-Joy. And to no surprise she was easily the best part (even with the bad accent). 

[dbunting]

8 hours ago, Corvinus85 said:

I watched The New Mutants the other night, and apart from some cool visuals, there is nothing remarkable about it. It wouldn't have made a difference if it had been released when the X-Men franchise was still under Fox.

Funny I am watching it right now, about halfway through and I am getting a Breakfast Club vibe. It's like The Breakfast Club meets sci fi. 

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

Hotel Artemis. Anyone? 

[DireWolfSpirit]

So I've followed Billions on and off over recent years, only viewing whatever I could for free.

I've managed to see through 3 seasons that way. Won't see the 4th or 5th till it's free to me next. It's not a serious show it's set as D.A. chasing Hedge Fund guy with some of type of subplots you'd see with the old Dallas series or maybe the current Yellowstone type drama.

Without giving up too much background, S4 will take on entirely new backdrop with Giammati and Lewis teaming up instead of as adversaries.

It sounds fun.

[DireWolfSpirit]

37 minutes ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

Hotel Artemis. Anyone? 

Make sure you do see Hotel Mumbai as well it's outstanding.

[Heartofice]

Saw Nobody with Bob Odenkirk. It’s a lot of fun. It’s strange because Chris Stuckman said it wasn’t just a straight up action movie so don’t go in expecting that..  but it’s exactly that.

That might actually be its problem. If you just want a fun time with guns and a love of violence then it’s really good. If you expected even a little more then that is not there.

I don’t want to make the John Wick comparison but it’s incredibly similar. Most of the beats are identical and it’s a little hard to tell them apart. What makes the movie is Odenkirk , who really pulls off every action scene, and the sort of ‘rusty’ nature of some of the early violence.

If does really have a huge flaw in that it’s kinda clear that he can’t die, and he’s just over powered to the point where there are no real stakes.

Dramatically it doesn’t have a great deal going for it, it’s probably too short and is rushed. But it’s fun.

[williamjm]

I watched Promising Young Woman. I thought Carey Mulligan put in a great central performance, and the rest of the cast were good as well. The film had an unusual mix of being grimly realistic in some aspects while being very stylised in terms of the visuals. The story had some very powerful scenes in it, although at times the plot can seem a bit contrived - some things are very predictable although there are also some surprises as well. I'm still not sure how I really feel about the ending.

[Isis]

Haven't watched any films for ages (mostly a product of moving house and not really 'sitting down to watch stuff' very often any more as we live in our kitchen now). As a result of binge-listening to LOADS of episodes of the Soundtracking podcast this week and listening to the Peter Jackson episode about the Mortal Engines soundtrack by Junkie XL, I realised that I had forgotten about this film adaptation. We watched it last night. I thought it was very true to the book. It's also incredibly high octane action, action, action - which is pretty cool. I think that maybe the emotional 'weight' of the film was less convincing than the action but it runs at such high speed that it's not really a problem. Hugo Weaving does a good job of playing the bad guy, but tbh I think he could have gone a bit more evil. Some of the other performances are a bit more pedestrian. Overall, thoroughly enjoyable.