Jump to content

Fargo (TV Series)


Jay

Recommended Posts

The FCC doesn't regulate basic cable, either.

I didn't mean to imply that they did, which is why I pointed out that HBO doesn't have advertisers to worry about. By implication, this was meant to reinforce why cable still needs to cut back at times.

What is more interesting is that I recall reading an article where even HBO was worried about the sex and violence of certain shows because although they could provide even more explicit material, they choose not to out of concern of losing membership.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It fascinates me, I find some of the decision-making pretty bizarre ... for example I really don't understand why they think the Walking Dead's audience are fine with seeing zombies uber-gruesomely chow down on someone's innards but assume that if a character seeing same says 'FUCK ME!' in response, they'll be terribly offended.

Weird.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The american censorship model of allowing incredibly brutal violence and graphic gore but not innocent naked flesh has never made sense to me or many other people. But it will probably take a long, long time to change still.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really don't understand why they think the Walking Dead's audience are fine with seeing zombies uber-gruesomely chow down on someone's innards but assume that if a character seeing same says 'FUCK ME!' in response, they'll be terribly offended.

Oddly enough, this affected The Walking Dead in a very specific way. There is a quote in the comics where a variation of that word is used to great effect, and they used it as the last line in the season 4 finale , but had to change a particular word to "screwing". The show runner Scott Gimple mentioned that they would have loved to use the real phrase and actually considered it (they almost filmed it) but decided against it since it would never had made it based AMC's approval board.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yea I don't get why the makers of any show airing on network tv or basic cable don't film things they way they want, and then make the compromised version for air and have the unrated version available on DVD/Blu. Oh well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I greatly enjoyed the first two episodes of Fargo.

Like the movie, it's an odd thing, as the story is pretty incredible, and they tell it with little and great bits of humor, yet you feel wrong laughing watching it, and enjoying watching it, when you remember it's based on actual facts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I greatly enjoyed the first two episodes of Fargo.

Like the movie, it's an odd thing, as the story is pretty incredible, and they tell it with little and great bits of humor, yet you feel wrong laughing watching it, and enjoying watching it, when you remember it's based on actual facts.

Fairly sure this isn't actually based on fact. The film wasn't (closing credits have the usual 'fictitious' spiel).

Anyway, I watched episode 2 this evening and loved it. Everyone is so perfectly cast. I can feel it slowly building up to something revealing Nygaard's actions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yea I don't get why the makers of any show airing on network tv or basic cable don't film things they way they want, and then make the compromised version for air and have the unrated version available on DVD/Blu. Oh well.

Yeah. Some network shows get away with being censored, though, like Arrested Development. But then they kept that shit on DVD. Why?!

Family Guy gets away with a lot too. Comedy Central lets Matt Stone and Trey Parker do whatever they want, although I believe Tom Cruise got the scientology episode banned from ever being shown on air again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe Tom Cruise got the scientology episode banned from ever being shown on air again.

Not even remotely true. Where do you come up with these things?

The only episode Comedy Central hasn't aired again (or at least didn't air again for a while) was the second part of the two part episode about showing a drawing of Muhammed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not based on actual events. That's only built into the beginning for effect. Cinematic license.

:P

It could still have been based on facts as I wrote, thus not wholly true yet rooted in actual events (mixed together, exaggerated, ...); very weird things do happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Isn't it great? They really nailed the tone of it all, with some great characters too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You should watch it regardless of whether or not this show even existed; It's a good movie and I'm sure you'd like it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't it great? They really nailed the tone of it all, with some great characters too.

Indeed. The cast is great. Thornton, Freeman, Hanks, Odenkirk, Carradine, and Tolman all help to make it deeply grounded in reality.

Jeff Russo does a nice job of paying tribute to Burwell's score to the original film.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't it great? They really nailed the tone of it all, with some great characters too.

Indeed it is. It's the show I'm most into currently.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fargo - Episode 9

Wow. What a great episode. It was a welcome change in pace after the show started to slow down a bit. More people really should watch this show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's why I didn't say "it's terrific" or "it's amazing". Coen brothers film is quite unique and the show extends that (without duplicating the storyline). That's it. Makes for a nice filler in between Game of Thrones seasons.

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's why I didn't say "it's terrific" or "it's amazing". Coen brothers film is quite unique and the show extends that (without duplicating the storyline). That's it. Makes for a nice filler in between Game of Thrones seasons.

Karol

FARGO i like, GoT borders on unwatchable for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two more episodes of Fargo left. Did I mention that the score is actually to my liking? Not necessarily as something to listen to on its own, but otherwise very pleasant.

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Just watched the last episode of this. Great stuff! Mostly.

At first I made the mistake of watching it alongside True Detective (alternating between the two every episode or two), and I think Fargo suffered by comparison. I finished True Detective quickly and then got into Fargo properly. Tim Canterbury was great, as usual, and it was fun to see Saul Goodman and Wild Bill Hickok in supporting roles.

One complaint about the ending, which I'll hide to be on the safe side:

Martin Freeman's demise, while more spectacular, was no match for William H. Macy frantically trying to escape in his underwear through a motel window in the film.

they think the Walking Dead's audience are fine with seeing zombies uber-gruesomely chow down on someone's innards but assume that if a character seeing same says 'FUCK ME!' in response, they'll be terribly offended.

ROTFLMAO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The UK Office was just OK, but the finale was pretty good (and easily the best episode)

The US Office season 1 was nothing that great, but then Season 2 was amazing, one of the best seasons of any comedy ever.

During the FIFA World Cup last year, there was an article on Nate Silver's website FiveThirtyEight.com with the title "Lionel Messi Is Impossible". The gist of the article was to show, by examining various statistical data on the player's performances, that his abilities not only exceed those of all other current players, but do so in ways which would at first appear to be mutually contradictory - i.e., that he excels simultaneously in contrasting aspects of the game to a degree which hardly seems possible for a single player.

It's for the same sort of reason that I think The Office (meaning the genuine Merchant / Gervais creation) is one of the all-time high points of television. On one hand, it conveys a sense of reality, in its characterisations, situations and dialogue, which is as naturalistic and convincing as anything I've seen in any fictional TV programme or film, and it has few rivals in this respect. Simultaneously, it manages to orchestrate a seamless stream of comedic beats, regularly building up to gut-wrenchingly funny climaxes; they have all the impact of the best sort of sitcom punchlines, while being conjured up out of exchanges which are thoroughly believable. The naturalistic aspect of the programme has the feel of something that could only be achieved through improvisation and trial-and-error, while the comedic rhythm and structure feels like the result of inspired and impeccable pre-planning. How these two opposing qualities were not only achieved, but brought off to such a degree of excellence and perfection, is something which has bewildered me since I saw the first series thirteen years ago. I've watched it countless times since and have been increasingly in awe of it. So, yeah: The Office is impossible.

(I agree that the last episode is the best.)

I like the US spin-off show (as it's called here, The Office: An American Workplace) well enough - or, at least, the four seasons that I've seen - but it's not even close to being impossible. The characters, the situations and the dialogue are all much more broadly drawn (I assume so, anyway - or is that what it's really like in America?), and much closer in style to a standard sitcom. Not that there's anything wrong with that; it just doesn't have the impeccable confluence of opposing qualities which make The Office such a brilliant masterpiece, nor is it nearly as funny as, say, Curb Your Enthusiasm. I have to say that the "Prison Mike" segment was one of the funniest things I've ever seen, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The best seasons of The Office (US) were 2-4. After the writer's strike it was never the same, though there continued to be many highlights. The show didn't need to go on for 200 episodes though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the one good thing about the later seasons is that introduced a lot of new regular characters, and they were all really great characters. In fact the final season is easily the best of the post-strike seasons, the writers who left to run Parks and Rec came back for the final season and it was pretty good. Last episode is great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.