What is the last Television series you watched?

[Jay 37,364]

Barry 4x01 Yikes

 

I found this episode a bit confusing.  On the one hand it seemed like we were picking up things many months / years later, since it seemed like Barry was in prison (not jail).  And that'd make sense for Hank and Cristobol finally wanting to get back into crime if they've been in Sante Fe under the radar for a long while (we last saw them in Bolivia!)

But then we follow Sally immediately after killing that guy last season and flying right to Joplin and her first day there, so wtf?  Also later it seemed like Barry had not stood trial yest, so he must just be in jail and not prison yet.  It was really kinda messy and I'm not sure if they're setting up some twist where something isn't what it seems, or they are just fudging around with details that don't matter?

 

I miss the old days of season 1 and 2, when the show was more of a comedy than a drama.  This is really back in the episode 3 space of being more dramatic than comedic and I'm not into it much yet. The most interesting thing here is Gene potentially screwing up to the case by wanting to talk to a journalist instead of keeping quiet like Janice's father wants.  The Hank/Cristobol and Sally stuff just isn't developed enough yet for me to be hooked, same with Barry in jail/prison.

 

We'll see how episode 2 goes.

[Bespin 8,483]

Currently rewatching Kenobi, I really looooooved that series!

 

[Jay 37,364]

Ted Lasso 3x06 Sunflowers

 

I loved this episode!  It is certainly the best episode of the season for numerous reasons.  It felt like the older seasons in a good way, and had more uplifting and happy parts than a lot of the dour stuff that had taken over most of the season so far.  And it was just really fun!

 

Rebecca's story was really good, largely because her chemistry with the guy (I didn't catch his name) was on fire.  It was nice to see Rebecca out of her element and lower her guard and sort of just be herself, or at least a version of herself I feel like she doesn't get to do much these days.  I suspect she'll reconnect with this guy at some point, at least I hope she does!

 

Higgins taking Will to the jazz club was funny, especially when Higgins got up to play bass, and Will got invited into a threesome  Colin and Trent's story was also good; Colin's explanation of living in two worlds was really interesting and perfectly encapsulated what his struggle is for me.  Some places still have a long way to go, I guess

 

Roy and Jamie training instead of partaking in the no curfew was good, especially the comedy or Roy trying to learn how to ride a bike, lol.  Beard taking off the second Ted led him was also funny, as was his return in full costume.  Beard is lowkey one of the best characters.

 

The team not being able to decide what to do was interesting; On the one hand it makes you feel like they're not gelling more than ever, even with Zava gone, but on the other hand maybe it was just all done for laughs?  It's hard to imagine a bunch of young single professional athletes in a major foreign city would decide to stay in and have a pillow fight instead of leaving to find their own adventures once a group activity wasn't decided on, but what are you gonna do.

 

Ted's solo adventure was really cool.  Him being in the Van Gough museum reminded me of Ferris Bueller for some reason, and then the American themed bar (run by Australian wait staff) was pretty funny, so many little jokes like the names of entrees and the 50 sauces, etc.  I loved the animated sequence where he comes up with the triangle strategy, and that it turns out at the end via Beard that he just discovered something already invented.  But hopefully it works!

 

Really cool episode!

[Jay 37,364]

Barry 4x02 Bestest Place On The Earth

 

Much better than the season premiere, I thought!  One really weird part though, was when Hank said "Prison Break 2023!"... wtf?  The show started in 2018, and every new season picks up like, right where the last one left off.  So they'd only be in 2019 at the latest by now.  What's up with that?

 

Sally's story was way better than last week and pretty interesting overall, as it touched on all the different story threads she's been involved with.  I liked the subtle way she inquired about Barry burying the body she killed, but then admitted he makes her feel safe, leaving open the possibility of some kind of reunion for them? It was interesting trying to see what her options are for her acting career to, and her agent laying out the hard truth for her.  I also really liked that she confronted Gene about him never telling her what he knew about Barry.

 

Speaking of Gene, his one-man play about his story with Barry was so funny!  That guy who played the journalist he told it to did a good job.  I have no idea what the repercussions will be of this getting published, at the very least Janice's dad won't be happy...

 

Barry's hallucinations this week were interesting; I'm not sure what we were supposed to learn from the childhood ones, or his vision of marrying Sally.  Fuches shirking off the FBI deal and trying to form a prison gang instead was funny, though Barry working with the FBI instead, screwing him over, will be interesting.

 

Hank and Crisobol's meeting with the Chechens & Bolivians was really funny, and that long oner around the big table was expertly pulled off (and that one bit where Hank had to run backwards was so funny!)  Cristobol was right to call out Hank for almost ruining the meeting by bringing up Barry, and that breaking him out of prison is a bad idea; The ending phone call where Hank decides to kill Barry instead was a nice twist!

[LSH 969]

 

The Thick Of It (2005-2012)

 

One of my all-time favourite British sitcoms - I felt it was time for a complete re-watch.

 

For the uninitiated, it is a gloriously biting satire of the inner workings of British politics, set primarily in a seemingly purposeless government department monitored by the Prime Minister's foul-mouthed enforcer or "director of communications" Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi).

 

Smart, confidently satirical, creatively offensive, and acerbically witty, it was also scarily prophetic in its portrayal of politicians in modern media. It also proved, episode after episode, the old adage "life imitates art". Initially a satire of the Labour Party, it suddenly found itself in unexpectedly fruitful territory following the 2010 General Election, when the Con-LibDem coalition become the central focus of the comedy. The mockery that ensued remains relevant and distinctly grim and sardonic, even to this day.

 

The show is also the spiritual predecessor or transatlantic equivalent to HBO's Veep (created by the same team) which is also very good... but this (and its movie spin-off In The Loop) is far more vicious. The show's creator - the legendary satirist Armando Iannucci - has said (as far back as 2013) that the show wouldn't work any more and he couldn't possibly continue the series, owing to the state of the government currently/recently being far beyond ridicule.

 

Succession and Peep Show creator Jesse Armstrong was a regular contributing writer.

[Jay 37,364]

@JNHFan2000 you never shared your thoughts on Succession 404

[JNHFan2000 2,964]

No, I didn't. I watched it later in the week and forgot about it.

I thought it was a good episode, with lots of interesting dynamics and developments. The moment it happened I thought it was a mistake to put Kendall & Roman on top. And....

 

Succession S4 x Episode 5

 

It was. I loved this episode, but wow was Logan right in episode 2: "They are not serious people".

I thought it was great to open with Kendall going to work, just like the pilot of S1. And I don't know what it is, but for me, Kendall has gone full annoying, irritating and stupid like he was in seasons 1 and 2. I really dislike him now. He makes stupid choices, takes Roman with him (who made the whole thing worse) and he thinks he's the best in the world and no one can touch him.

 

The big difference between him and Logan is just exactly what Mattson said "Logan was a prick, but at least he knew what he wanted". Nothing that Kendall said or did this episode spoke to me that he knew what he was doing. All he was doing was playing a man child and complaining about the size of his room. It's ridiculous.

 

Roman's outburst at the end of the episode, is something that's gonnan

bite both of them in ass. I get where he's coming from, but just soo stupid.

 

Shiv on the other hand seemed like the most capable one this episode. Wanting to talk about issues in the company and press releases. Her talk with Mattson was, I think, what actually made him up the price.

But what is she doing with Tom? Asking him out to dinner? What a mess.

 

Alexander Skarsgard really is such a great actor. And he's so good in this role. All his negotiation scenes were really good. And it sorta feels like he is, in a way, a replacement for Logan. He's the only one that Kendall & Roman seemed sort of scared of.

And his phone call with Shiv, asking her to take a photo of their faces. And then she actually doing it. So funny!!

 

I'm looking forward to see where this will take the company and where it will take the employees.

Roman & Kendall are going to have to watch out, because Mattson is coming for them

[JNHFan2000 2,964]

Barry S4 x Episode 3

 

I thought episodes 1 & 2 were fine. With 2 being better than 1, but this episode felt like Barry. It was funny, had some great moments and a nice ending. I think they should've aired 3 episodes last week. I feel that was a better way to start of the season.

 

This episode moved the story forward a lot more. Every character had good stuff.

Barry's scenes and his escape were great.

Gene and his agent breaking into that reporters house was so funny. And Janice's dad isn't gonna be happy with him. And what did he do to the reporter?

And the acting class scenes were also very well done. 

 

And Guillermo Del Toro's cameo was really funny!

 

I'm a lot more excited for the rest of the season now after a bit of a slow start.

[Jay 37,364]

Perry Mason 2x07 Chapter Fifteen

 

Wow!  That was such an exciting episode, it really felt like it was the season finale for most of it; So much was revealed, I was beginning to think there wasn't going to be anything left to do next week!

 

Perry and Strickland's big fight was an interesting one, I've never really seen a fight quite like that. It was so funny that they became friends again after that and did a whole investigation together, which was also pretty good.  Finally the oil stuff makes sense; Lydell McCutcheon is selling it to the Japanese illegally, and Brooks wanting to resell the veggies instead of letting them go to waste put the whole operation at risk.  I loved the triple-switcharoo the show did here; At the end of the first episode Lydell was the only suspect in Brooks' death; the Gallardos and everything that happened with them distracted from this the whole season, until this episode seems to make it clear that Lydell was, in fact, behind it, only to reveal at the very end he didn't want Brooks dead; Camilla did.  Great reveal!

 

Della's scene with Ham Burger (Yea, I just put two and to together this week) was a really good one.  Suddenly the extended time we've spent with her and her new girlfriend makes so much more sense with Burger confiding that he's gay too and being blackmailed to make sure the Gallardos go to jail for killing Brooks.  Damn.

 

Another good set of scenes was Paul working the stakeout with his wife, finally finding the blue Lincoln, and her sneaking into the owner's house, only to find it's the wife of Camilla's lawyer guy.  Damn, she has a serious problem, and damn, this means Camilla used the lawyer guy to put the hit on Brooks.  Will he go down too?

I wonder how much of next week will be the conclusion of all this, and how much will be some kind of character-based denouement?  There doesn't seem like there's anything left to reveal except the fates of everyone!

[Hurmm 91]

Succession S4 EP5 – the first good episode of the season. At long last things of consequence actually happen rather than all the fucking about with much of nothingness in the first four episodes. 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Does anyone remember a Fox TV show called werewolf back when Fox was in its infancy?

 

If I'm not mistaken it started out as a 30 minute program but became an hour long

[Jay 37,364]

Looks like it stayed 30 minutes the whole time

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf_(TV_series)

[Mr. Who 919]

Ted Lasso S3E7! I think this is the best episode of Season 3 so far. The storylines are coming together and the episode focused on the team as a whole, bringing together much of the more separate elements from the ost episodes. 
 

As a football fan it was nice to see such a football centric episode, where Total Football was implemented. Roy Kent remains a legend, Jamie running in front of his bike was really funny and so was the training exercise with the string and Roy’s reactions to that! Also Trent’s reaction after the game was fun to see and Roy’s reaction to that.

 

Sam’s father was a really cool character who we finally meet and it was great to see him with the team at the restaurant at the end. The twitter-racist restaurant looting part of the episode was done well and was probably inspired by some similar stuff that happened a few years ago. I loved how they resolved that storyline with the team helping fix the broken resultant!

Also, I fucking hated Nate at the end of S2 and at the start of S3 but I like how they’re handling his story this season. It’s nice to see him taking some of Ted’s lessons to heart and not spitting at the mirror was a good decision.

 

I think we’re finally at the point now where the storylines all converge so I’m really looking forward to the next episode!

I just realised that the actor who plays Sam’s dad Ola played Xaro Xhoan Daxos in GOT! He’s so good in the episode and in GOT!

[Jay 37,364]

Succession 4x05 Kill List

 

Kendall listening to hip-hop in the car on the way to run Waystar Royco reminded me of early season 1, that was pretty cool.  I noticed that Shiv wasn't invited to join until after Kendall and Roman did some initial business, and even then it was Roman's idea to get her and not something Kendall brought up.

 

When Greg showed up on the tarmac and I realized him and Tom would be going to Norway too I got a big smile on my face.  Even though his little talk about Norwegian hotties wasn't the funniest run he's had, his presence can really elevate the comedy in the show instantly

 

The rest of episode in Norway was beautiful to look at.  One of the pleasures of watching this show is the exotic locations they end up at a few times a season.  Though it's funny how they're always there for business and never appreciate any of it, these rich guys are all so jaded.

 

All the negotiating parts of the episode were really good.  Skarsgård is so perfect for the role of Matsson! I find it a bit dubious that he'd want ATN (in our world, what tech billionaire would want to own Fox News?), but it led to interesting plot points!  I liked that all of the Roy's planning didn't account for him wanting it, and that Shiv was immediately like yea, let him have it, while the brothers hesitated.  Roman seemed to only want to keep it because Logan wanted to, while Kendall saying he wanted it because he liked running Waystar was interesting.  These guys would make so much money from this sale, they could start and run any company they wanted to.  It's all about legacy to him I guess.  It was interesting.

 

The different ways they tried to get him to give it up - using Greg to spread bad words about the deal, showing the diastrous 3 hour cut of their upcoming blockbuster, mentioning a potential scandal with ATN and Mencken, etc.  I loved how Matsson saw right through it all, when started referring to Scooby Doo and Hanna-Barbera I was cracking up.

 

Another really interesting scene was when Matsson talks to Shiv. I could not figure out if he was being completely honest about sending blood to Ebba or making it up to gain Shiv's trust.  What do you guys think?  It's very interesting that Shiv told him to just raise the price so the brothers can't refuse, and that's exactly what he did... and that the kill list at the end spared everyone she mentioned should be kept.  Can't wait to see what other behind-the-scenes discussions/deals she has with him, and how the brothers react to it.

 

It's too bad Cannor and Willa were barely in the episode; I hope we get more insight into their new life together soon.  It was interesting that he is handling funeral stuff while the rest of the siblings were at the retreat; Will there be a funeral episode soon, or will it happen off-screen?  I thought it was interesting that a picture of Logan's corpse seemed to be the final straw to cause Roman to lash out at Matsson.  For all the talk of having "pre-grieved", he surely hadn't, as this was a bit part of it coming out.  I loved how Matsson reacted to it right away, and also by the bigger offer that came later.  It was so funny that that caused the higher ups to all applaud them for getting a great offer out of them.  I liked their only response was really stunned silence.  Will they try to sabotage the new deal too, or realize it's out of their hands and they lost? (And honestly, did they lose? They'll be richer now that they already were gonna be).

 

Tom and Shiv had some interesting interactions in this episode.  I can't get a feel on how each of them really feels about it.  They seem to be masking a lot of their true feelings.  I'm not even sure if what Shiv said to Matsson is real.  And why won't she tell him she's pregnant?  And why is she drinking alcohol if she's pregnant?  At least she didn't do the coke!

 

 

 

 

 

On 24/04/2023 at 5:11 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

It was. I loved this episode, but wow was Logan right in episode 2: "They are not serious people".

 

Damn straight!

 

On 24/04/2023 at 5:11 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

I thought it was great to open with Kendall going to work, just like the pilot of S1. And I don't know what it is, but for me, Kendall has gone full annoying, irritating and stupid like he was in seasons 1 and 2. I really dislike him now. He makes stupid choices, takes Roman with him (who made the whole thing worse) and he thinks he's the best in the world and no one can touch him.

 

Yup!

 

On 24/04/2023 at 5:11 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

Roman's outburst at the end of the episode, is something that's gonnan

bite both of them in ass. I get where he's coming from, but just soo stupid.

 

What?  We already know the outcome, it caused Matsson to offer a higher deal.  It wasn't there intention, but it worked for that purpose!

 

There won't be any further repercussions, I don't think.  The deal is too big to be stopped now, I think.

 

On 24/04/2023 at 5:11 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

Shiv on the other hand seemed like the most capable one this episode. Wanting to talk about issues in the company and press releases. Her talk with Mattson was, I think, what actually made him up the price.

 

Yea, she's always been the most business savvy, even though she technically has the least business experience of the three siblings.  I too think the higher offer wouldn't have come without this conversation

 

On 24/04/2023 at 5:11 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

But what is she doing with Tom? Asking him out to dinner? What a mess.

 

She probably wants to tell him that she's pregnant....

 

On 24/04/2023 at 5:11 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

Alexander Skarsgard really is such a great actor. And he's so good in this role. All his negotiation scenes were really good.

 

Yea!

 

On 24/04/2023 at 5:11 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

And it sorta feels like he is, in a way, a replacement for Logan. He's the only one that Kendall & Roman seemed sort of scared of.

 

Hmmm, I dunno about that.  Maybe.

 

On 24/04/2023 at 5:11 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

And his phone call with Shiv, asking her to take a photo of their faces. And then she actually doing it. So funny!!

 

Yea!

 

On 24/04/2023 at 5:11 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

I'm looking forward to see where this will take the company and where it will take the employees.

 

I think most of the employees that are main characters won't still work there by the end of season, but they'll still be around the rest of this season because the deal will take so long to go through.

 

On 24/04/2023 at 5:11 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

Roman & Kendall are going to have to watch out, because Mattson is coming for them

 

What do you mean?

[JNHFan2000 2,964]

My take away from Matsson's reaction after Roman's outburst is that he not only was gonna up the price, but that he was in a way going to make both of them pay for the things Roman said etc.

 

But maybe that's just me

[Jay 37,364]

But he did.. They don't get what they wanted. The don't get to keep ATN, or keep the entire company. They lost everything. 

[JNHFan2000 2,964]

Love & Death

 

I watched the first 3 episodes this morning. I'm really enjoying it. I didn't see Candy for last year, that covers the same story so I can't speak on the differences.

 

But this is again, great television by HBO. Maybe it's because David E. Kelly is behind.

Elizabeth Olsen has been a favorite of mine for almost 10 years and she's great here.

There is something slightly scary about some of the looks she gives sometimes, but I really like it. But at the same time she's also really funny. It's a great role and a great performance.

 

Jesse Plemmons & Lily Rabe also do great with their roles. Their roles ate just less showy then Olsen's.

 

Kristen Ritter is also good. But how is she still playing the best friend roles. She's such a great actress, so it's a bit of a shame.

 

I'm looking forward seeing the rest of the seasonnin the coming few weeks. I think it was a smart move to release 3 episode as a premiere. Especially with the ending of episode 3. Those final 10 minutes were really great and ended with a good cliffhanger.

[Jay 37,364]

Barry 4x03 you're charming

 

This was a fun episode, a nice increase in comedy after the first 2.  I wish they'd bring back the fun music for the Barry title card, though!

 

Guillermo del Toro showing up to tell Hank about the gadget brothers sent to kill Barry was inspired casting, and Hank being familiar with their podcast was pretty funny - and a nice setup that their gadgets don't usually work.  That scene was really funny too, with Fred Armisen randomly appearing making a really crazy face, the guy screwing up in the ceiling, etc.  I wonder if Barry managed to escape the whole prison, or if hes hiding somewhere inside?

 

Another really funny moment was when Gene told Tom about the one-man show he gave to the journalist, and him crashing the car in that nice long wide shot.  Their antics were pretty funny the whole episode, like when they broke into the journalists house, and you see Tom dropping the computer into the pool

 

The journalist guy going to Janice's father and telling him he knows the whole story was so stupid of him, though I really thought he killed him when he was hosing out his trunk.  I guess he just... gave him brain damage?

 

Sally's story was intersting this week to, emulating Gene pretty closely in an acting class.  The parallels to her insulting the new actress like Gene once did to her were interesting, as was everyone else leaving but the actress sticking around to want to work with Sally.  Curious to see where that goes.

And I'm curious about Hank to; Are he and Cristobol OK? Will their sand endevaour lead to anything?  And what about that guy who showed up and said Hank had to rejoin the mafia or die?  And what's gonna happen with Fuches?

[JNHFan2000 2,964]

I don't really feel like writing big posts about each episode this week, so I'm gonna do it like this.

 

Succession 4x6

 

Thought this was another strong episode. But WTF are Kendall & Roman doing. Roman firing 2 people and Kendall wanting the whole stage build and sorta making up numbers. I thought it was crazy. I am looking forward to see hoe Jerri will fight back. And I did think it was cool that Karl opened his mouth like that.

Siv & Tom remain an interesting couple. Not really sure what to think of it all.

 

 

Barry 4x4

Wooow. Pretty much no Barry, but I thought that made for great character work for Hank & Sally. 

But tge most important things were big spoilers: 

Spoiler

Did Gene kill his son. And Crostobal's death was really emotional. Both actors were great, but Anthony Carrigan really blew me away.

 

 

White House Plumbers 1x1

I liked it. It was a bit scatterbrained and unfocused, but Woody Harrelson & Justin Theroux were both really great. I will watch the rest, but it hasn't blown me away yet.

 

 

Ted Lasso 3x8

Another good episode for me.

This was the first episode this season where I really connected with Keeley again. I agree with some of you that het storyline hasn't been that great, but I thought this weekend was a lot more interesting. And I really loved Jaimy & Keeley's scene at tge end.

Nate & Jade's elationship is also great. And I'm glad we got confirmation on what there relationship really is. And I think she's a good match for him.

Ted's day with his son was nice and tge Hey Jude thing was very heartwarming. I have a feeling him and Michelle might get together again at the end of the season. That Ted goes back to America and that Nate maybe takes over as coach.

[Jay 37,364]

Ted Lasso 3x07 The Strings That Bind Us

 

Pretty good episode!  Not as good as the Amsterdam one, but definitely shows they don't need Zava to keeps things interesting.

 

I thought the ways the team was trying to learn Total Football was pretty funny, especially the strings around dicks!  I liked that it didn't lead to an instant win the first time they tried it, but that after a halftime change of plans, they got it working in the second half.  Maybe they'll make the playoffs this season after all...

 

The Keely/Jack subplot was OK; The love bombing stuff was a fun angle to explore, but the whole telling the office they are dating thing just reminds me how many boss/employee relationships this show has done - one of which we were even reminded of when Sam's dad talked to Rebecca!  Meanwhile I still don't understand why Jade was willing to give Nate a chance on a date, though the scenes leading up to that with Nate at his family's house were good.  But even then, I'm wondering why we've spent most of this season building Nate up to be a decent guy, after last season's finale set him up to be this season's villain....

 

The other subplot about Sam tweeting out something political and his restaurant getting vandalized as a result was OK, it felt a little forced in and not really organically integrated.  It was nice at the end when the whole team came together to help (basically the point of the entire season), and that he left one bit of broken glass as a reminder.

 

 

 

On 26/04/2023 at 4:52 AM, Mr. Who said:

As a football fan it was nice to see such a football centric episode, where Total Football was implemented. Roy Kent remains a legend, Jamie running in front of his bike was really funny and so was the training exercise with the string and Roy’s reactions to that!

 

Oh yes I forgot about Roy, he was so funny when he was lamented what Ted had done to him!  And yes all the Roy/Jamie training stuff has been good all season.

 

On 26/04/2023 at 4:52 AM, Mr. Who said:

Also Trent’s reaction after the game was fun to see and Roy’s reaction to that.

 

I'm already drawing a blank on what happened here?

 

On 26/04/2023 at 4:52 AM, Mr. Who said:

Sam’s father was a really cool character who we finally meet and it was great to see him with the team at the restaurant at the end.

 

I recognized him from Game of Thrones.  He was good!

 

On 26/04/2023 at 4:52 AM, Mr. Who said:

Also, I fucking hated Nate at the end of S2 and at the start of S3 but I like how they’re handling his story this season. It’s nice to see him taking some of Ted’s lessons to heart and not spitting at the mirror was a good decision.

 

Ahh, thank you, now I understand what they are doing with Nate better!

 

 

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

On 23/04/2023 at 7:47 PM, LSH said:

 

The Thick Of It (2005-2012)

 

One of my all-time favourite British sitcoms - I felt it was time for a complete re-watch.

 

For the uninitiated, it is a gloriously biting satire of the inner workings of British politics, set primarily in a seemingly purposeless government department monitored by the Prime Minister's foul-mouthed enforcer or "director of communications" Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi).

 

Smart, confidently satirical, creatively offensive, and acerbically witty, it was also scarily prophetic in its portrayal of politicians in modern media. It also proved, episode after episode, the old adage "life imitates art". Initially a satire of the Labour Party, it suddenly found itself in unexpectedly fruitful territory following the 2010 General Election, when the Con-LibDem coalition become the central focus of the comedy. The mockery that ensued remains relevant and distinctly grim and sardonic, even to this day.

 

The show is also the spiritual predecessor or transatlantic equivalent to HBO's Veep (created by the same team) which is also very good... but this (and its movie spin-off In The Loop) is far more vicious. The show's creator - the legendary satirist Armando Iannucci - has said (as far back as 2013) that the show wouldn't work any more and he couldn't possibly continue the series, owing to the state of the government currently/recently being far beyond ridicule.

 

Succession and Peep Show creator Jesse Armstrong was a regular contributing writer.

There was a definite hint of Tucker's 'Fuckity bye!' in the Who ep Time Heist when Twelve told someone to 'Shuttity up!', and also a more general nod in The Caretaker where Clara looks at a sign he's made and asks 'Why all the swearing?' 

I honestly also expected some sort of nod to TTOI when Chris Addison guest-starred in Capaldi's first season finale, but no.  

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

All we got, was "Permission to squee!".

[Jay 37,364]

Ted Lasso 3x08 We'll Never Have Paris

 

Oh man this episode was rough.. headscratching writing across all the storylines

 

Nate & Jade - these two actors have absolutely no chemistry with each other.  Every scene they have, I am left wondering what it is that Jade even sees in him at all.  There's nothing on screen you can get behind with these two.  The whole labeling conversation felt weird to write for two people in their 30s (?) with the type of lives they have.  Man, just bad all around here.  The only thing interesting they did with Nate was have him continually ride the line between been a good dude and a bad dude.  He clearly looks up to and wants to emulate Ted - and this attempt to replicate the Diamond Dogs was a genuinely funny scene - but then he reverts to bad Nate when he texts Rupert.  I wish there was more structure to Nate's final development here instead of him just randomly bouncing back and forth between good and bad

 

Keeley & Jack - Man, this was pretty bad too.  These two actually have great chemistry, so it was frustrating to have the writers suddenly make Jack into an asshole out of the blue after half a season of her being a good person and a good fit for Keeley.  In one episode she victim-blames Keeley, tries to get her to apolize with lawyer speak, and a second version, calls her her friend instead of her girlfriend to one of her old friends, and then just leaves Keeley alone instead of staying to talk to try to understand Keeley's viewpoint at all.  WTF, writers, why are you doing this?  Has Jack just been a distraction on the way to Keeley ending up with someone else instead?  WTF?  At least Keeley and Rebecca continue to have good scenes, and her scene with Roy was well-acted too, and her scene with Jamie was pretty interesting.  It was definitely growth for him that he even deleted pics and vids back in the day, and that he came to apologize to her now.  I dunno if the writers are trying to get them back together or not, but at least their scenes don't throw logic out the window

 

Ted & Michelle - This was largely an OK story with some confounding parts.  I loved the father/son bonding with Henry, and when Henry was at hte team's practice too, all good stuff.  Ted freaking out over Michelle maybe remarrying was good, but then going the extra step of wanting Rebecca to use a PI to find out if he proposes in Paris was outright lunacy.  Who came up with such a crazy idea?  And the episode didn't even make it clear what happened; She agreed to call the PI, and later called with results, but we don't hear, then he's looking for a ring, but she doesn't have one, so what does it all mean?  Did he propose, and Michelle is hiding it from him?  Or did I miss something about what the PI actually found?

 

The Hey Jude scene was pretty good though  

 

 

 

 

 

On 03/05/2023 at 7:35 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

This was the first episode this season where I really connected with Keeley again. I agree with some of you that het storyline hasn't been that great, but I thought this weekend was a lot more interesting. And I really loved Jaimy & Keeley's scene at tge end.

 

Huh, weird, I thought Keeley was fine all season (just a bit weird that her storyline was so unrelated to anything else going on in the show), but then this episode was when all the bad writing showed up.  And it's Jamie, not Jaimy

 

On 03/05/2023 at 7:35 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

Nate & Jade's elationship is also great. And I'm glad we got confirmation on what there relationship really is. And I think she's a good match for him.

 

Whaaaaaat?  My mind is blown that you feel this way.  A great relationship, really?  I find this to be one of the weakest on screen couples I've seen in a major show in a long time.  I see no chemistry between them at all.  I don't know what he offers that she's attracted to, at all!

 

On 03/05/2023 at 7:35 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

Ted's day with his son was nice and tge Hey Jude thing was very heartwarming. I have a feeling him and Michelle might get together again at the end of the season. That Ted goes back to America and that Nate maybe takes over as coach.

 

I can't see Ted and Michelle getting back together.  They've done zero foreshadowing for that if that is the case.  I think she wasn't happy with him and despite all the personal growth he's done, she's long moved on.  I will say, at the very end, when she got in his car, it seemed like she wasn't too thrilled about something, but I dunno what.

 

I do think the show will end with Ted moving back to America though, yea.  Nate leaving West Ham to go back to Richmond?  I dunno about that.

[JNHFan2000 2,964]

Love & Death Episode 4

 

This was a great episode!! Very tense and I always really like those sort of investigative parts in series and films.

Olsen remains a powerhouse!.

I really hope more people will watch, I feel it's really strong

[A24 4,336]

I watched Foundation for about 20 min. but everything was pretty bad so I stopped watching. 

 

 

 

OTOH, Netflix's (A24) Beef was great!

 

 

I wasn't a fan of Glenn in The Walking Dead but he is sooooooo goood in this show! I expect he and Ali Wong will be nominted for an Emmy.

[Jay 37,364]

Barry 4x04 it takes a psycho

 

That was a pretty wild and crazy episode.  The ending felt like a season finale!

 

Tom and Leo hiding Gene in Big Bear was nice and lightly comical, largely due to WInkler's scene work (like trying to slice lettuce still in its packaging).  Kind of a strange spot to end the story before the time jump; He shot his son in the shoulder and ran away, but then what happened?

 

Sally with the model/actress was pretty good too; It was SO FUNNY when she did her line for her and eventually move in front of the model to block her and show off to the director  I'm not entirely sure why she wanted to go run and hide with Barry at the end; That agent guy seemed to open the window to her working in Hollywood as an actor, even if any big projects would probably never come her way.  I assume we'll learn more next week

 

Fuches will remain in jail I suppose.  It's a little surprising that he didn't betray Barry after previously having done so, so many times.  I suspect some kind of final betrayal will come in the last 4 episodes I guess.

 

Hank and Cristobol... wow.  Hank has always wanted to be in charge and now he finally gets it, at the ultimate cost.  I now understand why they quickly built these two up into the power couple they ended up at - and why sand was their business model (I feel like the writers came up with a quicksand style death scene and then worked backwards from that).  I liked the rollercoaster they put you on this episode with Cristobol - dead in the sand.. no wait he's alive! but the chechen's are here.. oh but they're cool with him!  Oh but they're breaking up... oh but he's letting him go.... oh, he's crying really hard here.... oh.   Damn!  I am most curious to see what Hank is like after the time jump.

 

A few minutes into the episode, I realized there was a strong chance we'd go the whole one without seeing Barry at all, and when he finally emerged from the darkness of Sally's room (why hadn't the cops been there and searched it?), I thought it was funny that he had one line and a funny reaction before the time jump.  Can't wait to see what happens next!

 

 

[Jay 37,364]

Succession 4x06 Living+

 

Pretty interesting episode, because of some interesting character developments.  It was nice to see Kendall pull off a successful presentation, though of course the cost is that he promised a bunch of stuff that it seems like they will not be able to deliver on.  And it's interesting that he isn't giving up on trying to make Matsson not want to go through with the deal - but especially that Shiv was able to convince Roman to switch sides and try to get Kendall to abort everything.  Shiv was really sneaky this episode on all fronts - talking to Matsson behind the scenes, talking to Roman without Kendall, and everything that happened with Tom.

 

The Shiv and Tom stuff probably the most interesting stuff in the episode, because I really couldn't tell where anything was going with them.  That "bitey" game they played was a really well-done scene, and later when Tom actually opened up and talked about what makes him tick was really interesting.  I am starting to think they won't end up getting divorced after all, perhaps.  Certainly sleeping together once the divorce has kicked off is probably not good for one or both of them.

 

Roman firing people was more really interesting stuff.  He keeps telling everyone he's already grieved or is just fine, when he's clearly not - and clearly isn't cut out to unilaterally make big decisions like he tries to do here.  I was kind of shocked when Kendall agreed to make Gerri's firing permanent - I think the repercussions of that will be really interesting to explore.

Greg had some nice moments this week but I feel like he's really been underutilized this season and I hope we get a lot more of him in the last 4 episodes.  LIkewise, Connor and Willa have barely been seen since their wedding and I hope we get a lot more from them too

 

 

On 03/05/2023 at 7:35 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

Thought this was another strong episode. But WTF are Kendall & Roman doing. Roman firing 2 people and Kendall wanting the whole stage build and sorta making up numbers. I thought it was crazy. I am looking forward to see hoe Jerri will fight back. And I did think it was cool that Karl opened his mouth like that.

Siv & Tom remain an interesting couple. Not really sure what to think of it all.

 

Well, Kendall wants to run Waystar himself (or with Roman), so is trying to inflate its worth (by doing a killer presentation that promises a hot new product that will make the company lots of money) so that Matsson won't be able to afford it any more.   Are you sure you're watching this show carefully enough?

 

And it's Gerri, not Jerri

 

And yea, Roman is harder to pin down WTF he is doing.  I think it's grief related, like he's not processing it right, so isn't acting smartly.  But don't really know.

Oh man, I forgot about that Karl scene, thank you for bringing it up!  Yea, that scene was really good.  Karl was 100% right, Kendall should not have promised the numbers he did, and Kendall completely threw him under the boss.  Can't wait to see what happens with that.

[Jay 37,364]

Perry Mason 2x08 Chapter 16

 

Pretty good finale to a pretty good season!

 

The court case wrapped up in about the best way it could based on everything that happened, with one boy going to jail so the other can be free, and Perry doing 4 months for hiding evidence.  I liked his closing arguments about the illusion of justice and the preconceptions everyone had about this, or any, case.

 

Drake's new situation, having to work for that gangster guy, but in a way that helps their community thrive, could be interesting.  Della and Burger ending up each other's beards was really sweet.  Della's final confrontation with Camilla was interesting, you really get the impression that despite the FBI showing up, she's still going to be fine because she's so rich.  I wonder if she'll be a factor in a future season? It was funny to see Lydell having to hide out in Japan too.  I guess he'll stay there forever now?

 

Perry ending up in jail with only a picture of his son was nice, but it was a bit odd we didn't see the kid more this season.  And I think he blew it with the school teacher he was dating.  Oh well

[GerateWohl 4,370]

Citadel - on amazon Prime - Episodes 1-3

 

Don't ask about the story. But it is an action series on highest lavel. From that perspective I enjoy it a lot. 

For those who look for something pleasant to chase the time away until the next Mission Impossible or Bond movie comes out.

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

True Detective Season 1

 

Very late to this, as I never had it available for streaming and only recently found the Blu for a nice price. Excellent, with some strong cinematography and a brilliant main cast. Harrelson is of course a very good actor, although I've only slowly been warming up to him over the years - but I was especially impressed with Matthew McConaughey, and Michelle Monaghan was really strong as well (I mainly knew her from the Mission Impossible films, where she's always likeable, but doesn't really get a chance to act much).

[Jay 37,364]

No mention of Alexandria Daddario and her iconic...scenes?

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

On 06/05/2023 at 9:59 AM, Jay said:

No mention of Alexandria Daddario and her iconic...scenes?

 

Those were nice, too.

[Edmilson 7,457]

This is one of my favorite and most terrifying scenes I've ever seen in a TV show (spoilers for TD S1 if you haven't seen it):

 

 

[Bayesian 1,363]

I binged all of Beef last night (until 3:20 in the morning). It’s terrific. I’ll admit I used to think that some of the media praise for the series was pandering to the near-total domination of Asian American talent in front of and behind the camera, but no, the show really is as good as everyone says. As far as payoff episodes go, Episode 9 is as awesome and batshit crazy as they come. I will not spoil a single thing about that episode and if you care at all about enjoying the ride this series offers, you will NOT read a word about it beforehand. 
 

Inevitably, anything that would attempt to be said after Ep. 9 will be a letdown, and Ep. 10 (the last of the series) is very different in tone and feel and pacing. It needs to be watched to tie the self-contained story together and it gets the job done. If episodes 1-8 are a 9 out of 10 and ep. 9 is like a 13 out of 10, Ep. 10 is a 6 out 10 for me. But don’t let that minor quibble stop you. This is tragicomedy at its 21st century finest. 
 

Beef—it’s what’s for dinner.

[A24 4,336]

Actually, Bayesian, epsiodes 1 to 7 AND episode 10 are the best, IMO. The series (miniseries) constantly balances between drama and comedy (dramedy?), but in episodes 8 and 9 the mood kinda changes, the needle moves too much towards 'drama'. I really loved episode 10, so no, not a letdown at all. In fact, at some point, I almost shed a tear. Didn't you?!

 

It's supposed to be a miniseries (just one season) but due to its unexpected success, the creators are open to making more seasons, either with the same characters or a totally new story and with new characters. 

 

[Jay 37,364]

Succession 4x07 Tailgate Party

 

Oh damn, pretty intense episode!  I really did not see it coming that Matsson was hiding something of his own that could (and really should) jeopardize the whole deal!  Though, this is a logical outcome for the whole setup of Matsson harassing Ebba with his blood.  If not for her, you have to wonder if anybody would find out about the faked India numbers...

 

One setup that had no payoff at all was Rava coming back into the fold to tell Kendall that their daughter is being harassed by kids for her family's connection to ATN.  It's a very interesting subject to discuss, and I was curious to see how the show would tackle it, but after that one scene it was never mentioned again the entire episode.  Did it inform anything Kendall did at all?  Did I miss something?  If not I guess they'll loop back to it next week...

 

It was real  nice to see Connor and Willa again, and Connor had some nice scenes this episode. I love that him getting 1% of votes in a few states ends up being enough to swing the actual winner of the state and that he ended up bargaining for the best reward for pulling out.  I'm glad he decided not to pull out, and I loved the scene where he says Willa is the only person in the room who doesn't think of him as a joke, or whatever the exact line was.  It was kind of funny when he was trying to sell her on diplomatic plates though

 

Gerri and Roman's short scene was interesting too.  I like that she negotiated an amazing payout package and positive press spin, and that she has leverage (Roman's dick pics) if he tries to take either away.  It's sad to think that if Roman handled emotions better, him and her might have been an actual good partnership in the future of the company

Greg was funny firing those people, but man I still wish they were doing more with him this season.  Only 3 episodes left!

 

The big Shiv / Tom scene was the clear and obvious highlight of the whole episode though, and it was FANTASTIC.  Both writing and acting were completely top notch.   I loved that they were finally completely honest with each other (I think so anyway), finally said so many things that needed to be said, so many things they've had on their minds that they hadn't said out loud.  This may have even usurped the Tony/Camilla blowout from The Sopranos, it had a bit more specific setup for all their grievances from what I recall.  I loved that they spent an episode and a half making you think they might get back together before having this fight too, that also made it a better scene.

I am glad for both of them they finally got everything off their chest, but I really am not sure what either will take away from the exchange going forward; Really looking forward to next week's episode to find out!  One really interesting angle is how Tom brought up the pregnancy issue, and she declined telling him he did get her pregnant after all.  I wonder when that will become something she can't hide?  This entire season so far seems to only be covering about a week in their lives; It has to jump forward in time a bit at some point right?

[JNHFan2000 2,964]

I agree. Intense episode.

 

The thing with Rava was a great setup, so I'm thinking it might. But if not, that would be a shame.

 

Tom & Shiv's fight at the end was incredible. It indeed felt like both of them finally said what they wanted for a long time. And it did take me by surprise that Shiv didn't mention she's pregant at all. It really sets up some interesting story points.

 

Gerri was very cool in that one scene. She really does have the high ground in this situation and we haven't seen the last of her I think.

 

Greg is indeed a bit wasted and mostly only here for comedic effect. I as well hope that changes somewhat.

 

I still find Kendall annoying ever since he became co-ceo. And he keeps making big decisions without either Roman or Shiv. His talk with Frank was interesting in the way that I felt he is only trying to come out on top alone.

 

25 minutes ago, Jay said:

Only 3 episodes left!

 

This entire season so far seems to only be covering about a week in their lives; It has to jump forward in time a bit at some point right?

I had the same thought. It's only been a few days. We still have Logan's funeral and to whole thing with Matsson has to play out.

I saw an interview with Britell where he mentions the finale is 90 minutes. That's cool

[Jay 37,364]

Oh yes thank you, I forgot to mention that Kendall/Frank scene!  That was probably the most single interesting thing to happen in the episode, despite how great the Shiv/Tom scene was.

 

It's already pretty interesting that they can likely use the India numbers (and Ebba situation) to just get out of the deal, but the fact that Kendall wants to take it a step further and flip things around so that Waystar aquires GoJo instead is so fascinating - definitely a great setup to make the final 3 episodes more exciting.  And the fact that Kendall wants to be sole CEO was a good addendum to all that too, especially in an episode where Shiv wanted assurances from Matsson that she'd remain high up after he takes over.

But really, we've seen Kendall fail so spectacularly at everything he's tried the entire series, I have so little faith he'll pull of what he wants to pull off here - but I can't wait to see HOW he fails this time!  The elephant in the room is of course that both his siblings (and Marcia) know about his role in the waiter's death...

[Jay 37,364]

Barry 4x05 tricky legacies

 

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

I found this episode to be quite disappointing.  On paper, the idea of jumping forward 8 years and exploring what it's like if Barry and Sally went off-grid and raised a kid in the middle of nowhere under fake names is a good one, but I didn't enjoy much of the execution here. It was just depressing watching their poor kid get helicopter-parented, prevented from even playing baseball, told about the bad sides of historical figures, etc.  it was also depressing seeing Sally hate her life, use alcohol to avoid it, steal money to afford that alcohol, and not seem to even really be bonding with her child at all.  It was also depressing seeing them separately watch their own content on their own laptops with headphones on at night instead of watching something together.  Sad stuff all around.

 

About the only exciting thing that happened was the reintroduction of Gene and Barry's decree that he'll have to kill him.  A decent enough hook for the final 3 episodes I guess.  That moment where Barry stands watch all night just because some kids played ding-dong-ditch was kinda dumb.

 

And worst of all, they completely blew the future aspects.  Since the show started in 2018 and not that much in universe time had passed across 3 seasons, they could have easily said that the 8 years forward is only to 2026.  But they had Hank specifically say they were in 2023 for some reason, so this is supposed to be 2031?  And in 2031 smartphones, laptops, and youtube's interface is 100% identical to what we have now, cars are still running on gas, and their kid would wear a tshirt with an 80s cartoon on it?  All of this makes me wonder if the flashforward is going to be revealed to be a dream before the season is over.

[Jay 37,364]

@JNHFan2000 what did you think?

[JNHFan2000 2,964]

I only liked the final 2 minutes or so.

 

I thought it was quite boring and not too interrsting and I was actually waiting for it to be a dream or something. I'm hoping it all pays off. But I thought it was a weird choice.

 

Amd to be honest I missed Hank more this week then I did Barry in last weeks episode  and I don't know that that's a good thing if you're show is called Barry 

[Jay 37,364]

Phew, glad I'm not alone then!

[JNHFan2000 2,964]

No, you're not.

The thing that was most jarring for me was that I read the review of Empire magazine who praised the twist halfway through the season. So I was looking forward to it, but what we got was (as of now) a shame.

 

Maybe it'll all make sense after the next 3 episodes. But right noe I'm a bit lost with the whole thing.

[Jay 37,364]

Yea, doing a time jump is fine, but it should be worth it, and so far I don't see the point

[Jay 37,364]

Ted Lasso 3x09 La Locker Room Aux Folles

 

Well, that was better than last week's episode!  I really liked al the stuff with Colin and Isaac, that was done pretty well.  But I also really liked the stuff with Roy.  His scenes with Rebecca were really good; I really liked seeing that side of her and his reaction to it.  And his press conference at the end was great, especially when he said its none of his business why Isaac went into the stands

 

I thought it was strange that the only continuation with Jack was that she's more or less ghosting Keely rather than having any kind of adult conversation with her.  I'm curious if that's literally the end of things or she'll come back in the final 3 episodes?

 

The Nate scenes were all meh.  Him and Jade still have no chemistry, and Rupert's scenes are all just more of hte same stuff painting him as nothing more than a total villain.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

On 24/04/2023 at 12:56 PM, Jay said:

Perry Mason 2x07 Chapter Fifteen

 

 

Della's scene with Ham Burger (Yea, I just put two and to together this week) was a really good one.  Suddenly the extended time we've spent with her and her new girlfriend makes so much more sense with Burger confiding that he's gay too and being blackmailed ...

 

 

 

He didn't confide he was gay- she knew that already; it's a large part of their friendship. She didn't know about the blackmail.

[Jay 37,364]

Ah OK I didn't remember that, saw season 1 like three years ago! 

[bruce marshall 1,315]

" McCutcheon Stadium" was clearly inspired by real events ( as was the faith healer from season one).

 

[A24 4,336]

[Jay 37,364]

Succession 4x08 America Decides

 

Pretty intense episode, and one that makes it blatantly obvious that all 3 Roy kids are assholes, just in case anyone watching still was rooting for any of them.

 

Tom - I am wondering what the show is building up to with him spending one episode talking about how tired he is, and now the next doing coke to stay awake.  Could just be character development but I'm starting to think there's some big plot moment coming with him.  I loved that Shiv has played with his heart so much, his natural instant when she told him she's pregnant is to just not even believe her.  I'm guessing that he'll be set up as the fall guy for mis-calling the election once the courts decide to give it to Jiménez...

 

Greg - That wasabi/La Croix scene was really funny!  And so was his description of hanging out with Matsson's people the night before!  I love how he keeps stumbling into huge pieces of information, and is learning exactly how to use them; His attempt to get Shiv to pay him off for keeping quiet about her alliance with Matsson was a smart play, too bad she's too stupid to take him up on it.  I am starting to think they are setting things up for Greg to be the CEO of Waystar in the show's final scene...

 

Shiv - She really fumbled a lot here.  Not paying off Greg to keep quiet, not realizing Roman was set on helping Mencken no matter the cost, pretending to call Nate to see if Jiménez would be willing to block GoJo, and then being so obvious about it afterwards that Kendall immediately realized what's up.  I'm not even sure if she gave Kendall a good answer when he asked if he was a good person and a good father.  I can't see any path for her to get back on top at all, especially with only two episodes to go.  Matsson was probably never going to give her a good job anyway!

 

Roman - The biggest prick of the whole episode, absolutely not giving the smallest concern to how much of a fascist Mencken is, only caring about the power he'll get if he wins, bullying everyong to make it happen.  I feel like his reaction to Logan dying is trying to be like him, and he's doing what he thinks Logan would do, when it's not what he would do at all.  And he doesn't care about any big picture, just giving Mencken what he wants today so the president of hte USA will owe him a favor.  I feel like Mencken wasn't going to really do much for him after all anyway...

 

Kendall - Finally the setup of Rava and their daughter last week pays off.  He seemed to genuinely want to stay out of the election and let the people decide, then lead towards Jiménez when he took the time to think of the impact that Mencken being president would have on his family, then the way he just instantly flips to supporting Mencken when he discovers Shiv lied to him was almost colder than Roman just being cold the entire episode.  I wonder if he was thinking, "if she lied to me about calling Nate, is she lying about me being  a good person?" 

 

All these guys suck and played a role in making the country worse this episode!