What is the last Television series you watched?

[A24 4,326]

 

2 and a half episodes, that's all I could take. Not recommended.

[Edmilson 7,393]

Just finished Andor yesterday.

 

It's Star Wars doing snob TV, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good part is all the things you come to expect from post-Sopranos "dark and gritty" dramas: complex characters, mature themes (but weirdly no sex, which is probably something forbidden for D+), political allegories, etc.

 

But the bad things are also stuff that are present on these kinds of shows, particularly the most recent ones, like boring side stories about boring characters and the generally depressing atmosphere. I couldn't care less about Mon Mothma trying to secure funding for the Rebellion, or Karn trying to redeem himself with the Empire, or that ISB female agent trying to find rebels or... 

 

Despite the grittiness (this isn't the Star Wars of your childhood, as the show makes perfectly clear), there's also that silly action scene of

 

Spoiler

Stellan Skarsgard escaping a Star Destroyer. Apparently even the most adult Star Wars has to include a Rebel escapade scene, otherwise it's no Star Wars.

OTOH, when the show focused on Cassian, it was great! He's a compelling character and easy to root for him. His character arc is also pretty good. Those episodes about the Aldhani heist were the best of the show.

 

The score is mostly generic Zimmer Inception stuff, and I pity those poor musicians who were hired to perform Star Wars music only to be stuck with something as dull as this. The only cue I liked is the one that plays on the final scene of episode 3.

 

Also: the Last Jedi fan in me was very happy with the Canto Bight reference on the final episode! 

[A24 4,326]

What is "snob TV" and why does it sound so derogatory?

[Edmilson 7,393]

5 hours ago, AC1 said:

What is "snob TV" and why does it so derogatory?

Remember House of Cards? It's kinda like that, at least for the first few seasons.

 

And BTW it's not derogatory, as I really like shows like Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Ozark, etc. But there are some tropes of this kind of television shows that I'm not fond of, and some of them are in Andor.

[Brónach 1,301]

I think I've been allergic to most of those because I wasn't attracted to the premises.

[A24 4,326]

Andor ain't no Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, The Wire or Severance. It's more like Rogue One.

 

[Edmilson 7,393]

I disagree. Rogue One is an action blockbuster first while Andor is more of a political drama/thriller. So it has much more in common with House of Cards or Ozark in terms of character development and overall atmosphere than R1.

[rough cut 1,714]

Sad to hear Silo wasn’t good. The books were among the best sci-fi I’ve ever read. The show has had good reviews, but God knows you can’t trust reviews on the internet.

 

I haven’t seen the show yet, but am obviously keen to do so since I enjoyed the books so much.

 

What made the show so bad that it was unwatchable?

 

 

[Mr. Who 919]

1 hour ago, rough cut said:

Sad to hear Silo wasn’t good. The books were among the best sci-fi I’ve ever read. The show has had good reviews, but God knows you can’t trust reviews on the internet.

 

I haven’t seen the show yet, but am obviously keen to do so since I enjoyed the books so much.

 

What made the show so bad that it was unwatchable?

 

 

I have read some great reviews of Silo so I’d check it out and see for yourself. I haven’t had time yet but am looking forward to watching it.

[A24 4,326]

9 hours ago, rough cut said:

 

What made the show so bad that it was unwatchable?

 

 

It's not that it's bad. It starts out okay, but during the second episode I began to doze off. It's all about finding out what happened and why they are in Silo but the characters, the writing and direction are too mediocre, too 'old hat' for me to keep watching.  

 

It can't hold a candle to Severance (also Apple TV).

[rough cut 1,714]

I’ll give it a watch for sure.

[Jay 37,287]

Ted Lasso 3x10 International Break

 

Woof, another rough one.  Who's bright idea was it to have Nate quit off screen, in between episodes?  Such a bizarre writing choice.  I didn't really like the way he handled it either; Going home to be with his parents was fine I suppose, but the emotional moment of his dad saying it was hard to raise a genius seemed like a out of the blue development that didn't land well, at least not to me

 

Likewise Keeley's story was really lame, how many times is someone going to fail in this show only to be randomly saved at the last minute?  The whole explanation of how her company was funded by Jack's company and why and what it means that Jack and her broke up or her being away is all confusing and muddled, and if Rebecca could have easily funded her all along why didn't she before?  Really lame and lazy writing all around I think.

 

I wasn't too impressed with the return of Akufo either; Him bribing people to keep Sam off the Nigerian team and also hosing his restaurant for a night seemed like beats 1 and 2 of a 3-beat story, but then nothing came of it.  So I guess it was just character development to make Akufo more of a villain and Sam more of a noble good guy?  Akufo's super team stuff was kind of lame too - why feed the Russian guy only to kick him out later, and why make everyone there cartoonishly villainous?  And why have Akufo's tantrum happen off-screen?  The small character beat where Rebecca decided she wouldn't be like other rich peers who will screw over the working class to get richer, leading to her telling Ted she no longer cares about defeating Rupert, just winning for Richmond, was nice, but could have been setup in a better way.

 

I also though Roy's journey this week was poorly written.  I didn't really understand why he wore the tie-dye shirt to work, or what the point of the scene with her teacher was when he ends up with Keeley anyway.  And why are the writers bringing Roy and Keeley back together? It doesn't feel earned at all.  Her storylines all year have been all over the place

 

The episode wasn't entirely terrible though; Dani and Van Damme facing off in the international match was hilarious the entire time!!

[Jay 37,287]

Barry 4x06 the wizard

 

I guess this was a little more exciting than last week's, but I'm still not really feeling this final era here.  I fail to see how Barry found religion after doing everything he did over 3 and a half seasons (and before) and hearing those endless podcasts just got annoying, especially since the only point seemed to really be the joke of him finally finding one that he thought he could use to justify murder while staying religious.  What has this show become?

 

Fuches getting out of jail, all tatted up and calling himself The Raven was pretty funny though, as was the way he charmed the barista into immediate marriage apparently lol

 

Hank being so successful with some kind of legit business was pretty funny, especially when all the conversations he had anywhere were all about illegal things.  Is it realistic for him to still be so upset over Crisobol EIGHT years later?  What'd they date for, a few months?

 

Gene wanting to stop the biopic, not help it, was kind of funny, since Barry thinks the opposite.  I was glad Jim grabbed him before he could confront Gene!

I was so confused by the big Sally scene.  I thought she was hallucinating, but then the living room was really destroyed?  Who was the guy in her house?  Was there multiple people?  I don't get it.

[Jay 37,287]

Succession 4x09 Church and State

 

Somewhere along the way this season the writers forgot this show used to be a comedy.  As much as I can enjoy the terrific acting at all the dramatic moments we've had starting with episode 3 this year, and there has been some funny stuff since then, the veering more into drama land is starting to really wear me out.

 

Rava's storyline has gotten interesting, the setup for that has paid off really nicely.  I love that she wants to take the kids upstate in light in Mencken winning, especially to see how that decision affects Kendall (ie: Not well).  And I LOVE that Jess quit on him right after!  Go Jess!  I am glad someone in that company has integrity.

 

I feel like Shiv's pregnancy is about the weirdest ongoing story this season.  She goes from not showing to showing overnight?  She spent most of the season drinking wine, and continues to do so now in front of Tom?  And all her descriptions of her not even being really there to raise it this episode just seemed weird.  At least everyone knows now.  I'm curious what they'll do with it next week.  There seems to be so much Shiv/Tom stuff left to cover, especially since he wasn't in this episode much.

 

All the eulogies were really well written and delivered.  Ewan's was really good, and James Cromwell delivered it perfectly.  Ewan ended up being the only one who knew what he wanted to say, got up there and said it all, and it landed.  Roman's collapse was a surprising turn of events, and man, Kieren Culkin nailed every nuance of all of it.  Then Kendall gets up there, and without any prep just nails what needed to be said to counter everything Ewan said.  Despite all his fuckups, he really is the best suited to take over Waystar.  Shiv's eulogy was interesting too, especially since I didn't think she'd say anything.

 

The best moment of the funeral though, was of course Caroline finding Kerry and having her sit with Marcia, and the mistress Logan had while married to her Such a power move, and it was also really well acted too (I hope Zoë Winters gets something high profile after this).

 

Another great moment was Kendall again recruiting Hugo to help him, Hugo's "woof woof" was awesome.  I also thought it was interesting that Kendall sought out Colin as well, since he is the only one that knows about the waiter death besides the siblings and Marcia.  And it was just nice to see he wasn't forgotten.

 

Roman's further collapse when he realized Shiv one-upped him courting Mencken with a better deal was great.  So the final episode will be Kendall and Roman vs Shiv.  I noticed that Matsson only promised an American CEO, not necessarily Shiv.  Greg The Egg incoming?

[Datameister 2,037]

Just finished Jury Duty. Highly, highly recommend for a clever concept, lots of big laughs, some extremely impressive acting, and a finale that really sticks the landing in all the right ways.

 

I'm all caught up on Barry after quasi-binging the entire show in the last few weeks. This last season has been my least favorite but I'm still curious to see where things go in the finale. And it's a great show overall. It'd been a long time since television dropped my jaw like "ronny/lily" did.

[Jay 37,287]

Imo every season of Barry has been worse than the previous. Just like Succession. But the show had such a great first season that even with diminishing returns it's still really watchable. Also just like Succession. It's just a shame I'm not more excited heading into their finales. 

[Datameister 2,037]

I liked S2 of Barry every bit as much as S1, but S3 and S4 have felt like somewhat of a downward slide to me. As you said, the start was so great that it's still plenty watchable. Who knows, maybe the finale will change my mind.

 

Still gotta watch Succession!

[Jay 37,287]

Barry 4x07 a nice meal

 

Man, the writing is REALLY lazy here!  Just last week they had a whole scene where Gene had to give Leo his new phone number because (obviously) his one from 8 years ago doesn't work any more.  Then in this episode, Sally just call his old number anyway and gets Gene on the phone.  WTF!?  And she has another hallucination? These better be explained next week, because right now I really am not feeling it and am just left confused and annoyed by them.

 

The Hank/Fuches stuff really worked, though!  I loved Hank's pleasure with the FUBAKs, the scene where he gets their head, and of course the rocket scene an ensuing chase.  All great, classic Barry!  Fuches and his men trying to assuage his new wife and stepdaughter was funny too.

 

Jim and the DA coming to think that Gene was working with the Chechens and is the one who hired Barry to kill Janice was an interesting twist.  I am curious how that will end for Gene.  Barry was sidelined for most of the episode again, only really escaping form the tape (how did Jim fuck that up so badly?) and then getting the call from Hank that he has Sally and John. 

 

Finale next week!

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

Love & Death Ep. 7 + bit about the whole series

 

I thought this was a terrific show. I always love David E. Kelley's work and this was no different. Great writing.

I haven't seen the other series from Hulu about the same subject, but based on trailers and clips that seemed more like a documentary take with actors. This really is a dramatic take on the story. And I feel it's all the stronger for it.

 

It has exceptional performances. Elizabeth Olsen has been a favorite of mine for a few years now and she's just terrific here. Every little nuance is so well played. I would honestly give the Emmy. She deserves it.

Another standout, in the later episodes, was Tom Pelphrey. Also great actor.

 

One thing I wasn't expecting is that they would show the whole murder. It was hinted at briefly in earlier episode. But the final episode shows it in full. It was hard to look at. It was brutal and very graphic. And it made it all the more intense after the previous 6 episodes of story build up and suspense. I didn't like seeing it, but it was incredibly effective.

 

As of now, this is my No. 3 series of the year. I love these types of stories, especially when it has courtroom scenes in it. I love those types of scenes. Great stuff!

[Jay 37,287]

Ted Lasso 3x11 Mom City

 

Woof, that was a really rough, really overlong episode.  69 MINUTES!!  And there was nowhere near a level of content in here that justified it; The length was partially due to a lot of lazy editing.  Spending time to show every character entering a room, walking to a seat, sitting down, beginning the conversation, getting up, leaving the room, etc.  Did the producers of the show forget how to keep the edit moving and popping, like the writers have forgotten how to write compelling stories?

 

The worst part on a writing level once again was the Nate storyline.  The way season 2 ended, he would have been the perfect villain for season 3.  Instead they have him do great at his job, get a girlfriend, decide Rupert is a prick, quit off-screen in between episodes, and now come back to Richmond?  And everybody wants him back?  Why? Because the positivity of Ted has instilled in everyone that they should give everyone who has wronged them a second chance?  That would be OK if it was done better but seeing Nate be a waiter for an episode with the girlfriend he continues to have no chemistry with wasn't a good way to do so in my book.

 

Ted scenes with him mom were pretty good at least; Some actually interesting character development there.  No real complaints.  Jamie and his mother on the other hand, I dunno, it was a little weird.  Dottie showing up fit right in, I completely understood her and Ted's relationship.  Jamie's mom was not as organically weaved in I guess.  Roy and Keeley trying to help him was cute but also felt like something that could have been cut almost out entirely (Jamie having their posters on his wall was pretty funny, though!)

 

I am glad at the end that Dottie brought up Ted's son and how he misses him.  Of course the season was going to end with Ted going back to America.

 

Here's hoping next week is a good finale!  I think there's a chance they have a good ending in them and just fumbled a lot of the episodes leading up to it.  We'll see!

[Bespin 8,480]

I just finished the miniseries Black Bird. It was very good, excellent even!

 

I really hope this guy will win a prize for his acting, impressive!

 

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

9 hours ago, Bespin said:

I just finished the miniseries Black Bird. It was very good, excellent even!

 

I really hope this guy will win a prize for his acting, impressive!

 

He has

[Jay 37,287]

@JNHFan2000 you haven't shared your thoughts on the last few weeks of Barry, Succession, and Ted Lasso episodes!

 

How do you feel heading into the finales of each one?

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

@Jay

 

I've been on holiday so I've been catching up. I've seen all of it now.

 

Barry has lost me honestly. I'm not that invested anymore. The only good thing for me are the Hank scenes. But I just don't care about Sally and Barry anymore.

 

I love Succession. I think it's still very good. I still think all the characters aren't very likeable, but that's kinda the point. I honestly feel that none of them is gonna come out on top, but Kendall seems the most confident. Roman's breakdown was something I was anticipating, and it was really well done.

 

Ted Lasso has a special place in my heart and I don't feel the same way that you do on the last few episode. I love this show, so maybe it might cloud my judgement. I still feel that Ted is going back and that Roy & Nate take over maybe.

 

I'm looking forward to all finales, just because of curiosity. We'll see

[Jay 37,287]

Yea Barry is a big disappointment for sure.  That long take this week starting with the rocket launch attempt and ending with Hank running into the brush was amazing, but it's too little too late with the Barry/Sally story being so blah

 

Who knows, maybe they'll surprise us with an amazing finale on Sunday

 

Succession I don't love as much as the earlier seasons, but I am more confident that the finale will be really good and special, than I am with Barry.  All 3 previous Sucession season finales are probably the 3 best episodes of the show.  Can't wait!

 

Ted Lasso.... I'm happy for you that you still like it.  I just think the writers really dropped the ball in many, many different ways.  Shrinking is a way better use of Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein's time now it seems.

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

Yea Barry is a big disappointment for sure.  That long take this week starting with the rocket launch attempt and ending with Hank running into the brush was amazing, but it's too little too late with the Barry/Sally story being so blah

 

Who knows, maybe they'll surprise us with an amazing finale on Sunday

 

Succession I don't love as much as the earlier seasons, but I am more confident that the finale will be really good and special, than I am with Barry.  All 3 previous Sucession season finales are probably the 3 best episodes of the show.  Can't wait!

 

Ted Lasso.... I'm happy for you that you still like it.  I just think the writers really dropped the ball in many, many different ways.  Shrinking is a way better use of Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein's time now it seems.

 

I agree with you on that. Shrinking's first season is better than Ted Lasso Season 3.

 

And I think were the only ones who don't like Barry's twist halway through the season, because all the critics and people online seem to love, but for me, it's a waste of time. They should've ended the series with Barry getting arrestes for his crimes. It all seemed like a perfect ending, looking back. But who knows what happens in the finale, but I'm not sure they can finish up everything in just 30 minutes, it'll have to be longer.

 

Succession at least takes it's time.

[Jay 37,287]

Yea it seems like there's a lot left to cover in Barry, and 30 minutes doesn't seem like enough.  Well its 35 minutes apparently, still, feels hard to pull off.  We'll see!

Sucession finale was be interesting.  90 minutes.  I really wonder if if will just be the next day after the funeral, like most of the season has done, or if we'll jump into the future, either just in between episodes, or throughout the episode.  Really curious what kind of grand statements it makes about each character vs how much it leaves ambiguious.

 

Ted Lasso, they've been around an hour all season long anyway, plenty of time to wrap everything up there.  Hope its good!

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

The Diplomat

 

Woooow. This was an incredible series. Fast paced. Incredible writing and directing. Emmy nominations all round.

 

And a finale and twist that were truly brilliant!!! I can't wait for season 2.

It's my 2nd favorite show of the year so far.

 

I haven't seen The Americans, so I've only seen Keri Russell in her movie roles, where I've always felt she was a bit underused. She is truly incredible here!!! If this not warrent her an Emmy nomination, I don't know what will. She commands every scene she's in and I love the things she does with her eyes.

 

All of the supporting cast does incredible work. Rufus Sewell is doing his usual 'prick' perfomance, but somehow it seems more fresh here.

 

Nathan Barr & Dimitri Smith's score I actually really liked. It fits really well and the album with 30 minutes is actually perfect.

 

GO WATCH THIS!!! IT'S INCREDIBLE!!

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

I'm busy the rest of the day, so more expanded thoughts will come later.

 

But just wanted to say. I did not enjoy Barry's finale.

 

But I loved Succession's finale episode. Especially those last 20 minutes.

[MaxMovieMan 269]

With Succession ending with a perfect finale I can now safely put it in my top series of all time. I actually think season 4 is my favorite season of Succession. Episode 3 of the final season might be one of the best episodes of television ever made. HBO truly is king. They put out the best shows. 

[LSH 968]

On 28/05/2023 at 6:04 PM, JNHFan2000 said:

The Diplomat

 

Woooow. This was an incredible series. Fast paced. Incredible writing and directing. Emmy nominations all round.

 

And a finale and twist that were truly brilliant!!! I can't wait for season 2.

It's my 2nd favorite show of the year so far.

 

I haven't seen The Americans, so I've only seen Keri Russell in her movie roles, where I've always felt she was a bit underused. She is truly incredible here!!! If this not warrent her an Emmy nomination, I don't know what will. She commands every scene she's in and I love the things she does with her eyes.

 

All of the supporting cast does incredible work. Rufus Sewell is doing his usual 'prick' perfomance, but somehow it seems more fresh here.

 

Nathan Barr & Dimitri Smith's score I actually really liked. It fits really well and the album with 30 minutes is actually perfect.

 

GO WATCH THIS!!! IT'S INCREDIBLE!!

 

Just finished this. It's rather good, I agree. Both Russell and Suwell are excellent screen presenceseseseses.

 

I did notice the score and it had some good moments. I'll have to listen to the album.

[Jay 37,287]

Succession 4x10 With Open Eyes

 

Overall a good finale, I liked it, but it wasn't completely satisfying.  Basically there were a bunch of good parts and a bunch of disappointing parts.

 

I was bummed the ways things ended for Greg - not just this episode but the whole season.  He's always been one of the best characters, and more importantly the funniest, and this season for some reason sidelined him a bit, and there wasn't enough funny Greg scenes.  Sure the La Croix scene was hilarious, but why not have something on that level every episode?  In this episode, I loved that his final wheeling and dealing (telling Kendall about Matsson not hiring Shiv and expecting something huge in return like a "full quad situation") actually had a consequence - his slapfight with Tom in the bathroom was terrific.  I felt like Tom felt genuinely betrayed, in a way he wasn't expecting.  But then later on, he keeps Greg on anyway? Why?  Maybe it's supposed to be funny that after 4 seasons, Greg is still just an assistant?

 

Likewise I wanted more Connor and Willa; Again more of a problem with the season as a whole than the finale.  The bit in the finale where Willa seems excited that she gets to live in a mansion for months while Connor is away being a diplomat was pretty funny, but not enough!

Likewise, Gerri!  She's another one of my favorite characters are really god sidelined this season too.  Why?  I hoped her appearing at Waystar for some reason on the board vote day would lead to some sort of final confrontation / exchange between her and Roman, but he just kind of hides from her and that's that.  Not enough!

 

On to the good stuff!  The kids final happy moments happening at their mother's Barbados place was really good stuff the entire time.  I loved how it started with Kendall and Shiv on opposing sides and Roman reeling from losing Mencken, then as they get all the info they get, they finally unite together for the final time.  There was so many good little moments - I think Caroline was perfectly used throughtout the whole series.  I feel like you learn as much about the kids' childhood, and what makes them who they are now, through the various brief scenes they've had with her throughout the years, as you do all their scenes with Logan.  Her new husband wanting to pitch them a deal that we don't even get to hear was pretty funny.

The show has always been at its best for me when the trio is together and happy, and this was maybe the best one yet.  The entire kitchen scene where they make the drink fit for a king, and Roman licks the cheese, was top notch stuff!  You really felt like they had all their ducks in a row when they leave, which really just left you wondering what the last minute upset was going to be....

 

Another good scene in there somewhere was Matsson and Tom at dinner.  I loved loved loved how Tom answered Matsson's question.  He told Matsson EXACTLY what he wanted to hear.  He's a grinder, he worries about everything, he does what he's told.  I'm sure he doesn't even know how well Shiv set him up for this by telling Matsson how he'd suck anyone's dick in the room earlier.  And then Matsson tests Tom's limits immediately by pretending he wants to fuck Shiv, and Tom responds perfectly by not opposing it.  Exactly what Matsson wanted.  Tom did everything to earn the job, including the past few episodes of sacrificing sleep to oversee everything at ATN.  He nailed it!

 

Back at Logan's old apt, the description of the stickers from Connor was pretty funny, and the videotaped dinner they get enraptured with was really cool too.  It was funny to see Kerri in that video, looking closer to Logan than I think we ever saw her before... when she grabs his arm and looks up at him lovingly, it seemed like she truly fell for the old guy!

 

The board room vote sequence was great too.  Roman having another nervous breakdown just before when he sees Gerri was interesting, as was the really tight hug that followed.  Did the hug cause Roman's face wounds to start bleeding again?  The vote going 6-6 and then Shiv getting the final vote was really well done.  When she hesitated, I didn't know what to expect.  The final blowup the three of them have in the conference room was amazing, one of the best scenes of the show I think.  The entire show has shown us Kendall getting so close, then something fucking it up.  I love that the dead waiter is ultimately his undoing (I really don't know if Shiv would have blocked things without him having done that).  Watching him completely break down, screaming about being the eldest boy was perfect, as was Roman finally saying out loud that the three of them were bullshit.  "Not serious people" indeed! 

 

I loved the moment where Kendall goes back to the board room and tries to delay the vote anyway.  And all the scenes of Matsson and his people coming in and taking over, Roman having to sign, etc.  Still not sure why Tom took Greg back, or why Karolina gets to stay but Hugo Frank and Karl all don't.  The final car scene with Shiv and Tom was perfect!  Their relationship was explored perfectly all season I think.  It's a perfect ambiguous ending.  Roman seemed happy at the bar with his drink.  Kendall is devestated.  I have no idea what he's going to do with his life, and I think that's a perfect way to end the show for him.  I HOPE he actually tries to be a proper father to his kids, but I doubt it.

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

I forgot to post my thoughts, so I'll just touch on some of the stuff you mentioned.

 

19 hours ago, Jay said:

Likewise, Gerri!  She's another one of my favorite characters are really god sidelined this season too.  Why?  I hoped her appearing at Waystar for some reason on the board vote day would lead to some sort of final confrontation / exchange between her and Roman, but he just kind of hides from her and that's that.  Not enough!

I was indeed bummed by Gerri's arc this season. The had such great stuff to do in season 2 & 3, that it was sad to see her used so little this season. After the confrontation scene with Roman a few episodes back, I was hoping we'd get some more of those scenes, but alas.

 

19 hours ago, Jay said:

The kids final happy moments happening at their mother's Barbados place was really good stuff the entire time.  I loved how it started with Kendall and Shiv on opposing sides and Roman reeling from losing Mencken, then as they get all the info they get, they finally unite together for the final time.  There was so many good little moments - I think Caroline was perfectly used throughtout the whole series.  I feel like you learn as much about the kids' childhood, and what makes them who they are now, through the various brief scenes they've had with her throughout the years, as you do all their scenes with Logan.  Her new husband wanting to pitch them a deal that we don't even get to hear was pretty funny.

These scenes wete indeed great. I really felt the joy with them dueing the kitchen scene. And this scene made the eventual confrontation at the hit even harder. Very clever writing.

 

19 hours ago, Jay said:

Another good scene in there somewhere was Matsson and Tom at dinner.  I loved loved loved how Tom answered Matsson's question.  He told Matsson EXACTLY what he wanted to hear.  He's a grinder, he worries about everything, he does what he's told.  I'm sure he doesn't even know how well Shiv set him up for this by telling Matsson how he'd suck anyone's dick in the room earlier.  And then Matsson tests Tom's limits immediately by pretending he wants to fuck Shiv, and Tom responds perfectly by not opposing it.  Exactly what Matsson wanted.  Tom did everything to earn the job, including the past few episodes of sacrificing sleep to oversee everything at ATN.  He nailed it!

Tom really earned the position. He has been working hard for it for a long time. In a way he is the same as Logan in that he had to work really hard to get to the top position. He was such a great character and I was happy for him to see him come out on top. His scenes with Greg this episode were great. And I was just as shocked as Tom when Greg hit him back. That was hilarious.

 

19 hours ago, Jay said:

The board room vote sequence was great too.  Roman having another nervous breakdown just before when he sees Gerri was interesting, as was the really tight hug that followed.  Did the hug cause Roman's face wounds to start bleeding again?  The vote going 6-6 and then Shiv getting the final vote was really well done.  When she hesitated, I didn't know what to expect.  The final blowup the three of them have in the conference room was amazing, one of the best scenes of the show I think.  The entire show has shown us Kendall getting so close, then something fucking it up.  I love that the dead waiter is ultimately his undoing (I really don't know if Shiv would have blocked things without him having done that).  Watching him completely break down, screaming about being the eldest boy was perfect, as was Roman finally saying out loud that the three of them were bullshit.  "Not serious people" indeed! 

 

For this really was one of the best scenes in all 4 seasons. It was harsh, but really strong. The acting of all 3 was incredible and I was shocked by some of the thing that happened and were said.

Kendall physically attacking Roman and shouting he's the Number One Boy.

Shiv's choice to vote with Matsson actually really worked for me storywise. It blew the whole thing up for me, in the best possible way.

And Roman realising that Logan was right about them not being serious people was great.

 

The finale worked for me and I thought it was an incredible end to, in my eyes, one of the best series of all time. Incredible!!!

[Bespin 8,480]

The Bridgertons.

 

I keep watching this for one reason.

 

[Jay 37,287]

Barry 4x10 wow

 

I thought this was a disappointing final episode to a disappointing final season.  Overall the season took itself too seriously and wasn't funny enough, and this episode was like a microcosm of that.  And I didn't like the final situations for most of the characters.

 

Spoiler

Not a fan of Hank never getting over Cristobol's death (again, they dated for like, a few months) and then getting killed by Fuches.  Sure, it's poetic that he finally got what he wanted (to be in charge) and paid for it with his own life, but what can I say, I wanted him to live!

 

Not a fan of the world thinking Gene was behind everything Barry did.  I thought that was not a fitting ending for him.  I would have preferred him not being in jail, but still not being famous either; Maybe just going back to teaching, and being happy with it.  Everything they ever did with his son ends up feeling unresolved.  Meh.

 

Not a fan of Fuches living and not in jail.  Meh.

 

Not a fan of the way things ended for Barry.  The religion he found 8 years later didn't work for me at all this entire jump forward, and it was dumb that he warped it to fit what he wanted to do anyway. Not a fan that he got murdered by Gene.  Just didn't feel satisfying at all.  Under different circumstances it might have, but now it just feel like Barry chose vengeance over trying to raise his child properly and it's all just meh.

 

Sally ended up a high school teacher is about the only thing that felt about OK.  She had sabotaged her own career and never would have really been happy with Barry I don't think.

 

Barry and Sally's son watching that ridiculous movie about Barry and Gene was amusing (Jim Cummings was  a GREAT casting choice), but ultimately just felt weird to watch this version of events be both what the world accepts and what their kid knows.  And Barry gets buried with full honors? Fuck that.

 

 

Overall, the ending that every character got in the season 3 finale - Barry in jail, Fuches in jail, Sally flying home to Joplin after failing in LA, Gene using ACTING to catch Barry and get justice for Janice, Hank escaping the mafia to settle down with Crisobol - were way better endings than what we got here.  I'd consider on a future re-watch just watching seasons 1-3 and ignoring 4. 

 

Oh well.

[Jay 37,287]

Ted Lasso 3x12 So Long, Farewell

This was a disappointing final episode to a very disappointing final season.  I wasn't really a fan of where more characters ended up, though I wasn't a fan of most of their journeys this season anyway.

 

The biggest issue this season had, and this episode added onto it, was having major events occur off screen.  The first time it happened it was really weird, but then they kept doing it so often I really began to question what the heck happened in the writer's room this year.  We've got Nate quitting West Ham off screen, Bex and Rupert's assistant instigating some kind of lawsuit (?) against him off screen, Ted telling Rebecca he's quitting at the end of the season offscreen, and now a final episode "Rebecca is selling the team" storyline shoved in after her apparently deciding to do so offscreen?  All so, so weird.

 

The beginning of this episode that had a fake-out where they make you think Ted slept with Rebecca was kind of clever.  Another really good scene was the final Diamond Dogs scene, where Nate is back in and Roy finally joins too.  Really funny!    I liked Zava sending a giant avocado, and the long scene where they BELIEVE sign is put back together.  And of course, Colin getting to kiss his fella after a match!

 

But many so many other things were disappointing.  The biggest is probably Nate.  I liked the villain role he played in the first half of the season, and was disappointed how quickly that petered out into him just quitting entirely.  And then it was SO WEIRD to see him go from the HEAD COACH of a MAJOR football team to waiting tables and sweeping floors in a restaurant, then being the bottom of the ladder kit-man back at Richmond.  Just unrealistic and weird and unsatisfying.  Even the apology Nate gave to Ted this episode didn't feel very special.  Just bummer by how all this turned out all together.

 

Bummed by Rebecca's trajectory too.  I never liked the physic stuff they did with her early in the season, but at least it had potential for character growth.  I LOVED the episode where she and the boat guy spent the night together.  But then they gave her nothing to do for half a season until finally here in the last episode she decides (off screen) that Rupert being sued is enough of a win, the psychic stuff is sort-of brought back but not in a satisfying way... and she ends up with the boat guy, which was cool, EXCEPT that it was so lame that they only found each other because they randomly bumped into each other, and it was done as part of a montage so we don't get any dialogue or anything.  MEH.

 

Keeley was another massive disappointment.  Her relationship with Jack was interesting because they actually had great chemistry, even though it was disappointing that the show was doing another employer-employee relationship.  But the way that just ended suddenly without a real conversation between them was lame, and then Jamie and Roy both wanting her back and showing up at her house together was really lame too.  At least she kicked them both out and ends the show happy and single but jeez, this was all disappointing, especially when combined with the story of her PR firm, which was never handled in a realistic or interesting way.  She just kept failing then getting bailed out anyway.  Oh well

 

Ted deciding to go home was good of course, and the way his story absolutely should have ended.  BUT, I find it so weird that the show threw in that storyline about Michelle dating their therapist.  The whole show has been about taking the stigma out of therapy, and how important and good it is, right?   So why, WHY IN THE WORLD would they do a storyline where their couples therapist grossly abuses his power and begins dating one of his patients like that, with no repercussions.  It was weird when they introduced it, but even weirder that the show ended with them still together!?  Again, what happened in the writer's room...

 

I did really like the positive weight the show gave Roy jut wanting to be better, and that he ends up talking to Dr. Sharon at the end.  The final game had a lot of fun moments too, though the final outing of Rupert as the true villain he always was, publicly, was really dragged out and still not that satisfying.  Also I'm not sure what to think of the fact that even though they won the game, they didn't elevate to that other league for reasons outside of their control.. I guess that's fine.  And it's good Roy is their new head coach.  Could easily do a spinoff focusing on that, with Ted appearing through Zoom twice a season, I guess.

 

Overall, I found this a show that started out as something special, got wobbly in its second season as they shifted to longer episodes, and more drama than comedy, and then a SUPER uneven third season with occasionally really good moments/episodes surrounded by baffling and unsatisfying ones.  Can't imagine I'll be thinking about giving this one a rewatch some day, I don't think.

At this point, Shrinking is a much better use of your Apple TV+ comedy time.

[Mr. Who 919]

4 hours ago, Jay said:

Ted Lasso 3x12 So Long, Farewell

This was a disappointing final episode to a very disappointing final season.  I wasn't really a fan of where more characters ended up, though I wasn't a fan of most of their journeys this season anyway.

 

The biggest issue this season had, and this episode added onto it, was having major events occur off screen.  The first time it happened it was really weird, but then they kept doing it so often I really began to question what the heck happened in the writer's room this year.  We've got Nate quitting West Ham off screen, Bex and Rupert's assistant instigating some kind of lawsuit (?) against him off screen, Ted telling Rebecca he's quitting at the end of the season offscreen, and now a final episode "Rebecca is selling the team" storyline shoved in after her apparently deciding to do so offscreen?  All so, so weird.

 

The beginning of this episode that had a fake-out where they make you think Ted slept with Rebecca was kind of clever.  Another really good scene was the final Diamond Dogs scene, where Nate is back in and Roy finally joins too.  Really funny!    I liked Zava sending a giant avocado, and the long scene where they BELIEVE sign is put back together.  And of course, Colin getting to kiss his fella after a match!

 

But many so many other things were disappointing.  The biggest is probably Nate.  I liked the villain role he played in the first half of the season, and was disappointed how quickly that petered out into him just quitting entirely.  And then it was SO WEIRD to see him go from the HEAD COACH of a MAJOR football team to waiting tables and sweeping floors in a restaurant, then being the bottom of the ladder kit-man back at Richmond.  Just unrealistic and weird and unsatisfying.  Even the apology Nate gave to Ted this episode didn't feel very special.  Just bummer by how all this turned out all together.

 

Bummed by Rebecca's trajectory too.  I never liked the physic stuff they did with her early in the season, but at least it had potential for character growth.  I LOVED the episode where she and the boat guy spent the night together.  But then they gave her nothing to do for half a season until finally here in the last episode she decides (off screen) that Rupert being sued is enough of a win, the psychic stuff is sort-of brought back but not in a satisfying way... and she ends up with the boat guy, which was cool, EXCEPT that it was so lame that they only found each other because they randomly bumped into each other, and it was done as part of a montage so we don't get any dialogue or anything.  MEH.

 

Keeley was another massive disappointment.  Her relationship with Jack was interesting because they actually had great chemistry, even though it was disappointing that the show was doing another employer-employee relationship.  But the way that just ended suddenly without a real conversation between them was lame, and then Jamie and Roy both wanting her back and showing up at her house together was really lame too.  At least she kicked them both out and ends the show happy and single but jeez, this was all disappointing, especially when combined with the story of her PR firm, which was never handled in a realistic or interesting way.  She just kept failing then getting bailed out anyway.  Oh well

 

Ted deciding to go home was good of course, and the way his story absolutely should have ended.  BUT, I find it so weird that the show threw in that storyline about Michelle dating their therapist.  The whole show has been about taking the stigma out of therapy, and how important and good it is, right?   So why, WHY IN THE WORLD would they do a storyline where their couples therapist grossly abuses his power and begins dating one of his patients like that, with no repercussions.  It was weird when they introduced it, but even weirder that the show ended with them still together!?  Again, what happened in the writer's room...

 

I did really like the positive weight the show gave Roy jut wanting to be better, and that he ends up talking to Dr. Sharon at the end.  The final game had a lot of fun moments too, though the final outing of Rupert as the true villain he always was, publicly, was really dragged out and still not that satisfying.  Also I'm not sure what to think of the fact that even though they won the game, they didn't elevate to that other league for reasons outside of their control.. I guess that's fine.  And it's good Roy is their new head coach.  Could easily do a spinoff focusing on that, with Ted appearing through Zoom twice a season, I guess.

 

Overall, I found this a show that started out as something special, got wobbly in its second season as they shifted to longer episodes, and more drama than comedy, and then a SUPER uneven third season with occasionally really good moments/episodes surrounded by baffling and unsatisfying ones.  Can't imagine I'll be thinking about giving this one a rewatch some day, I don't think.

At this point, Shrinking is a much better use of your Apple TV+ comedy time.

I mostly agree agree with this. The fact that almost all dug developments happened if screen is so weird when the episodes are so long. S3 should habe been great but it is a strange one which has great moments but is quite flawed overall. The ted and Rebecca scene was also a bit weird as he basically didn’t say antything.

 

Overall I still like the show a lot but S3 is definitively the least good season. 

[Jay 37,287]

Yea. Season 1 > Season 2 > Season 3

[Mr. Who 919]

Agreed. I loved S1 of Shrinking so I hope that S2 keeps the same vibe as S1. Apparently Bill Lawrence wasn’t as involved in Lasso S3 as he was in S1-2 so maybe the different vibe of S3 is due to his absence.

Still that anybody thought it was a good idea to resolve big storylines off screen is baffling. I wanted to see Nate coach West Ham, not just get glimpses and then an off screen quitting story while we get scene after Sean of Jade and Nate. Jade is fine but took up all of Nate’s screen time that should have been spent at West Ham.

 

The Keeley storyline just want good IMO. She was like in a semi spin off show and didn’t interact with the main characters for a lot of the season which was a problem.

[Jay 37,287]

Jade ended up being a mildly interesting character, but she had no chemistry with Nate at all, and we got too little insight into her own life or personality - almost all her scenes were entirely about Nate and her relationship to him.

 

And yea you're right we barely got to see Nate actually coach didn't we?  The season 2 finale set up SUCH a potentially interesting season 3 being all about Richmond facing off with West Ham through the season but it kinda petered out without being as grand as I had expected.  And I'm note ENTIRELY sure what character growth Nate went through, or what he plans to do with himself going forward >shrug<

 

Keeley, yea, felt like she was in her own shot a bit didn't it.  The Jack stuff was interesting for awhile, then again just instantly petered out...

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

It's not a series, but it has to do with tv so I thought I would post it. There's more of these coming with different actors.

But this is a really interesting conversation. I really love Coolidge but most of the time during awards etc she's a bit hyper active so it's really nice to see her talk about the job this way. Some really insightful stuff.

 

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,499]

TRUE DETECTIVE, S1.

It's TWIN PEAKS meets SE7EN, with a dash of MISSISSIPPI BURNING,  a soupçon of ANGEL HEART, and a dollop of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.

Well-scripted, and very well-acted, by McConaughey and Harrelson.

I'm just about to watch E7, so, I've not long to go.

I've heard that S2 is not as good, but I'm still going to give it a try.

[Edmilson 7,393]

Season 1 is brilliant, among my favorite seasons of television ever produced. S2 is... well, it's okay, some decent moments but far from S1's greatness. Then S3 is good but very forgettable.

 

Neither S2 or 3 have the same nihilistic/gothic/pessimistic atmosphere that made 1 so good.

[Marian Schedenig 8,174]

53 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

TRUE DETECTIVE, S1.

It's TWIN PEAKS meets SE7EN, with a dash of MISSISSIPPI BURNING,  a soupçon of ANGEL HEART, and a dollop of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.

Well-scripted, and very well-acted, by McConaughey and Harrelson.

I'm just about to watch E7, so, I've not long to go.

I've heard that S2 is not as good, but I'm still going to give it a try.

 

I didn't really see any Twin Peaks in it, but I also liked it very much when I finally watched it recently. I thought Michelle Monaghan's performance was very good, too. S2 and S3 are still on my watch list.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,499]

16 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

I didn't really see any Twin Peaks in it...

 

Wha' ?! 

The first scene, the discovery of a young woman's body; the labyrinthine plot; the connotations of some sort of spiritual battle; the two main characters being law enforcement officers; a secret place where all sorts of nefarious deeds are committed (The Lodge vs. Carcosa). It's got TWIN PEAKS written all over it.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Pretty much agree with your take on Barry, @Jay, this season really left me cold and the finale left me feeling empty (but not in a good way like I did after Succession). A few things though:

 

On 05/06/2023 at 2:52 AM, Jay said:

 

  Hide contents

 

Not a fan of the way things ended for Barry.  The religion he found 8 years later didn't work for me at all this entire jump forward, and it was dumb that he warped it to fit what he wanted to do anyway. Not a fan that he got murdered by Gene.  Just didn't feel satisfying at all.  Under different circumstances it might have, but now it just feel like Barry chose vengeance over trying to raise his child properly and it's all just meh.

 

 

Spoiler

Those points are very much intentional, and part of the thesis of the show and what it's saying about violence. Barry's shallow religious belief was very on point and perfectly encapsulates the very real ways in which the worst people on the planet twist religion to justify their behaviour. One of the only times I laughed out loud this season was when Barry was literally scanning through religious podcasts to find something that would frame him as a good person and says "there it is" when he finds it. It's a continuation of the (quite funny) "education" that Barry's son is receiving via conspiracy YouTube.

 

Similarly, Barry choosing vengeance over raising his child and then paying the price for it was the capitulation of the show's themes around the corrosiveness of violence.

 

Barry dying by Gene's hand did work for me, and it's devastating that Gene is pinned for crimes he didn't commit and Barry is venerated in death. But glossing over Sally's complicity in perpetuating that lie by not coming forward after Barry is killed was, to me, lazy, and they missed the opportunity to further layer the terrifically complex Sally character.

 

I also think the show wanted to have its cake and eat it in regards to including Barry and Sally's kid in the first place. In real life that kid would be completely messed up and ridiculously maladjusted. It's shown he didn't have any friends as a child, including in the crucial formative years; he was emotionally neglected by Sally; manipulated by Barry (scaring him into not playing baseball, which was very funny); and otherwise given a completely fucked up childhood. He's barely a character in the show, and just feels like a blank mannequin to make Barry and Sally more monstrous and funny (which, to be fair, is executed well).

 

I get that this show has always presented a heightened reality, but it all makes the show's attempts to tackle these very weighty themes feel underbaked. I wonder how much Hader taking over the role as director affected the writing process... There's a looseness, a sloppiness here that doesn't work for me.

 

I look forward to what Hader does next, but this was a disappointing end to one of the most interesting shows of the past 5 years.

[Marian Schedenig 8,174]

2 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Wha' ?! 

The first scene is the discovery of a young woman's body; the labyrinthine plot; the connotations of some sort of spiritual battle; the two main characters being law enforcement officers; a secret place where all sorts of nefarious deeds are committed. It's got TWIN PEAKS written all over it.

 

Hm. But it has none of Twin Peaks's campiness, quirkiness, or actual custom mythology - or Douglas firs.  It seems to me like what it does share with TP (which is still a lot, as you listed) is what both TD and TP share with other police procedurals. It doesn't have TP's focus on an entire town community and all its odd characters, either. I'll go on a limb and say I think Gilmore Girls shares more with TP than True Detective does! (Seriously; when I rewatched GG, I felt it had TP written all over it, because of that town community thing)

[Edmilson 7,393]

I feel like, overall, both TD S1 and TP go go beyond the usual police procedural with the supernatural undertones and that Lovecraftian horror feeling that there is something evil watching. They're different in tone and even if the actual supernatural threat is real or not, but still this similarity remains.

 

Too bad that S2 and 3 of TD abandoned that though. Without the creepy supernatural stuff, it just became another usual police procedural (a well-acted one, though).

[Koray Savas 2,251]

3 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Wha' ?! 

The first scene is the discovery of a young woman's body; the labyrinthine plot; the connotations of some sort of spiritual battle; the two main characters being law enforcement officers; a secret place where all sorts of nefarious deeds are committed. It's got TWIN PEAKS written all over it.

You’ll like Season 2 then, which has a scene that feels straight out of the Black Lodge. 
 

I think Season 2 is great but tries to juggle too many characters so it becomes convoluted. If they dropped the Taylor Kitsch character it would have flowed much better. Strong beginning, weak middle, strong ending. 

[Jay 37,287]

1 hour ago, Docteur Qui said:

Pretty much agree with your take on Barry, @Jay, this season really left me cold and the finale left me feeling empty (but not in a good way like I did after Succession). A few things though:

 

 

  Hide contents

Those points are very much intentional, and part of the thesis of the show and what it's saying about violence. Barry's shallow religious belief was very on point and perfectly encapsulates the very real ways in which the worst people on the planet twist religion to justify their behaviour. One of the only times I laughed out loud this season was when Barry was literally scanning through religious podcasts to find something that would frame him as a good person and says "there it is" when he finds it. It's a continuation of the (quite funny) "education" that Barry's son is receiving via conspiracy YouTube.

 

Similarly, Barry choosing vengeance over raising his child and then paying the price for it was the capitulation of the show's themes around the corrosiveness of violence.

 

Barry dying by Gene's hand did work for me, and it's devastating that Gene is pinned for crimes he didn't commit and Barry is venerated in death. But glossing over Sally's complicity in perpetuating that lie by not coming forward after Barry is killed was, to me, lazy, and they missed the opportunity to further layer the terrifically complex Sally character.

 

I also think the show wanted to have its cake and eat it in regards to including Barry and Sally's kid in the first place. In real life that kid would be completely messed up and ridiculously maladjusted. It's shown he didn't have any friends as a child, including in the crucial formative years; he was emotionally neglected by Sally; manipulated by Barry (scaring him into not playing baseball, which was very funny); and otherwise given a completely fucked up childhood. He's barely a character in the show, and just feels like a blank mannequin to make Barry and Sally more monstrous and funny (which, to be fair, is executed well).

 

I get that this show has always presented a heightened reality, but it all makes the show's attempts to tackle these very weighty themes feel underbaked. I wonder how much Hader taking over the role as director affected the writing process... There's a looseness, a sloppiness here that doesn't work for me.

 

I look forward to what Hader does next, but this was a disappointing end to one of the most interesting shows of the past 5 years.

 

I get what they were going got with Barry and his religion, I just didn't like the execution of it. I think really they needed to do a full season leading up to the time jump and then a fifth season in the time jump, that would have probably worked better. And they would have been able to develop their kid more like you were saying. 

 

It stop really bothers me that they did absolutely nothing to make the show feel like it was 2031 and not 2023. Very lazy.