What is the last Television series you watched?

[Jay 37,372]

FX has renewed The Americans for two more seasons

[Wojo 2,453]

Will Anheuser Busch sue? 

[Jay 37,372]

New trailer for the new Cameron Crowe show

 

 

[Jay 37,372]

Interesting thinkpiece!

 

What The Walking Dead’s optimism reveals about Game Of Thrones’ cynicism

[A24 4,345]

Sounds like an article for Sharkus.

[A24 4,345]

BTW, gonna quit with Bloodline because it's kinda boring. 

[Glóin the Dark 1,222]

I don't know about the contrast in optimism/pessimism between Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead since I've never seen the latter (and don't expect to), but I do think that it's somewhat premature to make an assessment of the overall outlook of Game of Thrones, because we don't yet know its resolution. A crucial difference (rarely taken into account in the popular discourse around the show) between it and most multi-season TV shows is that Game of Thrones is one singe story told across several seasons. If the protagonists seem to be faced with perpetual, ever increasing jeopardy, grievances and adversity, this should be understood not as a statement that everything always turns out horribly, but just as a basic principle of storytelling implemented on a huge scale. It's true that Game of Thrones's grievances and adversity are a lot grimmer than most stories', but, sure, swings and roundabouts...

[JoeinAR 1,949]

On Saturday, May 21, 2016 at 10:55 AM, Jay said:

I don't understand. What's the rare part?

Sorry just saw this. Jason...horror films are very rarely recognized by the Academy. To garner not one but two top nominations was very rare. Only Frederick March, Kathy Bates, and Jodie Foster have won for horror films in the nearly 90 years. 

Even after this year's controversy Blacks are more likely to be nominated and win than a Horror film cast member.

[Jay 37,372]

Homeland renewed for 3 seasons (through Season 8); Season 6 delayed to January but will cover the presidential election

[Quintus 5,399]

The main difference between The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones is one is far less irritating than the other. 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

a horror soap or fantasy soap 

[Wojo 2,453]

The Walking Dead isn't good horror. It's frustrating drama that changes the rules on how detectable its zombies are when convenient to set up an unnecessary kill. 

[Quintus 5,399]

It's pure pulp though and so it gets away with it. It's superior trash, like the very best B-movies are. 

 

Game of Thrones peddles its wares as being something sophisticated and high end, but it's remarkably messy and unfocused, for a HBO flagship. We watch it because when it's good there's nowt else like it, but those moments are increasingly rare the further in we get. The final season has a seemingly impossible weight of expectation to live up to. 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

LOL. There are no set rules,  This past season Carol was such a badass. Two of the best episodes in the shows history revolved around her this season. JSS (Just Survive Somehow) and The Same Boat. No Way Out was another standout episode, one of the most brutal ever. Carol's arcs are grand. She still suffers guilt from the loss of her daughter Sophia, and her trials and tribulations in dealing with Lizzie back in season 4. 

[Quintus 5,399]

I didn't really like the potboiler episodes in the latest season, nor the season much overall. But it was still eminently watchable as always. It didn't bug the shit out of me. 

[Wojo 2,453]

Obviously there are no rules. Sometimes zombies are loud and heard from many yards away. Sometimes they are completely silent and sneak up on our heroes like they just beamed in or woke up or crawled out of the floor. Rarely does zombie chatter or the overwhelming smell of death weigh as a plot point. So as long as you know these characteristics are irrelevant and certain characters are immortal and allowed to get other characters killed for bad reasons, it remains and has always been imminently watchable. 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I think the only person who is immortal is Carl.

[Jay 37,372]

Gillian Anderson to reunite with Bryan Fuller on American Gods

 

I'd still rather have a fourth season of Hannibal over American Gods, but beggers can't be choosers.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I hope she will guest star on the new Star Trek.

[Quintus 5,399]

Am I the only one who watched the latest Alan Partridge special the other night then? The Scissored Isle was vintage, and probably even funnier than the movie. What a treat! 

[Marian Schedenig 8,207]

6 hours ago, Jay said:

Gillian Anderson to reunite with Bryan Fuller on American Gods

 

I'd still rather have a fourth season of Hannibal over American Gods, but beggers can't be choosers.

 

Having just finished reading the novel two weeks ago, this is good news.

[Jay 37,372]

J.B. Smoove says Larry David is considering another season of Curb Your Enthusiasm

 

 

 

[Quintus 5,399]

When I see it... 

[Quintus 5,399]

Did anyone ever see Big Bang's Amy Farrah Fowler ruin Raiders of the Lost Ark for the guys in the show? Anyone here ever heard about this brutal truth surrounding the plot? 

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I think I've seen that and heard the "argument" elsewhere and frankly don't get why it's an issue. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

What was it?

[Wojo 2,453]

1 hour ago, Lonnegan said:

Did anyone ever see Big Bang's Amy Farrah Fowler ruin Raiders of the Lost Ark for the guys in the show? Anyone here ever heard about this brutal truth surrounding the plot? 

 

http://whatculture.com/tv/big-bang-theory-ruined-indiana-jones-everyone

 

Maybe kinda sorta. 

 

The film suggests at but does not decisively answer a fundamental question: do the Nazis know where the headpiece to the Staff of Ra is? They know what it is and why they need it and probably who has it... But do they know where Abner or his daughter is? I don't think so.

 

That's why they send an agent (Dennis Muren's eyes could indicate Ronald Lacey's Toht or a different spy who talks to Toht, I don't follow Indiana Jones' EU) to follow Jones to Nepal to find the headpiece. 

 

But since the Nazis had never seen the headpiece long enough to see both sides, they could not know about the text to take one back one cadan (sp?) to honor God. 

 

So Indiana Jones' major contribution to the plot was to find Marion's medallion to find the exact location of the Well of Souls. 

 

But was that really crucial to the plot? 

 

Of course not. The Nazis had enough vehicles and personnel at Tanis and all the time in the world. They would have eventually uncovered the right stone or dug a deep enough hole to find the Ark. Indeed, Indy and Marion escape by pushing a brick (which bounces, watch it) next to a passed out Nazi out of a wall in an above-ground structure.

 

The Nazis were very very close. All Indy did was speed up the Nazis' acquisition of the Ark and ensure it got to the Americans. The outcome would have been the same: Holy power kills anyone who views the opening of the Ark, whether at Tanis or the Mediterranean island or Berlin itself. 

 

Interesting theory, Amy. But simply made to create conflict. 

[Quintus 5,399]

50 minutes ago, TheWhiteRider said:

I think I've seen that and heard the "argument" elsewhere and frankly don't get why it's an issue. 

 

It's a non issue, since Raiders of the Lost Ark is about so much more than basic plot to me. But it's still a legit point nonetheless! 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

6 hours ago, Jay said:

J.B. Smoove says Larry David is considering another season of Curb Your Enthusiasm

 

 

 

 

6 hours ago, Lonnegan said:

When I see it... 

Pretty much, I can think of two other concrete instances where David said he was working on the next season. Incidentally, though, I just started watching the show again, to enlighten the girlfriend of his genius.

[Quintus 5,399]

That's how I watched it twice, the whole thing. Loved it X2. 

 

Anyway, I say no Cheryl = no show. 

[crocodile 8,018]

Oh almost forgot. Watched Lost from start to finish over the past few months. I do have a lot of affection for this series (for many reasons) but it does seem somewhat weaker than I remember. The grand mythological foundations are fine and characters are sound but there is a lot of fat and ho-hum content in there. It should have been half its length and I'm mostly referring to cutting down the first few seasons which actually drag a lot. My favourite one is still series 5 (after that it's 3). It was just so much fun to rewatch and played on the series' most quirky and ridiculous concepts to great effect. But yeah, I think that's one of the things that don't age that well overall, no matter how strong my sentiments might be.

 

Karol

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The first 2 seasons were of the 23 episode era of TV. It was around this time that networks started to realize they could cut down to the teens and have higher quality programming. So yes, there's a lot of filler, but it's all steeped in the great character writing. 

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

It might be very interesting for someone to do a "lean" cut of the whole show.  There are some obvious episodes and moments to nix but you'd also have to approach some things with great subtlety.  Could make it even more excellent than it already is.  

[Koray Savas 2,251]

There are too many little character moments sprinkled everywhere for me to ever want to cut an episode.

[Wojo 2,453]

I would cut out every single flashback to people's lives before the plane crash.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Well that's preposterous.

[A24 4,345]

43 minutes ago, WojinPA said:

I would cut out every single flashback to people's lives before the plane crash.

 

I already said that at the time. It's the second worst narrative technique ever invented. The worst being the characters just telling their backstories to each other.

 

 

 

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

And how would you tell the very relevant backstories of these characters, then?  Have the show proceed entirely in chronological order?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I think someone actually did an edit of that. Not sure how it would work, since all context for current timeline events would be lost.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Reboot!

[A24 4,345]

8 minutes ago, TheWhiteRider said:

And how would you tell the very relevant backstories of these characters, then?  Have the show proceed entirely in chronological order?

 

To begin with, make a show that isn't about constantly showing the backstory of its characters. 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Is it "backstory" if it constitutes nearly half of the narrative? If all you're concerned with is what's happening on the island, then I'm afraid you've missed the point of the show.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Why would one care about pre-crash back stories? How are they relevant?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

They're entirely relevant. How is that even a serious question if you've watched the show?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I doubt i'll ever watch it. Lindelof's sensibilities as a writer are not mine.

[Quintus 5,399]

1 hour ago, WojinPA said:

I would cut out every single flashback to people's lives before the plane crash.

 

Easily the biggest complaint in the Lost naysayers camp. Talk about pace destroying! The dreaded rumbling sound of an imminent flashback from the boring real world of those otherwise dull characters had me thinking about piss breaks and what I could pillage from the fridge every time. 

 

Stopped at season 1.

[A24 4,345]

55 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

Is it "backstory" if it constitutes nearly half of the narrative? 

 

Again, to avoid flashbacks, don't write a show that is dependent on flashbacks. Of course, if you happen to love flashbacks then this is a show for you.

 

Backstory is brutal exposition. 

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Wow, shocking wrongness from some JWFan heavy-hitters!

[A24 4,345]

There are no flashbacks in Lost? 

[crocodile 8,018]

11 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

The first 2 seasons were of the 23 episode era of TV. It was around this time that networks started to realize they could cut down to the teens and have higher quality programming. So yes, there's a lot of filler, but it's all steeped in the great character writing. 

It is exactly the character writing that I've been disappointed the most this time around. By season 6, they feel like parodies of themselves - constantly repeating the same lines and being too stubborn to see anything that's happening around them. Writing felt very on the nose overall, spelling out the subtext and characters explaining their motivations. But then, it was before showrunners were allowed to actually trust their audiences so it's probably a product of its time. The grand story of Lost is still great and the fact it was shot on location makes it look good, even if you can see more continuity errors in HD (like it's raining while camera is focused on one character's close-up but no on the other etc).

 

But, overall, the experience taught me that six years can do a lot.

 

Karol