What is the last Television series you watched?

[Wojo 2,453]

Liam Bilby. Happy? I googled it for us. It's not a very memorable name, but the character was enjoyable enough in Honor Among Thieves, which is an O'Brien Must Suffer episode that really asks how a non-com engineer gets to play spy for Starfleet. I still don't understand it. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Not a bad episode, i agree. But rather pointless in the end.

[Jay 37,389]

Santa Clarita Diet 1x03 We Can Kill People

 

The kids storyline continues to be drastically better than the adults storyline.  I think Timothy Olyphant was miscast in this show; He doesn't pull off the comedy well, he's more of a dramatic actor, I think.  His scene with the drug dealer by the pool was better than any of his other scenes.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

DS9. Field Of Fire.

 

Another Ezri episode, but this one does have a nicer murder mystery plot. The transported bullet is a very cool idea. 

 

Could have used a B story though.

[Jay 37,389]

 

Schitt's Creek Season 1

 

A relatively new discovery for us;  My wife's aunt of all people recommended it for my mother in law to watch, and we checked out the first couple episodes together and it was alright.  We kept watching and somewhere around episodes 3-5 it got really good, and I ended up enjoying the first season quite a bit!

 

Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara's improv and interaction skills are put to great work here as the head of a once-rich family whose life is turned upside down when their money manager screws them out of their fortune.  Forced to live in a cheap hotel in a town Levy bought for his son as a joke birthday gift, each episode explores the characters and the town's residents a little more each week, generally with lots of funny moments along the way.

 

The show was created by Levy with his son, who also plays his son on the show (his daughter also plays a waitress, Twyla on the show).  One of the funnier characters is Chris Elliot as the hapless mayor of the town.  His wife is a good character too, one of the saner people in town.  There are romantic interests for both siblings (two for Alexis, actually) and the show really gets great when the show begins to go more into the lives of the other town residents.  The funniest bit in the season had to be when Johnny and Moria went to the wrong cabin for their weekend getaway

 

Overall a solid first season, and we've already begun season 2.

 

Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on either Netflix or Amazon Prime; Episode 3 is currently airing on some Canadian channel (I should have mentioned, this is a Canadian TV show set in Canada), some weird channel in the US, or can be bought on Amazon or iTunes.

[KK 3,307]

27 minutes ago, Jay said:

Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on either Netflix or Amazon Prime; Episode 3 is currently airing on some Canadian channel (I should have mentioned, this is a Canadian TV show set in Canada), some weird channel in the US, or can be bought on Amazon or iTunes.

 

Apparently the show is filmed not far from my family home.

[Quintus 5,399]

Just finished The OA. Very annoying is my immediate reaction 

 

I'll have to sleep on this fucker. 

[KK 3,307]

Worth checking out at least?

[Quintus 5,399]

In parts, it's utterly brilliant. But it pushes its luck at times, particularly with its resolution. That somehow managed to be a combination of disappointing, unintentionally hilarious and foreordained. If it doesn't get picked up for a second season it'll probably be debated by fans for years, which was clearly the whole point. 

[Jay 37,389]

I think people's enjoyment to the show is based on being OK with the "movement" stuff, and being OK with the plot element they introduced in the final episode.

[Quintus 5,399]

I was okay with the Movements. They were amusing eventually, though. How couldn't they be? That scene 😁

 

Already I've come to terms with much of what transpired. I'm making sense of things and coming around to it. I'm settling on a theory. I'll talk more tomorrow. 

 

I will say it's better than Stranger Things. 

[KK 3,307]

Colour me curious. I will check it out.

 

You would check out a second season then Lee?

[Quintus 5,399]

There's a big part of me that wonders if it'd be better if they left it there. I think they probably should, because it'd maintain the integrity of the ambiguity they have created. 

[Jay 37,389]

I think a second season is worthy because they clearly planned out a detailed, multi-season storyline before filming the first.  This isn't a case where they spent all their time working on the first season and now will invent a way to continue it off the top of their heads.  

 

I have hopes!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

So more Man In The High Castle than Stranger Things?

[Jay 37,389]

Couldn't tell you, we still haven't started that one

 

Started The People Vs OJ Simpson last night instead.  It's on Netflix now.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

6 minutes ago, Jay said:

Couldn't tell you, we still haven't started that one

 

But Lee could!

[Quintus 5,399]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

I think a second season is worthy because they clearly planned out a detailed, multi-season storyline before filming the first.

 

I see it quite differently. The OA works very well as a compact eight episode one-off, with the potential to go further, but it's not vital that it does. I don't think George Lucas syndrome silliness which you have attributed to it is apparent whatsoever. That isn't to say they don't have ideas brewing, I'm sure they do, but this is no prebuilt fictional universe we have here like you reckon it is. 

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

In light of the sad news about Richard Hatch during the night, revisiting the original Battlestar Galactica with Saga of a Star World. The movie that started it all. When I was first saw this nigh on fifteen years ago now it left such a mark. Well, here's to Apollo.

 

 

[Quintus 5,399]

40 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

So more Man In The High Castle than Stranger Things?

 

The OA shares some of its more basic themes with Stranger Things, but it's much more complicated and exciting than that. 

[Jay 37,389]

Indeed

[Jay 37,389]

AND just like that - The OA has been renewed for Season 2!

 

 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

1 hour ago, Quintus said:

 

The OA shares some of its more basic themes with Stranger Things, but it's much more complicated and exciting than that. 

 

My comparison is more in that S1 of Stranger Things essentially tells a complete story, and right and the last part of the last ep they drop a few hints for S2. You could edit those out and have a fully completed mini-series with no need for a follow-up.

 

High Castle is clearly built to run for a few seasons, it's long form story telling.

[Bilbo 3,709]

18 hours ago, Quintus said:

 

I will say it's better than Stranger Things. 

Is that saying much though? 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It means that it's quite above average, so yes.

[Quintus 5,399]

It's also my way of saying that the most trendy and hugely popular one of the two (keeping in mind they are vaguely comparable) isn't even the best. 

[Marian Schedenig 8,212]

21 hours ago, Quintus said:

Just finished The OA. Very annoying is my immediate reaction 

 

I'll have to sleep on this fucker. 

 

I watched it last week. Sleeping on it didn't help much. I think it depends very much on how they go from here, because the ending just didn't seem to make much sense to me, unless much of it was just a red herring.

 

I don't see a real similarity to Stranger Things at all, by the way.

[Quintus 5,399]

If they hadn't renewed it today I'd have settled on the

 

it's probably all in her head - with caveats

explanation. I'm pretty much okay with it, flaws and loose ends accepted. 

 

The second season is highly likely to put an end to that ambiguity though, which is as I said a bit of a shame in some ways. 

 

The Stranger Things comparison I've only made because I keep seeing it said elsewhere online, due to the missing person/alternative reality themes they share. 

[Jay 37,389]

I already don't think there's any ambiguity at all;  I think its clear that

 

 

The "FBI Guy" isn't an FBI guy at all, or is but has alterior motives - and was in her house that night planting the books to try to discredit her.

 

I don't think her "powers" saved the kid, though; I think the "movements" just distracted him long enough for the cook to take him down.

[Quintus 5,399]

Had there been no season 2 it would have been nothing other than ambiguity. 

 

Take a look: http://www.vulture.com/2017/01/the-oa-fan-theories-netflix.html

 

You don't get that kind of response when everything is wrapped up together in a neat bow. Yours is but one theory. 

[Jay 37,389]

I agree there is plenty of theories, and a lot to unpack in the first season, and a lot of different directions many different aspects of the storyline can go, of course.

 

I'm happy for those of you who think that its possible its all in her head, but for me, personally, I felt the final episode made it clear that it was absolutely not all in her head at all, and the books only ended up under her bed because the guy from The Night Of planted them there.

[Quintus 5,399]

It made it "clear" for you, but not for others. Anyway, a second season now gives your theory natural leverage. 

[Marian Schedenig 8,212]

Spoiler

If it's all in her head, it's not only all a bit pointless, but there are way too many loose ends that way.

 

I know I've read the Stranger Things comparison before, but it's more alternate worlds vs parallel dimensions (in the many worlds way), and of course the missing person shows up at the beginning instead of the protagonists going looking for her.

[Quintus 5,399]

I'm okay with the loose ends (and plot holes). Ultimately, The OA has a few too many flaws for me to be too hung up on its plotting. 

[Marian Schedenig 8,212]

This seems to be official confirmation of a 2nd Dirk Gently season:

 

 

[A24 4,350]

21 hours ago, Jay said:

AND just like that - The OA has been renewed for Season 2!

 

 

 

Yes!!!!

 

(I really was afraid it wasn't going to happen - so many people didn't know what to make of it)

 

 

Quote

Netflix's Sci-Fi Drama The OA isn't the next Stranger Things - It's Better!

 

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/12/netflix-the-oa-review-brit-marling-stranger-things

 

 

 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Jason, you complained about Troi's tight uniform a while ago. Watching some season 5 TNG now, and her "uniform" here is little more than a bathing suit. Skin tight as fuck!

[Quintus 5,399]

Hey Jason, judging by the Vanity Fair article which Alex linked to, I'm not the only one: 

 

Quote

By the time The O.A. gets around to revealing what its title means, you’ll be in deep enough to accept the explanation without much question—ridiculous as it may sound if you then try to relay this information to anyone else. There’s a feint near the end of the series that feels like a cop-out, something thrown in to placate the most literal-minded faction of its audience (who, exactly, are those people?)—but a stirring final sequence helps the show redeem itself. Though Marling and Batmanglij have indicated that they would be open to making another season, The O.A. deserves to stay a one-and-done phenomenon, one that won’t over-explain its enigmas with subsequent episodes. Instead, all we’ll hopefully get is what we’ve already seen—a mesmerizing mutt of a series that’s likely to hold you captive all weekend long.

 

Btw, who else figured out what OA stood for before it was revealed? 

[Jay 37,389]

3 hours ago, Stefancos said:

Jason, you complained about Troi's tight uniform a while ago. Watching some season 5 TNG now, and her "uniform" here is little more than a bathing suit. Skin tight as fuck!

Cool

2 hours ago, Quintus said:

Hey Jason, judging by the Vanity article which Alex linked to, I'm not the only one: 

 

 

Btw, who else figured out what OA stood for before it was revealed? 

 

I didn't watch the show sitting there trying to figure out what it stood for, I just watched and enjoyed the show.  Besides, it stands for multiple things anyway

[Quintus 5,399]

I think I figured it out after the second episode. 

 

But what do you mean about "other things"? 

[Jay 37,389]

In the beginning its a different way of saying "away", and aren't there several "Original A_"s mentioned into show?

 

It's not that important what it means anyway, dunno why we're talking about it *shrug*

[Quintus 5,399]

Erm, because it was brought up in the Vanity Fair article I just quoted. 

 

But never mind, vacant stare boy. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Really Lee! You should act more grown up. Jason was only asking for clarification. It's important to be helpful!

[Quintus 5,399]

What are you talking about? 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Vacant stare boy is not proper language. You should apologize to Jason!

[Quintus 5,399]

Jason clearly didn't bother to read the content of the VF quote I posted, which is fine. But acting all confused and put upon when the discussion continues directly on from it, isn't. It's ignorant actually. 

[KK 3,307]

Just finished the pilot.

 

Hmm. Not sure how I feel about it. It does leave me curious I guess, so I will check out the next episode.

[Quintus 5,399]

That's how I was. In fact I don't think I was too keen. 

 

 

The kids were just watching some absolutely horrible Ritchie Rich tv show, and it had a 'robotic' maid in it (who Richie is supposed to have made himself), and it was unbelievable how they dressed her, I'm talking completely inappropriate for a show aimed at under 10s.

 

 

You can actually catch glimpses of the other mature male cast members perving at her in the scene sometimes, as if they feel they're not in shot, sneaking a sly gawp. It felt uncomfortable to watch! 

[Jay 37,389]

14 minutes ago, KK said:

Just checked out the pilot.

 

Hmm. Not sure how I feel about it. It does leave me curious, so I will check out the next episode.

 

Did you like when the opening credits started 45 minutes into the episode?

 

[KK 3,307]

Yea, I did. It was a well needed break from the more predictable first half. Though I'm not sure I was too keen on how the episode just ended, or this whole Russian backstory. But judging from what I've heard and what's been written here, I'm hoping it's setting up for a good payoff.