What is the last Television series you watched?

[A24 4,345]

12 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

This is the final season, right? Might be a good time to start watching. By the time it's done airing I can go right through it. 

 

Be warned, Koray! While Lost tried to end every scene with chills and thrills to keep the attention of the audience, this show does not do that.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Duly noted. Thank you for warning me as my inferior taste might not be able to handle something so utterly profound as a normal conclusion. 

[KK 3,307]

On 5/2/2017 at 3:16 PM, Koray Savas said:

This is the final season, right? Might be a good time to start watching. By the time it's done airing I can go right through it. 

 

Yup, final season. Do check out the show. Flaws and all, it's become one of my favourites.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

American Gods Episode 1

 

Pretty incredible.  I read the book many years and don't remember much about it.  You can tell it's from much of the same creative team behind Hannibal.  From the start of that amazing title sequence, I was hooked.

[Quintus 5,399]

Wait - Leftovers has an actual end in sight, and one which has long been planned? 

 

Maybe it isn't another bullshitter after all.

[A24 4,345]

14 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

Duly noted. Thank you for warning me as my inferior taste might not be able to handle something so utterly profound as a normal conclusion. 

 

Oh, it isn't like that, Koray. I liked the first season but not so much the second one. I'm only saying, I know Lost is your favorite show of all time, but with The Leftovers, Lindelof has created an anti-Lost. That's all. Be warned! Reset your mind! Unlearn what you have learned.

 

 

Alex

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Riiiiiighhht. 

[nightscape94 965]

I am not familiar with The Leftovers outside of cultural osmosis, but I hope they're not stupid enough to try to explain the event.  Don't you think a finite conclusion would lessen the show's impact?  It's the same problem I had with Stephen King's "Under the Dome" (novel, not the series).  He explained where the dome came from and it was so lame that I wished he just didn't try.  Something that inexplicable, unless you're trying to make a point through the purpose, shouldn't be explained.

[Quintus 5,399]

I love mystery and ambiguity as much as the next guy (The Sopranos ending is still the absolute king for me in that regard), but it's almost become cliché to leave the big macguffin question unanswered at the end, and only rarely do they do it well and not completely fucking clumsily anyway. Every now and then, and with the level of commitment TV stuff can demand these days, I think the viewer earns the reward of seeing everything finally come together and fall into place in a finale, neatly wrapped in a satisfying bow. Sometimes, just sometimes, I want to be shown inside the proverbial mothership. 

[A24 4,345]

17 minutes ago, nightscape94 said:

I am not familiar with The Leftovers outside of cultural osmosis, but I hope they're not stupid enough to try to explain the event.  

 

Lindelof already promised never to do that with The Leftovers.

[nightscape94 965]

Well, that's a relief.  Perhaps I'll get to this series eventually.

[Quintus 5,399]

I don't trust Lindelof the writer at all though, so I'd expect the probably abstract climax to feel like a cop-out. 

[A24 4,345]

3 minutes ago, nightscape94 said:

Well, that's a relief.  Perhaps I'll get to this series eventually.

 

Even though I was disappointed with Season 2, the priest solo episodes in both seasons are TV gold. Watch out for them!

[Quintus 5,399]

I've gotten back into Ash Vs Evil Dead again after inexplicably putting it on hiatus a while back, and holy shit he's just arrived back at the cabin. 

 

 

I've waited decades for this. My body is ready. 

[KK 3,307]

6 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

 

Lindelof already promised never to do that with The Leftovers.

 

The show isn't really so much about the event, than it is about its characters and the kind of cultural evolution you see developing from an event of that nature. I enjoyed both seasons, though they're each of a different breed.

 

I haven't seen anything of Lost, but trust me, this ain't your Prometheus-bs.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

You've never seen anything of LOST? Fix that immediately! Watch the Pilot and let it consume you...

[Disco Stu 15,495]

The Handmaid's Tale Episode 1 "Offred"

 

Wow.  Wow wow wow.  Amazing episode of television.  No faults, basically perfect.

 

Not sure what this says about their respective source materials, but I read the novel American Gods much more recently and remember almost nothing about it while I read The Handmaid's Tale way back in high school and remember much of the book vividly.

 

Anyway, everyone should watch this show. Everyone. 

 

Again:

 

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

KK should definitely watch Lost, but knowing fully beforehand that it has its weak, very weak, points, which must be shouldered in order to reap the rewards it does ultimately offer.

[Marian Schedenig 8,208]

1 hour ago, Disco Stu said:

The Handmaid's Tale Episode 1 "Offred"

 

Wow.  Wow wow wow.  Amazing episode of television.  No faults, basically perfect.

 

Having just read Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy, I'm very much interested in this. I haven't read The Handmaid's Tale yet, so I'm not sure if I should watch it before I do?

[Disco Stu 15,495]

 

2 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Having just read Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy, I'm very much interested in this. I haven't read The Handmaid's Tale yet, so I'm not sure if I should watch it before I do?

 

I certainly don't think it's necessary. In fact, I'd be interested in your reactions having not read the novel.

[A24 4,345]

9 hours ago, KK said:

 

The show isn't really so much about the event, than it is about its characters and the kind of cultural evolution you see developing from an event of that nature.

 

 

 

Yeah, I know that, KK. That's why it's so different from Lost. I liked Lost at the time, but after a while I stopped watching because it was mystery upon mystery upon mystery upon ...

[Quintus 5,399]

6 hours ago, TheGreyPilgrim said:

KK should definitely watch Lost, but knowing fully beforehand that it has its weak, very weak, points, which must be shouldered in order to reap the rewards it does ultimately offer.

 

The average non sadomasochistic viewer doesn't mind digging in with their favourite shows on occasion and labouring through the odd run of bad episodes, Twin Peaks season 2 style, but that was still just one season. Lost however has 6 of the buggers, and, well fuck that shit. That's a lot of bad episodes to traverse. I caught the odd one here and there on TV at the time, and I remember thinking why is this thing still on? 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Life's too short!

 

That's one advantage of episodic TV. A show like Star Trek TNG has plenty of unexciting filler episodes, but since there's no overarching story you can pretty much just ignore those.

[KK 3,307]

10 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

 

Yeah, I know that, KK. That's why it's so different from Lost. I liked Lost at the time, but after a while I stopped watching because it was mystery upon mystery upon mystery upon ...

 

That was more for Lee than you. I know you're a true believer Alex!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Alex worships at the Temple of Lindelof every single day!

[A24 4,345]

 

Oh Prometheus ... Those who are Lost will be punished and consumed as Leftovers ...

[Marian Schedenig 8,208]

15 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

I certainly don't think it's necessary. In fact, I'd be interested in your reactions having not read the novel.

 

Not necessary to enjoy the series, or not necessary to fully enjoy the novel? In general, I try to read books before watching their adaptations.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

1 minute ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Not necessary to enjoy the series, or not necessary to fully enjoy the novel? In general, I try to read books before watching their adaptations.

 

I don't think reading the novel is necessary to enjoy the series.  My wife was as captivated as I was, and she's never read anything by Atwood.  I've discovered so many of the novels I love by seeing their screen adaptations first.

[Marian Schedenig 8,208]

Oh, certainly, I've read plenty of stuff because I liked the film versions. But if I already want to read something anyway, I tend to wait before watching it.

[KK 3,307]

18 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

The Handmaid's Tale Episode 1 "Offred"

 

Wow.  Wow wow wow.  Amazing episode of television.  No faults, basically perfect.

 

Not sure what this says about their respective source materials, but I read the novel American Gods much more recently and remember almost nothing about it while I read The Handmaid's Tale way back in high school and remember much of the book vividly.

 

Anyway, everyone should watch this show. Everyone. 

 

 

The novel is great (The Handmaid's Tale). One of those quintessential must-reads, growing up. Not sure how I felt about the show after seeing the trailer, but I'm glad it came out well. Will check it out soon.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Just now, KK said:

 

One of those quintessential must-reads, growing up. 

 

I imagine this is doubly true in fair Canada.

 

I can't wait to watch episodes 2 and 3 tonight.  It's a chilling, intense, captivating story.

 

Some may roll their eyes, but this quote from Atwood about why she wrote the novel feels especially harrowing in 2017.

Quote

...established orders could vanish overnight. Change could also be as fast as lightning. “It can’t happen here” could not be depended on: Anything could happen anywhere, given the circumstances.

 

[publicist 4,643]

 

The solid 1990 version with Robert Duvall, Faye Dunaway and the sadly deceased Natasha Richardson might be of interest.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I watched that when I was teenager after loving the book and I remember being seriously, seriously disappointed with it.

[publicist 4,643]

Though Harold Pinter did a good job of compressing the novel into a cinematic 2-hour format. A big-budget tv adaption has its own perks, though.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I think the 1990's films problems are definitely from the director not the writer, maybe because English was not his first language?  I don't know, but all the performances felt very "off."  And I remember the movie feeling oddly sort of bored given the visceral subject matter.

[Quintus 5,399]

Suddenly JWFan is big on Lindelof now? Christ, if that mindset is supposed to be one of the perks of JWFan "Pro" then I think I'll stick with the free version. Personally, I think he's garbage. 

[KK 3,307]

I don't care who's responsible, but The Leftovers is quality stuff Lee. So if that means giving Lindelof some credit, then he has it.

 

20 hours ago, TheGreyPilgrim said:

KK should definitely watch Lost, but knowing fully beforehand that it has its weak, very weak, points, which must be shouldered in order to reap the rewards it does ultimately offer.

 

I'd be open to checking it out sooner, if there just wasn't so much material to get through. Same goes with the music.

 

But I might give it a try eventually.

[Quintus 5,399]

Have you watched The OA yet, KK? That has Lindelof characteristics, but there's a sincerity there which I've found lacking in his stuff, (which to me always feels contrived). 

 

I did actually watch the pilot of The Leftovers some time ago, and I was quite intrigued by it. Same as I was by the pilot of Lost, though. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,552]

1 hour ago, publicist said:

Though Harold Pinter did a good job of compressing the novel into a cinematic 2-hour format. A big-budget tv adaption has its own perks, though.

 

Pinter did a great job on GORKY PARK.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

42 minutes ago, KK said:

I'd be open to checking it out sooner, if there just wasn't so much material to get through. Same goes with the music.

 

But I might give it a try eventually.

 

The music also has its weak points.

 

What Lost has going for it, more than anything else I think, is Carlton Cuse.  Yes, Abrams is prone to certain things, and Lindelof is definitely prone to certain things.  But Cuse was the glue that held it all together and, barring some missteps, he kept the crappy tendencies of his fellow showrunner in check.  I think the show suffers more from simply being overlong than any grating Lindelofisms.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Yep, a season's worth of trimming from all six could definitely have resulted in an impressively tight story of Breaking Bad level slickness.

[KK 3,307]

18 minutes ago, Quintus said:

Have you watched The OA yet, KK? That has Lindelof characteristics, but there's a sincerity there which I've found lacking in his stuff, (which to me always feels contrived). 

 

I did! Haven't written about it here yet.

 

Found the show often frustrating, but when it gets it right, it's fascinating. And you're right, there is a certain sincerity to it. Probably what puts it just above Stranger Things for me.

[A24 4,345]

Why don't you talk about it, KK? I really liked The OA. I was kinda absorbed by it right from the start and the season only counted one weaker episode for me. Heck, I liked it so much that I kinda forgave the weird gestures.

. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,552]

I've got as far as SQUEEZE. Geez, isn't Tooms creepy?

[A24 4,345]

Huh?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,552]

THE X-FILES S1, E3.

[Quintus 5,399]

3 hours ago, KK said:

 

I did! Haven't written about it here yet.

 

Found the show often frustrating, 

 

Me too, some of it was even quite damaging to the quality of the production I thought. With that said, I can't remember what those negatives were now; overall it's a show which felt very worthwhile to me. I know there's a sequel coming, but in a way I wish they'd leave it there. The ambiguity of the resolution was done very well, in that regard. 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

10 hours ago, BloodBoal said:

The show would have been stronger, had it been one season shorter.

This is the first time I've heard anyone saying that LOST was too long, and we have 4 people saying it in this thread! Is it the new hip thing? What should have been cut?

[BloodBoal 7,538]