Television programmes [2]

Yeah, Oliver has really been able to shine (carrying on the spirit of that three part Australian gun control piece he did; he gets to do stuff like that every week now).

I haven't watched much of Noah's run but he seems to be finding his groove.

I fell behind The Magicians due to my traveling about six weeks ago but I'm trying to go back and watch the rest of the season now and jeeeeeeesus christ is it dumb. Like, I was fully expecting that my patience would be less now than it was earlier (when I wasn't sold on the show but willing to go along for the ride), but I don't know if I'm even going to make it all the way to the end. Just yikes.

Oh my god stop trying to impress me with how meta you are. I grew up reading fantasy too, you are not going to amaze me into suspending my critical faculties because you're capable of making pop culture references and breaking the fourth wall.

And learn how to pace and edit a scene holy fucking shit.

Aaaaaawww snap look at how sassy they are it's just like they're cool people and not sad nerds like me why isn't all fantasy like this aw yiss

Oh hey look, sudden anachronous modern pop song. I feel like I'm watching Shannara all over again

Actually I think I'd rather I was watching Shannara right now at least that show knew how goofy it was

Wow I haven't seen a final episode this cohesive and narratively satisfying since Neon Genesis Evangelion

I take back everything bad I ever said about GOT

Please forgive me D&D

I knew not of what I spoke

Oh and fuck this show's depiction of mental health problems

This was mainly an issue early on but it bears repeating

Fuck this show

Y'know even after all the debate about GOT and misogyny I really was not prepared for a show deciding to

Spoiler:

On the other hand I did watch a bit of Ken Burns' new Jackie Robinson documentary earlier tonight so at least I know that television isn't dead.

I think I'll stay away from this one.

Eldorion wrote:I take back everything bad I ever said about GOT

Please forgive me D&D

I knew not of what I spoke

Yes Blue please learn from my mistakes

Real talk though between this and GOT S5 I think I'm living in a different universe than television critics

Ah, I guess I'll just watch Avatar again..

Honestly that was running through the back of my mind too. Having that be the first TV show I really got into definitely spoiled me.

On the other hand I could watch House of Cards S4, since people keep asking me if I have yet, but I don't think HOC was ever as clever as its reputation (and it was certainly never realistic!), and after S3 I dunno...

I did rather enjoy Black Sails, despite being kinda trashy and too convoluted for its own good, though I took a break from that at the same time and for the same reason as The Magicians. A little apprehensive now but hoping that I'll still enjoy the rest of the just-ended season.

Or firefly. Just started rewatching that.

Eldorion wrote:On the other hand I could watch House of Cards S4, since people keep asking me if I have yet, but I don't think HOC was ever as clever as its reputation (and it was certainly never realistic!), and after S3 I dunno...

After season 3, no thanks.

Eldorion wrote:I did rather enjoy Black Sails, despite being kinda trashy and too convoluted for its own good, though I took a break from that at the same time and for the same reason as The Magicians. A little apprehensive now but hoping that I'll still enjoy the rest of the just-ended season.

Black Sails never impressed me. Like it was decent, but it got lost in the attempt to be modern and mirror GoTs. Not enough of an interesting story, not well enough told.

There are better out there. Like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell. (Which is not without its faults, mind.)

Have still never seen Firefly. Having seen the movie with a friend plus knowing it will never, ever go anywhere has always put me off.

Black Sails definitely suffered from being stuck in the sub-GOT murk, but I was able to enjoy it for what it is. Also because it gave me my pirate fix in a way that I hadn't really gotten since the last good (well, sorta good) POTC movie in 2007. More that than anything about the show itself. Now that I don't have inertia on my side to keep me watching I'm not sure if it'll still hold my interest or not.

(Funnily enough, I would've expected The Magicians to appeal to me in a similar way, since it's similar to Harry Potter in a number of ways and I was into HP and POTC at the same time, but yeah ... no.)

I read Jonathan Strange as a result of hearing about the TV show and although it took me far longer than books normally do, even ones of that length, I did eventually finish and found the whole thing to be quite brilliant. Haven't seen the show, though.

It's odd how rare an actually great tv-show seems to be.

You should definitely gi JSaMN a go though. And firfly. (The show is something completely differnt from the movie.)

Eldorion wrote:I take back everything bad I ever said about GOT

Please forgive me D&D

I knew not of what I spoke

aw yisss!

Firefly the movie was decent, but the TV show was great.

Other shows that were great but haven't been discussed in these pages are Boardwalk Empire, which I'm working my way through and loving, and Deadwood which I finally quit only because there's so much of it, but all of it just insanely good.

The nice thing about Firefly not having a resolution is that the whole show is short enough you can easily watch all that's out there. Bittersweet but very satisfying.

I still have to work out how much of my infatuation with Boardwalk Empire is transferrance from my infatuation with Kelly MacDonald.

{{{Big Shakespeare celebrations going on here- anniversary or something- anyway the BBC are doing a load of stuff and chief among them is their follow up to the mainly excellent Hollow Crown which covered the first few of the British crown plays up to Henry V, now we get Henry VI (pt 1 and 2 combined it seems) and Richard the III- which is the one I am really looking forward to as Richard is being played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and I am very keen to see his take on one of the great Shakespeare roles}}}




{{{Also recommend the first Hollow Crown trilogy- though I was disappointed in Henry V- watch Brannaghs version for it its miles better- however Wisharts Richard the II I found mesmerizing and is easily the best version of that play I have seen to date, if you get a chance watch it}}}

{{Found Richard II on vimeo - https://vimeo.com/channels/551513/58737725 }}

by all accounts Cumberbutch has been criticised for his portrayal of Richard III

Isn't he a little young for the part?