Discuss and Rate the Last Thing You Watched (non-movies)

[Dwarvenhobble]

Does Troi do any actual "counsuling" though?

Makes me wonder - if the humans of the 24th century are meant to be perfect, then what do you need a counsellor for?

I know this has been about Discovery, but having seen the first two seasons of TNG, there's a lot I REALLY dislike about the show. Among them how not only are the characters 'perfect,' but know it. FFS, Picard even says as such to Q in the first episode.

I mean she did with Barclay at one point. Also the people on the Enterprise are meant to the best of humanity who applied for the mission they're literally the best people for the job, and Barclay and O'Brien. (sorry couldn't resist the joke). But yeh they're all meant to be 'perfect' as such because part of the idea is it's not about the character but the dilemmas and the moral issues at play and trying to navigate them. It's rare if ever a character acts out of spite or self interest against the others or some character flaw comes out as part of some issues or the core issue of an episode, well other than Riker being horny but that's only a few episodes.

They are, but I don't hold it against Discovery for the following reasons:

1) Andromeda is the 'child' of Rodenberry, even if he never had a hand in it like Star Trek. It's fairly common for authors to 'borrow' from themselves, so that Star Trek and Andromeda end up exploring similar ideas isn't an issue for me.

2) Even Andromeda aside, Star Trek's considered exploring the decline/collapse of the Federation in works (e.g. the cancelled Final Frontier and Federation series), so that Discovery is the one that runs the ball isn't a mark against it.

3) While Discovery hasn't reached Andromeda at its best, it hasn't matched it at its worst.

1) I mean he wrote the scripts and show concept. Yes he didn't have as big a hand in bringing it to life but it was still a lot of his work. Also being dead he's not borrowing from his work this is Kurtzman and his team borrowing stuff. Funnier still another series Redenberry did have a hand in with Deep Space Nine had more of the DNA of Andromeda reused in it so for Kurtzman and STD to be lifting the last bits from Andromeda just feels almost embarrassing

2) That's the thing part of the issues around the idea is that's kind of not Star Trek. Star Trek was hopeful Sci-Fi about a better future.

3) Fair but pretty damning for STD really as Andromeda wasn't really on the level of Star Trek

Don't bother with Major Grin. He's willingly edited scenes to change the context, and to make Discovery look bad.

There's a lot to criticize about Discovery, but at least be honest with it.

Fair enough then

When has Star Trek not done that though?

I mean, probably many times, but while I think season 3 does this well at times (e.g. I like how Detmer is crumbling under pressure, and eventually goes to see Cubler), I don't think that's particuarly new. For instance, I finished season 3 of Enterprise last year, and one of the most heartbreaking/memorable moments is when Trip breaks down over grief for his sister and deceased crew-members, and is consoled by T'Pol. That, or when they discuss their deceased 'daughter.' I mean, YMMV as to which show does it 'better,' but I don't think this is new for Star Trek. I don't think it's new for shows in general, sci-fi or otherwise.

I think the feelings things is more

Enterprise: Yeh we kind of have to talk about / deal with these feelings because this is a big thing that happened and would rattle anyone

VS

Discovery (from what I've seen): I woke up feeling sad because I had my idea / plan rejected and really need to talk because I miss you and it's all so hard

Enterprise being a case of having to be dragged kicking and screaming to have characters talk about feeling or have it far more Subtle like Malcom Reed and his more subtle stuff about his concerns over his romantic life that sometimes pop up in the show but aren't expressed openly much.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Finished Peacemaker.
The show's alright, well-paced and entertaining. But it's also totally not what the ads were selling (or what I thought I'd bought, for that matter). This is not the Peacemaker from the movie nor is it the douchebag Captain America/first hour of Robocop show it was billed to be, with Peacemaker doing anything to preserve peace ("no matter how many people he has to kill to achieve it"). Instead he's basically a completely different character who doesn't wanna do any killing anymore (and won't, for the most part) and is saddled with a nondescript cadre of sidekicks that flocks from scene to scene in what I can only describe as TV-esque.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Finished Peacemaker.
The show's alright, well-paced and entertaining. But it's also totally not what the ads were selling (or what I thought I'd bought, for that matter). This is not the Peacemaker from the movie nor is it the douchebag Captain America/first hour of Robocop show it was billed to be, with Peacemaker doing anything to preserve peace ("no matter how many people he has to kill to achieve it"). Instead he's basically a completely different character who doesn't wanna do any killing anymore (and won't, for the most part)

I'm glad it wasn't what you were expecting it would be, because I think that would have been very insufferable. On the other hand, what you describe is basically the character Vigilante, who I thought worked really well.

 

[Bartholen]

Finished the third (and final) season of Jessica Jones. Unless we see some miraculous turn by Disney and they renew it for a season on Disney+, this will serve as the finale of the series.

It's a good end to a season, but a bad end to a series. You can clearly tell they were still setting up future things, and the result feels rushed as a series finale. Character arcs get very little payoff, one very significant setup from the start of the season (Jeri asking Jessica to help her eventually commit suicide) ends up not mattering at all, there's overall no more sense of finality than at the end of any other season. There's a whole "wait, we're getting cancelled?" vibe coming off of the last episode, what with Luke Cage showing up all of a sudden for one scene, and Jessica apparently leaving New York for good except not really. It all ends on a very "the journey continues" note, which (being a broken record here) just isn't satisfying as a series ending.

It's hard for me to try to give overall thoughts on the series, since it's been like half a decade since I watched the first season. Overall it's really great, but the depression factor can go into overdrive at times. Jessica starts the series miserable, and only loses more and more as it progresses. In retrospect it feels kind of cheap how they essentially invalidate the entire found family arc from the second season at the start of the third, just to have her remain a miserable cynical grump.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

In retrospect it feels kind of cheap how they essentially invalidate the entire found family arc from the second season at the start of the third, just to have her remain a miserable cynical grump.

This was my complaint for let's say 75% of every Netflix show from that era (although to be honest, it continues until now). These characters' lives just never get any better, so it always feels a little pointless. It's nice to see them overcome their troubles, but after a few seasons it feels really stagnant.

 

[Gordon_4]

Finished the third (and final) season of Jessica Jones. Unless we see some miraculous turn by Disney and they renew it for a season on Disney+, this will serve as the finale of the series.

It's a good end to a season, but a bad end to a series. You can clearly tell they were still setting up future things, and the result feels rushed as a series finale. Character arcs get very little payoff, one very significant setup from the start of the season (Jeri asking Jessica to help her eventually commit suicide) ends up not mattering at all, there's overall no more sense of finality than at the end of any other season. There's a whole "wait, we're getting cancelled?" vibe coming off of the last episode, what with Luke Cage showing up all of a sudden for one scene, and Jessica apparently leaving New York for good except not really. It all ends on a very "the journey continues" note, which (being a broken record here) just isn't satisfying as a series ending.

It's hard for me to try to give overall thoughts on the series, since it's been like half a decade since I watched the first season. Overall it's really great, but the depression factor can go into overdrive at times. Jessica starts the series miserable, and only loses more and more as it progresses. In retrospect it feels kind of cheap how they essentially invalidate the entire found family arc from the second season at the start of the third, just to have her remain a miserable cynical grump.

I think it was meant to feed into either Luke Cage's series or the Defenders. One of the two.

 

[Bartholen]

I think it was meant to feed into either Luke Cage's series or the Defenders. One of the two.

Highly unlikely considering Defenders was over and Luke Cage cancelled six months after JJ's third season entered production.

 

[Gordon_4]

Highly unlikely considering Defenders was over and Luke Cage cancelled six months after JJ's third season entered production.

Huh, must have gotten them back to front. Well, statement withdrawn and back to square one I guess.

 

[Bartholen]

This was my complaint for let's say 75% of every Netflix show from that era (although to be honest, it continues until now). These characters' lives just never get any better, so it always feels a little pointless. It's nice to see them overcome their troubles, but after a few seasons it feels really stagnant.

Yeah, it is an accumulating problem. Jessica's dry snark is endearing at first, but by the third season it's just sad to watch.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Finished the third (and final) season of Jessica Jones. Unless we see some miraculous turn by Disney and they renew it for a season on Disney+, this will serve as the finale of the series.

It's a good end to a season, but a bad end to a series. You can clearly tell they were still setting up future things, and the result feels rushed as a series finale. Character arcs get very little payoff, one very significant setup from the start of the season (Jeri asking Jessica to help her eventually commit suicide) ends up not mattering at all, there's overall no more sense of finality than at the end of any other season. There's a whole "wait, we're getting cancelled?" vibe coming off of the last episode, what with Luke Cage showing up all of a sudden for one scene, and Jessica apparently leaving New York for good except not really. It all ends on a very "the journey continues" note, which (being a broken record here) just isn't satisfying as a series ending.

It's hard for me to try to give overall thoughts on the series, since it's been like half a decade since I watched the first season. Overall it's really great, but the depression factor can go into overdrive at times. Jessica starts the series miserable, and only loses more and more as it progresses. In retrospect it feels kind of cheap how they essentially invalidate the entire found family arc from the second season at the start of the third, just to have her remain a miserable cynical grump.

I don't remember the details but this impression seems right to me. I like the actress and the world-building but that whole show smacks of wasted potential. Which is a shame because Jones and Daredevil are the only two super-hero shows I really liked (I though Cage was never very good beyond schlocky fun and everybody rightly rolled their eyes at Iron Fist).

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

I watched the first episode of Arcane last night because everyone is going on about it. I never played League and don't really like anime, but on the other hand it's only 9 episodes so I'll probably finish it. I like the animation style well enough, it's just really hard for me to pay attention to non-jokey cartoon stuff. Hopefully the story gets really interesting.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Reservation Dogs

This is a series on FX. Half-hour sorta-comedy thing about a group of native American teens in Oklahoma. It's like a slacker/hang-out vibe that has a strong undercurrent of serious drama but does that thing where character interactions and quirk and mood are used to convey those themes.
Really its main draw is that- well, how many TV shows or movies do you know that are about contemporary indigenous people?

It's ok- the cast is compelling and it works when the drama resolves but there are definitely stretches of "vibe" more than action.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Landscapers

Olvia Coleman and David Thewlis are in a miniseries and the reason to watch it is because these are two of the finest living actors of our time.
Oh, what's it about? Well, a true story about a couple convicted for murdering her parents. But, it doesn't matter, it's about these actors acting their butts off. Also the directing and visuals get a bit artsy and moody and such if you're into that sort of thing.

 

[Hawki]

Toy Story Toons (3/5)

This is a trio of animated Toy Story shorts that came with Toy Story of Terror. So, shorter shorts that came with the...short?

Fine, whatever. Watched them, because hey, why not? And for the most part, it was a good decision.

HAWAIIAN VACATION
Bonnie and her family go to Hawaii, leaving the toys alone. Barbie and Ken turn up, but have missed the boat (or car/plane, I guess). What follows is the toys simulating Hawaii as best they can, from the Internet, to the fish tank, to...Buzz speaking Spanish? Um...

This is firmly in the middle, as it's basically a skit that's divided into rapid-fire mini-skits. Decent, especially what happens at the end.

SMALL FRY

Easily the best of the shorts. Bonnie and her mother go to Poultry Palace (a fast food joint), and Bonnie wants a Buzz figurine for her happy meal (it's not called a happy meal, but it's what it is in practice). The on-display Buzz figurine hitches a ride, and in doing so, leaves the 'real' Buzz stranded at the joint. Cue hilarity in Bonnie's room with the toys, and Buzz, who ends up in the toy equivalent of Alcoholics Anonymous, as discarded happy meal toys work through their trauma.

It's the AA (HM?) meeting that elevates this. The entire sequence is sheer gold. It's a look into 'toy culture,' if you can put it that way, but that aside, as parody/sattire, it's great.

PARTYSAURUS REX

This is a mixed bag for me. For a significant portion of its runtime, this had a chance of being my favourite of the three shorts. However, what happens in the last minute sours the whole experience.

Anyway, Rex is accused of being a party pooper by the toys, but is brought by Bonnie into her bathtub. She gets out, goes with her mother to visit her gran, and the water's drained. The bath toys are morose at this, since they only get to be played with when the bath's being used. Rex, not wanting to be a partypooper, starts filling the bath, and adds bubbles and everything else to it.

Simple a the premise is, the short goes full-on psychadelic, with bubbles, flashing lights, music, etc. Like I said, simple, but bonkers, and in a good way. Unfortunately, Rex notices that the bath is filling up, and he can't turn off the tap, or unscrew the plug. So, cue house being flooded, and Bonnie's mother exchanging lots of notes with a plumber. Um...er...how do you feel about that, Rex?

Apparently, not guilty at all, as he jumps into an inflatable pool and leaves the tap running.

So, yeah. I really hate the ending here. We can only guess as to how much damage the overflowing of the bath caused Bonnie's family, and how much it cost them. But what's worse is that not a single toy character expresses any regret over this. Rex at least tries to turn the tap off, but not a single bath toy cares. It's a party, so damn the consequences. Considering that most toys in this setting tend to be at least nominally loyal to their owners, and Bonnie's never done anything like Sid, this lack of care really left a sour taste in my mouth.

So, yeah. Overall, the shorts are okay. We have a decent first short, an absolutely hilarious second short, and a third shot that's pretty fun until the last minute ruins everything. Boo.

 

[Hawki]

Doctor Who: Fury from the Deep (4/5)

I've had a pretty good run with Second Doctor serials. Maybe I'm lucky, maybe it's because NuWho has become utter dogshit, so any other DW material looks better by comparison.

Anyway, the Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria end up off the coast of England, in the hub of a series of oil rigs operating in the North Sea. However, something's amiss, and I'll spare you suspense by saying it's sentient seaweed. Seaweed that infects the human host, controls them, allows them to breathe gas, and can turn them into seaweed monsters.

That probably sounds pretty hooky, and, yeah, as a concept, it is. But in terms of execution, it's well done. It probably helps that this is animated (in so allowing for effects that would have probably looked much worse in live-action), but the serial progresses nicely, with the stakes gradually ratching up, along with the tension, so that when it's clear just what threat the seaweed poses (after it's taken over all the rigs, which go radio silent after the crews' screams are heard), it's well done. Or at least it is until the end, when the crew discover by chance, what can drive the seaweed back. Drum roll please...

Victoria's screams.

Yes, Victoria screams loud enough to drive the seaweed back, so they record it, broadcast it, and save the day. Even here, this is fairly well done, but...screams? Seriously? I can't call myself a feminist, but come on!

Still, what follows is also good. Victoria, tired of the constant danger, says her goodbyes to the Doctor and Jamie, and has a sweet goodbye with the latter. I can't comment on Victoria too much, since this is the first time I've seen her, but I've encountered Jamie a few times, and he's certainly shaped up as one of my favourite companions of this era. Certainly, Two has shaped up as a good Doctor as well, though I think it's down more to the episodes he's in rather than him as a character.

So, yeah. Good stuff. Old school, but it still works.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, there's quite some dodgy bits in Fury from the Deep, but then you have the one surviving clip of those two scary looking guys using their gas breath, so it looks like it was shot well. Though, most long 2nd Doctor stories were too long.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm glad it wasn't what you were expecting it would be, because I think that would have been very insufferable.

It's what I wanted though. It feels like a bit of a cop out setting up this villainous, super un-PC character only to have him flip into average heroics when the spotlight is finally on him. Everything that's been established about him is negated to the point it might as well be a different character. It'd be like making a Furiosa TV spin-off where she doesn't want to drive cars and free women anymore.

On the other hand, what you describe is basically the character Vigilante, who I thought worked really well.

I described Peacemaker. Vigilante is the annoying little brother version and he doesn't kill anybody either. Well, anything that isn't a nasty alien parasite.

 

[Dwarvenhobble]

Battlestar Galactica Season 3

Ratings: It's fine

Well in my continuing quest to try and understand / appreciate this show and see what people saw in it. I'm still struggling to find why it was held up as such a highly regarded Sci-Fi show other than at the time capturing the cultural zeitgeist of the post 9/11 world and war on terror with the shows conflicts around the Cylons being an allegory things round the war on terror. Oh and also the deployment of the technique the Mystery Box idea as with anyone potentially being a Cylon it can mean big twists and reveals.

It carries on the same sort of war documentary filming style as though you're watching stolen moments captured on a hand held camera with some level of sway and shake and grain to the footage.

I think Season 3 really kind of falls down with it's big reveal of 4 of the final 5 Cylons because throughout the show they've not really dropped hints to the audience it all just comes to a head in a few episodes.

I actually really enjoyed the Trial of Gaius Baltar as the season finale it was pretty interesting to watch play out and Baltar suffering is always cathartic to me because he's both an arsehole and at times a real sociopath when given the chance.

Also it' really funny seeing just how incompetent the Cylons are "Oh we want to live in peace with the Humans in the Colony, that's why we're making a secret police force and want death lists etc and aren't actually using any of our vast technology to help make the peoples lives better"

I'm somewhat disappointed they also seemed to abandon the character development of Boomer that started in season 2 where she wanted to be seen as an individual in the Cylons not just another Sharon model. While I get in part that was done to contrast her to Athena's development with her choosing to side with the humans more it really did feel somewhat like they threw out a pretty good idea there considering Boomers conflict and self doubt in Season 1

Honestly if it were made today I dunno if it would be received half as well especially the whole episode about being nice to Anti-vaxxers (yes that's really an episode theme)

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Severance (ApplesTV)
Cannot quite get over how much the main guy looks like Tom Cruise and David Tennant both got in The Fly transporter machine together to create this overly familial human face known officially as *checks biological notes* Adam Scott. Otherwise, not a bad take at a lengthy Black Mirror episode. Shit, I was hoping not to say Black Mirror, but, well, shit. You leave me no choice, Severance!

Wait do I have to explain what it's about now too? Ffs, alright then. People working for an ominous corporation get work self and free-time self seperated into two separate, non-intersecting personalities to avoid risks of leaky secrets or something...then ensue hijinks and mysteries.

Luckily someone who can actually write competently did an article about it already on the other half of the Escapist here:
https://www.escapistmagazine.com/se...-what-if-work-is-hell-because-you-created-it/

 

[Bob_McMillan]

It's what I wanted though. It feels like a bit of a cop out setting up this villainous, super un-PC character only to have him flip into average heroics when the spotlight is finally on him. Everything that's been established about him is negated to the point it might as well be a different character. It'd be like making a Furiosa TV spin-off where she doesn't want to drive cars and free women anymore.

I thought it was pretty clear from the movie that killing Rick Flag shook him to his core and made him question his beliefs. He hesitates to kill Ratcatcher 2, and gets his neck blown off because of it.

Also, I went back to watch the first official trailer they put out. They showed the scene where Peacemaker freaks out about having to snipe the politician's family, followed by multiple scenes emphasizing that he's having doubts about his ideals. Fair enough if that's not what you were hoping for, but I think they were pretty upfront about what this show was going to be.