Did you notice when she left the house, she was smiling. She faked the whole damn thing just to make it easier to cut ties.
Discuss and Rate the Last Thing You Watched (non-movies)
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Why would Kimiko's tit blast de-power Homelander, Butcher and Ryan but do nothing to Sage's powers?
? Sage is hit earlier and no longer has her super intelligence.
She still should have paid for basically trying to end the world for some private time. Didn't work for Burgess Meredith, wouldn't have worked for her anyway.
I know, that's why I posit she wasn't "faking it" when she walks out of the show with a smile. That's just the show gracing the actor with one final "my job is done" close-up.
Ah, didn't get you before! Got you!
Over-all, this started as a capital A great show. It limped over the finish line, treading water, doing by the final episode what should have been done at Herogasim. Time killing. But, it did give us a near comic book accurate ending. I heard one reviewer didn't like how Homelander got so wimpy and others had to explain to her: this is what happens to bullies when they lose their ability to bully. I liked that. But, no way am I watching any spin-offs. They're done.
Gen V lost me in season 2 and now that I'm hearing that they had a character that actually was supposed to take out Homelander but didn't? I feel terrible for people that did get invested in that show but were cheated for no apparent reason.
Insofar as superpowers go, Sage was the least effective; she merely manipulated people. Butcher's beef was with Homelander personally; he never really cared about the mechanisms of the greater power structure at Vaught if any scheming didn't bring him closer to Homelander's demise, and Sage was simply playing the board. Sage was inconsequential in Butcher's eyes, just another play that fell through. Say what you want bout Butcher, but his vitriol was focused; he didn't kill indiscriminately or conveniently, i.e.: killing Sage would have brought him no closer to killing Homelander, so why bother? At least she proved she'd tried to help. It's the characteristic that keeps Butcher from being a villain, and makes him firmly an anti-hero; his main goal is killing Homelander, not just killing anyone who annoys him along the way... like Homelander.
She was elated at being "dumb" for the first time in her life. She knew death was inevitable, but was ecstatic at the idea of living the last few days of her life finally without calculating the motivations of everyone around her. Plus, would someone as uber-intelligent as Sister Sage leave such a tell as an obvious "gotcha" smirk to the room? I mean, she ran circles around Homelander without so much as hint of deception before her ultimate defection; I doubt she'd "wink and nod" at the plan the Boys concocted when she felt it wouldn't benefit anyone, least of all herself.
As far as "paying for what she did," I think losing her power was the cost, and a calculated one. Her vice was dumbing herself down with temporary lobotomies (and Taco Bell.) She never overtly killed anyone for selfish reasons; she just played the board and let the shit fall where she knew it would. She wasn't a "bad guy," just someone who saw the game for what it was, and played the game by its rules. When she helped the Boys, it was her best move; when that fell through, she sacrificed her queen to prove out their winning strategy. Butcher didn't kill her because he's not a "bad guy" either.
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Severance, s2 ep7
First, I was thinking how tragic it would’ve been for us viewers if Christopher Walken had picked a different career. Pure legend that just gets better with age.
Second, feeling really bad for Gemma, considering everything she went through and then, who Mark went into.
Third, it’s starting to seem kinda impossible to really tie much of anything together. So many different threads it almost feels like several fractions of a show. Guess that’s another form of severance. Just like all the various innie rooms. I did read a spoiler about the MDR connection to them, and it really only leads to more questions so far.
First, I was thinking how tragic it would’ve been for us viewers if Christopher Walken had picked a different career. Pure legend that just gets better with age.
Second, feeling really bad for Gemma, considering everything she went through and then, who Mark went into.
Third, it’s starting to seem kinda impossible to really tie much of anything together. So many different threads it almost feels like several fractions of a show. Guess that’s another form of severance. Just like all the various innie rooms. I did read a spoiler about the MDR connection to them, and it really only leads to more questions so far.
After the murderous disappointment of The Boys finale I decided to go and rewatch the first episode for a bit. And holy fuck, the difference is just staggering. There's more budget in the first episode than probably the entirety of S5. It's not just that there's more effects-heavy scenes: every single part of the production is just done better. The costumes, locations, lighting, set design, background detail, amount of extras, even the dialogue, it's like you're watching a different show... because functionally you are. Just consider the scene where Butcher takes Hughie for a walk and there's that panning shot of a city square littered with posters and screens showing off supes. It lasts only like 3 minutes tops, yet there are tons of extras, it takes place during nighttime so the lighting's all dynamic, and it's in constant motion. Were that scene done with the production values of S5, it'd be Butcher showing up at Hughie's house and showing off the same thing on TV. Functionally it achieves the same thing, the difference is in how much scale it gives to the world.
I honestly might do a rewatch of the first few seasons just to remind me how top of the line this show was once. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.
I also had another sampling of anime of the season.
First one was Go for it, Nakamura-kun!, a what I believe is today called BL anime about a high school boy crushing on another boy. While I do wholeheartedly appreciate how far we've come that this kind of thing can just be one among others, I felt like I was neither the age or the target demographic. I'm not gay and my school days are far behind, so I was mostly checked out. It was decently cute I guess, but aside from it being about a romance between boys it didn't really stand out.
The second one was Botan Kamiina blossoms when drunk, an anime about a group of college girls entering student life and getting wasted. While it did grab me more due to being clearly more adult-aimed, there was something slightly sinister about it I couldn't shake off. It's presented as a very typical, cutesy slice of life, but the fact that these are adult women getting drunk while still acting like cutesy anime girls struck a surprising, kind of disturbing note to me that kind of felt like I was being advertised at. A feeling not helped by the knowledge that this was sponsored by actual real-life alcohol brands that are mentioned by name in the show. Drinking being presented in the same way this kind of anime would present cutesy activities like knitting, birdwatching or really anything, while knowing several alcoholic people myself, gives me pause about the ethics of the whole thing. As a pure anime it was okay, but having that ethical quandry niggling in the back of my mind prevented me from really enjoying it. If it was more overtly comedic and/or over the top and showed the girls getting into all sorts of stupidity and shenanigans while drunk might have alleviated that feeling.
Next up was Nippon Sangoku, an absolutely baffling mish-mash that I genuinely could not grasp off the first episode alone. It's post-apocalyptic, but also kind of a period piece, and it's about a young man in an oppressed village dealing with the everyday struggles of the post-apocalyptic world order with his newlywed wife. The artstyle was absolutely stunning and the animation gorgeous, but whatever else happened in the episode is completely overshadowed by the fact that his wife gets fucking Gwyneth Paltrow in Se7en-ed in the episode, which was so out of kilter with both the tone and style that I was just left kind of staring at it mouth agape. Tonally it was all over the map with occasional fourth wall breaks, comedy and interesting animation, but the subject matter was so dark that it all felt rather schizophrenic.
Next one was Witch hat Atelier, a new entry in the line of anime about a young girl entering a magic school to learn magic. This one we watched 2 episodes of so I got more into grips with the story, but was also kind of let down by. The first episode has legit some of the best animation I've ever seen in an anime, movie or show. It was so stunning that I could not take my eyes off the screen. While the premise and characters didn't seem that outstanding, the magic system in the show being more akin to calligraphy was genuinely interesting. It's just a shame that based on the second episode this might be one of those "blow the budget in the first episode" shows, because the difference in the animation quality between episodes was vast. Still, it was charming and interesting enough that I might continue watching it.
The final one I stayed to watch was Needy Girl Overdose, which is apparently a sequel to a game about managing a streamer, not that I'd know anything about that. Our host hyped it as the anime of the season, and if that's true then wow, anime fans have way more sophisticated taste than I'd given them credit for. It was like a mix between Serial Experiments Lain and the final two episodes of Evangelion, and was structured more like a loose screed about parasociality, dynamics of the streaming world, relationship between streamer and audience and so on. It was very dialogue heavy, full of abstract and weird animation sequences and not really much of a narrative. The commentary in it felt very raw, poignant and absolutely on the cutting edge of how the internet works right now. I can't say I wasn't engaged, but it was honestly so dark and depressing (there is a quasi-rape scene too, by the by) that I can't really see myself watching more. But apparently the first episode's not really representative of the larger series, so who knows.
I honestly might do a rewatch of the first few seasons just to remind me how top of the line this show was once. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.
I also had another sampling of anime of the season.
First one was Go for it, Nakamura-kun!, a what I believe is today called BL anime about a high school boy crushing on another boy. While I do wholeheartedly appreciate how far we've come that this kind of thing can just be one among others, I felt like I was neither the age or the target demographic. I'm not gay and my school days are far behind, so I was mostly checked out. It was decently cute I guess, but aside from it being about a romance between boys it didn't really stand out.
The second one was Botan Kamiina blossoms when drunk, an anime about a group of college girls entering student life and getting wasted. While it did grab me more due to being clearly more adult-aimed, there was something slightly sinister about it I couldn't shake off. It's presented as a very typical, cutesy slice of life, but the fact that these are adult women getting drunk while still acting like cutesy anime girls struck a surprising, kind of disturbing note to me that kind of felt like I was being advertised at. A feeling not helped by the knowledge that this was sponsored by actual real-life alcohol brands that are mentioned by name in the show. Drinking being presented in the same way this kind of anime would present cutesy activities like knitting, birdwatching or really anything, while knowing several alcoholic people myself, gives me pause about the ethics of the whole thing. As a pure anime it was okay, but having that ethical quandry niggling in the back of my mind prevented me from really enjoying it. If it was more overtly comedic and/or over the top and showed the girls getting into all sorts of stupidity and shenanigans while drunk might have alleviated that feeling.
Next up was Nippon Sangoku, an absolutely baffling mish-mash that I genuinely could not grasp off the first episode alone. It's post-apocalyptic, but also kind of a period piece, and it's about a young man in an oppressed village dealing with the everyday struggles of the post-apocalyptic world order with his newlywed wife. The artstyle was absolutely stunning and the animation gorgeous, but whatever else happened in the episode is completely overshadowed by the fact that his wife gets fucking Gwyneth Paltrow in Se7en-ed in the episode, which was so out of kilter with both the tone and style that I was just left kind of staring at it mouth agape. Tonally it was all over the map with occasional fourth wall breaks, comedy and interesting animation, but the subject matter was so dark that it all felt rather schizophrenic.
Next one was Witch hat Atelier, a new entry in the line of anime about a young girl entering a magic school to learn magic. This one we watched 2 episodes of so I got more into grips with the story, but was also kind of let down by. The first episode has legit some of the best animation I've ever seen in an anime, movie or show. It was so stunning that I could not take my eyes off the screen. While the premise and characters didn't seem that outstanding, the magic system in the show being more akin to calligraphy was genuinely interesting. It's just a shame that based on the second episode this might be one of those "blow the budget in the first episode" shows, because the difference in the animation quality between episodes was vast. Still, it was charming and interesting enough that I might continue watching it.
The final one I stayed to watch was Needy Girl Overdose, which is apparently a sequel to a game about managing a streamer, not that I'd know anything about that. Our host hyped it as the anime of the season, and if that's true then wow, anime fans have way more sophisticated taste than I'd given them credit for. It was like a mix between Serial Experiments Lain and the final two episodes of Evangelion, and was structured more like a loose screed about parasociality, dynamics of the streaming world, relationship between streamer and audience and so on. It was very dialogue heavy, full of abstract and weird animation sequences and not really much of a narrative. The commentary in it felt very raw, poignant and absolutely on the cutting edge of how the internet works right now. I can't say I wasn't engaged, but it was honestly so dark and depressing (there is a quasi-rape scene too, by the by) that I can't really see myself watching more. But apparently the first episode's not really representative of the larger series, so who knows.
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Severance, season 2
Now for choreography aaaaand merriment!!
Take it away (but really, fuck you Mr. Milchick).
What a packed finale. My main nitpick would be that any reintegration Mark had done ultimately seemed kinda pointless, but it really leaves the field wide open for season 3. Almost too much, perhaps. I have so many questions, but oh well; guess that’s the point of a good mindfuck.
Now for choreography aaaaand merriment!!
Take it away (but really, fuck you Mr. Milchick).
What a packed finale. My main nitpick would be that any reintegration Mark had done ultimately seemed kinda pointless, but it really leaves the field wide open for season 3. Almost too much, perhaps. I have so many questions, but oh well; guess that’s the point of a good mindfuck.
I was really hoping he’d turn a leaf, but his allegiance seems pretty firmly planted despite any verbal slights to Kier or Lumon henchmen. Curious what he’ll do facing Dylan’s new band of allies.
Finished Angels in America. It's one of the great miniseries, and a direct result of being written by a Pulitzer winning playwright, directed by an EGOT filmmaker, and stacked with Academy Award nominees and winners. It's funny, sad, scary, moving and tells a complete, versatile story before peacing out forever at the end. TV wishes.
Fyi, Kripke wanted to bring Maeve back for the finale, but apparently Dominique McElligot has retired from acting. Hence no cameo
After finishing The Boys I turned my eyes to other things and subscribed to HBO.
I checked out the first two episodes of Smiling Friends first of all. I'm pretty sure most people here are familiar with it. I'd seen clips and compilations of it online, and they were pretty representative of the whole thing: anarchic, chaotic, unpredictable, deliberately messy and very entertaining. It's a purposely small-investment watch: the episodes are only like 12 minutes, and there's not a whole lot going on theme wise. But the visual style is very appealing in its anarchy, and its humor is kind of reminiscient of Rick and Morty in its prime. It feels like anything can happen, yet it doesn't feel completely random. It feels quite South Park -esque in the sense that a lot of the animation is deliberately choppy and crappy, but it's all in service of the style.
I also checked out the first episode of Primal by Genndy Tartakovsky. It's an animated action series set in a fantasy version of primeval earth, where dinosaurs and humans roam the earth at the same time. What sets it apart is that there is zero dialogue. The story is told entirely through visuals, music, and sound effects. I'm a sucker for silent storytelling, and this is a very promising start indeed. It's not the deepest thing in the world, but it's engaging nonetheless.
I checked out the first two episodes of Smiling Friends first of all. I'm pretty sure most people here are familiar with it. I'd seen clips and compilations of it online, and they were pretty representative of the whole thing: anarchic, chaotic, unpredictable, deliberately messy and very entertaining. It's a purposely small-investment watch: the episodes are only like 12 minutes, and there's not a whole lot going on theme wise. But the visual style is very appealing in its anarchy, and its humor is kind of reminiscient of Rick and Morty in its prime. It feels like anything can happen, yet it doesn't feel completely random. It feels quite South Park -esque in the sense that a lot of the animation is deliberately choppy and crappy, but it's all in service of the style.
I also checked out the first episode of Primal by Genndy Tartakovsky. It's an animated action series set in a fantasy version of primeval earth, where dinosaurs and humans roam the earth at the same time. What sets it apart is that there is zero dialogue. The story is told entirely through visuals, music, and sound effects. I'm a sucker for silent storytelling, and this is a very promising start indeed. It's not the deepest thing in the world, but it's engaging nonetheless.
That might have more to do with Episode 2 being a relatively calm episode, because Ep. 3 has some stellar work, and Ep. 5... you'll be picking your jaw off the floor.
I've watched up to Episode 6, and while it really is something to behold and the world building is showing some real muscle, I can't get drawn into it as much as I would want to. Part of that is because the characters feel a bit too idealized. Like the main character as well as the other girls feel like these uncontroversial cutesy-poo stuffed animals. Even what is supposed to be the grouchy girl feels designed to have this baseline level of cuteness. Than you factor in that these 13-year old girls live with their teacher who is an older man that exudes gentle masculinity and often walks around in a skin tight shirt, and I'm just getting some questionable vibes. I mean, I'd take this over the disgusting fanservice/slave fetishization of the isekai genre, but it still makes me feel a bit weird. Maybe I'm just old and cynical.
If you like the medical drama genre, the Pitt is pretty good watching.
Widow's Bay rules. It's so fun. I just want everyone else to share in this joy.
They just dropped a double episode and I have to wait at least 10 days to watch them because my wife is on a business trip 'till then, so that sucks. I don't remember the last time I anticipated new episodes like this. Well, I guess Pluribus. Damn, Apple TV, they really are the new HBO.
They just dropped a double episode and I have to wait at least 10 days to watch them because my wife is on a business trip 'till then, so that sucks. I don't remember the last time I anticipated new episodes like this. Well, I guess Pluribus. Damn, Apple TV, they really are the new HBO.
Few episodes into the second season of Tales From the Crypt. As this is a longer season, I'll post some of my thoughts on episodes now, might do a full ranking by the end.
Episode 1 (Dead Right): Pretty fun episode. Demi Moore is a strong actress, that goes without saying, and she does a good job of portraying someone so unlikable that we want to see her get hers, and it's a pretty nice twist at the end (even if the way inheritance works in reality invalidates it). Only real problem with the episode for me is who plays the male lead...but there's no way the creators could have predicted the path THAT actor went down having such an uncomfortable mingling with his characterization in this episode.
Episode 2 (The Switch): Surprisingly decent effort from director Arnold Schwarzenegger. It had a bit of heart to it, even if I constantly felt like the main character was too oblivious to his beloved's lack of true returning of his feelings, and the twist at the end was a bit brutal for him, but not to the degree of later episodes that actually soured me on them.
Episode 3 (Cutting Cards): Possibly my favorite Season 2 episode so far. It's not horror, much more of a dark comedy, but it really works between the sheer absurdity of the situation and fun performances by Kevin Tighe and Lance Henriksen.
Episode 4 (Til Death): Not a bad episode, provided you don't mind an episode where pretty much every character is an awful person that deserves the fate they eventually end up in. I can handle that for a half-hour episode, though it's a good thing this wasn't a full movie. It was a pretty fun one, and people did get what they deserved.
Episode 5 (Three's A Crowd): Oh, boy. Remember what I said about the ending twist of some episodes ruining them for me? This is one of them. I don't mind darker episodes or twists, but this one was just too brutal. This show is mostly fun, tongue-in-cheek horror. That was just depressing, and I don't think I want that from this show.
Episode 6 (The Thing From the Grave): Some decent acting, which you should have when your villain is Miguel Ferrer, but at the same time, the story itself wasn't anything special other than being told a bit in media res. Well executed enough, but doesn't really stand out overly much to me.
Episode 1 (Dead Right): Pretty fun episode. Demi Moore is a strong actress, that goes without saying, and she does a good job of portraying someone so unlikable that we want to see her get hers, and it's a pretty nice twist at the end (even if the way inheritance works in reality invalidates it). Only real problem with the episode for me is who plays the male lead...but there's no way the creators could have predicted the path THAT actor went down having such an uncomfortable mingling with his characterization in this episode.
Episode 2 (The Switch): Surprisingly decent effort from director Arnold Schwarzenegger. It had a bit of heart to it, even if I constantly felt like the main character was too oblivious to his beloved's lack of true returning of his feelings, and the twist at the end was a bit brutal for him, but not to the degree of later episodes that actually soured me on them.
Episode 3 (Cutting Cards): Possibly my favorite Season 2 episode so far. It's not horror, much more of a dark comedy, but it really works between the sheer absurdity of the situation and fun performances by Kevin Tighe and Lance Henriksen.
Episode 4 (Til Death): Not a bad episode, provided you don't mind an episode where pretty much every character is an awful person that deserves the fate they eventually end up in. I can handle that for a half-hour episode, though it's a good thing this wasn't a full movie. It was a pretty fun one, and people did get what they deserved.
Episode 5 (Three's A Crowd): Oh, boy. Remember what I said about the ending twist of some episodes ruining them for me? This is one of them. I don't mind darker episodes or twists, but this one was just too brutal. This show is mostly fun, tongue-in-cheek horror. That was just depressing, and I don't think I want that from this show.
Episode 6 (The Thing From the Grave): Some decent acting, which you should have when your villain is Miguel Ferrer, but at the same time, the story itself wasn't anything special other than being told a bit in media res. Well executed enough, but doesn't really stand out overly much to me.