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

[Piscian]

I'm trying to get past episode 2 of Ms. Marvel and the dipshit duo from the Department of Damage Control are straight up insufferable. Between the cringe teenage romance stuff and that, I'm finding it really hard to not just fast forward the whole thing.

EDIT: I will say though, they're at least putting more effort into making this show than other Disney+ offerings.

This is another one of those "somebody wanted to do this" scenarios.

I genuinely feel watching the show, that Disney said

"Ok people we need Marvel shows, what do we got?" and some muslim in the writers room was like

"What about Ms. Marvel?"

"Naw, Brie is expensive""

"No, not not captain. Ms. Marvel. Its a popular kids comic about a superpowered muslim girl struggling to fit it"

"Goddamit Kazakhstan, you're a genius get on it!

"My name isn't...(whatever). I'll get started!"

The show is fine, it does feel like it has some life in it. That said, I don't feel like I'm the target audience. It feels like a low-budget kids show where most of the money went into hiring authentic actors. I love the dad. He reminds me of Mr. Kim on "Kim's convenience". Feels like it's got the budget of that show too. The rest of it is Blegh and I don't care for kamala.

I will say, I didn't realize how ignorant I was on Pakistani-muslim-american Politics. They seem very one foot in secular Islamism and one foot in pretty Americanized indian culture. It's interesting to watch where they're very conservative in theory, but the women have a say in the hierarchy. Maybe it's all horsehit, idk.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

The show is fine, it does feel like it has some life in it. That said, I don't feel like I'm the target audience. It feels like a low-budget kids show where most of the money went into hiring authentic actors. I love the dad. He reminds me of Mr. Kim on "Kim's convenience". Feels like it's got the budget of that show too. The rest of it is Blegh and I don't care for kamala.

I will say, I didn't realize how ignorant I was on Pakistani-muslim-american Politics. They seem very one foot in secular Islamism and one foot in pretty Americanized indian culture. It's interesting to watch where they're very conservative in theory, but the women have a say in the hierarchy. Maybe it's all horsehit, idk.

Yeah I'm not feeling all the teenage girl stuff. Which is fair, clearly I am not the target audience. But it's really not great for your superhero TV show when all the Muslim culture stuff is far more interesting than the actual superheroing, and to me that's all down to the writing. Kamala starts the whole 'woe is me, a superhero' thing ala-Spider-man 2 far too early. She's appeared as Ms. Marvel twice, and she's already moaning about how the superhero life is so tragic. I have no idea what her powers are meant to be or who the Djinn are, but I really don't see it paying off. They really should have just kept the Inhuman angle.

 

[Piscian]

Yeah I'm not feeling all the teenage girl stuff. Which is fair, clearly I am not the target audience. But it's really not great for your superhero TV show when all the Muslim culture stuff is far more interesting than the actual superheroing, and to me that's all down to the writing. Kamala starts the whole 'woe is me, a superhero' thing ala-Spider-man 2 far too early. She's appeared as Ms. Marvel twice, and she's already moaning about how the superhero life is so tragic. I have no idea what her powers are meant to be or who the Djinn are, but I really don't see it paying off. They really should have just kept the Inhuman angle.

The Djinn stuff gets stupider sadly. I feel like they're bending over backwards to make her cheaper powers function within the story which is where the Djinn come into play. It's just kind of "ok". As of Episode 3, It's like a CW show with with an extra couple million to hire qualified Indian actors. It's sliding into forgettable territory. I concur. I had the same problem with Turning Red to similar extent. My 9 year old nephew echoed similar complaints that if somebody had superpowers they'd be hype AF and complaining about their image would be the last thing on their minds. Turning Red works a little better because she's 12 and its an insecure time period, but Kamala is in highschool and episode 2 a little too early to moan about "with great power comes responsibility".

 

[thebobmaster]

Yeah I'm not feeling all the teenage girl stuff. Which is fair, clearly I am not the target audience. But it's really not great for your superhero TV show when all the Muslim culture stuff is far more interesting than the actual superheroing, and to me that's all down to the writing. Kamala starts the whole 'woe is me, a superhero' thing ala-Spider-man 2 far too early. She's appeared as Ms. Marvel twice, and she's already moaning about how the superhero life is so tragic. I have no idea what her powers are meant to be or who the Djinn are, but I really don't see it paying off. They really should have just kept the Inhuman angle.

Sadly, I think the Inhumans show has done a LOT of damage to the perception of Inhumans in the MCU. I am still surprised they brought back Black Bolt, however briefly for Doctor Strange 2: Strange Harder.

It's a real shame, because they had a great thing going with the Inhumans in Agents of SHIELD, but the actual show Inhumans is probably the first think MCU fans would think of.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

It's a real shame, because they had a great thing going with the Inhumans in Agents of SHIELD, but the actual show Inhumans is probably the first think MCU fans would think of.

I think that's true only for the MCU fans who actually know or remember what the Inhumans show was. That said, why would they bother with the Inhumans now that they have the rights to mutants?

 

[BrawlMan]

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[Thaluikhain]

The Tunnel (UK/French version) Season 2

Well done, a bit shorter than the first season (8 eps instead of 10), so it didn't drag as much. Still rather OtT and a bit too much into being gruesome for its own sake.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

The Djinn stuff gets stupider sadly. I feel like they're bending over backwards to make her cheaper powers function within the story which is where the Djinn come into play. It's just kind of "ok". As of Episode 3, It's like a CW show with with an extra couple million to hire qualified Indian actors. It's sliding into forgettable territory. I concur. I had the same problem with Turning Red to similar extent. My 9 year old nephew echoed similar complaints that if somebody had superpowers they'd be hype AF and complaining about their image would be the last thing on their minds. Turning Red works a little better because she's 12 and its an insecure time period, but Kamala is in highschool and episode 2 a little too early to moan about "with great power comes responsibility".

These are both examples of something I talked about in the video-game section in regards to whether subversive games actually appeal to anyone but critics and "hoity-toity" types. People can get too caught up in doing something they don't see much and end up forgetting the more important things. With Miss Marvel they're spending a lot of money on things that don't contribute enough to making the show excellent to justify the cost. Don't put the cart before the horse, I guess is what I'm getting at.

 

[Hawki]

Legends of Tomorrow: Season 5 (4/5)

I mentioned ages ago that season 4 of LoT went full crazy, and IMO, the show was all the better for it. Season 5 keeps up with the craziness, but doesn't always stick the landing in the same way.

Anyway, current Arrowverse rankings are now as follows:

Spoiler

25) The Flash: Season 7
24) Black Lightning: Season 2
23) Black Lightning: Season 1
22) The Flash: Season 5
21) Arrow: Season 3
20) Legends of Tomorrow: Season 3
19) The Flash: Season 4
18) The Flash: Season 6
17) Stargirl: Season 2
16) The Flash: Season 3
15) Supergirl: Season 1
14) Arrow: Season 5
13) Legends of Tomorrow: Season 1
12) Legends of Tomorrow: Season 2
11) Arrow: Season 6
10) Supergirl: Season 2
9) The Flash: Season 1
8) The Flash: Season 2
7) Legends of Tomorrow: Season 5
6) Superman and Lois: Season 1
5) Arrow: Season 4
4) Legends of Tomorrow: Season 4
3) Stargirl: Season 1
2) Arrow: Season 2
1) Arrow: Season 1

 

[Casual Shinji]

It looks like Ms. Marvel is quickly running into the 'Oh right, live-action superhero shows...' issue, where the main supernatural threat is just a bunch of guys who we're told are supernatural beings but are just a bunch of guys who throw punches and do flips. The first two episodes were able to manage expectations quite well, because it's a story about a teen girl, so obviously the superheroics can feel more exceptional within the setting of home life and school life. Or just, you know, slice of life. Just everyday occurances for a teenager, but with superpowers. But as soon as you introduce genuine global threats you need to accommodate the scope or at least the presentation for that. And Ms. Marvel is unable to do this so we get this very obvious corner cutting.

Even actual great live-action superhero shows like Peacemaker run into this issue, but in its case the writing, acting, and directing is so good that it totally makes up for it. Ms. Marvel (or any other live-action MCU show) does NOT have this quality to fall back on.

Also, the explaination behind her powers are getting a tad too longwinded. This seems to have to do with Pakistani culture and history, so I really can't properly critique this, but when it comes to superhero powers it's always best to just keep it simple. Just have the magic bangle give her powers. Boom. Done.

 

[gorfias]

Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 7 on Netflix

I fell asleep or entirely skipped some of the boring, dull, slow, season but woke up for Episode 7. It was terrific. I can't write much about it without spoiling things for people but it was a hoot and is again something I recommend. A.

Odd, Netflix used to drop entire seasons all at once. Then Ozarks was split into 2 releases. Now appears this was as well. Next episode comes out tomorrow.

Don't watch if you don't want to know. Anyone that does watch, that organ music: anyone know where that is from? Just earlier episodes of Stranger Things?

Spoiler

Edit: Game of Thrones when Cercie blows up the church?

2nd Edit: The Watchmen when The Comedian gets it at the start of the movie?
3rd Edit: yep

 

[Agema]

Odd, Netflix used to drop entire seasons all at once. Then Ozarks was split into 2 releases. Now appears this was as well. Next episode comes out tomorrow.

Colossally annoying wankery.

Apparently some study has shown something or other about better viewing figures or drawing power with weekly episode releases, possibly because it gives time to create "buzz" and anticipation than dropping the whole load in one go.

Honestly, I'd half forgotten a load of the cast/characters in Stranger Things, so long had it been since series 3 and the fact that the cast of major characters has become... kind of bloated.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

I went back and finished Archive 81, the Netflix series that was canceled. Thanks for whoever it was (sorry I don't remember) that clarified that its ending isn't all cliffhanger.
I really liked it, too bad it was canceled. It's that good kind of slightly-creepy supernatural mystery creepiness.

 

[Bartholen]

Finished season 1 of Ozark. Going to keep watching/10.

It's a good show, even great at times. Jason Bateman makes for a fantastic lead, there's twists and turns almost to a fault (which I'll get into), the characters are (almost) all interesting and engaging and it's certainly not predictable. Bateman especially is the star here, because his mostly deadpan everyman persona gives his character this quite sinister quality where he almost always appears in control, and you never really know how much that is true. But it's definitely satisfying to watch him navigate this absolute spider's web of allegiances, setbacks, unforeseen consequences and twists.

There are some problems though. The season feels like it could have been like 50% longer because so much happens. It almost feels mechanical at times how the instant something seems to be going according to plan, another wrench gets thrown into the mix. The result is a rollercoaster ride, but not always in a good way: it feels like things aren't allowed to really breathe or settle, because the plot must be on to the next scheme or twist [insert character here] is doing.

The massively bigger problem, however, is the character of Jacob Snell. I just hate him, and his repulsive annoying wife. And not in an engaging way where I want to see him get his comeuppance like Joffrey from Game of Thrones, but in a "oh god, not these twats again" way. I hate his pretentious monologues, I hate his annoying not-quite-southern cowboy accent, I hate how he's played up despite looking like a grandpa at a country fair and seeming about as menacing, I hate the resting ***** face his wife always has. Whenever he showed up I went "Strap in folks, grandpa's monologuing again" in my head. Jacob Snell is certainly no Gus Fring if we want to continue the unfair Breaking Bad comparisons. But apparently I don't have to suffer him much longer, since he's in only 20 episodes. Thanks IMDB.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

It looks like Ms. Marvel is quickly running into the 'Oh right, live-action superhero shows...' issue, where the main supernatural threat is just a bunch of guys who we're told are supernatural beings but are just a bunch of guys who throw punches and do flips. The first two episodes were able to manage expectations quite well, because it's a story about a teen girl, so obviously the superheroics can feel more exceptional within the setting of home life and school life. Or just, you know, slice of life. Just everyday occurances for a teenager, but with superpowers. But as soon as you introduce genuine global threats you need to accommodate the scope or at least the presentation for that. And Ms. Marvel is unable to do this so we get this very obvious corner cutting.

Also, the explaination behind her powers are getting a tad too longwinded. This seems to have to do with Pakistani culture and history, so I really can't properly critique this, but when it comes to superhero powers it's always best to just keep it simple. Just have the magic bangle give her powers. Boom. Done.

The sharp left turn from 'I can't even use my powers reliably' to 'I can fight 4 superhumans with deadly weapons on my own' really doesn't help either. My own problem with her powers is that they seem to be the only thing that actually makes her a superhero. Iron Man wants redemption, Captain America wants to protect his country, Spider-man has his responsibility. So far, the only thing that makes Kamala a hero is that she's a superhero nerd and her great-grandma was an alien or something. What's her motivation to continue risking her life for others after her baddies are banished back to their dimension?

EDIT: Also, four episodes into this show and her connection to Captain Marvel could not be more paper thin.

 

[Casual Shinji]

The sharp left turn from 'I can't even use my powers reliably' to 'I can fight 4 superhumans with deadly weapons on my own' really doesn't help either. My own problem with her powers is that they seem to be the only thing that actually makes her a superhero. Iron Man wants redemption, Captain America wants to protect his country, Spider-man has his responsibility. So far, the only thing that makes Kamala a hero is that she's a superhero nerd and her great-grandma was an alien or something. What's her motivation to continue risking her life for others after her baddies are banished back to their dimension?

EDIT: Also, four episodes into this show and her connection to Captain Marvel could not be more paper thin.

I think there's a bit of her being a superhero that her community can look up to and connect with. That's a decent enough motivation for her in the early stages of her journey as a superhero, but all the different factions that the show introduces kinda dilute this I feel. It sorta wants to have huge global consequences, but at the same time it wants to keep things minimal, not having the budget and not wanting to rock the boat that is the MCU. They could've just made this a slice of life superhero story within this islamic/pakistani community. Kinda like a Kiki's Delivery Service, but with a superhero instead of a witch.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

I think there's a bit of her being a superhero that her community can look up to and connect with. That's a decent enough motivation for her in the early stages of her journey as a superhero, but all the different factions that the show introduces kinda dilute this I feel. It sorta wants to have huge global consequences, but at the same time it wants to keep things minimal, not having the budget and not wanting to rock the boat that is the MCU. They could've just made this a slice of life superhero story within this islamic/pakistani community. Kinda like a Kiki's Delivery Service, but with a superhero instead of a witch.

That is a good angle, although one I think the show absolutely did not earn. She just.. isn't a superhero. Unless I missed something (which is totally possible, I fast forwarded a lot of this), she has done exactly one heroic thing. Which served both as her reveal as a Muslim/Pakistani hero and the tragic incident that makes her realize she represents her whole community. It's like if Raimi condensed the first two Spidey movies into one for no reason.

Granted they have two more episodes to sort this out, but given the D+ track record, I highly doubt they'll be able to address this.

 

[Casual Shinji]

That is a good angle, although one I think the show absolutely did not earn. She just.. isn't a superhero. Unless I missed something (which is totally possible, I fast forwarded a lot of this), she has done exactly one heroic thing. Which served both as her reveal as a Muslim/Pakistani hero and the tragic incident that makes her realize she represents her whole community. It's like if Raimi condensed the first two Spidey movies into one for no reason.

Granted they have two more episodes to sort this out, but given the D+ track record, I highly doubt they'll be able to address this.

Yeah, after that one moment the show just becomes about her running away from the djinn gang and then she goes to Pakistan. The show really should've kept it small, had it be about this girl finding her way through this new life with superpowers as she tries to balance school, home life, friends, and maybe romance. Use this secret identity to support her community through both standard superheroics and regular old helping out. Show her using her powers to unpack a truck with heavy items, or fixing a traffic jam.

 

[Piscian]

Thoughts on things:
Old Man: Dang this show just keeps getting more interesting. It's like a crappy Borne Identity show, but written to be a kind of Shakespearean tragedy. There's near argument to be made that the show is stupid and yet it continues to drag you along unwilling to see where it goes and the carrot is simply watching Jeff Bridges chew scenery.

Stranger Things Season 4 Finale: Man fuck netflix. So the "season" ends in a balls to the walls banger of a 2 hour finale that closes up very characters storyline. Literally everyone's. BUT GUESS WHAT MUTHERFUCKERS SEASON 5. It's painfully clear that the big climax was recut to make an excuse do another season. It's not one of those things where a bunch of intersecting stories build up to a cliffhanger that erupts into season 5. Its like the ending of Avengers infinity, except with all the somber arc endings of end-game. Netflix 100% shot this season and was in post production when their viewership crashed so they recut it to make an excuse to drag it out.

What makes it especially obvious production wise is that rather than do a full length season, the last two episodes of Stranger things season 4 are 1 1/2 hours and 2 1/2 clearly shot as movies and not because there wasn't a good scene to cut each episode. There were tons of good spots. They just wanted to shoot these as series finale movies and they would have work well, but as season finale they don't because all the emotional stuff is closed nice and tidy so there's literally nothing to do in season 5 except have a boss fight...again. Fuck...netflix.

For all mankind: This season focus's on the race to Mars. This now takes place in the golden years of the original cast which makes some of it a tad awkward trying to pull of geriatric space buddies, but it all comes together in the 4th episode.

The primary dispute resolves around a stand in for Elon Musk deciding that governments shouldn't have the monopoly on space and designs an engine that will get a commercial flight to Mars two year earlier than NASA or the Kremlin.

The Elon character is now a little dated since he came out as a self-serving assbag and had no real hand in Tesla beyond being rich and taking advantage of federal renewal energy subsidies. This guys also a little cartoonish in that his company is one of those new wave deals where it's a "collective", but it serves to give an excuse to add more nuanced conflict. The show remains good, but some of the cracks feel like they're starting to show as the audience is forced to question whether this story justifies a 3rd season.

Ms Marvel:
I'm out folks. somewhere around the middle of the 4th episode I was completely spaced out, working and only occasionally looking up to see if anything interesting was happening. I had to ask myself, why I was even watching. I don't like kamala. The story is kind of the same old shit we've seen before in other kids shows, excepting when they get into Pakistanie-Muslim culture and politics. Bizarrely the 4th episode takes place in Pakistan, but offers nothing relevant to the only thing that makes the show unique. It doubles down on the Djinn stuff and introduces more generic ninjas who also want to fight the Djinn. I haven't even seen so much as a kabab or some goddamn lentils, nore any character development on kamalas side

I was watching the MLIG(retrogaming channel) stream while flipping through youtube and they just happened to be talking about Obiwan and Dr. Strange 2. One questioned aloud if the only reason he was watching these disney shows is out of some obligation to keep up with the lore. Like if I don't watch Ms Marvel am I gonna miss out on something in the next movie. Obviously thats what Disneys wants, but the audience is supposed to be oblivious to it. It's like grindy loop videogames. Were supposed to enjoy the gameplay loop so much that we are oblivious to the fact that were running on a hamster wheel. Anyway I think thats when its time to shut it off. I do think if this show just came out randomly on FOX like those old X-men spin-off or CWs DC trash I wouldn't watch it so I'm done with this one. I'm literally more excited to watch Top Chef than ms. Marvel. At least that has character growth and tension.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

I was watching the MLIG(retrogaming channel) stream while flipping through youtube and they just happened to be talking about Obiwan and Dr. Strange 2. One questioned aloud if the only reason he was watching these disney shows is out of some obligation to keep up with the lore. Like if I don't watch Ms Marvel am I gonna miss out on something in the next movie.

That's probably how I started watching these shows, but at this point I'm only watching them because the family likes having movie time every Friday and some college friends also enjoy watch parties.

The moment either group of people lose interest, so do I. This was the case for What If, and what almost happened for Loki.