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

[Phoenixmgs]

Los últimos de nosotros

Here's an odd change to the story: the very first scene tells us who Abby is, what's driving her, that she's looking for Joel and that she knows what he looks like. The whole enchilada vegetariana. This is probably because the show doesn't have the benefit of pulling the game's switcheroo on the player, which is (in theory) a big part of getting to empathize with her. So instead they're putting out a safety net so the hatred towards Abby isn't insurmountable, which in turn lessens the impact of all the eventual revelations. Not very elegant, spoiling your story because you don't trust you can stick the landing.

Here's another inelegant change: Catherine O'Hara is around as a made-up character ("ThEyRe AlL mADe Up" / "SHUT UP"), a therapist who solely exists to comment on the show's writing. Where's Dr. Melfi when you need her. There's a lot to unpack by the end of Part II and again, this just feels like another safety net just in case Mazin can't land the plane.

None of these changes are the worst thing ever but my first impression of S2 is that the game, like it or not, has nothing to benefit from being adapted into TV (and split into two seasons, apparently). It's the same miserable story all over again, either muted or dumbed down in the process, and at best it kinda looks like the videogame, which is something you can also say about the Borderlands movie.

I'm totally not interested in watching Season 2 of TLOU (or Los ultimos de nosotros) because, yeah, the story is shit. Also, I did watch the 1st season of the show since the 1st game is good and wondered how they'd adapt it, and I didn't feel like they did a good job with that honestly (let alone the clusterfuck that is the 2nd game). Not that the show was bad, just the game was better and did a lot of non-game moments better than the show was able to accomplish. It felt both overlong and rushed because the show expanded on stuff that really didn't need to be expanded on and also left out stuff from the game at the same time. I felt like we never got a ton of time with just Joel and Ellie in the TV show and that's the backbone of the game/story.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Back in it's prime, Mythbusters was one of my favorite shows. I know behind the scenes, Adam and Jamie didn't really get along, but along with Grant, Tori, and Kari, that didn't stop them from making for some really fun and informative television. I was scrolling through the channels and caught an old episode, still think it's great, but the next episode was a couple of douchbags I've never heard of hosting. Apparently, they tried to reboot the series with two brand new guys, and it's just awful. They're corny, condescendingly insincere, and obnoxious; they come off as a couple of nerdy dude-bros. I couldn't even finish the episode. Thankfully, it didn't stick; it only lasted a season so not nearly long enough to to badly mar Mythbusters' legacy.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm totally not interested in watching Season 2 of TLOU (or Los ultimos de nosotros) because, yeah, the story is shit. Also, I did watch the 1st season of the show since the 1st game is good and wondered how they'd adapt it, and I didn't feel like they did a good job with that honestly (let alone the clusterfuck that is the 2nd game). Not that the show was bad, just the game was better and did a lot of non-game moments better than the show was able to accomplish. It felt both overlong and rushed because the show expanded on stuff that really didn't need to be expanded on and also left out stuff from the game at the same time. I felt like we never got a ton of time with just Joel and Ellie in the TV show and that's the backbone of the game/story.

I thought S1 was fine and generally faithful to the source, just an overall lesser experience. A lot of the emotional heft from these games comes from the act of being in control of these people and catching the brunt of their actions. Watching Pedro and Bella go through the motions of what I already experienced for myself, only it's the faster, chewed-up, "any %" version of that, simply isn't as impactful.

I'm curious about how S2 transalates Part II but my impression of S2E1 is that they're going to streamline the wild emotional swerves into something mushier. Already they removed the sting of betrayal of initially rooting for Abby, and people aren't going to be as pumped for Ellie's bloodlust because the whataboutism is already out of the bag. I'm no fan of Part II's narrative but the compromise herr is to make it toothless.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I thought S1 was fine and generally faithful to the source, just an overall lesser experience. A lot of the emotional heft from these games comes from the act of being in control of these people and catching the brunt of their actions. Watching Pedro and Bella go through the motions of what I already experienced for myself, only it's the faster, chewed-up, "any %" version of that, simply isn't as impactful.

I'm curious about how S2 transalates Part II but my impression of S2E1 is that they're going to streamline the wild emotional swerves into something mushier. Already they removed the sting of betrayal of initially rooting for Abby, and people aren't going to be as pumped for Ellie's bloodlust because the whataboutism is already out of the bag. I'm no fan of Part II's narrative but the compromise herr is to make it toothless.

IIRC, the 1st season never had an episode of just Joel and Ellie just being themselves together like the 3rd episode where we got that with Bill and Frank. I kinda feel like the 1st season needed an episode or 2 of basically just Joel and Ellie "White Lotus" style just doing normal things one would do in a zombie apocalypse to convey that sense of gameplay togetherness that the game had. I do wonder how much of playing the game taints your view on the show.

 

[gorfias]

The Pitt

Noah Wyle returns to the medical drama scene in this new show from HBO. The hook for this latest iteration of medical drama is the same as 24. Each episode is one hour of a single shift.

Now that alone is enough to make for at least some interest but the show builds on that foundation by also never leaving the hospital and its grounds bar the opening scene and the closing scene. This leads to a lot of what would in other medical dramas be b-plots just swinging in the breeze: the young woman the nurses suspect of being trafficked? Once she’s gone there’s fuck all they can do. It’s pretty merciless with killing patients. The main benefit though is you don’t involve yourself in the love lives or personal lives to anything near the degree of its contemporaries. If it’s a big deal but happens outside the hospital, you don’t see it. Only what it makes the characters do at work.

Again being on HBO means the characters - doctors, nurses and patients - swear pretty hard but give the high stress stakes it makes sense. Another benefit of HBO as its home is that the show doesn’t really shy away from how gross being in emergency medicine is. And the season ending event is a banger.

Recommended pretty heavily.

Back in the day when I was working 70 hours a week, I missed the 1st run of ER. I was able to binge it later and loved it! This show is so similar (including Noah!) that there's been legal action! Not a me problem! Let them work it out as long as I get to watch it and watch it I did. I give it top grade. 10/10? I simply loved it. No quibbles.

Adolescence, Netflix 4 episode limited series, A

(yeah I'm doing letter grades, and I don't believe in A+ so A is my highest grade)

I didn't want to like this. When I saw it was the Big New Critical Darling, I watched the trailer with my wife and were both like no thanks we can't emotionally deal with a red-pilled teenage murderer right now What With Everything Going On.
But then I heard each episode was done in one shot, I didn't recognize any of the cast except the dad looked kind of familiar, it's only 4 episodes, and my wife was going to be away all day so I was on my own for entertainment so, wtf...

This is where critics would use terms like "gripping" and "tour de force" and you're like damn this better be that good and I tell you all these reservations because gosh darn if it ain't that good. I was on the edge of my seat all 4 hours.

It's pure drama- there's no twists or whodunnits or whatever, this kid murders a girl because he spent all day consuming manosphere crap, it's just that simple. Each episode focuses on slightly different perspective and my favorite was the one about a state counselor evaluating him to determine if he's fit for legal proceedings. I am a sucker for two actors in a room and when one of them is a creepy but brilliantly acted kid and the other gives Jodie Foster from Silence of the Lambs a run for her money then I'm gonna be hooked.

If you like ACTING and DIRECTING and a MESSAGE then this is going to be the best thing you'll watch all year.
For those of us on the internet maybe we'll roll our eyes at old media trying to deal with internet culture and that's fair but a bit of this kind of thing is necessary. British and even American lawmakers have been talking about how this show should be shown to educators and politicians and when you remember how freaking old many of them are that's not that crazy- yes they need to learn about this nonsense. There is even a scene where a teenager explains to his cop dad what incel and redpill are and it's the one moment where the show feels like it's heavy-handed metasplaining but it is, unfortunately, necessary I think.

Ton of analysis out there about this show.
For my money? Great drama, well acted. 1 noble but missed goal. They wanted to keep focused on the system. Don't blame bad parents. Intact loving family. No substance abuse.

So, bad social media?

Spoiler

The kid kills less due to social media but simply, the girl he kills bullied him. No social media message required. And a real life inspiration for this story was a kid from a broken home due to abandoning an abusive father. Raised by a single mom, the inspiration kills a girl and claims reduced capacity as he is on the spectrum.

Black Mirror Season 7 E1

Phew! A return to form! One of the best in a while. The term, "Black Mirror" refers to the way a TV looks when turned off. It is about how modern technology impacts us. The worst of recent episodes didn't seem to have much to do with technology.

This one aces it. It raises many super important issues arising from what human and tech will challenge us with in the future. Also reminds me of how G.D. Amazon Prime has added commercials to their programing. Damn them.