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

[Kyrian007]

Mindhunters: Season 2 (7/10)

They switched the POV character from Agent Ford to Agent Tench. I would guess this was done because agent Tench is the more "relatable" character even though Ford is easily the more interesting character. But that is offset by Tench's side story being far more interesting than Ford's from season 1. And being set in the backdrop of the Atlanta Child Murders made for some interesting storytelling. It unfortunately left Anna Torv's Wendy Carr without much to do this season, but what they added in for her was OK and wasn't a distraction like Ford's shoehorned in relationship from season 1. Cameron Britton still remains the standout casting choice, genuinely unsettling as Ed Kemper. I'm not sure where they go next for season 3, if I had to guess Netflix will announce there will be no season 3. They haven't given it any of the same kind of "push" they have given to several of Netflix's other successes, and they have killed some of those already. I'm pretty sure it was a mistake to feature as a backdrop the BTK serial killings, as that wasn't solved until 2005 and the story of Mindhunters has just barely gotten to the 1980's. But that part of the story is interesting to me personally, because I was in the courthouse the day Dennis Rader was giving his confession when he changed his plea (the radio station sent me as a technician along with our reporter covering the case.) I hate to say it, but I'm not sure I'd be as interested in the show if I didn't live in the city where BTK stalked his victims and remained free for decades.

 

[Kwak]

After watching The Trial Of Tim Heidecker [https://youtu.be/8YWJcqISKJQ] a while ago and finding the subversive humor? intriguing, I decided to follow recommendations and watch 12 Hours of On Cinema At The Cinema [https://youtu.be/mBirwQQ-eIg] for the context of the aforementioned ?trial.?

Maybe someone smarter than me can supply the correct terminology if such a thing exists, but I can best describe this stuff as extremely long-form cringe comedy? Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington play critics on a very low budget movie review show. Heidecker is the mumbling, neurotic, easily upset host of the show and Turkington is the pretentious, self-proclaimed film expert who basically co-hosts, but Heidecker is quick to remind him he?s only a ?guest.? No one moment is funny unto itself (awkward, yes, but funny, no) but watching the slow boil over the course of HOURS makes for some prime hilarity. And what makes it even more brilliant is that the funniest moments should be the least funny, e.g.: learning that Heidecker?s wife left him when he decided to undergo a life-saving surgery on the blood clots in his brain is funny? Yeah, you had to be there? 3 hours ago. I?m not going to pretend I understand how or why they do it, but I can appreciate their ability and willingness to commit to a very, very, VERY niche humor.

EDIT: Just finished the 12 hours of On Cinema (essentially watched the first 8 seasons in 2.5 days,) and lemme say, while I don?t know to whom to recommend this show, it is brilliant. The slow, subtle and entirely absurd descent of Heidecker from good natured, charmingly selfish entrepreneur to egomaniacal living train wreck and Turkington?s pathetic attempt to maintain any semblance of their shared film review show?s legitimacy at any cost has been darkly hysterical. Literally nothing Heidecker suffers (or the invariable suffering he causes) would be remotely funny if they were to happen to anyone in real life, but for some reason? I don?t know; maybe ?imagine if Job (guy from the Bible, not employment) were a completely self-centered asshole and actually deserved everything that happened to him and learned nothing from his mistakes? Yeah, I?ll go with that. Off to start season 9?

The oscar specials are... um. Exercises in endurance over how much cringe one can take? Witnessing a man's journey into megalomania and madness? The long-term buildup of this show is genius.
He's basically an alternative-universe version of Trump.
(also Turkington is a legend. Look up Neil Hamburger. And Faxed Head)

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

This is an excellent review and I agree wholeheartedly. Well done that flesh being!

Oops, thankyou, it's helpful to know when the written words make sense, as they feel like they often do not and am trying to undo that little by little. Sorry, reply is so very late, hadn't realised you had quoted due to notification absence and have been relying for ages on just being interested in threads to read updates. Also it has been made clear by those close in recent times am not so good at taking compliments at all, so this is an attempt at fighting every instinct to run away and hide pretending it didn't happen for once. Ok, over-explaining is getting real weird, where's the pictures worth a thousand words to substitute this??


-- unrelated subject change to avoid uncomfortable feelings --

Spoiler: True Detective.S1

Late to the, well, not exactly a party...more like a funeral wake. Meaning all that can be said no doubt has already been said. Except maybe that this is the first time any onscreen character felt like they were saying all the pontifications of my brain while off medication. It was like it was pandering specifically to that asshole side in a way never so outright before. But the hyper-competence exuding from the guy caused me to wonder if I had 'passed out' at any point, wrote an author self-insert script and gave it away to a now successful homeless acquaintance during a bad weekend. Once that thought seeded, it's very difficult to remove. And the character just kept saying more things that inhibiting side zealously nodded to. Stop it! Don't encourage the bastard!
That aside, it's still an impressive show. Apart from like two scenes that appear to be the result of an exec floating down from upon high with a flashing neon sign exclaiming "Tits and ass! We need tits and ass to pull in the troglodytes! Do it yesterday!" which kinda soured the goodwill the show built until then as it was so out of place and not gelling with the whole vibe in any way. I can imagine the justifications, but I don't buy them. Will continue to check out the newer seasons at some point, though the Hannibal TV series did the same vibe without the baggage, far more intensely, respectfully, with Laurence Fishburne and cannibalism!

 

[Xprimentyl]

Sticks and Stones: 8/10

Has anyone else watched Dave Chappelle?s newest Netflix special Sticks and Stones? A giant middle finger to social justice [https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/06/dave-chappelles-netflix-special-is-a-giant-middle-finger-to-social-justice/]; punches were not pulled. Personally, I thought it was hilarious, but yeah, not for everybody. It?s less a series of setup-to-punchline jokes, and more a series of pointed and topical rants; think Bill Hicks or George Carlin, comedians who?ve reached maximum cynicism and deliver a message in a way that makes us laugh, but the undertone is very much ?no, assholes, I?m dead fucking serious.? If you know Dave Chappelle, you know he?s not for the easily offended, but in this one, it?s not just the ?N? word you need to brace for: child molestation, opioid addiction, LGBTQ community, school shootings, etc.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Sticks and Stones: 8/10

Has anyone else watched Dave Chappelle's newest Netflix special Sticks and Stones? A giant middle finger to social justice [https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/06/dave-chappelles-netflix-special-is-a-giant-middle-finger-to-social-justice/]; punches were not pulled. Personally, I thought it was hilarious, but yeah, not for everybody. It's less a series of setup-to-punchline jokes, and more a series of pointed and topical rants; think Bill Hicks or George Carlin, comedians who've reached maximum cynicism and deliver a message in a way that makes us laugh, but the undertone is very much "no, assholes, I'm dead fucking serious." If you know Dave Chappelle, you know he?s not for the easily offended, but in this one, it's not just the 'N' word you need to brace for: child molestation, opioid addiction, LGBTQ community, school shootings, etc.

I did, actually. To respond to your post.

It was like a high 6 for me.

I don't know. I just got into Clean Humor recently. I find it funnier. It doesn't rely on shock humor. Just real humor. For anyone who wants to know what I'm talking about, I suggest the channel Dry Bar Comedy [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvlVuntLjdURVD3b3Hx7kxw]. Mike P. Burton [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50gOLFJG6L8] is a personal favorite.

Anyway, to Chappelle. It was eh. It felt a lot like "God, here are my grievances. Oh, right. I'm supposed to make you laugh. Here's an attempt to go along with my grievances. Ok! Back to my grievances."

The more people are trying to be non-political, the sad truth is the more political they are becoming. Getting mad at censorship and trying to yell down people so you don't have to deal with their politics is simply a political move. It continually perplexes me why people do not understand that.

But, to be fair to the comedy, I like Dave Chappelle back with his maniac energy. He would have a well thought out point, and then he'd make his joke, and then he'd end it with a burst of Energy. His famous rant about Women and Men and the reason we have nice cars [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dowSfa-gkcE] is a great example of that. Ever since the Chappelle Show, his lack of energy drains me almost every single time.

 

[McElroy]

I just got into Clean Humor recently.

Ew... Not because it exists but because it has a name.

Stranger Things 1 & 2

Decent enough to keep you watching. Dustin is the best character because he acts most age-appropriately and isn't so perfect and precious as the rest of the teenagers (too much weird shit happens to Will, he is a completely different character in comparison). I like how the boys recognize how much movie and video game logic seems to affect their surroundings.

Now I watched the first 'chapter' of the third season and I'm already anticipating just how they will turn Steve's and Hop's (and Dustin's too, I guess) emasculation around. It sure is that familiar of a set up.

 

[Hawki]

An Evening With Paul Capsis (2/5)

It's crap.

It's a lot of screaming that professes to be singing.

It's crap.

Don't see it.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Sticks and Stones: 8/10

I did, actually. To respond to your post.

It was like a high 6 for me.

I don't know. I just got into Clean Humor recently. I find it funnier. It doesn't rely on shock humor. Just real humor. For anyone who wants to know what I'm talking about, I suggest the channel Dry Bar Comedy [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvlVuntLjdURVD3b3Hx7kxw]. Mike P. Burton [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50gOLFJG6L8] is a personal favorite.

Anyway, to Chappelle. It was eh. It felt a lot like "God, here are my grievances. Oh, right. I'm supposed to make you laugh. Here's an attempt to go along with my grievances. Ok! Back to my grievances."

The more people are trying to be non-political, the sad truth is the more political they are becoming. Getting mad at censorship and trying to yell down people so you don't have to deal with their politics is simply a political move. It continually perplexes me why people do not understand that.

But, to be fair to the comedy, I like Dave Chappelle back with his maniac energy. He would have a well thought out point, and then he'd make his joke, and then he'd end it with a burst of Energy. His famous rant about Women and Men and the reason we have nice cars [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dowSfa-gkcE] is a great example of that. Ever since the Chappelle Show, his lack of energy drains me almost every single time.

My preference for stand-up comedy is all over the board; about the only type I don?t like is musical comedy (when a comedian sits on a stool and breaks out an acoustic guitar, I can?t roll my eyes hard enough) or shock comics, those that put on a persona of ?asshole? and for whom it?s clear their ONLY purpose is to ruffle feathers and push buttons with no real substantive content or reason.

I don?t feel this time out (or any time, really) Chappelle falls into the latter category, neither do I believe him to be taking an apolitical stance, quite the contrary. Dave Chappelle has always been of the idea that ?hey, everybody?s fair game,? and the sociopolitical environment of today is now, more than ever, very much of an opposing mindset, and as comics? cynicism is often the biggest weapon in the arsenal, this latest shows was him firing back. In so many ways, he basically said ?it doesn?t matter what I do or say, someone?s going to find SOMETHING to demonize me at ANY given point; tomorrow or 10 years from now, I?m going to be ?guilty? of something, so why change who I am when it?ll never be good enough?? It was more an assertion of self; this was his acknowledging that he HAD allowed the industry to drain him and fighting back, ?sticks and stones.?

 

[Xprimentyl]

Snip

The oscar specials are... um. Exercises in endurance over how much cringe one can take? Witnessing a man's journey into megalomania and madness? The long-term buildup of this show is genius.
He's basically an alternative-universe version of Trump.
(also Turkington is a legend. Look up Neil Hamburger. And Faxed Head)

Just finished the Oscar specials as well, and yeah, brilliant. I couldn?t help but belly laugh at the start of each show where he apologized for his drinking and antics during last year?s special? shortly before starting to drink. And poor Mark!

?I?m sorta regretting praying to God for this show to work well because that seems to have bit in the ass. That?s the last time I ever pray to him. F*** God! And Guess what? Bad news, everybody, this IS full of booze. I thought it was organic soda, but it IS champagne. I finished a bottle.? XD

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

My preference for stand-up comedy is all over the board; about the only type I don't like is musical comedy (when a comedian sits on a stool and breaks out an acoustic guitar, I can't roll my eyes hard enough) or shock comics, those that put on a persona of 'asshole' and for whom it?s clear their ONLY purpose is to ruffle feathers and push buttons with no real substantive content or reason.

I don't feel this time out (or any time, really) Chappelle falls into the latter category, neither do I believe him to be taking an apolitical stance, quite the contrary. Dave Chappelle has always been of the idea that "hey, everybody's fair game," and the sociopolitical environment of today is now, more than ever, very much of an opposing mindset, and as comics' cynicism is often the biggest weapon in the arsenal, this latest shows was him firing back. In so many ways, he basically said "it doesn't matter what I do or say, someone's going to find SOMETHING to demonize me at ANY given point; tomorrow or 10 years from now, I'm going to be 'guilty' of something, so why change who I am when it'll never be good enough?" It was more an assertion of self; this was his acknowledging that he HAD allowed the industry to drain him and fighting back, 'sticks and stones.'

And you see, that's the thing.

He was very much everyone's fair game. "Let me talk about the world, dating, men, politics, race relations and differences..." He was everywhere. I loved it.

This special seems more "Let me tell you what's wrong with the world now".

And that's fine. I get it. His time, his choice of topics. But it bothers me that people pretend that this is all due to the #MeToo and the SJW-culture. How people are so sensitive in 2019 that it's stifling speech.

That's bull. That's been happening since I've been alive.

-Ellen was cancelled (literally) because uptight conservatives couldn't deal that a woman admitted to being a lesbian.
-Blossom [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-27-ca-36643-story.html] got too real with serious issues (like date rape) and NBC yanked it because they didn't want to upset anyone's sensibilities.
-White people got bugged that the Force Awakens had non-white males as the lead and tried to boycott [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/boycott-star-wars-vii-movement-833102].
-Ren and Stimpy got everyone yelling "WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN" which led to cancellation.
-Profit [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profit_(TV_series)#Controversy_and_cancellation] had not only the public, but business people calling in because the lead character was so morally against their grains that they couldn't take it any more.
-The Garbage Pail Kids [https://www.vulture.com/2013/04/the-gross-mess-that-was-the-garbage-pail-kids-cartoon.html] had a tv show. I never watched it. I never got the deal with it. But Protests came aknocking.
-Kid Nation [https://www.bustle.com/articles/57331-8-reasons-cbs-kid-nation-was-more-traumatizing-for-children-than-the-hunger-games] was a terrible idea. But a lot of coked up producers tried anyway. The protests put it to bed quickly.
-Heil Honey, I'm Home [https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/09/16/heil-honey-im-home-1990-sitcom-adolf-hitler-taken-off-air-one-episode/]. Yes, it was a sitcom about Hitler living in suburbia next to Jews. And yes, You're God Damned Right it was Cancelled
-Everyone shouted down the Bill Cosby accusers because he was Bill freaking Cosby.
-All My Baby Mamas [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_My_Babies%27_Mamas] didn't even get to air because the Black Community was all over it.
-Both the Dixie Chicks [https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-dixie-chicks-backlash-begins] and Politically Incorrect [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politically_Incorrect#Controversy_and_cancellation] saw nothing but Backs when they spoke out against Bush.
-GCB [https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/gcb-cancelled-season-two-22995/] actually saw a rise in its ratings. But Christians weren't happy. And it was weirdly cancelled.
-Hell, the comedian of all comedians, Lenny Bruce [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_Bruce#Obscenity_arrests] was censored by the more conservative mindset so many times that he was followed and observed after his obscenity arrest.

Like, I can go on. There's no shortage of people getting huffy throughout civilization and trying to get something cancelled that they weren't watching anyawy. But we have comedians like Joe Rogan saying it's never been as bad as this... When Lenny Freaking Bruce was even talked about not minutes ago on his podcast! The man who was arrested for saying c*cksucker vs protests and whining on twitter. Is that really a comparison?

I'm not a big fan of cancel culture. I never was. And it's been around since the 80's. 70's. 60's. 50's... Cancel Culture has always been a thing everywhere. You don't like it, call the advertisement people and threaten to boycott. Those people will pull their funding and that whatever will go away. It's happened so many times to count that I find anyone who say it's never been this bad to be disingenuous. That doesn't make it better under #MeToo. It just makes everyone false who pretend that this is something new and you just have to give up.

You can do that. Or, you can fight like Bruce. You can fight like Carlin. People got so used to the ease and sleaze of the early 2000's where you could get away with a lot more. There's a reason we haven't seen a "___ Movie" from the Wayans Brothers in a while. Other than those movies suck. People want to have a say but really do not have to deal with the consequences. And oddly enough, these are the same comics who say "Oh, women want all the power but none of the agency. They want to mouth off but don't want to actually rise above the level they deem appropriate."

Comics, the kettle and the pot are both indeed black.

... That was my long winded way of saying "I get it, but this is nothing new".

 

[Hawki]

The Last Wife (4/5)

Not that you'd know it from the title, but if I told you that this was a stage play based on the life of Catherine Parr, last wife of Henry VIII, then suddenly the title makes a bit more sense, right? Right?

Well, whatever. Play's pretty good. Very good actually. It can be considered to be an abridged form of Catherine Parr's life, from her marriage to Henry, to her death. I will admit that if you don't know the history of Henry VIII, you might be a bit lost, and speaking personally, me watching 'The Tudors' helped me get a sense of what was what. But in addition to Catherine and Henry, we also get Mary, Elizabeth, Edward, and Thomas Seymour. All of them play the parts well - above all else, the actress who plays Mary gets top honours. She's great at the deadpan humour of one who's been screwed over all her life, and remains screwed over as Edward's the one who's going to get the throne because he's a boy.

Did I just reveal that this is a feminist play? Well, yes, but I actually mean that in a good sense here, in that it explores its themes of motherhood and empowerment, but is never preachy about it. Henry's a brute, but the play still gives him some sympathy, showing a man who's past his physical prime, who's pining still for his third wife, and is worried about his legacy. That's not to say that Henry is justified in his past actions (y'know, the whole decapitation thing), nor is his treatment of Catherine at times condonable, but it does show the man behind the monster, so to speak.

If I had any criticisms, it would be that the play is sometimes a bit too sensual for its own good (clothing, lying in bed, etc.) and it does have a few modern coloquialisms that made me raise an eyebrow (e.g. "throwing a curve ball - yes, baseball was apparently a thing in Tudor England). I suppose you could point out that Shakespeare used anachronisms as well and no-one penalizes him for it, but for better or worse, it was noticable. Still, these are nitpicks in what's a very solid performance.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Dave Chappelle: Sticks and Stones and Bill Burr: Paper Tiger. Each clocking around 8 or 9 out of 10.

Watched with my girlfriend, enjoyed both of them. Maybe I've seen Bill in too many specials or talk shows but I'm catching him repeat his act a lot lately, especially when his wife comes into play in his routines. He's a great storyteller though. Chappelle I enjoyed the hell out of. The whole shotgun bit towards the end dragged on but otherwise he's outstanding as ever. Like Burr, a lot of it is "just" body language and pitch double-takes. What sells it is how effortless it looks. Like the joke's taking over.

Also finished Terror in Resonance, or Zankyou no Terror for the weebs. 6 or 7 out of 10.

So I can tolerate anime for 26 episodes, which apparently is the norm for conclusive "one season" anime like Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Death Note, etc. At 11 I guess Terror in Resonance is more of the mini-series equivalent. Top marks for a a simple yet ever-developing plot and the tight pacing to sell what's essentially a paperback thriller. It's effective and intriguing.

The characters I didn't care for though. Part of it is due to that tired anime clich? about having a secret government facility for raising autists that always renders the key players of "adult" plots as 15 year olds. Part of it is also because none of the kids are given much characterization. Nine is grim, Twelve is cheery. That's it. Lisa is a fucking wet blanket, and unbearable. I only liked Shibazaki because I caught a glimpse of Spike Spiegel in him, and the growing rapport with his partner made them more interesting to watch. Kinda wish that the story would've been told from their perspective, with them as the protagonists.

 

[Agema]

Jack Ryan (the TV series, season 1)

Dear god, this was one of the worst things I've watched in years. It's like they decided to make an entire TV series out of cliche and plot holes. It's saving grace is that it was generally slick enough to slip past without too much pain, even if I did find myself repeatedly wanting to twist my own brain out and stamp it into the carpet.

 

[Baffle]

Unbelievable. It's very good.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Power/Rangers Unauthorized [Bootleg Universe] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw5vcUPyL90]

I can't rate it. I think it's really cool, but there's just one glaring thing I don't understand.

Spoiler

Ok, so the video starts with telling us that the Machine Empire won. Ok, that's dark. And not only did Earth surrender, but the Power Rangers disbanded with their powers seemingly intact, as we see Zack Morph to take down North Korean gangsters.

... So why does Rita kill the Rangers? Yeah, I know. They are enemies. But Rita is completely outgunned here. No sign of Zedd, the Machine Empire not only has their position on the moon (if Zeo holds up in this canon), but the rest of the World covered with Machine Loyalists and Soldiers. Rita hates the Machine Empire as much as anyone else because they ran Rita and Zedd out of town.

It was clearly time for an alliance. They were the only people who actually could have helped stand a chance against the Machine Empire. And at the end, Rita took Kimberly's form in order to entice Tommy out of hiding because she DID need help trying to take over the planet. So side with the Rangers and betray them later. A full ranger team plus their Special Ranger is stronger than just the Special Ranger.

I mean, it's still a great spin on my nostalgia. But it just doesn't make enough sense for me to cement a rating. Maybe that in and of itself should justify a rating?

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Darling in the Franxx - 6/10

Been a while since I watch a mecha show. First things I noticed, it cribs liberally from Neon Genesis Evangelion and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Like both shows were shoved into a blender, got the crap mixed out of them, then strained into a different color bottle. So yeah, it's not the most original show. It even has some similar overarching themes of children learning to grow up and forging their own destiny, though in this case with a heavy focus on discovering one's sexuality and (romantic) relationships.

For what it's worth, despite a rocky start, it does a decent job. The battles are well-animated and choreographed, with fun mecha designs. Most of the main characters receive a good amount of character development, as well as exploring their relationships with each other, particularly in the latter half of its 24 episode run. The show kind of craps the bed in the last 4 episodes though, when it radically shifts gears, literally taking the plot into space while any subplots are quickly, and often unsatisfyingly, resolved if not left dangling altogether. It also tends to forget its main characters are supposed to be entirely ignorant about things like love, sexuality and pregnancy in order to create drama or enable fanservice of the sexual slapstick humor variety.

All in all tho, I enjoyed the show for the entertaining but pretty superficial romp it is. I might just try the manga adaptation too. Supposedly it plays out quite different.

 

[Elfgore]

I finally decided to sit down and watch some Black Mirror to see what the ruckus is about. I think this show does one thing well, it draws me in real nice. I tend to play games like Civilization or Stellaris, you know easy to pause games, when watching TV. I found myself ignoring those to focus on the episodes. The problem is, the pay off is never as good or falls short and in the worst cases, makes no sense for the moral of the episode. Take episode three, season one.

Spoiler: Episode Three Spoilers

I thought I knew were this was going. The husband was quite literally driving himself mad with the ability to repeat memories again and again and see every little detail. He did it with work and he did it with his wife's interactions with another man. I genuinely wanted his wife to be innocent, it would have shown how mentally risky that technology could be to some people. Instead, she did cheat on him. It would have been better to just have him be wrong and obsessive over something that wasn't real and have it cost him his wife and child not be validated.

Also, the forced sex scene in every episode isn't needed. I don't need a scene of a buxom, Scottish women in her bra for five minutes. Episode four was bad as a whole, but that just had my eyes rolling. Your premise was interesting enough to keep my attention. I didn't need big boobies shoved in my face to continue being interested.

Edit: Oh no, I reached the criticism of Instagram episode. Send help. It's too awful.

 

[Dalisclock]

I finally decided to sit down and watch some Black Mirror to see what the ruckus is about. I think this show does one thing well, it draws me in real nice. I tend to play games like Civilization or Stellaris, you know easy to pause games, when watching TV. I found myself ignoring those to focus on the episodes. The problem is, the pay off is never as good or falls short and in the worst cases, makes no sense for the moral of the episode. Take episode three, season one.

Spoiler: Episode Three Spoilers

I thought I knew were this was going. The husband was quite literally driving himself mad with the ability to repeat memories again and again and see every little detail. He did it with work and he did it with his wife's interactions with another man. I genuinely wanted his wife to be innocent, it would have shown how mentally risky that technology could be to some people. Instead, she did cheat on him. It would have been better to just have him be wrong and obsessive over something that wasn't real and have it cost him his wife and child not be validated.

Also, the forced sex scene in every episode isn't needed. I don't need a scene of a buxom, Scottish women in her bra for five minutes. Episode four was bad as a whole, but that just had my eyes rolling. Your premise was interesting enough to keep my attention. I didn't need big boobies shoved in my face to continue being interested.

Edit: Oh no, I reached the criticism of Instagram episode. Send help. It's too awful.

I really want to like Black Mirror and to some extent, I do, but the fact the episodes tend to be Bleak as fuck makes it too hard to watch. The last one I watched was about the soldiers hunting "Roaches" which I almost immediately figured out the twist. The fact it feels far too close to real life right now just makes it too hard to watch the show, not when I can watch the news and feel instantly depressed. I could be playing something a little more lighthearted, like playing Dark Souls.

 

[Trunkage]

Dark Crystal TV

I'm going to be pointing to this as an example for the debate between real life models and CGI. These models look horrible, don't move in any natural sense, look completely lifeless and really detract from making any connection to the characters. But then, I think the old The Thing movie looks horribly plastic and doesn't engage me at all. And all the cuts between action moments were sickening, and they are only so fast becuase you can't do proper action with puppets.

That's not to say CGI is a better alternative, becuase some of this is show is clearly CGI and it looks terrible too.

Anyway, I haven't seen the movie since the 90s. I don't know why this is being made, and I don't feel like it adds much. I will reserve judgement when I rewatch the movie. But it explains the twist in the movie, making it redundant. If you know the movie, you know exactly what happens to these characters, making the tension non-existent. This is opposed to something like Rogue One, where the characters are in actual mortal danger (unlike other Star Wars movies, becuase plot armour.) But you don't know exactly what will happen, as you don't know who will survive or die based on previous iterations.

It's taken me a week to get through it. Sometimes exciting, sometimes pretty boring. 6/10

Billions (latest season, I think 3 or 4)

The set up for this season was great. Giamatti smashed it out of the park and was actually clever and manipulative. But that was completely ruined by the last moment, reneging on the deal from the end of last season with Axe and starting back at season 1. All without him becoming self aware in any sense. It made this whole season feel like filler. So was the whole thing with Mason and Axe. That felt like spinning wheels while the other main story was happening.

I'll give it 8/10 but almost 2 points should be deducted for the final 10 mins or so.

The Boys

I haven't read the comic but have listened to a rundown. I also sort of like Preacher, as it seems way to focus on story twists and shock value, rather than story telling. The Boys sound way better than the comics, and is way better than Preacher. Yes, it still has shock value but it's tied to the story and makes sense. The changed many of the characters, and generally for the better. Kripke knows how to use elements to tell an overall story, and was especially good at deleting elements that just sound like story padding. I can't say much more without spoiling but it's worth the watch. 9/10. One of the best shows I saw this year

Agents of Shield: After Endgame
There were like, four or five set for 13 episodes. Does that sound repetitive and breaking the stories back becuase they needed an excuse to not move to alternative sets? Yep. This could have been 8 episode. It's all the story they had, but they dragged it out for DRAMA! This is a downgrade from a few seasons ago and doesn't get me excited for the final season at all. 4/10 Last five minutes jumped the shark here too

 

[Kyrian007]

Disenchanted: Season 2 (3/10)

I may have to give up on Disenchanted. I gave the first season a 3/10 with the understanding that the creators were capable of much better and I had hope it could improve.

It didn't.

Its biggest failing... its a comedy, and I laughed twice in the second season. It just isn't funny. The Simpsons made me laugh every episode. Futurama makes me laugh about every time someone speaks a line. Disenchanted isn't funny, and doesn't have anything else to fall back on.