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TV Series Thread

Started by PickelledEggs, August 26, 2014, 06:28:36 PM

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Hydra009

The way I heard it: adorably OLD-FASHIONED

Blackleaf

So my thoughts on the first episode of The Falcon & Winter Soldier. Pretty good. The hook wasn't as good as WandaVision, but it had great action and storytelling. My expectations weren't very high, since the trailers were kind of...boring. But I think whoever made it did a bad job representing the show. This is entertaining.

Right now, it feels like the show has two completely different stories. You have Falcon doing hero work and dealing with family problems, and Winter Soldier trying to make amends for his past misdeeds. It's only the first episode, of course, so they're taking time to reintroduce us to these characters and catch us up with them before bringing them together.

[Spoiler]Interesting idea, having The Falcon refuse to take up the mantle of Captain America, but then America picks a new Captain America. He's going to be the villain of the series, for sure. Maybe he's the leader of the Flag Crushers, and he's going to use his position as Captain America to promote a one-world government. He's going to rebrand himself Captain Earth or something. I'm calling it now. He will probably be the one who brings The Falcon and Winter Soldier together, given that both were friends of Captain America.[/spoiler]
"Oh, wearisome condition of humanity,
Born under one law, to another bound;
Vainly begot, and yet forbidden vanity,
Created sick, commanded to be sound."
--Fulke Greville--

Hydra009

#1127
[spoiler]They did Sam Wilson so dirty.  First off, retiring Cap's shield to be housed in a museum then turning around and giving it to some lackey.  Secondly, that Libyan mission with practically zero support - it's like he was being set up to fail.  Or die.  And those criminals had to have been psychic to have an Apache canyon ambush at the ready.

Third, and this is the worst one, rejecting that loan.  #racism.  I had always wondered about superhero finances, but I just assumed that Stark paid them handsomely and set them up with some amazing medical plans.  Because if you think about it, a superhero with poor finances is a superhero tempted by bribery or crime.  The nation has a vested interest in making sure supers are financially stable and in good health.  For example, you don't want Spidey to have to choose between patrolling and working part time to make ends meet, especially when that night, some punks are going to rob a bank and then attack the cops who show up.  And you definitely don't want him in bed nursing a broken leg while the Green Goblin is pumpkin-bombing Times Square.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Sokovia Accords would've essentially made superheroes into law-enforcement officers with pay and benefits courtesy of SHIELD.  At least, that's how it worked in the comics.

And mark my words, Wilson's support guy - Joaquin Torres - is up to something.  He wants to tinker with Redwing.  He makes a mental note that Sam can speak passable arabic.  He's fascinated by the Flag Smashers.  He tries to push Sam into revealing where Steve Rogers is.  None of those things is suspicious on its own, but taken together, it's all very suspicious.  He might not be super evil, but he's definitely mixed up in something.  Joaquin all along, I'm calling it!

If you watch his interactions with Sam, it's clear that he's picking Sam's brain.  Every time he says something to Sam or Sam says anything, he's watching Sam like a hawk, gauging his reactions, and making mental notes.  This isn't how people normally conduct conversations - it's how people conduct interrogations.[/spoiler]

SGOS

Real Humans on Hulu
Swedish
Subtitled

It's unusual, but Sweden does put out some good film and TV that shows up in the US once in a while.  This is a series from 2012 addressing artificial human like robots (hubots) that covers issues that are now mostly common place, but at 10 years old, this series does it better than most and has a refreshing new feel, both interesting and fun.  I don't even mind the subtitles, which is usually a red flag for me.  I'm really enjoying this one.  (9/10)

drunkenshoe

#1129
I've been watching the 'Inside No. 9' series. It's good. E: It's an anthology...dark comedy of various kinds.
"science is not about building a body of known 'facts'. ıt is a method for asking awkward questions and subjecting them to a reality-check, thus avoiding the human tendency to believe whatever makes us feel good." - tp

Hydra009

#1130
Falcon and the White Panther, episode 2

[spoiler]I liked the tension and the personality clashes in this one (though the bickering started wearing thin about halfway through and reminded me a bit too much of me and my twin), but I've gotta say, I was not a fan of the highway fight scene.  I know there's a certain ...action logic to these things that doesn't always make sense.  But for the love of Cap, why didn't they just blow out the tires?  Perfectly sensible option.  Instead, they walk up to super-strength Augments and throw some punches.  The weakest possible attack playing right into the enemy's strength.  It'd be like me trying to grapple the Undertaker.  So stupid.  And you know the worst part about it?  Later on, one of 'em gets gunned down by some mooks, no sweat.  So, it's not like they're bulletproof.[/spoiler]

Mr.Obvious

Gotta finish season 2 of kingdom.

After that, maybe, season two of the umbrella acadamy? Season 1 was actually dope.
"If we have to go down, we go down together!"
- Your mum, last night, requesting 69.

Atheist Mantis does not pray.

Blackleaf

Quote from: Hydra009 on March 27, 2021, 03:57:01 PM
Falcon and the White Panther, episode 2

[spoiler]I liked the tension and the personality clashes in this one (though the bickering started wearing thin about halfway through and reminded me a bit too much of me and my twin), but I've gotta say, I was not a fan of the highway fight scene.  I know there's a certain ...action logic to these things that doesn't always make sense.  But for the love of Cap, why didn't they just blow out the tires?  Perfectly sensible option.  Instead, they walk up to super-strength Augments and throw some punches.  The weakest possible attack playing right into the enemy's strength.  It'd be like me trying to grapple the Undertaker.  So stupid.  And you know the worst part about it?  Later on, one of 'em gets gunned down by some mooks, no sweat.  So, it's not like they're bulletproof.[/spoiler]

Umm, actually, that's White Wolf. But yeah, didn't like this episode as much as the first one, but I'll still tune in for the third episode.

[spoiler]I like how Sam is almost arrested by the police for talking to a white guy in public too loudly. But then they realize who he is and are all chummy with him. lol

"Sorry! We thought you were just a black guy."[/spoiler]
"Oh, wearisome condition of humanity,
Born under one law, to another bound;
Vainly begot, and yet forbidden vanity,
Created sick, commanded to be sound."
--Fulke Greville--

Hydra009

#1133
Quote from: Blackleaf on March 28, 2021, 01:25:48 AMUmm, actually, that's White Wolf.
Sam's misnomer was too good to not reference.  :P

[spoiler]Yeah, those blue lights gave me the willies.  I thought for sure that Sam would get into some big thing with the cops.  Later, when FakeCap jokingly turned on the blue lights, I just about jumped out of my chair.  More threatening than reassuring.[/spoiler]

Blackleaf

Been watching Clone Wars, since I have Disney+, and there were a few references to it in The Mandalorian. I'm in the middle of season 4, and I'm really enjoying it. The first two seasons aren't...bad, but it gets much better in season 3. If I didn't know that beforehand, I probably would have stopped in the middle of season 2. Two seasons are a lot of binge through to get to the good stuff, though. So for anyone interested, I'd recommend skipping them altogether. There is some context you miss out on if you don't watch the first two seasons, but I'd rather someone miss that than get bored of the series before season 3.

Confusingly, there is a movie of the same name, which is set before season 1. It is where we are introduced to Ahsoka, Anakin's Padawan. But it's also generally considered by fans to be of season 1-2 quality, so it's up to you if you choose to skip it. All you really need to know is that Anakin did not want a Padawan, and he was not receptive of Ahsoka at first. However, the two have similar personalities and styles, so he warms up to her after a bit. Anakin was assigned Ahsoka in hopes that it would help Anakin mature as a person, which we do see happening as he embraces the role of a teacher.

The show has a very interesting way of taking clones, who are designed to be disposable soldiers to match the literal robots of the Separatists they were made to battle, and making them into unique and likeable characters. You can see this in all of the seasons, but if you start with season 3, you'll see what I mean from episode 1. They're much more than just canon fodder, and the Jedi (most of them) form friendships with the clones they work beside. Which makes it sad when you see them die. The show is made for kids, but it's for older kids. So they can have some dark themes, and they have characters die all the time. They get away with it by not showing blood, or cutting away from particularly brutal scenes, like when this one clone gets sliced in half.

The show also introduces some interesting lore to the series, such as these Force entities. Some very interesting stuff happens when they're introduced, that I don't want to spoil.

[spoiler]Anakin finds out he's supposed to be the "chosen one," destined to bring balance to the Force. I was always under the impression that this information was hidden from him, but it's interesting seeing his reaction to this. The Father, representing Balance, wants Anakin to take his place and protect the balance between Light and Dark, since he is getting too old to control his children. The Son, who represents the Dark Side, seduces Anakin. He even shows Anakin a vision of the future. He sees himself becoming Darth Vader, causing a lot of suffering, although he is a little hazy on the details. So he becomes determined to change history. It would have been interesting to see an alternate timeline where he accomplishes his goal, but the Father ends up erasing the vision from his memory. Oh well.[/spoiler]
"Oh, wearisome condition of humanity,
Born under one law, to another bound;
Vainly begot, and yet forbidden vanity,
Created sick, commanded to be sound."
--Fulke Greville--

Hydra009

Quote from: Blackleaf on March 28, 2021, 02:07:06 PMThe show has a very interesting way of taking clones, who are designed to be disposable soldiers to match the literal robots of the Separatists they were made to battle, and making them into unique and likeable characters.
Which is really tragic when you stop to think about it.  They were literally bred for war to create a peace that they'll never enjoy and to serve a Republic they'll never be integrated into.  At best, they're well-treated slaves and valued assets.  At worst, their lives are intentionally sold cheaply by incompetent or malicious commanders.

QuoteThe show is made for kids, but it's for older kids. So they can have some dark themes, and they have characters die all the time. They get away with it by not showing blood, or cutting away from particularly brutal scenes, like when this one clone gets sliced in half.
The Umbara arc is essentially Space Vietnam.  It might technically be allowable for kids, but there are definitely some adult themes there.

Blackleaf

#1136
Quote from: Hydra009 on March 28, 2021, 03:05:05 PM
Which is really tragic when you stop to think about it.  They were literally bred for war to create a peace that they'll never enjoy and to serve a Republic they'll never be integrated into.  At best, they're well-treated slaves and valued assets.  At worst, their lives are intentionally sold cheaply by incompetent or malicious commanders.

And we know how it ends with the movies, with the command of Order 66 activating their programming to turn against their own Jedi friends. I like that there are some clones who realize they're being used and decide to do things their own way. Either by deserting or even betraying their own. The one who decided to become a spy for the Separatists had a point, which really puts this whole series in a different perspective. It's not a simple tale of good vs evil, but of tragedies. In the end, we know Palpatine is playing both sides. He's using information he becomes privy due to his position in the Republic to empower the Separatists and prolong the war, ensuring that no matter who wins, both are drowning in debt and are severely weakened. When the Republic wins the war, they become the evil Empire, and then the good guys (the Resistance) take the place of the Separatists, fighting the system to find freedom.

I like that from season 2 onward, they begin to pull back the curtain on Palpatine and Anakin. They knew we already knew what happens, so they begin to show the dark sides of both characters. I particularly love how two-faced Palpatine becomes, showing a completely different personality when he doesn't have to put on his façade, like when dealing with the Zillo beast.

Almost every character from the prequels is done better in the series. With the exception of maybe Jar Jar, but it feels like they did that on purpose. They could have made him less annoying, but where's the fun in that? Instead, they double down on him, making him even more of a screw up. He has his moments of usefulness to justify his place on the team, but for the most part, he's always making a mess of things.
"Oh, wearisome condition of humanity,
Born under one law, to another bound;
Vainly begot, and yet forbidden vanity,
Created sick, commanded to be sound."
--Fulke Greville--

Hydra009

#1137
Quote from: Blackleaf on March 28, 2021, 06:09:20 PMWhen the Republic wins the war, they become the evil Empire, and then the good guys (the Resistance) take the place of the Separatists, fighting the system to find freedom.
Iirc, neither the Rebels nor the Resistance were trying to break away like the Separatists were.  The Rebel Alliance was trying to restore the Republic by toppling the Empire and absorbing its systems into a new Republic.  I know next to nothing about the Resistance (just like everyone else), but they seemed to be partisans resisting the First Order occupation of New Republic worlds.

Imho, the Republic should've just let the Separatists break away peacefully.  Then they could've worked out some sort of deal and avoid hostilities in the short term while the Republic gets its house in order.  The Separatists rely heavily on trade, so they favor peace over war for the most part.  If not for that top secret Clone project on a planet barely inside the galaxy that almost no one knew about before the war broke out, the Separatists would've crushed the Republic militarily.

trdsf

Been watching Would I Lie To You? on Britbox.

Lee Mack has very possibly the fastest wit I've ever seen.
"My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution." -- Barbara Jordan

Mr.Obvious

Quote from: trdsf on March 31, 2021, 12:52:24 AM
Been watching Would I Lie To You? on Britbox.

Lee Mack has very possibly the fastest wit I've ever seen.

Some call it "Mackspeed".
"If we have to go down, we go down together!"
- Your mum, last night, requesting 69.

Atheist Mantis does not pray.