This news just caused me to have an uncomfortable mental flip-- I also was really moved by this series, and the scene where the townsfolk are on the bridge, frolicking in the falling ash as if it’s snow, knowing they’re all doomed, is one of the most poignant and affecting scenes in the entire show. Learning just now that it didn’t happen made me feel kind of disappointed and cheated…
…then I realized I’m feeling disappointed upon learning that some innocent townsfolk did not die, after all
I tell myself it’s just my disappointment at learning I was misled, never mind the reason, but I still feel dirty now.
I don’t know if anyone else is still keeping up with Ryan Murphy’s Monster series, but the current season is based on Lizzie Bordon. Charlie Hunnam is in this season as Lizzie’s dad (he was Ed Gein in the previous season). I’m only two episodes in, but so far, so good.
Also, I remember someone upthread dropping out of the Ed Gein season because of how dark/intense it got. At least where I am it’s not nearly as dark or intense as the Ed Gein season, but her parent’s are still alive, so I’m sure it’s going to take a turn at some point.
Finished Slow Horses through season 5. The scenes between Taverner and Roddy as she begins to realize that he really is that self-absorbed, stupid and delusional were amazing. Also hats off to Christopher Chung that plays Roddy. I was dreading that character being central to the storyline this season but he did a good job with it.
I’ve seen both seasons of Severance. What a delightfully weird show! I can’t believe it takes 2-3 years between seasons though, and I’m afraid I will have forgotten too much by the time season 3 comes out hopefully later next year.
I’m also through the first four episodes of For All Mankind and am really loving it. I enjoy alternate history stories anyway, but this is exceptionally well done. I’m also realizing how much about the space race I’m sure I learned in school but have since forgotten.
Didn’t last 10 minutes into the continuation of A Different World. It isn’t quite as dramatic and as dramatically different as Bel-Air vs The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but it is close. It had a few moments of what was apparently meant to be humor, but they fell flat. And the filming style is very obnoxious, done single-camera with a handheld camera with constant panning and zooming.
We watched a few episodes of St. Denis Medical on Peacock, thinking that it might be a funny medical show along the lines of Scrubs or even something like St. Elsewhere, a drama with quirky characters and occasionally funny moments.
It’s not. It’s awful. The characters in a show like this can be obnoxious and unappealing but still be funny. These people are not. This sitcom commits the worst possible sin: It’s UNFUNNY. Who greenlighted this one?
We’ve seen the first four episodes. Weird doesn’t do it justice. But interesting enough to keep us going. I suspect it is taking a LOT of liberties with the historical record though.
Late to this game, but I gave Alien: Earth a try (on Hulu) and gave up after 3 episodes. It’s not that it’s bad - it’s a fairly interesting take on the Alien universe and the lead actress is compelling to watch. I would have liked to finish it, but:
I think they missed a fundamental aspect of what works best about Alien, which is the build up of tension over time, where we barely catch glimpses of something really scary out there somewhere. It’s coming, but we don’t know exactly where and when, and even when it attacks it’s too fast and violent to see it clearly. The “not knowing” really ratchets up the tension. Until the end, of course. But this show goes “full frontal” (as it were) much too early - we’re seeing full body, well-lit and even slo-mo shots of the aliens by the third episode. Where’s the tension? There’s almost no build. I think it was a real mis-read about what makes the films so effective.
It was too gory for me. Normally I have a fairly high tolerance for fake gore, but this was so over the top it became campy and kind of stupid.
There was way too much “rule of cool” shot-making, with the alien doing stupid shit just because the director thought the shot looked good.
Documentary. Mike Peterson was drinking wine by the pool with his wife when she went in for bed. When he entered the house some time later, she was dying at the foot of the stairs. He called 9-1-1 and she sadly died in his arms.
He was accused of her murder, authorities claiming he hit her in the head multiple times while on the stairs.
I won’t go into details as this story contains many twists. My wife and I enjoyed it a lot, though. Is he a murderer? I won’t give thoughts here as it would spoil the show. But we are all pretty much left with a big question. Did she really fall on the stairs and died in an accident? Was there a violent attack?
Check it out. Netflix. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.
Came across “Roadworthy Rescues” on the Discovery Turbo (formerly MotorTrend TV) channel. If the mechanic here isn’t an honorary member of Possum Lodge, he should be; he’s like a somewhat competent Red Green.
I am guessing this is the documentary, not the drama with (I think) Colin Firth? I saw the doc years ago on the BBC, it is pretty compelling isn’t it. I know Netflix added some extra episodes years later. Well worth watching.
I’m still watching “SEAL Team” on NFLX. It’s managed to hold my interest throughout, although I could do without some of the soul searching scenes. The action is good. The language is definitely PG, and there are no sexually explicit scenes, as it was a CBS series.
For the last few months, I’ve been cranking up vintage sitcoms (“vintage” to varying degrees, but all have wrapped it up) to run continuously as background noise while I do stuff around the house. A few quick reactions:
Barney Miller. I’ll say this one has held up very well over time, mainly because of the focus on characters and the various dynamics between them. You don’t really notice that they don’t have computers or cell phones. Well, that is to say, I don’t notice. Bewitched. Surprisingly watchable. That Girl. Marlo Thomas is delightful. The Partridge Family. One episode, and I’m prepared to declare it absolute dreck. The Dick Van Dyke Show. No reflection on Van Dyke himself or any of his costars, but sometimes it doesn’t seem clear whether they wanted it to be a sitcom or a variety show. And they sure as heck didn’t know what to do with Richie except, seemingly, just to have him turn up occasionally to acknowledge that a married couple like this one should, as a matter of course (in the network’s view), have a kid. But at its best, great stuff. Frasier. Pretty solid. Man with a Plan. A post-Friends Matt LeBlanc vehicle. Reeeeeasonably good, but there’s nothing that makes it stand out. Two Broke Girls. Objectively bad, with dull, uninspired writing and dialogue that consists mostly of cheap shots and awkward pop culture references shoehorned into the conversation (or so it seems), but I’m ashamed to admit that for some reason I can’t define, I like it. Well, all right, I like looking at Kat Dennings. Okay, there it is. Don’t judge me. Mike and Molly. I like it.
One thing I’ve never seen in one of these is the judge from the trial agreeing to sit for an interview and give his opinion. I was stunned. The very final moment of the whole thing, the judge gives his thoughts and says:;
