# Whatcha Watchin' on Netflix? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084 "2017-06-04T03:36:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/82 "2017-11-22T22:08:21Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > I’m starting this thread to serve as a general Netflix viewing thread. Major Nefilix series like Luke Cage and the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt are popular and watched enough to sustain their own threads, but most of them generate threads with the lifespan of trout mayflies, and are long vanished by the time I get to them in my queue. > > The first series I would like to bring up is a relatively new (to Netflix) Japanese import called Samurai Gourmet (“Oniboshi no Gurume”). I put in my my queue primarily because it was Japanese, but I didn’t have high expectations. The copy made it sound like a fictionalized version of Tony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmer having exotic food adventures, but the actual show turned out to be quite different. > > Our main character, Takeshi Kasumi, is a recently retired salaryman (The first episode opens with him waking up in a panic, thinking he has overslept for work.) who was a workaholic who ate “Set Lunch A” in the company cafeteria every day. Retirement has left him at loose ends, as his wife has a busy social schedule and life of her own (She is always running off to yoga class or choir practice or an alumni meeting.), so he takes to wandering around town and learning to enjoy life at a slower pace. > > A lot of that enjoyment comes in the form of eating out. The promo pic on Netflix shows Takeshi in a natty suit slurping noodles in an immaculate restaurant. The show is more along the lines of: Takeshi dressed like an old-retired guy goes to the equivalent of Mel’s Diner. It doesn’t deal with exotic or luxurious dishes, or trendy neighborhoods. Some of the dishes Takeshi eats might be unknown to American viewers, but that’s because they are more on the home-cooking end of Japanese cuisine and won’t often be found in stateside Japanese restaurants. > > A show centered one one character like Samurai Gourmet, especially since a good chunk of screen time featuresTakeshi’s internal monologue, needs strong lead performance, and it gets on here. The actor conveys both Takeshi’s love of and his somewhat nebbishy anxiety about social conventions ("Will these people look at me like an old drunk if I order a beer with my lunch?"or “Should I say something to these loud, obnoxious jerks at the next table who are ruining this quiet coffeeshop?” ). It’s a very low-key, slice-of-life show that’s basically one old man wondering where he is going to eat lunch, but I find it utterly charming. > > There is an actual samurai. When Takeshi has one of his anxiety moments, he “sees” the scene time-shift to the samurai era. There, the main character is a scruffy ronin, who doesn’t care about social conventions and is determined to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. When Takeshi “returns” to the present, the ronin’s example helps him be a little more assertive and enjoy himself without fretting about what others think. Thank you so much for this recommendation, I love this. I’d describe at is “Proust in Tokyo with a samurai.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/83 "2017-11-22T22:29:15Z")
I just watched the first episode of **Godless** , an oater starring Michelle Dockery, Jeff Daniels and Scoot McNairy (from “Halt and Catch Fire”). Dockery has put on a western accent and cowgirl clothes, but still isn’t convincing to me. Her last effort was “Good Behavior”, which started out okay, but jumped the shark quickly in season two. I’ll try one more episode of **Godless** to see where it’s going. ---
**Author:** ![Sara\_Tea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sara\_Tea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sara_Tea)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/84 "2017-11-22T22:48:03Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Yes, it’s incredibly profane. But so is puberty. We all went through it, but you can only explore the prurience of preteens in an animated comedy. Even as an adult many years removed from puberty, there are so many levels I related to this show and couldn’t help looking at my husband and going, “Really?!” His response: “Yeah, really.” Yeah, puberty was a very confusing and surprising time of life, especially the parts we’re all too embarrassed to talk about. The writing and voice acting in this show are top-notch. > > I’m now enjoying _Mindhunter_. The cars and sets are taking me back in time. I remember having a sheet set that matched the walls of that condo Dr. Carr was looking at. The smoking; everywhere and all the time! Blech! The interviews of the serial killers are both disturbing and intriguing. I had no idea it was based on real life and those are portrayals of actual serial killers until halfway through the series. I was too young to remember Kemper, but wow, after reading about him, I’m seriously impressed with the actor who portrayed him. He was creepy and weirdly sympathetic. Haha ya I thought this show was pretty funny, though embarrassing. It shows the realness of puberty, and puberty was brutal. I could probably make my own show with the amount of embarrassing stuff I went through as a teenager haha. I watched it with my bf and he seemed to become extra embarrassed, more than I’ve seen him. We chatted a bit and he said he just found it humiliating that every girl of all ages knew these details, like that boys masturbate into socks, hump pillows, and the what seems like very frequent ejaculations. I thought it was all hilarious but after talking about it, the show really let’s the girls off the hook. A few period jokes and one masturbation discussion compared to the outrageous stuff the main character does haha. ---
**Author:** ![Lickety\_Split\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/67e7ee/32.png) [@Lickety\_Split\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lickety_Split_1)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/85 "2017-11-22T22:48:58Z")
Right now I am about halfway through Season 1 of “Ozark.” Hmm…not bad…pretty good in fact. It got better as it went along, I think. I will be watching Season 2 when it comes out. I am also beginning the final season of Longmire. BTW…I recently finished watching Breaking Bad. Yeah…I know: it took me this long. When it was on TV for those five seasons I think I was the only adult white male in the US not watching it. I just didnt’ think I wanted to see a show about some dude cooking meth. Well…needless to say I had no idea how good it was. I binge-watched all five seasons on Netflix in about three weeks. And I just received my “Vamanos Pest” t-shirt in the mail from Amazon yesterday. LOL I will be looking for a new Netflix series when I finish Ozark. Any suggestions? I have seen…The Sniffer…Lillihammer…Nurse Jackie…Californication…Arrested Development…Wilfred…Narcos…Better Call Saul. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/86 "2017-11-22T22:56:57Z")
> [@Lickety\_Split](#): > > Right now I am about halfway through Season 1 of “Ozark.” Hmm…not bad…pretty good in fact. It got better as it went along, I think. I will be watching Season 2 when it comes out. I am also beginning the final season of Longmire. > > BTW…I recently finished watching Breaking Bad. Yeah…I know: it took me this long. When it was on TV for those five seasons I think I was the only adult white male in the US not watching it. I just didnt’ think I wanted to see a show about some dude cooking meth. Well…needless to say I had no idea how good it was. I binge-watched all five seasons on Netflix in about three weeks. And I just received my “Vamanos Pest” t-shirt in the mail from Amazon yesterday. LOL > > I will be looking for a new Netflix series when I finish Ozark. Any suggestions? I have seen…The Sniffer…Lillihammer…Nurse Jackie…Californication…Arrested Development…Wilfred…Narcos…Better Call Saul. > > Thanks. Definitely _Stranger Things_. My teenaged son and I are watching this with substantial amounts of glee. It’s WAY better than I expected it to be. If you like any of the Marvel TV series, check out _Arrow_, _The Flash_, _Daredevil_, _Luke Cage_ and _The Punisher_. Those are all good to great. And _Legends of Tomorrow_ is also good. There’s also a new highly acclaimed Netflix original movie out called _Mudbound_, which looks really good. Haven’t watched it yet. ---
**Author:** ![Sara\_Tea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sara\_Tea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sara_Tea)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/87 "2017-11-22T23:27:49Z")
I’m over half way through the 3rd season of Better call Saul and it’s awesome, my favorable on Netflix right now. Had to. Find a sketchy stream for it though. Ozark was okay, a little slow. Stranger Things 2 was really good too! ---
**Author:** ![Arrogantly\_Ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Arrogantly\_Ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogantly_Ignorant)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/88 "2017-11-22T23:44:50Z")
I just watched _13th_. Yes, I know I’m extremely late to the party. Perhaps one of the best documentaries I’ve seen. Not only did it involve an ongoing, tremendously important issue but it cogently detailed the historical events that created the situation today. Something I found personally effective was the use of the 13th amendment as a backdrop. Constitutional Law was one of my favorite subjects in law school, but my professor blew past the 13th Amendment. We similarly flew by the 15th Amendment. In fact, of the Reconstruction Amendments, our focus was almost entirely on the 14th. I doubt my experience is uncommon. This really made me see the 13th Amendment with completely different eyes. I’m kicking myself for it somehow staying off my radar for so long. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/89 "2017-11-27T20:56:14Z")
Over the weekend I stumbled across a new Netflix docu-series called _**[Shot In The Dark](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7644838/)**_. It’s about freelance videographers/stringers who roam LA at night, hoping to catch footage of news-worthy events that they can sell to the networks. It’s more compelling than I expected it to be – especially the first episode – and I binge-watched the first 5 episodes yesterday without really blinking (it helps that they’re only ~35 minutes long). I’ll probably watch the last 3 tonight. I hope it gets a second season. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/90 "2017-11-27T21:09:49Z")
Then you might like the movie[Nightcrawler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightcrawler_(film)) staring Jake Gyllenhall! ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/91 "2017-11-27T23:44:15Z")
I recently watched Warehouser. Great existential film. I recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/92 "2017-11-28T01:58:50Z")
Currently watching _American Vandal_–a deadly serious true crime mockumentary about the case of dicks spray painted on teacher’s cars in a high school parking lot. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/93 "2017-11-28T15:35:55Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > Then you might like the movie[Nightcrawler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightcrawler_(film)) staring Jake Gyllenhall! I’m sure that movie influenced the creation/marketability of _Shot in The Dark_! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/94 "2017-11-28T15:45:06Z")
Gave up on **Godless** after three episodes. Watched **Jim and Andy** , a documentary about Jim Carrey’s portrayal of Andy Kaufman. Unreleased footage of Carrey acting out as Kaufman when not actually filming. Somewhat disturbing and interesting. Carrey has clearly reached that weird point for an actor where nobody really cares what he’s doing and is rationalizing everything by claiming that he doesn’t care about any of it and is above petty human interactions. The armchair philosophizing at the end makes you want to throw something at the TV. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/95 "2017-11-28T15:59:59Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Gave up on **Godless** after three episodes. I’ve been mildly curious about that show, but not enough to add it to my queue. Now I’ll probably skip it. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/96 "2017-11-28T16:54:54Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Gave up on **Godless** after three episodes. Gave up after one episode. Very slow. _Mudbound_ is Oscar worthy. Hard to watch, but well-told story with great visuals. I thought all of the actors were exceptional in their parts. I felt each of the characters’ pain and struggle viscerally. I loved the soundtrack, too. The [story](http://variety.com/2017/film/features/mudbound-dee-rees-netflix-oscars-1202545540/) about how difficult it was for this film to be distributed is also a gut punch. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/97 "2017-11-28T17:32:31Z")
I recently binged the Flemish language series Hotel Beau Sejour. I didn’t know a single thing about it and literally picked it out because I liked the look of the thumbnail picture when I was scrolling through. Heck, I didn’t even realized it was going to be subtitled, though obviously the title gave me a hint that that might be the case. It’s about a teenage girl who is in limbo and trying to solve her own murder. Which sounds unoriginal at best and ridiculous at worst but is actually very well done. Perhaps I was just enamored of the foreign setting, and maybe the locals look at it as fluff for teenagers but I could not stop watching it. I’d really be interested in hearing from anyone else who has watched it and has a strong opinion of it. I won’t hijack this thread but I’ll start a new one if anyone else wants to discuss it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/98 "2017-11-28T17:46:12Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I’ve been mildly curious about that show, but not enough to add it to my queue. Now I’ll probably skip it. It’s not the cast that is the problem, it’s the gratuitous and often meaningless scenes in terms of the story line that drove me crazy along with the predictability of where the story is going. It’s like “Ah crap, we’re five minutes short of filling up an hour; let’s pick this up off the editing room floor and stick it in.” ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/99 "2017-11-28T18:00:40Z")
Been watching_The Expanse_. Story takes place two centuries in the future. Water and air are the most valuable resources. I am enjoying it, but I am also a sci-fy junkie. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/100 "2017-11-28T18:10:31Z")
Started Godless the other night. It’s not bad, but it might be taking itself too seriously. Will follow up. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084/101 "2017-11-28T19:47:58Z")
Once we’re caught up with _This is Us_ on network, we’re going to watch the final season of _Longmire_ on Netflix. Too bad that it’s ending, imperfect though it is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-on-netflix/788084.md?page=6)