TV Series

[oblong]

6 hours ago, ewsieg said:

There is a catch 22 for me regardless if I wait a week or binge watch.  Like you say, in some regards I get a week to try and understand certain aspects of a storyline or even just a comment which I may have taken one way when I watched it, but by the time I'm watching the next one I identified more context to it and better prepared to see how it develops.  

But then when I binge there will be small cues which I likely would have completely forgotten if I was going week to week which I catch when they might build on to it an episode or two later and it's still fresh in my mind.

Guess it probably depends on what I'm watching and how much interest I have in it.  

Definitely depends on the show I admit. When I rewatched better call Saul I preferred the binge due to the pacing. 
 

we binged the first 2 seasons of white lotus and that was fine as it’s not so deep. But with severance we binged the first season and few episodes of season 2 to catch up so I think we missed some things by jumping ahead immediately. No time to think. 

[Hongbit]

On 4/16/2025 at 9:39 AM, oblong said:

The two that stand out from memory that I really liked were called Be Right Back and another with Aaron Paul called Beyond the Sea.

 

Think of Black Mirror as a modern day Twilight Zone.  Most have a theme surrounding some type of technology and a unique twist at the end.  They can all be watched completely independent of one another.  

My favorite episodes: 
 

White Bear

USS Callister

White Christmas 

Hated in the Nation

San Junipero

Common People, Plaything, and Hotel Reverie are all really good from this season.   I’m still waiting to watch the final episode which is some type of Callister sequel. 

[chasfh]

My wife and I just watched the first episode of Adolescence, and it is fantastic. I cannot wait to watch the rest of this four-part mini-series. I would binge through the rest of it today were my wife not quite opposed to the idea of binging.

[Hongbit]

34 minutes ago, chasfh said:

My wife and I just watched the first episode of Adolescence, and it is fantastic. I cannot wait to watch the rest of this four-part mini-series. I would binge through the rest of it today were my wife not quite opposed to the idea of binging.

One of the oddest shows that I’ve ever seen.  

First two episodes were spectacular.  

The last two, well I still don’t know what they were doing and why they were doing it.  I will say the very end was powerful.  

 I think most of the critical buzz came from the uniqueness that every episode is a single shot much like the movie Birdman.   

[Mr.TaterSalad]

I made a Sopranos Jeopardy game online. Now is your chance to test your knowledge of everybody's favorite TV show The Sopranos. Play Sopranos Jeopardy and see if you're a regular varsity athlete who really knows the show or just a real stunod.

Click here to play Sopranos Jeopary

 

 

Edited April 19 by Mr.TaterSalad

[chasfh]

4 hours ago, Hongbit said:

One of the oddest shows that I’ve ever seen.  

First two episodes were spectacular.  

The last two, well I still don’t know what they were doing and why they were doing it.  I will say the very end was powerful.  

 I think most of the critical buzz came from the uniqueness that every episode is a single shot much like the movie Birdman.   

I had not heard any buzz about the oners, but I was wondering whether the other three episodes would be shot that way. Makes sense they would do them all as oners, versus the first as a oner and the rest conventionally.

The premiere episode had one of the more powerful scenes I’ve ever seen: in the interrogation room with the father and son alone, after the father had seen the evidence that the son appeared to be involved, after he’d asked the son earnestly and the son denied it, the father starts to weep into his hands, the son reaches out to touch dad’s shoulder, and dad instinctively pulls away from the son … that’s just so gut-wrenching to watch. 

Edited April 19 by chasfh

[Motor City Sonics]

14 hours ago, chasfh said:

My wife and I just watched the first episode of Adolescence, and it is fantastic. I cannot wait to watch the rest of this four-part mini-series. I would binge through the rest of it today were my wife not quite opposed to the idea of binging.

Just watching the first episode now and the dad,  I keep thinking of him as Al Capone.  

[Hongbit]

On 1/18/2024 at 10:23 AM, Hongbit said:

Succession is absolutely fantastic.  Some of the best acting and character development you will see on TV.   You should take the plunge.  It won’t disappoint.  

I agree on Andor.   It’s not really a Star Wars show at all.  It’s a fantastic heist + prison break adventure.  My parents are not Star Wars people at all and I turned them onto it and they loved it.  

Had no idea that another season of Andor was coming.   It’s only a few days away.  I can’t recommend a show that’s any betters  
 

 

[oblong]

18 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

Had no idea that another season of Andor was coming.   It’s only a few days away.  I can’t recommend a show that’s any betters  
 

 

Some are saying it’s the best SW since the original trilogy.  I think I read that each episode takes place like a year apart.  

[Motor City Sonics]

On 4/19/2025 at 9:45 AM, Mr.TaterSalad said:

I made a Sopranos Jeopardy game online. Now is your chance to test your knowledge of everybody's favorite TV show The Sopranos. Play Sopranos Jeopardy and see if you're a regular varsity athlete who really knows the show or just a real stunod.

Click here to play Sopranos Jeopary

 

 

Nothing happens for me.  Is that the bit?  Nothing happens ? 

[Hongbit]

Wow.  Last of Us.  That was one of the best hour of a TV show that I’ve seen in a long, long time. 

[Tigeraholic1]

8 hours ago, Hongbit said:

Wow.  Last of Us.  That was one of the best hour of a TV show that I’ve seen in a long, long time. 

It was like you jumped into the climax of a movie, went too fast....

[oblong]

In the 2nd epiosode of the new Black Mirror there's a fun easter egg.

If you don't want to know then don't read.  Highlight the text in the box.

Quote

There are two versions of this episode that get pushed to you randomly where the things that change are reversed, IE Bernies becomes Barnies, etc.  It's to create your own Mandela Effect.  WheN I watched it was Bernies at first.  A friend of mine said she started with Barnies.

 

[chasfh]

On 4/19/2025 at 8:20 AM, Hongbit said:

One of the oddest shows that I’ve ever seen.  

First two episodes were spectacular.  

The last two, well I still don’t know what they were doing and why they were doing it.  I will say the very end was powerful.  

 I think most of the critical buzz came from the uniqueness that every episode is a single shot much like the movie Birdman.   

We just finished seeing Adolescence and I can see why people might think this is an odd show, and also, why the tomatometer laps the popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes. We as TV viewers are generally conditioned to approach shows like this as a whodunit, and this show upends those expectations. Even toward the end of the second episode, we were still speculating that the murderer might end up being someone else. But that’s not the point of the show at all. The point is to examine the effect of social media, toxic masculinity (or as they say on the show, the “manosphere”), bullying, and the rise of incel culture on society as it relates to teens and the adults around them. They even name-checked Andrew Tate during the show. It was not a black and white show. Nobody was 100% bad or 100% good, not even the angel-faced victim, which some might even find offensive and maybe even victim-blamey. Adolescence was as nuanced an examination of issues along these lines as I have ever seen. But then, I love that kind of show because it tries to get at what makes someone or something tick rather than, again, whodunit. And you’re right about the end. I started getting really verklempt during it.

[Tigermojo]

20 hours ago, Hongbit said:

Wow.  Last of Us.  That was one of the best hour of a TV show that I’ve seen in a long, long time. 

I never played the games so I was not prepared for that. Game of thrones, I read the books so I knew what to expect.

[Deleterious]

On 4/20/2025 at 7:57 AM, Hongbit said:

Had no idea that another season of Andor was coming.   It’s only a few days away.  I can’t recommend a show that’s any betters  
 

 

Is that a standalone series, or do I have to watch the movies?

[Tigermojo]

14 minutes ago, Deleterious said:

Is that a standalone series, or do I have to watch the movies?

The series is a prequel to Rogue One which is a prequel to the original Star Wars. You don't need to watch the movies.

[Deleterious]

Just now, Tigermojo said:

The series is a prequel to Rogue One which is a prequel to the original Star Wars. You don't need to watch the movies.

Thank you.

[Hongbit]

8 hours ago, Deleterious said:

Is that a standalone series, or do I have to watch the movies?

It’s standalone.  Possibly watching Rogue One may help but it’s more set in the Star Wars universe than it is a Star Wars move. 

[oblong]

8 hours ago, Deleterious said:

Is that a standalone series, or do I have to watch the movies?

No light sabers.  No force.  Just a gritty series.   I'd say watch Rogue One because that's the immediate prequel the first Star Wars movie and this is the prequel to that.  Not necessary but I consider Rogue One to be #2 behind Empire in the overall SW universe ranking.

[romad1]

34 minutes ago, oblong said:

No light sabers.  No force.  Just a gritty series.   I'd say watch Rogue One because that's the immediate prequel the first Star Wars movie and this is the prequel to that.  Not necessary but I consider Rogue One to be #2 behind Empire in the overall SW universe ranking.

I concur with the assessment.  Tony Gilroy writing and the acting of half of the cast of Chernobyl make it sensational.   

Not for 8-year olds.  "Mommy, why did that lady sleep with the guy she's only moderately interested in?  Was it to keep him silent because she's secretly been communicating with the guy who played Boris Scherbina who she believes is a black market arms dealer but is really the hub of a secret rebellion network?" 

There are special monologues in the first series.  There are two in one episode in particular.    Its closer to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy than anything that Disney has besides this in its Star Wars TV stuff.