What TV SHOWS are you watching?

I Started Season 2 of Castlevania on Netflix this weekend. Meaning to download and watch the rest on the bus to/from work. Nope, binged and finished it yesterday.

If you liked season 1, definitely jump in. Its got what I like about Anime shows without the over the top reactions and fan service that make you embarrassed to watch anime.

Cool action scenes, good creature design, a decent story with a decently written bad guy. Doesn't draaag like Attack on Titan. If anything, it is over too soon.

I've watched 5 of the 8 episodes of the final season of House of Cards. The tone is different this time, and it's very enjoyable.

I hear the final episode is AWFUL and it's making people realize how much value Kevin Spacey had.

I think that's the risk of continuing with shows like this and The Connors. It sorts of makes you realize what a talent the other person was when the goal is supposed to make you forget about them (but the opposite happens)

Yeah, Castlevania is unusually good...its written by Warren Ellis, so there is some quality behind it. Some of the more contemporary exchanges and ADULT ANIMATION elements are little overcooked, but the story is neat and there are plenty of nods to the games that keep it grounded there while it also dramatically expands that setting. I’m halfway through the second season, it does move pretty quickly..should have been hour episodes.

Black Barney wrote: I hear the final episode is AWFUL and it's making people realize how much value Kevin Spacey had.

I finished the series last night. Yes, that was one of the worst finales I have ever seen. It's very unsatisfying. The season itself was decent; it proved that Spacey was not entirely necessary, but it's definitely lesser without him. That said, the direction they took the story was perfectly acceptable and was done in such a way that there was no room for him.

We just bumped into The Kids Are Alright on Hulu and in the first five minutes I was really skeptical. But damn, the writing is really sharp and all the characters are really well painted, really likeable each in their own way. Only a few episodes out so far.

We've only watched the first couple episodes. The problem I have with Robin Wright is the same problem I've often had with her in this series: they're trying too hard. Spacey has always had a certain gravitas in front of the camera, even when he was playing a simpering type like Verbal Kint. There was a subtle air of menace that lingered that made you realize that this guy was something more. That shine came off a bit in the last couple seasons where the aura of threat became a bit of a clownshow. With Wright, they've given her a role that she's essentially had to play straight: in order to match the implied and suave evil that is my partner, I have to be overtly evil. There's never been a doubt to anyone in the same room with her that Claire is a threat. There's no subtlety involved. Now that she's the focus of the series, it comes off even more like a sledgehammer. They've delved more into her childhood to keep her from going the Sauron route: "I am angry and evil... because I am ANGRY AND EVIL!!!" But if they weren't so OTT about it, they could've just stuck with her pressing the levers of control with the same level of ruthlessness. But now it's all about making her overtly "menacing" and I spend a lot of time looking at the screen like "Really?"

I started watching The Wire last night. It's pretty great so far (episode 5) but I'm not sure if I'll continue. That's 60 hours of my life, you know? Plus, I'm going to start swearing like a gangsta as I absorb all of those F-bombs, you feel me?

The Wire is the greatest cop show ever made, and one of the best shows ever made, period. Yes, it's worth the time. As for swearing, well that's your fucking problem.

I watched the wire about 10 years ago. I still mumble "5-0, coming round the block!" every time I see a police car.

The Wire is a great cop show, and it eventually transcends that to be a great study of dysfunctional city. The first season compares and contrasts the organizational deficiencies of both law enforcement and organized crime. The second season examines the failures of the labor unions, while continuing unfinished business from season one. Later seasons address local politics, schools, and the media, and their dysfunctions, while continuing to keep the law enforcement and crime activity at the center of the show. You should at least try the whole first season. The second season is my favorite. The fourth season is generally considered the best. The third and fifth seasons wrap up the major storylines.

I wish I could say the Deuce was as good, or even good, but it lost me an episode or two into the season. The double Franco really kills it for me, and it just didn't seem to balance the ensemble well, particularly after the time jump. Maybe I'll try again later, but it just didn't grab me.

While I'm wary of forcing a "canon" on others, I think the Wire should be a mandatory syllabus element of Living in America 101.

Also, to push back on my own damn comment, I think the Wire's "nutritional elements" sometimes get oversold. If it only succeeded at being a fucking good crime show, that would have been enough.

Cranberries, I think you should put it off until next summer. I'm going to watch it for the first time starting in August and we should watch it at the same time