What TV SHOWS are you watching?

Scott Rogers wrote: Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (not great)
Russian Doll (great except for ending)
Great British Bake Off
Orville (even better than last season)
Maniac (really good)

Finished Russian.Doll: what didn't you like about the ending?

Started season 3 of True Detective. Whoever compared the feeling a bit to All Good Things is right on the money. The way he reacts in one timeline to something happening in another is some really smart and innovative bridging of scenes.

I really don’t like that it is about missing or dead kids tho. That’s tough for me but I’ll see about getting through it. That dude from The Purge better not be in much more, he’s super distracting for me.

The 2nd season of The Dragon Prince came out and we already watched all 9 episodes. We still like it quite a bit, although there were a couple outside references that kind of took me out of it a couple times.

We also have been watching One Day at a Time, a sitcom about a Cuban family that lives in L.A. The main character is a veteran and a nurse. My mother in law is a Puerto Rican vet, and my wife is a nurse, so there are some basic things here that make a connection easier and relatable. We like the show, as far as sitcoms go, but I'm not sure how much would be lost if you don't know any Spanish. There are (rare) times even when you've got subtitles on where it just says "speaking spanish" that if you can't keep up you won't get all the humor.

Russian Doll was...OK? A bit overhyped maybe. Knew nothing about it going in and was a little let down with the tired plot.

I've watched 3 episodes of Russian Doll. It's pleasant and light. The latest episode of True Detective is another good one. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it all resolves.

charlest wrote: Russian Doll was...OK? A bit overhyped maybe. Knew nothing about it going in and was a little let down with the tired plot.

Agreed. It was fine, and finally got somewhat interesting with the reveal in the third episode. But ultimately, it’s just another Groundhog Day variant, and is largely covering the same ideas that the film already did. And while the actress is great, for the first episode or two her character wasn’t particularly interesting or witty or whatever. I only stuck with it because of the hype and because it was a short commitment.

TD3 is good, and I like some of the developments, but man, does it drag in some ways. I still think that season 2 might be better than 3, for offering something different and having more energy to it. Regardless, maybe TD should have just been that amazing first season as a standalone. I’m enjoying the new season well enough, but it isn’t making me enthused for any more.

I am nearly finished binging on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 6. The previous binge was five years ago, the last time that I was unemployed. I remembered this season as not being all that enjoyable, especially since the big bad turned out to be one of the beloved main cast members. I also remembered there was a musical episode that was a hit with many fans.

Watching season 6 with fresh eyes was worth the experience. For better and worse, the show really digs into the ensemble cast with some impressive character development. Unfortunately, the show has already established their heroics, so the closer examination of the characters is often negative. They are all flawed people, but this season goes darker with the flaws. Shoplifting, addiction, unhealthy relationships, and worse. To make matters worse, this season is slower paced than any other season of Buffy. If you really enjoy the characters, this is must-see television. But if you are just tuning in for some action and laughs, this is the season to skip.

Ultimately, I'm glad that I re-watched season six. Somehow I found it very easy this time to relate to Buffy's alienation after returning from death, especially when she was facing financial problems and takes a demeaning job in fast food. The attempted rape episode deserved a broader audience for daring to wrestle with the topic while also addressing the aggressor's viewpoint. And there was a fun episode where the entire main cast simultaneously suffers magical amnesia, and makes some very wrong guesses about their relationships while struggling to reverse the spell. I gave the musical episode a try because I realized that some important character revelations were happening, but still fast-forward through much of the songs. I really, really hate musicals.

One more interesting aspect of season six is that the other primary bad guys for the season are a trio of genius nerds. They drop a lot of nerd cultural references and demonstrate a sense of humor that my original gaming group shared when we were teenagers. Seeing them as villains was a bit of a revelation. I can totally understand them and share some of their interests, and yet still find them utterly contemptible.

Grudunza wrote: TD3 is good, and I like some of the developments, but man, does it drag in some ways. I still think that season 2 might be better than 3, for offering something different and having more energy to it. Regardless, maybe TD should have just been that amazing first season as a standalone. I’m enjoying the new season well enough, but it isn’t making me enthused for any more.

"Worse than season 2" isn't much of a selling point.

Actually, I'll probably watch S3 when we turn HBO back on for GoT. And you're right about TD1 - they maybe should've just stopped.

re: Shellhead

I agree with you, season 6 holds up better than you think. What really lets it down is that it has to adhere to the villian arc to a season structure and all of that is just fucking dire iirc. The central idea, that buffy can't go on after being brought back and had to figure out what her role and purpose is is very relateable to me and makes some sense.

My wife and I started watching Umbrella Academy and it is pretty enjoyable. seems like a good take on the hero genre.

RobertB wrote:

Grudunza wrote: TD3 is good, and I like some of the developments, but man, does it drag in some ways. I still think that season 2 might be better than 3, for offering something different and having more energy to it. Regardless, maybe TD should have just been that amazing first season as a standalone. I’m enjoying the new season well enough, but it isn’t making me enthused for any more.

"Worse than season 2" isn't much of a selling point.

Eh, I’m probably the only person saying that. Most everyone (including several people here) is saying that 3 is better than 2. And I agree in some respects... TD3 is a tighter and more consistent mystery/story. But though TD2 was very uneven and ultimately a disappointment, I think I still preferred it to TD3 because at least it felt more daring and unique, and had much more of a pulse to it.

Finished up the seventh and final episode of Family Tree on Prime. It's a Christopher Guest joint, so if you're familiar, you probably already know half the cast and whether you'll like it. Chris O'Dowd receives a chest of antiques after the death of an aunt and begins researching his ancestry. He travels from London to California and meets distant cousins for the first time.

It's pretty solid. The broader the jokes go, the more they're underplayed, and principal characters I thought I'd hate, namely the moron best friend and sister permanently attached to her monkey puppet, became favorites by the end. Characters who appear in a single scene leave a lasting impression. Straight fun.

My partner is a huge Buffy fan. We just started a rewatch.... at my suggestion (brownie points galore). I figure this will be the last time for me, as the kids will be old enough by the next time (the presence of one other person at least is necessary apparently).

It's good, as always. I quite like season six (only up to season 2 now). I didn't like the big bad that much, but i got what it was all trying to say. And there's stacks of good character stuff in there as well as they all kind of fail and come to terms with reality. Life Sucks. Ain't that the truth.

Jexik wrote: The 2nd season of The Dragon Prince came out and we already watched all 9 episodes. We still like it quite a bit, although there were a couple outside references that kind of took me out of it a couple times.

We started this as well, although are pacing it. When season 2 episode 1 started playing my wife started to wince at the "Elf Scot" fake accent. Why, oh why, did that make a voice actor do a horrible accent that isn't native to them and adds nothing to the story? We love the series even if that accent is a bit immersion breaking.

The weird thing there is that Rayla has the accent, but none of the other Elves seem to have anything like it.