What TV SHOWS are you watching?

We are currently enjoying the second season of His Dark Materials. Much like the books, the second one steps up by more than one gear on the first. The supporting characters have more to do, particularly Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scorsby who gets a good amount of screen time and a quest to follow that involves more than being in the right place at the right time. Ruth Wilson, as Mrs. Coulter, has some opportunities to express vulnerability and complexity in her role and to be something more than a cackling machiavellian villain. Ariyon Bakare, as Lord Boreal, is also developing into a more complex and interesting character. Pullman's anti-dogmatic subversion is starting to show through more keenly as well.

mezike wrote: We are currently enjoying the second season of His Dark Materials. Much like the books, the second one steps up by more than one gear on the first. The supporting characters have more to do, particularly Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scorsby who gets a good amount of screen time and a quest to follow that involves more than being in the right place at the right time. Ruth Wilson, as Mrs. Coulter, has some opportunities to express vulnerability and complexity in her role and to be something more than a cackling machiavellian villain. Ariyon Bakare, as Lord Boreal, is also developing into a more complex and interesting character. Pullman's anti-dogmatic subversion is starting to show through more keenly as well.

I watched the first season of this, and then gave it up. As bad as the movie adaptation was (and it was BAD), I kept mentally comparing the cast between the movie and the TV show, and the TV show kept coming up short. Lin-Manuel Miranda as a gruff, crusty old Texan? Just a baffling decision, especially compared to the movie's Sam Eliot. I also don't like the actress who plays Lyra. Maybe it's the writing, and not the actress' fault, but she totally misses the character. Lyra in the books is full of life and joy, and she constantly spins elaborate stories and lies, seemingly just for the fun of it. The show Lyra is just mopey and dull.

I've also come to the conclusion that these books simply can't be adapted because daemons don't work in a visual medium. Both the movie and the show fail utterly to convey the bond that exists between the human and their daemon. Instead, the daemons always just look like cute, talking pets. The social rules and taboos around daemons are never fully explained, and so the utter horror and shock that SHOULD come from the scene in Bolvangar lacks the necessary impact.

I will say though, that I liked the opening credits and music very much! It was one of the few shows where I didn't just fast-forward through the credits.

I agree with you on Lee Scorsby, Sam Elliot was a much better casting, but I think that Miranda gives a good performance so long as you accept that this adaptation is it's own thing. The one thing that doesn't work for me is that this character is supposed to be world-weary and meeting Lyra is the spark that gives him back a sense of purpose, and Miranda is just too youthful to be convincing in that respect.

Dafne Keen is no Milly Bobby Brown but she was only something like thirteen or fourteen when these were being filmed. Her performance is better in the second series, but her flat performance might also be something in the direction more than anything else.

The books > TV show > the Movie for sure. All I can say is that my two young teens are loving it so I feel that it is pitched well for it's target audience, and I'm also enjoying it so long as I put the books out of mind and take it on it's own merits.

I am not the target audience for Euphoria season one, but I am open-minded and it blew me away. Season two has been delayed due to the pandemic, so the show is instead releasing at least a couple of one-shot between-season episodes on HBO. This first episode had a cast of just four people, and most of the entire 50+ minute episode is two people talking in a diner on Christmas Eve. Sounds dreary, especially if I tell you that one of the characters is a relapsed drug addict who recently got dumped. Across the table is her 50-something sponsor from the local addicts anonymous group.

It was amazing. It was just talking, but it was one of those incredibly real conversations that ranges around various topics but is rich with meaning to the participants. In the course of things, we find out that our first season narrator is not entirely reliable. Her sponsor sees through her bullshit, calls her on it, but refuses to judge her for even her worst excesses. Midway through, the sponsor goes outside for an ironic smoke break and also to call his ex-wife and daughters to see how they are doing and wish them a Merry Christmas. He lost his marriage and custody of his daughters during his own prolonged addiction. Meanwhile, our addict receives a brief but friendly text from her ex.

Then the conversation resumes, along with some requested input from the elderly waitress who is also a recovered addict. There is also some talk about religion, politics, relationships, and the meaning of life. I found it all riveting.

Turns out there is more to Disney+ than Mandalorian, so I've been watching some classic Simpsons with my wife. She's enjoying it which is huge because anything animated is a hill for her to climb. Anyway, here's my top five.

5. Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily
Add the utter assassination of the character of Ned Flanders to pop culture things that don't matter but annoy me. Flanders use to be the positive reflection of Homer; a genuinely kind, decent, generous man. He was a little judgmental but less so than either Homer or Marge. Now he's the caricature of the worst kind of Republican voter. The Flanders of today wouldn't mowed his lawn in his wife's wedding dress or played Stella in his high school production of Streetcar Named Desire or fostered the Simpsons children, and we would never have seen him baptize Homer.

4. Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy
Kathleen Turner and the animators absolutely murder it as the inventor of Malibu Stacy and the many visual gags surrounding her.

3. I Love Lisa
This might have been Ralph Wiggum's big debut, but Chief Wiggum takes the spotlight with his incompetence, laziness and sadism.

2. The Boy Who Knew Too Much
I don't think there is a more quotable episode. "There are no children at the 4-H club either. Am I so out of touch? No, it's the children who are wrong." "I know you can hear my thoughts, boy. Meow, meow, meow, meow." "Reopening a trial at this stage is grossly unconstitutional, but I just can't say no to kids."

1. A Streetcar Named Marge
Marge is so just underappreciated. I'm pretty sure Krusty and Mr. Burns have had more dedicated storylines. Any episode that spotlights her is a treat and a joy, and everything that comes out of Jon Lovitz's mouth is gold. Also, my wife is the real beaut from Butte.

MARGE VS THE MONORAIL

Small Axe. It's not exactly a show, just five movies between one and two hours, based on true stories of Carribeans in England in the 70s and 80s. Made by Steve McQueen. And damn it's so real it's sometimes painful. And uplifting.
I already know I will be rewatching the episode 'Lover's Rock' for many years to come.
Seriously, do yourselves a favor here.

I saw that pop and wondered---thanks for reporting back.

Yeah, this is something I have been meaning to check out. Can't wait actually, thanks for the reminder.



I've been watching the 4th season of Fargo. Quite fun as usual. It's got a different sort of pace to the others, and doesn't have as much of the "fish out of water normie" type vibe as the other ones did, which is fine of course, I mean there's only so many times you can go over that ground I guess. There's also a tiny supernatural vibe to it this time around - still not sure how that element is going to play out.

Watched a show on netflix called Alice of Borderland which I guess is based off a manga or something. Anyway, it is VERY japanese, and borrows heavily from GANTZ if anyone is familiar with that IP. Basically random people get brought to a deserted Tokyo and are forced to compete in malicious games orchestrated by a nebulous omniscient power in order to survive. It is extremely violent and pretty tragic, don't get attached to anyone. It has that particularly brutal level of casual violence I associate more with japanese media (stuff like Battle Royale and the aformentioned GANTZ) than with western violence. It is not as exploitative as GANTZ (no outright nudity) but has tons of bikini clad women in it (and scantily dressed men if that is your thing) for no real discernable reason other than titillation.

It ends on a cliffhanger but does resolve enough that if this is all we get, I'm satisfied. The mythology of the show is poorly explored but that's probably for the better, the more they showed the less interesting it got.

I'm 5 eps into Alice in Borderland. I liked the first 3 eps more than the last 2, but will stick it out. You are spot-on, it has a real Gantz vibe to it.

I re-watched The Queen's Gambit. I love the soundtrack and period setting and cinematography and the story revolves around a board game. I also checked out Godless by the same director/scriptwriter and it was good but not as good as QG.

I was ready to write The Mandalorian off halfway through this season but I'm glad I stuck it out as it had a lot of good stuff in the second half. It's always nice to get some jedi action and the finale and post-credits scene were fantastic.

How does a laser gun jam?

Disgustipater wrote: How does a laser gun jam?

I think you roll double 1's.