What TV SHOWS are you watching?

mc wrote: Anyway, I know, it's not her race, it's the fact that she's meant to be a goth, so, yeah, interesting to join the dots on that one, because as far as I can tell it looks like she's wearing the same understated clothes like in the comics, just like a female black goth might.

This is gonna lead me down a rabbit hole of "black goth chicks" and it is NOT gonna be pretty when my wife sees the search history

Actually, there is a character in Paper Girls that is sorta kinda black goth, though I suppose the genre splitters would call her a rave girl rather than goth (and by the late 90's I think that is a genre the goths flowed into) .

I'll be in my bunk...above Virabhadra of course

mc wrote: The casting complaint stuff is beyond me, like, I don't really get it. The characters change in the comics, both plot wise (death of cats, 16th century death etc etc) but also based on who drew them which sometimes changed how the characters looked from chapter to chapter, sometimes disconcertingly. I imagine the show as a result of it being, you know, a TV show, will find it impossible to replicate lots of stuff from the imagery too. So if there's going to be complaint it's a bit like, "hey! This tv show is not a comic!" which there's an easy solution to. Also somewhat ironic that a comic essentially about morphing stories upsets people for maybe changing a bit.

Anyway, I know, it's not her race, it's the fact that she's meant to be a goth, so, yeah, interesting to join the dots on that one, because as far as I can tell it looks like she's wearing the same understated clothes like in the comics, just like a female black goth might.

As a former goth, I feel like this is anti-representation, and it particularly sucks because goth culture connects very directly to this particular Death character. Goths project a morbid appearance but actually have a more relaxed attitude about death, much like the Death character was this cheerful and welcoming sort who gently ushered people from their moment of death to whatever is beyond life.

Okay, maybe this tv version is just a black goth, but the only time goths tend to do understatement is at work, depending on the dress code. So based on the stills that I have seen, this new Death doesn't look goth at all, just drab. And yes, it isn't the '90s anymore, but goth culture is still around. Some of the goths are old like me and their favorite black clothes are sometimes faded to a dark gray, but there are also a fair number of young goths. So this isn't about moving on from a forgotten subculture, it is cancellation of an ongoing subculture, apparently just for the sake of filling a quota. And the character Death loses a degree of symbolism and nuance, just cause. It's like I'm from a very small country with one superhero, and that superhero just got re-cast as an American.

Between this casting failure and the horrendous failure of seasons two and three of American Gods, Sandman is a hard pass for now. I might change my mind in a few years if it continues to get good reviews and doesn't get cancelled mid-show like American Gods.

Hmmm, I dunno dude. The Death in the comics is pretty understated. I'm looking at the stills and not seeing much difference. Ankh symbol - check. Black singlet, black jeans, black boots, check. Little bit of dark makeup, check. So I'm not seeing much cancellation myself. Except of course the classic pale skin. Which, to be quite frank, if that's essential (and I don't believe it is!), fuck goths. In the small country analogy, if race is important to that country's identity, yeah, really not bothered if they've lost their superhero. (And they really haven't - there are vast amounts of pop culture with classic white goth front and centre. Including, like, the main character. That's kind of the point of this representation stuff - in this example, the amount of white goths present on screens is just massive compared. The feeling of "we've lost something just because of a quota" is almost the point- other groups have never been lucky enough to be able to complain about something like that.) And if I was a black goth myself, I'd be over the bloody moon that there was someone like me on the screen. Maybe even the only one ever at this level profile of exposure. That's cool - although late in coming.

Finished up Paper Girls. Overall I really liked it but damn, that last ep really futzed with the groove of the show. It's like the crammed 7 eps worth of plot and exposition into the cliffhanger finale, not to mention all the wacky elements I'm guessing were spread throughout the comic but here were concentrated at the end.

And to be honest, most, if not all, of the action in this show is very poorly done. Folks stand around with guns FAR too long, the blocking and camera movement is weak, and basic tactic lapses like "hey, did we look in the bushes RIGHT NEXT TO THE BODY to find those runaway girls?" comes up far too often.

So this show really shines in the character moments, particularly when it uses the central hook to explore sexuality, parental drive versus your own wants, how much of your life is defined by you versus your childhood, facing near certain and unavoidable death, and what self-sacrifice really means. Framed through the eyes of 12 year olds (going on 16 at least, a second season of this show is gonna struggle with that) that don't have answers and adults that DEFINITELY don't have the answers, it is a heady mix.

So it isn't a show about folks looking at problems, analyzing responses, and executing plans, though they make a pass at it. Just enjoy the ride, not the destination. My wife was positively cackling with glee during the (inevitable in a tween girl show?) tampon scene as that is apparently a universal female developmental touchstone or something

Have watched two-and-a-half episodes of Sandman so far (my girlfriend fell asleep in the middle of ep. 3, as she often does.) I was a bit concerned before going into it because the still shots in publicity were all very "clean", which does not reflect any of the artists on the book (or Dave McKean, who did the covers) at all. But when the screen is actually moving, I think it comes much closer to the book's visual style, which is an important thing when translating one visual medium (comics) to another (film.) We haven't gotten to Death yet, but I agree that I don't see an issue with the casting so far. I think Sturridge makes an excellent Dream, even if he's poised to be a bit more aggressive than Gaiman's original character. I think the representations of Cain and Abel were a bit more LOTR-style dwarves than I would've expected, but that's fine, even if I am eternally wedded to the idea of Cain as the gaunt. menacing version that he was in House of Mystery, which is among the first comics I remember reading at the age of four or so. I haven't found anything to be particularly outrageous and I'm eager to watch the rest of it.

When she fell asleep, I switched to something that I knew she'd be uninterested in, which was HBO's documentary about Milestone Comics, Milestone Generations. I knew Denys Cowan and Dwayne McDuffie casually back when Milestone was getting started, as they were often near us in the "small press" section of comic shows, as Milestone had a distribution deal with DC but was independent editorially and stylistically (although not quite as independent as they'd hoped, which is covered in the doc.) It's a decent examination of what they dealt with trying to do comics that were mostly centered around Black characters and experiences. One of the things that I think worked against them, aside from the casual racism of DC, distribution outlets, and readers, was that they were hitting the ground at the same time so many other new universes were also doing so: Dark Horse's Comics Greatest World, Malibu's Ultraverse, Valiant's emergence, everything going on at Image; all of this was happening at the same time and I think it was difficult for people to keep up (although I certainly tried, considering the amount of money I spent), especially if you were doing stories that were not just atypical superheroes, but had a lot of underlying messages that were even atypical for that style. I enjoyed their stuff and it's good to see that they're still trying.

I watched episodes 5 & 6 yesterday, covering the diner and the walk with Death. Fun fact - the green space in ep.6 is Richmond Green, which is just behind the town centre near where I live. There are a handful of those narrow alleys filled with eclectic shops, cafes, confectioners and even a pub, and always teeming with people. The other side of the alley is a busy high street filled with chain stores so slightly less quirky and glamorous. So now you know what it’s like where I live (sorta).

I was intrigued as to how they would handle the somewhat notorious diner scene and I felt it was done really well. They take a bit of time to build up slowly to the madness and debauchery which makes it all the more impactful. It also cements the R-rating for the show, it’s quite grim and a step beyond the mild body horror and wall-splatter of the first few episodes. I think it also holds up well on its own, so those who are curious but don’t have an interest in following the series (and don’t mind scenes of violent horror) would do well to check this one out at least. This is what I loved about the comics, that the stories are often independent of the central character and Gaiman took the time to take his tales and explore beyond that heavy anchor.

I finished The Sandman. Overall I quite enjoyed it, although I definitely liked the first 5 episodes better than the last 5 episodes.

I hope we don't have to wait too long for more.

I finished the Sandman and liked it all pretty much the same, which is a lot.

Finished up the third and final season of Locke & Key. I felt some of the episodes dragged but it was a fine season overall and wrapped things up well enough.

RIP:

Finished Locke & Key and agree with CMD’s spoiler. Overall it was a good show, which could have been great but missed in a variety of ways I can’t exactly put my finger on. This is why I am not a TV producer or show runner.

Watched ep1 of She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law. I absolutely love lighthearted low-stakes superhero shows. Just make it fun, skip the grimdark, make it okay to have villains threaten the neighborhood and not all of reality. It was a little long on exposition, maybe understandable. Casting is great. Can’t wait for next week.

Watching The Old Man with Jeff Bridges and wondering what it would be like with Jeff Daniels.

As a person who read the Sandman when it came out and remembers the cultural impact that thing had, I enjoyed it immensely. Like previous posters, I found the casting to be flawless, it looks amazing and is a great adaptation.
Most stories have been shortened and/or slightly altered, but I always felt this was for the better and actually necessary for the transport into the limited medium of a TV show. It is a different experience, but the stories are there.

Looking for something new to watch, I stumbled upon Made for Love. Just two episodes yet, but it's my kind of fun: imagine Elon Musk owned Google. The next big thing he's planning is "Made for Love", where a couple can have a chip implanted in their brains to share everything. His total neglect of other human beings' feelings and boundaries is amazing to watch. The technology isn't quite ready yet, an implant will give one person full audio and visuals of the other persons' intake (plus some basic body data), two implants don't work yet. Of course he then decides to share the experience of being guinea pigs (the first connected couple) with his wife and has her chipped without asking for her permission. This is her story and if you liked Christin Milioti's character in Palm Springs, this probably is for you.

I've discovered the Roku streaming channel and despite putting up with ad breaks have found a few things to watch on there. I rewatched the Riverworld pilot and am pretty bummed it wasn't picked up. Also been going through Jeremiah, a J. Michael Straczynski series about a plague that killed everyone above the age of puberty and the struggles of the now adult who are struggling to break through the chaos.

I forgot about that Riverworld pilot. It was pretty good. Probably the best Riverworld we will get on a screen.

I hope that Wednesday will be a savage takedown of Harry Potter.