General Purpose US TV thread
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The animated Black Dynamite show is very, very funny.
The first two episodes of Star Trek Discovery are ok but it starts to get really interesting in ep 3!
Hello Jason Isaacs!
Halt And Catch Fire has been absolutely brilliant this season, and 4x07 is one of the better hours of TV I've ever seen. It's graceful and moving and has thoroughly earned every single character beat it packs in. I'm going to be sad to see this show go.
I got very bogged down about 8 eps into the first season. Should I try and pick it back up?

It suffers from every character being a wanker, to my mind.
Cras wrote:
I got very bogged down about 8 eps into the first season. Should I try and pick it back up?

It suffers from every character being a wanker, to my mind.


:this: The first season was a horrendous, messy slog. I've just read a couple of articles on it to see what was currently going on with it and it sounds like they massively improved it as it went on but it's far too late for me to care about it now.
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
Halt And Catch Fire has been absolutely brilliant this season, and 4x07 is one of the better hours of TV I've ever seen. It's graceful and moving and has thoroughly earned every single character beat it packs in. I'm going to be sad to see this show go.


I've loved it from day 1, but really did think that they should have ended it last season.
It just felt the right place to stop, both for the characters and the story that had caught up with most people's memories of the early internet - go much further and you're struggling to fit them in around what we know happened.

When it returned the first couple of episodes felt a little flat, and I thought I was probably right, but since then it's just been glorious. I'm an episode behind you, and I think I'm deliberately slowing down to savour it for as long as possible.
Cras wrote:
I got very bogged down about 8 eps into the first season. Should I try and pick it back up?

It suffers from every character being a wanker, to my mind.

Weeewllllll if you disliked it that much perhaps it's not going to redeem itself in your eyes. It's fundamentally a character piece, so you have to want to spend time with the characters. But it does deepen them as time goes on -- they do start as almost caricatures, to be fair. They get more interesting, less clichéd.

I can't decide if thats because the show's writing gels as time goes on or because it's on a long arc and we're seeing the characters grow up -- watching their struggles as they outgrow monomania and become somewhat wiser and more mature. Perhaps it's a little of both. But I think they are supposed to be a bit dislikeable at first.

Doesn't hurt that the entire cast are very watchable actors putting in top notch work, either. Lee Pace is amazing and in less skilled hands the changes in Joe's character through the show would not have worked.

Anyway. It is a show with deep affection for these flawed people it's presenting, and ultimately that affection shines through. It feels like a labour of love for the cast and crew. I like that about it.

Anyway, if you stick with it, look me up when you watch 4x07. You'll know it when you get there.
Cras wrote:

It suffers from every character being a wanker, to my mind.


This! Proper wankers. Especially Joe and emo coder. Still enjoyed it though, should go back to series 2.
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

Anyway, if you stick with it, look me up when you watch 4x07. You'll know it when you get there.


Wow!
Dr Zoidberg wrote:
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
Halt And Catch Fire has been absolutely brilliant this season, and 4x07 is one of the better hours of TV I've ever seen. It's graceful and moving and has thoroughly earned every single character beat it packs in. I'm going to be sad to see this show go.


I've loved it from day 1, but really did think that they should have ended it last season.
It just felt the right place to stop, both for the characters and the story that had caught up with most people's memories of the early internet - go much further and you're struggling to fit them in around what we know happened.

When it returned the first couple of episodes felt a little flat, and I thought I was probably right, but since then it's just been glorious. I'm an episode behind you, and I think I'm deliberately slowing down to savour it for as long as possible.


I'm also in awe of Halt and Catch Fire and Cameron Howe's beautiful eyes. Altough this season has not enough of Cameron and Joe's being too sane.
Dr Zoidberg wrote:
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

Anyway, if you stick with it, look me up when you watch 4x07. You'll know it when you get there.


Wow!


Right?

(Spoilers for Halt and Catch Fire 4x07.)

ZOMG Spoiler! Click here to view!
My wife called it from the very first seconds of the first dreamlike, lens flare shot. In hindsight, the first 3/4 of the episode was too happy: it was setting you up for the gut-punch to come. These characters have never been destined for contentment.

I think what most impressed me was the sparse, economical little vignettes of the rest of the character's reaction to the news. The girls cuddled up with Donna, Boz's falling face as he looks at Diane and says "what's wrong?", Joe staring wordlessly at the whiteboard. It told you everything you needed to know but did it with a sort of grace and a sort of respect for the characters, almost like we didn't get to intrude too far into their very private grief and shock.

Clever double bluff with the episode title too, "Who needs a man?" I assumed it was going to be about Haley coming out...

This recap/review is really well written and was what prompted me to reflect more on the episode and post here about it. https://www.avclub.com/halt-and-catch-f ... 1819024959
Grim... wrote:
Yup. Radarr > Couchpotato too.

Previous thread hijack, hijack.

Radarr keeps insisting that my DVD rips aren't good enough and downloading 10+GB Blu-Ray rips of films without me asking for it. Not cool, Radarr.
You can set the profiles for the month/max sizes of each category.
American Vandal is worth a watch. Brilliant pastiche of stuff.
Watched LONG SHOT on Netflix last night which is one of a long line of superb documentaries on the service.

American Police can be shockingly racist and corrupt. Well, all police can I suppose, but there's something slightly chilling about the shit Yank Police get up to, with the support of government legal machinery.

Basic premise of this is young chap gets done for a murder he didn't commit, with very little in the way of actual evidence beyond a dodgy witness statement. He needs an alibi for the night of the murder. He says he was at a Dodgers game with his daughter. Only thing he has to do now is prove he was in a crowd of 50,000 people.....

Jesus fuck narcos series 3 is a rollercoaster of awesome
Lonewolves wrote:
The first two episodes of Star Trek Discovery are ok but it starts to get really interesting in ep 3!


Yeah. Really enjoying it.
Finished the season of THE CONFESSION TAPES last night which taken as a whole is jaw-droppingly worrying and disturbing.

Essential Netflix viewing IMO.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Confession_Tapes

Quote:
The Confession Tapes is a 2017 true crime television documentary which presents six cases of possible false confessions leading to murder convictions of the featured people. In each case, the documentary presents alternate views of how the crime could have taken place and features experts on false confessions, criminal law, miscarriages of justice and psychology. The series, produced and distributed by Netflix, became available to all Netflix subscribers on 8 September 2017. Critics praised the series, likening it to other Netflix true crime documentaries, such as The Keepers and Making a Murderer.
We watched the first two of these last night. It's really interesting but I am not sure I can make it through the entire lot because I was just so infuriated at the end of the first case.

The judge dished out the sentences in a rage himself, hardly the dispassionate arbiter acting purely on the basis of law that he should have been.

The American Justice system is a disgrace at times.
Trousers wrote:

The American Justice system is a disgrace at times.


America is quite the enigma, given things like this can be juxtaposed with its production of forward free liberal thinking cinematography dealing with complex issues sensitively as seen in Days of Thunder.
Trousers wrote:
We watched the first two of these last night. It's really interesting but I am not sure I can make it through the entire lot because I was just so infuriated at the end of the first case.

The judge dished out the sentences in a rage himself, hardly the dispassionate arbiter acting purely on the basis of law that he should have been.

The American Justice system is a disgrace at times.


There's one where the judge basically says 'I don't think this man is guilty of the crimes he's accused of, and the jury has got it wrong. But I am now going to sentence him for four murders and one attempted murder. Cheers.'

The 'confession' was actually deemed inadmissible in court, but then the media essentially told everyone about it anyway.

That was a headfuck.
Does anyone here watches Bloodline?

I'm currently at half of the 3rd season, and it's even more addictive than before. Amazing acting all the way. It's a shame this show didn't had more success. Also the Floridian setting with the humid weather and all the actors sweating all the time give it a nice vibe.
Hearthly wrote:
Trousers wrote:
We watched the first two of these last night. It's really interesting but I am not sure I can make it through the entire lot because I was just so infuriated at the end of the first case.

The judge dished out the sentences in a rage himself, hardly the dispassionate arbiter acting purely on the basis of law that he should have been.

The American Justice system is a disgrace at times.


There's one where the judge basically says 'I don't think this man is guilty of the crimes he's accused of, and the jury has got it wrong. But I am now going to sentence him for four murders and one attempted murder. Cheers.'

The 'confession' was actually deemed inadmissible in court, but then the media essentially told everyone about it anyway.

That was a headfuck.
Some of the cases much more than others did seem to be very compelling in terms of showing a miscarriage of justice but really I have no idea. And I don't have any more of a reason to trust these journalists over the ones who influenced the original trials. I can't help wondering if the filmmakers worried that viewers might be insufficiently outraged over the obvious malpractices if they came away thinking that the defendants were probably guilty anyway. I would have no trouble if they wanted to convince me that these were unsafe convictions but I think they wanted to go a bit further than that.

I'm not saying that there wasn't some really, really fucking sketchy police work going on but I also can't help feeling that as in the case of Making A Murderer we might not have seen some fairly important evidence that pointed toward their guilt. The willingness of some of the prosecutors and the police to give interviews about that time they apparently just straight up framed someone made me wonder a bit about whether there was something I was not being told. And the footnotes that all their appeals had been exhausted. So another court heard all the same evidence but came to the same conclusions. :shrug:
RuySan wrote:
Does anyone here watches Bloodline?

I'm currently at half of the 3rd season, and it's even more addictive than before. Amazing acting all the way. It's a shame this show didn't had more success. Also the Floridian setting with the humid weather and all the actors sweating all the time give it a nice vibe.

I started watching the first season because Ben Mendelsohn is a really good actor. It was OK, but felt super predictable, even though all the acting was great.

I got about halfway in and then got distracted by something or other. Should I revisit it?
LewieP wrote:
RuySan wrote:
Does anyone here watches Bloodline?

I'm currently at half of the 3rd season, and it's even more addictive than before. Amazing acting all the way. It's a shame this show didn't had more success. Also the Floridian setting with the humid weather and all the actors sweating all the time give it a nice vibe.

I started watching the first season because Ben Mendelsohn is a really good actor. It was OK, but felt super predictable, even though all the acting was great.

I got about halfway in and then got distracted by something or other. Should I revisit it?


Yes, you definitely should! Indeed he's great (got an Emmy for the role). The rest of the cast is also fantastic. Linda Cardelinni is a hottie and there's the legendary Sissi Spacek.

Love both the guys who play John and Kevin. John is so badass while Kevin is so pathetic and incompetent that gets hilarious sometimes.
Linda Cardellini is indeed very hot.
RuySan wrote:
LewieP wrote:
RuySan wrote:
Does anyone here watches Bloodline?

I'm currently at half of the 3rd season, and it's even more addictive than before. Amazing acting all the way. It's a shame this show didn't had more success. Also the Floridian setting with the humid weather and all the actors sweating all the time give it a nice vibe.

I started watching the first season because Ben Mendelsohn is a really good actor. It was OK, but felt super predictable, even though all the acting was great.

I got about halfway in and then got distracted by something or other. Should I revisit it?


Kevin is so pathetic and incompetent


I think this is why we gave up part way through series 2. He's a hysterical bell end.
Findus Fop wrote:
RuySan wrote:
LewieP wrote:
RuySan wrote:
Does anyone here watches Bloodline?

I'm currently at half of the 3rd season, and it's even more addictive than before. Amazing acting all the way. It's a shame this show didn't had more success. Also the Floridian setting with the humid weather and all the actors sweating all the time give it a nice vibe.

I started watching the first season because Ben Mendelsohn is a really good actor. It was OK, but felt super predictable, even though all the acting was great.

I got about halfway in and then got distracted by something or other. Should I revisit it?


Kevin is so pathetic and incompetent


I think this is why we gave up part way through series 2. He's a hysterical bell end.


"I Fucked Up!" - Kevin (multiple times, while sobbing uncontrollably)
markg wrote:
Some of the cases much more than others did seem to be very compelling in terms of showing a miscarriage of justice but really I have no idea. And I don't have any more of a reason to trust these journalists over the ones who influenced the original trials. I can't help wondering if the filmmakers worried that viewers might be insufficiently outraged over the obvious malpractices if they came away thinking that the defendants were probably guilty anyway. I would have no trouble if they wanted to convince me that these were unsafe convictions but I think they wanted to go a bit further than that.

I'm not saying that there wasn't some really, really fucking sketchy police work going on but I also can't help feeling that as in the case of Making A Murderer we might not have seen some fairly important evidence that pointed toward their guilt. The willingness of some of the prosecutors and the police to give interviews about that time they apparently just straight up framed someone made me wonder a bit about whether there was something I was not being told. And the footnotes that all their appeals had been exhausted. So another court heard all the same evidence but came to the same conclusions. :shrug:


From memory in half the cases (or more?) the prosecution/police refused to be interviewed for the programme, which suggests they weren't at all keen to revisit the cases.

In the cases where they did talk, I got the feeling they generally thought they were in the right and didn't see an issue with how they'd conducted themselves.

But yes, a bit more information about the appeals would have been helpful, and it's possible important information was omitted from the programmes themselves.
Yeah, I just found it a bit frustrating I suppose. But the takeaway is if you ever get accused of something you either did or didn't do, don't ever talk to the police on your own.
markg wrote:
Yeah, I just found it a bit frustrating I suppose. But the takeaway is if you ever get accused of something you either did or didn't do, don't ever talk to the police on your own.

You can go further than that - don't ever talk to the police on your own.

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/mvkg ... n-survival
Don't ever talk to the police
And don't stand, don't stand so, don't stand so close to them.
Don't ever talk.
Don't talk just kiss.

Let your tongue fool around.
And I'll be watching you.
We’ve started watching this, against the advice of everyone. It’s chilling, and honestly the clips of the interrogations amount to nothing short of brainwashing.

HOWEVER... the father of the guy in the first two episodes had possibly the greatest voice that’s ever been on TV. Canadian/landed gentry/Sean Connery all smashed into one amazing accent.
Halt And Catch Fire. Still excellent, funny and heartbreaking all the the same time.
Dr Zoidberg wrote:
Halt And Catch Fire. Still excellent, funny and heartbreaking all the the same time.

I can't think of another show that uses quiet, tiny moments to such great effect.
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
Dr Zoidberg wrote:
Halt And Catch Fire. Still excellent, funny and heartbreaking all the the same time.

I can't think of another show that uses quiet, tiny moments to such great effect.

better call Saul?
Ah yes, very good point.
Riverdale S2 on Netflix now.
I'm going to hold off so I can binge them again.....
Dr Zoidberg wrote:
I'm going to hold off so I can binge them again.....


OH MY GOD TWENTy MINUTES IN IT IS AMAZING
MaliA wrote:
Dr Zoidberg wrote:
I'm going to hold off so I can binge them again.....


OH MY GOD TWENTy MINUTES IN IT IS AMAZING


That was beautiful.


Two weeks until Season 2
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
Dr Zoidberg wrote:
Halt And Catch Fire. Still excellent, funny and heartbreaking all the the same time.

I can't think of another show that uses quiet, tiny moments to such great effect.


And it's done.
A very good finale IMO, but not quite as wow as some of the episodes.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Done with Bloodlines. It's a shame they couldn't make more seasons of it. S3 was obviously a rush job in some parts to get the storyline done, and some plot lines were solved in a pretty stupid way, but it was still a stellar show that maybe was just too slow for netflix. I would say it could have been a better fix for HBO but then HBO might have cancelled it just after one season like Vinyl.
One episode in, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is ace.
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