Current TV Boxset Addiction

[Rara Avis]

Walker: Texas Ranger - no idea why I started watching this, probably because people were so publicly annoyed at Chuck Norris for being a douchebag at the Capitol Riot, but it didn't worry me none as he's long been problematic because of his extreme Christian fundamentalist views, but even those are part of the bizarre Chuck Norris package: karate champion, musician, fiction and non-fiction writer, occasional televangelist, pro-cop, anti-government - I mean, clearly I am describing the lead character from a series of pulp novels about a truck driver that fights vampires in post-apocalyptic America, and if he was left wing it would just sort of ruin it.  It just would.
Anyway, this show is a complete load of bollocks, but it does have lots of explosions and someone usually fights a bear every 12 episodes or so.  Around the third season, it just starts doing stuff about ghosts, with Billy Drago cosplaying as a Native American witchdocter raised from the dead to kill white people, or Chuck Norris pulling double duty as the ghost of a cowboy out to stop modern day crooks finding his cursed gold, and then Chuck fights a bear but they achieve mutual respect and team up to fight Bigfoot, who is actually a cyborg - that probably sounds a lot sillier than it actually is in the show, because you see the cyborg is actually a crook that Walker has been pursuing for years after he murdered Walker's sheriff friend who was one day from retirement, and Walker shot the plane the crook escaped in out of the sky with his handgun, but it was lost in the mountains and years later, Walker discovers that the crook didn't die in the plane crash because he welded parts of the plane to himself to replace the missing parts of his head and body, and now he wanders the mountains looking for victims to dismember using the proportionate speed and strength of a light aircraft - so you see, when you break it down, it's no different than something you'd see in The Wire.
I also just realised that long before he makes his first appearance and when characters ominously hear Bigfoot off in the distance, he's not growling, he's making plane engine noises.  When one episode starts with a mid-air shootout between hot air balloons, it barely registers as unusual.  Needless to say, this show is very silly.

Also has one of the greatest moments in tv history:

https://youtu.be/ebOKo96HfEM

[broodblik]

The best way I see a remake like Walker or even something like Magnum is to "forget" the original and watch the "remake" for what it is. I see it as characters that have the same name as a classic series. Judge teh show on your enjoyment not what the classic done.

[pictsy]

Babylon 5 Season Four

This season is the first that hasn't exceeded it's predecessor.  I must be more used to long form storytelling tv shows, because the pacing in the season is way too fast.  Wasn't expecting to say that!  There's still good stuff here but I think it is not a well crafted season.  I wonder what it would have been like if they knew they had a fifth season to work with when making this one.

Surprisingly, the President Clark stuff didn't have much parallel with what we've seen recently in US politics.  I think something the real life events have demonstrated is there are severe foundational problems with the US system of governance.  In contrast, Babylon 5 presents it as an issue of individuals and not systems.  The show is heavily militaristic and has a unnerving "might is right" attitude to conflict.  From season 1 I thought the military running B5 didn't make sense.  The shows politics and philosophy end up just being naive and underdeveloped, failing to tackle many issues with any kind of nuance or grace.  This is probably because it's not the core of the show, it's just set dressing.  The core of the show is an epic messianic space saga, which it achieves very effectively.

So season 4 shows the wrinkles in the show and is clearly rushed.  The experience so far is still top quality and I continue to thoroughly enjoy watching the show.  Overall, it is still beating my expectations for this long overdue rewatch.  I've come to appreciate it a lot more than I did before.

Only Season 5 to go.

[wedgeski]

Babylon 5 Season Four

This season is the first that hasn't exceeded it's predecessor.  I must be more used to long form storytelling tv shows, because the pacing in the season is way too fast.  Wasn't expecting to say that!  There's still good stuff here but I think it is not a well crafted season.  I wonder what it would have been like if they knew they had a fifth season to work with when making this one.

Surprisingly, the President Clark stuff didn't have much parallel with what we've seen recently in US politics.  I think something the real life events have demonstrated is there are severe foundational problems with the US system of governance.  In contrast, Babylon 5 presents it as an issue of individuals and not systems.

It's diminished for you, because of this? That's interesting to me.

I agree S3 is superior. S4 does suffer heavily because of its forced pace--such a huge shame. I never really enjoyed the culmination of the Shadows vs. Vorlons arc, either, which didn't live up to the promise of the earlier seasons. All that being said, when it's good, it's as good as ever.

[pictsy]

Babylon 5 Season Four

This season is the first that hasn't exceeded it's predecessor.  I must be more used to long form storytelling tv shows, because the pacing in the season is way too fast.  Wasn't expecting to say that!  There's still good stuff here but I think it is not a well crafted season.  I wonder what it would have been like if they knew they had a fifth season to work with when making this one.

Surprisingly, the President Clark stuff didn't have much parallel with what we've seen recently in US politics.  I think something the real life events have demonstrated is there are severe foundational problems with the US system of governance.  In contrast, Babylon 5 presents it as an issue of individuals and not systems.

It's diminished for you, because of this? That's interesting to me.

I'm not sure what you are asking me here.

[wedgeski]

Babylon 5 Season Four

This season is the first that hasn't exceeded it's predecessor.  I must be more used to long form storytelling tv shows, because the pacing in the season is way too fast.  Wasn't expecting to say that!  There's still good stuff here but I think it is not a well crafted season.  I wonder what it would have been like if they knew they had a fifth season to work with when making this one.

Surprisingly, the President Clark stuff didn't have much parallel with what we've seen recently in US politics.  I think something the real life events have demonstrated is there are severe foundational problems with the US system of governance.  In contrast, Babylon 5 presents it as an issue of individuals and not systems.

It's diminished for you, because of this? That's interesting to me.

I'm not sure what you are asking me here.

"In contrast, Babylon 5 presents it as an issue of individuals and not systems."

I read this as a complaint, but that might not have been your intent.

[repoman]

WandaVision - eventually crawled out of its own bottom to stop being parody but it feels like all these Marvel things now.  Hard to care about but easy enough to watch.  I'll see it out to the end.

Superstore - supermarket based US sitcom.  Not great but okay if you need an easy comedy to dual screen to.

I can't wait for more Succession.  That was the last thing that was really essential for me.

I really must watch The Wire as I'm given to understand that it's rather good.

It never gets bad but it gets kind of worse as it goes along.  Series 1 is great.  I liked series 2 a lot.  3 was a bit too much about politics.  4 and 5 change the focus and while it was still interesting, it didn't feel like the same show and I found it hard to care about most of the characters.

Deffo worth watching though.  If only for the rarity value of a good Idris Elba performance.

[Rara Avis]

The Investigation - great scandi procedural crime about the death of journalist Kim Wall.

Available on RTE player.

[pictsy]

Babylon 5 Season Four

This season is the first that hasn't exceeded it's predecessor.  I must be more used to long form storytelling tv shows, because the pacing in the season is way too fast.  Wasn't expecting to say that!  There's still good stuff here but I think it is not a well crafted season.  I wonder what it would have been like if they knew they had a fifth season to work with when making this one.

Surprisingly, the President Clark stuff didn't have much parallel with what we've seen recently in US politics.  I think something the real life events have demonstrated is there are severe foundational problems with the US system of governance.  In contrast, Babylon 5 presents it as an issue of individuals and not systems.

It's diminished for you, because of this? That's interesting to me.

I'm not sure what you are asking me here.

"In contrast, Babylon 5 presents it as an issue of individuals and not systems."

I read this as a complaint, but that might not have been your intent.

It was a criticism, sure.  The program deals with themes that centre around systemic issues, like the rise of authoritarianism, but treats them as if they are only issues with individuals.  The idea being that there isn't anything wrong with a system that allows for abuse by powerful individuals, it's a problem with those individuals.  B5 is hardcore pro-the-system, presenting the US governmental system as being a panicle of human achievement, to not only dominate Earth, but beyond the stars (I've just started season 5).

Although I noticed this point and I don't think it goes in Babylon 5's favour, I don't think the show has diminished for me because of it.  As I went on to say;

The shows politics and philosophy end up just being naive and underdeveloped, failing to tackle many issues with any kind of nuance or grace.  This is probably because it's not the core of the show, it's just set dressing.  The core of the show is an epic messianic space saga, which it achieves very effectively.

What did diminish it for me was the let-down that Season 4 ended up being.  That is offset by what a fantastic surprise the previous seasons were, especially 1 and 2 (which may be my favourites).  In many ways, this rewatch has elevated my opinion of B5.

Whilst I'm still talking about this, there is something else I noticed.  The quality of acting seems to be on two extremes in Season 4.  The main cast is still mostly great, but the bit parts are acted terribly.... especially the leader of the Mars Resistance, that was an awful performance.  I think they blew their acting budget on the improved special effects, which look great in this season.

[Andrew_J]

Currently enjoying The Witcher on Netflix. I came to it through listening to the soundtrack while I'm working. The music is excellent, and Joey Batey's performance as a bard is brilliant and hilarious at the same time.

[spoiler]It took four episodes before I realised the three threads are not concurrent - is that even a spoiler?[/spoiler]

[Tiplodocus]

Not really a spoiler. From what I recall though, it was pointless telling the narrative in that fashion.  No new thoughts about what you'd seen when you realised it all. Just [spoiler]"Oh, it was out of sequence."[/spoiler]

[Bolt-01]

ooh the Witcher. Not seen that yet, or Lost in Space...

I'm already watching Discovery and The Expanse, so I'll save LIS for when one of those is absent from my watchlist - reckon I'll give the Witcher a go.

Ta

[Funt Solo]

I really must watch The Wire as I'm given to understand that it's rather good.

It never gets bad but it gets kind of worse as it goes along.  Series 1 is great.  I liked series 2 a lot.  3 was a bit too much about politics.  4 and 5 change the focus and while it was still interesting, it didn't feel like the same show and I found it hard to care about most of the characters.

I was similarly left-fielded by The Wire, because it's a show that gives you what you need, and not what you want - and I watched a video essay that outlined for me that it's perhaps not even something I'm in a position to understand well, compared to someone who's living close to the kind of lives that are being depicted. It's a story about Baltimore (of even America, or even capitalism), and not about the people you meet in the first series.

Anyway: I appreciated the depth even if I wasn't really aware of it on first viewing.

The Wire - Why Every Season Matters

[repoman]

Alternatively, it's a show about Omar.

[pictsy]

Omar is an excellent character.  I thoroughly enjoyed The Wire start to end.  The weakest Season for me is 2, but it's all relative and it's still great.  Haven't seen it in years.