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Current TV Boxset Addiction

Started by radiator, 20 November, 2012, 02:23:29 PM

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Tiplodocus

So far, Saul looks like he belongs in another show entirely.  But then again, I am thankful for the break.

I suppose you don't bat an eyelid when an episodic TV show like Star Trek does a serious angsty epiosde followed by a comedy episode followed by a scary episode so why the difference here?

PS: Was very satisfied with the finale of The Office. All "i"s dotted and all "t"s crossed. Very clever doing the 1 year later jump as it meant that everything didn't feel crammed into a short time frame.
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

TordelBack

Quote from: Tiplodocus on 13 January, 2015, 08:54:16 AM
So far, Saul looks like he belongs in another show entirely.  But then again, I am thankful for the break.

I get what The Cosh is saying, but I'm not sure I'd have binge-watched the alternative series he describes.  I did struggle with the tonal flip-flops in the early seasons, coupled with the realisation that the plot was being made up on the fly, but once I was properly involved with Walt and Jesse I came to depend on these aspects as a release from the tension.  The silliness (as opposed to black humour) of S'all Good Man and the rest made Albuquerque into a fantasy setting, rather than an attempt at reality, and that allowed the character's journeys to be genuinely bleak, despite involving unlikely contraptions, magic drugs and feats of derring-do.  The core human stories remained dramatic, with the rest of the production providing the necessary laughs. 

Colin YNWA

I've not thought this through properly so fully expect to be shot down in flames but what the heck, spouting nonsense has never stopped me before.

I sometimes struggle with people not liking changes in tone in a show and or comic etc. I get people wanting to set a tone and or mood for a piece of fiction as it provides stability and a more comfortable or consistent viewing experience (or for that matter consistently uncomfortable depending on the tone set!). That is however not to say its realistic. My experience is life doesn't have a tone or consistent mood. It flip flaps, you can be in the most miserable circumstance and still met 'characters' that have a completely different mind set or situations that force a different mood in the same conditions. I engage with different situations and moods, or tones, all the time within the same mundane working day. To me having this curious lack of consistency is refreshing like real life.

In particular it works in Breaking Bad which is very much a show about a man moving between different worlds and the tensions that creates. There is no better shift in tone that the move between Walter White and Heisenberg. Often this very shift, or more accurately the man caught half way between the being the two people is the source of some of the best humor and tension in the show.

Fungus

BB remains the only show I've ever 'binged' on, and I just know that I wouldn't have been able to wade through many hours of tense - at times very grim - drama. Come to think of it, I doubt my disbelief would have been suspended for long if no-one ever cracked a joke. Better invoke Saul.

And Shakespeare punctured his tragedies with comedy, he knew what he was doing. The impact of both is heightened?

I, Cosh

Is there a record for the longest gap between a comment and a specific reply? Brought on by my Polish colleague and his fiancee having watched the first four series in 8 days...
Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 13 January, 2015, 10:10:20 AM
I sometimes struggle with people not liking changes in tone in a show and or comic etc. I get people wanting to set a tone and or mood for a piece of fiction as it provides stability and a more comfortable or consistent viewing experience (or for that matter consistently uncomfortable depending on the tone set!).
I get what you're saying and, of course something like Judge Dredd or, more recently, Low Life is enjoyable and successful at least partly because it is able to move between different tones. However, within that framework, one story tends to stick to a particular  register.

Quote from: TordelBack on 13 January, 2015, 09:06:48 AM
I get what The Cosh is saying, but I'm not sure I'd have binge-watched the alternative series he describes.  ...The silliness (as opposed to black humour) of S'all Good Man and the rest made Albuquerque into a fantasy setting, rather than an attempt at reality, and that allowed the character's journeys to be genuinely bleak, despite involving unlikely contraptions, magic drugs and feats of derring-do.
I certainly hadn't thought of it in those terms.

You all make some good points and it's clear I'm in a small minority here and the problem must be me, not you or Walt. Interesting that a couple of you have said that you wouldn't have binged on my version of the show, as it wasn't something I could ever watch more than one or two of at a time. I'm just going to accept that it wasn't for me, write a last bit of guff here and try my best not to start whinging again the next time somebody mentions how great it is.

I'm not sure what the root of my antipathy is. Maybe the programme was sold to me on the basis of the dramatic elements so I was surprised by the other stuff. To use the example mentioned, I felt the dissolved bath was enough comic relief in itself. Adding the Last of the Summer Wine style house viewing panto was just overegging the pudding.

Quote from: Tiplodocus on 13 January, 2015, 08:54:16 AM
So far, Saul looks like he belongs in another show entirely.  But then again, I am thankful for the break.
For the record, Saul and his unabashed villainy amongst all the hand-wringing was one of the things I unequivocally liked.
We never really die.

I, Cosh

As for me, I've started watching Farscape, even though it's got muppets in. I think I've seen the first three series before but never made it to the end for some reason.

Half a dozen episodes in and it's starting to open up some of the backstories. However, I've been doing that kind of half-watching while you're doing something else and then you realise at the end of the episode that you've a vague idea of what happened but not the specifics.
We never really die.

Colin YNWA

Well its not an addiction yet but since it was lent to me by my boss our next endeavour is The West Wing. Watched the first episode and while it certainly had some nice moments all I can say is I do hope it gets better! After all the praise I've heard of it I suspect it will?

ming

Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 20 January, 2015, 08:23:26 AM
Well its not an addiction yet but since it was lent to me by my boss our next endeavour is The West Wing. Watched the first episode and while it certainly had some nice moments all I can say is I do hope it gets better! After all the praise I've heard of it I suspect it will?

I always get that confused with Veep.  Which I love.

We just watched The Worricker Trilogy (Page Eight, Turks & Caicos, Salting the Battlefield).  The second installment felt a bit forced but overall this was really enjoyable and seeing Bill Nighy in a main role was something of a revelation.  Worth looking out for.

Tiplodocus

The man in the high castle.

On lovefilm/amazon prime instant video as one of seven pilots for shows that you can vote to be made.

I have no idea if it's a good adaption of Philip K Dick's "What if the nazis won the war?" tale but it was rather good even if I can't see them doing a light relief episode.

Watch it and vote so I can get addicted.
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Hawkmumbler

In between my Last Airbender foray I've been rewatching some IT Crowd and I had completely forgoten just how funny it is.

"Ha! Well prepare to put mustard on those words as you eat them, with a side order of humble pie, baked in this oven of shame, set at gas mark egg on your face!"

Tiplodocus

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA.
Tiny Tips has started watching this. Despite some good laughs in the first few episodes,  I don't think that I will be sticking with it. The performances are good but everybody, EVERYBODY  is a complete arsehole. There's a mean streak running through it as well (same as Family Guy). Not for me.
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Zenith 666

Seen six seasons and while it has some gold moments that mean streak just gets worse so you'll get no enjoyment from it Tips.

Theblazeuk

Toast of London

Has its moments, though a pale imitation of Darkplace/Boosh/etc. Mind you just thinking about some of the Mighty Boosh moments makes me snigger.

Richmond Clements

I'm in the middle of BUffy season 5 on my rewatch. While there is stuff I didn't like: [spoiler]Riley should have died at the end of season 4, because there's nothing for him to do here and his leaving was too contrived.[/spoiler]

BUT:

The latest episode was The Body. Man that is some powerful and moving television.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Richmond Clements on 30 January, 2015, 09:02:28 AM
The latest episode was The Body. Man that is some powerful and moving television.

We've paused our Buffy re-watch at the end of Season 5 to watch a chunk of the Angel box set, but the Great Buffy Re-watch has fairly conclusively proved to me that the "It's All Downhill After Season 3" crowd are just plain wrong.

Cheers

Jim
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