TV you've just watched

[GaijinPunch]

Started High Score in Netflix. Surprisingly enjoyable! Some great footage from 70's and 80's (so far) and in pretty high quality as well.

[Mischief Maker]

Lucifer Season 5 (Netflix)

This is a massively inconsistent show and I don't recommend starting it unless you've exhausted all other possibilities. That said, season 4 by Netflix was probably the best season of this show so I was eagerly looking forward to 5.

Season 5 SUUUUUUUCKS! No precise shark-jumping moment. I think it's kinda like "Supernatural" where constantly upping the celestial ante wrote them into a corner.

Spoiler

Lucifer has an evil twin brother Michael, identifiable through his hunched posture and shaky American accent. Michael seems to have no motivation beyond being a massive dick and goes around turning all of Lucifer's friends against him. Also the cute forensic tech meets an absurdly perfect guy who I pegged as a secret serial killer from his first appearance. That's about all that happens, Michael is a dick and makes everyone unhappy and the conflict isn't even resolved by the end.

Just a shitty season all around. One of the biggest rules of the show was that God never speaks to the angels in direct words, but here God becomes a real chatty cathy played by the Allstate guy. Another rule was that Hell needs to be ruled by an angel, something the season 4 climax entirely revolved around, but this season halfway through God just changes that rule to no effect except as a cheap excuse for why the entire angelic cast can be together at all times.

Just a huge disappointment. If you're determined to watch the show, stop at the Season 4 finale. I predict a total plot collapse in Season 6 just like the Voltron remake's disappointing end.

[sven666]

Started High Score in Netflix. Surprisingly enjoyable! Some great footage from 70's and 80's (so far) and in pretty high quality as well.

Are you for real? I was surprised its possible to produce this sort of garbage in 2020 still!

A childrens presentor telling us about the 100yen shortage an "if you never heard of atari before, dont worry well tell you later" and just about every tired cliche you can think of.. when they shoehorned in that trans-whatever-person to show what a wholesom pc-wonderland videogames are i just had to switch it off.. absolute and utter garbage!!

[azmun]

Started High Score in Netflix. Surprisingly enjoyable! Some great footage from 70's and 80's (so far) and in pretty high quality as well.

Are you for real? I was surprised its possible to produce this sort of garbage in 2020 still!

So have you seen all six episodes or are you basing your opinion on initial impressions? In any case, I am a sucker for 80s and 90s era so any homage to that I really do enjoy. I agree with GaijinPunch, production value is pretty decent. I've just finished watching episode 2 and look forward to the rest!

[sven666]

..all 6 episodes? are you mad? 15 minutes into the first one my eyes were rolling on the floor and my sighs could be heard around the world.. hell no i wouldnt watch it all if you paid me.

I love arcades and 80s/90s stuff as much as the next guy but comeon, all that footage can be seen on youtube, in fact everything can be seen in a dozen or so other documentaries.
Frankly it baffles me how someone can make a videogame documentary in 2020 assuming the audience have never even heard of videogames before its the crazy cooky new fad sweeping the nation by storm and yooooouur kids are loving it!!

tiresome and frankly insulting, the videogame community and industry have achieved so many great things by now I would expect it to be treated with some respect.

[Herr Schatten]

when they shoehorned in that trans-whatever-person

I was surprised that they somehow forgot to mention that she used to be an important developer, having worked on some real classics, including the likes of The Bard's Tale III and Dragon Wars when she was still called Bill instead of Rebecca. Knowing that, I think that her remarks about what video games used to mean to her as a means of escapism aren't actually totally uninteresting. I do agree that without knowing the background she appears oddly out of place in the context of the documentary.

[Mischief Maker]

when they shoehorned in that trans-whatever-person

I was surprised that they somehow forgot to mention that she used to be an important developer, having worked on some real classics, including the likes of The Bard's Tale III and Dragon Wars when she was still called Bill instead of Rebecca. Knowing that, I think that her remarks about what video games used to mean to her as a means of escapism aren't actually totally uninteresting. I do agree that without knowing the background she appears oddly out of place in the context of the documentary.

In the same forum where's there's an active megathread about classic dungeon crawlers, someone dismisses Becky Heinnman as a "shoehorned-in" trans person put in a gaming documentary for woke points.

Jesus Christ, look what gamergate has wroth. Hardcore gamerz turning into scrubz to own the libs.

[azmun]

..all 6 episodes? are you mad? 15 minutes into the first one my eyes were rolling on the floor...Frankly it baffles me how someone can make a videogame documentary in 2020 assuming the audience have never even heard of videogames before its the crazy cooky new fad sweeping the nation by storm and yooooouur kids are loving it!!

tiresome and frankly insulting, the videogame community and industry have achieved so many great things by now I would expect it to be treated with some respect.

They may not cater to an audience that is as seasoned as you, but hey I still enjoy the snippets of interviews from developers and other insiders. Also, I don't think producers had intended to insult the community or anyone in the industry as they employ a less serious and humorous slant in their style.

[sven666]

I was surprised that they somehow forgot to mention that she used to be an important developer, having worked on some real classics, including the likes of The Bard's Tale III and Dragon Wars when she was still called Bill instead of Rebecca. Knowing that, I think that her remarks about what video games used to mean to her as a means of escapism aren't actually totally uninteresting. I do agree that without knowing the background she appears oddly out of place in the context of the documentary.

I did not know that, even more strange they would omit such an important part.

Videogames can be escapism in the same way a good book or hard drugs or just about anything if youre into it enough, i find the context more perplexing as it clearly implicates that videogames would be very tolerant and inclusive, even if youre a transperson, when the absolute opposite is true.
Videogames is the most sexist (and on many occations pretty racist) shit there ever was, you could proboably make a whole documentary series about how tits n ass helped build the industry into what it is today..

[BIL]

Watched Boardwalk Empire (2010-14), Season 1. Superbly nuanced and sumptuously produced American mob drama, as to be expected of HBO, especially with so much Sopranos talent both offscreen and on. A more conventional show than Chase's eccentric masterpiece, or the Coen Bros' similarly Prohibition-era Miller's Crossing, though still plenty interrogative of its characters, era and genre.



Steve Buscemi's idiosyncratic command goes without saying, but I was particularly impressed with Michaels Pitt and Shannon - respectively brooding and roiling knots of repression, the latter my favourite genus of lawman: principled, just, and equally as fucked-up as the crooks. Delighted to see Kelly MacDonald (Trainspotting ) in a prominent role.

[GaijinPunch]

Bless her heart. I love her.
I never watched the last season of this. Need to get around to it... I'm 5 years late.

Season 2 is a treat... maybe better than 1 for at least 1 character. No spoilers. Enjoy.

[BIL]

Haha, I wanted to google one particular dude's name ("The Tin Man") but knew I'd get wanged with a spoiler so left 'im out. I love watching stuff that's complete/near-complete (will get onto Saul soon enough )

[Herr Schatten]

Videogames is the most sexist (and on many occations pretty racist) shit there ever was, you could proboably make a whole documentary series about how tits n ass helped build the industry into what it is today..

True, but to be fair, she's talking about Atari-2600-era games, where this was largely a non-issue. Admittedly, stuff like the infamous Custer's Revenge did exist, but it was obscure shit few knew and even less cared about.

[GaijinPunch]

Haha, I wanted to google one particular dude's name ("The Tin Man") but knew I'd get wanged with a spoiler so left 'im out.

Smart move! He's amazing!

[GaijinPunch]

Watched a couple of more episodes of High Score. Doubling down... it's entertaining. Obviously I wouldn't take it as the gospel but the RPG episode had Richard Garriot (extensively) and Yoshitaka Amano in the same episode. (Fun fact: while Garriot has a pretty bad rat tail and is a certifiable nerd, he throws a mean party). The coverage of the Mega Drive / Genesis was entertaining. Nothing super new, but again, the footage from a bygone era (and the surprisingly good quality of it) is worth the price of admission.

[azmun]

I'm down to the last two episodes (5 & 6). Yeah, the one dedicated to RPGs was pretty fun. Obviously, there will be omissions given constraints but like I said, it's nice to see these interviews in an up close and personal manner. The next episode talks about the war between Sega and Nintendo and it's funny how Tom Kalinske retells his story. If anything, it makes me appreciate how far (and in some ways, how backwards) industry has gone.

[BIL]

Haha, I wanted to google one particular dude's name ("The Tin Man") but knew I'd get wanged with a spoiler so left 'im out.

Smart move! He's amazing!

A treasure indeed. What a mensch. ;-;7

"HE FOUGHT. HE LOST."

"Who - who are you?!"
"SOLDIER..."
"AIEEE!"

"And you're the muscle, huh."
"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS SHIT."

Bellisimo boutique gangster television. Easily joins Sopranos, Breaking Bad and Fargo s2 for family (WINK WINK ) drama. Noticed a bit of Chase-esque waking nightmare creeping into S3. "Thought I was having a nightmare." You said it lad, was on the edge o' me fookin chair

Practically a Prohibition-era Hokuto no Ken with all the bad muhfuckas. HARD TIMES, daddy. Less doughy mobsters in tracksuits, more lean upstarts, hardened soldiers and iron lawmen, killers (and sharp dressers) all. Dark horse favourite - Michael Shannon's pathologically vicegrip-assed Agent Van Alden. Givin' off Sarah Connor Chronicles Cromartie vibes, and I mean that as the highest compliment.



STAY IN SCHOOL KIDS (■｀W´■)

[chempop]

Watched ZeroZeroZero off GaijinPunch's recommendation. I enjoyed it thoroughly, much better than the typically glorified crime show. This one is gritty and rather alarming at times. Good length and solid conclusion that doesn't ask for 10 more seasons like most of the crap that just goes on forever.

[GaijinPunch]

And I got the rec here...
I've sold it to many people, most of which who took it and ran, and were quite satisfied.

I was reminded of Boardwalk Empire when I moved to Chicago. About the time my nuts got up to my chest (December 1st on any calendar year give or take) I just thought "how shitty was this 80 years ago? What about 80 years before that?" Boggles the mind. Maybe I'll get on that last season.

[chempop]

Decided to start Boardwalk Empire after hearing about it in this thread, I like it

Raised by Wolves (HBO) is the best scifi series since DEVS. I was sold on this show after the first few minutes of the opening episode and it just keeps getting better.

Minor plot themes disclosed, no real spoilers though:

Spoiler

As the title suggests the dominant theme is parenting, so that might deter some of its potential audience. The young actors are pretty good, some better than others. The Androids are fantastic, Ridley Scott has plenty of experience on this front. Religion plays a part too, but it's usually not too preachy. Production quality is 10/10, I shit my pants the first time the necromancer went into combat mode -- the battle scenes are short and secondary to the focus on survival drama and emotional dialogue.

[BIL]

Finished Boardwalk myself a week back. Unsure if it was forced to end early, as some suggest, or if they planned the short final season, as Terence Winter claims. Either is plausible, really - it's an efficient exit, though not a harried one, the dip in quantity finding no corresponding loss of absorbingly dark quality. Graceful to the end, no Game of Thrones bedshitting. Also has the serendipitous effect of making the series a relatively light time investment.



---

Raised by Wolves (HBO) is the best scifi series since DEVS. I was sold on this show after the first few minutes of the opening episode and it just keeps getting better.

Quite interested in this - already was, but especially after reading Alien: Covenant's novelisation by the always-dependable Alan Dean Foster (authored the first three Alien novelisations, plus Carpenter's The Thing, all worth reading if you like the films - some interesting divergences, particularly as he was often working from unfinalised scripts)

Because while Covenant is a brutally retarded space exploration story, and an outright ruinous cosmic horror one ("Alien," yeah, not so much anymore...) - the scenes involving/between David and Walter are so good, I'm hoping Scott actually gets to finish his trilogy. It's obvious he's far more interested in synthetic humans than space explorers or cosmic horror. And that's ok, I always prefer creators do what they enjoy, rather than slave over someone else's jam. Shame he torpedoed an already-flagging series in the process, and might not even get to finish David no Kimyou na Bouken, but it's a snap to guillotine off the movies post-86 (or post-79, depending on how I'm feeling about Angry Bee Bosses that day)

---

Raised By Wolves s01e01



Well holy fuck, that was upsetting Nice to watch something with Scott's name attached that doesn't provoke grave disappointment. They must've wrangled him properly. An intriguing start, strapping in.

[GaijinPunch]

I watched episode 1 and will continue... but some of it was kinda cringey.

[Mischief Maker]

I've started watching Cobra Kai on Netflix.

I was never a huge fan of Karate Kid, but this show is delightful!

Whodathunk they would have me rooting for the blonde bully from that flick?

[BIL]

^ I slept on that one, sounding like good stuff. I coulda sworn it was a movie but I'm never too up on these things.

Raised By Wolves S1E2

Spoiler

Good move. Far too compelling a presence to lose so early in this disquieting Lost In Space x Blade Runner.

I watched episode 1 and will continue... but some of it was kinda cringey.

The theology I can take or leave, but I can't help loving the goofy battle android FX. Feels endearingly 90s the way Alien does 70s (or so I imagine the latter does). A quarter-century later, The Lawnmower Man *cough* I mean CYBER GOD's time has finally come

[chempop]

The Boys season 2 - Pretty decent mindless fun. Homelander is by far the best character, he carries the show imho.

Westworld season 2 (catching up) - I'm finding it harder and harder to watch and I'm not sure why. It's possible I'm just exhausted from overworking and don't have the attention span.

Kaiba (anime) complete series - Fucking amazing even though I only have a slight grasp on what the hell is happening most of the time. It's a must watch for artsy fartsy anime fans.

[Mischief Maker]

Cobra Kai season 2 sucks, sadly.

The entire draw is watching Johnny and LaRusso having their childhood spat/Karate-themed midlife crises at each other. Everything else should be secondary. That's what made season 1 great.

The teenager scenes are only interesting when the kids are trying to apply Johnny's warped lessons to humorous effect.

But in season 2 it turns into pure teen love triangle melodrama that Johnny and LaRusso are uninvolved with and distantly reacting to. The protagonist turned into a supporting character in his own show. Also the actor who plays his bio son is terrible.

Oh well. Season 1 is still recommended!

[GaijinPunch]

The Boys season 2 - Pretty decent mindless fun. Homelander is by far the best character, he carries the show imho.

You're right about Homelander but I'd not call it mindless. Action and gore, sure, but there is some substance there. The politically commentary is not quite as nuanced in season 2.

Trivia: I had to Google Abraham Lim, the actor who played Kimiko's brother. Definitely didn't look Japanese. He speaks quite well though, and good/smart enough to let the emotion of the scene hide a would-be deficiencies. He's Korean/American as it turns out. Not sure if he ever studied/lived there or if he has one hell of an language coach. After seeing The Handmaiden I've got a whole new respect for South Koreans' capacity to learn Japanese.

[versionfiv]

rewatched Buffy the Vampire Slayer whole series for the 20th+ time over the past 23 years. my favorite show. it's nice it's been in the news a lot since the 20th anniversary. the show went very much downhill in the sixth and seventh final seasons - kinda like GOT did - but the first 5 seasons are television at its best. other shows i like are Bored To Death, Parks and Recreation, Veep, 30 Rock, Game of Thrones. not into teen dramas, many people who haven't seen Buffy think it is one, but it's more along the lines of Twin Peaks.

[GaijinPunch]

Nothing is like Twin Peaks, despite the best of intentions.

[emphatic]

rewatched Buffy the Vampire Slayer whole series for the 20th+ time over the past 23 years. my favorite show.

It's in my top 5. Are you an Angel series fan as well? I like to start with Angel when I re-watch, then watch Buffy after like it's a prequel.