TV you've just watched

[EmperorIng]

Have you guys been catching up on your weekly dose of Blue Planet II? I know Brits had access to the show last year, but for some reason they wanted to make the USA wait months to see it.

It combines the beautiful photography of never-before-seen oceanic behavior with the crushing realization of how badly we've fucked it all up! The ultimate dystopic viewing experience! It's definitely worth watching, even if - compared to other BBC documentaries - the sound design (courtesy of Radiohead alums?) goes a little overboard with cinematic soundscapes... I'm sure that lantern fish don't make tingling bell noises when they move around... nor are their ominous human whispers in the deep, horrifying brine lakes that settle on the bottom of our oceans like out of some nightmare.

One of the few series that convinces me that BBC is watchable! (because we all want to watch... uh, dart competitions with the world's ugliest British gents, eh?)

[GaijinPunch]

Black Mirror is fantastic though. I'm on S2 EP2 now and it's holding up.

It's very good. I personally found the US-produced 4th season continued with similar caliber, although I do have a complaint about it which I will save for after you have finished.

I started Daredevil but never got past episode I as I was just too busy. No complaints, but also only 1 episode. I'll probably start watching it on the treadmill. The Punisher trailers did nothing for me, unfortunately.

Put Mind Hunter in your queue next.

[SuperPang]

“The End of the F***ing World” is now on Netflix and it is a masterpiece.

[GaijinPunch]

“The End of the F***ing World” is now on Netflix and it is a masterpiece.

I'm watching it, as per your other post.

[z0mbie90]

Altered Carbon on Netflix. Meh, just meh.

[soprano1]

Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York (1993)
An hour well spent, this was great to watch and listen. I'm not a huge Grunge fan, but Kurt Cobain had an amazing talent in singing.

[neorichieb1971]

Glad to see we got some more Black Mirror fans

[Stevens]

“The End of the F***ing World” is now on Netflix and it is a masterpiece.

I watched the first few episodes and just couldn't get into it. Which sucks cause I thought the premise was brilliant.

[wgogh]

Altered Carbon on Netflix. Meh, just meh.

Well, more than 'meh' for me. I got the impression that the original source may be really interesting, though not in the level of Neuromancer. The cyberpunk world is fun to watch, but I'm yet to find someone that care for those characters.

[S_Fang]

I finished the first season of "Grimm", made by one of Buffy and Angel's creators for the NBC.
Just like the mentioned shows, it has that light horro/dark fantasy vibe within a cop show's framework, which I don't get along nicely with despite liking Supernatural just fine. The main characters are servicable at their roles and fairly competents, but boring (except the wolf guy which I find cool).

I hope the next seasons will shakes things a little bit up, because I'm feeling like I could bore myself to a certain point.

[garrz32]

Altered Carbon on Netflix. Meh, just meh.

I got to episode 7 wishing it would get better, don't think I'll watch the rest tbh

[emphatic]

I finished the first season of "Grimm", made by one of Buffy and Angel's creators for the NBC.
Just like the mentioned shows, it has that light horro/dark fantasy vibe within a cop show's framework, which I don't get along nicely with despite liking Supernatural just fine. The main characters are servicable at their roles and fairly competents, but boring (except the wolf guy which I find cool).

I hope the next seasons will shakes things a little bit up, because I'm feeling like I could bore myself to a certain point.

As someone who has seen the whole thing, I can recommend you watch all of it.

[BIL]

Somewhat off-topic, but for fellow fans of Rampart scandal-inspired bad cop 'em up The Shield, recent events in Baltimore may be of interest.

[GaijinPunch]

Somewhat off-topic, but for fellow fans of Rampart scandal-inspired bad cop 'em up The Shield, recent events in Baltimore may be of interest.

Material for The Wire Season 6.

[BIL]

Indeed, the saga of Momodu Gondo alone might suffice there.

[Zen]

Never thought I would be posting in this thread but I was bullied into watching this

Black Mirror - Season 1

Satisfyingly subversive.
All three episodes were very good, my favourite being "The Entire History of You".
Indeed, a motif common to all three episodes, was one of catastrophic emotional breakdown in interpersonal relationships. This came across to me more strongly that the future dystopian vibe.

Also, was it just me, or was there more being subtly inferred than is obvious?

Spoiler

For example; the final few seconds in the epilogue of episode one, was the glare that (David Cameron's) wife gives, suggestive of something more than just the obvious loathing,
when applied to their real life analogues? I mean the "shocker" that his wife no longer respects him, was not exactly a shock at all.
Especially considering all the infinitely bigger shocks that went before this. (I'm thinking along the lines of Polanski's The Ghost Writer (2010), here).
Yes, I know that "piggate" was what, four years later? But the idea that the storyline of "The National Anthem" is "just a coincidence" is sheer nonsense when one considers the odds.

Season 2 showed definite signs of decline.

The later seasons are by Netfilx and have, no doubt been "Americanised"?
I will probably give them a pass.

[blackoak]

I've always found Black Mirror to be a mixed bag.

I think s3 had some of the best episodes, would definitely not stop there. Did you like "White Christmas"? I think that was a between s2 and s3 special.

On the other hand, despite the all-time hype surrounding s4, I thought it was a definite regression. You sense the writer(s) running out of ideas, as the stories focus more on some typical human foible and less on technological speculation. "Metalhead" was surprisingly compelling though.

[soprano1]

An old school friend of mine borrowed me his boxset of Fawlty Towers. I only saw an episode or two many, many years ago, but i remember liking the setting a lot.
I'm loving this stuff.

[Zen]

"White Christmas"?

I must have missed that one. I will check it out.

[BIL]

An old school friend of mine borrowed me his boxset of Fawlty Towers. I only saw an episode or two many, many years ago, but i remember liking the setting a lot.
I'm loving this stuff.

One of those exemplars of brevity and all killer/no filler. Only a couple seasons with six episodes apiece, but it's all gold.

[soprano1]

One of those exemplars of brevity and all killer/no filler. Only a couple seasons with six episodes apiece, but it's all gold.

Good to know!

[GaijinPunch]

The later seasons are by Netfilx and have, no doubt been "Americanised"?
I will probably give them a pass.

Not necessarily... some are, but many are still English casts and I would assume at least some if not all English production. I think the caliber holds pretty high all the way through, although I thought this last season they re-used a common theme a bit too much. There are definitely worse things to watch... hell, I'd say most things are worse to watch.

[emphatic]

I have watched Black Mirror myself this past week and one of it's strongest point as a series is that you can skip episodes you don't like. And the tech stuff in the show was brilliant and convincing too.

[Zen]

The later seasons are by Netfilx and have, no doubt been "Americanised"?
I will probably give them a pass.

Not necessarily... some are, but many are still English casts and I would assume at least some if not all English production. I think the caliber holds pretty high all the way through, although I thought this last season they re-used a common theme a bit too much. There are definitely worse things to watch... hell, I'd say most things are worse to watch.

Yeah, I'll probably try to stick with it, though I'm not going to expect too much.
Just watched the "White Christmas" episode, which was basically a remake of "White Bear", from the inferior season 2
Again, it was the brutal nature of the relationship collapse that stood out to me, the scifi elements, again, feeling more "tacked-on".
Also, Jon Hamm felt in shaky "Yank" territory here Stood out like a sore thumb.

[GaijinPunch]

My guess is you'll probably not dig the latest season so much. I liked White Christmas, but I watched it at Christmas after having not watched any of the show for the better part of a year.

[S_Fang]

I finished the first season of "Grimm", made by one of Buffy and Angel's creators for the NBC.
Just like the mentioned shows, it has that light horro/dark fantasy vibe within a cop show's framework, which I don't get along nicely with despite liking Supernatural just fine. The main characters are servicable at their roles and fairly competents, but boring (except the wolf guy which I find cool).

I hope the next seasons will shakes things a little bit up, because I'm feeling like I could bore myself to a certain point.

As someone who has seen the whole thing, I can recommend you watch all of it.

I hope such recommendation shall not be an hoax, because I'm on second half of season 2 and I'm noticing a tiny bit of laziness in the writing.
It would be unplesant if that became bigger to the point of drop.

[Stevens]

An old school friend of mine borrowed me his boxset of Fawlty Towers. I only saw an episode or two many, many years ago, but i remember liking the setting a lot.
I'm loving this stuff.

One of those exemplars of brevity and all killer/no filler. Only a couple seasons with six episodes apiece, but it's all gold.

Watched the first few episodes a while back and thought it was great. Need to get back to it.

[emphatic]

As someone who has seen the whole thing, I can recommend you watch all of it.

I hope such recommendation shiall not be an hoax, because I'm on second half of season 2 and I'm noticing a tiny bit of laziness in the writing.
It would be unplesant if that became unpleasantly bigger to the point of drop.[/quote]

There is a wider arch beyond the "creature of the week" feature. And to me, it paid off.

[neorichieb1971]

Since Black Mirror is like "Alfred Hitchcock" presents in its format. I find it bothersome that people watch a few and knock it on the head. The next episode might well be the one that changes your mind.

The 3 themes that seem to stick out most of the seasons is - Robots, Stealing or having an alternative consciousness and monitoring/reviewing (either your own thoughts/memories or someone elses).

I've watched many shows in recent times and I found Black Mirror to be refreshing. The characters are usually quite strong, none of them are super hero types and some of the futuristic technologies and how they are used does seem very clever and thought out. If you put all those technologies into one big TV series together, you would have a show all of its own worth watching.

[GaijinPunch]

The 3 themes that seem to stick out most of the seasons is - Robots, Stealing or having an alternative consciousness and monitoring/reviewing (either your own thoughts/memories or someone elses).

don't forget beastiality.