The Syndicate

Matahari wrote: ↑Fri Dec 01, 2017 3:03 am

juliets wrote: ↑Tue Nov 28, 2017 9:38 am So Mata are you watching Survivor?

I’ve never watched! One of my kids loves the show, but I usually stick to scripted tv shows. Is it one of your favorites? What else do you watch?

Well, I just started watching it last year and somehow I'm addicted. I don't know how it happened! Other reality shows I watch are Project Runway (my favorite), So You Think You Can Dance, and America's Got Talent. I've never been able to get into the Voice even though its the most popular I think. I also watch Lucifer (another guilty pleasure). I know I watch more than that but this time of year gets taken up with football (it's on Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon, and sometimes other days as well). What else are you watching?

I just watched Dark on Netflix and loved it. It’s a German show and I watched with English dubbing. That was a bit distracting at first but I got used to it by ep3. I also loved The OA on Netflix although opinions on that show are really funny, people either love it or hate it. The only show I watch on network tv is The Blacklist, but right now it’s on break. Non network- I like Peaky Blinders, Homeland, and GoT.

Oh yeah I just read about Dark but I don't have Netflix. I can't figure out if you can somehow get Netflix on your tv or whether your stuck watching shows on a computer. I also watch Homeland - I forgot about it since its not on right now.

If you have a Netflix acct, you can get the app on your tv through your cable company, or if you have a Roku box, the app is on it. I used to plug my laptop up to the tv and watch it that way, but I finally broke down and got cable again (after bitching about them and cutting the cord). They kept calling me with specials, and I found an offer too good to refuse. Probably a good thing because my laptop died. It feels like Homeland should be back on again soon, but I haven’t seen a date for it yet.

All I can find is people expect a January 2018 date. Also found that it was renewed for two years at which point it will end. Thanks for the tip about Netflix.

SMILF and Ms. Maisel are two pretty good shows

insertnamehere wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 4:02 pm <snip>

Thoughts on Season 4, m'man?

Finally getting into Black Mirror. Watched Season 4 first, now I'm going through Seasons 1-3 binge style. Really crazy and great stuff, even if exhausting and depressing.

Ricochet wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2018 6:41 pm

insertnamehere wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 4:02 pm <snip>

Thoughts on Season 4, m'man?

I thought it had too many retreads of old ideas.
My favorite two seem to both be somewhat maligned among the fanbase for whatever reason: Metalhead and Crocodile. Metalhead was the only episode that felt completely and utterly different from anything they've done before, and I'm a sucker for high-contrast black-and-white cinematography. Crocodile was a nice little Coen-y riff about how invasive security technology can lead to more violence and less safety, with all the bleakness and gorgeous direction I expected from the guy who made The Road.

The one episode where Liam McPoyle/William from Westworld slapped his smooth, featureless, Ken-doll-esque crotch was pretty fun, but not super groundbreaking or anything.

The two leads in Hang the DJ were both great and had actual chemisty, which was the only thing that made the episode more than a Arkangel was super-meh, and Black Museum was like White Christmas with none of the originality or acting prowess.

Overall a step back for the show, but not a waste of time. Hopefully they'll rebound.

I'm probably gonna watch Electric Dreams at some point, which is Amazon's "star-studded" attempt at a sci-fi anthology series, and report back with a comparison.

Just finished Black Mirror! Most episodes ranged from alright to pretty freaking awesome, though there were a handful episodes I didn't care for much at all. Overall though definitely recommended.

Here are my episode rankings:

Hahahahaha INH liked Metalhead.

[mention]insertnamehere[/mention] Just watched episode 1 of Electric Dreams and it was ok. It definitely wasn't bad. I'll keep watching the series for now.

Electric Dreams - or an alternate title "What if Netflix had a billion dollars to spend on Black Mirror and did not give a single fuck"

DharmaHelper wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:59 pm Hahahahaha INH liked Metalhead.

BEST EPISODE OF SEASON FOUR

FIGHT ME

DharmaHelper wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2018 11:45 pm [mention]insertnamehere[/mention] Just watched episode 1 of Electric Dreams and it was ok. It definitely wasn't bad. I'll keep watching the series for now.

Keep me posted. Just finished The End of the F***ing World on Netflix and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. The show takes a whole bunch of indie-movie tropes I usually find utterly noxious, and fleshes them out to the degree that they work. It certainly got more idiosyncratic and likable as it went along, and the whole thing is smoothly binge-able in a way that a lot of the bloated Netflix fare oddly isn't. (Then again, it was originally a British Channel 4 show, which might explain the relative quality.)

LIST OF NETFLIX ORIGINAL SHOWS INH HAS RECENTLY STARTED AND PROBABLY WILL NOT FINISH:
The Crown
Atypical
Longmire
Stranger Things
Big Mouth
Godless

I might check out Peaky Blinders, Alias Grace, and GLOW, but I'm pretty burnt out on pretty much everything "Netflix Original" that isn't this, Bojack or Black Mirror.

VERY IMPORTANT ELECTRIC DREAMS UPDATE

Episode 2 still good.

Also you should watch Peaky FOOKIN Blinders

P.S The "Best Episode" of Season 4 is not in fact Metalhead it is of course either Hang the DJ or Arkangel, but the FANS will say it is USS Callister

No I liked Hang the DJ best too.

VERY IMPORTANT ELECTRIC DREAMS UPDATE

Episode 3 is "Ehhhhhhhhhhhh Good?" instead of Episodes 1 and 2 being "Ah, Good."

After DH's condemnation of Metalhead and admiration of Arkangel, I can't wait to see Electric Dreams Episode 3.

Hey you leave Arkangel out of this

ELECTRIC DREAMS UPDATE:

Episode 4 Not Good
Episode 5 Good

I can't seem to find the time to rant and ramble about the Black Mirror new episodes, so here goes, quickie mode, no spoilie, worst to ok-est, none of them cracking the top echelon imo:

#6 Arkangel - lazy ass treatment of what-if-helicopter-parenting-but-hardwired, scattered approach out of which only, like, one storyline and one psychological aspect were interesting to cover, but of course they lead nowhere and the rest was just something Shonda Rhimes could have easily done herself
#5 Crocodile - most disappointing thing since my ex-gf, because dat sweet landscape cinematography and because it could have landed BM's biggest antihero(ine, whatever), but it challenges none of the tech implementation (or its legal ramification), it goes down grim alley with no reward and the twist is a total fart. I agree with basically every criticism that has been thrown at this one. What a fucking waste!
#4 Hang the DJ - I casually enjoyed this more than I see value in it, because sure, it sits clumsily in the repertoire, given San Junipero. It had an odd sort of Sims via Atwood and Orwell flavor to it, but idk, I enjoyed it overall, I believed the characters. The ending / twist left me "huh?" for a while.
#3 Black Museum - probably the most disliked episode, if you only count critics, which is what I went into expecting, but honestly I found it decent. First story was pretty good and true to the "what if tech, but you dun goof" BM formula, the second one was pretty ech and predictable in every way and the third just served the ending, so m'kay. I wonder if this episode wouldn't have been more interesting had the Netflix batch been 12 episodes as originally planned, in which case this episode would have rather served as a "meta-closer" to the whole season, considering all its Easter Eggs and its "burn it all" sort-of-cathartic final shot.
#2 Metalhead - I'm not saying I was won over by this one or anything, but I suppose it's a genre exercise that mostly works (instead of, say, Playtest, which I criticised for the exact same thing). Not sure how much of its ideas truly hold. I really wanted to put this lower, though, because its ending / tweeeeest is absolutely s t u p i d and undermines the whole thing, alas I have no other episodes above it, except... ugh [hating oneself intensifying]
#1 USS Callister - until this batch arrived, I would have seriously bet on my house that I was not gonna buy into whatever fancy genre pastiche this episode seemed to go for. Well, fuck me, it turned out the only BM episode of the season to truly take a stab at something real and have some fun with the concept in the process as well. Plus it stars my Fargo waifu.

Electric Dreams Update:

Episode 6 Good but

FINAL ELECTRIC DREAMS UPDATE:

Last 4 Episodes (7-10) Not Suuuuuper Good, but not trashcan terrible except for possibly "The Fatherhood Thing" or "The Father Thing" or whatever its called.

Watching Big Little Lies - very interesting. Anyone else seen it? (No spoilers please)

juliets wrote: ↑Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:49 am Watching Big Little Lies - very interesting. Anyone else seen it? (No spoilers please)

I've seen it. I liked it rather much. Certainly deserves all the attention and awards they've been getting.

juliets wrote: ↑Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:49 am Watching Big Little Lies - very interesting. Anyone else seen it? (No spoilers please)

Watched it! Certainty loved it

Anybody watching The Good Place? It somehow has better, more unpredictable, yet well-planned-out serialized narrative arcs than most "mystery" dramas. Saying any more about it would ruin the show, but after a mere two seasons, (finale of S2 is next week, I believe) it's by far my favorite Micheal Schur show, beating out The Office, Parks & Rec, and Brooklyn 99.

I'd recommend it for anyone who digs any of the above shows and is into the heavy-theorizing/constant mysteries of stuff like Lost.

insertnamehere wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2018 9:17 pm Anybody watching The Good Place? It somehow has better, more unpredictable, yet well-planned-out serialized narrative arcs than most "mystery" dramas. Saying any more about it would ruin the show, but after a mere two seasons, (finale of S2 is next week, I believe) it's by far my favorite Micheal Schur show, beating out The Office, Parks & Rec, and Brooklyn 99.

I'd recommend it for anyone who digs any of the above shows and is into the heavy-theorizing/constant mysteries of stuff like Lost.

We are watching it. I think it's a very funny show.

Oh my goodness - the Alienist - episode 1 is on again tomorrow. Watch it. TNT 10 pm est.

HOT TAKE:

Channel Zero, despite having a semi-idiotic premise (horror anthology where each season is based off of an internet creepypasta), is the most underrated show on television. It's good, brainy, well-executed indie horror. Season 3 just started and it has the potential to be the best one yet. If you like spooky shit that's actually intelligent, check it out.

Just burned through season 1 of The Good Place... definitely worth watching to the end to get the whole picture of what the show is about, and this is a great role for Kristen Bell...

Not to be outdone I burned through S1 and S2 of the Good Place yesterday.

Finally watching Ingrid Goes West. Ice Cube's kid is in it and he in tannnn guapo.

Mongoose wrote: ↑Fri Jun 08, 2018 9:22 pm Finally watching Ingrid Goes West. Ice Cube's kid is in it and he in tannnn guapo.

I enjoyed that movie. Aubrey Plaza is awesome.

Going through the UK Office for the first time. I love the US version and I’m enjoying the original so far. David Brent is just ... such an asshole.

This morning I watched this decent found footage horror film called Leaving D.C.

I was really drawn to it because sometimes just escaping to the mountains/woods by yourself is really compelling -- until supernatural stuff gets real.

Luke Cage season 2 has been alright to good so far but Episode 10 was such a fuckin' bad idea lol.

I’m finally watching Twin Peaks. Episode 3 just ended. That dream sequence was... um.
I like this.

Sloonei wrote: ↑Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:36 pm I’m finally watching Twin Peaks. Episode 3 just ended. That dream sequence was... um.
I like this.

You're starting my favorite show of all time, albeit one that's a little hard to get into. Here's what I told Ricochet when he started the show:


My suggested viewing experience is as follows: All of Season 1. Episodes 1-9 of Seasons 2. Episodes 21-22 of Season 2. Fire Walk With Me. Season 3.

You can find Rico and I's episode-by-episode discussions in the Twin Peaks thread, they were pretty fun to do. Also, watch the Log Lady intros for each episode. They're all pretty amazing.



Watching the show for the first time, do you have any suspects so far? What's your reading of the dream sequence? Are there possible clues to be gleaned from it, or is it nonsensical bullpuckey?

Spoilering my response to [mention]insertnamehere[/mention] just in case: I’ll probably give the full show a watch because I’m a completionist and don’t want to miss out on what’s going to happen in those wonky episodes, but I will certainly keep your recommendation on mind as I watch them.

Netflix’s description for the next episode mentions a meeting with the Log Lady. I am looking forward to that.

Oh and I also have a new appreciation for George Costanza’s parents-in-law.

The Last Jedi is on Netflix.

Should I even bother?

Epignosis wrote: ↑Sat Jul 21, 2018 10:29 am The Last Jedi is on Netflix.

Should I even bother?

Uh, duh. Yes.

DharmaHelper wrote: ↑Sat Jul 21, 2018 10:48 am

Epignosis wrote: ↑Sat Jul 21, 2018 10:29 am The Last Jedi is on Netflix.

Should I even bother?

Uh, duh. Yes.

I've just heard it was atrocious.

It's my personal favorite Star Wars, but your mileage may vary.

I have no idea why The Last Jedi gets any hates from fans. I don't know what else you could have possibly wanted out of this installment of the saga. I thought it was damn near perfect

Sloonei wrote: ↑Sat Jul 21, 2018 12:55 am Spoilering my response to @insertnamehere just in case:

Spoiler: show

I can’t really begin to speculate about who killed her. Where it stands right now, I’m not even sure that’s the right question to be asking. If we are asking it, Leo is the far-too-obvious answer, and based on the ending to episode 5 it seems he has connections that run pretty deep. I feel like by the time we get deep into this show there will be several people who can easily be said to have been complicit in the murder, to the point where “who” or “what” specifically killed her might almost be irrelevant. It also feels like the murder itself is just a single spoke in a constantly-growing wheel of mysteries. Needless to say I like all of this. The character whose role in everything I’m most eager to find out about is Dr. Jacoby. He’s got things going on.

I’ll probably give the full show a watch because I’m a completionist and don’t want to miss out on what’s going to happen in those wonky episodes, but I will certainly keep your recommendation on mind as I watch them.

Netflix’s description for the next episode mentions a meeting with the Log Lady. I am looking forward to that.

I think season 2 is extremely underrated. It's not anywhere near as good as the rest of the show on balance, but I struggle to see how someone who was onboard with the zanier elements of the first season could turn their nose up too hard at the diversions later on. It's fun and Twin Peaks is such a nice place to be in for a while that I recommend it still.

Turnip Head wrote: ↑Sat Jul 21, 2018 12:55 pm I have no idea why The Last Jedi gets any hates from fans. I don't know what else you could have possibly wanted out of this installment of the saga. I thought it was damn near perfect

There are a few moments in particular that are, I think, easily the coolest moments in any of the films. Easily.

Epignosis wrote: ↑Sat Jul 21, 2018 11:03 am

DharmaHelper wrote: ↑Sat Jul 21, 2018 10:48 am

Epignosis wrote: ↑Sat Jul 21, 2018 10:29 am The Last Jedi is on Netflix.

Should I even bother?

Uh, duh. Yes.

I've just heard it was atrocious.

You heard worse than wrong, you heard nerdrage wrong.