TV Serieseseses

taniwharugby

Banshee is enjoyable, plenty of BS, but a fun watch.
 
I liked The Fall, Gillian is still rather tidy, like most there are some plot holes, but for the most part was a good watch, and series isnt too long either.
 
I have decided not to watch the most recent series of Downton, annoys me how some shows kill someone to create drama.
 
Yeah I saw they had finally put a date in the S3 slot for Sherlock, be great to see how they do that!

mariner4life

i'm going to watch the entire "Breaking Bad" over the holiday dead period. the internet tells me it's the greatest thing in the history of the world ever, so i have unrealistically high expectations.

taniwharugby

also upto ep 6 of Arrow, certainly has more going for it this season.
 
Also started on The Americans, ep 1 was pretty good.

rustycruiser

Season 2 of the Americans starts in February. Also looking forward to Justified starting back up on Jan 7th.

taniwharugby

Is Homeland worth watching?
 
I was getting a bit over it at the end of last season (given ultimately it shoulda just been a single season series) and looking at some comments around this season...

Crucial

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="407926" data-time="1387264544">Is Homeland worth watching? 
 
I was getting a bit over it at the end of last season (given ultimately it shoulda just been a single season series) and looking at some comments around this season...</blockquote>
 
The problem with the latest series was in order to make the timeframe of the setup of the main story slightly believable they padded out about the first five eps with boring shit about the whiny daughter. The rest of it was ok but my advice would be to fast forward every part of the daughters story except when Brody meets her again.

Crucial

Just read an interesting story about Homeland from the producers. It sounds like it was the networks insistence that they drag out the Brody story line and they originally wanted it to finish in season one (or at least two). Pretty much looked that way.

mooshld

Homeland
[spoiler]
 
Apart from the one twist the whole season made very little sense. It was disjoint and just a whole bunch of stories that went nowhere. Contrived to get to the ending with a weak plot and to many characters of convenience.
 
The family they are having to live with the consequences of Brodies choices. Except only the daughter is smart enough to change her name and shift. Then it goes nowhere.
 
There is a hell hole in Venezuela with loads of dodgy characters, that story line also goes no where.
 
Oh Quinn he is all conflicted after killing a kid, but the rest of the series he only shows up in top level meetings and to wound Carrie. Then his story goes nowhere.
 
The Iranian girl working at the CIA, gets top level clearance ohh and what a coincidence her uncle is an underground opposition figure in Iran.Then her story goes nowhere.
 
Then finally Brodie comes back, Carrie spends 3 episodes trying to make sure he can get in and out alive; Then when Dar Adal sacrifices Brodie to make Javadis position stronger Carrie who is a nut job at the best of times is happy to go back and work under him. Happy to forgive Saul? Just gets on with being pregnant but then at the last minute realises that having a kid can be hard work. Whatever that was the laziest ending I have ever seen. Just set up a 4th season and keep the cash coming in!!
 
 [/spoiler]

Tim

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Tim" data-cid="407899" data-time="1387243990">
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Sons' hugs. 

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Ahhhh, the video didn't embed.

mariner4life

oh, i thought we were having a moment over the end of the series. 
 
this is awkward...

taniwharugby

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="407986" data-time="1387328044">
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oh, i thought we were having a moment over the end of the series. 
 
this is awkward... 
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I thought it was some joke that I didnt get when I saw you had liked the post...

Nepia

So, I finally got round to watching Homeland and SOA - I've been watching Ray Donovan so have put the two of them off ... it's a bit of a worry that I couldn't even be bothered to watch them straight away. TBH, I'm a bit worried - is the era of great TV drama already over? Are we now in an era of only just goodish stuff?
 
Homeland
[spoiler]I've never really been annoyed by the daughter so this series wasn't as bad for me as any of you but FFS it ended in the worst possible space. Carrie still in the CIA - agree with everyone else it is f-ing stupid. Saul not in the CIA, great one of the two watchable characters left (with Quinn) is now gone. I wonder if Patinkin has quit the show as he never stays with shows very long.
 
Agree with Moosh re: how disjointed the show is. Where was the Iranian girl in the last episode? Why have the family involved if the ramifications of Brodie's death on/for them is not even going to paid lip service to?[/spoiler]
 
 
SOA
[spoiler]Agreew with most posts above. This seemed to me a bit like Sutter was saying f-you to everyone who gave him shit about not killing Clay all these years. This year had some good parts but was ruined by the whole ... I loved seeing the Irish get their beans as one of the good parts. Nero is (was) a great character. I think I might root for him over the Sons next year if the set up for next series plays out as suggested in this episode.
 
Crucial: I don't even like Bobby .... [/spoiler]
 
 
Ray Donovan
[spoiler]7 episodes in and I'm really enjoying this show. Was not what I was expecting for a start ... was told it was a Hollywood fixer show like House of Lies. I'm enjpying seeing how the backstory unfolds. I think that Voight is hamming it up like crazy though. No doubt he's getting bouquets from critics but he's only just this side of me wanting to turn off in each scene. Liev Schreiber is pretty believable as a bad ass for an actor, he looks more physical than most do.
 
And for anyone who thinks that the daughter on Homeland is annoying spend a few minutes watching the daughter on this show you'll want to stab your eyes and ears out.
 
TBF, I just like Boston themed shows ... even when they're set in LA.[/spoiler]
 
After Ray Donovan I may finally get around to watching the rest of Deadwood - the last of the 'great' TV dramas of the last decade I haven't finished yet.

taniwharugby

I have only waTCHED 2 eps of Ray Donovan, it was watchable, just didnt grip me, and yeah his daughter was annoying...and his wife is entirely too average!

Crucial

Nepia, Homeland
 
[spoiler]Saul is a big part of the show and is renewed for next year. He will be a private contractor though. Carrie gets to pick her team in Istanbul so that will explain why Quinn, and the techie guys are in the show. 
The series was very disjointed but if you read the link I posted with the showrunner talking, the whole show was diverted by the network because of the popularity of the characters and they couldn't play out their original story. At least they found a way to move on. 
The whole Carrie is a nut bag but keeps her job thing is far fetched, but also remember that she has been proven correct all they way along. Her suspicions of Brody, her theory of Abu Nazir, her methods of getting Brody on board and her belief that he was still working for them, not against them all provided the CIA with a pretty big 'win' to hang their hats on. 
Although it's far fetched that the CIA would run her based only on her ability to have correct hunches she is stated as being one of the best asset runners they have and that must hold some value. 
So there is a wee bit of credibility there. 
I'll tune in next season to see where they take it now the Brody monkey is off their back.[/spoiler]

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="408053" data-time="1387403644">
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I have only waTCHED 2 eps of Ray Donovan, it was watchable, just didnt grip me, and yeah his daughter was annoying...and his wife is entirely too average!
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Yeah, at least make the wife a MILF - I think the actress was the same one from the Irish series of SOA? 
 
I can understand you taking or leaving Ray Donovan, but I am still bemused that you can't get through the greatest show of all time.

taniwharugby

She was also the prostitue in Deadwood.
 
Haha, I was discussing The Wire with a friend yesterday, I might have to try again...although I have a few other shows I'd like to give a go too (Boardwalk Empire, Sopranos, Modern Family)

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="408061" data-time="1387405492">
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She was also the prostitue in Deadwood.
 
Haha, I was discussing The Wire with a friend yesterday, I might have to try again...although I have a few other shows I'd like to give a go too (Boardwalk Empire, Sopranos, Modern Family)
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You haven't seen the Sopranos either? Did you just buy a TV in the past year? ;)
 
Boardwalk Empire is ok, but I think it's another example of TV only being goodish now and not great. The parts are all there but it doesn't quite fit.
 
As Modern Family is a sitcom, I tend not to think of them in the same context as the dramas. But I laugh, which is what counts.
 
Re: The Wire, just do it, but remember to not have any distractions - send the kids to relations, a holiday programme, Siberia, wherever and just sit down and watch. Ignore the fact the first series is a decade old with dated technology (and that beepers were already old technology - they explain why they're still being used IIRC). Hmmm, as an aside, is it too early to have early 00s period pieces? Good luck. If they ever perfect the memory removal technology from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind movie I may have to get it done just so I can re-watch The Wire for the first time again.

taniwharugby

Just checked and Sopranos started in 1999, which was when I went to the UK, as I am pretty sure I watched a couple of eps in NZ and when I got the UK they were either behind or ahead and I never carried on with it.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="408096" data-time="1387415507">
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Just checked and Sopranos started in 1999, which was when I went to the UK, as I am pretty sure I watched a couple of eps in NZ and when I got the UK they were either behind or ahead and I never carried on with it.
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I remember watching parts of the first episode in the UK and thinking: what is this tutae? Then I started watching season 3 with my flatmates back in NZ and then they replayed 1 and 2 nightly at about 11pm so I caught up that way.

jegga

Homeland had a whiff of lost at the end of the first series, I won't revisit it. Is Ray Donovan great of just good? My mysky is full of episodes loc it.

The Silver Fern

TV Serieseseses