The TV and Streaming Thread: Now up for syndication...

[Raithe]

5 hours ago, Azdeus said:

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Yeah, that's my problem really. But even so, after Moiraine and Liandrins exchange just before leaving, sending the very same Ajah after Mat is a monumentally bad decision. The reds having a better network for catching men or not, any Aes sedai is quite capable in such things, and the blues network is equally capable of finding a man, and can likely do so more discreetly.

The influence of the dagger would be something for the Yellows to deal with though as they are the specialists in that subject, and she supposedly didn't know that Mat wasn't the Dragon at that point either, so to me it doesn't feel consistent with what is supposed to be her lifes goal.

 

For that alternate viewpoint to consider:  Moirane is very big on "what the wheel weaves". The very fact that Mat isn't there might be a big flashing sign to her that he's not the Dragon Reborn. Throw in that to a part of her mind, she's thinking she won't be surviving facing the Dark One at the Eye of the World. She's pretty much expecting everyone who isn't the DR to die there, including herself. So she's setting things in motion to deal with a potential Mashadar-corrupted individual in her absence. The Red's pretty much track men so they're good for that, and the most they would do is rough him up a bit and try gentling him. Which won't work because he doesn't channel. So if Mat is good, he might be a little uncomfortable but be let free at the end of it. If he's getting all twisted up and further corrupted, the Aes Sedai will become aware of it.

Personally, I agree, the choice of Red is a little odd, but I could potentially see it from that angle, plus possibilities for how they're setting second season plot up to allow for actor replacement.

[Sarex]

Finished S2 of The Witcher, definitely a step up from S1. I didn't mind the changes from the books at all to be honest. Hoping they take it somewhere better then the books did, or to be more precise I'm hoping they arrive at the ending with a more interesting story. I wouldn't mind them using the bones of the books.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Sarex

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Witcher s2, either up to episode I think. Very big step up from the first, that or the rona years have really ****ed up my standards of quality. Though one thing, after Pathfinder I was weirded out by the Leshy. 

I can't believe this guy as a monster.

17 minutes ago, Sarex said:

Finished S2 of The Witcher, definitely a step up from S1. I didn't mind the changes from the books at all to be honest. Hoping they take it somewhere better then the books did, or to be more precise I'm hoping they arrive at the ending with a more interesting story. I wouldn't mind them using the bones of the books.

As long as they don't GoT it I'll be ok.

[Sarex]

4 minutes ago, KP on top of ZA WARUDO said:

As long as they don't GoT it I'll be ok.

The problem with GoT the TV series is the same one the books will have, the expectations are so high it's going to be very hard to meet them.

Disclaimer: I didn't like the books or the series.

[Hurlshort]

42 minutes ago, Sarex said:

 

Disclaimer: I didn't like the books or the series.

I am confused how this happens. Why would you watch the series if you disliked the books, or was it vice versa? How much did you watch or read if you didn't like it?

[Sarex]

1 minute ago, Hurlsnot said:

I am confused how this happens. Why would you watch the series if you disliked the books, or was it vice versa? How much did you watch or read if you didn't like it?

I finished book 1 and quit somewhere around 1/3 of the second book, I quit at almost the same point in the TV show. This series made me understand that I dislike low/dirt fantasy.

As for why I watched the TV show, I couldn't tell you. I guess I knew how popular the book series was and thought that I would maybe like it more in this format.

[InsaneCommander]

The Wheel of Time episode 7

One of the best episodes so far. The Blood Snow is one of my favorite scenes until now, despite not having as many people as I would expect. Clearly a way to save up some money. I did not see any problem with what happened to Mat, it even felt right considering his personality.

Spoiler

He explicitly says in the books that being a hero is the only thing he hates more than working, so he would rather go back to Tar Valon and find a job than follow Moirane. He is in the teaser for the last episode, so we might see a little more of Barney Harris as him.

 

Btw, Shohreh Aghdashloo is all but confirmed as Cadsuane?

 

The Witcher Season 2

Now this was great, makes TWoT looks really bad. I haven't read the books, so I don't have problems with book changes. It had plenty of great action scenes and funny moments like

Spoiler

Yennefer spitting alcohol in Fire F*****'s face or the Emperor revealing that he was the one who ordered the baby killed, so he knew Fringila and Cahir were lying.

 

The Expanse 6.02

Another solid episode. They are getting the right stuff in the small time they have this season.

 

 

[Bartimaeus]

1 hour ago, Hurlsnot said:

I am confused how this happens. Why would you watch the series if you disliked the books, or was it vice versa? How much did you watch or read if you didn't like it?

Adaptations are usually wildly different from the source material anyways, never mind changing mediums. ...Though I do agree that if you disliked the series, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to check out an adaptation for it.

[Maedhros]

Finished Witcher season 2. Overall quite pleased with it. It's certainly much better than Wheel of Time, but I hope that show gets an equivalent upgrade in quality for its second season.

Jaskier though, meh. Still annoys me that they're reducing him to almost 100% comic relief. In the books he's learned, funny and cunning in his own way. His friendship with Geralt feels very genuine there. Hope to see more of that in season 3.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Maedhros

[ShadySands]

Jay making a Star Trek joke on the latest RLM video made my day.

[Zoraptor]

Only seen the first episode of Witcher S2. I mean honestly it's like the old complaint about public transport; nothing comes along for months then 4 series I'm actually interested in drop inside a few weeks, just when I don't have any spare time. Guess it must be due to the Northern Hemisphere with their silly reversed seasons or something.

Got to say though, Witcher managed a better sense of scope literally inside its first two minutes with the Sodden aftermath scene than WoT has managed in 7 entire episodes- you'd think the Battle of Tar Valon was a minor skirmish from its depiction. Plus that Bruxa... in the immortal 'words' of Lews Therin Telamon: hums and tugs earlobe.

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Zoraptor

[BruceVC]

7 hours ago, Maedhros said:

Finished Witcher season 2. Overall quite pleased with it. It's certainly much better than Wheel of Time, but I hope that show gets an equivalent upgrade in quality for its second season.

Jaskier though, meh. Still annoys me that they're reducing him to almost 100% comic relief. In the books he's learned, funny and cunning in his own way. His friendship with Geralt feels very genuine there. Hope to see more of that in season 3.

You guys really have an issue with Dandelion.....he is a side character and not the main character but he is more than comic relief, he helps Geralt in numerous ways in the important quest to save the world. That makes him important 

https://screenrant.com/witcher-season-2-geralt-jaskier-return-reason/#:~:text=In addition%2C Geralt and Jaskier's narrative has confirmed,for moral support against the difficult trials ahead.

 

[Raithe]

I have to say, Witcher amused me with how the guy in the harbour critiquing Jaskier's song are all the major complaints fans had about season 1. A nice little touch to the whole thing.

[the_dog_days]

4 hours ago, Raithe said:

I have to say, Witcher amused me with how the guy in the harbour critiquing Jaskier's song are all the major complaints fans had about season 1. A nice little touch to the whole thing.

But his song did suck. It was more of a marketing cheap ditty rather than a ballad.

[majestic]

On 12/20/2021 at 1:11 AM, ShadySands said:

Jay making a Star Trek joke on the latest RLM video made my day.

Yum yum... 

[Raithe]

Amazon Justifies ‘Lord of the Rings’ Series’ $465 Million Budget | IndieWire

[the_dog_days]

1 hour ago, Raithe said:

Amazon Justifies ‘Lord of the Rings’ Series’ $465 Million Budget | IndieWire

This show is gonna be so bad. They hired a physical intimacy expert as a consultant for sex scenes.

[Gromnir]

29 minutes ago, the_dog_days said:

This show is gonna be so bad. They hired a physical intimacy expert as a consultant for sex scenes.

the weird blue alien sex scene in avatar were kinda cringey and if somebody with any real influence had suggested to james cameron he might wanna consult an intimacy expert while the film were still being edited, we woulda' applauded the advice. chances are we wouldn't have enjoyed avatar more with a better sex scene, but our memory is too good and we literal cannot forget such badness. 

if amazon hired intimacy experts to make hobbit pr0n less ridiculous, and lotr turns out to be gawdaful, is doubtful we see the two things as inextricable linked.  

am not looking forward to lotr from amazon and am not even knowing the cast or director or whatnot, but if the sex scenes is less terrible than avatar or watchmen (2009), am gonna avoid complaint 'bout the money spent on an intimacy expert.

HA! Good Fun!

[Guard Dog]

I caught up on WoT last night. I still like it. The story is, obviously, becoming fairly different in the details from the books. But most of the beats are still there. The character interactions (which were not in the books like that) are pretty interesting. I see a lot of folks online raging about the liberties taken with characters and story but I don't see the big deal.  The showrunners have not s--t all over the source material and then ran it off a cliff the way GoT did so I'm still happy with it. 

[Hurlshort]

I just don't see where LotRO needs sex scenes. It doesn't need to be GoT.

[the_dog_days]

41 minutes ago, Hurlsnot said:

I just don't see where LotRO needs sex scenes. It doesn't need to be GoT.

Neither did the Wheel of Time.

[Zoraptor]

WoT doesn't really have sex scenes, to be fair to it. Its treatment of sex would be perfectly at home on some typical CW show like the Vampire Diaries, minus Lan's bum and some random bath bristols. Which makes you wonder why they bothered.

3 hours ago, the_dog_days said:

This show is gonna be so bad. They hired a physical intimacy expert as a consultant for sex scenes.

A lot of productions are hiring intimacy consultants nowadays- it would be the least of this shows problems though, if even a fraction of the local rumours are true.

It has an awful, albeit anecdotal, reputation locally. So much so that the local media had a fair bit of difficulty finding people who were upset about production moving to the UK. The distinct impression was that a lot of people didn't want New Zealand associated with it.

(the most generally applicable complaint was why Amazon would spend hundreds of millions of dollars piggybacking on successful books and movies, then hire showrunners who hated the source material...)

Edited December 21, 2021 by Zoraptor

[Hurlshort]

1 hour ago, the_dog_days said:

Neither did the Wheel of Time.

I agree, although Robert Jordan did include badly written sex stuff in the books. It was always an awkward fit in my opinion. Like, we are dealing with end of times craziness and we really need a love triangle storyline?

[Hurlshort]

I have been binging Resident Alien, btw. Alan Tudyk deserves and emmy. He is either a real alien or he is just an amazing actor.

[LadyCrimson]

Alan Tudyk is awesome. I saw freebie minutes or 1st episode (I forget) back when but I don't have/get anything that streams it so I haven't seen the rest. That show/role seemed perfect for him.