The TV and Streaming Thread: Where is Ricky Gervais when you need him???

[Keyrock]

I haven't watched Boba Fatt but I can't escape seeing clips or stills of the show since some of my followed content creators make videos about it. Anyway, I just realized that Ming-Na Wen is 58 years old and it broke my brain. Are they using some CGI de-aging trickery on her? Is she a vampire? Does she drink a gallon of freshly squeezed infant blood every morning? How in the world does she look that amazing at 58? 

[Maedhros]

Boba Fett show was incredibly lacklustre. Reeks of bad planning.

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/02/amazon-the-rings-of-power-series-first-look

I'm so annoyed Amazon didn't buy the rights to The Silmarilion and Unfinished Tales. They're gonna make a show based on the second age with next to no source material. So, basically fan fiction. Lame.

[kirottu]

Boba Fett felt like it was done by the B-team while following some notes Jon Favreau had left lying around. The two Mandalorian episodes felt so much better.

I still have no idea why this Boba Fett wanted to be a crime lord. Maybe it would have made sense for the Boba Fell from the original trilogy, but this Boba Fett didn't want to do anything criminal. So... I mean... Just why did this even happen?

[uuuhhii]

inventing anna

hour per episode for 9 episode are way too long

don't know anything about the real story this is based on

the creator seems more focus on interesting narrative than make a documentary

too many character have long scenes building up their personality

and anna just vaguely sociopathic vaguely delusional and vaguely egotistic

at least it isn't another documentary about serial killer

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

6 hours ago, kirottu said:

So... I mean... Just why did this even happen?

Disney.

[Amentep]

Okay, in the middle of watching TNG "Homeward" and I just have to say...

WTF? Why would the ship doors open for someone who wasn't in the crew? And if it did, why couldn't they change it so it didn't? Why wouldn't they have security watching the door if they couldn't lock the doors? 

Ugh.

Edit: ugh. Finished episode...did anyone working on this episode ever watch a star trek episode before?

[ShadySands]

15 hours ago, KP the Torque Dork said:

Disney.

If they didn't have a good story why not do something else with it? It's like they started to realize it kinda sucked as it went on and then they kept throwing more cameos at it until the season was over.

[Zoraptor]

Boba Fett was always a stupid idea for a Disney series. "No disintegrations"; from Darth Vader? You were never going to get the same character, so to many it would be automatic disappointment.

It required far too much santisation and let's be frank, removes any mystique and mystery from the character while doing so, so it's a double whammy of bad. Thus you end up with the weird spectacle of a ruthless bounty hunter running a criminal syndicate that is... extraordinarily tame, and pretty frequently looking like a putz while doing it because you need some sort of tension. It's the sort of thing that looks great on paper but when you come to actually put it on screen you find that the reasons that Boba Fett was 'cool' are exactly the same reasons he can't work on screen as a Disney lead.

[majestic]

8 hours ago, Amentep said:

Okay, in the middle of watching TNG "Homeward" and I just have to say...

WTF? Why would the ship doors open for someone who wasn't in the crew? And if it did, why couldn't they change it so it didn't? Why wouldn't they have security watching the door if they couldn't lock the doors? 

Ugh.

Edit: ugh. Finished episode...did anyone working on this episode ever watch a star trek episode before?

Man, are you going to love the next one. The upcoming "Sub Rosa" is on many a list of the worst Trek episodes ever. Although often those were made before Discovery and Picard, and Discovery could fill a top 20 worst Star Trek episodes of all time all on its own.

Spoiler, but it may lessen the impact if you read it:

Spoiler

It's about Doctor Crusher having absolutely mind-bendingly fantastic sex with a Scottish ghost (well, plasma being in 'Trek parlance). The ghost also slept with her grandmother and an unspecified amount of women in her family going back a few hundred years or so. He's so good she decides to stay on the colony. No, really. It's... that is what the episode is about.

 

[Sarex]

Inventing Anna. To it's credit I finished the show, which is a rare thing nowadays for me, but still I wouldn't say that it's a great show or anything. The main character was unlikeable which is understandable, but the biggest sin is that she was annoying at some points in the show. It's a "based" on a true story.

All in all I find that Molly's Game is a much better version of this type of story and as show in all aspects of it, although it may be an unfair comparison because one is a movie and the other is a short form TV show. Then again they could have made it in to a movie and it would have benefited very much from trimming some fat.

[Amentep]

3 hours ago, majestic said:

Man, are you going to love the next one. The upcoming "Sub Rosa" is on many a list of the worst Trek episodes ever. Although often those were made before Discovery and Picard, and Discovery could fill a top 20 worst Star Trek episodes of all time all on its own.

Spoiler, but it may lessen the impact if you read it:

  Reveal hidden contents

It's about Doctor Crusher having absolutely mind-bendingly fantastic sex with a Scottish ghost (well, plasma being in 'Trek parlance). The ghost also slept with her grandmother and an unspecified amount of women in her family going back a few hundred years or so. He's so good she decides to stay on the colony. No, really. It's... that is what the episode is about.

 

Oh. THAT episode is next. I remember that one. I might...um...skip rewatching it...

[Amentep]

Meanwhile, I finished season 1 of Discovery. They finally get around to trying to establish a connective tissue with the opening arc with the closing one, but it feels thinly drawn.

Lorca was more interesting before he came to the mirror universe and became one dimensional. Sadly none of the mirror universe stuff was needed for the story; they could have ended the series without the diversion to the MU (just have Lorca be in the Georgiou position at the end since they posited him as being on the edge after losing his crew.  They ultimately don't need the MU intel they get from the Emperor since Tyler is cooperative, so they really gain nothing from it but three extra episodes or so). Nice to see Clint Howard, though.

First season MVPs are Saru, Stamets and Tilly. Culber doesn't get enough screen time, buyt I felt he worked in the thankless "objectionable doctor" role

Burnham has some good moments, but I think the character's been weighed down with a cumbersome back story. Emperor Georgia needed a mustache to twirl and Lorca becomes uninteresting once revealed. Ash and L'Rell had interesting roles, even if I don't think they fully made sense of L'Rell's character really. And they never really justify the changes to the Klingons - it just seems to exist to tweak the nose of long term fans.

It reminds me in this season a bit like Voyager - a lot of competing ideas thrown together that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

13 hours ago, ShadySands said:

If they didn't have a good story why not do something else with it? It's like they started to realize it kinda sucked as it went on and then they kept throwing more cameos at it until the season was over.

Your guess is as good as mine. I think they wanted to make something to fill the gap of Mandalorian s3 and since Boba Fett was there decided to go with that. I haven't seen past the first (or maybe second) episode and wasn't really impressed with what I saw.

It wasn't as bad as the sequel trilogy though.

[Keyrock]

@AmentepYou actually made it through the entire season? Hats off to you good sir or madam, you have a stronger stomach than I do.

[majestic]

1 hour ago, Keyrock said:

@AmentepYou actually made it through the entire season? Hats off to you good sir or madam, you have a stronger stomach than I do.

 

 

[Lexx]

Why are you people watching this garbage anyways. I couldn't even finish STD s2e1 and I haven't finished Picard either. Picard hurts probably the most, because I was so looking forward to it back then ... sad.

[uuuhhii]

11 hours ago, Sarex said:

Inventing Anna. To it's credit I finished the show, which is a rare thing nowadays for me, but still I wouldn't say that it's a great show or anything. The main character was unlikeable which is understandable, but the biggest sin is that she was annoying at some points in the show. It's a "based" on a true story.

All in all I find that Molly's Game is a much better version of this type of story and as show in all aspects of it, although it may be an unfair comparison because one is a movie and the other is a short form TV show. Then again they could have made it in to a movie and it would have benefited very much from trimming some fat.

the shouting scene in the last episode was entertaining

but most character end up foggy mess that ruin their life for no reason

possibly due to the half base on real event nature of the show

[Keyrock]

1 hour ago, Lexx said:

Why are you people watching this garbage anyways. I couldn't even finish STD s2e1 and I haven't finished Picard either. Picard hurts probably the most, because I was so looking forward to it back then ... sad.

I haven't even tried watching Picard yet, nor do I plan to, not after my experience with Discovery. Despite Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman being involved, I felt I had to check out a new Star Trek show and at least give it a chance. I lasted... 4 episodes, I think. I will say that Tilly was a fun character, I like her, but Burnham... Dear God in Heaven, and this is not against the actor, she's just working with what she's given, but I'm not sure I ever wanted to reach through the screen and strangle somebody so much. This would be fine if she was an antagonist, but when your show's main protagonist is so shockingly unlikable, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's a problem.

[majestic]

Funnily enough, Burnham became more likeable the longer season one of Discovery went on, but everything else become so much worse in season two that it's actually a net negative. Yes, every subsequent season of this show was worse than the first, with season two and four currently being head to head in a race for the being the Plan Nine From Outer Space (or Manos, The Hand of Fate if you're so inclined) of streaming series.

The only reason I consider Picard worse is because it ruins established characters and the Federation in one swoop. However... if Picard would have been made with almost all original characters like Discovery it would probably be better than season two of Discovery. I mean, suffering from dysentery is preferable to watching season two of Discovery.

31 minutes ago, Keyrock said:

I will say that Tilly was a fun character

Yeah, take a look at what they turned her into later... spoilers for season 4, obviously, so @Amentep no peeking unless you want to be prepared for it.

 

1 hour ago, Lexx said:

Why are you people watching this garbage anyways.

I don't want to, but I have to!

edit:

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by majestic

[Amentep]

1 hour ago, Lexx said:

Why are you people watching this garbage anyways. 

Curiosity.  Mind you I'm of the opinion ST went downhill after Roddenberry got booted to the curb (to be fair, maybe a bit before it) and recognize that Paramount has a history of trusting people who hate the concept of Star Trek to run the show (whether the current creators fascination with Star Wars, not Trek, or the TNG show runners hating sci-fi and wishing they were making NYPD BLUE or something).

But to be fair, I watched PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE for fun. Trashy stuff can be fun in the right mindset as long as it's not boring.

To me Season 1 of Discovery wasn't awful. But full of missed opportunities. 

[Raithe]

I've been thinking about the Book of Boba Fett, and an area that gave me mixed feelings. Seeing Cad Bane on screen, live action and having them wrap up the relationship between Fett and Bane made my inner fan glad, however, as a piece of storytelling I don't think it worked as it was set. None of their relationship or history was explained in the tv show, but it was fairly important to the way they interacted, so if you knew nothing about the things from other media it would all go whooooshing over your head like a Tie Fighter. Making that last conversation and fight rather bland and uninspiring.

Compared to Ashoka in The Mandalorian. None of her actual history or backstory was relevant as such to any of her interactions with Din Djarin or within the story of the show. They didn't need to explain it, so seeing her was a good hit for the fans while having no actual effect on the arc of the episode / series. She could have been interchanged with any other random Jedi who survived Order 66. And because of that, putting her in that episode actually worked, and just teased the wider universe.

[Zoraptor]

On a my personal bête noir/ Discovery like Albatross round the neck from a couple of months ago; I watched Shadow and Bone on Netflix. Wasn't really expecting much, but I thought it would be a fairer comparison to Wheel of Time than S2 of The Witcher even if it wasn't effected by covid as much.

Well, S&B was better in every single regard and I ended up liking it completely unironically. Better written, better effects, better acting (though that comparison at least may be unfair, doubtful the actors in WoT could have done much better with what they had), way better direction and cinematography overall, and it didn't reek of cheapness and being rushed despite all the money spent on it. It's not outright brilliant but I would outright recommend it to anyone who isn't allergic to a touch of the Young Adult Tropes, at least.

1 hour ago, Amentep said:

To me Season 1 of Discovery wasn't awful. But full of missed opportunities. 

At the time, those were pretty much exactly my thoughts. It wasn't good, but there was potential there to be built on.

[ShadySands]

I quit Discovery after season 2 and my brain still hurts though maybe I should see a doctor about that. Good ideas and untapped potential are common things I hear and have also said in regards to nuTrek but, spoiler alert, so far it hasn't panned out. 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I have not seen a single episode of Discovery. That seems to be a good thing.

What I have seen is the first episode of All Of Us Are Dead and it is fun. 

[Gromnir]

On 2/11/2022 at 11:10 PM, kirottu said:

Boba Fett felt like it was done by the B-team while following some notes Jon Favreau had left lying around. The two Mandalorian episodes felt so much better.

I still have no idea why this Boba Fett wanted to be a crime lord. Maybe it would have made sense for the Boba Fell from the original trilogy, but this Boba Fett didn't want to do anything criminal. So... I mean... Just why did this even happen?

we didn't get deep into boba fett before we called it quits, but am gonna nevertheless make a couple observations, so if situation changed later in series, am admitting am speaking with limited knowledge o' the progress o' the show.

rotj boba fett had a kinda specific skill set and reputation which limited his potential post sarlacc career options. am s'posing he he coulda' opened a dairy queen franchise on a rim world, which mighta' made for a better story if you were willing to go kinda campy and have the world weary fett just trying to get through a week w/o having to disintegrate somebody in spite o' his best efforts to get outta the game. alternatively, they coulda' gone the john wick route? which is kinda what they did do, but they never got to the point where boba finally let go as did wick. 

the thing is, if you start off episode one with a not-so-subtle jonah allegory, then is hardly gonna be shocking when the main character, after emerging from the whale, recognizes the opportunity God/The Universe/The Force has presented him to change the course o' his life. 'course the writers went with a pollock mural approach, taking bits o' robin hood and moses and a man called horse and kinda splattering 'em onto their weekly canvas w/o any seeming rhyme or reason. please note the aforementioned characters, while protagonists and typically heroic, engaged in criminal behaviour, but y'know, for goodness.  

honest, we wouldn't have minded seeing fett try and become a more benevolent crime lord, if it weren't for the fact he clear weren't particular good at the job. boba fett is being out maneuvered at every turn. am not sure how things progressed, but boba fett were being portrayed as a competent if aging warrior who nevertheless couldn't strategize or plan beyond what one would expect o' a low-level muscle or button man. 

if in one o' the earlier episodes, the writers had gone with a john wick "i'm back" moment, we likely woulda' rolled our eyes, but truth is we also woulda' strapped in and nevertheless enthusiastic anticipated the ultraviolence forthcoming. never happened.

so you got a half-arsed resurrection/redemption thing which went nowhere, and a potential revenge plot which kinda petered out, and the crime boss protagonist who is 'posed one o' the galaxies most feared bad arses stumbles through each episode with no apparent story purpose save as acting like the guy in a horror movie who, knowing a deranged serial killer is on the lose, checks out the mysterious sound in the basement armed with a broom. 

coulda' been ok with not wanting to do crime in spite o' choosing to be a crime lord, 'cause as already mentioned there is numerous examples o' such having worked. unfortunate, the writers/director also made bobba fett dull and naïve.  coulda' done any number o' different things with bobba fett, but instead o' choosing one such, they went with trying to multiple directions at once and they installed a not particular interesting character as the protagonist o' such a mess.

HA! Good Fun!