What's on the idiot box?

[algroth]

We are never going to see anything like this again. It's all going to be CGI 

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giNu19c02vY

Not TV, but seen Dunkirk yet?

[Gorgon]

There are no Germans in Dunkirk. I mean, two right near the end. There are planes and ships, that's true, but no battle scenes with hundreds or thousands of extras, just people standing on a beach.  Instead Nolan chose to follow certain individuals based on their accounts, which is fine, it works.  But I was talking about something else. 

[Raithe]

I did hear someone say that in many ways Dunkirk comes across more like a natural disaster film rather than a war film.

[algroth]

There are no Germans in Dunkirk. I mean, two right near the end. There are planes and ships, that's true, but no battle scenes with hundreds or thousands of extras, just people standing on a beach.  Instead Nolan chose to follow certain individuals based on their accounts, which is fine, it works.  But I was talking about something else. 

There's plenty of extras throughout, but granted, no 'battle scene' as such. Mostly though I was referring to the scarce/'invisible' use of CGI you mentioned above.

[majestic]

I heard the expression once - "if you're writing about dragons, you better get the horses right". You can go crazy with the fantasy elements, but anything pertaining or relating to reality, better be as close to it as possible (or at least explained properly)

 

Man can believe the impossible, but man can never believe the improbable.

-- Oscar Wilde

 

Breaking suspension of disbelief or having a really cool scene is a fine line sometimes, and it's not at the same point for everyone.

 

The episode was pretty neat, except for the usual teleporting. I always thought, in the books more than in the show though, that Dany has more than a few loose screws. Burning extremely valuable hostages alive just seems to confirm that.

 

What I really didn't like was Dany looking like she's getting her knickers in a bunch over Jon.

 

Eh, and what the hell is Littlefinger's plan? Granted there might be some value to create strife between Sansa and Arya but Arya is a murdering psychopath with the ability to shapeshift. If he wants to rule through Sansa that seems to be a bad, bad idea.

[Chilloutman]

GoT really going pretty down hill, its clear they just want to be done with it, shame, i liked that for details and dialogs

[HoonDing]

muh verisimilitude

[Raithe]

 

 

Eh, and what the hell is Littlefinger's plan? Granted there might be some value to create strife between Sansa and Arya but Arya is a murdering psychopath with the ability to shapeshift. If he wants to rule through Sansa that seems to be a bad, bad idea.

 

 

Key thing here, no-one really knows Arya is a murdering psycopath with the ability to shapeshift.  As far as everyone's concerned she's the youngest Stark daughter with nothing memorable attached to her. She disapeared from King's Landing those years ago and turned up again.  Sure, her sparring match with Brienne caught Littelfinger and Sansa's attention, but who else is aware of that?

 

I'm curious as to when news about House Frey will turn up and peoples reactions to that and what Arya might say about it. I mean, with the amount and speed of ravens carrying messages so far, but not one comment about the Frey's slaughter?

Edited August 14, 2017 by Raithe

[algroth]

In all frankness I've been enjoying the heck out of this season so far. Granted, some moments in episodes 2 and 3 left a bit to be desired, but the last two have been amidst my favorites of the saga. Great television.

[Chilloutman]

whole Gendry story is horrible,

 

Onion knight: Hey Gendry, didn't mention you few sessions

Gendry: yeah, I am smith here now

Onion knight: Ok, come to the wall

Gendry: Wha? Ok lets go

[majestic]

Key thing here, no-one really knows Arya is a murdering psycopath with the ability to shapeshift.  As far as everyone's concerned she's the youngest Stark daughter with nothing memorable attached to her. She disapeared from King's Landing those years ago and turned up again.  Sure, her sparring match with Brienne caught Littelfinger and Sansa's attention, but who else is aware of that?

 

I'm curious as to when news about House Frey will turn up and peoples reactions to that and what Arya might say about it. I mean, with the amount and speed of ravens carrying messages so far, but not one comment about the Frey's slaughter?

 

Yeah, LF doesn't exactly know that Arya is essentially a fully trained member of the Faceless Men but she has the valyrian steel dagger and she held off Brienne in a fight. Assuming Sansa told him that she wanted to start beheading people left and right that should be enough to know playing her is a bad idea.

 

Eh, but why am I complaining, I hope it proves to be a very bad idea for him.

 

About the Freys, yep, at least Cersei or Jaime should have mentioned losing an allied house, even if they were of questionable worth. Someone must rule the Riverlands now, no? Hmmm.

[Volourn]

"Yeah, LF doesn't exactly know that Arya is essentially a fully trained member of the Faceless Men but she has the valyrian steel dagger and she held off Brienne in a fight. Assuming Sansa told him that she wanted to start beheading people left and right that should be enough to know playing her is a bad idea."

 

LF has dealt with many dangerous people - most of which could cut him to ribbons - so why would that scre him off. Of course, Arya is gonna 'beat' him because she is a Chosen One and is nothing but fan service now. Arya no longer is c character but a side show about how many different ways she can slit people's throats and still be cheered like she is some sort of hero.

 

Two scenes have proven this  this season. the first is beating Brienne is a straight up fight and her casually suggesting to Sansa that Sansa should order the murder of allies because they had the GALL to say something negative about Arya's boyfriend... err.. brother. LMAO

 

Even though I am pro Sansa I actually kinda hope Arya murders her sister so both the show and  its fans can somehow  blame Sansa for it . I've been calling it for years. Arya loathes Sansa. Always has. And, it's not just 'sisterly rivalry' but pure hatred. Arya has ALWAYS wanted to murder Sansa. That's about the most consistent thing on this show.

[Raithe]

Huh. I hadn't realised that you will never get a scene with Bronn and Cersei shot together.  Apparently Headey and Flynn used to date, had a bad breakup, and when they're together things meltdown and shooting can't be done, so everything gets re-written so they don't have to deal with it.

 

The weird behind the scenes moments...

[Maedhros]

It annoys me that all the super-intelligent people in the books are so useless now in the tv series. Varys, Littlefinger and Tyrion especially. The show-writers don't know how to use them.

[ShadySands]

GOT episode 6. I know I shouldn't have but I'm so weak. I'll watch it again live on Sunday as it's the only reason I even have an HBO sub.

[Katphood]

Each day I look for something that can make me forget about my existence for 30 minutes, today it's this:

 

 

 

lol.

 

Watching these makes me wish I were a redneck.

Edited August 17, 2017 by Katphood

[ShadySands]

Watched the first half of the Defenders. I'm liking it a lot so far but I can't yet tell if Iron Fist is that much different because I was already annoyed by him in the very first scene but am much less so now. I dunno if I just got used to him, he got better, or the additional characters are breaking things up enough that it doesn't matter.

Edited August 19, 2017 by ShadySands

[algroth]

The first episode was okay, I think. I like that it already seems more visually striking than anything we've seen in Iron Fist, although I feel the blaxploitation elements to the Luke Cage scenes are played a bit too much on the nose and jar in ways the series itself didn't - maybe due to the context surrounding it. All the same, I'm mildly curious for now.

 

The character I don't know what to make of anymore is Madame Gao. She was pretty rad in the first Daredevil but her exposure since then has essentially lifted any mystery or aura she once had. Seeing her back at it this episode made me groan a little. Again, I blame Iron Fist (the series, not the character).

[algroth]

Man, Marvel just don't know how to close a season, do they? First six episodes are pretty good if not necessarily great... Good chemistry between the stars, some nice choreographies, some Hand shenanigans made somewhat interesting by the characters and performances of Sigourney Weaver and Yutaka Takeuchi... There seems to have been some thought as to how to bring all of these characters together. It's a shame that not nearly as much thought was put as to what to have them unite against.

 

 

The way the whole Hand mystery is set up I do have to wonder at what point did the creators figure out what they wanted the Hand's big secret to be, because it feels like they were stalling, and had to eventually scramble to get together *something* that might be shocking and otherwordly enough to justify having three seasons revolve around what these guys want. The answer is... A dragon skeleton which they want to mine for a substance that will grant them immortality? And that might apparently cause the cave to collapse and bring down everything on top of it, that being some of Manhattan anyhow? With all the talk of how the city is in danger and the city will fall you'd expect something more destructive and deliberate, but... No. Just as their big 'ultimate weapon' in the Black Sky is just a kinda underwhelmingly normal super ninja, or how their existence in past seasons has been essentially as a glorified drug cartel, a thing all these shows have failed at miserably is to actually justify the build-up and mystery around this group, or to be able to rightly present it as something impactful.

 

In all honesty there's just no way of defending the absolute mess that is the final episode. The whole thing just feels like an afterthought. Premise-wise it doesn't make any sense whatsoever, less so the outcome of it: so these guys have to stop a cave-in by... Demolishing a building? And somehow the NYPD, FBI and whoever else is involved, who have not at any point even *heard* of the Hand or even seen the dragon skeleton at the lower levels, would be fine with sweeping what in the characters' own words would qualify as an act of domestic terrorism under the rug? What were Elektra's motivations at the end of the day? Well, I mean... Okay, this is a martial arts superhero series at the end of the day, but if so at least justify all these egregious logical gaps with good spectacle, not some finely chopped Power Rangers-like brawl that fails to have anything remotely interesting, memorable or even comprehensible about it, or a CGI-rendered building collapse. And what the hell is up with those 90s-level green screens in the building's interiors?

 

 

So yeah, dumb, convoluted and unmemorable ending again, following the tradition of each of the shows that preceeded it.

[injurai]

My family just introduced me to both 11.22.63 and Designated Survivor. I'm hooked on both now. Neither were things I would have chosen on my own. As a fan of 24 I'm happy to see more Kiefer Sutherland + US Gov, it's premise is interesting enough. "Kumar" is a great pick because he actually worked with the Obama administration in the white house. It's like 24 mixed with west wing, maybe a bit derivative but it's seems to stand on it's own thus far. Not sure I'll stick with it, but I'm having fun with it so far.

 

11.22.63 seems like something special. I'm reminded of the TV adaption of IT with this, and I certainly think a longer form adaption serves any book better. While I haven't read the book I'm guessing it wraps up in it's 8 episodes. Of course the eps are of varying lengths, and all longer than a normal hour TV ep. Definitely going to finish this serious up and I'll have to report back with my final verdict.

[Volourn]

Arya once again proves she is one of the most evil and insane and psycho and disloyal characters of all times. Blatantly threatening your sister with cold blooded murder. And, everyone has doubted me when I stated correctly that Arya was always evil, always hated her sister, and always wanted to murder her.  Most consistent part of the show's writing.

 

As for the  epic northern adventurer, eh, it wa smostly entertaining, but still bullocks in terms of consistently, logic, and intelligence.

Edited August 21, 2017 by Volourn

[Guard Dog]

I'd have to agree with everyone who thought the whole "mission imposible" to capture a wight was a little.... whats the word.... stupid. Definitely a problem of poor plot thinking. But, it is a TV show so that is to be expected I guess. The books are better. Not perfect, but better. 

 

If I had been advising Danerys I'd have told her about Sun Tzu and his opinion on what to do with two battles looming: fight the easy one first. She has the means to bring the fight to an immediate conclusion with the Lannisters. Yes, it sucks about the collateral damage but with the Night King and the Walking Dead coming how much collateral damage will they cause?

 

Besides, six months after Kings Landing burns just have some of your people start a row about pulling down a statue of Robert Baratheon somewhere and everyone will get into such a snit about it they will forget the whole dragon attack thing. I mean it worked here right? We've forgotten about that who Russia something election something thing. 

[Raithe]

For the random interest  (also,remember for those who haven't seen the latest episodel; spoilers)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx9dRL1BCCQ

[Rosbjerg]

Yeah it's clear the story is being written by TV show writers now, which is a shame, because they are falling back on all the tropes that GoT broke with - the reason why it got so popular.

 

And so we're circling the oh so tired ridiculous plot armors and story progressing towards the 'rule of cool' rather than logical consistency. Now, it's still a good show, but this is exactly what I feared would happen when they ran out of books - TV writers are extremely bad at thinking ahead - they're always looking for a 'red wedding' or 'frozen lake' moment - not realizing that when your entire show only revolves around that, you actually diminish what makes those scenes epic in the first place.. The logical and emotional backdrop.

 

This season has been in way too much of a rush and at the same time very little character progression has happened - 'cool' battles though - plenty of those.

[Raithe]

And a Zombie Polar Bear they've been trying to put in for 4 seasons.

 

You can never forget the Zombie Polar Bear....