love

Author Topic: Review the Last TV Episode/Season/Series You Watched  (Read 226348 times)

DarkeningHumour

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 10453
  • When not sure if sarcasm look at username.
    • Pretentiously Yours
Re: Review the Last TV Episode/Season/Series You Watched
« Reply #730 on: July 20, 2015, 03:58:37 PM »
I view the first book/season as grounwork for the rest of the series. It's not bad by any means but it's not up to the standard either.
« Society is dumb. Art is everything. » - Junior

https://pretensiouslyyours.wordpress.com/

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: Review the Last TV Episode/Season/Series You Watched
« Reply #731 on: July 20, 2015, 11:39:40 PM »
TransparentPilot (#1.1)
Despite a disappointing last couple of minutes, this is a decently strong pilot. The core family dynamic appeals to me, and the episode cuts between the various characters at a nice pace. I laughed a couple of times, but it actually played more as a somewhat light-hearted drama than as a semi-dramatic comedy. But I hated the ending for a couple of reasons. First, it seemed like overkill for one of the daughters to initiate a lesbian affair (in her dad's bedroom, of all places). All narrative nuance went out the window in that moment. And then for Jeffrey Tambor's character to see their car but walk in on them anyway — despite having just reminded us that he wasn't yet ready to reveal his secret — that made things silly. I don't mind either one of those plot points on their own, but I would have preferred more buildup, more development. Instead, they feel unnaturally shoehorned into the end of the pilot to end it with a "stay tuned!" bang — but it had the opposite effect on me.
Grade: B-

pixote
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: Review the Last TV Episode/Season/Series You Watched
« Reply #732 on: July 21, 2015, 05:03:17 PM »
The Walking Dead — Season One
I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting from this series, but the first six episodes really only delivered the bare minimum. Everything is all pretty standard so far. The post-apocalyptic landscape doesn't seem that far removed from a show like Jericho, and the zombies don't stretch very far beyond the generic either. I was hoping for richer characterizations, but the show certainly isn't there yet. It's frustrating to me that, in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, so many petty, personal dramas dominate the story. I lost track of how many times a character made a loud noise (yelling, firing a gun, etc.) with no regard for the fact that doing so would attract zombies — but it was definitely too many times. And there's a surprising absence of any sort of edge to the tone — whether it be humor or fright or cynicism or whatever. It's fairly bland and safe. As such, it makes for innocuous viewing — neither addictive nor off-putting — with a lot of potential for growth. I couldn't say exactly where I want the show to go from here; I just hope it finds a stronger core.
Grade: B-

VeepFundraiser (#1.1)
I wasn't the biggest fan of Armando Iannucci's In the Loop, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised by my initial disinterest in Veep. The comedy of irritation — where the primary source of humor is the way every character annoys the hell out of every other character — rarely works for me. And that's the main vibe I got from this initial episode, especially the first half. I was completely disinterested in the show at that point. The second half, though, provided a few moments that were sort of irresistibly funny — e.g., Tony Hale walking down the hallway in the red coat he borrowed from his coworker — and those moments give me some hope. Still, of all the shows I've started watching over the past week or so, this is the one I'm least enthusiastic about.
Grade: C+

pixote
« Last Edit: July 21, 2015, 05:05:03 PM by pixote »
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

Junior

  • Bert Macklin, FBI
  • Global Moderator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 28709
  • What's the rumpus?
    • Benefits of a Classical Education
Re: Review the Last TV Episode/Season/Series You Watched
« Reply #733 on: July 21, 2015, 05:34:59 PM »
How would you feel if I told you to wait until season 5 for The Walking Dead to get really good?

And I can understand your concerns with Veep. It feels like ineptitude covered by viciousness to me, but not everybody is going to be into that.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2015, 05:43:38 PM by Junior »
Check out my blog of many topics

“I’m not a quitter, Kimmy! I watched Interstellar all the way to the end!”

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: Review the Last TV Episode/Season/Series You Watched
« Reply #734 on: July 21, 2015, 05:39:54 PM »
How would you feel if I told you to wait until season 5 for The Walking Dead to get really good?

I'd start having flashbacks to Angel.

pixote
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: Review the Last TV Episode/Season/Series You Watched
« Reply #735 on: July 23, 2015, 12:22:50 PM »
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert DurstPoor Little Rich Boy (#1.2)
I was disappointed in the first episode of this mini-series, but the subsequent episode is a step up, largely because Durst himself is a strong interview subject. Jarecki's strength here is more as a screenwriter than a director, especially in the very gradual reveals of key bits of information. But I'm not at all a fan of his interview style nor his use of semi-impressionistic reenactments. I'm very curious now to go back and watch Capturing the Friedmans for comparison.
Grade: B-

True DetectiveThe Long Bright Dark (#1.1)
A very strong initial episode makes this the show I'm most excited to keep watching. Having the mystery unfold in two timelines is a great concept, and there's a very strong sense of mood and generally a nice ear for Chandleresque dialogue ("This place is like somebody's memory of a town, and the memory is fading."). I'm having a little trouble accepting McConaughey character as something more than a screenwriter's creation; he just feels very 'written' to me, and I'm not confident the series will be able to bridge the 1995 version of him with the 2012 version. The dynamic between Harrelson and McConaughey feels a little forced as well, but I suspect that'll improve as the series continues.
Grade: B

SeinfeldThe Stakeout (#1.2)
The opening scene did such a good job of integrating Elaine into the ensemble that I almost forgot this was the debut of her character. A little unfortunate, then, that the rest of the episode was so much about her and Jerry, with George and Kramer a little too much on the sidelines. A couple of amusing moments here and there but no real great laughs.
Grade: C

Curb Your EnthusiasmTed and Mary (#1.2)
A step down from the pilot. I really wish the filmmaking didn't feel so amateurish. I guess the one-take, improv style is supposed to be part of the appeal but it's making for some ugly cinematography and inconsistent acting. Mary Steenburgen is pretty perfect here, though.
Grade: C+

pixote
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

Junior

  • Bert Macklin, FBI
  • Global Moderator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 28709
  • What's the rumpus?
    • Benefits of a Classical Education
Re: Review the Last TV Episode/Season/Series You Watched
« Reply #736 on: July 23, 2015, 12:24:55 PM »
Do you have Fargo on your schedule at all? It got a little overlooked during all the True Detective hype last year but it's a much better show, I think. And unlike that show it has at least one super-great female character.
Check out my blog of many topics

“I’m not a quitter, Kimmy! I watched Interstellar all the way to the end!”

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: Review the Last TV Episode/Season/Series You Watched
« Reply #737 on: July 23, 2015, 12:27:16 PM »
Do you have Fargo on your schedule at all? It got a little overlooked during all the True Detective hype last year but it's a much better show, I think. And unlike that show it has at least one super-great female character.

I would definitely add it to the schedule, if it's available to stream somewhere. I really want to see it, based on what I've read about it here.

pixote
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

Junior

  • Bert Macklin, FBI
  • Global Moderator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 28709
  • What's the rumpus?
    • Benefits of a Classical Education
Re: Review the Last TV Episode/Season/Series You Watched
« Reply #738 on: July 23, 2015, 12:34:51 PM »
Looks like it is only available to buy on Amazon right now. That's unfortunate.
Check out my blog of many topics

“I’m not a quitter, Kimmy! I watched Interstellar all the way to the end!”

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: Review the Last TV Episode/Season/Series You Watched
« Reply #739 on: July 23, 2015, 12:36:38 PM »
Looks like it is only available to buy on Amazon right now. That's unfortunate.

I added the Blu-Ray of the first three episodes to my Netflix queue.

pixote
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad