What Are You Watching?: More TV You're Hooked On

[groovethang]

May 25, 2023 13:45:41 GMT -4 Millis said:

I really enjoyed jury duty and I hope we never find out that Ronald is actually a horrible person! Right now I am just so wrapped up in Succession. I think it will go down as one of the best series in history. The acting and writing are phenomenal, it's astounding how you can despise every character on the show yet still sympathize with them to a degree because they were doomed to misery from the get go.

I feel the same!! I know they’re horrible people but I miss them when I’m not watching, which sounds so weird, I know. We started binging the show in anticipation of the finale so I just have to finish the second to last episode and then I am ready for Sunday night!

[jynni]

May 17, 2023 13:26:12 GMT -4 kostgard said:

Man, I keep looking at Ted Lasso and thinking, “What are you doing?” There’s two episodes left, and it’s just a mess. Even if the rumors are true about them spinning the show off into a series that’s basically the same thing except without Ted so you’ve got more time with these characters, it’s still a mess.

I spent most of watching this week’s episode thinking, “What is happening?”

I withheld criticism this seasons as I had so much faith that the mess had a point. That they were somehow going to be able to pull it all together. That all the relevant character moments and plot development happening off-scene would somehow work. And it just kept getting worse. For me, that shitshow of a finale is up there in level of terribleness with How I Met Your Mother and Game of Thrones. It's retroactively ruined my enjoyment previous seasons to the point I don't think I'll watch them again. So many callbacks and fan service type moments thrown in to cover up for complete dumpster fire of storytelling.

They always said they had a clear 3-season story arc so I don't understand how they could blow it this badly.

[kostgard]

May 31, 2023 16:53:49 GMT -4 jynni said:

They always said they had a clear 3-season story arc so I don't understand how they could blow it this badly.

Yeah, that’s what I don’t get, either. Like, I know Bill Lawrence was largely absent this season while he produced his other show, but was he really the only one who understood how to write for television?

For me, the finale hit some good emotional notes, but it also had some major misses.

As it was all season, too many key scenes/developments with Nate happened off screen. I think I saw Nick Mohammad defend that as a way of showing how isolated and out of the fold Nate was, but, dude…that’s just not good storytelling. Like (spoiler)

SPOILER: Click to show

Nate returns as assistant kit man. Okay, did they assign that to him and he was okay with it? Or was it his idea? He went from managing a rival team to being Will’s assistant. That’s major and we should have seen that. He also apparently returned without talking to Ted first? The scene they had was good and emotional, but should have happened before Nate started working there again. Like, “the team wants me back, but I won’t come back unless you are okay it. Also, I’m sorry for running to the press with your private medical information.”

We never saw Nate really examine how terrible he’d become, and I feel like that really, REALLY should have happened, even with Ted’s philosophy of blanket forgiveness for all. Ted can forgive him all he wants, but it wouldn’t result in growth for Nate. Not even a scene where we see him looking at Rupert and realizing he was on a path to becoming like him, and realizing he didn’t want that. He just had a moment where he was uncomfortable with Rupert encouraging him to cheat on his girlfriend, so he quit (off-screen). And apparently all he needed to fix his rancid behavior and mindset was his dad telling him, “I’m not actually toxic, I just couldn’t handle your genius!” and getting a girlfriend. Again, they did a great job of showing Jamie working hard to make amends and be a better teammate/person, so I don’t know why they decided everything with Nate should happen off-screen.

I’m mostly good with where everyone ended up, but both Roy and Jamie took a significant step back during the episode that was really disappointing and felt out of character for them both. Maybe they did that to get Roy to where he ended up, but they could have achieved the same thing through a conversation with Keeley or something like that.

And I’ll part with my meanest shot - I know it isn’t cool to pick on a kid, but the actor who played Ted’s son was just terrible. Distractingly so. I had a hard time getting invested in Ted’s perfectly understandable desire to go home to be close to him because of it.

ETA: HBO/MAX/Whatever renewed that gem of a show Somebody Somewhere for a third season. I’m so glad - it’s such a quiet little show and MAX has been making such weird decisions about their shows I was afraid they’d let it slip away.

[ahah]

All in all, I was satisfied with the Ted Lasso finale - I liked where everyone ended up, and they most certainly set it up for the show to continue without Sudekis if they decide to go that route. That said, it all felt very rushed. After a season filled with LONG episodes that felt like everyone was put in a holding pattern, it didn't feel right to rush through so many conclusions. I think I would have preferred if they'd devoted episodes to wrapping up each character's storyline, wrapping up Ted last.

[granolamom]

I'm enjoying the 2023 Tony Awards. They are honoring the writers' strike, so no dopey intros of the presenters, and no cue cards.

Eta: Also, Denée Benton just referred to the "current Grand Wizard, oops, I mean governor, of my home state of Florida," which is kinda ballin'.

Eta2: Two nonbinary winners in acting categories--history made!

[jenna]

I am rewatching some of my faves. Streaming Orphan Black and Life on Mars (on BritBox)

[tabby]

The final season of Endeavour started on PBS this week. I've loved the Morse/Lewis/Endeavour shows for years, and it's a bit sad to see them end. Those shows have left me with the deep conviction that Oxford, UK has the highest per-capita unnatural death count in the world, though.

[ratscabies]

Jun 23, 2023 8:20:33 GMT -4 tabby said:

The final season of Endeavour started on PBS this week. I've loved the Morse/Lewis/Endeavour shows for years, and it's a bit sad to see them end. Those shows have left me with the deep conviction that Oxford, UK has the highest per-capita unnatural death count in the world, though.

Worse than Cabot Cove?!?

[Millis]

Jun 23, 2023 8:20:33 GMT -4 tabby said:

The final season of Endeavour started on PBS this week. I've loved the Morse/Lewis/Endeavour shows for years, and it's a bit sad to see them end. Those shows have left me with the deep conviction that Oxford, UK has the highest per-capita unnatural death count in the world, though.

No only that, they have the highest per capita of genius killers who can only be caught by an oxford scholar level detective.

[jenna]

Jun 23, 2023 8:20:33 GMT -4 tabby said:

The final season of Endeavour started on PBS this week. I've loved the Morse/Lewis/Endeavour shows for years, and it's a bit sad to see them end. Those shows have left me with the deep conviction that Oxford, UK has the highest per-capita unnatural death count in the world, though.

I love Brit flicks. They are very good at drama/mysteries - comedy for that matter. I am going to have to check that out. The most recent Brit mystery I've watched is the more genteel Father Brown.