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[TV] Thready Ready

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Posts

  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    edited November 2021
    Hey, watched a good chunk of the new Stand miniseries! It's a pretty bad adaptation of the Stand, and I don't think it's particularly great on its own merits, either. It also doesn't hold up extremely well compared to the first miniseries they did, frankly. There are a couple casting choices that are unquestionably better, namely Harold, Frannie and Nadine are much better performances. I'd guess Nick was better than what Rob Lowe did, but the way they structured this series meant that Nick was essentially a non-character. But they also bring in Ezra Miller to play the Trashcan Man in one of the single worst performances I've ever seen. They're so egregiously bad in this that they should be disqualified from being in any other movie ever again.

    Structurally, it doesn't make a lot of sense, either. Or, that's not right, necessarily. I understand why the structure is the way it is, but it doesn't work. The show starts with all of the characters gathered in Boulder, after the plague has basically killed the world, and reveals how the characters got there via flashback. That's a pretty tried and true way of telling stories in modern TV, but it doesn't work here because the narrative they're adapting doesn't really support this, very well. In the book, the plague and the journey to Boulder are where these characters go through like...90% of their character growth in the story. It's where they change from who they were before the plague to who they are because of it. By the time they reach Boulder, that change is largely complete. When you use flashbacks in a story, they work when they inform the character development in the present timeline. We see why Locke is so reluctant to leave the island on Lost because we see what his life was like before, and that knowledge informs the choices he makes there. Because the Stand is an adaptation, and because they don't do a lot of major alterations to the stories, the flashbacks are largely, "here is an interesting thing this character did before they sat in this meeting about holding a town hall meeting." In the novel, Boulder is a breath before the characters plunge back into the thick of the plot, it can't hold up as the main thrust of a miniseries.

    The Stand isn't exactly...a subtle book, and the miniseries takes great care to hammer what subtlety and nuance was left right out of the story. Vegas in the book is full of people lured in by order and fear. They make a point in the book to say that most of the electricians and scientists went over to Vegas, because there was a promise that he could get the lights back on, and he would give them a direction. They also make a point, however, to make sure you know that they're just people trying to get by, and that the real menace there is Flagg. They're friendly to each other, they welcome a developmentally disabled man in with open arms and chastise people who are cruel to him. In the show...Vegas is a cartoon where people have sex in the streets and make people have gladiator fights, and have them chant to burn cities to the ground, where in the novel...everyone is visibly uncomfortable with what Flagg wants. It's an absolutely terrible choice, and I can't tell if some exec went, "we need to make it more clear that Vegas is the bad guys," or if the showrunner was like, "you know I bet we could get more titties on screen if we set it up like this"

    It's also weird that they clearly made an effort to sand off some of the more problematic stuff from the books (the cast is much more diverse than the book's, they do a lot less magical special needs person stuff with Tom than they do in the book), but they also are like, "well, let's cast someone in their late forties to date this twenty-year old," which uh...I think is an even bigger age gap than that relationship has in the book?

    DJ Eebs on
  • Sweeney TomSweeney Tom Registered User regular
    I will say I loved the casting of Skarsgaard as Flagg. That's the only thing I really remember about the miniseries half a year after bingeing it

  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    edited November 2021
    I'm gonna be thinking about how terrible Ezra Miller was in this for a very long time, the performance is so fucking bad

    DJ Eebs on
  • nightmarennynightmarenny Registered User regular
    I'm on episode 2 of WoT and while I like and want to enjoy it but I can't get it out of my head how frustrating it is that the show can't even manage the gender swap that wasn't all that revolutionary when the books were released and sure shouldn't be now. Gendered violence is kinda out of control even now.

    What bothers even more though is all the little stuff. A family dynamic based on a cheating husband who flagrantly flirts in public? Every time a character needs to express naive softheartedness it happens to be a lady who then gets shut down.

    Im sure it seems like I'm picking at nits within nits but it's worse when I think on their attempts at awkward "girl power" moments. Like, you people don't need to shame Avengers Endgame with your shamelessness if you'd just treat these characters better.

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  • ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    The show wants all the good/cool/progressive/inclusive/etc. stuff that happens later in the books to happen Right Now and it's not doing a good job at it most of the time.

    Episode 4 has all the best versions of this they've done so far, so hopefully it's more like that going forward.

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  • nightmarennynightmarenny Registered User regular
    Reynolds wrote: »
    The show wants all the good/cool/progressive/inclusive/etc. stuff that happens later in the books to happen Right Now and it's not doing a good job at it most of the time.

    Episode 4 has all the best versions of this they've done so far, so hopefully it's more like that going forward.

    I think that's part of it but I also think that this is a case of unchecked bias. I don't think they get how or why Egwene works as a character or why the subtle ways in which society functions differently reflects the way the world works. Like, Jordan's story is ultimately still sexist in some ways. I'd hope that they'd fix those issues( like for example the way the show has embraced homosexuality as a part of its world) instead of adding new ones.

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  • SorceSorce Not ThereRegistered User regular
    edited November 2021
    While I have largely moved on from Riverdale (I got bored with the shark-jumping), I noticed that the logo had changed to RiverVale with the start of the current season. So I decided to check out the end of last season's finale and the beginning of the premiere, and hoo boy.

    Teal Deer
    Jughead and Tabitha are bangin', Veronica and Reggie are bangin', and Archie and Betty are bangin'. Cheryl is single and ready to establish Thornhill as it's own city/state. Sure, why not.

    The season ends with a bomb (yawn) under Archie's bed, seemingly exploding and killing both Archie and Betty. The bomb was planted by Hiram as a parting gift, apparently. The new season starts with a Twilight Zone-esque narration (both omnicient and on-camera) by Jughead, where the town is named RiverVale, the bomb never happened, and who knows, maybe this is just the restart the show needs to take it down a notch.

    It won't be, though. Why would it? Riverdale never met a set of train tracks it couldn't jump off of. Also again, I only watched to the cold open, I don't know if that was debunked by the end of the episode or not.

    Sorce on
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  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    The new Stand miniseries, and I'm sorry that I keep harping on this, but it's really bugged me, also has a problem with just...doing way too much at every opportunity to show something gross. Someone's leg breaks, and we get to see it break and we get to see what it looks like when it's broken and we get to see the blood. People explode like they're in Mortal Kombat.

    Big spoilers
    The terrible fucking Trashcan Man performance starts with him blowing some shit up and staring directly into camera while he jerks off to it, because you know, there's no other way of showing that he likes blowing shit up other than by him getting sexual pleasure from it, but this is in line with every other terrible fucking thing about the Trashcan Man in this, so whatever.

    And Nadine just...fucking what were they doing, there, right at the end? We don't just see Randall Flagg take her virginity, we get to see how she has a really bad time and he doesn't care, in a scene that goes on way too long (and wraps with her looking happy while "I Put a Spell on You" plays on the soundtrack, in case anybody had missed what was going on). She's not just pregnant, she is turbo pregnant, and her baby isn't just a satan baby, it's a gross satan baby that has weird flesh movement that we get to see! The only way she realizes that something bad is happening to her is when her ex-boyfriend breaks her out of it. And then she gets a weird examination from just...whoever Randall Flagg has around, and they do their stupid fucking "we're wacky hedonists" routine while they frame Randall Flagg looking on proudly between her fucking open legs on the operating table.

    To top it all off, they include the part where she jumps out the window to her death in defiance, and then they do a fun slo-mo shot of her falling through the air and we get to watch her splat belly first onto the ground in the middle of the fucking courtyard, and then the show spends like, five fucking minutes showing various angles of her corpse for some fucking reason, and then they put her head on a plate and one of the dipshit hedonist costume party enthusiasts dresses up like a bellhop and wheels this poor woman's fucking head down to show to her ex-boyfriend who sees it and is like, "lmao you thought this would upset me?" Her adoptive kid doesn't even give a shit that she's dead the way he's upset about everything else. It feels incredibly mean spirited for no reason, especially when they keep Harold's weird pathetic death from the book and then give him a really dramatic sad montage as Larry reads his fucking pathetic manifesto and covers his body up.

    the book was far from a foundational feminist text but, much like the recent adaptation of It, they find a way to dig themselves a hole that even coked up 80s Stephen King avoided

    Look, I get that this is a horror story, in many ways, but it all feels gratuitous and mean-spirited towards women, especially. Also great that the only time you see anybody do anything that isn't heterosexual is in the place where all the cartoon bad guys are.

    Oh, one other dumb fucking thing about this show. This was, to the best of my knowledge, built to air on CBS All-Access and never was meant to go on network television. There's plenty of gore and nudity in it, so I assume that even if they were, at some point, thinking of putting it on TV, they backed off of the idea of putting it on something like CBS. But they still do act breaks that were clearly designed with commercial breaks in mind, or at least that's the overwhelming impression it gives you. It'll do the fade to black thing on a character saying something dramatic...and then the next scene will pop up and it'll be the same fucking character continuing the scene with no fuckign time jumps or anything. Did CBS All-Access have an option to view with ads on? I don't think it did, but I never had it, so.

    I think I hated this fucking show and I didn't even see all of it

  • Garlic BreadGarlic Bread i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a Registered User, Disagreeable regular
    DJ Eebs wrote: »
    But they also bring in Ezra Miller to play the Trashcan Man in one of the single worst performances I've ever seen. [They're] so egregiously bad in this that [they] should be disqualified from being in any other movie ever again.

    @DJ Eebs ezra miller uses they/them pronouns

  • PoorochondriacPoorochondriac Ah, man Ah, jeezRegistered User regular
    The Stand sounds like a real piece of shit, but I'm a sucker for an old-school broadcast TV act out

    Like, You (especially in its first season) had some CLASSIC hard-outs, and I loved them every time. They can feel cheap and trashy, but when the whole show is cheap and trashy (and I say that with deep affection) that becomes a bonus

  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Your thoughts on The Stand are basically exactly the same as mine. The Vegas stuff was just so fucking awful and gratuitous for no reason and I just have no idea what they were thinking because it dramatically changes the entire tone of the story for the worse.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    You can definitely get a version of CBS All Access with ads, it's a few dollars cheaper.

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  • TheStigTheStig Registered User regular
    If Star Trek TNG was made today Michael Dorn would have been forced to get ripped and we would have be treated to an absolutely jacked shirtless Worf ripping the arms off a Romulan.

    bnet: TheStig#1787 Steam: TheStig
  • ZonugalZonugal (He/Him) The Holiday Armadillo I'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered User regular
    I haven't watched any of the new Star Trek, but I wonder if TNG was made today if it wouldn't have its ambient, sexual energy...

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  • DepressperadoDepressperado I just wanted to see you laughing in the pizza rainRegistered User regular
    it'd be a lot more regular sexy and a lot less ambiguously or euphemistically sexy

  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    DJ Eebs wrote: »
    But they also bring in Ezra Miller to play the Trashcan Man in one of the single worst performances I've ever seen. [They're] so egregiously bad in this that [they] should be disqualified from being in any other movie ever again.

    @DJ Eebs ezra miller uses they/them pronouns

    Good looking out, I'll edit those in

  • astrobstrdastrobstrd So full of mercy... Registered User regular
    it'd be a lot more regular sexy and a lot less ambiguously or euphemistically sexy

    It would be 2x prettier and 1/10000 as horny.

    Selling the Scream Podcast: https://anchor.fm/jeremy-donaldson
  • Librarian's ghostLibrarian's ghost Librarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSpork Registered User regular
    Zonugal wrote: »
    I haven't watched any of the new Star Trek, but I wonder if TNG was made today if it wouldn't have its ambient, sexual energy...

    The last season of Discovery had a really nice looking cat.

    (Switch Friend Code) SW-4910-9735-6014(PSN) timspork (Steam) timspork (XBox) Timspork


  • Bloods EndBloods End Blade of Tyshalle Punch dimensionRegistered User regular
    There would be one story per season.

  • Commander ZoomCommander Zoom Registered User regular
    Bloods End wrote: »
    There would be one story per season.

    and that story would be
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  • McFodderMcFodder Registered User regular
    So the wife and I found where we can watch TaskMaster and got three episodes in.

    This thread is still yet to steer us wrong. Thank you for your good works.

    Switch Friend Code: SW-3944-9431-0318
    PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
  • PaperLuigi44PaperLuigi44 My amazement is at maximum capacity. Registered User regular
    Legends of Tomorrow S6 E7
    I may be bad at crying but the proposal scene got a tear out of me, so hats off, Legends

    S6 E8
    I actually paused to go to the kitchen right before the bait and switch about the saloon brawl and was super excited for it (as Ava wanted a classic Legends Mission), touché, show. And ha to Gary recreating the original Waverider bridge configuration, I love that it went uncommented upon.

  • Librarian's ghostLibrarian's ghost Librarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSpork Registered User regular
    I actually have to stop watching Taskmaster for a bit as I’m getting too far behind on other shows. Finished series 2.

    (Switch Friend Code) SW-4910-9735-6014(PSN) timspork (Steam) timspork (XBox) Timspork


  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    edited November 2021
    So, I kinda love the episode flash montages and episode title treatments on Dexter: New Blood. Also generally enjoying the mystery angle the season is taking.

    minor incident on
    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Goddamn, Legends of Tomorrow just did a Lucy-at-the-chocolate-factory bit while tackling whitewashed feminism, and how does a show manage to be at the top of its game after seven seasons?

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • Librarian's ghostLibrarian's ghost Librarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSpork Registered User regular
    Goddamn, Legends of Tomorrow just did a Lucy-at-the-chocolate-factory bit while tackling whitewashed feminism, and how does a show manage to be at the top of its game after seven seasons?
    Zari seeing Matt Ryan playing another character for the first time: Why did no one tell me you got a guy that looks like beardo John (Constantine)?
    Nate and Gary: What? Nah
    Nate: I thought he looked more like Rip (Hunter)

    (Switch Friend Code) SW-4910-9735-6014(PSN) timspork (Steam) timspork (XBox) Timspork


  • SatanIsMyMotorSatanIsMyMotor Fuck Warren Ellis Registered User regular
    DJ Eebs wrote: »
    I'm gonna be thinking about how terrible Ezra Miller was in this for a very long time, the performance is so fucking bad

    Miller's performance managed to thread the needle of being poorly done, poorly adapted, and, well, just actually offensive to the point where it's actually impressive in its scope of awful.
    Like, I think it should be written somewhere in the television history books as the prime example of "don't do this kind of thing".

  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    I am watching the Mindy project for the first time, and season two is a reflection in that period in our life where Microsoft made a phone and paid for it to be in everything.

  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    oh yeah, Parks & Rec has a pretty deep Windows device period too.

  • JedocJedoc In the scuppers with the staggers and jagsRegistered User regular
    It is never not funny when a scriptwriter makes a character say they "Binged" something instead of googling it.

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  • PoorochondriacPoorochondriac Ah, man Ah, jeezRegistered User regular
    Jedoc wrote: »
    It is never not funny when a scriptwriter makes a character say they "Binged" something instead of googling it.

    That'll often come down from the legal department

    Had a storyline where someone died in a car crash, had to exchange like six different emails about which sponsors' cars could absolutely NOT be named or shown.

  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    What a wild job to have. Defending sponsors stuff from content. No. Your character cannot autoerotically asphyxiate themselves in a Target bag. Walmart is fine.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • ElderlycrawfishElderlycrawfish Registered User regular
    All I know is that in a zombie apocalypse, you want to be driving a Hyundai. Always works, never needs washing.

  • WeedLordVegetaWeedLordVegeta Registered User regular
    edited November 2021
    Jedoc wrote: »
    It is never not funny when a scriptwriter makes a character say they "Binged" something instead of googling it.

    That'll often come down from the legal department

    Had a storyline where someone died in a car crash, had to exchange like six different emails about which sponsors' cars could absolutely NOT be named or shown.

    yeah this is also why many games with actually realistic car damage do not have any real car sponsorships

    WeedLordVegeta on
  • TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    Jedoc wrote: »
    It is never not funny when a scriptwriter makes a character say they "Binged" something instead of googling it.
    6y7ov4j55eko.jpg

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  • WeedLordVegetaWeedLordVegeta Registered User regular
    edited November 2021

    very cool to see sustained legs on the trend of live action adaptations of BL manga

    WeedLordVegeta on
  • CoinageCoinage Heaviside LayerRegistered User regular
    The answer is always the character got hit by a Tesla

  • The GeekThe Geek Oh-Two Crew, Omeganaut Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Zonugal wrote: »
    I haven't watched any of the new Star Trek, but I wonder if TNG was made today if it wouldn't have its ambient, sexual energy...
    it'd be a lot more regular sexy and a lot less ambiguously or euphemistically sexy

    If you were talking about Enterprise and later Voyager seasons, where the main plan was "get this lady into a catsuit now and make sure we only ever see her in that or less" then maybe yeah.

    But Disco isn't trying to trade on cheesecake.

    BLM - ACAB
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    The Geek wrote: »
    Zonugal wrote: »
    I haven't watched any of the new Star Trek, but I wonder if TNG was made today if it wouldn't have its ambient, sexual energy...
    it'd be a lot more regular sexy and a lot less ambiguously or euphemistically sexy

    If you were talking about Enterprise and later Voyager seasons, where the main plan was "get this lady into a catsuit now and make sure we only ever see her in that or less" then maybe yeah.

    But Disco isn't trying to trade on cheesecake.

    It’s not trying, but it can’t exactly stop Saru looking like a goddamn snack.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • Commander ZoomCommander Zoom Registered User regular
    The Geek wrote: »
    Zonugal wrote: »
    I haven't watched any of the new Star Trek, but I wonder if TNG was made today if it wouldn't have its ambient, sexual energy...
    it'd be a lot more regular sexy and a lot less ambiguously or euphemistically sexy

    If you were talking about Enterprise and later Voyager seasons, where the main plan was "get this lady into a catsuit now and make sure we only ever see her in that or less" then maybe yeah.

    But Disco isn't trying to trade on cheesecake.

    Nope! Instead it has Burnham crying and people saying "fuck" and filling the screen with colorful pew pew and The Galaxy Is Always Doomed. But no catsuits!

This discussion has been closed.