What TV Shows Are You Watching? Series VI - Programmes of Power

[Gorbles]

Spoiler :

I think that's true only if there was a "Nexus Event" between when the Infinity Stones were 'borrowed' and when Loki picked up the Tesseract in the lobby of Stark Tower. That's why I proposed the idea that Steve was not entirely successful in his mission to restore the Stones and Mjolnir to their proper places. If he had been, that timeline would have gone essentially unperturbed until Loki escaped with the Tesseract - which was a Nexus Event - and been pruned along with it.

The connection between time travel and alternate universes in the MCU lies with Nexus Events. As long as there's no Nexus Event, you can travel back in time and still be on the same timeline. Timelines in the MCU evidently have some flexibility, and therefore some resistance to "the Butterfly Effect." Only key changes cause a shift that's dramatic enough to spawn a whole new timeline. That was why Steve had to go back and restore the Stones in the first place. for example, Frigga encountering slovenly Thor didn't produce a Nexus Event. She was wise enough to avoid it, and she stopped Thor from telling her any more than he already had. She could handle merely meeting Future-Thor in a corridor and intuiting that whatever was going on was dire without knowing any of the details (iirc, she seemed to know she was doomed). Steve returning Mjolnir and the Stones an instant after they'd been taken wouldn't wipe that memory from Frigga's mind, so we can infer that Frigga encountering Fat Thor and his rabbit friend in the hallway was not a Nexus Event. Frigga, the Ancient One, and the Avengers didn't have the term "Nexus Event" in their vocabulary, but they had grasped the concept.

Spoiler spoiler tag war :

Well, details on the pruning are a bit scant, we don't know if the timeline is retroactively obliterated, or it's stalled at that point and as such anything prior still counts as having happened. Or how it melds back into the Sacred Timeline, if it does. Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey for sure

But yes, if we take the literal interpretation of the Avengers' actions being canonical / required by He Who Remains (for whatever reason), then anything up to the Tesseract landing at Loki's feet would've been fine. That's my take on it at least.

Fun aside on Frigga that I don't think is spoiler-worthy, but I believe in Thor (or Thor 2?) it was insinuated that she had a talent for foretelling. So I think she had a vague idea regardless, of how things would end up. I think her characterisation (relatively serene, all things told) backs this up, but that's just completely my opinion.

I watched the heck out of that show when it aired, but I don't think I've seen it since. I'm curious how it holds up, what with everything.

Not that bad. There are flaws for sure, and in the interests of not derailing the thread the less I say about Whedon the better, but it's aged relatively gracefully (for someone who grew up with it). It would probably be more jarring to a teen or young adult watching it now (for any number of reasons, the setting is very late 90s / early 00s).

 

[EgonSpengler]

Spoiler spoiler tag war :

Well, details on the pruning are a bit scant, we don't know if the timeline is retroactively obliterated, or it's stalled at that point and as such anything prior still counts as having happened. Or how it melds back into the Sacred Timeline, if it does. Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey for sure

But yes, if we take the literal interpretation of the Avengers' actions being canonical / required by He Who Remains (for whatever reason), then anything up to the Tesseract landing at Loki's feet would've been fine. That's my take on it at least.

More Loki:

Spoiler :

The pruning is specifically not retroactive, because the whole point is to clip off the branch and preserve the one, Sacred Timeline. Any time there's a Nexus Event, the TVA jumps into action. They have to move quickly, before the branch crosses the red line (I forget how they phrased it, but there's a point after which they can't prune the new branch). So yes, anything that happened before the Nexus Event is retained, by design.

Fun aside on Frigga that I don't think is spoiler-worthy, but I believe in Thor (or Thor 2?) it was insinuated that she had a talent for foretelling. So I think she had a vague idea regardless, of how things would end up. I think her characterisation (relatively serene, all things told) backs this up, but that's just completely my opinion.

Yes, I think that's right. In the endgame scene with Lebowski-Thor she says something like, "I was raised by witches" or whatever. I don't remember it verbatim.

Not that bad. There are flaws for sure, and in the interests of not derailing the thread the less I say about Whedon the better, but it's aged relatively gracefully (for someone who grew up with it). It would probably be more jarring to a teen or young adult watching it now (for any number of reasons, the setting is very late 90s / early 00s).

I would imagine.

 

[The_J]

Oohh... S23 of Sex Education has been announced for September 17.
I have the feeling this just cannot reach the quality of S1/2, but I'll anyways have a watch.

 

[Synobun]

I'm in the middle of the Bad Batch, taking it slowly so I don't quite catch up with the one-a-week release schedule. There are four more episodes left to be released, and I'm four behind that (around episode 8 at the mo, with 12 released currently).

I have been happily surprised with this show. I hated them in the revival season of Clone Wars and went into it extremely skeptical of a show dedicated to them. But the inclusion of Omega and turning them all into Space Dads was a good choice and made them compelling.

Oohh... S2 of Sex Education has been announced for September 17.
I have the feeling this just cannot reach the quality of S1, but I'll anyways have a watch.

Do you mean S3? S2 has been out for a year and a half.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Also been watching Robin of Sherwood, Blackadder

I remember being reluctant to try Robin of Sherwood, due to the fantasy elements and magic (they conflicted with the historical research that was constantly encouraged in the SCA when I was a newcomer). I grew up watching the Richard Greene black and white version of Robin Hood (straightforward medieval adventure series made in the late '50s; I was watching them in the mid-'60s), and drove my mother up the wall, singing the theme song over and over, substituting all sorts of goofy stuff for what Robin Hood was riding through:

"Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men
Feared by the bad, loved by the good --
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood."

Somebody thought it would be a great idea to colorize three of the episodes and edit them together as a 90-minute 'movie.'

Trust me, that shade of green should never be worn by grown men.

The show looked great in black and white. As a bonus, many years later when the show was being rerun on the YTV channel here, I noticed a few familiar faces among the secondary and guest cast. I'd seen them in the early seasons of Doctor Who.


However... as with Doctor Who, I was persuaded to try it and ended up loving it. I've got the show on DVD and a nice collection of Robin of Sherwood fanfiction that was published back in the '80s and '90s.

There's a particular scene from the first episode Jason Connery was in (as he took over playing Robin from Michael Praed in Season 3) that's been inspiring me somewhat for my ongoing King's Heir project:

The music is exquisite, and the man who played Marion's father is the actor who played Emperor Tiberius in I, Claudius. He also guest-starred in the Doctor Who episode "Full Circle".

Most of the dancers' costumes would not be out of place at any SCA feast.

The 80s show with Clannad music? You really are going vintage of late!

I just looked up some of their videos of Robin of Sherwood music. It's quite a difference between the '80s and more recently. I don't think I've ever seen an electronic mandolin or harp before. The recent one didn't even really sound like them; it was too artificial.

Yep ran out of stuff to watch so seeing what in the vaults of Amazon prime.

TVNZ on demand has 10 seasons of taskmaster we have the week off so binge watching since Sunday.

Up to season 3 of Robin of Sherwood.

I'm guessing its region locked but who knows?

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows

Apps not great but it's free.

Well, damn. It's geoblocked. There's some good stuff there.

I wonder if CBC Gem is geoblocked for non-Canadians. There's not as much of a selection, but at least they have Downton Abbey.

My eye keeps finding the thumbnail for this series on Netflix, but I've yet to pull the trigger. I gather since you're on season 5 that this is a recommendation? I've practically drowned myself in Canadian sci-fi, but I don't know if I've ever watched a Canadian comedy.

Canadian comedy... Hm. Most of what I consider comedy is actually political satire, although Corner Gas isn't bad. Kim's Convenience just stopped production, and it's no loss as far as I'm concerned. I tried it and it's just not funny.

I guess if you want Canadian comedy, the one I'd recommend would be Red Green, unless you're not into that type of humor.

 

[Zardnaar]

I thought it would be geoblocked. Free for us. I thought someone may F it up though and you guys could watch some decent stuff (for free).

Looks like going British for a month. 3 more seasons of Taskmaster, rest of Robin of Sherwood to watch and gonna rewatch Bottom, The Inbetweeners and Grand Tour:Lockdown.

 

[Arakhor]

The music is exquisite, and the man who played Marion's father is the actor who played Emperor Tiberius in I, Claudius. He also guest-starred in the Doctor Who episode "Full Circle".

Ah, yes, George Baker. He did a whole bunch of stuff on British TV, but his role on I, Claudius was particularly notable because he was actually five years older than Brian Blessed, playing Augustus.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I thought it would be geoblocked. Free for us. I thought someone may F it up though and you guys could watch some decent stuff (for free).

Apparently there's a VPN on my computer somewhere, even though I have no idea how they actually work.

Most sites can block those now, though.

I was actually interested in the series based on Philippa Gregory's novels (The White Princess and The White Queen). There's a YT channel hosted by a historian who explains various aspects of Plantagenet/Tudor history and has done some videos discussing how historically accurate various TV shows and movies are. Apparently Philippa Gregory's novels aren't as accurate as she's led her readers to believe (though novelists usually do condense and tweak for the sake of dramatic license).

I haven't seen these series, though I am working my way through The Tudors (it's on CBC Gem, which is online). Queen Katherine (Howard) is about to be executed for her affair with Thomas Culpepper...

People have mentioned these other series in the YT comments and I've been curious to give them a try (as mental junk food, not serious history).

Ah, yes, George Baker. He did a whole bunch of stuff on British TV, but his role on I, Claudius was particularly notable because he was actually five years older than Brian Blessed, playing Augustus.

There were a lot of actors on that show who had to be aged from their teens or young adulthood to their 50s and older, so it wasn't always easy to figure out what their real ages were. They all did a great job, though.

Fun fact: If memory serves, the only prominent actor in I, Claudius who has not appeared on Doctor Who is Patrick Stewart. Fiona Walker, who played Agrippina (the Elder; Caligula's mother), was on Doctor Who twice - 24 years apart. She was in an episode or two of "The Keys of Marinus" (1964) and also in the 25th anniversary story "Silver Nemesis" (1988).

Lalla Ward (Romana II) related an anecdote about the time when she played Ophelia in a stage production of Hamlet, and Patrick Stewart played King Claudius. Stewart asked her why she was wasting her time playing Romana on Doctor Who (she was doing the play during a hiatus), and said he'd never tie himself down to a TV series.

Fast-forward a few years, and he signed on to play Captain Picard for 7 years of TV and 4 movies. He should have stopped at the 7th season, as the rest of the Next Gen stuff, whether in movie form or the Picard TV show has been awful.

 

[Arakhor]

Didn't Stewart say in an interview once that after he'd moved to LA to film TNG, he spent the next six weeks living out of his suitcase, because he expected it to be cancelled at any time?

 

[tjs282]

My eye keeps finding the thumbnail for this series on Netflix, but I've yet to pull the trigger. I gather since you're on season 5 that this is a recommendation? I've practically drowned myself in Canadian sci-fi, but I don't know if I've ever watched a Canadian comedy.

If you don't mind some fairly gratuitous toplessness (in S1:E1, IIRC — per Netflix's usual modus operandi), and often wince-inducing humour, it's pretty funny.

Being a parent/mom probably also helps, but is not essential.

Nope, we still haven't gotten around to it. But, it's on the list.

It hits a lot of the same 1980s nostalgiagasm beats as Super 8, but does it a lot better.

Plus, no lens flares.

But the inclusion of Omega and turning them all into Space Dads was a good choice and made them compelling.

You get a Like just for "Space Dads"

 

[Ferocitus]

A.P. Bio - meh, 5/10. Some good lines. Seth Meyer is co-writer which gives it some edge.
Resident Alien - 6/10. Tudyk is Ok, but it starts getting schmaltzy towards the end of the season.
A new season has been greenlit.

 

[Sommerswerd]

Yes, I think that's right. In the endgame scene with Lebowski-Thor she says something like, "I was raised by witches" or whatever. I don't remember it verbatim.

Internets to the rescue. It was:

"I was raised by witches, boy. I see with more than eyes, and you know that."

You're welcome

 

[Birdjaguar]

Victim Number 8 on Netflix. Excellent crime/terrorist action. One season tells the whole story.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Rewatched an ep of Jessica Jones (premiere of s.3) and of The Boys (finale of s.2). Frenchie calling Billy "Monsieur Charcutier" never fails to make me laugh. It's such a dumb joke, but I can't help laughing.

 

[warpus]

I binge watched some shows, here's my reviews

Barry - Whoa, it's like they made Dexter properly or something. The humour style seems over the top at first but ends up working great. The juxtaposition between the humour and the morbid parts of the show is very interesting and somehow just works. I re-watched the first episode again after finishing both seasons, just so I could see how it all started, now that I know where this goes. Great show, would recommend

Silicon Valley - Watched it from start to finish and can't get enough of these characters. As a programmer I feel like I can relate to these characters more than let's say a fisherman might, but this satirical look at silicon valley, the tech world, the pretentiousness of billionaires, etc. is done so well, I would recommend this show to just about anyone. There's just the right mix of "They did their homework" and "This is insane", and the characters just make it all work.

Away - If you ever read any novels that detail a long space voyage to somewhere.. focusing on the voyage itself.. and you liked the exploration of the psychological impact on the crew... then you might enjoy this show. Only one season, it got cancelled after that, but it was just good enough to be worth watching, IMO. A lot of the crises the crew has to deal with seem over the top and poorly thought out, but it was just engaging enough. 7/10 if you like this sort of character-driven story, 4/10 if you don't.

Superstore - It's sort of like the Office but instead of selling paper they sell cabbage, televisions, and fishing rods. There's even a similar romance story plot between the Jim & Pam equivalents on the show, but it's not really that similar once you start looking at the details. One of the Kids in the Hall alums is on this show and that makes it even better. Great casting, great writing, would recommend

Vikings - Not sure what to say about this really, but it kept me engaged enough through the 4 or whatever seasons that are up on Netflix. I really wanted to see them "discover" and try to colonize the New World, but sadly we did not get to see that. Not really a super amazing show, but I am a sucker for dramas in a historically semi-accurate setting, so it kept me entertained. Will probably watch season 5 whenever that becomes available on Netflix or wherever.

Stranger Things - I am late to the party on this one for sure, but I found all 3 seasons just great. The mythology created in the first season gets explored in just the right ways in seasons 2 and 3, although the romantic subplots between the children involved seem a bit over the top if you ask me. It all seemed natural enough to not distract from the story really, and I have on idea if there's going to be more seasons, but I would watch.

Mr. Robot - Great show, what can I say. I did not see the twist coming at all and the characters & the casting seem on point. Had no idea Christian Slater was in this show either, that was a nice surprise.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Stranger Things - I am late to the party on this one for sure, but I found all 3 seasons just great. The mythology created in the first season gets explored in just the right ways in seasons 2 and 3, although the romantic subplots between the children involved seem a bit over the top if you ask me. It all seemed natural enough to not distract from the story really, and I have on idea if there's going to be more seasons, but I would watch.

Mr. Robot - Great show, what can I say. I did not see the twist coming at all and the characters & the casting seem on point. Had no idea Christian Slater was in this show either, that was a nice surprise.

Two of my favorites. I'm looking forward to season 4 of Stranger Things. The kids must be in college by now. I might go and rewatch some or all of seasons 1-3, 'cause it's been so long since I saw them.

 

[Kyriakos]

I binge watched some shows, here's my reviews

Barry - Whoa, it's like they made Dexter properly or something. The humour style seems over the top at first but ends up working great. The juxtaposition between the humour and the morbid parts of the show is very interesting and somehow just works. I re-watched the first episode again after finishing both seasons, just so I could see how it all started, now that I know where this goes. Great show, would recommend

I haven't watched either (apart from like, two scenes), but was Dexter also comedy? Because Barry clearly is.

 

[warpus]

I haven't watched either (apart from like, two scenes), but was Dexter also comedy? Because Barry clearly is.

Barry is an odd sort of comedy that makes you laugh and then suddenly there's a morbid scene that throws you off and makes you stop and think and realize that major themes in the show are very serious.

I found Dexter to be more like.. If they pushed it a bit in that direction, it could have easily been a comedy. The characters aren't as cartoony and exaggerated as on Barry, but they are a bit.

I like Dexter, but looking back it seems that in the end the show took itself perhaps a bit too seriously. Barry goes all out and embraces the absurdity of the premise and then some and it IMO ends up working very well.

My main problem with Dexter is really that they tried to essentially write it on a season by season basis. Each season was an attempt to give us a different take on the previous season. It was sort of formulaic. So eventually things got a bit boring and silly. Barry on the other hand is more so far more like a telling of a story that spans multiple seasons. It's an ever evolving story that takes more risks and feels more unpredictable.

The thing with Barry is also that since it's a comedy they can get away with more absurd situations. With Dexter, some of the later seasons got silly in terms of the premise and you really noticed and it took you out of the show (or at least me)

I like both shows but it's like Barry knows exactly what kind of show it is and runs with it. Dexter gave as an excellent first season and tried to duplicate that in subsequent seasons instead.

 

[EgonSpengler]

I watched the first ep of Sarah Shahi's Sex/Life. I couldn't connect with her character at all and was getting a little bored, but the final scene was intriguing. I may give the 2nd ep a try, just to see if it gets more engaging.

 

[warpus]

Just finished bingewatching Bored to Death. A quirky look at modern life. Really liked it although it took me a couple episodes to get into it. Ted Dansen is great in it, as are Schwartzman and Galafianakis. It's like a modern take on Seinfeld but not really. More like a quicky take on a "I'm a personal detective" story... but not really because he isn't. It's just good, go watch it.

The one thing that's silly is all these beautiful women throwing themselves as these characters. One of them is rich so fair enough, but other than that it seems unrealistic Which I mean a lot of the show is too, as it's sort of an absurd satire of modern life. But most of the time you're actually relating to these characters (somehow) and then BOOM you're reminded that it isn't really real. You'd think that'd happen when all the unrealistic scenarios pop up, but nope, for me it's just the beautiful women not being able to get enough of the main characters. Two of them are basically set up as your classic loser, so..