Which television shows are you watching? Part III

[Lemon Merchant]

We watched the first 3 eps of Derry Girls S2 yesterday. Couldn't help thinking partway through Ep.I that I really should have rewatched (some of) S1 first, because this time round the speech rhythms seemed faster and the accents stronger than I remembered them being. Took until about halfway through Ep.II (i.e. about half an hour!) before I was reasonably sure I was catching every gem.

Larn sum Oirish, lad. Then you'll understand.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

After Robert California leaves the office and Andy is left solely in charge, The Office takes a nosedive. He's just so irredeemably annoying. They tried to remake his character as Michael Scott 2.0 but it just doesn't work. He has no charm and isn't funny.

 

[rah]

Just started on the Expanse.
Good thing I read the book or wouldn't be slightly confused on what was going on.
Characters weren't like I pictured them but that should resolve itself in a few episodes.

 

[Synobun]

After Robert California leaves the office and Andy is left solely in charge, The Office takes a nosedive. He's just so irredeemably annoying. They tried to remake his character as Michael Scott 2.0 but it just doesn't work. He has no charm and isn't funny.

Yes, post-Michael Scott kind of sucks. I mean, it's alright, but I watch The Office at least once a year now due to it becoming a comfort show, and I usually need 2-3 watches between going through the post-MC seasons. Andy's always been a terrible character IMO, same with Erin. Erin's only saving grace is that I know her as the blowjob girl from Derrick Comedy.

As you might expect, the extended Erin/Andy arc is painful to sit through.

Just started on the Expanse.
Good thing I read the book or wouldn't be slightly confused on what was going on.
Characters weren't like I pictured them but that should resolve itself in a few episodes.

Really? I've only read the first book and I read it after I watched all the seasons of the show, and I thought the characterization was pretty good.

 

[Takhisis]

The Office was watchable when Ricky Gervais was still in it.

 

[Laurana Kanan]

The Office was watchable when Ricky Gervais was still in it.

Who??? Oh, that unemployed guy with the weird accent that ran into Michael Scott coming off the elevator.

Yes, post-Michael Scott kind of sucks. I mean, it's alright, but I watch The Office at least once a year now due to it becoming a comfort show, and I usually need 2-3 watches between going through the post-MC seasons. Andy's always been a terrible character IMO, same with Erin. Erin's only saving grace is that I know her as the blowjob girl from Derrick Comedy.

As you might expect, the extended Erin/Andy arc is painful to sit through.

I feel exactly the same way. I'm currently working through season 4 for the umpteenth time. Thankfully, the characters of Jim, Pam, & Dwight are strong enough to carry the final couple seasons without the presence of Steve Carell.

And, oddly enough another of my "comfort" shows is South Park. I just started season 5 again. You wouldn't think it would be a show that appeals to me, but inexplicably it does.

 

[Takhisis]

What is inexplicable is that there are people to whom South Park does not appeal, but then there's a rule that says there's an exception to every rule.

 

[Kyriakos]

What is inexplicable is that there are people to whom South Park does not appeal, but then there's a rule that says there's an exception to every rule.

Some shows start good, but become garbage after their first 100 years. Eg The Simpsons.
I never was a fan of SP though.

 

[rah]

Really? I've only read the first book and I read it after I watched all the seasons of the show, and I thought the characterization was pretty good.

Big difference seeing the shows first I think. If you read 4 books first you kind of have them set into your mind.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Big difference seeing the shows first I think. If you read 4 books first you kind of have them set into your mind.

I adjusted pretty quickly. It had been a couple of years since I'd read the books, so maybe they weren't fresh in my mind. I think Dominique Tipper as Naomi Nagata with an English accent is the only one who threw me off for a moment. I'd imagined her as Asian-American or Asian-Canadian (as for casting an actress, I mean - being a belter, Naomi is obviously neither American nor Canadian). Cas Anvar is also using an accent for Alex that I didn't expect. I didn't have to shift any mental gears for Bobbie Draper as non-white with a NZ accent, though, and I didn't imagine her that way at all, so who knows..? I don't really remember Drummer from the books; either she wasn't as big a part in the book, or the character just didn't make an impression on me, but I love Cara Gee in the role. None of the others defied my expectations very much.

 

[rah]

I'm sure I'll adjust too and it will change how I view them in books 5+
And keep in mind I only watched the 1st episode so still getting adjusted.
I was expecting AMOS to me more the Dolph look. I also expect Naomi to have a more eastern influence.
But looking forward to more episodes.

 

[EgonSpengler]

And keep in mind I only watched the 1st episode so still getting adjusted.

Oh, I thought you'd watched the whole first season. I'm glad I didn't write about Avasarala secretly being Amos' mom, like I almost did, that'd be a huge spoiler.

---

Meanwhile, I'm about halfway through season 2 of Mindhunter and enjoying it so far. It takes a while to get around to the season's central crime-mystery, but I think the characters are the center of this show anyway, not the crimes they work. As an aside, the guy who plays Jim Barney keeps throwing me off-balance with his facial expressions during the interviews. I keep reading his face as impatient, or even angry, like he's constantly on the edge of losing it and going postal on the person they're interviewing. But I don't think that's right, I think he's supposed to be an experienced agent; Greg is the inexperienced guy who gets flustered, not Jim.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Just started on the Expanse.
Good thing I read the book or wouldn't be slightly confused on what was going on.
Characters weren't like I pictured them but that should resolve itself in a few episodes.

I watched the show first so when I read the books, I see the TV characters. The only one that causes me dissonance is Naomi because they describe her as having epicanthic folds in the books. Also, TV Amos isn't as fat or as bald as book Amos but that actor plays the character so damn well I don't even care.

Yes, post-Michael Scott kind of sucks.

It does but up until Robert California leaves, Andy is bearable because he's not the sole boss and he has to share story time with Robert and other characters. After that, he becomes the focus of the show in the same way Michael Scott was and he's just unbearable. The whole Andy/Erin story arch is also frustratingly dumb. Erin is annoying on her own too but Andy really grinds my gears. He's such a whiny, pretentious loser that I can't stand him.

I don't really remember Drummer from the books; either she wasn't as big a part in the book, or the character just didn't make an impression on me, but I love Cara Gee in the role.

She didn't show up until book 5+ and she's only a minor character (at least up to halfway through book 6 where I'm at). For whatever reasons, the TV producers decided to use Drummer's character to replace the main anti-hero in Season/Book 3. In any case I think they made the right choice because Cara Gee really is awesome in that role and her TV character is way more memorable than the generic, forgettable anti-hero she replaced.

I'm glad I didn't write about Avasarala secretly being Amos' mom, like I almost did, that'd be a huge spoiler.

What in the what...

Tell me you made that up?

 

[Synobun]

Big difference seeing the shows first I think. If you read 4 books first you kind of have them set into your mind.

Maybe. I also have a slight case of aphantasia and typically don't visualize anything I read unless I stop and try, and then it disappears the second I stop and I don't really remember it. So character descriptions in literature mostly don't shape up to anything for me unless I already have a visual reference. But because of that, when I read character descriptions after watching the visual media version, I see if it matches up. Naomi was the closest to not matching, IMO, because of the description of her eyes, but that was about it. Everyone else sort of made me nod my head and go, "Yeah, that shapes up."

 

[Snerk]

I'm not watching anything atm so I need to find something new. But I'm very picky and too lazy to do research. I liked Chernobyl, any tips for something in the same vain?

 

[civvver]

I jumped way ahead so let me know if you guys discussed any of these:

Snowfall season 3. Started of hot man! Tons of action! Love it. If you like narcos or the wire you'll love this show. It's set in the 80s about this cia guy organizing importation of cocaine and selling it to dealers in LA where they start the crack epidemic.

Legion season 3. The final season. I hated season 2. It was incredibly slow and tried too hard to be edgy and surreal and kind of fell flat. Season 3 starts off much more refreshing. It's still weird as hell but it's a much easier watch. I have much higher hopes for it and I'm glad it engaged me on the first episode cus I was ready to write the show off.

Then caught up on those, I flipped on Star Trek Next Generation on netflix. Man that show is so weird lol. I didn't know there was so much sexual jokes in it in just the first couple episodes. Did this show like push network limits or anything? Seems weird for an 80s sci fi show. Kind of campy, but not horrible.

 

[Cutlass]

Rewatching S2 of The Punisher.

 

[EgonSpengler]

But I'm very picky and too lazy to do research.

That's an unfortunate combination.

I haven't seen Chernobyl, but if you name some other things you liked, we can probably come up with some recommendations.

 

[Kyriakos]

Oh, I thought you'd watched the whole first season. I'm glad I didn't write about Avasarala secretly being Amos' mom, like I almost did, that'd be a huge spoiler.

---

Meanwhile, I'm about halfway through season 2 of Mindhunter and enjoying it so far. It takes a while to get around to the season's central crime-mystery, but I think the characters are the center of this show anyway, not the crimes they work. As an aside, the guy who plays Jim Barney keeps throwing me off-balance with his facial expressions during the interviews. I keep reading his face as impatient, or even angry, like he's constantly on the edge of losing it and going postal on the person they're interviewing. But I don't think that's right, I think he's supposed to be an experienced agent; Greg is the inexperienced guy who gets flustered, not Jim.

I gave up after getting halfway through episode 1 and recalling just how this series rolls

 

[GoodSarmatian]

Larn sum Oirish, lad. Then you'll understand.

I'm still at early season 1 because I only understand half of it.