Rate Last TV Show You Saw

[Monty]

As @Shift-4 recommended, let’s see if this can rival the movie thread. There are already topics dedicated to The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, so there could be an appetite for it.

 

Would be good if this was similar to the movie thread, where people rated single episodes, instead of simply recommending a tv show (ie: “Watch Breaking Bad”). Rating single episodes/seasons/series could lead to interesting discussions.

 

Second post will be first review, which will be what I posted in the movie thread.

[Monty]

Star Trek Discovery - Update

 

I’m sure most here aren’t Star Trek nerds, so my updated assessment (like my movies reviews) probably fall on deaf ears. But here goes.

 

So, I really think this new series is quite awful. For those unfamiliar, the timeline of this series takes place between Star Trek Enterprise (Scott Bakula version) and 10 year before Star Trek TOS (Shatner). And this is where the problems start. 

 

If you’re a Star Trek fan, this timeline falls into when the Prime Directive wasn’t a thing yet. Which means, as a viewer, we’ve already seen this before. We’ve seen where Captains and Crew have made questionable decisions, as they were allowed more leeway. I could get more into this, but a discussion like this is better over dialogue, because as ST fans know, one could talk for hours. So long story short on this issue, if you’re a Star Trek fan (or not), this is a problem. They’ve tapped out this area already and it’s unnecessary.

 

Adding to the above, but it’s own problem altogether, is that because of the timeline, they are at war. This means that the overall tone of the show is very dark. As a viewer of all the seasons, the entire point of the Star Trek universe is that they were apart of the Federation; which aspired to being something greater. A world that we, as the viewer, wanted to be apart of. A world that wanted to be peaceful in their dealings with each other and other cultures. This new series does not follow this. The tone, which is incredibly dark, also shows the crew of the Discovery as people who are not only cold with each other, but also don’t trust one another (which is incredibly odd) and have zero chemistry. This is a massive problem with the show. Knowing that the Federation exists due to different species and cultures working together for something greater, seeing a crew that has no trust towards each other, which again is odd because it’s based on nothing, is incredibly confusing and counter to their entire belief system.

 

Lastly, the characters are cold, have no chemistry, and worst of all, have no heart. There’s no reason to like any of these people or care about them. They are empty vessels.

 

If you’re into Star Trek, you’ll probably hate it. If you want to get into Star Trek and have never seen it before, don’t watch this one to get into it. And if you hate Star Trek, you’ll probably hate this, because it just plain sucks.

[VanGnome]

Randomly came across Frontier, what appears to be a Netflix short series (6 episodes or so) surrounding the Fur trade in Canada at the height of HBC's dominance in the area and the subsequent infiltration of the French, Scottish, Irish and American traders threatening that dominance.

The only actor I recognize is Jason Momoa, kind of hard to mistake him. I've only seen episode 1, but so far 8/10.

[Shift-4]

19 minutes ago, Monty said:

Star Trek Discovery - Update

 

I’m sure most here aren’t Star Trek nerds, so my updated assessment (like my movies reviews) probably fall on deaf ears. But here goes.

 

@Monty

 

Great idea   

 

I was about to reply to your Star Trek Discovery comment thinking you were referring to the Star Trek movie reboot. 

 

I only watched the first episode because I am too cheap to get Space. I haven't bothered looking for a stream yet.

I thought the Klingon makeup/masks were overdone in the first episode. That bothered me.

[Shift-4]

11 minutes ago, VanGnome said:

Randomly came across Frontier, what appears to be a Netflix short series (6 episodes or so) surrounding the Fur trade in Canada at the height of HBC's dominance in the area and the subsequent infiltration of the French, Scottish, Irish and American traders threatening that dominance.

The only actor I recognize is Jason Momoa, kind of hard to mistake him. I've only seen episode 1, but so far 8/10.

I watched the whole season when it came out. I enjoyed it but was expecting more. I recognized the Lord Benton from Braveheart and the bar owner from Sons of Anarchy.

I look forward to seeing the next season

[Kurt Nirvanagut]

Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories, season two. 

Rating: Five bags of popcorn and walk on the wild side. 

[goalie13]

Ran into Fargo last night.  I never saw the movie so I had no real idea what it was about.  The episodes I caught were the last two of season two, but now I want to go back and watch from the beginning.

 

I could have it totally wrong but it sounds like each season stands on its own.  Season 1 is set in 2006, season 2 in 1979 and season 3 in 2010/11.  It doesn't sound like there is any connection between the seasons other than the location.  Basically it's a dark crime / comedy.  The characters are quirky and the scenario is a little bizarre.  Even though I have already seen the ending of season 2, I can't wait to see how they got there.

[Monty]

3 minutes ago, Shift-4 said:

I thought the Klingon makeup/masks were overdone in the first episode. That bothered me.

I was able to get over this quickly. I know that due to the time we live in (SFX, makeup advances), that this was bound to happen. Same with the abundance of SFX that they show. I doesn’t do anything for me, as Star Trek has always been about the story and characters, so I don’t pay attention to the other things. As long as they do the show right, that’s all I care about. The problem is they aren’t doing it right.

 

Personally, I would have loved to see a a Star Trek that took place 100-200 years past Star Trek Voyager (last timeline). Perhaps at a time where the Federation disbanded for some reason. Following a ship that was on a 5-10 year voyage during this time, so they still had the values and foundation of the Federation, but had to work with other worlds to put the Federation back together.

 

That would have been interesting. What they are doing now isn’t. They are relying on Klingon problems and references to TOS (as the main character is the adopted sister of Spock). It’s lazy.

[JM_]

33 minutes ago, Monty said:

Star Trek Discovery - Update

 

I’m sure most here aren’t Star Trek nerds, so my updated assessment (like my movies reviews) probably fall on deaf ears. But here goes.

 

If you’re into Star Trek, you’ll probably hate it. If you want to get into Star Trek and have never seen it before, don’t watch this one to get into it. And if you hate Star Trek, you’ll probably hate this, because it just plain sucks.

I agree, watched the first three episodes and don't care to see the rest. Its the worst series so far, even more than that awful DS9. 

[Monty]

23 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

I agree, watched the first three episodes and don't care to see the rest. Its the worst series so far, even more than that awful DS9. 

DS9 gets really good in from season 4 onwards.

 

The problem is that you have to slog through 3 awful seasons before it finds its footing. That’s unacceptable.

[JM_]

Have to say Westworld is the best series to come along recently, 9.5/10 for me. For a show that could have been really predictable they did a great job keeping you guessing. 

[Zhukini]

American Horror Story: Cult

 

I was a big fan of AHS for the first 3, arguably 4 season, but the last three have not done anything for me. The current season I think might be among the best in the Series so far. The current events timeline is pretty cool, and Evan Peters has done a fantastic job. They looked a little lost once Jessica Lange left, but they seem right back on track this season, and every episode has been must watch right away for me. 

 

8.5/10 for this season. 8/10 on the whole. 

[RonMexico]

31 minutes ago, VanGnome said:

Randomly came across Frontier, what appears to be a Netflix short series (6 episodes or so) surrounding the Fur trade in Canada at the height of HBC's dominance in the area and the subsequent infiltration of the French, Scottish, Irish and American traders threatening that dominance.

The only actor I recognize is Jason Momoa, kind of hard to mistake him. I've only seen episode 1, but so far 8/10.

I believe it was first run on Discovery Channel too. Season 2 starts Wednesday. I didn't mind the show and will watch season 2 as well.

[Monty]

13 minutes ago, Zhukini said:

American Horror Story: Cult

 

I was a big fan of AHS for the first 3, arguably 4 season, but the last three have not done anything for me. The current season I think might be among the best in the Series so far. The current events timeline is pretty cool, and Evan Peters has done a fantastic job. They looked a little lost once Jessica Lange left, but they seem right back on track this season, and every episode has been must watch right away for me. 

 

8.5/10 for this season. 8/10 on the whole. 

I stopped after season 3 (I think). Liked season 1 and 2, and can't even remember season 3. At all.

[Kurt Nirvanagut]

29 minutes ago, goalie13 said:

Ran into Fargo last night.  I never saw the movie so I had no real idea what it was about.  The episodes I caught were the last two of season two, but now I want to go back and watch from the beginning.

 

I could have it totally wrong but it sounds like each season stands on its own.  Season 1 is set in 2006, season 2 in 1979 and season 3 in 2010/11.  It doesn't sound like there is any connection between the seasons other than the location.  Basically it's a dark crime / comedy.  The characters are quirky and the scenario is a little bizarre.  Even though I have already seen the ending of season 2, I can't wait to see how they got there.

Fargo is excellent. And yeah, each season is a different era and people. I went to college in Minnesota and the first season was set in the city I lived, so it was very weird to see so many familiar things set around a series of murders. 

[goalie13]

Just now, zzbottom said:

Fargo is excellent. And yeah, each season is a different era and people. I went to college in Minnesota and the first season was set in the city I lived, so it was very weird to see so many familiar things set around a series of murders. 

I thought it was filmed in Calgary though?

[Aladeen]

1 hour ago, Monty said:

Star Trek Discovery - Update

 

I’m sure most here aren’t Star Trek nerds, so my updated assessment (like my movies reviews) probably fall on deaf ears. But here goes.

 

So, I really think this new series is quite awful. For those unfamiliar, the timeline of this series takes place between Star Trek Enterprise (Scott Bakula version) and 10 year before Star Trek TOS (Shatner). And this is where the problems start. 

 

If you’re a Star Trek fan, this timeline falls into when the Prime Directive wasn’t a thing yet. Which means, as a viewer, we’ve already seen this before. We’ve seen where Captains and Crew have made questionable decisions, as they were allowed more leeway. I could get more into this, but a discussion like this is better over dialogue, because as ST fans know, one could talk for hours. So long story short on this issue, if you’re a Star Trek fan (or not), this is a problem. They’ve tapped out this area already and it’s unnecessary.

 

Adding to the above, but it’s own problem altogether, is that because of the timeline, they are at war. This means that the overall tone of the show is very dark. As a viewer of all the seasons, the entire point of the Star Trek universe is that they were apart of the Federation; which aspired to being something greater. A world that we, as the viewer, wanted to be apart of. A world that wanted to be peaceful in their dealings with each other and other cultures. This new series does not follow this. The tone, which is incredibly dark, also shows the crew of the Discovery as people who are not only cold with each other, but also don’t trust one another (which is incredibly odd) and have zero chemistry. This is a massive problem with the show. Knowing that the Federation exists due to different species and cultures working together for something greater, seeing a crew that has no trust towards each other, which again is odd because it’s based on nothing, is incredibly confusing and counter to their entire belief system.

 

Lastly, the characters are cold, have no chemistry, and worst of all, have no heart. There’s no reason to like any of these people or care about them. They are empty vessels.

 

If you’re into Star Trek, you’ll probably hate it. If you want to get into Star Trek and have never seen it before, don’t watch this one to get into it. And if you hate Star Trek, you’ll probably hate this, because it just plain sucks.

I really find it quite funny they are trying for the shock appeal of the show by using F Bombs where there was no real need to use F bombs, pretty gratuitous violence and even trying to shock us with a homosexual on ship romance... None of it was shocking and could be done well for a show like this but in reality it all feels so contrived vs. letting those things come about naturally..

 

I do like the ship itself and that is about all I can say about the show so far... I will give it a few more episodes before writing it off completely as I have started other series which I didn't like in the beginning but ended up being a big fan of.

 

[Zhukini]

7 minutes ago, Monty said:

I stopped after season 3 (I think). Liked season 1 and 2, and can't even remember season 3. At all.

3 was the Coven which was the witches. I didn't mind that one, I started the following seasons but didn't finish any of them. So far so good this one though. 

[RonMexico]

18 minutes ago, Monty said:

I stopped after season 3 (I think). Liked season 1 and 2, and can't even remember season 3. At all.

I made it through Season 3: Coven and Season 4: Freak Show but lost interest in Season 5: Hotel.

 

It's too bad that it started strong and slowly tapered off. Granted, I felt Jessica Lange made the show.

[Monty]

8 minutes ago, Aladeen said:

I really find it quite funny they are trying for the shock appeal of the show by using F Bombs where there was no real need to use F bombs, pretty gratuitous violence and even trying to shock us with a homosexual on ship romance... None of it was shocking and could be done well for a show like this but in reality it all feels so contrived vs. letting those things come about naturally..

Absolutely. There are so many problems with the show.

 

It does take a while for a show to gain traction, so I recognize and understand that it takes time to get things right. Even TNG didn’t hit its stride until season 3.

 

However, the other problem here is that, from what I’ve heard/read (I could be wrong), each of these seasons are going to focus on a different crew (see: True Detective). So if they have failed at character development, which it’s fair to say they have through the first 4 episodes, chances are you won’t care about them 10 episodes from now.

 

But to circle back to what you said, you can tell that the show is forcing all of it. TNG tackled inter species/same gender relationships, back when it wasn’t even thought of. But here it feels desperate, cheap, and out of place. Same with the swearing.

 

While I may not like it, I understand why the old structure of Star Trek doesn’t appeal to the masses in 2017. A tv show that’s a weekly serial with a different story each week that wrapped up in a nice little bow that makes the viewer feel good.

 

However, I think this is where Star Trek could survive today versus other tv shows that need to have a season long story arch that’s gritty and dark. Star Trek fans, to which there are plenty, could easily make up viewership that is needed to sustain a TV show. I don’t think this new format is:

 

a.) What Star Trek fans want.

b.) What viewers new to Star Trek will find interesting at all.