The TV Discussion Thread

[Mara]

Well, it was an ensemble show which I guess centered mostly around Dave Foley's character, but he was pretty central and certainly for me the most memorable character. It's at least better than the rest of those on your list achieved.

True enough. The best characters on the show were Bill McNeal and Jimmy James.

Judy Greer was recurring on Arrested Development, and Mark Pellegrino was semi-regular on the first season of Dexter. Alan Cummings has been showing up occasionally on The Good Wife but he's supposed to have a larger part next year.

[MadMan]

You must finish The Sopranos.I'm working on it. Eventually I'll get there, and I'm already halfway through, currently somewhere on Season 6 Part 2.

I did forget that I have The Office Seasons 4-5 to watch, plus Chuck Season 1, which I bought on DVD.

[[ETM]]

The final season of Ashes to Ashes turned out to be pretty damn good in the end. The ending sure beats the crap out of what they came up for the US Life on Mars.

[Ezee E]

Bah, who cares about Lost. Bring on True Blood.

[Winston*]

That Steve Guttenberg episode of Party Down was the best one yet. So funny.

[Raiders]

That Steve Guttenberg episode of Party Down was the best one yet. So funny.

The awkwardness of it was hilarious, but I still prefer the previous week's, The James Ellison Funeral.

[Winston*]

The awkwardness of it was hilarious, but I still prefer the previous week's, The James Ellison Funeral.

Huh, I liked the episode like I've all of them but didn't find anything about it to lift it above the rest.

Top 3

Steve Guttenberg's Birthday
Celebrate Rick Sargulesh
James Rolf High School Twentieth Reunion

[MadMan]

Also Newsradio is still one of the best comedies of the 90s. So underappreciated in its time, really.

[Derek]

Anyone see last night's Breaking Bad? Probably the only show on tv now that can spend 2/3 of its running time observing its main character trying to kill a fly and not only work but be absolutely engrossing. Interesting to see that Rian Johnson directed it.

[Sxottlan]

As a season finale, tonight's Law & Order was pretty good. As a series finale? I don't know. It's been so long since I've regularly watched it, but I wanted to see the final episode live. I used to be hooked on this show in high school.

Interesting that not much of the episode took place on the court side of the show. It ends with a violent shooting in a high school, but then is a bit jarring with a cut to a gathering and characters saying kids suffered only minor injuries. Like a teacher shooting up a school wasn't a big deal.

I'm just disgusted that for being a stalwart for 20 years, NBC couldn't decide to end the show earlier to allow for a proper series finale. It would have been great to do something with past characters or have McCoy move on at the end.

[Mara]

Either Alyson Hannigan has had a (good) boob job or having a baby has been very kind to her body.

[Qrazy]

Anyone see last night's Breaking Bad? Probably the only show on tv now that can spend 2/3 of its running time observing its main character trying to kill a fly and not only work but be absolutely engrossing. Interesting to see that Rian Johnson directed it.

Yeah definitely, I loved how they went all Rope on the episode. They completely slowed the narrative to a crawl (in a good way) but exploded issues thematically and psychologically. It was also nice to see them focusing explicitly on the Walt/Jesse relationship again, as it used to be one of my favorite aspects of the show. Great ep in a great season.

[Qrazy]

Watched all of Hung in the last two days. I find it highly enjoyable. I'm glad there's a new season starting up soon.

[number8]

Watched all of Hung in the last two days. I find it highly enjoyable. I'm glad there's a new season starting up soon.

Does he ever get ugly women? I watched the first 2 or 3 episodes and bits of others and I always wondered why his clients are all MILFs.

[Qrazy]

Does he ever get ugly women? I watched the first 2 or 3 episodes and bits of others and I always wondered why his clients are all MILFs.

He gets one overweight, unattractive (but not ugly) housewife and one or two other subpar ones. But yeah his hot to not ratio is definitely weighted in favor of the former.

[[ETM]]

He gets paid to... do Raylan Givens' wife, too.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, Breaking Bad's latest episode was pretty great. I felt like it was a considerable risk, deviating as it did from the kind of tension delivered so magnificently in former episodes, but it was exactly what the show needed. A moment to stop and consider the more minute, psychological repercussions of the entire series up to this point. This is actually a large part of what I really appreciate about the show. Gilligan and co. are really careful to properly deal with the developments that they establish as opposed to hurtling on ahead to the next crazy adventure. It's important to be able to take a break from the frantic pace of the series and take the time to carefully and quietly examine the characters who are really at the center of all the twists, thrills and bloodshed. So, the fact that we got a ruminative episode that truly mulls on Walt and the psychological toll that has been wrought throughout the entire series is simply wonderful. Cranston was so damn great at playing someone who was immensely wounded and yet still straining to see through his own stupefied haze and somehow parse out where exactly it all went wrong for him, and when he could have pulled himself out of the mire that he's now caught in.

Also, it was indeed nice to see some more amicable interactions between Walt and Jesse. Well, slightly amicable. The conflict between them during the past few episodes had actually left a bit of a welt in my heart, as exciting as it was... which is probably a clear testament to how well their friendship has been handled by the show runners.

I actually found Jesse's behaviour a little bit too callous this season, particularly toward Walt, but I guess this isn't all that inexplicable. After all, they were never that close and Jesse is still pretty wounded and stubbornly self interested. As is Walt, for that matter. I think I simply want the two of them to have more of an actual bond and understanding between them. Which really doesn't seem all that likely at this point, especially given that Walt is rather precariously withholding such an enormous secret ― one that would likely induce Jesse to kill him, if he were to ever find out (I thought that the possibility of that very secret getting out was well employed in this episode as a fantastic source of unease).

The only part of this episode that gives me pause is the ostentatious camera techniques that Johnson employed. On the one hand, I feel like some of these may have been a bit too superfluous and over-elaborate (that weird snorri-cam shot of Jesse's brush, or the POV of the fly) but at the same time I feel like they might be excused as earnest attempts at incorporating visual dynamism into a bottle episode that primarily centered around a single set and/or as a means of communicating Walt's brittle psyche.

This was great, though:

http://i704.photobucket.com/albums/ww46/Amnesiac7/Fly.jpg


Nicely said, I agree for the most part. I did kind of like the stylistic flourishes though (moreso the POV of the fly then the brush), both for the dynamism but also as possible homage to this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blp5HsKVURI). I also feel that such a POV shot effectively and efficiently conveys the fact that everyone on the show (even a single fly) has their own reality, life and POV. For similar reasons I enjoyed the slo-mo death shot of the fly also haha.

On a side note, now that I think about it, Jesse's brush shot calls visual attention to the issue of the vestiges and the whole stealing issue that arises over the course of the episode also.

Another thing I liked about the concept of the episode and setting it almost entirely in the lab is that the lab is now like their new office. They come to work, make meth and go home. Life has become routine and repetitive. Which speaks to why Jesse is taking the risks he has been taking lately.

[number8]

By the way, I know no one ever talks about HOUSE here, but does anyone else watch it as fervently as I do? Because I keep thinking that it's a show where the writing never gets the credit that it's due. This past season had been absolutely stellar week in week out.

[Mara]

Wow-- I'm down to three shows I watch that are still airing. Nothing new coming on until True Blood returns, and then Mad Men later in the summer.

I might actually get some real work done. Or finish up Star Trek: TNG. One of the two.

[Qrazy]

Which should I watch next?

Sons of Anarchy
Dead Like Me
Lucky Louie
Oz

[number8]

Sons of Anarchy, then Oz.

[Qrazy]

Sons of Anarchy, then Oz.

Alright. Out of curiosity, are the other two any good/have you watched them?

[EvilShoe]

Dead Like Me is lame, Lucky Louie is disappointing.

[Qrazy]

Shucks.

[number8]

Pretty much, yeah. I'm looking forward to the new Louie, though.

[[ETM]]

Dead Like Me is lame

The feature that came out recently - yes.

The show is consistently good to great.

[Mara]

I watched almost one complete season of Dead Like Me and I wasn't really feeling it. I didn't like the main girl at all. Patinkin was pretty awesome, though.

[[ETM]]

I watched almost one complete season of Dead Like Me and I wasn't really feeling it. I didn't like the main girl at all. Patinkin was pretty awesome, though.

It got significantly better for me. I couldn't get myself to like George either at first.

[Mara]

Bryan Fuller went on to create a more likeable version of the George character with Jaye, another sarcastic, unambitious, selfish young girl who gets mystical roped into helping others. But for some reason I totally like Jaye.

EDIT: In the show Wonderfalls. Left that out somehow.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I watched almost one complete season of Dead Like Me and I wasn't really feeling it. I didn't like the main girl at all. Patinkin was pretty awesome, though.

Same with me. Outside of Patinkin, I wasn't impressed with any of the cast. The plot quickly grew tiresome as well.

[Raiders]

I really liked Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls (the best of the three) and Pushing Daisies. Bryan Fuller is cool with me.

[Mara]

I really liked Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls (the best of the three) and Pushing Daisies. Bryan Fuller is cool with me.

Wonderfalls was certainly more consistent, but I just loved the giddy, cheery tone of Pushing Daisies.

[number8]

I really liked Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls (the best of the three) and Pushing Daisies. Bryan Fuller is cool with me.

What about Heroes? :P

[Raiders]

What about Heroes? :P

Didn't see his last two episodes, but his first two were among the best of the first season. I stopped watching after the first episode of the third season. Yeesh.

[number8]

By the way, I know no one ever talks about HOUSE here, but does anyone else watch it as fervently as I do? Because I keep thinking that it's a show where the writing never gets the credit that it's due. This past season had been absolutely stellar week in week out.

I'm guessing this is a no, then. That's really too bad. I was thinking about it, and I think out of all TV shows currently on this season, House easily had the strongest scripts. Kind proves my point about it being easily dismissed and underrated, though.

[Mara]

I felt like the show became extremely formulaic after the second season, but I've heard it got better. Might give it a shot again one of these days. Hugh Laurie is such a babe.

[number8]

It didn't just "get better." It almost reinvented itself, somewhat. The medical procedural format is still as formulaic as ever, but they found this great niche by pushing the medical mystery to the background and exploring the social stigmas and human relationships of the patients instead, that would then reflect on the main characters. It really reminds me of Homicide in that regard. Now the show is more about exploring these strange tics we have in society, exploring things like internet privacy, insurance company ethics, open marriage, and of course House's atheism.

And of course, House (and by extension, his relationship with Wilson) has become a wildly more fascinating character since he went to the mental institution in the season opening and is now a fully committed recovering addict who has to go to therapy. I think this season has been Hugh Laurie's best work as an actor. One of the recent episodes was directed by Laurie himself and it had House trapped in a room with a dying patient played by David Strathairn, and it's just a really fucking phenomenal two-man play.

Really succinct and really strong character writing on this show, and I was kind of caught off-guard, because for a long time I've considered the show only as a guilty pleasure.

[Raiders]

I stopped watching only because of grad school classes (almost done!) and lack of time and energy. I always enjoyed the show, even if sometimes only for Laurie. I'll definitely go back and watch this season whenever I get the chance.

[number8]

In short, I'm pretty sure they have some philosophy and social studies majors in that writing room.

[Glass Co.]

My mom watches House, and I caught the recent season finale that did seem to pack quite the emotional punch and have a lot more pathos than your average network drama. Like Mara I dropped out in season 2 because it's formula had worn thin, but I may pick it back up again.

[EvilShoe]

Ya, Wonderfalls is definitely better than Dead Like Me.
I thought the latter got worse as it continued. Pretty clear there was no real vision behind the show. Characters got very lame in season 2.
Agreed on Patinkin being great in it, though.

[[ETM]]

I thought the latter got worse as it continued. Pretty clear there was no real vision behind the show. Characters got very lame in season 2.

How can we possibly think the exact opposite on this?!

[number8]

My mom watches House, and I caught the recent season finale that did seem to pack quite the emotional punch and have a lot more pathos than your average network drama. Like Mara I dropped out in season 2 because it's formula had worn thin, but I may pick it back up again.

It was a great finale. House's outburst to Foreman was definitely a highlight ("THAT'S THE POINT! I did everything right and she died anyway!") and very much in keeping with a former addict's self-justification for falling off the wagon.

But the moment that stood out to me was the praying scene.

"Would you pray with me?"
"No. I'm not in the habit of encouraging my patient's superstitions."
"How is that a habit? Are you planning on being trapped under a building again?"
"I don't believe in god."
"Neither do I."

And then they both fall silent and close their eyes for 5 seconds, and change topic. I thought it was very tastefully done.

[Thirdmango]

I want to agree with number8. In fact I would go as far as to say this past season of House was probably my favorite season of the show so far. There were moments in I think the fourth and fifth season where I was getting tired but then the sixth season really did some amazing things.

[[ETM]]

If the NBA finals end in six games, NBC will air two remaining episodes of Better off Ted instead. (http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2010-5-27-better-off-ted-fans-should-pray-for-a-short-nbc-finals)

Fingers crossed.

[Ezee E]

Breaking Bad and Weeds have similar plot developments. Funny how that works.

In the middle of season one after a hiatus. Finished what I would like to add to the television genre, "the hook episode" in which you decide whether or not you're a fan. This one happens to be episode six. Sopranos and Deadwood are each episode four, so on.

[Derek]

Breaking Bad and Weeds have similar plot developments. Funny how that works.

Well, it's not that surprising given that they share a very similar central conceit. That said, they get less and less similar and the shows go on.

[Ezee E]

Well, it's not that surprising given that they share a very similar central conceit. That said, they get less and less similar and the shows go on.
So Breaking Bad gets significantly better? Awesome.

[[ETM]]

So Breaking Bad gets significantly better? Awesome.

Yeah, it's one of the very few consistently good or improving shows out there.

[EyesWideOpen]

;262763']If the NBA finals end in six games, NBC will air two remaining episodes of Better off Ted instead. (http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2010-5-27-better-off-ted-fans-should-pray-for-a-short-nbc-finals)

Fingers crossed.

I really hate ABC but yeah my fingers are crossed also. Or at least hope that they release a season 2 dvd sooner then later.

[MadMan]

Cowboy Bebop is utterly amazing, really. I just finished the complete series, and that finale was stunning and truly brilliant. I still think the best episode of the short lived show's run was Ballad of Fallen Angels, finale aside. I'm not sure what my favorite episode was, however-eventually I should review all of the sessions, when time possibly allows and I'm in the mood to write.

[Mara]

Hmm. Watching and episode of Merlin for Anthony Stewart Head reasons and Gwen Cooper is in it. I may have to stick around for casting alone.

[Lucky]

Hmm. Watching and episode of Merlin for Anthony Stewart Head reasons and Gwen Cooper is in it. I may have to stick around for casting alone.

I did the same thing. One ep was enough for me.

[Qrazy]

Cowboy Bebop is utterly amazing, really. I just finished the complete series, and that finale was stunning and truly brilliant. I still think the best episode of the short lived show's run was Ballad of Fallen Angels, finale aside. I'm not sure what my favorite episode was, however-eventually I should review all of the sessions, when time possibly allows and I'm in the mood to write.

Agreed, I'd probably have to revisit it to say whether or not it's still number one, but it's definitely a top five anime show for me.

[Sycophant]

Three episodes (plus pilot) into Twin Peaks. I am in love with Special Agent Justin Cooper. And the whole damn show really.

[number8]

Genius advertising.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_l3cu99RleY1qarvl6o1_128 0.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0RYTHV9YY Q4W5Q3HQMG2&Expires=1275521499&Signature=OVgpN001sTI4qMriRCNF e47fuLQ%3D

[Lucky]

In the process of watching Alias in its entirety. "Phase One" from season 2 is up there with the best episodes of television that I've seen. Very brave. I've never seen a show willing to shake itself up this drastically throughout the course of a single episode. Bravo.

[Derek]

So Breaking Bad gets significantly better? Awesome.

Yeah, very much so. The first season is solid, but it really takes off in the second season.

8, that's incredible.

[Mara]

In the process of watching Alias in its entirety. "Phase One" from season 2 is up there with the best episodes of television that I've seen. Very brave. I've never seen a show willing to shake itself up this drastically throughout the course of a single episode. Bravo.

I loved that. I loved everything up until the season 3 finale, and by season 4 I was done.

EDIT: Whoops, I mean season 2 finale. Wow, there was less good than I thought.

[Acapelli]

looks like luther takes place in the law & order/homicide universe. there was a mention of a detective munch in the special victims unit in new york in the most recent episode

is anyone else watching this? winston? 8?

[number8]

Not yet, I want to, but come on, Munch has appeared in how many shows? X-Files, Brady Bunch, Arrested Development, The Wire... And those are just the ones Belzer actually appeared in. I'm sure he's been mentioned in more.

[Thirdmango]

I am loving Luther. Really stellar show.

[MadMan]

Agreed, I'd probably have to revisit it to say whether or not it's still number one, but it's definitely a top five anime show for me.I'm not sure if I should watch more anime shows or not, as for the time being I'm not really a huge fan of the genre. I would consider recommendations, though.

[Acapelli]

I am loving Luther. Really stellar show.
he's kind of a mix between jack bauer and elliot stabler. which i love. the latest episode was totally jaw-dropping

good to see idris elba not totally wasting his talent, even if his character is a bit cliched

[Thirdmango]

I'm not sure if I should watch more anime shows or not, as for the time being I'm not really a huge fan of the genre. I would consider recommendations, though.

You might wanna go to Samurai Champloo then since it's the show he did after Bebop.

[Qrazy]

I'm not sure if I should watch more anime shows or not, as for the time being I'm not really a huge fan of the genre. I would consider recommendations, though.

Well I mean if you liked Bebop that much I'm not sure why you wouldn't explore more. I second Thirdmango's recommendation of Champloo. You might also want to give Death Note a try. I think it's right up your alley. There's also an anime discussion thread if you do start getting more into the genre.

[Acapelli]

watched the flashforward finale. really wish they had given the show another chance. it's not that good, but at least the idea behind it is compelling and it could have gotten better

instead that shitfest v gets renewed

[[ETM]]

watched the flashforward finale. really wish they had given the show another chance. it's not that good, but at least the idea behind it is compelling and it could have gotten better

instead that shitfest v gets renewed

I like V better, actually.

Although I really liked the FF finale, that one was screwed up long before it was cancelled - Fiennes was a horrendous choice, almost half of the season was crappy and slow, and when they reshuffled the creative team and got things rolling, it was too little, too late.

[Acapelli]

v's really really really bad. the only reason i kept watching it was because it was after lost

it's only redeeming factor is elizabeth mitchell, who's smoking on the show and kicks ass. even monica bacarrin can't make the material work

[Acapelli]

and the less said about the special effects, the better

[[ETM]]

and the less said about the special effects, the better

The virtual sets are bad, but I found that it's mostly the fault of the directors. In the one episode directed by Jonathan Frakes, it looked infinitely better.
But other than that, I disagree on everything, pretty much.

[Acapelli]

i think my biggest problem with the show is i find it almost entirely laughable. stuff that's supposed to be menacing or scary (like anna about to eat her lover) just comes off as unintentionally funny

[[ETM]]

I dunno, that was creepy to me. But my tastes are definitely different. Good thing there's choice out there.;)

[Acapelli]

what is this...choice?

this probably belongs in the comics thread, but i know there are some torchwood fans here.

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/torchwood-comic-barrowman-100603.html


Acclaimed artist Tommy Lee Edwards, currently working with outspoken TV personality Jonathan Ross on the hit comic series ‘Turf’, has teamed up with John Barrowman (Torchwood's Captain Jack) and his sister and frequent coworker Carole E. Barrowman, to produce 'Captain Jack and the Selkie'.

'Captain Jack and the Selkie' is one of two original Torchwood stories in issue #1 and sees Jack facing a deadly threat on a remote Scottish island, where people are disappearing one by one. To his horror, Jack starts to suspect he may know who, or rather what, is responsible.

...

The second story is part one of a special five-part story written by Torchwood TV script editor Gary Russell. Entitled 'Broken', the story sees Captain Jack, Gwen and Ian to get trapped in a cosmic hotel, while an old villain from the TV series returns.

Artwork for 'Broken' is provided by Adrian Salmon, whose work includes The Cybermen for Doctor Who Magazine and Judge Karyn for the Judge Dredd Megazine.

[[ETM]]

this probably belongs in the comics thread, but i know there are some torchwood fans here.

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/torchwood-comic-barrowman-100603.html

Hell yes. Thanks for that.

[Sycophant]

I'm not sure if I should watch more anime shows or not, as for the time being I'm not really a huge fan of the genre. I would consider recommendations, though.

Let's see, you've seen one show you really loved. Don't know what else you've watched, but you've probably simply seen snippets of really popular dubbed shows like Inuyasha and some animated GIFs of lolis and some hilarious American parodies of anime, right?

Skip it. You're right. The anime genre ain't for you.

[Qrazy]

I'm torn about the Chuck finale. On the one hand I like the direction they're taking the show.

That is to say I like that Chuck is out of the CIA, a major character died, the Buy More blew up and things have changed somewhat. However the show is still stupidly predictable... I called the mother coming back so long ago and all of the Shaw stuff with the CIA made little to no sense. I'm extremely disappointed Shaw isn't 100 percent dead because his character and plot entanglements are insultingly stupid at this point.

[Mara]

I'm torn about the Chuck finale. On the one hand I like the direction they're taking the show.

That is to say I like that Chuck is out of the CIA, a major character died, the Buy More blew up and things have changed somewhat. However the show is still stupidly predictable... I called the mother coming back so long ago and all of the Shaw stuff with the CIA made little to no sense. I'm extremely disappointed Shaw isn't 100 percent dead because his character and plot entanglements are insultingly stupid at this point.

Let me put it this way.

I read your post, and thought, "Oh, I should watch the season finale, I guess."

Then I remembered that I already had.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I'm torn about the Chuck finale. On the one hand I like the direction they're taking the show.

That is to say I like that Chuck is out of the CIA, a major character died, the Buy More blew up and things have changed somewhat. However the show is still stupidly predictable... I called the mother coming back so long ago and all of the Shaw stuff with the CIA made little to no sense. I'm extremely disappointed Shaw isn't 100 percent dead because his character and plot entanglements are insultingly stupid at this point.

That show went from charming to useless faster than any show I've ever watched.

[Qrazy]

That show went from charming to useless faster than any show I've ever watched.

Yeah, this season was a wash. In theory they could get it back on track... but not really. I'll watch season four if it's definitely the last season, because I'm a completionist. However if the show is just going to go on ad nauseum then blech.

[[ETM]]

I'll give them a few episodes to bring me back into it. I echo Qrazy's thoughts on the positive aspects of the finale and the new direction they're taking. It could be interesting if done right.

[Kurosawa Fan]

They don't have time to get it back on track. This season's finale was the lowest rated episode in the series' history. The show is finished after a small run next fall. Not even NBC is desperate enough to throw them yet another bone.

[[ETM]]

I know. I'm hoping for a good short run.

[Thirdmango]

Wow, the fifth episode of Luther is amazing. My mouth was agape.

[Acapelli]

yup

i was really surprised they did that

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'm through the episode of Breaking Bad's second season where

the tortuga-bomb goes off.

That'd been spoiled for me ages ago, but it was still surreal and haunting as hell.

[Derek]

I'm through the episode of Breaking Bad's second season where

the tortuga-bomb goes off.

That'd been spoiled for me ages ago, but it was still surreal and haunting as hell.

Heh, that's barely beginning.

Another jaw-dropping episode. I actually thought it was going to end with the news report, but nope, they decided to go all-out. No half-measures indeed, BB writers.

[Watashi]

I'm halfway through season 1 of The Wire.

It's like having sex with Jesus while riding a T-Rex into a volcano.

[Ezee E]

Finished the first season of Breaking Bad. Gonna go straight into Season 2.

[Thirdmango]

I'm through the episode of Breaking Bad's second season where

the tortuga-bomb goes off.

That'd been spoiled for me ages ago, but it was still surreal and haunting as hell.

That's actually the episode I watched yesterday. We're at the same place.

Also, I'm now eight episodes into Sons of Anarchy. I'm still having a little trouble getting into the show, but I want to watch it all because of how so many people recommended the second season.

[number8]

Huh. Starz just commissioned a new season of Torchwood.

[Mara]

Huh. Starz just commissioned a new season of Torchwood.

Ummmmmmm.

[Mara]

Hold up, it's a new season, not a reboot. Gwen & Jack and a more "international" cast. I think I'm on board.

[number8]

"International" means American.

[Mara]

"International" means American.

Or maybe "American." Like Jack is "American."

[[ETM]]

I'm actually down with this. Starz... huh.

[[ETM]]

Sounds good to me: http://weblogs.variety.com/on_the_air/2010/06/torchwood.html

[Acapelli]

did anyone watch the hard times of rj berger?

it was like a raunchy 80s teen comedy, complete with racism, without the charm of those same comedies. pretty bad

[Acapelli]

Also the lead looks like the teenage version of Guy Pearce as ed exley

[Fezzik]

So, the cast of the A-Team movie is serving as guest hosts for Monday Night Raw tonight.

After ten minutes, something has already been confirmed for me: Sharlto Copley is gleefully insane (and pretty damn funny to boot).

He and Rampage are 'in character' and when they're approached by a couple of the divas and addressed by their real names, they act like they have no idea who these people are.

As they walk off, the divas yell "You were great in District 9!" and Copley reappears on screen, hunches down a little bit and says in the most unnecessarily serious tone: "Never saw it, but I understand it was an amazingly acted, breathtaking sci-fi parable with a deep message...and that Copley guy? He was robbed at the Oscars" he then gives a slight glance to the camera over his shoulder, stares for a second, then disappears off screen again.

I may not change the channel.

[Hugh_Grant]

I ♥ Sharlto Copley.

[Winston*]

Play paintball with the cast of The Wire.

http://movingmountainsnyc.org/paintball2010.php

[Qrazy]

Heh, that's barely beginning.

Another jaw-dropping episode. I actually thought it was going to end with the news report, but nope, they decided to go all-out. No half-measures indeed, BB writers.

Yeah, just great stuff. I can't wait for the finale. And I reaaaally can't wait until next season. :( I hope it doesn't take as long this time.

[Thirdmango]

anyone watching gravity? It's hit or miss to me, but the 7th episode cliff hanger was predictable but still good. It makes me very curious for the rest of the show.

[Spun Lepton]

So, this Breaking Bad is a good show, eh? I may check it out. Is it a dramedy, or a straight-up drama, or what? I had no idea Bryan Cranston was in it, and I'm a huge fan of actors that can do comedy and drama well. (And he was my favorite character in Malcolm in the Middle.)

[Dead & Messed Up]

So, this Breaking Bad is a good show, eh? I may check it out. Is it a dramedy, or a straight-up drama, or what? I had no idea Bryan Cranston was in it, and I'm a huge fan of actors that can do comedy and drama well. (And he was my favorite character in Malcolm in the Middle.)

It's a dark drama/suspense series with occasional comedic elements, and Cranston is insanely good. He plays a science teacher who learns he has cancer and decides to cook meth so his family will be secure after he dies.

[Winston*]

Think in the third season of Breaking Bad it is now surpassing Mad Men as the best show on TV.

[Ezee E]

Life is certainly no Planet Earth, but there's still some awesome moments. The snakes makes me uncomfortable though. Worse than Indiana Jones for creepy-crawly factor.

[Ezee E]

I already take it back. Seeing ten komodo dragons stalk a buffalo is as great as anything on Planet Earth.

[Spun Lepton]

Okay, Breaking Bad S1 is queued. Thanks, all.

Wish it was Instant, but oh well.

[Derek]

Think in the third season of Breaking Bad it is now surpassing Mad Men as the best show on TV.

I don't watch enough shows to say that, but I agree Season 3 of Breaking Bad > Season 3 of MadMen. This season of BB is probably the best tv I've seen since the first season of Deadwood.

[Winston*]

I don't watch enough shows to say that, but I agree Season 3 of Breaking Bad > Season 3 of MadMen. This season of BB is probably the best tv I've seen since the first season of Deadwood.

Are you watching Justified? If not, you should be watching Justified.

[Ezee E]

The only show I'd watch over Mad Men right now is True Blood. Catching up on Breaking Bad.

Treme, 30 Rock, and Rescue Me might be the only other shows I have an active interest in.

Justified (whenever its released) and Sons of Anarchy are in my queue.

[Derek]

Are you watching Justified? If not, you should be watching Justified.

I should be, but I'm not. Almost caught up with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, then need to decide what's next. Dexter is high on the list, but I might do Justified first since it's still in the first season. I love the Olyphant.

[Qrazy]

I should be, but I'm not. Almost caught up with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, then need to decide what's next. Dexter is high on the list, but I might do Justified first since it's still in the first season. I love the Olyphant.

Catch up on Dexter. It turned out to be a fairly solid season.

[amberlita]

Think in the third season of Breaking Bad it is now surpassing Mad Men as the best show on TV.

Right on. If you stacked up all the shows I currently watch throughout the year (including recently ended shows like LOST and 24), put them all in the same timeslot and forced me to pick one, I'd choose to watch Breaking Bad in a heartbeat everytime.

Then I'd still hold off all the others while I watched the encore presentation of what I just saw.

[Winston*]

Catch up on Dexter. It turned out to be a fairly solid season.

I made it through season 3, but I've given up during season 4 I think. I'm sure its better than the previous one, but I just don't care about the show anymore.

[Qrazy]

I made it through season 3, but I've given up during season 4 I think. I'm sure its better than the previous one, but I just don't care about the show anymore.

Season 4 got a lot better as it went along but fair enough. I do hope the next season is the last one, the show just has nowhere to go anymore. It's been fairly redundant for a while now.

[Derek]

Catch up on Dexter. It turned out to be a fairly solid season.

I haven't seen any of Dexter, so I'll be starting at the beginning.

[Qrazy]

I haven't seen any of Dexter, so I'll be starting at the beginning.

Oh. Well then... do... whatever.

[Qrazy]

Looks like Walt Jr. is going to be using his mom's car for his driving test!

[Mara]

The only show I'd watch over Mad Men right now is True Blood.

I find True Blood really enjoyable, but I'm not sure how good it actually is. It still feels like a guilty pleasure. It's so trashy.

After the fantastic season finale of Justified, I feel like it is one of the most assured, consistent shows on television I've seen for quite awhile. Glee is fun but woefully hit or miss week to week.

Mad Men started good and has gotten better and better, from a sterile period piece to a fascinating character study. I'm really curious where it's going this next season.

[Ezee E]

I have no shame in saying how much I like True Blood. It's certainly not written as well as Mad Men but its so addictive and fun that I wouldn't give it up over any other show at the moment.

[Mara]

My emotional reaction to True Blood is much closer to what I normally have from an enjoyable comedy, instead of an enjoyable drama. It is occasionally funny, but that's not the point-- it's just such a romp.

Plus my least favorite character went buh-bye at the end of last season, which should improve the overall quality.

[number8]

I think once Treme wraps this Sunday I'm gonna do a round-up of how well shows did this season. So far, topping the lists for me are Justified and House as being the most consistently good and ones to actually attempt some escalation throughout the season.

[Mara]

Hmm. Rating the last season of all the shows I watch. I could do that.

Perhaps it should be a separate thread, though. Might be long.

[Ezee E]

Good idea. I've got a total of four or five that I've seen the most recent season of.

True Blood - A
Mad Men - B+
Treme - B (we'll see)
Rescue Me - First half - B+ / Second half - D
30 Rock - C
...
..
.

D'oh.

[Mara]

Counting every show I watched that began a season in either 2009 or 2010, I have... 19. Sheesh. And I think I may be missing one or two and have no idea how to check that.

[Hugh_Grant]

Luther to air on BBC America (http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/06/10/idris-elba-drama-luther-to-air-on-bbc-america/)

[Dead & Messed Up]

My UPM got an Emmy package from AMC, but he's not going to vote, so he gave it to me, and it has episodes 301-307 of Breaking Bad.

Yessssssss.

[[ETM]]

Yeah, that's an... unfortunate second picture.

[Lucky]

Mad Men - A
True Blood - B+
Dollhouse - B
Party Down - C+
Glee - C

Looks like I need to check out Breaking Bad immediately. I'm halfway through Alias right now, I'll pick it up after that.

[amberlita]

Also, I'm curious what people have to say about this. Spoilers for the latest episode of Breaking Bad:

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa13/TeddyRoosevelt_2007/12758997273751.gif

They are using dummies, of course. They cut from a close-up to a long shot and then the guy in the orange coat starts to run and then they presumably cut and replaced him with a dummy. What I find particularly striking about this is that the cut from the actual actor to the dummy is pretty much seamless. If it is a composite of two separate shots — which it has to be — then they did a really great job.

I don't have a gif for it but I had a similar question about a moment in the episode "Fly".

Walt is leaning over the second floor railing trying to swat the fly on a lamp on the ceiling and he falls over the edge, tumbling over some of the meth equipment and onto the floor. The camera is in long shot filming the scene and then pulls, without cutting, straight up to Bryan Cranston lying on the floor. That HAD to be a stunt double so, just how do they pull off a shot like that?


Looks like I need to check out Breaking Bad immediately.

Yes you do! :pritch:

[Thirdmango]

I think I'm right up there with you Mara, right around 19/20 shows. I may need to weigh in on that thread.

Luther was incredibly satisfying. As satisfying as the Justified finale. I can not give enough praise to Luther, so incredibly good.

[Ezee E]

Despite Treme not being strong on plot, there's something about it that interests people. For the third time, I watched an episode at the station, someone walked in, curious at what was going on, and watched the whole episode, despite not knowing a thing going on.

They usually don't like a thing that I watch for the record, so the fact that they stayed means something.

[D_Davis]

For me, Treme is all about the music, and how the people live their lives with such passion.

[amberlita]

Also, I'm curious what people have to say about this. Spoilers for the latest episode of Breaking Bad:

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa13/TeddyRoosevelt_2007/12758997273751.gif

They are using dummies, of course. They cut from a close-up to a long shot and then the guy in the orange coat starts to run and then they presumably cut and replaced him with a dummy. What I find particularly striking about this is that the cut from the actual actor to the dummy is pretty much seamless. If it is a composite of two separate shots — which it has to be — then they did a really great job.

I just listened to the Breaking Bad Insider Podcast and Vince Gilligan explains in detail how they created this scene.

They shot an empty plate shot of the background. Separate shot of a stunt man driving the Aztec over a sandbag and skidding to a stop. Another shot of the actors standing on their marks and acting out the initial hit of the car.
No dummies involved. The people flying over the car or getting run over are computer generated bodies. The end is a composite scene of those separately filmed shots.

[[ETM]]

I guessed it was that when I saw how the first guy's bandana flew through the air and landed perfectly. Had to be an effects shot, just like the roof pizza.

[D_Davis]

Does True Blood get much better after the first few episodes? I wasn't feeling those at all.

[[ETM]]

Does True Blood get much better after the first few episodes? I wasn't feeling those at all.

I guess it does, but if you ain't feelin' it now, I doubt you will at all. Give it a season at least, though.

[Hugh_Grant]

Does True Blood get much better after the first few episodes?
No.

[Mara]

True Blood is a matter of taste. Either you buy into it, or you don't. I'd say if it's not your groove, it's probably just not your groove.

[Ezee E]

The first season is merely okay to me actually. Its the second season that took everything that I liked from season 1 and multiplied it when they separated its characters.

[number8]

I would say yes. I just watched the first 3 episodes again last night and they're definitely not as funny, trashy or outrageously fun as it has become. There's a tinge of self-seriousness in them that it hadn't learned to let go yet. I think it's the second half of Season 1 that it became really off-the-wall awesome. And sexy.

[Mara]

I know I liked season 2 better. For one thing, I haaaaaated Jason in season 1, and all of the sudden in season 2 he's hilarious.

[number8]

I think it's because in Season 1, Jason was real-world dumb, and we hate people like that. In Season 2 he's television dumb, and we love that.

[Mara]

I think it's because in Season 1, Jason was real-world dumb, and we hate people like that. In Season 2 he's television dumb, and we love that.

I seem to remember that in season 1, Jason was endlessly naked, which bothered me. In season 2 they let him keep his pants on, and it turned out he's funny!

[number8]

I never had that complaint.

[Mara]

Hmm. Breaking Bad may not be for me.

[Acapelli]

anybody hear watch misfits? it just won the bafta for best drama, which apparently was a total surprise

just started it up. pretty good so far. think heroes meets skins

[Mara]

anybody hear watch misfits? it just won the bafta for best drama, which apparently was a total surprise

just started it up. pretty good so far. think heroes meets skins

The premise sounds right up my alley. I haven't actually seen Skins, but I've heard good things about it.

[[ETM]]

Hmm. Breaking Bad may not be for me.

Why?

[Mara]

;265464']Why?

Too much ugliness. I'm a sensitive soul, deep down.

[[ETM]]

Too much ugliness. I'm a sensitive soul, deep down.

:sad: That's a shame. Fantastic drama, well worth it.

[Mara]

;265466']:sad: That's a shame. Fantastic drama, well worth it.

The writing and acting looked top-notch. Just not for me.

[[ETM]]

The writing and acting looked top-notch. Just not for me.

It's also, as someone here said, one of the most beautifully shot shows on TV right now. But I understand. I find it hard to take at times but it's all worth it in the end for me.

[number8]

anybody hear watch misfits? it just won the bafta for best drama, which apparently was a total surprise

just started it up. pretty good so far. think heroes meets skins

That's a good description for it. It explains why I don't like it.

Oh well. It has boobies.

[[ETM]]

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune is giving Breaking Bad another chance with a S3 marathon and constant updates, and Dean Norris (or someone claiming to be him) who plays Hank Schrader on BB posted a comment.
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.c om/entertainment_tv/2010/06/breaking-bad.html

No pressure, Mo.

[Qrazy]

The writing and acting looked top-notch. Just not for me.

Overall I'd say there's less ugliness in it than something like Dexter. Bear with it, and reap the rewards.

[[ETM]]

Overall I'd say there's less ugliness in it than something like Dexter.

This I'd agree with.

[number8]

Guys, I'm still trying to get Mara to watch The Wire.

[Ezee E]

Watching some of the rated shows over things like The Wire and Breaking Bad. Does not compute.

[Mara]

Guys, I'm still trying to get Mara to watch The Wire.

I'm scared of The Wire. It's scary.

[Thirdmango]

I'm scared of The Wire. It's scary.

Even though I think the fourth season is one of the greatest seasons of television. I don't see much rewatchability in the series, and I still haven't actually watched the fifth season.

[Glass Co.]

Even though I think the fourth season is one of the greatest seasons of television. I don't see much rewatchability in the series.

Depends on how deeply invested in the show and characters you are. I'm still picking up new things on my fourth viewing.

[D_Davis]

Even though I think the fourth season is one of the greatest seasons of television. I don't see much rewatchability in the series, and I still haven't actually watched the fifth season.

I've watched the entire run 3 times now - in about 3 months. Probably the most rewatchable show I've seen. Each viewing of each episode/season unearths new details and revelations. I'm actually craving it right now, but I didn't bring it with me to Sydney, mainly because if I had I know I'd just sit around watching it all day. It's a show that can be studied like a great novel.

[Acapelli]

That's a good description for it. It explains why I don't like it.

Oh well. It has boobies.
some ruuuuudddeee titties in episode two

which i was not expecting at all

then i was totally grossed out

it's awesome so far

[Ezee E]

Great new promo out there for Boardwalk Empire.

[Mara]

Overall I'd say there's less ugliness in it than something like Dexter.

I have some trouble with content in Dexter, but it's far more stylized and less realistic.

[Mara]

The Guild season 3 is a riot so far. The actors and production values have improved.

Plus: Wil Wheaton. Heheheheh.

[Mara]

The Guild season 3 is a riot so far. The actors and production values have improved.

Plus: Wil Wheaton. Heheheheh.

Finished. Totally fun.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Season 2 of Breaking Bad has been completed. It was a good season.

The plane thing was ingenious. I feel really dumb for not seeing that coming, since the episodes that feature the flash-forward are, in order:

737
Down
Over
ABQ

And the scene in the prior episode where he let Jane choke on her own vomit was absolutely hideous. I was shouting at the TV, "Dude! Dude? Help her, dude! DUDE!!!"

[[ETM]]

The aftershocks of those events will have far-reaching consequences.

[Dead & Messed Up]

;265641']The aftershocks of those events will have far-reaching consequences.

Good. That's become my favorite thing about the show - the increasingly awful ramifications of Walt's selfishness and pride.

Then again...that sorta is the show.

[Raiders]

Wait, why the heck is Starz airing the Party Down season finale now when Episode 9 isn't airing until this upcoming Friday??? Are they still airing it and then re-airing this again in two weeks?

[Acapelli]

just watched the 4th ep of misfits. best episode yet, i can definitely see how it won the bafta for best drama after this. basically follows the set right what once went wrong (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong) trope, but it's great tv nonetheless

[Sven]

I'm watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which I am generally liking, but with the Gang Gets Whacked episodes, which I just watched, I was truly stunned. Was I supposed to be terrified at Charley and Dee's cocaine binge? I've never seen anything achieve such a strange balance of hilarious and horrifying. That jocky stuff...

[transmogrifier]

Even though I think the fourth season is one of the greatest seasons of television. I don't see much rewatchability in the series, and I still haven't actually watched the fifth season.

Wrong. Very wrong. I'd argue it's one of the most rewatchable shows ever.

[amberlita]

I'm scared of The Wire. It's scary.

If the verisimilitude of Breaking Bad is too much for you, then The Wire will give you nightmares. It still haunts me and I love watching people in pain.

Kind of tragic though. You'll never really understand what you're missing out on.

[Adam]

I'm watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which I am generally liking, but with the Gang Gets Whacked episodes, which I just watched, I was truly stunned. Was I supposed to be terrified at Charley and Dee's cocaine binge? I've never seen anything achieve such a strange balance of hilarious and horrifying. That jocky stuff...

Ya, love that show. I remember the episode right after that two-parter (Bums: Making a Mess All Over the City) as being a stone-cold classic and it has the greatest cold open, ever


Wait, why the heck is Starz airing the Party Down season finale now when Episode 9 isn't airing until this upcoming Friday??? Are they still airing it and then re-airing this again in two weeks?

It didn't air on Starz - it's just streaming on their site. I don't really understand why they do this, but they also streamed that Steve Guttenberg episode way before it aired, too. Anyway, I just watched the finale and dug it a lot and if the series ended on that note, I'd be happy


Great new promo out there for Boardwalk Empire.

Eh, really? It looks fine, but it also looks like warmed-over Scorsese. And something about Buscemi makes him stick out like a sore thumb in that thing - I think they maybe should have gone with a lesser known actor in the role


I'm scared of The Wire. It's scary.

It's all the black people, right?

[Mara]

If the verisimilitude of Breaking Bad is too much for you, then The Wire will give you nightmares. It still haunts me and I love watching people in pain.

This is pretty much what I'm worried about. I just bought a house in Baltimore, I love it there, and I'm not letting a television show ruin that for me.

[Raiders]

It didn't air on Starz - it's just streaming on their site. I don't really understand why they do this, but they also streamed that Steve Guttenberg episode way before it aired, too. Anyway, I just watched the finale and dug it a lot and if the series ended on that note, I'd be happy

I watched it last night. On TV. It was aired right after the re-run of Steve Guttenberg's Birthday.

[Adam]

I watched it last night. On TV. It was aired right after the re-run of Steve Guttenberg's Birthday.

Hmmm, then I dunno, that makes no sense. Wikipedia tells me it'll air as regularly scheduled in two weeks, too

[number8]

Kind of tragic though. You'll never really understand what you're missing out on.

Precisely. I think the reward of knowing it is greater than the nightmares.

[Mara]

Precisely. I think the reward of knowing it is greater than the nightmares.

I might try a few episodes at some point to see if I can handle it.

Meanwhile, in cheery non-nightmare inducing news, a quiet weekend has led to me picking up Star Trek: TNG again. I'd gotten all the way to season 7 before I got too busy.

This season is pretty standard stuff so far. "Phantasms" was pretty good for a dream-based episode, but most of the scary imagery looked a little silly. I'm now on the one were Kiki Dunst shows up. She was so the go-to blonde girl for awhile there.

[Mara]

Hmm. A recent study has quantified the amount of non-direct violence on television (insults, cruel gossip, etc.) and reality television is the most aggressive by far. (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37645890/ns/health-behavior/)

[[ETM]]

just watched the 4th ep of misfits. best episode yet, i can definitely see how it won the bafta for best drama after this. basically follows the set right what once went wrong (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong) trope, but it's great tv nonetheless

Yeah, I've seen the first two episodes. It's funny how they don't get it from the start that everyone got a "power" that is essentially what they wished for, for better or worse.

I'm gonna be checking out more for sure.

[D_Davis]

I actually think The Wire is strangely positive, at least it had a very positive impact on my life. It's made me more aware of certain things, and I've started reading more about the drug trade in the US and about poverty, and I've been thinking more and more about ways in which I can give back to my own community. It's not really a downer of a show at all - it is tragic in spots, yes, but it all feel so natural, and not misanthropic, cynical or mean spirited at all.

[Qrazy]

I actually think The Wire is strangely positive, at least it had a very positive impact on my life. It's made me more aware of certain things, and I've started reading more about the drug trade in the US and about poverty, and I've been thinking more and more about ways in which I can give back to my own community. It's not really a downer of a show at all - it is tragic in spots, yes, but it all feel so natural, and not misanthropic, cynical or mean spirited at all.

Yeah, that's just it. The violence in the show never comes across as unnecessarily ugly or mean spirited the way it does in something like The Shield.

[transmogrifier]

Yeah, I don't think I'd find The Wire scary if I lived in Baltimore. It's not as if it makes the entire city seem like a living hell. As DD says, its pretty naturalistic and humanistic, in its way. It's also good to know that as bad as it gets, there's always people fighting the good fight.

[D_Davis]

Yeah, that's just it. The violence in the show never comes across as unnecessarily ugly or mean spirited the way it does in something like The Shield.

Exactly - The Shield is its direct opposite. I'd even say that the snide attitude and sarcasm of something like Buffy or Firefly, in which violent things happen purely for entertainment, is more dehumanizing and mean spirited than anything in The Wire.

The violence and tragedy in The Wire isn't used to entertain - it's used to make a point, and to show how people on both sides of the law, with different sets of morals and ethics, deal with the violence and corruption.

[transmogrifier]

I wouldn't say The Shield is unecessarily ugly or mean-spirited at all. It strikes a different tone for sure, and is almost all about the plot, and how tough it is to escape the consequences of all your decisions. But it is all of a piece and the violence is an integral part of the worldview....

I

[Mara]

Hmm. Okay. I think I'll check out The Wire conditionally at some point. I know that, objectively, realistic violence is more edifying than violence for entertainment. But when it's silly-- Buffy punching a rubber monster-- it's easier for me to dismiss it and enjoy it. The more realistic it is, the more it hurts my heart and I can't bring myself to continue watching.

I made it two and a half episodes through Breaking Bad. I just couldn't handle

Walt becoming a killer. Everything with the dying, injured man down in the basement was just too much for me. Listening to him breathe and choke and suffer through the vents was just brutal.

I do not think I am ever going to watch The Shield. But several people have mentioned Homicide as a good way to work up to The Wire.

[D_Davis]

I wouldn't say The Shield is unecessarily ugly or mean-spirited at all. It strikes a different tone for sure, and is almost all about the plot, and how tough it is to escape the consequences of all your decisions. But it is all of a piece and the violence is an integral part of the worldview....



I couldn't watch The Shield after a few episodes. To me it felt like the show just hated humanity. But, perhaps, I didn't give it enough time to develop.

[D_Davis]

Each death or scene of tragedy in The Wire happens as a kind of punctuation to what has been set up before - they are absolutely necessary to the narrative and the development of the characters. And each of these is counter-balanced by moments of hope and positivity.

[Mara]

Are people tortured?

Also: Are children molested/killed, and are women raped?

[transmogrifier]

Are people tortured?

Also: Are children molested/killed, and are women raped?

In The Wire?

There are a couple of torture scenes that I can remember of the top of my head, one in Season 2 and one in Season 4.

[D_Davis]

In The Wire?

There are a couple of torture scenes that I can remember of the top of my head, one in Season 2 and one in Season 4.

Yes - but they aren't drawn out, nor do they feel superfluous to the narrative. They weren't worse than anything shown on 24.

I don't recall any rape or molestation, at least none that is shown.

Let's just say that children are not safe, but again it all feels natural and necessary.

There are two parts that unsettled me, and they both had to do with animals - once with a dog, and once with a cat. The scene with the dog felt like it was needed, and led to a pretty humorous situation for those involved, and also shed some light on a character, while the scene with the cat felt a little gratuitous, even though what was going to happen was implied and not shown.

[[ETM]]

Are people tortured?

Also: Are children molested/killed, and are women raped?

You have serious misconceptions about the show, I think.

As already said - an average episode of CSI has more disturbing content than all five seasons of The Wire. There is the fact that it is feels more "real" but I swear I can't think of one thing that would give anyone nightmares... except for Chris and Snoop, but that's to be expected.

[Qrazy]

I wouldn't say The Shield is unecessarily ugly or mean-spirited at all. It strikes a different tone for sure, and is almost all about the plot, and how tough it is to escape the consequences of all your decisions. But it is all of a piece and the violence is an integral part of the worldview....

I

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed The Shield quite a bit, but I did find the violence to be frequently overkill. I really did not need to see Wagenbach kill that cat. And just to clarify that this is not an animal cruelty issue for me per se... a cat is also killed in Satan Tango and it felt entirely necessary to me there, but not so much in The Shield episode.

[D_Davis]

The Wire is, quite simply, a wonderful display of humanity at some of its worst and some of its finest. I was far more moved by the positive aspects of the show's narrative than I was disturbed by its violence or negative aspects. It's got an amazing heart, exemplified by the show's core cast of characters, each of whom struggles to work with the cards they are dealt; rarely is anything superfluous or gratuitous. I can't really say which in particular, but one of the main characters' arcs, representing the heart of the show, is incredibly positive and uplifting, and that character's final monologue has moved me to tears multiple times.

[Winston*]

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed The Shield quite a bit, but I did find the violence to be frequently overkill. I really did not need to see Wagenbach kill that cat. And just to clarify that this is not an animal cruelty issue for me per se... a cat is also killed in Satan Tango and it felt entirely necessary to me there, but not so much in The Shield episode.

Dutch was a great character for the first two seasons, then they didn't seem to know what to do with him. Still haven't watched the 6th one, might get onto that soon.

[number8]

;265928']You have serious misconceptions about the show, I think.

I was going to say the same thing.

Mara, when people talk about The Wire being gutwrenching and representing of Baltimore in a bad light, they're not talking about disturbing content. It's because the show has realistic descriptions of police incompetence, political corruption and institutional poverty.

[number8]

The Shield I would admit to ramping up gore just to be sensational. That's kind of FX's thing as a network; they're all about envelope pushing. It's a good thing that they're able to make the show not dependant on those to be compelling, but they like tO pepper it once in a while with shitty things just to remind people that their idea of LA is a ratpiss shithole. The one I remember most is the episode with the one-off story with a newborn stomped to death in a sack and left on the street.

[[ETM]]

The one I remember most is the episode with the one-off story with a newborn stomped to death in a sack and left on the street.

Yeah, that's the kind of thing you don't even like to hear and try to imagine. It's 100x disturbing than all of The Wire right there.

[Mara]

I was going to say the same thing.

Mara, when people talk about The Wire being gutwrenching and representing of Baltimore in a bad light, they're not talking about disturbing content. It's because the show has realistic descriptions of police incompetence, political corruption and institutional poverty.

Good thoughts, guys. I feel much more comfortable about it now.

[Qrazy]

Dutch was a great character for the first two seasons, then they didn't seem to know what to do with him. Still haven't watched the 6th one, might get onto that soon.

The last few seasons are the best imo, the shit really hits the fan. I didn't care much for the third and fourth seasons. And the finale is really superb.

[number8]

Yeah, The Shield peaked big time as it ended.

First two seasons were meh. Gritty, exciting, but ultimately just a more violent and morally ambiguous Miami Vice. Third and fourth seasons were pretty convoluted and Bad Boys-ish, made awesome by Glenn Close's arrival. 5 was pretty good because of the cat-and-mouse with Forest Whitaker, but not much else.

The show became a near masterpiece pretty much after Shane killed Lem. The aftermath of that one act that ran through 6 and 7 was just insanely good. Insanely good.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, The Shield peaked big time as it ended.

First two seasons were meh. Gritty, exciting, but ultimately just a more violent and morally ambiguous Miami Vice. Third and fourth seasons were pretty convoluted and Bad Boys-ish, made awesome by Glenn Close's arrival. 5 was pretty good because of the cat-and-mouse with Forest Whitaker, but not much else.

The show became a near masterpiece pretty much after Shane killed Lem. The aftermath of that one act that ran through 6 and 7 was just insanely good. Insanely good.

Yeah I'd put them something like...

7 > 6 > 5 > 1 > 2 > 4 > 3

[Derek]

I'm watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which I am generally liking, but with the Gang Gets Whacked episodes, which I just watched, I was truly stunned. Was I supposed to be terrified at Charley and Dee's cocaine binge? I've never seen anything achieve such a strange balance of hilarious and horrifying. That jocky stuff...

Clearly you haven't seen the Jiminy manhunt or D.E.N.N.I.S. method episodes for the peak of the show's misanthropic comedy.

[number8]

Someone suggested that Twilight makes more sense when you realize that Edward is just using the D.E.N.N.I.S method on Bella.

[Hugh_Grant]

I was going to say the same thing.

Mara, when people talk about The Wire being gutwrenching and representing of Baltimore in a bad light, they're not talking about disturbing content. It's because the show has realistic descriptions of police incompetence, political corruption and institutional poverty.

Yep. As others have said, it's all about the failure of our institutions.

And Mara, I would suggest that you never watch Criminal Minds.

[number8]

Maybe it's me, but I find it much more heartwrenching to watch The Wire depict how drug dealers realize that they've been trapped in the drug game from the moment they are born, than any other cop show's depiction of child rape, torture, etc. I know that sounds awful, but there are degrees to how fiction portrays these things, and The Wire really knows how to point out the tragedy in the relatively mild events that we read on the news and ignore.

[Mara]

Attention: my biggest crush on television is now officially Matt Smith. Bigger than Skarsgard. I know, I know.

This is the blondest my crush list has ever been.

[amberlita]

Heh. You know I thought this might happen. It's been off air for so long, out of sight out of mind. Plus, I think Season 3 of TrueBlood will be even more sexually graphic for Eric than Season 2, which I fear will have the opposite effect on you as it does for most women. :P

I bet Matt Smith doesn't have Skarsgard's arm porn!

My TV crush list has become ridiculously long. I need a boyfriend.

[Mara]

Heh. You know I thought this might happen. It's been off air for so long, out of sight out of mind. Plus, I think Season 3 of TrueBlood will be even more sexually graphic for Eric than Season 2, which I fear will have the opposite effect on you as it does for most women. :P

I thought his bum looked marvelous. But you're right, too much nudity embarrasses me.


I bet Matt Smith doesn't have Skarsgard's arm porn!

He lost his shirt in the last episode, and he's skinny and white and very British. But I love him anyway. Our children will be adorable.

[D_Davis]

Recently started another re-watch of Twin Peaks. It still blows my mind that this show was actually on network television, and that, for a time, people really liked it and watched it. Even by today's standards, it is brave, intelligent, strange, bizarre, out-there, and totally different.

[[ETM]]

He lost his shirt in the last episode, and he's skinny and white and very British. But I love him anyway. Our children will be adorable.

Don't forget his football skillz.:lol:

[Grouchy]

I'm the opposite of Mara. I like stylized, over-the-top, Rikki-Oh violence, but I have a lot more respect for screen violence that's blunt, realistic and has a point.

[Mara]

I'm the opposite of Mara. I like stylized, over-the-top, Rikki-Oh violence, but I have a lot more respect for screen violence that's blunt, realistic and has a point.

Mmm, I think that I may have misrepresented my position.

I respect realistic violence and realize that it has an important place in art. I think that good media challenges you. I don't like violence too much at all in media, truth be told: I just find stylized violence easier to ignore and dismiss, since violence in media can't really be avoided completely. I don't watch horror films or "torture porn" or play violent video games. I'm not a violent person. (I literally cover my eyes when things are too violent. I spent half of the season finale of "Justified" peeking between my fingers.)

The problem is that I'm just a wimp. Realistic violence makes me cry and gives me nightmares. I'm not going to watch something that gives me nightmares, because at that point I'm not being entertained, I'm just being horrified.

[Grouchy]

The problem is that I'm just a wimp. Realistic violence makes me cry and gives me nightmares. I'm not going to watch something that gives me nightmares, because at that point I'm not being entertained, I'm just being horrified.
I guess you can't really blame anyone for not having a stomach for violence.

http://www.crumbproducts.com/files/potter.jpg

[Mara]

Dexter is easily the most violent show I watch. And yes, I cover my eyes during the killings. I watch it for the character development and the moral conversations, which I find fascinating. Every time it gets really gruesome, I consider giving up on the show, but I haven't yet.

True Blood is pretty violent, as well, but heavily stylized.

In a perfect world, my heroes would be more like The Doctor.


Player: You are so on the team! We've got the cup next week and we are going to annihilate them!

Doctor: Annihilate? No. No violence, do you understand me? Not while I'm around. Not today, not ever. I'm the Doctor, the Oncoming Storm - and you basically meant beat them in a football match, didn't you?


Emperor Dalek: Then prove yourself, Doctor. What are you? Coward? Or killer?

The Doctor: Coward. Any day.

[[ETM]]

Yeah, I like that the most in Moffat's episodes of Doctor Who:


River Song: Everyone knows that everyone dies. And nobody knows it like the doctor. But I do think that all the skies in all the worlds might just turn dark, if he ever accepts it.

[Mara]

Star Trek: TNG

Parallels was very good. And Pegasus has Terry O'Quinn-- awesome.

[Glass Co.]

Star Trek: TNG

Parallels was very good. And Pegasus has Terry O'Quinn-- awesome.

As mediocre as season 7 often gets, these are definitely two of the best.

I especially love that the Bajorans are an unpredictable, violent race in one of the alternate timelines, as ell as the Borg filled universe (I'm sure there have been many fan fictions about that one).

[[ETM]]

Yeah, season 7 was largely on autopilot, with a few exceptions and a kickass finale.

[Mara]

Word to the wise: encountering a starship named "Pegasus" is never happy fun times.

[[ETM]]

Hmm... after the series finale of Misfits, I don't know what to think...
There's a lot of it to love, but I can't really deal with the deaths in the show... Sally, then the girl who was "brainwashing" the kids in the last episode... It's just all so randomly cruel and I can't tell where they're going with that kind of stuff...

[Thirdmango]

So I watched the first episode of Hot in Cleveland. It was actually better then I expected. It fits in perfectly for being on TV Land, it has that old television show feel.

[Mara]

Okay. So.

I'm sorting through my DVDs to move, and there are some I'm neutral about, but there are a few where I'm actually kind of baffled I ever bought them... and then continued buying more in the series, although in retrospect, I don't even like them. It may have been a Costco thing, because Costco is the death of me, in terms of impulse buying.

So, anyway, if anyone is wants some free DVDs, I'll mail them out to you when I have the time. I want them to go to a good home, though, so all you have to do is 1) admit you like the show and would watch it if you owned it, 2) pm me your address. I do not stalk, promise.

I have seasons 2-5 of Smallville. It's unclear if I ever had season 1, but if I did, I can't find it.

I also have volumes 1-3 of Family Guy, which I think is seasons 1-4.

I may offer others if I decide not to keep them around. I'm on the fence about a few.

I will only ship stateside, sorry.

[Thirdmango]

If anyone would take them it would be me, however I too got into the cheap costco thing and so I already own all those you mentioned.

[Mara]

I have seasons 2-5 of Smallville. It's unclear if I ever had season 1, but if I did, I can't find it.

I also have volumes 1-3 of Family Guy, which I think is seasons 1-4.


If nobody wants them, I'm going to give them to the maintenance man to try and con him into fixing my water heater.

[number8]

If nobody wants them, I'm going to give them to the maintenance man to try and con him into fixing my water heater.

But instead, he will teach you karate. Or kung fu. Whichever hurts the bully that's keeping you afraid more.

[Mara]

But instead, he will teach you karate. Or kung fu. Whichever hurts the bully that's keeping you afraid more.

My hot water heater is keeping my shower cold. I'm about to kung-fu that bitch.

[number8]

Every episode of Burn Notice ever:

http://reporter.blogs.com/.a/6a00d83451d69069e20133f1882de2 970b-800wi

[Raiders]

That's an awfully elaborate gag (which seems entirely antithetical to its point) to make a very silly and somewhat off-target jab.

[Derek]

Watched the first couple episodes of Party Down after my friend told me who all was involved in it. Funny stuff - should keep me busy for the next week or two.

[Sven]

Watched the first couple episodes of Party Down after my friend told me who all was involved in it. Funny stuff - should keep me busy for the next week or two.

K is watching this, and the few times I have caught some of it, I was not very impressed. That said: I'm loving IASiP more and more.

[Derek]

K is watching this, and the few times I have caught some of it, I was not very impressed. That said: I'm loving IASiP more and more.

Only two episodes in and it doesn't hold a candle to IASiP, but it's still pretty darn funny. I don't think it's the kind of humor that works as well if you only catch bits and pieces.

And speaking of IASiP, have you gotten to the manhunt episode yet?

[Sven]

Only two episodes in and it doesn't hold a candle to IASiP, but it's still pretty darn funny. I don't think it's the kind of humor that works as well if you only catch bits and pieces.

And speaking of IASiP, have you gotten to the manhunt episode yet?

Just did yesterday. Hilarious. Tapeworm lolz.

[Derek]

Just did yesterday. Hilarious. Tapeworm lolz.

"It's just you and us and a couple pairs of sour sweaty balls."

[Sven]

"It's just you and us and a couple pairs of sour sweaty balls."

The swishing ice cubes in Mac's mouth were a perfect touch during that moment.

[Raiders]

Party Down > IASiP

I actually don't really know since I have seen about four episodes of IASiP, but I didn't find them as funny as almost any episode of Party Down and I'm just assuming I disagree with Sven.

[Ezee E]

Any takers yet Mara?

[Mara]

Any takers yet Mara?

Nope. Want 'em?

[Sven]

Party Down > IASiP

I actually don't really know since I have seen about four episodes of IASiP, but I didn't find them as funny as almost any episode of Party Down and I'm just assuming I disagree with Sven.

It definitely gets better and better the more you know the characters and as the show gets progressively more and more outrageous. I still have a lot of mixed feelings about it, but it is definitely unique and frequently hilarious.

[Qrazy]

I like both Party Down and It's Always Sunny. I'd say I prefer Sunny when it's at it's best but Party Down versus a lot of the later Sunny Episodes.

[Winston*]

I watched the episode of It's Always Sunny where Charlie sings about the "Night Man" last night. Holy shit, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

[Thirdmango]

I've seen all of both shows and for me personally I would have to put Party Down above Sunny.

[Qrazy]

I've seen all of both shows and for me personally I would have to put Party Down above Sunny.

Ron is the Charlie of Party Down imo. I watch both shows primarily for those two characters.