The Official Good Television Thread

Well, I don't know what to tell you.

The multiple timelines have been really well-handled, I think. The Man in Black has had my attention for the entire season, and I was eager to see how he became who he is. I've had a feeling he was William for a few episodes now.
 
I don't know if I have to be American to like the show more. It's expensive, visually decent but... not catchy at all. Characters are dull, plot is confusing wannabe but realized with some mediocrity. It's weird.
 
Einherjar86 said:
The multiple timelines have been really well-handled, I think. The Man in Black has had my attention for the entire season, and I was eager to see how he became who he is. I've had a feeling he was William for a few episodes now.
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the transformation of the jaded beta male :p

the Maeve thing is just bleh personally..the manipulation of the 'goofy Asian' just seems like such a prominent stereotype in sci-fi literature that wasn't interesting or well done ala Ex Machina.
 
~Neurotica said:
I don't know if I have to be American to like the show more. It's expensive, visually decent but... not catchy at all. Characters are dull, plot is confusing wannabe but realized with some mediocrity. It's weird.
Click to expand...

I can't help but frame the show in the context of a lot of SF scholarship that I've read, which predisposes me away from character-building... so that's probably why I forgive it somewhat for any dullness in its characters.

I also think the stereotypes are probably intentional. It's a self-reflexive show about writing, about narrative, so I think it's deploying what to us look like narratively conventional, and even banal, tropes.

rms said:
the Maeve thing is just bleh personally..the manipulation of the 'goofy Asian' just seems like such a prominent stereotype in sci-fi literature that wasn't interesting or well done ala Ex Machina.
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What goofy Asian character was in Ex Machina? Also, I'm not sure how that's a prominent stereotype in SF... It seems to me that Asians have been stereotyped in Western cinema for decades now.

But I do agree that Westworld isn't striking the same tone of uncanny dread that Ex Machina did, that film was nearly untouchable.
 
Einherjar86 said:
What goofy Asian character was in Ex Machina? Also, I'm not sure how that's a prominent stereotype in SF... It seems to me that Asians have been stereotyped in Western cinema for decades now.
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oh, not comparing asian in both, but the Asian 'fixer-upper' in Westworld with the protagonist in Ex Machina -- it seemed unbelievable and rushed, not realistic...goofy nerdy character who is Asian in Westworld and just staple Silicon Valley whitey in Ex
 
Einherjar86 said:
I can't help but frame the show in the context of a lot of SF scholarship that I've read, which predisposes me away from character-building... so that's probably why I forgive it somewhat for any dullness in its characters.

I also think the stereotypes are probably intentional. It's a self-reflexive show about writing, about narrative, so I think it's deploying what to us look like narratively conventional, and even banal, tropes.
Click to expand...
Well, it did work for me in True Detective 2 - that the characters weren't as catchy as in the first season, yet they had history and it was interesting to see their lifestory developing, I found it trully beautiful actually. Here it's just lost, the only character who they sorta let us "in" to is Maeve. Ford reminds me of Hannibal series - it was also done so well, visually amazing and it was expensive, but the character of Lector wasn't rich at all, all he was doing - just annoying boring philosophy talks. And don't get me wrong - I like my shows to be smart and intellectual, but there should be a golden middle, and they seem to forget to respect it... like listening to a band that has mega technical and complicated music but still sounds like crap... So yeah, that's pretty much what made me drop Hannibal show - too much philosophy, not enough of being a human. Ford - is the same. He's supposed to save the show by being mighty Hopkins - but he's just boring with all the beating around the bash talks.
 
Interesting on True Detective Season Two, I wasn't a big fan of that one. I do understand what you're saying about the characters in Westworld, but for me the characters are less important than the narrative and the philosophy - which I realize aren't everyone's cup of tea when shoved to the forefront.

I tend to think of books and films as systems, and characters as points of observation with varying perceptive scopes. It's a clinical method, but I enjoy it.
 
Einherjar86 said:
Interesting on True Detective Season Two, I wasn't a big fan of that one. I do understand what you're saying about the characters in Westworld, but for me the characters are less important than the narrative and the philosophy - which I realize aren't everyone's cup of tea when shoved to the forefront.

I tend to think of books and films as systems, and characters as points of observation with varying perceptive scopes. It's a clinical method, but I enjoy it.
Click to expand...
I agree with you on the system thing, I also don't need to be entertained by characters or plot jumps. I just don't see the philosophy in the show yet, or maybe find it a little shallow.
 
Einherjar86 said:
but for me the characters are less important than the narrative and the philosophy - which I realize aren't everyone's cup of tea when shoved to the forefront.
Click to expand...

but the philosophy and character building are intertwined in Westworld? That's why Ford vs. Arnold is such an interesting storyline, two viewpoints came into conflict and Ford won. The rest of the show? Don't see a similarity or near comparison, quite honestly. It's looking like the GoT style storyline is everyone else but Ford and Ford is where the real interesting television could be.
 
planet earth has been a bit of a disappointment overall i think. loads of great footage and everything but it feels very sanitised for family audiences. the prey almost always escapes the predator, there've been two cases of animals dying en masse that they pussied out on showing (one of which they didn't even mention in passing, the other they skirted around because penguins look like 'little men in dinner jackets' apparently - yes that's supposedly an actual quote - though in fairness they did show plenty of blood in the latter). it's turning into the atmospheric black metal of documentaries at this point. first ep still the coolest.
 
I tried hard to get into Westworld. Followed the show and filming before it even aired...had high hopes. Watched the first two or three episodes and it just didn't grab me despite the excellent cast.

I thought The Night Of was really good but didn't quite live up to the hype. I actually didn't like the ending.
 
Westyworld


Has the show ever shown us how 'normal' people enter 'Westworld' ?

I mean we all know Ford isn't really dead right?[/spooiler]
 
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