The Official Good Television Thread
- Thread starter Satanstoenail
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no country for old wainds
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- Nov 23, 2002
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The Emptier
t3h b3aSt0rZ
Jimmy... Dead.
contemplative curmudgeon
Great stuff, just in case you guys haven't seen the classics:
http://www.strimoo.com/video/16934078/Beer-and-Pretzelsavi-Veoh.html
http://www.strimoo.com/video/16934078/Beer-and-Pretzelsavi-Veoh.html
Jimmy... Dead.
contemplative curmudgeon
Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
A little more than halfway through the third season of Sopranos. I kinda like this series, and I kinda don't.
For one thing, it turned out much more episodic than I had hoped. The episodes are mostly self-contained, and although there have been some continuous developments, they've rarely amounted to anything significant. Characters' actions in one episode aren't always consistent with their actions in another; actions or developments that should be significant are forgotten by the next episode and never mentioned again. The status quo is unwavering and some conflicts seem to even resolve absurdly conveniently to maintain it. Such as Richie Aprile's arc in Season 2, which ended up feeling completely pointless due to the non-existent payoff.
I'm not too impressed with the cast, either. The acting is outright amazing, yes, but most of the characters are kinda dull. They're just there, doing the things they normally do, never developing, never growing, never really doing anything interesting. Not all of them, though. Tony Soprano himself is a spectacular, larger-than-life character without comparison.
But I have to say, a lot of the more self-contained episodes are just really damn good in their own right, I just wish they had more significance on the overall plot. The directing is astounding at times, and the soundtrack is wonderful. I had to look up a few of the songs I heard in this series because I fell in love with them immediately.
And then there's the third season. Either I'm just starting to get used to the nature of the show, or it's much, much better than the first and second seasons. I'm very fond of the new additions to the cast, as well; I really like Ralphie (in a love-hate kind of way, I utterly despise him for what he did to that stripper) as well as Jackie Jr.
For one thing, it turned out much more episodic than I had hoped. The episodes are mostly self-contained, and although there have been some continuous developments, they've rarely amounted to anything significant. Characters' actions in one episode aren't always consistent with their actions in another; actions or developments that should be significant are forgotten by the next episode and never mentioned again. The status quo is unwavering and some conflicts seem to even resolve absurdly conveniently to maintain it. Such as Richie Aprile's arc in Season 2, which ended up feeling completely pointless due to the non-existent payoff.
I'm not too impressed with the cast, either. The acting is outright amazing, yes, but most of the characters are kinda dull. They're just there, doing the things they normally do, never developing, never growing, never really doing anything interesting. Not all of them, though. Tony Soprano himself is a spectacular, larger-than-life character without comparison.
But I have to say, a lot of the more self-contained episodes are just really damn good in their own right, I just wish they had more significance on the overall plot. The directing is astounding at times, and the soundtrack is wonderful. I had to look up a few of the songs I heard in this series because I fell in love with them immediately.
And then there's the third season. Either I'm just starting to get used to the nature of the show, or it's much, much better than the first and second seasons. I'm very fond of the new additions to the cast, as well; I really like Ralphie (in a love-hate kind of way, I utterly despise him for what he did to that stripper) as well as Jackie Jr.
panzerfaust666
German Asshole
no country for old wainds
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i find a lot of tv shows mostly have self-contained episodes towards the beginning and then have more extended, convoluted story arcs once you've become a lot more familiar with the characters. dunno about the sopranos though as i've only seen the first season so far, all i know is it has a reputation for becoming more experimental in later seasons.
Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
It has some pretty cool dream sequences, and sometimes seems surreal outside of them as well. No idea what it all means.
Regardless, I recently finished the fifth season. No matter how amazing the final season should turn out, I'm a bit underwhelmed with the series as a whole. Not sure how to narrow it down to any specific flaws, it's just kinda uneven. I can't say I care much for the character attrition rate either; I like shows that aren't afraid to kill off characters, but the cast isn't amazingly strong and every time a strong character is written off the show suffers greatly.
I feel like it's just the occasional highlights that keep me watching the show. "Pine Barrens", "Irregular Around the Margins", "The Test Dream", "Long Term Parking". And the season 4 episode "Whoever Did This" is one of the best episodes I've seen, of any TV series, ever.
Death Aflame
voice of dissent
- Feb 1, 2004
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Haha.
Deadwood was great, but got canned before they could end it properly. Swearengen was a great character.
Vegard: I don't really get your criticisms of The Sopranos. I found the show practically flawless, especially towards the later seasons.
Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
I agree that it has gotten a lot better towards the later seasons, but I find it nowhere near flawless. I think I'll enjoy the sixth season, in any case.
no country for old wainds
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deadwood is better than great. it's unbelievable and imo one of the greatest artistic achievements of the last 50 years at least. like, 'there will be blood' is one of the greatest movies of the last 10 or 20 years and it pretty much looks like 'sex and the city' next to deadwood.
unknown
fuck ftagn
so the last two episodes of Boardwalk Empire have by far been the best/most interesting. The guy missing an eye is also the best character on the show.
anybody catch The Walking Dead? I thought it was pretty good
anybody catch The Walking Dead? I thought it was pretty good
cookiecutter
Proceed to Ultraslamming
I liked it. Very good action without seeming cheesy.
I watched the entire The Pacific over the past two days. Very good but very harrowing. It kind of takes you out of humanity while you watch it.
Srontgorrth
Member
The Walking Dead was great, I'm really looking forward to seeing the rest of it.
I still need to catch up on like, the past 2-3 episodes of Boardwalk Empire. So far I've only seen the first four.
I still need to catch up on like, the past 2-3 episodes of Boardwalk Empire. So far I've only seen the first four.
Jimmy... Dead.
contemplative curmudgeon
I intend to relive my childhood and watch the first five seasons of Dragon Ball Z over the next week. Or three.
Rumpole
Dust and Bones
I just watched the first episode of the new series of Peep Show. Not the strongest episode ever, but still very funny. I think the baby will probably greatly change the dynamic of the show, but Mark and Jez haven't changed at all and there was some vintage Hans.
Dagon666
The Ayatollah of Rock
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