TV Thread - beware, [expletive] can get spoilery

[BottenFieldofDreams]

I would pay an extra $3 a month for one twenty minute call with a catalogue expert to quiz me and match me to stuff.

Of course I honestly don't know which of my siblings is paying for Netflix. That's not the kind of thing you look into if you're off the hook and smart.

[MrCrowesGarden]

It's an underrated show in general, but the Valentines Day episode of "Raising Hope" is one of the best episodes in sitcom history.

[JCShutout]

Anyone watching Star Trek Discovery? I like it. I like that they are making the attempt to have modern versions of what the future is, but trying to keep a connection between the look of the original show. (Shapes of bulkheads, ships, captains chair, panels, etc). Tech is more next gen, but writers say discrepancies will get resolved. That said...

I didn't go to the internet when the Klingon ship decloaked (even though Romulans should develop the tech first about 10 years later-or at least first utilized against the federation in TOS Balance of Terror-except then they sorta had cloaking mines in the terrible Star Trek Enterprise... ok, whatevs)

But I was just watching TOS The Tholian Web, and Spock mentions that there had never been a mutiny on a starship... and Discovery takes place about 12 years before that episode... and the main character is the famous mutineer... who is Spock's adopted sister... maybe that's why he hid the truth? I mean, he didn't tell his closest friends that he had a brother until the worst Star Trek movie ever... that's right, Kirk vs. God is worse than Search for Spock vs Doc Brown the Klingon.)

Other than that, I like the plots. Starfleet is more exploratory and scientific than military, which was the original intention.

EDIT: Obviously, there will be some retrial where she is declared not a mutineer, but it seems fun.

[ghostrunner]

I like it a lot with a few caveats:

I wish it wasn’t so serialized. I don’t want procedural crime dramas but it would almost be a relief to have one show that explores something different every week. One of the best things about TOS and TNG.

It feels different from the other Trek series that I know. But that’s fine. It reminds me most of Wrath of Khan and Undiscovered Country, which are two of the better movies.

The theme and opening credits are pretty uninspired.

I hate the new Klingons. A slight modern upgrade on TNG era Klingons would have been just fine. The prosthetics completely bury the actors.

The Klingon thing is really the only big deal because they’re such a big part of the show. I’m enjoying everything going on with Michael’s side of the story.

[JCShutout]

I'm ok with the modern TV format because I think its being done well. I'm hearing the Orville is doing the TNG/TOS-like episodic thing well, but I don't get FOX so I haven't seen it. (Previews looked awful to me, but I'm hearing its actually decent)

I agree that its more TWOK/VI than the show. I love those movies though. (Also TMP is underrated and IV-save the whales-is way overrated IMO, but that's another thread)

The theme is like the trek version of the Game of Thrones theme imo. (or the first two seasons - haven't watched since then)

I forgot to mention the Klingons new look. Where is the hair?!?! I like the pivot to seeing them as a species that seeks to resist assimilation and has religious/racial purity beliefs because I think that ties into a lot of good trek themes, themes TOS dealt with, and a lot of what is going on in our culture currently-which is what good scifi does. Time will tell if they do these themes well, or if its as blatant as TOS Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.

[CardsofSTL]

I am enjoying Discovery; though I also don't care for the aesthetic changes to the Klingons. At first I thought we would see that the different houses would come in with different looks; and one of the houses would have the more traditional look and you could presume that they were ultimately one of the triumphant houses in the Klingon battle for supremacy; but they all look pretty much the same to me; in regard to no hair, etc.

I think they are having some trouble with canon continuity; but I don't let that ruin the show for me. TOS was made 50 years ago; you got to give them some leeway there.

In the last episode that just released during the little strategy session...was that a Romulan sitting at the table with Lorca and the Admiral; or a vulcan? He almost looked more sinister than your typical Vulcan.

[CardsofSTL]

I am also enjoying Orville by the way; for totally different reasons. It has Family Guy style jokes and they seem to have a heavy reliance on late 20th century references; but some of the sci fi themes are still interesting and solid storylines.

[ghostrunner]

Mindhunter is surprisingly good and fresh for a serial killer drama - not at all what I expected when I first saw the title. Probably the most lighthearted serial killer show I've seen.

This is going on 2 episodes, so maybe it changes, but it's really enjoyable. I loved Hannibal but it's almost an opposite of that. More clinical and realistic, but fun. David Fincher directed the episodes I saw, and I've seen people compare it to Zodiac, which is fairly accurate. Though again I'd say this is lighter, funnier and more about the lead characters than it is about any one case or killer.

[thrill]

I started Mindhunter at 1 AM on Saturday morning because I wasn't ready to go to bed and I figured I'd check out one ep.

I stayed up until 5:30 binging, slept for like 5 hours and then finished the binge. It's so. Good. If you love Zodiac/Fincher, you will love this. The music is tremendous. The mood is tremendous. The acting is tremendous. At the risk of putting too much into stereotypes, Jonathan Groff, who plays the main guy is an out, gay actor, and I think he brings an almost feminine sensitivity and emotional intelligence to the role and is then able to completely weaponize his intuitive and emotional insights with incredible egocentric, male swagger that is just so compelling and deep. Very, very good casting & performance. The final scene is extremely reminiscent of Jake Gyllenhaal in Norm Gunderson's basement and a great crescendo for the season, but I could've kept watching indefinitely. I wanted more. The BTK interstitials were cool too.

[ghostrunner]

I was a little bugged about his heelish turn in the last couple episodes. He's now basically Zuckerberg from the Social Network, and I had thought at the outset they did a good job at avoiding the genius asshat trope. That line to the IA guys - ugh. I'm hoping that last scene knocks him down a few pegs. You can have good drama with characters that like/respect each other, and everyone on the show now seems to be at each other.

Glad to see Anna Torv, which I didn't even know was coming. Been a while since Fringe. I wish she had more going on than feeding a cat. Obviously some sort of symbolism intended there but I'm not sure it does anything beyond telling us what we already know about her life at the FBI.

Like the girlfriend too. Hope they bring her back somehow.