Category: Television

Neat Watch: Brave New World @peacockTV #GoodWatch

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NBC Peacock offered their original series, Brave New World, free of charge last weekend. I liked it a lot. The episodes are between 40-50 minutes long, and there are nine of them. From the Peacock website:

In a utopia whose perfection hinges upon control of monogamy and privacy, members of the collective begin to question the rules, putting their regimented society on a collision course with forbidden love and revolution.

In a sense, it was a horror movie for me, but I don’t expect everyone to feel that way. This is probably best described as science-fiction, though it’s also referred to as Utopian or Dystopian. I think of it as trying to achieve the same sort of vibe as Westworld. It’s a different story, and they carve their own path, so I’m not accusing them of doing anything wrong. Among the show’s stars are three actors with whom I’m familiar: Alden Ehrenreich, Hannah John-Kamen, and Demi Moore.

There’s a scene near the end of episode 4 that really hits me. I’m not sure if this is the intention, but it basically says (to me) that you don’t need soma (their mood-improving drug) because there’s music in the world. I doubt that was the precise intent, especially in light of a scene in episode 5, but that’s at least close (or part of) what they’re trying to say.

Is it good? Yes. I liked it a lot and will watch subsequent seasons. However, there’s too much good stuff on Peacock, as well as the other streaming services for which I’m already paying, for me to add another bill. I’ll probably join for a month and spend a weekend watching season 2 and a couple of other shows.

Unfortunately, if you want to watch it now, you’ll have to subscribe to Peacock’s pay service. As always, YMMV.

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Neat Watch: High Score @netflix #VideoGame #GoodWatch

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Netflix has a new limited series called High Score. It’s the story of video games, and it’s fascinating. It’s 6, 40-minute (or so) episodes, and it gives you a great sense of how much video games have evolved. For example, I played the stand-up games in the arcade. Almost 20 years later, I was working on the patents that made Final Fantasy possible. Only 2-1/2 episodes in, and they’ve already covered all that ground. I constantly asked, “Where do they have to go from here?” Every episode, they showed an innovation that changed everything. As a result, you see just how far along video game technology and culture have come in about 40 years.

Even for someone who doesn’t play video games anymore, this was a neat show. As always, YMMV.

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[Yawn] Watch: The Business of Drugs @netflix #Netflix #GoodWatch

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This seems like my kind of show. Inexplicably, it isn’t. The show carves out the path that raw and refined materials take to bring illegal drugs from the fields to your dining room table. I don’t think I’m in a depressive state, but for some reason, the Business of Drugs just couldn’t keep my attention. I made it through two out of six, 40-minute episodes, and then I tapped out.

As always, YMMV.

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Good, Not Great, Watch: Devs @Nick_Offerman @fxnetworks @Hulu #FXonHulu

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To start, I want to say that I liked Devs, which is basically a Black Mirror episode spread out over a season. This post isn’t meant to slam it. The cast is a good mix of established actors and new (to me) ones, and I liked the writing and overall story line. There are however, two reasons I suspect are reasons why I didn’t have the same reaction as others.

First, it was built up. It’s difficult for any show to live up to the kind of hype this one was given. It almost always results in disappointment, which in turn taints your view of an otherwise good (or even great) show. I should probably tell you that it sucks, but that would turn you off to watching it. Instead, I’ll (honestly) say it was good.

Second (bear with and pardon my arrogance), I have an undergraduate degree in physics and often do some reading to keep some things sharp. While I’m far from qualified to work professionally in a lab, the issues raised in this show don’t wow me like they may wow others. They’re obviously interesting to me, which is why I can say I enjoyed the show, but I’m not learning about the concepts for the first time, and at one point knew a lot about it. My lack of amazement perhaps places a limit on my enjoyment that others may not have. Moreover, these ideas are the new thing among movies and TV shows. Been there; done that. That may apply for those without any science background at all.

Obviously, my perspective says nothing as to how much you’ll like it. I was certainly wowed by these ideas when they were first taught to me.

The season is 8 episodes, each of which is between 42 and 56 minutes long. As you know from past posts, I prefer shows with 20-25 minute episodes even if the total amount of content is the same, but I can certainly find time for longer episodes. I watched this season over the course of three days (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday).

I suspect that the average person would at least like this show but maybe love it. As always, YMMV.

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Surprisingly Good Watch: Umbrella Academy, Season 2 @AidanRGallagher @DavidCastanedaJ @ellenpage @emmyraver @justinhmin @katewalsh @Ritu_Arya_ @RobertSheehan @Tomhopperhops @SteveBlackmanTV @UmbrellaAcad @netflix #UmbrellaAcademy

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I wasn’t a fan of season 1 of the Umbrella Academy but found myself watching season 2 anyway. I’m delighted I did. There was something about this season that was completely different for me. I had much more sympathy for the characters (which snowballed as it went on) and was fascinated by the story. Unlike Agent Carter, I had an immediate, positive reaction to the heavy-handed political history that was on display (i.e., African Americans dealing with open, systemic bigotry; and women brushed aside as unimportant and non-threatening). Colm Feore was brilliant as Sir Reginald Hargreeves, but smartly wasn’t given a big enough role to overshadow the main players (who were also pretty damn good).

I also have a thing for alternate history. This season picks up from the cliffhanger from season 1, with the adoptive siblings being teleported back in time to the early 60s. I don’t want to spoil the story, but they get involved with a major historic event that they didn’t realize was part of their own history, while trying to stop yet another apocalypse that never happened in their timeline.

There were two things I didn’t like. First, the soundtrack. The music should have been appropriate for the period (1963). Second, episode 7 requires the characters behave quite stupidly in order to keep the season from ending after 7 episodes. I hate that kind of writing.

Don’t care. Great ending. Great season.

If, like me, you weren’t impressed with season 1, give this series another shot. They really got it right this time. As always, YMMV.

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Disappointing Watch: Agent Carter @disneyplus #AgentCarter #Marvel #DisneyPlus

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I was recently encouraged to watch the Disney TV show, Agent Carter. When I heard that it had been cancelled, I was disappointed. I assumed Marvel would do a great job of it. They didn’t.

The cast was good, the cameos were fun, and the acting was at least decent, but these things were wasted on terrible, and at times nonsensical, writing. Much like horror movies, the plot — sometimes even individual scenes — depended on incredibly stupid actions of the characters. This was made possible by staffing the nation’s most important intelligence agency with people who were so bad at their jobs that they couldn’t tell when a child was pretending to be scared. Seriously. This is literally a scene in the first season. In general, I kept asking myself, “Why did he/she do that? That makes no sense!” Additionally, hypnosis is a suspect concept, but giving it the full benefit of the doubt, Agent Carter takes hypnosis to an even dumber level, and that’s a major plot point. This wasn’t dramatic license; it was a case where the writers lacked the competence to tell their story without including utter bullshit.

Season 2 wasn’t any better. “Don’t tip the [thing] over! Just put it in the case.” The whole time, I was thinking, “But how are they going to carry the case out of there if the contents can’t be tipped?” Sure enough, once the [thing] was in the case, they just casually walked away carrying the case by the handle, jostling it as they went. This is just one example of incredibly stupid writing throughout the series. It’s especially stupid considering that a single line of dialogue could have eliminated the stupidity. And while I liked the actor who played Jarvis, I stand by my position.

The show had very good Rotten Tomatoes scores, but I suspect that’s because, like me, people wanted to like it. The truth, as evidenced by the ratings, is that overall they really didn’t.

I’m not surprised it didn’t receive a third season. As always, YMMV.

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Heavy Watch: Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak @netflix #science #virus #flu #COVID-19 #pandemic #PickleRick #GoodWatch #QuarantineLife

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I do not want to discuss politics on this blog (or the GSLLC twitter stream), so I always do my best to avoid it. I will fail miserably tonight.

Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak is streaming on Netflix, and it’s a good look at the work that the relevant health workers and scientists do to keep the next, big, contagious disease at bay. This involves both the natural and political forces that work against vaccines and other forms of treatment. It’s a limited series of six episodes, each of which is less than an hour.

Much of the episodes discusses influenza (i.e., “the flu”). During the debates over SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19, I hear many people reference the flu, asking, “How is this any different than the flu? Why don’t we make a big deal out of the flu?” Forgetting the medical differences between those viruses, the key takeaway from the discussions on the flu is that we really should be making a bigger deal out of the flu, if for no other reason that it will help us develop better strategies against even more serious diseases. However, the flu is certainly worth wiping from the face of the planet. It’s bad enough on its own.

I’m a science guy, but for what it’s worth, I thought this was an important show. As always, YMMV.

Pickle Rick!
Pickle Rick! (Seriously, if you don’t like masks, make them fun.)

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Good Watch: Fear City: New York vs the Mafia @CurtisSliwa @netflix #GoodWatch #QuarantineLife

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Fear City: New York vs the Mafia is a 3-episode, limited-run series on Netflix. Each episode approaches one hour, so it’s a relatively quick watch. There’s nothing deceptive about its format; it’s a show about the mob in New York, but this show is from the perspective of those that fought back, including legal academia, law enforcement, and private citizens such as the Guardian Angels.

You either find these stories interesting or you don’t. FWIW, I find them interesting, and this show had my attention throughout. As always, YMMV.

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“Ummm, what?” Watch: Norsemen @netflix #GoodWatch #QuarantineLife

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Season 3 of Norsemen just hit Netflix. Here’s the good news. Though produced in Norway, it’s in English. Also, there are only six, 30-minute episodes, meaning it’s a waste of only three hours of your time. You wouldn’t know this if I weren’t a completionist that has to finish what he started.

The show’s primary problem is that it tries to strike a compromise between drama and comedy. Many shows pull that off, but Norsemen fails at both. First, it wasn’t funny. I suppose that the jokes are funny in Norway, but there’s very little that garnered even a snicker from me. I could tell they were trying, though, but that somehow made it worse; cringe-worthy even. Second, it fails dramatically because the characters aren’t meant to be likable, but the attempts at humor prevent you from truly hating the bad ones (i.e., you don’t get any satisfaction from a bad guy receiving his comeuppance). There’s also some behavior that’s just plain weird. It’s hard to articulate why, but even though these characters are ancient Vikings from the other side of the Atlantic, cultural differences don’t explain it. They just do some stupid things that are not part of the comedic side of the story. Maybe if the show were funny, the stupid things would have a purpose.

I would suggest that you watch one or two episodes. If the drama and comedy don’t work for you in those one or two episodes, I guarantee it wouldn’t be any different throughout the show. The show doesn’t evolve in the slightest.

As always, YMMV.

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RIP John Saxon

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RIP, John Saxon.

Mr. Saxon had some classic roles. For me, the ones that stand out are Enter the Dragon and Battle Beyond the Stars, but he was a staple of my childhood TV watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amCeQ603N5o

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