One More on the Telly: Page 232 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

One More on the Telly

goon

Daz

Exactly the same turning point for me. The last 2 to 3 episodes of season 1 were very good.

RocktheCasbah

Strong return for Curb Your Enthusiasm this weekend.

goon

RocktheCasbah

Back to its best?

I didn’t love the last couple of seasons. Felt like there was too much self awareness, almost like they were making fun of themselves.

Asterix

True Detective is going a bit weird. There has been very little progress on the actual case, and I'm not sure what the supernatural element is heading towards, but I'll keep watching Jodie Foster.

MistaT

Haven't touched True Detective, but seems the season faded out to a disappointment?

Daz

MistaT
It really did. I've only watched half of final episode so far, but it's pretty lame if I'm being honest.

Qwiss

MistaT I thought it was a good finale. Not sure what people were expecting.

RocktheCasbah

goon I don't know about back to its best. Personally, I loved season 10 - the spite store season - but thought the last one was patchy. Have really enjoyed the first three episodes of this season, though the last one felt a little bit like it was on cruise control, covering old ground. But, for me Curb is Curb, I usually find something to LOL at.

Burnwinter

RocktheCasbah Personally, I loved season 10 - the spite store season

Only season I've watched, but it was brilliant—one of the only examples of that much script payoff in serial comedy that I've ever seen.

RocktheCasbah

Qwiss yeah, I really enjoyed it too. I also think all these dude bro types wanking on as if the original True Detective was some sort of sacred text are way off the mark - it was good, but it wasn't that good!

QuincyAbeyie

Season 1 is pretty much universally hailed as an excellent season of television by audience and critics alike - I'm not sure whether you're saying that only dude bros are somehow behind all of that. I don't really even see True Detective as being similar to typical dude bro stuff like American Psycho, Joker, Fight Club, Wolf of Wall Street etc.

RocktheCasbah

QuincyAbeyie no, I'm not saying that the first series wasn't very good television. I am saying that it wasn't so good that Issa Lopez deserves the pile on she's had, created by Nic Pizzolatto, for what she's done with this new series...

Coombs

Night Country has a great setting coupled with a strong aesthetic treatment, a compelling premise, charismatic leads, and good casting all around. The writing, from a world building perspective, is good, sometimes great. The plot just doesn't quite work, the scientific element is totally inarticulate and bogus, and the politics are deeply suspect. It very strongly suggests alignment with certain groups/actions that are ethically fraught, and in some cases, straight up wrong/borderline evil.

Fundamentally, I think the directing is the weak point from which the rest of the problems flow. Performances verge on cartoonish, and the potential for nuance throughout is eschewed in favor of a sociopolitical agenda that I just can't get on board with.

Qwiss

Coombs in favor of a sociopolitical agenda that I just can't get on board with.

I've heard similar complaints but not from people like you, much more in the "dude bro" style RtC was talking about so I can't imagine thats what you mean. What bothered you about it?

Asterix

Just finished True Detective, and like a lot of tv these days I thought it could have been 75% shorter and achieved the same outcome or better. Yes it was atmospheric, and Jodie Foster is great, but the story was a bit meh.

Burnwinter

I've heard the dialogue is terrible, which is a pretty bad outlook for a season of TRUE DETECTIVE. First season was a flash of fire in the dark creatively, I know Pizzolatto isn't directly involved in this one, but he seems to have used up all his great ideas fit for television in one hit. It was always a bad sign when the network said his plans for season two were too wild.

Coombs

Qwiss I loved the premise. Indigenous logic vs colonial assumptions, complicating myth and affect with science and fact, etc. I just think it's kinda sad that it ends up being a simple case of eye-for-an-eye violent vigilanteism that glorified (or at least excused) extra-judicial killing and "taking up arms" against the "invaders" (who are a bunch of nerd scientists with no articulate or sensible motive). I mean, seriously, how does the mine pollution make whatever genetic material in the ice (which is never even explained) more scientifically accessible? It's a hackneyed metaphor that borders on anti-intellectualism to a dangerous degree, and the Indigenous women's movement of Ennis is downgraded to a band of murderous thugs by the end. If the moral of the story is anti-Indigenous, painting them as backwater morons, then they'd have done a good job I guess.

RocktheCasbah

Just watched the first two episodes of Fargo. 1) Juno Temple is a hoot. 2) I've missed Jon Hamm being on television more than I realised!

Daz

Pretty much fully agree with that Coombs. Everything was in place for this to be a really good show, but the execution was really off, including story, pacing, acting, message etc. Still watchable, but definitely not memorable.

RocktheCasbah

Listening to Jeff Garlin and Susie Essman on the History of Curb Your Enthusiasm podcast - it is, as fans of Curb might expect, an absolute treat.

And a reminder of what the world lost this week, with the passing of Richard Lewis. I only really knew Richard Lewis (it doesn't feel right to refer to him as Richard) through the lens of Curb, but I think I knew enough. He will be sorely missed.

Qwiss

RocktheCasbah Sad news on Richard Lewis. He was incredibly happy to make it onto the last season of Curb so its nice he had that. He looked pretty rough though and it was telling he didn't have any scenes standing up. Hilarious bit about the will, still had it.

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