The TV Thread (GoT spoilers): Page 203 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One more in the Tolly

The TV Thread (GoT spoilers)

QuincyAbeyie

Everyone.

Jens

Claudius wrote:
Quick, beetches, who's going to die in the upcoming season of Game of Thrones?

I'll PM you if you really wanna know

Claudius

No thanks, Rampage. I like surprises. Just not of the 8-2 variety

Rex

Oh, where to start!

Gazza M

anyone recommend shameless? saw all the seasons on netflix and am debating on whether to dive in or not

Qwiss

English or American version? I've watched the English one for a while. Starts out good but gets really shitty after a few seasons.

QuincyAbeyie

I've only watched the American one. Not my favorite show, but it's pretty good.

Jens

Better Call Saul finale bit of a letdown after a great one last week but still very happy with this season as a whole. There is also a lot of ground left to cover, I expect four seasons minimum.

Burnwinter

An Asshole Theory of Prestige TV

http://www.theawl.com/2015/04/an-asshole-theory-of-prestige-tv

Qwiss

His argument falls apart when he gets to Rectify. Cos its not about Teddy and almost every narrative needs a villain or at least conflict.

Really for the Asshole Theory to work you have to be a complete and utter misanthrope. And then you're just the asshole.

The core of what he's trying to say about most prestige TV is true though. And far too many people fall for the idea of "prestige". People who think House of Cards is of any higher standard than Scandal for instance. Or people who think Ray Donovan is better than just staring into the toilet at a poo you've done.

Burnwinter

Yeah, I agree. I don't endorse the article, I just thought it was a fun read.

Rectify is far too good a show to sit in that space. After two seasons we still don't really know what the point of it is, which is making it enthralling.

I think the "prestige drama" days are over now, to be honest. The form's degenerated and become rather predictable, which is why we have articles like these.

What I'm looking forward to now, aside from finishing off Mad Men and Justified, and keeping on with stuff like Vikings and Hannibal, are the big upcoming SF adaptations, Red Mars and Foundation. They'll probably be very silly, but I'm keen to see if they can pull either off.

Qwiss

Actually with Mad Men ending does pay cable have a really good prestige drama? Saul is good but its a weird little show, Game of Thrones and Walking Dead are genre shows. So what else is there really? Shows like Girls, Togetherness, Rectify are all very indie in their sensibility.

Is Mad Men the last bastion of good really prestigey TV?

Burnwinter

Hmm. It might be the last of the "dads in slow decline" genre … if so, good.

Asterix

I don't know if you can say GoT isn't prestige drama because it's a genre show. I think a show can be both. The Wire is a cops and robbers show for instance. Blackadder is "just a comedy". Although I do think you're right though - I can't see a prestige drama at the moment. Looking forward to True Detective's next season. Maybe that will be it.

I'm very late to it but I watched the first episode of The Inbetweeners. That was funny.

Burnwinter

To me Game of Thrones isn't "prestige drama", despite what some claim I don't think it's widely regarded as having "literary" qualities ...

Klaus

The novels barely have literary qualities, so it's a tall ask to expect it from the show.

It's great for what it is though. I'm looking forward a lot to some of the stuff that will go down this season.

Qwiss

I like GOT a lot but its not exactly trying to say much. I think because it throws a lot of characters at you people get the idea that its complicated. Its a brilliantly made, quite interesting show that provides massive moments though. It really needs to kick on now though, its all bit stagnant.

Gunner89

Watching a bit of "The Practice" on the laptop these days. Great Show.

Klaus

qs! wrote:
I like GOT a lot but its not exactly trying to say much. I think because it throws a lot of characters at you people get the idea that its complicated. Its a brilliantly made, quite interesting show that provides massive moments though. It really needs to kick on now though, its all bit stagnant.

Yep, pretty much. I feel it reduces or ignores some impotant points from A Song of Ice and Fire, it's lacking in backstory which is where several of my favourite characters dwell (Rhaegar in particular intrigues me like few others), and I'm dead tired of HBO's sexploatation at this point, but it's still massive fun. The moments where it starts taking itself too seriously is where it inevitably fails though, because it stops being entertaining at the same time.

The problem is that the story can't really kick on, because Martin hasn't kicked on in the books. Take Dany for example. You almost get the feeling that she came into the story too soon and now it's just one long wait until he can unleash her on Westeros. I love the character; her crazy rants about dragons and fire and blood are ravenously entertaining, but her POVs are insanely dull in the books for the most part. And they're not much better on the show. The occasional epic moment aside (such as burning cities to the ground or crucifying a population of slavers) they waste so much time on pure nonsense.

Burnwinter

As far as I recall, most everything that has occurred outside Westeros in the past two novels has been absolutely dire and unbearable.

So we can look forward to that on the show!

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