Whitechapel - On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:52:49 -0800

Looking forward to Fringe and Grimm returning. Still annoyed that I can't see the Haven finale due to gun nut fuckwits. Looking forward as well to Elementary.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

oldhat — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:57:16 -0800

I finally watched Sherlock and am in love with it.

Mother got Downton Abbey season 2 for Christmas and I'm excited to watch that.

And this has been taking up a lot of time...

Old shows, I know. But still.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

StefanJ — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 21:54:11 -0800

I'm watching Sherlock RIGHT NOW. As I write this. The second episode, with the murdered banker and the young woman artifact restorer.

And yes, excellent stuff.

Cumberbatch!

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Flabyo — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 02:42:31 -0800

The original House of Cards is indeed truly epic. The two follow up series aren't quite so good, but still worth a watch.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Vornaskotti — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:59:42 -0800

Hmm. Although I don't feel like I'm in the bullseye of this, the post makes a pretty good point about why Big Bang Theory has rather started to annoy me more than amuse. Also the comparison to Community is pretty insightful.

http://butmyopinionisright.tumblr.com/post/31079561065/the-problem-with-the-big-bang-theory

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:14:12 -0800

Couldn't the problem with the Big Bang Theory be just summed up by that it's terminally unfunny? Each to their own I guess.

I started watching Luther and I already think that the Alice Morgan character is one of the better villains put on T.V.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Cat Vincent — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:50:10 -0800

Aside from Fringe & Grimm and even Elementary (and finding out how they'll kill Last Resort) my main happy is tonight's return of Person of Interest.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Norbert — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 05:55:59 -0800

I started watching Justified thanks to you guys: so new episode on January 8!

Also: I really liked the first 2/3 seasons of Big Bang. Now not so anymore.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Vornaskotti — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 08:04:49 -0800

@William:

Well, I enjoyed the series at first, it was fun to see science that wasn't just technobabble and apart from MMORPGs, writing that seemed to understand the pop culture topics and it got a lot of laughs out of me (YMMV, of course). Lately it's just gotten... well, mean in a way that doesn't really appeal to me. I don't really feel I'm in the crosshairs of that meanness (and wouldn't really care), but it feels a certain kind of warmness towards the characters has leeched out of the writing.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

khaoohs — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 08:28:05 -0800

@Cat,

Was Last Resort officially cancelled?

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 13:19:16 -0800

@khaoohs
Last Resort was officially cancelled, yes.

@Vorn & Will
The most apt comparison I've heard regarding Big Bang Theory / Community is this:
Big Bang Theory is a show about normal people watching normal people pretend to be nerds.
Community is a show about nerds watching nerds pretend to be normal people.

@Norbert
I am incredibly excited for new Justified, with special guest star Patton fuckin' Oswalt.

Archer returning should also be a lot of fun.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:41:22 -0800

See, I like Community though. BBT is just really lazy writing and like many American sitcoms that are on the main networks, has contempt for its audience.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

trini_naenae — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:45:37 -0800

@William Joseph Dunn: I believe most people making the BBT/Community comparisons are saying that Community does nerds right and it is one of the reasons they love it so much.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:51:06 -0800

I guess I would agree with that. I never thought of Community as a "nerd show".

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Cat Vincent — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:09:14 -0800

@khaoos: yes (unless another network picks it up - unlikely), but they swear the last 3 eps form a reasonable series end.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 13:09:50 -0800

@WJD
That is just part of what makes it so great.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Cat Vincent — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:31:42 -0800

Guys, Elementary just levelled up, big time.

I've been enjoying the show's revisionist take on the Holmes/Watson dynamic (and thoroughly enjoying the performances of Jonny Lee Miller & Lucy Liu in the roles), but the actual case-of-the-week aspect has been mostly weak. This weeks's episode - simply titled M - concentrated instead on a striking variation on the Holmes canon.

Spoilery bit:

In short: The show established early that Irene Adler is dead, which caused Holmes's drug addiction. This week brought the erstwhile serial killer responsible to New York.
Except... he's not a serial killer. He's an assassin. And he didn't kill Adler - he was banged up in Brixton nick at the time.

The killer's name is Sebastian Moran. He killed on orders from a man called Moriarty.
And bugger me, he's played superbly by Vinnie Jones.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Finagle — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 06:49:07 -0800

I agree with Cat - I had little interest in the show up to this point, then flipped it on tonight to see the "M" episode, and was very pleasantly surprised.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

stvn.wlsn — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 08:50:29 -0800

More details on Utopia in the Guardian. Looks promising. Starts Tuesday 15th.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2013/jan/12/utopia-dennis-kelly

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Steve Toase — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 15:42:54 -0800

OK no spoilers, but find Utopia and watch it. Stylish, dark with nice touches. If you're in the UK it should be on 4OD.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

cardo — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 05:07:52 -0800

Just watched Utopia - it didn't feel like one and a half hours, that's a good thing, right? Liked it, kept me interested all the way.

Wilson is fucking hardcore!

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

city creed — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 09:51:22 -0800

Big yes for Utopia here. Fun, creepy and shocking. So many pitch perfect moments.

Wilson - fucking hell

Also really liked the last ep of Elementary. Been waiting for this show to engage in some more recognisably canonical shenanigans, and Jones was great.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

StefanJ — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:23:16 -0800

Alphas was not renewed for a third season.

This was a solid second-tier show, but with some really great performances. Particularly Straithern and the guy who played Gary.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

DavidLejeune — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:32:44 -0800

Hell of a cliffhanger to end the show on, too. Fuckin' Syfy.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Magnulus — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:12:48 -0800

Utopia: YES! Like, fuck yes!

Another good one to check out for British Sci Fi is The Fades. Dark, funny and some stellar casting. Oddly, a second series has not been commissioned.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Steve Toase — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:21:43 -0800

The Fades was fucking great. Again a visceral, dark and funny series. And Johnny Harris is lovely. Well worth following on Twitter.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

cjkoger — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:23:57 -0800

No Alphas 3rd? Fuuuuuuck.
Come on SyFy, you going the way of Fox now?

Hmmm, I'll have to see if I can track down Utopia in the States.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Foamhead — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:54:35 -0800

Fringe ends tonight.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Cat Vincent — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 02:36:59 -0800

Fringe ending: heavy on sentiment, light on everything else. Couple of nice callbacks to early Fringe events - but I swear they could have got some actual plot in there if they'd just halved the length of each sappy scene.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

J.Brennan — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 12:24:28 -0800

@Cat: Fringe has almost always leaned towards sentiment so it didn't surprise me. I agree they could've whittled down most of those moments...Except the Walter&Astrid scene, that was just perfect. Overall I thought it went out very well.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Foamhead — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 07:30:55 -0800

re: Fringe: Just watched Season 5 and can't help feeling the same way I did when Babylon 5 finished in that, once they broke from the main, overarching plot, the extra shows only detracted from what had gone before with something duct-taped on at the last moment. It was still enjoyable to watch, and Walter & Astrid definitely need their own spin-off series, but the good ideas that were introduced had to be cut-off before they could get really interesting - [example hidden cuz I'm on Spoiler Paranoia Alert]

old/original Walter re-emerging being one of the best.

Overall, I was actually relieved it was done with after the last episode: too tenuously-plotted, too rushed and, as Cat & J.Brennan have already said, too schmaltzy.

So...what's next?

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 08:24:47 -0800

For me, what's next is checking out some of the newer shows. I plan to look at The Following and Zero Hour, though I don't know if I'll stay with them, especially Zero Hour. I know I'm prejudging it some, but after all the gun nonsense from conspiracy theorists who put imaginary future Hitler before real present day dead children, I don't know that I want to watch a show about conspiracies.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:55:49 -0800

I'm 15 minutes into The Following and I doubt I'll be following it much further. The serial killer with a cult annoyed me on The Mentalist and looks to do so here. It's on network TV, so it's not really going to have the leeway to go really dark. Also, the premise relies on the idea that everyone except the serial killer and, occasionally, Kevin Bacon's character, is kind of stupid and/or bad at their jobs. Castle is one of the only shows I can think of where the non-cop is highly useful and the cops are competent on a regular basis. I can forgive this a little easier in Elementary because the consultant is Sherlock Holmes and pretty much everybody should come off looking a little stupid next to Sherlock Holmes. Meanwhile The Following seems to have stuffed every serial killer cop-on-the-edge cliche into a bloody sack that's not quite gross enough to draw FCC fines.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:16:13 -0800

I thought the Following was horribly lazy. I thought I time traveled back to 1997 when they started playing Marilyn Manson's cover of "Sweet Dreams".

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Cat Vincent — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 12:03:40 -0800

Tonight, that fascinating failed experiment Last Resort airs its last episode.

In better news, Nikita came back last night and continues to be one of the most under-rated action shows around. It's like Alias should have been in later seasons, minus Rambaldi.

And tonight's Archer guest stars Timothy Olyphant

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

flecky — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:48:51 -0800

Utopia is about the only thing I'd go out of my way to watch at the moment. I saw the first episode and quite enjoyed it.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Cat Vincent — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:03:51 -0800

Flecky mate, Utopia just gets better - at least as far as episode 3.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:51:14 -0800

At the risk of sounding like an idiot, is Utopia airing in the U.S. now? I did a search on my cable guide and can't find it. I really want to check it out.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:33:59 -0800

So it looks like CN canned Young Justice and Green Lantern. I haven't watched Green Lantern, but Young Justice is and continues to be phenomenal. Hopefully the fan efforts can get it another season.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:23:39 -0800

@ D.J. - once we (we as in at WB Animation) knew the live action movie bombed and that the toy company didn't want to produce toys for the show (because they are stuck with a ton of toys from the GL movie), that the show wasn't going to survive. The show was dead on arrival.

I wouldn't count on any more YJ. CN could care less what the fans want.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

DavidLejeune — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:30:47 -0800

That sucks. I've been really enjoying Green Lantern, and Young Justice is straight up kick ass.

DIsney XD is probably cancelling Tron: Uprising as well. Neither channel seems to know what to do with YA action cartoons any more, so they keep dicking around with their scheduling so they can't find an audience. It's really frustrating to watch from the outside. CN needs to bring back Toonami so they have a dedicated home for this stuff again.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:32:59 -0800

@DavidLejeune - Tron: Uprising and Motorcity are also cancelled. Shame. I liked those too.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 20:58:48 -0800

I guess I can only hope that this season of YJ wraps up as well as the last did. And that the new Batman show is good.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Finagle — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 03:23:42 -0800

/Justified/ continues to entertain. Nothing significant or profound about it, just a good time.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

flecky — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 06:06:24 -0800

@Cat: Yeah, I'm enjoying Utopia so far - I need to have something to look forward to once a week on the box.

I'd sort of gone of Ricky Gervais over recent years, as I really used to like The Office and Extras. I caught his new show, Derek, on Channel 4 last night; probably because it reminded me of being here in rehab (a bit), but more because the humour is dodgy and sick, I found it laugh-out-loud funny.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

InvincibleM — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:50:57 -0800

Dat 30 Rock finale.

Jokes on Jokes on Jokes combined with actual emotion and the stinger of all stingers?

Get outta town and find me a better show.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Will Couper — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 01:36:23 -0800

Utopia is really incredibly good. It's uncompromising, funny and unsettling. The protagonists are intelligent and naive without becoming irritating, and when any of them become irritating a very good reason is presented for it. Just like the characters we've learned more and more about what's going on as the series has progressed – it doesn't feel like there's been a minute wasted.

I kind of hope this is a one-off series, because of my fear of television's love of dragging things out for too long.

Will

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Magnulus — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 03:35:31 -0800

Well, most good shows only do one-three series in the UK, which is about right.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

StefanJ — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:06:22 -0800

The last episodes of The Office (US edition) are getting odd.

They're breaking the . . . fifth wall?

The mysterious, never-seen film crew that has been documenting the goings-on at Dunder Mifflin have not only appeared on screen, they're interacting with the characters.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Steve Toase — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:20:54 -0800

More good tv from Channel Four
Trailer for first episode of new Black Mirror

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

taphead — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:00:41 -0800

The idea of more Black Mirror makes me indescribably happy. The first batch was the best scifi in ages.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Vornaskotti — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 01:57:24 -0800

YES @ Black Mirror.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

badbear — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 15:37:08 -0800

Am actually pretty bummed about Tron Uprising. It was a good show, the artwork was amazing.

Am finding Utopia deeply disturbing. In a good way. Nice to see Curtis from Misfits in something else too, after that show has gone so depressingly downhill - I just watched the latest season and it was pants.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Cat Vincent — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 15:53:57 -0800

@badbear - Wasn't impressed with recent Misfits season either, but new girl has promise & Joe Gilgun still gets the laughs.

The upcoming combo of Utopia & Black Mirror makes C4 the best place for actual quality genre telly.

Person of Interest did a clever soft reboot last night, eliminating one area of threat while adding one, possibly two others.
Nikita continues to be one of the most under-rated spy shows of all time, honestly. And Archer was pants-wettingly good, full of robot jokes.

Next for me, the Spartacus ep wherein arrives one Julius Caesar.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

nelzbub — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 02:12:48 -0800

Has anyone here been watching the new BBC period police drama "Ripper Street"?

Set in Victorian period Whitechapel, the series started strong and keeps getting better. Great characters, gripping storylines, grimey streets, big beards and proper hats. I'm really loving it and looking forward to tonights episode.

I'm intrigued by the sound of "Utopia", not least because it is also the name of the coffee shop where I work. Hope I'll be able to get it in Holland soon.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

taphead — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 11:38:00 -0800

Just saw the first episode of Utopia, and had to go for a walk. Between this and Black Mirror it's pretty clear where the good science fiction is coming these days.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Will Couper — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 15:23:19 -0800

The first episode of Black Mirror was pretty good, gruelling television. The second episode was a mess, trying too hard to be as disturbing as the first episode, and I couldn't face the last episode. Might see what the first episode of the second series is like, but I don't hold out hope.

Will

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Vornaskotti — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:03:15 -0800

Hmmh, I did love the second Black Mirror episode also, since it created a beautiful contrast to the first, which is something that could happen tomorrow. The second episode with the sleekly designed dystopia was heartbreaking.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Magnulus — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 23:02:26 -0800

Has a cancellation of Tron: Uprising been confirmed? On Wikipedia, I see this:

Amid rumors of cancellation, on January 14, 2013 producer Edward Kitsis countered the rumor by stating: "I don't know what the future [of Tron: Uprising] is now. I know at the present, I can say we need more viewers."

I really hope it wasn't cancelled, as it's beautiful and actually quite compelling in general. More compelling than Legacy, in my opinion.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

DavidLejeune — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:07:16 -0800

I keep reading rumours that they're putting it on hiatus to re-work the story for subsequent seasons so it'll bridge better with the sequel to Legacy (which is in the early scripting stages), but low viewership and the midnight Monday time slot that it was in don't typically equal a desire to continue producing a show.

And if it wasn't in the Disney XD upfronts, then it's, at a minimum, not back this year.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

TF — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 02:17:23 -0800

I agree with Will about the second episode - the whole X-Factor parody thing has been little played out to many times before and the story didn't really go any where... really

The last ep with the Google glasses was fine I thought

The first episode was class though - looking forward to this run.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

city creed — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 05:46:55 -0800

House of Cards
Yuss.
"You might think so... I couldn't possibly comment."
This made me happier than is reasonable.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:05:57 -0800

"I keep reading rumours that they're putting it on hiatus to re-work the story for subsequent seasons so it'll bridge better with the sequel to Legacy (which is in the early scripting stages),.."

That means they have a script pick up. It keeps the writers on hold, but the artist are now scattered to the wind and are working on other shows. The team that made that show what it is, is gone. Unfortunately suits tend to look at us as interchangeable.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

nelzbub — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:25:17 -0800

Nobody watching "Ripper Street"?

Did I mention it's set in Whitechapel?

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Will Couper — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 01:37:12 -0800

The new series of Being Human had a strong start, quite in contrast with the first episode of last series that suffered from having so much happen off-screen that I felt like I'd tuned in a couple of episodes in.

Will

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Oddcult — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 07:34:15 -0800

Agreed about Being Human, although it does seem to be turning into a 'Big Bad Of The Season' show, whereas originally you had Herrick and the crap vampire conspiracy being more background to personal drama than the main point of the programme.

I really like Tom and Hal, but am not sold on Alex yet, because she doesn't really seem to have a motivation beyond 'pass on'.

Just curious - does the US version have equivalents of Tom and Hal yet? Or are they still on their versions of the original cast?

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

DavidLejeune — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:47:00 -0800

Still the original cast. And this season opened with a plague wiping out all of the vampires except Aidan, who was buried at the time.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:06:49 -0800

I decided to check out The Americans, but after they developed a dark, rapey backstory for the female lead within the first twenty minutes for no good reason, I pretty much checked out.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:22:20 -0800

@ D.J.

I'm probably about thirty minutes into The Americans and so far the person who's given the best advice has been Colonel Rape Defector, who's pretty much told the husband to take the money and defect. I guess they did the rape story to really establish the defector as an evil guy who deserves what he's getting. It's revealing that Keri Russel is pretty good at playing a fanatic semi-psychopath. I have two main problems with the show. First, it's essentially asking me to actively root for people who are trying to subvert and destroy my country. Second, the show is set in 1981, which means that the Soviet Union is less than a decade from crapping out anyway.

I suppose I'd have preferred it if they'd set the show in maybe the 50s', when the Cold War was always on the verge of turning nuclear hot or maybe during the late 80s, early 90s when the Soviet Union actually is crapping out and there's a lot more tension in the stay or go question, especially with kids involved.

It's interesting that Elementary has had episodes devoted in part to the concepts of two new shows, this one and The Following. Elementary essentially showed a version of the series finale for The Americans by having the KGB-wife killed, her husband and kid disappearing into witness protection and their handler going down for murder. Meanwhile, Elementary dismissed the entire serial killer plot idea with "You've met serial murderers. They're duller than the Queen's Jubilee. Mouth breathers and chronic onanists, the lot of them." Even better, the show viciously mocked the profilers by having Holmes say "She's a buffoon. All profilers are. A snake-oil salesman who casts maladjusted closet cases as criminal geniuses in the media. The profilers, in turn, can be super geniuses when the killers are caught."

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

DavidLejeune — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:53:58 -0800

I guess they did the rape story to really establish the defector as an evil guy who deserves what he's getting.

It also establishes how deep Russell's character's loyalty goes: despite how horrifically she was treated during training she will not even for a second consider defection.

I think '81 is actually the perfect time for the show. The Cold War was just starting to wind down when Reagan was elected and started to crank up a lot of the paranoia and fear of the Soviets that the general public was largely over after decades of Red Scare madness, while the upper echelons of the Russian government and their intelligence communities pretty much know that there's not much gas left in the USSR's tank. Invading Afghanistan was their last gasp, and they're two years in and it's not going at all how they planned.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Yaboo Chingoa — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:17:13 -0800

InvincibleM -- I'll back you up on 30 Rock. I adored the Six Sigma Wheel of Domination -- what the hell is eficationication, anyway? Oh. "finular analysis". Of course.

I especially loved that they confirmed Kenneth's, uh, backstory, without explaining it.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

TF — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:12:35 -0800

Black Mirror = Good shit.

A solid story well told, proper characters and a well realised future.

Great bit of telly.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:35:41 -0800

Seconding Black Mirror, it is an absolutely great series so far.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

flecky — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:08:12 -0800

@nelzbub: I've not been watching Ripper Street, but a few of my mates seem to be really enjoying it.

Black Mirror was good, and I've been doing my best to catch Utopia.

For my sins, I've been watching Derek. I can't help but laugh at the sick bloke with the constant can of Special Brew.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 14:14:38 -0800

I'm really liking Elementary, especially the most recent episode with Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock's "proposal" to Lucy Lui's Watson. Just a lovely nuanced scene.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

StefanJ — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 17:48:45 -0800

Elementary is now officially the show I save for last on my weekend DVR-catch-up-viewing. That means it is my favorite.

I'm also watching Sherlock via Netflix. I like that a lot too. I think it has somewhat superior talent, but I don't see the two shows as competition.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Steve Toase — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:25:23 -0800

Tonight's Black Mirror was excellent. A really interesting take on surveillance society and entertainment. Not as subtle as last week, but well worth watching.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Ed Jackson — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:51:38 -0800

Well tonight's Black Mirror was seriously fucked, but bloody good. I bet it had Daily Mail readers jizzing in their pants.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:39:05 -0800

So I saw the reprise of Zero Hour and I have decided to enjoy it. That will be difficult, since it was essentially an overwrought, incoherent, silly-ass mess, but I believe that I have found a way.

Back in the 1990s there was a paper and pencil roleplaying game called TORG. The concept of the game was that various other dimensions were invading the earth and transforms parts of it, including the inhabitants of those invaders, into beings like themselves, complete with their own cultures, magic and laws of a nature. So, one could take a perfectly functional M-16 into the Living Land, a place of dinosaurs, miracles and lizard people only to find the weapon would not fire because the Technological axiom of the Living Land was too low and primitive to work. You also tended to forget what that green stuff in your pockets was since currency was also a little too advanced.

One of the fan-made supplements for the game detailed Illithicar. I have therefore chosen to believe that Zero Hour takes place in Illithicar so that I can watch the show without constantly interrupting myself with "Well, that's just stupid. "Wait a minute, why didn't she just..." or "Oh, for fuck's sake!"

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

James Cunningham — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 19:07:44 -0800

Ok, checking out the first couple episodes of Utopia with my girlfriend later tonight. I'm trusting you!

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:46:36 -0800

Being an extra on the newest Black Mirror must have been fucking strange.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:11:38 -0800

Still loving Justified.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:10:54 -0800

Zero Hour makes me keep hearing Jon Voight in my head. "And that will lead to another clock and that will lead to another clock!"

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 01:38:57 -0800

Finally caught up on Fringe. Really could have done without the entire last season, though.

Which is pretty much how it turns out anyway. Also, if the Observers never existed, doesn't that mean that September was never there to disrupt Walternate discovering the cure for Peter and thus Walter never would have crossed over to save him so basically the entire show wouldn't have happened? I mean, I can forgive plot holes, but less so when the plot hole is such that it renders the entire show non-existent. I also really want to know what happened to Broyle's sick son in the alternate universe.

Oh, it also didn't help that every episode of season 5 was a fetch-quest.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Magnulus — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 06:05:07 -0800

I'm now caught up on Black Mirror (Having not heard of it before the second series started) and I'm loving it. The White Bear episode was a strange one, as it didn't pay off fully until the very end, when you are finally told what's going on and the themes and satire becomes apparent.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:36:04 -0800

@ D.J.

The way I understood it the time change didn't occur until 2015, when Walter would disappear and the Observers would fail to invade. So, everything that happened before that date (September saving Walter, etc) would still happen. Please don't ask me how that would work because all I can do is say "Science is Magic!"

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:01:50 -0800

Just finished the first season of "House of Cards" on Netflix. I'm hoping it gets another season not only because I want to see where they go with it, but I hope that this is the beginning of how television shows are produced and shown. I think the networks have had their day and it's time for a change.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:13:30 -0800

@johnjones

Okay, well that makes at least a little bit more sense. A little. Doesn't change my opinion on the season, though.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:31:46 -0800

Fringe was a strange show in that

only one season, the fourth, actually occurred. Season one-three were overwritten and season five effectively never took place.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Magnulus — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:34:23 -0800

I just found out that Sam Witwer is in the American Being Human, which is annoying because I didn't care about Being Human until now.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

TF — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:14:01 -0800

@William

I re-upped my subscription to Netflix just to support such sentiments! - I'll be cancelling again this month and be back again for Arrested Development!!!

It's interesting when you compare Netflix productions to the Amazon studios announcements which gives the impression that their content is going to be very middle of the road.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:04:39 -0800

@ Magnulus - I think if they were to do a movie of Black Flag circa 1984, they should get Samuel Witwer to play Henry Rollins.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Magnulus — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:29:38 -0800

Totally, William! Yes!!
The photos from Being Human look like SUCH an American Version Of A British Show. They all just look broody and... and... AMERICAN. Bleh. Even Witwer looks boring.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

DavidLejeune — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:31:20 -0800

I haven't watched any of the original Being Human, but I think the US version does a pretty good job of balancing the broodiness with the sarcasm. And they haven't come close to introducing any big End Of The World story arcs, which I am given to understand the UK version kind of fell up it's own ass doing after Series 3 or something.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Magnulus — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:14:18 -0800

Yeah, I stopped watching during/ after the third season. Got tired of the characters changing according to what the writers needed to happen for the sake of drama.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

TF — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:39:44 -0800

The final Black Mirror was a touch dissappointing... it just kind of lost itself as it went on.

But the ending made sense in the context of the story credit - that it was originally meant as a Nathan Barley story; and in that context I think the tone of it would have felt more cohesive.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

taphead — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:43:22 -0800

Utopia was delightfully true to its principles all the way through. <3

In case any of you want some similarly bleak anime, I can recommend Texhnolyze (never mind that spelling, it makes sense in context). It's from the folks who made Serial Experiments Lain (also recommended) and it is a rather impressive mix of New Weird and Post-apocalyptic Cyberpunk, with heavy heavy symbolism to go with. Pretty much all the anime tropes are subverted if they show up at all.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

imaginarypeople — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:37:34 -0800

@ Magnulus- I actually like the newer characters on the british being human. I think they have more personality than the original cast. I also really like the american version, this newest season has gotten pretty good.

I just watched the new black mirror. Yeah, it was pretty depressing. Not bad, just depressing.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 01:04:49 -0800

Whose Line? is coming back.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Foamhead — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 03:42:50 -0800

Is this old news? I only finished watching them all last night.

Robert Downey Jr to turn 'The Entire History of You' episode of Black Mirror into film

re: Utopia: did anyone else notice when Channel 4 were hawking the DVD of the series during the end credits that the cover decribes it as "Series One"?

Probably wishful thinking to hope for a Series Two but, still...

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Yaboo Chingoa — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:55:43 -0800

"Don't miss Utopia on Channel 4, on September 15th, 2013 / 10pm. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/utopia"

Via the YouTube info box for what I'm guessing is Series 1. Never heard of the show. How badly do I need to see this?

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 03:07:17 -0800

Grimm is finally back after four months of absence and I happy with Fridays again.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Cat Vincent — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:48:55 -0800

@Yaboo - pretty damn badly. No show like it.

@johnjones - Yeah - warts & all, Grimm is a lot of fun. And I'll put money down you won't get a funnier line reading this year than Silas Michael Weir simply saying "Why??"

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Oxbrow — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:28:40 -0700

So, that was Being Human (UK). It had some great moments in its run.

... And apparently there's an epilogue to be released on the DVD which changes the meaning of the ending. Cheeky.

Big ol' spoilers as series creator Toby Whithouse explains that.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Oddcult — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 06:56:27 -0700

The ending was very deliberately Blade Runner-ish. I see what they did there, but wish they'd been a little cleverer about it and less like; 'we're going to blatantly homage the most ambiguously nuanced film ever because we want to make sure you know we're being ambiguous about this'.

Tom Vs Lord Harry was a good bit of violence though.

I got mixed feelings about this series of Being Human. I really liked Tom and Hal and thought the actors did a brilliant job with them, but going for apocalypse level storylines missed what was really great about Being Human in the first place and didn't really do justice to the subtle way that the metaphors were originally treated and the actual palpable angst that the earlier episodes genuinely communicated. It was probably the right choice to end it.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Miranda's Eyes — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:44:25 -0700

Currently hooked on Lost Girl, which has a nice Buffy-ish vibe to it courtesy of leads Anna Silk and Zoie Palmer as respectively the kick-ass succubus and her doctor girlfriend plus Ksenia Solo as the best friend who brings on the one-liners like nobody's business.

Looking forward to Jane Campion's upcoming mystery mini-series Top of the Lake, which stars Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) as a troubled police detective whose search for a missing pregnant 12-year-old leads to a confrontation with her own turbulent past.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Lazarus99 — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:42:27 -0700

New series of Community...crap or not?

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

oscillateur — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:36:01 -0700

Lazarus99 : not really crap but definitely not as inspired as it used to be.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Lazarus99 — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:57:32 -0700

Thanks...I've been holding off to avoid disappointment...guess I'll give it a go.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:34:55 -0700

Alright, this Kickstarter thing has me interested. Is Veronica Mars worth watching?

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:42:24 -0700

@ D.J.

The first season is brilliant. The second is really good. The third kind of craps out a little, but that's mostly due to the format change. I pledge my $50 for the movie, though.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Yaboo Chingoa — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:57:00 -0700

I'll second Veronica Mars. I had my doubts, on the assumption that it would be a moronic teen dramedy, but the first two seasons were pretty decent.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:57:27 -0700

I've never seen Veronica Mars either. so is Veronica Mars basically a Nancy Drew sort of thing?

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

J.Brennan — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:04:58 -0700

@William: ishly. It's high school noir. It doesn't shy away from the dark. Comparatively, it's the best parts of Buffy minus the supernatural, or Brick except with more humor.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Yaboo Chingoa — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:07:54 -0700

The Buffy comparison - though apt - didn't really register with me when I watched it. Gilmore Girls was fresher in my mind at the time, and so for me, the dialogue in Veronica Mars was pinging Stars Hollow memories.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

cjkoger — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:19:42 -0700

Veronica Mars was a really good series. I was actually sad to see it kick the bucket. I watched it because of the wife, kind of playing along, and ended up really enjoying it. I'll have to check out the kickstarter.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

William Joseph Dunn — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:15:14 -0700

I'll Netflix it and give it a whirl.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Foamhead — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:11:12 -0700

Did anybody else watch last night's The Challenger, dramatising Richard Feynman's role in the investigation into 1986's space shuttle explosion?

William Hurt, Joanne Whalley, Bruce Greenwood and Brian Dennehy in 90 minutes of just lovely telly. For those who can access BBC iPlayer, it's available here.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

trini_naenae — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:03:17 -0700

Just started watching "Vikings", which is on hulu (free for the next 3 days), and so far, quite interesting. Granted, the song they used for the opening credits is "If I Had a Heart" by Fever Ray, which scored them some major points, so I might be a wee bit biased.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

D.J. — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:29:50 -0700

In the Flesh had a pretty interesting first episode. About zombies being cured and reintegrated into society.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 01:19:18 -0700

So, tonight's Grimm was pret-

AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EYWORMSEYEWORMSEYEWORMSBARBEDFUCKINGEYEWORMS!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Si, Warren, I'm sorry, but neither Arse Eels nor Urethral Attack Maggots are quite as scary to me anymore.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

trini_naenae — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 08:21:55 -0700

Yeah. That was actually fairly terrifying. Well, the concept.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

Cat Vincent — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:55:15 -0700

Just want to say, I'm going to miss the hell out of Spartacus.

This week's brought a lot of plot points to a (brutal) head, had some of the most gorgeously shot scenes I've ever seen on telly... and they brought back my theme song for a rousing celebration scene.

On the Tee-Vee: January-March 2013

johnjones — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 09:22:50 -0700

The 100th episode of Castle was pretty great but I suppose it's time to close this thread.