TV Series

[Collector]

Waiting for the next se4ason of The Expanse. Probably the best SF show currently in production. Very reminiscent of Niven's "Known Space" space series. If you like hard SF I highly recommend it. It is on Prime.

[Tawmis]

So when Designated Survivor first came on TV, the wife and I caught the first half of it (Season 1), because I am a big fan of Keifer Sutherland.
The show's concept is - something - very bad - happens to the entire congress, president, and vice president - leaving Keifer as the "Designated Survivor" - which thrusts him into the position of becoming President.
For whatever reason, I can't recall why - the wife and I had stopped watching it when it was on TV.

I discovered it was on Netflix. So the wife and I began watching it from the start again.

The first two seasons are sort of a West Wing meets 24, with political and action, mixed in it. The characters are dynamic and believable, and for the most part, also very enjoyable. Even the one who they introduce in Season 2 as VERY quirky soon worms his way into liking him.

The first two seasons had aired on TV.

Netflix picked it up for a third season to become a Netflix exclusive.

First thing, we both noticed - some of the characters who were introduced (especially in S2) were suddenly gone; including the President's main body guard, who was very likable. The quirky guy is gone. The main lawyer is gone.

Then, the next thing - the excessive cussing. It was like a child trying to prove they're allowed to say bad words. Yes, because of the situations, cussing would make it realistic to cuss as often as they did. But it was overbearing.

Then, they watered down the tough, kick ass female character from the first two seasons. Also got rid of her side kick, who was in S1 and S2.

Then, the characters who had remained - even the President - all became impossible to like.

They had some good stories, in S3 (granted 10 episodes vs the 22 episodes of S1 and S2) - but over all, S3 was a train wreck and horrible.

Worse that the Game of Thrones thing. At least the final season of Game of Thrones was good, up to the last two episodes. Every episode of S3 just seemed horrible for Designated Survivor.

The one thing I did like - the issues they addressed - they'd cut to real people talking about it (not actors), and weave it into the show. For example, a transitioned transgender character in S3 isn't sure they want to be in the spotlight, so they go to a "meeting" - she sits in this meeting - but the thing is everyone else in this meeting, speaking about their experiences - are not actors. They're real people, who are transgender, talking about their life. I thought those little segments were very cool to see.

[Semi-Happy Partygoer]

I’ve been on a British kick lately. Just finished the whole lot of Not Going Out and have recently started Ghosts, which I absolutely love.

[Semi-Happy Partygoer]

I just finished all of Sherlock for the first time. Man, I hope they do a fifth series at some stage!

[notbobsmith]

I just finished all of Sherlock for the first time. Man, I hope they do a fifth series at some stage!

The first season was terrific, the second season was very good, the third season was blah. I really didn't like the fourth season. I doubt they'll make a fifth since the fourth was the only season that didn't end with a cliffhanger.

I just rewatched Manimal on DVD.

Don't judge me.

[MusicallyInspired]

I'm going through The Sopranos for the first time. See what the fuss is all about. I'm reasonably intrigued. I must be since I'm almost done the second season.

[Tawmis]

Wife and I started with CSI, Season 1, Episode 1. We'd caught onto CSI in the later seasons, so it's been fun watching from the start.

[DeadPoolX]

NOTE: Yes, there are a lot of links in this post. I was in a link-making mood.

Maia and I have been watching a little-known AMC drama series on Netflix called Halt and Catch Fire.

HCF takes place between 1983 and 1995 or so. It's all about the rise of personal computers and the Internet.

The show begins in the silicon prairie in Dallas, TX (as opposed to the silicon valley in California) and is modeled on Compaq's rise as a serious competitor to IBM.

In the real world, Compaq was based in Houston, TX and was created by three former senior managers at Texas Instruments (I remember using a TI-86 in algebra, geometry and trigonometry classes), but the company in this show is fictional and called Cardiff Electric.

HCF is very much like Mad Men, only we find it more interesting because of the early tech angle (I haven't heard anyone say IBM compatible in years!) and the nostalgia of the time period. It was a little weird when we realized the two young kids of a married couple (who sort of work together on computers) would've been our age back then.

The first season is a little rough, especially since you're getting to know the characters and one person in particular seems, at first, to be a Don Draper knockoff. He's not, and although he's somewhat unlikable in the first season, his character really expands and becomes more interesting starting in the second season.

What's really fascinating about this show is that the showrunners wanted to do something that DIDN'T revolve around Bill Gates or Steve Jobs (and they're usually the subject of anything that takes place in the 1980s-1990s), while seriously looking at computer games. Not "video games" or anything have to do with consoles, but computers. You'll see see IBM compatibles, Tandys, Commodores, Apple IIs, etc.

This show didn't get a lot of fanfare because it was intended for the tech-minded Baby Boomer and GenX demographic. Unlike most shows (especially when it comes to computers), HCF doesn't talk down to their audience or spout out complete nonsense. If anything, they assume their audience knows quite a bit about computers and expects them to keep up. It's a nice change from the usual technobabble that's seen in most TV shows and movies.

To be fair, we did notice a minor anachronism in the first season. The Don Draper-esque character I mentioned before used the term "app" to refer to programs a few times. I know that wasn't completely unheard of, but it was rare, and most of the time people said "program" or "application." Using the term "app" exclusively is a more modern convention, probably stemming from the wide-spread use of smartphones.

Anyway... if you have Netflix, I'd give Halt and Catch Fire a try.

[Tawmis]

Someone made a fan made ending to the old "Dungeons & Dragons" cartoon. It's clear where all the edits are if you've watched as religiously as I have those cartoons (own them on DVD and watch some of them pretty much every month).

They (obviously) casted the voices over with their new people, but did a pretty good job of staying close to the original voices.

[goatmeal]

From 2015, here's an "audiovisual" adaptation of a fan's English interpretation of the 2010 Portuguese fan-made "Dungeons & Dragons - Requiem" comic book... <whew!>

Found in the YouTube explanation/comment section ("SHOW MORE") is also a link to download said English-interpreted comic book (in cbz format):


D&D - S03E07 (28) - Requiem (Unproduced Series Finale)

[Rath Darkblade]

Uh ... all right, clearly this is for kids.

*they jump into a cleft in the rock* "We're safe now!" *three headed dragon grabs them*

On a more serious note, I can quite see why some fundamentalist Christians would've seen this and thought "D&D is evil!!! Eeeeeevilll!!!!" like they did back then. Clearly it's not "evil", but the fundamentalists would think so. "It's the work of Satan!" and so on.

[Tawmis]

Uh ... all right, clearly this is for kids.
*they jump into a cleft in the rock* "We're safe now!" *three headed dragon grabs them*

Well. It was made in the 80s. And for Saturday Morning Cartoons. So yes, aimed at kids. As most cartoons are.

On a more serious note, I can quite see why some fundamentalist Christians would've seen this and thought "D&D is evil!!! Eeeeeevilll!!!!" like they did back then. Clearly it's not "evil", but the fundamentalists would think so. "It's the work of Satan!" and so on.

Really? Maybe I am too close to D&D. Because I see the opposite. Children who are fighting what appears to be an evil being. Guided by a kind figure, who helps them. Each episode has a moral lesson, pretty much.

The only "evil" I could see them decry is that they're using "magic" which is the work of the devil.

[Rath Darkblade]

All right, maybe I phrased that badly. I don't think any of this is "evil" or "the work of the devil" etc. But to a fundamentalist, the bad guy's appearance is clearly reminiscent of devils etc. So I can imagine them telling off their kids for watching this. *shrug* Ridiculous, of course, but oh well.

Personally, watching this episode, I think it's hilarious. "The Dungeon Master abandoned us! How dare he?!" etc. Clearly this is leading up to the revelation moment. "Oh no, we've been misled! We must all come together to unite against this evil!" The power of friendship, etc., etc. All very positive messages.

[Tawmis]

I love the D&D Cartoon. I bought it when it was released on DVD, and it was cool - it had a booklet with all their weapons with D&D stats.

[Tawmis]

NOTE: Yes, there are a lot of links in this post. I was in a link-making mood.
Maia and I have been watching a little-known AMC drama series on Netflix called Halt and Catch Fire.
To be fair, we did notice a minor anachronism in the first season. The Don Draper-esque character I mentioned before used the term "app" to refer to programs a few times. I know that wasn't completely unheard of, but it was rare, and most of the time people said "program" or "application." Using the term "app" exclusively is a more modern convention, probably stemming from the wide-spread use of smartphones.
Anyway... if you have Netflix, I'd give Halt and Catch Fire a try.

I will give the show a look. I never watched Mad Men.

But it's interesting you mentioned the thing about the "app" phrase. I've been re-reading old Avengers comics (from 1960s) and am on issue 19 or 20, and one of the characters says, "What's the diff."

Which I'd never heard until the last 10 or so years.