TV Streaming series to talk about.

Oof. Heavy heavy.

One thing that bugs me sometimes with this series is that they can be a bit obvious in telling the viewers how they should be feeling. In this case I really didn’t need the sappy score playing in the background as they discovered the camp. I thought it would’ve been more effective and chilling without it.

But that was one of the better episodes of the series, and addressed what’s been the elephant in the room for the viewers. It did a great job of conveying how the soldiers were unclear about the atrocities, if not totally in the dark.
Yes. A very heavy episode. It was the dynamic between Captain Nixon and the German Widow that made this particular episode absolutely genius to me. The way they look at each other in the beginning - then at the end. It's like we know both of their stories without them uttering a word to each other. It's frightening too because we understand why Captain Nixon drinks and is in despair and the widow, who was so far gone in her arrogance and hatred, only understood the atrocities after she saw the walking, skeletal prisoners, touched the bones of the murdered Jews and smelled the death up close. The horrors of war in different ways.
 
The two finest multi-season shows I have seen are The Sopranos and Succession. The latter has the best writing I have ever encountered, and the former the most truthful and artistic examination of the human condition and all its flaws, and then also the best large ensemble of acting (a highpoint for Succession as well.

The Wire is a group a few notches below that for multi-season shows, along with some non-HBO things like Breaking Bad and Severance.

The best single season shows from HBO are Chernobyl and The Night Of.
Loved all of those (haven’t seen the Night Of).

I would not peg The Wire a few notches below though. I found it utterly compelling.
 
Loved all of those (haven’t seen the Night Of).

I would not peg The Wire a few notches below though. I found it utterly compelling.
I’d peg it (along with Succession) one notch below Sopranos and Mad Men. Probably fourth of those four. The acting/writing/directing is not as skillful as Succession, but the Wire’s overall story arcs are much more compelling.
 
Yes. A very heavy episode. It was the dynamic between Captain Nixon and the German Widow that made this particular episode absolutely genius to me. The way they look at each other in the beginning - then at the end. It's like we know both of their stories without them uttering a word to each other. It's frightening too because we understand why Captain Nixon drinks and is in despair and the widow, who was so far gone in her arrogance and hatred, only understood the atrocities after she saw the walking, skeletal prisoners, touched the bones of the murdered Jews and smelled the death up close. The horrors of war in different ways.
That was really well done, and poetic justice in a really satisfying way. I wish every Nazi/sympathizer got that kind of comeuppance.
 
I’d peg it (along with Succession) one notch below Sopranos and Mad Men. Probably fourth of those four. The acting/writing/directing is not as skillful as Succession, but the Wire’s overall story arcs are much more compelling.
What stands out in the acting, writing, and directing?

I'm not as knowledgeable as many on this thread. For me, I can't always discern how each contribution to the finished product. I do recognize which shows are more compelling and have deeper stories, at least to me.
 
I'm currently watching Invasion, which i believe is well written. Also waiting on the last episode of Foundation.
 
What stands out in the acting, writing, and directing?

I'm not as knowledgeable as many on this thread. For me, I can't always discern how each contribution to the finished product. I do recognize which shows are more compelling and have deeper stories, at least to me.
I’m not sure which show you’re referring to, but when you begin to look at shows or movies through that lens, you start to see how each component hinges on the others. You can have great lines delivered poorly, vs. quality actors who just can’t save the crappy lines, or a crappy storyline, etc.

And the director is the head coach, but depending on the project and the people involved, sometimes a director’s presence is bigger and it more heavily influences the writing and acting and camera work… and other times there’s less influence, and more freedom is given to those other contributors.

Series are different because the show’s creator or showrunner is really the broader “director,” but each episode can have its own individual director among several other directors for other episodes. So some episodes can have a different creative or visual feel within a series, and that can be by design.
 
I’m not sure which show you’re referring to, but when you begin to look at shows or movies through that lens, you start to see how each component hinges on the others. You can have great lines delivered poorly, vs. quality actors who just can’t save the crappy lines, or a crappy storyline, etc.

And the director is the head coach, but depending on the project and the people involved, sometimes a director’s presence is bigger and it more heavily influences the writing and acting and camera work… and other times there’s less influence, and more freedom is given to those other contributors.

Series are different because the show’s creator or showrunner is really the broader “director,” but each episode can have its own individual director among several other directors for other episodes. So some episodes can have a different creative or visual feel within a series, and that can be by design.
Did you watch the latest season of The Bear?

I read lots of negative about the season, but to me it was great. It got away from the hysteria of running the restaurant a little and focused more on the development and back stories of each of the employees. I liked that and I feel that they set it up well to have spin offs for each character, if they choose to.

What is your opinion?

I never watched the Sopranos or Breaking Bad, though I wouldn't mind considering all that I've read about them.
 
Did you watch the latest season of The Bear?

I read lots of negative about the season, but to me it was great. It got away from the hysteria of running the restaurant a little and focused more on the development and back stories of each of the employees. I liked that and I feel that they set it up well to have spin offs for each character, if they choose to.

What is your opinion?

I never watched the Sopranos or Breaking Bad, though I wouldn't mind considering all that I've read about them.
That sounds more like season 3 of the Bear. Season 4 was less individually focused.

You definitely should watch the Sopranos as it set the bar for all these shows. Breaking Bad is one of the best shows ever. I recommend it more highly than the Sopranos.

One of the things that I think makes both shows as well as Succession so great is outstanding character arcs. In some cases they even take flawed to awful characters and still tun them into people with whom the audience can empathize or even root for.
 
I popped a couple gummies last night and was looking for something relatively mindless to watch on Netflix. Settled on Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, which is the number one movie (really a documentary in this case) on the platform. I won't reveal any spoilers, but man I was floored by the depraved nature of the culprit. I've been thinking about it all day.
 
I popped a couple gummies last night and was looking for something relatively mindless to watch on Netflix. Settled on Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, which is the number one movie (really a documentary in this case) on the platform. I won't reveal any spoilers, but man I was floored by the depraved nature of the culprit. I've been thinking about it all day.
I was just going to post about this. The reveal is bananas. I can’t get my head around it.
 
A friend told me to watch Endeavor on PBS or Britbox and I’ve enjoyed it. Apparently it’s the prequel to the Morris series but I hadn’t seen Morris and it didn’t really matter since it’s before Morris was a big shot.
 
Did you watch the latest season of The Bear?

I read lots of negative about the season, but to me it was great. It got away from the hysteria of running the restaurant a little and focused more on the development and back stories of each of the employees. I liked that and I feel that they set it up well to have spin offs for each character, if they choose to.

What is your opinion?

I never watched the Sopranos or Breaking Bad, though I wouldn't mind considering all that I've read about them.
Yeah I love The Bear and season 3 wasn’t quite up to par but it wasn’t as bad as some said. Season 4 was back up to par for sure.

But that’s a good example of different directors doing different episodes to change up the feel or pace of the series, while still blending it together well.

Watch The Sopranos. I wouldn’t binge it, I’d pace it to stretch out leisurely over months. Watch a couple or few episodes a week and savor it.

That’s how I watched Mad Men after it had left the air. It took me probably a couple years to watch it and was incredibly rewarding to experience it that way. It allows the characters and storylines to percolate and grow way way more so than bingeing.
 
Yeah I love The Bear and season 3 wasn’t quite up to par but it wasn’t as bad as some said. Season 4 was back up to par for sure.

But that’s a good example of different directors doing different episodes to change up the feel or pace of the series, while still blending it together well.

Watch The Sopranos. I wouldn’t binge it, I’d pace it to stretch out leisurely over months. Watch a couple or few episodes a week and savor it.

That’s how I watched Mad Men after it had left the air. It took me probably a couple years to watch it and was incredibly rewarding to experience it that way. It allows the characters and storylines to percolate and grow way way more so than bingeing.
What did you think about the child actor in Adolescent?

The way he reacted, his body language and visual ques, his eye control. He seemed to really do a good job with that role.
 
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