Television Shows

[Strychnine 1,802]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

That's what I'm hearing.

I looked it up on Amazon the other night and S1 only showed up as available for purchase but I will take another crack at it. Really, really want to see what the buzz is about. 

 

I am assuming you are in the United States.  As far as I know, Amazon only has it in the US, and I think Netflix has it in other countries.  I just logged in to Amazon to check, and season 1 and 2 are still on Prime.  Season 3 debuted last week on Syfy, but you can purchase it on Amazon.  Amazon is how I found out about the show, after they picked up season 1 and were selling a season pass for season 2.  I binged season 1 and promptly bought the season pass for 2.  For once, they correctly deduced what I might like from the contents of my watchlist and history.

It is very much a show for viewers that appreciate complexity and can follow multiple story arcs at once.  Its depiction of space travel and colonization is about as realistic as anyone could really pull off on television.

If you are squeamish about the death of anyone, you may wish to steer clear.  While it is not really graphic or anything, you will see women and children killed.

[Strychnine 1,802]

I forgot to mention:  PM me if you have any questions about it whenever you start watching it.  I have rewatched it many times, and the show's attention to detail is staggering.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

31 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

 

I am assuming you are in the United States.  As far as I know, Amazon only has it in the US, and I think Netflix has it in other countries.  I just logged in to Amazon to check, and season 1 and 2 are still on Prime.  Season 3 debuted last week on Syfy, but you can purchase it on Amazon.  Amazon is how I found out about the show, after they picked up season 1 and were selling a season pass for season 2.  I binged season 1 and promptly bought the season pass for 2.  For once, they correctly deduced what I might like from the contents of my watchlist and history.

It is very much a show for viewers that appreciate complexity and can follow multiple story arcs at once.  Its depiction of space travel and colonization is about as realistic as anyone could really pull off on television.

If you are squeamish about the death of anyone, you may wish to steer clear.  While it is not really graphic or anything, you will see women and children killed.

Missed it.

What time/day?

[Strychnine 1,802]

9 minutes ago, AUld fAUx@ said:

Missed it.

What time/day?

 

Wednesdays at 9PM.

[Strychnine 1,802]

24 minutes ago, AUld fAUx@ said:

Missed it.

What time/day?

 

That is the show's only real problem.  You apparently watched it previously, and were unaware of season 3.  Even Amazon does a better job promoting its inclusion in Amazon Prime than NBC and Syfy do.  It is an NBC primetime caliber production that is instead dropped on to Syfy, and both the channel and its parent company act like they want no one to watch it.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

3 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

 

That is the show's only real problem.  You apparently watched it previously, and were unaware of season 3.  Even Amazon does a better job promoting its inclusion in Amazon Prime than NBC and Syfy do.  It is an NBC primetime caliber production that is instead dropped on to Syfy, and both the channel and its parent company act like they want no one to watch it.

In my case, the real problem is that my wife (bless her heart, and who holds close to the remote as if it were a life-support device) will watch Samantha Bee.

'ts OK. We got two TVs. With knowledge you provided, I'll catch back up.

[McLoofus 35,182]

12 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

That is the show's only real problem.  You apparently watched it previously, and were unaware of season 3.  Even Amazon does a better job promoting its inclusion in Amazon Prime than NBC and Syfy do.  It is an NBC primetime caliber production that is instead dropped on to Syfy, and both the channel and its parent company act like they want no one to watch it.

That's so crazy. I've seen several sources who spend a LOT of time thinking and writing about TV, with an extra bit of love for sci-fi, and the acclaim this show is receiving is on par with the giants of the genre. In fact, Paste said that it is "lapping" the rest of the genre right now. And there's some pretty good sci-fi out there. 

Meanwhile, freaking Walking Dead is still getting the prestige treatment on AMC, even though almost everybody acknowledges that it's been terrible for multiple seasons??? Just crazy. 

[Strychnine 1,802]

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

That's so crazy. I've seen several sources who spend a LOT of time thinking and writing about TV, with an extra bit of love for sci-fi, and the acclaim this show is receiving is on par with the giants of the genre. In fact, Paste said that it is "lapping" the rest of the genre right now. And there's some pretty good sci-fi out there. 

Meanwhile, freaking Walking Dead is still getting the prestige treatment on AMC, even though almost everybody acknowledges that it's been terrible for multiple seasons??? Just crazy. 

 

In terms of the whole shebang of production quality, the Expanse belongs in a primetime slot on a major network.  It IS that good.  It is even hard to categorize it solely into the sci-fi genre, although it belongs there more than to any other.  There is mystery, drama, political intrigue between Earth, Mars, and the Belt.  It just happens to be set in the future, in space, and tries to depict physics as accurately as possible.  While definitely sci-fi, it is much less Star Trek TNG and more Battlestar Galactica.

[McLoofus 35,182]

Just now, Strychnine said:

In terms of the whole shebang of production quality, the Expanse belongs in a primetime slot on a major network.  It IS that good.  It is even hard to categorize it solely into the sci-fi genre, although it belongs there more than to any other.  There is mystery, drama, political intrigue between Earth, Mars, and the Belt.  It just happens to be set in the future, in space, and tries to depict physics as accurately as possible.  While definitely sci-fi, it is much less Star Trek TNG and more Battlestar Galactica.

You're making me want to ditch work and get started on my weekend binge now. 

[Strychnine 1,802]

4 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

You're making me want to ditch work and get started on my weekend binge now. 

 

In that case, I hope it is Ron Moore's BSG you are pining for (which is the only proper one), and not the campy cheeseball fest from the late 70's.  Did you watch the Stargate shows?

[McLoofus 35,182]

5 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

In that case, I hope it is Ron Moore's BSG you are pining for (which is the only proper one), and not the campy cheeseball fest from the late 70's.  Did you watch the Stargate shows?

1- Correct
2- Afraid not. Should I?

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

21 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

That's so crazy. I've seen several sources who spend a LOT of time thinking and writing about TV, with an extra bit of love for sci-fi, and the acclaim this show is receiving is on par with the giants of the genre. In fact, Paste said that it is "lapping" the rest of the genre right now. And there's some pretty good sci-fi out there. 

Meanwhile, freaking Walking Dead is still getting the prestige treatment on AMC, even though almost everybody acknowledges that it's been terrible for multiple seasons??? Just crazy. 

Though I've survived (so far) without an artistic bone in my body:

Babylon 5 (which I though excellent for its time) spent years and years in the dark nooks and crannies of cable until the cast and writers just got tired, and wrapped it up;

Firefly (which I also thought excellent) died a quiet death in the nooks and crannies (though, due to a geek uprising, they did come back with a finalizing full-length); and

even the Jim Henson Co. couldn't keep Farscape alive anywhere.

Been such for some time, and

we geeks abide?

[Strychnine 1,802]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

1- Correct
2- Afraid not. Should I?

 

On Stargate, it depends.  If you liked Battlestar Galactica, I think you might like Stargate Universe, which was the third Stargate show.  It is a similar concept, except instead of the remnants of humanity fleeing Cylons, it is humans stranded on an Ancient ship, on the other side of the universe.  Still has dark themes, conflict between military and civilian authority, and the struggle to adapt to life in space with limited supplies.  However, understanding the fictional universe established by SG-1 and Atlantis is rather necessary to understanding it.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, AUld fAUx@ said:

Firefly (which I also thought excellent) died a quiet death in the nooks and crannies (though, due to a geek uprising, they did come back with a finalizing full-length); 

EXCELLENT show and movie. And I loved the patois he developed for it. Talk about a project that deserved more viewers and content. 

@Strychnine, sounds like I might need to save the SG universe for when I run out of other stuff. 

[Strychnine 1,802]

1 minute ago, AUld fAUx@ said:

Though I've survived (so far) without an artistic bone in my body:

Babylon 5 (which I though excellent for its time) spent years and years in the dark nooks and crannies of cable until the cast and writers just got tired, and wrapped it up;

Firefly (which I also thought excellent) died a quiet death in the nooks and crannies (though, due to a geek uprising, they did come back with a finalizing full-length); and

even the Jim Henson Co. couldn't keep Farscape alive anywhere.

Been such for some time, and

we geeks abide?

 

Babylon 5 was intended to be five seasons.  It was one of the few shows where everything was actually fleshed out by its creator before anyone even picked it up.  They thought it was going to be cancelled after season 4, which is why the season 5 and show finale (Sleeping in Light) was filmed along with season 4.  It is also why the Earth civil war was wrapped up so quickly, and season 5 seemed to drag on.  They could not end the show without at least tying up the civil war and creating the Interstellar Alliance.

[Strychnine 1,802]

5 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

EXCELLENT show and movie. And I loved the patois he developed for it. Talk about a project that deserved more viewers and content. 

@Strychnine, sounds like I might need to save the SG universe for when I run out of other stuff. 

 

If you liked that, you will love the Expanse's Lang Belta.

EDIT:  http://expanse.wikia.com/wiki/Lang_Belta

Edited April 19, 2018 by Strychnine

[Strychnine 1,802]

As for Babylon 5, it really should be the gold standard case study for how to do proper character development throughout a series.  The evolution of Londo Mollari and G'Kar is as good as it gets.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

7 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

 

Babylon 5 was intended to be five seasons.  It was one of the few shows where everything was actually fleshed out by its creator before anyone even picked it up.  They thought it was going to be cancelled after season 4, which is why the season 5 and show finale (Sleeping in Light) was filmed along with season 4.  It is also why the Earth civil war was wrapped up so quickly, and season 5 seemed to drag on.  They could not end the show without at least tying up the civil war and creating the Interstellar Alliance.

Obviously out of my depth here. Many Thanks.

Aside - My favorite line out of the whole series (best I can remember it) was

"In the history of the galaxy only one human has defeated the Mimbari in battle. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be elsewhere." (or something like that?)

[Strychnine 1,802]

Just now, AUld fAUx@ said:

Obviously out of my depth here. Many Thanks.

Aside - My favorite line out of the whole series (best I can remember it) was

"In the history of the galaxy only one human has defeated the Mimbari in battle. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be elsewhere." (or something like that?)

 

Your memory serves you well.  The only part you had wrong was "...be elsewhere".  It was actually "If you value your lives, be somewhere else."  Incidentally, they wasted no time in activating that jump gate in order to be somewhere else.  I also agree.  While I think that is the best single line, I loved the scenes where Sheridan meets and interacts with Lorien, and Lorien's trip to hunt First Ones with Ivanova.  In particular, I loved this one:

"To live on as we have is to leave behind joy, and love, and companionship, because we know it to be transitory, of the moment. We know it will turn to ash. Only those whose lives are brief can imagine that love is eternal. You should embrace that remarkable illusion. It may be the greatest gift your race has ever received."

The timing, the delivery, and who it was delivered to (Ivanova) were absolutely perfect in the context of the show.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

4 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

 

Your memory serves you well.  The only part you had wrong was "...be elsewhere".  It was actually "If you value your lives, be somewhere else."  Incidentally, they wasted no time in activating that jump gate in order to be somewhere else.  I also agree.  While I think that is the best single line, I loved the scenes where Sheridan meets and interacts with Lorien, and Lorien's trip to hunt First Ones with Ivanova.  In particular, I loved this one:

"To live on as we have is to leave behind joy, and love, and companionship, because we know it to be transitory, of the moment. We know it will turn to ash. Only those whose lives are brief can imagine that love is eternal. You should embrace that remarkable illusion. It may be the greatest gift your race has ever received."

The timing, the delivery, and who it was delivered to (Ivanova) were absolutely perfect in the context of the show.

I'm afraid we're hogging bandwidth on this thread (and I think Delen (sp?) also had some character development), but early on we got something like

"We are star stuff. We are the universe trying to understand itself."

Who writes like that?

[McLoofus 35,182]

12 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

 

Your memory serves you well.  The only part you had wrong was "...be elsewhere".  It was actually "If you value your lives, be somewhere else."  Incidentally, they wasted no time in activating that jump gate in order to be somewhere else.  I also agree.  While I think that is the best single line, I loved the scenes where Sheridan meets and interacts with Lorien, and Lorien's trip to hunt First Ones with Ivanova.  In particular, I loved this one:

"To live on as we have is to leave behind joy, and love, and companionship, because we know it to be transitory, of the moment. We know it will turn to ash. Only those whose lives are brief can imagine that love is eternal. You should embrace that remarkable illusion. It may be the greatest gift your race has ever received."

The timing, the delivery, and who it was delivered to (Ivanova) were absolutely perfect in the context of the show.

Hell of a quote right there. Reminds me of Jason Isbell's 'Vampires', albeit a slightly different sentiment:

If we were vampires and death was a joke
We'd go out on the sidewalk and smoke
And laugh at all the lovers making plans
I wouldn't feel the need to hold your hand

(That one put a lot of dust in the air this past weekend.)

[Strychnine 1,802]

2 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Hell of a quote right there. Reminds me of Jason Isbell's 'Vampires', albeit a slightly different sentiment:

If we were vampires and death was a joke
We'd go out on the sidewalk and smoke
And laugh at all the lovers making plans
I wouldn't feel the need to hold your hand

(That one put a lot of dust in the air this past weekend.)

 

Did you watch Babylon 5?

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

Did you watch Babylon 5?

Afraid not. 

[Strychnine 1,802]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

Afraid not. 

 

That is a shame, as the visual effects came from a time and budget where they do not age well.  Same kind of problem that was encountered when they went to remaster Star Trek TNG for Blu-ray.  They ended up having to redo the visual effects sequences since they were created for the resolution and display capabilities of TV's in the late 80's/early 90's.  After you have seen things like Battlestar Galactica, I think it would be impossible to get someone to watch Babylon 5 in 2018 unless they already loved it.  I would love to see Babylon 5 get the rework that was given to TNG.  It was a brilliant show.

[McLoofus 35,182]

40 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

 

That is a shame, as the visual effects came from a time and budget where they do not age well.  Same kind of problem that was encountered when they went to remaster Star Trek TNG for Blu-ray.  They ended up having to redo the visual effects sequences since they were created for the resolution and display capabilities of TV's in the late 80's/early 90's.  After you have seen things like Battlestar Galactica, I think it would be impossible to get someone to watch Babylon 5 in 2018 unless they already loved it.  I would love to see Babylon 5 get the rework that was given to TNG.  It was a brilliant show.

No harm in trying! If I get time...