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I am watching Deadwood for the second time. (I watch late working shifts and miss whole episodes falling asleep) Never watched it before. Had no idea what it was about or that it was based on actual people and history. Hth can you just stop a show like that after 3 seasons? NO ending.

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We’ve been watching Roseanne from the beginning lately. Also caught up with the new season of Roseanne. 

For fans of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, check out AP Bio. Glenn Howerton(Dennis from Sunny) is hilarious in it.

Westworld starts back Sunday, pretty pumped for that. 

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On 4/19/2018 at 10:49 AM, Strychnine said:

Anyone watching the Expanse?

So I started it last night. I get it. Everything you said. The tone, the content, the social issues, the science... very impressive. And I can tell that there's not going to be any fluff or frivolity. Very smart show. In fact, I'm guessing that the suits figured it's a little too smart- and serious- for prime time network TV. 

(My confusion with the Amazon app- at the top it said the whole season can be purchased, but when you click on an individual episode you're informed that it's included in Prime. I spend a lot more time on other services, as you probably surmised.)

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4 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

So I started it last night. I get it. Everything you said. The tone, the content, the social issues, the science... very impressive. And I can tell that there's not going to be any fluff or frivolity. Very smart show. In fact, I'm guessing that the suits figured it's a little too smart- and serious- for prime time network TV. 

(My confusion with the Amazon app- at the top it said the whole season can be purchased, but when you click on an individual episode you're informed that it's included in Prime. I spend a lot more time on other services, as you probably surmised.)

 

Welcome to the fold, beratna.  I suspect you will be completely hooked by the end of episode 4:  CQB.

I think the show benefits greatly from having the authors of the books it is based on, on the team as producers.  As it progresses, they manage to encapsulate the complex internal and external political situation between Earth, Mars, the Belt, various OPA factions, and even stations like Ceres and Tycho, all without completely overwhelming the viewer.  Without Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck as producers, I suspect a lot of it would have been lost or oversimplified.  They also manage to make science an uncredited actor, without it being anything close to a nerdfest or employing technobabble.  Important roles are cast VERY well, with Avasarala, Miller, and Amos being absolutely perfect.

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32 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

I think the show benefits greatly from having the authors of the books it is based on, on the team as producers.  As it progresses, they manage to encapsulate the complex internal and external political situation between Earth, Mars, the Belt, various OPA factions, and even stations like Ceres and Tycho, all without completely overwhelming the viewer.  Without Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck as producers, I suspect a lot of it would have been lost or oversimplified. 

There is a clear love for the source material. The visuals seem to exist only to serve it. Very cool. 

34 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

They also manage to make science an uncredited actor, without it being anything close to a nerdfest or employing technobabble. 

Personally I wish they would just refer to all objects as 'space <object>'. THAT's smart writing... No, one thing I'm immediately struck by is how they deal with zero gravity. Probably just one example as the story moves forward.

Great pacing to the show, too. 

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4 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

There is a clear love for the source material. The visuals seem to exist only to serve it. Very cool. 

Personally I wish they would just refer to all objects as 'space <object>'. THAT's smart writing... No, one thing I'm immediately struck by is how they deal with zero gravity. Probably just one example as the story moves forward.

Great pacing to the show, too. 

 

In the books, more attention is paid to the biological effects of long-term exposure to low-g and zero-g.  Belters are taller and leaner than everyone else, Earthers are short and more muscular (basically as we are currently), and Martians are in between the two.  UNN warships are considered faster because they can sustain 1g burns indefinitely, while Martians and Belters are only comfortable around 0.3g.  Of course, there are nowhere near enough 7-8' actors to depict them properly on screen, but it is illustrated in Miller's conversation with Havelock, and Miller's own bone deformities.  Little details, the show is absolutely packed full of them.

How far did you get?

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40 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

How far did you get?

Just through the first episode. Will bite off a couple more over the weekend, I imagine.

 

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On 4/20/2018 at 2:02 PM, McLoofus said:

Just through the first episode. Will bite off a couple more over the weekend, I imagine.

 

 

Did you get swallowed up in a binge watch?

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13 hours ago, Strychnine said:

Did you get swallowed up in a binge watch?

Made it through E4, which for me these days is a solid binge. Hooked. 

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21 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Made it through E4, which for me these days is a solid binge. Hooked. 

 

A moment of silence for Lt. Lopez, Captain Yao, and the gallant crew of MCRN Donnager.

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9 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

A moment of silence for Lt. Lopez, Captain Yao, and the gallant crew of MCRN Donnager.

That decapitation scene... just gripping, interesting, original stuff. It takes a lot to make violence a focal point in an interesting, non-gratuitous way anymore. Science. So cool.

I was curious about the scene where they were running across the bridge and the people were shooting at them, though. I guess the bullet propulsion and trajectory remains unchanged? Interesting that the shooters seemed somehow prepared or unaffected by it. Minor quip which I only raise as a testament to the show's attention to detail. 

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1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

That decapitation scene... just gripping, interesting, original stuff. It takes a lot to make violence a focal point in an interesting, non-gratuitous way anymore. Science. So cool.

I was curious about the scene where they were running across the bridge and the people were shooting at them, though. I guess the bullet propulsion and trajectory remains unchanged? Interesting that the shooters seemed somehow prepared or unaffected by it. Minor quip which I only raise as a testament to the show's attention to detail. 

 

Mag boots are supposed to be kept engaged on a ship, especially during combat when maneuvers are likely to vary between high-g, normal acceleration, and zero-g.  Lopez specifically tells them to turn off their mag boots so they can make it across the ramp to the Tachi faster, while his team provides suppressing fire.  The boarders, and Lopez' team, most likely had their mag boots engaged, as they were firing from static positions.  Considering that it is an MCRN ship, it was likely not burning any harder than 1g, and quite possibly only 0.38g (where Martians would be most comfortable).  For a soldier with mag boots in combat, they would only notice their arms and rifle suddenly weighing nothing when the drive cuts out, which are easily and quickly compensated for.

While we have no idea what the muzzle velocities are of rifles in the Expanse, our own modern rifles are basically instantaneous impacts at the kinds of range depicted within the Donnager's hangar.  They would not be affected much by the sudden change to zero-g when the drive cuts out.

As Mars considers Earth its only real military threat, the MCRN and specifically Martian Marine Corps (MMC) do train extensively in 1g.  UNN warships are faster than MCRN warships simply because the UNN's Earther crews are naturally comfortable with an indefinite 1g (or harder) burn.  Their limits before needing juice in high-g burns are also higher.

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20 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

Mag boots are supposed to be kept engaged on a ship, especially during combat when maneuvers are likely to vary between high-g, normal acceleration, and zero-g.  Lopez specifically tells them to turn off their mag boots so they can make it across the ramp to the Tachi faster, while his team provides suppressing fire.  The boarders, and Lopez' team, most likely had their mag boots engaged, as they were firing from static positions.  Considering that it is an MCRN ship, it was likely not burning any harder than 1g, and quite possibly only 0.38g (where Martians would be most comfortable).  For a soldier with mag boots in combat, they would only notice their arms and rifle suddenly weighing nothing when the drive cuts out, which are easily and quickly compensated for.

While we have no idea what the muzzle velocities are of rifles in the Expanse, our own modern rifles are basically instantaneous impacts at the kinds of range depicted within the Donnager's hangar.  They would not be affected much by the sudden change to zero-g when the drive cuts out.

As Mars considers Earth its only real military threat, the MCRN and specifically Martian Marine Corps (MMC) do train extensively in 1g.  UNN warships are faster than MCRN warships simply because the UNN's Earther crews are naturally comfortable with an indefinite 1g (or harder) burn.  Their limits before needing juice in high-g burns are also higher.

I yearn to one day fully appreciate a television show. I mean this will all sincerity, and as a compliment to your grasp on... all of that.

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12 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I yearn to one day fully appreciate a television show. I mean this will all sincerity, and as a compliment to your grasp on... all of that.

 

That is the beauty of the Expanse.  It has everything there for people like me to nerd out over "all of that", while still being engaging and gripping for people that do not want to think about "all of that" and just want to watch a good TV show.  It has technical complexity without drowning the show or plot in it.

The books obviously have the ability to delve deeper into the physiological differences between Earthers, Martians, and Belters and how it relates to ship acceleration capabilities and training.  However, think of it this way:  we put Scott Kelly on the ISS for a year.  He struggled with Earth's gravity (1g) for a while after he returned.  Simply getting up to walk to the bathroom was strenuous.  He had grown up and lived in 1g for 51 years prior to that.  Now think about Martians.  Most of them grew up living entirely under domes, in 0.38g.  They have literally never walked outside or experienced open spaces.  Some came from Earth in their lifetime, and some have been to Earth, but most have not.  If 1g punishes someone that spent half a century exposed to it constantly after he spent a year in zero-g, imagine the effect of long-term exposure to 1g for someone that has never experienced it.  Even the simple act of standing stationary in 1g requires their heart to work harder than it likely ever has in their life.

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21 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

 

That is the beauty of the Expanse.  It has everything there for people like me to nerd out over "all of that", while still being engaging and gripping for people that do not want to think about "all of that" and just want to watch a good TV show.  It has technical complexity without drowning the show or plot in it.

The books obviously have the ability to delve deeper into the physiological differences between Earthers, Martians, and Belters and how it relates to ship acceleration capabilities and training.  However, think of it this way:  we put Scott Kelly on the ISS for a year.  He struggled with Earth's gravity (1g) for a while after he returned.  Simply getting up to walk to the bathroom was strenuous.  He had grown up and lived in 1g for 51 years prior to that.  Now think about Martians.  Most of them grew up living entirely under domes, in 0.38g.  They have literally never walked outside or experienced open spaces.  Some came from Earth in their lifetime, and some have been to Earth, but most have not.  If 1g punishes someone that spent half a century exposed to it constantly after he spent a year in zero-g, imagine the effect of long-term exposure to 1g for someone that has never experienced it.  Even the simple act of standing stationary in 1g requires their heart to work harder than it likely ever has in their life.

Yeah, I actually get the long term stuff. I love, though, how the show (and books) prioritize it in the story, though. 

Agreed about the science stuff. Not only does it give you something to nerd out over, and not only is the story compelling without it, but the way it is presented encourages someone like me with a passing interest to spend a little more time thinking about it. Like the blood floating out of dude's neck suddenly splashing down when gravity is restored. It's like that crazy science teacher back in the day who would do some super cool experiment to show you a real life application of the material. 

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2 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Yeah, I actually get the long term stuff. I love, though, how the show (and books) prioritize it in the story, though. 

Agreed about the science stuff. Not only does it give you something to nerd out over, and not only is the story compelling without it, but the way it is presented encourages someone like me with a passing interest to spend a little more time thinking about it. Like the blood floating out of dude's neck suddenly splashing down when gravity is restored. It's like that crazy science teacher back in the day who would do some super cool experiment to show you a real life application of the material. 

 

There is also the ice-hauler/Belter ingenuity that Naomi displays in using the binder for an MCRN manual to patch a rail gun impact hole.

I am glad they did not dispense with physics with typical sci-fi things like artificial gravity plating, inertial dampeners, and hyperspace.  Of course, with the setting being our Solar System, they did not need to create an FTL travel mechanism.  Something to keep in mind with ships in the Expanse is that they are built like an office tower that is then laid on its side.  When you see external shots of a ship accelerating, the people inside are standing sideways relative to the viewer's point of view.  Decks run the width of the ship and stack relative to the engine.  This is the opposite of how ships are usually depicted in sci-fi, where on something like the Enterprise, decks run the length of the ship and stack accordingly.

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9 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

This season of the Americans ? ? ? 

I should probably start catching up on that before it ends and everyone goes spoiler crazy. One of the best shows ever. 

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@McLoofus

In true Syfy tradition, they have announced that they are dropping the Expanse after season 3 concludes.  The good news is that Alcon actually owns the show, not Syfy, so there is a good chance it will be picked up by someone else.  Amazon already has streaming rights in the North America market, and Netflix has streaming rights basically everywhere else.  Netflix would be my preference, as they actively promote their originals.

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2 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

@McLoofus

In true Syfy tradition, they have announced that they are dropping the Expanse after season 3 concludes.  The good news is that Alcon actually owns the show, not Syfy, so there is a good chance it will be picked up by someone else.  Amazon already has streaming rights in the North America market, and Netflix has streaming rights basically everywhere else.  Netflix would be my preference, as they actively promote their originals.

Yeah, that might actually be a big win for the show. I wonder if the content will change any now that they're free of FCC (MPAA?) regs?

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19 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Yeah, that might actually be a big win for the show. I wonder if the content will change any now that they're free of FCC (MPAA?) regs?

Wouldn't have thought of that angle.

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5 minutes ago, AUld fAUx@ said:

Wouldn't have thought of that angle.

One of the reasons so much "prestige tv" exists on premium and streaming channels. Makes a lot of compelling storytelling much easier. 

Edit: And let's be honest. Folks enjoy dirty words, graphic violence and T'n'A. 

Edited by McLoofus
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21 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Yeah, that might actually be a big win for the show. I wonder if the content will change any now that they're free of FCC (MPAA?) regs?

 

Avasarala in the books is notorious for her acerbic wit and foul language.  Some of it remains on the uncensored Amazon broadcasts of season 2 and 3.

That said, the show already receives basically universal critical acclaim, exactly as it has aired on Syfy.  Amazon and Netflix are both smart enough to know not to mess with an already winning formula.  It also can already be rather brutal.  I will keep the spoilers to a minimum, as I do not think you have made it far yet, but men/women/children get spaced, there is genocide, the end result of human vivisection is displayed, millions die in a nuclear attack, etc.

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10 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

One of the reasons so much "prestige tv" exists on premium and streaming channels. Makes a lot of compelling storytelling much easier. 

Edit: And let's be honest. Folks enjoy dirty words, graphic violence and T'n'A. 

 

They do, and it also realistic.  Basically no one ever finds themselves in a real life-threatening situation and says:  darn.

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A confession:  I fully expected this to happen.  This is what Syfy does.  Sometimes I think they simply cannot stand having a good show for very long.  Syfy is the network that somehow managed to keep a brilliant show like Battlestar Galactica alive long enough to finish, only to follow it up (and the great press that came with it) by acquiring WWE Smackdown and moving another brilliant show (Stargate Universe) to a deathray timeslot.  Syfy could make even NCIS fail.

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