shapinglight: (Telly time)
None ([personal profile] shapinglight) wrote2017-02-25 10:35 pm
Entry tags:

TV stuff and a writing whinge

Thought it was about time I got an icon for random TV posts, though I'm throwing my latest writing whinge in this one too.

It's the last episode of Taboo tonight.

Spoilers for Taboo and for series 2 of The Man in the High Castle behind cut.



I've enjoyed Taboo, have to say, though it has more than its fair share of preposterous elements. I suspect it's these that have enabled me to watch some very unpleasant scenes - such as the torture scene in the penultimate episode, where the hero was (fairly graphically) waterboarded - without being much bothered. It probably also helps that the only characters I've warmed to are Lorna Bow, James Delaney's stepmother, and Godders, Delaney's cross-dressing spy in the East India Company. Apart from those two, everyone is pretty horrible. It is very atmospheric, though, and as far as I can tell, those involved have mostly done their research.

I shall miss it, especially as it will mean there's bugger all on broadcast TV to watch at all.

Well, I suppose there's SS-GB. I did watch the first episode of that last Sunday, but I can't say I was terribly thrilled by it. Not to mention, having finally managed to drag myself to the end of season 2 of The Man in the High Castle, I'm sick to death of TV Nazis. 'What if' dramas about the Nazis winning the war are all very well when you're not worried about them staging a comeback in the present day.

Anyway, my issues with season 2 were the same as with season 1. The three characters you were meant to identify with (I assume), Joe, Frank and Juliana, all annoyed the hell out of me. When Frank blew himself up while failing to kill Chief Inspector Kido, I was pleased. I thought, good riddance, and thank goodness the more interesting character survived. The same is true of Joe and Obergruppenfuhrer Smith. If one of them has to die in the next series, I hope it's Joe.

And I actually don't like that I hope this. I can't help feeling there's something wrong somewhere when the only characters you're interested in are a horrible Nazi (okay, so he loves his family, but so what?) or an equally horrible Japanese policeman who, as Frank pointed out before going on his suicide mission, had an innocent woman and her children gassed to death just to teach someone a lesson.

Etc, etc, etc. I really hope the next season is the last and the only survivor out of the horrible lot of them is Trade Minister Tagomi.

That finished at last, I'm now trying to finish watching the first series of Humans, Channel 4's much -less-pretentious-than-Westworld - AI/robot drama. Only two episodes to go. Not sure what I'll watch after that, but it's nearly time for The Americans to start again anyway.

The writing whinge part of this post is really only me saying (yet again) that I'm well and truly stuck with this WIP of mine. What I've written so far is fine, I think, and I know (have always known) how it ends. But how to get from where I am to the end, I have no idea. Also, writing is such hard work - especially plotting and action scenes.

:Cries:

Oh well, everyone should have my problems (instead of their own, I mean). ;)
gillo: (Default)

[personal profile] gillo 2017-02-25 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Taboo looked great but was ultimately hollow, I felt. The ending was particularly unsatisfying. Tom Hollander and Jason Watkins were wonderful as usual, and I liked Jonathan Pryce, but Mark Gatiss wasn't hugely convincing. I think I've read too much about that period - I found a lot of the writing sloppy. Last week I'll swear a character asked "Are you OK?"

We loved "No Offence", which finished last week, and are hoping Broadchurch3 will help to fill the void. There really is sod all on at present, though.

[identity profile] thismaz.livejournal.com 2017-02-26 08:38 am (UTC)(link)
We watched the first episode of SS-GB last night and on the whole I agree with you that it is stylish, but not gripping. We'll probably give it a second chance before deciding. I saw that there was criticism of the clarity of the dialogue, but I didn't find that a problem, personally. But I didn't watch MiaHC, so am not suffering from a surfeit of WW2 'what if's. Dj did, so I think he is less tolerant of SS-GB as a result.

We missed Taboo, because I forgot to programme it into the recorder. I was planning to pick it up on lovefilm, when it comes out. Would you recommend?
ext_11988: made by lmbossy (KC trees)

[identity profile] kazzy-cee.livejournal.com 2017-02-26 10:10 am (UTC)(link)
I quite liked the first series of Humans but we have the whole of the second series recorded and haven't started watching it yet.

I've finally finished Outlander series 2 so onwards to Lucifer I think. I hope it's not too violent?

[identity profile] howlin-wolf-66.livejournal.com 2017-02-26 03:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I have also enjoyed Taboo; I'm a sucker for anything with an atmospheric mood, no matter how preposterous! :-)

[identity profile] howlin-wolf-66.livejournal.com 2017-02-28 10:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Nice to meet you, too! :-)

[identity profile] orangerful.livejournal.com 2017-02-27 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
I agree with EVERYTHING you said about 'Man in the High Castle'. We forced ourselves to watch Season 2 to the end but OMG I AM SO DONE WITH IT! Everyone just annoys the hell outta me. I like Rupert so I keep watching, which is messed up since he is "the Nazi with a heart of gold...but probably gold stolen from Jewish families..." character. I will probably "forget" that they are making a season 3.