Other TV stuff in brief

[shapinglight]

Was going to make a post about other TV stuff before, but never got around to it somehow. It's possibly because I've been too busy watching TV. ;) Oh, and reading. I'm on my third book since the operation now. This may sound like nothing to many of you but I - from being a voracious reader as a young woman - have struggled to get through more than a dozen books a year for quite some time now. ;)

Spoilers behind cut for Star Trek : Discovery. Also mention of The Gifted, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and The Good Place. Slight spoilers for those.



I finished The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, which, IMO, lived up to its title in every way. Superbly written and acted, and looked great. I can see an eventual reconciliation between Midge and Joel some way down the road, but I think they're a long way from it yet, and I only base this on the fact that Joel followed the guys who were barracking Midge out of the Gaslight and picked a fight with them for saying Midge wasn't funny. She was hilarious, I thought, though I can also see how some men would find her humour threatening. Not much has changed really, has it?

I also finished The Gifted, which has taken me ages, mainly because I found the Strucker family so dull! This continued even after the revelation that they were the same Struckers (or Von Struckers) from the comics - Magneto's mortal enemies, btw. Wonder if that will ever come up? I can see why the show got another series. Some of the characters/actors are really good - in particular Coby Bell as Agent Turner and Emma Dumont as Lorna - and I do like how it ties into the original comics series. But it's been way too slow at times, and I'm really, really not interested in the Struckers. Oh well.

Those two finished, I looked around for something else to watch and decided to try The Good Place on Netflix. It's great fun, very funny, and of course there's lots going on under the surface, but I have issues with it - not least of which is that, despite her beginning to reform (as it were) I really don't like Eleanor. I know her being unlikeable (at least at the beginning) is sort of the point, but IMO we're also supposed to sympathise with her POV and think the other inhabitants of the Good Place are a bunch of self-righteous, liberal do-gooders who care about stuff like education that 'real' people find boring. And that grates on me a bit, have to say. It does in a lot of US comedy - Friends for instance. I used to get really irritated by how the other five would react with yawns and incomprehension whenever Ross talked about his work, and that we were obviously supposed to sympathise with their POV.

I hope this isn't a really contentious view, btw. I don't really want to argue with anyone.

None of this is enough to make me stop watching, though. The Good Place is witty and fun. And the episodes are short, which is a plus.

I found this week's Star Trek: Discovery a little disappointing. This is mainly because of Lorca. It just seems such a waste to me the way his character was built up all season, making him quite complex and interesting, only to have him suddenly become this mwah!hah!ha! villain and get killed a minute later. I was also disappointed the Mirrorverse version of Dr Culber never appeared. It seems the character is just gone, then? :( No idea what might happen in the last two episodes. Can't imagine ex-Empress Philippa is going to care for the Federation-verse. I suppose it's possible she'll be just what they need to beat the Klingons, though.

We'll see.

Comments

[beer_good_foamy]

but IMO we're also supposed to sympathise with her POV and think the other inhabitants of the Good Place are a bunch of self-righteous, liberal do-gooders who care about stuff like education that 'real' people find boring. And that grates on me a bit, have to say.

No spoilers, but... Stick with it until the s1 finale, then read this again and see if you've changed your mind. :D

[shadowkat]

Basically what beer_good_foamy said.

And I felt the same way, gave up on it, then months later read the S1 finale spoiler -- went back, binged all of it, and well..I changed my mind. It's not what you think.

[shapinglight]

I'll find out soon, I guess. Four more season 1 episodes to go.

[shapinglight]

Well, I'm up to episode 10 now and I am beginning to change my mind already. ;)

[sibilant]

I found this week's Star Trek: Discovery a little disappointing. This is mainly because of Lorca. It just seems such a waste to me the way his character was built up all season, making him quite complex and interesting, only to have him suddenly become this mwah!hah!ha! villain and get killed a minute later.

As long as we don't get a Dallas-style reset!

But at the moment they seem to have painted themselves into a bit of a corner - the whole season gets hijacked by the Mirror 'verse and then everyone's toys get thrown out of the pram. And Lorca was my favourite character after Burnham, so I'm feeling short-changed just like you.

I suppose it's quite exciting that Michael and Philippa could join up to defeat the Klingons and save the universe? She says, slightly worried about Philippa's motives

[shapinglight]

And Lorca was my favourite character after Burnham, so I'm feeling short-changed just like you.

Well, the conflicted characters just are usually more interesting. I felt Lorca was turned into a bit of a caricature of what he appeared to be in episode 13. Not sure if you've seen 14 yet, but they do seem to have left themselves the option to bring me back in some form down the line if they want.

I suppose it's quite exciting that Michael and Philippa could join up to defeat the Klingons and save the universe? She says, slightly worried about Philippa's motives.

Yep. I feel very much the same way - even more so after ep 14.

[yourlibrarian]

I hope this isn't a really contentious view, btw. I don't really want to argue with anyone.

I certainly wouldn't argue with you because it annoys me too. What's worse, it annoys me when I run into it in the workplace. Clearly the world continues to turn in large part because not everyone is bored by important things.

[shadowkat]

It does in a lot of US comedy - Friends for instance. I used to get really irritated by how the other five would react with yawns and incomprehension whenever Ross talked about his work, and that we were obviously supposed to sympathise with their POV.

I hope this isn't a really contentious view, btw. I don't really want to argue with anyone.

Not at all, feel much the same way about US comedy. Had similar issues with Friends and Big Bang Theory for that matter. I tend to prefer British comedy to it...partly because of that.

But...The Good Place surprised me. It's not like anything I've seen before.

[shapinglight]

Clearly the world continues to turn in large part because not everyone is bored by important things.

Well, exactly.

[lyr]

You know, I think that is the way you're supposed to feel about Eleanor and her POV early in the first season. I did. I barely kept watching it through the first half of the season because of that. Then everything took a really sharp left turn, including Eleanor and her POV. Now I really love that show.

[shapinglight]

That's good to now. I have kept watching. Am now up to episode 10 of season 1. Michael has just stood up to the Bad Place demons and insisted Eleanor stay where she is.

Both Eleanors, I hope, as the other one hardly deserves the Bad Place, but as of now, I don't know that.

[molly_may]

I'm not going to say much of anything about The Good Place, except that I enjoy it tremendously, because I hope you have the opportunity to finish the first season without overthinking what the upcoming spoilers might be!

I sort of half-watched The Gifted while it was airing, and felt mostly as you did - there are some good elements that are a bit overshadowed by the fact that the Struckers are so boring. Mostly, I was disappointed that the great Amy Acker is being wasted in such a standard "mom" role.

[shapinglight]

because I hope you have the opportunity to finish the first season without overthinking what the upcoming spoilers might be!

You've all got me very intrigued, but I am trying not to think about it too much. Not least because I won't be able to watch any more until at least Thursday.

Mostly, I was disappointed that the great Amy Acker is being wasted in such a standard "mom" role.

Yeah, I never expected to have to put 'Amy Acker' and 'boring' in the same sentence. She's wasted, IMO.

[tinny]

Good point about The Good Place. I disliked Eleanor for a lot of reasons in s1. Have you seen s2 yet? It puts things a little more in perspective in respect to who is supposed to be a good person.

But I totally see your point about Ross on Friends, too. In general, Hollywood trains us to praise the people who don't do work but follow their heart (and value play over work). I guess it's the founding stone of Hollywood, so I guess it figures. I don't like it, either, though.

[shapinglight]

In general, Hollywood trains us to praise the people who don't do work but follow their heart (and value play over work). I guess it's the founding stone of Hollywood, so I guess it figures.

Yes, good point.

I have carried on watching The Good Place. I'm now two thirds of the way through season 2. Liking it very much indeed. More than season 1 now, which I didn't think would be the cast to start with.