TV stuff, mostly Westworld

[shapinglight]

I did the disappearing thing again - partly because, as usual, I've been gadding about from place to place a lot, and partly because (as usual these days), I feel I have nothing of interest to say. :(

The last few days, though, there's been a third reason, which is that I've been binge-watching (something I very rarely do) season 2 of Westworld.

Spoilers for Westworld behind cut. Also brief mention of Versailles season 3 and Picnic at Hanging Rock.



This is a bit of a surprise to me too, have to say. The only comment I posted about season 1 after watching it in 2016 is as follows (from a review of TV I'd watched that year):

Westworld, which I was kind of ambivalent about. I liked Thandie Newton's character, but again it was excessively (unnecessarily) violent and a bit up itself.

I suppose season 2 was still both of those things, and I still had the same difficulty that I had in season 1 (but didn't mention in my brief review) of not warming to Dolores (any version of her) at all, which - given that she and Bernard are the main characters and in so many scenes - is a problem. However, I really loved season 2.

Okay, it was still up itself in the sense that the plot was tricky to follow at times, and some characters - Dolores and Ford in particular - were way too apt to make portentous (and ambiguous! why could they never just say what they meant?) speeches, which left the audience as baffled as poor old Bernard with his fractured memory, but it was also clever and ambiguous, and some of the character development was wonderful. I loved the adventures of Maeve and her band of misfits, and was really sad when Lee died (though pleased for him that he came so far as a character), and am really hoping that with the help of Lutz and Sylvester (who underwent their own -understated - heroes' journies), Maeve, and possibly Hector, will return in season 3.

I also liked that we got outside of the Western-themed part of the park, exploring new areas of it, and that new characters were brought to the fore with such skill. In fact, the best episode of the entire series, IMO, was the one from the POV of Akecheta the ghost warrior. Second best, Maeve and companions in Shogun World.

It was still very violent of course (a disease which has thoroughly infected modern TV), but possibly a little less so than season 1, or possibly less hard to deal with because the Hosts had developed agency, I'm not sure?

Anyway, I'm glad there'll be a season 3, though storywise I don't think there actually needs to be (except that Maeve needs to come back).

Apart from that, I've been keeping up with the final season of Versailles - usually on catch-up. I had thought the series was cancelled unexpectedly, but this interview with Alexander Vlahos, who plays Philippe of Orleans, suggests otherwise. Also interesting to me is that, with his revocation of the Edict of Nantes, thus ending religious tolerance in France, King Louis has pretty much become the villain of the piece. Does this show the Anglo-Saxon Protestant origins of the showrunners (presuming here, for all I know they're Catholics), or does it just show their modern liberalism? Maybe a bit of both? Who knows? Anyway, I like the show a lot and am sad it's over, even though I hated what happened to the poor queen and that Sophie, who otherwise I would have wanted to get away with everything, got away with it. Also, as trepkos has pointed out, there haven't been nearly enough gay orgies in season 3.

I've also been watching Picnic at Hanging Rock, veering between finding it eerie and dreamlike, then finding it unpleasantly prurient. Hmm. Anyone else been watching this?



In completely unrelated news, I've been missing my fanfic writings days somewhat. Saw petzipellepingo pimping the IWRY marathon today and realised I've missed all the ficathons for two years now - Seasonal Spuffy, Summer of Giles etc. Oh well.

When it comes to IWRY, I'm pretty sure I didn't have another Bangel story in me anyway.

Comments

[shadowkat]

Read with interest your reviews of Westworld S2 and Picnic at Hanging Rock...because been flirting with both for a while now.

I had the same reaction that you did to Westworld S1. I liked Thandi Newton's character, but everyone else was a bit ambivalent about. And for some reason could not warm to Dolores, and considering she was the main point of view character -- that was a problem. Also I thought it was more interested in being clever about how it told the story then in just telling the story.

But your review makes me want to look at it again.

Picnic at Hanging Rock --- I'm uncertain about. I loved the Peter Weir film version. But the series looks like it may get on my nerves. Not a fan of prurient. So am on the fence still.

[shapinglight]

Also I thought it was more interested in being clever about how it told the story then in just telling the story.

I felt the same about season 1. I found it very cold, and a bit smug. Too clever for its own good. However, character is very much more to the fore in season 2 and it's much the better for it.

I'd recommend Picnic at Hanging Rock. There have been a few what I've considered gratuitous nude scenes (hence the 'prurient' comment), but for the most part I think it's very good. Natalie Dormer is terrific as the main character.

[shadowkat]

Thanks. Will try both soon.

Felt the same way on S1. It felt very smug. So good to know they switch to character in S2.

Also goo to know about Picnic.

[orangerful]

I think everyone agrees that the episode with Akecheta was the most enjoyable episode of the series...he was actually a likeable character the whole time. And the episode was so straight forward, it made sense!

I track my shows using the TV TIME app and after each episode, you are supposed to pick your favorite character of the episode, which it randomly generates from the main cast and people contacted the company and made them add Akecheta so they could vote for him.

I have the same problem with Westworld's storytelling as I did with Lost. They seem to think that because they did wacky non-linear stuff in season 1, they must ALWAYS do it and they must make it more convoluted each episode. I really wish they would trust us, as an audience, to want to watch for the story and not some guaranteed "twist".

I'm not sure I want to watch Season 3. I just don't care about Dolores. Or, as I said to Tim, I feel like I should just watch 'Battlestar Galactica' because, really, isn't this just going to all end with Cylons blowing up the Earth in revenge for how they were treated? That is Dolores end game?

LOL I kind of want to watch 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' now...but I just like Natalie Dormer. Also, I think I watched the original movie when I was a teen, during my Australia obsession? It was weird and creepy, that is really all I remember. At least it is a mini-series so I'm not making that much of a commitment!

[shapinglight]

I think everyone agrees that the episode with Akecheta was the most enjoyable episode of the series...he was actually a likeable character the whole time. And the episode was so straight forward, it made sense!

I'd agree with that, though for me, it's not the convoluted storylines and timeslips that I mind so much, it's the deliberate obfuscation. I don't see why people can't just say what they mean.

That is Dolores end game?

I think you're right about that. Certainly looks that way. I've never liked Dolores, not as the Destroyer, and not as Miss Goody Two-Shoes the way she was in season 1. It also doesn't help that the other main character, Bernard, spends so much time sitting around looking all floppy and helpless compared to her. However, I will carry on with the show because despite all these faults I think it's TV of a very high quality. Also, I love Maeve and am pretty sure she'll be back in season 3.

What I said about the Picnic at Hanging Rock mini series makes it sound like I don't like it, which I'm sorry about. I think it's very good actually. It's just that there have been several nude scenes which I've thought completely gratuitous, which annoyed me a bit. But no, I recommend it, and Natalie Dormer is very good.

[yourlibrarian]

I haven't been able to see the rest of Westworld yet but hope to look back at this when I do.

Your comment made me realize that everything seems to go by so quickly now, it's hard to keep up with events.

[shapinglight]

Your comment made me realize that everything seems to go by so quickly now, it's hard to keep up with events.Westworld when you catch up with it. I didn't binge-watch the entire thing - just from episode 5 onwards.

[sibilant]

I've watched the first few episodes of Westworld S2 and found them annoyingly and deliberately confusing. The timey-wimey messing about just gets on my nerves and also undermines the character development. As you say, Dolores has become ultra-irritating, but I also dislike Maeve's superpower of controlling the other robots - it's a too-convenient deus ex machina. However, I do really like Maeve (yay Thandie!) and Bernard, so I will probably watch the rest of the season eventually. By gum, it's right bloody, though.

Haven't tried PaHR due to prurience concerns after reading about it. But I do like Natalie Dormer, so I may come back to it.

[shapinglight]

I've watched the first few episodes of Westworld S2 and found them annoyingly and deliberately confusing.

I didn't particularly like them either, though not really because of the different timelines. I've never minded that. I don't really think of it as timey-wimey because it doesn't involved any daft Doctor Who-like paradoxes. I agree it can be confusing, though, unnecessarily so at times.

I loved Maeve's superpower. Everything about Maeve, in fact. I would say keep watching. It gets so much better as it goes along.

Picnic at Hanging Rock is worth watching, I think. Natalie Dormer is terrific in it and it looks superb.