Comments | iidoru: You're all slacking off.

iidoru

You're all slacking off.

Apr 26, 2010 15:41

So... why didn't you guys tell me about Band of Brothers? I mean seriously, I count on you to let me know what I should be watching. I discovered Burn Notice because of thepouncer , Being Human because of kuzibah , and I can't even begin to list the shows that wwolfe has turned me onto. So you'll have to forgive me if I'm having trouble understanding this oversight.

( I know that this post is almost ten years too late, but you only have yourselves to blame. I forgive you, though, because normally you're on top of these things. )

Comments 28

leoff April 26 2010, 22:46:30 UTC

Anything else you should be watching? A list of my current favorites that may not be the mainstream:

- Life on Mars. No, NOT the crappy US version, but the 2 seasons of the UK version that were released about 4 or 5 years ago. Excellent "man out of his element" senario.

- Being Human: well, you mentioned that already. Good, ain't it?

- The Tudors: in it's 4th and last season, Henry's now finally running out of wives!

- Dexter: HBO show about a "good guy" serial killer. A bit on the bloody side at times, but hey, you're liking Band of Brothers, so...

- Doctor Who: My favorite show in the whole wide world. Rivals that of even Buffy. If you can't get it or watch it easily, hit me up, I'll send it to you.

iidoru April 27 2010, 13:51:16 UTC

-I started watching the British version of Life on Mars based on wwolfe's recommendation, but I went into it thinking it was a comedy and the whole thing was very weird. I guess I should give it another shot.

-Being Human ROCKS. I still have to get my hands on the second season.

-Is The Tudors really that good? I wanted to watch it but I heard it was trashy. And I've read a lot about Henry VIII and have a soft spot for him - so they make you hate him?

-I absolutely LOVE Dexter. I've been watching since season 1 and I read the books, too.

-I watched the first four "new" series of Dr Who, and I've seen the first episode of the new series, but I'm not sure I like the new Doctor. But yeah, the first four were awesome.

leoff April 27 2010, 23:13:02 UTC

The Tudors is in a vein of shows that have come out the past few years that try and beef up a moment in history. "Rome", "Deadwood", and now "The Tudors". Each comes with a slight soap-opera-ish telling of events, but they're still good.

The Tudors has a bit more sex in it, but to me it's realistic, cuz that's basically what everyone was doing back then - screwing each other to get ahead.

They put Henry the VIII in a REALISTIC light. He doesn't come across as an idiot or evil or a villain, but there are times when you'll be like "What the hell, Henry? Did he/she really deserve THAT?!?"

iidoru April 28 2010, 14:38:57 UTC

The thing about Henry is, he was a really good king. The people wouldn't have put up with his shenanigans if he hadn't been. But yeah, he was a little extreme at times.

How are they playing out his aging? He was really good-looking as a young man, but he got pretty fat as he got older. And have they actually given him the syph?

What wife are they at?

Thread 5

Well... kuzibah April 27 2010, 01:07:53 UTC

In my defense, I've never seen Band of Brothers, either. But I may put it on the list now. The same production team is currently doing a series called The Pacific, which is the story of WWII in the Pacific theater.

As for other shows you might like...

I really enjoy "Glee." The stories can be silly, but the production numbers are fun.

"Clone Wars" on Cartoon Network has done some amazing stuff. It is pretty intense and thoughtful.

I concur on Doctor Who, and the new Doctor is as good as I hoped he would be after vetting his "Masterpiece Theater" appearances.

Other than that... waiting for new "Burn Notice" and for "True Blood" to start up again.

Glad you loved "Being Human." I'm rewatching Season 2 with Grim, and love that it improves with repeat viewings.

Re: Well... iidoru April 27 2010, 14:09:23 UTC

I've heard that The Pacific doesn't hold a candle to Band of Brothers. I definitely recommend BoB - it's only ten episodes so it's not a huge investment, either.

I love Glee, too! It's so silly but I love the song and dance numbers.

It's never even occurred to me to watch Clone Wars. Is it cannon?

I loved Tennant so much I'm not sure I'm going to be able to accept Matt Smith. I don't know. He's a bit of a clown.

I'm just finishing up the third season of Burn Notice. And I got some friends hooked, so that's good.

I enjoy True Blood, too. Do you read the books? I'm really surprised that the show is so much darker than the books are. The show followed the original storyline fairly closely for the first season, but I assume that although some characters and stories will be the same, the gap between the two will get bigger as time goes on. What do you think?

I'm still trying to get my hands on Season 2 of Being Human. I think I might get a copy next week.

Re: Well... kuzibah April 27 2010, 15:46:16 UTC

Clone Wars is out of Lucas Arts Animation, so I'd consider it canon. I doubt Lucas himself signs off on every script, but I'm sure he at least approves the major arcs. Grim got me into it (shocking, I know) but I've been really surprised by how complex some of the stories are. For instance, one of the ongoing themes involves the clones themselves. There are three who travel with Anakin, and they've started wearing different hairstyles and going by names instead of designations. They keep coming back to the idea of what it means to be an individual if there are thousands of men genetically identical to you fighting the same war. If one is killed, will his death really matter if another clone simply steps into his place? Is their biology truly their destiny? Pretty existential for a show aimed at the 7-to-12-year-old crowd ( ... )

Re: Well... iidoru April 27 2010, 16:04:39 UTC

I think you're right about Clone Wars being canon. Wasn't this pretty much the only part of the story he didn't allow other people to write about? It's cool that he's doing it in comic format. I'll try to check it out - from what you describe, it sounds very interesting ( ... )

Thread 11

thepouncer April 27 2010, 02:39:15 UTC

I missed Band of Brothers the first time it aired, and watched in a rush, maybe three years ago? I know I made a few comments to LJ about it, because the series is so good and heart-wrenching (the planes leaving England for Normandy made me cry, but I am recognized as an utter sap about that sort of thing ( ... )

iidoru April 27 2010, 14:15:42 UTC

I absolutely love the image of the parachutes falling the the earth - do you remember the image I mean? I'd love to find a poster of that.

-I love Castle, too! I love that Nathan Fillion is so... so Nathan Fillion.
-I've watched some Criminal Minds, but I can't buy Joe Montagna's new character. To me he'll always be Joan's dad.
-Burn Notice = love, yes.
-White Collar! Bryce Larson as the suave criminal! I love that.
-I watch Leverage, too. Ha. It seems we both love capers.
-I'll have to check out Justified. I've heard a few things about it but this is the first time I even hear a little synopsis. Who plays the main role?
-You didn't like David Tennant as the Doctor? What?
-V nostalgia! Yes! Me too. Although I admit I haven't seen it since the hiatus. I want to, I'm just busy. And Krycek is in it!
-wwolfe sent me the first season of Mad Men. I guess I should watch that, huh?

-Do you watch In Plain Sight? I absolutely love that show - it's pure fun. I'm especially fond of Marshall Marshall Mann.

thepouncer April 28 2010, 03:03:43 UTC

I'm not fond of Rossi on Criminal Minds. He's never done anything to make me like him, and lots to make me dislike him.

Timothy Olyphant is the lead in Justified. He's terrific, but all the cast are terrific, so.

I think it was more that I didn't like David Tennant's Doctor as written by Rusty. He was super-manic and never seemed to make much sense, but the sense should have come from decent plots. There was so much hand-waving about the solutions to whatever that week's problem was. The fandom also scared me. Bigtime.

Mad Men is really, really good.

I tried In Plain Sight but couldn't get into it. So much TV, so little time!

iidoru April 28 2010, 14:45:38 UTC

Well, I was hooked on In Plain Sight from the first episode I watched, so I don't have any arguments to convince you, really. But it's a show I would have bet that you liked. I love the characters way more than the stories, and the relationship between Mary and Marshall is one of my all-time favourites.

And I'm definitely going to check out Justified. Is the first season finished?

wwolfe April 28 2010, 17:03:37 UTC

I actually watched "Band of Brothers," so there's no excuse for me not telling you about it. I thought it (and Lewis) was excellent, but very tough to watch. It wasn't the violence alone, but rather the knowledge that we were surely going to see some characters die that kept me in a constant state of tension. For that reason, I decided to forego "The Pacific": I just can't handle stress, over and above what I get at work. I would like to see the scenes featuring Caroline Dhavernas, since I'm a big fan, but I'd have to record every episode and then fast forward through all the exploding, bloody parts, so that probably won't happen ( ... )

iidoru April 28 2010, 21:09:20 UTC

LOVE Life. And the final episode was amazing ( ... )

wwolfe April 28 2010, 21:47:16 UTC

I loved "When Mary Met Marshall." I'm a fan of origin episodes of TV shows, so I was inclined to like it anyway, but they did an extraordinary job of telling us how, and why, these two characters made a good team. Funnily enough, there was a very similar origin episode on "Bones," that very same week - also well done, as it happens - so I had a fun time watching my crime fighting TV couples that week. (Oh, and I miss Eleanor, too. I liked her relationship with Mary - she was one of the few who was totally unintimidated by Mary, which was fun to see - and I liked her quiet romance with Stan.)

I forgot to mention "Warehouse 13" among shows I watch. It's lightly likable, not great, but it's a pleasant TV equivalent of tasty junk food. Good premise (a government run warehouse where all sorts of historically famous, and dangerous, thingamajigs are stored - covertly, of course), with episodes that don't quite do the premise justice. It was re-newed for a second season, so I'm hopeful it will improve just enough to be good solid fun.

iidoru April 30 2010, 15:03:02 UTC

I loved how Marshall told Stan to snap her up. That's one of the real reasons they get along so well: he is not intimidated by her or her competence. (The part when she tricks the bad guy into following her to the alley was brilliant. And Marshall caught on right away. I loved that.)

I've heard of Warehouse 13 but I don't get it here. Is it worth buying, do you think?

Have you seen White Collar? I really like that, too. As H said, great caper show.

Thread 6

my_shoe_closet April 29 2010, 23:23:49 UTC

My only addition to this is Big Love. Mormon polygamy! Super fun!

iidoru April 30 2010, 15:04:19 UTC

I haven't watched this show at all. For some reason, it always seemed a bit serious to me - I'm not sure why. Worth checking out, then?