TV 2

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TV 2

1SPRankin
Fév 9, 2019, 4:43 pm

Carry on.

2Kat.Warren
Fév 9, 2019, 11:32 pm

Hola you all.

I am (more) befuddled (than usual). What is the difference between TV and Streaming? I know the latter includes movies and the former does so only occasionally. I never TV (operator issues) but stream often.

3JulieCarter
Fév 11, 2019, 12:20 pm

I don't know anymore. I so rarely watch anything on live television, and many people literally never do anything but stream, so I don't separate the two.

While I was sick in bed, I watched a lot of tv, naturally. A lot of "okay" rom-coms and the entire first season of "You" on Netflix. That was really interesting to me, and I kept thinking about how Penn Badgely was grossed out by the women/girls who are going gaga over his character. He's totally right, because the guy is a first class creep, but if you look at it from his girlfriend's POV, he's almost the perfect guy most of the time. So these girls are just looking at that part and ignoring the disgusting, creepy, and freaky parts of his character and just seeing the sweet perfect guy. Grow up, girls! Anyway, I really enjoyed it, and it really made me want to read. He's a bookstore manager (in a bookstore that sells new & used, rare, first editions, etc.) and she's a writer (MFA student), and they read a lot and talk about books a lot (Paula Fox! Mary Shelley! Don Quixote! Dumas! and one of her friends is a Salinger!). And it made me really miss reading and discussing it. I have a lot of goals for myself right now, and one of them is to read more and read better. This show actually has encouraged me to do to that. It has NOT encouraged me to get out there and start dating again. Nope.

4SPRankin
Modifié : Fév 12, 2019, 6:16 pm

Re: Streaming/TV. I don't think there's much of a distinction any longer for discussion purposes and I propose corralling all TV talk here.

RE: Russian Doll as a recovery metaphor. I can see that, and also as one for depression (the Alan part)--and especially how both are entwined and connected to each other. I think that's why the actual puzzle part of it didn't feel so important and why it hasn't spawned millions of theories and other internet sleuthing. (Or maybe it has? I don't know. I just know I didn't feel the need to look for any.) There's just this mystery that never really gets resolved plot-wise and while the threads do come together with no loose ends, there's no explanation of how or who or what or anything. But, man, at the end you feel right in the gut that the WHY has been answered.

5Kat.Warren
Fév 23, 2019, 1:38 am

Then, my question is why do we have threads for TV and Steaming video? I don't know in which thread to post.

6SPRankin
Fév 23, 2019, 8:17 am

I think you should post here. Any group member can create a thread about anything they want in LibraryThing.

7Nancy_Sirvent
Fév 23, 2019, 9:49 am

I don't think anyone will mind or notice if you post in the "wrong" thread.

8SPRankin
Fév 23, 2019, 12:18 pm

100% agree.

9Pat_D
Fév 24, 2019, 1:04 pm

I thought we should make the distinction for those who don't subscribe to the streaming options (Netflix, BritBox, Hulu, Prime, etc.), and who only have access to network or cable TV, but I'm fine with combining them if it's causing too much confusion.

10laurenbufferd
Juin 20, 2019, 5:05 pm

Is anyone watching Vida?

11Nancy_Sirvent
Juin 20, 2019, 6:36 pm

Vida was a great Marge Piercy novel. I don't suppose there's any chance there's a connection?

12aussieh
Juin 21, 2019, 6:20 am

Watched the first episode in series on SBS The Miniaturist loved the novel, not sure about this adaptation.

13laurenbufferd
Modifié : Juin 21, 2019, 10:39 am

Oh Aussie, I thought the adaptation was wretched - make of that as you will.

Vida was a great Marge Piercy novel but the show is about two sisters who are called home to East LA after their mother dies. It is about the gentrification, chola style, and queer Latinx culture. There's quite a bit of very attractive people having all kinds of sex.

14Nancy_Sirvent
Juin 21, 2019, 11:44 am

Thanks, LB. I'm in.

15aussieh
Juin 21, 2019, 6:31 pm

>13 laurenbufferd: I agree with you, how to mess up a wonderful book, impossible to capture the true essence of this novel on screen.

16laurenbufferd
Juin 22, 2019, 11:09 am

Hah! Nancy. Yes.

17aussieh
Modifié : Juil 1, 2019, 7:46 pm

Enjoying the latest series of Handmaid's Tale, episode three and final of The Miniaturist coming up this week.

18DG_Strong
Juil 4, 2019, 8:22 am

I've been enjoying the trashy Season 2 of Big Little Lies, though it definitely has an unnecessary feel to it -- because there's no central mystery at play (other than IS THERE GOING TO BE A MYSTERY), the structure isn't as deliberate as Season 1, which lends it a more soap opera quality...this happens and then this happens and then this happens and they're all emotional high peaks, so it comes off a bit...unlikely. I mean, there's practically a voodoo queen with second sight this time around, which is a bit much.

I've given the presence of Streep a lot of thought and finally come down on the side of "astonishing" -- I know she has detractors (I'm normally a fan, but even I admit she has a Bag of Tricks that can be wearing), but there's something about this part that has her doing things she's not done in a long time. There's no eyelid fluttering or eyes darting around and down or vocal hesitations, no ums or breathy pauses -- she delivers her lines declaratively while looking at the faces of the other characters without blinking at all. The unflinching gaze itself is a character choice and it's the right one. I really do think she's never been better.

19Kat.Warren
Modifié : Juil 4, 2019, 5:11 pm

As not-a-fan, I agree this is the best, and creepiest, I have ever seen her.

Not a mystery per se but there is tension — will gramma learn the truth? Will she get the kids (twins plus one)? Will the detective give up or not?

20laurenbufferd
Juil 14, 2019, 12:54 pm

We are watching the new Tales of the City on Netflix and my husband decided he wanted to go back and watch the original so we've been pairing an old one with a new one each night. Surprisingly, it works very well and I think is giving me a better appreciation of the 2019 show because they really do carry so many of the early storylines forward in a very thoughtful way.

Also, Barbara Garrick looks amazing!

21DG_Strong
Juil 14, 2019, 4:15 pm

If you think about the timelines too much, it can be maddening, but I didn't care. That first series is still so good; it really holds up.

22laurenbufferd
Juil 14, 2019, 8:33 pm

I don't want to give a ton away but you know the dinner party that Mouse and Ben go to -well.............it's so much like the dinner party that Mouse and Jon go with the opera queens - I think it's even some of the same actors. It made me really appreciate the new season much more.

23DG_Strong
Juil 15, 2019, 9:03 am

I have talked about that scene (the new one) three times in recent days, in three different real-life conversations, when the topic has turned to call-out or cancel culture -- how it is actually possible to support both sides of an argument and how both sides can be right. I have been both people in this specific argument. It does gloss over some nuance about white privilege, I think, but on the whole, it's a whopper of a scene and Stephen Spinella absolutely nails it, even the Angels in America meta-joke!

For those of you who have not seen it, watching it is spoiler-free, no worries. Here you go!.

I hadn't thought about it echoing the dinner in the first series; that would have been great if they had had Ian McKellen or Paul Bartel in this one!

24mkunruh
Juil 17, 2019, 10:15 am

Not surprisingly, considering my trans daughter, and the state of world politics, this conversation has been had any number of times recently. Including one with my BILs who echoed many of the same sentiments that Spinelli did (but with a focus on "kids have it so easy now"). That was a great scene. Thanks for sharing.

25Kat.Warren
Août 17, 2019, 7:10 pm

HBO planning Circe series based on Madeleine Miller’s novel:
http://collider.com/circe-hbo-series/

26laurenbufferd
Modifié : Août 20, 2019, 11:05 am

Last night, I went to see Brittany Howard at the Ryman and yes, yes, she was amazing and could really start her own church, BUT you know who was in the audience? Amanda Valentine from Season 11 of Project Runway. Perhaps a tiny bit more exciting. All in snakeskin print too, y'all.

27DG_Strong
Août 21, 2019, 2:48 pm

I absolutely hated her on her first season, when she was part of the Mean Girls alliance, but then I ended up loving her on her All-Stars season. She's out on the town all the time -- I dunno when she has time to design anything, but she will LINE UP IN A HEARTBEAT for an artisan coffee.

28JulieCarter
Août 26, 2019, 2:41 pm

On my mini-sabbatical, I've been watching a lot of tv shows. There is just a ridiculous amount of good stuff out there available to watch. I'm trying to clear up some shows on my DVR so I can cut cable (I think I'll be going with Playstation Vue, because we need sports and local channels. But I really mostly watch Netflix, Prime, and Hulu so far.)

Let's see....Finished (up to current or final seasons): Big Little Lies, The Leftovers, Deadwood, Good Omens, Veronica Mars, Killing Eve, Agents of SHIELD, The Umbrella Academy, GLOW, Archer, The Expanse, Endeavour. Probably a few others.
Working on: Legion, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Sopranos, Community, Letterkenny, Pose, Preacher, Drunk History.
Soon to watch or catch up on: Fleabag, NOS4A2, Barry, Bosch, Babylon 5, Orange is the New Black, Grace & Frankie, The Handmaid's Tale, Ozark, Mindhunter.

And that's just like a tiny portion of my list! I'll never catch up with everything I'd like to watch. I need time to read and play video games and watch sports too! If there's anything you've seen that I must watch, let me know. I just started tracking things using an app, because I love lists!

29StephaniePettry
Août 26, 2019, 9:49 pm

>28 JulieCarter: I just finished Mindhunter season 2 and am already looking forward to season 3! If you haven't already, you should check out the Netflix shows You and Dead to Me. I watched them both a few months ago and couldn't get enough.

30Nancy_Sirvent
Août 26, 2019, 11:08 pm

I have been totally seduced by POSE. I almost have no words. I cried over and over seeing things I'd never imagined I would see on a television screen. The love scene between Pray Tell and Ricky was the most beautiful thing ever broadcast. The show isn't the usual something that Hollywood tried to create; it's created (a lot) by real people, or at least people who know real people.

31laurenbufferd
Août 27, 2019, 10:13 am

I am totally in love with that show. I agree, it's filled with moments that you have never seen on TV before and you should be grateful that you are seeing them now because these are people's real ives. The show is so earnest and beautiful, I can overlook the occasional speechifying or swelling violins in the background.

Also, sometimes I pretend that Blanca is my real life forever friend and I'm not sure what I am supposed to do when the show is over.

32alans
Août 27, 2019, 2:37 pm

But what about Disney+.It arrives in three months.

33Nancy_Sirvent
Août 27, 2019, 5:19 pm

I really dislike all things Disney.

34StephaniePettry
Août 27, 2019, 6:04 pm

>32 alans: I'm really dreading all these new streaming services that are about to come out. There are only so many subscriptions that one can afford, and without having cable I depend on Netflix and Hulu to keep a large variety of good shows and movies.

35Kat.Warren
Août 28, 2019, 1:17 pm

Julie, Deadwood is astonishing. Where can I find POSE?

36DG_Strong
Août 28, 2019, 4:29 pm

It's an F/X show, Kat. They can be stingy about On Demand sometimes, only leaving things up for a bit.

I was verrrrrrry worried during that season 2 Pose finale, but I'll say one thing about that show: every time they are presented with the choice to do so, they opt for a happy ending. I think that says as much about the current landscape as The Handmaid's Tale does -- only one makes you weep with joy, the other: dread. I basically sob through all the episodes and now when I am in the middle of a rant, I take a long drink of water, a la Elektra.

My secret favorite showbizzy thing about this season is they somehow managed to give Patti Lupone a song!

37laurenbufferd
Août 28, 2019, 5:03 pm

That Patti Lupone storyline is too much.

Seriously though, how can I meet Blanca? I love that character so much, last night, I felt like I was going through withdrawal.

38DG_Strong
Août 29, 2019, 9:05 am

Because I think Ryan Murphy is more lucky than talented, I think he has a lot of the same ideas on display over and over from show to show -- like Sue Sylvester from Glee shows up quite a bit in Pose, through Electra mostly, the way she's inconsistent character-wise from episode to episode, but she can always be relied on to say some outrageous, quotable thing. The Lupone character was that way too a bit, even though we were supposed to see Leona Helmsley in her.

I was talking to Karen Templer about the, uh, trunk-in-the-closet situation and she was going on about how unrealistic it was so you can imagine her face when I told her that, no, that part was completely based on Dorian Corey from Paris is Burning.

39laurenbufferd
Août 29, 2019, 10:39 am

I thought it was great that the most outrageous stuff - the stuff that you couldn't believe was true - was taken from RL.

40JulieCarter
Oct 3, 2019, 11:49 am

I've been binging Bates Motel, and it's infuriating. The inconsistencies and dropped plot points and utter ridiculousness, jaysus. DON'T YOU WORRY about that dead sheriff candidate sitting in the rich guy's driveway (literally never mentioned again). Girl with CF gets a double lung transplant and is out walking in the garden with her boyfriend in less than 24 hours! Amazing! (My ex has CF and got a double lung transplant, so I've actually been through this, and that whole thing was ludicrous.) And now, are they about to just let Norman get away with murder? No one checked and saw that every vent was closed except her bedroom? I have a whole 'nother season of this? I don't know if I can do it.

41alans
Oct 3, 2019, 9:55 pm

Must be a Ryan Murphy show. It’s his trademark

42DG_Strong
Oct 4, 2019, 7:39 pm

It's not a Murphy show, but it is similarly maddening. Vera Farmiga is so great in it that I stuck it out all the way to the end even though it dropped off in quality significantly after the second year --there was something about its inevitable intersection with the events of the movie that made all the "after" seem completely uninteresting.

43aussieh
Oct 4, 2019, 9:03 pm

Started in on new series SBS TV..The Name Of The Rose a little confusing as all of the star studded cast look the same!!

44alans
Oct 5, 2019, 10:59 pm

Local tv has started airing St. elsewhere and Hill Street Blues,shows I never watched way back when. This is going to be great fun.

45mkunruh
Oct 7, 2019, 3:59 pm

I wish my local TV was re-airing them too because I also missed them back in the day.

Alan, where is The Name of the Rose playing?

46JulieCarter
Oct 7, 2019, 4:54 pm

I'm going to finish Bates Motel, but it's kinda bad, if I think about it. But if I need something to watch while I'm inebriated, I guess it will work. But I don't care much about this last season. Because of Norma's situation in this season (she's dead), she doesn't have the nuance that her live character did. In Norman's head, she's just crazy. There's no humanity there.

47Pat_D
Oct 9, 2019, 2:58 pm

If Aussie's referring to the Sundance series with John Turturro, you can catch it on Amazon. I started it, but I thought the dialogue was dreadful. Maybe I just didn't give it enough time to develop. I don't think I even finished the first episode.

48mkunruh
Oct 9, 2019, 5:09 pm

Ahhh, thanks Pat. I've read the book, so was interested in what they'd do with it in long-form format.

49aussieh
Oct 9, 2019, 5:26 pm

>47 Pat_D:
You are right, it stars John Turturro, I only watched a little of this and bailed out, for me John T has been typecast in a few B grade movies and is also a bad actor..I read where the the directors are hoping to get the "Game of Thrones Gang"" interested, for me no way....

50alans
Oct 15, 2019, 11:00 am

I've started watching East Enders and I'm crazy about it. I watched it when it first started which
was about 14 years ago and then I stopped. It's so interesting and so much fun to watch. Sometimes
the accents are hard to follow but the characters are great. Except everyone is on their cell phone
all the time and it kind of drives me crazy.

51aussieh
Oct 16, 2019, 7:01 pm

I am rewatching and really enjoying series one of The Vikings it is a fantastic production, I intend following right thru with the series.

52Pat_D
Oct 18, 2019, 9:32 pm

I loved the first two or three but lost all interest after that. Have you watched any of The Last Kingdom? It has a female main character unlike any other (Brida, played by Emily Cox). I can't wait for the next season.

53aussieh
Oct 21, 2019, 6:29 am

>52 Pat_D:
I have not as yet seen The Last Kingdom I still have three more series of The Vikings to view, I have checked online and my local library have and they have series 1,2,3..I shall follow up when I finish The Vikings. Are you a Game Of Thrones folllower ?

54Pat_D
Oct 21, 2019, 2:30 pm

Yes, I was. I loved the production value of that show: the craftsmanship apparent in the amazing settings, the beautiful costumes, and attention to their detail. The battle scenes in the last few seasons were terrific, and Ramin Djawadi's original soundtrack is gorgeous. The series is a visual and audio feast. I thought the showrunners' distraction with their upcoming Star Wars production was evident in the final season, though. Except for a few really stunning scenes and a couple of episodes, it ended rather forgettably, which was a real shame.

If you enjoy The Vikings, you should love The Last Kingdom. It's that odd show that both entertains and educates.

55Pat_D
Nov 10, 2019, 9:32 pm

I don't know if I've mentioned this here, but is anyone watching the new season of The Durrells in Corfu on PBS? This series has the best characters. My favorites are Gerry, who loves animals and is determined to collect enough of them to open a zoo on the island (but keeps setting them free), and Gerry's friend and mentor, Theo Stephanides. Without being the least bit twee, it's such a charming show.

56laurenbufferd
Nov 12, 2019, 10:42 am

PBS did an adaptation of My Family and Other Animals years ago with Imelda Stanton as the mother and it was so perfect, I didn't have the heart to revisit the story with a different cast. Durrell's book is wonderful too.

57Pat_D
Déc 1, 2019, 8:53 am

New version of "A Christmas Carol" from BBC starring Guy Pearce, Stephen Graham, Andy Serkis, Joe Alwyn, Charlotte Riley and Vinette Robinson. BBC is showing and streaming it as a three-parter, but I read somewhere that FX will be showing it as a movie-length feature. Not really sure if that's still the plan. Just a heads-up.

58DG_Strong
Déc 3, 2019, 7:58 am

Well, a hot Scrooge is something to think about!

59Pat_D
Déc 6, 2019, 7:25 am

60Pat_D
Déc 20, 2019, 3:26 pm

So, did anyone remember to watch the new, BBC production of "A Christmas Carol"?

I was excited to see this new version, as I really like the cast but I swear, I did not have great expectations ;)

I *loved* it. It's a truly visionary re-telling from a brilliant imagination, and the performances are perfection. Don't miss it.

61DG_Strong
Modifié : Déc 22, 2019, 11:14 am

Oh, Pat, I'm so sorry but I absolutely hated it. As a version of A Christmas Carol, anyway. I might revisit it as its own thing, but once I sat through an implied Scrooge-as-a-child molestation, Ali Baba, a mining collapse and Mrs Cratchit being forced to take off her clothes, I determined that it had very little to do with Dickens and a lot more to do with, oh, some other story the Peaky Blinders dude couldn't cram into Peaky Blinders. And the end was particularly off and muted -- part of the power of the story comes from whether you do or do not believe that Scrooge is truly repentant and after three hours of him being an absolute monster, I didn't think we had enough of the post-transformation to balance allllllll that came before - I mean, he was a sexual predator. It was curious that they s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d out the miserableness and cruelty of Scrooge -- and added like, oh, fifty extra terrible things! -- but then kept the Christmas Day bits to like, two minutes, just like the original story!

This Scrooge was practically a psychotic incel -- he and this year's Joker should hang out! I though Guy Pearce was good - understated - though, and whatsisface, the Taylor Swift boyfriend as Cratchit. The expansion of the Cratchit role was really the only plot expansion thing I quite liked - I think in the original he's just not believable, so I was interested that he was a little saltier here, with some resentment.

And from a broadcast point of view, I thought the commercials were deadly -- any time a mood was established, they'd cut away to "an early look at Star Wars 3,328!" because there's something that really needs promotion.

Again, I might take another look at it as its own separate thing -- but I didn't think it was much of A Christmas Carol.

62lynn_r
Modifié : Juil 29, 2020, 2:29 pm

I think I’m in the right thread - a few months ago I listened to the audio of His Dark Materials, the trilogy that starts off with The Golden Compass. The audio is fantastic by the way - the voices are great.

But I wanted to share that I watched the first year of the HBO series His Dark Materials which was almost (early) Games of Thrones good. Here’s the link https://www.hbo.com/his-dark-materials

Pat, I know you and some others here would love this. I didn’t even know about it until I was channel surfing. I had thought the TV series was going to be the entire trilogy but it’s only book one - they are currently making season/book two and will finish off with season/book three. So good.

63laurenbufferd
Juil 29, 2020, 4:55 pm

Is anyone watching Perry Mason on HBO. It was slow to get started and the crime seems super convoluted but oh my stars, the acting is good. All the little ways they've 'updated the story' are very 2020 but they don't really bother me - I'm a big girl and I know there were lesbians in the 1920s as well as interracial relationships and racism in the LA police force.

64DG_Strong
Juil 29, 2020, 8:06 pm

Yeah, I love everything about Perry Mason except the mystery, which is both under- AND over-baked at the same time. But I don't care, the rest of it is so good -- and you get at something that I think saves it, which is that they don't talk in 20s lingo. It's pretty modern, the way they talk...but it never sounds anachronistic to my ear.

65laurenbufferd
Août 4, 2020, 1:16 pm

I agree. I think Matthew Rhys (Rees?) is just amazing.

I started watching Unorthodox on Netflix and that's pretty riveting too.

66Tess_W
Août 5, 2020, 9:37 am

I just finished Midsommer Murders on Brit Box and it was excellent! I'm now watching Murder in Paradise and it's also very good. I have noticed that in British series people come and go quickly with little fanfare. Most of the time it's nothing more than "they got a promotion" mentioned after the new guy has arrived.

67Pat_D
Août 5, 2020, 12:54 pm

Perry Mason fan here, too.

We're addicted to Yellowstone, also, although, for me, it's mostly about that to-die-for house and the scenery. I'd watch it every week with no sound if I had no choice.

Tonight I'm going to check out that new Peacock version of Brave New World. Trying to keep my expectations low.

I've run out of Nordic Noir series to watch. I've watched every one that's available on Prime Video/Netflix/Hulu/Walter Presents/PBS, etc. Hitting a dry spell now because no one's filming anything during the virus. The Guardian was talking up "DNA," but that hasn't crossed the pond, yet.

68laurenbufferd
Sep 1, 2020, 10:43 am

100% hooked on the The Vow. DG, I know you are watching it. Anybody else?

69Nancy_Sirvent
Sep 1, 2020, 4:56 pm

Ok, I'm going to check it out tonight. Don't know how I missed it.

I;ve been watching Unorthodox on Netflix. Very good and I'm curious where it's going.

70DG_Strong
Sep 2, 2020, 8:23 am

The Vow is so nuts I almost can't talk about it. I'm curious though why it attracted so many many white people -- in alllll of that footage (and it's rather astonishing how much there is), I don't think I've seen a single POC.

71laurenbufferd
Sep 2, 2020, 3:43 pm

I'll say one thing about the Vow, that all-night volleyball would have been a deal breaker for me. The first time someone woke me up and told me to put on a sports bra...…...nope. And why did they videotape EVERYTHING THEY DID AND SAID? It's so creepy.

Nancy, I really liked Unorthodox. I thought it was very well done and pretty balanced for the extremity of the story it was telling. Also, Shira Hass, who plays Esty was a pretty big star in Israel already, I've been watching Shtisel in which she is the adolescent granddaughter in the main family and she is really fantastic. The show is very slow and understated which I like - very slice of life except every once in a while there's a dream sequence or a fantasy and it's lovely.

One other thing about Unorthodox- Dina Doron, who plays Esty's grandmother, was the first actress to play Anne Franks when the diary was adapted for Broadway. Isn't that cool?

72Nancy_Sirvent
Sep 4, 2020, 1:49 pm

I finished Unorthodox yesterday. I loved it and am glad to hear that I can see Shira Hass elsewhere. I'll be watching Shtisel--it's been in my queue for ages. I wish there were more shows like this.

I am incredulous at the Vow. This thing just happened. You can tell that the leader is a perpetrator/abuser almost just by looking at him. Lauren, I think the filming was explained in the beginning. The leader wanted to make a film and start a film company--that was his initial attraction to Mark Vicente. I assume he was sure he could control all content and distribution, which of course he could not.

73laurenbufferd
Sep 5, 2020, 11:12 pm

And why when he said he invented a new mathmatics didnt anyone ask him why or ask to be shown more. I agree, he's creepy from the get go. And everyone is so preppy. Give me the saffron clothes and group sex of Wild Wild Country.

74Nancy_Sirvent
Sep 7, 2020, 12:31 pm

Exactly. If you're going to be in a cult, might as well have some fun.

75DG_Strong
Sep 8, 2020, 1:52 pm

At some point, Claire Bronfman -- the Seagram's heiress - gets involved (at a multimillion dollar cost) and I am on the edge of my seat because I'm torn between my distaste for cults and watching rich people get fleeced.

76alans
Sep 8, 2020, 7:08 pm

My partner watched a copy of Suitable Boy,I believe it is eight episodes. The novel is one of his all-time favourites and he said the tv episodes were very well done. I haven’t read the book yet so..

77Nancy_Sirvent
Sep 9, 2020, 11:45 am

Do I remember correctly that DG was a big fan of A Suitable Boy? If so, dg, have you seen the series?

78DG_Strong
Sep 9, 2020, 5:50 pm

I am about to KILL SOMEONE waiting for it but we don't have access in the US yet, I don't think. Please for the love of Vishnu, someone tell me otherwise.

79Nancy_Sirvent
Sep 9, 2020, 8:18 pm

This article says they're in talks with a US partner for distribution, but have announced nothing. It'll be a while.

https://deadline.com/2020/07/netflix-swoops-for-global-rights-to-bbc-a-suitable-...

80DG_Strong
Sep 12, 2020, 8:43 am

I might break down and do the VPN thing.

81Nancy_Sirvent
Sep 13, 2020, 5:32 pm

I wish I knew what that was. I think I have that for connecting with other companies when I work, but I didn't know it had anything to do with tv. Link?

82DG_Strong
Sep 17, 2020, 7:52 am

It means "virtual private network" and basically disguises where you're watching from so it allows you to watch things that have geographical restrictions. I used to use one to watch BBC things immediately (I think the Mapp & Lucia re-do was the final motivator to do it).

83Nancy_Sirvent
Sep 17, 2020, 2:04 pm

Ah. That's a very good idea.

84Nancy_Sirvent
Oct 14, 2020, 6:14 pm

Is anyone still watching the Vow? It is so weird. This past Sunday's episode really wigged me out. Also, I can't believe that drugs have not been mentioned. Raniere looks SO stoned in a lot of the videos.

85laurenbufferd
Oct 15, 2020, 12:45 pm

I am still watching. I found the last episode to be really horrifying - once you start really looking at the treatment of women, it's just obscene. The two married couples just seem so miserable as they begin to understand what exactly they were a part of.

I still have a couple of questions about the structure and the progression of the cult. Do you think it started as just a pyramid scheme and then Ranaire figured out that he could start having sex with all these women or was that his goal at the outset? Or did something happen after the wife died - like something in him snapped and then he started going after women in earnest, literally molding them through starvation to resemble her.

And WTF happened to him when he was a little boy?

And are member literally hypnotized by Sharon Saltzman?

I think Raniere is definitely a predator and one of his skills must have been to sense who was vulnerable to him. Not to toot my own horn cause I have plenty of blind spots but if I'd have met him at a party and he had started in with me about his IQ or the fact that he'd been a judo champion at age 11 or that he had developed a new 'math' I'd have been across the room in a shot thinking what a crazy asshole or at least been so non-interested that he would have sensed that I was not a good candidate and moved on to the next person who was.

It's interesting too because he came up in the Iris Murdoch book club I'm in because one of teh characters is able to manipulate several of the others, even and especially against their better interests.

Clearly, I need to talk to people about this show.

86LaureneRS
Oct 15, 2020, 1:35 pm

>85 laurenbufferd: Would that Murdoch character be Julius King in A Fairly Honourable Defeat? I found his character repulsive and his power over others inexplicable. I haven't watched The Vow.

87laurenbufferd
Oct 15, 2020, 1:44 pm

Yes, Laurene, that's the one.

88Nancy_Sirvent
Oct 16, 2020, 11:12 am

I think Raniere is a first-class predator and always knew what he wanted. He wants power over people, especially women. Like most predators, he is skilled at identifying potential victims: young, somewhat monied, needy, alone, a desire to be special, trauma history, etc. He is also good at using victims to recruit others, which gives him exponential credibility.

The hypnosis thing is brutal and difficult to prove. It's a series of messages, over and over, planted in the mind. It wears people out and down and makes clear thinking difficult. I also agree that the most recent episode was chilling. That married couple is so damaged.

I think there's lots more to the story. I would be shocked to find out that drugs were not involved. My guess is MMDA.

Lauren, I don't recall he had a dead wife. I must have missed that. I don't think his grief would cause him to be predatory.

89JulieCarter
Oct 19, 2020, 4:02 pm

I just finished The Vow. Nancy Salzman learned neurolinguistic programming right before she met Raniere. PROGRAMMING. So, when they met, she fell for his culty personality, and he used her to program people. The doc kind of left out the sex stuff until later in the series, but I found it all so weird. All of them hugging on each other, and especially on him, it was all so sexual and creepy, even the people who weren't having sex with him. I think there was a lot more weird sex stuff than this doc gets into, because they couldn't get people on the record admitting all the weird shit they did.

I keep thinking that there must have been some kind of drug stuff going on. Not that the members were all doing drugs, but I think that Raniere definitely was. He barely slept at night, he'd go on those random walks in the middle of the night, the all-night volleyball, some of his manic speaking on those walks...I think he must have been on some cycle of uppers-downers.

But listening to Raniere's talks, I could see through his bullshit every single time. Not saying I'm some genius, but...seriously, I would never have fallen for this crap. His answers to questions are always circular and there's nothing really said. And he was so insulting (mostly to women). I mean, just horribly misogynistic, and all these women are like, "Yes, that's a fault in me, as a woman, that I should work on, because it's my fault that men hate me and I need to be more thoughtful about their needs, etc." Fuck ALL the way off.

I have a ton of thoughts on this, as I've been aware of it for many years.

90laurenbufferd
Oct 20, 2020, 2:12 pm

I too feel like I would have seen through his bullshit immediately. As I mentioned before, nobody wakes me up in the middle of the night and tells me it's volley ball time. Nobody.

I also think the sex was probably weirder than its made out to be. And just a few things that were dropped toward the end, like Bonnie Priesse was sleeping on the floor as penance for when her husband was displeased with her, were so horrifying. I think one of the most painful aspects of the show is watching Mark Vincente realizing how much he'd been taken in.

91DG_Strong
Modifié : Oct 23, 2020, 6:34 pm

That was such an incredibly awkward moment when Catherine Oxenberg was sort of making fun of the sleeping on the floor and Mark got a little pissed. But it was also one of the most moving parts, to see how genuinely regretful he was to have not noticed that it was terrible at the time.

92Nancy_Sirvent
Oct 26, 2020, 2:08 pm

Raniere's being sentenced tomorrow. Lock him up.

93laurenbufferd
Oct 27, 2020, 11:32 am

May he live a long unhappy life in jail.

94Nancy_Sirvent
Oct 27, 2020, 10:21 pm

120 years

95Pat_D
Nov 15, 2020, 12:02 pm

Anyone else watching HBO's "The Undoing"? I'm not a big Kidman fan, but hooboy her performance is really impressive. Especially in that scene where her husband returns (not a spoiler).

96laurenbufferd
Nov 17, 2020, 11:40 am

I am and for me, it's all about the coats. One green, one red.

97DG_Strong
Nov 17, 2020, 7:50 pm

I don't love it -- it seems awwwwwfullllllly drawn out (they would have saved like an hour of time if they just cut out half of the scenes of NK walking around moodily), but Grant's great in it. He's such a more interesting actor now than he used to be and I give all the credit to Paddington 2, for which he should have been nominated for an Oscar.

Here's some coat talk:

https://ew.com/tv/the-undoing-nicole-kidman-grace-coat/

98laurenbufferd
Nov 18, 2020, 12:21 pm

Thanks. I agree - there's a lot of wasted time but it hits my -rich people behaving badly and looking gorgeous whilst they do it' button.

We are watching Cobra which is terrifying and gearing up to watch the Crown. We also watch one episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show each night and it's giving me life. I realize how much I've based my wardrobe on Rhoda - boot leg corduroys, gypsy scarves, long cardigans and gold hoops. now if I could just find my Navajo beaded medicine wheel necklace I''d be all set. It is heaven to see these again.


99LuRits
Nov 20, 2020, 12:33 pm

I just want to hack Kidman's hair off. It annoys me. I don't love the series but I do thing Grant always makes a great stinkpot and I love Sutherland's quiet malice.

100LuRits
Nov 20, 2020, 12:35 pm

We watched a lot of MTM too, Lauren. Also Comedians in Cars and all seven seasons of 30 Rock. Anything to laugh and escape the daily clusterfuck.

101DG_Strong
Nov 20, 2020, 4:25 pm

I went on a New Year's trip a decade or so ago with some old friends -- a mountain cabin, a fireplace, charades, lots of flavored coffees from around the world - and someone brought the MTM boxed set and we sat down to watch it and a couple of us laughed and laughed but more than one said "I don't get why y'all are laughing" and let me tell you: that was the last anyone heard from those people.

102DG_Strong
Déc 29, 2020, 12:14 pm

I subscribed to Acorn so I could watch A Suitable Boy - it concludes next Monday - and if you've got the time for it, I do think it's pretty good, though it's a lot thinner than I had hoped it would be. A lot got cut -- and I mean a LOT -- especially the political stuff involving the landowners vs the tenants. I get why they cut it -- a lot of that was on the dry side -- but the end result is that it feels a little narrow...we pretty much only see one pretty well-off class depicted though most of the series, which feels a little chintzy (and false) since it's based on a 1300 page novel set in India. It also lightens the whole thing up a little too much; the stakes feel fairly low. But I still like it.

103laurenbufferd
Modifié : Déc 29, 2020, 12:34 pm

I'm very keen on watching that.

The Undoing was such a disappointment. Not even worth rehashing.

We just finished The Crown. I have way more sympathy for Diana now then I did years ago but honestly, I never gave a shit about the royal family and I can't say I do now. The performances are astonishingly good though, although I admit, I don't love Gillian Anderson.

Is anyone watching Bridgerton?

104LaureneRS
Déc 30, 2020, 11:48 am

>103 laurenbufferd: I didn't care for Anderson's performance either, Lauren, though I like her generally, especially in The Fall. I have sympathy for Diana but now have considerably more sympathy for Charles than I had before.

I haven't watched Bridgerton. I've read widely varying reviews of it, and it doesn't sound like my cup of tea.

105LuRits
Modifié : Déc 31, 2020, 9:57 am

Overall I thought The Undoing was kind of pointless. I wanted them all to jump off that bridge.

I binged Bridgerton yesterday and thought it was enjoyable but fluff. Lots of bare ass in the second half if that’s your thing.

106DG_Strong
Déc 31, 2020, 1:30 pm

My take on Anderson-as-Thatcher was that she was trying pretty hard to not make you think of Streep-as-Thatcher so she had to go a different way. I did think the Thatcher parts were about fifty times more interesting than the Diana parts so I forgave Anderson for not really nailing it.

107Pat_D
Fév 10, 2021, 10:50 pm

Very much looking forward to this one: Atlantic Crossing. It pushes a bunch of my buttons: a period piece, Masterpiece Theater selection, Nordic elements, and it stars Sofia Helin, the unforgettable Saga Noren from "The Bridge." If you haven't seen the original series, set aside a weekend and treat yourself to one of the most binge-able series ever made.

"A friendship forged in war is beautifully portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) as U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and Swedish star Sofia Helin (The Bridge) as Norwegian Crown Princess Martha in Atlantic Crossing, based on a true story of passion and politics, premiering on MASTERPIECE on PBS on Sunday April 4 at 9/8c."

108LaureneRS
Fév 11, 2021, 11:32 am

I recently read Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage. Princess Martha does not appear to great advantage in the book, if her behavior and demeanor as described by people close to Franklin are accurate. The series looks interesting, as does The Bridge, which I haven't seen but will check out. Thanks, Pat.

109Nancy_Sirvent
Modifié : Mar 2, 2021, 5:57 pm

The next season of American Horror Story is being filmed here, much of it in my neighborhood. The weather hasn't been cooperating, so no one has seen any stars yet. The only star I want to meet is Frances Conroy.
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edit: There has been a McCauley Culkin sighting.