[TV] Talk about the last TV you watched, the catchall thread

GasBandit

Staff member
So... uh... Rick and Morty season 7 episode 1.

Kinda... didn't land with me. And it wasn't even the change in voice actors. Just... felt like a show that's run out of ideas, really. Hope this isn't how the whole season goes.
 
Yeah, I thought the premiere was...fine. I listened for the new voices and then forgot all about once it got going.

Not a strong first episode. And I thought the first third of last season was strong. Then it went downhill fast.
 
I kinda liked it? My read of the episode?

This episode is about Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland. Rick (Justin Roiland) was a shitty friend because he couldn't just talk to Mr. Poopybutthole (Dan Harmon) about the problems going on between them, but Mr. PBH is a fucking adult and should have said something when he felt something was wrong (because he fucking KNEW what was going on). Their friendship went to shit because neither of them was willing to step up and start the dialog. Justin would have still lost his job because he's a toxic asshole, but his friendship with Dan Harmon (who has FUCKING PROBLEMS and acknowledges it and tries to do better) could have possibly been repaired.

And this is just all communicated by Rick and Mr. PBH having to deal with their own friendship issues, driven from previous plots.

The new voice actors are good though. I stopped noticing they weren't Justin Roiland pretty quick.
 
I'm giving Walking Dead: The World Beyond a try. I would call it adequate so far. But just once, I want to see a good zombie prequel. Stop with the Mad Max atmosphere already. Give me well-nourished, well-dressed, healthy people watching their TVs and social media feeds as they gradually see the news reports getting more desperate and neighbors go missing. Give the characters a ray of hope as the military deploys and almost gets a handle on the situation before it spirals out of control.

Koreans, French, and Japanese filmmakers can pull it off well. Zac Snyder did it with the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake. But by and large, American zombie series just take place in bleak wastelands where even the grass looks miserable.
 
And I thought the first third of last season was strong. Then it went downhill fast.
Yeah, season six was wildly inconsistent. The Beth falls in love with herself episode is fucking fantastic, while the meta episode is probably the shittiest one of the entire series.

COMPLETE TANGENT.

Am I crazy or are shows like Rick and Morty or Southpark funnier when they're bleeped?
 
Woof. I liked Rebels well enough and was waiting for the series to finish to watch it (especially since RIP Ray Stevenson) but that's not selling me a good time.
 
I feel like the video is maybe a little too harsh, honestly. I liked Ashoka. Liked it, didn't love it. I say give it a couple of episodes and see how you feel.
I feel like everything from episode 4 is pretty strong, and it suffers from a pretty weak first 3 episodes. But Ray Stevenson as Baylan is easily the most intriguing part of the show, and I have no fucking clue what they plan to do with that character going forward.

If you like clone wars and rebels stuff, Ahsoka is 100% worth a watch.
 
I feel like everything from episode 4 is pretty strong, and it suffers from a pretty weak first 3 episodes. But Ray Stevenson as Baylan is easily the most intriguing part of the show, and I have no fucking clue what they plan to do with that character going forward.
If his character is who I think he is, recasting him will not be a problem.
 
Chucky, Season 3

Only three episodes out so far, but I'm still loving this show. It's absolutely bonkers and has more twists and turns than an advanced yoga class. So many twists and turns that when I started this season, I realized I'd forgotten most of what happened last season and had to watch a recap. And I forgot just how gloriously insane the show got.

Is it a great show? No. But it's gloriously and blatantly hammy and I can't believe it's survived for three seasons so far.
 
I’ve gotten further into Walking Dead: World Beyond. I like it. There are actually a lot of flashback scenes that show life pre-outbreak and when things start to go down.
 
Star Trek TNG

Season 2 EP 1 The Child


...WOW, that was one of the worst second season premieres I have EVER seen.

Just want to say, I'm one of the rare few who never found Wesley annoying, but god DAMNIT the story about a teenager not wanting to leave school and bonding with a bartender shouldn't be more interesting than a super plague on the verge of breaking out and a demon baby pregnancy!

How do you go DOWN from the padding-fest that was Season 1's "The Neutral Zone" finale?
 

GasBandit

Staff member
Star Trek TNG

Season 2 EP 1 The Child


...WOW, that was one of the worst second season premieres I have EVER seen.

Just want to say, I'm one of the rare few who never found Wesley annoying, but god DAMNIT the story about a teenager not wanting to leave school and bonding with a bartender shouldn't be more interesting than a super plague on the verge of breaking out and a demon baby pregnancy!

How do you go DOWN from the padding-fest that was Season 1's "The Neutral Zone" finale?
Yeah, unfortunately TNG is kinda hit-or-miss for the first couple seasons, and then sharply spikes upward once Gene Roddenberry isn't in the picture anymore.
 
Yeah, unfortunately TNG is kinda hit-or-miss for the first couple seasons, and then sharply spikes upward once Gene Roddenberry isn't in the picture anymore.
Yeah I kinda figured, for something called "The Next Generation" it really felt like it was trying to have the original series' vibe at times. And the less said about Tasha Yar's lack of developing the better (Denise practically BEGGED to be killed off).

If I remember correctly, the first 4 episodes of season 2 were affected by a writer's strike.
Makes sense, explains why the bulk of the plot of the season 2 premiere was from an unused Phase 2 plot from what I've read.
 
TNG is the ST I grew up with, but it's hard to rewatch, don't think I've done a full rewatch in at least a decade. DS9 holds up much better imho, even though there's still quite a curve there.
 
TNG is the ST I grew up with, but it's hard to rewatch, don't think I've done a full rewatch in at least a decade. DS9 holds up much better imho, even though there's still quite a curve there.
The first two seasons of TNG are rough to rewatch, yes. But I find the later seasons hold up pretty well.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
I remember back when @Bones started watching TNG like 10 years ago, I provided him with an exact list of what episodes he could skip just because they were so what-would-come-to-be-called cringe. He watched them anyway, then agreed XD
 
Heh, cats and curiosity!

Got past ep 3, "Elementary my dear Data" was fun but man oh MAN does Pulaski's condescension over Data's intelligence and creativity get grating!

It's like they were trying to replicate Spock and McCoy's relationship, but where that was ultimately a culture clash, this is more a person who keeps making another prove themself despite having done so on multiple occasions.
 
I remember back when @Bones started watching TNG like 10 years ago, I provided him with an exact list of what episodes he could skip just because they were so what-would-come-to-be-called cringe. He watched them anyway, then agreed XD
I completely forgot about that, were you also the one who told me I could skip most of the first few seasons of DS9? I remember season 1 of DS9 being really MISS a lot. (show doesn't get good until Avery Brooks saves his head and grows a beard)
 
Heh, cats and curiosity!

Got past ep 3, "Elementary my dear Data" was fun but man oh MAN does Pulaski's condescension over Data's intelligence and creativity get grating!

It's like they were trying to replicate Spock and McCoy's relationship, but where that was ultimately a culture clash, this is more a person who keeps making another prove themself despite having done so on multiple occasions.
Everyone hates on Wesley as a character (and he is annoying, don't get me wrong!), but Pulaski is the biggest fucking drag in my opinion. What an unlikable, shrill character.
 
Everyone hates on Wesley as a character (and he is annoying, don't get me wrong!), but Pulaski is the biggest fucking drag in my opinion. What an unlikable, shrill character.
Wouldn't go so far as shrill, but I will say she didn't merely have "Just there" energy like Tasha Yar in the ep, but "Why is she HERE?" energy which is FAR worse. Could've just been a Laforge and Data ep, but we had to add NotMccoy to this story JUST because.
 

GasBandit

Staff member

The key to this trope is seeing a dramatic "before and after" difference along the life of a series. The element can sometimes be attributed to a single, outstanding episode that defines the show. Other times it is just a general improvement, like the Trope Namer Star Trek: The Next Generation. Fans of the series noticed a sharp increase in the quality and consistency of stories and the show really starting to gain its own identity, and this coincided with Commander Riker, Jonathan Frakes, growing a beard — even though it still took a little more time before it really took off.note The term has spread into internet vernacular to the point that Frakes himself has even brought it up. History repeated itself a few years later when fans noted a marked improvement in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine after lead actor Avery Brooks grew a beard (and shaved his head, to boot).
 
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