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George Zipp wrote: ↑18 Apr 2025 08:12 am*Last of Us: Not normally a big zombie apocalypse type of viewer. My daughter wanted to rewatch S1 before S2 dropped so I'm watching with her. I really dig it. It really captures my attention. Some of the guest star arcs (Nic Offerman, Melanie Lewyensky) have been great. I still have 3-4 episodes to finish S1 but I suspect with our weather forecast I'll plow thru it this weekend.

I’ve been watching this also. I’d guess it’s a completely different experience for those who have played through the games, as I have. They not only stay very close to the original story (with a few minor tweaks) but the sets, art direction, even the lighting are basically a carbon copy of the original games.

I don’t think we have many gamers here, but the remasters of the original games for PS5 are amazing. Could not recommend these enough if you have time for it.

Sadly, it seems the TV adaptation may prevent there ever being a Pt. III to the series… but at least it’s well done.

I had a good watch with some foreign tv shows ( I did not write the summaries)

Whiskey on the Rocks
Inspired by the events of the 11-day standoff in 1981 between Sweden and the U.S.S.R. when a Soviet U-137 'Whiskey'-class submarine ran aground on rocks deep inside Swedish territorial waters.


The Thick of It is a British comedy television series created, written and directed by Armando Iannucci that satirises the inner workings of British government.

The Killing (Danish TV series)

The series is set in Copenhagen and revolves around Detective Inspector Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl). Each series follows a murder case. Each fifty-minute episode covers twenty-four hours of the investigation. The series is noted for its plot twists, season-long storylines and dark tone, and for giving equal emphasis to the stories of the murdered victim's family and the effect in political circles alongside the police investigation. It has also been singled out for the photography of its Danish setting and for the acting ability of its cast.

Quincy Varnish wrote: ↑26 Apr 2025 15:12 pm

George Zipp wrote: ↑18 Apr 2025 08:12 am*Last of Us: Not normally a big zombie apocalypse type of viewer. My daughter wanted to rewatch S1 before S2 dropped so I'm watching with her. I really dig it. It really captures my attention. Some of the guest star arcs (Nic Offerman, Melanie Lewyensky) have been great. I still have 3-4 episodes to finish S1 but I suspect with our weather forecast I'll plow thru it this weekend.

I’ve been watching this also. I’d guess it’s a completely different experience for those who have played through the games, as I have. They not only stay very close to the original story (with a few minor tweaks) but the sets, art direction, even the lighting are basically a carbon copy of the original games.

I don’t think we have many gamers here, but the remasters of the original games for PS5 are amazing. Could not recommend these enough if you have time for it.

Sadly, it seems the TV adaptation may prevent there ever being a Pt. III to the series… but at least it’s well done.

It is well done, but the lead character is fairly nauseating. The lgbtq flag is flying high on this one.

Was that all part of the game ? What I did like about the series, in S1, was the conflict faced by the lead character, who must have been in previous times a raider, killed a lot of innocent people, has that hanging over him decades later, is credible.

Spoiler

But he's gone, and now we have a competing revenge narrative, which when examined only by the context of the tv series, never made a lot of sense. So now we have two smarty-pants butch teen-agers on a hero's journey. meh.

MikoTython wrote: ↑28 Apr 2025 18:28 pm

Quincy Varnish wrote: ↑26 Apr 2025 15:12 pm

George Zipp wrote: ↑18 Apr 2025 08:12 am*Last of Us: Not normally a big zombie apocalypse type of viewer. My daughter wanted to rewatch S1 before S2 dropped so I'm watching with her. I really dig it. It really captures my attention. Some of the guest star arcs (Nic Offerman, Melanie Lewyensky) have been great. I still have 3-4 episodes to finish S1 but I suspect with our weather forecast I'll plow thru it this weekend.

I’ve been watching this also. I’d guess it’s a completely different experience for those who have played through the games, as I have. They not only stay very close to the original story (with a few minor tweaks) but the sets, art direction, even the lighting are basically a carbon copy of the original games.

I don’t think we have many gamers here, but the remasters of the original games for PS5 are amazing. Could not recommend these enough if you have time for it.

Sadly, it seems the TV adaptation may prevent there ever being a Pt. III to the series… but at least it’s well done.

It is well done, but the lead character is fairly nauseating. The lgbtq flag is flying high on this one.

Was that all part of the game ? What I did like about the series, in S1, was the conflict faced by the lead character, who must have been in previous times a raider, killed a lot of innocent people, has that hanging over him decades later, is credible.

Spoiler

But he's gone, and now we have a competing revenge narrative, which when examined only by the context of the tv series, never made a lot of sense. So now we have two smarty-pants butch teen-agers on a hero's journey. meh.

The game was spread across two parts, and the release of part II was 7 years after the first. There really weren’t any references to Ellie’s sexual identity in the original, but in part II they established it early on in the game.

One thing that the TV series seems to compress is the time gap between Ellie being rescued from the hospital by Joel, and their settling down in Jackson. Ellie was 14 years old at the end of part I, but 19 in part II. Season 1 was basically the complete part 1 of the game, but it looks like they might divide part II into two seasons of the show.

Part II of the game doesn’t let Ellie’s sexuality overpower the story at all… if that’s the type of thing that could ruin it for you. Ellie’s kind of a babe in Part II, which might help you deal with it.

And yeah… Joel’s background is interesting in the game also, but the details of his life as a smuggler aren’t fully revealed there either. Just as in the series, the game fast forwards from the death of Joel’s daughter to the post-apocalyptic time where he encounters Ellie.

Quincy Varnish wrote: ↑28 Apr 2025 21:18 pm

MikoTython wrote: ↑28 Apr 2025 18:28 pm

Quincy Varnish wrote: ↑26 Apr 2025 15:12 pm

George Zipp wrote: ↑18 Apr 2025 08:12 am*Last of Us: Not normally a big zombie apocalypse type of viewer. My daughter wanted to rewatch S1 before S2 dropped so I'm watching with her. I really dig it. It really captures my attention. Some of the guest star arcs (Nic Offerman, Melanie Lewyensky) have been great. I still have 3-4 episodes to finish S1 but I suspect with our weather forecast I'll plow thru it this weekend.

I’ve been watching this also. I’d guess it’s a completely different experience for those who have played through the games, as I have. They not only stay very close to the original story (with a few minor tweaks) but the sets, art direction, even the lighting are basically a carbon copy of the original games.

I don’t think we have many gamers here, but the remasters of the original games for PS5 are amazing. Could not recommend these enough if you have time for it.

Sadly, it seems the TV adaptation may prevent there ever being a Pt. III to the series… but at least it’s well done.

It is well done, but the lead character is fairly nauseating. The lgbtq flag is flying high on this one.

Was that all part of the game ? What I did like about the series, in S1, was the conflict faced by the lead character, who must have been in previous times a raider, killed a lot of innocent people, has that hanging over him decades later, is credible.

Spoiler

But he's gone, and now we have a competing revenge narrative, which when examined only by the context of the tv series, never made a lot of sense. So now we have two smarty-pants butch teen-agers on a hero's journey. meh.

The game was spread across two parts, and the release of part II was 7 years after the first. There really weren’t any references to Ellie’s sexual identity in the original, but in part II they established it early on in the game.

One thing that the TV series seems to compress is the time gap between Ellie being rescued from the hospital by Joel, and their settling down in Jackson. Ellie was 14 years old at the end of part I, but 19 in part II. Season 1 was basically the complete part 1 of the game, but it looks like they might divide part II into two seasons of the show.

Part II of the game doesn’t let Ellie’s sexuality overpower the story at all… if that’s the type of thing that could ruin it for you. Ellie’s kind of a babe in Part II, which might help you deal with it.

And yeah… Joel’s background is interesting in the game also, but the details of his life as a smuggler aren’t fully revealed there either. Just as in the series, the game fast forwards from the death of Joel’s daughter to the post-apocalyptic time where he encounters Ellie.

Spoiler

I'm not clear on when Ellie gets the full story on what happened with the Fireflies, her situation & Joel's rampage, or why she was more-or-less estranged from Joel immediately prior to his murder.

Do you have an insight on that ?

MikoTython wrote: ↑28 Apr 2025 21:37 pm

Quincy Varnish wrote: ↑28 Apr 2025 21:18 pm

MikoTython wrote: ↑28 Apr 2025 18:28 pm

Quincy Varnish wrote: ↑26 Apr 2025 15:12 pm

George Zipp wrote: ↑18 Apr 2025 08:12 am*Last of Us: Not normally a big zombie apocalypse type of viewer. My daughter wanted to rewatch S1 before S2 dropped so I'm watching with her. I really dig it. It really captures my attention. Some of the guest star arcs (Nic Offerman, Melanie Lewyensky) have been great. I still have 3-4 episodes to finish S1 but I suspect with our weather forecast I'll plow thru it this weekend.

I’ve been watching this also. I’d guess it’s a completely different experience for those who have played through the games, as I have. They not only stay very close to the original story (with a few minor tweaks) but the sets, art direction, even the lighting are basically a carbon copy of the original games.

I don’t think we have many gamers here, but the remasters of the original games for PS5 are amazing. Could not recommend these enough if you have time for it.

Sadly, it seems the TV adaptation may prevent there ever being a Pt. III to the series… but at least it’s well done.

It is well done, but the lead character is fairly nauseating. The lgbtq flag is flying high on this one.

Was that all part of the game ? What I did like about the series, in S1, was the conflict faced by the lead character, who must have been in previous times a raider, killed a lot of innocent people, has that hanging over him decades later, is credible.

Spoiler

But he's gone, and now we have a competing revenge narrative, which when examined only by the context of the tv series, never made a lot of sense. So now we have two smarty-pants butch teen-agers on a hero's journey. meh.

The game was spread across two parts, and the release of part II was 7 years after the first. There really weren’t any references to Ellie’s sexual identity in the original, but in part II they established it early on in the game.

One thing that the TV series seems to compress is the time gap between Ellie being rescued from the hospital by Joel, and their settling down in Jackson. Ellie was 14 years old at the end of part I, but 19 in part II. Season 1 was basically the complete part 1 of the game, but it looks like they might divide part II into two seasons of the show.

Part II of the game doesn’t let Ellie’s sexuality overpower the story at all… if that’s the type of thing that could ruin it for you. Ellie’s kind of a babe in Part II, which might help you deal with it.

And yeah… Joel’s background is interesting in the game also, but the details of his life as a smuggler aren’t fully revealed there either. Just as in the series, the game fast forwards from the death of Joel’s daughter to the post-apocalyptic time where he encounters Ellie.

Spoiler

I'm not clear on when Ellie gets the full story on what happened with the Fireflies, her situation & Joel's rampage, or why she was more-or-less estranged from Joel immediately prior to his murder.

Do you have an insight on that ?

Some… in the game, Ellie learns the details of the events at the hospital after Joel’s death. But you also don’t learn why her relationship with Joel is strained from the beginning of Pt II until some flashback scenes where she finds audio tapes made by the Fireflies that reveal enough that Ellie knows that what Joel told her was a lie… before the story of Pt. II picks up. It’s implied that was part of why her relationship with Joel changed, but they still remained close. To me, as it all unfolded, it seemed as though there was also some basic teen angst that was complicating their relationship, as most father-daughter relations generally develop.

The way the creators chose to reveal multiple layers to every relationship is what made the story so compelling.

Shrinking
Paradise
Your Friends & Neighbors
The Studio

The first three are so good my phone doesn't come out. Can't say the same about the last.

Andor season 2.

charlesmastis wrote: ↑28 Apr 2025 15:08 pm I had a good watch with some foreign tv shows ( I did not write the summaries)

Whiskey on the Rocks
Inspired by the events of the 11-day standoff in 1981 between Sweden and the U.S.S.R. when a Soviet U-137 'Whiskey'-class submarine ran aground on rocks deep inside Swedish territorial waters.


The Thick of It is a British comedy television series created, written and directed by Armando Iannucci that satirises the inner workings of British government.

The Killing (Danish TV series)

The series is set in Copenhagen and revolves around Detective Inspector Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl). Each series follows a murder case. Each fifty-minute episode covers twenty-four hours of the investigation. The series is noted for its plot twists, season-long storylines and dark tone, and for giving equal emphasis to the stories of the murdered victim's family and the effect in political circles alongside the police investigation. It has also been singled out for the photography of its Danish setting and for the acting ability of its cast.

.The Thick of It is an experience.

That Peter Capaldi, good god, how does he remember lines in rapid fire like that for 30 minutes? I am exhausted just watching him.

The show is f. K. Ng brill

VegasVinny wrote: ↑30 Apr 2025 15:11 pm Shrinking
Paradise
Your Friends & Neighbors
The Studio

The first three are so good my phone doesn't come out. Can't say the same about the last.

Paradise was ultimately disappointing for me other than the episode that showed everyone leaving Washington D.C.

GelatinousEndive wrote: ↑01 May 2025 19:10 pm

VegasVinny wrote: ↑30 Apr 2025 15:11 pm Shrinking
Paradise
Your Friends & Neighbors
The Studio

The first three are so good my phone doesn't come out. Can't say the same about the last.

Paradise was ultimately disappointing for me other than the episode that showed everyone leaving Washington D.C.

Gave up on the studio after one episode. I might go back and give it one more try but not anytime soon. The whole Kool Aid thing was so effin stupid. Made Scorsese's cameo ridiculous. The idea of Seth Rogen heading a Hollywood studio is beyond ridiculous. And the whole thing is disappointing because I typically find Apple TV's shows to be such good quality. Shrinking is fantastic television. I love that show.

I am finally picking up the British cop show “Line of Duty” which has been on my radar for years. It was made more than 10 years ago. It gets an IMDB rating over 8 so that is super high.

It is excellent so far, 2.5 seasons in. It follows a police unit that is charged which uncovering bad cop behavior, or as they say over there, finding “bent” police officers.

MikoTython wrote: ↑18 Apr 2025 09:37 am Catching up on White Lotus, now in S2. Well-written show, exploring the dark side of the upper bourgeoisie. I like it.

Do get viewing ideas from this forum. So, keep dem coming.

A lot of times, I find my self somewhat more critical than the average bear. For example, after a season or so of Tedd Lasso, I'd had my fill. Once Slippin' Jimmy started really breaking bad, after he'd dispensed (or pushed) 'Chuck' to his doom, I lost interest.

Some of you keep up w/ damm near all the shows, so its a good look-out for me.

I had exactly your takes of Ted Lasso and Better call Saul. I became tired of Vince Gilligan’s tricky style. It was a lotta fun in Breaking Bad but it became rather style-over-substance and the end of Chuck really was the end of something.

I'm as critical as anyone when it comes to TV. See my comments above about The Studio and how stupid the idea of Seth Rogen heading a studio is. I'm also constantly complaining when a show asks me to suspend reality too much. I don't like it. That is totally a me issue but I still get bothered by it. TV and movies both.

I liked the goofiness of Ted Lasso all the way thru but now I'm beyond miffed that they are going to keep it rolling. They lost me. The show came to a great logical end and now they are back. I loved the first three (I think it's three) seasons of Hacks. This new season stinks IMO. Without spoiling too much I'm tired of their constant love HATE love HATE HATE Hate relationship. And speaking of Seth Rogen heading a studio, the idea of a major network hiring a mid 70s woman to host a talk show is laughable. I'm sorry if that comes across as sexist. Not my intent. I think we all know reality and that ain't it.

My only comment on the two of you that gave up on BCS, once we met Kim, and once we met Nacho, and Howard, those three in particular, three who never once appeared on BB, I had to stick with it just to find out what happened. To me that was such a great hook to keep people invested, well at least most people , and for those that stuck with it the payoff was insane, especially with 2 of those three.

I'm as critical as anyone when it comes to TV. See my comments above about The Studio and how stupid the idea of Seth Rogen heading a studio is. I'm also constantly complaining when a show asks me to suspend reality too much. I don't like it. That is totally a me issue but I still get bothered by it. TV and movies both.

I like Seth Rogen, and him and Evan Goldberg have created/produced a lot of good TV & movies. BUT - my main issue is he plays a huge, insecure d**k. I mean, he is neurotic and seems to want all the attention to him, which I am sure in real life that is how the business is, but why do I care or want to cheer for him? He's pretty insufferable. The Studio has a 9.3 on Rotten Tomatoes and 8/10 on IMDb. Weird. I don't hate it, but those numbers are way too high.

My only comment on the two of you that gave up on BCS, once we met Kim, and once we met Nacho, and Howard, those three in particular, three who never once appeared on BB, I had to stick with it just to find out what happened. To me that was such a great hook to keep people invested, well at least most people , and for those that stuck with it the payoff was insane, especially with 2 of those three.

Kim might be the best character created in that entire universe. She was fantastic. Nacho was great, and Howard was so good at who he was. Exactly why some people think BCS was actually better then BB, better characters and they built a world, even though we knew the ending, that was amazing.

I retired at the end of last year, so I’ve plowed through more stuff since then than I did in the last 5 years! Lol
Some older stuff I never got to before (Goliath Lincoln Lawyer) to a lot of newer stuff as well. It’s good and bad, the bad is a lot is becoming a blur and I couldn’t tell you what all I’ve caught! Lol