TV Tuesdays Free Talk

Edit: whew what a long post this became. TLDR first one worth the watch, second one worth watching season 1 but not 2.

Helikopterrånet - 6/10

(English title: The Helicopter Heist)

A pretty crazy true story! (Don't click the link if you don't want spoilers though.)

It had some annoying cliches like the workaholic good cop with problems at home and a dumb boss who doesn't grant them enough resources. And then the usual family drama that felt boring when comparing to how exciting the main story is, so those scenes felt very dragged out. Directing was the up close and personal Nordic style which is not really my cup of tea and it's very different from how most shows I watch are shot (US or UK) so it felt jarring in a way. On the other hand, they do a lot with what budget they have and that's always the thing with small countries' productions, but it can be done better than this I think.

The score had a lot of character, it was super satisfying every time it came on. That was actually maybe the best part of the show for me - (these four notes). The main character was also really good and Mahmut Suvakci played the role really well, reminded me a lot of Oscar Isaac in Drive with especially his body language and expressions, so he stood out. Rest of the cast was good to fine - exceptions being the pilot who was distracting as I thought he was wayyy overacting and the other exception being the Danish actor because her lines were just so strange. Oddly delivered too. This is not uncommon in other Danish productions but yeah, un-immerses me every time.

Last 3 episodes are by far the best of the show, but it was still not quite there. The heist itself was very cool to watch, but after that it was kind of just going through the motions. But on the other hand, if it was an American show, I can see it turning up the drama and tension to 11 which can also be annoying as hell - that is, if hypothetically the quality carried over and was 1:1, if that makes sense? The very end moved me a lot. It kind of seemed to me that more than a thrilling heist and cops and robbers etc. etc., what I took away from it and enjoyed more about the show was that it is about people ruining their own lives. Staring self-destruction in the face but they don't look away - they just keep going. Maybe that's a stretch or reach but in that sense but it became relatable in that sense somehow for me.

So overall a decent watch and certainly entertaining. It was cool to learn about the heist that is very infamous here in Scandinavia - a pretty crazy true story! (Don't click the link if you don't want spoilers though.)

Lioness - DNF

Season 1 was decent to good, an entertaining 6-7/10. Zoe Saldana was incredible, the vibe with the team was really good, Laysla De Oliveira and her storyline was super good - even the side quest turned out to be good if not better than the main story. There were also some huge stars in it which, going in relatively blind, was very surprising. Nicole Kidman though is extremely distracting in anything nowadays. It is such uncanny valley that I am genuinely baffled that she still gets hired for any role whatsoever. Every scene with her is ruined. Something else that was awful was the family drama. I have also talked about that just above for Helikopterrånet, as well as last week irt. bothDay of the Jackal and Black Doves - the weakest point of all shows that advertise themselves with these super cool concepts. Others coming to mind is The Americans and For All Mankind. It's annoying that producers feel the need to pad time with it when they could make their shows 2 episodes shorter and a lot better. Anyway, Lioness had that problem as well but other aspects made up for it. Especially the lesbian(!) enemies-to-lovers part which is one trope that I will always enjoy. And the representation in mainstream stuff is something I always appreciate so much, and find important. And specifically lesbian stuff. Just, 𝓈𝓌𝑜𝑜𝓃!

Season 2.... very surprised. Actually what the fuck moment. Insane nosedive right from the start. Nearly everything that made season 1 good was thrown out the window. I quit in the middle of episode 3 at a truly mindboggling and offensive scene. Up until that, season 2 was maybe a 3-4/10 so not worth watching anyway - everyone was out of character and again, it was just crap. Hypermacho shit galore. I would have probably watched it to the end anyway, because it still had some good bits strewn about. Anyway, that offensive scene was out of nowhere. It was a minute of in your face, no subtlety at all, transphobic lines. Paraphrasing:: "It's not a phobia because I'm not afraid of them", "I have the right to disagree", "that's what freedom is" etc. - and then the CIA agent says she "has to go to countries where they can't disagree" - because comparing oppressive governments to trans people, yeah, that follows, sure buddy, that makes total sense??? This imdb review reflects my feelings:

I can only assume that intelligent writers from the first season were replaced with a random AI bot with the hate speech filters removed. It's shameful that the writers and actors would espouse and endorse such hateful concepts, and shocking that the cast and Paramount would continue to support the existence of this show.

It's just so strange. Season 1 had great queer representation, an actually beautiful lesbian relationship, no ignorance or anything about it. So well made! But now it suddenly turns that on its head and becomes so intensely anti-LGBT+? Why?? Additionally, something else: Earlier in season 2, there was also this ridiculous scene where an officer keeps pressing a soldier: "Say it! Say you love your country!" But the soldier can't say it for some reason. So she starts crying and finally says "I love my country!" and it is completely unironic, it's a 100% serious scene and the soldier really means it. It is not just patriotic which is of course eyerolling on its own, but outright nationalistic. There was nothing like this season 1. I mean it was always one of those we're the good guys shows, and sort of pro-war/pro-imperialism as was talked about in a ~movies thread the week before last I think it was. I can usually look past it though because I like action, and Hollywood productions with army stuff relies on approval from the military to use their gear and vehicles etc.

But good fucking grief.. clearly the intended audience did a 180. It unquestionably changed from just about anyone to become an obnoxiously Conservative manosphere type show. Maybe they got too much criticism from that side about season 1 for being 'woke' (because it has strong women lol). But it still beats me how the big names agreed to participate. Contracts maybe? But still, they are at the very top of the Hollywood foodchain. A-listers can refuse a scene or to speak lines if they wanted to. I guess I shouldn't be surprised about all this because it's a Taylor Sheridan show. But he wrote Sicario, Hell or High Water, and Wind River!? So anyway, I'd recommend season 1 for some relatively mindless fun, and it can be watched on its own as the story fully wraps up. But stop watching after that.

Silo Season 2 - conceptually it's still an interesting show but it's far too plodding (this is coming from a "For All Mankind" fan) and the acting is just kind of stiff and the dialogue is so stilted. Sure, Rebecca Ferguson's accent is all over the place, but I've said it repeated that COMMON IS PROBABLY THE WORST ACTOR WHO REGULARLY GETS HIGH PROFILE ROLES. Every piece of dialogue he delivers is indistinguishable from his MS AI commercial work and he kills all the scenes because I find myself laughing at his delivery. I'm sticking around for the finale of this season but if there isn't a payoff, I may dump it. I don't need light speed progress, I just need development and there are too many plots/subplots going on at once.

Laid - Perfectly fine, funny enough mindless TV. Stephanie Hsu is good in it and I hope she continues to get work.

What We Do In the Shadows - The best dumb smart show I've ever seen and I'm sad the series is over. I push this on everyone I know and I hope to do the same for internet strangers who haven't given it a shot.

Stumbled on Northern Exposure, a comedy from the early 90's where a doctor from NYC ends up being forced to move to a tiny town of 800 people. Although the doctor is the main character, it has an ensemble cast vibe and no laugh track. The characters that inhabit this tiny town are bizarre and hilarious. It does a great job of capturing the quirks of small town life. The scenery is lovely. The writing is clever and the tone is generally kind.

It suffers a little from being a product of its time, but it does a pretty good job overall. For example, still calling the Native folks Indians, but in spite of that, it does a decent job of respectfully portraying the Native characters and their modern tribal culture with dignity.

Almost through the second season and enjoying it.

Cunk on Life is out and she's in fine form.

Philomena Cunk delves into life's profound questions, examining subjects from the big bang to AI, meeting academics and creatives, all with her trademark misguided observations.

If you like reality game shows, you might like The Traitors UK. Its fun and more wholesome than the North American versions that are all trash 'celebs' trying to get their time on TV again. One episode per night with a fun recap/discussion after.