9
votes
TV Tuesdays Free Talk
Have you watched any TV shows recently you want to discuss? Any shows you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.
Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.
The first two episodes of Pluribus were about as good as I expected them to be. As the longtime driver of the Rhea Seehorn bandwagon, I'd like to welcome any newcomers aboard. There are drinks and snacks in the cooler, so help yourselves. We're getting our girl that Emmy!
Overall, it feels like we are in a bit of a lull after a decade+ of amazing TV. Sunday nights used to have 2-3 really good shows to watch, but nowadays I have trouble finding something to fill the time. Over the past year or so, I've been rewatching some of my all-time favorites and thinking about where they rank against each other.
There are plenty of contenders, but after finishing the first two seasons of Fargo, I think Fargo season 2 might be my personal favorite. Sadly, it is probably the least viewed out of any others I have in my personal top-10, so I'd like to make a brief case for why you should watch Fargo season two.
First and foremost, it has everything one could ask for, at least from a pure entertainment perspective. It has action, suspense, humor, drama, and a healthy dose of wtf/wild card moments. Unlike other shows that manage to strike that balance, Fargo never takes itself too seriously. Its purpose is to have fun first, but it will still get you hooked in the process.
Unlike S1, S2 doesn't have a lot of character development; however, it makes up for it with a deep cast of likeable characters and some decent themes about late-1970s American malaise and the incoming tidal wave of corporate capitalism. I love how the setting plays into the stylistic choices. If you haven't seen it, the opening title sequence of the first episode is a perfect spoiler-free example. The typewriter font and split screen cuts, mixed with Jimmy Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" speech and Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" is a thing of beauty. Every episode has at least one great needle drop paired with a groovy split screen to maximize impact. There is no need for subtlety, just take what you want and have it in excess.
I cannot recommend Fargo season 2 enough. It's a stand alone season if you're short on time, but for maximum effect you should watch season one first. Season one is phenomenal in its own right (most people probably put it above season 2) and it lays out some nice little hints about season two that add to the buildup. Ok then.
Doing a month of Netflix and I burned through season 3 of The Diplomat which was a bit clunky and had some storylines that seemed to betray the basic beliefs of the main characters.
Halfway through Dept Q which I'm hot and cold on so far.
I felt the same way about Dept Q while watching it, but after I was done with it, I didn’t mind that I had watched and would watch another season. Let me know what you think of it once you finish.
I have finished it and while I think there were some glaring plot holes, I would also watch another season. It's not great but it is good.
We watched a dub of a short Spanish series called Old Dog, New Tricks (original title Animal) on Netflix. It's about a country vet who ends up working at a corporate run pet store. It has a lot of heart and is a little wacky. The veterinary parts were extremely well done.
Been watching "The Chair Company" with Tim Robinson. It's great stuff. Somehow they kept that manic energy but made a surprisingly compelling investigative thriller.
The Lowdown is a decent little show with Ethan Hawk. His daughter was on Skeleton Crew and is a pretty good actor. Usually kids are terrible in TV shows... but they're making it work when she's around.
The cast for this is great overall and the story is pulpy -- above Max Allen Collins but below Dennis Lehane... maybe around Westlake.
edit: South Park is insane this season.
I'm loving Blue Lights. It's a police show from Nothern Ireland. I like watching competent people who are in control of their emotions doing stuff. There's drama and personal relationships, but not melodrama or histrionics. Watching restrained Europeans in a cold climate is a breath of fresh air for a Brazilian.
Blue Lights again. These 6-episode seasons are great sometimes, but Season 2 felt very compressed. There was too much going on, and the main story was competent but rushed. It was like watching The Godfather on fast-forward. Still a good show though.