My TV Viewing Thread (DVD & Blu-ray) LOST

DrapedInDarkness

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Rather than keep creating threads for shows I am currently watching or rewatching I will just update the title in this thread whenever I start a new series.

This week I was off work and devoured Ever Decreasing Circles - The Complete Series.

I can honestly say that my memory has betrayed me with great shows reduced to poorly paced and poorly written drivel when watched many many years later, this was not the case with this show.

Right from the starting episode the characters are so perfectly (flawed in some cases) written and acted that warming to them is nigh on impossible to resist, and best of all it is still incredibly funny with plenty of little smirking to myself moments and just as many laugh out loud moments too.

Richard Briers is a criminally underrated comedy genius and I don't think he ever bettered Martin Bryce and his many personality flaws; while Penelope Wilton as his long suffering wife Ann is played with the right amount of grace and desperate need for attention.

Added to the mix are the Hughes, Howard and Hilda who are in their own way just as flawed as Martin but have an unshakable love and trust in each other that gets them through everything life and Martin can throw at them.

Lastly we have new neighbour Paul Ryman played expertly by Peter Egan, who could in other hands have come across as smarmy and unlikeable but with Egan playing the role he comes across as a genuinely nice guy who just happens to have a lot of mates in high places.

The chemistry between the cast is obvious throughout and especially between Martin and Paul despite Martins belief that Paul is stealing all the glory away from him as the go to guy for just about every situation.

The essential episode to watch for comedy perfection is in series 2 "Housework" where Ann has to have a minor operation and Martin assures her that he can manage to take over all of the housework as she overstates how hard it is, naturally it starts well and soon descends into disaster, to say more would be to rob you of one of televisions funniest half hours.
 
Merlin : Seasons 1-5

Whilst primarily aimed at younger viewers Merlin does surprisingly handle some more mature themes, racism, bullying, sexism etc, the actors are uniformly good although Katie McGrath as Morgana is a bit too bland for me in the earlier seasons and even when she turns evil is just not quite menacing enough to convince as the big bad she is meant to be.

Colin Morgan is brilliant as the title character Merlin, portraying both the bumbling servant and loyal protector even though he knows if discovered he will surely die (Seriously this is a young peoples show) and he makes you care for the character in some very emotional episodes where the threat seems palpable and the dangers to life and limb very real.

Bradly James as young prince Arthur Pendragon is also superb whether he be the boorish snob oblivious to the feelings of those around him or the young king to be realising what it means to be rich and priviliged compared to the rest of the kingdom, he also makes you care for his character and the range of emotions he is able to portray as the series progresses shows that he is actually a very accomplished actor.

Anthony Head is uniformly brilliant as the despicable king Uther Pendragon; a man so hateful of magic that he has killed all those who practice it good or bad.

Richard Wilson as his usual excellent self in the mainly expository role of Gaius and has some very big parts to play throughout the series and has the right amount of gravitas whenever it is needed.

Angel Coulby as Guinevere is fantastic as well (despite the initial stupid controversy over skin tone that greeted her casting) she has some incredibly meaty moments where she gets to really shine and you can believe that Arthur has love for her such is the strength and honesty she manages to imbue into her role.

There are many numerous guest stars throughout the series run and some are awesome and some seem to be there merely to chew the scenery, there are also some outstanding episodes considering the target audience and sadly some that are pathetic in their attempts to dumb it down for the obviously fart hilarity impaired younger viewers, overall it is an enjoyable romp through a fantasy world that manages to be entertaining and keeps you wanting more.
 
Messiah - Complete Series

Well acted but poorly conceived show with the most inept bunch of coppers ever, I enjoyed the show in an almost perverse way, trying to guess how many would be dead each series before they finally solved the cases, Not a show I can see myself watching again to be honest, every series seemed to only be resolved once the killer/killers finally ran out of victims and the amount of times it turned out to be somebody from the emergency services means I will never dial 999 :laugh:

If I had to give this show a rating it would not be a very good one, a considerably flawed series that would have benefited from some humour as when played completely straight the absurdity of the situations is made even more absurd.
 
Newsradio - Seasons 1-5

Newsradio was/is a fantastic comedy that was probably ahead of its time and lucky to last as long as it did but unlucky enough to see one of its main and funniest cast members sadly pass.

Dave Foley was cast as Dave Nelson the head of the radio station due to his time as one of the Kids In The Hall a very funny Canadian comedy group, Khandi Alexander was cast as co-anchor Catherine Duke but badly used and left during season four, Andy Dick was cast as Mathew Brock the useless accident prone laughing stock, well because he is Andy Dick, Joe Rogan was cast as Joe the handyman at literally the last minute with him replacing a similar character from the pilot episode, Maura Tierney who would find greater fame on E.R also joined at the last minute as Lisa Miller, Vicki Lewis as the madcap Beth and Stephen Root as the billionaire but bored easily owner of the station they all work for at WNYX; and are joined by the final piece of the puzzle the irreplaceable Phil Hartman as main anchor Bill McNeal who would be murdered by his wife during season fours end and season fives beginning.

With each episode running for about 23 minutes they never outstayed their welcome and it is virtually impossible to give any sort of synopsis as each episode was completely off the wall, but it was always constantly and consistently funny whilst making you actually care about the characters.

The season five opener in which the characters come back from Bills funeral are hard to watch as the cast break down numerous times and yet somehow carry on and keep it true to the legacy of Phil Hartman by still making it funny, its rare for a show to manage this tightrope act of pathos and humour and we have to pity Jon Lovitz who has the almost impossible job of replacing Phil Hartman's Bill McNeal as Max Loius.

Despite my constant reference to Phil's untimely passing the show really was incredibly funny and it deserves to be remembered for its witty scripts and perfect performance from all of the cast, even the guest actors.

Newsradio remains in my top ten all time TV shows and is always fun to watch it again when I'm feeling a little glum it always makes me laugh out loud or smile like a madman and that is what a good comedy should do.
 
The Tudors - Complete Series 1-4

I bought this in 2011 and with all the terrible year that was to come I never got around to watching it and it has sat in my not yet watched stack for a good five years now.

A shame then as it is escapism of the highest order with its highly stylised alternate take on history, Jonathan Rhys Meyers is an amazingly likeable/detestable Henry VIII and every other character is suitably played by the cream of Hollywood talent, with appearances from Sam Neill and Peter O'Toole and Max Von Sydow to name but a few, however it is Jeremy Northam who really steals the show as the sometimes evil for goods sake heart of the series Thomas More, so much so that when his time in the series is up it is hard not to feel some very strong emotion at the shame of it all and the simultaneous reaction from JRM's Henry VIII makes it a gut wrenching moment.

This is not a show for historical purists as it takes many liberties with the truths we know, but it is riveting and intensely entertaining, oh and it has a pre Superman Henry Cavill as Henry's long standing friend Charles Brandon who somehow nearly loses his head twice despite said friendship.

A very good watch for those who like to devour shows quickly as it only had four series and averaged ten episodes per series, there has not been one duff episode amongst them and it is a show I can see myself watching again a few years down the line just to reacquaint myself with its lovable and reprehensible litany of characters.
 
The Tudors - Complete Series 1-4

I bought this in 2011 and with all the terrible year that was to come I never got around to watching it and it has sat in my not yet watched stack for a good five years now.

A shame then as it is escapism of the highest order with its highly stylised alternate take on history, Jonathan Rhys Meyers is an amazingly likeable/detestable Henry VIII and every other character is suitably played by the cream of Hollywood talent, with appearances from Sam Neill and Peter O'Toole and Max Von Sydow to name but a few, however it is Jeremy Northam who really steals the show as the sometimes evil for goods sake heart of the series Thomas More, so much so that when his time in the series is up it is hard not to feel some very strong emotion at the shame of it all and the simultaneous reaction from JRM's Henry VIII makes it a gut wrenching moment.

This is not a show for historical purists as it takes many liberties with the truths we know, but it is riveting and intensely entertaining, oh and it has a pre Superman Henry Cavill as Henry's long standing friend Charles Brandon who somehow nearly loses his head twice despite said friendship.

A very good watch for those who like to devour shows quickly as it only had four series and averaged ten episodes per series, there has not been one duff episode amongst them and it is a show I can see myself watching again a few years down the line just to reacquaint myself with its lovable and reprehensible litany of characters.
I watched this on my own then re-watched with the wife a year later and still thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't know how I missed it on its release but devouring one episode after another is the way to go.
 
Brotherhood : Complete Seasons 1-3

I found this to be a really compelling show starring Jason Clarke and Jason Isaacs (Who if you only know him as Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter will comfortably surprise you with his acting ability)

The two Jason's play brothers trying to control their home of Rhode Island from different positions Clarke plays Tommy Caffee a local politician with his fingers in lots of little pies and Isaacs plays Michael Caffey a local mobster who reappears after a seven year absence, there is a massive and fantastic supporting cast who flesh out wives, partners, police officers and rival gangsters/politicians.

I have to be honest and say that Rose Caffee as played by Fionnula Flanagan just annoyed the hell out of me every time she appeared on screen as she is a nightmarish shrew but it would appear she was written that way and is therefore superb acting.

Special mentions also for Ethan Embry as Declan Giggs a conflicted officer who is a childhood friend of the brothers and Billy Smith as Moe a deeply unlikable character played to perfection and becoming bizarrely more lovable the more he appears in conflict with anyone and everyone.

There are numerous storylines running throughout the three seasons and include corruption/undercover stings/brotherly love/hate.

Despite its abrupt cancellation the show does have a definitive and satisfying ending and to be fair there are maybe only one or two shows that could have delivered so much in such a short span of time, I'd give Brotherhood a solid 8/10

Chasing Shadows

The complete opposite of this dire and completely predictable piece of prime time garbage, starring Alex Kingston, Noel Clarke and Reece Shearsmith as....

...you know what it really does not matter who they are, the show is clueless and almost completely pointless, every twist is so signposted that you know what is happening a good half an hour before the characters do, when the show only has four 45 minute episodes and fails to provide a single chill or wow I did not expect that moment it has failed completely.

ITV must have been so sure this would be a hit that they ended it on a cliffhanger to continue the next series but luckily somebody then watched it and realised the folly of this and it gets a very much deserved 2/10 and that is only for the credit sequence which is kind of nice.

Dominion - Series 1

Based on the film Legion which is if you have not seen it about a war between angels and mankind, which should make for an extremely exciting film and show but again fails utterly and completely to invest so much as bore your pants off, the only slightly not annoying character is a little girl called Bixby who then gets pointlessly murdered while recovering from an already pointless injury from earlier, it feels like they could not make you care about any character so needed to jolt the series and it failed again, she may have been just a plot device but the murder was overkill (Pun intended) and this show never seems to find any redeeming features and it was no surprise it got cancelled after the second series, more surprising was the fact it got a second run at it. 1/10

Heroes Reborn

Is there a way to adequately review a show you once loved and then see heartlessly murdered by its creator, I am curled up into a ball of pity emerging only to type a few words before curling up again sobbing 0/10
 
Heroes Reborn

Is there a way to adequately review a show you once loved and then see heartlessly murdered by its creator, I am curled up into a ball of pity emerging only to type a few words before curling up again sobbing 0/10
Ha I couldn't be bothered to search for its thread after viewing it but it was a poorly acted mess.
 
Heroes Reborn

Is there a way to adequately review a show you once loved and then see heartlessly murdered by its creator, I am curled up into a ball of pity emerging only to type a few words before curling up again sobbing 0/10
It was already murdered in S2, buried in S3, desecrated in S4, then mutilated and reburied in Reborn.
 
It was already murdered in S2, buried in S3, desecrated in S4, then mutilated and reburied in Reborn.

I liked S2 but not a lot, despised S3 and thought S4 got back on track although I like T-Bag so much it may have clouded my thinking :laugh:

But Heroes Reborn is just such a horrible waste of time and talent.
 
Under The Dome

As a self confessed Stephen King fanboy I will watch or read anything that had come from his wonderfully warped mind and it is this and only this that made me sit through the continuous and rapidly degenerating rubbish that this show forced upon its audience week after week, I honestly enjoyed most of S1, I tolerated S2 and was utterly destroyed by the completely moronic and totally idiotic writing and acting that was S3.

3/10
 
Twin Peaks - The Limited Event Series.

There will be some light spoilers so only read if you have watched.


So I sat down last night in a heightened sense of expectation and started to watch Twin Peaks the limited event series.

And up front I've got to say I am a huge fan of twin peaks, I coveted the entire series when it was on TV and then again when it was on vhs and then DVD and finally Blu-ray.

This is not Twin Peaks the tv series, this is Twin Peaks : Fire Walk With Me expanded into a full series, I was one of the many, many fans of the show who did not like FWWM because while it did try expanding the Twin Peaks universe it did so by eliminating most of the endearing oddness that made Twin Peaks so entertaining in the 1st place and replaced it with sex and bad language, If I wanted to watch something that could be weird with sex and bad language there is plenty of choice out there, hello Game Of Thrones or Preacher.

What I wanted was to return to twin peaks and its off kilter world of dwarves and giants, damn fine coffee and unexplained murders in a town where logs have secrets and the owls are not what they seem.

What we got with the limited series was cameo appearances from some of the hip names of hollywood doing weird things that were utterly unconnected with twin peaks itself, we got an agent cooper who is not agent cooper at all, and just outright weirdness for the sake of being weird.

I forced myself to watch this after the initial excitement had completely died by the end of episode one, I did not expect a flat out continuation especially after over two decades since the last series, but I did expect a continuation of sorts and this was not it.

Normally with such a show I can get some satisfaction from playing spot the well positioned celebrity but here they were shoehorned in with excruciating dialogue and meandering plot shuddering brakes slammed on whenever it seemed like it might be going somewhere old Twin Peaks used to go.

And don't even get me started on Diane, The never seen but completely devoted to Agent Cooper Diane, the Dale Cooper utterly reliant upon his ever resourceful and never seen Diane, here finally seen and transformed into a harsh shrew who swears like a trooper and seems to not give even one damn about her beloved former boss.

The new characters are by and large all unpleasant, the old characters by and large have changed so much from their previous iteration that they are also unpleasant to spend any time with.

The long awaited return....too long really as one of the characters mentions of Agent Dale Cooper was a truly fantastic moment coupled with that haunting melody but it just did not last long enough, and the devastating goodbye from the log lady brought a genuine lump to my throat, but that this show was her swansong was even sadder.

The fact that the real Diane was not his Diane but does show up to make love to Cooper and then vanish made this character appearance utterly unsatisfying and pointless.

Lynch also gives way too much screentime to his own character Gordon Cole and the deaf shouty thing got very very old very very quickly.

In short this was needlessly sweary, pointlessly crass and painstakingly as unlike Twin Peaks the TV series as it was possible to get, and the fact it ended on a cliffhanger it most certainly did not deserve was in my opinion supreme arrogance, I'm normally quite the fan of David Lynch but this was just terrible, I cannot even say I enjoyed one episode completely.

2/10
 
I liked S2 but not a lot, despised S3 and thought S4 got back on track although I like T-Bag so much it may have clouded my thinking :laugh:

But Heroes Reborn is just such a horrible waste of time and talent.

I'm still on season 2 but only have 2 episodes to go. I've enjoyed the show much better second time round. I've not seen or heard of season 3 being sold in Poundland so I've ordered it at less than £6 via Amazon. If it's a big disappointment then I haven't lost a fortune.

I've only read the last bit of your Twin Peaks write up in order to avoid any potential spoilers. One thing I've picked up about it is that it's closer in tone to the film rather than the original tv series. I didn't care that much for the film. I finished the tv series blu a while back but still haven't been able to work up enough enthusiasm for a return visit to the film. I'll probably still want to see this but I'm waiting for the price to drop. Maybe another Poundland job.

:)
Bri
 
I'm still on season 2 but only have 2 episodes to go. I've enjoyed the show much better second time round. I've not seen or heard of season 3 being sold in Poundland so I've ordered it at less than £6 via Amazon. If it's a big disappointment then I haven't lost a fortune.

I've only read the last bit of your Twin Peaks write up in order to avoid any potential spoilers. One thing I've picked up about it is that it's closer in tone to the film rather than the original tv series. I didn't care that much for the film. I finished the tv series blu a while back but still haven't been able to work up enough enthusiasm for a return visit to the film. I'll probably still want to see this but I'm waiting for the price to drop. Maybe another Poundland job.

:)
Bri

Heroes remains cheesy fun but S3 is really awful.......you literally have to fight through the rubbish to get any enjoyment out of it.

As for Twin Peaks, it actually makes the film seem like an episode of Sesame Street :laugh:
 
not seen or heard of season 3 being sold in Poundland so I've ordered it at less than £6 via Amazon
You had me quite excited for a bit Bri ... I rushed to Amazon to buy Twin Peak S3 on blu-ray for under £6 :eek:
- thought I'd missed out, until realising much later you were on about Heroes!! :facepalm:
 
You had me quite excited for a bit Bri ... I rushed to Amazon to buy Twin Peak S3 on blu-ray for under £6 :eek:
- thought I'd missed out, until realising much later you were on about Heroes!! :facepalm:

Krish I'll let you know when it turns up in Poundland. :) I must admit I'm curious as to whether it's sold well at full price.

Bri
 
The Big C - Season 1

This was a present for me from about four to five years ago, subject matter seemed extremely depressing so I shelved it until my recent decision to work my way through the unwatched stack by alphabetical order.

Big mistake!

This show is absolutely fantastic, Laura Linney is amazing and Oliver Platt plays the pathetic and apathetic husband out in the cold perfectly, Gabriel Basso as the child of two incredibly disfunctional parents is annoying and irritating in equal parts which is actually good as he is meant to be.....


....but the star of the show is Phylis Somerville as Marlene the elderly neighbour who completely steals the entire show, she is cantankerous and hilarious in equal measure.

This is a foul mouthed and irreverant show and it is funny and heartbreaking especially towards the end of the season.

The highest recommendation I can give this show is that I immediately ordered the box set for under £10 (Thank you Zoom) so I can finish the journey begun such a long time ago. 8/10
 
The Big C - Season 1

This was a present for me from about four to five years ago, subject matter seemed extremely depressing so I shelved it until my recent decision to work my way through the unwatched stack by alphabetical order.

Big mistake!

This show is absolutely fantastic, Laura Linney is amazing and Oliver Platt plays the pathetic and apathetic husband out in the cold perfectly, Gabriel Basso as the child of two incredibly disfunctional parents is annoying and irritating in equal parts which is actually good as he is meant to be.....


....but the star of the show is Phylis Somerville as Marlene the elderly neighbour who completely steals the entire show, it is foul mouthed and irreverant and funny and heartbreaking especially towards the end of the season.

The highest recommendation I can give this show is that I immediately ordered the box set for under £10 (Thank you Zoom) so I can finish the journey begun such a long time ago. 8/10

I saw the start of this on tv but some how failed to keep up with up it. As I recall it looked quite promising. Now that I've had cancer myself it might make it even more interesting.

Bri
 
I saw the start of this on tv but some how failed to keep up with up it. As I recall it looked quite promising. Now that I've had cancer myself it might make it even more interesting.

Bri

Let me know what you think, as somebody who has been through this your viewpoint may be totally opposite to mine :thumbsup:
 
Let me know what you think, as somebody who has been through this your viewpoint may be totally opposite to mine :thumbsup:

I'd have to buy it first before I could do that. I can talk about other fictional cancer stuff I've seen since my cancer though. Nothing I've seen is anything like like what I went through.

There was a BBC comedy (I can't remember the title). The guy refused treatment but was kidnapped by friends who gave him chemotherapy treatment. Partway through he admits he'd been wrong and the treatment was making him feel better. I didn't feel in the slightest bit ill from the cancer itself but the treatment didn't half foul me up. I think that's the usual for most/all people.

Another show had a person on chemo who felt very tired during the actual session. I was always knackered the next day not during the session. Most of the other chemo patients looked reasonably ok on the day too. That same character seemed to make a full recovery in no time at all. When she took a day off work on the people accused her of faking it! I'd love to have only had one day's illness in the 3 years since my treatment and no side effects. Coping with the after effects is actually much harder than the treatment itself.

I know it's for the drama but you tend to get the "Why me? I'm going to die angst". I became extraordinarily focused and determined to beat it. I never lost my sense of humour. Most of the other patients I met were pretty much the same. They may have had down moments in private but I rarely saw it.

The best advice is not get cancer and just experience it through the nicer version in fiction.

:laugh:
Bri
 
Cougar Town/Bates Motel

Trying to work my way though my collection and we arrived at two fairly big sets with three seasons of Cougar Town and five of Bates Motel, alternating between the two kept the drama levels....level and assured the comedy never outstayed its welcome.

Cougar Town

This being another comedy from an ex F.R.I.E.N.D.S star, this time Courtney Cox I really wanted to like Cougar town and hoped it would be slightly different from my imagination of it based purely on it's title of a Sex And The City show with more intentional laughs.

Thankfully it turned out to be a really quite clever little comedy that loves cameo appearances from either other ex F.R.I.E.N.D.S or bizarre appearances....hello Abed right up to almost the entire cast of Scrubs, Cameo high five?

I greedily wolfed down episode after episode and enjoyed each and every one, even when it got a little schmaltzy it had lured you into liking the characters enough to not be bothered by it, if there was an annoyance it came at the end of the binge, only the first three seasons have been released on any format and if you want to watch the remaining three seasons then it is iTunes for you, and I just am not going to do that!.

All in all it is never less than enjoyable, frequently laugh out loud funny and a pleasure not a chore to have watched all the characters grow on you throughout three well played and well planned seasons, giving it a very solid 8/10

Bates Motel

If Somehow you have never seen Psycho then please do not read for spoilers ahoy!

And now from the ridiculous in a good way to the sublime, a retelling of the Norman Bates story set in the modern world, How can this possibly even come close to working, well strangely enough not only does it work, it is gripping and in Freddie Highmore we have a more than worthy successor to the tics and mannerisms of Norman Bates, that the show chooses Normans formative just getting out of teenage years is genius, it allows for unfamiliar ground to seem familiar with classic tropes getting a nice shiny new coat of paint, Vera Farmiga is an altogether different mother than the one we may have expected, she is not an aggressive evil shrew but a loving mother with her own issues who struggles a little with Norman's "issues"

With two other actors this show possibly may not have worked, but with these two it has been an incredibly well written and acted drama of the highest order, watching Norman barely containing his rage and how Freddie Highmore depicts this with going from sunny smile to faltering and then simmering rage is amazing, while watching Norma flip a switch to change whatever mood she is in to accommodate his mood is equally mesmerising, but truly this is the Norman show and in lesser hands when Norman becomes Norma the transformation could have been laughable but Freddie Highmore not only has Norman's tics and mannerisms down but he can also pull off Vera Farmiga's Norma, with a haughty wave of the hand or slight gesture of the head it really is masterful acting and a reminder of what Norman will become.

With some small implausabilities to the plot...like any horror film these days, you are invested enough to let it wash over you and understand it is plot driven by desire to tell a good story and so the incongrueties can even seem fitting considering Norman's unreliability as either narrator or viewer, this really was a treat from start to excellent film blending final season and the only thing that made me sad was knowing Freddie Highmore will never show us Norman/Norma in a big budget film as he clearly deserves too. 9/10
 
LOST

Spoilers ahead - Although it is hard to imagine anybody not knowing it by now.

Ok, technically this is a rewatch as it has been quite a few years since I watched LOST and the ending annoyed/upset me so much that I steered clear for longer than intended.

I still massively enjoyed the show right up until the first appearance of DarkLocke and then my enjoyment dropped quite a bit, what surprised me most on my rewatch is how little growth Jack gets compared to say Sawyer who grows and becomes better and better episode by episode.

There are still far too many unanswered questions for it to be completely satisfying, but the ending did not disappoint me as much as it did first time round.

Daniel and Miles were awesome characters almost as soon as they appeared, but sadly poor Charlotte gets so little time to grow that her death has little to no impact, whereas Juliet's death has a pretty devastating effect as we've had time to see her relationship with Sawyer build up trust and faith in her.

Locke remained my favourite character until the rewatch and you see despite some great moments he is/was a selfish guy and put himself/the island above everybody else, Jack remained the same whiny bitch I remembered him being.

Walt is still the mystery that never got resolution and Lockes betrayal by the island never gets explained adequately either, so as stated I did still enjoy the rewatch or rather I did not hate it as much as I remember doing so the first time round.

Seasons 1-4 8/10
Seasons 5-6 5/10

Overall score 7/10
 
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