Sense8
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I'll watch the final episode tonight, maybe.
Overall, Sense8 is not a great show. It just about crosses the line to being good, however. Maybe. Tossing a coin might help.
The writing is subpar, and the acting suffers, too, in a lot of places. What really drags this show down is that there are far, far too many characters. Mind you, now that I'm on the last episode I have some favourites, some I kind of like and others I wish would just die. Because there are so many characters the pace of the show slows to a crawl; their individual stories are spun out through the episodes, and if that wasn't bad enough then the frustration is compounded by the fact that many of the eight story lines do not touch on the overarching sensate mystery (OSM) (that is, the puzzle of Angelica/Jonas/Whispers). I'm sorry, the Indian woman is quite pretty, and I like her character, but god-fucking-damn, her life, her story, her issues, do not make for compelling viewing. It might have, if this were a different show, with a different focus; as it stands her issues pale to the troubles of some other characters, and moreso when compared to the OSM.
It's probably easier to say the characters I enjoy: Will, because not only is he a cutie but he's right there with Jonas, he's working to untangle the OSM; Nomi, although I find her acting to be cringy at parts, and her dialogue makes me want to roll my eyes into the back of my head, but she's also right there in the thick of it so far as OSM is concerned; Sun, though not involved in the OSM, is still a fucking badass, bless this woman, and her skills come into play time and again, the group would be totally lost without her; Lito, but moreso that ridiculously attractive partner of his, Hernando (like, goddamn, Hernando commands all my attention when he's onscreen, it's not fair how distracting he is), and I enjoyed their relationship, although it didn't touch on the OSM, it was a nice (if predictable) treat; and Capheus I like, if only because the actor imbues such unadulterated joy in his character, it's infectious (but his storyline does not touch on OSM, so it's unimpressive, it's plain fare).
Everyone else can fuck off.
If push came to shove, I'd be fine with Will, Sun and Nomi's storylines being the only ones kept alive (with Hernando kept on, because like I said, this guyyyyyyy
). Anytime the show touches on the OSM, that's when things become interesting; in every other instance, the show suffers, because what's being offered isn't worth the hype, the attention, it's not strong enough on its own, not particularly well done (jewel heist; marriage trouble; bus shuttle woes; DJ woes, or whatever the absolute fuck it is Riley is even doing on this show, god, how I loathe her story). Hopefully next season the writers, the directors, whoever's in control, they'll sharpen the writing, increase the pacing and trim it all of unnecessary padding.Sense8 offers a fascinating opportunity to make creative use of story and style. This first season has focused too much on style, IMO, with forgettable substance.
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BBbanditz 2 questions for you:
1. Do you think spacing out episodes in a more traditional television viewing manner would alter your opinion? I was initially very disappointed but now I am blocking out time to return because I think when left to mull my curiosity is up again.2. Next question, for the record, what are some of your great shows? Maybe some mediocre ones as well?
Tell me what a man watches on TV and it makes the spit or swallow debate much easier for me
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BBbanditz 2 questions for you:
1. Do you think spacing out episodes in a more traditional television viewing manner would alter your opinion? I was initially very disappointed but now I am blocking out time to return because I think when left to mull my curiosity is up again.2. Next question, for the record, what are some of your great shows? Maybe some mediocre ones as well?
1. Nah, had they spaced out the episodes my reaction would be even worse, actually. The thought that I'd have to wait six weeks in order to get through the mediocre first six episodes… I would have been extremely frustrated and unimpressed. After the sixth episode I recall my attitude towards the show warming up, although there's still a lot of unnecessary baggage. (Besides, I love to binge. I binged the first two seasons of Hannibal and hooooooly hell, it felt glorious. I'm also now permanently terrified of/in love with Mads Mikkelsen.)
2. Great shows I've watched, in no particular order: The Wire; Hannibal; Mad Men; Utopia (C4); Deadwood; True Detective; Peaky Blinders; Breaking Bad; Justified; Orphan Black; House of Cards; Les Revenants; Vikings; The Good Wife; Avatar: The Last Airbender; The Boondocks; Bob's Burgers; Parks and Recreation. It's entirely possible I'm forgetting some other shows.
Shows that started off great but either turned to shit or failed to capitalize on their awesomeness or I just lost interest in: Battlestar Galactica; Boardwalk Empire; Lost; Continuum; The Fall; True Blood; Dexter; The Legend of Korra. Again, probably forgetting more.
Shows that aren't top notch/excellent quality but are still guilty pleasures: The Originals; The Vampire Diaries.
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ZOMG what's not to like? The first episode took a fair amount of concentration to get hooked, but it was intensely absorbing even though it took even longer to have it become less mysterious. The show IS mysterious, with a sense of magic showing up from time to time and, if you let yrself marinate in it a little, even the famous and overly rare Sense of Wonder.
Also, it has Ideas. Not just the connection between the eight individuals, but other things. East-West German issues. Bullying. Actually, lots of things are touched on and play a role, including lots of aspects of family. Perhaps the viewer is helped by having received a few clues ahead of time to establish a context that actual sequential viewing, with no advance hint, helps a little too.
Yes, some of the stories are less intrinsically linked to the "cluster" of eight. Having now seen most of the episodes, I still don't recall the closeted actor connecting with much of anyone except a couple of conversations. For example.
But I found the episodes gripping and compelling me onward. Once again, the issue is figuring out the backstory, which seems to be the operative factor for lots of shows these days (Lost, Dome…) But most of the highly diverse characters in their highly diverse locations are actually quite interesting, at least to me. Certainly it is hard to understand how someone could pay attention enough to know what is going on in the first couple of episodes and find himself falling asleep from tedium.
Also, this is one of the gayest things ever seen outside of movies directly made to titillate a niche audience. The actor is a shaggy hunk (and reportedly some people like his intellectual companion). The jewel thief is my idea of handsome, as is the cop. To name just three who are very easy on the eyes. Why, there is even full frontal nudity for a couple of the principals -- though not in the orgy scene and not involving enough of the attractive principals, but still more than usual. There is a bunch of TV sex on camera, some fairly explicit lesbian scenes, and the orgy in episode six which is not nearly long enough.
It was a beautiful thing to watch, almost a carnal ballet of glistening bodies, but it was not so much sexual as sensual, and like some of the other sex, fairly loving and emotionally connected, rather than "mere" physical connections. And there are gay bars, bathroom sex, MMF sex, lots of views of the Castro and SF Pride. All of the romantic and sexual activity is shown as equally valid and just another part of life. The various arrangements, couplings, accommodations are sufficiently varied as to suggest that every one of us has something going on so let's all accept it and get over it and get on with it.
Obviously, not everyone had or is having as much fun with the whole thing as I am. And not everyone seems to think it is a story involving a lot of ideas and issues, of which sexual orientation is not necessarily even the most significant, though there sure is plenty of that. Also, since it has not really been mentioned, there is some fine whizbang, which may not be as innovative as Matrix, but can still be pretty fun. And some of the story lines are dramatic and suspenseful apart from the action sequences.
Will see where it all goes from where I left off to write this, but so far it seems as if the various individuals with their stories are, in fact, all meant to be aspect of a larger whole, an exploration of the idea of a "cluster" that Michael Valentine Smith might have appreciated.
A brief footnote on the Hugos, the venerable science fiction awards currently in controversy due to a reich-whinge takeover attempt.
The $40 cost of a supporting membership for the World SF Convention itself provides not only the right to vote against the regressive troglodyte agenda, it also includes a substantial downloadable collection of the novels, shorter fiction, graphic novels, and other material that, for someone interested in the field, may well be a fairly cheap workaround for local libraries that don't cover the ground, and saves you from tracking down lots of individual magazines and books which might well be more expensive even a year or two later when they turn up on the used market. -
So ya, Utopia on the list and sooner rather than later means I'll swallow. Hannibal Season 2 was almost like what I presume others report as a religious experience for me. I was okay with the first season and sometimes wonder if I shouldn't revisit it but season 2 is like Da Vinci making a mix tape that he plans to seduce Valentino with. I swear Gillian Anderson must pay them because she shines like a perfectly cut diamond and this season when she says
! my husband is very particular about how I taste I think actors have killed on the order of the writers for the chance to read lines half that.
The long and short is Sense8 is 'on the list' but with only so many hours in a day and my pornography based research project consuming so many of my viewable hours who knows how soon. The ill conceived release time just 1 week before OITNB isn't helping it's case either.
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A brief footnote on the Hugos, the venerable science fiction awards currently in controversy due to a reich-whinge takeover attempt.
The $40 cost of a supporting membership for the World SF Convention itself provides not only the right to vote against the regressive troglodyte agenda, it also includes a substantial downloadable collection of the novels, shorter fiction, graphic novels, and other material that, for someone interested in the field, may well be a fairly cheap workaround for local libraries that don't cover the ground, and saves you from tracking down lots of individual magazines and books which might well be more expensive even a year or two later when they turn up on the used market.Well thank you, that is like turning on one them there Hue lights on that situation for me.
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So ya, Utopia on the list and sooner rather than later means I'll swallow. Hannibal Season 2 was almost like what I presume others report as a religious experience for me. I was okay with the first season and sometimes wonder if I shouldn't revisit it but season 2 is like Da Vinci making a mix tape that he plans to seduce Valentino with. I swear Gillian Anderson must pay them because she shines like a perfectly cut diamond and this season when she says
! my husband is very particular about how I taste I think actors have killed on the order of the writers for the chance to read lines half that.
The long and short is Sense8 is 'on the list' but with only so many hours in a day and my pornography based research project consuming so many of my viewable hours who knows how soon. The ill conceived release time just 1 week before OITNB isn't helping it's case either.
I was about to start the final episode of Sense8 when I found out that OitNB had been released six hours early. I immediately sang praises to a non-existent god. Bless Netflix and bless that show.
More importantly: groovedware says he'll swallow! :cheers:
Hannibal's second season, though. Damn it, I'm getting all choked up. I was not prepared, I'd no idea there would be such a large jump in terms of the show's compelling nature from the first season. Put another way: the show gave me the best blowjob ever, and it continued to suck my dick even though I was overly sensitive afterwards— but it was alright, it was more than okay, it was an exceptional TV viewing experience. (Also, yeah, Anderson is ethereal, or something, I swear, she must sacrifice scores of goats for that radiance and elegance and presence; also, her line killed me. Jesus, it was so perfect.)
Speaking of which: I need to watch the latest episode. I feel tingly all over. As if a terribly powerful thunderstorm is heading my way. LET'S DO THIS!
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Sacrificing goats has no effect in the real world, money money money makes the world spin round which is why I am certain despite what you read anywhere else girl pays beaucoup dollars to be on Hannibal. There is absolutely no way on earth any other explanation is possible.
Episode 1 of Season 3 is still not fully absorbed here and so I have not attempted 2 though it is lurking me like a cannibal who has fed on Spam only.
Although Du Maurier is my brand of smoke she is my 2nd favourite aspect of Hannibal (& Janice Poon's Feeding Hannibal has totally dropped off the list now that she's marketing a book) and all the other aspects combined don't match up to the sound. Brian Reitzell knows G-d.
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Ok guys.. I'm about to watch it. Let's see if I agree with the general consensus here.. :afr:
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Ok here's my thoughts… I LOVE IT!!!!
1st Episode.. I was thinking "What the hell is going on?" It was too confusing for me to maintain my interest, but I watched it slowly and certain parts over again. I figured I would give it another episode.
2nd Episode.. My interest was piqued and I began to follow the storyline easier. When Netflix rolled into the 3rd Episode, I watched.
3rd Episode.. by the end I said "Damn, this show is pretty good."
4th Episode I was hooked. I felt comfortable with what was going on and wanted to know "how far down did the rabbit hole go." I actually cried at certain parts.
I'm starting the 5th episode and I'm excited. If you want to get into this show, my advice is to give it a chance for at least 3 episodes and pay close close attention to whats going on. I didn't on the 1st episode and lost interest. I watched it again slowly and started to build a mild interest. In my opinion it does have enough to be on this site because there's a lot of LGBTQ stuff going on in it (although it's not all LGBTQ).
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Update: I still haven't gone back, wanted to make sure I finished GOT before anyone spoiled it (although I already knew the major bit) and then instead I had OITNB spoiled for me by some random idiot on Whisper, bla bla bla
However, with regards to Sense8, I was working under some misinformation. I slogged through to episode 3 because I had read that was where it really picked up and the implication was because that was the episode that Tom Tykwer directs but I've just checked and it's actually episode 4 he directs.
There is so much television right now I may have to scale back the porn research…
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There is so much television right now I may have to scale back the porn research…
Nonsense. Porn research is terribly crucial for our survival as a species. I have any number of proofs to support this, but they're all a little…sticky. For some reason. So you'll just have to take me at my word.
Also, still haven't watched Sense8's finale, but I'll give it a go tonight.
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There is so much television right now I may have to scale back the porn research…
Nonsense. Porn research is terribly crucial for our survival as a species. I have any number of proofs to support this, but they're all a little…sticky. For some reason. So you'll just have to take me at my word.
Also, still haven't watched Sense8's finale, but I'll give it a go tonight.
This! People say to me "What do you do?" and I usually answer "God's work" because I consider the research I am doing with porn more important than anything else. Thank you I sleep well tonight.
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One of the reviews here commented that there was nothing science fictional happening. On the contrary, this is great science fiction. SF does not need futuristic props or special effects or CGI to make it science fiction.
I'll be blunt and say this: SENSE8 is not for everyone. It is for people who can understand and enjoy well-written and deeply thoughtful psychological drama. It is complex as it is telling 8 different stories that will become one story. It is not shallow TV. It isn't "reality" TV. It is not for people who give up when a series or a show is difficult for them to understand. It is for people who want to push ahead, to challenge themselves to learn and to understand and grow to be better themselves. SENSE8 is everything that is NOT what STAR TREK has become.
^ what he said.
I came for the gay, stayed for the plot and characters.
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Finished the finale yesterday. Or was it the day before that? Whatever.
I maintain my earlier stance. This show isn't that good. Hopefully the second season—assuming there is one; although, to be fair, the showrunners have planned for it to last five years—will be much more concise and get rid of unnecessary characters and storylines if need be.
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I just finished the finale and unlike BBanditz, I thought it was excellent!!! I love all of the characters, I see how each one adds something to the cluster. I think the story/plotlines were developed well. I'm sad to finish, but looking forward to Season 2.
I'm trying not to say too much for those who might be interested in seeing it.
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I've just started Episode 1 again for the third time. I won't rule out there being a fourth attempt but I will say I hope something clicks this time.
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So, Hannibal has been cancelled.
There will be no fourth season, but all thirteen episodes of the current third will air.
Fuck you, NBC. Just… fuck you.
(Source: http://deadline.com/2015/06/hannibal-cancelled-3-seasons-nbc-1201451774/; also, other places, just Google "Hannibal".)
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Fear not for Hannibal, it wasn't owned by NBC and may still see more seasons.
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Well this time it seems to have taken (also completed OITNB so wasn't distracted - just cause i know what to do doesn't make me bottom bitch in this vomitorium) and I chewed through to episode 5. However mumbo jumbo about this being well written quality television is a bit of a stretch. I am enjoying it for what it is - vapid viewing.
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