The All-New TT: Television Time Mini Reviews

[Adrenaline]

If you have Max and you like science fiction or animation or both, watch Scavengers Reign. It's a show about a few crewmembers of a space freighter stuck on a strange alien planet, trying to survive and get back to their ship. There's a ton of creativity in the designs of the plants and animals on the planet and the dangerous ecosystem they form.

 

[Baudshaw]

Uhh.... Ninjago? It has like 16 seasons and they just released the newest one, Dragons Rising. It's somehow good for a baby show

 

[YangusKhan]

If you have Max and you like science fiction or animation or both, watch Scavengers Reign. It's a show about a few crewmembers of a space freighter stuck on a strange alien planet, trying to survive and get back to their ship. There's a ton of creativity in the designs of the plants and animals on the planet and the dangerous ecosystem they form.

I watched the first episode a couple weeks ago, and it was pretty intriguing. Definitely channeling some kind of Nausicaa vibes with how the people were using plants and animals as "technology."

 

[Paul le Fou]

If you have Max and you like science fiction or animation or both, watch Scavengers Reign. It's a show about a few crewmembers of a space freighter stuck on a strange alien planet, trying to survive and get back to their ship. There's a ton of creativity in the designs of the plants and animals on the planet and the dangerous ecosystem they form.

I've been meaning to check it out but your rec got me to actually sit down and do so. Binged the first half of it last night; really liked what I saw. The planet itself is like a character, not just a setting, but for all the things it throws at the protagonists.

Forgot to post that, then binged the second half. Think I can definitely recommend it to anyone else still on the fence. It gets a lot more actiony and even more fantastical towards the end, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

In addition to Nausicaa vibes, I would say that I got strong Southern Reach/Area X/Annihilation vibes too.

 

[WisteriaHysteria]

For All Mankind Season 4 just started. Love this show. It's real interesting to watch characters evolve over 4 decades. Also, Danielle Poole is bae.

 

[FelixSH]

I'm watching Farscape. Second try, after stopping in the middle for no reason, years ago.

It's fun. Looks and feels so delightfully 90s, and has a fun cast of characters. It's fun how everyone mainly seems to tolerate Crichton , but always are like "man, what a weirdo". At least he is more respected than the muppet.

I love pilot and the ship, that it is an actual living being. Really cool.

I remember that weird Space Mage. Wonder when that guy will show up. And I remember them getting another crewmate, looking forward to that, and meet the terrifying Nebari again.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Still in horror mood from way back in October. So I need something both Christmassy and Halloweeny. So I'm watching A Ghost Story for Christmas, a series of specials from the 70s from the BBC, mostly from the works of M.R. James. It is a weird mix of cheap and classy, giving a sense of dread. I will say, though, while I like the mood, The Stalls of Barchester ends on not just an anticlimactic note but an odd one. It sort of throws one more piece of into out that doesn't really have an effect on much of the narrative except this is where our narrator's investigation ends. It feels a bit odd. Despite that, I had a good time.

 

[Exposition Owl]

I will say, though, while I like the mood, The Stalls of Barchester ends on not just an anticlimactic note but an odd one. It sort of throws one more piece of into out that doesn't really have an effect on much of the narrative except this is where our narrator's investigation ends. It feels a bit odd. Despite that, I had a good time.

Around Halloween I read a bunch of short ghost stories from the 19th century by James and Bierce, and it seemed to me that a lot of them were like that. Just “here’s a weird thing that happened this one time,” with little or no development, an abrupt ending, and no hint of an explanation.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Around Halloween I read a bunch of short ghost stories from the 19th century by James and Bierce, and it seemed to me that a lot of them were like that. Just “here’s a weird thing that happened this one time,” with little or no development, an abrupt ending, and no hint of an explanation.

It's not even just that. You sort of expect a last shock and the ending here is "Oh, I'm looking for this thing that might be cursed" and this guy is like "Yeah, this guy burned it because his kids thought it was creepy." END CREDITS The guy who found the thing isn't a part of the story, it being destroyed doesn't have much of an effect on the narrative that we heard and it feels like the story already had a final scare and it probably could have ended there instead of five more minutes of the character trying to find more details to the story before he hits a dead end.

 

[Purple]

I'm watching Farscape. Second try, after stopping in the middle for no reason, years ago.

It's fun. Looks and feels so delightfully 90s, and has a fun cast of characters. It's fun how everyone mainly seems to tolerate Crichton , but always are like "man, what a weirdo". At least he is more respected than the muppet.

I love pilot and the ship, that it is an actual living being. Really cool.

I remember that weird Space Mage. Wonder when that guy will show up. And I remember them getting another crewmate, looking forward to that, and meet the terrifying Nebari again.

I finally talked a friend into watching it recently and I'm working through the whole series with her. Still holds up so damn well.

 

[Voncaster]

I've been sporadically watching Community. Whith out planning I managed to be at the Season 2 Christmas Special while watching on Christmas Eve.

Also re (x40) watched the How the Grinch Stole Christmas animated short. Its an annual tradition with my family. Everyone knows all the words and we all enjoy it! My personal favorite part is when the Grinch slithers around the tree like a snake and when he literally steals candy from babies!

Double TV Christmas present this year!

 

[FelixSH]

Still slowly watching Farscape. Just saw the two-parter, near the end of the first season, where Scorpius is introduced. That was quite an entrance. Honestly, the whole prison-escape stuff, and generally being in so much danger to become a prisoner of these horrifying monsters, plus the torture scenes - it felt a bit overwhelming. I really prefer it, when torture is just implied, and we see the before and after, not the torture itself. This part of the galaxy seems to be a really awful place.

Had generally forgotten how dark this show would get. I did remember the horrifying episode with the genetically enhanced creature, that started to take control over the scientists that experimented on it, and basically held them as slaves and torture toys. And I did remember the Nebari, but not how we would explore Rychels horrible experience with his former prison guard.

All that said, great entrance for Scorpius. Had completely forgotten about this two-parter, from my last time watching this, where I stopped somewhere in season 2 for no real reason. Only remember him becoming the guy to hunt after Crichton and the others. And that Crais also fell from grace with the Peacekeepers, but still held a big grutch. Now I actually understand why, aside from the fact that it's his own fault. What an ass.

 

[Purple]

Oh yeah, Scorpius showing up is the clearest "oh hey, this show is Good now" moment.

 

[Daikaiju]

Just realized the bar in the new Frasier is named after the actor that played his dad.

 

[lincolnic]

Girlfriend and I started watching the Fargo series recently and we blew threw the first season. Holy crap, this was good. Billy Bob Thornton and Allison Tolman were incredible. We're very excited to watch more.

 

[Kirin]

On multiple friend recommendations, we started watching Fleabag. Already burned through the first season (they're pretty short) and started the second. It's good stuff! Gets pretty intense from time to time as it's all about dealing (often badly) with serious trauma, but it's also hilarious as hell.

 

[WisteriaHysteria]

2nd season is a lot less severe and depressing than the 1st so that’s nice.

 

[Neo Skimbleshanks]

The Curse finale… would’ve been mad if there weren’t a goddamn curse. Good.

 

[YangusKhan]

The Curse finale… would’ve been mad if there weren’t a goddamn curse. Good.

I'm 2 episodes behind and I have no idea at all what to expect. This show has been such an enigma...

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Started watching the surprisingly praised One Piece adaptation. I will say the show does deserve praise and I am enjoying it but I’m not over-the-moon as most. There are some stuff they took out of the original I miss (the adorable dog in the Buggy arc, Django the hypnotist who can’t help hypnotizing himself). Still, it is a very successful show in capturing at least the early weirdness of the series in live action, has some really great fights and the actors are charging. I love the Scott Pilgrim movie and Michael Cera but I never felt they quite captured the manicness and guilelessness of a classic shounen protagonist like Scott or Goku but Iñaki Godoy absolutely gets it; Luffy might be completely unhinged. He even captured his weird gait. Curious to see if the show can keep it up as the stories get weirder.

 

[YangusKhan]

I do not think I am liking the newest season of True Detective, which is a real bummer when it gets to have Jodie Foster playing a detective. This past weekend was episode 4 of 6, and it feels like the show has barely made any progress on the actual mystery; it's been either really miniscule leads, or a bunch of vaguely supernatural things that I don't feel are building towards anything compelling.

 

[Rascally Badger]

Lately I've been combining one of my oldest hobbiest (watching TV) with a new one: getting high (legal in my state).

30 Rock is a top 5 all-time show, but the back half of the series gets a huge bump when you're stoned. Show was really getting weird in those last few seasons

 

[WisteriaHysteria]

Lately I've been combining one of my oldest hobbiest (watching TV) with a new one: getting high (legal in my state).

30 Rock is a top 5 all-time show, but the back half of the series gets a huge bump when you're stoned. Show was really getting weird in those last few seasons

Yeah, it can be a pretty good time. It's pretty much the only way I can watch Marvel stuff these days, because they're very much spectacle-first, don't worry about the details. And watching while high helps me turn my brain off and do just that. Might have to try it out on some classic stoner-movies in the future.

On a side note, you'd think it would be great for anime, and I bet it is if you like dubs. But reading subtitles while stoned is just not fun.

 

[Baudshaw]

I'm starting The Bear. The pacing takes its time, but I hope this can be well worth it, because I love the setting and premise.

 

[Büge]

When does he meet BJ?

 

[Octopus Prime]

The season ends with a post credits scene with him in it.

Really builds anticipation for season 2

 

[Johnny Unusual]

"I gotta get this chimp out of the kitchen. We need to... hit the road!"

 

[zonetrope]

My wife and I have been watching through the Stargate shows since early last summer. SG-1 has a great cast (especially Amanda Tapping) and a generally freewheeling spirit that's very endearing, though the mythology gets a bit convoluted for something we intended as a "turn off your brain" show. Atlantis is a lot easier to follow, in part thanks to the static location (it's very much the Deep Space Nine of Stargate), but David Hewlett runs rings around the rest of the cast as Rodney McKay, both in terms of the complexity of the performance and how much the writers give him to do.

They're both a lot of fun, though, and much, much better than the movie. Based on what I've read about Universe, we're probably not going to bother with that one.

 

[Baudshaw]

Inside Job is surprisingly great. It starts off as a simple adult comedy about "what if all conspiracies were true", but it slowly grows into a more dramatic and enjoyable show. I loved the robot president especially, but Reagan, Reagan's dad, and Brett were standout characters for me. There's actually quite a bit of plot in the second season, and the ending is extremely sad. I love it!

 

[Pajaro Pete]

finally got around to finishing the final season of Netflix's Ragnarok, I generally enjoyed the show, but I thought the ending was a little abrupt. It was also a little weird they only had five episodes in the final season when the first two each had six, so maybe there was some kind of production issue where they had to combine the fifth and sixth episodes together and that's why it was so rushed?