thedoctor2016
Mushi-shi
But Epiosde 7 and 8 have the father aspect as Rey feels Han and Luke are her adoptive father figure in those films. Her treating Han as her father and Kyle refusing him is the whole basis of their rivalry.
General TV Discussion
- Thread starter Jaymii
- Start date
ayase
State Alchemist
I almost mentioned this, but I think a father-daughter relationship (also a mother-son dynamic, which could arguably be said of Poe and Leia's interactions in TLJ) is different to a father-son relationship. It is interesting that those parallels are there and not a slight on those films at all, it's another way of exploring those familial types of relationships between the characters but I think it's also notable that the dynamic of an older male mentor of a younger male character is almost entirely absent among the main cast. It's not a bad thing that it's not present, but it is different.
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So I finally started on Stranger Things, like three years after everyone else.
I like it, but most of all I love the soundtrack.
I like it, but most of all I love the soundtrack.
SpideyWrex
Completely Average High School Student
Season 2
A teenager who fights monsters.
So for the past month or so, I've been catching up with three '90s TV series, namely The Simpsons, The X-Files, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Why now? Why so? Don't know. Just in the mood for catching up.
And just now, I've finished the final episode of season two, "Becoming, Part 2", and it was the kind of quality television that I enjoy watching. But this was not always the case. Once upon a time in season 1, Buffy was a much cheesier teenage drama with "monster-of-the-week" episodes thrown in. The demon-possessed robot was probably the best example of how schlocky Buffy was like back then. But eventually, Buffy came into its own in season 2, when showrunner Joss Whedon (Dark Angel, Alias, The Avengers) became more confident in deciding what the show should be like - a dark and edgy teen drama with many allegories for growing up. You could usually find this type of progression in quality in many television shows (including Simpsons and X-Files), where "Season 1" has the writers figuring out the show, and "Season 2" has the writers settled down on a consistent tone.
The story of Buffy is a simple and familiar one resembling a shoujo anime (cough*Blood+*cough): A teenager named Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) finds out she's the Chosen One, a vampire slayer destined to fight demons and vampires alike. Along with her own brand of Scooby-Doo gang, Buffy struggles to survive the turmoils of teenage issues and high school while fighting vampires by night. The one prevalent element of the show that earned its fandom in particular is the saucy romance, particularly the one between Buffy and Angel (David Boreanaz). Watching this pairing and their interaction, I could quickly tell how it attracted its teenage female demographic. Angel is like that mysterious nice guy with a tragic past that you wanna date when you were 15, but he's a vampire and Buffy's a slayer, so these star-crossed lovers could never be together. Very Shakespearean.
Speaking of forbidden lovers that could never be, this season also introduced a new recurring character Buffy fans would come to fall in love with, the bad boy vampire Spike (James Marsters) with his British accent. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), "Spuffy" (Spike x Buffy) wouldn't come into play for many seasons to come.
On a personal level, the whole "bad boy"/forbidden romance/teenage drama thing is a little past my age and I do find it to be a little dated. But for what it is, I've enjoyed Buffy for its non-romantic elements, particularly when Buffy has to deal with being the Chosen One and have all her friends and family be at risk of being killed by her vampire enemies every week. The show holds no punches when it comes to the subject of death, and you could feel the weight of it all as the characters are still burdened long after a character's passing. Season 2 quickly loses most of the spunky cheerleader appearances Buffy once had in season 1 and adorns an edgier atmosphere where the main protagonist has to endure the responsibility on her shoulders, carrying the guilt of any tragedy with her. That kind of edgy teenage angst where one never feels comfortable enough about her own existence is pretty much the element that attracted me to the show, the kind of moody self-reflective doubt about one's identity. Done poorly, it can be too melodramatic, but Buffy managed to incorporate some lighthearted and witty humor between it all (it's Joss Whedon after all) to keep the tragedy from feeling unrealistic.
My bigger concern while watching wasn't that it would become too dark or depressing, however, but that the romantic "will they/won't they" element would overshadow the more interesting character development where Buffy learns to suck it up and deal with the darkness and tragedies of real life. Thankfully, while still eye-rolling, the "Bangel" romance doesn't quite occur often enough to distract or annoy... even if I often couldn't really remember how Buffy fell in love with this dark guardian angel in the first place.
For what it's worth, I do really like what Buffy's character gets out of this romance: she's the Chosen One who has no one else in the world that could relate to her burdens and responsibilities except Angel, and yet they could never be. I particularly love the theme music between them, aptly named "Close Your Eyes" (you'll know why it's aptly named watching the last two episodes of the season; it's a tragic reason). By now, I'm sure even non-Whedon fans know how he has a knack for torturing his characters, putting them through happiness... then deprive them of it in the most tragic ways. Cruel, but effective storytelling, and I can't help but love it.
Regarding Spike as a character... I really couldn't care less about him, probably because I've already seen my share of bad boy character archetypes that he just failed to impress me at all, making me fail to see what all the hoopla about him is all about. He's passable enough as a villain/anti-hero, but again, dark leather clothing and slicked back hair, too '90s and dated for me.
But its inevitable faults aside, I've always seen Buffy as one of the last icons of strong female characters that I could genuinely like, way before I even watched the show, in fact. Without a need to assert her authority in front of men, she stands proud and strong just by being herself, undaunted by all the evils and darkness one faces in life. Between Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor and Princess Leia, she manages to stand among them as one of the most memorable TV icons even 'till this day.
I'm looking forward to season 3. Having seen what is probably a fan-made trailer on YouTube, it looks like the most exciting parts of the series that solidified its fandom is coming up next.
8/10
Footnote: Did I mention that Buffy has one of the most iconic and badass theme songs of all time?
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RadFemHedonist
Mad Scientist
I just finished watching The Crazy Ones and I really enjoyed it a lot though I'm guessing it's not for everyone. Robin Williams, Sarah Michelle Gellar (who played Buffy in Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and the rest of the cast were all great and I got some good laughs out of it while rooting for the will they won't they romance between two certain characters, but also totally understanding why they were reluctant to go for it based on my own personal experiences of such things. Sad that it was cancelled due to Williams' death but it's a nice thing to remember him by. He was a Neon Genesis Evangelion fan too! IIRC Chester Bennington was as well... Charlie from Busted and Fightstar is as well and rn I'm just really glad he's alive tbh.
Invisible Crane
Adventurer
Britbox Dates Premiere For "Spitting Image" Revival Featuring Writers / Voices From Futurama And The Simpsons - Bubbleblabber
Here's hoping this show can live up to the hype!
www.bubbleblabber.com
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German label Koch Media have announced a brand new release for Miami Vice. From the screenshots I’ve seen it looks like they’ve made some improvements on the Mill Creek release too.
ayase
State Alchemist
So with France back in ludicrous level lockdown and being on a bit of a Lynch binge recently, I decided to take my fourth trip to Twin Peaks and do S1-3 back to back for the first time. I can't believe I never registered this before:
Not saying Lynch is Kubrick and everything has to mean something, but names surely have power in the world of Twin Peaks and of all the names they could have chosen for an otherwise insignificant character, in one of her first scenes Audrey is seen (quite forcefully) mocking Julie for being subservient to "Bob" and subsequently ruins her work using... a cup of black coffee, investigative fuel of the righteous. Total coincidence, or intentional painting of Audrey as someone who "Bob" has no hold over?
Not saying Lynch is Kubrick and everything has to mean something, but names surely have power in the world of Twin Peaks and of all the names they could have chosen for an otherwise insignificant character, in one of her first scenes Audrey is seen (quite forcefully) mocking Julie for being subservient to "Bob" and subsequently ruins her work using... a cup of black coffee, investigative fuel of the righteous. Total coincidence, or intentional painting of Audrey as someone who "Bob" has no hold over?
D1tchd1gger
Shrine Maiden
The episodes were shorter than I thought they would be, but the content was what I heard it was. Maybe a lot more comedy than plot, but there are hints all is not what it seems. The comedy was very funny.
@WMD or anyone else who's watched it, how much do you know of your Marvel lore? What relevance to Wanda's past/future plot was the beekeeper?
WMD
Guild Member
I have no idea to be honest. I follow the MCU avidly but I never read the comics so it's all new to me (watched some of the cartoons back in the day but scarlet witch and vision are pretty unknown to me). But these first episodes were very intriguing in a series sense on top of being fun individually.
thedoctor2016
Mushi-shi
i found the comedy in episode 2 to be a lot better and the ending was good. Paul Bettany’s performance is what made them stand out for me he was really good as vision. Though at the end of ep 2 Olsen was great as Wanda too.
WMD
Guild Member
I've loved both of them in both episodes. You can tell they've had a blast making this. Also Kathryn Hann (sp?) was great fun. Bettany in the second episode was clearly having a fantastic time but I like how the show can turn in the dramtic stakes if even for a moment and then back to sitcom fun. Really wish it was all out so I could just binge it!
thedoctor2016
Mushi-shi
I do think because I didn’t like the first episode’s premise it was too tropey even though yes that’s the point. I think after episode 2 I will enjoy it more.
WMD
Guild Member
I guess as well the first episode is going back to the era of tv when those tropes were invented so it makes sense that they go hard into them but yeah I can see that it wouldnt be for everyone.
It's a show where I genuinely dont know where it's going and that makes it even more exciting for me!
It's a show where I genuinely dont know where it's going and that makes it even more exciting for me!
Dai
Death Scythe
Funnily enough, I just done the same thing and watched all of Twin Peaks in one go. So much of The Return made more sense by having Fire Walk With Me fresh in my mind.
This was only the second time I've watched The Return, and I enjoyed it a lot more this time, probably because I knew how long I'd have to wait to see the real Cooper back in action. Also, Twin Peaks in general just works better when watched over a shorter timeframe, since having a week between episodes can just exacerbate the more frustrating ones.
The end of The Return still struck me as abrupt and a downer, or at least it did until I read this long, mostly convincing, and completely mind-melting theory that the final two episodes form a symbiotic time loop, and are meant to be viewed simultaneously, with episode 17 being the true (and more positive) ending. If it were any director besides Lynch, I'd say this was ridiculous, but this kind of madness is his bread and butter, which is especially evident when considering the similarities between those final episodes and Lost Highway.
Episodes 17 & 18 of ‘Twin Peaks: the Return’ are meant to be watched in sync
With Twin Peaks it seems everything—every line, every action—has at least two different, often contradictory, interpretations. It’s this…
medium.com
Anyone else watching the new Stranger Things? I was a bit surprised they announced a fifth season; it's still compelling, but I think it's starting to feel like it's run its course now.
D1tchd1gger
Shrine Maiden
Done 4 episodes so far. The Hawkins stuff is great and I think it's the probably the scariest yet, but elsewhere it's a bit dull and proving too much of a distraction sometimes.