S01.E01: Fish in a Barrel / S01.E02: Roanoke

[HollyG]

2 hours ago, WaltersHair said:

This. I had to watch the episodes twice to figure out what was going on and because of the darkness. The second time was in an airport with hundreds of windows, so that became an exercise in listening.

I agree about some scenes being filmed too dark. I tried turning up the brightness, which didn't help a bit. This is the reason I finally gave up on "Hannibal" a couple years ago. The third season was, for me, almost unwatchable because of the dark scenes.

[Mr. R0b0t]

The sound design on this show is top-notch.  I feel like Bateman is doing good work showing, not telling for every scene.  The slow creep of dread between the daughter seeing things, the hooded figure, and the mounting case questions are working for me.

[sugarbaker design]

29 minutes ago, HollyG said:

I agree about some scenes being filmed too dark. I tried turning up the brightness, which didn't help a bit. This is the reason I finally gave up on "Hannibal" a couple years ago. The third season was, for me, almost unwatchable because of the dark scenes.

Totally disagree about the darkness, I think it casts an eerie.pall that enhances the creepiness.  I'm old school, I watch TV on a TV, when a show like this is dark I shut off the living room light.  Funny you should mention Hannibal, Hetienne Park was on that also.

[Accidental Martyr]

2 hours ago, Duke2801 said:

Plus, they showed the father and son shopping for caskets and the mortician said something about “buying two.” It was pretty clear by then that the mother had died. 

Before that I didn’t know what happened to her.

[scrb]

I saw something referenced in another forum that directors and cinematographers these days deliberately choose to produce dark scenes.  Seems like a stylistic trend and they think it lends some symbolic depth or the appearance of the same.

Me, a lot of the times, my annoyance at not being able to see what the fuck is going on lessens the immersion, not increase it.

[pasdetrois]

Quote

Hetienne Park was on that also.

When I spotted her I gave a little happy squeal. I loved her on "Hannibal." I hope we get to see enough of her this time.

[Ruprecht]

I have to add that the one thing I really appreciated was Terry and Glory both understanding the seriousness of the situation and LISTENING TO THE LAWYER. The scene where Terry was being questioned by the DA was very good with all the pressure of "Someone who's innocent would be giving us everything we asked for. Take this chance to clear your name." With a crime of this nature, you keep your mouth shut. If Terry had cooperated, I would have quit the show right then. 

[ferjy]

On 1/14/2020 at 9:59 PM, sugarbaker design said:

Totally disagree about the darkness, I think it casts an eerie.pall that enhances the creepiness.  I'm old school, I watch TV on a TV, when a show like this is dark I shut off the living room light.  Funny you should mention Hannibal, Hetienne Park was on that also.

Creepiness doesn’t work if you can’t see a thing. It’s pure frustration. And not everyone can watch on a TV all the time, it has nothing to do with being old school or not. People have all kinds of different schedules. Besides, I don’t want to have to watch blind and bump into things in the dark because they can’t film a show properly. I watch on my phone often and luckily I have an app that significantly brightens the videos (though it does give them a grainier appearance). Otherwise I wouldn’t see half of what is going on!

 

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by ferjy

[TattleTeeny]

Haha, I keep wondering to myself why no one thought it was weird that "Terry" suddenly started wearing a giant crazy belt buckle! Not that I know what he likes, but he doesn't seem the type. Like if I came home from work one night wearing some serious business suit, my boyfriend would wonder what the hell was going on there.

[rebel2u]

On 1/13/2020 at 7:42 PM, scrb said:

Yes it's a prejudice against Southerners by the rest of America -- and probably the world as these shows probably get a global distribution.

Gosh, maybe so, but I would hope people aren't so provincial as to think a Southern accent equals stupidity.

Am waiting for the next episode; I find myself thinking about the series during the week, which is a good thing.   

[atlantaloves]

Oh me too, I am ALL IN so far, I like this series even though they aren't using southern accents, most actors can't do a Ga. accent anyway.  They always do Mississippi. Ha. 

[WhoWantsCake]

Yeah, Nashville native here and I don't mind the lack of Southern accents. Very few actors can pull off a convincing one in my experience. They're often exaggerated to the point of caricature, and I'm glad to not have that distraction in a show that I'm really enjoying.

[Emiloo212]

One thing that really impresses me is the music. It really sets the mood and is very different from the usual police procedural soundtrack. The use of drumbeats at certain times really catches your attention. 

[scrb]

BTW, the actor playing Ralph is Australian so it would be a coup for him to do a Southern as well as an American accept.

His backstory is that he along with his family are from OH and moved down to GA.

[LoveLeigh]

I have not read the book but I do know it was written by Stephen King so I expect some surreal element to be inserted in to this story, probably with how Terry could have been in two places at one time. 

However, this is off to a really good mysterious start. I will have a hard time buying into some weird explanation for Frankie's murder in which I have to suspend disbelief. Many of these murder mysteries are just best going along unraveling real pieces to the puzzle until the murder is solved. 

Some asinine explanation will just ruin it for me. I felt the same way about Watchmen. It was great until it became preposterous. 

Edited January 16, 2020 by DakotaLavender

[Lily H]

My husband watched this on Sunday night and raved about it (I was watching Sanditon instead), so I made sure to catch the rerun tonight and was expecting big things.

I hated it. I see from the comments that I wasn't the only one to

(a) not realize that the dead kid's mom had died after she helpfully smashed up her own dinner table,

(b) not be able to make out what was in the pile of stuff in the barn at the end, and

(c) not know who the idiot in the bar was who attacked the other guy for no apparent reason and seemingly had nothing to do with the story

I don't remember anyone's name except the victim Terry. The detective is bland and unmemorable, yet biased and incompetent. The DA is completely corrupt (which is probably realistic given the location). The setup of walking a prisoner that you already know has an alibi through a long gauntlet of screaming, gun-toting townsfolk (who were purposely whipped into a frenzy by the DA/detective duo) was beyond ridiculous. The huntin' redneck cop is already the most hateable character on the show. (And it wouldn't be a southern crime show if they didn't manage to somehow shoehorn in some gratuitously graphic animal slaughter).

And to top it off, I can see this is headed toward a silly supernatural conclusion.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

And to top it off, I can see this is headed toward a silly supernatural conclusion.

Well, I mean...Stephen King.

[catherinejane]

Re-reading this thread, again, i too had no idea the mother was dead until seeing it here. I also didn't realise Terry was dead until his wife mentioned it!

Who was the person who hung themself? did we know them or are they the next person who has caught the attention of HOODY MAN?

Next week seems to be only 1 episode 😞 i want 2 each week!

[Robert Lynch]

I haven't read this book, but read the others so far.

[TexasGal]

48 minutes ago, catherinejane said:

Who was the person who hung themself? did we know them or are they the next person who has caught the attention of HOODY MAN?

 

The father of the initial dead child.  Aka husband of the heart attack wife.  Aka father of the son who shot the accused (and was killed by police).    

[meep.meep]

It must be said:  the last of the Petersons.

[LoveLeigh]

19 hours ago, Lily H said:

And to top it off, I can see this is headed toward a silly supernatural conclusion.

I agree because it is Stephen King. I hate a great murder mystery show that infuses that nonsense into the plot solution. 

[Johnny Dollar]

8 hours ago, DakotaLavender said:

I agree because it is Stephen King. I hate a great murder mystery show that infuses that nonsense into the plot solution. 

I agree 100%. It would be much more interesting to the viewer to be able to figure out what’s happening rather than having the convenient “boogey man” contrivance as a way to explain anything that’s out of the ordinary. The first season of True Detective had such elements but was gripping television nonetheless. 

[Citizen A]

On 1/16/2020 at 2:05 AM, Lily H said:

And to top it off, I can see this is headed toward a silly supernatural conclusion

Came here to make this same observation.  Just watched the first two episodes, and while I’m impressed, I feel this sadness that this wonderfully grounded-seeming show is going to descend into a world of supernatural monsters with no rules.   I hope I’m wrong.

[SuzieQ]

Thanks to all who have read the book and are explaining some things that aren't clear to the rest of us.  I like the show and want to keep watching but for those of us who haven't read the book, it's a little hard to follow.

[LoveLeigh]

5 hours ago, Citizen A said:

Came here to make this same observation.  Just watched the first two episodes, and while I’m impressed, I feel this sadness that this wonderfully grounded-seeming show is going to descend into a world of supernatural monsters with no rules.   I hope I’m wrong.

I am sure it will descend into some level of stupidity which is a disappointment because it should just plod along with clues and more plot details about who killed Frankie and make some sense regarding Terry's alibi. Some supernatural bullshit is ridiculous. They can then create any answers and say it was the creature from the black lagoon because any supernatural twist will make as much sense. They can do a crossover and say it was a character from Westworld. 

[crowsworks]

On 1/15/2020 at 6:41 PM, WhoWantsCake said:

Yeah, Nashville native here and I don't mind the lack of Southern accents. Very few actors can pull off a convincing one in my experience. They're often exaggerated to the point of caricature, and I'm glad to not have that distraction in a show that I'm really enjoying.

No one on This is Us has a Pittsburgh accent

[walnutqueen]

I'd be surprised if there wasn't a supernatural element, considering that this is based on a King novel.  I mean, seriously - was anyone expecting a police procedural?

I'll keep watching.  I haven't read the book, but am not having much difficulty following the story so far.

[Chaos Theory]

I am not a huge fan of HBO shows liking maybe 10% of them.   I have no idea why. Maybe I find them overly pretentious,,,,but not the point.   Just that I wasn’t expecting to like this.  But I like Jason Bateman and his ability to play the vaguely slimly guy next door.  I was surprised how quickly the character was killed off but then I realized the show is not really about Terry but about the cops investigating a confounding murder that both makes a well liked teacher look guilty and innocent at the same time.   The fact that this is Stephen King makes me think that it will jump too heavy into the supernatural but he did write Shawshank.
 

 I don’t mind a supernatural backdrop if the doesn’t go nuts with it like The Stand and ultimately deals with the way people deal with a tragic murder.....like Terry’s family dealing with being associated with the murder.  But the daughter’s nightmares are probably a huge red flag at something.   

So I am in for now.   

 

Edited January 18, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[Blindfox]

I would like this a lot better if I didn’t feel as if I spent the last two hours squinting and trying to make out the screen. Several things mentioned above I couldn’t see. I never saw goo in either the barn or the floor, and I couldn’t even make out the people at hospital so I didn’t know what was going on. I don’t know; this might not be the series for me.

[Johnny Dollar]

Weird to say this, but I’d rather go with an “evil twin” explanation than an “evil spirit” one. 

[atlantaloves]

Meeee tooooooo Mr. Dollar!

[preeya]

7 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Weird to say this, but I’d rather go with an “evil twin” explanation than an “evil spirit” one. 

Me too, but that's been done a gazillion time already. I'd like to see some kind of a twist that's not all supernatural.

Edited January 19, 2020 by preeya

[Robert Lynch]

14 hours ago, Blindfox said:

I would like this a lot better if I didn’t feel as if I spent the last two hours squinting and trying to make out the screen. Several things mentioned above I couldn’t see. I never saw goo in either the barn or the floor, and I couldn’t even make out the people at hospital so I didn’t know what was going on. I don’t know; this might not be the series for me.

I think dark is becoming too much of a In thing now.

[Affogato]

On 1/13/2020 at 10:09 PM, saltylemon said:

He’s just another detective that works there. He was pissed he was called in early from his vacation (the hunting trip) because he had to cover for the other detectives that were out (Ralph on leave & the other giving birth). 

 

 

I haven’t read the book but he is hi ting a boar and the boar gets away when his phone chimes. Later we see a dead rotting boar. Could be the same boar. Is this meaningful? Do you think? A parallel universe where the bosr was shot and abandoned because parallel hunter had to go to work. Or is this just a wasteful custom?

[buttercupia]

On 1/18/2020 at 2:10 AM, crowsworks said:

No one on This is Us has a Pittsburgh accent

sidebar-I'm Pittsburgh born and raised and I don't have a Pittsburgh accent.

I'm not understanding why folk who are not interested in supernatural things would watch a series based on a Stephen King book.

Edited January 21, 2020 by buttercupia
topic

[BigBlueMastiff]

On 1/13/2020 at 2:14 PM, HollyG said:

On 1/13/2020 at 1:31 PM, rebel2u said:

 

The mom seemed to have a heart attack or stroke after swinging the bat ferociously. The son was attending to her, then dad makes a call, next mom is in the hospital, and doc tells dad bad news as evidenced by his reaction. Then a male nurse or maybe same doc comforts the son, brutal.

 

[Milburn Stone]

I had no idea Jason Bateman had anything to do with this show. I just watched it because I was already watching Bill Maher. It drew me in and established such a unique and consistent tone of dread that I had to find out who directed it. Imagine my surprise when the end credits said it was Bateman. I didn't know he had this in him.

Count me among those who really don't want to see this show turn supernatural, but I'm worried that it will.

[Stinger97]

When Terry came out of the woods with blood all over his mouth and coat, I looked at my partner and asked if this was an IT prequel. 

I thought it was fairly obvious that the grieving mother died from that scene in the hospital. In the previous scene, we saw her grab her shoulder, then her chest, and then fall to the ground. When the doctor came out to deliver news and the son broke down, I figured it must have been a massive heart attack.

What wasn't obvious to me was that Terry was giving the finger in that security cam footage from the train station. They zoomed in as though we could make anything out, but it was grainy as a bowl of rice. 

Considering this is Stephen King, there's no way that this doesn't veer into supernatural territory, whether we like it or not. 

[BellyLaughter]

I know this adaptation of a Stephen King book is gonna end in a clusterfuck of supernatural nonsense but I can’t help myself..... 

[NurseGiGi]

On 1/18/2020 at 9:32 AM, walnutqueen said:

I'd be surprised if there wasn't a supernatural element, considering that this is based on a King novel.  I mean, seriously - was anyone expecting a police procedural?

I'll keep watching.  I haven't read the book, but am not having much difficulty following the story so far.

I'm loving it and I'm absolutely sure, without being spoiled, that there is a supernatural element. I mean, Stephen King, right?

[Quilt Fairy]

On 2/8/2020 at 4:51 PM, NurseGiGi said:

I'm loving it and I'm absolutely sure, without being spoiled, that there is a supernatural element. I mean, Stephen King, right?

I don't recall anything supernatural in The Shawshank Redemption. 

[Dowel Jones]

You don't think Andy leaving town with $375,000 and moving to Mexico to start a fishing charter business, and the best that he can do is a POS shark bait tub isn't the least bit supernatural? (major snark).

[lasu]

I'm not sure what Shawshank has to do with whether or not this show will have a supernatural element.  I'd still maintain the most famous (and best!) adaptation of King's straight fiction is Stand by Me.  But that doesn't change the fact if you choose to watch a King vehicle, you have about a 90% chance of there being supernatural.

[SeanBug]

I don't know what made me remember this show, but I started rewatching last night. 

I saw it when it first aired and loved it. Enough time passed I've forgotten a lot of the plot points. I knew Jason Bateman was in it and directed these first episodes. Now that I'm familiar with him as a director, it's more rewarding to watch.  It was so awful to watch the scene when Terry is killed.  Bateman is a perfect choice to play Terry.  He's such a likable actor and plays a beloved coach and teacher, so  to even think for a moment he might have done this, esp when we know he didn't. The scene when he comes out of the park and the little girl sees him. OMG just horrifying. 

The way he set up the scene with the mother breaking everything with the bat. No sound, and shot from a distance, so the viewer is like an onlooker that doesn't really want to see this moment.

He mentions in a bts extra about wanting to instill dread in the viewers, like you can't stop watching but fear what may happen next.  I can't remember if it's in Epi 2 or 3, but the way the camera pans over the clothing at the farm, so slowly and you realize, oh yeah, this is where the monster went. 

The cast is phenomenal. When the first episode started and I realized Bill Camp was in it, I was even more thrilled.