Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Hiyo]

EW loves the phrase “breaks their silence”. Then again EW is always trying way too hard to be percieved as hip…

I find “smash that like button” to be rather silly. Like, just say “hit like” already…

Edited July 6, 2022 by Hiyo

[sistermagpie]

4 hours ago, Hiyo said:

EW loves the phrase “breaks their silence”. Then again EW is always trying way too hard to be percieved as hip…

I find “smash that like button” to be rather silly. Like, just say “hit like” already…

I love that they always say they "break their silence" when they mean "we found out about it." Like sometimes they'll act like someone has been keeping their 20-year marriage a secret just because they never thought to look up the fact they were married. Pretty sure the celebrity's family and friends did know they were married!

[Shannon L.]

Some of the mentioned phrases slightly annoy me and some don't bother me at all, I'm just glad we are over the "Mc" phase.  I hated that with a passion.  I'm also ready to move on from creating a new name for couples by mixing their names together (Bennifer).  Maybe I've learned to tune it out, but it doesn't seem to be as big of a thing now.  My husband hates "ooey gooey" and you can guarantee hearing it at least once on baking shows.  The only thing that has always set my teeth on edge isn't a new thing--it's been around from the beginning of time (samwich  ::shudder::)

[DoctorAtomic]

It's tragic how much of a rag EW has devolved to. 

[Ambrosefolly]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

It's tragic how much of a rag EW has devolved to. 

I lived for the "It List" issue. In the beginning they really picked some interesting people in a wide variety of fields in the entertainment & literary industry, fields that didn't get the shine that often. It started going to shit when it became the "Must List."

[proserpina65]

On 7/4/2022 at 12:59 AM, Zella said:

I remember a friend told me Beyonce had slayed something, and no, unless she is literally slaying some dragon with a sword, she didn't slay anything. 

Does it have to be a dragon?  What if she's slaying vampires?

21 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I remember Beckett on Castle saying it several times and I was all "You are a homicide detective, if you can't say "Shut the fuck up' then, well, just shut the fuck up. Shut the front door just made her sound like a sheltered tween.

To be fair to Beckett, she was a character on a tv show on a regular broadcast channel, so "shut the fuck up" wasn't an option.  Doesn't mean the writers couldn't have used a different phrase, though.  Like maybe "shut the hell up"?

[bluegirl147]

2 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

It's tragic how much of a rag EW has devolved to. 

1 hour ago, Ambrosefolly said:

It started going to shit when it became the "Must List."

I think it started going to shit when it became Entertainment Monthly.  What made EW special was it was a weekly magazine that was about what was going on that particular week.  There wasn't a lot of filler. The magazine was mostly filled with things I wanted to read about.

I'm someone who still likes to hold an actual magazine in my hands.  Now that they are no longer printing EW I am done with it.  If I want to read things on a website there are many others one I can go to.

[Hiyo]

I think (for me) the decline of EW began in the late 2000s/early 2010s, when they started letting many of their better writers and critics go, and replacing them with people who just weren't as good (too many articles by navel gazing millenials, which wasn't what I was interested in the magazine) . Plus they started cheerleading the Twilight movies non-stop, which, ugh. A sign of things to come. I think it bottomed out in the 2010s when they had Andy Cohen, of all people, as a guest editor.

Quote

What made EW special was it was a weekly magazine that was about what was going on that particular week.  There wasn't a lot of filler. The magazine was mostly filled with things I wanted to read about.

I loved it during the 90s and most of the 2000s. It was definitely something I looked forward to getting and reading each week.

Edited July 6, 2022 by Hiyo

[Bort]

3 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

To be fair to Beckett, she was a character on a tv show on a regular broadcast channel, so "shut the fuck up" wasn't an option.  Doesn't mean the writers couldn't have used a different phrase, though.  Like maybe "shut the hell up"?

Well no, because the Castle show wasn’t using the “shut the front door” phrase to tell other characters to shut up, it was always used as an incredulous response to the case taking a schwerve. 

[DoctorAtomic]

3 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

I think it started going to shit when it became Entertainment Monthly. 

2 hours ago, Hiyo said:

I think (for me) the decline of EW began in the late 2000s/early 2010s, when they started letting many of their better writers and critics go, and replacing them with people who just weren't as good (too many articles by navel gazing millenials, which wasn't what I was interested in the magazine) .

Probably a before it became monthly and after the 2010s. 

There used to be actual entertainment journalism. Feature length articles. Even Steven King's column was a good op-ed on pop culture things. The movie critics actually knew what they were talking about and they dug up films that aren't going to get a lot of coverage. Being in a large metro area, I hopped on the bus and went all over to art house theaters and the like to catch these gems. 

I liked the 'what to watch' every week because it would tip me off to shows I might not have known about. They even had content on like SciFi tv movies to check out.

I think when they either folded into or were bought by People is when they dived because it was all those 'blurb' articles and much more superficial than actually written and edited articles. No more gems, no more what to watch. Tragic.

I think I had been a subscriber since 1995 - 2017 or 18. I still read it digitally, but I just got to the point where it was too much garbage. 

[proserpina65]

18 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Well no, because the Castle show wasn’t using the “shut the front door” phrase to tell other characters to shut up, it was always used as an incredulous response to the case taking a schwerve. 

I based my comment on what the original poster said, which was somewhat different from the context you explained.  I didn't watch Castle so I didn't have that info.  Thanks for clarifying.

[janie jones]

23 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

To be fair to Beckett, she was a character on a tv show on a regular broadcast channel, so "shut the fuck up" wasn't an option.  Doesn't mean the writers couldn't have used a different phrase, though.  Like maybe "shut the hell up"?

Cops on TV always call people "humps" (e.g. "Did you kill her, you hump?!"). When I was a kid, I wondered if there were really people out there who would call someone a "hump" or if they were trying to avoid "fuck."

[MaryPatShelby]

On 7/3/2022 at 11:59 PM, Zella said:

I really hate when people use slay as some sort of synonym for winning. I remember a friend told me Beyonce had slayed something, and no, unless she is literally slaying some dragon with a sword, she didn't slay anything. 

Similar to slay and sick is "slap".  Slapping used to be a bad thing....now good things slap, as in "That song really slaps".  Irritating.

[Mabinogia]

2 minutes ago, MaryPatShelby said:

Similar to slay and sick is "slap".  Slapping used to be a bad thing....now good things slap, as in "That song really slaps".  Irritating.

I weep for the English language. 

[Hiyo]

It doesn’t slap the way it used to, does it?

[Haleth]

On 7/9/2022 at 7:29 PM, MaryPatShelby said:

Similar to slay and sick is "slap".  Slapping used to be a bad thing....now good things slap, as in "That song really slaps".  Irritating.

I must be getting old because I've never heard this.

[Cinnabon]

What really makes me irritated are phrases like “that makes me feel some kind of way.” Ok - WHAT kind of way, specifically? Use your damn words. Or “that gives me the feels. I’m in my feelings.” So - you’re feeling emotional? Why do grown adults insist on this nonsensical language? 

Edited July 11, 2022 by Cinnabon

[bluegirl147]

14 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

Or “that gives me the feels. I’m in my feelings.”

I hate "catch feelings". What did  you catch?  Love? Lust?  Resentment?  An STD?

[Cinnabon]

13 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I hate "catch feelings". What did  you catch?  Love? Lust?  Resentment?  An STD?

Exactly! The English language is full of descriptive words. Find one and use it.

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

I hate "catch feelings".

That one makes me laugh because it reminds me of that ridiculous Naughty By Nature song "O.P.P."

[Anduin]

I liked the Wheel of Time show. Many people have trashed it, comparing it unfavourably to the books. But I've tried reading the first book several times over the years. I don't think I made it half-way on my best attempt.

Helps that in the show, there's less time for twee nonsense back home, and all the irritating younger characters are a bit older. For that matter, all the women in the book just felt off, somehow. Whereas in the show, they feel like normal people.

Is it a perfect adaptation? Probably not. Did a lot of people's favourite moments get cut? Probably. Was it rushed in parts? Absolutely. But I enjoyed it anyway, and I'm looking forward to the next season.

[Haleth]

I agree with you, Anduin.  The show wasn't great but it gave more depth to the young characters, especially the women (who were soooo underdeveloped in the book).  I just started the second book, even though I didn't really care for the first much so we'll see if it gets any better.  (The library was closed yesterday, I had to find something on my Kindle.)  I watched the show because I like Rosamund Pike.  The writers are going to have to go all out if they want this to compare favorably with the other epic fantasy shows coming up before season 2 arrives.  Good luck with that.

[Anduin]

2 hours ago, Haleth said:

The writers are going to have to go all out if they want this to compare favorably with the other epic fantasy shows coming up before season 2 arrives.  Good luck with that.

Yeah. Standing beside a GOT spinoff and of course LOTR is quite a challenge. And then trying to satisfy all the critical book fans. Not a job I envy. Still, S1 was pretty good. Hopefully so will S2.

As a side note, it apparently starts this year sometime. Seriously? We have enough fantasy jammed into the second half of this year. January/February would be a great time for the new season.

[DoctorAtomic]

6 hours ago, Anduin said:

For that matter, all the women in the book just felt off, somehow.

Because Jordan couldn't write women for nothing beyond 19 y/o besides being total shrews. 

The forums here were even handed I thought. We all read the books and still I think were fair. No show is above criticism, but no one was really hardcore book purists. 

The non book readers were a little miffed Rand was the Dragon because there wasn't a lot of buildup for him over the season. 

[Anduin]

6 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Because Jordan couldn't write women for nothing beyond 19 y/o besides being total shrews. 

The forums here were even handed I thought. We all read the books and still I think were fair. No show is above criticism, but no one was really hardcore book purists. 

The non book readers were a little miffed Rand was the Dragon because there wasn't a lot of buildup for him over the season. 

And yet he was married to his editor. She never told him to write the women better?

I wasn't actually thinking of this site, I just see people writing the show off on twitter. Since I don't want to respond to every bozo I come across, I just need to vent here.

[Zella]

5 hours ago, Anduin said:

She never told him to write the women better?

Just speaking as someone who has worked as an editor: you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. And authors can be a lot more stubborn than thirsty horses. 😂

Edited July 19, 2022 by Zella

[Anduin]

39 minutes ago, Zella said:

Just speaking as someone who has worked as an editor: you can lead a horse to water, but you can't it them drink. And authors can be a lot more stubborn than thirsty horses. 😂

Okay, that's a fair point. I'll keep that in mind.

[Zella]

3 minutes ago, Anduin said:

Okay, that's a fair point. I'll keep that in mind.

Yeah, editing has actually broken me from wondering why an editor didn't do something whenever I read a book for fun and come across something that seems off. Not like a typo but something that should have been addressed in developmental editing--issues with characters, plot, etc. Chances are they did say something and got overruled.

(And to be fair, sometimes the author is totally correct to overrule the editor's suggestions. Other times, not so much. I had a guy who completely lost his shit on me about hyphenating old-fashioned. Merriam-Webster doing it wasn't enough justification for him. 🤷‍♀️ I honestly don't know who won that battle between us. I was tired of arguing with him.)

Also, I think as authors get more famous, they are subjected to less stringent editing and they acquire more clout to push back. I wouldn't be surprised if Jordan, as the series progressed and was a hit, got a basic copyedit and that was it. 

[Anduin]

32 minutes ago, Zella said:

Yeah, editing has actually broken me from wondering why an editor didn't do something whenever I read a book for fun and come across something that seems off. Not like a typo but something that should have been addressed in developmental editing--issues with characters, plot, etc. Chances are they did say something and got overruled.

(And to be fair, sometimes the author is totally correct to overrule the editor's suggestions. Other times, not so much. I had a guy who completely lost his shit on me about hyphenating old-fashioned. Merriam-Webster doing it wasn't enough justification for him. 🤷‍♀️ I honestly don't know who won that battle between us. I was tired of arguing with him.)

Also, I think as authors get more famous, they are subjected to less stringent editing and they acquire more clout to push back. I wouldn't be surprised if Jordan, as the series progressed and was a hit, got a basic copyedit and that was it. 

Yes, some people have called the later books a little padded. Maybe it was a combination of illness and being too big to edit, even from his own wife.

But back on topic. The show isn't perfect, but I like it. I'm looking forward to the next season, even with serious competition in the fantasy stakes.

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't think Jordan had the chops or inclination to write the characters as more adult. It's one thing if you're 19 and reading Dragon Reborn than if you're 37, and they're all behaving the same. Sanderson taking over probably saved the series. 

Broad strokes - the universe is definitely unique and I always liked the technical aspect to channeling. You're expecting the men and women to finally put it together for the literal end of the world, and it just comes down to Rand and his two friends and Mat inventing tank warfare. 

I mean, even the Beatles listened to George Martin. 

I'm looking forward to the show putting out a different take on the story though. I've got some favorite scenes, and I like to see how it goes. 

[proserpina65]

14 hours ago, Zella said:

Also, I think as authors get more famous, they are subjected to less stringent editing and they acquire more clout to push back.

See "Martin, George R.R."

[DoctorAtomic]

I never actually minded that the series sprawled so many books, but there was a lot of here we go again. One book was 400 something pages that covered 6 days. Come on. 

So it's not so much editing down, per se. 

[Zella]

7 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

See "Martin, George R.R."

I've never read Jordan so can only go off what other people say, but I was totally thinking of George when I was typing that out. Even beyond his meandering, there are some super sloppy typos in the last 2 books that somebody should have caught. 

[DoctorAtomic]

They were actually contemporaries. Back then everyone was just doing trilogies for fantasy because Tolkien. I give them credit for saying 'why?'

The Foreigner series is 22 books, but it doesn't plod. 

[proserpina65]

On 7/19/2022 at 9:22 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

They were actually contemporaries. Back then everyone was just doing trilogies for fantasy because Tolkien. I give them credit for saying 'why?'

The Foreigner series is 22 books, but it doesn't plod. 

Yep, it's possible to do a long series without the books feeling like they're 50% filler.  Unfortunately some authors don't know how to do it.

[Danny Franks]

On 7/18/2022 at 10:06 AM, Anduin said:

I liked the Wheel of Time show. Many people have trashed it, comparing it unfavourably to the books. But I've tried reading the first book several times over the years. I don't think I made it half-way on my best attempt.

Helps that in the show, there's less time for twee nonsense back home, and all the irritating younger characters are a bit older. For that matter, all the women in the book just felt off, somehow. Whereas in the show, they feel like normal people.

Is it a perfect adaptation? Probably not. Did a lot of people's favourite moments get cut? Probably. Was it rushed in parts? Absolutely. But I enjoyed it anyway, and I'm looking forward to the next season.

I did like the show quite a lot, and was happy enough with most of the changes. I thought the season finale was terrible and such a rug-pull of an episode, but I'm willing to accept that Covid had a huge impact on the way that episode was formed.

However, I'm wary about where things go in season two, because it's clear the deviations from the books will get more and more drastic.

On 7/18/2022 at 12:20 PM, Haleth said:

I agree with you, Anduin.  The show wasn't great but it gave more depth to the young characters, especially the women (who were soooo underdeveloped in the book).  I just started the second book, even though I didn't really care for the first much so we'll see if it gets any better.  (The library was closed yesterday, I had to find something on my Kindle.)  I watched the show because I like Rosamund Pike.  The writers are going to have to go all out if they want this to compare favorably with the other epic fantasy shows coming up before season 2 arrives.  Good luck with that.

The first book is a little rough in parts. It's definitely an author feeling his way into the world and figuring out where he wants to go.

The second book is a huge improvement and then it keeps getting better until book seven and then infamous "slog" where things really slow down as Jordan gets lost in subplots. That lasts for about three books, then he righted the ship with the last book he wrote before he passed away, and Sanderson finished the series... satisfactorily. 

But I wouldn't really advocate people struggling to stick with it if they're not enjoying it, because it's a huge series and there are way too many other books to read.

On 7/18/2022 at 4:37 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

Because Jordan couldn't write women for nothing beyond 19 y/o besides being total shrews. 

He could write variations on a theme - all his women are bossy, that's true, but there's more there too.

Egwene's journey from village girl to where she ends up is a pretty nicely constructed journey, because her ambition and her determination to know everything and learn everything she possibly can make her such a fun character to root for at times, but sometimes make her obnoxious and overbearingly arrogant too. She is a cultural chameleon, who always latches onto new experiences and cultures and dives right in. 

Nynaeve is the opposite. She's stubborn and conservative and refuses to even acknowledge there are things she needs to learn. She hates new places, she hates new experiences, she constantly grumbles about anything that isn't familiar to her, yet she spends so much of the series travelling and learning.

Moiraine is more of a deus ex machina, at least in the first book. We never know what she's thinking and she's always deliberately written as elusive and shady in her motivations. But I think her nobility and sense of purpose shine through in the end.

There are other characters too - Elayne, in particular - who I'd like to talk about but it would veer into show spoilers.

Jordan was very much a "women are from Venus, men are from Mars" believer, and a lot of his humour is derived from men and women misunderstanding one another, quite often with the men as more bemused and passive and the women irritated and domineering. There have been whole essays written and debates had on how he wrote women, but it has to be said that one of the main pillars of the world he created is that most powerful people in it are women, and they have held a monopoly on that power for thousands of years.

On 7/19/2022 at 3:25 AM, Zella said:

Just speaking as someone who has worked as an editor: you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. And authors can be a lot more stubborn than thirsty horses. 😂

She did manage to get him to cut out any sex scenes, after she read some early drafts and flat out told him he was terrible at writing them.

Edited July 22, 2022 by Danny Franks

[DoctorAtomic]

I'm looking forward to what deviations are coming up on the show. To me 3, 4, and 5 are as good as anything. Then it was just *everyone* pissing and moaning at Rand. I take the point underlying, but I don't think I needed literally 15 years of it. 

I cannot *wait* to see balefire on the screen, and Rand and Ny just *wrecking shop*. To be fair to the rest of the series, when those two just had no fucks left to give, I mean, that was it. The actor playing Ny has that in spades. I cannot wait till she takes the gloves off. 

I thought the first season was fine. They didn't have much to work with in terms of material, and they did a great job elevating some of the characters to multidimensions. With what's coming up, I'm really looking forward to not only watching, but talking about it here. 

[Hiyo]

As someone who isn't usually a fan of The Sorkin, this made me chuckle. There it is indeed...

[Anduin]

For All Mankind, season 3. No, hear me out! I'd been on a real space opera binge, and I just hit burnout. At the same time, a kind of peril fatigue. Just resolve one situation, jump into another. Slow down the pace, let them enjoy their victories for a bit. It became just not fun to watch. I may go back in a few months, but for now I need a break.

[juno]

On 7/28/2022 at 6:14 PM, Anduin said:

For All Mankind, season 3. No, hear me out! I'd been on a real space opera binge, and I just hit burnout. At the same time, a kind of peril fatigue. Just resolve one situation, jump into another. Slow down the pace, let them enjoy their victories for a bit. It became just not fun to watch. I may go back in a few months, but for now I need a break.

No, not just you. This season has been horrible for me as well.

[Anduin]

4 hours ago, juno said:

No, not just you. This season has been horrible for me as well.

There are some great ideas, but yeah. The execution isn't quite there. But there are also some terrible ideas. Danny, of course.

[juno]

6 minutes ago, Anduin said:

There are some great ideas, but yeah. The execution isn't quite there. But there are also some terrible ideas. Danny, of course.

Danny was a terrible idea. Margo turning into a Russian spy, the way the Russians are being portrayed, the fact that a billion dollar american spacecraft on a one in a lifetime mission to Mars would go and "save" a disabled Russian spacecraft and jeopardize their own mission was so far beyond my sensibilties that I gave up. It has become a soap opera on Mars.

[Anduin]

20 minutes ago, juno said:

Danny was a terrible idea. Margo turning into a Russian spy, the way the Russians are being portrayed, the fact that a billion dollar american spacecraft on a one in a lifetime mission to Mars would go and "save" a disabled Russian spacecraft and jeopardize their own mission was so far beyond my sensibilties that I gave up. It has become a soap opera on Mars.

So frustrating. When the show's on form, it's wonderful. But when not... Anyway, thanks for agreeing with me. I still see comments about how it's the most underrated show on TV at the moment, but yeah. I'm not feeling it.

[Zella]

I've started season 3 of FAM--and I know it's not the greatest of ideas to jump into something that far in--because I like some of the new cast members they added and I'd heard such good things about it. I can see some of the appeal, but I must confess, I am less than impressed with the writing.

Even without knowing who the fuck anyone is, I've been able to predict all the "shocking" plot twists because I grew up watching Y & R with my mom. I'll probably go back and watch the first 2 seasons because it's definitely not completely bad, I do think the actors are good, and what I've read about season 1 and 2 does intrigue me, but it's hardly fighting to be in the top tier of television for me.

Edited July 31, 2022 by Zella

[Anduin]

7 minutes ago, Zella said:

I've started season 3 of FAM--and I know it's not the greatest of ideas to jump into something that far in--because I like some of the new cast members they added and I'd heard such good things about it. I can see some of the appeal, but I must confess, I am less than impressed with the writing.

Even without knowing who the fuck anyone is, I've been able to predict all the "shocking" plot twists because I grew up watching Y & R with my mom. I'll probably go back and watch the first 2 seasons because it's definitely not completely bad, I do think the actors are good, and what I've read about season 1 and 2 does intrigue me, but it's hardly fighting to be in the top tier of television for me.

Yep. It's show of wild extremes. Such highs, such lows.

[EtheltoTillie]

Only Murders in the Building is a terrible show.  Prove me wrong.  I tried, I really did, but it was just confusing mumbo jumbo.

[SunnyBeBe]

10 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Only Murders in the Building is a terrible show.  Prove me wrong.  I tried, I really did, but it was just confusing mumbo jumbo.

Interesting that you say that.  Are you referring to season one or two?  I enjoyed season one, despite Selena Gomez, but I can’t make myself watch season two.  I’m not sure if it’s my dislike of her as an actress, but it’s just a chore to view it.  I’ve only gotten through one full episode.  Think I’m done with it.  This pains me because I love love Martin and Short.  I also like the other cast members.  

[EtheltoTillie]

On 8/8/2022 at 5:51 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

Interesting that you say that.  Are you referring to season one or two?  I enjoyed season one, despite Selena Gomez, but I can’t make myself watch season two.  I’m not sure if it’s my dislike of her as an actress, but it’s just a chore to view it.  I’ve only gotten through one full episode.  Think I’m done with it.  This pains me because I love love Martin and Short.  I also like the other cast members.  

I couldn't get past two episodes of season one, but out of curiosity I looked at the last episode or two to see who did it.  I still don't understand who that guy was who knew Selena from high school and went to prison?  I never even tried season two.  It's all a chore.  And too bad, because I like Martin Short and Steve Martin.  It really was a clever idea for a show--to do a murder podcast--but I felt like the mystery was some kind of magical realism story.

[SunnyBeBe]

I actually enjoy most everything about the show, except whenever Gomez’s character comes on the screen I cringe.  I do not enjoy seeing or hearing her on the screen in this role.  I wish I didn’t feel that way, but it is what it is. 

[DearEvette]

I liked Only Murders in The Building in S1.  But it it one of those shows I feel gets more accolades than it should.  I don't mind Selena Gomez, she's ok, but they've made her such a monotone sad sack.  But it is Steve Martin and especially Martin Short that make the show so darned enjoyable.

I am watching season 2 and ,imo, this season would have benefited from having all the episodes drop at once instead of the traditional weekly roll out.  It is feeling like a bit of a slog. The mystery feels meandery so stuff that happened in the early eps from June feel like they happened so long ago, LOL. And I feel like I've forgotten some key stuff.

That said Martin Short is the MVP, he is consistently the funniest person no matter the scene.