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Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

mstaken

By mstaken
in Everything Else TV

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kiddo82

kiddo82

9 hours ago, ChromaKelly said:

I think I mentioned it before, but the worst example of this was the scrutiny over whether the logo on a grocery bag was accurate for the year in Better Call Saul.  I just can't care that much. I will say sometimes the shows do it to themselves, like Mad Men would make a point over demonstrating that it's say November 3, 1966 by showing something on TV or referencing an event. But a show that's generally evoking a time period like Stranger Things, I don't think they are going for such accuracy. Even with Mad Men though, as long as the song was around that year and not super out of place, I'm good.

The only time it reeeeeaaaally pulled me out of the Goldbergs was the episode where the Berlin Wall supposedly came down on April 1st.  Cultural anachronisms are one thing.  Factually incorrect is another.

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Blergh

Blergh

1 hour ago, kiddo82 said:

The only time it reeeeeaaaally pulled me out of the Goldbergs was the episode where the Berlin Wall supposedly came down on April 1st.  Cultural anachronisms are one thing.  Factually incorrect is another.

No foolin'!

 This reminds me of an episode of The Waltons in which Edward VIII's Abdication was a focal point- yet they had all the characters behave and dress as though this was the height of summer not on the edge of winter despite the December 11th date! Come on, how tough would it have been to put them in coats and sweaters and maybe have had  a few Christmas decorations about?

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Katy M

Katy M

8 minutes ago, Blergh said:

his reminds me of an episode of The Waltons in which Edward VIII's Abdication was a focal point- yet they had all the characters behave and dress as though this was the height of summer not on the edge of winter despite the December 11th date! Come on, how tough would it have been to put them in coats and sweaters and maybe have had  a few Christmas decorations about?

The Waltons had much greater problems in historical accuracy.  Like the US involvement of World War II only lasting 2 years.   Even the kids' progression didn't add up.  John Boy graduated at the end of Season 2.  The next graduation we see is Erin's in mid-Season 5, at which point Ben is already out of school. So, in 2 and a half years, we've had Jason, Mary Ellen, Ben and Erin all graduating when they should be a year apart.  

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GreekGeek

GreekGeek

On 9/15/2018 at 12:28 AM, MaryPatShelby said:

So much this. To be honest, I don't believe that all these BCS watchers remember every single character and their story arc (if any), I think they look it up after the ep so they can come to the boards with all their knowledge!!  I'm annoyed every time I read something similar to "I was so excited when I saw Big Dude!  He was the one in season 4 episode 7 who saw Walter and Jesse doing something something and then got killed!" Obviously, my unpopular opinion is I'm far less interested in the story lines on BCS that are not about Jimmy.

I came to the BB/BCS shows late and just wrapped up BCS season 3. I'm not in a hurry to get to season 4 now that

Spoiler

Chuck is dead.

I'm not that interested in the drug dealers, since I already know what happened to them in BB.

TattleTeeny

TattleTeeny

(edited)

I like noticing anachronisms but I really don't get all bent outta shape about it. Like the reenactments in Homicide Hunter, for example--they're not going at all for accuracy there; I think they're just creating visual interest, different scenery from the interviewy parts, and live action, regardless of the fact that the Joe Kenda actor is not driving a car/wearing a suit/using a phone from 1977 or 1989 or whatever.

Edited by TattleTeeny
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Miss Dee

Miss Dee

On 2018-10-12 at 2:06 PM, Dee said:

Yes.

However, I should amend the original statement, and say that the ship itself, isn't too bad.

It's the fans that make the entire thing gross.

That's the case with most ship fandoms. I actually don't have anything against most ships; all just part of the story for me. It's how juvenile the fans can get that turns me off.

That said, I also hate the trope that any fan of a ship that's notorious for an awful fandom must themselves be awful for shipping that couple. That's not fair either.

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topanga

topanga

2 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I don't know why stand-alone episodes on any given show are considered bad things.  I actually like being able to see an entire story in one sitting.

For me, they’re usully better in theory than the actual execution. It’s not that the story of that character isn’t interesting. But an hour long episode that includes one of the leads and a bunch of other characters we don’t know well isn’t as interesting as the usual ensemble episode. To me, anyway. 

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Misslindsey

Misslindsey

1 minute ago, topanga said:

For me, they’re usully better in theory than the actual execution. It’s not that the story of that character isn’t interesting. But an hour long episode that includes one of the leads and a bunch of other characters we don’t know well isn’t as interesting as the usual ensemble episode. To me, anyway.

I agree. Though it sometimes depends on if I actually like the character that is getting heavily featured in a stand alone episode.

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Katy M

Katy M

8 minutes ago, topanga said:

For me, they’re usully better in theory than the actual execution. It’s not that the story of that character isn’t interesting. But an hour long episode that includes one of the leads and a bunch of other characters we don’t know well isn’t as interesting as the usual ensemble episode. To me, anyway. 

Just because it's a stand alone doesn't necessarily mean it's focusing on one character. It's just not "moving the story along" of whatever the main arc of the season is.

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topanga

topanga

18 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Just because it's a stand alone doesn't necessarily mean it's focusing on one character. It's just not "moving the story along" of whatever the main arc of the season is.

 But does it show character development or shed some light on why a living character is the way he or she is now? If so, then I’m fine with minimal plot. 

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Silver Raven

Silver Raven

I've been binge-watching "The Americans" on Amazon Prime.  I had never watched it in its initial run.  Amazon Prime has a thing called X-Ray in the upper left hand corner of the screen where they identify the names of the actors on screen, and the music that's playing, and they occasionally throw out trivia and anachronisms.  There are a lot of anachronisms in "The Americans".

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topanga

topanga

14 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

I've been binge-watching "The Americans" on Amazon Prime.  I had never watched it in its initial run.  Amazon Prime has a thing called X-Ray in the upper left hand corner of the screen where they identify the names of the actors on screen, and the music that's playing, and they occasionally throw out trivia and anachronisms.  There are a lot of anachronisms in "The Americans".

Big things, like events in the Cold War being different from how the show portrayed them? Or small things, like the cars/fashion/music being wrong?

ratgirlagogo

ratgirlagogo

16 hours ago, Katy M said:

I don't know why stand-alone episodes on any given show are considered bad things.  I actually like being able to see an entire story in one sitting.

 

16 hours ago, Katy M said:

Just because it's a stand alone doesn't necessarily mean it's focusing on one character. It's just not "moving the story along" of whatever the main arc of the season is.

I'm kind of sick of long story arcs for  every dramatic show.  You can develop characters and relationships over the course of a show without them.

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Haleth

Haleth

16 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

I've been binge-watching "The Americans" on Amazon Prime.  I had never watched it in its initial run.  Amazon Prime has a thing called X-Ray in the upper left hand corner of the screen where they identify the names of the actors on screen, and the music that's playing, and they occasionally throw out trivia and anachronisms.  There are a lot of anachronisms in "The Americans".

Hand wave the anachronisms and just enjoy the superb performances from the cast.

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Minneapple

Minneapple

22 hours ago, Katy M said:

I don't know why stand-alone episodes on any given show are considered bad things.  I actually like being able to see an entire story in one sitting.

I like standalone episodes. The issue comes when a show is dealing with something like an apocalypse. Then you're like, "uh, why are you fooling around with this crap when the world is about to end?" But standalones are usually more rewatch friendly than so-called "mytharc" episodes -- see which, for example, Buffy or X-Files episodes people will watch over and over, and they're generally standalone episodes (I know, I know...there are exceptions).

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andromeda331

andromeda331

9 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

 

I'm kind of sick of long story arcs for  every dramatic show.  You can develop characters and relationships over the course of a show without them.

I've never understood why they are never really planned out. I get not for the first season they don't know if they'll get another season. But after that they never plan them out. If its an arc through one season they'll start in the first couple episodes, then basically drop it for awhile long enough to pretty much for get about it, then maybe do an episode until suddenly its mid season for a cliffhanger or towards the end. Plot it out. Sprinkle something through each episode or have them work towards the long arc adding another chapter, twist or turn. Yes there can be standalone, episodes that have nothing to do with it. But not so many in a row that the audience forgets that's still going on. If its over several seasons plot it out. Sprinkle in clues in each season, come up with twists and turns. and at some point bring it to an end. Monk's series long mystery about who killed his wife none of the twists or turns made any sense, I doubt they remembered what was written in early episodes but then when they finally reveal the reason on the last episode? It made no sense! There was absolutely no way for Monk to have ever been able to figure it out because he didn't have a big part of the information. His wife never told him she had a baby and gave it up long before they met. He would have had no reason to ever get to that conclusion. Or on Castle with Beckett's mom's murder which made no sense. Plot it out. Plan who the murder is and lay down clues for them to find. And also know when to solve the seasons long arcs Castle's dragged on far longer then it needed too. It got to the point you were more happy that it was over then anything else.   

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Annber03

Annber03

Agreed, @andromeda331. I don't mind long story arcs in and of themselves, but so often they get so convoluted and complicated along the way and it just becomes a big mess. And it can sometimes take away from, or mess with, character development along the way as well, which, if somebody's coming in for the characters (as I do), can affect their enjoyment of a show.

I like it when a show has a good mix of both long-running storylines and standalone stuff. I think it makes sense to have a few particular things that might carry over for a number of episodes/seasons, something that can have an impact on the characters throughout the show's run. But I also like it when we get to have the occasional break from those storylines, too, and see little slice-of-life moments, or some occasional little side story, with the characters. It can be a good breather, and give us new insight into other people or aspects of the show.

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Blergh

Blergh

5 hours ago, GaT said:

I don't mind long story arcs as long as the story is good. If it's a crap story, (I'm looking at you Lucifer) then the whole show is ruined.

I didn't see that one but I concur re Star Trek: TNG and having Denise Crosby back as Tasha Yar's hateful, ingrate daughter who was a total bore ( to say nothing of the hoops they tried to insist the viewers jump through re their failed attempt to sell the preposterous). 

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kiddo82

kiddo82

(edited)

I know the later seasons of ER don't get a lot of love, especially when compared to the early days, but they are still really good.  Re-watching on Hulu and I'm up to 21 Guns/Bloodline.  (season 12 finale and 13 premier) and I'd put these up against almost anything on network or basic cable* at the time or even today.  Both are really well done.  Suspenseful. Emotional.  Even when I know exactly what will happen.  I've said this before but, throughout its entire run, when this show did something right, it did it right.

 

*Strike that.  I put it against almost anything on any network.  Not opposed to sex, nudity, violence, and/or language but a license to do it doesn't make something inherently better.  In fact, it's quite a testament to have something that did not have that license (not that an episode like 21 Guns isn't violent in it's own right) still stand up today with our experiences clouded by what else is out there.  It's the difference between saying a movie like Some Like It Hot was really funny for its time vs saying a movie like Dr. Strangelove is really funny period.

Edited by kiddo82
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Blergh

Blergh

How anyone thought the concept of Weird Science was worth a movie- much less a syndicated TV series that lasted four season, I'll never understand. I mean, IMO, it would have been best to have been a single Saturday Night Live Short Subject but I guess some folks out there had broken off-switches and remotes for four years! 

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proserpina65

proserpina65

(edited)
On ‎10‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 10:41 AM, Blergh said:

How anyone thought the concept of Weird Science was worth a movie- much less a syndicated TV series that lasted four season, I'll never understand. I mean, IMO, it would have been best to have been a single Saturday Night Live Short Subject but I guess some folks out there had broken off-switches and remotes for four years! 

I enjoyed it as a movie because it wasn't a really long movie, but why anyone thought it was a good idea for a tv series is beyond me.

1 minute ago, TattleTeeny said:

Yet for Buffy, I preferred the opposite!

Not me, I still mostly preferred the stand-alone stuff.  But hey, to each their own.  There was enough of both for everyone. :-)

Edited by proserpina65
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TattleTeeny

TattleTeeny

(edited)

Well, speaking of UOs and Buffy, I loved seasons 5-7!

Another UO (maybe): I do not find it farfetched in the least that characters on The Walking Dead are able to maintain their hairstyles--or even their color at this point, their eyebrows, whatever. It's not as if people at the ZA's start would have looted shops for hair dye and razors so I assume there would be plenty left, plus tons of abandoned homes would have tweezers and even shavers. My BF opts to buzz his own head now, even though the world is still (relatively) functional. 

Also: I don't mind Negan--or, haha, I mean the manner in which he's portrayed. He's a big insane violent blowhard who thinks way too highly of himself, and that's what he's supposed to be. I'm fine with it, whatever. There, I said it.

Edited by TattleTeeny
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proserpina65

proserpina65

2 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Another UO (maybe): I do not find it farfetched in the least that characters on The Walking Dead are able to maintain their hairstyles--or even their color at this point, their eyebrows, whatever. It's not as if people at the ZA's start would have looted shops for hair dye and razors so I assume there would be plenty left, plus tons of abandoned homes would have tweezers and even shavers. My BF opts to buzz his own head now, even though the world is still (relatively) functional. 

I think most people's objection is the these characters taking the time to touch-up hairstyles and particularly hair color in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.  I don't watch this show, but I'd question it on Game of Thrones now that the White Walkers' army of the dead have crossed into Westeros.

Minneapple

Minneapple

Re: standalone episodes.

Buffy had some fantastic mytharc episodes, like Graduation Day and Becoming, Part 2. I think the strength for Buffy's serial episodes lay in the fact that there was a new mytharc each year, whereas with the X-Files it was just one big long drawn-out story over several seasons. And that takes a lot, to maintain a single storyline over 10 seasons, and the X-Files story eventually became a convoluted mess. It seems Supernatural has gone down this road as well (I gave up in season...six? I think. It's been awhile).

I prefer standalones because they let the characters shine as opposed to the plot. Usually with mytharc episodes, the plot is the driving force of the story and that makes for some weaker storytelling. 

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Katy M

Katy M

36 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I think most people's objection is the these characters taking the time to touch-up hairstyles and particularly hair color in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.  I don't watch this show, but I'd question it on Game of Thrones now that the White Walkers' army of the dead have crossed into Westeros.

It's human nature to want to look your best before being eaten by zombies.

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TattleTeeny

TattleTeeny

(edited)
2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I think most people's objection is the these characters taking the time to touch-up hairstyles and particularly hair color in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.  I don't watch this show, but I'd question it on Game of Thrones now that the White Walkers' army of the dead have crossed into Westeros.

They have homes, beds, supplies, a few "luxuries," neighborhoods/villages, jobs, schedules, and lives now; it's not the "hide out in a car trunk with your gun drawn and ready to run" scenario anymore and there's plenty of time to take a moment for oneself in the narrative. But even back then, people (demonstrating the ironic opposite) questioned the validity of Lori keeping her hair long in such a terrible new world. Seriously, it takes 3 seconds to gather hair up (not that she ever seemed to, which could very well be a valid annoyance), and longer hair is much easier to keep out of one's face than short hair that's growing out. So, I still think nothing of someone trimming his/her bangs, yanking an errant eyebrow, or having some fun with an expired tub of Manic Panic, even in this version of the ZA.

Quote

It's human nature to want to look your best before being eaten by zombies.

Yeah! After all, you'll be up again in no time--why not at least be the most attractive of the decaying bunch, I say!

Edited by TattleTeeny
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WritinMan

WritinMan

9 hours ago, ganesh said:

I think when people think back on the X-Files, they remember the standalone ones mostly. CC actually wanted it to be an anthology. 

I certainly do. I made a list of my favorite standalone episodes and have been been purchasing them on Amazon so I can have my own X-Files marathon of favorites.

Annber03

Annber03

For various reasons, I never got the chance to follow the "X-Files" when that show originally aired. I've only ever caught the occasional rerun over the years, and some of the recent reboot, too.  So I hadn't seen that infamous "Home" episode until just within the past few months. I was especially curious about that one given what I've heard about it.

I liked it. I can totally see why the storyline creeped people the hell out. And the use of that "Wonderful, Wonderful" song... *Shivers*

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