Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Hiyo]

All those urine squirts into those bottles were worth it in the end after all.

[Llywela]

10 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

Since he did acknowledge that all his overworked and underpaid workers are the ones who paid for this commercial boondoggle that, unlike the NASA spaceflights, will yield absolutely no scientific anything - maybe the "change" that he said happened to everyone in space will make him improve his labor practices.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvzp8w/jeff-bezos-thanks-workers-who-pee-in-bottles-for-paying-for-his-space-trip

I'm sure all those underpaid workers were delighted to have lip service paid to the 'sacrifices' they were forced to make to line his pocket, so he could spend an obscene amount of money going on a very special billionaires club jolly. You know what’s cooler than going to space? Paying your employees a living wage. That and trying to save the planet, rather than trying to leave it.

[JustHereForFood]

3 hours ago, Llywela said:

I'm sure all those underpaid workers were delighted to have lip service paid to the 'sacrifices' they were forced to make to line his pocket, so he could spend an obscene amount of money going on a very special billionaires club jolly. You know what’s cooler than going to space? Paying your employees a living wage. That and trying to save the planet, rather than trying to leave it.

Yeah, count me out of applauding these dicks who have to measure their dicks by sending their dick-shaped rockets into space and unnecessarily polluting the atmosphere even further.

[biakbiak]

7 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

their dick-shaped rockets into space and unnecessarily polluting the atmosphere even further.

And barely into space at that!

[Cloud9Shopper]

On 7/17/2021 at 7:26 PM, SmithW6079 said:

Another UO: while I enjoyed "Schitt's Creek" when it was on, I have no desire to watch any of it again. Once was enough.

I agree somewhat. I am doing a couple of rewatches right now (ER—almost done! and Glee, which is my second rewatch). I’m willing to do rewatches of things but within reason. I wanted to do ER so I could see the whole series once, as during the original airing I quit maybe a year or two after Mark’s death. But now that I only have seven episodes left, I would not watch the whole thing again. My next rewatch would be most of Mark’s run on the show and then I’d skip around after that. In larger chunks in S13-S15 than anything else really.

Glee I will probably finish this rewatch and then retire it. I will always enjoy the music but now that I'm older I don't feel as invested in the shipping wars that can get nuts in the fandom. But that's a lot of fandoms. Plus, three cast members are dead now and that makes it harder to watch, along with how I can see the problematic behavior from teachers and the Glee kids themselves more clearly. 

I do want to rewatch Fuller House and Atypical at some point but I don't see myself as the type who can watch a show over and over. There's lots of shows and fandoms to explore and I want to get back into TV and discussing it. 

Edited July 22, 2021 by Cloud9Shopper

[WinnieWinkle]

On 7/20/2021 at 11:27 PM, Anduin said:

I know there are some very good reasons not to like Jeff Bezos, but I can't make myself hate him. He's funding a Lord of the Rings TV show and just flew to space and back. If I had a zillion dollars, I would do the same thing! Maybe I short start a patreon. Fund my oligarchal lifestyle.

What bothers me is all the coverage of the space flight is mostly negative and not once did I read anywhere, especially from the jokey latenight naysayers that along with Bezos Wally Funk finally got her chance to go into space.

[ifionlyknew]

14 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Yeah, count me out of applauding these dicks who have to measure their dicks by sending their dick-shaped rockets into space and unnecessarily polluting the atmosphere even further.

Yep it's always rich men who want to do this. I can only conclude they are trying to compensate for their shortcomings.  

2 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I agree somewhat. I am doing a couple of rewatches right now (ER—almost done!

I did a complete rewatch of ER nine years ago. If I were to do it again I would do the early seasons in their entirety but the later seasons I would skip a lot of episodes. The later years got too bogged down in a lot of personal stuff for the characters. Mostly Abby's travails.

3 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

but I don't see myself as the type who can watch a show over and over.

There are a few shows I've done multiple rewatches of.  The Wire.  The original Gossip Girl.  Sex and the City.  Veronica Mars.

[Cloud9Shopper]

41 minutes ago, ifionlyknew said:

I did a complete rewatch of ER nine years ago. If I were to do it again I would do the early seasons in their entirety but the later seasons I would skip a lot of episodes. The later years got too bogged down in a lot of personal stuff for the characters. Mostly Abby's travails.

There are a few shows I've done multiple rewatches of.  The Wire.  The original Gossip Girl.  Sex and the City.  Veronica Mars.

Abby is pretty much my least favorite character on TV in the history of ever. Some of her fans are super defensive (not here; in other fandom spaces. I find people that like her here are at least respectful in disagreeing.) at any criticism of her, which makes me not like her even more. (I actually didn’t mind her until her mother showed up. If she’d stayed as a more background character I would’ve enjoyed her more, I imagine.) 

I guess I have rewatched the Golden Girls many times if you count the fact that I watch them in syndication every Sunday. Never gets old. 

Edited July 22, 2021 by Cloud9Shopper

[ifionlyknew]

4 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I guess I have rewatched the Golden Girls many times if you count the fact that I watch them in syndication every Sunday. Never gets old. 

I started a rewatch of GG last spring when the pandemic was taking hold.  I needed to laugh every night before I went to sleep.

14 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Abby is pretty much my least favorite character on TV in the history of ever.

She was definitely my least favorite character on ER.  The writers just seemed to be so enamored of the character and focused so much on her that it made me actively dislike  her even when she wasn't doing anything annoying.  

[Danny Franks]

15 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Yeah, count me out of applauding these dicks who have to measure their dicks by sending their dick-shaped rockets into space and unnecessarily polluting the atmosphere even further.

It's the best example of everything that's wrong with our world. So many in need - desperate, sick, poor, unable to afford basic amenities, war and famine and environmental calamity - and these men are so rich that all they can think of to do with their money is build spaceships.

Then they are so utterly oblivious to the world most of us live in that they expect to be celebrated for "inspiring people to be the best they can" or some bullshit.

[Cloud9Shopper]

24 minutes ago, ifionlyknew said:

I started a rewatch of GG last spring when the pandemic was taking hold.  I needed to laugh every night before I went to sleep.

She was definitely my least favorite character on ER.  The writers just seemed to be so enamored of the character and focused so much on her that it made me actively dislike  her even when she wasn't doing anything annoying.  

I actually part joined here because I read the ER forum and went “Finally! I can hate Abby and have the popular opinion!” Everywhere else it’s like you’re not allowed to dislike her. 😂 Plus now that I’m posting on some of the other forums I think people are more chill than places like Reddit or Tumblr, which helps. 

[LegalParrot81]

31 minutes ago, ifionlyknew said:

I started a rewatch of GG last spring when the pandemic was taking hold.  I needed to laugh every night before I went to sleep.

She was definitely my least favorite character on ER.  The writers just seemed to be so enamored of the character and focused so much on her that it made me actively dislike  her even when she wasn't doing anything annoying.  

At her initial introduction, I kinda liked Abby (there, I said it), but as the years went by the "oh, no one's ever had a life as hard as mine", "so what Luca, you lost your family in a war, it's nothing compared to my struggles".   Her level of self pity was overwhelming.   Toward the end of the characters run, I hoped a little that she'd run into the ambulance bay and get run over.  I know, don't judge.  LOL

[Hiyo]

My unpopular opinion is I liked Abby, I liked Luka, and I liked them together.

[Cloud9Shopper]

38 minutes ago, LegalParrot81 said:

At her initial introduction, I kinda liked Abby (there, I said it), but as the years went by the "oh, no one's ever had a life as hard as mine", "so what Luca, you lost your family in a war, it's nothing compared to my struggles".   Her level of self pity was overwhelming.   Toward the end of the characters run, I hoped a little that she'd run into the ambulance bay and get run over.  I know, don't judge.  LOL

Don’t feel bad. I consider it a blessing that she could only have one child, and even one was too many. Someone like her should have never had any. 

Edited July 22, 2021 by Cloud9Shopper

[ifionlyknew]

27 minutes ago, Hiyo said:

My unpopular opinion is I liked Abby, I liked Luka, and I liked them together.

I think for me one reason I didn't warm up to her was she was introduced as Carol was leaving and I felt like I was just supposed to accept her as a replacement for Carol.  I wasn't a big Luka fan either because I felt like I was supposed to accept him as a replacement for Doug. 

My unpopular opinion is  I didn't care that Mark died. I liked the character at first but as the years wore on I liked him less. I wasn't hoping for his death but when he died I was like eh whatever. Lucy's death made me sad though.  

[Bastet]

I think my Abby opinion is the unpopular one, because all the people here who hate her and all the people who apparently love her on other forums are quite devoted to the notion of her being the worst or best ever, and I neither like her nor dislike her; I just think she's fine - definitely not on my list of favorites, but doesn't annoy me, either. 

[LegalParrot81]

At the time megalomaniac Robert Romano was killed by the vengeful helicopter, I wasn't sad to see him go, but after a while, I missed his pompous self.  It became too quiet.

[Anduin]

7 hours ago, WinnieWinkle said:

What bothers me is all the coverage of the space flight is mostly negative and not once did I read anywhere, especially from the jokey latenight naysayers that along with Bezos Wally Funk finally got her chance to go into space.

Yes! That was a great move. Sad that it took that long, but better late than never. Good on him for that, if for nothing else.

[isalicat]

11 hours ago, WinnieWinkle said:

What bothers me is all the coverage of the space flight is mostly negative and not once did I read anywhere, especially from the jokey latenight naysayers that along with Bezos Wally Funk finally got her chance to go into space.

Actually happened to be watching NBC Nightly News the night of the flight and they made a big deal of Wally Funk, who is an awesome person and I'm so happy her dream came true and she came home safely! I was taken aback though that the coverage ended by focusing on the two rich guys (Bezos and Branson) in a way that suggested they were the only rich guys who had reached space. Well, Elon Musk hasn't actually flown personally into space, but I would argue he has accomplished far, far more than either of those two in terms of space flight technology and is also giving back to the planet in battery technology advancement. It was kinda odd he was sort of erased....is this unpopular?

[MargeGunderson]

13 minutes ago, isalicat said:

Actually happened to be watching NBC Nightly News the night of the flight and they made a big deal of Wally Funk, who is an awesome person and I'm so happy her dream came true and she came home safely! I was taken aback though that the coverage ended by focusing on the two rich guys (Bezos and Branson) in a way that suggested they were the only rich guys who had reached space. Well, Elon Musk hasn't actually flown personally into space, but I would argue he has accomplished far, far more than either of those two in terms of space flight technology and is also giving back to the planet in battery technology advancement. It was kinda odd he was sort of erased....is this unpopular?

Not as unpopular as Elon Musk! 

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, LegalParrot81 said:

At the time megalomaniac Robert Romano was killed by the vengeful helicopter, I wasn't sad to see him go, but after a while, I missed his pompous self.  It became too quiet.

I loved Rocket Romano/Paul McCrane.  And when they killed him off via helicopter, after he already was damaged in a helicopter accident, I basically quit the show. I wasn't a regular viewer ever again. 

[Kel Varnsen]

15 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

But now that I only have seven episodes left, I would not watch the whole thing again. My next rewatch would be most of Mark’s run on the show and then I’d skip around after that. In larger chunks in S13-S15 than anything else really.

I am probably not too far behind you. Around a year ago my wife found a couple of ER seasons for super cheap at a thrift store and went on a mission to find the whole series. I think we started watching it last September. Looking back I kind of wish I kept track of how many episodes we watched a night so I could see it on a graph, since for the first 6 or 7 seasons it was 2 episodes a night seven days a week. But these last 3-4 seasons have gone super slowly. We just started disc 2 of season 15. After we are done I can't see myself watching it again. The hilarious thing is that in a few weeks all 15 seasons will be on Amazon Prime video in Canada.

[Katy M]

8 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Looking back I kind of wish I kept track of how many episodes we watched a night so I could see it on a graph, since for the first 6 or 7 seasons it was 2 episodes a night seven days a week. But these last 3-4 seasons have gone super slowly. We just started disc 2 of season 15.

So, ER is like sex?  When they say that if you put a penny in a jar for each time you have sex the first year and a penny out for each time you have sex after that the jar will never empty?

[magicdog]

On 7/7/2021 at 8:16 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

I don't doubt that it takes skill. I just find it odd it is an Olympic sport. Now I imagine it dates back to a 19th century thing when skills on a horse were a big deal

Actually, dressage has its roots in the Middle Ages when knights and their mounts had to act as one on the battlefield.  Many of the movements used are battle movements to dodge or attack opponents.  The Lipizzaner stallions are the pinnacle of this.

 

On 7/9/2021 at 1:53 PM, Danny Franks said:

I believe the partnership between rider and horse is crucial.

Indeed.

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, magicdog said:

Actually, dressage has its roots in the Middle Ages when knights and their mounts had to act as one on the battlefield.  Many of the movements used are battle movements to dodge or attack opponents.  The Lipizzaner stallions are the pinnacle of this.

Thank you for mentioning the Lipizzaners. I've never heard if them, but just now watched a 9 minute video about them. They're gorgeous and very impressive.  I never questioned why Equestrian events were part of the Olympics, but it wasn't until I took lessons that I realized how difficult and exhausting it is.  You have to be in great shape for that type of riding.

[BlackberryJam]

I’m someone who will watch any sport on TV, except golf, bowling and billiards. 

Even equestrian vaulting, and if you’ve never seen this before, you’re in for a treat.

 

[magicdog]

2 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Thank you for mentioning the Lipizzaners. I've never heard if them, but just now watched a 9 minute video about them. They're gorgeous and very impressive. 

I saw them when they did a tour here in Vegas several years back.  Awesome experience.  You should check out the Disney film, "Miracle of the White Stallions" (1963) which depicts how Gen. Patton helped save them during WW2.  

[DrSpaceman73]

I don't know if it's unpopular, but there are some REALLY BAD Twilight zone episodes.  The one hour ones especially.  

It still has classics and can't miss episodes but there are real clunkers mixed in.  

[CoderLady]

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I don't know if it's unpopular, but there are some REALLY BAD Twilight zone episodes.  The one hour ones especially.  

It still has classics and can't miss episodes but there are real clunkers mixed in.  

Oh, good gracious yes! Way back when the show was first run, I started losing interest in it as it went on because I'd often watch an episode and think "That was pretty lame."  As time went on it happened more and more and by the time it was canceled I'd pretty much stopped watching it, all because of the substandard episodes. I've been unenthusiastic about revisiting the show because even though I don't remember specific episodes I remember the feeling of disappointment.

[DrSpaceman73]

18 minutes ago, CoderLady said:

Oh, good gracious yes! Way back when the show was first run, I started losing interest in it as it went on because I'd often watch an episode and think "That was pretty lame."  As time went on it happened more and more and by the time it was canceled I'd pretty much stopped watching it, all because of the substandard episodes. I've been unenthusiastic about revisiting the show because even though I don't remember specific episodes I remember the feeling of disappointment.

Jess belle comes to mind as probably the worst in my opinion.  

Though not all later season ones are bad.  Two classics, living doll And nightmare at 20000 feet, were in the last season.  As was an occurrence at owl creek bridge, not original but still a pretty good interpretation of a classic. 

They were doing like 35 episodes a season at the time too, which is just crazy to think nowadays.  There are some whole series not much longer. 

[Gramto6]

I love the one where everyone disappears and the last harried guy finds a library and is so excited he can read to his heart's content and then breaks his glasses. Don't remember all the details but that is the gist of it.

eta Thanks google "Time Enough to Last" Season 1 Ep8. Henry Bemis.

Edited July 24, 2021 by Gramto6

[Annber03]

3 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

I love the one where everyone disappears and the last harried guy finds a library and is so excited he can read to his heart's content and then breaks his glasses. Don't remember all the details but that is the gist of it.

"Time Enough at Last" :). Definitely among the show's classics. 

[ratgirlagogo]

7 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

an occurrence at owl creek bridge, not original but still a pretty good interpretation of a classic. 

Jesus Christ!! I'll say!  One of the greatest short films ever - won the best Short Subject at Cannes and the best Live Action Short Film at the Oscars.

Also, the 5th (last) season is better than the 4th because they returned to the half-hour format.

Edited July 24, 2021 by ratgirlagogo

[DoctorAtomic]

I wrote a short story in HS about a mob hit based on the Owl Creek framing device. It's in a box in my basement! 

[janie jones]

On 7/22/2021 at 8:29 AM, Danny Franks said:

It's the best example of everything that's wrong with our world. So many in need - desperate, sick, poor, unable to afford basic amenities, war and famine and environmental calamity - and these men are so rich that all they can think of to do with their money is build spaceships.

Not only that, but they have the audacity to say things like "What else am I going to do with my money?"

[Cotypubby]

I don’t know if this is an UO, or if it just seems that way because so many people here seem so invested in this, but I do not care one bit about Brittany Spears and whatever court problems she has.

[kiddo82]

16 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I have zero interest in the Summer Olympics.   I don't give a rat's butt-ox about them.

I'm on the other end of the spectrum.  I love watching the Olympics, especially the sports that no one in North America (myself included) cares about but every four years.  You've got these athletes at the top of their game toiling in relative obscurity and making no money for what is usually a once in a lifetime opportunity.  It's hard for me not to get romantic about that.

[Shannon L.]

On 7/25/2021 at 5:14 AM, kiddo82 said:

I'm on the other end of the spectrum.  I love watching the Olympics, especially the sports that no one in North America (myself included) cares about but every four years.  You've got these athletes at the top of their game toiling in relative obscurity and making no money for what is usually a once in a lifetime opportunity.  It's hard for me not to get romantic about that.

I have two UO:  I don't mind seeing the stories of certain athletes' childhoods and, while I do root for the American teams, I get just as excited to see one of the underdogs take the win, no matter what country they are from.  Like the kid from Tunisia yesterday who barely qualified for the final round (I won't say what sport so I won't spoil it)--I couldn't stop grinning watching his excitement. For me, that's the exciting part of the Olympics.

Edited July 26, 2021 by Shannon L.

[Mabinogia]

6 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

You've got these athletes at the top of their game toiling in relative obscurity and making no money for what is usually a once in a lifetime opportunity.  It's hard for me not to get romantic about that.

Meanwhile, being a completely uncompetitive person and not a big sports fan, all I think is how much time and effort they are spending just to say they are the best at something that really doesn't matter in the long run. That said, I've never had that level of burning passion, where I feel like I need to be the best at this one thing or I'll die, so I clearly don't get the mentality behind being a Champion. Just not my thing. 

 

[Wiendish Fitch]

On 7/23/2021 at 8:06 PM, DrSpaceman73 said:

I don't know if it's unpopular, but there are some REALLY BAD Twilight zone episodes.  The one hour ones especially.  

It still has classics and can't miss episodes but there are real clunkers mixed in.  

Hey, more than fair! That's true of pretty much any show!

My favorite Twilight Zone episodes aren't necessarily the best-remembered ones. I think "A Stop at Willoughby" is superior to "Walking Distance", for example. "Elegy" is one of the creepiest episodes of any show ever.

1 minute ago, Mabinogia said:

Meanwhile, being a completely uncompetitive person and not a big sports fan, all I think is how much time and effort they are spending just to say they are the best at something that really doesn't matter in the long run. That said, I've never had that level of burning passion, where I feel like I need to be the best at this one thing or I'll die, so I clearly don't get the mentality behind being a Champion. Just not my thing. 

 

I kinda feel the same way. 

[magicdog]

50 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Gomer Pyle:USMC sucked. 

I have no clue how that series lasted five seasons. 

It only ended because Jim Nabors wanted to move on to something else!  

Most guys I know from its original run hated it only because IRL, Gomer and his platoon would have been up to their waists in rice paddies in Vietnam.  Bad enough that was the first war brought to TV, but no one wanted to see a show set there - yet. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by magicdog

[Crs97]

I find that I listen to the backstory of an athlete and realize no one in my family would ever make it to the Olympics because my parents wouldn’t have let me obsess like that, and I don’t let my children do so either.  I remember a Winter Olympics for the fancy ski jumps and they explained the gold medalist used to jump off the roof of his childhood home and his parents just set out a mattress.  If that story were on a police report, we wouldn’t hear the reporter describe the parents as “supportive.”

But I do love the Olympics.

[biakbiak]

13 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

he was watching Olympic basketball, and my gosh those squeaky basketball shoes I couldn't take it.   I suffer from migraines and it doesn't take much to trigger them.  But damn, can't they make squeakless basketball shoes?  

I was listening to a podcast with the head of NBC’s Olympic coverage and this is actually a specific choice they are making to increase the audio mix of things like that or  the grinding of the skateboards, the bodies of gymnasts interacting with the apparatus, the sound of the water, etc. to make up for the lack of crowd noise, so it’s not really the shoes fault!

Edited July 25, 2021 by biakbiak

[Zella]

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

I was over a friend's house.  Yeah, as hard as it is to believe I have a friends.  Okay, a friend.  Perhaps an acquaintance, I can't believe it myself.

In any case, he was watching Olympic basketball, and my gosh those squeaky basketball shoes I couldn't take it.   I suffer from migraines and it doesn't take much to trigger them.  But damn, can't they make squeakless basketball shoes?   They need to oil them or do something, anything to stop the squeaking.🐁

 

I have never been able to enjoy basketball because of the shoe squeaks. I remember watching the basketball coverage of the Olympics even back in 04 and having the TV muted through all the games because it was so unbearable to me. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Zella

[andromeda331]

I love the Olympics. I get obsessed every summer and winter games. I love watching the world come together for something good and fun. I love cheering on the US team but also really love watching athletes from other countries compete. But this year I just can't do it. Not with the pandemic still going on. I tried to make it through the Opening Ceremony I wanted to enjoy it and shut off the pandemic for a few hours but I couldn't. When they talked about India and how bad it was just a couple months ago. Same with Italy. Right now in Japan. I really hope no one gets seriously sick or worse. I really hope it goes well and everyone watching and participating has a great time. But I have to skip it this time.

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

In any case, he was watching Olympic basketball, and my gosh those squeaky basketball shoes I couldn't take it.   I suffer from migraines and it doesn't take much to trigger them.  But damn, can't they make squeakless basketball shoes?   They need to oil them or do something, anything to stop the squeaking.🐁

Basketball is one sport I simply cannot watch for that very reason. The squeaking is maddening. It is worse than nails on a chalkboard for me. It sets me teeth on edge just thinking about it. 

 

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

I was over a friend's house.  Yeah, as hard as it is to believe I have a friends.  Okay, a friend.  Perhaps an acquaintance, I can't believe it myself.

Also, how much do one of these "friends" things cost? Is there a store where you go pick one out? I am thinking it might be nice to have one, well, you know, like a live, in person one rather than faceless digital ones, or four legged furry ones (though those are the BEST ONES). 

[BlackberryJam]

59 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

Basketball is one sport I simply cannot watch for that very reason. The squeaking is maddening. It is worse than nails on a chalkboard for me. It sets me teeth on edge just thinking about it. 

I thought it was just me!!

[Stats Queen]

8 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

My favorite Twilight Zone episodes aren't necessarily the best-remembered ones. I think "A Stop at Willoughby" is superior to "Walking Distance", for example. "Elegy" is one of the creepiest episodes of any show ever.

Both great episodes, but I agree.

[Danny Franks]

6 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I love the Olympics. I get obsessed every summer and winter games. I love watching the world come together for something good and fun. I love cheering on the US team but also really love watching athletes from other countries compete. But this year I just can't do it. Not with the pandemic still going on. I tried to make it through the Opening Ceremony I wanted to enjoy it and shut off the pandemic for a few hours but I couldn't. When they talked about India and how bad it was just a couple months ago. Same with Italy. Right now in Japan. I really hope no one gets seriously sick or worse. I really hope it goes well and everyone watching and participating has a great time. But I have to skip it this time.

I've never cared even slightly about the Winter Olympics, but I love the Summer Olympics. I've watched hours and hours of every Games from 1992 onwards, and it's just about the only sporting event where I feel a patriotic will for Great Britain to do well.

The BBC's coverage has always been fantastic, letting people watch so many different events, including those that don't have significant British representation, and even focusing one non-British athletes in events where we are good. Sadly, the IOC chose to sell streaming rights to the fucking Discovery Channel after the last games, so the BBC is reduced to only being able to stream a couple of other events alongside it's standard broadcast, rather than having a full array of streams for all the events taking place.

The wisdom of holding these Olympics is still very dubious, but I just have to trust in the vaccination programmes and the social distancing measures that have been put in place. They'd probably have been wiser to just cancel the games, but Japan has spent so much money on hosting them, the athletes have spent years preparing and I can understand why they felt they had to push ahead.

Plus, there was a successful international soccer tournament held last month - the belated Euro 2020 - which didn't result in a spike of Covid positive tests for the players (fans are another matter, but Japan aren't allowing fans in the venues for these games).

[Haleth]

22 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

 Like the kid from Tunisia yesterday who barely qualified for the final round (I won't say what sport in case so I won't spoil it)--I couldn't stop grinning watching his excitement. For me, that's the exciting part of the Olympics.

Wasn’t that fantastic?  That’s what the Olympics are about. Pure joy.