Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[DearEvette]

I am a hope-watcher.  If a show I really liked has started to spiral into badness, I will continue to watch in the hopes it gets better even if my overall feeling is at the time negative.  I like to think that any posts I make about it on any message boards during those times thread the needle between good criticism, whining, a little hate-filled spew, and some glimmers of optimism.  But when I feel that the show can't seem to recover and the hate-filled spew and whining are taking over I'll peace out of the show and the message boards.

[SusanM]

2 hours ago, Enigma X said:

If people want to hatewatch, to each their own. It is the hatewatchers who bully their way onto forums such as these that I don't get. They make it impossible for those of us who like the show or those with genuine constructive criticism to do so without being bombarded with snark. There are forums on here I just stopped going to though I still love the show because of this.

Same.  I haven't  noticed this here so much but other places I've visited I end up leaving because if you say "well I kinda like it" you get attacked.  Like it, don't like it, watch it, don't watch it but keep the discussion civil folks!

 

[Mabinogia]

14 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

I don't hate watch shows.  There's so much content available these days to choose from (arguably TOO much content but another opinion for another day). If I like a show, I'll keep watching.  If I don't, I won't.  I can't imagine watching a show where I hate/strongly dislike the lead/leads.  

Along with that, I have no problem at all giving up a show that is no longer working for me. Even if it means stopping just before the ending. Once I'm done, I'm done. When I was younger I used to be a completionism, had to see it through to the end (same with books). But I'm older now and don't have as much time to waste on things that don't bring me joy. 

I also no longer like bleak shows. Things like Succession, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, all these well made, highly acclaimed shows are just a hard pass for me. I have gotten to a point where I want my entertainment to be fun. Every once in a while I can use a good tearjerker, but shows about terrible people or good people put into terrible situations do nothing for me anymore.

[DoctorAtomic]

There's also a ton more options for content now. If something isn't grabbing me, I've got a long list on my sites. 

I'll give a show a fair shake, but you can tell if it isn't really going anywhere. 

One thing I do miss was when EW was a real magazine and they wrote actual articles about up and coming shows to check out. 

[ABay]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

 I also no longer like bleak shows. Things like Succession, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, all these well made, highly acclaimed shows are just a hard pass for me. I have gotten to a point where I want my entertainment to be fun. Every once in a while I can use a good tearjerker, but shows about terrible people or good people put into terrible situations do nothing for me anymore.

Sing it, sister.

[Mabinogia]

24 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

One thing I do miss was when EW was a real magazine and they wrote actual articles about up and coming shows to check out. 

I miss the TV Guide fall edition when they did a rundown of all the new shows coming out and the timetable for each network. This was an event for me. I'd make a viewing schedule, then put first and second choice for time slots with multiple possibilities. Now I have no clue when new shows "drop" so by the time I hear about something everyone else has already moved on. 

I think that is part of my not sticking with something if it doesn't grab me. Because before, even if I didn't like it, I could talk about it with people in real time so there was some element of social interaction. Sure, I can come here, but when a show drops all at once it's hard to react since everyone is at a different point in the story, or they are all done with the discussion once I get all excited about it. 

I miss the old days. TV was simpler then. lol (Don't get me wrong, I also like the new days, where on a cold rainy day I can sit in and binge an entire show, or have 500 different things to choose from at any time.) 

[DoctorAtomic]

I just picked two movies on amazon for the afternoon. 

[Blergh]

I've watched shows  for longer than I should have that I  had quickly found to dislike mainly because I saw glimpses of 'the  show that might have been' in the otherwise unwatchable product even after I had no logical reason to hope for any permanent improvements (yes, I'm looking at you Girl Meets World, Modern Family and Lost). 

[Leeds]

On 1/6/2022 at 7:09 PM, Blergh said:

Is she trying for the Sean Young turney?

What's a turney?

On 1/7/2022 at 4:08 PM, ifionlyknew said:

If I'm watching something that I'm not really enjoying I will seek out spoilers to see if it's worth continuing to  watch.   I do that with movies a lot.

I do it with books sometimes, especially if the writing is bad.

14 hours ago, Hiyo said:

I dunno, sometimes hatewatching can be fun, if done right. Me and some friends get together and hatewatch Emily in Paris, where we just snark out loud at the show while watching. We usually have wine and good snacks when we do, and have a good time doing so.

Unfortunately I had neither company nor wine when I sat through the first 10 minutes of Emily in Paris.

[Blergh]

@Leeds,

'Turney' is short for the term tournament. And I was referring to Debra Massing publicly ranting because she felt entitled to play the late Lucille Ball somewhat the way Sean Young had publicly ranted because she had felt entitled to play the Catwoman. 

[Crs97]

7 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

Along with that, I have no problem at all giving up a show that is no longer working for me. Even if it means stopping just before the ending. Once I'm done, I'm done. When I was younger I used to be a completionism, had to see it through to the end (same with books). But I'm older now and don't have as much time to waste on things that don't bring me joy. 

I find my compromise is to read the recaps.  If they don’t interest me, then I’m done.  Otherwise, it is a quick and painless way to get closure on characters I might still like.  I do that as well with the shows my husband likes and I won’t sit through (Sons of Anarchy, Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, etc.).  I might pick one character in the recap to keep up with so that we can have a conversation about it.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Blergh said:

the way Sean Young had publicly ranted because she had felt entitled to play the Catwoman.

It's a shame that, as stated in this article last year, all anyone wanted to talk about was her infamous skit on Joan Rivers's show, while completely ignoring that:

Quote

Once Young reveals her face, though, the tone of the show shifts. For the next half-hour, she and Rivers have an earnest and engaged dialogue — with some jokes thrown in — about her troubled history with Burton and the Bat-franchise, dealing with male egos in the film business and the high price of honesty in Hollywood. For the last portion of her interview, Young is joined by psychologist and author Dr. Judy Kuriansky, who analyzes why her Batman experience has left her feeling “permanently angry.” What begins as a stunt becomes a substantive discussion about how Young’s specific experience exposes some of the very real barriers confronting actresses at the time — although that’s not how it was discussed by the press or within the industry at large. Instead, the focus remained on her “crazy” choice of costume, not the conversation she hoped to start.

 

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

It's a shame that, as stated in this article last year, all anyone wanted to talk about was her infamous skit on Joan Rivers's show, while completely ignoring that:

 

I respect your belief in what the article you cite claims to have happened but I disagree with it.

I think Miss Young achieved nothing but behaving as a totally entitled  and hotheaded nitwit and, sadly, giving validity to those who claimed that she wasn't the most professional, stable or fair performer  out there. 

As for Dr. Kuriansky? She seemed to do nothing but spin and enable Miss Young's tantrums instead of attempting to tell her that she (Miss Young) had behaved as a total nitwit via harassing the others  (while having it taped then bringing said tape to the show) after it was clear that they had cast someone else in the part- and she needed very badly to move forward with her life and get over her self!  So, IMO, no points for her on that.

As for the late Miss Rivers? I'm sorry she died via such horrible and needless negligence but IMO, this was not her finest moment. It was by no means the first nor would it be the last time Miss Rivers encouraged rather than attempted to prevent a celebrity from debasing themselves in front of her. 

If anyone has found any evidence that Miss Young has since come to realize how ridiculous and childish she behaved re the above incidents or that Dr. Kuriansky has since come to realize how she did Miss Young no favors by enabling her tantrums instead of calling them out and encouraging her to move forward in her life, please post said evidence at your earliest convenience. Otherwise, my beliefs about the above mentioned events stand. 

As I said, I respect your belief in what the article claimed re what had happened with Miss Young, Miss Rivers and Dr. Kuriansky but I'm afraid we will have to agree to disagree re our viewpoints of the above incidents. 

[Bastet]

13 minutes ago, Blergh said:

If anyone has found any evidence that Miss Young has since come to realize how ridiculous and childish she behaved re the above incidents

Interviews in which she says she should have handled herself differently are not hard to come by; it's there in the linked article, and here's another good example.  She's freely admitted she did not conduct herself well, but she's also right that the fundamental points her shenanigans overshadowed were quite deliberately ignored by an industry who benefited from "she's crazy" misdirection.  And that's even before getting into the deplorable James Woods gaslighting.  One of the many reasons I like Carl Reiner is his standing up for how horribly she was misrepresented.

Here's a good interview with Young, talking about her blacklisting.

[Blergh]

I grant that Miss Young has come to realize that that wasn't the best move she could have made re her future career at that time and that's good (and yes, I've said all along that James Woods has been a creep). Still, two  or more wrongs don't make a right. 

[Bastet]

22 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Still, two  or more wrongs don't make a right. 

Yes, every pre-schooler is taught that.  But given the discrepancy between the harmless act of what was only even partly a publicity stunt to begin with and the toxic, career-defining behavior to which she was subjected, engaging in a false equivalency perpetuates the very system she was a victim of twice over (in being subjected to it, and then being retaliated against for speaking about it).  When the greatest takeaway from Sean Young's career trajectory is she made a fool of herself in campaigning for the Catwoman role and is otherwise "crazy", something is very wrong with the entertainment industry, its media, and its consumers.

[Hiyo]

Quote

And that's even before getting into the deplorable James Woods gaslighting

James Wood is a disgusting turd for so many reasons. This is just one of them.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Hiyo

[ribboninthesky1]

On 1/16/2022 at 8:59 AM, Enigma X said:

If people want to hatewatch, to each their own. It is the hatewatchers who bully their way onto forums such as these that I don't get. They make it impossible for those of us who like the show or those with genuine constructive criticism to do so without being bombarded with snark. There are forums on here I just stopped going to though I still love the show because of this.

Yes, you expressed this better than I did. 

I appreciate a robust discussion and have no issue with critique.  Some characters/actors generate more discussion than others.  Sometimes writing can be muddled.  I have and will continue to critique characters, actors,  and writing.  But if it ever gets to the point I'm incensed by the leads' or even the show's very existence, it's time for me to move on. Not like they're going anywhere, especially if it's a reasonably popular show. 

Regarding the bolded, same!    

[kathyk24]

On 1/16/2022 at 2:38 PM, Mabinogia said:

I miss the TV Guide fall edition when they did a rundown of all the new shows coming out and the timetable for each network. This was an event for me. I'd make a viewing schedule, then put first and second choice for time slots with multiple possibilities. Now I have no clue when new shows "drop" so by the time I hear about something everyone else has already moved on. 

I think that is part of my not sticking with something if it doesn't grab me. Because before, even if I didn't like it, I could talk about it with people in real time so there was some element of social interaction. Sure, I can come here, but when a show drops all at once it's hard to react since everyone is at a different point in the story, or they are all done with the discussion once I get all excited about it. 

I miss the old days. TV was simpler then. lol (Don't get me wrong, I also like the new days, where on a cold rainy day I can sit in and binge an entire show, or have 500 different things to choose from at any time.) 

TV Guide still does that it's a biweekly magazine now. The most recent issue describes shows that will debut during the winter.

[ifionlyknew]

12 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

I appreciate a robust discussion and have no issue with critique.  Some characters/actors generate more discussion than others.  Sometimes writing can be muddled.  I have and will continue to critique characters, actors,  and writing.  But if it ever gets to the point I'm incensed by the leads' or even the show's very existence, it's time for me to move on. Not like they're going anywhere, especially if it's a reasonably popular show. 

If I have committed to a show I will stick with it no matter how bad it gets. I will just come to this site to commiserate with other disappointed viewers. Currently that show would be AJLT.  

[proserpina65]

On 1/16/2022 at 2:32 AM, Hiyo said:

I dunno, sometimes hatewatching can be fun, if done right. Me and some friends get together and hatewatch Emily in Paris, where we just snark out loud at the show while watching. We usually have wine and good snacks when we do, and have a good time doing so.

I've had a couple of shows I kinda hatewatched for awhile.  Grey's Anatomy is the best example.  But there were still a few things I liked about the show.  I also tried not to let my dislikes dominate discussions of episodes in the forums.  Because that's really unfair to people who enjoy a show.  If you hate a show so much that all you can ever do is slam it, it's pretty obnoxious to monopolize the conversation when there are other people who want to discuss what they like about it.

On 1/16/2022 at 8:59 AM, Enigma X said:

If people want to hatewatch, to each their own. It is the hatewatchers who bully their way onto forums such as these that I don't get. They make it impossible for those of us who like the show or those with genuine constructive criticism to do so without being bombarded with snark. There are forums on here I just stopped going to though I still love the show because of this.

Yep, I gave up on the Sleepy Hollow forums for just that reason.

 

I wish Jeopardy would go back to limiting how many games a champion can win.  Not 5, because that's far too few but maybe around 15 or 20.  Even when I like the champion, I get tired of long dominating runs.  (Unless it's some particularly cute guy like Sam from last season or Brad Rutter.  Brad could've won a hundred games and I'd never have gotten tired.)

[Enigma X]

3 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Brad could've won a hundred games and I'd never have gotten tired.)

Another Brad fan!!!

[Minneapple]

On 1/16/2022 at 12:53 PM, Mabinogia said:

I also no longer like bleak shows. Things like Succession, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, all these well made, highly acclaimed shows are just a hard pass for me. I have gotten to a point where I want my entertainment to be fun. Every once in a while I can use a good tearjerker, but shows about terrible people or good people put into terrible situations do nothing for me anymore.

I tried Succession and it is so.fucking.depressing. I watched a couple episodes and that was it, like everyone on this show is completely hateworthy and not even in a fun way. The acting and writing are top notch but good God I get enough family dysfunction in my real-life relationship with my mother, thanks.

[proserpina65]

13 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

Another Brad fan!!!

I had the hugest crush on him back during his original run and still love to watch him.  (He's my #1 pick to permanently replace Alex although I doubt that will happen.)  I didn't live that far from where he lived at the time, but I didn't drive then so he was safe from my stalker tendencies, lol.

[DrSpaceman73]

13 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

I tried Succession and it is so.fucking.depressing. I watched a couple episodes and that was it, like everyone on this show is completely hateworthy and not even in a fun way. The acting and writing are top notch but good God I get enough family dysfunction in my real-life relationship with my mother, thanks.

I stopped watching Dexter and the walking dead for this reason.  Same with the handmaid's tale.  At some point they just turned into torture porn.  

Sons of anarchy I made it to the end but felt just the opposite.  They, by which o mean the motorcycle gang, just started killing all enemies it seemed without and discretion or thought to the point where it became over the top comical.  The last episode was ok but the last season before that was just ridiculous. 

[MargeGunderson]

25 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I stopped watching Dexter and the walking dead for this reason.  Same with the handmaid's tale.  At some point they just turned into torture porn.  

Sons of anarchy I made it to the end but felt just the opposite.  They, by which o mean the motorcycle gang, just started killing all enemies it seemed without and discretion or thought to the point where it became over the top comical.  The last episode was ok but the last season before that was just ridiculous. 

I watched Sons of Anarchy to the bitter end for the sole purpose of seeing several of the main characters finally get the ending they deserved. Except Bobby Elvis and Wendy, everyone else could just go to hell at that point. 

[Kel Varnsen]

On 1/16/2022 at 2:08 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

One thing I do miss was when EW was a real magazine and they wrote actual articles about up and coming shows to check out. 

It's not a real magazine anymore? I was a subscriber for over a decade and dropped it when it became a monthly magazine. Partly out of principle, since how can a monthly magazine have that name, and partly because more and more they were covering stuff I wasn't into (like game of thrones) and there were fewer articles about weird and interesting things in show business.

46 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

I watched Sons of Anarchy to the bitter end for the sole purpose of seeing several of the main characters finally get the ending they deserved. Except Bobby Elvis and Wendy, everyone else could just go to hell at that point. 

I watched to the bitter end too and it was probably one of the shows that convinced me to stop wasting time doing that. Since for me at least it stared off so good, and then every season got worse as characters and plotlines got dumber. And the worst part is they kept making the episodes longer.

[BlackberryJam]

My truly unpopular opinion appears to be that I enjoy mostly enjoy finales. I loved the ending of BSG. I loved the ending of Lost. (To be fair, I skipped like three seasons of Lost and just tuned in for the ending.) I enjoy it when a show ends and ties up the stories, even if I disagree with how they were tied up. 

Not Dexter though. The ending of the first Dexter is an abomination. 

[DoctorAtomic]

1 hour ago, Kel Varnsen said:

It's not a real magazine anymore? I was a subscriber for over a decade and dropped it when it became a monthly magazine. Partly out of principle, since how can a monthly magazine have that name, and partly because more and more they were covering stuff I wasn't into (like game of thrones) and there were fewer articles about weird and interesting things in show business.

I would say, no, it isn't. One, because it went monthly, but second, I think it was bought out by People or the company that owns People, which may have made the decision to go monthly. I gave it shot for a few months, but it was garbage. It wasn't so much the monthly, but the quality of the writing just was garbage. There weren't really articles anymore per se. Like they were these little 200 words blurbs about celebrity nonsense. 

I didn't know the end of BSG was controversial. They painted themselves into a corner with the '12', so they had to pick the rest of them at some point based on existing characters; it was too late in the game to pop in 7 new characters without looking like shoving it in there. The end was a cool twist on 'everything that happened before happens again, and really tied the original into it.'

I always lose it when Six and Balthar look at 'angel' -Six and -Balthar and bust out 'you can see them?!' Those two were great together. 

 

 

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[Bastet]

There are aspects of the Battlestar Galactica finale that are iffy, but there are more aspects that are quite beautiful and powerful, so on the whole I think it's great and a fitting end to a thought-provoking series (and I can count on one hand the sci-fi series/movies I've liked, so to get me swept up in four seasons worth is a feat).

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

My truly unpopular opinion appears to be that I enjoy mostly enjoy finales. I loved the ending of BSG. I loved the ending of Lost. (To be fair, I skipped like three seasons of Lost and just tuned in for the ending.) I enjoy it when a show ends and ties up the stories, even if I disagree with how they were tied up. 

Not Dexter though. The ending of the first Dexter is an abomination. 

Yeah, I've been pretty satisfied with the series finales of the shows I've watched, too. Not to say they were all perfect or anything, there may have been some elements I would've changed were I writing them. But the characters usually wound up in a good place or got the kind of ending I think best fit them and where they were in their lives at that time and whatnot, so that's enough to make me happy :). 

I've not seen "Dexter", but I heard about how the original run of that series ended and it just makes me laugh. Just....what? I remember spending time at the AV Club site back then and reading the commentary on that finale and the final season as a whole and it was very fascinating and entertaining from an outsider perspective :D. I do feel bad for the fans who were so pissed off, though. 

[Kel Varnsen]

5 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

would say, no, it isn't. One, because it went monthly, but second, I think it was bought out by People or the company that owns People, which may have made the decision to go monthly. I gave it shot for a few months, but it was garbage. It wasn't so much the monthly, but the quality of the writing just was garbage. There weren't really articles anymore per se. Like they were these little 200 words blurbs about celebrity nonsense. 

Ok that makes sense, I just thought you meant literally it wasn't a magazine anymore like they went to online only. Sounds like you and I bailed around the same time. I just remember issues piling up on my bedside table and trying to read them, but it being too much stuff I didn't care about like Harry Potter or Game of Thrones or Housewives. And it felt a lot more like what I imagine People would be like, bland articles about super popular stuff and less interesting articles about the more obscure side of Hollywood. Then when it went monthly that was the last straw, even though it is not like I was keeping up with reading it every week like I used to.

[DoctorAtomic]

As well as not mega franchise movies they turned me on to that I wouldn't have heard about otherwise. Stuff that played at the independent movie theaters out of the way of the malls and such. 

[Haleth]

18 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

My truly unpopular opinion appears to be that I enjoy mostly enjoy finales. I loved the ending of BSG. I loved the ending of Lost. (To be fair, I skipped like three seasons of Lost and just tuned in for the ending.) I enjoy it when a show ends and ties up the stories, even if I disagree with how they were tied up. 

In both cases I feel like the last season was kind of off the rails, but I can't complain (too much) about the endings.  Both made me ugly cry.  It's really, really hard to stick the landing with a finale that wraps things up in a way that fans accept.  I can only think of two that were perfect - Black Sails and The Expanse.

[Bort]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

In both cases I feel like the last season was kind of off the rails, but I can't complain (too much) about the endings.  Both made me ugly cry.  It's really, really hard to stick the landing with a finale that wraps things up in a way that fans accept.  I can only think of two that were perfect - Black Sails and The Expanse.

12 Monkeys was the best finale I ever saw. I laughed, I cried, it was perfect. As was the whole show, actually.

[ifionlyknew]

I sometimes will like a show finale better after some time has passed. Hated the Sopranos finale. I like millions of other people thought my cable went out.  But when I did a re watch some years later it didn't bother me.  After having years to think about it I realized David Chase was in a tough position.  No matter what he did viewers were going to pick it apart so he just cut to black.

On the other hand I sometimes dislike a series finale upon a re watch.  I loved the SATC series finale. Everyone got their happily ever after.  But now (even if there wasn't the two movies or the reboot) I think Carrie should have been happily single.  Or at least still looking for someone better for her.  

Then you have the Newhart finale which will always be just perfect.

My unpopular opinion is I didn't mind the Dexter finale.  

Edited January 19, 2022 by ifionlyknew

[DearEvette]

As I read these replies about series finales, I realize I don't stick with a lot of series through to their finales.  I usually bail before they get there.  I further realize my sweet spot is to complete a series is 5 seasons tops. 

Eureka had a great series finale that tied a lot together and paid off a season one seed that got sprinkled.

I was very satisfied with Breaking Bad's series finale.

Leverage ended well as well. 

[Cloud9Shopper]

19 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

As I read these replies about series finales, I realize I don't stick with a lot of series through to their finales.  I usually bail before they get there.  I further realize my sweet spot is to complete a series is 5 seasons tops. 

Eureka had a great series finale that tied a lot together and paid off a season one seed that got sprinkled.

I was very satisfied with Breaking Bad's series finale.

Leverage ended well as well. 

Yeah I have liked a few shows recently (Glee, Fuller House, Superstore) that ended after five or six seasons and had solid finales. I enjoyed watching their series runs and would watch two of the three again. (I realized how terribly Glee aged and it’s intolerable to me now, so I just have the songs on Spotify.)

ER on the other hand…oof. I liked the finale and a good part of the last season but by S14 I was struggling to get through it and wanted to speed it up to get to the cameos from the original cast and how much nicer the last season was after Abby finally left. Looking at it now, I wish they had pulled the plug when Carter left a few seasons before. Once I get to that point when watching again, I’ll just go right to season 15.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Cloud9Shopper

[MargeGunderson]

24 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Leverage ended well as well. 

Leverage also had a couple of season finales that would have been fine as a series finale, especially season.

[Zella]

I really loved the finales for both Justified and The Americans. I found the latter particularly haunting and have thought about it often in the last few months since watching. 

[ifionlyknew]

26 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

ER on the other hand…oof. I liked the finale and a good part of the last season but by S14 I was struggling to get through it and wanted to speed it up to get to the cameos from the original cast and how much nicer the last season was after Abby finally left. Looking at it now, I wish they had pulled the plug when Carter left a few seasons before. Once I get to that point when watching again, I’ll just go right to season 15.

I watched ER from start to finish when it originally aired.  I did a complete re watch in 2012.  There is no way I would ever do it again.  I would maybe do the first five or six seasons but then I would have to just pick and choose certain episodes from the later seasons.  

Abby really did drag down the show for me.  I would say it was the actress but I liked her on Newsradio but didn't like her on the Affair.  Or maybe I just didn't like the Affair.

4 minutes ago, Zella said:

The Americans. I found the latter particularly haunting and have thought about it often in the last few months since watching. 

I agree. That was a really good finale. That is a show I need to re watch. I'm sure there were things I missed when I watched it the first time. There was always so much going on.

[DoctorAtomic]

55 minutes ago, ifionlyknew said:

After having years to think about it I realized David Chase was in a tough position.

I tend to think he partly put himself in that position though. I didn't have much of a problem with the end because the suspense was jacked up to 11. What I took from it was that this is how Tony lives every single minute. He was only going out to eat at a local joint with his family, but everytime someone came in or some guy walking to the bathroom happened to recognize him, it's always ratcheted up like that. 

There's a you tube out of people watching the finale and reacting to it. It's great. 

There's a book about the show from the local journalists that covered the show. The newspaper was shown on the show. They interview Chase about the last scene. One thing about that - 

Spoiler

Chase said he was going to end with Tony driving through the tunnel the opposite way from the opening - to New York - to meet with the big guys, and then just end it there as he goes through the tunnel . So you don't know if it's going to be a regular meeting or if they were going to whack him. I actually think that might have been better because it still portrays Tony as kind of trapped. Even if he knows he's going to be whacked or thinks it's possible; he still has to go. 

 

[Zella]

22 minutes ago, ifionlyknew said:

 

I agree. That was a really good finale. That is a show I need to re watch. I'm sure there were things I missed when I watched it the first time. There was always so much going on.

I've had a hard time moving on to other shows. I keep rewatching scenes and noticing new things. I have debated just rewatching it in its entirety, and I probably should. I really appreciated how willing the show was to leave things up to interpretation without feeling unfinished and suspect that will be really rewarding on a full rewatch. 

[BlackberryJam]

38 minutes ago, Zella said:

I really loved the finales for both Justified and The Americans. I found the latter particularly haunting and have thought about it often in the last few months since watching. 

I'm rewatching The Americans and that finale...when the train pulls away...I didn't even like that character and it was still a gut punch. 

Unpopular opinion, I don't care how good The Sopranos or Breaking Bad were, I'm not interested in watching shows about white men in mid-life crisis. At this point, I'm just being contrary about it; I acknowledge that. When people suggest those shows to me, I'll also say, "If I'm going to watch a show all about a midlife crisis white guy, he better be smoking hot, and those two actors? Not even a little."

[Zella]

Just now, BlackberryJam said:

I'm rewatching The Americans and that finale...when the train pulls away...I didn't even like that character and it was still a gut punch. 

LOL Yes! Same here. I gasped out loud. 

[sistermagpie]

37 minutes ago, Zella said:

I've had a hard time moving on to other shows. I keep rewatching scenes and noticing new things. I have debated just rewatching it in its entirety, and I probably should. I really appreciated how willing the show was to leave things up to interpretation without feeling unfinished and suspect that will be really rewarding on a full rewatch. 

I've been doing a really slow rewatch since the show ended and it really is even more rewarding on rewatch - and I loved it the first time. As nice as the suspense was the first time around, when you know where it's going you can understand what's happening with the characters more the second time, imo.

[Zella]

Just now, sistermagpie said:

I've been doing a really slow rewatch since the show ended and it really is even more rewarding on rewatch - and I loved it the first time. As nice as the suspense was the first time around, when you know where it's going you can understand what's happening with the characters more the second time, imo.

Thank you! I do enjoy your posts about that in the show's thread! :) 

[ifionlyknew]

4 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

As nice as the suspense was the first time around, when you know where it's going you can understand what's happening with the characters more the second time, imo.

This is a really good point and applies to a lot of shows.  When I rewatch something I notice things I didn't notice before because I'm looking for them.  I understand why things happen when upon the first watch might have thought WTF.

29 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

Unpopular opinion, I don't care how good The Sopranos or Breaking Bad were, I'm not interested in watching shows about white men in mid-life crisis.

I came late to the Sopranos. Didn't get HBO till a couple seasons in.  Bought the DVDs to get caught up.  I remember watching it thinking I don't think this is the best show ever but it's OK.  When I did a rewatch a couple years after it concluded I found myself liking it even less. But as I said above I weirdly enough liked the finale better. I also came late to Breaking Bad.  I thought it was OK.  I have not done a rewatch.  I will admit I started watching both those shows because they were purported to be the best shows ever. On the other hand the third show which is usually mentioned as the best show ever, The Wire I have rewatched at least four times.  I came to it after it had originally aired and fell in love with it.   

I have gotten better at not watching things just because so many other people love them.  So no Games of Thrones or Walking Dead for me.

[Hiyo]

Quote

and how much nicer the last season was after Abby finally left

My UO is that I liked Abby, I liked Luka, I liked them together, and was sorry to see them both go.

As for The Americans, I thought it was...ok-ish?

[Bort]

17 minutes ago, Hiyo said:

My UO is that I liked Abby, I liked Luka, I liked them together, and was sorry to see them both go.

As for The Americans, I thought it was...ok-ish?

Same for all. Especially The Americans. I couldn’t make it through the first season, it was so boring.