S01.E01: Out of the Past

[AngelKitty]

Oh, my Lord! I love it. I've always loved the idea of transferred memories/existence into another vessel to prolong life. I've read so many books and seen so many movies with this idea, yet I never tire of it. The characters, as well as the actors, are a bit familiar, it's true, yet that's kind of reassuring. I didn't know this was a book, so now I've got to decide whether to read, or not to read.

[Clanstarling]

32 minutes ago, LeGrandElephant said:

Seems like if no one is dying unless their stack is destroyed, there would be a major shortage of sleeves, rather than extra ones lying around.

My (vague) understanding is that, for the general population at least, it costs a lot for them to be put into new sleeves. Maybe their bodies become sleeves? In the prison, I'm guessing the status quo is that once you're on ice, you won't get your own body back. But it is a good question.

The 7 year old girl was strange, I agree, but I think the story line there was that she wasn't a prisoner, but as victim of a crime, she got a "free" sleeve, I think from the prison selection. And as there weren't any 7 year olds in prison, she and her folks got screwed.

Edited February 11, 2018 by Clanstarling

[CaptainTightpants]

3 hours ago, AngelKitty said:

Oh, my Lord! I love it. I've always loved the idea of transferred memories/existence into another vessel to prolong life. I've read so many books and seen so many movies with this idea, yet I never tire of it. The characters, as well as the actors, are a bit familiar, it's true, yet that's kind of reassuring. I didn't know this was a book, so now I've got to decide whether to read, or not to read.

From what I've seen in interviews they made many, many character and plotline changes to the show. So I think they could both be enjoyed as different stories with similar characters. 

[CaptainTightpants]

On 04/02/2018 at 1:48 AM, Bec said:

What is happening?! I'm utterly confused.

But this show is so beautiful I want to keep on looking at it.

I expect everything will make more sense later.

I'm watching for a second time right now. Things are making 1000% more sense now that I know who everyone is. I actually think I am enjoying it more a second time around since I'm not constantly confused. And the flashbacks are more enjoyable as well! 

Edited February 11, 2018 by CaptainTightpants

[tennisgurl]

Cyber Punk is often a mixed bag (you need compelling characters and decent world building to avoid looking like a cheap Blade Runner rip off), but I decided to try this, as I have been craving some decent sci fi, and I think this has potential. Good performances, and the characters, while cliche, are interesting and non grating enough to keep my interest. The world building is really interesting, and it looks freaking awesome. I do hope they explain some more about what is going on and how all the sleeve stuff works, as I am still pretty confused right now. 

What I am saying is, this looks like a good watch, I am totally in for this ride, no matter what weird places it takes me. 

I mean, it already took us to a future brothel with an Edgar Allan Poe theme, and thats enough to get me to watch the next episode alone. 

[benteen]

It took me a while to get into this episode but I ended up enjoying it in the end.  The world-building is fascinating and the cities in the sky reminded me of the Red Rising series.  I liked the Poe AI a lot.

[justcris]

I loved this episode, I'm definitely in for the whole Season! 

I'm a big fan of Joel Kinnaman from watching The Killing, and that's enough to offset my bad memories of James Purefoy in The Following. Enjoying Kristin Lehman too, whom I remember not only from the Killing but also Motive.

This is a TV show that looks like a big production movie, and that's awesome! It exceeded all my expections for how a TV show like this would look, it must have a pretty big budget.

I loved the multiple narrative threads that they set up, can't wait to explore them all. I liked that it moved fast with the exposition, and even though it was fairly obvious the episode would end with him deciding to take the case, I was still very interested in everything that was happening. Plus, that scene at the hotel was so good, right amount of humour, violence, visuals and character development.

I didn't take my eyes off the TV for a second. Can't wait to watch more tomorrow!

[Amarsir]

On 2/5/2018 at 3:41 AM, CletusMusashi said:

Once you take away all the holograms, the streets and stripmalls of... what?.. maybe 400 years into the future?... look way too much like ours.

Which makes all the special effects they layer over it in the name of "world building" look kind of half-assed.

 

On 2/8/2018 at 9:11 PM, arc said:

I don't understand how the AI hotels exist given the economics of this world. There's hyper-capitalism with immortal multi-billionaires but also these immensely complex hotels are (1) single occupant and (2) have not been used in decades? Who pays the rent? Who pays the electricity? Why haven't they been shut down and razed in favor of hotels that people actually want to stay at?

Yeah, so what bothered me is that the time jumps seemed to be in-your-face. They wanted it big enough to be dramatic. A vastly futuristic society in a few noteworthy ways but mostly similar. "On ice for 150 years, it's a new world and nobody remembers him!" Except he fits in way too well. Someone from 1868 transported to today would be at a complete loss. But Kovacs has expertise with all the current weapons, technology, and culture? Enough to cleverly select which hotel to stay at? The statement of how well an envoy drops into society might be meant to cover this, but it's too much of a handwave. It seems like they wanted a time spread so distant that we wouldn't try to connect them ... and yet they're trying to connect them.

Similarly, no guests for 50 years? That crowded city just has all this empty space with the AI ready to go - and running ads on the street no less - for 50 years. That's daring me to not take it seriously. Make it a shorter time and I'm fine ignoring it and just accepting this empty building is at his disposal. Slap me in the face with a ridiculous amount of time and suddenly I find the economics more far-fetched than the tech. Work with me here, show. 

That said, I love the sci fi premise and am generally a sucker for a good noir story. Also while I have no idea how the story ends, there was enough potential foreshadowing dropped into this first episode that I can see a couple ways it could have happened and would be happy with any of them that the clues were laid out fairly. A single premise (stacks) thoroughly explored is makes for a great story to me.

[DrSpaceman]

On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 12:55 PM, CaptainTightpants said:

I'm watching for a second time right now. Things are making 1000% more sense now that I know who everyone is. I actually think I am enjoying it more a second time around since I'm not constantly confused. And the flashbacks are more enjoyable as well! 

I finished it once and will likely go back and watch again now. 

Bugged me the entire world is dark as well. I get it, its for artistic reasons, but still, vast technology to do all these things, but you can't create enough light to keep ANY Of these buildings, homes, offices, etc from being almost pitch black?

[LittleLamb]

I only tried this show because of Joel. Probably should have stuck with my gut that he is best as Holder. No role before or after will be the same. Not a sci-fi chick but watched for him. Won’t continue. I would rather rewatch him in the Killing next time I need a Joel fix..... some roles are meant for actors. Maybe the actor makes the character. ... this show left much to be desired. 

[iMonrey]

Gave it a shot last night, but I'm not the audience for this show. Mind you, I fully recognize this type of story has an audience but I'm just not it. Interesting to see others refer to it as Sci Fi Noir - that's a good description, I think. It's also something I realize I don't care for. Didn't really care for Blade Runner either - that's just not my kind of Sci Fi. To me, it's like a Steven Segal movie. Just lots of fight scenes and shooting and the obligatory strip club scenes. The ultra tough guy who can take on ten armed men at once because he's just that much of a bad-ass. Bad guys and gangsters and armed guards and cartels blah blah blah.  The only twist is that it takes place in the future. 

What I find is that I'm more interested in the world than in the story it takes place in. But the show is only using the world as a backdrop. The story could just as easily take place in our own timeline, for the most part, if you subtract the "stack" gimmick. Just another tough-guy mercenary show out to fight off all the bad guys.

[AudienceofOne]

I'm late to this party but it's been a busy year. I admit I was expecting this to be more high-brow and stylish. I don't know where I got that idea from but I certainly wasn't expecting it to be so gory and almost low-rent. 

Random observation - the infinity Ouroboros tattoo he got is the same tattoo I want. It's almost like Infinity squared.

[Dobian]

Just started watching.  Interesting enough for me to keep watching.  The visual style and cinematography are great.  The ridiculous vertical cities I can do without though.  Why does Hollywood think this is how cities in the future will look?  They watch too much Jetsons.  Some other cliches, like the super wealthy living in the sky.  It seems like every dystopian tale is about a society where the one percent has managed to build their own enclave shut off from the rest of civilization's squalor.  Then there's the A.I. hotel that makes no sense.  That whole setup at the Raven was just for a gratuitous but completely illogical action scene.  Not totally thrilled about Joel Kinnaman.  He has really limited range as an actor, very one note.  He was much the same as Frank Underwood's Republican rival in House of Cards.  As long as the show sticks to action/adventure he'll be fine.  But if they are looking to touch on deep moral themes that require emotional depth, I just don't see it with this guy.

Edited August 12, 2018 by Dobian

[supposebly]

I keep thinking I would like to watch this but every time I watch the trailer, I keep wondering how it makes sense to revive someone who was born 250 years ago to investigate. If I were a PI now, I would be pretty useless with the technological advancements in 250 years.

So, I keep thinking, I can't really buy into the premise and that might bug me throughout.

Do they have a workaround? Is there a good reason that might explain why one rather revives a 250 year old instead of someone good who has a better handle on the present?

[WatchrTina]

On 8/13/2018 at 12:42 PM, supposebly said:

Is there a good reason that might explain why one rather revives a 250 year old instead of someone good who has a better handle on the present?

They kept calling him an "envoy" and it's clear that he has special skills as a result (such as the ability to see through walls and the ability to adapt to any environment into which he is dropped.)  He also appears to be the last of his kind and his kind were on the losing side of some big conflict 250 years ago.  I'm assuming all that plays into why he was chosen for this gig.  I'm even open to the possibility that investigating that attempted murder is a red-herring and that the rich guy staged his own murder for the sole purpose of "hiring" the last-surviving envoy -- because he really wanted him out of the chiller for a totally different purpose.  The rich dude is over 300 years old.  Maybe he's secretly on the side of whoever the envoys were fighting for (I've forgotten the name of their prophet, or leader) and maybe he's trying to re-start the fight.

It's intriguing.  I'm in.  But I'm having to look past the glaring similarities to Joss Wedon's "Dollhouse" blended with "Blade Runner".  Also the lonely AI at the hotel reminded me greatly of the bartender in the movie "Passengers."  

Edited April 29, 2019 by WatchrTina

[CigarDoug]

Just started watching this on Netflix in 2021. I see most comments are from 2018. I hear people complaining that futuristic cities wouldn’t look like that, well, what WOULD they look like? Let’s assume the rich are going to stay rich (they tend to) and the poor who remain in the big cities will continue to stay poor. There will be slums, slums are a given. One interesting thing I saw was, on the Golden Gate Bridge, the entire driving portion of the bridge was built up using cargo containers to make housing, that’s where the Marine medic lives that our hero goes to visit in episode 2. There is a better shot in the second episode. So, the whole surface of the bridge is now cheap housing, and there are apparently high-speed rail cars running underneath the bridge. That was original.

My point is, poor people or even middle class people will live in small apartments. The only big change will be the increased use of electronics. Maybe the suburbs are totally different, we just don’t get to see them. But I would like to hear what you think a city 500 years in the future would look like.

Also, the rich people are called Meths. What is Meth short for?

 

 

[jelaine]

32 minutes ago, CigarDoug said:

Also, the rich people are called Meths. What is Meth short for?

Methuselah, the oldest person recorded in the Bible.