What TV/Netflix show are you currently watching? (Megathread)

[Cartagia]

Watched the first four episodes of Poker Face.  Very fun murder mystery show in the vein of Columbo.  Helps that I love Natasha Lyonne.

Don't know if there will be a better episode of television this year than The Last of Us episode 3.

[telly]

Don't know if there will be a better episode of television this year than The Last of Us episode 3.

It might be one of my favorite episodes of TV that I've every watched. Spectacular.

[Cartagia]

Don't know if there will be a better episode of television this year than The Last of Us episode 3.

It might be one of my favorite episodes of TV that I've every watched. Spectacular.

I hesitate to say this just because of potential recency bias, and because I watch a lot of TV, but it really was so, so great.

[marvelvscapcom2]

Finished Episode 1 of TLOU. It's the second coming, it's digital poetry, it's a felt tip pen scratching accross papyrus to give us independence from tyranny but in media form. It's velvet. I didn't expect in a million years it would follow the game so closely. Most game spinoffs go their own direction. Alter the plot. It borders on a live action version of the game itself. So far anyway. The dialogue. Pretty blown away. It's a ode to gamers with depth to keep non gamers involved. At first I was unsure about the Ellie casting but she nails the angst, sass and vibe of Ellie. Sarah was a gem. She gold the depravity of the early moments of apocalypse. Loving this.

[Cartagia]

Paul T. Goldman is a fascinating project that is part documentary, part failed TV pilot, all based on the supposed real life of the titular Goldman.  It has tinges of Nathan Fielder's work (the director did a few episodes of Nathan for You) alongside a darkly comic and vaguely sinister true crime doc, like Tickled.

[marvelvscapcom2]

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Ep 3 of TLOU is harrowing, it's so infectiously pretty in ways an apocolypse has no right to be. The love story unraveling on screen, the ambiance, the pacing. The pure power. Offerman ia a poised actor beyond what he is given credit for. Druckman yet again showing why love is love. It is a flower in a desolate land of rotting walker flesh. Homosexuality in zombie films was so sparse before, you'd almost believe the diseases were eliminating of the ability to be homosexual. Having a man who has been alone for years find purpose in the solace of another. Gender becomes irrelevant. Plot takes the wheel. And you just be. The show just rolls like a Nascar tire made of velvet. In a zombie setting. You would find societal psuedo religious constructs dwindle, bonds would form within smaller intergender dominated groups. Horror erases stigma. Pain unites. Love encompasses. People wouod accept themselves. It was awesomely written. I know many are angered by it. But honestly homophobia isn't my cup of lipton. TLOU 2 now this. Druckman knows how to tell love with no fear of fitting boundaries and anyone it offends are worth losing. Congrats and massive chefs kiss.  The romanticism of it all. The speed but also depth. I am wow'd. 100/100

[kamikazekeeg]

All Of Us Are Dead - Finally finished this, did it in two large chunks.  I still think South Korean media does some of the best zombies out there.  I don't know if this comes from Train of Busan specifically (I don't know about South Korean zombie media before that), but the zombies are fucked up when a person transforms into one.  Where in Walking Dead the virus you can sorta imagine casually lifting the corpse and putting it back to work, but in this show, it's like the virus is trying to capture the body, control it, so it contorts and there's bone and joints snapping and cracking, it's gross and intense and it never once stops feeling that way.  It's always unsettling and definitely a South Korean zombie trademark.

The show itself is very decent, it's fairly messed up, like some horrid stuff happens to these kids and people, but it almost borders on being a little too depressing, like the tragic story stuff almost feels too forced to draw out a sad reaction at points.  It doesn't ruin anything, but maybe it could've been written better or even not need.  It also doesn't help that the bouts of humor and levity to try and perk things up come off very clunky too in a show like this.  I also think the show would be better if it was cut down like an episode to kinda quicken up the pacing a tad, I'm sure at least two of these episodes could've been condensed down to one as I was starting to skim through the character moments of kids talking about stuff.

As a zombie show, it's really good, there is always an abundance of zombies, there's never a situation where the zombies are not plentiful and therefore a threat, especially as they are all fast and aggressive.  It's also not a gorefest, I don't mind gore in a zombie flick, but it's definitely on the lighter side, plenty of blood, biting, violence for sure, but it's rarely gratuitous like some other zombie media can be where it's like the gore is the focus more than the story or characters.

If you are into zombie media, I do recommend this.  Train to Busan, Kingdom, and this are all great South Korean zombie media.  And to make note, if you watch Train to Busan, do not watch Peninsula.  It's a super garbage and very embarrassing sequel to Busan lol

[Cartagia]

Velma - It's not nearly as awful as all the review aggregates would have you believe.  I laughed out loud at least once per episode, but it's incredibly scattershot and often too mean-spirited.   Also, there was no reason for it to be Scooby-Doo characters.

Murder, She Wrote - So I made it to the second intended ending of the show at Season 7, and through the last of the bookend episodes (which were way better this season).  Only 5 more seasons to go!

Poker Face had a very solid first season.  Sometimes not quite as clever as it tried to be, but solid direction across the board and killer (puns!) guest stars every week.

The Last of Us is far and away the best live action video game adaptation, but aside from one or two episodes it is missing the emotional core of the game.  It is a faithful adaptation of nearly all of the cutscenes but without the gameplay sections the pacing feels very choppy and Joel and Ellie's relationship isn't as developed.

M.O.D.O.K. - This was fine.  The doofy supervillain stuff is generally solid, but the family drama didn't work all that well.

The first two seasons of Line of Duty are a pretty brilliant crime procedural.  Best one I've seen in a while.  Eager to watch the remaining seasons.

Third season was the best one yet.

Cunk on Earth - Well this was just funny as hell, and just the right length to not wear out its welcome.

Toast of Tinseltown - Maybe a little more surreal than Toast of London, but not as strong in the plot department.  Matt Berry is a mad genius.

Fourth season of Line of Duty isn't as tightly plotted as the first three, but it's still a pretty compelling watch.  Thandwie Newton is a terrific seasonal guest star.

The fifth season of Line of Duty gets pack to a more methodically plotted story than S4, but some seams are starting to show.  They're returning to several story beats they've used previously, but they are thankfully still executed extremely well.

[Cartagia]

Peacemaker - Pretty handily the single best entry in the DCEU, which is a big surprise, especially because Peacemaker was about the last character I wanted a show about (after that very solid arc in The Suicide Squad), but they really made him interesting and nuanced.  Plus it is hilarious.

Third season of The Mandalorian is probably the weakest overall, but I still enjoyed it.  I think you could have moved some stuff around for pacing purposes - chop that Dr. Pershing episode up and spread it throughout the season, instead of doing it all in one, for example - but in general I could watch Mando and Grogu do random fetch quests every week and be cool with it.

I've watched the first three seasons of Broad City, which is, overall, very good and very funny.  It's got a bit of the surreal vibe of Atlanta along with the realistic relatability of Pen15.  Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, the two leads are incredible, and they got an amazing supporting cast that they do not overuse.  The second season was the best so far, with the first finding it's footing a bit, and the third being a bit more experimental, which worked more often than not but led to it being a little more uneven.

[kamikazekeeg]

The Mandalorian: Season 3 - I really enjoyed it.  I do agree it's not the best season, it doesn't have that initial strong focus the first two did, but I feel like I heard a lot of folks talking poorly about it and I'm here enjoying it more than Andor, a series that people were really talking up as the best Star Wars has done lately, but I thought was fairly middling. 

It does sorta feel like a story that Mando/Grogu sorta get relegated to the backburner for slightly, but as someone that is here for the "Mandalorian" stuff, getting a whole season dedicated to Mandalore and the Mandalorian people is great.  It will be nice to see the story seeming turn back to what it started out as more, Mando and Grogu getting involved in bounty hunter work, dealing with Imperial Remnants, that sounds great.

[Cartagia]

Seasons 4 and 5 of Broad City are both very good.  S4 is a bit better than S3, and S5 is great wrap up to the series.  It's gets far more into the emotional aspect of Ilana and Abbi's relationship, so while it's not as uproariously funny it earns the ending it shoots for.

Second season of Perry Mason isn't quite as good as the first.  It's still really good TV, but the overall conspiracy and investigation, while interesting, isn't as deep or engaging.  The trial is also tough to get invested in.

Watched the first two seasons of Better Call Saul.  The first season is a bit better than the second, as it was obvious they didn't know if the show was gonna work, so it tells a full story that shows you how  these characters could have ended up where they are in Breaking Bad. S2 ends up spinning its wheels a bit, but does provide some good character work and do a good job of putting the characters on an even more direct path for where they are in BB.

What makes it work so well as a prequel is that Saul and Mike were characters that we only ever saw in orbit of Walt, so all the people in their personal lives (save only 1 or 2) could easily survive to, and be around in BB.

I put on the first season of The X-Files as a background watch while working.  A bit of a mistake, because it is one hell of a season of television.  Amazing music, stories, cinematography.  Just phenomenal.

Season 3 of Better Call Saul is probably about on par with S2, but with inverted strengths and weaknesses.

[Cartagia]

Season 3 of I Think You Should feels like a little bit of a step down from 1 and 2, but there are still sketches that get in your head, fester, and just get funnier over time.  I'll give it a second watch in a couple of months and see where I land then.

After season 4 of Better Call Saul I'm ready to say that I'm not in the camp that thinks it is better than Breaking Bad.  It is still extremely good, just not that good.

Fifth season of Better Call Saul in the books.  Ended incredibly strong, but the first half was kind of all over the place.  Probably because it was confirmed that they would be getting season 5 & 6 to end, and they needed to clear out the old plots and really get their endgame started.  It's felt very different, in general, since the end of S3 and the death of a major character that really kind of shifted the tone and focus of the show in general.  Not in a bad way, necessarily, it just doesn't feel quite the same - focusing far more on the cartel storylines, etc.

[kamikazekeeg]

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - I haven't watched Star Trek in ages, not counting the new movies, I haven't really watched a Star Trek series since maybe Enterprise back in the day.  I heard Discovery was a mixed bag, same for Picard, but I started to hear good things about this one and going into it with not much knowledge of it, I think it's a very decent start with the first episode.  I believe I had a general idea of it being a prequel series to the original show, though I didn't know it had a younger cast of some of the original crew.  Definitely nice having a better version of Spock than what we got with the movies.

As a Star Trek show, seems like it has the right goals in mind story wise, solving dilemma's with dialogue and diplomacy, while having some action dotted throughout.  So we'll just have to see how the rest of the show goes, but the first two episodes were solid.

[Cartagia]

Finished Better Call Saul.  The last seasons good, but feels a little disjointed due to the structure.  Absolutely worth a watch if you are a Breaking Bad fan, but it is a slower more deliberate series that ultimately has the same style while thematically going in pretty different directions.

Final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a huge rebound from the uneven S4.  The final two episodes are particularly well-written, with Tony Shaloub getting a monologue in the penultimate episode that might be the best thing I've ever seen him do.  They do start the season and then intersperse with flashes to Midge and Susie's futures that, while interesting, give away a bit too much information and undermine a lot of the potential dramatic tension.  Mostly, though, it stuck the landing.

[kamikazekeeg]

Skull Island - This was great.  I thought it was marketed more initially as a "Kong" show, I mean it is Skull Island, but the show is specifically just called that and Kong is actually a more minor character than that.  Which I'm totally fine with, because this is just a good general monster show and it's great getting to see more monsters and such.  My only problem with the show is that it's short lol 8 episodes, normal 25'ish minute run time, I could absolutely use more. 

Characters are a lot of fun, enjoyed the humor as it's not trying to be super serious for a lot of it, something leaning more for teens and up than for kids, especially with the violence and blood.  Animation and art style is great, there is some CG strewn about, but it's used sparingly.  I could maybe understand someone not really liking the show if you just wanted like "Kong Adventures" or something, like the '98 Godzilla cartoon where each episode is just Godzilla fighting a new monster, but I like seeing more exploration of this world which is why I'm looking forward to the show Monarch.  I assume it'll be kinda similar to this, just in live action.

I think they retconned a thing or two in this from the previous movies, but it's not too big of a deal, just something I noticed, though it absolutely does call back to the Kong movie specifically a few times which is fun.  Show is a great watch, I hope they get another season.  I mean it's the Monsterverse, I'll basically take anything at this point lol