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| 2017 in TV: A Retrospective, Line of Duty/A Series of Unfortunate Events/Doctor Foster |
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 24th December 2017, 08:40 PM
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#21
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 Buffy/Charmed
Joined: 18 April 2013
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QUOTE(Severin @ Dec 24 2017, 08:02 PM)  Personally, no. Not in a year when Twin Peaks quite literally picked up the rule book, (you know the one, the one everyone's been using since David Lynch re-wrote the rules in 1989) and quite literally dropped a nuclear bomb on it. Once again redefining what a TV show can be and do. Creatively, nothing even comes close. And then of course there's the peerless Handmaids Tale. I do love Doctor Who of course and welcome its inclusion. I'd also love to see comments for Taboo, Vikings, Star Trek (and the utterly delightful The Orville), Crisis On Earth X, Legion, The Sinner, Game Of Thrones (of course) and Man In The High Castle as they've all been exceptionally good too. Oh I forgot about GoT. Production values aside, I found EVERYTHING about this seried nauseatingly poor. Fom the HIGHLY predictable plot threads down to the ridiculous travel times down to the at-times-questionable CGI (Ice Dragon much?), and of course the bad characterisation and plot, it has been a huge limp gazelle. I have watched Peaky Blinders if no one else hs? That was MARVELOUS TV and so much more than I was expecting. Also, what rule book?? The rule book Nu Who follows is the BuffyChrmed one set out by Wheddon and continued by Colmes. What rules has Twin Peaks through oot?? It's just drama. |
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25th December 2017, 02:53 PM
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#22
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Mansonette
Joined: 3 November 2009
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http://www.vulture.com/2014/10/twin-peaks-...v-showtime.html
For example of Twin Peaks influence you should read the above because if you think Wheddon didn't take insipation from it then you're pretty much alone. There was nothing like it's merging of genre and surrealism beforehand in mainstream TV. http://www.neatorama.com/2011/02/25/18-fac...vampire-slayer/ Check point 14 for Whedon admitting it's influence on Buffy Everything of note afterwards was influenced by it. If you think it's just drama then you're not really watching. Check episodes 3 and the final of the original. Meanwhile episode 8 of The Return is pure art house cinema thrown slap bang in mainstream TV. Twin Peaks isn't concerned with explaining everything and creates moods and impressions that demand repeated viewings. It breaks every convention in TV and many from cinema too. It's hands down the most challenging and artisticly profound TV ever produced. This post has been edited by Severin: 25th December 2017, 04:04 PM |
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28th December 2017, 01:59 AM
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#23
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 I'm a paragon so don't perceive me
Joined: 3 February 2011
Posts: 37,420 User: 12,929               |
This is a really interesting thread considering I've been a bit... out of Western TV this year. I'll look forward to the Game Of Thrones post of course but aside from that... I'm only just now making my way through Star Trek and need to start Stranger Things (#1 on my list) and beyond that, I've just been reading all of these commentaries and it's wonderful to see people putting in the same sort of writing and passion that I do about the shows I like, even if I've watched none of them, it'll give me direction for where to pick up a few new shows if I want to.
I might drop an anime post in here. |
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28th December 2017, 04:01 AM
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#24
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Brown cow, stunning!
Joined: 7 December 2009
Posts: 67,176 User: 10,139
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Coronation Street
 Broadcast: Year-round Channel: ITV1 British Soap Awards: Best Newcomer (Rob Mallard as Daniel Osbourne), Best Comedy Performance (Dolly-Rose Campbell as Gemma Winter), Best Female Dramatic Performance (Kym Marsh as Michelle Connor), Best Young Performance (Elle Mulvaney as Amy Barlow) This year notably been a bit up and down for Corrie, although that feels par for the course, especially with Kate Oates as executive producer, who seems to always fluctuate between great ideas, risks that pay off and absolute stinkers. Perhaps the biggest talking point of the year was the controversial sexual exploitation storyline centering around 16 year old Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon). Christmas 2016 saw her meet Nathan Curtis in the midst of her collapsing because of diet pills, but whilst she felt she was falling in love with a man who cared about her, Nathan was really grooming and exploiting her, something he'd done to multiple girls before her. She fell out with her family, who were apprehensive due to Nathan's age, and moved in with Nathan full time, eventually becoming engaged even though Nathan had exploited Bethany into sleeping with his friend Neil, a police officer. As well as the emotional tangling she'd been subjected to, the fact a police officer was involved made her not seek help whenever she had doubts. Bethany's uncle David's new girlfriend Shona Ramsey, herself an ex of Nathan, was the one who saved the day, alerting the family of the trouble Bethany was in, and whilst Bethany was emotionally abused to the point where she believed she was in the wrong, she finally had the strength to testify against Nathan and Neil in cour and both were sent down. Lucy Fallon really proved herself in this storyline, perfectly portraying the naivety that led Bethany into danger, the spell Nathan cast on her by playing with her emotions, the resulting turmoil feeling like it was her felt, and the prevailing emotional strength that led to justice. She nabbed Best actress at the Inside Soap Awards, and a nomination at the Britsh Soap Awards, something I feel could happen again for the trial episodes and events around them. Another huge highlight this year has surprisingly been the performance from Kym Marsh, as her character Michelle Connor was featured in a heartbreaking stillbirth storyline. Finally becoming pregnant with her husband Steve McDonald, it was not to be for the happy couple, not least because Steve had got Michelle's friend Leanne pregnant behind her back, the reveal of which broke them up. No doubt drawing of her real life experience (her son Archie died hours after birth in 2009), Kym managed to absolutely nail this storyline in one of the best soap performances of recent years, earning a British Soap Award for Best Female Dramatic Performance and making a quite unlikable character someone that you really feel for. As well as the actual birth, Michelle's unpredictable behaviour and struggle to keep it together following Ruiari's death, as ell as her totall losing it upon learning of Steve's love child, were perfectly portrayed by Kym. It wasn't just with that storyline either, I feel in general the character of Michelle has been far better this year, finally breaking free of the shackles of Steve and the pub and a safe boring relationship, getting something to do after what felt like ages just sort of ambling along pouring pints in the pub. She was at her lowest and almost attempted suicide, got a new partner as Robert Preston rescued her, she was tormented by an old flame as Will Chatterton stalked her, and she's currently facing money issues and Robert's diagnosis of testicular cancer, so not an easy year at all  Also among the highlights of the year for me were the lesbian affair between married supposedly straight Muslim Rana Nazir and her lesbian friend Kate Connor, which I just think is so refreshing and realistic as a portrayal of homosexual feelings just emerging in someone who thinks they're straight, as well as Sally Metcalfe's hate capaign from her bipolar sister, as I thought it was great to see Sally in a more serious light, as hilarious as she is when she fancies herself as Weatherfield's answer to Hyancinth Bucket, the refreshing acerbic wit of Amy Barlow, who's growing more and more into her mother's daughter each day, the wiman scorned revenge plot from Eva Price after Aiden Connor cheated on her with her best friend Maria, and the continued presence of dad bod king Shayne Ward (Aiden) and the impossibly handsome Sam Robertson (Adam) for more shallow reasons  I would have added the surprise "death" and return of Andy Carver at the hands of Phelan, but I feel like his actual death not long after being revealed as alive was a bit stupid and kind of rendered the in between as pointless, he may as well have died the first time.On the other end of the spectrum, there has been a lot of utter tedium that marred the year as a whole. As ever Sinead Tinkurrrrrr and Chesneh have been an utter pair of drips with 0 chemistry as a couple. Whilst the former is likeable enough, if unremarkable, Sinead is a total charisma vacuum who sucks all life out of any scene she's in. I have no idea why she's so awful as Katie McGlynn was brilliant in Waterloo Road, but Sinead has just totally flopped in all capacities. She briefly strayed from Chesney with the handsome and charming Daniel Osborne, however a drip like her could attract him is beyond me but anyway... There was as little spark and passion between them as with her and Chesney, and it ended swiftly as she was forced to have an abortion by Daniel's dad Ken. Despite some material to work with, a few ups and downs this year, Sinead is eternally almost totally useless. At least she can be unintentionally hilarious with her voice (CHESNEH!!! IT'S NOT FURRRRR) and lack of tact, for example deciding to make the death of Chesney's ex and mother of his child Katy's death all about her by not being able to contain her desire to propse to him in the midst of it all. She isn't the only deadwood (Cathy, Brian, Izzy, Luke and Yasmeen could easily be axed with little to no fuss and novody caring) but she is one who've actually given stuff to do but still being utterly awful and dull. The Phelan saga is also getting quite dull for me, despite a solid addition to the cast in the form of his daughter Nicola. Despite some great moments such as the aforementioned "death" and actual death of Andy, I feel it's dragging a bit and half the street seem to know what he's like or have suspicions but he always weasles out of it. 2018 needs to be his exit really, it's getting a bit much and I hate when soap characters seem to become invincible for the sake of prolonging a storyline  I could easily see a whodunnit as he's made a lot of enemies!All in all, not the best year for the show, but some strong highlights made it a must watch on multiple occasions. |
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28th December 2017, 11:26 AM
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#25
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 ❤️❤️➕🟦
Joined: 3 June 2012
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RICK AND MORTY
 Broadcast: 1 April/July 30-October 1 Channel: Adult Swim/Netflix Like its unconventional nature, Rick and Morty started its third season in an unusual way. On April 1st, 'The Rickshank Redemption' was shown on repeat for four hours on Adult Swim. It created a huge buzz around the show and people who can't think for themselves started crying out to taste Szechuan sauce, a limited edition McDonalds sauce used to tie in with the release of Mulan in 1998. The rest of the season was then shown weekly from July 30 and saw increased ratings due to the increased buzz. The season saw a change in the usual dynamics as Beth and Jerry end their relationship with Beth choosing Rick over Jerry. The season also featured a Mad Max: Fury Road spoof, a spoof on Hollywood superhero sequels and an episode where Rick turned into a Pickle. One of my favourite episodes saw Rick & Morty visit a spa where all their toxic elements of their personality where removed, causing Morty to improve his self-confidence and he becomes an entirely new character! Another highlight focused on the Citadel as an election took place. One of the focuses of TV in 2017 has been political as TV tries to emulate the unbelievable events of politics in this new world. Rick and Morty may not focus their satire and plot solely on real-world events but there are some parallels as the unexpected underdog wins out. Although this time he actually IS from the "working class" so to speak. Another plot twist along the way will make this episode have some interesting implications for Season 4! The somehow traditional (because they did it a second time x) Interdimensional Cable episode was replaced by another clip show which I really enjoyed as we got to see the darkest Rick and Morty adventures as well as other adventures we've never seen before. It culminates in a really great ending for the episode as Summer casually saves the day! The last two episodes focused even more on Beth and Jerry's relationship and my highlights of these two characters came from these final two episodes. The first saw Jerry in a relationship with an alien hunter who then tries and kills Morty and Summer after Jerry breaks up with her. It was quite funny to see Jerry be partnered with someone who was the complete opposite from him but it be played out as the usual bad step-mum! In the final episode, a casual comment by Rick sees Beth having an identity crisis as she believes she's a clone made by Rick. It provided some really funny moments but ultimately, it brought Jerry and Beth back together! Overall, the season perhaps wasn't as strong as the first two. There weren't as many episode highlights as those two but it did help to expand the characters. Summer had more of an active role with Rick's adventures which I always like to see and Beth stood out stronger for me then I'd seen her before. The episode where Morty becomes a lot more confident also helped his character I believe! It will be a long wait until Season 4! |
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28th December 2017, 01:57 PM
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#26
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 🔥🚀🔥
Joined: 30 August 2010
Posts: 74,572 User: 11,746
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QUOTE(Klampus @ Dec 28 2017, 11:26 AM) Like its unconventional nature, Rick and Morty started its third season in an unusual way. On April 1st, 'The Rickshank Redemption' was shown on repeat for four hours on Adult Swim. It created a huge buzz around the show and people who can't think for themselves started crying out to taste Szechuan sauce, a limited edition McDonalds sauce used to tie in with the release of Mulan in 1998. The rest of the season was then shown weekly from July 30 and saw increased ratings due to the increased buzz. I may have been one of these people.  Although I was happy to try it from the local Chinese takeaway, so I can't be lumped in with the crazy fans waiting hours outside McDonalds to get it. It's very nice actually, so thanks R&M for making me want it.Rick & Morty S3 was my fave TV season of the year, really is my type of humour. |
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28th December 2017, 04:52 PM
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#27
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I'm a paragon so don't perceive me
Joined: 3 February 2011
Posts: 37,420 User: 12,929 |
That show has been ruined for me with copypastas and other stories of fans acting crazy for what just seems to be, after watching the first episode, yet another cartoon with 'crude & lewd' humour in the vein of South Park/Family Guy but with weird sci-fi shit. Maybe I just don't have a very high IQ and that post seems to indicate that it probably does get a bit better but I don't get the hype... yet. I'll probably watch it at some point though to see if I'm wrong.
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28th December 2017, 08:25 PM
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#28
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I'm a paragon so don't perceive me
Joined: 3 February 2011
Posts: 37,420 User: 12,929 |
ANIME
   top: My Hero Academia, middle: Made In Abyss, bottom: Attack On Titan (because of the nature of the beast, I’m combining it all into one, if Brett or anyone else wants to go in on a show in detail, don’t let me posting this stop you. This also gives a bit of information on how this fairly self-contained sub-community of TV has been faring over the year) It’s important to understand that, when I call 2017 the year of the sequel, or the second season, how comparatively rare it is for even popular anime that aren’t established long-runners to get more than one season. Some do get two if it’s planned from the start but a third or more is incredibly rare. Because of the nature of the medium, there’s no issue with actors aging, so there’s no rush to put the whole story out and sometimes seasons languish in development hell for years before there is deemed to be enough demand (several of us still haven't accepted that Haruhi season 3 will never happen). Yet a huge number of second seasons surfaced this year, far more than in many other years and it’s got to the point that a large number of third seasons are already announced for 2018. Now this doesn’t necessarily mean anything yet, seasons get announced fairly often without a followthrough, but at least a few are confirmed and this means that it seems like finally, a new generation of top shows are emerging to take the place of Bleach, Naruto and the immortal One Piece, themselves successors to Dragonball Z and (original) Pokemon. And these shows are rooted in the modern sensibility of show only your best material, which means none of the filler and useless episodes that plagued those older titles. These new popular juggernaut shows are Attack On Titan, My Hero Academia and Food Wars, with their comedy sidekick Konosuba. Anime years are divided into 4 seasons, winter, spring, summer and autumn, each of which sees a huge batch of new shows air, each lasting for one or two of the seasons dependent on length, so there’s always a load of new shows available to watch, enough for any dedicated anime fan to pretend the world of normal TV shows doesn’t exist (and it’s so easy to fall into this trap as no doubt you’ve seen), but one or two shows tend to dominate each season. In winter, it was Konosuba 2, a comedy about four losers in a fantasy RPG-like world. Fresh from airing in the same slot last year, its first season had been a breakout hit with hilarious slapstick and satire on a rather overused and easily mocked genre in the anime community, that being losers transported to another world to escape their awful lives. Season 2 of Konosuba basically brought more of the fun with an engaged plot, more banter, and the characters fans had come to know bringing heartwarming moments as well as a few fresh memes. Other hits during winter included Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, a popular show about dragons that turn into girls and act cute (not my cup of tea but the meme of the ‘dragon loli’ was everywhere), Gabriel Dropout, a show about a lazy angel coming to earth and playing video games, and Little Witch Academia, which is most succinctly described as ‘Harry Potter as an anime (but with witches)’ and was at the centre of one of the key anime community controversies of the year, when it was exclusively picked up by Netflix, who, at least internationally, aren’t particularly receptive to the practice of releasing shows as they air, stifling conversation and causing many anime fans to turn to piracy just to keep up with those watching the show (like, all of Japan for a start) as it aired. This would be repeated later in the year for more shows. Spring was the season when the second season phenomenon was most apparent. Not only did we FINALLY get the second season of Attack On Titan after four years of waiting, a new anime classic presented itself in the form of My Hero Academia. Owing a lot to superhero tropes, 2015’s huge hit One Punch Man and many other common anime influences, MHA had had a fairly well received first season in 2016, but that was nothing compared to how dominating its second season was. The characters, each with a different special superhero ability, now geared up for a tournament arc that played out with the same (but better) manner of excitement of old Pokemon or other anime tournaments, and from there continued pushing a plot through that has some very on-point topical discussions to make, how the media drives people to become extremists is just one example. It was both fun and eye-opening and quite clearly the popular choice’s anime of the year, anecdotally dominating all of the conversation I saw on anime sites. Attack On Titan’s second season had slightly less ~hype~ from having to pick up fans from four years ago but it delivered some incredible episodes as humanity continues to push back against the man-eating lumbering zombies known as Titans from entering their walls (there’s a reason I describe it as Game Of Thrones meets Walking Dead), only this time, the Titans have a bit more of a thinking villainy to them that makes it all the more scary. Other popular shows in spring included a show where everyone becomes a god and can summon video game characters into real life in Re:Creators, a romance anime that apparently finished really well in Tsuki Ga Kirei and something we must never speak of again in Eromanga Sensei. Summer was the only season where a huge sequel didn’t air, although My Hero Academia was still going on in the background and wowing everyone so it still felt like that was the case. The Netflix debate reared its head again as two of the most anticipated shows were withheld from weekly airing until the end of the season, Fate/Apocrypha, a battle royale of numerous figures from history set in modern-day Romania, from the extensive Fate franchise and Kakegurui, a show about a world where skill in gambling is prized above all else. The latter has managed to become the #1 popular anime of summer despite Netflix STILL withholding it from the world outside of Japan for god knows what reason. This is how piracy is still deemed acceptable. There were a couple of other highlights from the summer though, Made In Abyss has gotten rave reviews from all who’ve watched it as it tells the story of two young children in a fantasy world known as the Abyss, it’s on my list to watch and reading the synopsis makes it sound rather like the Edge Chronicles. There was also a bit of a gaming theme as last year’s show about work life in a game studio, New Game, got a second season and an unexpected breakout hit came from a romantic comedy show about highschool students who are gamers and have a tangled web of misunderstandings and relationships, simply titled Gamers. I got quite drawn into that one and I don’t even like romantic comedies that much, there was a charm to it (and a promise of gaming discussions) that kept me really interested. Autumn (or Fall if you must) I was mostly not around for so have limited knowledge of but I do know that the third season of the cooking anime Food Wars was very popular. By the usual way of audacious recipes, lewdness and brash bright characters with rivalries to make real cooking shows pale in comparison, it’s been so unexpectedly popular since airing that a fourth season is already on the way early next year. I myself have seen the first two seasons and love it and so the third season is high on my list of things to pick up the next time I’m watching anime on a full stomach, it’s a dangerous show to watch hungry. There was also a lot of talk about Black Clover, a new show that seems to be trying to be the next Naruto, from what I’ve heard, almost artificially so, with a main character with an incredibly annoying voice. The most popular show of the fall season seems to have been The Ancient Magus’ Bride, about a young girl who is sold through a slave auction to a mysterious figure. I haven’t heard all that much about it being out of the community but with that popularity I’m sure I’ll hear plenty about it in the months to come and may pick it up. Another show includes Inuyashiki, a show focused on an old man with cancer with little time left to live in this world. I’ve heard it’s really heartwarming and a bit of a refreshing change to focus on someone so old as the main character, with the second season of March Comes In Like A Lion also starting to fill up the pattern of serious shows, but there also seems to be the usual glut of trashy shows that I haven't talked about. According to MyAnimeList, the best site to rank aggregated scores and popularity for anime fans, the highest rated anime of the year was Owarimonogatari part II, the final installment of the huge Monogatari series with an average of 9.08/10, with a season of Gintama, always an MAL winner, in second with 9.03. I haven't talked about them as only their die-hard fans are watching them right now, I'm still some way behind on both. Made In Abyss was third with an average score of 8.91 out of 10 (very unusual for a first season to be ranked this highly because of the way the scoring works, the only people ranking second seasons and beyond are those who are already fans so they have an advantage, so all-in-all, I’d count Made In Abyss as the winner here). The second season of the popular ‘feels’ anime about a depressed shoki player, March Comes In Like A Lion is in fourth place with 8.80, while My Hero Academia season 2 was fifth with 8.79 out of 10. The most popular by numbers was, in actual fact, Attack On Titan season 2 with 538,000 people adding it to their list, with My Hero Academia S2 in a strong second place with 430,000. A distant third was Konosuba season 2 with 333,000. However MHA has almost as many people watching it or completing it than AOT with 120,000 of the Attack On Titan people having it still on their ‘plan to watch’ section of their list, compared to 50,000 for MHA. The lowest ranked show with more than 50,000 members putting it on their list was King’s Game from the fall season, ranked a lowly 5.15 out of 10. Given that any anime below 8 on this site is generally accepted as could be either good or bad and below 7 is generally bad, below six is where there be dragons... but not maid dragons. Obviously this post is all completely unknown territory to most of you, but if you ever find yourself stumbling on an anime show that you want to talk about Buzzjack’s anime thread is ready and waiting to accept you, it’s not all impenetrable geek talk in there. Just most of it. |
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28th December 2017, 08:40 PM
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#29
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Brown cow, stunning!
Joined: 7 December 2009
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QUOTE(Yuki On Ice~ @ Dec 28 2017, 04:52 PM) That show has been ruined for me with copypastas and other stories of fans acting crazy for what just seems to be, after watching the first episode, yet another cartoon with 'crude & lewd' humour in the vein of South Park/Family Guy but with weird sci-fi shit. Maybe I just don't have a very high IQ and that post seems to indicate that it probably does get a bit better but I don't get the hype... yet. I'll probably watch it at some point though to see if I'm wrong. Nah I totally agree, I really like Family Guy actually (not so much South Park) but I just can't see anything funny it at all from what I've tried but perhaps I need to give it more of a chance. The fanbase is bloody awful as well, but I guess that's the same with stan twitter in most forms, just like singers people can go way OTT with their TV shows. |
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30th December 2017, 12:27 PM
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#30
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❤️❤️➕🟦
Joined: 3 June 2012
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GAME OF THRONES
 Broadcast: July 16-August 27 Channel: HBO/Sky Atlantic Unlike one of the other biggest TV shows in the world right now, Game of Thrones is going full speed towards its end game with the penultimate season airing this year. It only consisted of seven episodes but, more than ever, they felt like seven epic movies. With the end in sight, characters were brought together and storylines were merged. A particular highlight of this was the meeting (and later merging  ) of fire and ice that fans have been eagerly awaiting to see. There was also the reunification of sisters Arya and Sansa who were also joined by their brother, Bran who is a lot less human than when they first saw him. After six seasons of multiple storylines and all the main characters largely split up amongst these, it did feel slightly odd to have many characters meeting up together. It particularly allowed for longer scenes and a highlight of this was the meeting of Daenerys, Jon and Cersei as the now three main houses came together for the first time. It was a great payoff and I'm so excited to see where it leads for the final season. As usual, we saw the deaths of some major characters such as Olenna, Viserion and Littlefinger. You can maybe through Benjen Stark's hat in their too (although definitely not the Sand Snakes...). Littlefinger's death was the most rewarding, even though you knew it was coming, as TV's biggest snake and pot stirrer FINALLY got his comeuppance at the hands of the two sisters he was trying to split up. Coming into the season, it did feel like we had our set of untouchable (even for GOT) characters who are all needed for the final season. The White Walkers were also a lot more prominent this season as the real threat of them started to influence the main characters a lot more with Jon having to spread the message of the threat. Whilst it was the result of a slightly strange plan, Episode 6 brought us an epic battle against the White Walkers with an ultimate fan boy moment of Daenerys flying her dragon to try and defeat the White Walkers. Ultimately it leads to the Night King killing and resurrecting the dragon, to become on of their own. This is where it slightly feels a bit like fan fiction for me BUT it still does give you goosebumps and really increases the threat of the White Walkers (not that it needed to be increased!). It of course helps to create the epic cliffhanger and the Wall comes tumbling down, teasing an all guns blazing Season 8. I must admit that I have had a slight gripe with the White Walkers before as it all felt very sidelined and a bit random and unneccesary to what was the central plot of who ends up on the throne and I thought it wasn't really The Walking Dead that I was expecting to watch! However, now they're being addressed by all of the main characters, I am more in favour for them and it adds that extra dynamic of does the throne actually matter?? Although I'm wondering if (somehow) it may help Jon and Daenerys get the throne with Cersei choosing to be blind to them. The season was definitely all about moving the pieces around and putting things together to set up for what will be the most epic set of six episodes TV has ever seen. I don't fully know how I can place it against the other seasons as it certainly felt a lot different, due to the lack of source material and the fact that the characters were coming together for the first time (and therefore it unintentionally can come across as fan fiction). I can't begin to imagine how it will all conclude, but it will certainly be a mammoth task and ultimately, it's going to be divisive. The show has been about the journey though, even if that journey is about to end... |
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31st December 2017, 12:15 PM
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#31
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❤️❤️➕🟦
Joined: 3 June 2012
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THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF
 Broadcast: August 29 - October 31 Channel: Channel 4 The uncontroversial and biggest UK show of 2016 saw a controversial move from BBC One to Channel 4 in 2017. Whilst it shed a few million viewers (as people are unaware of what a TV remote is), it still proved that it was hugely popular despite the lack of Mary Berry, Mel and Sue. Replacing the trio and joining a snake were Prue Leith, Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig. Despite the additional commercial breaks, the format and editing stayed exactly the same. This year's contestants went the opposite way to most series I felt as it started off very strong and got slightly weaker and underwhelming as it went on. Whether this was because of a lack of true standout bakers or because of the more specific theme weeks, who knows. My favourite week was Cake week though because the Showstopper was absolutely incredible. The theme was an illusion cake so all the bakers had to make a cake that looked like another object. It meant that we had a champagne bottle with ice, pork pie, bread, books and a melon all as cakes. I would have loved to have been in the tent that day!  Biscuit week was also interesting as the showstopper was a playable board game, having the challenge of being even fiddlier than ever. I know I'm focusing on the showstoppers here but it did feel like they went all out on the traditional first three weeks themes with Bread week also amounting to an incredible coloured bread sculpture. It had looked like we were in for a stellar year based on these bakes but then caramel week hit, a notable challenge for previous bakers and the technical challenge here didn't go down too well. After pudding and pastry week, we had Italian week which resulted in the most underwhelming techinical challenge ever for me as they had to make a Margarita pizza Patisserie Week also saw some problems despite it being the semi-final as the bakers struggled with the meringue showstopper. This was particularly the first bad week for Steven and should have been the week he went home really. However, in a unique move, the snake and Prue chose to eliminate Stacey by looking at the previous weeks. I didn't mind though as Stacey was intolerable oops!This series also had a mid-season blow as fan favourites Julia, Yan and Liam went out in consecutive weeks leaving forgettable Sophie and Kate, too professional Steven and... Stacey in the semi-final. Steven had been great all the way through but that meant he was hard to root for as these types of shows need someone who has gone on a journey and he was too amazing to start with, and did actually suffer by the end. Overall, it was a solid year and it benefited from the format staying exactly the same. There had been worries of Channel 4 mixing it up but that would have been detrimental to the show. Channel 4's input largely comes from the additions of Prue, Noel and Sandi. The latter two are absolutely brilliant as hosts (sorry Mel & Sue!) and they became an unlikely duo! I actually laughed so many times at them, my favourite moment being Noel in the fridge. |
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31st December 2017, 12:34 PM
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#32
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thanks for being a sarcy lil bitch
Joined: 25 September 2007
Posts: 79,277 User: 4,397     |
QUOTE(Yuki On Ice~ @ Dec 28 2017, 07:52 PM) That show has been ruined for me with copypastas and other stories of fans acting crazy for what just seems to be, after watching the first episode, yet another cartoon with 'crude & lewd' humour in the vein of South Park/Family Guy but with weird sci-fi shit. Maybe I just don't have a very high IQ and that post seems to indicate that it probably does get a bit better but I don't get the hype... yet. I'll probably watch it at some point though to see if I'm wrong. you should you need you MUST watch it i was slightly underwhelmed (or better said just not impressed) at the very beginning but now it's genuinely in my top 5 ever. i disagree entirely with your summary and it being similar to FG/SP. i think you are concentrating too much on the individual traits of the main characters who can not possibly get developed by the end of episode 1. so give it time. i guarantee it will pay off by episode 7-8. the show can be dark but it doesn't hide behind humour during more serious scenes at all. it's very smart with twists and references and there won't be any literal caricatures. at least i haven't found any. so watch watch watch! gosh i think i watched the entire thing like 4 times now with the exception of season 3 and it being recent + the first few episodes more than 5 times. it just never gets old |
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31st December 2017, 12:40 PM
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#33
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❤️❤️➕🟦
Joined: 3 June 2012
Posts: 22,246 User: 17,160
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Yeh, at the end of the first episode, I was like wtf am I watching I don’t know if I can be arsed with the rest but I gave it a chance and now I really love it, particularly all the meta stuff etc. I think if you still don’t like it by the end of Season 1, then that’s when you know you won’t like it.
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31st December 2017, 06:06 PM
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#34
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I'm a paragon so don't perceive me
Joined: 3 February 2011
Posts: 37,420 User: 12,929 |
Fair fair enough, I'd say the same if any of you lot thought my precious anime comedies were shit after the first episode, that first episode just felt like Adult Swim personified. I'll get round to it at some point, as soon as the hysteria has worn off a bit.
Good summary of Game Of Thrones, particularly this line: QUOTE This is where it slightly feels a bit like fan fiction for me I mean, I'm not claiming to be a book original considering I only discovered the show about Season 3 but there was a Hollywood-esque feel to this year's offering that wasn't present in early seasons and though it seems like the easy way to end the series I wasn't too convinced - they didn't kill off enough people. I don't like killing off characters but I do hope Season 8 sees a bit of a higher casualty rate just so the end means something. But basically this was all setup to the final teased since season 1 confrontation of the White Walkers against humanity so I've been mainly seeing Season 7 as the piece-moving season ready for the final arc and I'll judge how well it did that when I see how the show ends itself. And if we ever get to compare it to how The Winds Of Winter does it, so much the better. |
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31st December 2017, 06:16 PM
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#35
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 The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,128 User: 9,232
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THE HANDMAID'S TALE
 Broadcast: 27th April-14th June (US) 28th May-30th July (UK) Channel: Hulu (US), Channel 4 (UK) Now we have one of the most critically successful TV series of the year, winning eight Primetime Emmy awards and being the first program on a streaming platform to win Outstanding Series. It certainly wasn't all hype either, and I would call this my own personal favourite series of the year and one I would highly recommend to all watchers as while it's not an easy watch, you'll certainly find something to admire. Based on the 1985 dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale is a story set in a totalitarian society ruled by the Gilead, a Christian Theonomy that has overthrown the US government in a civil war following falling fertility rates. A clear hierarchy is established with all women are totally subjugated and are forbidden from working, owning property and even reading. The few fertile women left are designated as 'handmaids' and all are put in the ownership of ruling elite officials where they must consent to regular rape in order to become pregnant and give children to their owners. All handmaids do not have a name, they are given a name which symbolises their being owned by their official. The show follows Offred (played by Elisabeth Moss), a single handmaid assigned to Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife and former activist, Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), and her day to day life where we witness the true horrors of what befall these women and also flashback on how this world came about and Offred's former life, and the steps she takes to gain individuality and independence in this world. Now really, this show could've come at any time and be praised - it stays faithful to the book, the acting is wonderful, the bare minimalist setting is an amazing backdrop to what is an empty world for this character and the flashbacks work effectively as they move along in tandem to the story and serve to increase her motivations for revenge and the suspense building is timed excellently each time. But mainly, it is so apt for the timing of the story - there has never been a dystopia that feels more relevant to adapt in 2017 than this book. There are many dystopias out there, but the very best ones get it RIGHT. Traces of Orwell's visions in 1984 can be seen to actually be happening in many places in the world (just look at North Korea :/) and Black Mirror has been deemed prophetic in some of it's comments on technology and the way of society, so to then is The Handmaid's Tale in waking us up in that how much of this world actually rings true - this isn't a super sci-fi world, it looks normal, the characters use smartphones, there's coffee shops and cars, it very much feels like our world and while it might seem we are a long way from the treatment of women in here, it's not exactly difficult to see if you look around the world (and indeed the misogynist currently standing as the most powerful man in the world) and we still have a long way to go to reach equality. The Handmaid's Tale does, despite how dark it seems, offer a glimmer of hope as well. It tells of one woman's silent determined fight against a system that opposes her and which the odds are stacked against her and while it does end on that same uncertain note as the novel (that may be a spoiler if you've read it lolz, although a second series has been commissioned that would be entirely original in this case), that fighting spirit and urge to gain independence will keep you watching throughout. And indeed, in a year where many victims of sexual abuse have come out against the elite, that narrative can probably resonate with most of the world. I would highly recommend this for anyone for both a thoughtful and high quality viewing experience. |
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31st December 2017, 06:22 PM
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#36
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,128 User: 9,232
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Also, some great shows and commentaries in here thus far. I binged The Good Place the last few days - fantastic concept, really excellent humour and a really interesting moral message and plot and character development too.
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31st December 2017, 06:29 PM
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#37
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Brown cow, stunning!
Joined: 7 December 2009
Posts: 67,176 User: 10,139
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Liam has to be the most overrated Bake Off contestant ever, good lord
It was a solid and enjoyable series but the cast was a bit below par for me, nobody to fully get behind, I was just happy that Sophie won as she was a really good baker and nice enough. It was a big step down from the previous 2 series where I was really really rooting for Nadiya and Candice the whole way through.
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31st December 2017, 06:35 PM
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#38
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new hair, new tee, new Levii’s Jeans
Joined: 24 October 2014
Posts: 39,311 User: 21,308
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Still crossing my fingers for a Grey’s/The Good Doctor Post but this is looking nicely arranged so far!
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1st January 2018, 02:28 AM
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#39
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FIVE YEARS OF THE TURRET 15-20
Joined: 12 March 2015
Posts: 4,754 User: 21,666
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I loved The Moorside, Doctor Who and Rick And Morty.
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1st January 2018, 12:08 PM
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#40
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Mansonette
Joined: 3 November 2009
Posts: 6,928 User: 9,872
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The Handmaid's Tale is an astonishing work that should go down as a landmark piece of television.
If anybody hasn't seen it you really ought to |
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