What are you watching on TV right now?

[Dean_Gretsch]

We just finished the 2nd season of the Ricky Gervais/Netflix comedy " Afterlife ". It's really made me appreciate his acting abilities. If you like British humor ( yeah, yeah HUMOUR! ), give this one a go. Let me warn you though...keep tissues handy if you get emotional. It isn't just the usual Gervais project. This deals with suicide, death of a spouse and how he copes/manages his life. The cast of characters is wonderful. Everyone I know who's watched this loves it and we are hoping he doesn't get bored with it and end the series with the 2nd season. That's all I've got to say about that!

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Sean Connery just passed away, so I will probably watch a bit of an old James Bond movie. I probably won't watch a whole movie. I am too busy lately. Maybe some other time I'll get around to watching one completely. I might have to watch it on VHS. Good thing I still have a tape player.

 

[Space Face]

Sean Connery just passed away, so I will probably watch a bit of an old James Bond movie. I probably won't watch a whole movie. I am too busy lately. Maybe some other time I'll get around to watching one completely. I might have to watch it on VHS. Good thing I still have a tape player.

Aye, sad loss. The Man Who Would Be King is a great pic too.

 

[Space Face]

Recently watched the Brit sitcom Ghosts. Good safe fun.

 

[Space Face]

Currently working through Paradise PD. Not for the easily offended. Quite funny is a very non PC and extremely vulgar way.

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

Peacock's series Mr. Mercedes.

 

[waday]

Currently on Season 8 of House. Also watching Great British Bake Off (or Great British Baking Sh0w, or whatever it’s called). New episodes on Netflix every Friday.

Also, the new season of The Crown came out. That’s in queue once we finish House.

Has anyone watched all of House and has any input below? Note, the spoiler tags. THERE ARE SPOILERS.

Spoiler

We’re a few episodes into season 8 of House, and it’s really not that good.

I feel like it should have ended with season 6. Season 7 was ok, but I really liked the House/Cuddy dynamic when they were in a relationship. It could have ended then, and I would have been happy. I started to get a little bored near the end of season 6 and definitely into season 7. Now, I can barely get through the season 8 episodes; they are so boring and seem to be mostly regurgitated material and cases. I remember wanting to watch 2 or 3 episodes in one sitting in the early seasons, and now I hesitate to even put one episode on. Ok, done with that portion of the rant.

I had worried they jumped the shark when he was put in the mental institution, but they did a good job. Also, I really like Andre Braugher, so he was a perfect fit for the psychiatrist. Then I worried when House started to date Cuddy—is this the end. Once they started to break up in season 7, I knew it was past the end.

I’m not happy with the way they ended it with Cuddy, and I get that there were other issues to why she wasn’t in season 8 (outside of the show), but I really miss her presence on the show. Cuddy knew that House was an addict, and then he relapses and she’s like, “whelp, I’m out, you’re on your own.” After all she went through with House in the first 6 seasons, and she can leave him so abruptly? And then to go from being engaged to the private investigator, to a very serious relationship with House, to break it off suddenly, and then to invite a guy over to her house for dinner when she just met him that day... what? The writers were trying to wrap it up quickly with Cuddy, and IMO, they failed. Now, they’re scrambling to stretch this another season, and just have really bad writing. I know I’m not through the whole season yet, so it may come up later (although I doubt it because the wall already has a telephone and TV on it), but there was so much construction when House got his outer office space back and it was just a window into Wilson’s office? That seemed so forced and unnecessary and just... really? You mean Wilson didn’t realize the entire wall was now covered in glass? What is the point of that wall? They couldn’t talk through it. Are they going to bring it up again? I hope so, but... just very disappointing after investing so much time in the show.

Foreman taking over for Cuddy also seems pretty unrealistic. The whole Wilson/House dynamic is so different, too. I didn’t mind the House/13 dynamic and 13 leaving the show made sense. Happy with Chase and Taub back, but Taub got two women pregnant at the same time and both girls have the same name? Again... really? I don’t even think that would have worked earlier on in the season. It’s just so messy that you can barely keep up. If they knew this was the last season, why not try to ease up on the character arcs and phase them out slowly?

What did the show think was going to happen when they took to such drastic measures as they did at the end of season 7? I feel like it wasn’t properly thought out. I like Charlyne Yi, but I can’t help but think she’s totally out of her element in the position she has. Honestly, I’d rather see her as the administrator than Foreman. At least it’d provide some better comedic relief. Good for her for getting a gig on House, but sad to see how it’s playing out.

Also, just a general comment: a lot of House’s jokes don’t age well.

 

[Space Face]

Paradise PD and Brickleberry. Not for the easily offended but funny as $@*&.

 

[limr]

Currently on Season 8 of House. Also watching Great British Bake Off (or Great British Baking Sh0w, or whatever it’s called). New episodes on Netflix every Friday.

Also, the new season of The Crown came out. That’s in queue once we finish House.

Has anyone watched all of House and has any input below? Note, the spoiler tags. THERE ARE SPOILERS.

100% agree with your assessment of the last three seasons.

Spoiler: Spoilers

I agree that I kind of like that House and Cuddy finally got together, but not crazy about how they did it and how they broke them up. Use the private detective boyfriend as a foil, but don't make it so super serious and then have Cuddy just up and leave him for House just a couple of hours after she told House she would never be with him. And I agree that she broke up with him too abruptly, too. I mean, I get that she would be disappointed that he would get high just to get over his anxiety over her illness, but it was also the thing that allowed him to be there for her to support her when she woke up from surgery. I could see that maybe being the beginning of troubles for them that would end with a break up, but instead it was like she went from 0-60 in no time and then from 60 back to 0 in even less time. Though I suppose the writers at least kept her consistent

I think they did handle the mental institution storyline pretty well and showed his character grow in good ways, so that was interesting. But I feel they had his character slowly regress right back to where it was, and by season 8, he was tolerable at best. That whole season was very forced, and it made me kind of dislike him, whereas before, he was a jerk but still somehow a likeable jerk.

And yeah, they kept throwing in plot lines for other characters that felt forced and complicated just for the sake of drama because the main story arc was so unsatisfying. The relationship with Wilson is probably the most interesting thing about season 8 for me, and I'm still not sure how I feel about the finale. But you're not there yet, so we'll talk about it when you're done

In other news, I've just started watching The Umbrella Academy on Netflix. Interesting stuff so far. It's visually beautiful and the music is outstanding. I'm halfway through Season 1.

 

[waday]

Currently on Season 8 of House. Also watching Great British Bake Off (or Great British Baking Sh0w, or whatever it’s called). New episodes on Netflix every Friday.

Also, the new season of The Crown came out. That’s in queue once we finish House.

Has anyone watched all of House and has any input below? Note, the spoiler tags. THERE ARE SPOILERS.

100% agree with your assessment of the last three seasons.

Spoiler: Spoilers

I agree that I kind of like that House and Cuddy finally got together, but not crazy about how they did it and how they broke them up. Use the private detective boyfriend as a foil, but don't make it so super serious and then have Cuddy just up and leave him for House just a couple of hours after she told House she would never be with him. And I agree that she broke up with him too abruptly, too. I mean, I get that she would be disappointed that he would get high just to get over his anxiety over her illness, but it was also the thing that allowed him to be there for her to support her when she woke up from surgery. I could see that maybe being the beginning of troubles for them that would end with a break up, but instead it was like she went from 0-60 in no time and then from 60 back to 0 in even less time. Though I suppose the writers at least kept her consistent

I think they did handle the mental institution storyline pretty well and showed his character grow in good ways, so that was interesting. But I feel they had his character slowly regress right back to where it was, and by season 8, he was tolerable at best. That whole season was very forced, and it made me kind of dislike him, whereas before, he was a jerk but still somehow a likeable jerk.

And yeah, they kept throwing in plot lines for other characters that felt forced and complicated just for the sake of drama because the main story arc was so unsatisfying. The relationship with Wilson is probably the most interesting thing about season 8 for me, and I'm still not sure how I feel about the finale. But you're not there yet, so we'll talk about it when you're done

In other news, I've just started watching The Umbrella Academy on Netflix. Interesting stuff so far. It's visually beautiful and the music is outstanding. I'm halfway through Season 1.

On The Umbrella Academy, you have me intrigued. I need to look this up.

On House:

Spoiler

If they have House end with all of this being a delusion in his mind from a drugged-up mental state or from him being in the induced coma for his leg, I’ll be quite mad. I’ll start writing fan fiction, LOL.

I never thought about the writers being “consistent” with Cuddy going all in and then retreating just as fast. I agree, I think the relapse should have been the beginning of the end for the relationship, not an abrupt ending. Cuddy, as both one of House’s closest friends and a doctor, should have known that ending the relationship so quickly, after he had just taken more Vicodin, and in the manner that she did would have led to him going down a hole of drugs.

(All this said, I don’t mean to blame her completely, because she is definitely a victim of House. She can get out of relationships if she wants, but she actively chose to go into a relationship knowing that he was an addict and then got mad at that. I’m conflicted with how I feel.)

Also, the whole 18 months in jail for ramming a car into a house. I know he said he “took the first deal” that came along, but this is House we’re talking about. The Sherlock Holmes of doctors. He’s smarter than that, so I call bull.

I totally agree, I liked House before (even though he was a jerk), but now I don’t really have any feelings toward him. He used to have some moments in all the assholiness where he was a decent person. I feel like that’s not really there anymore, and you’re spot on, he regressed right back to where he was. I get that people may do that, but it was still frustrating because it felt forced.

I think I’m still sour over the whole ending it with Cuddy. I just remember in one of the episodes.. there was a visually and emotionally appealing scene where House was in Cuddy’s office, late in the day, everyone left, and they were discussing work. Cuddy at her desk, House laying back in the chair, camera was far away looking in on this moment. It just felt real and natural. I felt like it was worthy of a series-ending scene.

The House/Wilson dynamic is interesting. I do like them together.

If I had my own show, I’d want to end it as a fairly normal episode, maybe a bit emotional. I’d want the audience to know the show ended, but I would make it like any other episode.

I’m assuming House will not end like that, LOL.

 

[limr]

On The Umbrella Academy, you have me intrigued. I need to look this up.

On House:

Spoiler

If they have House end with all of this being a delusion in his mind from a drugged-up mental state or from him being in the induced coma for his leg, I’ll be quite mad. I’ll start writing fan fiction, LOL.

I never thought about the writers being “consistent” with Cuddy going all in and then retreating just as fast. I agree, I think the relapse should have been the beginning of the end for the relationship, not an abrupt ending. Cuddy, as both one of House’s closest friends and a doctor, should have known that ending the relationship so quickly, after he had just taken more Vicodin, and in the manner that she did would have led to him going down a hole of drugs.

(All this said, I don’t mean to blame her completely, because she is definitely a victim of House. She can get out of relationships if she wants, but she actively chose to go into a relationship knowing that he was an addict and then got mad at that. I’m conflicted with how I feel.)

Also, the whole 18 months in jail for ramming a car into a house. I know he said he “took the first deal” that came along, but this is House we’re talking about. The Sherlock Holmes of doctors. He’s smarter than that, so I call bull.

I totally agree, I liked House before (even though he was a jerk), but now I don’t really have any feelings toward him. He used to have some moments in all the assholiness where he was a decent person. I feel like that’s not really there anymore, and you’re spot on, he regressed right back to where he was. I get that people may do that, but it was still frustrating because it felt forced.

I think I’m still sour over the whole ending it with Cuddy. I just remember in one of the episodes.. there was a visually and emotionally appealing scene where House was in Cuddy’s office, late in the day, everyone left, and they were discussing work. Cuddy at her desk, House laying back in the chair, camera was far away looking in on this moment. It just felt real and natural. I felt like it was worthy of a series-ending scene.

The House/Wilson dynamic is interesting. I do like them together.

If I had my own show, I’d want to end it as a fairly normal episode, maybe a bit emotional. I’d want the audience to know the show ended, but I would make it like any other episode.

I’m assuming House will not end like that, LOL.

I just checked and second season of The Umbrella Academy was just released in July of this year. It was renewed for a 3rd season this month, which means it won't be released for a while. This is why I tend to watch shows after they're already done! And once I'm hooked on a show, I can't pace myself, so I'm sure I'm going to be done with both seasons in the next week. The episodes are longer, but there's only 10 episodes in a season.

Anyway.

Spoiler

Yes, Cuddy absolutely has the right to decide when enough is enough, and she did say at the beginning that she basically just had to know if it was something that would work or not. So his relapse could have been the moment when she realized it was not going to work. They had been attracted to each other since they first met in med school and have been dancing around it ever since, so it seemed like she decided she couldn't really move on with someone else until she'd given it a try with House. She totally knew all of his issues and his addiction, but decided to go ahead anyway. But what I don't like about the abrupt nature of both the start and finish of the relationship is that sure, the two events were consistent with each other, but they were inconsistent with the rest of her character. She wasn't particularly impulsive. She was methodical and thoughtful about her decisions. Of course some people are that way with career but are messier with their personal lives, but it still seemed like the writers were sacrificing character development for drama, and I don't like when that happens.

I liked their "normal" moments, too and still a bit salty about how they ended. But 'normal' apparently doesn't do well in the ratings. :/

As for the finale, all I will say is that a) it is not a delusion (though we do still get some hallucination scenes), and b) it's just a normal episode. I'm conflicted. We'll talk when you get there

Overall, I enjoyed the show very much, even if it did become a bit too formulaic with the cases (it's totally X disease! Nope, it's not. Cue controversial test/diagnoses/breaking and entering. Oh, it's totally disease Y! Nope, not that either. Cue ball tossing/staring at wall/eating lunch with coma guy. Dramatic finish! Puzzle solved! Patient is alive! Or sometimes dead!). But I do feel it overstayed its welcome, and I would have preferred a slow, steady character evolution for him rather than the roller coaster for the sake of gratuitous drama. All of the characters were sort of complex, but they could have been so much more interesting if the writers paid more attention to them.

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

This is why I tend to watch shows after they're already done! And once I'm hooked on a show, I can't pace myself, so I'm sure I'm going to be done with both seasons in the next week.

That is how we watched the entire Sopranos seasons. We'd watch 2 or 3 episodes and it really helped keep the story lines fresh in our memories.

 

[SquarePeg]

Currently on Season 8 of House. Also watching Great British Bake Off (or Great British Baking Sh0w, or whatever it’s called). New episodes on Netflix every Friday.

Also, the new season of The Crown came out. That’s in queue once we finish House.

Has anyone watched all of House and has any input below? Note, the spoiler tags. THERE ARE SPOILERS.

100% agree with your assessment of the last three seasons.

Spoiler: Spoilers

I agree that I kind of like that House and Cuddy finally got together, but not crazy about how they did it and how they broke them up. Use the private detective boyfriend as a foil, but don't make it so super serious and then have Cuddy just up and leave him for House just a couple of hours after she told House she would never be with him. And I agree that she broke up with him too abruptly, too. I mean, I get that she would be disappointed that he would get high just to get over his anxiety over her illness, but it was also the thing that allowed him to be there for her to support her when she woke up from surgery. I could see that maybe being the beginning of troubles for them that would end with a break up, but instead it was like she went from 0-60 in no time and then from 60 back to 0 in even less time. Though I suppose the writers at least kept her consistent

I think they did handle the mental institution storyline pretty well and showed his character grow in good ways, so that was interesting. But I feel they had his character slowly regress right back to where it was, and by season 8, he was tolerable at best. That whole season was very forced, and it made me kind of dislike him, whereas before, he was a jerk but still somehow a likeable jerk.

And yeah, they kept throwing in plot lines for other characters that felt forced and complicated just for the sake of drama because the main story arc was so unsatisfying. The relationship with Wilson is probably the most interesting thing about season 8 for me, and I'm still not sure how I feel about the finale. But you're not there yet, so we'll talk about it when you're done

In other news, I've just started watching The Umbrella Academy on Netflix. Interesting stuff so far. It's visually beautiful and the music is outstanding. I'm halfway through Season 1.

I greatly enjoyed both seasons of The Umbrella Academy. Season 1 got me through a long flight delay a few years ago. Also liked The Boys (on Prime I believe).

in my queue right now is the new season of The Crown and the new show Queen’s Gambit which has gotten raves from people who don’t usually rave.

I usually wait until at least season 2 and then binge but I’m going to watch QG over Thanksgiving weekend.

Also of course it’s Hallmark Christmas movie season and that tends to suck me in for hours at a time. I have to be in the right mood to overlook the glaring plot holes and cringe worthy dry snow.

 

[SquarePeg]

And who is watching The Mandalorian? We canceled Disney when the free year ran out. Should we re-up for long en-ugh to catch up on baby Yoda.

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

I have been thinking about starting it, but my wife said she watched the premier of the new series " The Big Sky ". I thought it would be boring, but she says the ending of the first episode made her gasp and say " wow!", so I bet that's our new one to watch