TV You Have Watched

[Neon Ignition]

Rick and Morty: Season 04 Part I
All the moaning I'd read online about it being a quality drop off fell flat, seems to be the same as ever but it is unquestionably harmed by the network splitting it into two halves. The show simply isn't designed to run in that format and you can tell so in hindsight these eps will likely work much better when things that are clearly yet to pay off come back into play.

[Finsbury Girl]

I've been watching The Boys and Longmire - they're both great. Karl's eastend geezer accent is friggin atrocious though, perhaps one of the worst attempts I've ever heard.

[Neon Ignition]

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 06
Largely more of the same again but the last couple of episodes with Dee's Baby and the Christmas ep has some good moments plus bonus points for getting the guy from Santa Claus: The Movie in an Xmas ep.

[randombs]

Taskmaster (series 1)

Beautiful in every way. Just started series 2.

[fuse]

Devs. First hurdle is trying to accept Nick Offerman's grooming - this is very difficult. Second, there's the awkward balance they're trying to strike of making tech firms look underhanded and morally bankrupt while also wanting to portray everyone working there as a genius who's been tasked with unwrapping the world's most complex problems (albeit for undefined yet likely very selfish reasons). I've still got a few episodes left to go, but so far the murder mystery sitting on the surface isn't particularly compelling, and everything underlying that is trying far too hard - expecting a lot of its audience, but not being particularly convincing. Lots of slow and abstract shots scored by jarring, industrial cuts is not improving the situation.

Ozark. We started this from the top a couple of weeks back, and are now about halfway through the second season. I'm jumping between liking it and not, a lot of which stems from the central premise of the two main characters finding themselves in the situation they are in, yet how smart the show keeps insisting they are following that. I normally quite enjoy things on the bleak side, but I'm finding this quite merciless and intentionally unpleasant towards the few characters making any strides towards redemption.

Oh, and Tiger King. Was somewhat coerced into watching this, and just found it chock-full of awful people who I'd rather weren't turned into celebrities.

This is making me sound very irritable right now - might not be the most inaccurate call

[prinnysquad]

Quiz

Enjoyable 3 parter that did a fair job in sowing seeds of doubt into the verdict.

Michael Sheen had Tarrant down to perfection.

[Brad]

Ozark is awesome as others have said.
The Boys is fab despite Urban’s ridiculous attempt at the accent. Looking forward to the next season.

Better call Saul continues to rule, as does Good Girls season 3

[Atticus]

^^^

Yeah, Michael (not Martin, ITV) Sheen was brilliant. The perfect example of the difference between an impression and an acting performance.

Still loving every second of Saul. It's one to be savoured.

The Boys was the best adaptation I could imagine. I can even cope with Urban's accent ... convincing myself it's somehow of the world the story takes place in

[QualityChimp]

Penultimate episode of The Boys and my wife turns to me and says "He's not Australian?!"

[prinnysquad]

Consider derder divorce.

[Neon Ignition]

Supernatural: Season 15 Part Two
The post-mid season break eps through to the point the virus interrupted them. A fairly weak run to be honest, lots of wheel spinning to bring back old characters for a one off airing and to either kill time of retcon a previous development as the show wriggles to try and set up and answer on how to deal with how to handle its villain. Seems to just about get to a plan by the last ep with seven episodes remaining to finish the tale at some point.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 07
Actually felt a little better than previous ones this time. It's very subtle but there's a slight shift towards a bit more of a sitcom set up with each eps plot which works a little better for the show.

[gordon]

Finished Ozark season 3. I thought it was very, very good...

[Brad]

Finished Saul. Not entirely happy with the ending. Like the one half of the story was fine but the other half I dunno. Anyway, roll on the next season!

[teddymeow]

Penultimate episode of The Boys and my wife turns to me and says "He's not Australian?!"

New Zealand

[prinnysquad]

Binged After Life series 2.

Mixed thoughts. Not as funny as the first series, not as pacy, not as fresh. It is more of the same. In some respects it’s like a comedy soap opera.

On the flipside, that’s what life is like, isn’t it? Grief and loss doesn’t get neatly tied up after 6 episodes. Epiphanies don’t wipe the slate clean. You can’t ditch the entirety of the baggage. So, in this, Tony is in a better place to a small degree, but still hasn’t scratched the surface of moving on. New things happen to him. Bad things. He is unable to seize and enjoy the good things, and he’s aware of this. He’s more reflective and is good at giving advice to others, but he’s still very much on the edge. That’s life. More of the same.

The performances are great and the second half of the series is more emotionally demanding. Paul Kaye’s therapist is funny, but borderline unfunny, due to a relentless torrent of vile nastiness. A character with no redeeming features and out of place in the context of the show.

Don’t expect any radical, or even modest, changes. This is about a bloke who has small highs and crushing lows, stumbling through day to day life, on the edge, and totally under the control of grief. I feel like a lot of the reviews in the press have missed the point. It’s not as good as the first series, but this is a programme about characters, coping, and a little bit of self discovery.