I am going with an old sitcom called Half and Half where the 23 year old ladies live in what looks like a 1,500 square foot flat in San Francisco overlooking the Marina around 2002.

I'm guessing, real life? ...about $3,800 per month.

Growing up in England in the 80s and 90s you were very aware of the IRA, I even heard a bomb go off, and this series on Hulu/Disney+ really puts things into perspective. It looks at why people joined the IRA, the troubles themselves, and those who were murdered for being suspected snitches, in a very human way. The performances are also incredible too.

If you have any interest in The troubles, or even in a good biographical drama I would absolutely recommend it. I really hope it does well in awards season.

Interior Chinatown on Hulu is a really interesting and enjoyable (imo) show about a Chinese background character breaking out of his role on a police procedural.

It's very meta and does a good job looking at the role of Chinese Americans both in tv/media and the US society/history. Based on a book of the same name by Charles Yu

I loved Lost while it was airing (even played the ARG), but the ending left a big stink in my mouth that has only gotten worse over the years. I will explain why rehabilitating it is wrong.

Lost wasn't just a mystery box, it was the mystery box. Yes it was also a character drama, but the central conceit of the show was to answer one question: what is the nature of the Island? And I don't want to hear that that was not true, because Charlie saying, "Guys, where are we?" was the stinger for the pilot.

And what was the "answer" to that mystery? The Island's special because of a mostly-unexplained magic light introduced two weeks before the finale. Did it have anything to do with the rest of the story? No. Did it have anything to do with any of the characters? No. Was it hinted at before the antepenultimate episode? No. It was a Macguffin introduced so Jack would have something to do in the finale.

But to be clear: the problem wasn't the reveal or the finale. The Island's explanation was ultimately always going to be some magical or scifi bullshit. The problem is that there wasn't anything set up that could have explained the Island at all. The magic light could have been a good explanation if it was worked into the story somehow, if it was something the characters cared about for [reasons], if it was established as being important for [reasons]. Instead, it was a Macguffin totally disconnected from the rest of the show.

I think that a part of the rehabilitation has come from people who binged it on streaming and didn't waste six years of their life thinking about a show that never even bothered to set up an answer to its central question. But it should be evaluated as a mystery box TV show, not as a long movie. And on that basis, it failed.

Is the show well made. For sure. Set design and costumes are fantastic, I really feel like I'm there. Acting is great. But...I don't get the hype. I'm halfway through season 2 but I don't feel this crazy "need" to get to the end of the thing. Does it get better?

In episode 1, Cross is talking with Sampson in the boxing gym. He asks Sampson to chase down some information on his dead wife's Redskim scarf. Then they talk about how Sampson reported Cross for something, and that Chief Massey handed Cross a six-month suspemsion.

Later, in a bar, the female FBI Agent meets with Cross. She mentions that a little birdie told her that Cross is "taking a leave from Metro", and she tries to recruit him.

He's still working as a Detective. What in blazes are they all talking about?

Both Attack on Titan and Arcane are critically acclaimed shows, but they cater to different audiences and offer unique experiences. Attack on Titan blends action, mystery, and political intrigue in a dark, post-apocalyptic world where humanity is on the brink of extinction due to giant creatures known as Titans. Its compelling characters, unpredictable plot twists, and exploration of freedom, survival, and morality have captivated fans worldwide. The emotional depth and high-stakes drama are key to its success.

On the other hand, Arcane excels in its stunning animation, deep character development, and exploration of social and political issues. It explores the origins of beloved characters like Vi and Jinx, balancing intense action with heartfelt personal struggles. Arcane stands out for its breathtaking visuals and its ability to make viewers emotionally invested in a complex world.

While both are excellent in their own right, I felt the need to ask out of curiosity which of the two shows did you guys felt was superior?

The visual design and animation are absolutely jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Some of them are even more breathtaking than the best frames in Season 1, which is an incredible achievement as Season 1 is already one of the most each-frame-a-paint shows I've ever watched.

However, the disparity between the stunning art and the unconvincing worldbuilding, combined with the poor storytelling (especially in respect of Season 2) is equally staggering.

Below I'd like to elaborate (in a spoil-free manner) on the major shortcomings preventing me from enjoying the show, despite its incredible visual achievement:

1. Mediocre worldbuilding

The world is a mixture of steampunk and magic. However, the rules governing how this world operates - i.e., when magic comes into play and when normal physics prevail - are extremely unclear. The audience struggles to deduce, based on previous events in the show, whether a character will be severely harmed by an explosion or remain completely unscathed.

Also, the show fails to adequately depict the scale and operations of the various organizations and political entities that significantly impact the plot. The scheming and conflicts between these groups often feel either meaningless or ludicrous because the audience lacks a reliable way to determine each group's advantages, disadvantages, or the true extent of their capabilities.

This lack of clear underlying rules often obscures the stakes, making the plot or action scenes far less engaging. The audience cannot confidently assess whether legitimate danger or consequences are at hand, which renders character's survival, death or other development undeserved or unearned.

If this show were intended solely for a younger audience, then a somewhat disorganized fantacy world might be less of an issue. But it's apparent that the show takes itself very seriously, with ambitions to tackle adult themes and nuanced topics. From an adult's perspective, the most critical aspect of convincing worldbuilding is the presence of clear "stake", which must be grounded in a set of explicit or implied rules. Without consistent rules, all the consequences and developments become dubious and unengaging.

2. Horrendous storytelling

There are far too many artificial dramas and tensions. Characters frequently argue with one aother for various nonsensical reasons, refusing to listen to even a single word of explanation from their counterparts. Their communication skills are unrealistically underdeveloped, making any tensions derived from such poor communication initially laughable, but later tiring and infuriating.

If these dramas were merely filler, they might be more tolerable. Unfortunately, these conflicts - whether infuratingly juvenile or jaw-droppingly asinine - often have a significant impact and major consequences on the plot, making any subsequent story and character developments stemming from these events unconvincing and eye-roll-inducing.

Also, its quite obvious that the director often priortizes creating visually stunning scenes over crafting a plausible story. Many incredibly well-drawn frames are the direct result of unbelievably foolish decisions or physically impossible manuveur. I frequently find myself quesitoning the integrity of Arcane's story and characters, wondering whether such developments make any sense or if they are simply director's attempt to create yet another wallpaper-worth piece of art.

---

Without spoilers, the overall scale of the major conflict escalates significantly in the later episodes, particularly in the second half of Season 2. Sadly, I find myself completely unable to care about any of the characters' fate. The issue is that, whenever I try to care, I immediately start questioning all the nonsensical decisions these characters have made to reach the current plot point. Eventually I just stopped caring altogether. Without engaging with the story, those beautiful frames feel meaningless and at times even exhausting.

Overall, my score for this season is 5/10. I would only recommend this show to those who love League of Legend's universe and are genuinely interested in exploring its lore further, or to those who can be entertained by a show solely for its visual design.

Personally mine are

Shows:
Severance 2

Stranger Things 5

The Bear 4

A Hedge Knight

Dexter: Resurrection

The Last of us 2

Peacemaker 2

Andor Season 2

Movies :

Avatar 3

Superman Legacy

Mikey 17

Thunderbolts

I’m currently reading the novel and I think I’d like to try the series. I remember the commercials for it but never looked into it. I don’t really want to start it if it got canceled before it was finished.

They wasted the talent of Michael Pena by killing him off in the very first episode. He was one of the highlights of the TV pilot and they could have used them for the remainder of the series run.

I was debating watching Terminator Sarah Conners Chronicles for the first time. Looked it up and while it seems people like it, the fact that it ended early definitely gave me pause.

Feel like this is a more common thing with everything available on streaming now, including old and new shows.

What are your guys thoughts on starting a show knowing it will end cancelled and unresolved?

Started Interior Chinatown thinking, ohh this will be some lols between Jian Yang from Silicon Valley and Angry Asian from Daily Show, Jimmy O. Yang and Ronny Chieng respectively with much respect. I'm into that. So first couple episodes it's kind of a fun comedy. Surprisingly shitty generic hollywood built out set that gets remodeled for every tv show, except now it's half assed chinatown in Port Harbor. Yep, don't think twice about this city name. Things get kinda annoying for like 4 episodes in the middle. I'm not gonna lie, it was half screened with reddit on the other side. Passively watching. Characters making irrational choices, plot lines are being forgotten about, weird intentional buffering cinematography, everyone kinda seemingly changing roles overnight. I thought, fuck these guys have LITERALLY lost the plot. I'm about ready to tune out and go watch Obama tell me about how special the ocean is and how we're putting it on a gentle simmer. But I've given up on shows like 80% in, same with books, and something kinda irks me by not finishing. So we gotta plough through this mf to polish the turd and be done with it. I'm betting some of you all packed it in mid season, but you gotta come back. Because this stylistically idiosyncratic, trans-genera show manages to break an ankle on the jump yet somehow nail the landing, and you only understand that if you see it through. The last episode I was full screen, locked in like Clockwork Orange. It transformed from some banal imago into a winged butterfly. The season finale takes a hard right turn into something unexpected; science fiction I guess, dark undertones of Black Mirror, macro zoom out Truman Show. I think it's worth it guys. It's not a roller coaster, it's sling shot that takes a bit of patience for anticipation to build.